Sweet Reads

The Kneebone Boy

2011-10-19T11:46:00.001-04:00

Meet the Hardscrabble children.

Otto: lover of all things odd and curious, wears a mysterious scarf around his neck, and speaks entirely with his hands.

Lucia: adventure enthusiast, self-proclaimed leader, fearful of heights.

Max: a clever boy who can often be found thinking "deeply and importantly"

According to Lucia, nothing exciting ever happens in the small town of Little Tunks. That is until they find themselves in London running from a deranged tattooed man, riding a hearse into the forest with a taxidermist, staying in a real castle folly (complete with tiny carousel and secret passageway!), adopting a five-legged cat, and searching for a mysterious boy with a dark past. Sounds pretty intense, huh? Did I mention that their mother, who cryptically disappeared years ago, may be their Great Aunt Haddie?

If you enjoy books about dark family secrets, forbidding castles, and all things strange and mystical I recommend unearthing a copy of this deeply entertaining tale before the secret is out.

Recipe to Read By: Chocolate Fluffernutter No Bake Bars

The British Hardscrabbles are appalled at the "disgusting mess" of American foods Great Aunt Haddie serves them, marshmallow fluff being one of them.

Even self-proclaimed Fluff Snobs such as Lucia, Otto, and Max will enjoy these sticky, chocolatey, peanut-buttery treats. Who wouldn't?

Ingredients

1 jar of marshmallow fluff

1 tbsp butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 cup chopped roasted peanuts (or M&Ms)

3 cups Cheerios cereal

1 12 oz. package of chocolate chips

Directions:

Grease a 9x9 inch baking pan and set aside.

While you're at it, set a big spoonful of fluff aside to enjoy later when no one is watching.

Place marshmallow fluff and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute.

Stir and microwave on high one minute more.

Stir in peanut butter and microwave on high one minute more. At this point everything should be an incredible looking gooey mess.

Combine Cheerios, peanuts, and half of chocolate chips in a large bowl.

Dump in peanut butter-fluff mixture and mix so that all the pieces are coated with the sticky goodness.

Flop everything into the prepared bowl.

Cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap and press firmly into pan.

Melt remaining chocolate chips and spread on top of bars.

Wait for bars to cool. Or don't. Why not live dangerously once in a while?

For more recipes using fluff, click HERE.

Newest Sweet Reader!

2011-07-25T14:24:00.000-04:00

Dear sweet readers,

I'd like to take this time to apologize for not updating the blog since the medieval times. I haven't been reading as much as I'd like to, but I have a realllyyyyyy good excuse...

dun dun du DUN: Meet our newest Sweet Reader!

This is L.J. His favorite pastimes, in no particular order, include sleeping, eating, and pooping. His favorite things include pacifiers and anything that smell like milk. His mommy gets seriously offended when he cries during story time, but she is dealing with it.

Keep checking back! Will post something soon--if even just a yummy recipe :-)

Candy is Dandy

2011-01-10T15:58:00.000-05:00

Do you have a serious sweet tooth? Do you love books by Wendy Mass? Do you go nuts for books about kids running wild in a dream world of chocolate and sugar? If you answered "yes" to any of the previous questions then look no further for a great read. This book has it all!

The plot revolves around four twelve-year-old kids vying to create the best new candy at the Life Is Sweet candy factory. Nice-guy Logan wants to follow in the footsteps of his father, the Candymaker himself. Self-conscious Miles is trying to overcome his crazy phobias (he's allergic to rowboats and the color pink). Cheerful Daisy comes across as a genuine candy lover, but is she really who she says she is? Sarcastic Phillip is full of snide remarks and only has interest in his mysterious journal. When Life is Sweet's secret ingredient is stolen these four completely different children must put their dark pasts and secrets aside to solve the mystery.

After hearing the raving reviews of four girls in my class I decided that I had to dive in to this delicious read. One word of warning: do not read on an empty stomach. The descriptions of the candy factory will make your mouth water! I found myself reaching into the candy jar after each scrumptious chapter...

Recipes to Read By: Homemade Candy Bars

Click HERE to make insanely delicious versions of your favorite candy bars at home.

Here is one of my all-time favorite desserts using my all-time favorite candy:

Milky Way Cake!

Get ready to chop some Milky Way bars, people!

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting pans

Eight Milky Way bars (1 3/4-ounces)

3 sticks butter (mmm...butter...)

2 cups granulated sugar

4 eggs, well beaten

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1 cup chopped pecans

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Incredible Icing:

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup evaporated milk

1 cup marshmallow cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

6-ounces chocolate chips

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Grease three 9-inch cake pans and dust them with confectioners' sugar.

To make the cake, melt the Milky Way bars with 1 stick of butter. Stick your finger in.

Remove from the heat and let cool.

Cream the remaining 2 sticks of butter with the granulated sugar.

Add the beaten eggs and the cooked chocolate mixture.

Stir the flour and the baking soda together.

Add the flour and buttermilk to the batter, blending well. Add the nuts and vanilla.

Divide the batter equally among the prepared pans (and your mouth) and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is firm to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes, remove from the pans, and place on cooling racks. While the cake cools, make the Incredible Icing.

Combine the sugar and milk in a heavy saucepan. Cook to the soft-ball stage (234 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat and add the marshmallow cream, butter, and chocolate chips, stirring until melted. Add the pecans. When the cake has cooled completely, frost each layer, sides, and top of the Milky Way Cake.

Don't you just want to lick the screen?

A Favorite from a Favorite

2010-11-29T15:03:00.000-05:00

It's no secret to my students that Roald Dahl is one of my very favorite authors. My Dahl obsession began in the third grade while our class read Fantastic Mr. Fox together. We each had our own copy and I ravenously devoured page after page, finishing the entire book before my teacher had begun the fourth chapter. As the years went by I created my own "Roald Reads" list and doggedly made my way through each one of his books. After I began teaching, I made a point to read aloud at least one Dahl book a year, and that book was almost always voted our classroom favorite.

One year we even celebrated "Dahl Day" by dressing up as our favorite Roald Dahl characters (I was Miss Honey), parading around the school, and feasting on delectable Dahl dishes such as spaghetti and eyeballs (from The Twits), everlasting gobstoppers (from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and peach pie (from James and the Giant Peach). There was even an appearance by Roald himself (fictional, of course--Roald died in 1990).

I pride myself on having read all of Roald's books a zillion times and sharing my love of all things Dahl to each student that steps through my doors. A couple of weeks ago I was flipping through the bins of the Goodwill bookstore and--are you ready?-- I laid my eyes on the title Boy by Roald Dahl, a book I've never read. Can you imagine the scene? The so-called Dahl "expert" coming across this book? Let me describe it for you: It was as if the roof opened up and a bright ray of sunshine lay across this one book. It shimmered. It twinkled. My hands shook. "Could it be?" I asked myself. "A book had been left off of "Roald's Reads? Blasphemous, I tell you!" Red faced and flushed, I quickly threw $1.00 at the cashier and ran home with the book tucked under my arm.

I didn't even wait to get into the house to begin reading. I sat in my driveway and read until it got dark and was forced to either go inside or risk a dead car battery in the morning. Do I even have to tell you how much I adored this book? Of course I am partial to James and Esio and Mr. and Mrs. Twit and the Trunchbull and Danny but this was a whole new Dahl experience because everything that was written had actually happened to Roald as a boy. Some of my absolute favorite parts include the story of the dead rat in the gobstobber candy jar, the trip to the dentist, the description of Norwegian vacations, and the goat's tobacco. I must say this is the only Dahl book that will allow you to both laugh until tears soak your shirt and simultaneously rub your tush in quiet gratitude that you did not attend school in the days of paddling.

Roald, my idol.

Recipe to Read by: Bruce Bogtrotter's Cake (from Matilda)

Click here for the revolting recipe!

The best cookbook ever!

I want this cake at my next birthday party.

If you could make any Roald Dahl food come to life, what would it be? Snozzcumbers? Mr. Twit's Beard Food? Candy Pencils You Can Eat in Class?

Just in time for Halloween...

2010-10-18T13:10:00.002-04:00

Although this book was named the 2008 Newbery Medal winner, I have only just decided to read it.

Ok, I lied. I ordered it as soon as the winners were named, read the first gruesome chapter, deemed it unsuitable for my students, and placed it on the shelf only to collect dust for the next two years.

Fast forward to October 2010.

Looking for a macabre tale to set the mood for our favorite October holiday, I came across this familiar cover on my shelf and sat down and read the first chapter again. And you know what? I couldn't stop! Once I overcame my embarrassingly sissy aversion to murder and death and read into the story, I realized that this is one beautifully written book that my students would love.

We are almost to the end and I am not wanting to part with Bod, Silas, Mr. and Mrs. Owens, Liza, Miss Lupescu and the rest of his deathly, yet endearing, graveyard family...

Recipe to Read By:Ghost Cookies.

Ingredients:
Nutter Butter Cookies
White Chocolate Baking Chips
Mini-chocolate chips

Directions:
Melt the baking chips. Dip cookies in melted chips. Add mini-chocolate chips for eyes. Done!

Check out Neil Gamain's website HERE.

Someone Named Eva is Something Special

2010-09-15T21:38:00.000-04:00

This book was recommended to me by one of my students (thanks, Grace!) and is on the Sunshine State Readers list for 2010. I thought I had read all of the best holocaust-themed children's books (after all, is there anything better than Number the Stars and The Diary of Anne Frank?) until I realized that this book tells quite a different story.

Milada, a ten-year-old girl, lives with her mother and father, older brother, baby sister, and her beloved Babichka (grandmother) in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia during World War II. Although her family is not Jewish, they are still terrorized by the brutish German soldiers who occupy their country. One fateful night the door is knocked down by two soldiers who demand they pack their things and follow them to a holding cell for all of the town citizens. Milada's father and brother are taken away and never seen or heard from again. Milada, who has blonde hair and blue eyes, is deemed of true Aryan descent (land, along with other Aryan children, is taken away to a boarding house where she will be forced to learn the German language and customs. She is given a new name, Eva, and over time begins to forget her Czech heritage despite her Babichka's last words to "Remember who you are. Always."

The remainder of this heartbreaking and dramatically real story tells of Milada's (Eva's) adoption into a German family and her struggle to remain true to her self despite the horrendous circumstances surrounding her. Will she break free of the Nazi brainwashing? Will she ever return to her country and be reconnected with her family? Oh, dear reader, you must track down this book and read it immediately!

I would recommend reading this with a family member, as you will definitely want to talk about it!

Recipe to Read By:

Czech This Out: Ice Cream Kolache

Traditional kolaches are a to-die-for sweet roll with a yummy filling that uses yeast and all kinds of other ingredients. Although Milada's Babichka would have probably frowned at this non-traditional recipe, it is a great deal easier than dealing with a yeast dough! Na viděnou! (That's "see you later" in Czech.)

Ingredients

1 pint vanilla ice cream
2 cups butter
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fruit preserves, any flavor (I like raspberry!)

Directions

Add flour to butter and crumble together using a fork. Add ice cream to crumbled mixture and, using your hands, work into dough. (This is super-fun but also super-cold! I recommend using rubber glovers!)
When dough is smooth, shape into ball and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Roll dough to about 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Using the rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut out circles. Place on a cookie sheet and make a thumbprint in center of each. Fill thumbprints with 1/2 teaspoon fruit filling.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar when cool.
Dobrou chuť. (Enjoy!)

Recipe provided by www.allrecipes.com

Gollywhopper turned Garbage!

2010-08-09T18:33:00.000-04:00

The Most Exciting and Fun Book of the Summer Award goes to....

The Gollywhopper Games

Rainy days and book stores go together like peanut butter jelly. I love nothing more than to spend a rainy afternoon browsing all of the newest titles, picking up a few to read and settling into a comfy chair in a quiet corner. I picked up this book last week, along with The Hunger Games (noticing a games theme?), and parked my butt in my favorite spot of Borders. As the rain drizzled down the window pane, I began reading. Before I knew it I was one hundred pages into the book and had no intention of putting it down. However, the store had other ideas (shouldn't book stores be open 24 hours like Walmart?) and I hastily made my way to the front to pay for my books. On the way home, I pulled it out at every red light and jumped right into bed with it as soon as I walked in the door.

The next morning, I took the book outside to read on the swing and spent a hot, but happy hour immersed in the world of Golly. I took a break to play frisbee with Wild Girl but our play time was cut short due to fat rain droplets on our heads. Wild girl and I fixed breakfast (oatmeal for me, kibble for her) and mid-bite I realized that I had left the book on the swing! I ran outside to assess the damage. It was not good.

Not only had my new book been thoroughly soaked, but the wind had blown it in the dirt under the swing and the pages were caked with mud. But all was not lost! No siree Bob! With the speed and agility of a surgeon, I rushed the injured book inside and proceded to mend it with my hair dryer. Twenty minutes and three hundred thirty two starchy dirt-covered pages later, I was curled back up on the couch with my book.

What's so great, you ask?
This story crams edge-of-your-seat action with super rad brain puzzles that are an adventure just trying to figure them out.

Here's an example of a Golly puzzle:
Starting with one letter, can you figure out the passcode?

Hints:
*This is a maze of letters
*Figure out where to start
*Move vertically, horizontally, or diagonally
*Use each letter only once
*The letters will spell three words
*The words all can be used to modify the name of an object
*That object is your answer

O   M I   C    S
T   I     T   K    T
A   M    E    N    I

(Start with A)

Want the answer?
You'll have to read the book!

Here are some of my hints for reading this book:
*I highly suggest you read this book when you have tons of time to devote to it because you are not going to want to put it down!
*Do not leave it outside in the middle of the summer in Florida. It will turn into a pile of soggy mush.

Recipe to Read By: Tic-Tac-Toe Cookies

Don't you think Gil Goodson (the main character and puzzle extraordinaire) would love these cookies? They also make a great rainy day activity when no one will drive you to the bookstore...

Click here for the recipe!

Cupcakes!

2010-07-08T15:18:00.000-04:00

We spent the past week making cupcakes at camp. Surprise cupcakes, S'mores cupcakes, Giant-Sized cupcakes, Chocolate-Chip Cookie Dough cupcakes, and Patriotic cupcakes. My favorite? I loved them all equally and unconditionally. What it is about cupcakes that draws children and adults out of the woodwork and brings them to their knees begging for just one? Is it the petite portion? The inevitable taste of frosting in each delicious bite? The infinite possibilities for flavors and decorations?

