Nixie Ness: Cooking Star: After-School Superstars #1
Series
After-School Superstars
by
Claudia Mills
illustrated by
Grace Zong
Edition
Hardcover edition
Publisher
Holiday House
Imprint
Holiday House
ISBN
9780823440931
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Third graders Nixie Ness and Grace Kenny have been best friends since they were two-years-old. They have always spent every afternoon after school at Nixie’s house until Nixie’s mom announces that she has a job, which means she won’t be there to watch the girls after school, which means Nixie will have to go to the after-school program and Grace will be spending her afternoons at their classmate, Elyse’s, house.
Nixie begrudgingly starts the after-school program, joining the cooking camp. And it turns out that the other children at cooking camp are nice, and the recipes they make are delicious. But Nixie can’t really enjoy being an after-school superstar until she finds a way to overcome her jealousy about Grace and Elyse’s budding friendship.
Perfect for fans of Judy Moody, Ivy and Bean, and Clementine, this new chapter book series features recurring characters, and each book will highlight one activity they do at their after-school program. The books are illustrated in black and white and include a bonus activity that corresponds to the book’s plot. Nixie Ness: Cooking Star features a recipe for morning glory muffins.
Black-and-white illustrations.
POTENTIALLY SENSITIVE AREAS
None
Details
Format
Page Count
128
Trim Size
7" x 5"
Dewey
F
AR
5.7: points 3
Lexile
920L
Genre
Fiction
Scholastic Reading Counts
6
JLG Release
Oct 2019
Book Genres
Topics
Best friends. Friendship. Cooking. After-school programs. Schools.
Standard MARC Records
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Cover Art
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Praise & Reviews
Starred or favorable reviews have been received from these periodicals:
Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book Magazine
Praise & Reviews
School Library Journal
Third grade comes to an abrupt halt when Nixie Ness is forced to attend the after-school program because her mother is going back to work. What will happen to all the memorable afternoons Nixie was going to spend with her BFF Grace? Unfortunately, Grace cannot attend the after-school program, and, to Nixie’s dismay, she will be spending time with another classmate, Elyse, and her cuddly kitten. Although Nixie attends the program reluctantly, she eventually finds she is capable of making new friends. Cooking Camp turns out to be a blast, and Nixie surprises herself by opening up to new possibilities. Vera, Boogie Bass, and Nolan turn out to be reliable friends, ones Nixie would probably not have bothered to get to know if she hadn’t been a part of the camp. Nixie also realizes that Elyse is not out to steal Grace away from her and finds contentment in knowing that friendship comes in many varieties. Young readers will easily relate to this wholesome look at early friendships and conflicts.
Horn Book
Third-graders Nixie and Grace spend every afternoon after school together at Nixie’s house, until the day Nixie’s mom quits working from home to accept her dream job at a bookstore. Nixie will now attend “After School Superstars,” and Grace, whose family can’t afford the after-school program, will spend her afternoons with another classmate, Elyse. Almost immediately, Nixie finds her friendship with Grace facing the strain of jealousy. To complicate matters further, Nixie actually enjoys After School Superstars, especially her cooking class, but she feels guilty forming new friendships. Unaddressed tension grows until Nixie loses control and meanly lashes out at Grace: “The only reason you go to Elyse’s house is because your parents are too poor to send you to after-school camp with everybody else! Her family felt sorry for you!” She eventually makes amends (and cookies), leading to a satisfying resolution. Humorous vignettes from cooking class lighten the story, with the kids Nixie meets there gently helping her to both figure out how to broaden her friend group and discover the power of apologies, grand gestures, and honest conversation. Expressive black-and-white illustrations give newer chapter-book readers time to pause and process the events and maybe consider their own friendship dramas.
Grades 2-4
Independent Readers Plus
For Grades 2-4
Want even more? If 12 Independent books a year just aren't enough for your hungry readers, our I+ category has what you're looking for-providing 14 more titles at the very same reading level.
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Interests
Chapter Books,Fiction,Reluctant Readers,Transitional Readers
Grades 2-4
Independent Readers Plus
14 books per Year
$258.44 per Year
