Peck Book 6

Chad, his brother Luke, and sister Heidi have a talent for going back in time. When they are visiting New York for the summer, they hear voices. This leads to adventures to find the answers to seemingly restless souls-Emily and Tyler. They end up saving their lives from an untimely death and manage a few laughs along the way.

I liked it. It had a nice twist to it to keep you interested. It was a different style from the other books. I enjoyed this one the best.

Peck Book 5

Jessica's world turns upside down when her parents divorce and her father decides to leave. She commits to making her mother pay for divorcing her father, the wonderfully exotic, traveling photographer. When Jessica's mother suggests she visit her father in Mexico for the holidays, Jessica can't wait to experience her famous uncle's house-a painter. Her stay there allows her to experience freedom, friends and thrills of Mexico college students, and tanning. The only problem is ironically the reason she wanted to go-her father. Not only does he spend most of his time with a lover, he turns out to not be the fabulous father she thought. On the other hand, she finds out her mother is the author to a book she loves...


Personally, I didn't like the book. A lot of the thoughts were abstract and it ended rather questionably. However, the message of 'you never really know a person' is evident...and this includes your parents.

Peck Book 4

The first book about Grandma Dowdel, it is written from Joey's perspective. Each year, Joey and his sister, Mary Alice go visit their Grandmother in a hick town of Illinois. As the years progress, they start to learn who she really is and have hilarious adventures together. They even find themselves not minding to be like her.

I loved it. When she switched the pies to win first prize...classic. I always say, "work smarter, not harder". It brings a whole new meaning to small towns.

Peck Book 3

(I should have read 'A Long Way from Chicago' first...) With her parent's broke, Mary Alice is forced to live with her Grandmother Dowdel in a hillbilly town for her high school years. At first, life is boring and Mary Alice strives to create as much separation from her grandmother as she can. Through a series of adventures and shenanigans, Mary Alice learns that not only is her grandmother great, she is more like her than she ever thought. If you like the "Little House" books, you like this one.

This book was hilarious...Her grandmother sounds like a hard woman to love, but one that you know cares enough to be hard. My favorite part is when Mary Alice asks if the new, cute boy Royce can come over to help her study. She only says yes after Mary Alice fesses up the real reason: a rivalry over another girl. (Her and Royce get married, later on, so it's my kind of story).

Peck Book 2

Trav, Buck and Kate seemed to be the three amigos who stayed together through thick and thin. As time went by, and high school came into play, they began to realize they weren't as close as they thought. Buck always thought his friends would fall in love one day and leave him out, but Kate and him miss some crucial signs from their friend. Trav cannot take the pressure of life and soon commits suicide.

I liked the book because it gave different perspectives of high school from students of different socio-economic status. It incorporated the change of times and rise of urbanization. It is an easy opening for suicide topics and seeing the signs. John Green's "Looking for Alaska" could be the modern-day version of it...

Peck Book 1

High school at its finest...Ashley Packard is the most popular girl in school (in a subtle way of course) and at first, the new kid, Chelsea, makes it her goal to be just like her. To the point that she hides the fact that her mom is the school's new guidance counselor. Also, a not so popular cowboy seems to want to hang out with her at all times. This is a story of finding yourself amongst the manipulators and liers and not being afraid to be yourself or be close to your parents.

This book is the type that leaves you with a happy feeling inside because the main character grows and learns and finds love. And the antangonists of the story don't learn a thing...

Crummel Book 6

Just goes to show you that time flies..."All in One Hour" is a testimony to how one seemingly insignificant event, can alter the lives of many. "It all started with a mouse..." and it ended up with a chase, bank robbery, and an accidental fruit fight. When you're asleep, you cannot imagine what goes on.

I found "All in One Hour" a cute story where everything works out in the end. It is a great book for a lesson on sequence,chain of events, and cause and effect. The pictures are very interesting and grab your attention because they seem like paper mache figures.

Crummel Book 5

A retiree's worst nightmare! A mother of six mice just wants a hot bath and nap after her children leave their shoe house. Except, she gets visitor after visitor wanting to share her shoe...after informing each one they can't possibly fit, she sends them off to find there own shoe and set it next to hers. Before you know it, there is a whole town.

This book is very cute for early readers. I enjoyed the explanation of the activity at the end on how to create your own shoe town. However, I felt the book was very shallow. I didn't find any depth to the story or its message.

Crummel Book 4

This book is a dog's version of "Dear Abby". Mr. Mutt is a dog counselor who reads letters from dog's with people problems from all over the world. He provides dog-biased advice which irks his roommate The Queen (cat). After the last insult, The Queen takes over his business and his fans run to his rescue, forcing The Queen to start her own business.

I enjoyed how the dog's viewed the issues as problems with people rather than themselves. It makes me think about all the stuff people do to their pets without really knowing how their pets feel about it. The rivalry between cats and dogs is clearly evident in the story and has a unique way of talking about it.

Crummel Book 3

"Love Yourself". That is the theme of "Jackalope", the story of an hare that was tired of being ordinary so he wishes for horns from Fairy Godrabbit. The catch is that he can't lie or else his horns grow. Pinocchio was a better lier, and Jackalope can't even hide from Coyote in his usual burrow because of his huge horns. With teamwork Jack and Jill (Fairy Godrabbit without her powers) out smart Coyote. They live happy together know that Jack learns 'it's better to be who you are'.

I enjoyed the message the story presented-about loving yourself. I just felt the 'just kidding' part about Coyote eating everyone did not add anything to the story or its message.

Crummel Book 2

Traditional nursery rhymes come alive with "And the Dish Ran Away with the Spoon". When we read this rhyme, we never imagine where Dish and Spoon go. It turns out, they get lost and Cat, Cow, and Dog have to use their skills to find them before someone reads their rhyme! Visiting other characters in traditional stories and rhymes becomes a new experience for Dish and Spoon that they decide to rewrite their rhyme to 'And the Dish stayed home with the Spoon".

This story was full of idioms, double meanings, and figurative language. It is a great book to change it up from traditional literature, and children are able to think beyond the usual endings of stories. (Favorite page: A fork in the road...)

Crummel Book 1

A unique twist of 'The Little Red Hen", "Cook a Doodle Doo" is about a rooster who becomes bored of eating chicken feed everyday. Deciding to cook a strawberry shortcake using his great-granny's recipe (L.R. Hen), Rooster acquires the over-eager assistants of Turtle, Pig, and Iguana. Their first attempt was a disaster, but through teamwork, they make enough shortcakes to last a lifetime.

I liked this book because of it continues the story of Little Red Hen by making the main character a descendant. Also, it continues the pattern of unwilling helpers, but brings new characters into the story who fulfill their personas very well. Finally, it has a good theme or lesson regarding teamwork and perseverance.