Muller In the Middle

Childs, Tera Lynn. Oh my Gods

2010-06-02T05:32:00.000-04:00

Childs, Tera Lynn. Oh my Gods. Dutton, 2008 [978-0-525-47942-0]
Phoebe's mom comes back from a Greek vacation with news that she's marrying someone from Greece and they will be moving there for. Phoebe will have to spend her senior year away from all her friends only to join them in college the following year. Once on the island Phoebe encounters the usual teenage girl problems, fitting in with her classmates at school, boy problems and of course, step-sister problems. This is all accented by the secret of the island. This is a hideaway for descendants of Greek Gods. Not only does Phoebe have have to deal with new friends but they also have supernatural powers. To top it all off, this is all a big secret so Phoebe can not tell her two best friends at home. Toppnig this all off, there is a GREAT surprise ending. This 254 page book would be a good story without the Greek God thing, but that bounces it up a notch. It would be a good book for girls who have read the Percy Jackson series.

Selzer, Adam. How to get suspended and influence people

2010-06-01T03:41:00.000-04:00

Selzer, Adam. How to get suspended and influence people. Delacorte, [978-0-385-73369-4]
Leon's eighth grade gifted and talented class (a bunch of smart wise-guys) are given an assignment to make health and safety films for the 6th and 7th graders. Of course Leon chooses the topic of sex education so he can make a dicey film. Suddenly he gets serious though, trying to pattern his film after a Fellini masterpiece. His which explains that going through puberty is tough, is not accepted well by the school and he is suspended. Now he and the school get embattled in a censorship war. This is a fun book about a bunch of smart rebels. Be careful that although the book is only 184 pages, it is not for elementary readers. There is discussion of masterbation. The book would be a great one for high-interest, low level readers.

Klein, Lisa. Ophelia

2010-05-25T04:51:00.000-04:00

Klein, Lisa. Ophelia. Bloomsbury, 2006 [1-58234-801-4 // 978-1-58234-804-8]
This is an novelized expansion of the story of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet. Ophelia falls in love with Hamlet but eventually must escape the castle, from the mess there. She devises a plan to sneak away with a secret known only to her. This is a tragic love story which follows Shakespeare's tale. I can not comment on how close it is to the original, not being familiar with it. Even without comparisons, this 328 page book is a very readable love story.

Shearer, Alex. Canned

2010-05-24T04:59:00.000-04:00

Shearer, Alex. Canned. Scholastic, 2008 [978-0-439-920309-7 // 0-439-90309-2]
Fergal is an unusual kid who one day decides to start collecting unlabeled cans. One day he finds a can that is light and has a light rattle so he decides to open it. Inside he finds a earring. Another day he finds a can with a strange sound so he opens that and inside was a cutoff finger. He meets another kid who collects cans who has also found strange things in them. They decide to figure out what is happening without telling anyone yet. Well this starts an adventure in which Fergal has to be rescued. This 237 page book is a fun story that gets a little strange at times. A good read.

Cooney, Caroline B. If the witness lied.

2010-05-19T05:08:00.001-04:00

Cooney, Caroline B. If the witness lied. Delacorte, 2009 [978-0-385-73448-6]
Jack and his family have been torn up by the tragic events of the last years. Their mother died of cancer and shortly thereafter there was a terrible accident which killed their father. Luckily their Aunt was able to come and take over the family. Not only were the events terrible, but the media attention made them worse. Now when the Aunt wants to stir up the media again, Jack and his siblings start to really think about the accident which killed their father. What if Aunt who was the only witness to the accident had lied about the facts? Why would she have done so.? In this 213 page book Cooney has once again written and thought-provoking mystery. She continues to write wonderful, non-formula books.

Pinkwater, Daniel. The Yggyssey

2010-05-18T05:01:00.000-04:00

Pinkwater, Daniel. The Yggyssey: How Iggy wondered what happened to all the ghosts, found out where they went, and went there. Houghton Mifflin, 2009 [978-0-618-59445-0]
In this sequel to "The Neddiad", Iggy notices that all the ghosts in the old L.A. hotel where he lives are disappearing. He decides to take a collection of his friends (both human and spiritual) to go on an adventure to find them and discover whey they left. This 245 page book is another of Pinkwater's books with his strange humor. Although it is not as zaney as some of his others, either you like his books, or your don't. There is no middle road. I happen to like them but I have a hard time selling them to students.

Lupica, Mike. Million-dollar Throw

2010-05-16T07:43:00.000-04:00

Lupica, Mike. Million-Dollar throw. Philomel Books, 2009 [0-399-24626-5]
Nat loves football and has a good passing arm so when he wins a chance to win a million dollars by throwing a ball through a target on national TV, he is excited. Unfortunately troubles are also piling on him. His family is really feeling the strains of the troubled economy and to top it all off, his best friend is going blind. The problems begin to effect his throw. While one he thought is was a sure thing to win the million dollars, now things are looking bleak. Can he make the throw? What will he do with his million dollars if he does? This 244 page book is a another great sports story (with much more) by Lupica. I can not keep his books on my shelves.

Sanderson, Brandon. Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians

2010-05-16T07:30:00.000-04:00

Sanderson, Brandon. Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians. Scholastic Press, 2007 [978-0439-92550-1 // 0-439-42550-9]
Alcatraz (his family members are named after prisons) receives a mysterious delivery of sand on his 13th birthday. Soon he meets his unusual grandfather who as a special talent and shows Alcatraz what his special talent. His grandfather takes Alcatraz on an adventure to save the world from the evil librarians who try to the world by controlling all information. This 308 page book is an interesting fantasy with strange creature and puts librarians in an evil light...I thought we were supposed to be forces for good.

Green, Tim. Football Hero

2010-05-16T07:13:00.000-04:00

Green, Tim. Football Hero. Harper Collins, 2008 [978-0-06-112275-0]
Before the book opens, Thane & Ty's parents are killed in a car crash. Thane is a big football star at college who is being courted by the NFL. Ty now lives with his seedy aunt and Uncle. His uncle forces Ty to work in his cleaning business. Ty, unwittingly gives insider information about his brother's games to his Uncle and this insider information gets them tangled up with a Mafia betting scheme. This 297 book is a sports book, a story of two orphans struggling to remain a family, and a suspense story all tied up in one.

Vande Velde, Vivian. Stolen

2010-04-29T05:46:00.001-04:00

Vande Velde, Vivian. Stolen. Marshall Cavenish, 2008
On the day the witch's house was burnt down, twelve-year-old Isabelle is found running through the woods with no memory. She does not know anything but her name. I was believed many years ago that Isabelle was stolen by a witch. Now her mother is overjoyed to have her back but her sister does not believe this girl is their Isabelle. This is a intriguing 158 page book. Once again Vande Velda has crafted a wonderful tale with a surprising ending.

Barrtoletti, Susan Campbell. The boy who dared

2010-03-26T05:02:00.000-04:00

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. The boy who dared. Scholastic, 2008 [978-0-439-68013-4 // 0-439-68013-1]
This is the fictionalized story of a seventeen-year-old young man who was executed in Germany in October 1942 for writing and distributing leaflets against the Nazi Government. The story in the 202 page book is told from his cell while he is waiting for his execution and is an interesting read. helmuth was a young man who was coming to age in Hitler's Germany, was a Hitler Youth and had a brother who had a brother who went off to war in the German army. Bertoletti, who wrote the award winning Hitler Youth book thoroughly researched this story. There are wonderful historical notes at the end of the book.

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. The world we live in

2010-03-21T21:18:00.002-04:00

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. The world we live in. Harcourt, 2010 [978-0-547-24804-2]
This book follows both "Life as we knew it" and "The dead and the gone." I guess I will label "Life as we knew it" as Vol 1a and "The dead and the gone" as 1b because they are both happening at the same time and are not sequels and this one is truly a book 2, following both them. Here we are once again in western Pennsylvania surviving in a harsh world after the moon has shifted out of orbit. Because this whole thing could possibly happen, the first two books sent me into a depression after reading them. This 239 page one did not have such an effect... I guess because they (or at least some) are still surviving. In this story, the characters from the two books meet up. Unfortunately I really don't want to say much more to ruin the plot. Once again, it is a powerful book, dealing with the harsh realities of people trying to survive in a cruel world. These books are not for elementary students, but I would say every middle school and HS library should have them. As a side note. I have trouble keeping the books away from the teachers so that the kids can read them. If you have not, you have GOT to read these books!

Williams, Suzanne Morgan. Bull Rider

2010-02-27T22:32:00.000-05:00

Williams, Suzanne Morgan.Bull rider. Margaret McElderry Books, 2009 [1+4169-6130-5 / 978-1-4169-6130-7]
Cam lives for his skateboard and his older brother, Ben, is championship bull rider. Ben goes of to war in Iraq and comes back after being terrible wounded by an I.E.D. The family pulls together to try and help Ben. Although he is too young, Cam hatches a plan to secretly ride a nasty bull in a contest (while being underage) to help his brother. His mother will get very mad if she finds out he is riding bulls. This 241 page book is the story of a family sticking together to help one of its own. The reader learns what it is like to be a wounded war vet. I liked most of the the ending, all except one part, which I will let you read to find out. This is a good book.

Bauer, A.C.E. No castles here.

2010-02-21T06:20:00.000-05:00

Bauer, A.C.E. No castles here. Random House, 2007 [978-0-375-83921-4]
Augie is eleven years old and lives in rough, and run down Camden, NJ. There he daily has to face the harsh realities of drug dealers and s school with constant budget cuts and is falling appart. His life is not easy when his mom finds him a big brother. He likes Walter until he finds out that Walter has a male partner. He eventually gets around to accepting Walter for the nice person he is. (This is a VERY small part of the story but needs to be mentioned.) One day Augie travels to Philadelphia a finds a magical book. The story of this book is interwoven with the story of his life in Camden. During the winter, the pipes break in his school and there is much damage. Can Augie and Walter get the run-down community to care enough about the school to save it? This 210 page book is the story of a boy facing a harsh life in a tough city which is intermingled with a magical fairy story. It is a interesting read.

