Into the Unknown by Stewart Ross is a great teacher recourse. Not only are the maps big, detailed, and easy to follow and read, but the book is actually hard to put down! While some of the explorers you learn about most students already heard about, this book puts these explorers in a whole new perspective. As I was reading this book, I also didn't realize how much inventions from other countries affected the explorers.
This threesome of friends, Jessie, Will, and Allie, and Jessie's dog Oriole, get themselves in a fair amount of trouble. This book takes place in the middle of nowhere, Schafer Meadows within the Great Bear Wilderness. They get caught up in the middle of the mystery to find out who is poaching animals. However, Jessie's parents don't want her involved in any way, so they have to do a bit of sneaking to pull this off. They made a wrong turn here and there, quite like another character, Lost, who they suspected for quite a time. Eventually, they do find the true thieves.
This book tells the story of something most children think of at least once in their life-running away. Noah, however, does more thn that. He not only runs away, but ends up in an enchanted forest of sorts. There, he meets an old man, who keeps his father's toy shop. The toymaker has some pretty interesting stories, all of which happened in his life. The story goes back and forth from Noah's point of view to the old man's and back again.
The Amanda Project Revealed tells the story of three teenagers, Callie, Nia, and Hal, as they try to find out what happened to Amanda Valentino, who disappeared, and their vice principal, Mr. Thornhill, who was attacked and is now in a coma. The path to find Amanda is full of twists and turns, and more and more people then they realize are involved. Hal finds a data-base on Mr. Thornhill's computer that involves his family, and many people he doesn't know. To their surprise, they learn something from this that none of them would have ever expected.
The Friendship Doll tells the story of early America's relationship with Japan. They sent us 58 dolls as Ambassadors of Friendship, and this book follows the path of one doll, Miss Kanagawa. She traveled from New York to Oregon, visiting the Chicago's World Fair and many museums all during the time of the Great Depression. However, Miss Kanagawa's life of traveling from museum to museum was cut short when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. She was declared unpatriotic and was to be destroyed or hidden.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The A Circuit has an unusual toleration/friendship that seems to work: Tommi, a billionaire heiress; Kate, a true working student; and Zara, the daughter of a famous rock star. However, Kate and especially Tommi dont want Zara around, which may have been because she was acting superior and expecting everyone to serve her. These girls do work through their differences, and eventually tolerate each other. The A Circuit is a fast-paced book and will keep any reader on their toes.
