Woohoo! Back to reading!

I've actually been able to finish a few more books recently and wanted to share them...

#23
Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz
By Eva Mozes Kor and Lisa Rojany Buccieri

This haunting memoir tells the story of Eva Mozes Kor and her twin, Miriam's, survival of Auschwitz.  The twins arrived at Auschwitz with their whole family, were torn from their mother, and never saw the family again.  Eva and Miriam were housed with a few hundred other twins and experimented on by Dr. Josef Mengele.  Experiencing illness, hunger, and devastating effects from being injected with unknown substances, the girls survived their time at Auschwitz only to be faced with the reality of starting over after the war.

My grandfather was a survivor of Auschwitz.  He was a prisoner of war during World War II and, luckily, was liberated from the camp after the war.  Therefore, I have always been extremely interested in reading about the Holocaust, especially the camps.  Although the subject matter is intense, this book was a very good read.  I devoured the book in a single sitting and feel comfortable recommending it to any of my high school students.  There are some disturbing parts of the book, in particular when Mrs. Kor is describing some of the experiments on the twins, but, in my opinion, the writers of this book kept it from being overly graphic.  This book has become one of my favorite books about this specific time period, along with I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson.

Rated: 4.75
Recommended for: History buffs, those looking for something other than Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl

#24
Fancy White Trash
By Marjetta Geerling

Poor Abby.  Her parents are divorced, her eldest sister is a teen mother, her middle sister is pregnant with her guitar teacher's baby, and her mother is newly married and pregnant...with the guitar teacher's baby.  Oh, did I mention that Abby's best friend, Cody, is gay but can't admit it to anyone yet?  And that Abby's first love, Jackson (Cody's brother), is back in town after a summer of mission work?  No wonder Abby has developed her ridiculous One True Love Plan.  She refuses to end up like her sisters and mother, the beautiful, yet trashy, Savage girls. 
Once the new baby is born (the sister's baby...confused yet?) and the guitar teacher hits on Abby, the dynamics in the Savage household change and Abby must learn to deal with more family problems.

Fancy White Trash is on the High School Sequoyah list this year (Oklahoma award).  I really liked this book and must say that I've never read anything like it.  The subject matter is CRAZY, but not totally unrealistic.  And...I LOVE the cover.  What is wrong with pink flamingos?

Rated: 4.25
Recommended for: Anyone looking for a laugh

#25
Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook
By Sarah Schmelling

With postings like "Holden Caulfield thinks only morons write status updates (Catcher in the Rye)" and quizzes to find out which Jane Austen character you would be, this book portrays characters and authors from the classics all in Facebook postings.  I LOVED it!  The tongue-in-cheek humor is great and the subject matter is timely.  Luckily, I have a vague idea of the plots and characters of most of the classics detailed in this book.  However, the ones I didn't "get" due to the fact that I haven't read many classics, encouraged me to read some of these old dust-catchers (just kidding classics lovers!!).  I know the AP students would get a kick out of this book.  I plan on showing them tomorrow...

Rating: 4.5
Recommended for: Students with some prior knowledge of the classics...with a good sense of humor

Resolutions....

Okay...I've decided to make more of a commitment to this blog.  I have worked on the blog for over a year and have only posted 40 times!!  Commitment issues?  Maybe...
Anyway, I am hoping to post three to four times a week.  We shall see where that leaves the blog at the end of 2011!

We finally got settled after a December move.  Therefore, I was only able to read a few books over the break.  Still working towards 100 this school year!

#20
Attila the Hun: Leader of the Barbarian Hordes (A Wicked History Series)

Okay....I kind of feel like I shouldn't count these books.  They are kind of short and do include some pictures, but....I'm counting them! 