Cooney, Caroline B. Code Orange

2010-02-10T09:08:00.000-05:00

Cooney, Caroline B. Code orange. LaurelLeaf, 2007 [978-0-385-73260-4]
Ms. Cooney has done it again with the book of a current topic that grabs the reader. Mitty's class is doing reports on diseases and he chooses small pox. His mom is a decorator and she buys old books that people can display in the rooms she designs. Instead of going to the library one day Mitty decides to go through a pile of these old book and he finds one of. Not only does it have good information but it contains an old envelope with a handwritten label. "Scabs from 1905 outbreak." (I am not sure of the year.) He opens the envelope and removes some of the old dried scabs which crumble in his hand. Thinking he may have infected himself he goes on the Internet asking if old Small Pox scabs could infect you. Well.. two groups suddenly become interested in his postings: the Federal Government, and terrorist who may want to spread small pox. This 200 page book is a GREAT read. It also has a study guide at the end.

Henderson, J.A. Bunker 10

2010-02-03T20:49:00.001-05:00

Henderson, J.A. Bunker 10. Harcourt, 2007 978-0-15-206240-8]
The book takes place in a secret military installation which the author states from the start that no one will get out alive. At this facility are a group of genius kids who are being watched by the military and aided by other scientists to work on whatever projects they wish. Obviously something goes terribly wrong since the author starts out saying that no one gets out alive. The reader is thrown into a volatile situation for which the author gives two different premises. One is.. that everyone in the installation is really just a character in a extremely advanced computer training installation. The other is that some people in the installation are involved in time travel. This 253 page book keeps the reader guessing (and confused) right to the end. There are some sophisticated concepts in the so I am not sure how elementary students will hand it. I did not like most of the book but I have to admit the ending was interesting.

Stead, Rebecca. When you reach me

2010-02-02T21:08:00.000-05:00

Stead, Rebecca. When you reach me. Wendy Lamb/Random House, 2009 [978-0385-73742-5]
It is the 1970's and a twelve-year-old girl helps prepare her mom to appear on the show, $20,000 Pyramid. The girl starts getting mysterious notes from someone who appears to know what will happen in the future. Meanwhile her best childhood friend gets up by a strange neighborhood boy and suddenly they are no longer best of friends. Then there is a strange homeless man on the street which she tries to avoid every day on the way home from school. This 197 page book multi-dimensional book which actually centers around time travel. It is not your usual, "hop in a time machine" type book but a sophisticated discussion of time travel and its implications. I am not sure what the audience is for this book. I was not enthused while reading it but everything kind of wrapped up nicely at the end. Kids will read it because it won the Newbery Medal but will they like it? We will see.

Harvard Lampoon. Nightlight

2010-01-29T04:55:00.000-05:00

Harvard Lampoon. Nightlight: a parody. Vintage Books, 2009 [9780307476104]
This is a parody of the Twilight series. Once again Belle is the main character who falls for Edwart Mullen in Switchblade, Oregon. This 154 page book is at times clever and at other times stupid but I guess that is the way with parodies. There are all kinds of references within the book that I am sure most kids will not get but some of your smarter readers will enjoy it. While it is not inappropriate, younger readers will just not get the book and find it stupid... after all it was written by the Harvard Lampoon... college students trying to be clever. As a sideline, I have classified it with a spine of "FIC/MEY/LAM" so it sits next to the Twightlight series on the shelf. If I never did that, it would never be found or read. Right now I have a reserve list of 4 girls waiting for it with the first one still reading it. It will be interesting to see how they like it.

Korman, Goran. Pop

2009-11-27T20:12:00.001-05:00

Korman, Gordan. Pop. Baltzer & Bray, 2009 [978-0-06-174230-9]
Marcus and his mom move to a new town. He was the star quarterback in his previous town but when he shows up at his HS for tryouts at this town, he is faced with a championship team that is well-knitted together. He gets on JV. Meanwhile he start practicing at a local park where he runs into this strange middle aged guy who teaches him how to tackle and take hits. This guy is very unpredictable and eventually starts doing strange things which end up getting Marcus involved in the law. This 260 page book is such a multi-dimensional story. It great sports story that deals with moving to a new town, getting your first girlfriend, getting in trouble with the law, keeping secrets out of loyalty, and also the terrible degradation of Alzheimer's disease. The over-riding theme is serious but Korman deals with it using his wonderful sense of humor. This is a great book, right up there with his "A semester in the life of a garbage bag."

Brooks, Kevin. Lucas

2009-11-22T20:49:00.000-05:00

Brooks, Kevin. Lucas. Chicken House, 2003 [978-1-905294-17-6]
WOW.. Can I say it again? WOW! Kevin Brooks is now my most favorite author from the last few years. Once again he writes a very powerful story. A loner (Lucas) wanders into town and Cait falls for him. He is mysterious and lives alone in the woods. The local group decided they don't like this "gypsy" even though he is not one and decides to frame him in a plot to get rid of him. This 361 page book is definitely not for elementary students. There are attempted rapes (not descriptive but you know what is happening) mob violence, mugging and more. In the middle of this Cait falls in love with this loner. This is a POWERFUL book. I can't tell anything about the ending.. but to give you a hint... I couldn't put it down and almost an accident! If you have Jr. High or High School students, Kevin Brooks books are a must!

Allison, Jennifer. Gilda Joyce: The dead drop

2009-11-09T04:54:00.001-05:00

Allison, Jennifer. Gilda Joyce: The dead drop. Dutton, 2009 [978-0-525-47980-2]
Fourtreen-year-old psychic investigator, Gilda, gets to spend the summer as an intern at the "Spy Museum" in Washington, D.C. Because someone older suddenly takes sick, Gilda gets to be a counselor at their week-long summer spy camp. Once again she gets involved in ghosts in try ing to solve a mystery. Since the story takes place in Washington, she also gets involved in international intrigue. This 300 page story is a fun and engaging tale but I have the same complaint that I have with her other books. The cover illustration looks more juvenile than the book so you have to explain the story to 7th and 8th graders to get them to pick it up. Otherwise they think it is a "kid's book."

Lupica, Mike. Long shot [Comeback kids]

2009-11-03T04:56:00.000-05:00

Lupica, Mike. Long shot [Comeback kids]. Philomel, 2008 [978--0-399-24717-0]
Pedro is a great basketball player and loves playing for his 6h grade team. He is not a hotdog, but a real team player. Ned is the other star player on the team and they play well together. Ned not only is a good athelete but also the most popular kid in school and is expected to become class president. Pedro decides to run for class president also will this change their relationship at school and more importantly will it change how the interact with each other on the court? This 182 page book is a good piece of sports fiction. There is not only the story and action on the court, but also other plots going on in the story. Lupica has written a book for upper elementary...increasing his audience from his other great YA sports books.

Cockcroft, Jason. Counter clockwise

2009-11-01T20:07:00.000-05:00

Cockcroft, Jason. Counter clockwise. HarperCollins, 2009 [978-0-06-125554-0]
Nathan lives alone with his father, Henry after his mom passed away before the book started. They are not a happy family, not having much communication then one day after school Nathan runs into a Beefeater (story takes place in England) who tells him that his father is going to go back in time to prevent his mother from dying. If Henry successfully stopped his wife from dying, it would change the time progression in which they are living. This 202 page book can be interesting to a student interested in time and time travel.. otherwise, it could be very confusing. I kind of enjoyed it because the implications of time travel always have interested me.

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days [#4]

2009-11-01T07:39:00.000-05:00

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog days [bk 4] Amulet Books, 2009 [978-0-8109-8391-5]
Well in book four, it is now summer. He has an argument with his best friend, Rowley and Greg wants to spend the summer inside playing video games...not if his mom can help it. This 218 page book continues along like the others.. very entertaining with its humor and cartoon strip type illustrations. No matter how many of these books I own, I can not keep them on the shelves!

Lubar, David. True talents.

2009-09-09T05:02:00.001-04:00

Lubar, David. True talents. Tom Doherty, 2007 [978-0765-30977-8 // 0-765-30977-7]
In this sequel to "Hidden Talents" the guys are out of their alternative school and trying to maintain somewhat normal lives with their families (and their Talents.) "Trash" gets kidnapped by a guy who does work for the government and now tries to harness his power of telekinesis for military purposes. Once again the guys from the first book get together to rescue "Trash" and defeat the madman wanting to experiment with them all. While initially the book can be confusing tracing the actions and thoughts of the gang individually before they get together again, this is a great roller coaster ride of suspect and the tale works out. This 312 page book is very different "Hidden Talents" which is much lighter. Here the boys are battling was a evil man; people get hurt and even die. It is unusual for a sequel to have such a different feel than the first book, but that being said, I found that liked this book much better than "Hidden Talents" which was much lighter and humorous.

Hicks, Betty. Get real

2009-08-05T10:22:00.001-04:00

Hicks, Betty. Get real.Roaring Brook, 2006 [1-59643-089-3]
This is the story of two best friends who want different parents. Dez is very neat and structured and organized while her parents are more creative and messy. Dez just doesn't feel like she belongs. Her best friend, Jil is adopted and comes from a well off family. One day Jil finds a way to contact her birth mother and her adoptive parents are supportive of this contact. Unfortunately this become a struggle as to who is her real parent. What will happen with her birth parent when push comes to shove. Jil runs away and tries to get Dez to join her or help her. This 184 page book is a thought provoking book about teens trying to fit in and the meaning of friendship.

Chesire, Simon. The prince and the snowgirl

2009-08-05T09:28:00.005-04:00

Cheshire, Simon. The Prince and the snowgirl. Delacorte, 2006 [978-0-385-73342-7]

Tom is a look-alike actor who looks like England’s Prince George. (I am not sure why they used a fake name.. maybe for legal reasons.) He goes around at various store opening and other affairs, acting as Prince George. Meanwhile at school he has fallen in love a girl on the ski team with him (hence snow girl.) Of course he is shy and does nothing about it. One day the ski team travels to a competition and stays in a hotel and just for kicks, Tom pretends he is the Prince to scam the hotel for better rooms. Well of course you can guess what happens, the real prince shows up. How will Tom get out of this situation? Will he and “the snowgirl” ever get together? This 167 page book is a fun read. For students who might be bothered by it, there are a lot of “Britishisms” in the book which some students may not understand.