Whatever it is, here is a recipe for one super-fun, scrumptious cupcake:

Surprise Cupcakes
Ingredients:
One box of cake mix, any flavor
3 large eggs
1/3 cup veggie oil
1 cup water
Your favorite frosting

Possible Fillings:
Fruit Jam
Peanut Butter
Instant pudding
Miniature peanut butter cups
Hershey's kisses
Fruit pie fillings
marshmallow cream

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin pans with baking cups and spray each with cooking spray.
2. Combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, and water in a large bowl and blend with an electric mixer at medium speed for about 2 minutes.
3. Fill the muffin cups about halfway with batter. Then drop in the surprises of your choice. (Make sure the surprises are edible. That means no pennies or paperclips--ouch!) The batter will rise up around the filling.
4. Bake the cupcakes in the center of the oven for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the cake part comes out clean.
5. Let the cupcakes cool before frosting them. Serve them to your friends and watch their faces light up with surprise when they find what's inside. (No shaving cream!)

While you're gathering your cupcake ingredients at the grocery store, stop at the library and check out some of these tasty books!

Super-Duper Cupcakes: Kids' Creations from the Cupcake Caboose

If You Give a Cat a Cupcake

It's Raining Cupcakes!

The Cupcake Queen

Read My Review

An UnDone Fairy Tale

2010-06-02T08:50:00.001-04:00

Three words to describe this book: Ridiculous. Absurd. Nonsensical.

Of course we absolutely ADORED it! In fact, I couldn't keep this book on my shelf!

The premise is quite silly, yet randomly clever at the same time.

Poor Ned, the guy painting the illustrations didn't have time to finish, so he had to substitute what was on hand to finish this crazy fairy tale. Imagine a king with a donut for a crown, a strong and brave hero who wears a tutu, an army of pickles, and a princess who saves her man while riding a snail and waving a banana-sword.

Got a mental picture? Good! Now, go check out this book!

Recipe to Read By: Fairy Tale Wand Cookies

First, get yourself a cool wand cookie cutter.

Next, use your favorite sugar cookie dough to cut out magic wands. (If you don't have a cookie cutter, you can shape your cookie dough into stars, then stick a Popsicle stick in the bottom before baking.)

Allow to cool completely before frosting with your favorite flavor. (I prefer deep purples and blues with some serious sprinkles.)

Pretend to be a fairy godmother (or fairy godfather) by turning your dog into a horse, your bike into a stage coach, and your nerdy neighbor into a handsome prince (or princess).

Check out these awesome fairy tale creations:

Would You Like a Slice of Pie?

2010-05-19T21:34:00.001-04:00

I have to admit, I picked this book up only because I was incredibly curious about the contents of Dangerous Pie. Was it full of poison? Live insects? Would it cause you turn green and take to bed (like in Freckle Juice?) Well, you'll have to read the book to find out what Dangerous Pie is, but just know that it's nothing what you'd expect.

In fact, this entire book was absolutely nothing like what I had expected. The main character, Steven Alper, seems to deal with normal everyday eighth grade problems: girls ignore him, his grades are mediocre, and his parents embarrass him. However, unbeknownst to everyone else there is one major problem that Steven is dealing. His five-year-old brother, Jeffrey, has leukemia.

Major Yikes.

This story is Steven's amazing journey through his eight grade year. You'll come to adore little Jeffrey, want to be best friends with Annette, laugh hysterically at Steven's awkwardness, and beg your parents to sign up for drum lessons. Watch out--the snot risk in this book is VERY HIGH and may catch you unexpectedly. I'm talking major, major snot.

Recipe to Read By: Dangerous Pie

The "dangerous" way to make the basic caramel filling needed for this dessert is to place a can or two of condensed milk in a pot of water and let it boil for hours and hours. However, if you let the water level drop you will run the risk of caramel explosion, putting yourself, your crumb-scrounging dog, and everyone around you in immediate danger.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

Click HERE to obtain the Recipe-O-Danger.

Danger-free Banana Caramel Pie Recipe:

Ingredients

1 pre-made graham cracker crust

2 whole Bananas
1-¾ pound, ¼ ounces, weight Carnation Caramel Filling (two 400g Cans)
1 cup, 4 tablespoons, ¾ teaspoons, 1-⅞ pinch Thickened Cream, For Whipping
1 ounce, weight Chocolate Or Dark Chocolate, Grated

Directions

1.) Place a graham cracker crust into a pie plate.
2.) Fill with the caramel filling. Don’t stir the filling too much; you want it to stay firm, and not too gooey.
3.) Slice your bananas on the diagonal and layer over the top of the caramel filling. Refrigerate until completely firm.
4.) Top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate. If you really want to up the "danger" factor, you can add a few slices of banana to the top for decoration. Watch out!

Found: A Great Read Aloud!

2010-04-19T09:14:00.000-04:00

Talk about exciting!
We just finished reading this book together and can now take some very deep yoga breaths. Breathe in. Breathe out. Move into the downward dog. Kidding! From the very first page, Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix had us reading on the edge of our seats and the suspense didn't stop until we turned the very last page.

Here's the premise:

On her first day at work at an airline company, an employee witnesses something that will change her life forever: a plane appears out of nowhere and the only passengers are 36 wide-eyed babies. It disappears just as quickly with no proof of ever having existed.

Fast forward thirteen years. Jonah is a typical thirteen-year-old who worries about making the basketball team and tries to avoid his annoying younger sister. He was adopted as a baby by his straitlaced parents and has read every book on his parent's shelves regarding adoption procedures However, everything he ever knew about his adoption is questioned once he begins to receive some creepy letters in the mail. The first one says, YOU ARE ONE OF THE MISSING. The second one says, BEWARE! THEY ARE COMING BACK TO GET YOU. Creepy, huh?

So...the big question is...How is the mysterious plane connected to Jonah's letters? Obviously Jonah was one of the babies on the plane, but the mystery that unfolds is much greater (and enormously more complicated) than you can EVER imagine.

Recipe to Read By: Mountain Dew Cake

This recipe is for Jonah, who once drank two 2-liters of Mountain Dew at a party and then threw up. Hopefully eating this cake won't elicit the same outcome.

Ingredients

1 (18.25 ounce) package lemon cake mix

1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla

pudding mix

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs, beaten

10 ounces Mountain Dew™. (You can drink the rest--but not too fast--it will come out of your nose and burn like nobody's business.)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam.

2. In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, and Mt. Dew. Mix until all ingredients are moistened. While you're vigorously stirring (but not too vigorously--for Pete's sake keep the batter in the bowl!) fantasize about what time travel would actually be like.

3. Lick the spoon. Good stuff.

4. Pour batter into pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely.

5. To decorate, dust with powdered sugar, or frost with your favorite frosting.

6. Serve this to your friends while reading FOUND and see if they can guess what's in it :)

Behold: Our historical fiction time machine! (Complete with glow-in-the-dark stars, a time warp curtain, and a lever allowing you to choose past, present, or future.)

If you entered a time machine and could choose your destination, where (or when?) would you go?

*The time machine idea came from one of my favorite books, How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell.

What to read???

2010-02-28T22:45:00.001-05:00

Alas, it has happened: I have NOTHING to read! Deep breaths. My Nightstand Stack (NS) has dwindled to one measly book that I'm not really enjoying, and none of the books on my shelves are holding any appeal. I think I'm just in a picky mood. In fact, I tried on four different outfits today just to go bike riding. I didn't realize the absurdity of my pickiness (or indecisiveness, you may argue) until I found the dog buried in a pile of clothes that I had deemed unworthy of bike ride apparel. Bike riding! Four outfits!

Anyways, it's time for some new books. And some new bike riding clothes, apparently.

I've always found it interesting how readers choose their books. Was it recommended by someone else? Did it jump out at you in a bookstore? Did you read about it on a blog or online book list?

When I'm in need of a new book, I hit up the following websites and blogs:

Amazon's Best Books of 2009 (Middle Grade)

The New York Times Bestseller List (Childrens)

ALA Booklists

Common Sense Media (Age 9-11)

Jen Robinson's Book Page

Planet Esme

Where do YOU find out about new books to read??? Any sites I should include?

Do you keep a "Gotta Read Now!" list, as my students do?

Recipe to Read By: Picky Palate Chocolate Pudding

Even the pickiest of eaters will eat chocolate pudding. This recipe can be made in the microwave and will be ready to eat before any indecisiveness kicks in.

Ingredients

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

1.) In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch. Whisk in milk a little at a time so the mixture does not have any dry lumps. (If you get dry lumps, pick them out with your fingers and plop them in your mouth.)

2.) Place in the microwave, and cook for 3 minutes on high. Stir, then cook at 1 minute intervals, stirring between cooking times for a few minutes, or until shiny and thick. Stir in vanilla.

3.) Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming (unless you like pudding skin--then by all means forgo the plastic wrap), and chill in the refrigerator. Serve cold for breakfast. Or whatever.

Mmmm. Pudding.

Recipe courtesy of www.allrecipes.com

Wreck this Journal? Really??

2010-02-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

I buy journals all the time with the intention of writing in them. Pink fuzzy journals, sleek black journals, pocket-size journals, and journals with crisp, fresh paper just waiting for my wistful reflections. For the first few days after my new journal purchase, I'm completely motivated to write. I crawl in bed, pull my journal into my lap, and write, write, write about everything and nothing. Man, what a feeling!But then, something happens that I'm not proud of. I stop writing. Completely.

Then, after months of not writing, staring at my journal and feeling ashamed for not writing, I go out and buy a brand new journal, thinking that it will motivate me to begin writing. And it does! For about a week. Ok, you see where this is going. The vicious journal cycle repeats itself.

Well, guess what! I've found a journal that won't leave me feeling ashamed and embarrassed about my journal-abandonment issues any longer. This is a journal that you don't even have to WRITE in! All you have to do is completely destroy it. Seriously!

Here are some of the ridiculous yet incredibly satisfying things that you may do to this journal:
Fling it at a wall
Shower with it
Spill coffee on it
Write on it with food
Scribble really hard on it
Sleep with it

If you are a commited journal writer, do not even open this book. It will most likely make you angry. However, if your journal topics are lame or just the thought of picking up a pen and recording your deepest thoughts makes you break out in hives, I suggest you crack open your piggy bank and invest in your mental health.
I promise you this journal will not collect dust on your nightstand!

Recipe to Read By: Cow Pie Cookies
Although they look awful, they are quite therapeutic. (Kind of like Wreck this Journal!)

2 c. granulated sugar

1/4 c. cocoa

1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. butter

1/2 c. chunky peanut butter

1/4 tsp. vanilla

3 c. quick oatmeal (dry)

Melt butter in milk over low heat. Add sugar, cocoa. Cook to boiling. Remove from heat, wait 1 minute and add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. Mix quickly. Drop by tablespoons onto wax paper. Cool. Eat. Rub the chocolately crumbs into your new journal and feel like an accomplished journalist.

A Miraculous Reappearance of a Childhood Favorite

2010-01-12T21:03:00.001-05:00

Last year, our media center went through some major changes. Although we gained a wonderful array of new literature, any book with a copyright date before the year 2000 was plucked from the shelves and boxed away.

Yes, totally serious.

No Roald Dahl. No Ramona. No (sniff) Babysitters Club!! Preposterous, I know!! Anyhoot, last week I was combing the noticeably sparse book shelves and my eyeballs happened to land on one of my absolute childhood favorites, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase. Huh? Could it be?? A classic has remained on our shelves?? I rushed it over to our media aide who immediately turned to the front cover and scrolled her finger down until she found the copyright date. 1963. She began to explain to me that the book must have been lost when the Heartless Book Folk came in to clear the shelves and apparently was returned at a later date. Upon hearing this fantastic news, I clutched the book to my chest and proclaimed it a miracle upon miracles that the book was saved and I made a solemn vow to protect it from the Heartless Book Folk.

That night I crawled in bed with my newly discovered miracle book and transported myself back to fifth grade.

Master storyteller Joan Aiken weaves a spellbinding story that takes place in 18th century Victorian England. Little Bonnie lives in the majestic Willoughby mansion with her adoring parents and slew of servants and maids. Her mother, Lady Green, is not well and she and Lord Willoughby set off to find warmer temperatures in hopes of curing her illness. While her parents are gone, Miss Slighcarp takes over the household, firing all of the beloved servants, wearing Lady Green's expensive gowns, and generally being up to no good. Despite the best efforts of Bonnie, her cousin Silvia, their trusting maid Pattern, and Simon, the goose boy, their plans go awry and Miss Slighcarp banishes the two girls to a cruel orphanage while leading them to believe their parents are dead.

This book has all of the elements of a fantastic bedtime story: rags-to-riches plot, an evil villainess, a cruel orphanage, strong heroes and heroines, and a happy ending. It also proves that incredible stories don't have to lie behind new, glossy covers and 2009 copyright dates. So take that, Heartless Book Folk.

Recipe to Read By: Miracle Cookies
These cookies received their name because they only involve four measly ingredients and ten minutes of your precious time, plus they taste heavenly.
Yep, miracle cookies for a miracle book.

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten well
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix peanut butter and sugar with an electric mixer. Whatever flies out of the bowl is fair game for snacking!
Roll dough in little balls about 3/4 of an inch big.
Place balls on cookie sheet and flatten with the tines of a fork.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Let cool before grabbing your book and a mug of milk.

Waffles, Anyone?

2010-01-07T20:00:00.001-05:00

I had completely forgotten how much I ADORE this book until one of my book clubs chose to read it a couple of weeks ago. The main character, Primrose Squarp, is a precocious eleven year old with a heart of gold and a penchant for causing accidents. Her parents have been lost at sea for months, and while everyone else has considered them long gone, Primrose refuses to give up hope. Her witty comments and thoughts about life have us giggling long after the book has been closed and there are quite a few scenes (such as accidentally setting her class hamster on fire) that had us rolling on the floor with tears in our eyes. Of course, I love the fact that she includes a recipe at the end of every chapter (I must say--the tuna noodle casserole is dee-lish!).

Recipe to Read By: Chocolate Waffles Supreme
Here's a waffle recipe that would make Miss Bowzer proud:

1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick® mix
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened baking cocoa
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs

Spray waffle iron with butter spray (be careful to aim away from your eyes--that stuff can burn!) and heat until ready. In medium bowl, stir all waffle ingredients with spoon until blended. Pour batter onto hot waffle iron.

