What Should I Read? Book Talks and More

Heather's book recommendation: Night of the Living Dummy 2 by R. L. Stine (not in Hadley Library--but some R.L. Stine books are) This book is about a young girl that lives with her mother father sister and brother she has a hobby--making a dummy talk. It’s her birthday and I think and her parents get her this little dummy that, and later we find out that it's possessed. Like when she started making it talk, it was not saying what she wanted it to say. It was making insulting jokes to her family and they thought it was her making them. It was really the dummy. All this other stuff happened and stuff got blamed on her and like at the end...well you should read it for yourself...but there is a spell and a way to get rid of that.

Book Recommendation by Max World War Z by Max Brooks I really enjoyed this book. It has suspense and, possibly the best part, zombies. This book is about the war against the living dead and the world being brought close to obliteration. Warning: this book is not for everyone. It does contain a lot of violence--and we don't have it in the Hadley Library.

Goddess of Yesterday by Caroline Cooney Readers are very interested in Greek and Roman mythology--especially because of the Percy Jackson Series. Caroline Cooney has written a story set in the Greek islands just before the Trojan war. The protagonist of this book is at the home of Menelaus and Helen when Paris takes Helen--and you will remember that this is the incident that began the Trojan war which lasted ten long years! Cooney used the Iliad , T he Odyssey , and many other historic Greek and Roman writers and well known stories as the sources for this book. "Taken from her home on an Aegean island as a six-year-old girl, Anaxandra calls on the protection of her goddess while she poses as two different princesses over the next six years, before ending up as a servant in the company of Helen and Paris as they make their way to Troy." http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385729451&view= rg

Silverfin: A James Bond Adventure by Charlie Higson What would a spy be like as a kid? Would he be scientific, studious, or a thrill seeker? Readers have a chance to find out with the Young Bond series... "This prequel to the adventures of James Bond, 007, introduces us to the young James when he's just started boarding school in England and is about to become involved in his first adventure." Book 2: Blood Fever "During a summer holiday in Italy, the teen-age James Bond tangles with an underground empire of criminals as he attempts the rescue of a kidnapped young girl." Book 3: Double or Die "Teenage James has forty-eight hours to rescue a kidnapped professor and to keep a powerful weapon from falling into the wrong hands."

Car Trouble by Jeanne DuPrau After I read the City of Ember books, I wanted to read more from Jeanne DuPrau. This story is sooooo different than her others, but it is good. "Early one August morning, seventeen-year-old computer "nerd" Duff Pringle leaves Richmond, Virginia, in a newly-acquired used car and begins an unexpectedly convoluted journey to San Jose, California, and the job that awaits him there."

Isabelle is diagnosed with the cancer, lymphoma. The book details her illness. What would it be like to get chemotherapy and not know whether you were going to live or die? This book may help students develop empathy for others in this situation. 3 - Average book - recommend

Bound by Donna Jo Napoli This is essentially a Cinderella story set in ancient China. Xing Xing is the mistreated--practically enslaved step child. It is very interesting and suspenseful, plus I believe that Donna Jo Napoli is careful to preserve historic details. Here is what the card catalog says: "In a novel based on Chinese Cinderella tales, fourteen-year-old stepchild Xing Xing endures a life of neglect and servitude, as her stepmother cruelly mutilates her own child's feet so that she alone might marry well. "

Snakehead byAnthony Horowitz Alex Rider Series . This kid is a spy for the British government, but he just wants to be a regular kid. However, he is from a family of spies and he begins to suspect that his guardian uncle was training him to become a spy just like the Alex's uncle and father. From the card catalog: "While working with the Australian Secret Service on a dangerous mission, teenaged spy Alex Rider uncovers information about his parents."

Maggie Blossom is learning to be a bare back rider for the rodeo show to travel with her mom. Junior is ready to show off his new invention, Vern is getting to know his new friend. Mud just wants that new puppy to go away!

