Is it really blogging?

Is it really blogging if you only post about once a semester? How sad is that? Well, I do have to say, I have read a lot in the last couple of months. But I knew that I was not good at keeping up with the blog. I just didn't realize HOW not good. *sigh* Well, I shall try again to be better about it. I have gotten quite caught up in some presentations I was doing on the iPad and educational and library apps to go with it, but I never hope to neglect my books for it. Sooo..where to start....I think a list might be in order. Perhaps with bullet points under each title.

The Magic Thief

• Fantasy
• Poor Orphan Formula
• Magic
• Pretty good read, but not for those who don't like Fantasy

Extra Credit

• Andrew Clements is always a favorite
• I liked that it takes on a topic we hear a lot about (Afghanistan)
• Easy read, so it might be good for reluctant readers
  

Kenny and the Dragon

• Cute story
• Easy read
• Good for young uns - I was a little surprised it was on our Intermediate list

Night of the Spadefoot Toads

• Seems like it should be written by Andrew Clements or Carl Hiassen
• Sort of a slow story compared to the others
• Fine book, but it didn't really pull me in

Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow

• A robust fantasy and the start of, what else, a series
• Poor Orphan Formula
• Magic, danger, excitement, romance
• Fantasy fans will enjoy this one

Shooting the Moon

• Soft spot in my heart for this one as it reminds me of my dad
• Set during the Vietnam War
• A brother sends pictures home to his sister to explain what war is like

Closed for the Season

• Mary Downing Hahn
• Not a good Mary Downing Hahn
• Wasn't scary or creepy
• Wasn't much of a mystery either

The Blue Shoe

• Really fantasy
• Poor Orphan Formula
• Magic and a mysterious Blue Shoe

The Grimm Legacy

• A girl gets a job working at the "repository" where the magical Grimm collection (among other special collections) is stored
• Someone wants to steal the stuff (so surprising, I know...)
• Pretty good read

The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling

• Great book
• A flair of historical fiction with the slightest twinge of fantasy. Though if my hunch is correct, we will get more fantasy as we delve into book two - this is just the first in a series.

The Mostly True Adventures of Home P. Figg

• Good historical fiction
• Much more serious and less funny than the cover lets on
• The cover really did throw me off

The Magician's Elephant

• Who couldn't like Kate DiCamilllo
• Another great book from her
• Sadness, love, redemption....a great read!

Vesper's Rising

• Another 39 Clues book
• Kind of neat to see the start of the family
• I wonder how long they'll milk this product though

The Throne of Fire

• Just as good as the Red Pyramid

Beastly

• One of the Sync YA free audiobooks
• Obvious spin on Beauty and the Beast
• Great character development

The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch

• Another Sync YA audiobook
  
• First in a series
• Good magical fantasy
• Reminds me a bit of Harry Potter when it starts to get darker

*Both books I would consider putting in my library for higher reader intermediate students

A Whole New Mind

• Tremendous adult read for anyone teaching in the 21st Century and anyone interested in learning how times are changing. It makes good sense!

Smokin' Seventeen

• The latest in the Stephanie Plum series
• A lot fun
• Good, juicy parts to the story

I think that's it, but I may have forgotten something. I do have a lot more new books to dig through at school, so I hope to be much better about posting! (Of course, I say that a lot don't I?) :-)

New Books

I've been diving into a few of the books that I wanted to make sure were age appropriate for my kiddos. Dark Life by Kat Falls, Heist Society by Ally Carter, and A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron are the first three I picked out. Dark Life is a great new Sci Fi book that take a sort of apocalyptic US and places an experimental colony on the bottom of the ocean floor. There's everything in this book, danger, romance, outlaws, and a fierce dedication to independence. I was concerned there might be too much violence or the romance might get to detailed for my intermediate students, but I ended up feeling it would be an excellent book to recommend to some of my higher readers. Of course, this is going to be a series, so look for more books by Falls to be gobbled up!

I used to describe Swindle as Ocean's Eleven for kids, but now I think Heist Society will take that description. When Katarina has to rescue her father from an unexpected situation, she has to assemble one of the best teams of art thieves ever. Even though this book had the potential to go way out of age-appropriate range, it was excellent. Again, we had romance, intrigue, danger....but it stayed at a level that was fine for my intermediate level kids. It will again be a good recommendation for my higher readers.

Now...prepare the tissue box. If you are a dog person, like me, and you haven't had a dog in a while, like me, you will still bawl your way through this book. If you love a dog and have one or have recently lost yours, you will not be able to hold this book up to read it. (Or in my case, see out the windshield while driving to school.) I was worried this book might be too adult, as is listed in some places as adult fiction. But really, the content was not anything too out of bounds for my students. The book is told from a dog's point of view and cycles with him as he is reincarnated several times while he learns his purpose in life. That is part of what keeps you from losing it all together because you know the dog is coming back. :-) There are a few places where the puppy doesn't understand the new game he wants to partake in with the female dogs and why he needs to go to the doctor and end up with a cone on his head. And once in a while, some of the owners "wrestle" on the couch together. But I think that these minor areas are handled with a pretty good delicacy. My students probably see worse on tv every night. The story is heart-warming and endearing and has you rooting for all the heroes all the way through the book. If you couldn't read Marley and Me, you won't probably do well with this book. But if you can handle the emotion of the story, it's a wonderful read.

I have almost read all the Stephanie Plum books too. So I'll be ready when seventeen hits the stores this summer.

I really need to get a jump on the books for next year's children's choice awards for our state. So next on my plate is The Magic Thief. After I finish the last two "between the numbers" novels for Stephanie Plum, I'll also pick up a few more of those books to read. Hopefully, I'll be back soon with more reviews!

OMG

Really??? August 10th???? Really???? That was the last time I updated? Holy macaroni I've fallen down on my job. Not reading, of course, I never stop reading! So I guess this is going to be the mother of all book blog posts! Let's get down to business. First a list, then reviews.

V is for Vampire
Baker Street Irregulars: The Fall of the Amazing Zalindas
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
The Lost Hero
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest
The Graveyard Book
Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris
Heat Wave
Naked Heat
Out of My Mind
Stephanie Plum series 4 - 9
Strange Case of the Origami Yoda
Hero
Into the Gauntlet

And that's what I can remember. I might have missed a few! LOL!

