Thursday, December 6, 2012

Small Persons with Wings (they hate to be called fairies) by Ellen Booraem

A delightful read.  I remember when my son Sam was little and had an imaginary friend named Oslo.  That is what everyone thinks Mellie is talking about when she tells people that she has a "small person with wings" name Fidius.  Fidius is angry that Mellie tells people about him and leaves.  After this, Mellie throws herself into science and logic and has nothing to do with anything dealing with creativity or imagination.  After a family move, Mellie discovers that small persons with wings DO exist and they need help guarding an magic heirloom.  A great book if you like a light dose of fantasy.

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin by Josh Berk

Interesting little mystery.  Will Halpin has always gone to a school for kids who are deaf.  He is an expert at reading lips and wants to try going to the public high school.  On a school trip the star quarterback is murdered and Will teams up with the one kid even less popular than himself to solve the crime.

A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

The narrator of this story cracks me up.  He/She continues to make random funny remarks throughout the story.  What a story it is!  This is the story of Hansel and Gretel, but it doesn't end when they escape from the witch as in the original story.  It follows their horrific adventure through 8 other scary fairy tales until they finally return home ALMOST in one piece!!  Their is now a companion book that has been published that I am ordering for the library.

Jerk California by Jonathan Friesen

I have now read this book twice and loved it both times.  This is the story of Sam Carrier.  Sam has Tourette syndrome and is plagued with tics and twitches and verbal outbursts.  High school is a nightmare and his home life with his step dad is NO better.  Sam's stepfather is AWFUL.  This is Sam's story to find out about his real dad and find peace within himself.  Heart-wrenching and wonderful all at the same time!  The author has Tourette syndrome also and understands Sam's stuggle.