Jurmain, Suzanne. The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medical Sleuthing.
Our 7th graders used to read Anderson's Fever 1793 and research viral diseases in science; this would be an excellent addition to the curriculum if it is still in place. This beautifully researched and illustrated book chronicles the activities of Dr. Walter Reed's medical team in Cuba in the early 1900s as they tried desperately to find the cause of Yellow Fever in order to erradicate it. Since many of the team exposed themselves to the fever, and some died of it, this was a real page turner that I enjoyed tremendously. Like Bartoletti's Black potatoes : the story of the great Irish famine, 1845-1850, this might not get checked out a lot, but when I get an interested student, it will be a huge success! I'm definitely taking a look at this author's other titles!
Holmes, Jennifer. Babymouse: Cupcake Tycoon
Again, there's been huge student interest in cupcakes, and I even had a sixth grader who was really into Babymouse, so I had to pick this up. Definitely for the younger set. I have my concerns for Babymouse's mental health. I think it's entirely possible that she needs to be tested for an attention deficit disorder, and maybe for her hallucinations! I'll stick with Holm's titles for older students, which I enjoy.
Northeast, Mark. Funky Lunch: Happy Food for Happy Children
Brachman, Wayne Harley. See Dad Cook: The Only Book a Guy Needs to Feed Family and Friends.
I hate to cook. Seriously. And my children are not overly fond of eating, which is why dinner is usually a plain boiled chicken breast, apple, and piece of bread. Sometimes I wave a bowl of broccoli over their heads, hoping the fumes will provide some vicarious nutrients. Funky Lunch gave me a bad flashback to my daughter's 5th birthday, where I created a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with Teddy Grahams on Fruit Roll-up towels looking like they were at the beach. Argh. See Dad Cook had some good basic recipes, but I would have been happier if it hadn't been marketed to just dads. I couldn't decide if this was progress or not!
I didn't know there was a new Babymouse! Thanks for the tip. My girls still love them, although now it's in a more nostalgic way. I will forever love Babymouse for being the first book that my oldest daughter ever ran off and happily curled up with on her own to read all by herself. :-)
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