Friday, August 30, 2013

Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight By: Sarah J. Maas

Celaena is doing the King's bidding, and killing the people that he assigns her to.  She hates working for him though, and actually has not killed a single one.  She has been telling the men to run and hide and never come back. Her next assignment leads her to her former friend Archer, and she wants to get information about why he is on the King's list before he leaves.  She discovers a group of people that are out to get the evil King, and their methods lead to the death of someone special to Celaena.  While she is doing her work, Celaena and Chaol finally find that they cannot live without each other, but things stand in their way.  And Celaena also finds more secret magic in the castle that just might kill her.

I loved this second book in the Throne of Glass series just as much as the first.  I could not put it down. I love Celaena even more now then I did in the beginning.  I want her to have a happy life wherever she wants to go and not have to do other people's work.  My heart broke for her in this book and the end was so surprising.  I am not wanting to wait for the next book in the series and know it will be a while. Great book!!

I borrowed this from a friend.
ISBN: 978-1-61963-062-8

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Ben Rides On

Ben Rides On By: Matt Davies

Ben loves his new wheels and he loves riding to school because he can take the long way.  He does not when he gets to school because Adrian, the bully, is mean.  Adrian takes Ben's bike and destroys it, and in the process Adrian is in a terrible dangerous place. Ben finds him and is the bigger person and helps Adrian.  Adrian in turn fixes the bike that he broke. 

I thought this book had a great message that even when someone is mean you can be nice to them and maybe it will change their ways. I am always on the hunt for books with my kiddos names in them and my Ben loved this story, so I will definitely be looking for this book to buy!

I borrowed this from the public library.
ISBN: 978-1-59643-794-4

Friday, August 23, 2013

The Saturday Boy

The Saturday Boy By: David Fleming

Derek knows one thing he is thankful for his dad's letters.  His father was sent back to Afghanistan to fly helicopters and Derek really misses him.  Derek does not fit in at school, he has to much energy and his nemesis Budgie is not nice to him at all.   Derek does not understand why Budgie who used to be his friend is so mean to him now.  Everything changes one day when his aunt comes and he finds out that his father is missing.  Derek's life gets very different from there.

I loved this book.  I felt so sorry for Derek, he is obviously one of those kiddos that school is hard for and his father is gone.  My heart broke for him throughout the book as I read the mean things the kids and teachers said and did.   I hurt for all the families that have loved ones that serve our country and miss their families, and have the chance of not coming home. Beautiful story.  Due to the content and a few swear words I would say this is for middle school readers.

I borrowed this from the public library.
ISBN:978-0-670-78551-3

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Charmed Vengeance

Charmed Vengeance The Aether Chronicles Book 2 By: Suzanne Lazear

In the second book in The Aether Chronicles we find Noli at war with herself. Fighting to still be Noli and not the sprite that lives inside her.  She misses V, who is still in the Otherworld and is trying to figure out what to do. When V comes back he breaks her signal and leave her, so Noli is left broken and alone.  She decides to join her brother Jeff on a air pirate ship, but what she finds him doing she knows can only mean trouble. After an encounter with V's uncle, Noli is left extremely ill, and is just hoping that she can get back to V.

Another fantastic page turner in this steampunk series.  I loved the continuation of the story, and love Noli even more after reading this book. She is a strong young lady and I felt for her loss and her struggles.  The continuation of the love story between Noli and V is great because you know that they are destined to be together but things are just keeping them apart for now.  Great great book!!

I borrowed this from the public library
ISBN: 978-0-7387-3302-9

Saturday, August 17, 2013

The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman

The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman By: Ben H. Winters

Bethesda knows what she is going to do for her Special Project for Mr. Melville's Social Studies class. She is going to figure out one of the teacher's secret life. And she decides to choose Ms. Finkleman.  What she finds out and shares with the whole school is that Ms. Finkleman has a rock star past.  Ms. Finkleman is not thrilled that her secret is out so she enlists Bethesda and Tenny to work for her and run the class for her to prepare them for the choir competition.  Things don't exactly turn out as planned though, but it just might be better than they hoped.

