These are books my students and I have read this year....maybe you want to check them out!
Skink: No Surrender by Carl Hiaasen.
With the help of an eccentric ex-governor, a teenaged boy searches for his missing cousin in the Florida wilds. I read this last summer and many students in my class read it in lit. circles this year and loved the characters and the adventure.
With the help of an eccentric ex-governor, a teenaged boy searches for his missing cousin in the Florida wilds. I read this last summer and many students in my class read it in lit. circles this year and loved the characters and the adventure.
Betts, A.J. Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts Sept. 2014. Houghton, $17.99. (S)
“Follows the relationship of two ordinary teens enduring extraordinary circumstances in a story that’s a lot about love…and a little about cancer.” For fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.
“Follows the relationship of two ordinary teens enduring extraordinary circumstances in a story that’s a lot about love…and a little about cancer.” For fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
In this Newberry Honor Book, Jacqueline Woodson tells the story of her life growing up in the 1960s and 1970s in the South Carolina and the Brooklyn. Because she was a Jehovah's Witness, her friends in New York did not understand some of the rules she had to follow, and in the South, she was teased her about her northern accent. This novel is beautifully written in verse and was tough to put down!
In this Newberry Honor Book, Jacqueline Woodson tells the story of her life growing up in the 1960s and 1970s in the South Carolina and the Brooklyn. Because she was a Jehovah's Witness, her friends in New York did not understand some of the rules she had to follow, and in the South, she was teased her about her northern accent. This novel is beautifully written in verse and was tough to put down!
Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper
11 year-old Melody's head is full of words, but due to cerebral palsy, she has never spoken a single one. Because she is unable to speak, she is isolated from students her age at school until she receives a device that will allow her to communicate. But, will her students accept her for who she really is, or will they always look at her as the 'girl in the wheelchair who can't talk?'
11 year-old Melody's head is full of words, but due to cerebral palsy, she has never spoken a single one. Because she is unable to speak, she is isolated from students her age at school until she receives a device that will allow her to communicate. But, will her students accept her for who she really is, or will they always look at her as the 'girl in the wheelchair who can't talk?'
The Unwanteds: Island of Legends by Lisa McMann
This is the fourth book of the seven book Unwanted series. I've just started it, so I'll be back to let you know what I think shortly! :)
This is the fourth book of the seven book Unwanted series. I've just started it, so I'll be back to let you know what I think shortly! :)
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
15 year-old Cole Mathews is an angry young man who is constantly in trouble with the law. When he beats a fellow student almost to death, he is given the choice of prison or Circle Justice, a one-year banishment to a remote island in Alaska. Cole thinks he is playing a game and chooses Circle Justice. When he arrives in Alaska, Cole must learn to let go of his anger and in order to survive, he must stop blaming others for his life and choose humility
15 year-old Cole Mathews is an angry young man who is constantly in trouble with the law. When he beats a fellow student almost to death, he is given the choice of prison or Circle Justice, a one-year banishment to a remote island in Alaska. Cole thinks he is playing a game and chooses Circle Justice. When he arrives in Alaska, Cole must learn to let go of his anger and in order to survive, he must stop blaming others for his life and choose humility
Strike Three You're Dead by Josh Berk
Skinny by Donna Cooner
Skinny is a vicious voice that lives inside of 15 year-old Ever Davies' head. Skinny tells Ever all the mean and nasty things that people are too nice to say to her face. So, at 15, Ever chooses to have gastric bypass surgery, hoping people will see her for the person she is, not the person they see. She is also hoping Skinny will pack her bags and go away. With the help of her best friend, Ever makes a life-changing decision and has to learn to deal with finding her voice.
Skinny is a vicious voice that lives inside of 15 year-old Ever Davies' head. Skinny tells Ever all the mean and nasty things that people are too nice to say to her face. So, at 15, Ever chooses to have gastric bypass surgery, hoping people will see her for the person she is, not the person they see. She is also hoping Skinny will pack her bags and go away. With the help of her best friend, Ever makes a life-changing decision and has to learn to deal with finding her voice.
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han
When 15-year-old Lara Jean falls out of love with a boy, she writes him a letter telling him why she loved him and why she no longer does. She never sends the letters, but keeps them in a hatbox given to her by her late mother. Out of the blue, boys talk to her about the letters they have received from her, the letters no one was ever supposed to see. I read this novel in a weekend. I love the chemistry between Lara Jean and Peter, as well as the family dynamics of a father raising three girls on his own.
When 15-year-old Lara Jean falls out of love with a boy, she writes him a letter telling him why she loved him and why she no longer does. She never sends the letters, but keeps them in a hatbox given to her by her late mother. Out of the blue, boys talk to her about the letters they have received from her, the letters no one was ever supposed to see. I read this novel in a weekend. I love the chemistry between Lara Jean and Peter, as well as the family dynamics of a father raising three girls on his own.
