Thursday, December 18, 2014

I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora

This has been my favorite read so far this year!  It is just a delightful read!! 3 friends all finishing 8th grade have the goal to get as many people as they can excited to read the novel "To Kill a Mockingbird."  They decide the best way to do it is to create what people will think is a conspiracy to get rid of the book, because "wanting what you can't have is the American way, right?"  It is funny and light hearted and has some great one liners that I loved, like..."good manners never hurt anybody."  Reading this might also inspire you to go on and read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

The Only Thing to Fear by Caoline Tung Richmond

Lots of action in this book...not a dull moment.  This is a novel that reimagines what the world would be like if the Allies had lost WWII.  The Nazi's are in power on the eastern part of what used to be the US, and the Japanese govern over the west.  A rebellion is brewing to overthrow the Nazi Regime. This book also has a little Sci Fi thrown in for good measure.  The nazi's, with all their experimentation, created "super soldiers" with different powers.  Zara is the main character and she may be the KEY to brining down the Fuhrer.  The action in this book makes it a very quick read.

Thursday, December 11, 2014

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fford

I loved this latest read.  This story takes place in what seems to be modern times, but in a created world, "The Ununited Kingdoms," where magic exits.  BUT...the magic is draining away and no one is quite sure why.  Jennifer Strange, a 15 yr. old foundling, runs Kazam Mystical Arts Management, an employment agency for magicians.  She is trying to keep them in business now that the magic is drying up.  Then the prophecies start about the destruction of the last dragon.  What will this mean for the world of magic and the last of the Dragons?  I love the characters in this book.  Jennifer is noble and brave, but also angry at what is happening.  She also has a mysterious and fun/scary pet called a "quarkbeast."  We see Jennifer and the Quarkbeast return in book 2 of the "Chronicles of Kazam," "The Song of the Quarkbeast."  I am looking forward to taking this home over the break to read.

Friday, December 5, 2014

The Watcher in the Shadows by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

This book has lots of chills and thrills.  It will be well liked by readers like me who like to read scary stuff!! Irene's family relocates from Paris to Normandy when her father dies.  Her mother has taken the job as a housekeeper for a man who used to be a famous toy maker.  He has lots of rules of where Irene and her family can and cannot go so you KNOW that something is up with this guy.  The story moves very quickly as you try to figure things out.  The story takes place in the late 1930s so the language is more formal than what we might hear today, this doesn't make it hard to read, just something I noticed.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Below By Meg McKinlay

What a great little mystery this book is.  Cassie was the first baby born on the day that the mayor of the town flipped a switch and intentionally flooded the old town of Old Lower Grange, making way for New Lower Grange.  Even though she never knew the old town she is drawn to the mystery of the town that lies beneath it.  Because Cassie was born prematurely, she has to swim everyday to build up her weak lungs.  She usually goes to a pool, but recently has been drawn to the forbidden lake to swim her laps.  As her and her friend secretly meet to swim, they begin to discover some secrets that someone in the town has hoped to hide.  I really enjoyed this book.  It is set in an Australian town and it was fun to think that you could go swimming during your Christmas break.  You couldn't do this is Nebraska!!

Monday, November 17, 2014

Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington

This was a charming book.  I really liked the main character, Sarah Nelson.  Sarah loves words (I love words also).  Some words she classifies as "trouble words." One of the "trouble words" for Sarah is "crazy."  She is carefully watching for signs that she will turn out crazy like her mother who is incarcerated at a mental hospital for a crime she committed when Sarah was 2 yrs. old.  This story takes place the summer before Sarah's 7th grade year and she is expecting a pretty boring summer, but this year, instead of having to go to her grandparents' home in Houston, she gets to stay at home and learns a lot about herself and her family in this summer.  She spends a lot of time writing to Atticus Finch (character of one of my favorite novels, "To Kill a Mockingbird") as part of a school assignment.  I hope it makes all of you curious enough to go pick up "To Kill a Mockingbird" after you read this.