Rinaldi, Ann. Come Juneteenth

2009-08-05T09:13:00.002-04:00

Rinaldi, Ann. Come Juneteenth. Harcourt, 2007 [978-0-15-205947-7]

Luli and her family live on a plantation in Texas as the Civil War draws to the end. Like most of the other slave owners in Texas, they decide not to tell their slaves of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Ruth (or Sis Goose as she is called) is a slave who was raised like a sister to Luli. She becomes very bitter when she finds out that the family hid the fact from her (and the other slaves) that they were free for two years. Will Sis Goose ever feel like part of the family? How will the family react and survive when a small group of Union soldiers occupy the plantation after the war? This 246 page book is a great piece of historical fiction as is usually the case with Rinaldi. What I liked about this one is that it is a little less meaty and therefore more approachable to greater number of students.

Douglas, Lola. True confessions of a Hollywood starlet

2009-08-05T08:44:00.001-04:00

Douglas, Lola. True confessions of a Hollywood starlet. RazorBill/Penguin, 2005 [159514-093-x]

This is an interesting twist on several books with similar titles. Here we have an actual starlet who has had a drinking problem and a drug overdose. She is sent to a treatment program after which her mother decides she needs a real life so her hair is dyed and she is enrolled in a Midwestern H.S. to live like a normal teenage Of course it is important that non one learns of her background. This 259 page book traces her transition from feeling aloof yet trying to fit in, to actually becoming a integral part of the school community. Can she keep her secret? What will happen when she leaves and goes back to Hollywood after a year? I enjoyed the story. It is a fun story with serious undertones.

Daneshvari, Gitty. School of fear

2009-08-05T08:34:00.000-04:00

Daneshvari, Gitty. School of fear. Little, Brown, 2009 [978-0-316-03326-8]

Four kids have strong phobias that are ruining the lives of them and their families. Their parents decide to send them off to a very exclusive school which deals with fear. Once there, they meet the strange teacher, Mrs. Wellington. They are very confused about her methods. This 333 page book is a fun read with a wild plot twist at the end (which I figured was coming.) This was an Advanced Readers copy. expected publication date, September 2009.

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. the dead & the gone

2009-08-05T05:44:00.000-04:00

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. The dead & the gone. Harcourt, 2008 [978-0-15-206311-5]
This book is related to "Life as we knew it", telling of the same disaster, this time in NYC. The life of Alex and his family is suddenly changed when the asteroid hits the moon. When the flood and tsunamis come, his mom is on the subway to work and his father is visiting family in Puerto Rico. Always hoping his parents will return, Alex and his two sisters fight to survive as society crumbles in New York City. Things are terrible but every morning he goes "body shopping", searching the bodies of the deceased, finding anything of value he can trade for food. This 321 is as depressing as "Life as we knew it." These books are not for elementary students, both of them sent me into a terrible melancholy mood. The reader experiences the total collapse of society as we know it.

Dogar, Sharon. Waves

2009-08-04T18:36:00.000-04:00

Every summer Hal and his family have gone to the coast. This year is different. Last year is different because last year hit her head on a rock on the beach and is in a coma. After they decide to go to the shore anyway, Hal begins getting messages in his mind from his sister, in her coma in the hospital. No one knows what happened and how she had her accident. It appears that she is trying to tell Hal what happened. This 324 page book is about a family dealing with a tragedy, not knowing what happened in the accident. It is a mystery. It is a tale of new love and the love between a brother and sister. This is a touching book, but not really for elementary students.

Treggiari, Jo. The curious misadventures of Feltus Ovalton

2009-08-04T18:24:00.001-04:00

Treggiari, Jo. The curious misadventures of Feltus Ovalton. Lobster Press, 2006 [978-897073-43-8 // 1-897073-43-7]

Feltus is a loner. He has no friends and his parents ignore him. Everything changes for him one day when he discovers mysterious creatures under the kitchen table and a previously unknown aunt shows up at the door. Suddenly Feltus is selected at the one to save a world in another dimension. He teams up with his quirky aunt to deal with this magical and wild situation. This 334 page book is a fun fantasy that reminded me a little of Ibbotson.

Strasser, Todd. Boot camp

2009-08-04T18:12:00.002-04:00

Strasser, Todd. Boot camp. Simon & Schuster, 2007 [978-1-4169-0848-7 // 1-4169-0848-X]

After continually dating his teacher, Garret is sent to a “boot camp” to learn to obey his parents. The campers are isolated from their family and the rest of the world and given extremely harsh treatment. They are beaten, put in isolation, and treated incredibly harsh. This 238 book makes “Holes” look like a walk in the park. It shows the terrible reality of these types of training camps that actually exist today. There is a bibliography at the end of the book. I do not recommend this book for elementary students. What made it especially scary to me was that it is based on how some of these camps are actually run.

Van Draanen, Wendelin. Runaway

2009-08-04T17:38:00.000-04:00

Van Draanen, Wendelin. Runaway. Knopf, 2006 [0-375-83522-9]
Holly is in foster care and has run away before. This time when she runs away, she takes a journal with her and begins to write of her adventure, addressing it all like a letter to the teacher who gave her the journal. This 250 page book depicts the harsh way of life for a runaway and homeless people in our country. It is not a happy run away book, but rather on a lone teen trying to survive in the real world all alone by not trusting anyone. The only thing that concerned me about the book was the journal thing. Would someone with so many troubles take the time to keep up with the journal? Who knows? Maybe this would not bother student readers.

Lawrence. Iain. Gemini summer

2009-08-04T17:27:00.000-04:00

Lawrence. Iain. Gemini summer. Delacorte, 2006 [0-385-90111-9 // 978-0385-90111-6]

It was the summer of 1965 when Danny and Beau’s father began digging in the front yard. Beau was crazy about space travel and rockets. One day there is a terrible accident when Beau falls in the ditch and dies. Was it an accident? The death is difficult for the whole family but Danny takes his brother’s death especially hard and only starts to recover when he adopts a stray dog in which he starts to see his brother. Danny takes the dog and runs off to see a Gemini launch in Florida. This 258 page book is a touching story about brotherly love and recovering from a tragedy. I enjoyed the story except that I felt the writer wanted the reader to begin to believe Beau was really in the dog. This changed the very nature of the book. Maybe Danny is just imaging things, but there are an awful lot coincidences.

Napoli, Donna Jo. The king of Mulberry Street

2009-07-29T09:34:00.002-04:00

Napoli, Donna Jo. The king of Mulberry Street. Wendy Lamb/Random House, 2005 [0-385-75653-9]

It is 1892 and things are bad in Ireland so Dom’s mother smuggles him on a ship to America and tells him to make his way to Mulberry Street and to always listen.. learn by listening. After making his way through Ellis Island, he finds the hard life of an immigrant. One day he hears that people up-town will pay good money for a sandwich at lunch time so he starts a little empire in the street sandwich business. This 245 page book shows the harsh realities of being an immigrant in New York at the turn of the century.

Sheldon, Dyan. Confessions of a Hollywood star

2009-07-29T09:19:00.000-04:00

Sheldon, Dyan. Confessions of a Hollywood star. Candlewick Press, 2006 [978-0-7636-3075-1]
In this follow-up to “Confessions of a teenage drama queen”, Lola has now graduated from High School, happy to finally be away from her competition in HS, Carla. A movie is going to be filmed in town and Carla will do anything to get into it. To top off everything, Carla is going to Europe for the summer (well at least until she hears about the movie.) This 202 page book is a collection of fun adventures as Lola and her friend try to get into the movie and outdo Carla. It reminded me a lot of the Lucy show on television (I know I am showing my age.) It is a fun read.

Peck, Richard. On the wings of heroes

2009-07-29T09:09:00.001-04:00

Peck, Richard. On the wings of heroes. Dial, 2007 [978-0-8037-3081-6]
World War II engulfs the life and town in which Davy lives in Illinois. He brother joins the air force and his father served in the previous war. Everything is getting rationed. Richard Peck has once again written a pleasant narrative with his usual clever and funny anecdotes threaded throughout serious overlay of the war affecting a family and community. This 148 page book allows the reader to experience life during World War II rather than experience a complex plot.

Hiasen, Carl. Scat.

2009-07-28T17:57:00.001-04:00

Hiaasen, Carl. Scat. Knopf, 2009 [978-0-375-837486-8]
Nick and his friend Marta go on a field trip to the swamp with the dreaded science teacher, Ms. Starch who disappears during a wildfire in the swamp on the trip. The school receives a notes saying that Ms. Starch has to attend to a family emergency and will be absent for a while. This starts a big adventure for Nick and Marta as the try to figure out what happened to their science teacher. They cross paths with an interesting cast of characters while trying to figure out what is going on. This 371 page book is a fun Florida ecology based mystery, similar to Hiaasen’s other books. This one involves the Florida panther.. and tracking it through it’s droppings (or scat.) I am sure this book will be as popular as he other ones.

Starmer, Aaron. DWEEB

2009-07-28T17:44:00.000-04:00

Starmer, Aaron. DWEEB. Random House, 2009 [978-0-385-73705-0] Advanced reader’s copy
Denton, Wendell, Eddie, Elijah,and Bijay, all nerds, have noticed strange things happening at their Junior HS – everyone’s personality is changing. Besides these unusual happenings, the whole school is tense in expectation of the coming Idaho tests. One day the Vice Principal frames these kids and locks them in the basement of the school making them promise to study and get high scores on the test. This “team” begins to realize something strange is happening… and it has something to do with burgers. Will they solve the mystery? Who can they trust. This 229 page book is a silly adventure in an implausible situation. There are definitely some funny spots in the book but overall, I did not enjoy the book. I am sure kids will pick it up because of the title but the nerdy kids who are the heroes of the may not be the for audience for which the book is aimed. It will be interesting to hear the comments of the kids who read it. This is an advanced reader’s copy with an expected release in October 2009.

