( M ) Books - Page 2

Stink and the World's Worst Super-Stinky Sneakers (Book #3)

Megan Mcdonald

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( M ) -> McDonald, Megan

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Stink is as happy as a pig in slop. 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Stink is as happy as a pig in slop. He and his friends, Webster and Sophie, are on a class field trip at the science museum --- and the exhibit is called "Gross-Me-Out: The Wonderful World of Smelly Stuff." Stink starts with the giant nose, where he gets to gawk at enormous nose hairs and learn how boogers are made. He loves it!

But when Stink's teacher, Mrs. D., dares him to experience the "Everybody Stinks" exhibit, he has to summon up his courage. After all, no one else will even go near it. One whiff of the B.O. scent almost does him in, but he recovers long enough to sniff more smelly odors, including dirt, rotten eggs, skunk scent and perfume. It appears that Stink has a real talent for smelling. He can smell better than anyone else in his class. In addition, he learns tons of smelly facts.

At lunch, the kids read flyers about a stinky sneaker contest the museum is putting on. Naturally, Stink must enter. Others are interested as well, so he'll have plenty of competition.

At home, Stink demonstrates The Nose and even impresses his big sister, Judy Moody. Stink is confident that his Nose will make him famous someday. When he researches the science of smelling, he finds information about the corpse flower, the world's stinkiest blossom, rumored to smell worse than outhouses, dead elephants and rotten fish.

Stink is inspired to create some terribly stinky perfume and sets up a Franken-stink lab. He and Sophie work up a recipe (including toilet water, dead-flower water, pickle juice and more), but he's distracted when Sophie tells him she's planning to compete in the stinky sneaker contest. Stink is determined to win.

He's positive that his reeking old sneakers have a great chance to win the competition. But his plan is foiled when Judy deodorizes them with sweetly fragrant powder. What is he going to do? He can't pour anything (like his stinky perfume) in them since the rules say the shoes must stink from being worn. Can his entry be saved?

In a startling turn of events, Stink saves the day when misfortune strikes the contest. He also gets to meet a professional smeller who has actually sniffed a corpse flower. It all makes for a happy (or at least smelly) ending.

This is another enjoyable book in the Stink series, sure to appeal to young readers (especially to boys who are enthralled with the grosser aspects of life). As always, author Megan McDonald manages to tickle readers' funny bones, slip in a little subtle education and tell a good story.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

Editorial Review:

"Stink is a delightful protagonist, and McDonald cleverly imparts information on smells. . . . A funny book for almost any collection." — SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

When Stink Moody’s second-grade class goes on a field trip to the Gross-Me-Out exhibit at the science museum, he learns that his very own nose has amazing sniffing abilities — and that some people have real jobs sniffing stuff for NASA! Soon Stink is engrossed in toilet water, corpse flowers, and all things smelly. But is his fetid footwear foul enough to win a Golden Clothespin Award? Loyal fans will be holding their breath for Stink’s latest outrageous solo adventure.

Someday

Alison McGhee

Amazon Price: $10.19 List Price: $14.99 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Atheneum Amazon Marketplace: 55 new & used starting at $5.90

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 104 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Not for children 2 out of 5 stars.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.

I picked this book up when browsing a book fair at the elementary school where I work, and began to sob. I told the librarian there should be a warning label on the darn thing. While it is beautifully written and illustrated, I did not enjoy being confronted with the reality of my aging mother's mortality, and the fact that someday I will be no more than a memory in the hearts of my own children, an image in a photo frame in their homes. This should not be marketed as a children's book.

Amazon Bargain Book-warning 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I purchased the "bargain book" version of this book for $6.79. I hoped to give it to a pregnant friend. Amazon does disclose that the book may have a sticker on the back stating that it is a bargain book, which I didn't mind (although it is not the kind of sticker that just peels off). Unfortunately I could not gift the book as it is defective; printed unside-down and backwards. The book as about 7" x 7" and about 1/3" thick, including the cover. Actually seems over-priced for a small book that's defective. I did give it 2 starts as it is a sweet story. I somewhat agree with the other reviewer, though, as it is sad at the end, in a bitter-sweet sort-of-way.

Editorial Review:

A mother's love leads to a mother's dream -- every mother's dream -- for her child to live life to its fullest.

A deceptively simple, powerful ode to the potential of love and the potential in life, Someday is the book you'll want to share with someone else...today. The perfect gift for Mother's Day, Graduation Day or Any Day - share a copy with every special person in your life.

