Me and Marvin Gardens

Me and Marvin Gardens
By Amy Sarig King
Arthur A. Levine, 2017. Fiction. 243 p.
Obe Devlin lives on the land his parents and grandparents lived on. He feels connected to the land, and goes out to the creek every day to pick up trash and keep things nice. As a new housing development grows on what used to be Devlin land, Obe mourns and tries desperately to hold on to everything he has lost. Then one day he finds an amazing animal near the new subdivision. It is unlike anything he or anyone else has ever seen before. He instinctively feels that he must protect it, but as he learns more about the creature, he realizes that protecting it is going to be harder than he could have imagined.

This book defies categorization. Is it realistic fiction, science fiction, fantasy? It is certainly a relationship book. Obe's relationships with his old friend who has become his enemy, his new friend, the strange animal, and the land itself, are at the heart of this book. This is a great choice for kids who liked Hoot by Hiaasen or Fuzzy Mud by Sachar.

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Painting for Peace in Ferguson

Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.

Dragon Run

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De la hora del cuento: Semana 8 de verano

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