APH News

Exciting New APH Products Announced!

Read on to learn about these new products – now available!

• APH Fall Harvest Sale
• Building on Patterns (BOP): Primary Braille Literacy Program First Grade Level, Unit 1
• Geometro Sets
• Digital Light Box Artwork: Supporting Language and Literacy
• Early Braille Trade Books, Sunshine Kit 2
• The Woodcock-Johnson III: Tests of Achievement–Braille Adaptation
• REVISED! Listen and Think Auditory Readiness (AR) Level
• APH Braille Book Corner

141st Annual Meeting, "Keys to Success"

Why should you attend APH’s 141st Annual Meeting October 15-17?

• To learn about the latest products available from APH and have the opportunity to provide input on products still in development.
• To hear Jane Erin, Kay Ferrell, and Phil Hatlen address the crucial research topics of the day.
• To enjoy Carl Augusto’s memorable Keynote Address.
• To applaud Samir Azer as he receives the Zickel Award for product development.
• To hear Dr. Tinsley’s report on the State of the Company.
• To celebrate the InSight Art Winners and Hall of Fame Inductees Euclid Herie and Dean Tuttle.
• To visit the exciting new exhibits at the Hall of Fame.
• To learn from Mike Bina (MD) and Jim Downs (GA) as they present the APH Advisory Committee Reports.
• To enjoy the following Ex Officio Trustees as they facilitate the general sessions and events: Dean Stenehjem (WA), Barbara Perkis (IL), Yvonne Ali (MO), Dawn Turco (IL), and Nancy Niebrugge (CA).
• To meet the five APH Scholars, who are direct service providers, nominated by Ex Officio Trustees.
• To tour and enjoy the beautiful Muhammad Ali Center.
• To network with professional friends and attend a dozen related meetings.
• And much, much more!

Visit the Annual Meeting website for details or call Cindy Amback at 800/223-1839, ext. 257.

Field Evaluators Needed!

APH is seeking field evaluators for tactile and print Pattern Matching Cards designed to be used with APH’s Giant Textured Beads. The Pattern Matching Cards are designed to extend the use of APH’s Giant Textured Beads which includes 12 large stringing beads of varying shapes, textures, and colors. When the beads and matching cards are used together, many basic concepts and skills can be encouraged including:

• Identification of shapes
• Identification of textures
• Identification of colors
• Sorting and classifying by various attributes
• Hand skills–stringing beads or inserting cards and beads into a tray
• Patterning skills: recognizing, describing, repeating, extending, and creating patterns
• Vocabulary expansion
• Interpretation of tactile displays–thermoformed and raised line formats–within a purposeful context

Giant Textured Beads are intended for very young children (preschool and kindergarten level); however, the Pattern Matching Cards will allow teachers to perform activities that are appropriate for older students as well. The patterning skills and concepts that are encouraged by this product are consistent with the current NCTM Standards for Grades K-3. Appropriate target populations also include students with multiple disabilities and much older students who lack formal tactile learning opportunities.

If you would like to be considered as a field reviewer for this product, please e-mail Karen Poppe, Tactile Graphics Project Leader, at kpoppe@aph.org

Field testing will begin in November; field test prototypes are limited.

Step-By-Step Instructions on the APH Refreshabraille 18 Now Available!

A Refreshabraille 18 YouTube Tutorial (three lessons) is now available on YouTube by our student instructor Chase Crispin. Additional lessons will follow.

• APH Refreshabraille Display, with Chase Crispin (Part 1)
• APH Refreshabraille Display, with Chase Crispin (Part 2)
• APH Refreshabraille Display, with Chase Crispin (Part 3)

BANA Holds Board Meeting Amidst G-20 Excitement

President Obama and the world’s leaders who gathered for the G-20 International Summit were not the only ones holding important meetings in Pittsburgh last week! The Board of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA) met September 25 through 27 at the University of Pittsburgh, only a few blocks from the site the opening of the G-20 proceedings. Although there were no street protests about the BANA meeting, the Board did take a number of significant actions, which will be formally detailed soon in publicly-distributed press releases.

