Add in a creative new teacher, Miss Lightstone, and a world of possibilities opens up for Gina, Antonio, and their classmates.

That is, until she meets her new neighbor, a mysterious boy named Antonio with a wide, welcoming smile. With her bright clothing and artistic spirit, she's always felt different from the other kids in her class. Gina Filomena has been told she has an overactive imagination. It's a fun way to keep your child entertained and engaged while not in the classroom. This middle grade novel is an excellent choice for tween readers in grades 5 to 6, at home or at school. Perfect for fans of Love That Dog, this tale is about the transformative power of imagination and the journey to becoming who you are meant to be.

From Sharon Creech, Newbery Medal winner and New York Times bestselling author, comes a powerful coming-of-age story of a girl who discovers the endless possibilities her future may hold, with help from a brilliant teacher and a boy with a generous smile. Threaded with themes of friendship, acceptance, and self-discovery, Gina’s story slowly unfolds, reminding readers that it’s okay to imagine life’s possibilities while still accepting its undeniable realities. In short, vignette-like chapters, Newbery Medalist Creech ( Walk Two Moons) expertly develops a relatable, amusingly foibled cast-including Gina’s inquisitive schoolmates and demanding Italian relatives-and classroom verve conveyed via a scriptlike immediacy. With the help of her eclectic teacher and perceptive Antonio, with whom she finds herself mentally connected, Gina begins to see the world differently, questioning who she is, who she might become, and what possibilities life holds for her and for her classmates. When Gina’s friendly new neighbor, Antonio, joins her class, his “wide, gleaming, welcoming smile” and unusual observations (“There was a porcupine here-right here-eating licorice”) enthrall her classmates. In the past, her colorful clothes and imaginative stories about Angel Lucia-both sent by her Italian nonna-have garnered unwanted attention at school, including bullying cries of “Gina gypsy.” But her new teacher, Miss Lightstone, also wears colorful clothes and encourages her students to write with abandon. Eleven-year-old Gina Filomena lives in Ohio with her mother and father.

One time by sharon creech