Monday, November 10, 2014

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

A super volcano under Yellowstone National Park has erupted!  With the eruption came earthquakes and lots and lots of Ash.  Alex was excited about his weekend at home alone until this happens.  His world is plunged into darkness, ash and violence.  As the area looses power and food and everyday conveniences they kind of also begin to loose their humanity.  Alex tries to make his way to his Uncle's house in Iowa to find his family. I think 8th graders will really like this scary apocalypse novel.  A note to the squeamish and my vegetarian friends...they do have to butcher some animals to use for food (a rabbit and a pig).  This part is pretty detailed so if this is going to bother you, you may want to skip this part when you get to it.  There is a book two called Ashen Winter that we have in the library, but I have not had the chance to read it.  I liked the author's note in the back that gives us a little bit of information about the super volcano that really does exist under Yellowstone National Park.  Luckily for us, it has only erupted 3 times in the last 2.1 million years.  The last one was 640,000 years ago.

Friday, October 31, 2014

The Miracle Stealer by Neil Connelly

This book really made you think about faith, in all it's different shapes and sizes.  Andi (Anderson Grant) loves her 6 yr. old little brother Danny.  When Danny was younger he fell down an old mine shaft and was miraculously unhurt.  That is why people think he is a "miracle boy."  Many come to their little town of Paradise, PA looking to be healed by this little boy.  Andi worries about what all of this attention is doing to her little brother.  She devises a plan to help stop this religious fervor.  A great, quick read.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

I enjoyed this piece of historical fiction.  7th Grader, Lewis Blake, lives in two different worlds.  He lives on the "rez" (reservation) but attends the white school.  He is the only American Indian that attends his gifted classes.  This leaves him feeling friendless and often leads to episodes where he is bullied.  A new family moves to town.  George's father is in the military and he is used to moving around and starting over.  When he moves into the Upstate NY town that Lewis lives in, they become friends.  Their love of music overcomes a lot of differences.  I really liked all the musical references in this book. I liked Lewis and felt for him when he was so embarrassed by the poverty in which he lives with his mom and uncle on the reservation.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Cameron and the Girls by Edward Averett

This is a wonderful book.  Cameron attends the Emotionally Disturbed Program (EDP) at his middle school.  He suffers from schizophreniform disorder.  It is a less chronic form of schizophrenia that can sometimes have periods where patients are symptom free.  Cameron, however, must take his meds to be symptom free and when he does that he feel blank.  His meds make him feel foggy with no feelings or emotions about anything and he hates it.  He decides to try making some decisions on his own by NOT taking his meds and that's when the voices come back.  He has always had the "professor" telling him things but now he has some new voices one of which is a girl...a girl he is falling for.  There is also Nina, a new (real) girl in the EDP program who suffers from depression who wants to be a part of Cameron's life.  So, it is a kind of a love triangle, but one of the people just happens to be a hallucination.  Just a fabulous read!

Monday, September 29, 2014

Crap Kingdom by DC Pierson

This book was really not what I was expecting.  I was expecting the usual high school misfit story, but that is NOT what I got.  Tom loves fantasy books and stories and now one is happening to him in real life.  He is taken to a portal that leads to another world and he has been selected as the "chosen one" to save this world.  But...the world is yukky.  Not a world that anyone would WANT to be the chosen one of, it doesn't even have a name, therefore, Tom calls it Crap Kingdom.  It is only when they choose someone else to be their chosen one that Tom realizes what he is missing.  (you know, its a "don't know what you have till you loose it" story)  I liked this book, I found Crap Kingdom quite humorous.  There was also a significant curveball thrown in at the end!

