Great Books

Beginning Reader of the Week

Late Nate (I Like to Read)
by Emily Arnold McCully (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: The race is today. Jake, Jane, Mom, and Dad are ready to leave, but where is Nate?

Snippet:
Dad calls.
“Wake up, Nate!
Get out of bed.”
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Chapter Book of the Day

The Grave Robber’s Apprentice
by Allan Stratton (Author)
288 pages

Booktalk: Hans doesn’t know who he is or where he came from. When he was a baby, he washed ashore in a wooden box and was adopted by the conniving grave robber, Knobbe the Bent. Now fate has thrown him together with Angela von Schwanenberg, a young countess fleeing for her life from the evil Archduke Arnulf and his dreaded Necromancer. Together, these friends are on a daring quest to discover Hans’ true identity and to save Angela’s parents from the archduke.

Snippet: The grave robber dragged the chest to higher ground and pried off the lock with his shovel. Inside, he saw a rich woolen blanket wrapped around some hidden prize. He unspooled the wrapping, hoping to find some treasure–perhps a carved ostrich egg or an ivory horn encrusted with gold. Instead, he came face to face with a baby.
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Nonfiction Book Blast 2012

It’s almost time for our Nonfiction Book Blast panel, so I’ve created @NFBookBlast (on Twitter) to keep all of the links in one place.

We’ll share 1 link a day until June 23. Here is what has shown so far.

• Marc Aronson booktalks Master of Deceit: J Edgar Hoover and America in the Age of Lies
• Anastasia Suen booktalks Johnny Appleseed
• Susan Goldman Rubin booktalks Music Was IT: Young Leonard Bernstein
• Seymour Simon booktalks Butterflies

Save the date! June 23, 2012 Nonfiction Book Blast 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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Literary Links

Print Books, Basic Ebooks may Top Enhanced Ebooks at Fostering Literacy, Says Study (via The Digital Shift)

Have a great picture book idea? June 6-July 25 (online) writing workshops begin in 2 weeks!
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Go-Kart Rush

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Go-Kart Rush

Go-Kart Rush

Go-Kart Rush by Anastasia Suen (writing as Jake Maddox)
A go-kart novel

• Copyright: 2007
• Guided Reading Level: M
• Lexile Level: 540L
• ATOS Level: 3.4
• AR Quiz Number: 111887
• Library Binding / Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Stone Arch Books

Tony is used to being the best. With his old kart, he won every single race. But now he’s twelve, and he’s moved up to the next class of racing—TAG karts. Sure, he gets to drive a cool new kart that goes faster than anything he’s ever driven. But he has to race against kids three years older than him, who aren’t nice to him, and who have been driving TAG karts for years. How is Tony supposed to get used to losing? And when Jon, one of the older kids, invites him to practice, is Jon just setting Tony up for more embarrassment?

Activities:

Play the online Go-Kart Racing Game. (Control your Go-Kart by using the 4 arrow keys.)

Try this online Kart Karting puzzle.

Use math to win the Go-Go Go-Karts online racing game. You can play by yourself or with a friend.

Can you find all of the words in this Kart Racing wordsearch?

Visit the World Karting Association’s webpage to find out when the next karting race is in your area.

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Picture Book of the Day

Perfect Square
by Michael Hall (Author, Illustrator)

Booktalk: A perfect square is transformed in this adventure story that will transport you far beyond the four equal sides of this square book.

Snippet:
On Tuesday,
the square was torn into scraps.

TURN THE PAGE

So it made itself into a garden.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Big Bad Sheep
by Bettina Wegenast (Author) and Katharina Buhoff (Illustrator)
64 pages

Booktalk: The big bad wolf is dead! But no sooner do the three little pigs start celebrating than the sheep Karl decides to apply to be the wolf’s replacement. He’s barely slipped on the wolf’s skin when he starts to change before the very eyes of his friends, becoming perhaps a bit more wolf than anyone expected.

Snippet: The dwarf turned to Karl again. “So why should we appoint you to the post of Wolf?”

