Friday, August 24, 2012

The Doomsday Box by Herbie Brennan

When I grabbed this book to read over the summer, I didn't realize that it was the second in the series, the Shadow Project Adventure.  Spy stories are usually not my genre, but I got hooked by page 37.  There was even a period of time I had to put the book down due to nervous tension when one of the main characters was being
tortured by the KGB!  Although the premise is pretty wild--black death is again sweeping the world due to some high-tech mess in the CIA, and the four Shadow Project teens are called upon to save humanity.  All they have to do is use their special powers to travel back in time to the Cold War, find the American spy who mistakenly sent the disease to the future, and talk him out of doing it.  Unfortunately, the America-hating U.S.S.R. is a very dangerous country back then and the teens are in big trouble before they can even find the spy they're assigned to contact.  Good book.  Have ordered the first in the series for us now.

Exploits of a Reluctant (But Extremely Goodlooking) Hero by Maureen Fergus

I read this book with my teeth gritted at times...which probably means it will be popular with 8th grade boys.  The 13-year-old "hero" of the title is rude, oblivious to the feelings of others,  inappropriate in his references to sex, and clueless in how he comes across to adults.  Fortunately, this is all pretty hilarious if you can stick with the story.  In any case, just when I'd thrown the book across the room a third time, I began to see that there was hope for this kid.  He begins to see his father in new light even as he falls into a community fight between business owners and a mission soup kitchen where he reluctantly volunteers.  The resolution works...and even if this will never be my favorite book, I did laugh out loud a few times.

Monday, August 13, 2012

Whittington by Alan Armstrong

I admit I'm a sucker for animal characters in books.  This Newbery Honor Book did not disappoint.  It begins when Whittington, a cat who has seen better days, shows up at a farm owned by Bernie.  Bernie has a soft spot, and therefore has a barnyard full of farm animals discarded by others.  The cat earns his way into the barn through his ratting skills, but becomes most adored by the other animals for his storytelling.  Turns out, Whittington is a descendant of the famous cat of Dick Whittington and has tales to tell of that medieval adventure as experienced by his cat.  Read this book.  You'll catch yourself smiling.

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas


As I giggled my way through this romantic romp via the eyes of a protected Catholic teenager, there were times I wondered whether the attendees of our book club would connect.  My 8th grade public school ladies often clamor for a "book about love," but would they make it through all the parochial schoolness and saints to see the gem of this story!?  I hope they try.  I'm sure they would like Antonia, the hard-working Catholic school girl who's pining after the handsome Andy Rotellini--and overlooking her friend, Michael McGinnis, because of his "player" reputation.   Yes, she's a busy gal what with applying to the Vatican for sainthood, working in the family restaurant, and dealing with the drama of high school, friends, and family....but none of that was boring in the least.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Stuck on Earth by David Klass

I'm old enough to remember the TV series My Favorite Martian, and I expected the same entertaining premise with this book.  It was plenty entertaining, but this time the alien was a snail-like creature who crawls into and takes over the brain of teenager, Tom Filber.  Tom is picked at random for the alien's research to see if humans should be destroyed before they destroy the planet Earth.    It turns out that Tom is a bit of an alien himself, finding it very difficult to fit in with his fellow human teenagers.  This places Ketchvar (the alien) in some tough situations, especially when he loses contact with his ship.  The adventure is complete with family dysfunction, romance with the beautiful neighbor girl, and cruel bullies who get their come-upance. 

Wintergirls by Lauri Halse Anderson

After the 8th-grade English class tackled Speak last spring, I have pursued books by this author.  I'd originally pushed Wintergirls aside because I doubted the relevance to my current students.  Now I see its value even to a population seemingly free from eating disorders.  The book opens as Lia's long-time friend and fellow anorexic, Cassie, is found dead in a run-down motel room.  Lia's cellphone shows that Cassie had desperately tried to reach Lia the night of her death.  Overwhelmed with guilt and her own eating disorder, Lia continues to spiral ever downward into heartache and self-imposed hunger.   Even if you think you know everything you need to know about eating disorders, this book still makes the reality more vivid.  Much to discuss here.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Flip by Martyn Bedford

One morning high schooler Alex Gray is shocked to find himself in a strange home across country with a new set of parents.  Even more shocking, the person he sees in the mirror is not himself.  Somehow Alex is now occupying the body of a handsome, athletic, popular teen named Philip Garamond--"Flip" for short.  Totally confused, Alex fakes his way in Flip's body until he can figure things out.  Although he is fascinated by the advantages of occupying a nonasthmatic, good-looking body--he yearns to have his old life and family back.   The plot is just a bit unbelievable at times, but I could not put the book down until I finished!   It's a very satisfying story--complete with humor, mystery, spiritual questions, and romance.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Crossing to Paradise by Kevin Crossley-Holland

Gatty is a simple field hand in medieval England and a supportive character in Crossley-Holland's Arthur series.  In this "companion" book, Gatty is asked to accompany a group on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  In the midst of the Crusades, this journey is full of danger, adventure, and a bit of romance.  Readers witness great changes in Gatty's life and get to experience what it was like during that amazing time with an unforgettable cast of characters.  Good story...great ending.

Jimi & Me by Jaime Adoff

Keith's beloved father is killed in a robbery and the 13-year-old's world falls apart.  Without the life insurance they expected, his music producer father's death leaves Keith and his mom destitute.  Moving from a nice apartment in New York to his aunt's small Ohio town where a biracial kid does not find easy acceptance.  There he challenges his new school by dressing like Jimi Hendrix, the musical hero shared with his father.   When his mom discovers the reason his dad left them with nothing, Keith vows to meet the secret son his father seems to have cherished more than him. 