Monday, September 22, 2014

Black Out by Robison Wells

I started this book and thought, "hmmm I feel like I am missing something."  This book has a short story that comes before it that came out as an ebook.  I have purchased a copy for one of our nooks.  I believe that it tells you more about the virus that is referenced in this book.  BUT...even though I was a little confused at the beginning I kept reading and all the pieces fell into place.  The basic premise is a virus has enabled some teens to have powers. Some teens are using their powers to destroy landmarks and cause trouble across the US.  The government starts rounding up all teens to test them and use those they can to fight these other terrorists.  Lots of action in this book.  I liked the different powers of the characters.  Even if you don't check out the first book on the nook, don't give up on this story.  It all makes sense if you keep reading.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

James Dashner is the author of the Maze Runner (a series I just loved) so I just HAD to get this new book by him.  This book reminded me of a favorite from last summer: Ready Player One.  It also focuses on a time when the virtual world is beginning to take the place of the real world.  This book was very exciting and had lots of action that kept things moving.  The main character is approached by the VNS, the government agency in charge of monitoring the "Virtnet", and wants his help to catch a gamer that is out of control.  Kaine is holding players hostage in the VirtNet and the consequences are horrific.  Lots of twists and turns and surprises in this book!  I WILL be getting the next one in the series!

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Doll Bones by Holly Black

I thought this book would be creepier than it was, but I still enjoyed it.  Zach, Poppy and Alice enjoy playing a continuous, ever-changing game that they make up using their dolls and action figures as characters.  Then Poppy begins to hear from "The Queen."  The Queen is a china doll that they use in the stories, but now the Queen is coming to Poppy in dreams and letting her know that she is actually a doll made from the bones of a girl that died when she was young.  The Queen wants them to go on a quest to bury her in her grave.  And, off on a quest they go.  This is a fast paced book, because you really want to keep reading to see if this is part of their imaginary game, or really a ghost with a mission.

The Extra by Kathryn Lasky

This book is about Lilo and her family.  Lilo is a Sinti girl living with her family in Vienna during WWII.  At first the Nazi's allow her to continue to go to school and live in her house. But the Nazi's are keeping track of all Gypsy families just like they did with Jewish families.  After a while, they begin sending them to the concentration camps also.  This book focuses on Lilo and her mother and some of the other gypsy prisoners as they are used as extras by Hitler's favorite filmmaker, Lena Riefenstahl.  Lena Riefenstahl is a real person who really did use prisoners as movie extras and the privileges she received because of her connection to the Nazi government.  I couldn't put this book down.  I wanted to see if Lilo and her family survived and what happened to her friend Django that she met in one of the camps.  I also knew that the author provided more information on both the Gypsy culture as well as Lina Riefenstahl and the back of the book and I was anxious to get to that.  (I didn't let myself skip ahead).

Friday, August 22, 2014

Skellig by David Almond

This is a wonderful book.  It has been around for about 10 years, but it has just been re-released to celebrate the 10th anniversary of it, and boy am I glad it was.  This was a book that I hated to put down.  Michael and his family move into a fixer upper, he was excited about it, but his baby sister is very sick and that is taking all of the families attention.  While Michael is exploring the falling down garage out back he makes an unexpected discovery of a very unusual being.  With his new friend, Mina, the girl next door, they try to figure out what/who this being is.  They do know he is something "extraordinary."  I really liked the character of Mina.  The author has since written a book focusing on Mina's story before she meets Michael.  "My Name is Mina" is in our collection.   I guess "Skellig" was made into a movie in 2009 but I have not seen it.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Hooked: When Addiction Hits Home - Edited by: Chloe Shantz-Hilkes

Wow, what a BIG little book.  It is little in size but tackles a BIG topic.  This book is a collection of 10 true stories based on interviews of people that grew up with parents that were addicts.  They address everything from alcoholism, drug addiction, being addicted to work and eating disorders. It is full of stories of struggle and survival.  Each person interviewed tells how they handled things and how it has affected their lives as adults.  It also offers a Q & A session with a doctor who specializes in helping families with addiction as well as suggestions of where to go for help if you have a family member suffering from an addiction.  This book shines a light on how addiction affects more than just the person who is the addict.  It affects the entire family.  It is a very well done book about the unfortunate realities that some kids have to face.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

