Getting Away from Doom & Gloom

For the past two months or so - I guess caught up in The Hunger Games frenzy - most of the books I've been reading have been about dystopian societies or futuristic novels set in a fragmented United States.  Don't get me wrong, they were good and I recommend them all - Legend by Marie Lu, Numbers by Rachel Ward, Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Line and Away by Teri Hall, The Maze Runner series by James Dasher, and Blood Red Road by Moira Young - but I was depressing myself.  I needed to read something fun but meaningful, something light but not stupidly insulting, something that might make me think but not disheartened.  So, I read Jordan Sonnenblick's new one Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip, good, but a bit like wanting a hot fudge sundae and only having a pop sickle. . . good, but just not quite satisfying.

Then, a new order came in! This innocuous little book - Wonder by R. J. Palacio  - was included. I was craving that book that would meet all my needs. You know how sometimes things are just so good you want to clap and jump and maybe even grab somebody by the front of their shirt and say, "You HAVE to read this!"?  This book did that for me. 

Here is the trailer.

Hunger Games Mania

Many of you are waiting to read the book now that you have seen the movie. We have THIRTEEN COPIES of the Hunger Games (Twelve of the others in the series) AND each book is checked out AND there is a hold list! It is my understanding that there are stores that are selling the paperback version rather cheaply if you want to read it in print, which of course I HIGHLY recommend.

Movies and Things

OK, we know that The Hunger Games movie is coming out soon - March 23rd - to be exact.  Trailer above. I only hope it does not disappoint - you know, "Never judge a book by its movie."

ALA Awards Announced!

Guess what book received the Newbery Award for 2012?  Yes, my current "Oh my gosh, this book is great - Dead End in Norvelt". I'm telling you - don't miss this one.  I'll order more.

Another favorite of many of you - The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen- received the Schneider Family Book Award for books that embody an artistic expression of the disability experience.

Click here to see the complete list of this year's award winners.

Scott O'Dell Award

Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction

In 1982, Scott O'Dell established The Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The annual award of $5,000 goes to an author for a meritorious book published in the previous year for children or young adults.  Scott O'Dell established this award to encourage other writers--particularly new authors--to focus on historical fiction. He hoped in this way to increase the interest of young readers in the historical background that has helped to shape their country and their world. 

If you read my previous post, I told you this was one not to miss.  I love when I am right.

Potpourri

Potpourri - noun \ˌpō-pu̇-ˈrē\ 2. : a miscellaneous collection (Merriam-Webster online)


The Girl Who Threw Butterflies by Mick Cochrane is the story of 8th grade Molly.  Her father has recently died in an auto accident, her mother is going through the motions of living, and she is just trying to figure out things and cope day to day. To overcome some of her problems, she decides to join the baseball team - the boys baseball team since baseball helps her feel connected to her dad. She only hopes the knuckleball she can throw will help her earn the position. Realistic and memorable.


Legend by Marie Lu is the first novel for this art director of a video game company.  (I can visualize the characters and settings in a game.)  Set in a post-apocalyptic United States, Day is from the slums and is the most wanted criminal in the Republic.  June is a member of the elite, a military prodigy,with nothing but a bright future ahead of her. However, when June's brother is murdered, Day's and June's paths cross when Day becomes the prime suspect.  June sets out to apprehend him and bring him to justice.  But all is not what it seems.  If you like dystopian novels, this is for you. Action, thriller with a sprinkle of romance.


Jack Gantos' Dead End in Norvelt made me laugh out loud. Really. I know many of you (OK, most of you) avoid historical fiction like the plague.  Even though this is historical fiction/non-fiction - because the character's name is Jack Gantos - don't miss this one.  Jack does some pretty dumb things and suffers an summer of grounding for his actions.  One thing that gets him out of the house/yard is helping an elderly lady write the obituaries for the local paper.  His summer is filled with death, gore, fire, Hell's Angels, and nosebleeds. If you think your hometown is weird, you have never been to Norvelt.  Don't miss this one!