Ok. Let's see...adult books first. I finished up the series of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Definitely enjoyed reading those. I can see how some might not stick with the series though. You have to get past the ten page descriptions of Ikea furniture. And I thought the break between the second and third books was a little weird. But in the long run, very good reads.

I started reading some fan fiction. Anyone watch the show Castle? I love that show and they have the books that Castle supposedly writes available to read. Naked Heat and Heat Wave were really fun. I ended up getting the second one on my iPad because the narrator for the first one was utterly ridiculous. It was really destroying the image I had in my head of the characters.

After I got done with those, I also wanted some other adult books along those lines. So, after taking a poll of my friends, I picked back up the Stephanie Plum series. I had already read 1-3. Now I've read 4-10 as well. Just good fun those books are. (Notice I didn't necessarily say "clean".)


I finished the Hunger Games trilogy. And that was phenomenal. I have mixed emotions about the ending, but I think you had to expect that everything wasn't going to end up roses. I will certainly recommend these to my advanced readers in 5th grade, but I decided not to put them into my library. I don't think most of the kids on their age level would get the abstract concepts and the violence would upset some people. Definitely a powerful read though!

I also read a few more books in some other series. The Lost Hero is a new book in the Heroes of Olympus (Percy Jackson) line. Percy isn't in this book, but it was the same concept. It was good and will continue to hook all those readers who want more of the Percy Jackson stories. I especially like that my hometown is featured in it for several chapters. The last 39 Clues book came out, Into the Gauntlet, and wrapped up the series rather nicely. Of course, there's room for a new spin-off series. And since Scholastic is in charge and doesn't have to worry about author burn-out, I can imagine that another one will be coming out soon. I read the first in a new Vampire series aimed at my tween readers. V is for Vampire will hopefully satisfy some of those girls who want to read Twilight that are sad I don't have it at my school. It was not too meaty in the love and violence department, so I think it's great for my kids. The Baker Street Irregulars series I think will be really good for boys who like mysteries and a bit of historical fiction. With the Sherlock Holmes movie coming out last year, I think the interest is there to push this book. It was really enjoyable and I can see this becoming a movie as well.

The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda was incredibly popular at our book fair this year. I had already purchased it for the library after hearing many, many things about it. I think the kids are really going to like this book. It dealt with some of the just nearing puberty things that these kids are facing, but was funny and had a good lesson. It's written in that graphic style that the kids are big on right now (like Diary of a Wimpy Kid). I heartily recommend it for this age level.

Somehow, I thought it would be fun to be on the selection committee for our state children's choice awards. This means you get to help decide the ten nominees for the following year. I thought this would be fun until the list of 40 or so intermediate titles got sent to my inbox. Now I don't think they expect you to read every single one, but I certainly WANT to read a lot. So, I've started picking some of the ones that have drawn my attention. Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper caught my eye immediately. The book is written from the perspective of 11-year-old Melody. Melody is in a wheel chair and can't move most of her body. She also can not speak. But Melody is a genius and has a photographic memory. Her story is heart-warming and wistful and it makes you think a bit harder about how you interact with some of your students. Though I don't really appreciate the way Draper paints the public school system (apparently, we are all idiots who think all special education students are imbeciles and would think it's a good idea to rotate with new sped teachers every year), I really love the way that Melody triumphs in her story.

Finally, I picked up the book Hero by Mike Lupica. Lupica takes a bit of a break from his typical sports fiction in this story. I saw it mentioned on Barnes and Noble's website and had it on my wish list. When it showed up on the book fair, I scooped it up right away. Like many of our stories these days, our main character - Zach - is discovering that he is more special than he would have imagined. After a tragedy strikes his family, Zach needs to figure out who he is and exactly what he can do. We, of course, do not get all of our answers in this book...a new series has been born. My students are eating up these kinds of stories though, and next to Origami Yoda and School of Fear, this was probably the hottest book at the fair.

I have a lot more books waiting for me at school to add into our system after our book fair. A few I feel I have to read before adding into our catalog: Smile, Heist Society, and Dark Life. And I need to get cracking on my state awards for next year. Too many books, too little time!!

I know I always promise to be a better blogger. I'm sorry! :-) I really will try this time! Fair warning though, I have a lot more Stephanie Plum books to read!!

New Classic

Ok. Wow. Everyone kept telling me it was good. It just hadn't made it to the top of my priority list yet as it was a young adult book and wouldn't go into my library. But about two weeks ago, Sync YA Listening and Audiobook Community offered "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins as a free download. After reading and listening to the first and the second books in the trilogy, I now understand what everyone has been raving about. It is a new classic.

Collins is a tremendous writer. The way she paints our heroine, Katniss, makes her such a complex character, it's easy to get wrapped up in her life in District 12. Katniss is strong and yet emotionally fragile. The pull she experiences between her life in District 12 and the "life" that the Hunger Games brings her is illustrated so realistically, that you agonize with her over what choices to make. The Games themselves are an amazing creation by Collins, creating drama, action, despair, and joy, all laced with a tinge of hope and sadness. The emotional highs and low that the reader rides on are urged along by all the twists that Collins creates. I, like so many others, say that this book is amazing. And I will be anxiously awaiting the 24th when the 3rd one in the series is released.

I also dug my teeth into "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson. My friend told me I needed to get past the first 150 pages for it to really get good. And I thank her for the heads up. (Thanks Laurie!) Mr. Larsson had a knack for the verbose. The amount of exposition in the story really made the first chunk of the book difficult. But right about that 150 page mark....it shifted into high gear. With a pairing of an older man and a younger woman, a mystery, and a sick violent criminal, it all took on a bit of a Dan Brown flair. I think I am a sucker for the traumatized but strong heroine like Katniss in "The Hunger Games" or Lisbeth in this book. I'd really like to get farther into the second book, but between "The Hunger Games" and school starting, I got a bit derailed.

I'd like to say that I read much more, but I haven't. I spent quite a bit of time enjoying the joys of summer and grading papers for my college class. I did listen to "The Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay, making it the umpteenth time I've read that book. It is another fantastic tale with amazing characters and layers of hope and sadness. I also finally picked up "Gabriel's Horses", one of our state award nominees. Historical Fiction like this is not really my cup of tea and I felt the pace lagged quite a bit. I didn't feel that pull to keep reading until about chapter eleven.