Book Recommendation by Chesney: Archer's Quest by Linda Sue Park A legendary ruler of ancient Korea suddenly appears in Kevin's room. And Kevin must return him home before the Year of the Tiger ends the next day and before history is changed forever. Even if you aren't interested in Asian culture or...the Korean culture, this book will be entertaining for you!

Book Recommendation by Megan T: Someone to Love Me by Paul Langan At first there was this boy Bobby Wallace who was everything Cindy Gibson hoped for. Some of his qualities were he was mature and handsome! He was the perfect escape from her troublesome life!! But then Bobby Wallace starts acting strange and she’s getting scared! She's hiding her concerns from her friends and distracted mother, she finds herself in a very bad situation!!

A Good Book: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan recommended by Alex R When troubled student Percy Jackson vaporizes his math teacher on a class field trip, he begins to suspect that his life is not what it seems. He discovers that his lifelong reading and attention troubles are all signs that he is a half-blood-a child of the Greek gods. After a summer training session with other demigods and Chiron the centaur, he sets off on a cross-country quest to Los Angeles (the entrance to Hades) with his friend Grover the faun and Annabeth, a child of Athena, to recover Zeus' lost thunderbolt and stop a war between the gods. Along the way, where modern life and mythology intersect to create both humor and excitement, Percy will come to know his father Poseidon, rescue his mother, and discover that he has what it takes to be a hero. Ultimately, Percy learns to trust his friends and his abilities and to choose love over despair.

Orson Scott Card -- Ender Series Information about this series from Wikipedia--a good source for series lists! But it is a little confusing, so I have make a graphic to show you! Speaker for the Dead . This novel takes place three thousand years after Ender's Game, although due to relativistic space travel Ender himself (now using his own name, Andrew) is only 36, making him only 25 years older than he was at the end of the Formic Wars. Two sequels Xenocide and Children of the Mind are more philosophical in nature. A War of Gifts: An Ender Story was released in October 2007. It is set during Ender's first year in Battle School. A prequel to Speaker for the Dead named Ender in Exile was released in November 2008. It involves Ender meeting a character from the Shadow saga. Shadow Saga Starting with Ender's Shadow four more novels have been released which tell the story of the people whom Ender left behind — this has been dubbed the Shadow Saga (also known as the "

Wanted...Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars What is the Blossom family up to now? Can junior really put on a trial for a dog--MURDER--of a hamster??!! Mad Mary is also missing...it is never dull at the Blossom house! "Convinced that Mud is responsible for the disappearance of the school hamster that he was taking care of for the weekend, Junior Blossom is determined that the dog should be tried for his "crime." This is another author, Betsy Byars , who is quickly becoming an American icon--her books a quick read for most middle school students.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card This is a science fiction story. Can a kid save the world from aliens? " Ender " has been chosen for the task of saving humanity. He has to go through all kinds of training, which includes space war games and conflicts with bullies where Ender's life is at risk. It is the first book in a series... "After the Earth is twice attacked by aliens, the world government begins breeding military geniuses, one of whom is Ender Wiggin ."

Book Recommendation by Kris S: City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau I Recommend this book for anyone who loves a book that takes you away from your world at the moment and take you into a whole new one that needs to be explored. "In the year 241, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions. " http://www.jeanneduprau.com/books.shtml There are several books in this series:

Chris N.'s book recommendation : Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan This is the book before The Vampires Apprentice, which is also a movie it’s by Darren Shan . There is 12 books in this series. Also it’s a great series.

Z A-C's book recommendation : Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling I picked this book because it is an awesome book for kids to read when you are in a good mood to read. "When the Chamber of Secrets is opened again at the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, second-year student Harry Potter finds himself in danger from a dark power that has once more been released on the school."