Castle

David Macaulay

Amazon Price: $9.95 List Price: $9.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Houghton Mifflin/Walter Lorraine Books Amazon Marketplace: 112 new & used starting at $0.02

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

This is a really neat, intricately drawn and written book 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I remember reading this book back when I was in Junior High and High School. I'm 30 now (ugh!) I have always been fascinated with history (especially why folks did what they did when they did it) and while characters are fictitious, the design and building practices as well as the situations involved in the story are truly as it happened. The pictures are highly detailed such that you almost feel like you leap into the pages of the story. I primarily purchased this for a bit of nostalgia but would highly recommend this product to anyone who might be interested.

Fascinating Book 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

After reading this book, I gave it to my grandson for Christmas and he is enjoying it very much. It is interesting not only to him but to his father as well. It really makes history and social progress come alive.

Editorial Review:

The word itself conjures up mystery, romance, intrigue, and grandeur. What could be more perfect for an author/illustrator who has continually stripped away the mystique of architectural structures that have long fascinated modern man? With typical zest and wry sense of humor punctuating his drawings, David Macaulay traces the step-by-step planning and construction of both castle and town.

Monster

Walter Dean Myers

By: Allen & Unwin Amazon Marketplace: 3 new & used starting at $5.84

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 682 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

All around, good attempt 4 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Monster, by Walter Dean Myers, is to say the least an interesting book. The stories protagonist, Steve, is put on trial for murder because he "aided in a robbery that led to the murder". The book is written mostly in a format for a movie, for Steve writes the movie script to help him cope with the trial and the trauma that is occurring inside of him. In the end, Steve is found innocent and released, but Myers is never clear if Steve really did assist in the robbery, leaving the reader to have to choose for themselves if Steve is truly guilty or innocent.
I thought this book was overall a good read. The drama of the storyline mixed with the mystery of Steve's actions certainly kept me fascinated from cover to cover. The idea to write in a movie script was a very creative idea on Myer's part, and he should at least deserve credit for originality. My only quarrel with the book was the characters. It was not that I had any problems with the character's personalities, rather their lack of personality. As I started reading, I wanted to like Steve, or hate him, or have some definite opinion on how I should feel about him. But as the book went on, I found myself having to reach harder and harder to grasp Steve's character, until I realized that it was not me who had the problem. It was Steve, whose defining characteristics were as flat as the pages that they were written on. When the court's decision finally came, I wanted to know very badly what the verdict was, but I later found that I would not have been to upset if the verdict went either way. I did not care how the book ended, or how it affected Steve, I just wanted to know what the ending was.
If Mr. Myers reads this, I would like to tell him that he is a great writer and a very creative thinker. Just next time, remember to make the protagonist more human, so that readers will be able to "feel what he is feeling" easier. If you master that, your books will truly be great.

Great Brain,The

John D. Fitzgerald

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 79 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

A great read but BEWARE. 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 8 people found this review helpful.

This book is a wonderful protrait of 19th century rural America, but people should be aware that it was written at a time when there was much more freedom of speech than we have today. Topics in the book include suicide, religious intolerance and fear of immigrants. There is a scene where the boys go skinny dipping and also one story concerns John mating his dog, so this book probably should not be brought to a public elementary school for fear it might offend someone. Also there are no African-Americans in the book, and while the book does portray Jews, Moromons, Protestants and Catholics coexisting, there are no Muslims in this book, so it is not very politically correct. Also the "I" word is used casually and no mention is made of the plight of native Americans, except to say that they are the only non-immigrants in America. Women are displayed in subservient roles, always cooking, cleaning and taking care of the sick, although all the boys are portrayed as having chores. [...]

Editorial Review:

The best con man in the Midwest is only ten years old. Tom, a.k.a., the Great Brain, is a silver-tongued genius with a knack for turning a profit. When the Jenkins boys get lost in Skeleton Cave, the Great Brain saves the day. Whether it’s saving the kids at school, or helping out Peg-leg Andy, or Basil, the new kid at school, the Great Brain always manages to come out on top—and line his pockets in the process.

Bob Books Set 4- Compound Words

Bobby Lynn Maslen

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Features:

• CHILDRENS BOOKS & MUSIC
• Childrens Books
• Language Arts

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( M ) -> Maslen, Bobby Lynn and John R. Maslen

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Great Head Start! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I love these Bob books. I bought sets 1-5. My boys are still on the first box and they are cruising right through. Kindergarten and first grade. It is GREAT to find a set that introduces new word families and then reinforces them. You won't be disappointed. The drawings are so simple but my kids really do relate.

