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The Third Mushroom
Last updated Friday, January 27, 2023
Author: Jennifer L. Holm
Date of Publication: 2018
ISBN: 1524719803
Grade Level: 5th (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Jan. 2023
Synopsis:
Ellie's grandpa Melvin is a world-renowned scientist . . . in the body of a fourteen-year-old boy. His feet stink, and he eats everything in the refrigerator - and Ellie is so happy to have him around. Grandpa may not exactly fit in at middle school, but he certainly keeps things interesting. When he and Ellie team up for the county science fair, no one realizes just how groundbreaking their experiment will be. The formula for eternal youth may be within their reach! And when Ellie's cat, Jonas Salk, gets sick, the stakes become even higher. But is the key to eternal life really the key to happiness? Sometimes even the most careful experiments yield unexpected - and wonderful - results.
| Note to readers: |
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Ellie, is a 7 th grade middle-schooler. Her grandfather, Melvin, a scientist, has aged backwards and looks
the same age as Ellie. When he visits Ellie, his daughter, Ellie’s mom, makes him go to school with her so
Child Protective Services won’t be bothering them. Together, they can do science experiments.
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| Discussion topics for before reading: |
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Read the above paragraph.
Are you close to any of your grandparents? What kinds of things do you like to do together? How
would you like to have one of them be the same age as you? What different things might you do
together?
Vocabulary:
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cuisine: a manner for preparing food, a style of cooking. Also the food prepared (e.g., French cuisine).
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scientist: a person who works in a field of science.
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belligerent: inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility or combativeness.
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analytical: skilled at using analysis, especially separating something into component parts.
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specimen: a portion or quantity of material for use in testing or experimenting.
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hygiene: condition or practice (as in cleanliness) conducive to health.
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axolotl: Pronounced “ax o la til”. Any of several small salamanders that inhabit lakes and ponds of
Mexico.
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jellyfish: a free-swimming, bell-shaped creature with tentacles that hang down
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| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
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Ellie lives in San Francisco, a city with a wide variety of cuisine available. Just like here in L.A. Have you
ever tried a different cuisine or ethnic food other than you own? Such as Vietnamese, Cuban, Ukrainian
or Thai? How did you like it?
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Are there any foods you really dislike, just as Ellie hates mushrooms?
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Have you ever done a science experiment or participated in a science fair? If so, what did you do? What
was the outcome?
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*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
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