The 13th Sign by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb

I was born on July 13 so I am a Cancer.  If you follow astrology, Cancers are "ruled by the moon." We are nurturing and prize family history. Our good memories are the basis for many stories told around the dinner table.  Traditional astrology has a total of 12 signs, but WHAT IF someone unlocked an ancient 13th sign.  (If this happened I would be a Gemini-with TOTALLY different characteristics) This is what happens in the 13th Sign.  Jalen unlocks the 13th sign and everyone's personality takes a major shift.  She must defeat the 12 other signs to put things back the way they are supposed to be.  I enjoyed this book.  I liked how strong Jalen was, and I liked the "monsters" that came after her.  If you like mythology, astrology or fantasy (or all three) you will like this book.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl with Lori & Wayne Earl

Have you read "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green?  That book was written as a tribute to Esther Earl, who had become a friend of John Green's during her battle with thyroid cancer.  This book is comprised of journal entries, blog posts, letters, skype transcripts, etc. by Esther, her parents and friends.  It tells the story of Esther's spirit, humor, and hope through her battle with the cancer she was diagnosed with at age 14.  Parts will make you smile, parts will make you chuckle and parts will make you wish you had brought the box of kleenex with you.  It was one of those books that makes you realize you can't take things for granted and live each day to the fullest.

Coaltown Jesus by Ron Koertge

If you like novels and verse and you like books that make you smile you will like Coaltown Jesus.  Walker's mom is having a tough time and Walker prays for Jesus to help him and Jesus shows up to do just that!  Jesus is funny.  I enjoyed when he wanted a pair of red converse high tops!  Walker wants Jesus to just fix things for his mom. Jesus DOES help Walker, just not in the way Walker expects.  A truly enjoyable book.

The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech

I read this book years ago, but just recently got this copy for our library after someone's dog ate the last one.  I adored this book.  It made me chuckle out loud.  The angel is working so hard to earn his wings and he just doesn't understand why it hasn't already happened.  He meets free spirited Zola and together they try to save a group of orphans.  I just really liked the way Angel spoke (it reminded me of Junie B. Jones).

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Scream Street: Fang of the Vampire by Tommy Donbavand

I know that, unlike myself, not everyone wants to spend every extra minute they have reading.  If you are one of these people, the Scream Street series may be for you.  I enjoyed this little book.  It has a great story but doesn't take too long to get through it.  Luke is a werewolf and because he transformed in front of a "normal" he and his parents must move to Scream Street.  Scream Street is a place for creatures like him as well as mummies, vampires, goblins and zombies.  The problem is Luke's parents are "normals" and are scared out of their wits to be here.  Luke and his new friends try to find the relics of the founding fathers of Scream Street to get them back to his old world.  It looks like each book will be a piece of his story to get back.  (Good thing I bought the whole series for the library!)

Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis

I always loved spending time with my Grandma Daddario (my dad's mom).  She always had wonderful stories, like the time she rode to Canada on her Indian Motorcycle when she was 18: this was a pretty rebellious thing in the 30's.  I think this is one of the reasons I loved Mare's War.  Mare sounds fiery and fierce just like my grandma.  Mare's War is a story of a grandmother on a road trip with her two granddaughters and how they learn things about her that they never knew.  This is a work of historical fiction and I also LOVE historical fiction.  I learn so much from historical fiction.  Mare was a member of the African American battalion of the Women's Army Core (WAC) that served in WWII.  I enjoyed the alternating chapters of Mare's story of back "then" and what was taking place in the present.  I would now like to do some more research into the WAC. 

Friday, August 1, 2014

If I Stay by Gayle Forman


I read this book a couple of years ago and really liked it.  I had to re-read it this summer since it is being released as a movie in August and I really liked it again.  It is a tear jerker.  17 yr. old Mia is faced with a number of difficult choices like should she follow her dreams to pursue her music or stay close to her family and her boyfriend? After a horrific accident, Mia has to make another choice...a life or death choice.  This is one of those stories you read that stay with you for a while after you finish.  It is a page turning read as you try to get to the end to see what Mia decides.  Please, please, please read it BEFORE you see the movie.