These books are sooo interesting. I'm the kind of girl who just likes the facts...not into wordiness when it comes to nonfiction.  The books from this series hit the spot.  I learned some fascinating information about Attila the Hun and never got distracted (not a small feat for me!).  I have a few more in my TBR stack.
Rated: 4
Recommended for: History buffs....lower level readers

#21
 Lost for Words
Alice Kuipers

Mournful over the loss of her sister Emily, teenager Sophie just can't seem to move on.  She no longer confides in her best friend, Abby, nor does she communicate often with her mother.  Sophie is lost. She begins seeing a counselor who encourages her to keep a notebook.  On paper, Sophie is able to confront tragic events from the past in bits and pieces.  She is also able to express her hope that one day she will be able to live without obsessing over her loss.  Sophie becomes friends with Rosa-Leigh, the new girl at school.  Rosa-Leigh writes poetry and Sophie begins to write as well, finding it soothing to concentrate on something positive.
Tensions increase when Sophie's mother decides to return to work and attend a support group.  This leaves Sophie with the impression that her mother is "over" Emily.  She lashes out at her mom and becomes more introverted than before.  Finally, she faces the attack that occurred to both she and Emily and is able to reconnect with her mother.

Okay...I really liked this book, but it was so sad.  I was sad for Sophie...I was sad for her mother...I was sad for Emily.  Although this seems like a typical depressing teen book, there is some suspense with the author revealing only small facts about the "attack" until the end of the novel.  The suspense kept me reading because in all honesty, I don't care for sad novels.  Alice Kuipers also wrote Life on the Refrigerator Door which I reviewed earlier this year.  That one is also quite a tearjerker. 

Rated: 4.5
Recommended for: readers who like Nicholas Sparks, Lurlene McDaniel, Jodi Picoult...students who may have experienced a loss such as the main character

#22
Plus
Veronica Chambers

Beatrice "Bee" Wilson has the world by the tail: she's a college Freshman in New York City, she's dating a popular guy on campus, and she has a job tutoring a hottie rap artist.  Things are going great....until her boyfriend, Brian, dumps her after a romp-gone-wrong.  Bee is wallowing in self-pity and...eating.  She spends a few weeks enjoying all of the treats life has to offer and is then miraculously "discovered" eating lunch with her friend Chela at Dean and Deluca.  She interviews for a highly-coveted spot as a plus-size model in the new Prada campaign...and she gets the job.  It doesn't take long before the world knows Bee Wilson.  This is a great way to get revenge on an ex, but also a great way to make new enemies.  One of which is Savannah Hughes, another model.  Keeping up with college classes and modeling is tough on Bee and she begins to see that she doesn't have much in common with her old friends.  Soon after Bee becomes famous, Brian "decides" that he made a mistake and he wants to date her again.  Bee, being a typical young woman, loves the attention from her ex and lets him back into her life.  After a few hilarious mishaps and some downright dirty deeds, Bee's career is hurting.  She and Chela make up and she reconnects with her hot tutoring students, who is now a rising star.  Will Bee fix her mistakes and go back to modeling?

Hmmm...what can I say about this book?  I enjoyed reading it, but I do think there are some problems.  I LOVE the idea of having a plus-size teenage girl as the main character.  It seems that there are many girls who could identify with Bee, except....she is drop-dead gorgeous and is "found" eating in a deli.  Now...I truly believe that no matter the size, all women are beautiful, but...this is not realistic.  It is easy for Bee to accept her body...she makes tons of money and is famous for her looks.  What about the bigger girls who know this will not happen for them?  Can they learn to accept and love themselves without scoring a modeling contract?  Not sure about this part of the author's message, but I do applaud Chambers for lots of things in this book.  It IS entertaining.  I found it easy-to-read and I was eager to find out what would happen with Bee and the rapper.  She also corrects the stereotype that overweight people just eat whatever they want.  Bee takes care of herself.  She eats right and exercises often, but accepts that her body is curvy, not bony.  Chambers also provides a lesson in what can happen when people see themselves "above" others.  Bee has some not-so-shining moments once she becomes famous, but soon realizes that those she left behind are the ones that she can lean on in tough times.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Recommended for: those looking for a chick-lit type of book

18 and 19....mini-bites.