Such a fun book.  Haven't kids always wondered what their teacher's did before they became a teacher?  I bet some teachers really could have been rock stars and are waiting for someone to find out.  I loved that two characters that normally would not associate with each other are forced to talk to each other and become friends. Great middle school read

I borrowed this from the pubic library
ISBN: 978-0-06-196541-8

Friday, August 16, 2013

Double Dog Dare

Double Dog Dare By: Lisa Graff

Kansas has never let a dare go by without doing it. But he meets his match with Francine who wants what Kansas wants really bad.  They both decide that whomever does the most dares will be given the job as news anchor for their school Media Club. And the dares that they come up with are defiantly not easy. Like Kansas has to run his underwear up the flagpole and Francine has to dye her hair green. But as they compete they find that they have a lot in common, and that sometimes dares can go a little to far.

This is the perfect fun, upper elementary school read. I laughed at the pranks that they decided to dare each other to do. And I loved how the characters find that being friends might be easier than enemies that dare each other to do wacky things.  Great read

I borrowed this from the public library.
ISBN: 978-0-14-242412-4

45 Pounds (more or less)

45 Pounds (more or less) By: K. A. Barson

Ann is not a thin young lady. Most people call her fat, even her mother and most of her family. She knows she needs and wants to do something about it, but has tried diets before.  Ann decides that she is going to try a weight loss system from the television and buys into eat, eating nasty food and supplements.  While this is happening she is going through changes with friends, her best friend is no longer, and she makes friends with Raynne, and meets the cutest boy Jon.  But life is not what she thinks and she realizes that her sister who is four is obsessed with her weight and so Ann decides to be the best example of healthy eating not dieting.  She finds that being happy with yourself can change everything.

This story was so good. I can imagine how many young people are feeling the same way Ann is.  This is the perfect book for them, the true emotions of a girl who knows she is not liked by people just because of her weight and the hurt of even her own mother being mean about it.  Great read!

I borrowed this from the public library.
ISBN: 978-0-670-78482-0

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

A Tangle Of Knots

A Tangle of Knots By: Lisa Graff


This story starts with the loss of something very important.  But in this world everyone has a Talent. Talents are used to make people good at something very special.  There are people that are good at finding things for people, people that are good spiters, and others that don't yet know what their talents are.  Cady is great at making perfect cakes for people, but she is an orphan that wants a home.  Some remarkable events happen that bring many people under the roof of the Lots Luggage Emporium and the events that happen next are beyond everyone's wildest dreams.

I seriously could not put this book down, I read it in one night.  It was so good.  There were so many character's stories all melded into one and it just made for the perfect book.  Everyone's lives were connected in some way and they all ended up working together. I thought it also showed how living with a heart that is wanting something so bad it can cloud your vision.  I cannot wait to tell some of my readers at school about this one.

I borrowed this from the public library
ISBN: 978-0-399-25517-5

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Flygirl



Flygirl By: Sherri L Smith

Ida Mae Jones knows one thing, she wants to fly.  She has decided that she will try to join the WASPs. But she has one thing against her, she is colored and must try to pass as a white women or she will not be able to join. She succeeds in joining and now is faced every day with hiding who she is and becoming the pilot she wants to be.  But throughout her training she finds that things are not always easy and that maybe she should just be who she is.

I loved this book. It was a historical fiction based on the accounts of women who gave their service in WWII.  I find it truly fascinating and noble of these women to give their service knowing that they would most likely not be given the okay to actually help out in the war and do their service duty. Truly inspiring women who trained to fly.

I was given this book by a friend
ISBN: 978-0-545-22829-9

Friday, August 9, 2013

A Handbook for Dragon Slayers

A Handbook for Dragon Slayers By: Merrie Haskell

Tilda would love to live alone and read and write books. But as a princess she is not given the time to do that. But as she sets of on an adventure to be a scribe for her friend Parz she thinks that she just might not go back to being the princess that she is.  On this adventure she is forced to face the Wild Hunt, and has a debt to pay to them. She meets dragons and is captured by an evil sorcerer. These adventures lead her to question what really is important in life.