Bake each waffle about 5 minutes or until steaming stops. Carefully remove waffle with something other than your fingers. Serve with one of the topping ideas below or experiment with your own.

Topping Ideas:
The Traditional: Strawberries and whipped cream
The Sticky: A big glob of peanut butter and a sprinkle of mini-marshmallows (my fave!)
The Chocolate Stomachache: Chocolate chips, chocolate syrup, chocolate sprinkles
The Fluffernutter: Banana slices, peanut butter, marshmallow fluff (eat like a sandwich if you like!)
The Strange but Tasty: Crumbled bacon, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, strawberry jam

Any more suggestions?? Lay 'em on me!

A Sweet Book for Sweet Readers

2009-12-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

I picked up this book for two reasons:
1.) It has a cupcake on the cover.
2.) One of my very cool former students, Angela, recommended it.

Here's the sum sum summary:
As a result of her parent's divorce, Penny Lane (yes, she was named after one of my favorite Beatles' songs) has just moved from bustling, exciting NYC to tiny Hogs Hollow, and is definitely not happy about it. Besides missing her dad, her friends, and city life in general, a certain group of stuck-up girls is making her life miserable.

Her mother has opened a bakery, The Cupcake Queen, where Penny spends her free time decorating cupcakes and trying to disappear. Her intricate cupcake creations take her mind off the divorce and the humiliating pranks that the "mean girls" play on her day after day. Her life isn't all that depressing, though. She soon meets Tally, a cool girl in her art class, and Marcus, the cute son of the dairy farmer. Slowly she begins to adjust to small town life and in doing so, has to make a tough decision about her future.
Although the plot is mildly predictable, I didn't mind it in the least. I mean, we all need some predictability in our lives, right? Like the tooth fairy. You always know what's going to happen after you lose a tooth. Pillow. Money. Good. See, it's okay to be predictable. Anyways, back to the book.
My favorite character was Penny's quirky friend Tally, a Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) enthusiast with pink streaks in her hair. Despite her surface appearance, there's a lot of depth to Tally, and I like that in a supporting character.

This book has all of the ingredients of a deliciously sweet read--likable characters that you can relate to, humorous situations, a great storyline, and an underlying message that everyone can take to heart. Thanks, Angela for this delectable goody!

And now....for the cupcakes!!!

Click HERE to try this uber-yum Mini-Oreo Surprise Cupcake.

Click HERE to see more amazing cupcake photos!

Chocolate Obsession!

2009-11-29T20:22:00.015-05:00

Not to toot my own horn, but I made the GREATEST chocolate cake from scratch today! It was moist, creamy, and ooey-gooey melt-in-your-mouth chocolaty. One delectable bite and my mind begin to swirl with all of my favorite books that revolve around chocolate.

So grab one of these tasty books, a handful of chocolate chips (or a piece of the aforementioned chocolate cake) and enter the gates of chocolate heaven. Mmm...

Chocolate Picture Books

The Chocolate-Covered-Cookie Tantrum
By: Deborah Blumenthal

We've all thrown a kick-your-feet-on-floor and scream at the top of your lungs tantrum over chocolate cookies, right? This book never fails to crack me up, even though I'd like to think I've outgrown my chocolate tantrum phase.

Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot
By: Margot Theis Raven

During World War II, an American pilot began dropping chocolate candy in parachutes made from handkerchiefs to the children of West Berlin. Although it's a much more serious read, the illustration are beautiful and the historical aspect is fascinating.

Curious George Goes to the Chocolate Factory
By: H.A. Rey

I loved this book as a kid! While George and the man with the yellow hat stop at a chocolate store, George joins a tour of the factory to learn about how chocolates are made. Of course, in true George fashion, he finds his way to major trouble.

Chocolate Chapter Books

The Chocolate Touch
By: Patrick Skene Catling

Chocolate pancakes. Chocolate bacon. Chocolate soda. Chocolate gloves? What would you do if everything you touched turned to chocolate?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

By: Roald Dahl

Sure, you've seen both versions of the movie, but you haven't tasted anything until you read Roald Dahl's scrumdiddlyumptious masterpiece of a novel. As much as I worship Johnny Depp, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (told from Charlie Bucket's point of view) trumps the big screen version any old day.

To make the world's greatest chocolate cake recipe click HERE.

So...what is your favorite chocolate treat??

The Moral of the Story Is...

2009-11-03T21:01:00.011-05:00

I've been on a fable kick. First, The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary, then Arnold Lobel's Fables, and now Squids will be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables. This book of important life lessons is brought to you by Jon Scieszka (You know, the guy who wrote The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Quite the cool guy, I know.)

It's one of those books that gets funnier with repeated readings. And it's even funnier if you read it to a bunch of fourth graders who have a wicked sense of humor and love a good moral.

Right away you sense the type of book this is going to be. Maybe it's in the title, or the colorful, yet peculiar illustrations that are not unlike Stinky Cheese. Or perhaps it's the age range written in tiny font on the inside jacket flap (Age: 49-630 in dog years).

The introduction gives a nice overview of the history of fables, complete with a short Aesop biography. I like this part:

Fables have been around for thousands of years. And it's no wonder. Because even thousands of years ago people were bright enough to figure out that you could gossip about anybody--as long as you changed their name to something like "Lion" or "Mouse" or "Donkey" first. (Pretty clever, huh? I wish I had been on my fables kick back when I was in school. My brother would have been named "Baboon.")

Squids Will Be Squids is a collection of random, outrageous, laugh-out-loud-even-if-you-don't-get-it fables that Mr. Aesop may or may not have written back in his day. The morals, although seriously bizarre, are full of wisdom if you listen carefully enough. I highly suggest you read this book two or three times and you'll come away with a new outlook on life, if not a hearty belly laugh.

Check out Jon Scieszka's website for boys called Guys Read here: http://www.guysread.com/

Recipe to Read By: Elephant Ears (Named after my favorite fable entitled Elephant and Mosquito.)

Ingredients: A box of puff pastry, cinnamon and sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

2. Thaw the puff pastry. (Microwave for 10 seconds at a time until bendable).

3. Lay the sheet on the table and sprinkle with 1/2 cup sugar and tablespoon of cinnamon. Spread the mixture and make sure that all of the dough is covered.

4. Stare at the dough like it's a Magic Eye poster and find the center. Mark it with your knife if you want. Next, starting with the right side, begin to roll the dough one inch deep, stopping before reaching the center. Continue with the left side. Once both sides are rolled up, fold on top of each other. (Basically, you are rolling each side towards each other and then creating one ginormous roll of elephant ears. Mmmm.)

5. Slice the huge roll into 1/2 thick pieces and lay flat on the cookie sheet.

6. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry, if you haven't eaten it already. Puff pastry is goo-ood.

7. Cook for 10 minutes or until golden brown and you can smell the cinnamon and sugar in the oven.

8. As soon as the cookies are finished cooking, remove them from the oven and remove from the cookie sheet and let rest. (If the cookies are left on the cookie sheet the sugar will harden and the cookies will stick).

9. Serve and enjoy!

10. Moral: Food and books go together like peanut butter and baloney sandwiches. Am I the only one who eats that? Pickles and salsa? Doritos and hot chocolate? Well, you know what I mean!

Recipe courtesy of http://www.ifood.tv/. Watch the video on how to make them here!

You Don't Want to Steal My Dog!

2009-10-20T21:37:00.011-04:00

Georgina Hayes is an eleven year old with a tough life. Her daddy left her family in the dust and her mother struggles to work two jobs, but still can't afford to pay the rent for their apartment. Georgina, her little brother Toby, and her mother are living out of their beat up old honker of a car and she'd do anything to keep her friends at school from knowing about it. If you think sharing a bathroom with your annoying little brother or sister is bad, can you even imagine what it would be like to share the backseat of a car, with only a beach towel divider? Major yuck!

One night, as Georgina lies awake, listening to the sounds of the ally where the car is parked for the night, she notices a sign for a missing dog with a reward for $500. The gears begin to turn in her head, and as desperate as she is for a real bed and a hot shower, she makes a decision: she's going to steal a dog.

According to Georgina,
These are the rules for finding a dog:
1. The dog must not bark too much.
2. The dog must not bite.
3. The dog must be outside by itself sometimes.
4. The dog must be loved a lot and not just some old dog that nobody cares about.
5. The owner of the dog must look like somebody who will pay a lot of money to get their dog back, like maybe someone who has a big house and rides in a limo or something like that.

After scouring the neighborhood for the perfect dog, Georgina and Toby settle on a friendly little black and white dog named Willy. As organized as Georgina sets out to be, her plan goes terribly awry (meaning wrong) and what happens at the end is the absolute last thing she would have expected.

Recipe to Read By: Barkin' Good Pup-cakes
These are so doggone good you'll want to howl at the moon. You can whip up a batch of these puppies in no time! (Are you diggin' the doggy lingo? Ruff!)

Ingredients:
1 box of yellow cake mix
Your favorite frosting
Milano cookies
chocolate chips
M&M's
black or brown decorator gel

Directions:
1.) Bake the pupcakes using the directions on the box.
2.) Allow to cool completely.
3.) Frost using Betty Crocker or your favorite recipe. Lay it on real thick because you need enough to hold the cookies. (Plus you can lick all the frosting that plops onto the counter.)
4.) Place two Milano cookies on the sides of the pupcake.
5.) Add two chocolate chips for eyes and a red M&M nose.
6.) Draw the mouth using decorator gel.

I think everyone needs to order THESE before even thinking about making pupcakes.
If you agree, raise a paw. (Or, if you're Kendall, lick a toe.)

Don'tcha just want to cuddle them?

In case you were wondering, the brown stuff isn't really dog kibble, it's Cocoa Puffs!

Open up, it's the Population Police!

2009-10-10T17:31:00.008-04:00

Attention all third children! I'm sorry to break it to you, but in the future, families are only allowed two children. Yes, that means that you would not exist. And if your parents decided to have you illegally, you would have to go into hiding forever. No school. No baseball. No TV. No friends. No life.

Luke is a third child, or Shadow child, who has lived in his family's attic for all of his eleven years. He yearns for a chance to go to school with his brothers, to ride a bike, to take a trip in the car, to even sit with his family at the dinner table, but as long as the government continues to strongly enforce the Population Law, he will never set foot outdoors. He and his family live in constant fear of the Population Police knocking on the door and finding out about him. And you thought being grounded was bad...

One lonely day when his family is gone, Luke stares out of the vent in the attic, watching the other families in the neighborhood leave for work or school. To his utter amazement, he catches a glimpse of another person behind the window--another third child! After many weeks of waiting and planning, he finally works up the nerve to dash across the backyard and into the house of Jen Talbot, a fellow Shadow Child. Luke is amazed to find out that Jen uses the computer, takes trips in the car, and even eats potato chips and all kinds of other junk food (which was outlawed by the government years ago)!

Here's the weird part: Jen's dad works for the government! He works for the same people who offer rewards for turning in people with third children and kill them when they are found. And his very own daughter is a third child! Craziness, I know!

Through Jen, Luke learns about the Population Law and why the government enacted it. You see, years back there were too many mouths to feed and not enough food. People went hungry and did terrible things for food. (I can understand that. You DO NOT want to be around me when I'm hungry!) The government decided that families could only have two children, so there would be plenty of food to go around. Jen thinks the Population Law is a bunch of baloney and organizes a rally of hundreds of Shadow Children to protest in front of the president's house and she wants Luke to join her. This is incredibly dangerous and risky, but it could also be their only chance at living a normal life of freedom. What will Luke choose? What would you choose?

My students LOVED this book because it's suspenseful and it makes you THINK! I haven't read the rest of the series, but Among the Imposters is at the top of my library list.

Recipe to Read By: Potato Chip Cookies

These salty-sweet bites are in memory of Luke's first junk food experience.

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup more for coating
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup potato chips, crushed (Hint: A ziploc bag and a rolling pin work well for all crushing purposes.)
1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. Cream the butter and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed. (Be careful of flying sugar!)
3. Lower to medium speed and add the vanilla, then add the flour and cinnamon and keep on going until it's all mixed up nicely.
4. Fold in the potato chips and pecans.
5. Form into golf-ball size balls.
6. Roll them around in the sugar that's left over to get them all nice and sugary.
7. Place on parchment- or foil-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
8. Bake until golden brown around the edges, about 13 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks (or your mouth).

Sweet. Salty. Yum.

Recipe courtesy of Real Simple Magazine.

Another Historical Fiction Winner

2009-08-29T12:39:00.014-04:00

It's no secret that my favorite genre is historical fiction (although I'm really trying to branch out!) and at any given time there is bound to be at least two HF novels on my nightstand stack. This week I traveled back to the turn of the century in Fentress, Texas, to the home of Calpurnia Virginia Tate, or Callie Vee, as her family calls her.

Callie is the only girl out of 7 kids and lives under the watchful eye of her mother, who tries fruitlessly (meaning unsuccessfully) for Callie to learn some "housewife" skills like cookery and tatting. *Note: I researched tatting, and I still don't get the point of it. What are you supposed to do with a doily anyway? That word makes me gag: doily. Blech.

Anyway...Callie wiles away the summer trying to figure out ways to stay cool in the hot summer heat (remember, this is before air-conditioning was invented). She even goes so far as to cut off an inch of hair every week so that her mother doesn't notice. One day, she wanders into her granddaddy's "lab" and falls head over heels into the world of science. Her granddaddy is an avid naturalist and shows Callie how to look very closely at seemingly simple natural objects to find amazing things that you probably have never noticed before.

Before long, Callie and her granddaddy discover a new plant species and send it off to Washington to be officially inspected. Unfortunately for Callie, her mother notices that she is spending way too much time collecting specimens and not enough time practicing her piano and learning how to make apple pie. She sentences Callie to cooking lessons with the house cook, Viola, and you can imagine how unhappy

(from page 225)

An hour later, I stood panting and thrashing around with my third bowl of dough, with Mother and Viola growing more incredulous by the minute. The first batch had been watery and lumpy; the second so dense I couldn't roll it out with the pin; the last had turned sticky as wallpaper paste and with the same unappealing consistency. It was all over my hands and pinafore, smeared across the counter and the pump handle, and there were streaks of it in my hair. I think there was even a glob on the fly paper hanging from the ceiling several feet above my head, but how it got there, I had no idea.

Will Callie be able to grow up and attend the university and become a scientist as she dreams? Or is she sentenced to a lifetime of housewife chores? I'm not going to tell you, people! Go grab this one from the library--you'll not only adore Callie, but you'll feel mighty grateful that we have the freedoms (and technology!) that we have today.