“Because…” Karl looked at the ground.

“Well?” the dwarf drummed impatiently on his desk.

Karl took a deep breath. “Because…because I want it. Because I’m the best. Because I’m not one of those bell-wearing types.
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June 2012 Online Workshops

The June 2012 workshops will begin on Wednesday, June 6th.

Which workshop is best for you?

New to children’s books?
Learn about the different types of children’s books in the Children’s Book Genres Workshop.

Passionate about literacy?
Find out how you can write for children learning to read in the Children’s Literacy Workshop (for Writers).

Ready to write?
Write and edit your book in the

• Intensive Picture Book Workshop,
• Easy Reader Workshop,
• Children’s Chapter Books Workshop or the
• Children’s Novels Workshop.

After you finish a writing workshop you can work through two more edits in a “work-in-progress” workshop, by rewriting your picture book or easy reader or working on the next chapter of your children’s chapter book or children’s novel.

The June workshop dates are June 6-July 25, 2012.

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May carnival is up!

Visit the May Carnival Of Children’s Literature over at
Hope Is The Word.

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Go-Kart Rush

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

I Love My Daddy
by Giles Andreae (Author) and Emma Dodd (Illustrator)

Booktalk: A toddler tells us why she loves her Daddy. Perfect for Father’s Day!

Snippet:
I love my daddy, yes I do,
He’s very kind–and funny too.
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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by TeacherDance.

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Chapter Book of the Day

Get Outside: The Kids Guide to Fun in the Great Outdoors
by Jane Drake (Author), Ann Love (Author) and Heather Collins (Illustrator)
176 pages

Booktalk: After reading Get Outside, a kid will never say, “I’m bored!” again. A key to the world of fun beyond the front door, kids will find activities divided into four categories: Nature Lover, Outdoor Fun and Games, Cozy Inside and Look to the Sky. There are instructions for making things and rules for games with fun facts and scientific, historic and cultural context.

Snippet:
SPUD:
When the picnic is over and it’s time to get moving, SPUD is the game of choice. All you need is a flat playing area, four or more players and a soft ball such as a tennis ball.
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STEM Friday

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Come share your link!

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Nonfiction Monday on May 28, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on May 28, 2012

is at Perogies & Gyoza

.

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The Story of Hockey

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Young Readers

Picture Book of the Day

Move!
by Robin Page (Author) and Steve Jenkins (Illustrator)

Booktalk: See how animals move! Each new action is shown by two different animals, and each animal moves in two different ways.

Snippet:
swing
A gibbon swings through jungle trees…

TURN THE PAGE

…or walks on two back legs.
walk
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Comic of the Week

Big City Otto (Elephants Never Forget)
by Bill Slavin (Author, Illustrator)
80 pages

Booktalk: Otto is a lumbering, sweet-natured elephant who can’t forget his childhood chum Georgie, a smiley-faced chimpanzee who was abducted and shipped away from their forest home by the mysterious and sinister Man with the Wooden Nose. Accompanied by a wisecracking but protective parrot named Crackers, Otto decides to hop a plane and look for Georgie in America. But once they hit the wild streets of the concrete jungle, Otto and Crackers court trouble at every turn…

Snippet:
CRACKERS: They were good times, Otto, but Georgie’s gone! You’ve gotta get used to it.

OTTO: But I miss him Crackers! We were pals! And that day haunts me. I just feel I could have done more.
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May 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

• Our May 2012 host is Hope Is The Word.
• Add YOUR post to this carnival by filling out this form.
• The deadline for adding your post is May 26th.
• The carnival will go live on May 28th.

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STEM Friday is coming!

STEM Friday is coming! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

If you blog about science or math books tomorrow,

come share your link!

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Literary Links

Writing your children’s chapter book this summer? Take a June 6-July 25 (online) writing workshop!
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The Story of Hockey

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Bug and Bear: A Story of True Friendship
by Ann Bonwill (Author) and Layn Marlow (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Bug wants to play, but Bear wants to nap.