Thursday, July 24, 2014

15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins

What a sad, sweet story.  Laurence is 15.  He has a little brother who likes to pretend he is a dog and an alcoholic mother.  One day, she just doesn't come home and it's Laurene's job to try to keep things together so the authorities don't find out and take him and his brother to foster care.  Laurence has a plan to win a holiday from the contest on the radio to get his mom back.  This is one of those books that I liked but broke my heart.  It's not fair that Laurence is put in the role of caregiver and adult.  I really liked Jay.  He just doesn't understand why he never gets to see his mom and I love when he pretends to be a dog.  If you like bittersweet realistic fiction you will like this book.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

I know, I know, the title has a swear word in it, now let's move on.  This is the most honest portrayal of bullying in a YA novel that I think I have read.  Piddy Sanchez has to move to a new neighborhood and a new school and now she is having to deal with the torments of Yaqui Delgado (both with words and with fists).  Yaqui is relentless in her bullying of Piddy.  It is painfully realistic in its view.  I was worried the end would be another "oh, it will all work out in the end and we will all be friends," but the solution, while not ideal or easy, was truthful.  This novel won the Pura Belpre award given to Latino/Latina authors/illustrators whose work best portrays the Latino cultural experience.  I think this book deserves any and all accolades, it is wonderful.  

Texting the Underworld by Ellen Booraem

This is the same author that brought us "Small Persons with Wings" (see review of this book in earlier blog).  This is another victory for her.  Conor is afraid of just about everything even before a banshee shows up in his room.  A banshee is a spirit whose wailing warns of an upcoming death found in Irish folklore.  Ashling is a brand new banshee and has been sent to collect her first death and it happens to be someone in Conor's family.  Conor has learned all about banshees from his grandfather, Grumps, and both of them are determined to find a way to figure out who the death is and stop it, even if it means traveling to the underworld.  This is a great read.  I loved Ashling's wide eyed enthusiasm for the modern world.  I found it quite humorous.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Contaminated by Em Garner

I recently saw a documentary called "Fed Up" that talks about the amount of sugar in the diet of Americans.  Much of this comes from sugary drinks.  My family and I decided to give up drinking soda and other things with artificial sweeteners, pretty much everything except water.  If I hadn't done that already, I would consider it after reading this book.  In Contaminated, ThinPro is a diet drink that has protein in it and those that drink it become aggressive and savage after the animal protein used becomes contaminated with something like "mad cow" disease.  Velvet and her sister Opal have lost both parents to this contamination, but continue to search for their mother when the government allows the contaminated to return to their families after they have been "neutralized" with either a lobotomy or a shock collar.  I love Velvet, she is strong and capable and not whiney.  She knows what needs to be done to take care of her sister and she does it.  Opal is supposed to be 10 in the story, but she seems to act a bit younger than that because she is still throwing temper tantrums.  This is a great book, and I can see that it may be leading to a sequel, at least I hope it will.  (I will watch for that in the future)

Saturday, July 5, 2014

Wake (Watersong 1) and Lullaby (Watersong 2) by Amanda Hocking


I love books that incorporate greek mythology into them so I really enjoyed #1 and #2 or this series.  This was supposed to be a trilogy, but a 4th book since been added.  Penn, Lexi and Thea are gorgeous girls that are spending the summer in the coastal town where Harper and her sister Gemma live with their father.  No one knows much about these girls, and they share a secret.  As events unfold, Harper has to rescue her sister.  I have to be vague about what I loved about this book because I don't want to give away any of the twists.  I devoured book 1 and 2 and will be ordering 3 and 4 for the library.

Monday, June 23, 2014

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

READ the BOOK before you SEE the MOVIE (if you haven't already).  I always enjoy John Green's novels and Fault in Our Stars did not disappoint.  This book is sad and funny.  The characters are one's you will fall in love with...which is hard because the 2 main characters meet in a cancer support group. You just have to read how these two characters deal with their cancer, falling in love and loss.  John Green dedicated this book to Esther Earl, a girl he met that inspired his character Hazel Grace.  I also have purchased her book entitled: This Star Won't Go Out: The life and words of Esther Grace Earl.  I'll let you know how that one is, as soon as I've finished it.  We also have The Fault in Our Stars on the iPod shuffles.