On Saturday morning, BANA held an Open Forum that offered an opportunity for local participants to learn more about the workings of BANA and for them to provide feedback to the Board. The Pennsylvania-Delaware Chapter of AER provided refreshments for the event. One of the liveliest topics discussed at the forum was BANA’s current evaluation of the proposed Nemeth Uniform Braille System (NUBS). According to its developer, Dr. Abraham Nemeth, NUBS is an updated version of the Nemeth code, which has been in use since 1972. The new system has been in development for ten years and is capable of rendering both literary and technical texts. BANA has completed the initial phase of its evaluation, which included sessions at the ACB and NFB summer conferences in which individuals participated in testing and focus groups. A subcommittee of the BANA Braille Research Committee is developing a sampler that will demonstrate principles of the proposed code. BANA will hold sessions this fall at the Getting in Touch with Literacy Conference and the NBA Conference. Individuals interested in participating in remaining phases of the evaluation should send a message to brailleauthority@gmail.com. To review the completed code or to read documents explaining the code, visit http://www.braille2000.com/brl2000/nubs.htm.

For more information, about the work of Braille Authority of North America, visit www.brailleauthority.org.

Submitted by Mary Nelle McLennan, BANA Board Member Representing APH

Contests for Readers, Writers, Poets, and Artists

After the winners of the APH 150th Anniversary Essay Contest were announced last year, many people thought it would be good for students who are blind and visually impaired to demonstrate their skills by entering similar competitions. As a Reading Promotion Partner of The Library of Congress Center for the Book (CFB), we have received word about two important contests open to students across the country. If you know a talented writer, poet, or artist, please make them aware that now is the time to be thinking about competing for the awards to be made in 2010.

River of Words is a poetry and art competition open to "any child in the world, from 5 to 19 years of age." Students are asked to explore their surroundings and comment on what they learn by writing a poem or creating an artwork based on the theme of WATERSHEDS. The annual deadline for entering is December 1, and all rules and forms can be found at: www.riverofwords.org/contest/index.html

Letters about Literature asks students to write a personal letter to an author of a book, short story, poem, essay or speech they have read that has significantly impacted them. In their response, students must explain such things as their reaction to characters or what they may have discovered about themselves or the world around them. State and national award winners will be selected from the entries submitted by December 12. More information about this competition is online at: www.lettersaboutliterature.org

Again, please encourage the students under your care to take part in these exciting opportunities to express their thoughts and ideas!

Registration Open for Arizona Woodcock-Johnson III Workshop

Registration forms for the December 4-5, 2009, workshop on "Administering and Scoring the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement for Braille Readers" continue to be accepted. There is a $25.00 fee for this 2-day workshop scheduled to be held in Phoenix, Arizona. This training workshop is supported through APH’s National Instructional Partnership funds.

Dr. Lynne Jaffe, an Educational Diagnostician, WJ III Trainer, and an Assistant Adjunct Professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson, is the instructor for this event. If you, your staff, or a psychologist with whom you contract is in need of instruction on the administration and scoring of the WJ III Tests of Achievement for braille readers, you won’t want to miss this excellent opportunity to receive training. For registration information or to register, contact Tina Livingston in Accessible Tests at tlivingston@aph.org or call 502/899-2389.

Hadley School Developing a Self-Employment Curriculum

Entrepreneurship is a proven means of gainful employment for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, providing the opportunity to be independent, self-directed and creative. Do you know of blind individuals who have excelled in self-employment, "supported" self-employment or benefited from micro lending?

Hadley especially wants to interview those who have benefited from micro enterprise, home-based employment or micro lending to create unique enterprises. Please notify Chuck Young, President, The Hadley School for the Blind, 700 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093. These blind entrepreneurs should also be encouraged to email: chuck@hadley.edu; fax: 847-784-2757; or call Hadley School toll free at 800-323-4238.

World Sight Day 2009–Thursday, October 8

The theme for World Sight Day 2009 is "Gender and Eye Health–Equal Access to Care" and focuses on the particular issues faced by women with vision loss, especially those living in developing countries.

According to World Health Organization statistics, nearly two-thirds of the world’s blind are women or girls. Meanwhile, men are twice as likely to have access to necessary eye care as women. This puts women and girls in a situation of particular vulnerability, lacking access to the treatment and services that could prevent and restore vision loss. And for the women and girls who do become blind or visually impaired, they have less access to education, rehabilitation and employment and can become victims of isolation and abuse.

World Sight Day is an international day of awareness, held annually on the second Thursday of October to focus attention on the global issue of avoidable blindness and visual impairment. It is an initiative of Vision 2020, the global campaign to eliminate avoidable blindness by the year 2020, led by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).

