What Should I Read? Book Talks and More

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