Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
by David Lubar
Dutton Children's Books (2005)
Interest Level: ages 7 and up

Category: Contemporary Fiction
Type: Novel

Summary:
Scott Hudson and his friends are just starting high school. Through his freshmen year Scott learns survival tips, gets involved with a few organizations, and deals with changes happening at home. He makes some new friends and loses some old ones and learns a little more about who he is and what is really important in the process. Read this book to find out how Scott Hudson survives his first year of high school.

Online Connections:
1. Author's website: www.davidlubar.com
2. Interview with the author: www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/lit_resources/authors/interviews/DavidLubar.html

Book Connections:
1. Rumor by Carol Deuker
2. Invisible by Pete Hautman

Keywords/Phrases: tom swifties, The Princess Bride, freshmen, high school, bullies, family

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses
by Paul Goble
Atheneum Books for Young Readers (1978)
Interest Level: ages 4-8
Awards and Honors:
Caldecott Medal, 1978
ALA Notable Children's Book, 1978
A NCSS/CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
One of the Children's Books of the Year, chosen by the Library of Congress

Category: Fiction (Folk Tale)
Type: Picture Storybook

Summary: A girl in the village of a Native American Indian tribe loved horses. She understood them, helped them find shelter from the storms and would take care of them when they were injured. One day when the girl was sleeping soundly by the horses, a storm came suddenly. She awoke at the crash of thunder and flash of lightning. She jumped onto a horse and the herd began galloping away and would not stop until they were far from their familiar grazing grounds. When the storm finally passed, the girl realized that they were lost. When she woke the next morning she was surprised by a beautiful spotted stallion, the leader of all the wild horses that roamed the hills. What happens next? Does the girl find her way home? Read this book to finish the story!

Online Connections:
1. Information site about the author's art work: www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/globe_paul.html
2. Biography of author: www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Goble

Book Connections:
1. The Gift of the Sacred Dog by Paul Goble
2. Buffalo Women by Paul Goble

Keywords: horses, native american fairy tales, indians of North America

The SOS File

The SOS File
by Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, and Laurie Myers
illustrated by Arthur Howard
Henry Holt and Company, LLC (2004)
Interest Level: 8-12 years

Category: Contemporary Fiction
Type: Short Stories

Summary:
Mr. Margo's SOS class assignment some students diligently writing about their near mishaps while others struggle for ideas. One of the students tells about her accident on her go-cart when her partner was not able to jump in at take off. That meant there was no one to pull the brake. OOOooo, Lookout! In the next SOS Jerry ate all the candy bars he was supposed to sell for the baseball team. He had to borrow the money from his mom and then find a way to pay her back. What a bummer! The next SOS proved to be a "beary" scary adventure. Augustus and his family went on a camping trip to Little Bear Mountain. While Augustus and his friend, Dodger, were hiking on the mountain they walked around the corner and what did they see? A large black mother bear with two small cubs! What did they do? Did they make it safely back to camp? Read The SOS File to find out what happened to Augustus and about the other SOS stories from the other students. The one very special story, the last SOS, gives hope to all the students.

Online Connections:
1. Author website: www.betsybyars.com
2. Author's spotlight: www.classzone.com/novelguides/authors/byars.cfm

Book Connections:
1. Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
2. The Givig Tree by Shel Silverstein

Keywords: sos, 911, help, emergencies

Fever 1793

Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2000)
Interest Level: Young Adult

Category: Historical Fiction
Type: Novel

Summary:
Fourteen year old Matilda's (Mattie) world turns upside down when Philadelphia experiences a yellow fever plague that kills thousands. Her mother and grandfater decide to stay while thousands of others are fleeing to safety. By the time they decide to leave, it is too late. Mattie falls to the ground with the fever after she and her grandfather try to leave town. Luckily she survives with the skilled help of the French doctors and Mrs. Flagg. When she is well enough, Mattie and her grandfather go back to town and find the coffeehouse had been burglarized and in shambles. Mattie's mother is gone as well and there is no note, they do not know if she is alive or has died from the plague.
Mattie finds a few vegetables in the overgrown garden for a modest dinner for her and her grandfather. They eat and then she takes a much needed bath and makes a pallet to sleep for the evening. That night, burglars come in the window close to where Mattie is sleeping. They are looking for anything they can sell in the city. Mattie tries to run out the back but they catch her. Her grandfather, hearing the commotion, wakes up and confronts them with his rifle. The intruders struggle for the gun and knock him to the ground, hitting his head. What happens to Mattie's grandfather? What happened to her mother? What will she do now? Read Fever 1793 for all these answers and more.

Online Connections:
1. Author website: www.writerlady.com
2. Author profile: www.teenreads.com/authors/au-anderson-laurie.asp

Book Connections:
1. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy
2. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geralding Brooks

Keywords: yellow fever, plague, 1793, epidemic

The Boy On Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss

The Boy On Fairfield Street: How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss
by Kathleen Krull
paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher
Random House Children's Books (2004)
Interest Level: ages 7-11

Category: Nonfiction Biography
Type: Picture Book

Summary:
Kathleen Krull does a wonderful job introducing the reader to the young Ted Geisel, who later becomes known as "Dr. Seuss." He was born in 1904 and grew up on 34th Street in springfield, Massachusetts. His father practically ran the zoo so Ted spent many days there and at night, he would dream of the animals. Ted's mother would read stories and nonsense verse to him every night. She gave him his first stuffed animal which Ted named Theophrastus. Ted stayed active with his wild imagination as a boy. In the summers, he would fish with his father, play in the sand, learn to swim, and enjoyed the parades. But most of all, Ted loved to draw. He drew all kinds of imaginary creatures; whatever popped into his head. Ted took his first Art class in high school. The teacher scolded him for breaking the rules and told him he would never be a successful artist so he quit the class. Kathleen Krull goes on to tell of Ted Geisel's other adventures and eventual success. Read this book to find out more about the real "Dr. Seuss."

Online Connections:
1. Dr. Seuss's Seussville: http://www.seussville.com
2. Dr. Seuss's Biography: http://www.catinthehat.org

Book Connections:
1. Oh the Places He Went: A Story About Dr. Seuss by Maryann N. Weidt, illustrated by Kerry Maguire
2. Dr. Seuss (Rookie Biographies) by Dana Meachen Rau

Keywords: Dr. Seuss, American authors, illustrators, biographies, Ted Geisel

Sunken Treasure

Sunken Treasure
by Gail Gibbons
HarperCollins Publishers (1988)
Interest Level: ages 6-10

Category: Nonfiction
Type: Picture Book

Summary:
In 1622, the Atocha sank off the coast of Florida during a hurricane. The ship was carrying a load of Spanish treasure which was lost at sea. Hundreds of years later, Mel Fisher learned about the Atocha and began a search for the treasure with the help of investors, a crew, and special equipment. It was twenty years before they found the mother lode! An archaeologist, Duncan Mathewson, guided the retrieval efforts to preserve the historical find. To find out more about the search for the Atocha and the preservation efforts, read Sunken Treasure by Gail Gibbons.

Online Connections:
1. Interview with the aughor: www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/gibbons
2. Author website: www.gailgibbons.com

Book Connections:
1. Treasure Diving With Captain Dom by Yvonne Addario
2. Diving for Sunken Treasure Excerpts from The Jupiter Wreck Trilogy by Dominic Addario

Keywords: buried treasure, ship, divers, Atocha, Mel Fisher