You Need to Read: Amelia Bedelia

Amelia Bedelia is the famously over-literal housemaid who is always getting herself into hilarious mishaps - like the time she thought a wedding shower meant the guests got an actual shower...with a hose! Here are some books to make Amelia smile and help her through her often confusing days:

When Amelia wants to read about someone else who gets mixed up on the job-

Vinny Gets a Job

By Terry Brodner

New York, NY: Aladdin, 2020. Picture Book.

Vinny is a pup who takes everything literally, so when he decides to try and get a job - chaos ensues! A charming illustrated map of Vinny's neighborhood allows the reader to follow along with Vinny as he comically attempts a multitude of professions.

A guidebook for Amelia when she gets confused about things that happen around the house-

In Every House, on Every Street

Written by Jess Hitchman

Illustrated by Lili La Baleine

Wilton, Connecticut: Tiger Tales, 2019. Picture Book.

Viewed through the lens of powerful familial love, this is an everyday look at simple household activities covering everything from chores to mealtime.

When Amelia wants to draw something besides the drapes-

How to Draw: Easy Techniques and Step-by-Step Drawings for Kids

By Aaria Baid

Emeryville, California: Rockridge Press, 2019. Informational.

A comprehensive guide that covers a wide range of projects including step-by-step instructions for hand lettering, creating optical illusions, and illustration.

To inspire Amelia with simple baking ideas beyond her perfect lemon meringue pie-

The Complete Baking Book for Young Chefs

By Molly Birnbaum

Naperville, Illinois: Sourcebooks eXplore, 2019. Informational.

Covering a variety of recipes, ranging from breads to cookies and cakes, this cookbook makes it easy to wow your friends and family with your culinary prowess!

Comments

Funny Farm by Mark Teague 2009

There are things I liked about Mark Teague's newest book, Funny Farm , and things I didn't like. Where should I start? I'll do the "didn'ts" first. The illustrations show animals personified. Well, some of the animals are. The main characters, Edward, and his farm family relatives, all dogs, are humanized. They stand upright, do farm chores, eat at a table, wear clothes, knit (yes, with paws) and sleep in beds. Most everybody else on and around the farm, who are also animals, act like animals. They are outside, roll in mud, live in the barn, and require care from their owners. It struck me the most on the page spread where there are pigs playing in puddle in the rain and Edward, a black and white boxer, watches from inside the house. I thought "You're a dog! Go play with them!" But, alas, he can't, seeing as how he goes through his entire visit to the farm wearing a suit and red bow tie. Another picture that bothered me was the maple syrup pa...

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.

Review: The Factory

The Factory By Catherine Egan New York, NY : Scholastic Inc., 2025. Fiction. 306 pages. Thirteen-year-old Asher Doyle has been invited to join the Factory, a secretive research facility in the desert which ostensibly extracts renewable energy from the electromagnetic fields of its young recruits. But Asher soon realizes something sinister is going on. Kids are getting sick. The adults who run the Factory seem to be keeping secrets. And the extraction process is not only painful and exhausting, but existentially troubling. Asher makes a handful of new friends who help him with an investigation that turns into a resistance, which turns into...a cliffhanger! The Factory is a page-turning sci-fi with multidimensional characters, an intriguing plot, and refreshingly straight-forward writing. Egan weaves in detail about climate crises and social unrest, making the story's dystopian setting feel rich and plausible. With its sophisticated themes and accessible storytelling, I would recomm...

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