Books to be thankful for!

As we're approaching the Thanksgiving holiday, it's great to have a little time to stop and think about all the things I'm grateful for, like the ENTIRE week off school (thanks Palm Beach County Schools) and having brand new books delivered to my doorstep (FIVE PACKAGES TODAY!!!-Thanks CYBILS!).  AND since I've got all these new books AND all this time, guess what I did today?  Not laundry!  Not yard work (ok, there was a little yard work, just a few weeds and a few bags of mulch). YES!  I was reading!  Luckily, there were some terrific ones in the mail today!

The first one is called "Class Action"  by Steven B. Frank.  Mr. Frank comes by his knowledge of kids and schools first hand.  On the back fly leaf, it lists his profession as a middle school teacher.  So he knows of which he speaks.  The story is about Sam, who feels like he's drowning his homework.  His big step sister is drowning even more thoroughly, because she is bent on attending a good college.  Sam's dad is supportive, but would really like to also help Sam build a treehouse.  Sam's mom thinks he should just work harder.  One day in class, as the teacher is handing out homework for over the break, Sam decides to take a stand (literally) and refuses to do the homework.  He is suspended for 3 days.  During the suspension, he ends up talking to the cranky neighbor across the street (who happens to be a lawyer) and he and his sister decide to appeal his suspension.  It doesn't work but the lawyer (after some coercion) decides to help with the case.  There is a lot of social commentary (and if you believe it) research cited about the role of homework, including opinions on both sides of the issue.  There's also some very funny dialogue and some very interesting fallout from the legal case.  I read this book in one sitting (the luxury of vacation time!) and I enjoyed every bit of it.

The second one is called "Eliza Bing is (NOT) a star" by Carmella Van Vleet.  It's actually the second book about Eliza, who is about as charming a character as you are likely to meet.  Eliza is starting 6th grade.  She has ADD, which leads her into trouble sometimes, but she has lots of supportive people around her, including her new-ish best friend, Annie.  Eliza is learning about being friends and how to be a friend from Annie as they navigate the dangerous waters of middle school.  Annie suggests that they make a list of rules about 6th grade, which Eliza embraces enthusiastically.  Annie also suggests that they both try out for the school play, which Eliza is less enthusiastic about (she already gets a lot of attention, but not really in a good way).   But, Eliza wants to be supportive, so she goes to the audition and gets a part!  It's not really easy to get to play practice because Eliza's parents are busy (her dad is in college after being laid off from his job and her mom is a nurse who picks up extra shifts to bring more money into the family, her big brother doesn't drive yet, but is busy with band and other extra-curricular activities, including a new girlfriend) and Eliza is already busy with Tae-kwando, which she really enjoys.  But she finds herself enjoying the play more than she thought, making friends with some of the other kids, and negotiating her friendship with Annie.   It's a really nice story and I think kids will identify with Eliza and her cheerful outlook on life.