Robyn Gioia
Award winning author, Robyn Gioia, grew up in the multicultural area around Ohio State University. One of her all-time favorite games was the trail of clues. She and her friends would spend hours writing riddles and clues to stump each other and then hide them in strategic places. Over the years, Robyn has served hamburgers at McDonalds, filed things for the magazine Highlights for Children, clerked in a bookstore (she read lots of books), worked in several restaurants (she learned about gourmet cooking) and co-owned a top ten award-winning, gourmet Chinese restaurant. She has even made her first-place almond chocolate chip cookies to order. She later became a teacher and is now the principal at an International School in Japan.
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The Ghost, The Rat, and Me (Episode One)
Middle school, fantasy, mystery
Eighth-grade sleuth, Campbell Olson, wanted to be class president. What she got was a dead rat, a clue, and a ghost from the past. Things aren’t the same when your best friend dies in a car accident. But when your best friend comes back as a ghost to help you solve a case, life becomes definitely better. You’ll love Temple. He’s a funny, opinionated, cool nerd who doesn’t quite have the hang of being a ghost. When I, Campbell (Bell) Olson, decided to run for eighth-grade president, I didn’t expect my opponent to be Will Tuffy, the most obnoxious boy at school, and I didn’t expect the race to start with a dead rat on my doorstep. That was the easy part. From there, things got worse and my case went from being a mystery, to being dangerous. This is my tale of the ghost, the rat, and me. -Bell Olson |
America's REAL First Thanksgiving, St. Augustine, Florida, Sept. 8, 1565
middle school history resource book
When most Americans think of the first Thanksgiving, they think of the Pilgrims and the Indians in New England in 1621. But 56 years before they celebrated, Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez arrived on the coast of Florida and founded the first North American city, St. Augustine. On September 8, 1565, the Spanish and the native Timucua celebrated with a feast of Thanksgiving. The Spanish most likely offered cocido, a rich stew made with pork, and the Timucua may have brought wild turkey, venison, or even alligator, along with corn, beans, and squash. Learn about our real first Thanksgiving. Learn about Spain and Florida in the 1560s. And make your own cocido from a recipe provided in this important and groundbreaking book. |
The Ghost, The Rat, and Me: The Complete Series
Middle school, fantasy, mystery
Things aren’t the same when your best friend dies in a car accident. But when your best friend, Temple, comes back as a ghost to help you solve a case, life definitely becomes better. You’ll love him. He’s a funny, opinionated, cool nerd who doesn’t quite have the hang of being a ghost. When I, Campbell (Bell) Olson, decided to run for eighth-grade president, I didn’t expect my opponent to be Will Tuffy, the most obnoxious boy at school. I especially didn’t expect the race to start with a dead rat on my doorstep! That was the easy part. From there, things got worse and my case went from being a mystery, to a dangerous trail of clues. This is my tale of the ghost, the rat, and me. |