I REALLY need to read the last book that I have to read for our state award nominees. I'm sure it won't be bad or anything, it's Peg Kehret after all. But I have a feeling it will be the same story that we often get from her and I'm finding it hard to pick up. I also need to read "Vampire Island" to make sure that it's ok to hand out to my kiddos. And there the Baker Street Irregulars that I want to check out (maybe that's the pull of Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law calling me there). We'll see what I can manage with school actually starting up tomorrow!

So many books....

So little time. I've knocked out a portion of good books. Some I needed to read, some I just wanted to read. I got to pick out a selection of books from my new order that came in for my library and that was fun, but I easily could have picked out a bunch more! But without any more delay...the reviews.

Did you know John Grisham wrote a kids book? I didn't, but when I found out, I was very intrigued. I love mysteries, and Theodore Boone I think will interest kids. More sophisticated than Encyclopedia Brown, Theodore gives legal advice to his classmates. Coming from a set of lawyer parents and living life at the courthouse makes him uniquely qualified to help his peers. When the biggest trial ever in their small town hits center stage, Theodore is in his element. But soon, he's approached by a classmate who could change the course of things. A bit too good to be true sometimes, Theodore Boone will still hold the interest of the age group for which it's intended. A good read and a good start to a new series.

I read the latest book in the Sisters Grimm series. I hate to be sort of negative about Buckley, given the other book I read by him, which I will get to shortly, but there might be a bit of negativity here. I thought this was going to be the final installment, but *sigh* it's not. While I read it and it was fine, I'm ready for the series to be over. It felt like Buckley was trying so hard this time. The gimmick of using a master book to move through stories provides an easy way to introduce new characters and move the action. The story was fine, the action was ok, but I wish we'd reach some resolution here. We'd didn't really move the plot along much this time. Of course, I'll read the next book...I can't stop in a series when I've come this far, but I hope the next book is the last.

Do Not Pass Go by Kirkpatrick Hill is another one of our state award nominees. I'm down to two books now, and I really need to finish them. I really enjoyed Do Not Pass Go, but I think it will take a special kind of student in my kids' age group to really appreciate it. Very philosophical and with a little bit of heavy material, some students will find the book out of reach. Deet's family is a good-hearted family. Their financial situation is not the best, but his Dad works hard to provide. Working two jobs has been difficult on him and he begins to take some pills a coworker gives him in order to stay awake. A broken headlight draws the attention of the local police and Deet's dad is arrested on drug possession charges. Deet struggles with all the different feelings that would overcome a 13-year-old boy in this situation. Deet is a bit more insightful than I would expect most kids that age, and certainly more responsible, but story touches you emotionally, and I think it is a good book. It might have been better in the YA category, instead of the Intermediate, but I still enjoyed the book.

I did take a quick break from my library books to read a book just for me. Fun fluff. That's what the Kiki Lowenstein books are all about. If you love scrapbooking and you love mysteries, you'll love these books. It helps that I identify with frumpy housewife Kiki, even if I never had the pampered start to marriage that she did. A midwestern girl trying to find her way about upperclass St. Louis (where my family hailed from), Kiki is downright admirable in her fierce love for her daughter and her desire to be desired by an exciting man. In this third installment of the series, Kiki, yet again finds herself wrapped up in a murder. This one takes place at her daughter's school and lands Anya smack in the middle of all the action. I'm anxious for another book in the series...just because they are fun!

When I was at AASL in November, one of the authors I got to meet and get an autographed advanced copy of a book from, was Michael Buckley. He was very nice and gracious, and I truly have enjoyed the Sisters Grimm series. But I think Buckley's moving on to a new series that my students will really like and I'm excited about that. I did get an autographed copy of NERDS, but I never read it. I gave it away as a prize during our bookfair. I ordered a hardback copy of it for our library though, and I pulled it out of the box to read. A high tech spy game for kids, NERDS (National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society) has stuff that my 4th & 5th graders will love. Action, unrealistic technology, adventure, bad guys, and kids that are smarter than adults. I think this has the potential of becoming a popular series.

I started the book 100 Cupboards on audio. It's one that I wanted to read a while ago and never got around to it. It's interesting so far, but not so gripping that I want to pick up the book and read when I'm not listening in the car. We'll see once things get really moving with the story if I change my mind...after all, we haven't even gotten the cupboards open yet.

I also picked up the Red Blazer Girls and V is for Vampire, the first book in the Vampire Island series. I purchased this as a potential alternative to those students that really want me to carry Twilight. But I figured I better read it first in case I were to get any complaints.

I am trying to complete the summer reading program at our local library and have my son doing it too. I only have to read five books, and I have two down. I'm not sure if my books have to come from their library or not, so I have to read up on the rules. That would make sense to me to do it that way. But we'll see where I end up on this!

I'm sure I'll be back in a week or so with more reviews. Summer is wonderful!!

Ahhh...Summer

I can tell that summer has truly arrived for me. I got three books done in the last four days!

I'm a little backlogged though as the end of the school year had me so busy. So, although it's been a little while, I haven't read a ton of stuff. Here's the list:

Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell
The Long Shot by Mike Lupica
Trackers Book One by Patrick Carman
Storm Warning (39 Clues Book 9) by Linda Sue Park
The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The first two were state award nominees. I still have three of those left to read and I have one in my hands that I'm going to start tonight. Emmy was your standard "kid discovers there is magic in the world and has to overcome a bad guy" story. It was a little like a watered-down Gregor the Overlander. But it was enjoyable enough. A taste of fantasy for kids who don't like the full-on immersion into unrealistic worlds. I think kids will enjoy it, but I don't think it will become a huge hit. There's not enough spark and originality to the tale. In fact, the title gives you the basic premise...Emmy meets an incredible rat that shrinks people. Things just go from there as Emmy tries to save friends and family alike from a mean nanny.

The Long Shot was really good. I am not necessarily a sports fiction gal, but this was a little like a "Hoosiers" sort of story. Our main character, though a bit unrealistic at times as a sixth grade boy, is a likeable young man with intelligence, integrity, and basketball skills. He decides to run against the super-star of the school for class president and the story goes from there. Lupica writes with his usual flair and I think both boys and girls will enjoy the story. A bit idealistic at times, but still has you rooting for the characters throughout the story.

