"Like the increasingly quarrelsome McDonalds, readers will be feeling travel fatigue long before the author's concluding teaser for Book 4. (Adventure. 10-12)"
Teen brainiacs Coke and Pepsi McDonald's cross-country jaunt runs out of gas on its third leg, despite continued silly predicaments and threats of sudden death.
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"Nothing spices up a boring road trip like moments of extreme terror. (Adventure. 10-12)"
Twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald squeak through numerous murder attempts at roadside attractions across the Midwest and on eastward.
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"He also leaves the McDonalds with at least 1,000 more miles of giant statues and other local wonders to visit—so stay tuned for Part Two. (Adventure. 10-12)"
Preteen twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald find themselves battling for their lives while visiting some of America's premier roadside attractions.
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"A less veteran author might struggle to pack all of this in, but Gutman delivers just the right blend of action and information before closing with both a table of Clemente's career stats and a list of eco-activist websites. (Baseball fantasy. 10-12)"
In the tenth of the Baseball Card Adventures, young Joe "Stosh" Stoshack goes back in time to warn star player and renowned humanitarian Roberto Clemente not to board the plane full of relief supplies that crashed, killing him, in 1972.
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A fifth-grader named Chase narrates this Christmas-themed fantasy about a genie who flies into the classroom one day, offering the kids just one wish.
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"Briskly told, this middle-grade adventure should have wide appeal. (Fiction. 8-12)"
Sitting in the local police station, sixth graders Snik, Judy, Kelsey and Brenton and their teacher recount the events that led them there: the loss of a unique computer chip and their search in the Grand Canyon for Egyptian treasure.
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"The contributors' names may draw well-read audiences, but the project-oriented approach in the likes of Anne Jankeliowitch's 50 Ways to Save the Earth (2008), illustrated by Philippe Bourseiller, provides clearer blueprints for promoting a green agenda. (Nonfiction. 10-13)"
Worthy and well meant, if readable only in small doses, this compendium gathers advice and personal testimony from a host of active writers about ways to cut down on energy use and waste.
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"A great choice for reluctant readers. (Fiction. 10-14)"
In this serio-comic adventure from veteran author Gutman, a boy and his friends survive a plane crash, but must find a way to stay alive in the woods until they're rescued.
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"Middle-grade readers may find one part of this story upsettingly realistic and the clearly stated moral not what they had hoped to hear, but the generally humorous approach will make the lesson go down easily. (Fiction. 8-11)"
When fifth-graders Judy, Sam and Kelsey discover their classmate Brenton Damagatchi's homework machine, they think they are on to a good thing and begin to visit him regularly after school.
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"The author gives Qwerty a mild case of ADD, just to jump on that bandwagon, but his light touch makes this a painless introduction to a pivotal person in American history as well as a knee-slapper for "Time Warp Trio" fans. (Fiction. 10-13)"
In this laugh-out-loud sequel to The Edison Mystery (not reviewed), seventh-grade computer whiz Qwerty Stevens sucks Ben Franklin out of the past for a tour of the modern world, then follows him back to 1776 to witness the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
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"A good fantasy for any baseball fanatic, this includes an author's note, information on the baseball card, Wagner's career stats, and his tips for kids. (Fiction. 11+)"
When baseball nut Joe Stoshack, 12, finds a mint condition Honus Wagner baseball card, he discovers that it is more than the world's most valuable card: It is also a granter of wishes and a time-travel portal, through which Wagner visits him in the present, and Joe goes to the 1909 World Series.
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"Rather than allowing Judson to emerge a leader, Gutman settles the American public with just one more class clown. (Fiction. 9-13)"
A 12-year-old is a candidate for US President in this novel by Gutman (Gymnastics, p. 602, etc.), a story with all the trappings of satire, but none of its substance.
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"A valuable companion, out just in time for the summer games. (index, not seen, b&w photos, charts, chronology, glossary, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10+)"
A history and commentary on the Olympic sport of gymnastics, with sections on the various events, past and present superstars of the sport, judging, terminology, problems, and trivia.
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