Yohalem, Eve. Escape under the forever sky

2009-07-28T17:09:00.000-04:00

Yohalem, Eve. Escape under the forever sky. Chronicle Books, 2009 [978-8118-6653-8] Advanced reader’s copy
This book takes place in Ethiopia. Lucy’s mom has been appointed US Abassador to Ethiopia and is very involved in her job. Lucy is annoyed about how restrictive her mom is regarding, saying it is for her own good. Well… Lucy gets kidnapped and taken out into the wilds of Ethiopia. Lucy eventually escapes and has to use her experience and knowledge from reading of Ethopia to help her survive and hopefully get back to her family. This 220 page book is a great survival story in an unusual setting also involving an struggling relationship between a mom and her daughter. It was a good read. This was an advance reader’s copy, not yet published.

Poblocki, Dan. The stone child

2009-07-28T16:58:00.000-04:00

Poblocki, Dan. The stone child. Random House, 2009 [978-0-375-84254-2] Advanced reader's copy
Eddie’s family moves to the town of his favorite author. The town is dark, strange and creepy with an evil presence and the author appears to be missing. The people in the town hold the author responsible for the strange things happening in town. Eddie and his friends investigate. After his mother gives him a journal written in code by the author, he realizes that this journal might hold the clues to save the town from the evil. Eddie and his friends try to break the code and get more and more involved in the evil enwrapping the town. This 274 page book is a great suspense book dealing with evil. It reminded me a great deal of John Bellair’s early books, although it is a little more evil. There are large blocks of text written in a handwritten font which I found VERY difficult to read. This was a advanced reader's book so hopefully they will have changed that for the final edition. Expected publication date is August 2009.

Wells,Rosemary. Red moon at Sharpsburg.

2009-07-28T16:41:00.000-04:00

Wells, Rosemary. Red moon at Sharpsburg. Viking, 20097 [978-0-670-03638-7]
It is at the start of the Civil War and India’s school closes. Because she is a smart girl, her family gets her a tutor. Eventually her father turns up missing so India goes to find him. She eventually finds herself in the midst of the Battle of Antietam. This book is very descriptive in telling about the horrors the Civil war, the medical practices and how it divides the people. It is not for the light-hearted. This 236 page book is great historical fiction for middle school. It includes a bibliography and author notes at the end.

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Life as we knew it

2009-06-07T15:20:00.001-04:00

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Life as we knew it. Harcourt, 2006 [0-15-205826-5 // 978-0-15-205826-5]
WOW! This is by far the most powerful book I have read in a LONG time. I got so wrapped up in the story, I went into a kind of depression. Miranda and her family live in western Pennsylvania on May 19th when the asteroid hit the moon. It moved the moon on a closer orbit to the Earth causing tsunamis around the world, earthquakes and floods. Most coastal cities in the world are destroyed. Miranda's mother had the foresight to hit the food stores and other stores the next morning to purchase non-perishable food, clothing, batteries and other supplies. What happens next is that all of society starts to quickly collapse. Electricity stops, there is very little oil or gas because all the tanker ships and refineries on the coast were destroyed. Eventually the stronger pull of the Moon's gravity causes old extinct volcanoes to start erupting. Grey clouds cover the skies as the summer ends and it starts to get cold..colder...and colder. This this 337 page book tells the story of survival when there is no hope for rescue. It is the tale of death, cold, starvation, friendship, and love. I will not say how the book ends.. but it is appropriate. All I can say.. for upper middle school to through High School.... don't miss this one!

Rowling, J.K. The tales of Beedlethe Bard

2009-06-03T19:49:00.000-04:00

Rowling, J.K. The tales of Beedle the Bard. Scholastic, 2007 [978-0-545-12828-5 // 0-545-12828-5]
This is a collection of short stories billed as Wizard/Muggle folklore with "extensive commentary" by Albus Dumbledore. The "net proceeds" from the sale of this book goes directly to a charity which helps children. I would have rather had Ms. Rowling ask for direct contributions to the charity. Out the the several short stories, I found only one half-way enjoyable (The Wizard the and hopping pot.) To connect these stories to Harry Potter, after each short story is a long explanation of the significance and importance of each tale by Albus Dumbledore. There are even footnotes in Dumbledore's commentary as further explanation. I held off purchasing this 110 page book and I sincerely hope Ms. Rowling does not try to write more such books which try to thrive on the coattails of the Harry Potter saga. If she wants to write.. use another set of characters. I have only convinced one student to check this out and she was not pleased with it at all.

Yep, Laurence. Dragon Road

2009-06-02T18:44:00.002-04:00

Yep, Laurence. Dragon Road. HarperCollins, 2008 [978-0-06-027521-1]
This is part of the Golden Mountain series which follows the Young family from 1849 through 1995. It is now 1939 and Cal and Barney are basketball "sharks." To make money to survive in the Depression, they pretend they can't play basketball and then scam a bet and always win the game. This keeps them alive but is not a life until they meet a guy who is setting up a traveling exhibition Asian basketball team. They travel around the country, making a name for themselves and even a little money for themselves. Will Cal ever get back to Chinatown and say what he really feels for his girl friend who has been left caring for his alcoholic father. This 290 page book is a good sports story, historical story, and a story of prejudice in 1939. I like Mr. Yep's books. NOTE: This book is loosely based on an actual Asian traveling team of the time. There is a short bibliography at the end of the book for students with further interest in the team.

Woodson, Jacqueline. After Tupac & D Foster.

2009-06-02T18:34:00.001-04:00

Woodson, Jacqueline. After Tupac & D Foster. Putnam, 2008 [978-0-399-24654-8]
This is the story of three teenage girls in the inner city. Two girls are the best of friends and D Foster shows up (about a month before Tupac got shot the first time.) All three of them become inseparable even though the first two girls are not sure about much of the background of D Foster. The three of them grow up in the three years that D Foster was with them. This 151 page book deals with three girls, inner city life and growing up. Note that Tupac is not in the book but rather they just remember time periods around the events in Tupac's life.

Fitzgerald, Dawn. Soccer chick rules

2009-06-02T18:26:00.001-04:00

Fitzgerald, Dawn. Soccer chick rules. Roaring Brook Press, 2006 [1-59643-137-7]
Soccer is everything for 13 year-old Tess and she spends her life focused on that until she finds out that the School Board has threatened to cut sports programs on school unless the school budget or levy is passed. Along with trying to do her best in the soccer season, getting involved with boys and challenging friends, Tess now gets involved in local politics. This 150 page book deals with sports, friendship, and fighting for a cause.

Pinkwater, Daniel. The Neddiad.

2009-06-02T17:10:00.000-04:00

Pinkwater, Daniel. The Neddiad. Houghton Mifflin, 2007 [978-0-618-59444-3 // 0-618-59444-2]
WOW.. I have met several authors at conferences, dinners, etc. and would LOVE to meet Mr. Pinkwater. His middle school books are an absolute riot (although strange,) It is the 1940's and Ned's father made a fortune selling shoe laces to the army. They decide to move to LA, taking the train across the country. Ned misses getting back on the train at one stop and ends up on a wild adventure getting to meet his parents. There are many plays on words throughout the book that I am sure most kids will not catch. For example, Ned meets a famous movie star, Aaron Finn. On the trip Ned is given an ancient carved turtle by a shaman and ends up having to save the world from disaster. I LOVE his books but it is always a sell, to get a kid to read them. I have turned on a couple kids to his wacky sense of humor.. maybe because I have one also. This 307 page book is not a totally crazy as the Snarkout Boys books or Lizard music... and I think I love it the best. You go, Daniel!

Citra. Becky. Never to be told.

2009-06-02T16:59:00.000-04:00

Citra, Becky. Never to be told. Orca, 2006 [1-55143-567-5 // 978-1-55143-567-1]
Asia has lived on the farm at Cold River with elderly Ira and Maddy for a long time. She has started seeing a ghost. When Ira has a heart attack everything changes.. she suddenly has to go live with her birth mother's family. A ghost appears there also. Only Asia can see and hear these ghosts. This is a ghost story but also a warm story about a girl trying to figure out where she belongs and to figure out why ghosts are appearing to only here. This 217 page book is a touching ghost story.. not a scary one.

Hoffman, Alice. Incantation.

2009-06-02T16:49:00.000-04:00

Hoffman, Alice. Incantation. Little, Brown, 2006 [0-316-01019-7 // 978-0-316-01019-1]
Estrella is 16 and lives with a close-knit family during the Spanish Inquisition. She does everything with her best friend until by chance she falls in love with the guy who is promised to her best friend. This is the Inquisition where one must be careful about what one does and says. One day Estrella discovers that her family is really Jewish and when her friend suspects, she turns Estrella's family into the Inquisition. This is a very powerful story. While the 166 page book is short, it is very heavy reading. People are living in a society where they must be very careful about what they say, or or even appear to be doing. There are descriptions of burnings and torture. It shows an aspect of the Inquisition that one does not often hear about. It is a good book to balance with some of the Holocaust things.

Riordan, Rick. The last Olympian [Percy Jackson #5]

2009-05-16T16:25:00.000-04:00

Riordan, Rick. The last Olympian [Percy Jackson #5]. Hyperion, 2009 [978-1423101475]
Percy the other characters from Camp Half-Blood and the other Olympians, prepare to do battle against Kronos/Luke, the Titans and his forces. Much of the book deals with minor skirmishes and the lead-up to the final battle. Not until the final battle do things get serious and the reader begins to feel that the Olympians may actually loose. Will Mount Olympus (on the 600th floor of the Empire State building) fall? Will the prophecy some true about Percy? If the previous books didn't this one will make the reader look up more about Greek Mythology. All the characters are involved in this war! This 381 page book is a fitting end to this series. But.....as the author states at the end.. it is the end of the first Half-Blood series. So get ready for more. This is an exciting and well-written series.