Trackers: Book One was interesting. I don't think it was the griping story that I really hoped/expected. The entire book sort of felt like the first scene of a play where all you get is exposition. Maybe the second book will really move the story along and add some drama, if not, the series will fall flat. I realize the book is directed at techies and supposed to be interactive, but the approach didn't work well for me. Every chapter, there would be a "video" that you could either go online and watch or turn to the back of the book and read a "transcript" of the video. It really, really broke up the story to me and I found it more annoying than anything. And I'm a techie!!

Book 9 of 39 Clues was very good. We got a good amount of questions answered and are set up rather nicely for the last book. I rather enjoyed the side of Nellie that is revealed in this book and I think Park's touch as a woman really helped pull this portion off. I can't wait for Book 10, which comes out on August 31st. Margaret Peterson Haddix wrote the 10th book, so I'm sure it will be filled with her specialties...adventure and suspense.

Finally, The Red Pyramid. Riordan is hoping to fill the void left by the end of the Percy Jackson series. I picked up The Lightning Thief almost a year before anyone else began reading it and making it popular. I have a soft spot for both Greek and Egyptian Mythology. So when I found out that Riordan was writing another series, I was both excited and skeptical. I wasn't sure that he could capture the same excitement again. During the first couple of chapters or so of the Red Pyramid, I wasn't convinced he had. By the end, though, I was devouring the book. Though slow to start, we really get engaged with our main characters of Sadie and Carter. Their mother is dead, their father goes missing, they are introduced to a strange mythological world that has come crashing into their reality. Riordan really did a wonderful job with the emotion in this book balancing out the action. And in the end, I think the book was fabulous. I really liked the way Riordan set up the premise for having a "series" with these characters (this is after all, book one of the "Kane Chronicles"). Though similar to some of the details in the Lightning Thief, Riordan I think allowed himself more flexibility this time with who could tell the story of the battle that is coming. I also appreciated the slight nod to the Lighting Thief, as well as the hint that other series could develop after the Kane Chronicles is over.

Hopefully, I'll have more to review next week. Look for reviews of Stolen Children, Gabriel's Horses, Do Not Pass Go, and more. I also see that my next big order for my library should be shipping this week....it's always fun picking some new titles to read out of that pile!

Grown Up Books...

I noticed a few traffic reports in my email. Apparently, some of you have been checking to see if I've blogged lately or maybe just kicked the bucket. :-) I've gotten quite a bit read lately. I've been proctoring our new computerized state reading test, and there is only so much wandering around the room you can do when there are two of you. So perched on the counter in the back where I could see all the kids and their computers, I would read off and on.

I picked up one of the books that I've been wanting to read for a long time, the sequel to The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, Lost in a Good Book. This is a series for grown-ups *gasp* and I have been enjoying it, but I am a little glad to come to the end. After the second, I read the third, and now I'm on the fourth. I'm a little neurotic when it comes to series books. This Sci-Fi/Fantasy novel is fun for us bookavores. Lots of good literary references, the literary worlds we know and love interacting, drama, action...it's just good fun. I'm considering if I want to read Fforde's newer series, Nursery Crime (inspired a bit by one of the books in the FIRST series). But I might just put them on my wish list and save them for a rainy day.

I have read some children's books though. I read two more of our state awards for next year. The first was Paint the Wind by Pam Munoz Ryan. I really enjoyed it and I can see the horse lovers latching on to this book big time. It's got a bit of emotional drama in it, along with a little adventure. The contrast in scenery from the fist part of the book to the end is wonderful. Our heroine finds a family that she loves, grows up a bit, and discovers her true strength in a dire situation. I don't really see why we need a graphic description of the birthing of a horse right at the beginning, but maybe that's because I'm not a horse person. All in all though, I think my students will enjoy it.

I also read Cicada Summer by Andrea Beaty. The voice in this book reminded me a bit of Each Little Bird that Sings, but not nearly as quirky. The subject matter is heavy enough to draw you in, but the "voice" of the main character really interests you. I put that in quotation marks because we learn right away that the main character pretends have some physical/mental challenges after a tragedy. While I do think that it takes far too long to reveal the tragedy and the climatic event is a little too unbelievable to really get you into it, the story was a good read and I found myself tearing up a bit.

What I've really spent quite a bit of time on is something I'm doing with my students. It started with the book The Daring Nellie Bly: America's Star Reporter by Bonnie Christensen. I've sort of fallen in love with Nellie and this project has really taken off. I, of course, had to read the classic Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne since it is what inspired Nellie to embark on her own journey 'round the world. I found many books on Nellie and her life, as well as graphic novels of Verne's book. I checked out a children's book called Nellie Bly's Monkey and, while neither the most factual, nor the most age appropriate vocabulary, the kids just think it's funny that someone tried to write a book from the monkey's perspective. I found a book with amazing photographs called Bylines: A Photobiography of Nellie Bly. And numerous others. We've read about Nellie, watched a short video about her, researched the locations she went to (using a reliable, school-provided database), found pictures of the locations she went to (using Wikimedia Commons and learning about copyright), wrote paragraphs about them (not plagiarizing), typed the paragraphs (practicing keyboarding and word processing) and it will all be compiled into one big Google Lit Trip. I'm very excited with how this is turning out.

Next week sometime I plan on picking up the copies of next year's state awards for the library. I'm sure I will need to dive into the few that I haven't read yet!

And be on the lookout for a column at Mental_Floss's blog by a children's librarian. Miss Kathleen wrote a fun article that I contacted her about when I found out that she would be writing a regular column. After corresponding back and forth, she's decided to write a column on little known literary awards...like our state's children's choice one! So that could be very exciting! (Ok, maybe I need to get out a little more and redefine my sense of exciting...but that's what Fridays are for right?!) Enjoy weekend everyone!

A few more books...

I have read a couple of books that have been sitting on my "to read" shelf for a long time. Down the Rabbit Hole is an Echo Falls mystery. I had some concerns about the content for my level of students. The book reminds me quite a bit of Nancy Drew, but there are a couple of things that have me keeping the book in my office instead of putting it out in the library. It was Peter Abraham's first "kids" book, but I fail to understand why it was necessary to bring up the idea of fetish with a 13-year-old character. In terms of my own pleasure reading, The book was great. Ingrid, our heroine, loves Sherlock Holmes and finds herself wrapped up in a murder mystery - the first in her sleepy little town. It was a pretty good mystery, though a little obvious to the experienced reader who the villain was. I'm still undecided on if my 4th & 5th graders are ready for it.