For further information contact: World Blind Union, Penny Hartin, Chief Executive Officer, Penny.hartin@wbuoffice.org

Braille Reading & Writing: Basic Evidence and Scientific-Based Research Conference Planned

Dr. Ralph Bartley represented the APH Research Department at a recent planning meeting on Braille Research. The planning group leaders are Dr. Kay Ferrell, National Center on Severe Sensory Disabilities, University of Northern Colorado and Mark Riccobono, Executive Director, Jernigan Institute, National Federation of the Blind, Baltimore, MD. A Call for Papers will be extended in mid-October, and the conference will be held in the Denver, CO area in early June, 2010. If you know of persons who are conducting basic evidence based research in any area relating to Braille reading and writing, particularly, anyone outside the field of blindness or international researchers, please share their names by forwarding the information to Dr. Kay Ferrell at the following email address: Kay.Ferrell@unco.edu

The following is a brief summary of the conference. Check the November APH News for more information.

CONFERENCE TITLE: Research in the Rockies: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Braille Reading and Writing

PURPOSE: To explore current emerging research from a wide range of disciplines that pertains to Braille reading and writing.

OBJECTIVES:

• To facilitate interaction among researchers
• To discover and synthesize current research
• To stimulate future research on Braille reading and writing
• To identify gaps and opportunities in existing research
• To create opportunities for collaboration among researchers, blind adults, children and their families, educators and rehabilitation specialists

SUBMISSIONS WELCOMED FROM:

• Cognitive scientists
• Teachers/Educators
• Linguists
• Neurologists
• Sociologists
• Occupational therapists
• Demographers
• Researchers in haptics and tactile perception
• Industry designers
• Experimental psychologists
• Rehabilitation Specialists

New Employees in Research

Loana Mason has assumed the duties of Braille Literacy Project Leader in the APH Research Department. Loana has previous experience in the field of blindess as a teacher of students with visual impairments, a trainer of pre-service teachers, and a researcher. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Northern Colorado and is also President-Elect of the Division on Visual Impairments, Council for Exceptional Children. Welcome Loana!

Darrell Buford has joined the Research Department, as the Administrative Coordinator. This position was formerly an Administrative Assistant position. For the past five years, he has worked in Human Resources at APH, where he was the Administrative Assistant II, to the HR Director. Outside of APH, Darrell is very active in the blind community as he is currently serving his fifth term as the Kentucky School for the Blind Alumni President, and his second, three year term, on the State Rehabilitation Council for the KY Office for the Blind, through an appointment by the Governor. He holds a Bachelor’s and a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Murray State University.

APH Welcomes New Ex Officio Trustees

Dorinda Rife, the Perkins School for the Blind–School Programs, replacing Steven Rothstein.

Daniel "Dan" Wenzel, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, replacing Jeremiah Holiday.

APH Travel Calendar

October

October 4-6, 2009
Southeastern Orientation and Mobility Conference (SOMA) 2009;
Charlotte, NC

October 5-10, 2009
Firebrand Conference;
Newburyport, MA

October 9-11, 2009
Families Conference "A Changing World";
Charleston, WV

October 15-17, 2009
APH Annual Meeting 2009;
Seelbach Hotel in Louisville, KY

October 19-21, 2009
NIMAC/NIMAS OSEP Meetings;
OSEP Offices, Washington, DC

October 21-22, 2009
NIP Event–FVLMA with LaRhea Sanford;
St Louis, MO

October 22-23, 2009
Kansas AER Conference 2009;
Kansas State School for the Blind, Kansas City, KS

October 24-31, 2009
NBA Board Meetings & Conference;
Eugene, OR

October 28-31, 2009
ATIA 2009 Chicago;
Schaumburg, IL

October 29-31, 2009
National Braille Association Professional Development Conference;
Eugene, OR

November

November 5, 2009
NFB of Colorado Resource Fair;
Denver, CO

November 6, 2009
AER Ohio–Pulling Together 2009 Statewide Business Meeting;
Worthington, OH

November 6-7, 2009
Kentucky Council for the Blind Event 2009;
KSB in Louisville, KY

November 12-14, 2009
MACRT-ASERT;
Milwaukee, WI

November 12-15, 2009
Getting In Touch With Literacy Conference 2009;
Costa Mesa, CA

November 22-24, 2009
Kentucky Council for Exceptional Children/Exceptional Children’s Conference;
Louisville, KY

December

December 3, 2009
North Carolina Assistive Technology Expo;
North Raleigh, NC

December 4-5, 2009
NIP Event–Administering/Scoring the WJ III for Braille Readers;
Phoenix, AZ

January

January 27-30, 2010
ATIA 2010;
Orlando, FL

Fall Harvest Sale

Load up a world of savings on selected APH products with APH’s Fall Harvest Sale 2009, October 1 – December 31. As always, first come, first served. sites.aph.org/products/harvest.html

New Downloadable Manuals Available

The APH product manuals below are additions to our growing list of free-of-charge downloadable manuals archive.aph.org/manuals/. You may print or emboss them as needed. We will continue to package hard copies of these manuals with their products and sell hard copy replacements. We do not keep these manuals in stock, but make them on demand as orders are placed for them; therefore, please allow several weeks for delivery.

