Margaret Peterson Haddix

I just finished the second book in The Missing series by Haddix, of Shadow Children series fame. Found, the first book, is a great science fiction read. Jonah is a regular middle school kid who likes to shoot hoops, hang with his friends, avoid his younger sister - he could be you. His parents, who love him dearly, told him as soon as he was old enough to understand, that he is adopted. One day while hanging with his friend Chip he received mail in a plain white envelope with this message inside: You are one of the missing. Missing? He's lived in his house for as long as he can remember. What he doesn't know is that thirteen years ago a plane appeared at an airport that wasn't scheduled to land, hadn't reported engine trouble...it just wasn't. However, he was on that plane along with thirty-five other babies. No pilots, no navigators, no flight attendants - just the babies. Jonah, Chip, and his sister Katherine set out to discover what the note means and a drawn into the mystery surrounding their arrival thirteen years ago.

On to book number two - Sent. Without giving away too much of the first book, Jonah, Chip, and Katherine find themselves in the fifteenth century in the Tower of London. This book is suspenseful, mysterious, and as thrilling as the first one. I am ready for the third one...whenever that may be.

NOTE: Found is one of the books in the PA Young Readers choices. Read any three - and they are all good - and you can vote for your favorite one. The author will receive an award from PSLA (PA School Librarians Association). Authors really like this kind of thing...honestly.

Yummy, Yummy!

I thought since the holidays are fast approaching I'd focus on some great cookbooks we have in the library. Check one out. Try a new recipe and impress the folks!

• Great Grilled Cheese: 50 Innovative Recipes for Stovetop, Grill and Sandwich Maker by Laura Werlin. I never met a cheese I didn't like and put it in a sandwich - divine!
• Teens Cook: How to Cook What You Want to Eat by Megan and Jill Clark. Recipes for breakfast, snacks, dessert, soups, salad, your family, and just for one.
• The Teen's Vegetarian Cookbook by Judy Krizmanic. Easy recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack-time made from ingredients found in the local grocery store. The granola recipe looks quite tasty!
• The Tailgating Cookbook: Recipes for the Big Game by Bob Sloan. Going to Penn State? Tailgating? Check out this book and make everyone's mouth water with your delectable delights!
• The Young Chef's Mexican (French, Chinese, Italian) Cookbook(s): Step by Step Fun Recipes for Young Chefs. Great pictures and yummy recipes are included on each page of this series. In the Mexican book, the salsa pico do gallo looked particularly tasty.

And, last but certainly not least, the grand dame of cooking - Martha Stewart.

• Martha Stewart's Cookies: The Very Best Treats to Bake and to Share. I am sorry to say this is not a scratch and sniff book. How do Macadamia-Maple Sticky Bars sound? Or Peppermint Meringue Sandwiches with Chocolate Filling? Or Peanut Butter Whoopie Pies? Or...
  

Cool Generator!

Check out this easy to use cartoon creator from ToonDoo! Try it.

Catching Fire Book Trailer

Lions, Cyclops, and Goats..oh my!

After hearing rave reviews of this series - picture Mrs. Owens doing cartwheels - I had to read this one. It has everything a great read needs - a hero, villains (plenty of them in here), adventure, suspense, humor,and action ...oh and throw in a sword fight or two too. I finished this one last weekend and am now half way through the second one.

Don't miss this rollicking modern day mythology laden adventure!

In the series:

• The Lightning Thief
• The Sea of Monsters
• The Titan's Curse
• The Battle of the Labyrinth
• The Last Olympian

Update: I have finished The Sea of Monsters - another exciting fantastic adventure filled with Mythology references. Now, on to the next one!
Update #2: Finished The Titan's Curse but I can't proceed because I only brought two home...sigh
Update #3: I have finished the series. It is quite good, a bit repetitive with the series recap information in each book. You know why authors do this - someone hasn't read the series inorder, they need to recap and fill in all the blanks - just skip over that since you really don't have to retain any of this. BUT, if you like this, try more detailed stories, like Edith Hamilton, Olivia Coolidge, or even Homer's writings.

If you liked Harry Potter, try this series. They are similar, but this series has more humor.

8th Grade Book Talks

Oh, so Good - Wendy Mass!

If you have not read anything by the author Wendy Mass - take the time and check one out. She is the author of Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, Every Soul a Star, 11 Birthdays, A Mango Shaped Space, and Leap Day. I've read those that are red and have not regretted one minute of the time expended.

The book I have read most recently is Every Soul a Star which is written from the point of view of three very distinctly different teenagers. Ally, short for Alpha, lives with her parents and brother on a very isolated campground named Moon Shadow. The campground is so named because a total eclipse of the sun will be occurring and the campground is at the perfect spot. Ally is an admitted, and proud of it, astronomy fan. Bree's family is moving to the campground because her parents are scientists. To say that Bree is unhappy is putting it mildly. She is into malls, fashion, and her friends. Jack is helping his science teacher on the eclipse tour... so he doesn't have to go to summer school. The scientific talk is way out of his league and comfort level; so is being on a bus with a bunch of strangers to go to a campground. Now, bring these three teens together as they prepare to witness this amazing event and discover their place in the universe.

That is the plot. However, that is only part of the story. There is plenty of scientific information written in an easy to understand way. Information about stars, galaxies, telescopes, space junk, eclipses, planets, even the SETI organization should peak your interest.

Check out these outer space sites:

• Hubble
• NASA Solar Eclipse
• SETI