Books with author Jacqueline Davies

Are kids interested in learning about the very first American census? Probably not. Do young readers clamor for stories set in the very, very olden days of the late 18th century? Uh, not really. Okay, but do they like nutty cat-and-mouse trickery, wacky slapstick, and animals disguised as people? You bet! So let them have all that, and if they end up learning a thing or two about our country, its history, and the ways our government works, shhh . . . we won’t tell!Tricking the Tallyman accomplishes the tricky task of showing kids the way the 1790 census was tabulated (or tallied) and how the country’s new citizens came to understand (after much misunderstanding) how it worked to help them and the country. Excellent for classroom use or to put in the hands of bright kids with a taste for the quirky and irreverent, young readers may enjoy this story so much they might not even notice how much they’ve learned!

Everything about this trip to Grandma’s house was different:First, because of the fire, Mrs. Treski, Evan, and Jessie had driven up to Grandma’s two days after Christmas instead of the day before, missing Christmas with Grandma entirely. Second, the fire had left a hole in the back kitchen wall big enough to drive a car through! And with Grandma in the hospital and not in her house, everything felt off. Third, someone had climbed the long, slow slope of Lovell Hill to the top and had stolen the old iron bell hanging on its heavy wooden crossbeam. Who on earth would steal the New Year’s Bell? And how could Grandma, Mrs.Treski, Evan, Jessie, and their neighbors ring in the New Year without it?Like a modern-day Beverly Cleary, Ms. Davies writes with heart, humor, and honesty about the inevitability of profound change and reveals just how well she understands the complex emotions of the children.

"For a full hour, he poured lemonade. The world is a thirsty place, he thought as he nearly emptied his fourth pitcher of the day." And I am the Lemonade King. Fourth-grader Evan Treski is people-smart. He s good at talking with people, even grownups. His younger sister, Jessie, on the other hand, is math-smart, but not especially good with people. So when the siblings lemonade stand war begins, there really is no telling who will win or even if their fight will ever end. Brimming with savvy marketing tips for making money at any business, definitions of business terms, charts, diagrams, and even math problems, this fresh, funny, emotionally charged novel subtly explores how arguments can escalate beyond anyone s intent. Awards: 2009 Rhode Island Children's Book Award, 2007 New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, North Carolina Children s Book Award 2011, 2011 Nutmeg Award (Connecticut) Check out www.lemonadewar.com for more information on The Lemonade War Series, including sequels "The Lemonade Crime, The Bell Bandit, "and "The Candy Smash.""

Following the laws of our legal system, Evan and Jessie’s fourth grade class concocts a courtroom on the playground, putting Scott Spencer, alleged thief, on trial. They create a legitimate courtroom—with a judge, witnesses, a jury of their peers—and surprising consequences. As she explores the difficulties of fairness, Jacqueline Davies once again reveals how good she is at understanding the complex emotions of children this age.

With spot-on humor, a spare text, and adorable panda bear characters, this is a fun and familiar exchange between a parent and child that fans of I DON'T WANT TO BE A FROG! will easily relate to! I want pants, says a little panda to his father. You are a panda, answers the father. Pandas do NOT wear pants. And so begins a hilarious battle of wills when a young panda tries to convince his father why pants make perfect sense. After all, pants are soft. Pants keep you warm. Some pants even have . . . POCKETS! But with a menacing snow leopard lurking in the background, will the longed-for pants end up having an even greater role to play? Jacqueline Davies’s humorous story, with deliciously droll illustrations from Sydney Hanson, captures the push and pull between a parent and child as they face off over the age-old dilemma of what to wear . . . with the most heartwarming of results.From the Hardcover edition.

Are kids interested in learning about the very first American census? Probably not. Do young readers clamor for stories set in the very, very olden days of the late 18th century? Uh, not really. Okay, but do they like nutty cat-and-mouse trickery, wacky slapstick, and animals disguised as people? You bet! So let them have all that, and if they end up learning a thing or two about our country, its history, and the ways our government works, shhh . . . we won’t tell!Tricking the Tallyman accomplishes the tricky task of showing kids the way the 1790 census was tabulated (or tallied) and how the country’s new citizens came to understand (after much misunderstanding) how it worked to help them and the country. Excellent for classroom use or to put in the hands of bright kids with a taste for the quirky and irreverent, young readers may enjoy this story so much they might not even notice how much they’ve learned!

Are kids interested in learning about the very first American census? Probably not. Do young readers clamor for stories set in the very, very olden days of the late 18th century? Uh, not really. Okay, but do they like nutty cat-and-mouse trickery, wacky slapstick, and animals disguised as people? You bet! So let them have all that, and if they end up learning a thing or two about our country, its history, and the ways our government works, shhh . . . we won’t tell!Tricking the Tallyman accomplishes the tricky task of showing kids the way the 1790 census was tabulated (or tallied) and how the country’s new citizens came to understand (after much misunderstanding) how it worked to help them and the country. Excellent for classroom use or to put in the hands of bright kids with a taste for the quirky and irreverent, young readers may enjoy this story so much they might not even notice how much they’ve learned!From the Hardcover edition.

Following the laws of our legal system, Evan and Jessie’s fourth grade class concocts a courtroom on the playground, putting Scott Spencer, alleged thief, on trial. They create a legitimate courtroom—with a judge, witnesses, a jury of their peers—and surprising consequences. As she explores the difficulties of fairness, Jacqueline Davies once again reveals how good she is at understanding the complex emotions of children this age.

Jessie and Evan Treski have waged a lemonade war, sought justice in a class trial,unmasked a bell thief, and stood at opposite ends over the right to keep secrets. Now they are creating a magic show—a professional magic show, in their own backyard! They practice, they study, and they practice some more. And who shows up? Their father, who has done such a good job of disappearing over the past few years. Just as Evan and Jessie took on running a business in The Lemonade War and a court of law in The Lemonade Crime, in this fifth novel of the bestselling Lemonade War series, they take on the challenges of magic and illusion all while discovering some hidden truths about their own family. Another fresh, funny, emotionally charged novel by the author whom Books for Kids calls, "one of the best writers for the middle grades around."

One morning, twelve-year-old Hazel wakes to discover that her father, a brilliant physicist, has moved away in the middle of the night. It’s 1944, and Hazel’s father has agreed to help the U.S. government develop a secret weapon that will win World War II. His decision turns Hazel’s world upside-down ― soon, she and her mother move out west to be with him, to a strange town with no name that everyone calls “the Hill.” The Hill is surrounded by a chain-link fence and barbed wire. Armed guards patrol its perimeter night and day. With her new friend, Eleanor, Hazel goes on secret missions to try and solve the many mysteries that the Hill hides. Who is sending secret radio messages from the base? What happened to Eleanor’s cat? And most importantly, what is the mysterious “gadget” that the scientists are building day and night? “This suspenseful story successfully captures the tensions of a volatile period in American history as the atomic bomb was being developed. Readers will be left with plenty to think about and no simple answers.” ―School Library Journal