Friday, June 6, 2014

Cut by Patricia McCormick

I bought this book after an 8th grader borrowed if from another school and absolutely loved it.  (This was an 8th grader who didn't really "like to read" so I was thrilled she found something that spoke to her)   Callie is in a residential treatment home called Sea Pines.  The other girls in her ward call it Sick Minds.  All the girls are their for treatment for things like anorexia, bulimia, or drug abuse.  Callie is a cutter.  She self harms as a way to deal with overwhelming emotions.  This is Callie's journey of self discovery.  This book is only 157 pages but it is a powerful story of a girl who finds her voice. 

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Seven Wonders: The Colossus Rises by Peter Lerangis

If you liked the Percy Jackson series, you are going to like this one.  This is book one of what I am assuming will be at least 7 books (get it...seven wonders).  Book One starts with Jack McKinley standing up for a kid against the school bully.  The next minute he has blacked out and is in a hospital on a tropical island.  He and 3 other preteens have been whisked away to this island because they all possess a gene G7W that gives them superhero potential, but may also kill them by the time they are 14.  They are tasked with finding some lost artifacts of Atlantis (the source of Atlantian power) that have been hidden in the 7 wonders of the ancient world.  I love the mythology, and Atlantian legend as well as the information about the 7 wonders of the world.  I have read Books 2 (Lost in Babylon) AND I JUST NOW finished Book 3 (The Tomb of Shadows.)  All three are exciting and action packed and leave you wanting more!  Now I have to wait for book 4!
   

The Originals by Cat Patrick

I am going to make a point to read more of this author's work because I really enjoyed this book.  Lizzie, Ella and Betsey live an unusual life.  They USED to live as identical twins, but now they are having to live life as one person.  They each take 1/3 of the day.  They are now in high school and starting to show some differences.  The girls begin to ask questions about the life they are being forced to lead by their mother.  These questions lead to even more questions!  This novel just pulls you along!! I loved this very "original" book.

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick

What a wonderful story of how true friends and love can bring you through tough times.  Finley loves basketball and uses it as an escape from some of the tragedy of his life.  His coach asks him to befriend Russ, a boy dealing with his own tragic loss.  Russ, who insists on being called "Boy 21," has lost his parents and is now struggling to deal with the world.  He claims he is only here on earth for a short time in order to learn about human emotions and that his family will soon return from space to get him.  Finley and his girlfriend attempt to help Russ through his tough time while dealing with their own family issues.  I just loved the characters in this book.  I like stories that delve into how people deal with grief and overwhelming situations.  This was a truly satisfying read.

Monday, May 19, 2014

Unbreakable: The Legion Book 1 by Kami Garcia

Hold onto your hats folks, this is a fast moving book.  Unbreakable was written by the coauthor of Beautiful Creatures.  Beautiful Creatures was a great supernatural story and so it this one.  It's a ghost story on steroids.  Kennedy never believed in ghosts till a very nasty one (a "vengeance spirit") tries to kill her.  But then things get WORSE.  Kennedy's mom is killed and she is saved by members of an ages old secret society that is supposed to protect the world from a demon!  This is right up my alley. This book gives you a lot of information about the secret society as well as their task in a very short time.  It is action packed and highly engaging...I couldn't put it down.  Now I have to wait till October 7th for book #2.