• Braille: A Different Approach Instructor’s Manual, Braille: 5-16750-04
• Reach for the Stars, Planning for the Future: A Transition Process for Families of Young Children, Braille: 5-08410-01
• Parent Early Childhood Education Series, 1P, Braille: 5-96201-00
• Moving Ahead: Goin’ on a Bear Hunt Reader’s Guide only, Braille: 6-77907-00
• Reclaiming Independence: Braille Resource Guide, 2V, Braille: 5-30020-00
• Sense of Science: Animals, Guidebook, Braille: 5-08990-00
• Stackups, Teacher’s Guidebook, Braille (Booklet Only): 5-08960-00
• Tactile Connections: Symbols for Communication Guidebook, Braille: 5-08837-00

MAJOR RELEASE! Building on Patterns (BOP): Primary Braille Literacy Program First Grade Level, Unit 1

BOP First Grade Level, Unit 1:
Print Kit (Teacher’s Materials in print): 8-78460-U1 — $135.00
Braille Kit (Teacher’s Materials in braille): 6-78460-U1 — $135.00

Replacement Items

Unit 1 Teacher’s Edition:
Print: 8-78461-U1 — $65.00
Braille: 6-78461-U1 — $65.00

Unit 1 Student Textbook: 6-78463-U1 — $17.00

Unit 1 Assessment Check-up Forms (print & braille): 8-78466-U1 — $16.00

Unit 1 Lesson Monitoring Sheets: 8-78463-U1 — $19.50

Unit 1 Worksheet Pack: 6-78464-U1 — $17.00

Related Product

BOP Kindergarten Level:
Print Kit (Teacher’s Materials in print): 8-78450-00 — $256.00
Braille Kit (Teacher’s Materials in braille): 6-78450-00 — $274.00

Building on Patterns (BOP) is a complete primary literacy program designed to teach beginning braille users all language arts–reading, writing, and spelling.

Note: Building on Patterns: First Grade replaces Patterns Reading: Preprimer, Primer, and First Reader Levels. The remaining lesson units of Patterns First Grade (Units 2-7) and Unit 8 (Introductory and Supplemental Information) will be released during the 2009-2010 school year.

The Building on Patterns series addresses phonemic awareness (ability to hear and interpret sounds in speech), phonics (the association of written symbols with the sounds they represent), comprehension, fluency, and oral vocabulary, all of which have been identified as important for reading instruction.

This program also addresses specific skill areas needed by the child who is blind, such as language development, sound discrimination, tactual discrimination, and concept development. Braille contractions are introduced from the beginning along with sound and letter associations.

Features

• Braille taught and presented in a logical manner
• Separation of braille "confusers"
• Ideas for incorporating technology
• Tactile graphics for teachers to explore with the student
• Flexible activities designed to fit individual needs
• Lesson overviews for planning ahead
• Five-day lesson sequences
• Homework letters suggest concept development activities for parents
• Read-aloud books accompany the lesson (suggestions provided)
• Appropriate braille library books (suggestions provided)
• Lesson Monitoring Sheets
• Unit Check-ups/Assessment

First Grade lessons require students to read selections themselves with emphasis on decoding skills, comprehension, and fluency. Creative writing, related to the reading selections, is included with each lesson. Spelling is based upon phonics skills. Worksheet packs, lesson monitoring sheets, and unit assessment packs are consumables and are available separately.

Recommended ages: 6 to 7 years and up.

Prerequisite: Building on Patterns: Kindergarten or equivalent skills.

NEW! Geometro Sets

GS16 Mini Kit: 1-03022-00 — $64.00
GS22 Medium Set: 1-03023-00 — $90.50
GS56 Large Set: 1-03024-00 — $286.00

Geometro materials provide hands-on experiences with manipulatives that aid in teaching 3-D geometry.

Geometro models are flat plastic shapes — triangles, squares, pentagons, and hexagons — that can be readily joined to form three-dimensional solids. The pieces use hook/loop material to adhere to each other and are easy to handle, sturdy, and safe. Even the youngest learners quickly master them.