Whelan, Gloria. After the train

2009-05-12T18:08:00.000-04:00

Whelan, Gloria. After the train. HarpeCollins, 2009 [978-0-06-029596-7]
It is 1955 and Peter is happy with his family and looking forward to a summer in after-war Germany. The country is rebuilding but there are still some hard feelings towards the Jews. One day while going through some papers, he finds a letter... from his birth mother and it appears that he was passed to his parents family as a baby as his mother was put on a train to a concentration camp. Peter doesn't know how to approach his "parents", questioning them if they are his parents. He starts meeting with a Jewish man who works for his father, to find out about the Jewish religion. This 152 page book is short, but deals with a heavy topic. Should Peter tell people he is Jewish when there is still much prejudice in the country? How should he confront his parents? I am not aware of any other book written in this time period. I good addition to your collection.

Mourlevat, Jean-Claude. The pull of the ocean

2009-05-12T17:49:00.001-04:00

Mourlevat, Jean-Claude. The pull of the ocean. Delacorte, 2006 [0-385-73348-8]
Yann is a mute midget who has six brothers who are all twins. Yann is able to communicate with them although he can not speak. They live with a crude, poor family and one night Yann wakes them all up scared that their parents want to kill them all so he leads them out into the night, away from the house, to the ocean. A social worker who has been concerned about the family calls and reports the missing children. What follows is an unusual journey across the country, when the kids meet various people and run into different problems. This 190 page book is unusual so say the least. I am not sure what I think of it... I did get wrapped up in the story but am not sure everyone would. Maybe it lost something in the translation from French.

Scott, Kieran. Brunettes strike back

2009-05-12T17:29:00.001-04:00

Scott, Kieran. Brunettes strike back. Speak/Penguin, 2006 [978-0-14-240778-3]
Annisa has moved from New Jersey to Florida and her new HS is also blonde oriented. Now their cheerleading squad is heading to the nationals and are upset that Annisa is the only brunette on the team. Meanwhile Annisa has fallen for Daniel but is not sure how committed to her he is. Of course she maintains contact with her friends from Jersey. Will her relationship with Daniel pan out? Will they win the nationals? How committed is Annisa to her new school and squad. This 249 page follow-up to "I was a non-blonde cheerleader" has all the fun of the first. There appears to be another one coming in this "series."

DeFelice, Cynthia. Bringing Ezra back

2009-05-12T17:09:00.000-04:00

DeFelice, Cynthia. Bringing Ezra back. Farrar Straus Girioux, 2006 [0-374-366395-5]
In this sequel to "Weasel" (from 1990) Nathan sees that his friend from "Weasel", Ezra is now working a freak show, traveling around the countryside in the 1800s. Ezra decides to talk his father into letting he go and get Ezra. This is the 148 page adventure of Ezra traveling the area, meeting varied characters and going to bring Ezra back. Has Ezra been so mentally damaged at the freak show that he will never recover?

Reeve. Phillip. Larklight

2009-05-12T16:49:00.000-04:00

Reeve, Phillip. Larklight. Bloomsbury, 2006 [1-59990-020-3]
This is a great example of an alternate reality. In this reality, Isaac Newton was contacted by a alien and given the secret of space travel. It is now 1851 and the British Empire now not only includes Earth but many other planets. Our main characters, Art and his sister Myrtle get involved with space pirates, large menacing white spiders with an evil plot to take over the universe. This 399 page book is a great sci-fi adventure story with wonderfully intricate illustrations periodically. The book reminded me some of the "Edgeworld Chronicles" by Stewart. A great addition to a middle school library.

Korman, Gordon. Born to rock

2009-04-14T17:34:00.003-04:00

Korman, Gordon. Born to rock. Hyperion, 2006 [0-7868-0920-5]
Leo, a HS senior, found out several years ago by looking at his birth certificate, that his biological father was one of the founders of the punk rock movement. A bit of contrast here since Leo is a conservative guy, president of The Young Republicans at school. His best friend is Melinda, a girl he grew up with who is a punk rock fan. When Leo loses his scholarship to Harvard, he realizes the only way to get the needed money is to meet his biological father. That leads to him going on tour with his biological father. It is one crazy summer. Leo sees a lot, and learns who his real friends are. The punk rock star also learns some things too which is evident at the surprise ending to this fun multi-dimensional 261 page book. Gordon Korman is one of my favorite authors for the middle school. It is a shame he doesn't get the recognition he deserves. His Interflux books are great and my all time favorite is "A semester in the life of a garbage bag."

Bloor, Edward. London calling

2009-04-14T17:14:00.002-04:00

Bloor, Edward. London calling. Knopf, 2006 [0-375-93635-1]
Johnny is a 7th grader who goes to an exclusive private school only because his mom works there. He has some struggles with the rich kids who attend the school. Johnny inherits an old radio from his grandmother which takes him back to London of 1940 and a boy named Jimmy. At first Johnny thinks he is dreaming but he checks out the facts of his dream that he could have never known. He eventually finds out that the Jimmy of his dream is trying to tell him something... to solve a wrong done a long time ago. This 289 page book is a mixture of history and current story of a boy in an exclusive prep school. This mix makes a good story which leads to a great ending.

Hopkins, Ellen. Impulse

2009-04-14T16:34:00.003-04:00

Hopkins, Ellen. Impulse. Simon & Schuster, 2007 [1-4169-7487-3 // 978-1-4169-7487-1]
The is the story of three teenagers who meet at Aspen Springs mental hospital in Nevada. They have been involved in self-mutilation, sexual abuse, murder, and drug abuse. This 688 page book seals with some very harsh realities and is not meant for elementary or lower middle school students. There is frank talk about all the topics listed above as the teens go through treatment for their various problems. The book is written in a kind of free verse and is told by the three teenagers at various times. Periodically it took me a while to figure out who was speaking. Since the book deals with treatment in a mental hospital, it could be compared to "Cut" or even "I never promised you a rose garden." The reader gets totally wrapped up in the lives these three teenagers. It reads well up through the very dramatic ending. Once again, this is a very harsh book. I would read it before you put it in your library. There are several other books which follow it or are related to it which I understand are more harsh than this one. I will not be getting those. I can not keep this book on the shelf and I see many kids walking around with their own copies of this and the other related books.

Daly, Joseph M. The woods behind Trevor Malone's house

2009-04-07T18:38:00.003-04:00

Daly, Joseph M. The woods behind Trevor Malone's house [Strange town - Vol. 1]. Wolf's Corner, 2004 [978-0-9779921-0-2]
One day Trevor hears some strange noises behind his house. The next day he takes his friend Pete to investigate. What starts out seeming like a UFO sci-fi story quickly moves into a story about a secret military technology. Although it is unlikely that a bunch of kids could break into a top secret military installation with high security, this is a fun adventure book which builds and builds. Trevor has some interesting friends (and acquaintances.) I enjoyed this 273 page book which appears to be the first in a series. It is a complete story. You may not have heard of this book but I purchased it because it was written by a local author. I look forward to the next one.

Bowers, Laura. Beauty Shop for rent

2009-04-07T18:23:00.003-04:00

Bowers, Laura. Beauty shop for rent. Harcourt, 2007 [978-0-15--205764-0]
Years ago Abbie's mom left her on the steps of her grandmother who has run a limping beauty show. Abbie has been saving her cash.. she has a plan for her life. Grandma and her gray lady friends are a tough group. Grandma decides to sell the shop and retire and the person who buys it makes it more trendy but also learns to gain the acceptance of Grandma. Meanwhile Abbie's mom shows up with a play to turn her life around but she needs cash from Abbie. Will Abbie be able to forgive her mom for deserting her? Will she give her the needed cash? This humorous 328 page book is full of colorful characters and a twisting plot line. It is an adventure in love and loyalty.

Bateson, Catherine. The boyfried rules of good behavior

2009-04-07T17:51:00.002-04:00

Bateson, Catherine. The boyfriend rules of good behavior. Holiday House, 2006 [0-8234-2026-4]
Millie is a girl in a single parent family. She and her mom get along well. Suddenly (as will happen) Millie gets a big time crush on a boy at school. Meanwhile her mom has started dating. This 181 page book is not your usual silly book about a girl making lists about dealing with her boyfriend. In reality, it is more about observing and dealing with her mom's dating.. and new boyfriend. What is refreshing, Millie is not plotting against her mom's dating. It is a cute book with a little different twist.

Levine, Gail Carson. Fairest

2009-04-07T16:51:00.002-04:00

Levine, Gail Carson. Fairest. HarperCollins, [978-0-06-076408-4 // 0-06-073408-6]
Once again we enter the fantasy world of Ella Enchanted. In the kingdom of Ayortha the things valued most are singing and beauty. Aza (far from beautiful) travels to the castle and by a twist of fate, becomes the favorite of the Queen and thus her lady in waiting. The King is injured and goes into a coma. Aza and a prince fall in love and she soon realized that the queen is evil. The characters get involved with a magical mirror and finally end up happily ever after. This is a great fantasy VERY loosely built around Snow While. It would be especially good for girls struggling with issue of beauty and body image. This 326 page book would be a strong addition to middle school collections.

Hobbs, Will. Go big or go home

2009-03-27T05:25:00.000-04:00

Hobbs, Will. Go big or go home. HarperCollins, 2008 [978-0-06-074141-6]
One night Brady, who lives in the Black Hills, is watching a meteor shower out his window when hears a crash. A meteorite the size of a potato crashed through the roof of his house and into his bedroom. He promptly names it "Fred." The meteorite has dormant bacteria which give Brady extra strength and agility. When the bacteria decide to go dormant again, so does Brady. What will happen when people think he is dead? Meanwhile in the 185 page book, Brady's cousin Quinn visits and they go on "extreme adventures." There is also the neighborhood bully family which hassle Brady. This is a fun science fiction story mixed into the outdoors adventure style of Hobbs. It is not his usual style

Paolini, Christopher. Brisingr [Interitance #3]

2009-03-25T05:26:00.000-04:00

Paolini, Christopher. Brisingr [Inheritance #3]. Knopf, 2008 [978-0375-82672-6]
This third book in the series gets back to the feel of the first one (I did not like #2.) The Varden now are at war with the Empire. Roran, Eragon's cousin, asks him to marry him and his love. Then Roran goes off to war where he has his ups and downs under various commanders. Eragon and Sophia must go on an adventure where must visit the elves and dwarfs to gather their support for the war. While there he finally gets his own sword made. This 763 page book is a lot of reading but holds the readers attention as the first book did. It is strange how I notice this in many series that book 2 is not as good as book 1 and 3. This series which was to be a trilogy, will have a fourth book to finish it (so says the author.)

