Virgil, Valencia, Kaori, and Chet are four kids growing up in the same town, and their lives are more intertwined than any of them know. Summer break may just change all of their lives. Virgil isn’t as happy as he should be for the start of summer vacation. He’s happy not to see the bully at school, but he regrets that he didn't do something he had tried to get up the nerve to do all year. Virgil is very quiet and comes from a family full of loud and chatty people. Only his grandmother seems to really get him. He sets of some regular appointments with Kaori, a self-proclaimed psychic who lives in his neighborhood. Maybe she can help him. Either way, Kaori loves having Virgil over so she can show her younger sister how to read signs and tell the future. Valencia loves the woods and likes to record her observances in her journal, just like other scientists. She would like to find a friend to talk to and confide in. Life would be a little bit easier for her if her parents would learn sign language, but she makes it through reading lips and using her hearing aides, which give her some help. And then there is Chet, a kid who likes to make fun of others and who can't stand all the "weird" kids in his town. He just wants to get better at basketball and get a snake picture to brag about. But when Chet throws Virgil's guinea pig down a well, things change in more ways than one. Will Chet get in trouble for his antics? Will he get his snake picture? Will Virgil be able to save his guinea pig? Can Kaori tell the future? Will Valencia find the friend she desperately needs? You will have to see what happens when four lives intersect and a well changes everything.
Monday, March 14, 2022
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday # MMGM Book Review: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly
Friday, March 11, 2022
Answer to Fairday's Riddle: Wishing Well!
You asked for a sloth! He's out of place in a willow tree, but that's the brilliance of drawing. I can add whatever I like. :) Thanks for inspiring a drawing- it's been a while! |
Hello, Riddlers! Excellent guessing. Next week we'll be drinking from a well. Tune in on Monday to find out how the answer ties into the story. See you all around the book block. ~ F
Deep and dark still hold.
Suck it up then pour it down.
Dry or full in ground.
What am I referring to? Answer: A Well
Tuesday, March 8, 2022
Fairday's Riddle: Still Deep Dark...
Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess the answer? Old ones are interesting (and a bit unsettling). ~F
Deep and dark still hold.
Suck it up then pour it down.
Dry or full in ground.
What am I referring to? Stop by later this week for the answer.
The picture is the clue!
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Margo's Musings: What's the Hurry?
My sister, Margo, loves sloths. They are pretty cute! So of course she spotted Sloth at the Zoom when we went to our town library last week.
Saturday, February 12, 2022
Answer to Fairday's Riddle: Slow As It Goes...
Excellent guessing, Riddlers! I am a day late with the answer. Sorry! Tune in next week to see how the answer ties into the story. See you all around the book block. ~ F
I. am. so. slow. On my back moss may grow. Like a hammock in the trees, I hang around in steady ease.
What am I referring to? Answer: Sloth!
Monday, February 7, 2022
Fairday's Riddle: Ever So Slow...
Hello, Riddlers! Can you guess the answer? They're fascinating and super cute in my opinion. ~ F
I. am. so. slow. On my back moss may grow. Like a hammock in the trees, I hang around in steady ease.
What am I referring to? Stop by Friday for the answer.
I gave you a clue!
(Tropical Rainforest)
Monday, January 24, 2022
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday # MMGM Book Review: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Twelve-year-old Willow Chance is a genius. She also loves the number 7 and is obsessed with plants and medical conditions. Her adoptive parents love her more than anything. Willow feels the same way about them. They are different, but they fit together perfectly. When Willow's parents are killed in an accident everything changes. She has to leave the garden she has worked on for years, the place that has been her comfort zone and allowed her to grow. The two people who took care of Willow are gone. She's hoping to find a place where she belongs. Those who help her along her journey will never be the same. Will she find another place she feels comfortable? Will Willow be able to create a new garden? Is it possible for her to move on? Read this touching book about loss, change, and hope to find out!
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan is a book that took me by surprise! I read it in just over day because I was curious about what would happen to Willow and the people in her life. Willow's unique personality made her endearing. Willow is smart and caring. I like the way her brain organized things, and that she was so knowledgeable about plants and medicine. It would be fun to talk to her and see her green thumb in action. She cracked me up, and I liked the way 7 kept showing up in her life (it's one of my favorite numbers). I think anyone who has experienced a major loss will connect with this story. Although Willow had tragedy strike her life, the story was about her search for another place where she belongs, and about how she dealt with her grief. I recommend this book to anyone in fifth grade and up that is ready for an emotional story with characters that will make them think. It's been a while since I finished this book, and I'm still thinking about Willow. I can't wait to read another book by this author soon!
Has anyone else read Counting by 7s? Or have you read another book by Holly Goldberg Sloan? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
Happy reading!
~L
For other MMGM posts, please visit Greg Pattridge's blog.