2011 Favorite Books

Here is a quick review of your favorite books from September 2011 to December 2011. No surprise - Hunger Games trilogy was at the top of the list!

Ranger's Apprentice

If you have a Kindle, you can download John Flanagan's Ranger's Apprentice for free. Here is the link to Scribd.

How great is that?

Hunger Games. . . again!

THANKS to Mrs. Cole for the CNN link about the upcoming Hunger Games movie.

Read the article and opinion of the movie, and the book(s), here. Oh, and check out the characters and see if they fit your mind's pictures of Katniss and Gale.

10 Free Online Image Editing Tools

10 Free Online Image Editing Tools

Great tips and tools for teachers from Richard Byrne.

Almost Summer Break

Another debut novel! Memento Nora by Angie Smibert, a contributing author to Odyssey ( a science fiction magazine for the YA crowd) is another novel about a dystopian society. OK, that sounded a bit like a whine. . .it isn't. Is this the nail-biting, suspense, action packed adventure of The Hunger Games? No, but it does have the very controlling society that speaks to how we as members of society are subtly manipulated and controlled. TFC is the Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic where citizens can go to forget their troubles or nightmares. Nora and her mother are at TFC after a bomb attack where Nora and her mother are eye-witnesses. It is Nora's first visit to TFC and all she has to do is swallow the little white pill. But then she sees a guy with the word Memento written on his cast and he quickly shows her the pill on his tongue. Now, she is faced with a choice. What will she choose? Find out what happens to Nora and the guy, Micah.

PS The sequel is being written.

Check out the website!

Gearing up for Summer!

Memorial Day weekend provided a three day weekend which gave me some time to relax, enjoy the family, and read. So I did.

Day One: Marie Lamba's first book What I meant. . . is the story of fifteen year old Sangeet Jumnal. Sangeet is a good daughter, a good student, a good friend, and a good sister. Her aunt (who she refers to as "evil") seems to be causing her parents to think she is bulimic, her school work to suffer, her friend thinks she is annoying, and her sister thinks she is a thief. Life is not going well at all. And, the boy she thinks she loves is a bit aloof. Find out what happens with Sangeet and her trials. It is funny, sad, and heart warming.

Day Two: Another first novel - How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen is another novel that is funny, sad, and heart warming. Lamar has asthma and loves to bowl. His nickname for himself is "King of Strikers" because he is really, really good. His older brother, Xavier, is a basketball star; everyone is sure he will be pro when he's finished with high school. Typical older brother, X, as he is referred to, puts down Lamar every opportunity he gets. So there is sibling rivalry, friend/girlfriend issues, peer pressure, and self-respect all tied into this one book.

Day Three: "You are indestructible." Three words, innocently written on a cast. Jacob was whispered those three words by his foster parent right before they hit the tree head on. They should have both been killed, and now Jacob is indestructible. However, when the words allow the person to really be indestructible, what happens? Does the Grim Reaper just say, "Oh, that's OK. Later, dude." Or does the Grim Reaper wait and wreak havoc just a bit later? Good mystery, with decisions of good and evil, and life and death on practically every page of Thirteen Days to Midnight.

Day Four: (I took a personal day.) True (. . . sort of) is Katherine Hannigan's first novel since Ida B. This is a captivating look at the ways friendships and truths are discovered. Delly Pattison has been told she is trouble since she was six and left the chickens out of the cage at the county fair. Delly also makes up words (which surprisingly make a lot of sense) like surpresent -a present that is a surprise. She is sure she is going to receive a surpresent the day the Boyds come to town. And, Ferris Boyd is like no one Delly has ever met. This is is another novel that is funny, sad, and heart warming.

Action-Adventure

The Doomsday Box: A Shadow Project Adventure by Herbie Brennan is a Junior Library Guild selection. Somehow the books from JLG either become award winners or are just really good reads. The jury is out on whether this will be an award winner, but my verdict is in - it is a good read!