Spinelli, Jerry. Love, Stargirl

2009-03-02T19:11:00.000-05:00

Spinelli, Jerry. Love, Stargirl. Knopf, 2007 [978-0-375-81375-7]
At the start of this book Stargirl and her family have moved from Arizona to Pennsylvania, leaving everything behind her, including Leo. This 274 page book is written in a form of a letter to Leo about her experiences in this new town. She does not attend HS because she is home schooled. In the course of this story (or letter) she gets to know a crazy little girl, a troubled girl who is struggling with growing up, an delightful agoraphobic lady who has not left her house in 6 year and a mysterious young man who doesn't attend school much. This boy has a lot of Maniac Magee in him. Throughout the year of this story, Stargirl is making a solar calendar which will finish on the winter solstice. Both Stargirl and the people in this small town will be forever changed by the presence of Stargirl. Will she fall in love with this mysterious young man... or will her feelings for Leo hold strong?

Hennesy, Carolyn. Pandora gets jealous

2009-03-01T16:01:00.000-05:00

Hennesy, Carolyn. Pandora gets jealous. Bloomsbury, 2008 [978-1-59990-196-1 // 1-59990-196-x]
Pandora (or Pandy to her friends) has a big school project due and can not think of a great idea. All except bringing in the special box of her father Prometheus. She knows it contains evil things and it should never be opened. Well she decides to bring it to school and under peer pressure, it gets opened and all the evils are let out. She is dragged before Zeus, Hera and the council of gods and is given a chance to gather all the evils up before they destroy the world. This starts her and her friends out of the adventure of this 264 page book. The story is told in a light fashion and although it takes place in ancient times, the school situation and peer pressure makes it feel like a current day situation, making it readable for many kids. Although this story does have an ending, there are at least two more books in the series. Although it is much lighter, it might be a good one to follow the Percy Jackson series especially for girls.

Deuker, Carl. Gym candy

2009-03-01T15:48:00.001-05:00

Deuker, Carl. Gym candy. Hougthon Mifflin, 2007 [978-0-618-77713-6 // 0-618-77713-x]
Mick loves football.. it is his whole life. His dad was a football hero. He and a friend get a chance to play varsity but he does not have the power to threaten the first string player's position. To get stronger he works out harder and starts drinking protein drinks and taking supplements. When Mick joins a private gym and has a trainer he resists taking the steroids that are being offered at first. Eventually he sees them as the only way to get the power and endurance to get where he wants in football. He decides to only take some in the summer to bulk up but against his own better judgment, he steps them up a notch. This 313 page book tells the story of a boy trying to look better in his father's eyes and his own eyes and what he will do to get better. It is the story of how sports can drive his whole life, at the loss of friends, and girl interests. The side effects of steroids are described in the story and lead to the dramatic end to this book. While the "gym candy" was the center piece of the book, I did not feel the author got too preachy. It is hard to tread that line as an author. This is an important book to have in your sports collection along with the others by Deuker.

Griffiths, Andy. Just Wacky!

2009-02-25T05:27:00.000-05:00

Griffiths, Andy. Just Wacky! Scholastic, 2000 [0-439-42473-9]
This book is one of several that tell of the funny adventures of Andy at home, school, and with his friends. It is episodic and silly, but is fun to read. For example the first chapter covers Andy trying to get a band aid off his face for picture day. He tries everything including a vacuum cleaner. He eventually gets it off but ends up cutting his face doing so and has to put on another band aid. There little silly drawings in the margins. This 204 page book reminded me of a kids' "I Love Lucy".. I almost was waiting to hear "waaaaaaaaa Ricky."

Rifkin, L. The nine lives of Romeo Crumb: Life four

2009-02-23T05:01:00.002-05:00

Rifkin, L. The nine lives of Romeo Crumb: Life four. Stratford Road, 2008 [978-0-9743221-9-3]
Now that that the Sticks (Domestics) have won their battle against the Alleys with the help of the mutants everything should be fine but they are not. Romeo runs into some mutant rats which blackmail him into getting some food for them. It messes with his head and he gets stranger.. no one likes him any more. Meanwhile a new cat, Vincent, arrives and some Alleys are teasing him. He goes through his nine lives in this one book. I liked the first book in this series but when the mutant animals started appearing, the series just started getting too weird for me. This 201 page book is once again weird. None of my students have been asking for the continuation of this series I doubt if I will be purchasing any more of this series when they come out (and they are being written slowly.) There are much better places to spend your money.

Gaiman, Neil. The graveyard book

2009-02-22T21:12:00.001-05:00

Gaiman, Neil. The graveyard book. Harper Collins, 2008 [978-0-06-053092-1]
WOW I have not been so totally wrapped up in a Newbery book since "The Giver." This book has the cerebral thrill of a great suspense book along with the lighthearted ghost story of Ibbotson. The book opens with a family being murdered by someone with a large knife and the baby gets away and crawls to a cemetery where the ghosts and ghouls raise him. We don't know who murdered the family or why. At the cemetery, the ghosts get a person to bring the child and deal with the physical things a ghost can not do. The reader soon finds out that this person is not usual person (we don't really find out about him to the very end.) The boy grows up to 14 in the cemetery when he starts to want revenge for the death of his family. I don't want to say what happens at the end of this 312 book. As I said before I got totally wrapped up in this story and it completely freaked me out one night. The illustrations are weird and freaky such as ones in "Stories to tell in the dark." Except for the initial knife murders there is nothing "inappropriate" for younger kids in this book, I recommend you elementary people should read the book before you purchase it. While there is a light-hearted ghost story aspect to it, this book is a cerebral thriller... like I say.. I was totally freaked out by it one night and had to stop reading it for that night. Hooray for the Newbery Committee for choosing a spectacularly memorable book!

Grey, Christopher. Leonardo's shadow.

2009-02-08T19:30:00.000-05:00

Grey, Christopher. Leonardo's shadow. Atheneum, 2006 [978-1-4169-0543-1 // 1-4169-0543-X]
This is the story of Giacomo, Leonardo's servant (he really had a servant by this name.) The story takes place in Milan during the time when Leonardo was painting "The Last Supper." Not only does the reader get some fascinating facts and insights about Leonardo, he/she also learns what it was like to be a servant during that time. It was interesting to read how in debt Leonardo was and now his servant got people to pay to be painted in "The Last Supper." The reader gets some insight as to the personality of Leonardo in this 390 page book. It is a good piece of historical fiction along with being a good story. It was interesting to me how I had confused some things about Leonardo and Michelangelo. They were competing artists in the same time period. There are some historical notes at the end of the book.

Bolger, Kevin. Sir Fartsalot hunts the Booger

2009-01-29T05:54:00.000-05:00

Bolger, Kevin. Sir Fartsalot hunts the Booger.Razor Bill, 2008 [978-1-59514-176-7]
The story opens in the Kingdom Armpit where King Reginald has a son, Prince Harry who likes to play practical jokes. Enter Sir Fartsalot who is trying to solve the riddle of the foul wind that turns up whenever danger is around. The King decides that Prince Harry needs a real life so he sends him off with Sir Fartsalot. Harry immediately convinces Sir Fartsalot that he should be in search of the terrible Booger. The rest of this 214 page book is an adventure of these two plus Sir Knotaclew. The names and places are silly... just what upper elementary and middle school kids like, but the story line is quite good with a surprise ending. This is a fun book for your collection... they all don't need to be "A Catcher in the Rye."

Rennison, Louise. Stop in the name of pants! [#9 Georgia Nicolson]

2009-01-20T18:44:00.000-05:00

Rennison, Louise. Stop in the name of pants! [#9 Georgia Nicolson]. Harper, 2008 [978-0-06-145932-0]
We once again return to the loony world of Georgia Nicolson. Masimo (the Luuurve God) has returned to Italy for a vacation before confessing his love for Georgia. She is all a-dither about this. But... why does Dave the Laugh keep popping up in her mind? Angus, the cat gets hit by a car.. will he recover? Georgia's parents appear to be on the verge of a divorce. Will Masimo get upset about her kissing Dave the Laugh. This ninth book just stops and will pick up in the next book. There is no attempt at completing a plot of this 310 page book. I hate it when series rambles on like this. To be honest, the cutesy nature of this series has worn off of me and I think my students also.. There some of these books on the shelf now and before there was always a waiting list.

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a wimpy kid [#3]: the last straw

2009-01-15T18:36:00.001-05:00

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a wimpy kid [#3]: the last straw. Amulet Books, 2009 [978-0-81097068-7]
Once again (for the third time) we return to the crazy world of Greg Heffley, his family, his friend, Rowley and a love interest. In this 217 page book, Greg's father gets so fed up with his wimpy son, Greg, that he decides to send to him to a military camp. While these books may not be great literature, they are fun to read. They author has discovered a great, fresh formula. This series which appears to be handwritten and has many simple illustrations to fit in with the "diary" format. I can not keep these in my library. If you don't have these in your upper elementary or middle school library, you need them.

Glatshteyn, Yankev. Emil and Karl

2009-01-13T21:27:00.002-05:00

Glatshteyn, Yankev. Emil and Karl. Roaring Brook Press, 2006 [1-59643-119-9]
Emil and Karl are two children growing up in Vienna during the Holocaust. Emil is Jewish and Karl is not. Because of the "changing circumstances" the two boys are left on their own and wander, trying to find help. They face the "changing circumstances" of the Holocaust, seeing people treated cruelly, arrested, beaten and even killed. They meet a German soldier who won't be cruel to children. They meet an old Jewish man with incredible perseverance. A couple runs into them and tries to help them and the book ends not on an entirely happy note. The reader sees the Holocaust the the eyes of two young children and some of the local people who keep saying that this can not last much longer. It is a good story about the Holocaust. What is absolutely incredible is that it was written in 1940, just at the start of the whole thing and it has just now been translated from the Yiddish. Realizing when this book was written makes it an important piece of Holocaust fiction. This 194 page book is an important piece of fiction and should be in every middle school and upper elementary school library.

