The Old House is lonely. No one has lived in it for a long time. When people pass by they make such comments as "Did you ever see such an unhappy old house?" and "You'd have to be crazy to live in such an old heap!" People had even said "The only thing to do with that dump is to knock it down!" Hearing such comments just made the house more depressed despite all the friends who tried to cheer him up. Then one day a family walked by and the old house knew this was meant to be his family. Would the family see past the unpainted walls, broken shutters and crooked porch? Would they see the inner beauty and loving house underneath? Henry Cole provides beautiful illustrations for this touching story. The house truly shows its emotions. Hopefully children will read this story and realize that it applies to people as well as houses. You shouldn't judge someone by what is on the outside. Appearances aren't everything.
Faker By Gordon Korman New York: Scholastic Press, 2024. Fiction. 214 pages. 12-year-old Trey is used to starting over at a new school -- he has the routine perfectly memorized: make new friends, introduce his dad to the wealthy parents of his new friends, and "Houdini" themselves out of there before they get caught running their latest scam. Trey's dad is a master con artist, and Trey has just been promoted to full-partner. Their new scheme for the next big score brings them to the affluent suburb of Boxelder, TN where Trey's dad has cooked up a fake electric car company for investors to buy into. The only problem is that Trey is starting to grow tired of moving around and never putting down roots, especially after forming a fast friendship with Logan and developing a crush on Kaylee, a socially conscious girl in his class. As Trey longs for a normal life, is there any way he can convince his dad to get out of the family business? Gordon Korman is a perennial favorit...
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