Recipe to Read By: Callie's Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Although Callie had the unfortunate experience of making her pie crust from scratch, we can throw our hands up and praise the inventors of refrigerated pie dough. THANK YOU INVENTORS OF REFRIGERATED PIE DOUGH!

Instead of slaving away the day with a rolling pin, this delicious dessert is as easy as, well you know...

Ingredients

2 refrigerated pie crusts
1 egg white
8 large Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and thinly-sliced
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Unfold one of the pie crusts into a 9-inch pie plate. Brush with egg white (this prevents the crust from getting soggy). Let the egg white dry while you prepare the filling.
3. Toss apples with remaining ingredients. Pile into prepared crust.
4. Unfold the second prepared pie crust over the apples, tucking the extra under the bottom crust. Now pinch the edges with your fingers. (This is called crimping.)
5. Cut 3-4 slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape and to make it look fancy-schmancy.

Cover the pie loosely with a sheet of aluminum foil.
6. Bake 10 minutes. Remove the foil, lower the temperature to 375 degrees F., and bake another 30-40 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of: About.com Cooking With Kids

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

2009-07-27T17:59:00.014-04:00

I am going to attempt to summarize this book in three sentences:

1. Jeremy Fink, science lover and collector of mutant candy, has in his possession a beautiful, yet mystifying box that can only be opened with four special keys, which are no where to be found.

2. The box contains "the meaning of life" and is to be opened on his 13th birthday.

3. His father, who died in a tragic car accident, left the box for Jeremy in his will.

A mysterious box. Missing keys. The meaning of life.

Intrigued?

Thought so.

Wendy Mass, who is also the author of Every Soul a Star, has a great blog AND website.
I highly suggest you check them both out. (You know, in between devouring this book and starting your own mutant candy collection.)

Recipe to Read By: Mary's Chocolate Chip PB Cup Cookies

Jeremy Fink, aficionado of all things sweet and gooey, believes that all life's problems can be solved with a little sugar. And peanut butter.

Ingredients

-Nestle Tollhouse refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough (or any other similar product)

-Reece's peanut butter cups, unwrapped. (Be sure to look for any mutants.)

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-Bake cookies as directed on package for seven minutes.

-Remove hot cookies from oven and press a Reese's PB cup into the center of each one.

(Careful not to touch the actual cookie--those chocolate chips are HOT and looking to scorch any wayward fingers!)

-Return cookies to oven until golden brown around the edges.

*Note: This also works with other types of bite-size chocolate bars and cookie dough. I don't think Jeremy would mind too much if you experimented, as long as you stash a handful of candy in your pocket for later.

"Home, Home on the Range"

2009-07-20T10:05:00.009-04:00

A Heart of a Shepherd is not for the faint at heart, nor is it for crybabies. (I happen to be both and I wish someone would have warned me first!) I don't usually grab books on a whim without reading about them first, but something drew me to this one. After reading the first few pages while sitting on the floor of the library I was completely absorbed. My library surroundings soon faded and I was transported to a ranch in Oregon, where heartache, adventure, and the beauty of nature surround me.

Roseanne Parry weaves a fascinating tale about Brother (his real name is Ignatius), a young boy who lives on a ranch with his grandparents, father, and four brothers.
After his father leaves for Iraq and his brothers all go away to school, the job of tending the livestock and managing the ranch falls in Brother's hands. This becomes quite a job for an 11-year-old, but Brother is determined to work hard and prove to his older brothers that he can do it with only the help of his grandfather, who is slowly failing in health, and one lone hired man.

There are some intense scenes where Brother learns how to stitch up the wound in his brother's head, births a cow (yes, this was gross but also amazing!), and helps to heal a sick animal. When I try to remember what I was capable of at eleven years old (lemonade stands and friendship bracelets--definitely not birthing cows!) Brother becomes even more of a hero in my mind.

If you love animals, realistic fiction, or are just looking to transport yourself to a completely new
and wonderful setting, this book is for you. But like I said, keep a box of tissues nearby.

Stories with animals and grandpas always get me...

Recipe to Read By: Molasses Cookies
Brother's grandma always keeps a jar of these spicy cookies on the counter.
Word to the wise--don't stick your finger in the molasses jar and then lick it. It definitely DOES NOT taste like darkened honey.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup margarine, melted
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup white sugar

Directions
1.In a medium bowl, mix together the melted margarine, 1 cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.

2.Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.

4. Put on a cowboy hat, lasso your dog, and pretend you're heading into town to buy some horseshoes and goat feed.

*Recipe courtesy of http://www.allrecipes.com/

Watch the book trailer here or by going to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ0EZdiX164

Bibbety-Bobbity-Boo! (And Booger Cookies, too)

2009-07-09T16:54:00.013-04:00

There's no voice on the outside that can tell you more than the voice on the inside. (From Be the One with the Wand, chapter nine).

Hunky Dory is a witch. And not just any witch. According to her mother she will be "the wickedest witch wherever the four winds blow." She is at the head of her class when it comes to casting spells, brewing potions, and turning handsome princes into frogs, much to the envy of the others in her coven.

Despite her natural witching abilities, Hunky has a strong desire to be something else. Something....good. More specifically, she wants to use her witchcraft to practice wishcraft. Yes, you read that correctly: The wickedest witch wants to trade in her nefarious schemes to become--oh boy get ready for this--a fairy godmother. (Insert collective gasps here.) As you can imagine, this does not go over well.

Hunky gets kicked out of Miss Harbinger's class and is thrown out of her own mother's cave to boot. Confused, hurt, and alone, Hunky heads for the woods where she conjures up a house made of chocolate chip cookie dough (gingerbread is so overrated) and charges people one gold coin to grant their wishes from the bottom of a well. Among the characters who visit her are: Goldilocks (who helps herself to anything in the house--typical), Little Red Riding Hood (who wishes for a jean jacket to replace her outrageously uncool red cape), Wolf (who wishes for a grandmother costume--weirdo), and the devilishly handsome Rumpelstiltskin (who becomes a surprising friend despite his evil ways).

To reunite with her mother, Hunky grants her a deep down, remove-the-corn-husk to find it wish that even her mother herself doesn't know she wants. As it turns out, her wish was to be an aunt, so a baby appears for Auntie Malice. (Hunky is crazy-good at pulling babies out of nowhere.) As you can imagine, all things cute, cuddly, and giggly are incredibly revolting to a witch, so Hunky's mother is less than pleased to have a cooing baby in her care.

"Hunky, you've really gone too far this time. This baby doesn't even speak the same language as we do. And the things that come out of that baby's behind are about a million times more foul than anything I could have concocted in my cauldron." (I love that last line!)

Top 3 Things I Love About this Book:

1.) The fantastically unusual names of the characters. (Sinus Infection, Acid Reflux, and Frantic Search being my favorites.)

2.) It teaches you a lesson without you even knowing that you are being taught a lesson. (Esme is sneaky like that!)

3.) It includes a recipe for cookies :)

Recipe to Read By: Hunky's Booger Cookies

Don't eat too many of these disgustingly good cookies, or you'll be too heavy for your broomstick to carry you, as Hunky would say.

You can find the recipe on Esme's blog or by flipping to the end of the book.

This post is dedicated to my book-eating dog who also, quite coincidentally, loves to eat boogers.

Thank you, Kendall, for not eating this one.

Super Easy Cookies with a Patriotic Flair

2009-07-03T10:04:00.006-04:00

Watcha reading over the 4th of July? Ok, yeah. Let's not kid ourselves. Since I know for a fact that NO ONE (not even the biggest of bookworms) will be curling up with a book during barbeques and fireworks, I have decided to go ahead and post one of my favorite, easy, and extremely versatile cookie recipes. In a mere 15 minutes, you will have a warm, festive, and downright tasty treat that will be gone in less time it took you to make them.

Get those ovens preheating, pronto!

Red, White, and Blue Sugar Cookies

Ingredients

-box of cake mix (any flavor will do, but for Red, White, and Blue Cookies I would use vanilla or yellow)
-1 tsp. baking powder

-2 eggs

-1/2 cup of vegetable oil

-red and blue food coloring

-sugar

Directions

1. Pour the cake mix into a large bowl and mix it with the baking powder.

2. Dump in the eggs and oil. Mix well. (There should be no eggy or powdery lumps)

3. Preheat the oven to 350.

4. Divide the dough into 3 piles. Stir in drops of blue and red coloring into two of the piles, leaving one pile the same.

5. Roll dough into tablespoon-size balls.

6. Roll the balls into sugar. (The dough will be sticky. Try extremely hard not to lick your fingers!)

7. Bake for 9-11 minutes, or whenever they start to smell really good and you can't take the anticipation anymore.

8. Let cool for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack or your mouth :)

Happy Fourth! The books will be back with a vengeance next week.

This Means War!

2009-06-30T14:35:00.010-04:00

I love summer. I love staying outside until almost 9:00 when the last of the sun disappears, I love hot, sweaty days at the beach, and I love a glass of ice cold lemonade after spending time in the July heat. When I was a kid, my brother and and I would set up a lemonade stand in front of our house and charge a dime per cup. Back then, that was a lot of money and we would use our profits to buy a new Nintendo game. (No, not a Nintendo Wii--the original Nintendo. Yes, I'm that old.) We didn't tell anyone that it wasn't really lemonade, but Crystal Light. It was much easier not to deal with all that sugar and lemon-squeezing business. Plus, that's what my mom kept in the pantry. Ahh, childhood...

Now that you know how big of a lemonade (or lemon-flavored Crystal Light) fan I am, it will come as no surprise that I picked up The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies.

The two main characters, Evan and Jessie, are brother and sister, each with a problem. Evan is going into fourth grade and can't think of anything worse than having his baby sister in the same class next year (Jessie skipped a grade). Jessie, who loves math and numbers, doesn't even realize Evan is upset, until he starts a lemonade stand with his friend and doesn't include her. To show him up, Jessie gets Megan Moriarity (Evan's crush) to help her build a lemonade stand, with a fancy sign and free snacks. Before long, the two of them realize that they are lemonade competitors and declare war. The first sibling to earn $100 is the winner (or whoever earns the most money by Sunday), and the loser has to hand over whatever earnings he/she made to the winner.

Jessie and Evan will do anything it takes to win the war, including giving away freebies, lowering prices, franchising (opening up more businesses), and sabotaging each others' stands. The results are pretty funny and will have you rooting for either Jessie or Evan to win the war.

The book also includes Ten Tips for Turning Lemons into Loot written by Jessie and Evan and gives the definition for lots of business terms, such as joint venture, underselling, negotiation, and total loss. ***DO NOT have a lemonade stand this summer without reading this book! It could be the difference between making enough money to buy a game for your Wii or making enough money to buy a Wii!

Recipe to Read By: Zesty Lemon Squares

You don't have to squeeze any lemons for this recipe, although if you really like juicing lemons go right ahead. (Just be careful not to squeeze any lemon juice in your eye--that burns like a banshee and will ruin the whole baking experience.)

Ingredients
1 1/2 sticks of butter, softened
1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons lemon zest (I looove zesting lemons. They look so funny when you're done, like they're naked. Hehe.)

2 tablespoons sugar

Directions
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the confectioners' sugar.
Mix the flour and the salt together in another bowl, then add this to the butter mixture.
Add in the vanilla and the lemon zest and mix well.
Gather up the dough into a ball and wrap it in wax paper. Put the wrapped ball in the refrigerator for four hours. (Or one hour, if you're really impatient like me.)
Take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it sit while the oven is preheating. (Turn the oven on to 325° F.)
Press the dough into an 8-inch-square pan. Sprinkle it with the sugar.
Bake about 20 minutes, just until the edges of the dough start to turn a light brown.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool.
Cut into 2 x 2-inch squares.

Serve with lemon-flavored Crystal Light to balance all of that sugar.

*Recipe courtesy of http://www.lemonadewar.com/

A Mysterious Book Found in a Mysterious Location...

2009-06-22T10:57:00.013-04:00

A few days ago, Kendall knocked her favorite toy under the bed and I found her frantically scratching and pawing at the carpet, trying desperately to reach it. Knowing that she wouldn't rest until it was in her mouth again, I got down on my stomach and peered into the dusty blackness. As I slid my arm as far underneath the bed as physically possible, my hand hit something hard and heavy: a book! Even without seeing the cover, I knew exactly which book it was: The Invention of Hugo Cabret--a favorite among my students a couple of years ago. How the book ended up under the bed, however, remains a mystery, although my literature-loving dog may have something to do with it...

Don't be intimidated by the size of this book. Although it is heavy enough to do some serious damage if you drop it on a toe, 284 of the 513 pages are original illustrations hand-drawn by the author, Brian Selznick.

The story takes place within the walls of a train station in Paris where Hugo, an orphan, lives in a secret room. Hugo has tended to the station clocks ever since his uncle disappeared, and he knows all of the secret hallways, tunnels, and rooms hidden beyond the station walls. Hugo spends his days fixing the clocks, stealing bites of food when he can, and trying to stear clear of the Station Inspector who will send him off to an orphanage if he is caught.

The only thing Hugo has left of his father is an automaton (an old-fashioned robot that writes) that was found in the rubble of the museum where he worked after it was burned down. Hugo is absolutely certain that if he can fix the automaton by reading father's notes, it will write a message from his father.

"What is it?"
"An automaton."
"What's that?"
"It's a windup figure, like a music box or a toy, except it's infinitely more complicated."
"What do you mean?"
"This one can write. At least I think it can. It's got a pen in its hand, and it's sitting at a desk. I'm sure that if it were working, you could wind it up, put a piece of paper on the desk, and all those little parts would engage and cause the arm to move in such a way that it would write out some kind of note."

Cool stuff, right? Find out more about automatons here.

Brian Selznick not only weaves a fascinating plot of mystery, history, and movie-making, but he captures the reader with his amazing illustrations that are able to tell a story on their own.

Let me know if you want to borrow this one--it will be sitting on my highest bookshelf along with all of my other prized books where the dog can't mistake it for a chew toy...

Recipe to Read By: French Sable Cookies
Sable cookies are a classic French cookie originating in Normandy. Sable is French for "sand," which refer to the sandy texture of these delicate shortbread-like cookies. I feel very sophisticated baking these and make a point to tell everyone that they are French.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
10 tablespoons butter
½ cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. In a medium bowl mix the flour and baking powder and set aside. In large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix in the dry ingredients until a smooth dough forms.

