What Should I Read? Book Talks and More

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar So much is going on for Scott right now.  He is starting high school and his parents announce he will be a big brother.  Scott wishes that his big brother had told him what to expect in high school, so he starts a journal to make sure his little brother or sister will not have all the nasty surprises that he lives through.  Scott is a good student, it's all the other stuff he finds confusing--mainly sports, friends, and girls.  He gets involved in many activities because he thinks his crush is going to do those activities and he will spend time with her, only to find out that she does not get involved in the student election, marching band, the play, or the school newspaper.  But Scott is involved!  This funny story is told in the first person through journal entries.  5 of 5 stars for David Lubar's humorous realistic fiction.

Story Tim e by Edward Bloor Something sketchy AND creepy is going on at the magnet school for gifted and talented students that  George and Kate have just been assigned to.  Not only are the people who run the school dishonest, they seem to have a strange, supernatural power over some students and staff at the school.  They brag that their school has the highest scores in the nation, but kids definitely are not enjoying school there, not even a little bit.  George and Kate find it unpleasant and unsafe.  Strange things happen during story time--strange like possession!  Kate and George try to uncover what is going on so they can keep themselves and the other students safe.  I like this fantasy book written by Edward Bloor, but I did find it confusing at times and a little preachy.  Two of five stars.

The Last Apprentice Series by Joseph Delaney The first book in the series, Revenge of the Witch , introduces Thomas Ward.  Tom is a 13 year old seventh son of a seventh son.  That makes him sensitive to supernatural stuff.  At thirteen, he is apprenticed to an employer to learn a trade.  One brother stayed home to run the farm and the others went to learn a trade like blacksmith or masonry. Thomas becomes apprentice to the local Spook.  The Spook is the person in the county who deals with the supernatural--witches, ghosts, boggarts and worse.  Tom enters his apprenticeship and after several weeks of training, Mr Gregory, the Spook, is away and business and Tom must face a dangerous boggart on his own.  It was just such a creature that killed the last Spook's apprentice! There are 13 books in this series!

The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds Matt is seventeen and his mother recently died.  His grief makes him feel lost and alone, even at school where he has friends.  He needs a job and finds one at the local funeral home.  It doesn't seem like a very pleasant job, but he works with Mr. Ray who is a respected person in the Brooklyn community.  He finds that the funerals he attends as part of his job soothe him and help him understand his grief as he sees it in others.  He meets Lovey at a funeral and they quickly form a bond, can their friendship develop into more? This is realistic fiction.  Jason Reynolds is now one of my favorite authors. 

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale Miri wants to work with her father and sister as a miner in Mount Eskel's quarry.  It doesn't seem like the kind of job a fourteen year old girl would want, but the mine is as important to Miri as it is to the village.  Mining is a respected and admired occupation and the special stone, linder, that the mine provides is prized by the kingdom.  In Miri's kingdom, girls are selected as a great honor to attend the Princess Academy and she is the girl selected from her school.  Miri finds that she has a mystical telepathic ability to speak through the linden stone using a language based on the quarry songs.  this ability gives her the courage to rally her classmates to gain fair treatment as she learns many ways that will help her improve her village. This book is in the fantasy genre.

The Mighty Miss Malon e by Christopher Paul Curtis is a historical novel set in Indiana and Michigan during the Great Depression.   Deza Malone is a very smart girl who has a pretty good life, even if her father is out of work, her mother works as a maid for a not-so-nice white family, and her brother, a gifted singer who isn't always good at telling the truth.  She knows her family loves her and they have their own special culture and the Malone way of doing things.  The Malones live on the edge and when her father has an accident, they are pushed over the edge into extreme poverty and homelessness.  They must leave their home in Gary and go to Flint where they hope to find family.  Deza is a character with a true heart that readers will root for.  Readers who loved the book  Bud, Not Buddy will recognize his cameo appearance in this book.   5/5 reading stars-it might make you cry and you will definitely laugh.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan is a dystopic zombie story.  I actually read this book twice.  The cover and title are intriguing, but I couldn't remember what it was about.  Mary lives in a walled city within a forest.  The walls are breached so often by the unconsecrated that platforms are built to allow the villagers to scramble up and escape the flesh-eating former human creatures. Have you noticed that Zombie books, kind of like vampire books, follow a prescribed notion of what the creatures are like?  Mary is supposed to be claimed by a man and wed, but things go awry as she falls in love with her best friend's intended.  They all end up together escaping the village into a fenced pathway as Mary tries to keep her group safe and solve the mystery of where their destiny seems to be leading them. This is a complicated and action-filled read.  3/5 stars.

