Recommended Ages: Gr. 4-6 (no pictures, fairly small text)

Plot Summary: Blaire is finally in 5th grade and the big project for the year is the Fifth Grade Community Service Challenge. Blaire and her friend Thea dream of doing something so amazing it ends up in the glass hall of fame in their school lobby. What could they each do that will truly impact the town of Bluefield? Will Blaire be able to manage her chores at their farm/B&B, plus school work, plus helping the famous tv host who happens to be impressed with her designing abilities and wants her to help out!? Will donating clothes be enough? How about writing recipe cards to get kids to eat more veggies? What could she do for her project?

Setting: NE

Characters:
Blaire - has chores, seems multi-talented -- can cook, sew, envision/design rooms
Eli - just moved to town, has lived in 8 states and visited 17 more, has funny one-liners on her shirts and desk, keeps to himself
Thea - Blaire's best friend
Mom - chef at the B&B
Dad - event planner, just renovated the barn for events
Grandpa - AKA Mr. O'Connell, manages the B&B
Marco - host of the tv show Room Revolutions, incorporates murals from his Mexican culture into his renovations
Suzanne - Marco's assistant
Beckett - Blaire's little brother
Abby - 7 y/o, Blaire met her again at the food pantry

Recurring Themes: fame, designing, decorating, family, friendship, loss of a parent, confidence, chores, cooking, food pantry

Controversial Issues: none

Personal Thoughts: I enjoyed this fast read. It was a well-written middle grade novel with plenty of good characterization and a good plot.

Genre: realistic fiction

Pacing: fast/medium - some description but a lot of action
Characters:
Frame: familiarity with a B&B may be helpful
Storyline:

Activity: ( )