Here in the Real World by Sara Pennypacker

I loved this book! It is the story of Ware, an 11-year-old boy who is forced by his parents to spend yet another summer at the Parks and Rec summer program while his parents work. Ware is a sensitive kid with the soul of an artist, and he just doesn't fit the "normal kid" mold that his parents seem to want for him. Instead of attending the summer program, Ware secretly climbs the fence between the Parks and Rec building and the demolished church on the lot next door. There he meets Jolene, a fiercely independent, parent-less girl. Thanks to Ware's imagination and ingenuity and Jolene's knowledge of gardening and the "real world," the two construct both a castle and a potentially profitable papaya garden. The summer is the best summer of Ware's life until a developer buys the lot from the city and threatens to destroy their world.

While I have read many of Sara Pennypacker's books (the beloved Clementine series, The Summer of the Gypsy Moths, and Pax), Here in the Real World is Pennypacker at her best. The chapters are short and easy to read, and the story is full of beautiful messages.

I heartily recommend this book to students in 3rd-6th grade who enjoy realistic fiction!

Mrs. N.

Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America by Susan Bartoletti

Have you ever heard of Typhoid Fever? What about Typhoid Mary? In this time of school closures due to the COVID 19 pandemic, this nonfiction account of Mary Mallon (aka Typhoid Mary)'s life is extra interesting!

Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness caused by the Salmonella Paratyphi bacteria. It is spread by poor hygiene (improper hand washing) and contaminated food and water.

Terrible Typhoid Mary tells the story of Mary Mallon, an Irish immigrant who lived in New York City and worked as a cook in the early 1900's. She was one of the first identified as a healthy carrier of the disease and is believed to have infected 51 people with typhoid fever during her career. She was arrested and forcibly quarantined to a cottage on North Brother Island off the coast of New York City where she lived out the remainder of her life.

I recommend this book to 4th-6th grade nonfiction lovers who are particularly interested in reading about epidemics, science, and history.

Mrs. N.