KITCHEN FUN Pears

school-themed novels that make the grade

1. A wise and funny hamster shares his cage’seye view of the classroom in Betty G. Birney’s The World According to Humphrey. Not one to simply spin his wheel, Humphrey squeaks his way into the hearts of Room 26’s students (whom he amusingly calls by such names as Raise-Your-HandHeidi and LowerYour-Voice-A.J.) and their rodentaverse teacher. Ages 8 to 12 $5.99, penguin.com 2. In The Dunderheads, by author Paul Fleischman and illustrator David Roberts, a ragtag class sets out to recover a treasure from the fortresslike home of their teacher, the tyrannical Miss Breakbone. Yet to pull off this Ocean’s Eleven–style caper, the kids must pool their outrageously unique talents, from scaling walls to making paper clip chains. Ages 9 to 12 $6.99, amazon.com 3. The rubbergloved heroine of Jarrett J. Krosoczka’s Lunch Lady graphic novels doesn’t just slap together sloppy joes—she fi ghts crime! Packed with action, food jokes, and often a combination of the two (fi sh stick nunchakus, anyone?), this 10-book series is as inventive and satisfying as Lunch Lady’s pepperoni pancakes. Ages 8 to 12 $6.99 each, indiebound.org 4. A sensitive boy faces the everyday dramas of second grade in Kevin Henkes’s Newbery Honor–winning The Year of Billy Miller. Whether fretting about a bump on the head or writing a poem about his mom, Billy is portrayed with aff ecting realism and gentle humor over one memorable and heartwarming school year. Ages 7 and up $6.99, harpercollins.com create your own.

active learning

WATER BALLOON MATH

Let your kids make a splash—and soak up some number skills over the summer—with these simple games.

BY DEBRA IMMERGUT

set it up

1 | Sandwich skewers within folded lengths of duct tape to make four or five flags. With a permanent marker, write numbers (these will be the solutions to the problems, so choose them based on your kids’ math skill levels). 2 | Lay hula hoops or circles of rope on the ground and insert the flags, as shown. 3 | Fill balloons with water (big box stores sell kits with a hose attachment, making this step really easy). On the balloons, write problems with answers that match the flag numbers.

two ways to play

> bomb the test Players pick a balloon, then, standing a few feet back, toss it at the target marked with the correct solution. A hit scores a point. The player with the most points wins. > splash math Have kids play catch, tossing each balloon the number of times equal to the problem’s solution (if the balloon reads “2 + 3,” toss it 5 times). Players who drop the balloon get a point (and get wet). The player with the fewest points wins. Use permanent marker to write problems on water balloons.

seasonal recipe

PEARS IN A BLANKET

Turn a sweet fall fruit into a delicious pastry-wrapped dessert in four simple steps. BY JOY HOWARD

1. Heat the oven to 400°. In a small bowl, stir together 2 tbsp. sugar and ¼ tsp. cinnamon. In another bowl, make an egg wash by whisking an egg with 1 tbsp. milk. 2. Peel, halve, and core 2 pears, leaving the stems intact. Sprinkle each half with the cinnamon sugar on both sides, then place the pears, cored side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly. 3. Roll out a sheet of puff pastry to remove its score marks. Cut the sheet into 4 rectangles. Wrap each pear with a piece of pastry and trim away the excess. Use the scraps to make a leaf shape for each pear. Attach the pieces with the egg wash. 4. Bake until the pastry is puff ed and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the pears cool 10 minutes before fl ipping them over and serving with a dollop of whipped cream or ice cream.

yum!