Snippet:
Bug was being annoying.
He zipped and zapped aound Bear’s head.
“Will you play with me, Bear?” he buzzed, “Please, please, pleazzze?”
Bear didn’t want play. She wanted to nap.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Blood Brotherhood
by M. Zachary Sherman (Author) and Fritz Casas (Illustrator)
88 pages

Booktalk: On December 1, 1950, during the heart of the Korean War, Lieutenant Everett Donovan awakens in a mortar crater behind enemy lines. During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, a mine explosion has killed his entire platoon of U.S. Marines. Shaken and shivering from the subzero temps, the lieutenant struggles to his feet and stands among the bodies of his fellow Devil Dogs. Suddenly, a shot rings out! Donovan falls to his knees and when he looks up, he’s face to face with his Korean counterpart. Both men know the standoff will end in brotherhood or blood . . . and neither choice will come easy.

Snippet: Sunlight.

Golden rays stabbed at the back of the man’s brain as his eyes fluttered open. The world around him was hazy and out of focus. A muffled humming filled his ears, deafening his surroundings as he tried to sit up. His head felt like he was balancing a bowling ball on his neck. His own shallow breathing echoed in his skull.
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5 Great Books About Summer (for beginning readers)

Eloise’s Summer Vacation
by Lisa McClatchy (Author) and Tammie Lyon (Illustrator)
Eloise is going on a road trip across the country with Weenie and Nanny. Level 1 easy reader

Flip Flop!
by Dana M. Rau (Author) and Jana Christy (Illustrator)
Two best friends celebrate summer in this rhyming Level 1 easy reader.

Frog and Friends: The Best Summer Ever
by Eve Bunting (Author) and Josee Masse (Illustrator)
Frog has the best summer ever in these three easy reader chapter stories.

Pearl and Wagner: Five Days Till Summer
by Kate McMullan (Author) and R.W. Alley (Illustrator)
With only five days of school left, Pearl dreads leaving her favorite teacher. Level 3 easy reader

Summer
by Alice Low (Author) and Roy McKie (Illustrator)
Enjoy this classic rhyming beginning reader about the joys of summer.
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Literary Links

Add your post to the May 2012 Carnival of Children’s Literature today!

Have a great picture book idea? June 6-July 25 (online) writing workshops begin in 2 weeks!
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The Story of Hockey

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

The Story of Hockey

The Story of Hockey

The Story of Basketball by Anastasia Suen
A hi-lo sports history easy reader.

• Copyright Date: 2002
• ATOS Level: 3.2
• AR Quiz Number: 56098
• Hardcover/Paperback/eBook: 24 pages
• Publishers: Rosen/Rigby
• Find it at your library

Forms of hockey have been played for centuries. This book gives young readers a glimpse into the rich history of this exciting sport.

Activities

See the latest hockey news and videos at NHL.com.

Explore the Science of Hockey.

Try this hockey maze puzzle.

Can you find all of the words in this hockey word search?

Make your own Hockey Word Search.

Also available in Spanish

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Picture Book of the Day

Ellen’s Broom
by Kelly Starling Lyons (Author) and Daniel Minter (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Ellen always knew the broom resting above the hearth was special. Before it was legal for her mother and father to officially be married, the broom was what made them a family anyway. But now all former slaves who had already been married in their hearts could register as lawful husband and wife.

Snippet: Sunday morning, Ellen sat on the front pew with her family. She wiggled on the wooden seat, trying to get comfortable.

**Kelly is one of my former students!**

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Chapter Book of the Day

Wolf Mark
by Joseph Bruhac (Author)
392 pages

Booktalk: Luke King knows a lot of things. Like four different ways to disarm an enemy before the attacker can take a breath. Like every detail of every book he’s ever read. And Luke knows enough–just enough–about what his father does as a black ops infiltrator to know which questions not to ask.

