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4.
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The tenth book in the beloved series
For Gus, the longest half hour of the day is spent practicing the piano. Why can't he be outside, shooting hoops with Ryan Mason? Even more painful are the lessons: Mrs. Moore complains about Gus's squishy fingers. But most painful of all is the piano recital. Gus has to play a piece called "The Horse Race," and he's not sure he will remember it.
As a child, Grandpa played the violin, so he knows exactly how Gus feels. Grandpa also knows about something Gus will love -- making music with others -- and once again he shows Gus the way in a story with pictures that "reflect the sunny warmth of loving connections passed across generations" (Booklist).
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5.
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Pretty is as pretty does
Pretty, popular Marcia Faitak is not her usual self. Over the summer she gained five pounds, and when school begins, Marcia, desperate for an invitation from Alex Ryan to the October dance, goes on a diet. In art class, she's supposed to bring a red apple to life on paper, but all she wants to do is eat it. Mr. Morrison doesn't like her work anyway: disdainfully, he calls her drawing of a beautiful girl "Barbie." Worse than art is social studies. This is the year that kids have to choose their community service project. When Ms. Williams signs up Marcia to work at the local nursing home, she's aghast. What can she possibly do for a bunch of old people in wheelchairs? Since experimenting with makeup is Marcia's favorite activity, her half sister suggests "Makeovers by Marcia."
In the fifth and final story in Claudia Mills's funny, philosophical series about the West Creek Middle School kids, Marcia discovers the nature of true beauty - and even learns to draw it.
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6.
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Todd and Amy Davidson may be twins, but they’re complete
opposites – Todd is organized and is the family “engineer,”
while Amy is outgoing and has been dubbed the “poet.” So it
would seem that for a fifth-grade economics project, Todd
would come up with a master invention, and Amy would have
a blast with her best friends as partners. To their surprise, Todd
can’t think of a single idea, and Amy gets stuck working with
the class crybaby. Then Todd begins writing poetry . . . But this
is nothing compared to the switch their parents have made.
Their father has been unemployed for months and their mother
has started to work at a crafts store. Now there’s never enough
food in the house, everybody is always on edge, and when
Amy’s friends come over after school, they find Mr. Davidson,
uncombed and unshaven, in his ratty old bathrobe. Will life
ever return to normal?
With chapters that alternate between Todd’s and Amy’s points
of view, this novel is a realistic and sometimes funny portrayal
of a family adapting to changing roles.
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7.
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Gus loves basketball -- that is, basketball practice with Pete, the coach, and shooting baskets at Grandpa's house with only Grandpa's dog, Skipper, in attendance. Basketball games are another story. What if Gus misses every basket, and everybody laughs? If only his parents wouldn't come. Gus is especially unnerved by his father's shouting. Then Grandpa comes to Gus's last game and teaches him the secret of success -- to tune out the other voices and listen to his own.
Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock present the seventh beginning reader starring Gus and Grandpa, of whom Kirkus Reviews says, "They're lucky to have each other -- and readers are lucky to have them."
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8.
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"This wry trio of tales features an engagingly imperfect boy and his engagingly imperfect grandfather...Accommodating beginning readers, Mills's controlled and considerable repetition are also used to comic effect...A witty, warm offering." --Publishers Weekly
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9.
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Gus and Grandpa love to answer mail. Shortly after they enter the lottery, Grandpa has a heart attack. Gus is afraid to visit the hospital, but as soon as he arrives, Grandpa makes him feel right at home. Grandpa teaches Gus how to raise and lower the bed, and gives him quarters for the soda machine. Still, Gus is eager to have Grandpa back where he belongs. Then Grandpa does go home. There's lots of mail, but no lottery prize. No matter, says Grandpa; being with his family again is better than ten million dollars. Gus agrees wholeheartedly. Once again, in gentle words and pictures, Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock celebrate an invaluable relationship.
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10.
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Oliver Olson?s teacher is always saying that one person with a big idea can change the world. But how is Oliver supposed to change the world when his parents won?t let him do anything on his own ? not his class projects or even attending activities such as the space sleepover at school. Afraid he will become an outsider like ex-planet Pluto, Oliver decides to take control of his corner of the universe! In this irresistible chapter book featuring lively illustrations, Oliver Olson learns that before you can change the world, sometimes you need to change yourself. ...
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11.
