Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, an eccentric old woman who sits in her mansion researching anything that peaks her interest, writes about Claudia and Jamie Kincaid’s adventure in a letter to her solicitor, Saxonberg, who just happens to be Claudia and Jamie’s grandfather. Mrs. Frankweiler tells their story just as they told it to her. …
On the morning of August 6, 1945, the Enola Gay takes off from an airstrip on an isolated island in the Pacific Ocean. The plane with its payload — an 8,900-pound atomic bomb — heads for Hiroshima, Japan. The effects of such a bomb are terrible, and America hopes that unleashing its terror on a…
The people in the village below Mount Tibidabo live a very normal life, but when they go to bed on Tuesday night, they lock their doors and shutter their windows as if their lives depend on it. They hide in their homes for fear of the mischievous creatures who wreak havoc on their village every…
Willy and his grandfather live on a potato farm in Wyoming. One morning grandfather refuses to get out of bed. At first, Willy thinks that Grandfather is playing a joke on him. He likes to play jokes and does it frequently. When his grandfather does not respond to Willy’s plaintive requests, Willy goes for Dr….
Maggie Schultz’s third grade classmates are excited about learning cursive, but Maggie decides that she doesn’t want to have any part of it. The first day, her teacher compares cursive writing to a rollercoaster. While the other students are practicing loops and curves, Maggie draws rollercoasters all over her paper. At home, she studies her…
Henry Huggins won the hearts of boys and girls alike when his stories debuted in the 1950s. Eight years old when the series started, Henry and his best friend, Ribsy, lived on Klickatat Street in Portland, Oregon. Even though the series was written over 60 years ago, Beverly Cleary made these books about a young…
Sasha has waited with great anticipation for the day when he would receive his Young Pioneer scarf. To make the day even more special, his father will be on hand to place the scarf around his neck. Then tragedy strikes the day before the sacred ceremony. A neighbor accuses Sasha’s father of being a spy,…
A Parisian tramp named Armand values his solitary, nomadic life. He wants nothing to do with “starlings” (children). With winter coming, Armand goes back to his favorite place under the bridge. He finds that a mother and her three children have made their home there. Their father is dead, and they’ve been turned out of…
Michael enjoys a very typical childhood. He goes to school, plays soccer, and delivers papers on the weekend. He has a great dog named Stella Artois. Then, a letter arrives from the local brick works where both of his parents work. The brick works is shutting down, and Michael’s parents are without jobs. Before this…