Snippet:
Friday morning
Maybe from now on my life is going to be like that of any other kids my age. Maybe I can really have friends and not have to move to a new town every six months. Maybe things are finally going to be normal for me. Or at least as close to normal as any teenager’s life can be after his mother dies and he’s stuck in a rundown trailer with a father who lost himself in the bottom of a bottle.
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June 2012 Online Workshops

The June 2012 workshops will begin on Wednesday, June 6th.

Which workshop is best for you?

New to children’s books?
Learn about the different types of children’s books in the Children’s Book Genres Workshop.

Passionate about literacy?
Find out how you can write for children learning to read in the Children’s Literacy Workshop (for Writers).

Ready to write?
Write and edit your book in the

• Intensive Picture Book Workshop,
• Easy Reader Workshop,
• Children’s Chapter Books Workshop or the
• Children’s Novels Workshop.

After you finish a writing workshop you can work through two more edits in a “work-in-progress” workshop, by rewriting your picture book or easy reader or working on the next chapter of your children’s chapter book or children’s novel.

The June workshop dates are June 6-July 25, 2012.

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Literary Links

Neil Gaiman Shares ‘Secret Freelancer Knowledge’ (via @GalleyCat)
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The Story of Hockey

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Nonfiction Monday

Picture Book of the Day

What We Wear: Dressing Up Around the World
by Maya Ajmera, Elise Hofer Derstine and Cynthia Pon (Authors)

Booktalk: Vibrant photographs from around the world showcase the many different types of clothing that kids wear to play, study, pretend and celebrate. From school uniforms to costumes, traditional ethnic clothing to sports team jerseys-no matter what kids wear, clothes are an important part of who they are.

Snippet:
Around the world,
we dress up to have fun!
We dance and play…
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Chapter Book of the Day

Hockey (Record Breakers)
by Blaine Wiseman (Author)
24 pages

Booktalk: Whether it is a huge play to win the Stanley Cup or a big trade, hockey is full of exciting moments. Learn about the greatest achievements of hockey’s biggest stars.

Snippet:
Shut the Door
A shutout is very important in hockey. It happens when the goalie stops every shot in a single game. During a game, if the opposing team has not scored, it is considered bad luck for a player to say “shutout.”
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Nonfiction Monday

This week’s Nonfiction Monday Round-up host is Apple with Many Seeds

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Nonfiction Book Blast 2012

Kathleen Krull booktalks Lives of the Musicians

on the Nonfiction Book Blast blog today…

Save the date! June 23, 2012 Nonfiction Book Blast 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

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May 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

• Our April 2012 host is Hope Is The Word.
• Add YOUR post to this carnival by filling out this form.
• The deadline for adding your post is May 26th.
• The carnival will go live on May 28th.

_____________________________________________________________________

The Story of Hockey

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Friday Reads

Picture Book of the Day

Big Birthday
by Kate Hosford (Author) and Holly Clifton-Brown (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Annabelle was tired of birthdays at the zoo. She wanted something different….

Snippet:
My birthday is soon.
It’s practically here.
I think I’ll have my party
on the moon this year.
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Poetry Friday

This week’s Poetry Friday Round-up is hosted by Write. Sketch. Repeat..

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Chapter Book of the Day

The Science of Soldiers (Science of War)
by Lucia Raatma (Author)
48 pages

Booktalk: What does it take to be a soldier? Strength and intelligence both play a part, but soldiers need extra help to do their job of defending their country. Enter technology such as satellites, robotics, and computers. Learn all about these forms of technology and the scientific principles behind them.

Snippet: Years ago this soldier wouldn’t have had much of a chance. But technology allowed him to watch his enemy without putting himself in harm’s way. Silent and unseen, he was able to assess the situation and figure out a plan. Science saved this soldier.
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STEM Friday

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Come share your link!

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Nonfiction Monday on May 21, 2012

Nonfiction Monday is coming!

The Nonfiction Monday Round-up on May 21, 2012

is at Apple with Many Seeds.

