Sarah Humiston

My students are obsessed with this series and I enjoyed it too. There were times that I actually laughed out loud. It is great when a children's book can entertain both kids and adults too.

I have been looking for a good book that I can lose myself in for a little while. The last few books that I have read have just not pulled me in. This book however sucked me in. I read it all in one sitting. What a lovely story about finding joy again after sorrow. I highly recommend this book and the recently released Lost in the Sun which follows a different character from Umbrella Summer. Lisa Graff has a talent for creating lovable characters.

Testing the Ice is a true story told from the perspective of Jackie Robinson's daughter. I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It shows how Jackie Robinson showed courage not just in his professional life, but also his personal life.

I am a teacher and love reading this book to my students. They enjoy the vivid pictures and story line they can connect to. It makes a sometimes larger than life person, Jackie Robinson, seem very personal.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I have never read a book by Jennifer Brown so I wasn't sure what it would be like. I expected it to be fun and light hearted, but wasn't prepared for how heart warming it was. The main character, Luke, is such a lovable character. One of my pet peeves in middle grade novels is when the “bad guy” gets what is coming to him, but this book doesn't fall into that trap. Luke learns that even those who aren't kind usually have their reasons and hard things they are going through. What a surprisingly lovely book!

Brain Rules was fascinating. I am a teacher and plan on using many of the things from the book in my classroom. I found it a relatively easy read even for someone who hasn't read much about brain research before.