Mystery and a Melting Town That a Young Girl Feels That She Must Save in This Exciting Adventure Read

Jeffrey Michael Ruby's Penelope March is Melting is a fun read for ages 9-12 that brings the idea of girl power to the forefront with its heroine who knows that she must save her town that sits on an iceberg from melting away. Penelope is a lonely bookworm but she knows that she must step forward to keep her town from disappearing. Let the adventures begin when she and her brother discover a mystery and set off to solve it and save the town of Glacier Cove. Penelope sees dripping water from icicles all around and hears popping sounds and she knows that the town is facing disaster. A funny little man and her friend Coral add to the adventures as Penelope and her brother embark on their job to save the town before it is too late.

A charming end to the story comes about when Penelope discovers photos, love letters, and jewelry that her deceased mother left behind. This discovery brings Penelope and her father closer together as they continue their lives in Glacier Cove. Penelope March is Melting teaches that girl power really exists to save one's home and discover yourself in the process.

Penelope March is Melting was published by Delacorte Press, a division of Penguin/Random House. It is recommended for ages 9-12 and has an ISBN of 978-1-5247-1828-2.

Teachers who teach reading and language arts in middle school classrooms will want to add Jeffrey Michael Ruby's Penelope March is Melting to their classroom library. Adventure, mystery, and an iceberg will engage young readers in this fun read. Chapter books are great to share with reading aloud each day in a group reading period.

*Read a few chapters each day in a group reading period. Students have the opportunity to improve their ability to read aloud when teachers use a time period each day for this activity.

*Call attention to the fact that Penelope is a "bookworm". Are there any bookworms in the class?

*How does Penelope meet the character of Wolfknuckle? Is he real or imaginary? Call attention to the imagination that is present in the story.

*Call attention to the fact that Penelope's town sits on top of an iceberg. Read the chapters that describe the iceberg and the effect that it will have on the town's existence.

*The presence of the iceberg presents an opportunity for children to explore the existence of icebergs and to learn about how climate change affects these massive ice blocks. Have a globe available for students to locate the parts of the world in which there are icebergs.

*Expand interest in Penelope's adventure with the melting iceberg by engaging the students in the subject of climate change that is at the forefront of scientific concerns now. Students might like to explore science magazines and news articles that they find that discusses the melting icebergs around the world.

*Assign a science project for students to participate in to explore climate change and melting icebergs around the world.

*Have a class discussion of the fact that some people do not believe that climate change is actually occurring. Take a class poll of students who might fall into that category of nonbelievers. Divide the class into two sides-those who think that climate change is happening and those who do not or are skeptical of climate change. Have each side prepare arguments for and against the facts that climate change is happening.

*Penelope is a female heroine of the story. Engage students in a discussion of girl power and female heroines in other books that they may have read. Are there differences in how female heroines go about their adventures and how their male counterparts go about their adventures?

*Penelope encounters a volcano at the end of her adventures. Call attention to the volcano and engage students in a study of volcanoes along with icebergs. These two entities offer students the opportunity to learn more about our earth's treasures. Have a globe available to locate the parts of the world that have volcanoes.