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The Story of Basketball

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Young Readers

Picture Book of the Day

Little Quack Counts
by Lauren Thompson (Author) and Derek Anderson (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Two little ducks count to five.

Snippet:
Little Quack and Widdle
see 1 butterfly.
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Comic of the Week

Batman Vol. 1: The Court of Owls (The New 52)
by Scott Snyder (Author) and Greg Capullo (Illustrator)
164 pages

Booktalk: After a series of brutal murders rocks Gotham City, Batman begins to realize that perhaps these crimes go far deeper than appearances suggest. As the Caped Crusader begins to unravel this deadly mystery, he discovers a conspiracy going back to his youth and beyond to the origins of the city he’s sworn to protect. Could the Court of Owls, once thought to be nothing more than an urban legend, be behind the crime and corruption? Or is Bruce Wayne losing his grip on sanity and falling prey to the pressures of his war on crime?

Snippet:
“Beware the court of owls,
that watches all the time,
ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch,
behind granite and lime.
They watch you at your hearth,
they watch you in your bed,
speak not a whispered word of them,
or–”

BONUS! Read an interview with Scott Snyder!
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May 2012 Carnival Of Children’s Literature

• Our April 2012 host is Hope Is The Word.
• Add YOUR post to this carnival by filling out this form.
• The deadline for adding your post is May 26th.
• The carnival will go live on May 28th.

_____________________________________________________________________

STEM Friday is coming!

STEM Friday is coming! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

If you blog about science or math books tomorrow,

come share your link!

_____________________________________________________________________

Literary Links

Perseus Mkting Exec Rick Joyce on Crafting a Digital Book Strategy
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The Story of Basketball

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

Great Books

Picture Book of the Day

Little Bea
by  [Hardcover]
Daniel Roode (Author, Illustrator)Laurie Jacobs (Author) and Anne Jewett (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Bzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Little Bea is a busy, busy bee. When the sun wakes up, so does she.

Snippet:
Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz!
Little Bea scoots from her flower and takes off.
Flutter. Flutter. Flutter. Hello, Butterfly!
Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz.
Little Bea buzzes as she flies by.
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Chapter Book of the Day

Dear America: With the Might of Angels
The Dairy of Dawnie Rae Johnson
Hadley, Virginia, 1954
by Andrea Davis Pinkney
336 pages

Booktalk: Twelve-year-old Dawnie Rae Johnson’s life turns upside down after the Supreme Court rules infavor of desegregation in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education. Her parents decide that Dawnie will attend Prettyman Coburn, a previously all-white school–but she’ll be the only one of her friends to enroll in this new school.

Snippet: There are two public schools in Hadley–ours and theirs.

Our school, Mary McLeod Bethune, is for colored kids only. It includes kindergarteners up to twelth graders. Everyone is colored, including the teachers.

BONUS! See the video!

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5 Great Books About Hamsters

Hamster Champs
by Stuart J. Murphy (Author) and Pedro Martin (Illustrator)
Learn about angles in this MathStart picture book as 3 hamsters race a toy car.

Hamster Chase
by Anastasia Suen (Author) and Allan Eitzen (Illustrator)
The kids in Peter’s Neighborhood (Ezra Jack Keats) chase a hamster in this Level 3 easy reader.

Ready, Freddy! Stop That Hamster
by Abby Klein (Author) and John Mckinley (Illustrator)
Freddy take the class hamster home for the weekend. Chapter book

The Best Seat in Second Grade
by Katharine Kenah (Author) and Abby Carter (Illustrator)
Sam takes the class hamster on a field trip in this Level 2 easy reader.

The Case of Hermie the Missing Hamster
by James Preller (Author) and R. W. Alley (Illustrator)
Wingnut’s hamster is missing, so Jigsaw Jones and his partner, Mila, are on the case. Chapter book
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Literary Links

New Voices Writers Award: for a children’s picture book manuscript by a writer of color (via @LEEandLOW)

Seventh Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge is June 8-10, 2012 (via @MotherReader)
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The Story of Basketball

Copyright © 2012 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.