What is there to say about The Squeaky Wheel? I first read it about 10 years ago and I thought it was incredible. Smith created very believable characters and put them into situations which I think most if not all kids can relate with. The story is always interesting, and never loses momentum. I still love it and I am now 19 years old (it's just that good!)

The Squeaky Wheel is an awesome story about a kid whose parents are splitting up and he tries every way in his power to try to keep them together. Most people can relate to this story. It will show you about how much pressure it is without both parents together.

It's incredibly unfair losing someone you thought would be there forever even when you know that forever has a time limit. What makes 'Jane's House' so good is that it shows all the struggles. Life still has to be lived when you're hurting. Laundry still has to be done and dinner still has to be made, and people fall in love even as they grieve for the one who went away. Kimmel shows the struggle each family member faces as they go on with their lives and shows how the 'new' wife has to struggle with the one who has departed even though they've never met. The inevitable comparisons - both good and bad, and the guilt that goes with comparing. You'll laugh, and cry, and swear at every central character as they all go through the tunnel and come out triumpant on the other side

Bobby Baseball is an incredible book. Its about a boy who loves baseball so much he calls himself Bobby Baseball. Bobby wants to become a major league pitcher, but he has to start at his own Mustang league. The middle of the book is very good and it makes it so you won't want to stop reading. The ending is very strange and you will need to make up your own opinion if its good or not!
Harry age 10

When I read Bobby Baseball I knew I would love it. The reason is that I love baseball. I would say this book made me love to read books. I would recommend this book to kids who love to learn about growing up and baseball. This is a great book for ages 9-13. Especially kids who absaloutly love baseball.

Bobby Baseball by: Robert Kimmel Smith Illustrated by: Alan Tiegreen. This story first takes place in Bobby Elia's home.He lives with dad,brother,mom and grandpa. This is about a boy who loves baseball and has a dream of being a pitcher in the pros. Then... owning a place in the Baseball Hall of Fame. He got on a team then after three games he quits. Find out why. I give this story a 5 star rating because I like baseball too.

Mostly Michael is a book about a boy who is eleven-years-old. He recieved a diary for his birthday and felt it was a stupid gift. Everyday he tries to write in it telling all of his thoughts and feelings. He goes through some very rough times. He dad works a lot and he has to help his pregnant mom with the housework and a little sister who can be a pain. Michael is pretty close with his grandma. He loves it when she comes to visit. She teaches him all sorts of way to make Mindy, his sister, behave. When the time comes for his mom to have the baby, his dad is out of town and it is Michael's responsibility to help his mom. How will he do it? Read to find out what he does for her.

Mostly Micheal is so good. I would recomend it to peoplefromfifth grade and older because some parts kids would be very imbarassedabout.(I'm age 11)

This is the best day by day account of a young boy that I have laid my hands on. We learn about the daily events that shape eleven-year-old Michael's life, from the trite stuff like weather and what was for dinner, to the wonderful, heartwarming events like welcoming in a new sibling. By the end of the book, you will feel like you have gotten to not only know Michael very well, but will also have become his friend. A must read for children of the junior high school age.

Henry Green eats nothing but chocolate, and this delightful story follows Henry on a wonderful adventure as he breaks out in a "chocolate fever"!

When spots start popping out all over his arms during class, his teacher whisks him off for a visit with the crazy Dr. Fargo. When Henry loses confidence in the wacky doc, he takes off and is chased through the streets by half the hospital staff! What happens next will surprise you.

My first-grader (who is in his school's Gifted and Talented program) got somewhat bogged down in this, his first "chapter book" so I think the rating of ages 4-8 is a bit off. The school librarian rates it at a third through fifth grade level and I'm inclined to agree. We read it as a family and my fifth grader LOVED it!

Chocolate Fever by Robert Kimmel Smith is a fantastic book to read. Can you believe Henry Green eats chocolate every day, morning , noon , and night , and eats chocolate on everything. Henry gets brown bumps all over his body, and hurries to the nurse. Henry helps foil the hijackers plan. The authors message is about self-indulgence. This was a fantastic book, I couldn't put it down. It has so many details that it was hard to stop reading. This book teaches Henry a valuable lesson about self-indulgence. Cheek out this book to find out what happened in the end, and have a fun time reading it!