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Dead to You by Lisa McMann
Ethan was abducted from his family when he was just seven years old. Now, at age 16, he is returned to his family. At first his family is overjoyed by this miracle, then things begin to change. Tension builds within the family and threatens to tear them apart. Ethan struggles with remembering his past, then something unexpected happens. Once I started this book, I could not put it down until I reached the jaw-dropping ending. ~Mrs. D.
Ethan was abducted from his family when he was just seven years old. Now, at age 16, he is returned to his family. At first his family is overjoyed by this miracle, then things begin to change. Tension builds within the family and threatens to tear them apart. Ethan struggles with remembering his past, then something unexpected happens. Once I started this book, I could not put it down until I reached the jaw-dropping ending. ~Mrs. D.
Legend by Marie Lu
This novel is told from two perspectives, Day, the most sought after 'criminal' wanted by the Republic, and June, the Republic's latest prodigy. June wants nothing more than to capture Day and end his assaults on the republic, especially after Day is accused of murdering June's brother Metias, a Republic official. When she discovers a cryptic message left to her by her brother, her priorities change. This is a fast-paced, dystopian novel that you won't want to put down. ~Mrs. D. and Libby D.
This novel is told from two perspectives, Day, the most sought after 'criminal' wanted by the Republic, and June, the Republic's latest prodigy. June wants nothing more than to capture Day and end his assaults on the republic, especially after Day is accused of murdering June's brother Metias, a Republic official. When she discovers a cryptic message left to her by her brother, her priorities change. This is a fast-paced, dystopian novel that you won't want to put down. ~Mrs. D. and Libby D.
Crash by Lisa McMann
Imagine watching a movie or looking out your bedroom window and not seeing the movie or the beautiful outdoors, but instead you see an image of a horrific crash in which nine people die, including your high school crush whom you're forbidden to see because of an old family feud. This vision haunts you, and the more you try to escape it, the more vivid it becomes. You must do something, but what? The more Jules sees the visions, the more clues are revealed. Will she be able to decipher the images and change the future?
This book is a quick read, mostly because once you start reading, you will not want to stop! ~ Mrs. D.
Imagine watching a movie or looking out your bedroom window and not seeing the movie or the beautiful outdoors, but instead you see an image of a horrific crash in which nine people die, including your high school crush whom you're forbidden to see because of an old family feud. This vision haunts you, and the more you try to escape it, the more vivid it becomes. You must do something, but what? The more Jules sees the visions, the more clues are revealed. Will she be able to decipher the images and change the future?
This book is a quick read, mostly because once you start reading, you will not want to stop! ~ Mrs. D.
Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo
The story ‘Private Peaceful’ is a historical fiction novel that takes place from 1898-1915, during the start of World War 1. When the main character, Tommo Peaceful, first goes to the first day of school with his older brother (of two years) named Charlie Peaceful, he meets a girl (one year older than Tommo) named Molly. The three end up becoming best friends and spend just about every single day with each other. But the colonel of the small village threaten to make the Peaceful family leave the town shortly after their father dies from a logging accident. Tommo and Charlie have to eventually find work on a Farm to make income for their family, leaving their mother, Molly, and their brother Big Joe, on their own most of the day until they come back from work. One day as Tommo goes into the village to sell a goat for the farm owner, a parade of soldiers and their sergeant come into the village claiming that they need more soldiers for the war, and they ask Tommo to join. Charlie and Tommo are forced to join the war in order for their family to keep their home. In the events during the war, Charlie ends up having to be executed for not following the sergeant’s orders.
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
“Between Shades Of Grey” by Ruta Sepetys is about a family who is kidnapped from their home, which has impacts on the people of how they wanted to live. The Girl now couldn’t fulfill her dream in art and the father, of being there for his family. Then the NKVD sent them to a work camp. At the work camp, they are forced to work in the morning until night at a potato farm. The family’s father had been taken to a jail in Krasnoyarsk Because the Soviets took everyone to jail or to camps if people helped any other people escape from Hitler’s Clutch of his plan to ruin others' lives. Lina tried to send letters and drawings to her father but it was difficult. Next, the family is moved to the Arctic circle and again, was forced to work like chopping trees down that were miles away and do other work also in the freezing weather where there was snow storms and freezing temperatures that when the wind blew, it pierced their skin like little needles that pricked you. Soon, The kid’s mother was becoming very ill along with a whole lot of other people. Soon the mother couldn’t withstand the piercing temperatures and hard work with little food, and she died. Leaving both of her children orphans. Finally, the girl’s brother had gotten sick but with his sister’s perseverance they both got through the winter. ~Christian B.
