Synopses & Reviews
Say hello to Mr. Geo, everybody's favorite geography teacher!and#160;He loves to explore new places. Today he's visiting Massachusetts, the Bay State. His first stop isand#160;Boston for a huge Fourth of July celebration. Then he'll ride the Swan Boats, re-enact the Boston Tea Party, and walk theand#160;historic Freedom Trail. He'll also meet "Pilgrims,"and#160;ride bikes onand#160;Cape Cod,and#160;hike theand#160;beautiful Berkshires, and much, much more.and#160;Join Mr. Geo on his travels around Massachusetts. Together, you will discover what makes this a state to celebrate. Includes maps and learning activities.and#160;Colorful, you-are-there illustrations and easy-to-readand#160;text areand#160;great for beginning and newly independent readers!and#160;
Review
"A powerful, soul-stirring novel told simply and well." —
Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"Descriptions are vivid, characterization and dialogue natural, and the style taut but unforced. A powerful, moving book." —School Library Journal
"While there is death, there is also love, and Bauer's honest and gripping novel joins the ranks of such as Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia in its handling of these issues." —Publisher's Weekly
Review
"Many young readers will identify with the day-to-day trepidation felt by Jess, Meriwether, and the other families living on the base."
—VOYA, 3Q 4P M J
"Full of detail about Army life, Patterson's elegant prose brings readers deep inside Jess's conflicted point of view and the many stresses she is under, as she reevaluates her role as a member of a military family."
—Publishers Weekly
"Patterson poignantly depicts war's effect on those at home as Jess and her friends absorb and react to the events. This solid novel joins the growing number of books illustrating the war's effect on Afghan people."
—Booklist
"Patterson has an amazing ability to convey the tension and fear that families and friends of deployed soldiers bear every day and the heart-stopping terror when news programs show violence against troops that may result in one of their loved ones being wounded or dead."
—School Library Journal
"Patterson writes with compassion for both sides of this thorny issue, and her steady focus on the emotional trauma of the stateside teens keeps the story from devlolving into a coolly cerebral exercise in anti-terrorism strategy."
—Bulletin
Review
"Provides mentoring and practical advice in this handy how to book . . . as useful to teachers as to young writers." School Library Journal, Starred
Review
"Budding writers will find this of interest as will language-arts teachers, who may want to add copies to their classroom collections." Booklist, ALA
Review
"A documentary of creativity full of moving and amusing anecdotes that keep readers involved." School Library Journal
Synopsis
The Newbery Honor-winning coming-of-age story of a young boy's devastating guilt over the death of his best friend after a swimming challenge goes terribly wrong.
Synopsis
A 1987 Newbery Honor Book Joel's best friend Tony drowns while they are swimming in the forbidden, treacherous Vermilion River. Joel is terrified at having to tell of his disobedience and overwhelmed by his feelings of guilt.
Synopsis
Newbery Honor Book. "A gripping, compassionate portrayal of a boy's struggle with conscience" (Kirkus) by bestselling author Marion Dane Bauer.
While on a bike trip, Joel's best friend Tony drowns while they are swimming in the forbidden, treacherous Vermilion River. Joel is terrified at having to tell of his disobedience and overwhelmed by his feelings of guilt, even though the daring act was Tony's idea, and Joel didn't know that Tony couldn't swim. But Joel's loving and protective father will help him deal with the tragic aftermath--and understand that we all must live with the choices we make.
"A powerful, soul-stirring novel told simply and well." --Booklist (starred review)
"This is a devastating but beautifully written story of a boy's all-consuming guilt over the role he plays in the death of his best friend. Bauer's honest and gripping novel joins the ranks of such as Katherine Paterson's Bridge to Terabithia in its handling of these issues." --Publishers Weekly
"Descriptions are vivid, characterization and dialogue natural, and the style taut but unforced. A powerful, moving book." --School Library Journal
Synopsis
Joels best friend, Tony, is a daredevil. It was Tonys idea to make the long bike ride to
the Starved Rock state park, and Tonys idea to stop for a swim in the dangerous Vermillion
River. So why does Joel feel so much guilt when tragedy strikes?
The paperback features a beautiful new cover and introduction by Katherine Paterson,
author of the Newbery Medal-winning book Bridge to Terabithia.
Synopsis
Join Mr. Geo on his whirlwind tour ofand#160;and#160;Massachusettsand#160;in thisand#160;Level 3 Green Light Reader.and#160;Celebrating Massachusetts combines travel with social studies in a way that's entertaining and educational.and#160;This latest installment in the 50 States to Celebrate seriesand#160;starts outand#160;at Boston'sand#160;Fourth of July celebration andand#160;makes stops along theand#160;historic Freedom Trail and thenand#160;Plymouth, Cape Cod,and#160;the Berkshires, and more.and#160;Packed with picture and context clues to keepand#160;beginning and newly independent readers moving along with ease and confidence. and#160;
Synopsis
A stunning contemporary YA drama about a soldiers daughter whose efforts to help Afghan orphans creates a political firestorm over the ethics of war and charity.
Synopsis
“Full of detail about Army life, Patterson’s elegant prose brings readers deep inside Jess’s conflicted point of view.” —Publishers Weekly
Ninth grader Jess Westmark had the best of intentions when she started Operation Oleander to raise money for a girls’ orphanage in Kabul. She named her charity for the flower that grows both in her Florida hometown and in Afghanistan, where her father is deployed. But on one of her father's trips to deliver supplies to the orphans, a car bomb explodes nearby and her father is gravely injured. Worse, her best friend’s mother and some of the children are killed. Is this all Jess’s fault?
Synopsis
Discusses how to write fiction, exploring point of view, dialogue, endings, and revision.
Synopsis
The time is 1950. The place is a small town in the Midwest. The girl is Claire, and she has a new black friend. But in an all-white town, how open can the girls be about their friendship?
Now Claire faces being the new girl” in school. A year later, she is confronting betrayal . . . and sin. Finally, she is fifteen and in love. But it is not a love that can be spoken of, least of all by Claire.
In five interrelated stories, Claire grows into a young woman, learning about racism, sex, and love along the way. Most of all, she learns about truth.
Synopsis
Presents a selection of short fiction written by students in grades four through twelve followed by Bauer's comments on each, detailing what works well and making suggestions for improvements.
Synopsis
Explores the influences that led the author to become a writer, including the importance of inspiration.
About the Author
Marion Dane Bauer is an award-winning author who also teaches in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children and Young Adults program at Vermont College. Among her Clarion titles are ON MY HONOR, a Newbery Honor Book; A BEAR NAMED TROUBLE; and RUNT: THE STORY OF A WOLF PUP. She lives with her partner, Ann Goddard, in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.