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It's a Girl Thing

Engaging books for girls that feature and Indian adventure, dolls coming to life and an Olympic skating dream.

Truth:  A great story is a great story and should be enjoyed by both boys and girls

Truth:  There is no way my sons would read about ice skating at the Maple Blossom Festival

And yet, this week I have a great story about a girl with an Olympic skating dream, another fabulous book about a girl who is obsessed with a famous Bollywood star, and a lovely story about dolls that come to life when their owners are not around.

So let's be honest. As well as a story is written, and as compelling as that narrative may be, there are some books that most boys will never want to pick up, even under the greatest duress I can imagine—no more video games!

So sit back on your flowered comforter, with your hair in a ponytail and a fluffy blanket on your lap and soak up some fun books that speak to the hopes and wishes of girls. Yes, it is a girl thing!

If you were really hoping for some boy books this week, check out the blog written by my sons, One Great Book Unplugged. They have just posted some great titles that boys will definitely enjoy!

Title:       The Grand Plan to Fix Everything

Author:   Uma Kirshnaswami 

Target:    Grades 3-6 

Series:     No 

What this book is about: 

Dini is obsessed with Bollywood, and especially Dolly Singh, the star of her favorite Bollywood movies.  When Dini’s mother gets a grant to work in a clinic in India, the family moves from Maryland to a small Indian village, which Dini fears will never bring her closer to Dolly. The story unfolds like a movie, as Dolly is in hiding in that same village with a broken heart, and with the help of a postman, bakery owner, handyman, driver, and tea plantation owner, Dini works to fix everyones problems, including her own!

Why I love this book: 

This book is pure, well-written fun! The story moves along like a film, with amazing chance encounters, and monkeys in all the right places for comic relief! Dini is a lovely main character who is struggling with moving away from her best friend and finding a purpose in India. You can’t help but smile when you are done with this story.

I also want to mention the illustrations, which are just perfect for the story.  They are charming and in all the right places!   

Who this book is for: 

This a wonderful girl book and a fun book for kids interested in the Bollywood film culture.    

Final thoughts: 

A fast-paced adventure with a clever heroine—cut! 

Too see my full selection of books this week for girls, visit my blog at www.onegreatbook.com 

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mtnview_parent April 12, 2013 at 03:06 am
The only problem with the charter school is that they cause more problem than they solve. TheyRead More want to close Covington, then Blach. So, they don't provide flexibility at all. They keep going to court. This is a case were the remedy is worst than the disease. The original idea is that we have to be creative with the 10th site. Land is scarce, and most likely, we cannot provide the same facility than other school within the district. People are not happy about being moved from their school (with good reason I feel) Solution: provide an inspiring project. May be an immersion program, or a more academic program, or maybe a program to help english learner from K-3. If we don't innovate with a more flexible program, we might just need to redraw the boundaries every 5-7 years. Nobody can foresee the future, but you can build flexibility.
Mitch Caldwell April 11, 2013 at 11:36 pm
Maybe offering a magnet school could help with stability? It can balance out enrollment at otherRead More schools so that attendance boundaries do not have to be redrawn. Isn't the charter school doing that for the LASD district right now?
mtnview_parent April 11, 2013 at 10:36 pm
I saw you had a good discussion on the definition of a neighborhood school. But beyond theRead More definitions, I would like to ask why does palo Alto school District and Cupertino School district have a mix of neighborhood school and some choice school. Those are two high performing district right next to us. Can a choice school be an excellent way to stop the highly disruptive attendance boundary change ? People say I am for statu quo, that I am against change. I feel that family and children need stability, that is why we don't change spouse at the pace the BoT change the attendance boundary. People who want some stability at home (and their school) do make a reasonable request.
Karen Janowski April 22, 2013 at 12:19 pm
And you can join the Drive Less Challenge that starts today and runs for the next two weeks. JoinRead More any time during the 2-week period. Check it out at www.DriveLessChallengeLA.com. Try out some alternative transportation, like bicycling or walking (or even carpooling with other families) with your kids to school, bike to the grocery store for those one or two items or walk to the local coffee shop instead of driving. Take the train on a weekend adventure to San Francisco or light rail to San Jose. It's a good opportunity to try something you might not have done before. Have fun with it!