2. Form the dough into a disk shape or 2-inch diameter log. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. (You can sneak bits of cookie dough while you're waiting for the time to pass.)

3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Roll out the disk of dough to ¼-inch thickness, and cut out the sables using any shaped cookie cutter. (A fluted one looks very authentic, but the only one I could find was a Christmas tree and it worked fine).

4. Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 15 minutes, or until they are lightly browned around the edges. Cool the sables for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Voilà!

Recipe courtesy of http://frenchfood.about.com/od/cookies/r/vansable.htm

P.S. Thank you Nick G. for donating a copy of this book to the classroom library!

Casting Call!

2009-06-21T23:16:00.005-04:00

Huge news!!! Did you know that Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid is going to be turned into a movie? To add to the elation, Twentieth Century Fox is putting out a casting call for the role of Greg Heffley. They are looking for a regular kid--just like you!

What are you waiting for? Click here to get all of the info!

And don't forget your fourth grade teacher when you are walking the red carpet...

Take a break from auditioning by visiting these popular Wimpy Kid webpages:

http://www.wimpykid.com/

http://www.gregheffley.blogspot.com/

Any recipe ideas???

The London Eye Mystery

2009-06-06T14:09:00.014-04:00

I grabbed this book for two reasons: 1.) I love a good mystery. 2.) I love people with British accents. With high expectations for a good mystery involving funky British sayings, this book did not disappoint.

Ted and Kat live a relatively normal life in London with their parents. I say "relatively" because Ted lives with a brain syndrome that makes him think differently than everyone else.

However, when Aunt Gloria and her son, Salim, come to visit Ted and Kat their lives becomes much less normal and much more interesting.

Upon their arrival, Salim declares that he would like to visit the London Eye, a ginormous Ferris-wheel type ride that allows for amazing views of the city. While their mothers wait for them to buy tickets, a man approaches the three children and offers them his ticket for free. He explains that he is claustrophobic (afraid of small spaces) and can't bring himself to ride. The children happily accept the ticket and give it to Salim, who excitedly walks onto the next pod. Kat and Ted watch Salim get onto the ride and follow his pod all the way around, with Ted timing his descent to the exact minute. When Salim's pod finally reaches the ground they watch all of the other people file out, keeping a close eye out for Salim. Minutes pass, and as the pod empties they realize that Salim is not there.

They wait patiently as the other pods empty, but still no sign of Salim. What happened to him? He couldn't have just disappeared!

So begins Kat and Ted's impressive attempts to piece together all of clues left behind and solve the mystery of Salim's disappearance. Sounds cool, huh?

Go on, you know you love a good mystery, too! You super sleuths out there may even solve it before Ted and Kat do...

"I want to ride on the Eye, mummy!"

Here is a list of some of my favorite British words. Can you guess what they mean? Keep scrolling down to see if you were correct.

Fun British Words
1. Banger
2. Bloke
3. Bobby
4. Rubbish
5. Gobsmacked
6. Higgledy-piggledy
7. Ice lolly
8. Jumper
9. Loo/Water closet
10. Nappy
11. Numpty
12. Telly
13. Trainers
14. Post
15. Queue
16. Biscuit
17. Tube

Recipe to Read By: Digestive Biscuits

Fancy a biscuit? Despite their weird names, these cookies are very popular in Britain and resemble a crumbly graham cracker. After baking a batch of these simple, yet tasty treats,

practice your British persona by raising a pinkie, dunking a biscuit in some tea, and asking in your most elegant and regal voice, "Pardon me, but could you direct me to the loo?"

Ingredients:
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon rolled oats
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons milk

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. Mix in the oatmeal. Cream together the butter and the sugar and add to mixture. Stir in the milk until mixture forms a thick paste.
3. Knead dough on a floured surface until smooth. Roll out dough to approximately 1/8" thickness. Cut into rounds with cookie cutter about 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Transfer to cookie sheets and prick with a fork.
4. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Let cool on wire rack. Store in an airtight tin.

5. In your best British accent, walk around asking people if they "fancy a biscuit."

Recipe courtesy of http://www.allrecipes.com/

American Equivalents to Fun British Words

1. Banger=Sausage 2. Bloke=Man 3. Bobby=policeman 4. Rubbish=garbage 5. Gobsmacked=utterly astounded 6. Higgledy-piggledy=in disarray 7. Ice lolly= popsicle 8. Jumper=sweater 9. Loo/Water closet= bathroom 10. Nappy=diaper 11. Numpty=stupid person 12. Telly=TV 13. Trainers=sneakers 14. Post=mail 15. Queue=a line you wait in

16. Biscuit=cookie 17. Tube=subway

Rapunzel's Revenge

2009-05-25T21:12:00.017-04:00

We all know the story...

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away there lived a beautiful young maiden who was kept in a tower against her will by an evil sorceress. Each day, the woman came to see her, bringing fresh food. She would stand at the bottom of the tower and call out,
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair."

Blah, blah, blah.

This is where the fairy tale ends and the graphic novel begins. In Shannon and Dean Hale's version, Rapunzel is no longer the damsel in distress, but the damsel causing the distress!Say goodbye to the Rapunzel of your childhood, because this one is tougher, smarter, and a million times more adventurous than that puny blonde locked in the tower. And, she isn't about to wait for some arrogant prince to come rescue her!

Twelve year old Rapunzel lives in a huge castle with the powerful Mother Gothel, an unfriendly old woman who has special "grow power." Bored and wondering if there's something else out there, Rapunzel makes her way over the towering wall that surrounds the castle and discovers a whole other world. This world, however, is not pretty. On the other side of the castle wall is a mine, where the workers are ill-treated, underpaid, and think very poorly of Mother Gothel. As Rapunzel explores this new dark wasteland she runs into her REAL mother, whom she was taken from as a baby by Mother Gothel. (Coincidence, I know!) Mother Gothel finds out she has escaped and locks her in a small room at the top of an outrageously tall tree.

When her hair begins to grow longer and longer, Rapunzel formulates a plan to escape. She uses her thick tresses to propel herself out of the tree and onto the forest floor, so beginning a terrific adventure that doesn't let you stop and rest for a minute. Upon setting out to rescue her real mother, Rapunzel meets Jack, a young rabble-rouser who is wanted for stealing horses and carries a strange goose by his side at all times willing it to lay an egg. (Any ideas which fairy tale this Jack person comes from? Think beanstalk.)

Rapunzel and Jack came across a number of interesting people on their way back to the castle, some of which you may recognize from other fairy tales. The ending is full of action and includes quite a bit of violence for a fairy tale! And yes, it does end happily ever after...

Recipe to Read By: Miniature Castle Cakes

Why not enjoy reading your favorite fairy tale (or fractured fairy tale) with one of these scrummy cakes? Boys--you have no reason to be embarrassed when eating this cake. I mean, if girls swoon over princes in tights, you can eat a frilly cake without feeling the slightest bit girly.

(If not, more cake for us!)

INGREDIENTS
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) white cake mix
2-1/2 cups vanilla frosting
2 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each)
21 chocolate nonpareil candies
12 pretzel sticks
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1 drop blue food coloring
3 sticks Fruit Stripe gum
6 small ice cream sugar cones
6 round wooden toothpicks

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare cake mix according to package directions.
2. Pour batter into a greased 11-in. x 7-in. baking pan and six greased muffin cups.
3. Bake at 350° for 20-30 minutes for cake and 15-18 minutes for cupcakes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool cupcakes for 5 minutes and cake for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.
4. Cut the cake into six square pieces; place on serving plates.
5. Frost cake top and sides. Position a cupcake on top of each; frost cupcakes.
6. For drawbridge, divide each candy bar into four three-piece sections. Center one section on one side of each cake; gently press into cake. Divide the two remaining chocolate sections into three pieces; place one piece above each drawbridge for door. Cut three nonpareil candies in half; arrange a half circle above each door. Press pretzels into cake on each side of bridge.
7. In a resealable plastic bag, shake coconut and food coloring until coconut is evenly colored. Sprinkle around bases of castles to represent water in the moat.
8. Cut each stick of gum in half widthwise; cut one end to form a flag. Insert toothpick into gum. 9. Trim sugar cone tips; insert flags into cones.
10. Place a nonpareil candy on two sides of each cupcake for windows.
11. Frost backs of remaining candies; place one on the front of each cone.
12. Position cones on cupcakes.
13. Enjoy with a cold goblet of milk.
14. Share a piece with your mom, or she may lock you in an extremely tall tower and throw away the key.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home magazine.
Some other cute Rapunzel cakes:

Skeleton Creek

2009-05-14T21:18:00.013-04:00

Warning: Do NOT read this book if...
-You are by yourself
-You are in a dark place
-It is thundering/lightning/general storminess outside
-You are easily spooked
-You still sleep with your parents
-You cover your eyes during scary movies
-You refuse to go first in haunted houses

You scaredy-cats know who you are and don't say I didn't warn you!

Skeleton Creek isn't just a mystery. It's a creepy mystery that sucks you in until the very last page, where it spits you out panting and trembling. If you weren't afraid of the dark before, you will be after reading this. Trust me.

Ryan and Sarah live in the boring town of Skeleton Creek, Oregon where nothing exciting ever happens. When researching the history of their town's dredge, they stumble across the mystery of Old Joe Bush, a miner who worked on the dredge and was mysteriously killed. The two curious teens make a midnight jaunt to the abandoned dredge in the middle of the woods where two things happen: they bare witness to a bone-chilling "phantom" and Ryan has a terrible accident that leaves him in the hospital for two weeks.

After the accident Ryan is left recuperating in his bedroom and is forbidden to have any contact with Sarah. However, the search for the truth is far from over. Sarah continues to hunt for clues and video tape her findings, sending them to Ryan by email where he secretly checks them without his parents knowing. Readers can watch Sarah's videos by going to http://www.sarahfincher.com/ and typing in the passwords she gives Ryan (which are located throughout various chapters in the book).

OK, this is really embarrassing but I have to get it off my chest: I watched the first of Sarah's videos by myself one Tuesday night after everyone went to bed. I don't know if it was the dark room, or the quiet house, or the late hour, but I was spooked. VERY, VERY SPOOKED. After that I couldn't bring myself to watch anymore of the videos. I know, I know, I'm a huge wimp. When I work up the courage to finally watch the rest of the videos it will be at 9:00 in the morning, with all of the lights on, and surrounded by people. WIMP!

As Ryan and Sarah begin to piece their clues together they realize that the mystery is larger than they ever imagined and that the entire town seems to know something that they don't.
The story ends with the two of them making their way back to the dredge (dun dun DUN) and leaves you with a cliffhanger that makes you want to throw the book at the computer in total frustration. (Or, if you're like me, you'll be breathing a huge sigh of relief that it's finally over. For now.)

For those brave enough to want more, the sequel, Ghost in the Machine, comes out October 1, 2009 and you can pre-order it HERE. You're on your own for that one, though. I've had enough of sleeping with the lights on...

Recipe to Read By: Bone Cookies
These sweet treats are pretty authentic-looking. You can even add 1-2 drops of yellow food coloring with the extract for an "aged" look.

Ingredients:
1-1/2cups sugar
Pinch of salt
5 egg whites at room temperature
Pinch of cream of tartar
1teaspoon almond, vanilla, orange or lemon extract

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 220°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Prepare pastry bag with round #10 tip (about 3/8-inch diameter).
2. Combine sugar and salt in small bowl. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar in small bowl with electric mixer at low speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar mixture, beating constantly. Beat until stiff peaks form and meringue is shiny and smooth. Add extract; beat just until blended.
3. Fill pastry bag with meringue. (Note: Mom probably has a piping bag collecting dust somewhere under the counter behind all of her other never been-used wedding gifts of long ago.)
Pipe log 3 to 4 inches long. Pipe 2 balls on both ends of each log. Smooth any peaks with wet finger. Repeat with remaining meringue.
4. Bake 30 minutes; turn off heat. Leave cookies in oven overnight; do not open oven door.
5. Take the hamster/gerbil/mouse out of your little brother or sister's cage and replace with these cookies. When he/she starts to cry pick up one of the bones and eat it. Watch them howl. (I didn't tell you that!)

Recipe courtesty of http://www.howstuffworks.com/
Click on the link to see a cool pic of what the finished cookies look like: http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/meringue-bone-cookies-recipe.htm.

Every Soul A Star

2009-05-03T15:29:00.016-04:00

Have you ever read a book that was so good it made you want to jump inside of it and live among the characters? Every Soul a Star is one of those books. Wendy Mass, the author, has crafted characters that are so real they could actually be living down the street from you or sitting next to you in class. And don't get me started on the setting...Great Galileo's Ghost!

The Moon Shadow Campground is a place that every kid dreams his parents will take him for vacation. Besides being an astronomy haven and the number one spot in the nation to watch the upcoming solar eclipse, the campground offers its guests many unique areas to explore, called the "Unusuals." This includes a labyrinth (which is like a maze, but not exactly), panning for gold, painting the Art House (yes, you paint the actual house), Alien Central, the Sun Garden, and the Star Garden.

Confession Time: I've never been camping in my life (the combination of bugs, no toilets, and bathing in rivers never appealed to me) but I would be tempted to book a ticket to the Moon Shadow Campground tonight-- if it weren't a fictional place, that is.

Every Soul a Star revolves around three characters:

Alpha (or Ally) is lucky enough to live at the Moon Shadow. Her parents have owned the campground since before she could remember and she couldn't imagine living anywhere else. She has been home schooled her entire life and her best friends, Eta, Glenn, and Peggy, are the kind you can only see through a telescope. You can imagine her shock and consternation (meaning alarm or worry) when her parents tell her they are packing up and moving to Chicago.

It just so happens that beautiful, suburbia-loving Bree, born to scientist parents (she swears she was switched at birth) is moving to the Moon Shadow. Her family is going to take over the campground for the next few years while Ally's family returns to civilization. Despite her pleading and begging, Bree must leave behind her clothes, her friends, her makeup, her LIFE.

Jack is the quiet kid who sits in the back of the room drawing, trying to blend in and not be noticed. Slightly overweight and uninterested in school or friends (or anything for that matter), he accepts an offer from his science teacher, Mr. Silver, to accompany him on a trip to the Moon Shadow campground to watch the solar eclipse and perform an important science experiment. Although he couldn't care less about the eclipse, helping Mr. Silver with the experiment will get him out of going to summer school.

