"OLD PEOPLE, FROGS, AND ALBERT"

Fourth-grader Albert has always been a little afraid of the Pine Manor Nursing Home, which he passes on the way home from school; the residents wave at him, but he just can't relax until he's well past it. When Mr. Spears--a school volunteer who helps Albert with his reading--has a stroke, he can no longer live alone, and moves into Pine Manor. Albert's wish to share his newfound ability to read with the elderly man helps him overcome his fear of the home. Wilson (Becoming Felix, 1996, etc.) pens a gentle story; the moment Albert reads to Mr. Spear, and finds the other residents listening in, is done without sentimentality.