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LOW |
Bless This Mouse
(age 9-12) by Lois Lowry animals ... traditions Publisher comments: A church mouse is no ordinary mouse, and Hildegarde—the Mouse Mistress of Saint Bartholemew's—is no ordinary mouse leader. It falls to her to keep all the church mice safe and out of sight. But when a few parishioners report mouse sightings, Hildegarde and the rest of the church mice must face a most dreadful consequence: the Great X. To complicate things, a ceremony called the Blessing of the Animals is fast approaching. Saint Bartholemew's will soon be filled with pets . . . including cats! |
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MAS |
13 Gifts
(age 9-12) by Wendy Mass friendship ... traditions ... growing up Publisher comments: When Tara, a self-proclaimed shrinking violet, steals the school mascot, a goat, in order to make some friends with the popular crowd and gets caught, she gets herself in a heap of trouble. In addition, her parents decide that instead of taking her on their summer trip to Madagascar to study the courtship rituals of the Bamboo Lemur, she must go stay with her aunt, uncle, and bratty cousin Emily St. Claire in Willow Falls. Tara thinks it's a good time to start over; she'll be turning 13 after all, so she might as well make the best of it and perhaps even attempt to break out of her shell (in a non-criminal manner). What Tara doesn't know is that this charmed town has something big in store for her on her 13th birthday. It's not a typical birthday. But then again, nothing is Willow Falls is exactly typical! |
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HAM |
The Bells of Christmas
(age 9-12) by Virginia Hamilton family ... traditions ... historical Catalog: Twelve-year-old Jason describes the wonderful Christmas of 1890 that he and his family celebrate in their home in Springfield, Ohio. |
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JOH |
Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio
(age 9-12) by Tony Johnston family ... traditions Publisher comments: Los Angeles is a place of movie stars and fast cars and people who are too rich and people who are too poor. An area of freeway chases and drive-bys and death. But there's another L.A., one where warmth and humor and humanity pervade. Where a tacqueria sign declares: "One cause, one people, one taco." This L.A. is a place where random acts of generosity and goodwill improve the lives of the community. Any Small Goodness is a novel filled with hope, love, and warmth. |