Love these books! 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

These are great learning to read books. We're working our way through the whole series.

Love this series! 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

We have really enjoyed this series. My son, who just completed kindergarten, has used the series over the course of the year. The cartoons are funny, the text builds from set to set in a logical way. The box design gives kids a great feeling of accomplishment and let's them set goals -- we set up a card with stickers. My son gets one each time he reads a book in the set and when he's done with a box, he gets to go the bookstore to choose a book. The books build his confidence as a new reader and develop new skills in a more gradual and coherent way than other series I've seen, which claim they are for new readers but don't have a logical progression in the language they use. These books do.

Editorial Review:

In Bob Books Set 4, kids read eight humorous stories. Longer books and complex words engage young readers. New blends, more sight words and longer words advance their skills, while sounds repetition keeps reading easy. Meaningful stories and playful pictures keep kids absorbed.

The New Baby

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 41 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

great for older siblings 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

my son is 4 and we recently turned him on to the little critter series. he absolutely adores the whole line and now that we're expecting another baby he's gotten really excited and loves for us to read this book to him.

Pretty good 3 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Enjoyed the ideas for how big sibling can interact w/new baby.
My 2-yr old wasn't impressed though, and is still too physically rough to do the suggestions, which are more for an infant + big sibling than a newborn + 2 yr old.

Not the usual Little Critter book 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

I bought this book for my 2-year-old before we brought baby #2 home from the hospital. It's a cute book, as all Little Critter books are, but it lacks the substance and creativity in the other books.

Editorial Review:

In this well-loved Little Critter picture book, our funny young hero has to get used to a new baby sister. What a problem. The baby doesn't pay attention when Little Critter reads to her. She cries when he makes silly faces. And she can't understand the jokes he tells. It's seems like an impossible task, but Little Critter finally figures out what you CAN do with a new baby -- and becomes a very good brother.

Winnie the Pooh 80th Anniversary Edition

A.A. Milne

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 17 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

a JOY to hold as well as READ 5 out of 5 stars.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Before I bought this book I had read a few comments complaining about the color of the pages... somewhat yellowish in an almost but not quite parchmenty sort of way. Oh bother, said I, This is coloring my experience of the book. It's been in the back of my mind through every chapter, "Do I like this? Or do I not?" First let me say I love the brushed watercolors over the illustrations... I'm enthralled by the book jacket and the way the window is lit up by the colored version beneath on the actual cover... and the truth is I would have picked a slightly different page color -- but that's besides the point. It's still a lovely edition and my first grader certainly has no complaints.

On top of that, I'd forgotten how wonderful Pooh is. I'm so jaded by the Disney versions that invade every store and home (except mine) that I've spent a lot of time bypassing poor Pooh & Co altogether. We had recently revamped reading aloud here at home because books "written for first graders" were too mindless, books written at the reading level of Pooh today are written for an intellectual level of thought and humor that is beyond the first grader (A. A. Milne had an incredible gift for including all levels of maturity in these works) so our attempts there got tossed aside as my first grader played with his toes, fingers, hair and anything else he could reach because the books just weren't "keeping him." So I tallied up a new library budget and between Amazon and Abe Books did an overhaul... Pooh certainly is one that has hit the spot. The writing is more like how I would speak to my son, but the story is still appealing to the imagination of a first grader, the plot easily managed... so we've started each sit down with a couple of Milne poems and then followed it up with a chapter or two from this and The House At Pooh Corner Deluxe Edition thank the heavens for older books still in print! Do yourSELF the same favor, and while you're at it, toss out any of those Disney Pooh books... this will do so much more for your child's development.

Editorial Review:

Happy 80th birthday, Pooh! The Bear of Very Little Brain and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood have delighted generations of readers since Winnie-the-Pooh was first published in 1926. This deluxe anniversary edition of Winnie-the-Pooh is the perfect way to celebrate the enduring popularity of A. A. Milne’s classic work. The interior features the unabridged text and Ernest H. Shepard’s charming illustrations in full color on cream-colored stock. The specially designed jacket sports gold ink and a die-cut window that reveals the full-color art on the case cover. It is an impressive package for new fans and collectors both. Three cheers for Pooh!

What-the-dickens: The Story of a Rogue Tooth Fairy

Gregory Maguire

Amazon Price: $8.69 List Price: $8.69 Usually ships in 2 to 4 weeks By: Walker Books Ltd Amazon Marketplace: 4 new & used starting at $8.15

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Excellance! 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I absolutely love this book. It was a quick read, it was interesting, and it was fun! Maguire left it open-ended, and it enables you to imagine your own result, or to hope for a second book! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good twisted fairy tale!