I finally dug in to Chasing Lincoln's Killer. I downloaded the audio book from Audible and that made it a lot more interesting. The narrator had such an amazing way of pulling you in. You almost understand (though not agree with) why John Wilkes Booth did what he did. After a little bit, I realized that the narrator sounded a bit like the coach from Remember the Titans. After looking it up, I found out that, yes, Will Patton was the narrator for the book. No wonder he was so good at it! While the story was very interesting (I didn't know there was another assassination attempt that night), Patton's delivery of the audio book made it truly riveting. I got goosebumps when we reached Booth's death scene. There is a bit of graphic detail regarding Lincoln and Seward's injuries, but it's approached with almost a medical detail. It does not come across as gratuitous. I think once I pry the book out of my teachers' hands, my students, especially my boys, will enjoy it.

For a quick read, I got The Viper's Nest, Book 7 in the 39 Clues series. I'm enjoying the series, but very interested to see where we are going to get all the rest of the clues from! :-D I can't wait to pick up Book 8, The Emperor's Code.

I'm out of Audible credits - and have been for a week. I won't get more until the 21st! I requested some audiobooks from the library, but they haven't become available and the mp3 player I have to use with them is not the best. I might have to break down and pay for another audiobook. I get so much more "read" when I get to use the hour or so I have in the car everyday to do it!

Well...

I stayed up far too late and ignored my house for a good chunk this morning. But I finished Calpurnia and Winston Breen. Calpurnia was very good, and though I am getting a little tired of everything being a series, I wouldn't mind another book or two letting us know how Calpurnia ends up. There's plenty of questions lingering in our mind when we get finished. Winston was fairly entertaining and a very quick read. Though I can't figure out, why a set of parents would ever say it's ok for their son to go on a treasure hunt with some criminal types, I enjoyed the puzzles in the story. Apparently, I just can't seem to suspend disbelief on this one very well. =) Hmmm...what to choose next on my "to read" list???

Nothing too new...

Well...it's about the same story this time as it was last time. More snow days, busy work, not as much reading as I'd like. I have mostly read up on the Septimus Heap series. But I've also read a lot of Mental Floss before bed at night. It's interesting reading that seems to take my mind off the day and relax me before going to sleep. I finished the book "In the Beginning" (which I might have mentioned before), "Be Amazing", and "Cocktail Party Cheat Sheets". I'm now on to "Mental Floss History of the World". I'm fairly well stocked with useless information now.

The Septimus Heap series continues to be fairly interesting, but I'm not necessarily rushing out to get the next one. There doesn't quite seem to be an end in sight for it which is perhaps a little tiring. At some point, you start thinking that you have so many other things to read...maybe it's time to move on.

I also read the next Artemis Fowl book, The Time Paradox. It was rather enjoyable. I didn't really care as much for The Lost Colony, this was a much better return to the series.

Erratum by Walter Sorrells is a book that has taken me quite a while to get through. It sounded interesting, but it was just too forced for me. Sorrells tried too hard to be weird and confusing. I would pick it up and read it during my lunch duty, but it didn't have enough pull for me to bring it home. With the time travel conflicts, the odd characters, the too quickly developed plot, it just didn't all pull together. And it left the reader with far too many questions. I believe Sorrells intends to write another book (or more), but I was ultimately unsatisfied with this one.

In a completely different vein, The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is a nice surprise. Historical fiction is not my strong point, but I'm enjoying this story. Set at the turn of the century in Texas, Calpurnia Virginia Tate is the only girl smack in the middle of six brothers. She develops a relationship with her wizened grandfather based on their mutual love of science. Although I'm not far enough to see any real drama, the voice of the characters in this story is thoroughly enjoyable. Discussions of Darwinism applied to everyday life around Callie Vee add an intellectual side to the novel, while Grandfather's remembrances of the Civil War add an emotional depth that tugs at the heart. With a little of some of my favorite heroines like Ida B and Comfort Snowberger, but the maturity of a much older female, Calpurnia's character will really draw in girls who enjoy historical fiction. It's clear to me why this book is a Newberry winner. I'm anxious to read further and see where the real drama will take us in this story.

I've also started The Puzzling World of Winston Breen. It's a light-hearted mystery so far that reminds me a bit of Swindle. I think the puzzles in it are fun and I love that if you go to the website, you can download and print all the puzzles so that you can work on them without writing in the book. It even gives a little advice on solving the puzzles and what to do if they are critical to the story.

Finally, I honestly need to read Chasing Lincoln's Killer. It was very popular with my boys at the Book Fair. The librarian resources can't seem to agree on what level this book is. So I truly need to read it to decide if it's fit for 4th & 5th grade boys. If anyone has in experience with it, please feel free to comment. I'm having a real hard time gearing up to read it (again...historical settings....not my strong point), and though I can get it on audiobook too, I'm afraid I would end up getting even more bored listening to it on audio.

With more snow today and a bunch more expected on Sunday, I might get further in Calpurnia than I expected. I also should spend time whittling down my book order for next year....but that's like asking me to choose between children! And I'm sure I'll have more added to my "to read" list by the time I'm done. =)

It's Been A While

With all the snow days we've had around here, you'd think I would have gotten a lot of reading done. But I haven't gotten as much as I wanted. Perhaps it's because I've also been taking care of a growing little boy at the same time. =)

I did read a few things. I read "Swindle" when our book fair rolled around. I wanted to be able to to talk about the book when the second book "Zoobreak" came out. And the newest 39 Clues. I picked a few others that I want to read. One to see if it's just appropriate for my students. It's called "Distant Waves" and the students were very drawn to it. But it did have a "young adult" level on it. So it's on the "to read" pile.

I also read the next book in the Septimus Heap series. I just always seem to enjoy fantasy. I've continued to read books by Mental Floss. One called "In the Beginning" and another called "Be Amazing" have short easy to read, but interesting blurbs that have come in surprisingly handy in various conversations. =) I checked out "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" on CD to listen to before the next movie comes out.

I also have added several things to my Audible wish list. Our state Poet Laureate wrote an article about the top ten best books of the decade. There were several on there that I haven't read yet, but have wanted to read. So I have added those on the Audible wish list. Here's the list if you are interested.

1. “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling (Read it)
2. “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown (Read it)
3. “Twilight” series by Stephenie Meyer (Read it)
4. “Million Little Pieces” by James Frey (Don't really have the desire to read it.)
5. “Freakonomics” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner (Want to read it.)
6. “The Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama (Want to read it.)
7. “The Secret Life of Bees” by Sue Monk Kidd (Read it)
8. “My Sister's Keeper” by Jodi Picoult (Want to read it.)
9. “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” by Michael Chabon (Want to read it.)
10. “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini (Want to read it.)

