Chatting About Books:
Recommendations for Young Readers

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Episode 6—A Peek into Amelia's Notebook

Book Chat

• Amelia Works it Out by Marissa Moss (American Girl, 2000)

In this Amelia’s Notebook, Amelia is on a mission to earn money for the amazing Lightscape/Nightscape shoes. Her mom refuses to buy them for her even though Amelia tried her “angel act.” And what is worse, her sister Cleo and best friend Carly each already have a pair! In this very funny diary-like book, Amelia shares her many failed attempts at earning money before sharing the very important life lesson she learns: “that sometimes when you get something you really wanted, you wonder why you ever wanted it in the first place.”

• Amelia’s Most Unforgettable Embarrassing Moments by Marissa Moss (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005)

Amelia’s science class is getting ready for a field trip. Amelia and her friend Carly are looking forward to spending time together without their parents and siblings always bugging them. However, Amelia is in for a disastrous surprise when she finds out that her sister Cleo is coming along as a student helper. Amelia can’t think of anything more mortifying than having her awful sister Cleo around for a whole week. Amelia soon finds out that everyone has their own embarrassing story and that maybe her sister Cleo isn’t so bad after all (if you can get past the car sickness, snoring, and spewing milk).

Cookies and Milk
Emily enjoys cookies and milk with sisters Cameron and Kylie while they chat about two books from the Amelia’s Notebook series. Kylie and Cameron show their understanding of these humorous notebooks by identifying Amelia’s main problem in each book and how she managed to solve those problems. And even though these sisters are very willing to chat about Amelia’s embarrassing moments, they are a bit reluctant to share their own!

About the Host

Emily Manning started teaching first grade in 1999 and is now a reading intervention teacher for third- through fifth-graders. Emily’s passion is reading; she enjoys the challenge each year of finding books that will spark the love of reading in her students. Emily’s favorite books are the ones kids ask to read over and over — the ones that are worn out from so many readings, complete with wrinkled pages and loose bindings.

These include

• Bubba the Cowboy Prince by Helen Ketteman (Scholastic, 1997)
• Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (Yearling, 2001)
• The Jazz Fly by Matthew Gollub (Tortuga, 2000)
• The Magical, Marvelous, Mystical Coat by Catherine Ann Cullen (Little, Brown, 2001)
• The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (Puffin, 2004)