Sam and CY students & staff are reading…

Bag of Bones by Stephen King (books by Stephen King are coming soon to our Library!)

Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech – Available for checkout as of 2/1/08

Thirteen-year-old fraternal twins Dallas and Florida have grown up in a terrible orphanage but their lives change forever when an eccentric but sweet older couple invites them each on an adventure, beginning in an almost magical place called Ruby Holler. (VIA description)

The Secret Identity of Devon Delaney by Lauren Barnholdt (To be ordered soon for our Library)

Devon Delaney has spent the summer at her grandmother’s house, where she created a more stylish, popular alter ego, based on lies she told to her new friend, Lexi. Then, on the first day of seventh grade, Devon discovers that Lexi has moved to her town and is in her class. (Booklist description)

Listening for Coyote by William Sullivan (journal about trip around Oregon) Our Library needs this book!

Harry Potter books: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is one of this year’s YRCA nominees.

Graham Salisbury books: Our Library has seven of Salisbury’s books. Find them under FIC Sal. Under the Blood-Red Sun is one of the books for the Battle of the Books. Here’s the description from VIA:

Tomikazu Nakaji’s biggest concerns are baseball, homework, and a local bully, until life with his Japanese family in Hawaii changes drastically after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941.

Night by Elie Weisel – Our Library needs a copy of this significant book. Very soon, we’ll have it.

A terrifying account of the Nazi death camp horror that turns a young Jewish boy into an agonized witness to the death of his family….and the death of his innocence..(VIA description)

Spy X by Peter Lerangis – Another book that our Library needs. Coming soon!

A year after their mother disappeared, twelve-year-old twins Andrew and Evie move to yet another town with their soldier father only to receive a mysterious package full of strange objects from “Spy X” along with a warning to trust nobody. (VIA description)

Pulling Princes by Tyne O’Connell – Our Library has two copies of this book, one copy of Stealing Princes, two copies of Dumping Princes, and one copy of Dueling Princes.

Hoping to become more popular at her English boarding school, fifteen-year-old Californian Calypso Kelly invents a fake boyfriend, until she realizes that her wit and skill at fencing may be enough to attract the attention of a real-life prince. (VIA description)

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton – We have multiple copies of this timeless book, originally published in 1967.

The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent’s death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society. (VIA description)

The Lion King by Gina Ingoglia – Find the Disney version at MTV FIC Ing.
Sundiata: Lion King of Mali by David Wisniewski – Find it on our Library at 921 Kei.

The story of Sundiata, who overcame physical handicaps, social disgrace, and strong opposition to rule Mali in the thirteenth century.

Who would like this book? Teens of both genders who like football, are curious about life on a small diary farm in Wisconsin, and want to find out how a 16-year-old girl who is known as “a cow” gets the last word.

Why? D.J. Schwenk, at the age of 15, is carrying most of the work on her family’s small dairy farm after her father injured his hip and her two older brothers left (after a family argument) to play football in college. As a result of the time demands of milking, haying, and cleaning the barn, D.J. has had to quit basketball and received an “F” in English. When the coach of the rival high school (an old family friend) sends Brian Nelson, their gorgeous, spoiled quarterback, to D.J. for training, her narration takes off and the reader is hooked. Murdock strikes a great note with D.J.’s voice. She is very funny and honest, and it is entertaining and rewarding to follow her through the events that bring the book to an unlikely conclusion. When she starts to make choices for herself out of her heart, I turned into a cheerleader for her.

The details: 275 p. 2006

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean is a book about pirates and two orphans. Grace and Conner lost their dad and became orphans. Their dad left nothing behind. All of his belongings were owned by the bank: the lighthouse, his boat, and his house. The twins stole the boat and went to sea when a storm hit. The storm split the boat in half. The twins were separated. Conner was saved by a ship of pirates. Grace was saved by the Vampirate ship. When they both got their strength back, they began to ask questions. Grace wasn’t able to go out of her cabin. She didn’t know what kind of ship it was until her friend Lorcan stayed in her cabin too long and Grace opened the curtains. Light spilled into the dark cabin. Of course, Lorcan screamed and begged Grace to close the curtain. Once she did, she knew that she was on the Vampirate ship. Now she knew why she wasn’t allowed to leave her cabin, but she did anyway. Conner was strong and determined. He wanted to live the life of a pirate. He wanted to learn how to use a sword. So, his best friends Bart and Cate started the teaching. Once they thought he was ready, the crew went on a hunt for a ship with jewels.
You have to read the book to find out what happens to Conner and Grace. Will Grace return to her cabin unharmed? Will Conner be killed on his first adventure to steal items? Will the twins ever see each other again?
Read Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean. The book has all the answers!

Submitted by Saydie

The details: 330 p. 2006

Who would like this book? This book is awesome! I recommend it to grades 6 through 9. People who like to get a good laugh should read it.