These three completely different kids with completely different lives have no idea that their paths will become forever intertwined...

Recipe to Read By: Man-in-the-Moon Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

frosting in white or light yellow (use canned frosting or make your favorite recipe)

Yellow sugar sprinkles

candy corn

mini chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream butter and sugar together.

3. Beat in egg and vanilla.

4. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. The dough will be stiff.

DO NOT CHILL THE DOUGH!

5. Roll one half of the dough out about 1/4 of an inch thick.

6. Cut out cookies using a moon-shaped cookie cutter. (Or use a round cookie cutter and then cut in half to make a crescent moon.)

7. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes. (Watch carefully so your moons don't burn. Nobody wants to eat a black moon!)

8. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cookie sheet for five minutes before placing cookies onto wire rack.

9. After cookies are completely cool, frost. (Load up that frosting--Mmmm)

10. Sprinkle with yellow sugar sprinkles.

11. Add a candy corn nose and a mini-chocolate chip eye.

12. Dust off your telescope and take a bite out of the moon while gazing at the sky.

*Recipe courtesy of http://www.fortunecity.com/millenium/sherwood/504/mooncookie.html.

2009-04-23T19:22:00.003-04:00

Dying to Meet You is not your ordinary novel. There are no chapters. There are no paragraphs. Instead, the entire story is written as a series of letters. Intrigued?

Ignatius B. Grumply (I.B. Grumply for short) is a former best-selling author of mystery stories. Unfortunately, he hasn't had a best-seller for over 20 years. His publisher, Paige Turner, is anxious for another story and has already paid Ignatius $100,000 in advance. However, little does she know that Ignatius is suffering from an intense bout of writer's block AND he has already spent the money.

Ignatius sends a letter to Anita Sale, a real estate agent, and she helps him to find a 32 1/2 room Victorian mansion on 43 Cemetery Road, where hopefully he will find the peace and quiet he needs to write a hit novel.

Upon moving into the mansion, Ignatius is irritated to find a young boy, Seymour, who lives in the attic. His parents (who own the house) have taken a trip to Europe and left Seymour in the care of whoever moves in. This does not please Ignatius in the slightest. It also does not amuse him that the ghost of a woman (who also happened to be a writer) inhabits the mansion as well. So much for peace and quiet!

Let's test your predicting skills: Can a young boy whose parents abandoned him and the ghost of a woman who died 97 years ago inspire a grumpy old man to write the next best-seller?

Of course I won't tell you, but I promise you'll have a great time finding out on your own! The letters written by Ignatius, Seymour, and Olive (the ghost) are fantastically entertaining and will keep you turning pages until the very end.

Note: If you love the letter format of this book, check out Kate Klise's other popular reads:

Regarding the Fountain

Regarding the Sink

Regarding the Trees

Letters from Camp

Trail by Journal

Recipe to Read By: Ghost Cookies

These ghastly delights are super easy and require no baking!

*Note: I have also found them to be a great tool for overcoming writer's block. (Ignatius, are you reading this??)

Ingredients:

1 pkg. (6 oz.) Baker's White Chocolate

18 Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies

decorating gels and/or assorted small candies

Directions:

Microwave chocolate in medium microwavable bowl on high 1-1/2 minutes or until chocolate is completely melted, stirring every 30 seconds.

Spread chocolate onto one side of each cookie for the ghost's "body." Cool slightly.

Decorate with gels and/or candies to create "faces." Cool until chocolate is set.

Recipe courtesy of Kraft foods.

Click here to see a picture of the finished cookies.

The Wednesday Wars

2009-04-14T17:58:00.011-04:00

Have you ever been convinced that a teacher was out to get you?
Holling Hoodhood, a seventh grader at Camillo Junior High just knows that his teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates his guts. Not only does she constantly correct him, roll her eyes at his attempts to diagram sentences, and assign him 150-question tests on Shakespeare, but she throws him to the rats (literally!) and lets a bully almost tear him to little bits. In a class full of Jewish and Catholic students, Holling is the only Presbyterian, which means on Wednesday afternoons, when all the other kids leave for religious study, Holling is stuck in the classroom with Mrs. Baker.

However, Mrs. Baker proves to be the least of his problems. Against his will, Holling manages to secure a role in the town Shakespeare festival as Ariel the fairy. This requires him to stand in front of an audience wearing yellow tights and white feathers on an embarrassing place. As you can imagine, this is quite a humiliating experience. To top it off, the performance is the exact same night that Micky Mantle is signing autographs at the local sporting goods store and Holling's dad forgets to pick him up. In a hysterical scene, Holling runs across town (still wearing the fairy costume) and makes it just before the store closes. Here's what happens:

Micky Mantle looked me up and down. "I don't sign baseballs for kids in yellow tights." He tossed my perfect new white baseball onto the floor. It rolled past my feet and into the folds of my blue cape. The world should split in two. The world should split in two and I should fall in the crack and never be heard from again. Holling Hoodhood. Me. The boy in yellow tights with white feathers on the butt and a blue floral cape. The boy Mickey Mantle wouldn't sign a baseball for.

Things like this happen to Holling every day. To top it off, the year is 1967 and the country is at war in Vietnam. His older sister, a peace-loving flower child, runs away to California and his dad doesn't care about anything except their perfect home and the family business. And don't forget about Wednesdays with Mrs. Baker in the rat-infested classroom.

I hope I'm not giving the impression that the book is gloomy--it's DEFINITELY not. It's witty, interesting, well-written, and wickedly funny. I read this on an airplane over Spring Break and you could hear my giggles all the way down the aisle. All of the characters are uniquely memorable (even the ones you love to hate) and may end up surprising you. You may even end up surprising yourself by pulling some Shakespeare off the shelves. Toads, beetles, bats, light on you!

Recipe to Read By: Mr. Goldman's Cream Puffs (These are SO fun to make!)

Despite being devoured by man-eating rats and covered with layers of dusty chalk, lightly-toasted golden cream puffs make a repeat appearance throughout this novel.

Filling:

2 (3.5 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk

Pastry:

1 (17.3 oz.) pkg. frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed per package directions

1 egg

1/4 c. milk

1-2 Tbsp. sugar

Directions:

Mix together vanilla instant pudding mix, cream and milk. Cover and refrigerate to set.

Carefully open one pastry sheet along the creases; place remaining sheet in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

(Get mom for this step) Using a long, sharp knife, cut each strip of pastry at creases, forming 3 strips.

Cut each strip width wise into 7 pieces, slicing straight down-don't drag the knife across the pastry.

Flip each cut piece over ( to place the side you cut on down onto the sheet).

Place on lightly greased baking sheets, leaving room between each piece.

Combine egg and milk; lightly brush over pastry. Sprinkle with sugar.

Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove to a wire rack and cool completely. Using a serrated knife, slice through the center to make top and bottom halves.

Spread about 1 Tbsp. of filling on bottom half of each pastry and replace tops. Store in refrigerator. Place a note on cream puffs that reads, "Do not touch. Digestion may cause explosive stomach sickness." Do a little cream puff dance and rejoice that the entire batch of sweet, flaky deliciousness is all yours.

Toby Alone

2009-03-29T19:25:00.002-04:00

Do you absolutely love adventure books? What about fantasy-adventure books?
Ohhh, boy do I have a book for you!

Thrilling chase scenes, terrible secrets, having the whole world looking for you and wanting you dead, living every day in survival mode: These are the elements of Toby Alone, a fantasy/adventure that will leave you so far on the edge of your seat that you may find yourself on the floor without even noticing.

Toby Lolness, the main character, is a twelve-year-old boy who is 1 ½ millimeters tall.

Yes, millimeters. Meaning one-thousandth of a meter. One-tenth of a centimeter. Tiny. Miniscule. Infinitesimal.

Toby lives in the High Branches of the Great Oak Tree with his loving, devoted parents. His father, a brilliant scientist, makes an incredible discovery about the tree which turns their world upside down. Overnight, Toby is separated from his parents and begins a desperate escape for survival that sends him all over the massive tree. Along the way he learns meets many people, among them the lovely and mysterious Elisha, who immediately befriends him, and Joe Mitch (aka enemy number one), the fat weevil farmer whose rise to power banishes the Lolnesses to the Lower Branches and turns the entire tree against them. Toby must escape the powerful Joe Mitch and his nasty cronies and save his parents from being executed. Quite a large task for such a small person! This story is full of flashbacks so you have to pay close attention to what is going. However, it's completely worth the extra brain power.

Warning: The ending will leave you hanging, but don't get angry--there is more to come. (This is only the first of a 2-part series.)

After reading this book, I found myself staring at the shady oak tree in my backyard with newfound curiosity. Was there an entire world of microscopic people living in this oak without my knowing it? As if my dog, Kendall, knew what I was thinking, she began sniffing the grass and lower branches for signs of life. Perhaps it was a bug, or a feather, or a bit of squirrel poo that caught her attention and made her begin to pant and claw. I like to think otherwise…
Hey, adults can have imaginations too, right?

Recipe to Read By: Tree Bark

Don't gag yet--this is not the brown cardboard stuff that tastes like dirt many of you ate as small children (don't deny it--we've all tried it one time or another). This is the chocolate/Oreo variety of tree bark that tastes 100 times better than the real thing. In fact, it's so good, you may find yourself telling people that it's tree bark just so they'll stay away from it.

Ingredients

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate

6 oz white chocolate

2 tbsp peanut butter

10 Oreo sandwich cookies

Directions

Place semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate in separate medium microwaveable bowls. Microwave until completely melted, following directions on package.

Add peanut butter to white chocolate; stir until well blended.

Crumble half the cookies over chocolate in each bowl; mix well.

Drop spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto wax paper-covered baking sheet, alternating the colors of the chocolates.

Cut through chocolate mixtures several times with knife for marble effect.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm.

Break into 14 pieces.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Label the container "Tree Bark" and no one will touch it.

*Recipe courtesy of: Kraft Foods

Watch the video of how to make this yummy concoction here

Are You Up For a Challenge?

2009-03-22T13:23:00.010-04:00

Kids, grab your parents!!!

For a second year, Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and US Airways are working together to help children nationwide discover the joy of reading. Starting April, adults are invited to join the 2009 Read with Kids Challenge and help collectively log five million minutes spent reading with kids. You’ll have the chance of winning a family vacation to the Walt Disney World Resort® and more great prizes. Get on board! Visit www.RIF.org/readwithkids today.

I love, love, LOVE this website, especially the Book Search feature. Be sure to download a copy of The World's Grossest Books List to bring to the library.

RIF Reading Planet: http://www.rif.org/readingplanet/

Recipe to Read By: Super Easy, Fun, and Delicious Candy Cookies

While you're perusing (looking at) the RIF webpage, munch on this sugary snack. You may even get away with crumbs on the keyboard and chocolate smudges on the desk when your mom realizes how incredibly easy (and relatively mess-free!) these little treasures are.

Ingredients:

One roll of slice and bake cookie dough. Any flavor will work. (Try to convince mom to buy the chocolate chip, the sugar, AND the peanut butter--trust me, one batch will not be enough.)

Bags of assorted chocolate candy. (Think Hershey's kisses, Reese's PB Cups, Bite-Size Milky Ways...go a little crazy here...)

Directions:

First, slice the cookie dough into 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices. (Time to break out the ruler, people!)

Next, lay the slices on their sides and cut them into quarters (that means 4 equal pieces).

Place each quarter into a greased mini-muffin tin.

Next, peel the wrapper from the candy. (One piece for every cookie you are making.)

Throw away the trash before mom does and score some major brownie points.

Bake the cookie dough at 350 degrees for just a few minutes—6 to 8 at the most.

*Important* Almost as soon as you pull the warm cookies from the oven, you’ll want to begin lightly pressing one piece of candy into each cookie. The warmer and softer the cookies, the better!

Try all kids of combinations! Here are my faves:

Peanut butter cookie dough with Hershey's Hugs

Sugar Cookie dough with Snickers

Peanut butter dough with Rolos

Chocolate Chip dough with bite-size Milky Ways

Recipe courtesy of the Pioneer Woman. Watch how to make this recipe step-by-step by clicking the link:

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/01/cookie_dough_and_candy_/

Lincoln and His Boys

2009-03-12T07:54:00.007-04:00

When you hear the name Abraham Lincoln, which words pop into your head?

President. Tall. Beard. Civil War. Slavery. Log cabin. Honest.

Allow me to read your mind: The words “children” or “father” probably didn’t make it onto your list. Am I right? Did you even know that our 16th president had children? Don’t be ashamed. I didn’t either.
Honest Abe had four sons, and Lincoln and His Boys introduces you to three of them. This enthralling story is written from the point-of-view of Willie, the next to youngest, who gets to tag along on his father’s campaign trail, and noisy Tad, the baby of the family, who uses the White House as his playground.

Spoken by Willie:

The president’s house has as many rooms as a good sized hotel. The green room
has disgusting moldy chairs and sofas. We bounce on them, but clouds of dust and
mold come up and make us sneeze. Some rooms are filled with boring old statues
and paintings in flaking gold frames. But there are secret attics above our
living rooms. In them, we found boxes left over from other presidents. There was
a pile of rusted swords and guns left over in an old wardrobe labeled Jackson.
We found a minuteman’s uniform from the time of George Washington.

Sounds pretty cool, huh?
The book begins with Willie, Tad, and their parents at home in Springfield, Illinois. Their father, a lawyer, is thinking about running for president against his rival, Mr. Douglas. Through Willie’s eyes, we follow his family all the way to the White House. About three-fourths of the way through the book, we start to see the family through Taddie’s point of view. Through a miserable war filled with death and despair, family tragedy, and the crumbling of the South, we witness Abraham Lincoln as a devoted father; always kind, always gentle, and never losing track of what is important.

For those of you who think biographies are boring, I strongly suggest you give this book a chance. Although it reads like historical fiction, it’s really a biography in disguise.

*Recipe to Read By: Union Hardtack
Click here to read about the history of hardtack.