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore John Smith-yep, it is a made up name.  John chose it as his new identity.  It is not his first new identity.  He is an alien to Earth from the planet Lorien.  One of the last of his kind.  He and his guardian, Henry, have been hiding and on the run from another alien race--Mogadorians.  The Mogs destroyed Lorien, now they will destroy Earth unless John, equipped with the magical legacy powers of Lorien, and his newfound allies can stop them--that is if he doesn't die first. This exciting science fiction adventure is the first in author Pittacus Lore's Lorien Legacies series.  I have read the whole series and it is very good.  I "love it!"  Good for grades 7 & up.  Ok for sixth graders whose parents don't mind some profanity in appropriate places (we'd probably all say a few of these when staring into the face of a Mogadorian who wants to kill us).  Spin-off series and com...

Skulduggery Pleasant   by Derek Landy 12-year-old Stephanie's favorite and odd Uncle Gordon dies.  A strange man, Skulduggery Pleasant, cames to the funeral and reading of the will.  He is actually a living skeleton--people cannot always tell since he walks around bundled up like the invisible man. Stephanie inherited her uncle's home and, while she is there alone, she is attacked by Serpine who needs a magic item from the house so he can rule the world.  Luckily, Skulduggery Pleasant is watching out for her and comes to the rescue. Stephanie finds herself in a magical world full of secrets, mystery, and power.  She and Skulduggery Pleasant team up to fight Serpine and other frightening powers.  This supernatural adventure is very entertaining.   This title was renamed Scepter of the Ancients when the paperback came out.   I enjoyed these books--it is really a different and original series in the fantasy genre.  One o...

Cinder by Marissa Meyer Cinder is part robot and doesn't know why.  The people of New Beijing are not in favor of having cyborgs around, so Cinder hides this part of herself as much as she can.  Many suspect cyborgs are the cause of the plague which is killing lots of people.  As the title suggests, Cinder has an evil stepmother and two stepsisters (one awful, one sweet).   Cinder is a very good mechanic--possibly because she is part machine herself.  Enter the prince, who has a mystery problem with his nanny robot.  He seeks Cinder because she is the best.  Meanwhile, Cinder's sweet stepsister gets sick and the Prince gets engaged to the horrible Queen of the Moon, whose people seem to be just waiting to attack.  Cinder soon realizes that her past, shrouded in mystery, is related to the mysterious lunar people and she may be the only person who can save the earth. I read all the books in this science fiction inter...

The House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer Matt lives a surreal existence--alone in a house in a field full of flowers.  His mother is there part of the time, but she warns him to stay inside and not to speak to or be seen by anyone.  Why?  Because something really bad might happen.  And of course, it does.  But the absurdity of his situation does not end there because he is the clone of the most powerful man in the country.  The almost 150-year-old El Patrón is not only the president of the country and Matt's benefactor, he is the head of a powerful opium production and distribution country located between what used to be Mexico and the science fiction future of the United States. Usually when a clone is...made...the thinking part of the brain is destroyed and they are used as slaves or organs.  But El Patrón always raises his clones as people. This multi award-winning book has been on my reading list for about eight years! I took it home ...

Behind the Curtain by Peter Abrahams Ingrid did not intend to find another mystery in Echo Falls, but it happened.  She notices that her brother is suddenly much stronger, has developed a bad case of acne, and he is not exactly his old sweet self.  Based on information she learned in health class, she suspects he is using steroids.  But where is he getting them?  There are a few suspicious characters around.  But she does not realize until after her kidnapping that that she has uncovered more than one mystery in her quiet home town. Abrahams' series called the Echo Falls Mysteries includes three books in the series: Down the Rabbit Hole , Behind the Curtain , and Into the Dark . They are all based around teen super sleuth Ingrid Levin-Hill who is a very likeable character who loves to play soccer and is a Sherlock Holmes fan.  Abrahams includes sports fun.  I enjoyed this book and the others in the series. http://www.peterabrahams.com/ ...