Monday, July 9, 2012

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Another dystopian page-turner!  Thomas finds himself delivered via freight elevator to an enclosed compound with no memory except for his name.  He is greeted by other teenage boys to a large area surrounded by stone wall they call the Glade.  Nobody knows why they are there, and for two years they have been searching for a way out.  Doors to the outside open each morning leading to a maze that changes each day.  By nightfall the massive doors shut which keeps the horrible half-slug, half-machine monsters from entering their Glade.  There's much action, much mystery, and a sequel called The Scorch Trials.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

How Lamar's Bad Prank Won a Bubba-Sized Trophy by Crystal Allen

Thirteen-year-old bowling phenom, Lamar, has a reputation for playing pranks, a basketball-star older brother who treats him with contempt, and a great yearning for a girlfriend.  On top of that, he's got a smart mouth which continually complicates his life.  After hooking up with a juvenile offender to set up suckers in bowling competitions, his life spirals downward.  A prank goes horribly wrong and the resulting consequences threaten his brother's hopes for a sports career, a new romance, and the relationship with his best friend.  A wonderful mix of tender and hilarious.


Sunday, July 1, 2012

Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Grabbed this on my way out of the library for summer break.  I kept hearing about Libba Bray from some high school students, and I noticed that the author wasn't checked out very much on the middle school side.  The reviews mostly say 8th-grade and up, but I'm sorry I had forgotten the author when my readers who look for "fat books" came inquiring last year.  This was pretty much a page-turner for me, and I hadn't even read the first book, A Great and Terrible Beauty.  In that book Gemma Doyle broke the runes that kept magic in check in the wonderful and frightening world of the "Realms."  Although it appears she's just another student at a Victorian finishing school--she learns in the second book that she must return to the Realms to undo the harm she unleashed there.  There are ghastly creatures, betrayals, horrifying visions, plot twists, and plenty of romance.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Darkside by Tom Becker

Since our book clubs seem to currently be overwhelmingly female in membership, I vowed to read more books checked out by male students (in my undying efforts to be of more interest to them)!  The first one tackled this summer was Darkside.   It didn't disappoint.  Jonathan Sterling ends up running for his life after a home invasion, somehow linked to his father's growing insanity.  He finds himself in a gothic horror of a place called Darkside--a magical section of London complete with vampires, werewolves, and starving barracudas.  Helped by a growly friend of his father's (part detective, part wereman) called Carnegie--Jonathan survives an action-packed mix of supernatural evil, kidnappings, fights to the death, and the mystery of his father's madness.  It all makes for frightening suspense and a sequel, Lifeblood.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

A Long Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan

This book opens as Rosalinda Fitzroy wakes up from over 60 years in suspended animation.  What wakes her?  A kiss, of course.  But this sleeping beauty is not in a fairy tale; the setting is futuristic--complete with her inheriting a galactic empire and an assassin robot programmed to kill her.  A lot has happened while she was sleeping.  Who would want to kill her?  It makes for a page-turning read.  There's also romance, betrayal, and suspense as Rosalinda makes her way in a new world.  Even if science fiction is not a favorite, you might like this one.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Blank Confession by Pete Hautman

This was our January pick for book club and one of the year's favorites.  Shayne Blank walks into the local police station and confesses to killing someone.  It takes some frenzied page turning to find out what happened, revealing some very surprising answers throughout the mystery--not to mention some fascinating characters.  As we wrapped things up, more than one of us wished a character like Shayne Blank existed in our school community. 

Saturday, September 24, 2011

How Not to Be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler

Sugar Magnolia Dempsey is tired of a lifetime of moving from place to place with her hippie parents.  The last move was the hardest ever--not only moving away from her best friend, but also from her first boyfriend.  She decides to avoid any further heartache by not making any friends in her new school so it won't hurt so much when she moves again.  Readers are treated to some very funny incidents as she makes crazy choices in order to keep people away.  It doesn't exactly turn out the way she plans...

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

What if things had been quite different at the edge of World War I and the assassinated Archduke had had a son who escaped in a walking tank?...The how about throwing in a talented girl disguised as a boy on the crew of a flying whale-ship, Leviathan?  The two plots come together as the gigantic Leviathan crash lands near the hiding place of the fleeing prince.  Fans are awaiting the sequel.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Two fantastic stories weave themselves into one.  Finn tells the tale from inside Incarceron—an experimental prison which was intended to provide a perfect place in which to seal “undesirables.”  Unfortunately for those inside, the experiment has failed and conditions have deteriorated for generations. Finn finds a key to the outside and plots escape.  Claudia (who happens to be the warden’s daughter) tells her story from the outside where civilizations is artificially kept to the conventions of the 17th-century.  She also plots to escape—from the archaic rules and arranged marriage intended for her.  A beloved tutor, Jared, joins her efforts to uncover the treacherous secrets of her father.  With a key matching Finn’s, she finds a way to communicate with him and help him realize his plans to discover the truth.

Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick

Alex Gregory, upset with his parent’s impending divorce, makes a bad decision.  He gets into his father’s left-behind liquor, steals his mom’s car, and drives off to confront his dad.  What results is a wrecked car, garden gnome decapitation, a drunk driving charge, and 100 hours of community service.  Alex is ordered by the tough judge to spend his hours at Egbert P. Johnson Memorial Home for the Aged working with a cranky old man named Solomon Lewis.  The story that develops is a mix of mystery, sad regret, new love, old love, and grand humor.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox awakes from a long coma and learns she’s been in a terrible accident.  Remembering only bits and pieces of her previous life, she learns that many secrets are being hidden from her.  Why has her family moved from Boston to California?  Why does her grandmother act so distant?  Why are her parents so evasive when she asks about the accident?  Why isn’t she allowed to go to a normal school?  Why don’t her old classmates write her?  Jenna determines to solve the mysteries surrounding her new life, not realizing what is at risk.