The Ransom of Mercy Carter by Caroline B. Cooney
The Ransom of Mercy Carter takes place in 1704, in Deerfield, Massachusetts, Mercy's family gets taken by Indians and doesn't know where they are or if they are even alive. As she walks with the Indians and the rest of the people from Deerfield she can only think about her family. The journey to a Kahnawake village in Canada was 300 miles, and 40 days. Once they got to the Kahnawake village she met her new Nistenha (mother), Mercy was quickly welcomed into the family and was taught the way that they live. As the months wore on Mercy began to think less and less of ransom. In May of 1705, Mercy heard a commotion so she went to the jetty and saw that ransom was finally there but Mercy did not take it. ~Madison M.
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
Paula Fox is the writer of the novel The Slave Dancer, which is a story told from the view of a 13 year old boy named Jessie Bollier. When fetching candles for his mother, Jessie is kidnapped on his walk back to their house in New Orleans and taken to work on a slave ship for four months where he will play his fife for the slaves so they will dance and stay in shape. During the trip to Africa, the crew faces famine, sickness, and a cruel captain. Jessie hopes it will get better when the slaves are taken, but it only gets worse when he has to take care of the slaves, “dance” them, and watch their suffering. On the night they were to sell the slaves that had not died in Cuba, a storm breaks in which all but Jessie and one of the slaves are killed, and they only survived because they hid in the holds. The slave boy, whose name turns out to be Ras, and Jessie swim to the shore where an old man finds and cares for them until the boys are strong enough to leave, at which point Jessie goes home, and Ras travels to the North. ~Stephanie G.
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is a historical fiction novel about the perspective of a young girl during a yellow fever epidemic. It happens in the summer of 1793 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mattie, the main character has to struggle while she watches her friends and family get the disease and die. She tries to escape to the country with her grandfather for safety, but everything falls at her feet and when she returns to town, she realizes everything she knew was gone. The ending is surprising and wonderful, but you have to read it to appreciate it. ~Alyssa A.
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Little Brother written by Cory Doctorow is an AMAZING mind blower that just wants to make you want to read more and more as you go on throughout the book. It was about a boy named Marcus Yallow, and he was a super genius when it came to computers. Well on a wonderful day a group of terrorists attacked the Bay Bridge, and killed thousands of people. So the DHS was trying to find out
information, and a group from the government was illegally taking people hostage and brutally interrogating them, and leaving them banged up and bruised in awful cells in Alcatraz. If you like geeky books in a way to solve cases, or like computers, this book is for you. ~Nick G.
The realistic fiction novel Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, is about a kid named Marcus who is a computer hacker and who is amazing with technology. He and his group of friends were all hanging out when the Bay Bridge blew up from a terrorist attack and one of the friends got stabbed during the madness. During the panic after the attack, the four friends were kidnapped by the Department of Homeland Security and taken to an island for 5 days where they were interrogated and mildly tortured. After their release Marcus invented the xnet, the internet using an Xbox, and crazy hacking technology, for which he became famous directing flash mobs around the city of San Francisco at which thousands of people showed up an in an instant random nearby people had their license plates, credit card numbers, and phone numbers switched creating a nightmare for the DHS. At the end of the book Marcus revealed the entire story to his mom and they told it to a reporter who had it published. The result was Marcus being taken again by the DHS where he was severely tortured with water boarding when the same reporter arrived on the scene at the perfect moment to video the insanity and save his life, and together they were successful in making America once again the land of the free. ~Carter d.
information, and a group from the government was illegally taking people hostage and brutally interrogating them, and leaving them banged up and bruised in awful cells in Alcatraz. If you like geeky books in a way to solve cases, or like computers, this book is for you. ~Nick G.
The realistic fiction novel Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, is about a kid named Marcus who is a computer hacker and who is amazing with technology. He and his group of friends were all hanging out when the Bay Bridge blew up from a terrorist attack and one of the friends got stabbed during the madness. During the panic after the attack, the four friends were kidnapped by the Department of Homeland Security and taken to an island for 5 days where they were interrogated and mildly tortured. After their release Marcus invented the xnet, the internet using an Xbox, and crazy hacking technology, for which he became famous directing flash mobs around the city of San Francisco at which thousands of people showed up an in an instant random nearby people had their license plates, credit card numbers, and phone numbers switched creating a nightmare for the DHS. At the end of the book Marcus revealed the entire story to his mom and they told it to a reporter who had it published. The result was Marcus being taken again by the DHS where he was severely tortured with water boarding when the same reporter arrived on the scene at the perfect moment to video the insanity and save his life, and together they were successful in making America once again the land of the free. ~Carter d.