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool Jack's mother dies so his dad, the captain of a WWII navy ship, comes home to Kansas.  Jack and his father have not seen one another in several years, so things are strange.  Jack's dad takes him to a boarding school relatively close to his base.  Jack finds it difficult to fit in since he had not ever seen the ocean before he arrived in Maine and all students are expected to skull.  The first boy Jack meets is Early who seems quite odd.  He lives by himself in the basement.  Early has no family left and he seems to be a charity case at the school.  His oddness draws Jack in and they begin a quest that Jack does not really understand.  It is a quest to find a bear, or maybe it is find Early's brother (everyone knows that he died in the war) all based on the story that Early reads in the number pi. This historical fiction book is a good one.  Everything turns out right. ...

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Series by Michelle Paver What was life like for people when we lived in small communities made of clans? Before we knew about science or why things in the natural world happened? Torak lived 6,000 years ago in northern Europe. Spirits and magic make life different and dangerous. His father is killed by a demon possessed monstrosity of a bear. Why did his father keep him separate from all the clans? Torak is unusual because he can speak with wolves. He befriends a wolf cub, whose family was also killed, and together they form their own pack. Eventually Torak is adopted by another clan, but his differences make it hard for the crow clan to accept him. Each of the first four books in the series that I read were exciting and, interesting, and a different kind of fantasy. I really enjoy this series!Torak went on a quest in each and was assisted by his crow clan friend who has power and secrets of her own, and Wolf. 1. Wolf Brother 2. Spiri...

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Tim Indian by Sherman Alexie, illustrated by Ellen Forney Junior wants a better future.  He doesn't want to give up on life, the way it sometimes seems that his family and community have.  One of his teachers, who seems like a real creep, tells him he needs to get off the reservation and go to a school in the next town. Junior decides to do that, but it is difficult to get there due to his family's situation, and it alienates him from his community and his best friend.  His friend is the meanest kid at the rez school and also the best basketball player.  They were supposed to play together and Junior is pretty nervous that now they will be rivals.  He is surprised and also a little put off by the friendliness and generosity of the students at his new school.  He is not sure if they are genuine or condescending to him because he is Native American; the only other Indian on campus is the school mascot. T...

The Friendship Matchmaker by Randa Abdel-Fattah This funny book is about a middle school girl, Lana, who matches kids together for friendships.  I don't think this is a "thing" because I do work at a middle school, but it makes for a good read.  Lana has rules for who and how she will match.  One of the rules is that she can match two friends or four friends, but never odd numbers because someone will always be left out.  Lana doesn't seem to have friends of her own, after all she is very busy writing manuals for middle school kids which include social rules for all situations, such as "Rules for the School Bus." Lana takes on a very difficult friendship project, and readers will hope that she finds a friend for herself. I enjoyed this book! Genre:  Humor, School Stories

Night Wings by Joseph Bruchac Paul's parents have both gone off to war, as is a tradition in their family since his ancestors decided to never fight against America again.  He is staying with his grandfather who has taught Paul his Abenaki ancestors' stories.  When his grandfather is kidnapped, the bad guys force Paul into a dangerous situation on top of the mountain which includes confronting a legendary monster.  He has the wisdom of his ancestors and all the survival skills his grandfather taught him, hopefully it will be enough to get them out of this terrible situation. This is a very good story.  Joesph Bruchac does a wonderful job incorporating Native American stories into his stories.  He's so awesome! MS

Twice Upon a Time Series by Wendy Mass Wendy Mass retells three fairy tales.  Beauty and the Beast:   The Only One who Didn't Run Away   by  Wendy Mass You know the story--boy gets turned into a beast until someone falls in love with him.  That girl is Beauty and she is tired of not living up to her name. She is a very smart girl who is trying to make a little money for her family.  Her father, a book seller, has run into bad fortune.  Her sister tries but she's really only interested in having pretty dresses and getting married.  The beast's family is cursed.  He is a terrifying beast, and his family has been made invisible.  They must work together to help the Beast find love before time is up and they remain cursed forever. Rapunzel : the One with all the Hair Rapunzel was stolen from home on her 12th birthday by an evil witch and kept in a high tower.  This book is told in two perspecti...

The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty Bindy MacKenzie is an irritating, self-righteous straight A know-it all!  But she does not deserve to be murdered.  She's just a kid in high school after all, and she has her own problems.  In addition to being an over-achiever, she is keeping a family secret from her father.  Her parents have split up, even though they won't admit it, and she is living with her aunt and uncle.  And she's losing it!  But how and why would someone want to kill her?  This story is told through Bindy's diary and keepsakes.  I enjoyed this book!   

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