Alex R's Books Suggestion: Eldest by Christopher Paoline Summary: Eragon leaves the dwarf city to go to the elves and receive training in swordsmanship and magic. As his is training he finds out that Surda (a city opposing the empire) is about to be attacked. He sets out immediately. Meanwhile the monsters who killed Eragon's uncle have returned to his home. Roran, Eragon's cousin, is fighting with all his strength to protect his home. When Roran's love is kidnapped he sets out to rescue her, bringing the whole of Caravhall with him. Excerpt: Saphira's breathing quickened, and she opened her eyes, yawning expansively. Good morning, little one. Is it? He looked down and leaned on his hands, compressing the mattress. It's terrible . . . Murtagh and Ajihad . . . Why didn't sentries in the tunnels warn us of the Urgals? They shouldn't have been able to trail Ajihad's group without being noticed. . . . Arya was right, it doesn't make sense. We may

Someone, or something, is trying to tell Xandra something! Xandra has stumbled across a magical world, which can be traveled to only by a key. For some people, comfort and wonders await them in this world, but for others angry beasts await! Xandra finds a guide to get there, can strange Belinda be her friend, too? Xandra is a girl who has a big wonderful family--too wonderful if you ask her! Here's the synopsis from the card catalog: "Feeling angry and out-of-place in her large family, twelve-year-old Xandra finds a magical key to a world of ghostly, sometimes frightening, phantoms that help her see herself and her siblings more clearly. "

Cooney is a suspense writer. This book, Enter Three Witches: a story of Macbeth , is based on the William Shakespeare play, Macbeth . It does follow the plot of the tragedy, but several characters are added by Cooney to tell the story in her unique way. From the card catalog: "When her father betrays the Scottish king and is hung as a traitor, Lady Mary's future is bleak after she loses her only true protector and ends up locked away in the tower by the powerful and deadly Lord and lady Macbeth."

I am a Bruchac fan! Whisper in the Dark is full of legend and mystery. Readers won't be sure whether Maddy, the protagonist--(oh yeah, she's an orphan), is dealing with a bad guy or with a legendary Native American Ghost! This book is pretty creepy--so if you like to be scare, read this one! Here's what the card catalog says: "An ancient and terrifying Narragansett native-American legend begins to come true for a teenage long-distance runner, whose recovery from the accident that killed her parents has stunned everyone, including her guardian aunt in Providence, Rhode Island."

In my quest for monster and vampire books, I found The Graveyard Book . Nobody Owens is the protagonist of the story. I haven't finished it yet, but Nobody is being raised by the "people" who live in the graveyard. How could that happen? Gaiman did a great job in making the impossible sound plausible! This is an award winning book. Here is a synopsis from the card catalog: "Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the graveyard." And a link to the book's site--very intriguing! http://www.thegraveyardbook.com/

Upstate is an epistle--letters written back and forth between two people. In this case the people are two teens,17-year-old Antonio and 16-year-old Natasha, who are in love. Tragically, the boy is imprisoned for killing his father. The correspondence between the two is poignant and very real, using everyday drama and language. No expletives deleted here! The teens are committed to one another and determined to stay together. Life and circumstances sometimes get in the way of love. This books is for high school shelves and the Young Adult section at the public library. Check out this link for a great synopsis: http://www.flipkart.com/upstate-kalisha-buckhanon-novel/0312332696-mtw3fb79nb

I enjoy a sequel to a good book! The protagonist in this story thinks sequels are lame, but has to write it because her monster DOES come back. Bruchac is great at weaving Native American stories and history into his narration. The book is set in a real, historic place. I was so intrigued, I looked it up! http://www.josephbruchac.com/ http://www.mohonk.com/ From the card catalog: "When Molly and her parents attend a conference at Mohonk Mountain House, Molly begins to fear that she is being watched by the very man who kidnapped and tried to kill them all the previous year. "

This is an adventure book set in Alaska. The isolation and danger remind me a little bit of Gary Paulson's Hatchet--many kids enjoy reading that! Here is the synopsis: "In their father's absence, thirteen-year-old September and her younger brother Ivan disobey his orders by taking the boat out on their Alaska bay, where they are caught in a terrifying storm called a williwaw." http://www.bodett.com/titles/williwaw.htm