This book is one of the best I've read because I love chocolate just like Henrry, the main character in the book. My favorite part was when Henrry ran out of the hospital and lots of people were chasing him. I also liked the book because it's funny. I would give the book 5 stars.

The War With Grandpa was a pretty good book, but it wasn't my favorite. It's not one of my top ten favorites, but it was pretty funny. I liked it when Grandpa pulled that dirty trick on Peter in the morning on a school day. It was pretty funny, but I wouldn't want it to happen to me because it was still pretty dirty. I liked the book a lot because it was comical and sad. This book also taught me to respect and love your elder relatives . I recommend this book to any other person that likes to read, but that's just my opinion.

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WOW! this book is very good. I would recommend this book to people that love their room because the main character, Peter, does. His grandpa came to live with Peter and his family because his wife died and he was all alone. He sold his house down in Florida and came to live with them. Peter's mom and dad gave Grandpa Peter's room. Peter did some stupid stuff, like getting into guerilla warfare with his grandpa to get his room back. I think that is weird, but he did like his grandpa. You'll have to read the book to find out whether Peter gets his room back or not.

War With Grandpa is a good book.A boy named Peter and a girl named Jenny have a Grandpa coming to their house because his wife died from emphysema.The problem is that Grandpa takes Peter's room and Peter has to go upstairs!Then Peter goes to war with Grandpa,trying to get his room back.But Grandpa tries to get even by pulling tricks on Peter!To find out what else happens, read War With Grandpa.

Jelly Belly is a good book about balance. It's a little bit old...try ,like, 15 years, but is okay. Ned dealing with his weight problem makes readers sympathize with him. He wants to get thin, but he eats and snacks way too much. Then he gets sent to a "fat farm" and meets some new friends. The rest of the book has a very "diary" feel to it, with Ned talking about his weight "changes" (I'm just going to leave it at that...)
The book has a very dated feel to it, thanks to the rather HORRIBLE, cartoony, exagerated, and mis-informed illustrations and the laughable character relationships. For instance, at the "family day" at camp, Ned says "sucks". His dad corrects him...that's pretty 1986. All in all, an okay fat story.

Ned, the main character, is sent to a fat camp. I like his adventures at the camp. I also like his grandmother who keeps telling Ned not to eat sweets. I would recomend this book to kids who want to escape from fat camp.

I read this book in elementary school, just after it was reissued in 1983. Kids, this was one of my favorite books all through school-- and I remember it to this day!

I think "Jelly Belly" has an important lesson about balance. Ned has to learn how to balance eating with moderation-- not eating too much, or too often.

He has to balance this healthy lifestyle with the influences all around him-- including eating a different meal in front of his family, who can eat foods with oil and fat.

And he has to balance his need to diet with not hurting his grandmother's feelings, because when he can't eat the treats she makes him, she feels really sad and like Ned doesn't love her. She and Ned BOTH need to learn about his new diet and understand that, although it is tough to stick to, it will make him feel better.

Many kids have to deal with something that makes them different and that other people just don't understand. That's what this story is really about-- not just about dieting.

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did when I was your age.

I read The Giant as a child and I loved it again when I reread it 20 years later. The main character is an author of travel books for children. The story builds up a good suspense as he gradually discovers that an enormous boy has secretly moved into a mysterious building next to his hotel in France. The boy is about 8 stories tall and about 9 years old, and he befriends the main character. They must decide whether to reveal the giant boy's existence to the world. There are humorous touches, for example when the boy combs his hair and static electricity attracts wigs and cats as if they were lint. The occasional black and white illustrations are charming...such as baby pictures showing weight lifters struggling to teach the giant to walk when he was an 8 foot tall toddler. If you enjoyed Otto in Africa, or James and the Giant Peach, or other books by William Pene Du Bois or Roald Dahl, you will enjoy this book. Everyone will smile when reading this upbeat book for young readers.