Students learn how to:

• Recognize, name, build, compare, and sort increasingly complex two- and three-dimensional shapes
• Describe attributes and parts of two- and three-dimensional shapes
• Explore nets that can be folded to form pyramids and prisms
• Learn elements of spatial symmetry
• Demonstrate rotations and mirror symmetry

Kits Include:

• Flat geometric shapes
• Quick Start sheet in regular print and braille
• Plastic storage/carrying case

GS16 Mini Set includes 16 pieces: 8 triangles, 6 squares, and 2 pentagons.

GS22 Medium Set includes 22 pieces: 12 triangles, 6 squares, 2 pentagons, and 2 hexagons.

GS56 Large Set includes 56 pieces: 24 triangles, 12 squares, 12 pentagons, and 8 hexagons.

NEW! Digital Light Box Artwork: Supporting Language and Literacy

Large Print Guidebook with CD-ROM: 1-08691-00 — $40.00

Related Products

Light Box: 1-08660-00 — $450.00

Mini-Lite Box: 1-08661-00 — $160.00

Light Box Materials:
Kit I: 1-08670-00 — $370.00
Kit II: 1-08680-00 — $525.00
Kit III: 1-08690-00 — $750.00

Transitioning from the Light Box to the computer made simple! Use the Digital Light Box Artwork (DLBA) in computer programs to provide extension activities for the Light Box and/or provide familiar images for children who transition from Light Box to computer activities.

APH has digitized the individual art pieces from the APH Light Box Materials for use on the computer. The accompanying large print instruction guide teaches how to create personalized activities for cause & effect, choice making, and multiple-choice. The artwork works in both Windows® and Mac® platforms and can be used with many commercially available authoring programs, such as Clicker 5®, and Boardmaker®. The artwork files are provided in the .png format. The instruction guide gives detailed instructions on how to create activities using PowerPoint®.

Each piece of artwork is available in black line, red line, and full color. Instructions teach the user to change and/or add color to the artwork. This function is great for learners with cortical visual impairment who demonstrate a color preference. Instructors can create full-page black line art for a coloring activity to enrich the classroom lesson or as a take home project.

NEW! Early Braille Trade Books, Sunshine Kit 2

Contracted Braille Kit: 3-00203-00 — $250.00
Uncontracted Braille Kit: 3-00204-00 — $250.00

Contracted Braille Label Packs (labels only): 3-00203-CL — $96.00

Uncontracted Braille Label Packs (labels only): 3-00204-UL — $96.00

Finding the right book for young students is now easier!

The Early Braille Trade Books Project combines commercially available books with braille labels for beginning readers. This kit includes books, braille labels, a quick start sheet, and access to an interactive website, please visit: http://tech.aph.org/ebt/

Features

• Contracted or uncontracted braille labels
• Match books to a student based on braille knowledge
• The interactive website allows you to:
  • Search for books by genre, core curriculum, or expanded core curriculum
  • Access a book summary and activities designed for braille readers
  • Maintain a listing and percentage of contractions learned by each student — great for documentation at IEP meetings
  • Share or transfer student records to other teachers

Sunshine™ Kit 2 Includes 12 books and label packs:

The Big Laugh · The Green Dragon · Griffin, the School Cat · The Horrible Urktar of Or · Just Like Me · My Feet Are Just Right · Sione Went Fishing · A Spinning Snake · Trees are Special · Yippy-Day-Yippy-Doo! · You Can Make Skittles · You Did It!

Notes: Customer applies the included braille labels (label packs not shown in picture). A user ID and password are required to access interactive website.

NEW! Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement, 2001: Braille Adaptation

6-66000-00 — $300.00

Replacement Items

Woodcock-Johnson III: Braille Adaptation:
Test Record (10 Pack): 4-66002-00 — $50.00
Examinee’s Braille Test Book – Standard Battery: 23-201-001 — $86.00
Examinee’s Braille Test Book – Extended Battery: 23-201-002 — $56.00
Shape Recognition Test (2 Pack): 23-201-003 — $10.50
Compuscore and Profiles CD: 23-201-004 — $5.00

APH, in collaboration with the Woodcock-Munoz Foundation, has developed a braille/tactile adaptation of the Woodcock-Johnson® III Tests of Achievement (WJ III ACH).The WJ III ACH-Braille may be used to assess academic and language achievement, to identify academic strengths and weaknesses, to plan interventions and accommodations, and to monitor long-term progress.