Ingredients

2 cups of flour
1/2 to 3/4 cup water
1 tablespoon of Crisco or vegetable fat
6 pinches of salt

Directions
Mix the ingredients together into a stiff batter, knead several times, and spread the dough out flat to a thickness of 1/2 inch on a non-greased cookie sheet.
Bake for one-half an hour at 400 degrees.
Remove from oven, cut dough into 3-inch squares, and punch four rows of holes, four holes per row into the dough.
Turn dough over, return to the oven and bake another one-half hour.
Turn oven off and leave the door closed.
Leave the hardtack in the oven until cool.
Remove and enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Gettysburg National Military Park

More About Lincoln:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/AbrahamLincoln/

http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/subjects/abrahamlincoln.htm

http://www.dispatchnie.com/live/export-content/sites/dispatchnie/pdfs/LincolnKidsActivities2009.pdf

http://abrahamlincolnblog.blogspot.com/

Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles

2009-03-03T21:11:00.009-05:00

Madame Pamplemousse and Her Incredible Edibles by Rupert Kingfisher is not just a delicious read, but a delicious experience for the senses. As you know, here at Sweet Reads we are all about incredible edibles, so this title was bumped to the top of my To-Read-Right-This-Very-Instant List before even cracking open the cover. (FYI: That doesn’t happen very often. I’m very stingy with my TRRTVI List.)

The edibles referred to in the title are NOT the type of edibles you will find on this blog. You will not find a wholesome banana bread or a crumbly sugar cookie or any type of normal food item within the pages of this book. Ohhh, no sir. These edibles are the kind you may find on Fear Factor, except with a gourmet twist. For instance, have you ever tried Salt-Cured Raptor Tails or Scorpion Tails in Smoked Garlic Oil. Or how about Crocodile Kidneys in Blueberry Wine and Giant Squid Tentacles in Jasmine-Scented Jelly? Yeah, me neither.

Madame Pamplemousse is the woman responsible for creating these eerie, yet intriguing delicacies in her tiny shop with the help of her one-eyed cat, Camembert.

Inside, the shop is cool and musty-smelling, lit only by candlelight. In the flickering shadows, great bunches of sausages and dried herbs, strings of garlic and chilli peppers, and giant salted meats hang from the ceiling. Rows of cheeses are laid out on beds of dark green leaves and all around there are shelves winding up to the ceiling, crammed with bottles and strangely shaped jars.

Madeleine is sent by her parents to work in her uncle Lard’s restaurant, The Squealing Pig, for the summer. Uncle Lard (whose outfits are as horrendous as his food) serves foods that are greasy, fried, and full of fat. Madeleine is an aspiring (meaning aiming for) chef who loves to experiment in the kitchen, often creating delicious and unique dishes to the surprise of the Head Chef and a jealous Uncle Lard. Once Uncle Lard realizes Madeleine’s potential, he banishes her from the kitchen and forces her to scrub the pots and pans that are covered with slimy fat. When he finds out about Madame Pamplemousse’s incredible edibles, he sends Madeleine to work in her shop and act as a spy to gain the secrets to her recipes.

Madeleine flourishes under the watchful eye of Madame Pamplemousse and is taught many culinary skills, all the while keeping her word to her uncle that she would find the secret ingredients in the incredible edibles. One day, Madame Pamplemousse catches Madeleine spying on her during a clandestine (meaning secret) cooking operation and Madeleine, racked with guilt, confesses her intentions. Surprisingly, Madame Pamplemousse is not the least bit angry and gladly hands over the recipe to an ashamed, yet grateful, Madeleine. What she discovers on the yellowed piece of paper written in ink is a list of ingredients that is anything but incredible. In fact, they were quite ordinary. It is at this moment that Madeleine realizes that the reason Madame Pamplemousse's incredible edibles are so extraordinary is because of the cook--not the ingredients. One of my favorite lines in the entire book comes during this realization and I loved it so much that I wrote it in my NN (Nightstand Notebook) and highlighted it. The ending is a tad predictable, but completely worth reading. If anything, it will have you asking your mom for something a little more zesty than the usual mac n' cheese or chicken fingers. Roast Piranha with Raspberry Coulis anyone???

Recipe to Read By: Crusty French Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
Cornmeal
1 egg white
1 teaspoon cold water

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.

Add the sugar, oil, salt and 2 cups flour. Beat until blended. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down; return to bowl.

Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface.

Shape into a loaf 16 in. long x 2-1/2 in. wide with tapered ends.

Sprinkle a greased baking sheet with cornmeal; place loaf on baking sheet.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about 25 minutes.
Beat egg white and cold water; brush over dough.

With a sharp knife, make diagonal slashes 2 in. apart across top of loaf.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool.

When the bread comes out of the oven and smells like heaven on a baking sheet, spread the warm, crusty goodness with pate of North Atlantic Sea Serpent with Green Peppercorn Mustard. If it is a special occasion, serve the fresh bread with Velociraptor Heart in Red Wine. (Unfortunately, you will have to find these recipes elsewhere.)

Recipe courtesy of http://www.allrecipes.com/

2009-02-27T08:04:00.011-05:00

There is something you need to know before opening this book: It is a parody. Parody: (noun) meaning a ridiculous imitation. It is meant to be funny. So laugh. A lot. Even if you don’t get it.

Lois Lowry (yes, the one and the same Lois Lowry of The Giver and Number the Stars fame) weaves a hysterical story about the four Willoughby children who desperately want to be “old-fashioned”. Their parents, the loathsome Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby, aren’t exactly the doting parents who only want the best for their children. In fact, they are quite the opposite.

Their father, an impatient and irascible man, went to work at a bank each day, carrying a briefcase and an umbrella even if it was not raining. Their mother, who was indolent and ill-tempered, did not go to work. Wearing a pearl necklace, she grudgingly prepared the meals. Once she read a book but found it distasteful because it contained adjectives. Occasionally she glanced at a magazine. The Willoughby parents frequently forgot that they had children and became quite irritable when they were reminded of it.

(I LOVE that line about the adjectives. It makes me giggle every time I read it.)

The Willoughby children consist of the eldest, Tim, who is quite bossy and selfish, the two twins, Barnaby and Barnaby (nicknamed A and B), and timid Jane, who dreams of a name with more than one syllable. For some unknown reason, they are quite determined to become “old-fashioned” children. What is an old fashioned child, you ask? You know, a wise, worthy and winsome (meaning charming and innocent) orphan like Mary Lennox, Heidi, Pollyanna, or Raggedy Dick. (You may be interested to know that 99% of my fourth graders had never even heard of the before-mentioned characters. If this is the case with you, please turn off the computer/Wii/PSP and get thee to a library without delay. You have some major catching up to do on your childhood.)

After finding a baby on their doorstep, Mrs. Willoughby demands the children to dispose of it immediately, wherein they find the perfect place to dump it; the run down mansion inhabited by Commander Melanoff, a candy making tycoon who lost his wife and son in an unfortunate skiing accident in Switzerland. The Willoughbys leave the baby on the doorstep and return home to find their parents have planned a jaunt around the world and are leaving them in the care of a nanny. The nanny turns out to be quite delightful and a wonderful cook, although nothing like Mary Poppins. (Contrary to our favorite umbrella-toting nanny, the Willoughby nanny believes sugar is diabetes-waiting-to-happen and strictly forbids it.) Through an interesting and coincidental chain of events, the Willoughbys end up back on the doorstep of the Melanoff mansion and are taken in as orphans, along with the doorstep baby. A few more surprises and many more laughs ensue, but I won’t spoil it for you.

I recommend reading this book with your parents—they might just get a bigger kick out of than you do—and they can explain all of the references about old fashioned characters you have so appallingly missed out on.

P.S. Check out the glossary in the back. It is full of wondrously wicked words that will impress all of your friends.

Recipe to Read By: Nanny's Ginger Cookies

Although she doesn't actually make them in the book, this treat is what brings Commander Melanoff and the Willoughby children together . I just figured since she makes everything else, ginger cookies MUST be in her repertoire (meaning a supply of skills a person has).

Ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up, still firm

6 tablespoons butter flavored (or regular) shortening

1 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup molasses

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (Yikes, I omitted this! Whoever heard of pepper in a cookie?)

1/3 cup sparkly sugar (for rolling)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready two or three large cookie sheets lined with parchment or Silpats.Using an electric mixer, beat butter until creamy. Beat in shortening, then add sugar, 1/4 cup at a time. Continue beating for another minute. Beat in egg, vanilla and molasses.In a separate bowl, thoroughly stir together the flour, soda, salt and remaining spices. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until mixed.Shape dough into 12 evenly sized balls (a little bigger than golf balls). Roll the balls in sparkly sugar. Place 3 inches apart on cookie sheets and bake one sheet at a time on center rack of oven for 13-15 minutes. Cookies should appear cracked on top but still slightly soft.Makes 12 big cookies.

How to eat these the "old-fashioned" way: After you get home from school, change into your play clothes immediately and proceed to the kitchen, where you will pour yourself a tall glass of milk and eat them at the table with a napkin. Tell your mom all about your day at school while she bustles around the kitchen in her apron getting tonight's roast and potatoes started. You may only eat two cookies, though, because you do not want to spoil your dinner.

*Recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart, who reminds me of Nanny in her no-nonsense, practical, motherly way.

Ruby Holler

2009-02-22T18:20:00.009-05:00

I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but this cover just looks inviting, doesn't it?

As soon as I picked up Ruby Holler it began to whisper softly to me, "Come inside, dear reader, and make yourself at home at my incredibly cozy, charming little cottage and enjoy some sizzling bacon and piping hot pancakes with fresh butter. Don't you want to frolic in the shade of my secluded yard, climb these ginormous maple trees and just escape life in general?" "Yes, yes I do!" I found myself yelling to no one in particular. "I adore pancakes and sizzling bacon and frolicking in shady yards! I must read you right now!" And so my journey to Ruby Holler began.

Florida and Dallas (a.k.a. The Trouble Twins) have lived at the Boxton Creek Home for Children since they arrived on the doorstep as babies. The ramshackle (meaning run-down) orphanage is run by Mr. and Mrs. Trepid, the nastiest, most horrendous excuse for childcare providers ever known.

They were middle-aged, cranky and tired, and growing stiff and cold as winter-bound trees. They believed in rules, and their rules were posted on doorways and in hallways and above each child's bed. There were general rules and kitchen rules, bathroom rules and stairway rules, basement rules and outside rules, upstairs rules and downstairs rules, clothing rules, washing rules, cleaning rules, rules upon rules upon rules.

To top it off, Florida and Dallas were confined to the absolute rear of the house, where they slept in two tiny cubicles huddles side by side, ate mush for every meal, and were constantly screamed at. Sounds like a great place to grow up, huh? (This would be a great time to go hug your mom and tell her "thanks" for not leaving you orphaned in Boxton Creek with putrid people like the Trepids. It's okay if she looks confused--just go with it.)

As with all orphan-themed novels, when things couldn't begin to get any worse, they start to look up, albeit slowly. By some twist of fate, the twins are invited by Sairy and Tiller, a sweet, older couple who live in Ruby Holler, to accompany them on their last great adventures. Ruby Holler turns out to be everything the cover suggests and more. The children swing from the great trees, play in the crystal clear stream, eat their fill of delicious homemade food, and constantly wonder when this crazy couple is going to show their true colors by locking them in a basement, calling them thieves, or making them sleep in a snake pit, as families in the past had done.
After many days spent working on the boat and preparing for the trips, the foursome part ways in a trial (meaning practice) run before the actual expeditions. Through many obstacles ("compass? what compass?") a near-death experience (boating without knowing how to swim), and having all of their gear stolen by thieving teenagers, the group comes to two conclusions:
1.) Florida and Dallas have seen their last days with the putrid Trepids and 2.) Maybe leaving the Holler wasn't such a good idea after all.

*Recipe to Read By: Florida, Dallas, Sairy, and Tiller's Mission Accomplished Cake
This cake should be eaten after any huge challenge that has been accomplished despite many obstacles. This includes, but is certainly not limited to, pulling an "A" on a social studies test even though you fell asleep halfway through, surviving a night in a haunted cemetary with a full moon, leaving the dentist a happy camper, successfully hiding your brussel sprouts under your shirt without your sister telling on you, etc.

Directions
Start with a big red bowl.
Dump in some chocolate syrup.
Drizzle in some honey.
Drop in a handful of pecans.
Add more chocolate syrup.
Toss in a handful of chopped red cherries.
Open a jar of peanuts and dump those in.
Go ahead and empty the rest of the jar of chocolate syrup into the bowl.
Find a bag of cookies, smash them up, and dump the whole bag in as well.
Pound the dough with a wooden spoon.
Eat raw. And whatever you do--DO NOT let your mother see you making (or eating) this!

This recipe comes straight out of pages 291-292 and has not yet been tested by my taste kitchen staff (this includes my husband and crazy Kendall, the lab). Please let me know how it turns out and what kind of cookies you use. I'm thinking left-over Girl Scout cookies would be exceptionally tasty...or Mint Milanos perhaps? Nutter Butters? Oreos???

A Presidents' Day Adventure

2009-02-16T18:14:00.019-05:00

Here's another title to add to your Official List of Top 10 Favorite Historical Fiction Novels:

The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg.

(Sidebar: Please DO NOT tell me you don't have a list. You know how I feel about Historical Fiction lists, people! Also, it's okay by me if you want to bump out Number the Stars from the Top 10. It makes me weepy, too. I won't tell your teacher.)

With it being Lincoln's birthday and all I was feeling especially patriotic and America-loving and thought a trip back in time to the Civil War would be especially historical. I even donned my American flag earrings (and I swore I would NEVER be one of those teachers who accessorized by the season!) and a red and blue sweater. With my Fourth of July mix playing in the back ground and a giant hot dog at the ready, I was ready for reading.

As soon as I cracked open the book and began reading, The Stars and Stripes Forever was immediately drowned out and my hot dog long forgotten. Rodman Philbrick, whom you may recognize as the author of Freak the Mighty, weaves an enormously engaging tale of Homer Figg, adventure bound farm boy from Maine and fib-teller extraordinaire. Homer sets out on wild journey across America to find his brother, Harold, who was illegally sold to the Union army by their despicable guardian (despicable meaning foul, awful, or worthy of being despised). His journey begins with an escape from the little town of Pine Swamp, Maine and an encounter with two of dirtiest slave catchers in the North, Smelt and Stink, and a kindly Quaker named Jebediah Brewster who not only hides runaway slaves in his basement but funds Homer's journey across the country. Stink and Smelt are not the only sleazeballs Homer will come across in his journey to find the Union soldiers. After traveling by train to Portland, Homer then sails to New York aboard a steamship for the very first time and is taken advantage of by two professional thieves who swindle his money and leave him for broke. As the journey continues, Homer is featured as a headlining attraction while traveling with a Medicine Show, whose leader is arrested for being a spy for the Confederate Rebels. (This is called treason). Just when you think the edge of your seat can't get any tinier, Homer finds himself smack-dab in the middle of the Battle of Gettysburg, dodging bullets and bayonets, all the while keeping up the search for his beloved older brother. I won't give away the ending, but I will tell you that after finishing the book I bit into my cold, shriveled hot dog wishing I had paid closer attention in my 10th grade U.S. History class.