Monday, May 12, 2014

The Wells Bequest by Polly Shulman

So years ago I read this book called The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman and loved it.  It was about a magical library (The New York Circulating Material Repository) that lends out objects instead of books.  In the story, some of the items from the special Grimm selection (like the fairy tales...magic mirrors, wands, etc) go missing and the library pages have to find them and save one of their own.  Polly Shulman has now given us a companion book to this.  It's not so much the second one in the series because you can read each one as a stand alone book.  This time the book focuses on the collection in the Repository that contains items from science fiction books like the time machine from the H.G. Wells' novel The Time Machine.  I liked the adventure/time travel in this book and the new characters we get to meet as well as all the references to classic sci fi books.  I just LOVE the idea of a magical library and am hoping this author writes about other collections.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Fallout by Todd Strasser

Imagine living during a time when tensions between the United States and Russia were so high there was a possibility of nuclear war.  Welcome to the early 1960s.  That is when this book takes place.  The Cuban missile crisis is taking place: the Russians are moving nuclear missiles into Cuba.  Schools and practicing air raids and "stop and cover" drills.  The threat of nuclear war is ever present.  People around the United States were building bomb shelters.  This book is about one such family that then has to take cover in their shelter when the unthinkable happens and Russia bombs the US.  The book goes back and forth between the present when they are in the shelter and the past as they went about their normals lives and tensions grew.  This is a story about survival, since a shelter built for 4 is now housing 10 since some of the neighbors forced their way into the shelter when the sirens went off.  It was an interesting story that explored a lot of "what ifs."  I also liked the author's note at the end that spoke about his own childhood home and bomb shelter in which the book is based.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Marie Antoinette, Serial Killer by Katie Alender

Ok fans of Bad Girls Don't Die and From Bad to Cursed, Katie Alender has given you another ghost story that will keep you reading.  It kept me reading all Sunday and I finished it late afternoon!  Colette is very excited to visit Paris with her French class and hopes she finds out a bit more about her father's side of the family while she is there.  When they get there, the newspapers are full of stories about people getting murdered by beheading which causes some concern.  (I think that if I was escorting a bunch of high schoolers to a foreign city while a serial killer was on the loose I would be a bit more apprehensive but anyway...) Colette soon finds out that the murders may have a tie to the French Revolution and goes about trying to find out what, if anything, her family has to do with them.  Before each murder you get a little glimpse into the world of the serial killer's victim. There is also the side plot of Colette figuring out who she is as opposed to who she pretends to be with her friends.  I really enjoyed this ghost story as well as all the glimpses of Paris.  I have been to Paris and I LOVED it and really liked hearing about all the neighborhoods.  I hadn't been to the Palace of Versailles and now I really want to go. 

Hitler's Secret by William Osborne

Hitler' Secret is an action packed, thrilling historical fiction novel.  Lena and Otto have both escaped to England escaping from war torn Europe.  Now they have both been recruited to go back into Germany to capture what the British feel to be the one thing that can defeat Hitler and the Nazis.  The author has previously worked as a screenwriter for more than sixty movies including The Mummy.  Well, it feels like a movie with all the action (from car chases to parachute drops to hang gliding) and all the different locations.  This is a fast paced read that I really enjoyed. There is a historical note at the end provided by the author that I also enjoyed.  

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Inhuman by Kat Falls


This book is written by the author of Dark Life, one of this year's Golden Sower Nominees.  I really enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed Dark Life.  When I was little, a movie came out called The Island of Dr. Moreau (it was based on H.G. Wells' book of the same name).  I LOVED it.  An evil scientist was creating hybrid animal/people.  Inhuman also has "manimals" in it.  A biological disaster has caused everything east of the Mississippi to be "quarantined."  A virus is causing those infected to become blood thirsty savages.   Even those not infected often act like savages!  This is a very exciting read. I had trouble putting it down. I am pretty sure that this will have a sequel but don't know when it will be released.   

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven: a True Story by Kevin & Alex Malarkey

I really liked the book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo.  In fact, I like most books that address near death experiences.  This book is about another young boy who is in a TERRIBLE car accident and miraculously lives.  Most of the story focuses on how the family and the community rally around this young man to encourage his healing, but there are some parts where Alex tells about what HE experienced while he was in a coma. 