The Milk of Birds by Sylvia Whitman
My students were asked to read an historical fiction novel, and I am reading along with them. The back of this book intrigued me because it is written as a correspondence between K.C., an eighth grader from Richmond, VA, who struggles in school, and Nawra, a sixteen year-old girl living in a refugee camp in the Sudan. This book has been a real eye-opener for me, as I would have never imagined what life is like where Nawra lives, yet she always seems to keep a positive attitude.
The Milk of Birds, by Sylvia Whitman, is about two very different girls living very different lives, Narwa is from Sudan, living in a refugee camp. K.C. is from Richmond, Virginia, and struggles with school. The two girls become pen pals. Through her letter, Narwa tells K.C. of her struggles. These letters make K.C. realize that her life isn't so bad,and starts to make a difference for Narwa and girls like her. Through these letters, and unbreakable bond of friendship is formed. ~Jenna H.
The Milk of Birds, by Sylvia Whitman, is about two very different girls living very different lives, Narwa is from Sudan, living in a refugee camp. K.C. is from Richmond, Virginia, and struggles with school. The two girls become pen pals. Through her letter, Narwa tells K.C. of her struggles. These letters make K.C. realize that her life isn't so bad,and starts to make a difference for Narwa and girls like her. Through these letters, and unbreakable bond of friendship is formed. ~Jenna H.
Harry Potter Series
Harry Potter is a great series written by J.K. Rowling. It is about a young wizard named Harry fighting the dreaded Voldemort. Every book in the series is a suspenseful page turner each with a different conflict between the two. In the first book, Harry goes to Hogwarts-a wizarding school- and learns about the life of a wizard. There is a secret in the castle and he is determined to know it and stop Snape (the person he suspects) from getting it. If you like action, adventure, fantasy books, these are right for you. ~Alyssa A
The Unwanteds by Lisa Mc Mann
I first became interested in this book when Holland native Lisa McMann visited Barnes and Noble for a book signing. The teaser was "Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games." It did not take me long at all to get hooked on this book. Every year Quill 'purges' its unwanteds from their community. This year Alex is unwanted. As he steps off the bus at the The Death Farm, he is quite surprised by what awaits him.
In the second book, Alex is forced to save Arteme and save his friends Samheed and Lani from a mysterious island.
Book three is due out September 3, 2013! I can't wait! ~ Mrs. D.
In the second book, Alex is forced to save Arteme and save his friends Samheed and Lani from a mysterious island.
Book three is due out September 3, 2013! I can't wait! ~ Mrs. D.
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
This book was recommended to my by my daughter, and it did not disappoint. Cody arrives home from school one day to find a plain, brown package about the size of a shoebox. Inside are seven cassette tapes numbered on each side from one to thirteen. Cody pops in the first tape and begins to listen to the voice of Hannah Baker, a classmate of his. Hannah committed suicide and created the tapes to send to the thirteen people who in some way were indirectly responsible for her death. ~Mrs. D.
The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
This is the fourth book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. I began the book last summer, and was then interrupted by so many other books I wanted to read, that I set it aside. I am now determined to finish the series. This time Annabeth receives a quest and chooses Percy, Grover, and Tyson to help her. The quest takes them into the Labyrinth created by Daedalus. You'll have to stay tuned as I am not quite finished with it yet! ~Mrs. D.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
This is another recommendation from Lauren, and I must admit, she picked another good one. Hadley is less than excited about flying to London for the weekend to be a bridesmaid in her dad's wedding. She missed her flight by just four minutes, but those four minutes made all the difference. Because she had to take a later flight, she met Oliver, who was also flying to London. As fate would have it, they sat next to each other on the airplane too. You can learn a lot about a person on a seven hour flight across the ocean, and with Oliver's help, Hadley was able to forget that she was claustrophobic. Because of Oliver, she also learned a lot about herself. ~Mrs. D.
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
This is the first book in the Caster Chronicles series. If you like magic, adventure, and romance, this book is for you. Although it may be long, it is definitely a page turner. Ethan Wate has lived in Gatlin, South Carolina (in his words "the epicenter of the middle of nowhere") his whole life and all he wants to do is graduate and get out of town. His plans change when he meets new girl Lena Duchannes. Lena is different than all the other girls in Gatlin and is immediately disliked because of it. Ethan is the one that stands up for her, even though it will mean sacrificing his social life. As the two grow closer Ethan discovers that Lena is a Caster, almost like a witch but more powerful. On Lena's sixteenth moon, she will be claimed for the Light or the Dark. She doesn't think she has a choice in this but with Ethan and her powerful Caster family's help, she just might. ~Lauren D.