More Power to the Skibereen! 4 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

What an absolutely fun story! I didn't want to put it down. Gregory Maguire has kept that imagination we all hope our children get, have, use, and with this book has given us a view into the secret world of the tooth fairies. They, the tooth fairies - or skibereen, have quite an operation. Do read it for your general escapist, frivolous reading pleasure - you won't regret it.

Editorial Review:

This is a fairy tale with a difference from the bestselling author of "Wicked". When ten-year-old Dinah and her two siblings are trapped by a terrible storm, Cousin Gage keeps their spirits up with an unlikely story - tooth fairies live in warring colonies right in your neighbourhood. Dinah is sceptical at first, but when the real world seems unbearable, stories told by candlelight have a way of coming true. Dinah starts to - wants to - believe. Don't we all?

Judy Moody & Stink: The Holly Joliday

Megan Mcdonald

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 7 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

The many fans of Judy Moody and Stink will adore joining the Moody clan for the holidays 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Christmas is zooming up on the Moodys' calendar. Stink is glued to the Weather Channel hoping to get good snow news. When he meets the new mailman, Mr. Frost, Stink is told to call him Jack, as in "Jack Frost." Jack Frost has a big white beard and a round tummy. He also has a great sense of humor (he tells Stink that if a dog bites him, he'll get "frost bite"). Stink immediately puts two and two together and pleads for Jack Frost to deliver snow since that is all he cares about this Christmas --- even as Stink's sister Judy informs him that it never rains in Virginia, so he's out of luck.

But Jack Frost claims he might be able to arrange a snowstorm. He seems to know quite a lot about weather and reminisces about a huge snowstorm in 1980. This gives Stink hope, although Judy teases him unmercifully when he tells her that Jack Frost is their new mailman and might help them get snow.

Meanwhile, Judy is busy composing her T.P. (totally presents) list, which she actually writes on toilet paper. Her list is very long, but when she tells Stink to write his, he prints out one word: "SNOW." Later, when Judy informs her mom about her class's Hawaiian Christmas party, Stink tells how his class made a snowflake field guide and learned about the famous snowflake photographer named Snowflake Bentley. At the school play, the parrot in Judy's class makes everyone laugh by belting out "Mary Had a Little Lamb" in Spanish, while Stink stuns the audience (and his teacher) by not appearing as the "Night Before Christmas" mouse, but as a blinding white snowflake.

On Christmas Eve, the Moody house is a scene of wild gift-wrapping and pizza eating. The doorbell rings, and Jack Frost appears with a package. But Stink answers the door, and so he is the only one to see him. The package is addressed to them but has no return address. When Judy and Stink tear it open, they find a pair of mittens for each of them. Stink is intrigued by the mystery, while Judy thinks it's silly.

Judy returns to decorating the entire house in a Hawaiian holiday motif with pink flamingo lights, a blow-up palm tree and paper surfboards, while Stink stares longingly out the window, hoping and wishing for snow clouds. He bets Judy that it will snow by midnight; whoever loses has to eat the terrible fruitcake that Grandma Lou makes and sends to the family. The two siblings determine that they will stay up until midnight to see who wins the bet.

They try everything in order to stay awake: sips of coffee (blech!), loud Christmas carol CDs, reading out loud every book about snow the family owns, and playing card games. Their mom and dad even let them crawl into their sleeping bags in the living room. Unfortunately Stink falls asleep. Judy manages to stay awake until she hears something completely unexpected.

THE HOLLY JOLIDAY is another fun book in this series, with an additional enjoyable smidge of holiday magic and wonder. The many fans of Judy Moody and Stink will adore joining the Moody clan for the holidays and will root for Stink's Christmas wish to come true.

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon

Editorial Review:

Judy Moody is making a list and checking it twice, but all her brother, Stink, wants this year is snow. It hasn’t snowed on Christmas in Virginia in more than a hundred years, however, so what are the chances that that will change? Enter the new mailman, Mr. Jack Frost, who not only looks like a jolly old elf but also seems to know a lot about weather patterns, has a fondness for the cold, and works looooooong hours during the holiday season. Plus it’s the best time of the year, when strange packages and lots of surprises are swirling around, so isn’t it possible that Stink might get his wish? Fans who curl up with this new Moody comedy can be sure that their bellies will shake like a bowlful of jelly.