So there you go. That's what I've read and what I will be reading. Hopefully, I'll get some done in the next couple of weeks!

Magyk and Alcatraz

I don't know why I continually start books that are in a series. I tire myself out. I usually can't leave it at just one book. Yet, in the past few weeks, I've started two.

Magyk by Angie Sage is your pretty standard good magic vs. evil magic, mixed up identity fantasy. Although you'd think I'd get tired of these sorts of stories, I enjoyed this book. I'll probably read more of the series. It was a solid start to a series with good character development and enough of the mystery revealed at the end to satisfy, with more promise of story to come.

Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson is a state award nominee for next year. For the first part of the book, I was rather annoyed and irritated with the book. It was so forced, so desperate to be witty and "shocking", it constantly detracted from the story. I kept thinking if Sanderson would just write the story, it would be so much better. Instead, he was channeling Lemony Snickett, trying to convince the reader that Alcatraz isn't a good person and "foreshadowing" bizarre events that he claims are normal. About the end of chapter 11, Sanderson starts focusing more on our main character as he comes to terms with some serious issues in his life. This part was so poignant and engrossing. Chapter 12 continued in that vein and as the story continued, the sarcasm became less and less annoying too. It gave me hope for the future books of the series and made me wonder less why this book was selected for the state award.

I did give in and get a membership to Audible. With the amount of travel time I have, it's been very nice. I actually listened to the last two books rather than read them. And I have another few books that I have to actually read when I'm at home. I've spent far less than if I had purchased those books on iTunes. I saved almost $15 purchasing the membership and the then discounted book. The next question is, do I bite the bullet for the one year membership? It saves a whole lot of money compared to the month by month membership, but if I don't get the month by month during the summer, when I'm less likely to listen to audio books, will that be worth it? Hmmm....

I'm highly enjoying a little bit of useless trivia book at night to relax before bed time. Mental Floss's "In the Beginning" has nice sized bites of stories/trivia that "knowledge junkies" like me adore. I'm thinking about giving up the library copy of it and getting my very own to keep. And some others of the Mental Floss library. If you haven't ever seen the magazine...check it out. It's wonderful! http://www.mentalfloss.com/

I'm off to cheer on my beloved college football team who is playing well at the moment! Hopefully, they'll keep it up!

AASL and good books

I got the privilege to attend the American Association of School Librarians conference in Charlotte, NC. I have had a wonderful time. I'm so excited and jazzed up to take so many things back to my library. It's incredible to dedicate so much time to people who do exactly what you do. My brain is full and I'm a bit on the tired side. But I have read a couple of books recently.

Tallahassee Higgins by Mary Downing Hahn is one that I read when I was a kid. I remember loving that book when I was a kid. (I also remember one about a girl who thought that Hitler had fled to Florida and now lived next door to her...but I was getting that one mixed up with this one.) I still enjoy this book today. Tallahassee is such a real little girl and you are rooting for her throughout the whole story. I did have one student stop in the hall and point at it when I was reading it and say, "That's a good book." What better endorsement can you get?

Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix is the follow up book to Found. I think this series will be very good. It's easy to see how they are going to turned this into multiple books. We understand a little bit more about what's going on with the time traveler's and the mystery isn't as looming in this story. But when the kids, Chip, Alex, Jonah, and Katherine, end up in the 1400's they have to try and save their friends and repair time...all without causing any more difficulties in history. The book had good flow, good action, and transitions easily into a series where the books can focus on where each child came from and include history with a good story.

I also read the book Masterpiece by Elise Broach. It is a state award winner for next year and I downloaded it from Audible. It was entertaining and could get some students interested in art. It doesn't have a lot of depth, but it held my interest and probably will be fairly enjoyable for the kids. I've also downloaded and started Magyk, Septimus Heap book 1. It's my cup of tea...your typical fantasy book with a little bit of humor. I'm enjoying it.

I also have picked up a copy of Born Digital, which was the book that was selected for One Book, One Conference. It peeks my interest, but my brain hurts too much right now to actually read it. =) I have a lot of handouts to read from conference and websites to pour over. They created a wonderful online conference site that you could sign up for that gave you access to every session's handouts. In addition to the wealth of information I gained from the Twitter feed....It will take me forever to comb through it all!

I'm sure I will have more good stuff in the coming weeks. Between everything I've picked up here at conference and everything that will come in for book fair, I'll be picking up a lot of reading. As my brain has officially shut down and we are at the end of the conference, I'm leaving the Blogger's Cafe and moving my body. =) See you all soon!

Lots of books read

I haven't been very good about blogging. I know...shocker. But I have gotten a lot of reading done. =)

Here what I've read in list form:

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Paper, Scissors, Death
The Black Circle by Patrick Carmen (39 Clues)
Tales from the Hood by Michael Buckley (Sisters Grimm)
The Ever After War by Michael Buckley (Sisters Grimm)
Nightmare at the Book Fair by Dan Gutman
The New Policeman by Kat Thompson
Real Pirates: The untold story of the Whydah from slave ship to pirate ship by Barry Clifford
The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket
Courage by Bernard Waber
Woolbur by Leslie Helakoski
The Great Texas Hamster Drive by Eric Kimmel
The Perfect Next by Catherine Friend
The Gentleman Outlaw and Me by Mary Downing Hahn

Sooo...summaries now. The Lost Symbol is another good Dan Brown novel. I don't think quite as gripping as Angels and Demons or DaVinci Code, but still good. Paper, Scissors, Death is a scrapbooking mystery that was just a fun light-hearted read. Despite the whole "death" part of it. The Black Circle brought the 39 Clues closer to its interesting conclusion. I actually had to remind myself what this one is about after reading it weeks ago. So it wasn't terribly memorable to me. The Sisters Grimm books were good, but for some reason I really thought that #7 was the last one. So I was slightly disappointed when I realized there is at least one more book in the series.

Nightmare at the Book Fair is not the best book Gutman has ever written. An attempt to cover multiple genres, it doesn't have good exposition or flow to the story...you can't when your main character is time jumping through every genre ever created. However, I might recommend it to my students as we are studying genre right now.

