Return of the Homework Machine by Dan Gutman

Dan Gutman is back with the same cast of characters from The Homework Machine. A quick and fun read, the students once again tell their story through an interrogation by Police Chief Rebecca Fish. If you remember, Benton was receiving mysterious phone calls at the end of the original book - do they continue? Will the foursome try and make another machine (sixth grade is hard)? Will their new teacher, a former military man, rule the classroom with an iron fist? And where exactly did the machine land when they catapulted it into the Grand Canyon? Take a hike through Return of the Homework Machine - you won't be disappointed with the adventure.

Some stuff for adults

Friday I stopped by the library and found James Patterson's Swimsuit on the shelf. Fluff for a Saturday at the beach. I read it and then wondered what exactly a shrink would say about Patterson and his collaborators - they weave these stories of evil and once you pick up the book you're engaged, whether you like it or not (which begs the question why do I keep going back for more).



One book I finished and highly recommend if you're looking to make a change in your life is Changing for Good: A Revolutionary Six-Stage Program for Overcoming Bad Habits and Moving Your Life Positively Forward by James O. Prochaska, John Norcross, and Carlo DiClement. It's a fascinating look at how people change and reassuring in it's simplicity. Great food for thought (ie. change isn't linear), it offers simple suggestions on how to make meaningful change.


I was at Barnes and Noble on Friday night and I stopped by the New Biography section and found a memoir by David Small, a children's book illustrator. Why is this memoir different? He wrote it graphically. It is a very quick, heart wrenching read. The reason I mention it is because some scoff at whether or not graphic novels are "real" books. Can a graphic novel adequately tell a story? If you read Stitches there will be no doubt.