Hope is a science whiz who just got accepted into the advanced track at JFK Middle School. The news is bittersweet, though, because even though her best friend Sam is also headed to JFK, she wasn't offered a slot in the advanced program so she and Hope won't be in the same classes. And once school actually starts, Sam seems to join a new group of friends easily, while Hope keeps putting her foot in her mouth and making mistakes. Then Hope joins the science club and things start looking up, until, in an effort to prove herself she ends up taking on too much, and causing a complete disaster with an important science club group project. I didn't expect to like this book, as the cover illustration was a bit too cute for me, and the summary given mentioned things that are usually not of too much interest to me like comic books, rescue dogs and science. However, the book seemed like it would appeal to a lot of kids I know so I decided to give it a try. I'm really glad I did. Hope is a very relatable, likeable character, and I enjoyed accompanying her on her journey into her new school. At times the book seemed a little too warm and fuzzy, but overall I liked all of the positivity it had to offer. I think it provided me with some nice messages about having confidence in yourself and the value of persistence, and in more ways than one, about not judging a book by its cover. I would recommend this to any 5th to 7th grader looking for something light to read, and as this seems like the first in an upcoming series, I'll definitely be up for reading more books about Hope and her friends in the future.

a suspensed filled movie where a public defender gets assigned a case where the suspect is accuseed of murder. At first she thinks the suspect is being difficult then she realizes he's deaf. She communicates with him through writting. As she gets closer to solving who really did commit the murder the more she puts her life in danger, A very good movie. The murderer was not who I expected.

was a good movie. Lots of action going on. A secret service agent is being set up as the person who tried to kill the president. was trying to stay one step ahead of the person who was trying to set him up and to keep him from really killing the president.

Was an action packed book full of many twists and turns. Was an easy read. Enjoyed it very much. There was lots of traveling from place to place to stop a killer before he killed everyone that was on the killers hit list.

a widower (Mel Gibson) with 7 children wants no part in the war going on.(had enough of war previously) His oldest son joins gets arrested and is going to be hanged. He joins to get his son back. Action filled movie that shows hoe devistating a war can be and how much parents love their children

This is a good dark, Gothic soap opera show. I remember my mom telling me how she and her mother would watch this show reliously and how my mother was named after on of the characters! Although you won't find Barnabas or any of that classical Supernautral stuff in Dark Shadows: The Beginning - Collection 1.The setting or the beginning of Dark shadows starts off with a young girl experiencing an vivid dreams while riding on a train to a mysterious mansion. Dark Shadows was still quite unusual for its day, it took place in a mysterious woods surrounded by rocky cliffs of Maine, where a young orphaned woman, Victoria Winters  comes to the forbidding Collinswood Mansion after experiencing a vivid dream  on her train ride about a place she has never been to only for that dream to be about the Collinswood Manison. YOu could imagine her shock and confusion of it all.  This classic television series  is jam packed with generations of forbidden secrets and ghostly legends; and an eccentric extended family of characters, all jumbled together in a maze of interconnected past histories and treacheries, with the perhaps slightly mad Elizabeth Collins Stoddard at the center, as the matriarch and keeper of all the secrets of the powerful Collins family.

a dog was separated from his person. The story tells of all he went through to get back to his person. Some was good some not so. I was a feel good book about mans best friend.

Merci is an energetic twelve year old who’s balancing a lot.  Whether it’s doing well at the private school where she’s a scholarship student, helping out with babysitting her cousins and with the family painting business, or dominating the soccer field, Merci generally isn’t afraid to face life’s challenges head-on.  But when her grandfather, who is her biggest fan and “partner-in-crime,” starts becoming forgetful, the family seems like they’re hiding something from Merci, and Merci becomes anxious and wishes someone would let her in on what’s going on.  It doesn’t help that things have begun changing at school as well.  She’s got this school-mandated, new-kid “buddy” to attend to, group projects to complete and she is thoroughly confused by the behavior of her female classmates (what does it even mean to maybe like someone?) toward the boys.  Will Merci figure out how to navigate her way through all of this?  

Merci is a very charismatic heroine who, from the first chapter, drew me into her world and had me rooting for her from the sidelines.  I loved her sense of humor, the way she interacted with friends and family, and I especially loved her willingness to negotiate with almost anyone to reach her goals!  I think this book would really resonate with fifth through eighth graders who might be able to see a bit of themselves in this story’s characters.  Life can change in an instant and a book like this is great bibliotherapy for those worried about the unknown, especially given the current situation of the world.  Merci Suárez Changes Gears is a book that offers kids a positive message of hope and triumph over the unknown, simply by embracing life for what it is, and always being open to, and not afraid of, changing gears. 

a family goes on vacation to do whitewater rafting. They end up meeting 2 violent criminals ( who they though wer ok at first). The criminals take they by gunpoint to make them help them get through the river.  A good action packed movie.

What makes this a good book is that this is a very realistic look toward an urban Chinese take. The art of this book is quite realistic, and the colors highlight the ambience of an urban neighborhood. This is a good look at the children of working parents and small businesses.

