What Should I Read? Book Talks and More

Bruchac is one of my favorite story tellers. Noticethis story is based on a Native American story. After her parents disappear and Molly is turned over to the care of a strange "great-uncle." She must rely on her dreams about an old Mohawk story for her safety and maybe even for her life.

The book that started it all! Pete's precocious little brother, Fudge, drives him crazy. Was life better without Fudge? It sure was easier...

Had to read this one, too! Fudge goes money crazy!

Here is another very funny book--my 7 year old thought so, too. Pete describes the family vacation in Maine with the Tubmans, highlighted by the antics of his younger brother Fudge.

If you have never read this book, you really should. I read it a long time ago and reread it with my seven year old daughter. She loved it, too. "A reckless young mouse named Ralph makes friends with a boy in room 215 of the Mountain View Inn and discovers the joys of motorcycling."

The protagonist in this book is a very angry teen girl. Her parents have both died. She is remanded into the custody of her biological father--a man whom she has never met. This is a book you'll need to check out from the public library or at your high school--it is not in our library.

Am I way into vampires? Not really, I just like to read, especially what kids are reading. So, I have lost count of how many vampire books I have read this year!! Peeps treats vampirism as an ancient, invading parasite--what an interesting idea. "Cal Thompson is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism, and must hunt down all of the friends he has unknowingly infected. "

I read this book because many of my high school students often talked about it. I saw it, checked it out, read it (cried a lot) and the next thing...I heard a movie is coming out...I am sure it is at a theatre near you. The topic of this book is mature--so if you want to read it, have your family look at it first. Here's some information I found: The book's narrator is 14-year-old murder victim Susie Salmon. Raped and killed by her neighbor, Susie ascends to heaven, where she observes how her death has affected those around her. http://www.curledup.com/luvbones.htm

I have enjoyed these fun Vampire books--Vlad is a half vampire actually. It is nice to get away from all that LOVE and get into some action! There is plenty of drama and a little bit of romance, but it fits together nicely. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod : Eighth Grade Bites. Eighth grade is no picnic. Like the average outsider Vlad's got bullies and a crush on his mind. But being a vampire, and one recently orphaned in mysterious circumstances, adds a whole new level of suckiness. Vlad has to hide blood in his school lunches, slather on the sunscreen, and keep his fangs under control. See this Review. The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod : Ninth Grade Slays. High school freshman Vlad Todd, having a hard time with bullies and his grades, takes the opportunity to study abroad in Siberia, where he meets other vampires and learns how to use his mind-control abilities. --from the card catalog The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd : Tenth Grade Bleeds. Tenth grade does not bring any relief to Vla

Peter, Kate and the Tar-man seem to be time travelers. "Ignored by his father and sent to Derbyshire for the weekend, twelve-year-old Peter and his new friend, Kate, are accidentally transported back in time to 1763 England where they are befriended by a reformed cut-purse. Kate was unconscious for barely thirty seconds. When she came round, her face was drawn and her skin was white as paper. She felt sick and weak and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and escape from a reality that she was not ready to face -- at least not just yet. Gideon carried Kate to a shady spot well away from the road and laid her gently on the grass. He took a shirt from his bag and folded it into a pillow for Kate's head. Then he gave his water bottle to Peter, saying, "Stay with her. We are close to Baslow Hall, Colonel Byng's house; I shall fetch a horse and will return as soon as I am able." Peter took the bottle like a sleepwalker. His world had temporarily flicked o

We read this one during consortium. 'Decidedly unenthusiastic about spending part of her summer vacation with her grandparents, twelve-year-old Samantha is particularly upset by her prickly grandfather's secretive behavior and decides to find out what he is hiding."

Hey--these characters drive through Kansas en route from Denver to Oklahoma! I enjoyed this book so much I stayed up way too late to finish reading it. It may end up as an All School Read. "After participating in a cruel prank on a classmate, fourteen-year-old Robin and her mother move to Oklahoma, where Robin is mistaken for the substitute principal and receives a new perspective on bullying."

I have wondered what ghosts, if they exist, think about and do...the author, Laura Ruby, presents one perspective on what might be going on with ghosts and why they are still roaming the earth. "Strange goings-on at her great-uncle's summer home in Cape May, New Jersey, draw Lily and a new friend into a mystery involving lost treasure, a fake medium, and ghosts of all sizes, shapes, and dispositions."

Take at look at Michael Carroll's website. This series is about kids who are super heroes...and how did they became superheroes? Well, it's complicated! http://www.michaelowencarroll.com/qp/main.htm The plot revolves around the superpowers of a group of adolescent super humans. Danny, the leader by default, is still afraid of the vision he's had--which seems to mirror his father's prophecy that he will lead a world-wide war. The heroes have split up due to mind control by one of their own, Yvonne. Some remain together in order to fight for the good of humanity, others have gone into hiding or just run away. The group that remains together continues to fight the Trutopians , an international organization designed to give each of its members security and equality, but with reduced freedoms. The antagonist of the last novel, Victor Cross, appears yet again. The prophecy is resolved in this book, the third of the series. Call this series Quantum Prophesy or Born to Be Her

I always enjoy books including Native American stories or mythology! The plot is especially interesting to me when it combines old stories with modern life. "When the special rug Crystal Manyfeathers is weaving for her kinaaldá, the traditional Navajo womanhood ceremony, is stolen from her loom, there are any number of suspects. "

Girls have been asking for this book, so I decided to read it. I does tastefully and overtly deal with some a mature and distrubing topic. It probably is not what you would think. The title comes from the windows in the church--you know 'stained glass?" "In Weaver Falls, New Hampshire, in 1975, seventeen-year-old Jocelyn looks for answers when her lifelong neighbor and friend, Gabe, turns up missing and she learns that, while her boyfriend has been telling everything to a priest, Gabe has been keeping terrible secrets."

Archer's Quest combines Asian mysticism with fantasy historic time travel--hey is that a new genre? I enjoyed this book by Linda Sue Park: "Twelve-year-old Kevin Kim helps Chu-mong, a legendary king of ancient Korea, return to his own time. "