Books with author Mary Jane Auch

From School Library Journal: Grade 4-6 How many ``problems'' should a character face in one novel? Sixth-grader Davey Anderson has several. Small for his age and newly arrived from the city to live on a farm, he must make new friends while fighting off bullying neighbors. His older brother doesn't seem to care about him, and his mother serves endless variations of cooked zucchini for dinner. But the biggest problem is Great Uncle Will, who comes to live with the Andersons. Davey tells readers of the conflicting emotions within him: resentment at having to give up his room and move in with his brother, happy memories of time spent with Uncle Will years ago, fear that his uncle's erratic behavior will embarrass him in front of new friends, pleasure when he and Will can work together. Problems are solved unrealistically easily. Davey and his new friend Sarah intimidate the bullies through some karate moves. A school bus driver and Uncle Will decide to marry after a doctor rules out Alzheimer's disease. Davey's first-person narration has humor, realism, and excitement, but his descriptions of the other characters ring true only at times and then seem to go out of focus. Cry Uncle! is a strangely unsatisfying mixture. For other more consistently written treatments of a similar subject, direct readers to Carol Benjamin's Nobody's Baby Now (Macmillan, 1984) or younger readers to Robert Kimmel Smith's The War with Grandpa (Delacorte, 1984). Sylvia S. Marantz, Wellington School, Columbus, Ohio Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Taking pictures using a smartphone is often less than perfect. Through this article, we will tell you that ..this apps can make you like a pro..!!!Taking pictures is a popular activity that people love so much. Well, most people prefer to take pictures through smartphone So, if you use this application, I am sure your photo will be more cool and awesome…

Amy and Freddy Connors can't believe their ears when their Uncle Ken tells them he is going to stay in Mr. Sargent's big old house in Hidden Hollow all winter. And, when their father says that they can stay with Uncle Ken, they can't believe their luck. They can be near their friends, Marcia and Jim, and best of all, they won't have to stay in their father's trailer and be part of "that shiftless Connors tribe." Mr. Sargent wants Ken to take care of his house and his dog, but Amy and Freddy decide that being in the house will give them the chance to look for a lost inheritance. Before they have time to search for it, other mysteries pop up. Who is the young woman whose portrait hangs in the Sargent house? Who is sneaking around the house at night? And why is someone trying to make trouble for Amy and Freddy? The two children, with help from their friends, must find answers to all the mysteries -- and, in the process, learn how to hold up their heads and keep their self-respect in spite of what neighbors might think of their family.

By Sunday evening Prue Tenney was despondent. She and the others in her class were supposed to write about something exciting that had happened over the weekend. All of her friends had either found an adventure or caused one to happen, but Prue had thought of nothing. Suddenly she remembered the one exciting event in her town -- an unknown young man had been mysteriously shot eight years earlier. Although he was never identified, every year, on the anniversary of his death, someone placed red carnations on his grave. Neither the mystery of the shooting nor that of the flowers had ever been solved. Perhaps Prue could make an adventure out of visiting the grave.She slipped out into the waning daylight, and hurried over to the cemetery. As she started toward the wooden grave-marker, Prue realized that someone else -- a man -- was already there. He turned and strode away. Prue tiptoed closer. A bouquet of red carnations was lying on the dead stranger's grave!This was the beginning of real adventure for Prue, her brother, and two friends, one that lasted much longer than a weekend.As in all Mary C. Jane's mysteries, the excitement and pace of her story build up to a satisfying climax. While her characters are confronted with a hidden gun, a strange woman prowling around an empty house, and a suspicious neighbor, these details fit plausibly into the everyday world of a small New England town.

Feathers fly and humor abounds as the literary adventures of Henrietta, the talented chicken from The Plot Chickens continue for her. Thrilled to have her picture book published, Henrietta is all aflutter with excitement when she's invited to a local book festival. However, the event organizers did not count on having a chicken show up to sign books. Luckily, just when the festival director gives chase, Henrietta comes up with a clever plan to make herself heard and respected. As Henrietta's loyal local children's librarian explains, "A chicken who can write books is a national treasure."