One False Note by Gordon Korman (39 Clues #2)

The adventure continues in this book, the second of ten books in the 39 Clues series. Korman is such a fantastic writer, I feel that he really didn't give this book his all. I'm not asking for reality here, after all the plot is pretty far-fetched to begin with, but is it necessary to throw in an extra four or five harrowing situations? Would the unsuspecting boat guest really have picked the exact pillow cushion that the kids needed and throw it back at the last second? Would a famous figure really have been delivering a coded message in the famous line that got her killed? The plot would have been adventurous enough without those over the top details. The book was a little thin, so I feel Korman was forcing adventurous situations to add more "meat" to the book when we really needed more story. The characters were much more developed the first time, although it was nice to get to know the kids "au pair" (as they like to call her) this time around. Although it was an enjoyable read, it wasn't as good as the first, and if this series didn't have the cards and online games to go with it, I'm not sure it would last 10 books if they continue like this.

School Library Journal Best Books

School Library Journal has released its Best Books 2008. There is also a Best Books for High School Students.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6617203.html?nid=3361
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6617202.html?nid=3361

Check it out!

Good Reads

Thanks to a friend of mine, I discovered a fun site called Good Reads. It's kind of like Library Thing, but I think it has more search functions. It's built a little like Facebook and has a Facebook app as well as lots of other functions. I haven't even begun to explore it all yet because I've been too busy entering books. You can have friends that you share lists with and groups that you can join, so you get lots of good reading ideas. If you're interested in more, let me know!

Book Fair

Well, I didn't get much reading done because we had our monster book fair last week. We aren't going to hit anywhere near last year's sales, but we had a tremendous turn out nonetheless. I picked up some books for myself and paid attention to what the kids were getting. I can't wait to read Inkdeath, and I also got the second 39 Clues book. At WalMart the other day, I grabbed Tales from Beadle the Bard by JK Rowling because for some crazy reason, Scholastic does not have it on their book fair. The kids picked up Deep and Dark and Dangerous, Found, Elephant Run, Listen, A Crooked Kind of Perfect, Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls, Seekers, and Marley. Some of those I've already read, some I will have to pick up. I also plan on reading/listening to Twilight. Santa got me a combination Christmas/Birthday present, an iPod touch, so I'll have to download Twilight and see what all the fuss is about.

I will have lots more to say next week after I get a chance to read some. Hang in there and Merry Early Christmas!