Funk, Cornelia. Inkdeath [#3]

2009-01-05T05:18:00.000-05:00

Funke, Cornelia. Inkdeath [Inkheart #3]. Chicken House/Scholastic, 2007 [978-0-439-86628-6 // 0-439-86628-6]
In this third book of the trilogy we once again return to the world inside of the book Inkheart. Evil in the form of Adderhead has taken over the world and people are in constant fear. Dustfinger, the fire-eater, is dead trying to save his apprentice, Farid. Elinor has been left behind in the real world and thinks her entire family is now dead. Mo, as Bluebird, becomes a hero to the people and he makes a deal with the White Women of death to try and save the people. Mo's daughter Meggie continues to believe in her father. This 682 is a heavy read... there are so many characters living in two separate worlds. I didn't realize until I was done, that there is a glossary at the end helping the reader. There reader is brought back and forth between two story-lines in the book world and the one story-line back in the real world. Good readers who enjoyed the first two in the series, will live through the slow beginning of this book to the exciting conclusion. A movie will be released this month (January 2009) and you can see clips on youtube. Although I have enjoyed this series, I have not had much interest in them.. but with the movie out now....who knows.

Griffiths, Andy. The day my butt went psycho!

2008-12-21T14:32:00.000-05:00

Griffiths, Andy. The day my butt went psycho! Scholastic, 2001 [978-0439-42469-1 // 0-439-42469-0]
One night Zach's butt disconnects from him and runs away. To accept the premise of this story you have to accept that butts can disconnect from people and run away with their own legs and arms. Zach chases his butt only to find that he is organizing other butts to take over the world. Zac joins some butt catchers to stop this evil plot. They end up on an island with the "butt"cano about to explode. Griffiths uses every possible way to incorporate butts into the story. It gets kind of tiring after a while (now realize this is said by someone whose favorite birthday present was a fart CD.) The adventure of this 207 page book ends up exciting, but as a whole I just found this book silly. That is not saying it won't be read. Kids who are into bathroom humor (and we all have plenty of them) will flock to this book. When some kids saw the book on my desk, three 8th grade boys told me that they have already read it. To top this all off, there are at least two more in the series - note that this book is a complete story. Do you want to get it? That is up to you but it may draw some kids that you usually don't see -- isn't that what we want?

Brooks, Kevin. Being

2008-12-19T18:09:00.001-05:00

Brooks, Kevin. Being. Scholastic/Push, 2007 [978-0439-90342-4 \\ 0-439-90342-4]
The story opens with Robert on an operating table getting an endoscope for stomach problems but what they find is alarming. There are strange things inside Robert that have been shielded from the earlier x-ray. Robert hears them planning to remove it while starting to submit the drugs but he never fully goes under and breaks out of the hospital. This an violent adventure as he teams up female friend of a former friend trying to stay away from the people who are after Robert. On this adventure the two fall in love with each other and have physical relations, not described although discussed. Robert tries to figure out what or who he is. I love the ending. This 323 book is another mind bending, suspenseful tale by Brook. Each book I have read by him is different yet so good. For middle school or high school suspense, you have have to have this and his other books.

Meyer, Stephanie. Breaking Dawn #4

2008-12-14T18:31:00.000-05:00

Meyer, Stephanie. Breaking dawn [Twilight #4] Little Brown, 2008 [0-316-06792-x // 978-0-316-06792-8]

In book four Bella and Edward, get engaged and married. They fly off to a secret home on an island to spend their honeymoon. Shortly after the honeymoon evening Bella shows signs of being pregnant. They both rush home and the child grows fast inside Bella. After a VERY violent birth, the child, Renesmee, is born. Bella remains human through the birth but in order to save her after the violent birth, she is made into a vampire. There is tension as Jacob, Sam and the local werewolves consider the age-old treaty now broken. That tension is partially resolved until it is learned that the Volturi are coming to rid the Earth of this abomination. This all builds to the final confrontation. This 754 page book is a satisfying conclusion to a well-written and very popular series. These books are not written for elementary students. Much has been said about the inappropriate nature of this book. I think it fits right in with the entire vampire series. The book shows after evidence of sex scenes but there is no description of the act.. except the discussion of bruises and broken pillows and bed. Later, there is mention of an all-night bedroom activity, but once again, not description. Bella and Edward are a loving couple and wait till after they are married. The birth scene is quite violent and gruesome, but in my opinion, not out of line with the whole series. Remember it is not written for elementary students. This is a good example of young adult books are creeping down to younger level because of their popularity. This is not the book or the author’s fault, but rather those who encourage younger readers to read it. I will get off my soap box. If you chose to have this series in your library, you need to have the whole thing. If you are in doubt, read it.

Shanahan, Lisa. The sweet terrible glorious year I truly completely lost it

2008-11-16T16:09:00.000-05:00

Shanahan, Lisa. The sweet terrible, glorious year I truly completely lost it. Delacorte, 2007 [978-0-385-73516-2]
Gemma has an interesting year. Her sister decides to get married to a boy from a military family. They two families are nothing alike... can they ever get along or even understand each other in planning for the wedding or performing the ceremony. Meanwhile Gemma tries out for her HS play, The Tempest by Shakepeare and Raven, a boy from the local thug family also tries out and falls for her. Gemma does not understand Raven, his life, or his family but the play seems to parallel her life and draws the two together. Then after the cast party for the play there is a terrible tragedy in town. Will Gemma ever understand Raven? Can the two families getting married together ever understand each other. Will Gemma blow her cork? I found the first 3/4 of this 297 page book to be confusing.. not worth the struggle and although some things pull together at the end and make sense, my whole response to the books is, "What is the point of the whole thing?" To top it off it is written by an Australian author with many "Austrailaisms" and there is no glossary. Many times there were words, I had no idea what they were. I don't see the point to this book or a reason to put up with the confusion to read it... I nearly didn't finish it.

Burlion, Leslie. Uncharted waters

2008-11-04T05:04:00.002-05:00

Burlion, Leslie. Uncharted waters. Peachtree, 2006 [1-56145-365-x]

Jonah and his sister are sent to spend the summer between his 7^th and 8^th grade with their favorite Uncle at the lake when their parents go to Europe. Jonah has some secrets that he wants to keep away from his Uncle. His Uncle has arranged for Jonah to join the lake’s swim team. Unfortunately Jonah had been hospitalized for severe jelly-stings and hates the water. He makes a deal with his sister to join the swim team in his place while Jonah has an interesting summer working for a crusty old guy and a hot college co-ed doing research on the lake. In this 185 page book Jonah has to face his fears and his insecurities in living with his lies and fears. This is a good read.

Shahan, Sherry. Death Mountain

2008-11-04T04:58:00.000-05:00

Shahan, Sherry. Death Mountain. Peachtree, 2005 [1-56145-353-6]

Erin is going to visit her mother who she hasn’t seen in over a year when she loses her bus ticket and ends up pairing up with an unlikely friend in the mountains when they get lost and have to survive on a six-day ordeal. I felt the situation was a little contrived and some of the survival narrative unreal, but it is a good survival-suspense story for the kids who like that kind of genre. This 201 page book is a quick read.. maybe a high-interest type of book for your lower readers in the middle school.

Koss, Amy Goldman. Side effects

2008-11-04T04:52:00.000-05:00

Koss, Amy Goldman. Side effects. Roaring Book Press, 2005 [1-59643-294-2]

Izzy is a normal fifteen-year-old girl until she goes to the doctor about her swollen glands and discovers she has lymphoma. This 143 page book is not the usual “kid-gets-cancer” book where the reader reads to see if she dies or recovers. That is really insignificant in this story. This is a personal account of how she, her family and her friends deal with her treatment and the side effects. It is all about the journey, not the ending. Although short, this book is deals with a mature topic.

Haddon, Mark. The curious incident of the dog in the night-time

2008-11-04T04:45:00.000-05:00

Haddon, Mark. The curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. Vintage, 2002 [978-1-4000-3271-6]

One night Christopher finds his neighbor’s dog murdered with a pitchfork. Because he is found with the dog, he is taken to the police station where his father picks him up. The reader slowly realizes that Christopher is not a normal child. He is autistic. What makes this incredible story so powerful is that the book is narrated by Christopher. The reader gets into the mind of an autistic child, his feelings, his thoughts, and his rationale. All the twists of the plot are seen through Christopher’s eyes. This 226 page book was very enlightening to me. Although I had been a special education teacher for 13 years, knowing all the book-learning and even working with autistic children did not make me feel like this book. This is a MUST-READ for anyone who has any contact with an autistic person. Please be aware that when Christopher goes out into the world, he meets people who use some colorful language. There are people using the “f-word” and the “c-word.” It is not overdone.. but it is there.

Rennison, Louise. Love is a many trousered thing [#8]

2008-10-27T04:48:00.001-04:00

Rennison, Louise. Love is a many trousered thing [Georgia Nicolson #8] HarperCollins, 2007 [978-0-06-085389-1]

Georgia (now in 10^th grade) continues in her hilarious romantic adventures. In this book she has “gone to the bakery of love” and can’t decide between two cakes (possibly three.) She has once again gotten entangled with both Robbie and Masimo. And why is “Dave the Laugh”, her long-time friend always in her mind? Of there is the adventure of the camping trip with her German teacher. In this 265 page book Rennison has, for the 8^th time, gotten her readers all enwrapped in the love antics of this silly British girl. The readers of this series will not be disappointed. Rennison has a gold mine here… where is the movie?