Four teenage spies - Opal, Danny, Michael, and Fuchsia - are members of the Shadow Project. These teens have supernatural abilities which are desperately needed to stop an undercover agent, Cobra. Agent Cobra has time-traveled to the Middle Ages and returned with a small box containing vials. When the box is opened, a deadly plague is unleashed in the world today that could lead to millions of people dying. The Shadow Project members are needed to go back in time, meet up with Agent Cobra, and stop him from unleashing this horror on the world. And, so they are headed to Moscow. . . in 1962.

If you like Alex Rider, you will enjoy this. If you like spies, you will enjoy this. You can even learn a bit of history in this book too.

Another Good One

It seems lately so many of the books I've been reading are fantasy or futuristic rather depressing science fiction, like Incarceron or The Maze Runner/The Scorch Trials. Although those novel really do pull you in and stimulate "What if. . .?" thinking. Then, a new Wendelin Van Draanen book arrived. Being in the middle of three rather ho-hum books, I started it during lunch the other day. This book is not a depressing futuristic science fiction; it is just the opposite.

The Running Dream is the story of Jessica Carlisle. She defines herself by her running. She loves it. She breathes it. She lives it. Hours after breaking the record for the 400 meter race, a runaway truck plows into their bus and causes a horrific tragedy. One track member is dead, and Jessica has lost her leg. How will Jessica deal with this? How will her friends handle her disability? Will she be able to walk again? Is it possible to even think of running again?

To discover the answers to those questions, read The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen.

Van Draanen is a runner herself and with her husband has founded Exercise the Right to Read. The campaign is designed to get kids reading and running and help school libraries. You can also check out her website.

Katniss is Cast

It is official. Jennifer Lawrence has been cast as Katniss Everdeen. Suzanne Collins said, "Jennifer's just an incredible actress. So powerful, vulnerable, beautiful, unforgiving and brave. I never thought we'd find somebody this perfect for the role. And I can't wait for everyone to see her play it."(Source: MTV.)

Now, if they can only get Jack Nicholson to play Haymitch

Incarceron Update

The sequel to Incarceron, Sapphique, is now in the library. I finished it last night. It is fast paced, packed with twists and turns in the plot, political intrigue, magic, strange characters - you know, all the characteristics of great fantasy. Finn, Claudia, and Jared are dealing with the dangers in the outside world; Attia and Keiro are dealing with the dangers of Incarceron.

If you love fantasy, read the series. And, if you love this actor - Taylor Lautner - you may be interested to know that he will star in the movie Incarceron. Read the book first - it is always better than the movie.

This and That

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is the favorite book of teens according to AASL (American Association of School Librarians). This is no surprise to me since we have twelve copies of the book and all of them are checked out AND there is a hold list. As you may or not know, the movie for Hunger Games is in the works. Mr. Warfel was a bit annoyed with me when I told him my choice of actors for Haymitch. He said all he could see in his mind's eye was Jack Nicholson, but I think he is perfect for the role! Who would you choose?

Over the last two weeks, I immersed myself in the Harry Potter videos - one through six. It was so interesting seeing the growth of Harry and pals through each video, as both the fictional characters and real life actors. The first installment of Deathly Hallows is released next month in case you are interested. Mrs. Owens reminded me that a few years ago I said "Eh...Harry Potter" (I was angry with Harry for being so angry. Yes, I get too involved in characters. Forgive me. I am a librarian.) Well, I just reread The Deathly Hallows because I couldn't remember if Snape was a good guy or not. I wasn't disappointed and I take back what I said about Harry Potter.

I will not, however, change my mind about Twilight, the books or the movies.

Another Great Fantasy!

This is fabulous fantasy! Incarceron is a prison. Those imprisoned cannot escape since it has been sealed for centuries. Prisoners do live in cells, in metal forests, decaying cities, and strange wildernesses. Legends say only one has ever escaped this place. Finn is convinced he is from the Outside - that unknown realm that seems to be only a dream.

Claudia is from the Outside; she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron. Through a strange series of events, Finn and Claudia communicate through a crystal key. Can she help Finn escape the prison? Is she really Outside? Do they have the strength, courage and conviction to accomplish this feat?


PS The sequel will be released in late December.

Adoration of Jenna Fox

Great read!