Claudia Mills has been a prolific author for many years. One of my favorite is the Gus and Grandpa series for emergent readers. Friendships are important to children and here we read about the close relationship between seven-year-old Gus and his seventy-year-old Grandpa. Grounded in real life, Gus and Grandpa have many exciting adventures. In her chapter books for students in grades 3 and up, Mills tackles some all-too-true dilemmas children face.
Dealing with overprotective parents is the topic in How Oliver Olson Changed the World. Afraid he will always be an outsider like ex-planet Pluto, nine-year-old Oliver finally shows his extremely overprotective parents that he is capable of doing great things without their help while his class is studying the solar system.
Kelsey Green Reading Queen shows the darker side to those with a competitive nature. When the principal of her school says he will shave off his beard if students read over 2,000 books in a month, Kelsey Green is determined to read the most books, thus getting her name on a plaque. In order to meet that goal, Kelsey reads very short books, not the longer ones she usually enjoys. Of course, by the end of the book Kelsey discovers what’s important: that reading for fun is a lot better than reading for a competition.
And, in her latest, Zero Tolerance, Mills places seventh grade honor student Sierra Shepard in a difficult situation. Sierra comes up against her school’s zero-tolerance policy after she accidentally brings a paring knife to school. While spending her days in detention with the so-called troublemakers, Sierra learns that the lines between right and wrong can be very blurry.
I have a few more books by Mills that are favorites. Stop in and ask me what they are.