#18
Aftershock by Kelly Easton

This novel tells the story of Adam, a 17-year-old who survived a car crash in which his parents were killed.  Shocked and traumatized from the crash, Adam begins walking, with no destination in mind.  He finds people to live with, but never speaks.  Adam can't get a handle on things and decides to walk home to Rhode Island...

Okay...I have to be honest here....I didn't really love this book.  It was kind of anti-climactic.  There was some build up, but nothing to get very excited about.  I kept wondering why, after realizing his parents died, nobody looked for him.  Odd...but that is just my opinion.

Recommended for: Low-level readers (this is a pretty easy read), kids looking for something short with an interesting premise

Rated: 2.5 Stars

#19
Genghis Khan: 13th Century Mongolian Tyrant (Wicked History Series)
I've had several of these books for awhile and had a little office time this afternoon, so I chose to spend it with a cruel, yet oddly lawful, ancient leader.  This short book was actually really interesting.  I like history, but am no scholar in the area.  Therefore, I felt like I learned some cool stuff from this book.  Did you know that Genghis (not his real name!) lost his father at the young age of nine and was raised by a single mother?  Pretty shocking for someone who built such a HUGE empire. 
Anyway, I think I'll read a few more of these.....


Recommended for : history buffs, those that like short doses of neat facts, students who like biographies, but are fearful of large books

Rated: 4.75

Almost to 20...

Still having moving adventures, but managed to finish a short book last night...

Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers

Both a mother and her teenage daughter, Claire, who lead hectic lives, hardly have time to communicate face-to-face, so they mostly "talk" through notes posted on the refrigerator.  Through these notes, the pair bond, fight, and share information about their daily activities, but most importantly they discuss the disease tormenting Claire's mother.  Her diagnosis of breast cancer is a shock to them both, as well as the toll it takes on their relationship.  This book is heartwarming at times, but mostly sad.  It has the possibility of being very helpful to those who have suffered in this manner.

Recommended for: Readers who love Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult, students looking for a short, dramatic read

Rated: 3.5 Stars

Chaos....

In the past few weeks, I have been dealing with packing, trying to move, a book fair, Thanksgiving, three children (one of whom is sickly), and the end of a very successful school football season.  Needless to say, I am exhausted.  Also, I am falling short on my 100 book goal for this school year.  I should be nearing the halfway point soon, but, sadly, I've only read 16 books!!  Once I finally get settled (if that ever happens), I am locking myself in a room and doing nothing but reading.  Anyway, here are books 15 and 16...

Radiance by Alyson NoeI have to say that this was a ridiculously quick read (my fave kind!) and I must admit that I have not read the Immortals series, also by Alyson Noel.  This short novel shows what happens to Riley Bloom, a young teen, after she and her family are in a car accident.  Riley's sister, Ever, remains in the land of the living, while Riley and her parents are in the afterlife.  Riley regrets making the decision to join her parents and longs to be alive.  She is assigned a job as a Soul Catcher, where she is required to encourage "lost" souls to travel to the afterlife. 

This book is an interesting one, but I felt like I would be more "invested" in Riley as a character if I had read the Immortals series.  Those will now be placed on my WTR (Want to Read) list.  Have any of you read this series?  What did you think?

Recommended for: Fans of books about the dead/undead, students looking for a quick read

Rating: 3 Stars

Brain Camp by Susan Kim, Laurence Klavan, and Faith Erin Hicks

Okay...I'm not a huge fan of graphic novels, but I read so many fantastic reviews of this book that I thought I'd give it a try.  Surprise, surprise--it was thoroughly enjoyable.  I might be a graphic fan after all...

The story involves two kids who, not living up to their parents' expectations, have been sent to Camp Fielding, an educational summer camp.  When they get there, they notice that things don't seem quite right.  Not only are the kids mean, the counselors rigid, and the schedules grueling, but some of the campers seem to be really strange.  I won't spoil it for you, but it does involve alien/bird creatures and some awful people.  I liked it:)

Recommended for: Lovers of graphic novels, students who appreciate things that are "different"

Rating: 4.5 stars

Now...to finish packing, moving, taking care of children, working, etc....:)