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Gus and Grandpa is "a witty, warm offering." --Publishers Weekly
When the train passes Grandpa's house, Gus is so excited that he runs outside to wave at the cars. He forgets all about Grandpa's dog, and Skipper escapes through the open gate. It takes Grandpa to get him back. Then, when Grandpa decides to look for Daddy's old toy train, Gus leaps into the act, and they are so absorbed that they both forget Skipper. Together, they find him. Later, Gus and Grandpa plan to ride a real train. But when they get on, they realize that they're in trouble-- Grandpa has forgotten where he put the tickets (but not for long). In the third Gus and Grandpa book, Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock evoke all the joy of trains--and of remembering.
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12.
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Wilson Williams worries about passing his times-table tests
Wilson has a hard time with math, especially with Mrs. Porter’s timed multiplication tests. If only he were as quick as Laura Vicks, the smartest kid in third grade, or as quick as his brother, Kipper – a kindergartner. Wilson’s mother and father try to help, but Wilson doesn’t appreciate having to do practice tests on a play date. Fortunately, his friend Josh Hernandez is a comfort, as is Squiggles, the class hamster. Wilson is sure that with his own little animal squeaking and cuddling beside him, he could learn anything. But his mom doesn’t like pets. So Wilson bravely struggles on, hoping that one day in the not-too-distant future he’ll pass all his times-table tests. Then, surprisingly, Kipper comes to the rescue.
With sensitivity and gentle humor, Claudia Mills examines a common childhood fear and a common family experience. G. Brian Karas provides tender, funny pictures.
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13.
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Wilson Williams worries about passing his times-table tests
Wilson has a hard time with math, especially with Mrs. Porter's timed multiplication tests. If only he were as quick as Laura Vicks, the smartest kid in third grade, or as quick as his brother, Kipper -- a kindergartner. Wilson's mother and father try to help, but Wilson doesn't appreciate having to do practice tests on a play date. Fortunately, his friend Josh Hernandez is a comfort, as is Squiggles, the class hamster. Wilson is sure that with his own little animal squeaking and cuddling beside him, he could learn anything. But his mom doesn't like pets. So Wilson bravely struggles on, hoping that one day in the not-too-distant future he'll pass all his times-table tests. Then, surprisingly, Kipper comes to the rescue.
With sensitivity and gentle humor, Claudia Mills examines a common childhood fear and a common family experience. G. Brian Karas provides tender, funny pictures.
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14.
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Amanda MacLeish might be the only student in Mr. Abrams’s fifth-grade class who doesn’t mind doing her homework. Now that her father has left home and moved into a motel, the only thing that brings Amanda any joy is writing her fictional diary entries about a young girl named Polly who lives amid the chaos of the Civil War. Polly would understand Amanda. With one brother fighting for the North and one fighting for the South, Polly knows just how it feels to have a family split in half. But if the North and the South could find a way to reunite despite their differences, can’t Amanda’s family do the same? In this touching novel by Claudia Mills, the heroine learns that enduring a split doesn’t have to mean losing a family. ...
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15.
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Wilson Williams worries about passing his times-table tests
Wilson has a hard time with math, especially with Mrs. Porter’s timed multiplication tests. If only he were as quick as Laura Vicks, the smartest kid in third grade, or as quick as his brother, Kipper – a kindergartner. Wilson’s mother and father try to help, but Wilson doesn’t appreciate having to do practice tests on a play date. Fortunately, his friend Josh Hernandez is a comfort, as is Squiggles, the class hamster. Wilson is sure that with his own little animal squeaking and cuddling beside him, he could learn anything. But his mom doesn’t like pets. So Wilson bravely struggles on, hoping that one day in the not-too-distant future he’ll pass all his times-table tests. Then, surprisingly, Kipper comes to the rescue.
With sensitivity and gentle humor, Claudia Mills examines a common childhood fear and a common family experience. G. Brian Karas provides tender, funny pictures.
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16.
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Gus is unimpressed when Ryan coolly stops his sleek five-speed bike with the hand brake. But he's totally nonplussed when Daddy buys him a bicycle like Ryan's. Gus will never give up his training wheels. Enter Grandpa, who wisely removes Gus from the neighborhood and curious eyes for practice, digs out Daddy's old bike for the occasion, and patiently holds that bike as Gus rides it around and around. Gus's ultimate triumph belongs to Grandpa as well, and will be shared enthusiastically by reluctant riders and their supportive families. Claudia Mills and Catherine Stock contribute a gem to the bike-riding genre.
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