Reviews....in short.

Okay...I have read five books and have 95 left!  There was a football game last night, so no reading was done:(  Here are my five....

Rosie and Skate by Beth Ann Bauman
Teen sisters, Rosie and Skate, are left to deal with things when their alcoholic father goes to jail.  Rosie visits him often and wants to believe that he can be a better father.  Skate has given up on her dad and pinned her hopes on a future with her boyfriend.  Heartbreak, betrayal, and loss are all evident in the lives of these sisters, but they rely on each other and find that they can manage.  I have never before describe a book as "quiet," but that is the first word that comes to mind.  The struggles of the girls are told simply and even their actions, when faced with adversity, are calm and deliberate.  This is an enjoyable and quick teen read.

                                     Recommended for: Teen girls who like romance and drama (i.e. Nicholas Sparks)
                                     Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer
I LOVED this novella!  Short and sweet...my favorite.  This novella explores the life of newborn vampire Bree Tanner.  Readers will get a sense of what it is like on the dark side and how powerful the scent of blood is for the young vampires.  Bree explains the confusion she feels when the newbies are trained for the fight against the Cullens and how she reacts to the kindness after they find her in the forest.  I can only hope Ms. Meyer publishes more of these....

Recommended for:  Obviously, Twilight fans, but also those reluctant to delve into the series...this may make for even more book lovers!
Rating: 4.5 stars

Stitches: A Memoir by David Small
I have to admit...I am not a fan of graphic novels.  I buy them for my students, but have never read them myself.  This novel has received glowing reviews, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  David Small shares his childhood memories filled with demanding, gruff parents and a short battle with cancer.  Through the pictures and the text, the reader can be prepared to really feel for Mr. Small.  I wanted to pick his little-boy self up and give him a hug when I saw how he was treated as a child.  This is a very quick read that many readers will enjoy.

                                     Recommended for: Empathetic teens and those who love graphic novels
                                     Rating: 4 stars

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
This is the selection for my teen book club this month.  It was recommended to me by a colleague last year and I have to say that I truly enjoyed reading it.  I tend to be more of an action/fantasy gal, but this realistic fiction book stood out as one of the better ones I have read.  Unpopular high school senior, Tyler Miller, gets into some trouble and is forced to spend his summer doing hard labor.  The result is a new, stronger Tyler Miller.  He begins to get some attention from the school beauty, Bethany.  After a night at a wild party, Tyler is accused of doing some bad things...This novel does a great job illustrating what it is like in high school as well as what it is like having a dysfunctional family.  The reader will see how easily a story can get twisted...
                                     Recommended for: all teens
                                     Rating: 4 stars

Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Seventeen-year-old Johnny is battling some serious monsters.  He is currently in rehab and although he knows he is an alcoholic, he is not sure what led him to this place.  His mind refuses to let him relive a traumatic event from his recent past, yet his therapist and small-group peers are forcing him to remember.  Johnny's journey is not unique, but the circumstances which led him to rehab are.  An interesting read...

Recommended for: Teens who can handle controversial issues
Rating: 4 stars

Now...I am going to enjoy my Labor Day weekend with my family and hopefully finish a few books.  On the list: Mockingjay (I'm so excited!), Going Bovine, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

I'm back....

Wow!  It was a fantastic summer!  We vacayed in Las Vegas, Orlando, and Sarasota and enjoyed much-needed family time.  Now...I'm back!  I read some over the break, but have a HUGE goal for the school year.  I am going to try to read 100 books this school year.  I am currently done with ONE.  Will post a review on that soon.  So...wish me luck...99 left!

3 more down...

Does anyone else ever walk through the library and have that feeling that it is imperative to read EVERY book you see?  I want to start in the As and read through to the Zs....hmmm...maybe someday;)  Anyway, I have recently read three books and I wanted to share them.

Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci was the book chosen for the high school book club last month.  I have to admit that I wasn't very excited to read about bio-terrorism plus I thought the book would be semi-"dated" because it is advertised as being post-9/11 and my students don't seem very interested in this topic.  I was SO WRONG!  This book is awesome and the book club loved it! 

The novel follows a group of teens who have been variously affected by a toxin in the water system of a suburban town in New Jersey.  A few of the teens have been infected, three deal with deaths in their families, and two are computer hackers who follow clues left on the web by the terrorists themselves.  The story unfolds with each chapter being told from the perspective of a different character.  I am a self-proclaimed computer geek so I really enjoyed all of the hacking.  The novel had a quick pace with a few twists and a definite ending, although a sequel has just been published.  In my opinion, a novel is great if it "sticks with you."  This one did and I still (after reading this a few weeks ago) get a bad feeling when I drink tap water....I very highly recommend this.

I also recently finished Candor by Pam Bachorz.  This was recommended to me by one of my student library aides and....it was great!  The novel is set in a society controlled by messages.  Oscar's father created the town of Candor in order to escape the memory of Oscar's dead brother. He controls things by playing a series of messages in hidden speakers throughout town. People in Candor have great marriages, the kids dress nicely and do their homework, and everyone is fit and healthy....or are they?  Oscar has a secret business to help the incoming teens get out...before it is too late.  He meets a beautiful, goth-girl named Nia and can't bear the thought of her wearing pink and volunteering for the community.  He doesn't want to see her changed so he risks everything to help her.  Can he save her in time?  What will happen if his father catches him and realizes he is not a perfect son?

Reminiscent of The Giver by Lois Lowry, this novel will please readers who enjoy dystopian fiction.  It has some slow parts, but for the most part, the plot moves quickly revealing just enough to keep readers on the edge of their seats.  I didn't love the ending, but that is because I wanted something different for Oscar...no spoilers here!  Recommended.

The other day, I was lucky enough to get a package in school mail.  It was the new selection for High School-High Interest from Junior Library Guild!  Think Again by JonArno Lawson (illustrated by Julie Morstad) tells the story, in short poems, of a young couple who meet and fall in love.  The title does reflect the book in that the reader must really "think" to get this story.  By themselves, the poems are beautiful, but I'm not sure if most teens at my school will want to work so hard to get the whole point.  The illustrations fit well with the poems and they actually encourage the reader to "think" some more.  I read this twice and appreciated it much more the second time.  This is a book that readers could read several times and get something different out of it each time.  Again, I'm not sure this will reach a large population of our students, but it will reach some, which makes me happy!  Recommended for deep-thinkers and lovers of poetry.

Summer Display!

We are deep in the trenches of testing, but I am still working at getting students in the library to check out some great books.  I am only open in the morning (before school), during our first lunch session, and after school, so I'm sure circulation will be down a bit this month.  I've spent my non-teaching days creating some new displays.  My favorite is the beach reads display.  Because the students can only check out books for the next three weeks or so, I figured now was a good time to get the summer books out.

Not the greatest picture I know, but I love the beachy accents!  In order to set this up, we covered the table with brown butcher paper and used aqua bandanas as accents.  I also purchased a few things on sale from Hobby Lobby (an umbrella, sand bucket, welcome figurine, palm trees, and an inspirational sign.

Now...for the books.  I LOVE walking through the shelves and finding books for displays.  For this particular theme, I tried to choose books that I would want to read while stretched out on the white sand, the sound of surf pounding and the feel of the sun on my (heavily sunscreened!) skin.  Most of the books are "light," but I chose a few books with deep messages.  Here is my list....

Display video

I got a great idea from another blogger about making a short video to place next to a display of the books shown in the video.  Sort of a digital booktalk....hope you like it!