Cronus admited he doing the murdering. He claims he was killing those who corrupted the games. It was a good action packed read. It kept me on my toes

Jessie is thirteen years old when he's kidnapped and taken aboard a ship bound for Africa. It's 1840 and he discovers very quickly that the Moonlight is a slave ship. The reason he was brought there? To empty the slaves' latrines and, more importantly, to play music for them to "dance" to, a travesty given their circumstances.

Paula Fox's memorable book does a great job at placing the reader in Jessie's shoes, allowing us to see, hear, feel, taste and smell as he does, as he journeys across the ocean. Even in 2020, Jessie's physical and emotional responses to what's going on around him resonate with us as we are immersed in the horror of his experiences.

Do not skip over the introduction!  Written by another Newbery Medal Winner, Christopher Paul Curtis, you will want to hear what he has to say prior to beginning this book. I'd say this novel is best for mature middle school readers and older, perhaps with a prior discussion of the topic with a parent or teacher. A perfect pairing for The Slave Dancer would be Julius Lester's powerful compilation of accounts of the condition of slavery, To Be a Slave, in which enslaved people themselves describe their experiences.

Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep work really good together. She owns a paper, Tom a reporter gets papers mthat prove there was a cover up concerning vietnam war and what the President knew. very good movie,.

Written by a longtime labor organizer, Jane McAlevey, this book examines how important unions have been throughout US history and how we still need organized labor today, maybe more than ever.  McAlevey begins by showing how workers can still win big by discussing some of the successful recent labor strikes in the fast-growing (and female-dominated) employment sectors: health care, education, and hospitality. The history of unions is surveyed, along with the numerous union-busting forces that have alway been a countervailing force. The author favors the 1930s system of organized labor--when unions were at their most popular,  which she believes is the most effective. Seven popular assumptions about unions, --for example, that unions are racist, sexist, old-fashioned, and corrupt are discussed in depth and challenged.  WIth wealth inequality at an all-time high and courts packed with judges that will protect corporations over workers for decades to come, McAlevey believes that ‘strong, democratic unions’ will help to solve the many crises currently (and chronically) gripping the United States and preserve our very democracy.  

 

Joseph's father has a secret. A secret so big that Joseph and his parents must flee from their home in the Ukraine to ensure its safekeeping. But when the family arrives in the great city of Krakow, Poland, things don't go exactly as planned. First, they are accosted at the city gate. Then, after discovering that the relative they had in Krakow has been killed, it seems they may end up homeless! From its first chapter, "The Broken Note," until its conclusion, this captivating tale is full of adventure, mystery, danger and enchantment. Set in medieval Poland, The Trumpeter of Krakow will surely make you want to delve more into the Polish history and folklore that are such a big part of the story. The book is perfect for older elementary/ middle school students with an interest in history and the Middle Ages. For an extension of the theme, readers may choose to pair this book with Jan Pienkowski's The Glass Mountain, or an ebook such as Poland by Christine Zuchora-Walske, the latter of which is offered through hoopla. Want to take it just a tad further? Check out some of the trumpet music also available on hoopla, the Free Library of Philadelphia has got loads to choose from!

A romantic comedy that stars Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. They find love later in life even though they were complete opposites . Guess opposites do attract and there's always hope... Never know when you'll find love. was a feel good movie for me.

I generally don’t gravitate towards volumes of poetry, but I’ve read some of Jack Prelutsky’s books before and liked them so I decided to give this one a try. I’m really glad I did, what an interesting book! It’s sort of a hybrid, part biography/ part how-to, with poetry examples sprinkled throughout. Each chapter offers a short anecdote or two regarding the author’s childhood, easy-to-try writing tips, and, of course, samples of Jack Prelutsky’s signature wacky poems (I loved "We're Fearless Flying Hot Dogs" - so hilarious!). I’d especially recommend this book to those interested in becoming better writers because the author offers great advice that can be used by writers of all types, not just those interested in composing poetry. This book contains an index to the included poems, as well as a glossary of writing terms with simple definitions which are sometimes reinforced with examples. It’s available as an ebook and if you like it, you might also want to try the many audio versions of Jack Prelutsky’s other books offered through hoopla & Libby - all read by the author himself!

A long but very well worth while movie it to watch. Was a highly rewarding experience. Was a great story on human values. Full of action scenes. Very graphic. I realized people can be very evil. We  shoulkd all to be more like Ben Hur

I am so glad I came across this book at the right time. I paired it with a Princeton Review SSAT/ISSE prep book I purchased from the Free Library and they complimented each other very well. The explainations are so simple that not only did it help me teach my Fourth grader, but she was able to read and understand each concept and do the practice drills on her own without prior knowledge of some of the subjects. She felt confident taking a mock SSAT exam and is expecting to take the real test in the near future. We will be using this book as a primary resource.

I know the year of this movie wasn't 2020 but it sure felt  like this story was about  COVID-19. They new as much as we do today but worked to get a cure..Flowed nicely kept me interested from beginning to end. A good watch. I recommend people watch it.