The New Policeman was bizarre. I think I was expecting a serious book and plenty of the parts of the book were along those lines. However parts of it had quirky details...want to know where all the lost socks in the world go?? The book was also clearly written for Irish audiences and there was plenty of lingo in it that I didn't get. Of course, I didn't realize until the end of the book that there was a glossary at the end. I'm not quite sure if students will be able to follow this book well.

I might have already mentioned Real Pirates and the Composer is Dead. I did get those this summer. The Real Pirates book was perfect for my students about the pirate ship exhibit I saw this summer in Chicago. The exhibit was fabulous and fascinating. And this book brings all of that to the kids. The Composer is Dead is, frankly, a disappointment. I expected wit and a dark sense of humor, but this book is just weird, doesn't explain symphonies well and delivers a poor message. If you don't play music well, you are murdering it. (So give up all you kids learning to play instruments.)

Courage is a sweet little book about all the different kinds of courage we experience in our lives, from the big kinds like jumping off the high dive to the little kinds like wearing a shirt that's different. I immediately showed it to my guidance counselor and he loved it.

Woolbur is going to be a classic "beat of your own drummer" kind of book and my teachers already love it. The Great Texas Hamster Drive is cute. And the Perfect Nest is a simple story that could be used as a curriculum tie in about eggs and nests.

I honestly haven't finished the Gentleman Outlaw and Me, but I'm really enjoying it. There was a slight concern about a little bit of the content in the book. And the teacher who read it also read another Mary Downing Hahn book that was not appropriate for our grade level...Look for Me by Moonlight. I somehow missed the YA level on that book. So I've pulled the Mary Downing Hahn books I haven't read to double check them. I'm not concerned about the Gentleman Outlaw and Me yet, but we'll see what I think when I'm done.

Next on my "To Read" list: Erratum, Masterpiece, Swindle, and the Journal of Curious Letters, along with probably some of the state nominees for next year. (Masterpiece and Swindle are on the list.)

On a side note, I had considered joining Audible because I had been spending so much on audiobooks through iTunes. I was a little frustrated with their site. You can't seem to read much about them without at least signing up for a free account. Even then, you still can't seem to find a lot of information. I actually had forgotten I had an account and was searching their inventory without logging in and I had seen The New Policeman on there. There were a few other books I wanted too. So I went through a lot of rigmarole and discovered I had an account. I logged in and The New Policeman didn't show up anywhere anymore. After a long conversation with customer service, here's what I discovered. #1) Audible has no care at all for decent customer service. #2) They are a world-wide company and publishers sometimes only purchase rights to books in their own territory. Understandable. This means that some of the Audible's inventory is "restricted by geographic location". #3) Books that are potentially restricted by geographic location are not labeled as such in any way, shape, or form. #4) The reps solution was log in. Then you won't see what's not available to you. My point is that it was false advertising. #5) Audible advertises that they have 60,000 titles available. However, that's a lie because a portion of those are not available in geographic locations. But they won't tell me how many titles could be affected. They claim they don't have those numbers, but it's a business for goodness sake. You can't tell me they don't have those numbers somewhere. All that said, Audible still has the biggest selection of any audiobook deliverer that I can find. And if my understanding is correct, the price isn't that bad if you listen to a couple of audiobooks a month.

Ok...marathon post over. Perhaps in a couple of weeks I'll get sick again and have plenty of time to blog. =) I am headed to our state conference and then to AASL in North Carolina, so I'm sure I will come away with a lot of good ideas from those conferences. Until then...happy reading!!

Poor neglected blog...

It has been over a month since I've blogged, but I have been reading. The start of school slowed me down quite a bit, but finished several books. I read the remaining Children's Choice nominees for this year, both the Intermediate and Primary levels. I read The Road to Paris by Nikki Grimes, The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies, and How to Steal a Dog by Barbara O'Connor. All fairly enjoyable, but I think The Lemonade War was the best one of the three.

The Road to Paris is about a brother and sister, mainly the sister, who are in the foster care system. Our heroine Paris finally seems to be in a place where she might learn to grow. But there is a chance that her birth mother will come back into her life and A poignant story, the book deals sensitively with what could be a very difficult topic for some children. I have a feeling that some teachers/librarians will critique it as not having enough grit or depth, but every once in a while it's nice to see a more even take on the dramas that might face our students.

Another "realistic" take on suburban life, The Lemonade War pits brother and sister against each other in the race to earn the most money from their lemonade stands. Interweaving financial concepts with sibling relationships, this book entertains while providing ample opportunity to educate.

The predictability of How to Steal a Dog is probably its biggest drawback. Once again dealing with drama and difficulty in the lives of a younger kids, the book progresses as you would expect with the peaks and valleys of a story and redemption at the end. Not at all a bad story, just predictable.

I also finally gave in and started the Twilight series. I've had it on my iPod since January, but I kept holding off because I knew I would get totally sucked in. I did. I read all four books in about two weeks. I did get a little sick of the helpless victim thing, but overall, they're my kind of book. I now have to watch the movie and compare it.

I do have to read the newest 39 Clues quickly and get it back into my library, as there is a wait list starting for it. But I'm also going to indulge a bit. I'm an avid digital scrapbooker and occasionally enjoy reverting back to my paper scrapping days. A fellow colleague and scrapbooker gave me "Paper, Scissors, Death" to read. It's a "Kiki Lowenstein Scrap-n-Craft Mystery". It's started off decently, we'll see where it goes.

In case anyone cares, Valerie Hobbs read the post about Sheep. I was totally stoked to have an author read my blog post and comment on it. That's going to go on my bulletin board next to my pictures of Jon Scieszka, Mo Willems, and me!

I promise to not be such a stranger...course...it always seems like I'm saying that. =)

At the Movies

I went and saw Harry Potter today. I thought it was very good. I had meant to jog my memory before I went and read the Spark Notes or something, but I didn't get to it. I know the movie diverged from the book to some degree, but I couldn't tell you for sure how at this point, it's been far too long since I've read it. It did make me want to re-read the Deathly Hallows before the final two movies come out for that.

I have to say, I was perturbed that there were so many commercials on before the movie previews. The first ten minutes was commercials for cars, video games, lemonade, and more. At least it used to be just ads on the screen that you could ignore. (I know...I know....the point is to get you not ignoring them anymore...I get it.) Then the previews finally started. By the time the actual Movie got underway, it was twenty-five minutes past the starting time. And I just think that stinks to add a half hour on to your movie experience. If the movie time says it starts at 10 a.m., I don't begrudge five...even ten...minutes to to watch some previews, but twenty-five minutes is sincerely pushing it. (O.k. End of that rant.)