Components

• Supplementary Manual: A supplement to the WJ III ACH Examiner’s Manual (Mather & Woodcock, 2001). Contains information re: examiner qualifications, adaptations to the print test and rationale, organization of tests and clusters, administration and scoring procedures, extension testing, cautions regarding use of scores, and information regarding interpretation of tests and clusters.
• Examiner’s Test Books (Standard and Extended Batteries): Detailed administration and scoring instructions.
• Examinee’s Test Book: Test stimuli in braille. Tests are provided in both uncontracted and contracted braille. Subjects should take the entire battery in either one or the other.
• Examiner’s Test Records (10-pack)
• WJ III NU Tests of Achievement: Braille Adaptation Compuscore and Profiles Program CD: The Woodcock-Munoz Foundation provided additional tests to compensate for tests omitted and made available substitute items to reduce the visual bias of the tests, all within the current norms. To incorporate the extensive adaptations into the scoring procedures, the Woodcock-Munoz Foundation developed and contributed this CD.
• Floppy Braille Binders for organizing the braille test pages
• Pre-printed tabs for locating tests quickly
• APH Innovations Tote Bag

Note: The following items are required for administering the WJ III ACH-Braille and are not included in the kit:

• WJ III ACH audio CD/cassette (for all recorded tests except Sound Blending)
• WJ III Diagnostic Reading Battery audio CD/cassette -or- WJ III Tests of Cognitive Abilities audio CD/cassette (for Sound Blending)

Available from Riverside Publishing, 800-323-9540, http://www.riverpub.com

Examiner Qualifications

The WJ III ACH-Braille assessment must be administered by a qualified examiner. Please see the APH shopping site for more details.

REVISED! Listen and Think Auditory Readiness (AR) Level

1-08510-01 — $59.00

Content now on CDs. The cassette tape edition of this product has been discontinued.

Develop and improve listening comprehension and thinking skills. Covers basic listening skills such as understanding placement (e.g., up and down), using the senses, comparing, and classifying. The AR level includes:

• Introduction and lessons on CDs
• 250 Simple Multiple-Choice Answer Sheets
• Regular print teacher’s handbook
• Eight plastic crayons

Recommended Ages: 5 to 7

APH offers a number of recreational books in braille (Quota funds can be used). Each of these titles was originally transcribed and produced by APH for the National Library Service which has graciously granted permission for this offering. As usual, these titles have been added to the APH Louis Database where you can find thousands of titles produced in accessible formats.

Note: all books are produced upon receipt of orders, therefore, please allow approximately 8 weeks for delivery.

The Prophet of Yonwood
by Jeanne DuPrau: T-N1694-80 — $66.00
Yonwood, North Carolina. Eleven-year-old Nickie figures out how to identify both good and evil when she witnesses the townspeople’s reactions to the apocalyptic visions of their neighbor, Althea Tower. Prequel to City of Ember and People of Sparks. Fantasy Fiction, Middle Grades. *(AR Quiz #106652, BL 4.9, Pts. 9.0)

Girl, Going on 17, Pants on Fire
by Sue Limb: T-N1691-90 — $59.00
Following a fabulous summer in Girl, (nearly) 16, Absolute Torture, Fred dumps Jess the day before school starts. Jess renews her friendship with football player Ben and is harassed by a new teacher and embarrassed by her mother dating a younger man. Fiction, Upper Grades. *(AR Quiz #108129, BL 5.2, Pts. 9.0)

A Christmas Guest
by Anne Perry: T-N1646-40 — $30.50
Cantankerous Grandmama from the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series solves a mystery of her own after a visiting relative is murdered during the holidays. The family’s indifference to the death raises Grandmama’s suspicions. Along the way she uncovers secrets and discovers the meaning of Christmas. Fiction.

Chocolate Chocolate
by Lisa Yockelson: T-N1691-50 — $200.50
More than two hundred recipes from the author of Baking by Flavor, focusing on chocolate in all its many forms. Includes a glossary of chocolate terms, an extensive list of brands and forms of chocolate, and recipes for cakes, bread, scones, cookies, brownies, truffles, and more.

Angel of Harlem
by Kuwana Haulsey: T-N1714-00 — $106.50
Fictionalized account of Dr. May Edward Chinn, New York City’s first African American female physician. Portrays Chinn’s life from the early 1900s through the 1930s as she struggles to pursue her career in spite of racism and personal anguish. Some descriptions of sex and some violence. Fiction, Adult Readers.

*Accelerated Reader quiz number, book level, and point value. For more information on the Accelerated Reader program, see the January 2006 APH News or www.renlearn.com/ar/