Recipe to Read By: MARY TODD LINCOLN CAKE

The marriage of Mary Todd to Abraham Lincoln is best expressed by the words Lincoln had engraved inside Mary's wedding band, "Love is Eternal." Mary expressed her feelings in less dramatic, but lasting and tasteful terms. She baked him her favorite white cake.

This is her recipe. (If you really want to annoy your mom, tell her you want to be 100%AUTHENTIC and cook it over hot coals without any electric devices--just like in Lincoln's day.)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup butter (churned by hand)

1 tsp. vanilla

2 1/4 c. cake flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 1/3 cups milk (fresh from the cow)

1 cup finely chopped almonds

6 egg whites - stiffly beaten (collected from the hens out back)

Directions

Cream sugar, butter and vanilla.

Sift together cake flour and baking powder three times.
Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.

Stir in almonds. Gently fold in the egg whites.
Pour into two greased and floured 9 x 11/2-inch round baking pans.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.
Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Note: Although far more complicated, this is tastier than a cold hot dog any day.

*Recipe courtesy of the Southtown Star

More Lincoln Food Facts:

It is said that his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln had a hard time getting him to remember to eat at all. When she did discover things that he truly enjoyed, she made sure that they were available whenever he wanted them. For the most part, his food tastes were simple. He loved fresh fruit, particularly apples. One of his favorite meals was simply fresh fruit and nuts, cheese and crackers.

Thank you to Esme of http://planetesme.blogspot.com/ for the fabulous recommendation!

Popcorn Alert!

2009-02-15T13:25:00.026-05:00

Although the movie version almost NEVER compares to the book, here are a couple of childhood favorites to get excited about:

Judi and Ron Barrett's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Release Date: Friday, September 18, 2009
Plot:A scientist trying to solve world hunger encounters a problem of global proportions, as food begins to fall from the sky.

Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are
Release Date: Friday, October 16, 2009
Plot: An adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox
Release Date: Friday, November 6, 2009
Plot: Angry farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with a sly fox, look to get rid of their opponent and his family.

Information courtesy of Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Recipe to Read By: Caramel Corn

Pull these books off your shelf, blow off the dust, and munch away on this scrumptious snack while rereading the classics. Be careful--sticky fingers equals sticky pages!

Ingredients:
1 large package microwave popcorn (10-12 cups)
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
3 Tbsp. brown sugar

Preparation:
Prepare popcorn according to package directions. Pour into a serving bowl.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in corn syrup and brown sugar.
When the sugar is dissolved, and the mixture turns a caramel color, remove from heat and pour over poppped popcorn. Toss to coat well.

Begin counting the days until the movie release date. 109, 108, 107...

The Winter Room

2009-02-11T18:09:00.015-05:00

Let's establish an important fact from the start: I despise the cold. Loathe the cold. Abhor the cold. Disdain the cold. Okay, you get it; the cold and I do not share a mutual understanding. As soon as the thermostat dips below 70 you will find me wearing flannel, drinking hot chocolate, and flat-out refusing to step outdoors. Yes, I'm well aware of the names you are calling me right now (sissy, pansy, weirdo, etc.) but I don't care. I'm a cold wimp and I'm proud of it.

Now, you're probably wondering why, if I'm so prone to red noses and frozen snot, that I would choose to read a book with the word "winter" in the title. Here's my answer: I like the idea of winter. Snuggling up with a warm blanket, smoke rising in the chimney, sleigh rides through a fresh coat of snow, big pots of steaming hot soup, that sort of thing. I just don't like winter itself. Does that make sense? Bah. Didn't think so.

Gary Paulson's The Winter Room isn't just about winter, although the winter plays more than a supporting role. It's about spring, summer, and fall, too, and how each season is both celebrated and scorned by a Minnesota farming family. Although the exact date was not printed, Paulson writes about a time in the past where families churned their own butter, plowed their fields with a team of horses, and did not rely on electricity for light or warmth. The story is narrated by eleven-year-old Eldon, who lives with his mother, father, brother, and two great-uncles, and depicts the daily routine of his family's life on the farm. Beginning in the spring, Eldon describes in great detail his malodorous chores (piling manure and milking cows, ugh) and farm activities with his brother, Wayne. One particular amusing scene comes to mind when Wayne (having read his fair share of Black Ranger Westerns) attempts to jump from the hayloft and land on one of the horses.

I'm not sure how he figured the drop from the hayloft to Stacker. I
know that when Jed did it in the book he jumped out of the window and landed
perfectly in the saddle and rode away just as clean and as nice as you could
hope for and not a rustler knew he was leaving. It didn't work out that way for
Wayne...

The book gracefully transitions from spring to summer to fall and finally to it's namesake: winter. Winter on the farm brings layers of snow and a new set of chores, but the early night fall leads to a family gathering in the winter room where Uncle David tells stories about the "old country." Each of the four sections of the book are so beautifully written that I frequently lost all recognition of my location and surroundings. While reading the "Winter," I happily floated away to a warm spot in front of a roasting fire, sitting next to Wayne, and leaning in listening eagerly to every word of Uncle David's stories. My reverie was unfortunately dashed as soon as my cell phone rang, bringing me quickly back to the modern comforts of my Florida living room where it was a balmy 79 degrees outside.

The writing is that good. In fact, it's so good that I may give winter a second chance.

But only until November rolls around again...

*Disclaimer: This book is not recommended for the squeamish type. If you are a vegetarian, cry when passing roadkill, or still get teary-eyed after reading Stone Fox for the bazillionth time, then this book may not be for you.

Recipe to Read By: Baked Apples

When the thermostat reads something unbearably cold (read: 75 degrees or below) pull out the last of the fall apples and bake something so simple and delicious that you'll forget your nose is running.

INGREDIENTS
4 apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Scoop out the core from top of the apple, leaving a well. (Ask a parent to help you with this--it's not as easy as it looks!)

Do not cut all the way through. Stuff each apple with 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter. Place in a shallow baking dish and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, until sugar begins to caramelize and apples are tender.

Try adding raisins, unwrapped caramels, or chocolate chips--the variations are endless!

(Hint for the lazy: You can always throw your apple in the microwave to cook, but you won't get that I'm-surviving-a-blistery-cold-winter-without-modern-conveniences feel. But it's your call.)

Al Capone Does My Shirts

2009-02-08T17:35:00.017-05:00

"I want to be here like I want poison oak on my private parts."

How could you not want to keep reading after a line like that?

Friday, January 4, 1935
Today I moved to a twelve acre rock covered with cement, topped with bird turd and surrounded by water. Alcatraz sits smack in the middle of the bay--so close to the city of San Francisco, I can hear them call the score on the baseball game on Marina Green. Okay, not that close. But still.

Before beginning this book, not one of my 20 fourth graders had even heard of Alcatraz Island (Alca-what?? Is that a video game?) and thought Al Capone was the short Italian dude who delivered pizza from Dino's. However, not ten pages into this book the questions began rolling:

How many people did you have to kill to be sent to Alcatraz? How many people did Al Capone kill? Did anyone ever escape from Alcatraz? Where's San Francisco anyway--is that near the Everglades? Don't be so daft. They can't have an island in the Everglades. I think it's near my Gram's condo in Ft. Myers. Did the convicts really do the laundry? Can we take a field trip there? PLEASE, MRS. SCHREIBER????

Obsession is the word. We couldn't get enough of it. Set in 1935 amidst the Great Depression, Prohibition, and baseball fever is a historical fiction novel so well written that it very well could be true. (We in room 463 like to think that it is.) Moose Flanagan's family has just moved to the island of Alcatraz, leaving behind his friends, his neighborhood, and his favorite pastime: baseball. You can guess that he's not overjoyed at the prospect of finding a new home on a rocky island inhabited by the most notorious criminals in the nation. (Notorious means to be famous for doing something bad).

Moose's father works as an electrician and prison guard and his mother teaches piano lessons. While his parents are working, Moose is responsible for taking care of his sister, Natalie, who is autistic (although it wasn't known as autism back in those days). It doesn't take long for Moose to join the small group of children who also live on the island, namely the Warden's daughter Piper, a feisty beauty with trouble on the brain. Piper uses her elitist influence to persuade the other kids to join in her schemes; the most memorable of which was charging the school children money to have their clothes laundered by Al Capone. Although the plan backfires in the worst way, it doesn't stop Piper from her continuous plotting to get up close and personal with the convicts (or "cons" as they are called by the islanders). Readers will get caught up in Moose's personal struggle between doing the right thing and doing what his heart desires. The ending will leave you wishing for a time machine to jump back into the 30's and experience life as it was more than 70 years ago. (We are working on making that happen, but don't hold your breath.)

*If you ask any of my students what their #1 favorite line in the entire book was their answer will undoubtedly be the same. Moose, fed up with Piper's antics, tells her to "go stick her head in the crapper." Warning to all teachers of fourth graders: Fits of giggles, high-pitched squeals of the word "crapper," and all-around hysteria ensue after muttering that one phrase. Just a heads-up.

Recipe to Read By: Natalie's Lemon Cake
According to Moose, this recipe works wonders for bribing your sister to do what you want.
Glad my brother never knew about this--I would do ANYTHING for a moist slice of this too-tart- yet-supersweet lemony goodness.

Ingredients
1 pkg. lemon Jello
4 eggs
3/4 c. water
1 pkg. yellow cake mix (or lemon-flavored if you really want a citrusy sensation)
3/4 c. oil
2 lemons
2 c. confectioners' sugar
1 well greased 9x13" cake pan

Directions
Mix first 3 ingredients and beat 2 minutes.
Add next 2 ingredients and beat another minute.
Pour into greased cake pan.
Put into preheated oven (325 degrees if glass pan, 350 degrees if metal pan.)
Allow 40-45 minutes to rise and brown; should spring back when poked with your finger.
Mix juice from 2 lemons with confectioners' sugar, pouring slowly to avoid lumps.
Prick cake while hot all over with fork (this is the best part!), then pour lemon-sugar mix all over warm cake.
Call your sister in your most syrupy sweet voice and be prepared to get whatever you want from her.

*Recipe courtesy of http://www.cooks.com/

This book has won the following prestigious awards:
Newbery Honor Book
ALA Notable Book
Parent’s Choice Silver Medal
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

If your love of the book grows into a boundless obsession (trust us--we've been there), here are some websites to satisfy your thirst for anything Alcatraz:
The History of Alcatraz: http://www.alcatrazhistory.com/
Al Capone History Files: http://www.chicagohs.org/history/capone.html
Alcatraz Escape Attempts: http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/history/aindex.htm

Sahara Special

2009-02-02T21:02:00.023-05:00

Do you have a secret self that no one knows about? Is there a part of you that you keep hidden from even your family? Hmmm. Well that's okay, I don't either. But wouldn't it be exciting if you did? Sahara has a secret. A big secret.

I read at home, and write, too, but whatever I write, I make sure I'm by myself and then, when I'm done writing, I rip it out of my notebook. Ihide it in my binder behind section 940 in the public library, where all the books about Somewhere Else are located. This very paper, for instance, will someday be an archaeological find. Someday, someone will reach behind section 940 and find the dusty works of me, Sahara Jones, Secret Writer, and that person's life will be made more exciting, just by reading my Heart-Wrenching Life Story and Amazing Adventures. Someday, people will see I am a writer.

Sahara Jones is repeating fifth grade. After her dad left two years ago, she stopped doing her classwork and began writing a series of letters. Dear Daddy, when are you coming home? Why didn't you take me with you? All of the letters are now in her "official file," which only teachers can see. After spending a year being pulled out for "Special Needs," Sahara's mom decides that enough is enough and that Sahara should be in the classroom, whether she fails or not. (Thanks, mom!) Enter Miss Poitier (or Miss Pointy). With her long, flowing skirts, purple lipstick, and unconvential teaching methods, Sahara is immediately enthralled by her new teacher. Miss Pointy issues each student a journal and instructs them to write as much or as little as they like.

Although she writes her secret library pages in profusion, she is reluctant to write in her classroom journal. Her first journal entry declares herself a writer, in which Miss Pointy pointedly (ha) replies with, "a writer writes." There are a number of other memorable "Pointy-isms" that found me scribbling furiously in my Nightstand Notes* so that I would remember to say them to my own class. (Note to my class: You may have begun to wonder why I have suddenly donned purple eyeliner, tell long, drawn-out stories with seemingly no point, and hand out copious amounts of glittery stickers; it's because I'm emulating my new teacher-idol, Miss Pointy.)

The story is told through Sahara's eyes, and those who read the book will admire her honest insight to the world and tickle-your-funnybone dialogue. With the help of Miss Pointy and some unlikely classmates, Sahara finds the courage to overcome her fears and throw her "official file" to the wind.

*Nightstand Notes are just a simple notebook that I keep next to my bed for jotting down thoughts, reflections, or anything else I want to remember while I'm reading. I have about 10 books on my nightstand at this moment, so the NN help to keep my thoughts organized.

Miss Pointy's Schedule:

Puzzling, 9:10-10:40

Time Travel and World Exploring or Mad Science, alternate days, 10:40-11:30
Read Aloud, after lunch

Read Together after Read Aloud

Read Alone after Read Together

Art of Language, end of the day

I know, it makes your own school day seem pretty dreary, huh?

Recipe to Read By: No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

This cookie recipe has all of the characteristics of Miss Pointy: it's sweet, sloppy-looking,

no-nonsense, and a little nutty.

Ingredients:
2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
3 cups quick cooking oats

Directions:
1. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, cocoa, milk and margarine. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla, salt, peanut butter and oats.
2. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto waxed paper. Allow cookies to cool for at least 1 hour.

(I only make it about 10 minutes, but I recommend following the directions.)

Store in an airtight container.

Hint: Bring some to your teacher and score some major brownie (ahem, cookie) points.

*Recipe courtesy of http://www.allrecipes.com/

Kudos to Esme Raji Codell:
I can't tell you how much inspiration I've gained as a teacher from this author. I recommend Esme's fabulous book, How to Get Your Child to Love Reading, to parents and teachers alike, as well as her equally exceptional children's literature website, Planet Esme, and Book-A-Day Blog.