What I really wanted to talk about are the previews that I saw. Bearing in mind that I was at a movie that was based on a book, I'd like you to examine this list:

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Where the Wild Things Are
Sherlock Holmes
The Frog Prince
Percy Jackson - The Lightning Thief
Fame
G.I. Joe
Despicable Me

*Cue Sesame Street Music* One of these things is not like the others....

Only one preview that I saw today was NOT a book or t.v. show first. That was Despicable Me, and I have to tell you, I wasn't that thrilled by that preview. So I couldn't decide whether to jump up and down that so many good books seem to be made into good movies, or be sad that some kids won't have a unique and original experience with these books, or be disappointed in the general lack of creativity that apparently has hit Hollywood writers, or be suspicious that there is some audience manipulation going on in an advertising sense. What do you think? (Hmmm...they're at a movie about a book, let's show mostly book related previews....)

On the definite plus side, several of these look very, very good. Where the Wild Things Are is a big stand out. It looks like it will have adventure, heart, and all the right sentiments on top of amazing CGI integrated with real actors. I was relieved to see Percy Jackson as a live action film, instead of the cartoon I expected after receiving the cartoon trading cards as a promo. Sherlock Holmes looks like it might just be pretty darn good...of course, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law help that cause a little. The Frog Prince introduces Disney's first African-American princess and I'm sure will become a smash hit like Disney movies usually are. GI Joe and Fame are what they are. Didn't really get my interest piqued too much, but I did get a few giggles out of the GI Joe preview.

In the end, we'll see how they stand up against their original versions. As we all know, the movie is never as good as the book!

Sheep by Valerie Hobbs

It's been a month since I last posted and I'd love to say that I read more, but unless you count college assignments, a couple hundred page program for a national conference, and my Facebook updates, I've only read one thing. I think I'm on a bit of a downward swing now. Still have some big assignments coming to grade, but I don't have board meetings and national conferences to go to now either!

"Sheep" by Valerie Hobbs is another state children's choice award nominee. It was a quick and easy read and I enjoyed it for some not too heavy, not too light kind of reading. In many ways, it reminds me of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (by the way, I met Kate DiCamillo and got her autograph on several items). Our main character, however, starts off as a much nicer creature than Edward. After being separated from his family, our collie travels the open road experiencing some of the joy and pain that is life. The question for the reader is, will he finally find both love and a home in the end? A perfect book to put in the hands of kids who love dogs, and especially reluctant readers who love dogs, I'm willing to bet that "Sheep" will be at the top of the voting results in May.

I've started reading "How to Steal a Dog" and still have a couple other children's choice nominees to plug through before I get to read the fun stuff I brought home from the new arrivals at school. Hopefully, I'll also get Overdrive to cooperate with me and I'll be able to listen to one on my iPod in the car. Say a quick prayer to the technology gods for me. =)

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

O.k. This one I'm doing from memory. I read this book in May of 2007. It had been talked about on t.v. and even Al Roker had endorsed it. I listed to a lot of it on CD on a 16 hour bus trip. It was great entertainment then and I've recommended it to several students since then. A good blend of mystery, adventure, kid-power, coincidence and heart, The Mysterious Benedict Society is the type of book that I would have devoured when I was a kid. The story centers around a group of gifted kids who all have issues on their plate. With their intelligence and special talents, they become part of a mysterious society that has a goal of fighting evil. With creative characters and many ups and downs, the story propels the reader to the end. The only complaint (not from me) is that the story is very long. To that end, I'm disappointed that the book is on the State Awards nominee lists simply because many students won't even try to read a book that long. But if students do attempt the read, they will be rewarded with a great story and even little extra mysteries for them to solve.

To read about the second book in the series, see this entry on my blog.

Last Olympian and Beyond the Grave

I finished The Last Olympian. It was an enjoyable, satisfying ending. There's plenty of room for Riordan to bring back the series if he so desires. I can't imagine that those five books are going to satisfy the fans of the series, but we'll see.

I also read the newest 39 Clues: Beyond the Grave. It was much stronger than the last two books and I really enjoyed it. I do have an affinity to the topic of Egypt, so perhaps that is why it struck me as so interesting. But I do think that it was better paced and had a stronger storyline than the last one. There are glimpses of real heart in characters we maybe weren't expecting. I'm very intrigued to see how this series is going to progress. Just how are we going to end up with 39 Clues in 10 books? We have about a year left to find out!

I also picked up The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snicket. For some reason, my book company said the publisher was out of stock indefinitely, but I had been seeing it on the shelves in the stores. So I bought it at a book store. I sort of wish I had read it first. While I think the way the information about each instrument is presented is neat and enjoyable the message in the last several pages just kills the whole book for me. I guess for a children's book I would prefer a message about enjoying playing music even if you are not very good. This seemed to say that butchering music is not o.k. (even though we have to put up with it to get to good music). I'm not quite sure....I was left pretty underwhelmed by it.

I still have several state awards books to read, so look for more updates soon!

13 Cemetery Road & The Homework Machine

I was lucky enough to have Kate Klise come and visit our school this year. She is smart and fun and very down to earth. I really enjoyed our time together. I was lucky enough to receive an autographed copy of her next new book. Klise has a new series called "13 Cemetery Road". It's very cute and follows Klise's typical epistolary style. While I think the story in some of her other series are a little stronger, I think this one is cute and fun and has the potential to really develop. If you enjoy her other stories, this one will certainly be enjoyable as well.

Dan Gutman is a perennial favorite for our state children's choice award. I think this year will be no different. This year, Gutman was nominated for "The Homework Machine". Certainly appealing to intermediate school students, the variety of characters and realistic story line drives the book all the way to the end. When a group of students ends up together and shares a secret about an unbelievable machine, events start to happen that no one sees coming. An enjoyable and quick read, "The Homework Machine" will, I'm sure, receive lots of votes from our students this year.

I'm also reading the last in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, "The Last Olympian". It's a good read so far. Of course, I've loved the series since it first came out. Before it started getting a lot of press, I found "The Lightning Thief" on the shelf at Borders. I'm sad that it will be ending, but enjoying the final book so far.