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Tesla's Attic by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman

I am a BIG fan of Neal Shusterman (author of the Unwind trilogy) and this latest book, co-authored by Eric Elfman, didn't disappoint.  This is going to be a great series.  Tesla's Attic is the first book in the Accelerati Trilogy.  Nick and his father and brother have moved into an old Victorian mansion after a fire destroyed old house and took his mother's life.  He discovers what he thinks is just a lot of old junk in the attic, but soon finds out that the old junk has some pretty amazing powers.  All the objects seem to have been invented by Nikola Tesla.  Now Nick and his friends (a great cast of characters) are trying to keep the objects from getting into the hands of a secret society.  I really enjoyed the creativity of this book.  I am sure the authors had a lot of fun coming up with what each object could do.  I am looking forward to the next book which is due out in February 2015.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Seeing Red by Kathryn Erskine

I thought this was just another book about a boy (Red) whose father dies and he doesn't want to move...but it is so much more than that.  This book takes place in Virginia in 1972, smack dab in the middle of the civil rights movement.  Both Red and his mother are pretty progressive in their thoughts about equal rights for all, but that hasn't always been the case with Red's ancestors.  He finds out about a wrong committed by his family and he goes about trying to set things right.  This is a great historical fiction book.  Lots of references to the events and people involved in the civil rights movement. 

Saturday, March 15, 2014

The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley

I read (and really enjoyed) this book and the rest of the books in the series years ago (well, 7 of them the author hadn't written the 8th and the 9th yet so I haven't read those).  I had to reread this first one because it was one of the books chosen for the One Book One Family book club and I remembered why I liked it so much. I like fairy-tales and the retelling of fairy-tales and this one has both old characters and new action.  Sabrina and Daphne Grimm have been abandoned by their parents and after some awful experiences in foster care have come to live with their Grandmother, Relda Grimm.  The problem is, their parents told them that she had died before they were born.  Sabrina is very suspicious of "Granny," especially when she starts spouting crazy stories about how the fairy-tale characters are real and living in their town and it's the Grimm family's job to keep them in line.  The Sisters Grimm is a great series.  

The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

I had heard of this book, but did not realize we had a copy in the library till it literally jumped off the shelves when I was helping someone find a different book.  I just had to read it.  I love books that deal with near death experiences.  One of my favorites is "Heaven is for Real."  Anyway, this is the story of Eddie.  Eddie is a pretty gruff old man, and unfortunately, Eddie dies.  This is the story of the 5 people Eddie meets after his death.  They help Eddie make sense of his life and the choices that he made during his life.  Some of them are people that Eddie has no idea he had an effect on.  I liked the way this book showed that our lives are tied to others by even the smallest choices that we make.  I couldn't put this little book down!  I loved it.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

This was a very interesting nonfiction title.  I loved the narrative nonfiction book about the hunt for John Wilkes Booth after he shot Abraham Lincoln (Chasing Lincoln's Killer).  This book is equally good about the plot to steal Lincoln's body from his monument and hold it until demands were met.  Just like Chasing Lincoln's Killer, this book is written in narrative form so it reads like a "story." This is a true crime thriller.  You get a look at counterfeiting, grave robbing, detective work and the early days of the secret service.

Monday, February 10, 2014

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

Wow, this book was amazing.  I was kind of getting burned out on all the dystopian literature that is out there but this one was fantastic.  After the 7 stage war the US was in shambles (much of the information about what happened to the country comes as test questions the characters must answer).  They have put themselves back together as the United Commonwealth colonies.  To choose acceptable leaders for the United Commonwealth the best and brightest students are chosen for "The Testing."  If students make it through the testing (which is debatable since in these tests a wrong answer could mean death) they get to go to University.  Cia is our first person narrator and I really enjoyed her strength, her ability to solve problems and her lack of whining. There is a budding romance in this story, but it takes a back seat to the rest of the story.  Warning:  this story has teeth.  It is brutal.  Characters are gravely injured and die in this novel, others must make decisions to end lives. I have ordered the 2nd one in the series, which should be here by the end of the year and will be also purchasing the 3rd.