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a wimpy kid: Do-it-yourself book

2008-10-06T17:13:00.000-04:00

Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a wimpy kid : Do-it-yourself book. Amulet Books, 2008 978-0-8109-7977-2]
I was excited when I saw another "Wimpy Kid" book and did not read about it. This book is an activity book. It has games, fill-in-the-blank activities, blank pages to be written in, and a few cartoons. It will be problematic for a library… it is crying out to be written in. I will not put it on my shelf, but will give it out as some kind of prize. It would be a great present.

Haig. Matt. The dead fathers club

2008-10-06T05:13:00.001-04:00

Haig. Matt. The dead fathers club. Penguin, 2006 [978-0-14-311294-5]
Not long after eleven-year-old Philip’s father dies in an accident, his ghost appears and asks him to avenge his death. The ghost tells Philip to watch out for his Uncle who plans to take over his Dad’s bar and marry his wife. This Uncle Alan comforts Philip’ s mom, revitalizes the bar, and moves in wanting to marry her. Meanwhile Alan hates him and is trying to kill him so his dead father can rest in peace. As as if this is not enough, Philip has to deal with school bullies, a girl friend, and wondering if his father’s ghost is telling the truth. This 328 page book is a suspenseful ghost story that makes the reader want to keep reading but it has one problem. The author writes without using quotation marks. That, combined with the British accent makes this great ghost story a struggle to read. It totally turned me off to an excellent story.

Hannigan, Katherine. Ida B.

2008-10-01T05:43:00.001-04:00

Hannigan, Katherine. Ida B. Harper Trophy, 2004 [978-0-06-0732026-0 // 0-06-073026-9]
Nine or ten-year-old Ida has a wonderful life being home schooled on a farm in Wisconsin. She is full of spirit, a colorful character. When her mother gets cancer, Ida can no longer be home schooled and she is sent to the public school. To top that off the family must sell off part of her beloved orchard to pay for medical expenses. Ida becomes bitter but with the help of an understanding teacher and a caring family, she learns to deal with all the changes. This 246 page book is an emotional story of a colorful girl, full of full of spirit who has her life suddenly change. It is told in a beautiful style.. a must read. This one was recommended to me by a student.

Korman, Gordon. Schooled

2008-10-01T05:36:00.000-04:00

Korman. Gordon. Schooled. Hyperion, 2007 [978-078685692-3 // 078685692-0]
Cap has grown up on a commune with his grandmother and has been home schooled there. He has had no contact with other children or the ways of the world. When his grandmother falls out of a tree Cap has to move into the home of a guidance counselor and her irritable daughter. Now he has to survive in public school. As a joke, he gets nominated and then elected President of the eighth grade class. Is this going to be a major disaster for caring, loving, and naïve Cap? Can he run the dance? Will he be able to handle the money for the dance? The reader soon gets totally wrapped around the character of this boy who doesn’t understand the world. You can’t help but love this 208 page book. This is Korman at his best… reminded me of his “A semester in the life of a garbage bag” and “Son of Interflux.”

Hershey, Mary. The on where the kid nearly jumps to his death and lands in California

2008-10-01T05:30:00.001-04:00

Hershey, Mary. The one where the kid nearly jumps to his death and lands in California. RazorBill, 2007 [978-1-59514-150-7]
Alastair is bitter since his dad walked out and divorced his mom only to marry a rich woman in California. He is also mad because of the accident that left him with an artificial leg. Mom is in AA and her sponsor is a colorful woman who Alastair likes and respects. She is a lesbian. (This is only mentioned “as a matter of fact” – like the color of her hair - and there is no talk of partner or her life away from Alastair.) Mom sends Alastair to live with his dad and step-mom one summer for an eventful time where he meets a colorful swim coach and a gorgeous girl who acts in the Soaps. This 275 page book tells of the eventful summer with a very angry young man as he interacts with very colorful characters. Alastair tells this story and his perceptions of the situations are great to read.

Holmes, Sara Lewis. Letters from Rapunzel

2008-10-01T05:22:00.000-04:00

Holmes, Sara Lewis. Letters from Rapunzel. HarperCollins, 2006 [978-0-06-078074-6 // 0-06-078074-6]
Cadence (who feels like Rapunzel, trapped in a tower) has a rough life trying to deal with her father’s illness and periodic treatments. This time her dad is away for a long time being treated for depression. When he was home, the father was a struggling writer and a loving father. After the father is sent away, Cadence finds part of a letter written by her father to a mysterious P.O. Box 5667. Cadence starts writing to this person, not knowing who it is. She never gets replies, but keeps writing. The 184 page book is mostly told through these letters. Cadence begins to deal with her life, but writing these letters (like a journal.) The story is slow at times but does have a satisfying ending. It is not a happy story. I think the cover and the title can be confusing and misleading. I am not sure how I feel about this book.

Hart, Alison. Gabriel's horses [Race to Freedom #1]

2008-10-01T05:15:00.001-04:00

Hart. Alison. Gabriel’s horses [Race to Freedom Series #1] Peachtree, 2007 [978-1-56145-398-6 // 1-56145-398-6]
Gabriel is a 12 year-old slave on a Kentucky horse farm who dreams of becoming a jockey. When his father, a free man, enlists in the Civil War Army to earn money to purchase the freedom of his family, Gabriel is left to deal with the cruel horse trainer who took his fathers place on the farm. I luckily read this first book in the series, last because I am not sure I would continued with the others books – which are great. I don’t this the author found the voice of the characters until near the end of this 518 page book. Give this series a chance. It tells a side of the Civil War period that is not usually heard and also deals with the universal story of a young man fighting for his dreams and aspirations.

Jocelyn, Marthe. How it happened in Peach Hill

2008-10-01T05:09:00.000-04:00

Jocely, Marthe. How it happened in Peach Hill. Wendy Lamb/Random House, 2007 [9780-375-83701-2]
Annie’s mother tells fortunes and can predict the future. Annie helps her with her “presentations.” They have left the carnival and now have broken out on their own, moving to Peach Hill. The truant officer notices that Annie is not going to HS so she forces her to go. Annie is becoming a young lady with her own mind and is upset how her participation with her mother affects her at school and around town. She can’t figure out how to separate herself from what her mother does. When her mother tries to scam a rich man in town, Annie sees that she has made a big mistake. This 232 page book tells the story of a young lady trying to bread away from the influence of her mother. It is full of colorful and interesting characters.

Hopkinson, Doborah. Into the Firestorm

2008-10-01T05:02:00.000-04:00

Hopkinson, Deborah. Into the firestorm. Knopf, 2006 [0-375-93652-1]
Nicholas is an eleven-year-old orphan who runs away to San Francisco in 1906 ... poor timing! He just gets settled in a job when the earthquake hits. This 200 page book tells how Nicholas joins with his neighbors as they try to survive the terrible destruction. The earthquake isn’t as bad as the fires that follow afterward. Everyone is trying to move away from the fires which are spreading fast throughout the city. The reader gets wrapped up in the emotions of Nicholas helping others and his confused loyalty towards his new friends. This is a great historical, survival, action story.

Kadohata, Cynthia. Cracker

2008-10-01T04:53:00.001-04:00

Kadohata, Cynthia. Cracker: the best dog in Vietnam. Atheneum, 2007 [978-1-4169-0637-7 // 1-4169-0637-1]
Rick is a soldier headed for Vietnam and wants to be in the dog corps. He is assigned to Cracker, a smart, independent and sometimes troublesome German Shepard. What follows is the touching story of a dog and his handler, told both by the soldier and the dog. The 312 book tells what it must have been like to be stationed in Vietnam as a dog handler. There are some historical notes at the end of the book. It is interesting that the does were considered by the military as equipment and at the end, surplus military equipment. Cracker supposedly has a vocabulary of 90 words and when the dog narrates the story, he only understands those 90 words as he understands them. This is a wonderful story, telling the harshness of war, and the devotion of a dog. The one thing I did not like was when one of the other dogs died, Cracker thought about how the other dog was going to a better place. I wish the author had stuck to the 90 word understanding instead of getting the dog to ponder theology. Overall it is a great book, telling of the war and devotion.

Ruckdeschel, Liz and Sara James. What if...all the boys wanted you

2008-09-25T17:52:00.000-04:00

Ruckdeschel, Liz and Sara James. What if...all the boys wanted you. Delacorte, 2006 [0-385-73297-x]
Haley comes back from a vacation in New England to return as a new student at her High School. Meeting new friends, understanding the cliques, which boys she should date and how can she fit it. This is a "Choose your destiny" novel similar to the "Choose your plot" or "Choose your adventure" books with one big difference. This book is about High School and concerns of High School kids who are thrown in to mature situations. They skip school and go drinking, play strip poker, plus many other things HS kids may do. It is difficult to read the whole book by the "if this..then go to page..." format for a complete review. I read more than half of the pages. Not only do I not think this book is not appropriate for my Middle School, but I also had trouble following or getting involved with the characters. In addition, I am not sure whether the more mature students at which this book is aimed, would enjoy this format which was so popular with elementary students a while ago. I should not that this "choose your plot" format appears to be making a comeback and I have had several students requesting them.

Meyer, Stephanie. Eclipse #3

2008-08-31T18:55:00.000-04:00

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Meyer, Stephanie. Eclipse [Vampire Saga #3] Little, Brown, 2007 [0-316-16020-2 // 978-0-316-16020-9]

In book three of Myers saga, Bella falls deeper in love with Edward, the vampire while trying to maintain her “longtime friendship” with Jacob, a werewolf. Because of Bella’s attraction to these two, the local, age-old treaty between the vampires and werewolves may be in jeopardy. Meanwhile, in nearby Seattle, the city is being ravaged by a mysterious serial killer (or killers.) Bella, Jacob, and Edward know it is vampire related. The situation has to be handled. Can this new group of young vampires be killed? Who “started” this new group? This 629 page book is along read. It is a love story with the vampire and werewolf things thrown in… some gore. Edward and Bella and struggle over whether they should sleep together before they are married. There are some very passionate kissing scenes. While this is a long read, your Middle and High School students who are into this series will eat it up. The anticipated big battle was actually very short, page-wise and this may disappoint some readers. The book has a complete and satisfying ending but it leaves open the possibility for more. I think I have heard of a movie in the future.. which would make sense since this series is soooo popular.