Why? Absolutely, Positively NOT… is about a 16-year-old boy named Steven. He thinks he might be gay but won’t admit it because he is afraid of what people will think. His best friend Rachel is trying to help him with it, but he wants to figure things out on his own. This story mainly takes place at Steven’s school.
Submitted by Kendyl

The details: 224 p. 2005

Who would like this book? People in grades 5th-9th would enjoy this book. Also if you love books written in letters. I think this book is more for teens, but it is still great for everyone!

Why? The setting takes place in the modern day. The two main characters are Tara*Starr who is 12, and Elizabeth who is also 12. They are two girls who basically write each other back and forth. They talk about what’s going on and the problems they are having.
Submitted by Ashley

The details: 240 p. 1998

Who would like this book? I would recommend this book to people in grades 4- 7, especially if you like adventure and boats. I learned lots about boats.

Why? The Wanderer is about a girl named Sophie who is traveling on a boat to England. She is traveling with her two uncles and cousins. On the way from England to Connecticut, things come up. It is a good book.
Submitted by Alex

The details: 305 p. 2000

Who would like this book? Teens and adults interested in how a plucky, stubborn 16-year-old orphan survives and thrives on the Montana prairie in 1918. Don’t miss it if you’re interested in the racism generated by World War I.

Why? Hattie is sick of her life in Iowa, where she has been an unwanted “burden” on one distant relative after another. So, when word arrives that she has inherited a homestead claim in Montana from her eccentric uncle, she turns a deaf ear to the warnings of the hardships of the prairie. The warnings turn out to be true, and the multiple challenges that Hattie faces on a daily basis become a riveting tale in her able narrative voice. With engaging language, she relates the snowstorms in the winter, the heat in the summer, the requirements of “proving” her claim, the anti-German racism of some people in the nearby town, and her friendship with the Muellers, her adopted “family” who live two miles from her shack of a house. Kirby Larson based Hattie’s experiences on those of her great-grandmother who homesteaded alone just as Hattie does. This book has received much recognition and many awards. I agree with the praise!

The details: 304 p. 2006

Who would like this book? Teens who like a good fantasy with a tinge of science fiction, set in a future Great Britain. Garth Nix fans!

Why? In this first book of seven in The Keys to the Kingdom series, the life of Arthur Penhaligon, a seventh grader at a new school, takes a turn when he is chosen by Mister Monday, a power broker from another world, to keep the “key” until he dies. They expect Arthur to die immediately from an asthma attack. Arthur does not die, complicating matters for Mister Monday and for Arthur. Mister Monday’s crossing into our world (”the secondary realms”) has introduced a kind of sleeping virus into the human population. Because Arthur’s parents both died in an earlier plague, he is driven to free the world of this current plague and thus finds a way to enter the mysterious “house” that has appeared to him from the other realm. Young readers of fantasy will be able to keep all of the characters, the strange contraptions, and the interweaving plot twists straight. I got a bit confused sometimes! Nevertheless, it’s an exciting fantasy with unique ideas and memorable characters such as Suzy Turquoise Blue and the Architect.

The details: 368 p. 2003

Who would like this book? Young teens interested in real life situations, what makes a family a “family,” and what might happen if a young girl without a family tries to find one.

Why? Hollis Woods was abandoned at birth and has been through the foster-home route. We get glimpses of a happy time with one family but know that this time ended sadly. Part of the draw of the story is that Patricia Reilly Giff, through Hollis as the narrator, slowly reveals why Hollis thinks that she has “messed up the whole family.” These flashbacks are interspersed throughout the book as fourteen “pictures,” pictures that Hollis is painting (and describes for us) as her memories come into focus. This unfolding of her memories is set against her current relationship with Josie Cahill, a retired art teacher who is her new guardian. They have an immediate bond with art and quirkiness, a bond that gets complicated when Hollis realizes that Josie has Alzheimer’s and needs help. Hollis is a resourceful, engaging character; her story is a most worthwhile read!

The details: 172 p. 2002

Who would like this book? Teens and adults interested in the racist reality of the south in the 1940s. Anyone who appreciates Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird will not want to miss this book.

Why? David’s father, Dr. Franklin Church, is the doctor of their Tennessee town. Dr. Church is also an extreme racist and member of the local Ku Klux Klan. From David’s birth, his father has planned his life for him: he hung a skeleton above David’s crib so that his infant son could start learning the bones and grow up to be a doctor. It does not go down well with him, then, when David (as a young boy) befriends Malcolm, an African American. Dr. Church lays down the law harshly, forbidding David to see Malcolm. Of course, the two young boys can’t stay away from each other, and their friendship blossoms as they pursue imaginative adventures together. In a setup such as this one, the reader knows that the outcome will not be a good one, but let me reassure prospective readers that Malcolm does not die. I also need to warn prospective readers that the language is raw, true to what would be used in the 1940s in the south. Dr. Church does not use “African American;” he uses the “n-word.” Johnstone has based this story on her own experiences growing up in the south. From them, she has crafted a stunning, riveting work that left me breathless and in tears. Read it for the history, for the well-drawn characters, and for David’s final decision (don’t peek).

(more…)