I really liked this book. I thought that Tilda was a strong princess who felt like many girls that maybe she wasn't good enough or didn't have the ability to let the comments of others go.  I thought that the adventure in this book was perfect and kept me reading.  I am definitely going to recommend this book to some of the girls in my class that like magic and adventure.

I borrowed this from the public library
ISBN: 978-0-06-200816-9

Monday, August 5, 2013

A Summer of Sundays

A Summer of Sundays By: Lindsay Eland

Sunday just wants to be noticed. She is right in the middle of six children and knows that nobody cares if she is there. This summer though Sunday has a plan to finally be noticed. They are moving to a small town where her father is helping fix the old library up.  Sunday has decided that she will find a mystery to solve to make sure she is noticed.  And one day she does, she finds a manuscript in the basement of the library and she sets out to find out who wrote it. With the help of her new friend Jude, Sunday just might have the summer she is looking for.

This was a great read.  I loved the character Sunday and imagine that if you were stuck in the middle of so many kiddos you might feel lost like her.  She was a lovable character that I  hope I can share with some readers in my class. Perfect elementary school read.

I borrowed this from the public library
ISBN: 9781606840306

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Susan Dennard

Something Strange and Deadly and  A Darkness Strange and Lovely By: Susan Dennard

Eleanor lives in Philadelphia and knows to be afraid of The Dead. When the Dead are out you must hide and leave it to the Spirit Hunters to rid of them.  But Eleanor's brother is missing and she knows something is not quite right.  While being courted by Clarence,  Eleanor turns to the Spirit Hunters to help her find her brother and solve the mystery of why the dead are in Philadelphia. Daniel does not want her around, but they find themselves in a place where they must rely on each other or not make it out alive.

In the second book, the Spirit Hunters have left Eleanor and are living in Paris. Eleanor knows that something is hunting her so she leaves her mother in the mental hospital and travels to Paris to get help.  Along the way she ends up binding herself to a demon, and begins to use her necromancy powers. When she is reunited with her Spirit Hunting friends they do not take to kindly to her new demon and decide that she cannot be one of them. But they are all forced back together to help rid of the evil in Paris.

I thought that both of these books were great.  Perfect for older teens and young adult readers.  Lots of magic, undead, and romance.  I love Eleanor, she feels like a misfit (which goes perfect with her name Miss Fitt) and just wants to belong. She misses her brother, and is in love with Daniel, but things just don't always work out for her.  I thought that the mix of the magic and undead with the past was also a fun part of the book.  The cover images of both of these books are also really pretty. Great read, and now I am anxious to read the end in the last book.  You can also pick up the e novella  A Dawn Most Wicked




I borrowed these from the public library.

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Orphan Train

Orphan Train By: Christina Baker Kline


Molly is a foster child who has been in many different homes. The place she lives now is ok, but Dina does not like her and makes things hard.  She gets caught trying to steal a book from the library and is forced to do some community service. Her boyfriend, Jack, finds a place for her to do her hours at the home of Vivian, an elderly lady that needs someone to help her sort her attic. Vivian and Molly begin a wonderful friendship based on having the same type of back ground.  Vivian was placed on a train of orphans when she was just nine years old, she met Duchy on this train and even though they were taken by other people he vowed to find her.  Vivian spent time in many different homes that were not good.  As their bond grows they find that they have a lot in common and can help each other.

I loved this book. My book club picked it and I thought it was going to be okay.  I was wrong I could not put it down. The story of these two ladies just touched my heart and I had to find out what was going to happen with them. Such a beautiful heartbreaking story.  Defiantly an adult read, but well worth it!!

I bought this book from amazon.com
ISBN: 978-0-06-195072-8