Chile, Miners, Poets and Prizes

Last week the entire world celebrated as the 33 trapped Chilean miners were finally rescued. It's very hard to imagine what that experience must have been like. While reading some of the reports of rescued miners, I happened to pick up a book by Pam Munoz Ryan, author of Esperanza Rising. Her new book, The Dreamer, tells the story of a young Chilean boy named Neftali Reyes. Neftali spends much of his life daydreaming about words, the natural world and everyday objects he finds fascinating. All of his daydreaming puts him at conflict with his father who wishes for his youngest son to become stronger and one day grow up to be a dentist or doctor. Neftali's attention to the smallest details of his world keeps getting him into trouble and soon his love of writing does the same. It isn't long before he finds that he is hiding who he really is from his father. One day, Nefatali Reyes will become the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The illustrations in the book, drawn by Peter Sis, hint at what is to come in each chapter. The beautiful description of Chile makes me want to visit! This is a really beautiful book that shows even the smallest of us can one day be great.

It Gets Better...

It's hard to listen to the news the last few months and not come across a story about a teenager who, after facing horrific bullying, has taken his own life. Many of the teenagers in these stories were gay or thought to be gay by classmates. No one should ever have to feel this way or think that the only option is suicide. Sometimes we all feel we have to face a problem alone, but the truth is that there is always someone that can help. Try a family member, trusted teacher or good friend. If you can't, try The Trevor Project or the It Gets Better Project.

I'm a librarian, so I'm sure you can guess what's coming next:
Here two new books with LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered) characters. They're also two of my favorites so far this year. Each character faces different problems, successes, failures and triumphs but no matter the ending of the story it can certainly be said that IT GETS BETTER!

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green
Will Grayson #1 doesn't know quite what to do with his best friend Tiny. Tiny is huge, plays football, can't seem to keep a boyfriend for more than a few days and wants, desperately, to stage his musical creation "Tiny Dancer" at school. Will is, frankly, horrified that he's a main character in the play. Also, he is totally, positively sure that he doesn't like a girl who's friends with Tiny. Well, maybe he likes her just a little. Will Grayson #2 thinks he has finally found true love, but it's a secret. What he doesn't know is that he's not the only one with a secret. His sort-of best friend has been keeping one two...and it's about to blow up in his face. Then, on a strange night in the streets of Chicago Will Grayson meets Will Grayson and their lives will never be the same. This is a hilarious book and I just fell in love with the characters. I would recommend this book for older teens because there is a significant amount of "strong" language.

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner
Cassie's best friend Julie was killed in a car accident at the end of the school year. Julie, a total dramatic genius, wrote her own musical in the months leading up to her death. It's called "Totally Sweet Ninja Death Squad." Julie's drama friends are determined to stage it and spend the summer and fall casting, creating sets and getting ready for opening night. Unfortunately, Cassie feels left out. She's not one of the drama kids and no one seems to really understand how much she misses Julie. Then, two events turn everything upside down. First, Cassie tries to fulfill her promise to Julie and bike all the way across the United States to spread Julies ashes in the ocean. Things don't go as planned. Then, her arch nemesis from middle school, the person who made Cassie's life miserable, returns to her high school AND gets the lead role in Julie's play. Is this the worst thing ever, or the start of something amazing? I totally loved this book and I couldn't put it down. It's recommended for grades eight and above.

For a list of books with other LGBT Characters try this list from Alex Sanchez. He's one of my favorite authors and I've even met him!

This World We Live In

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer is the third book in The Last Survivors series. It follows up on the stories of Miranda Evans and her family from book one and Alex Morales and his sister from book two. All of the survivors have lived through a year of disaster and life changes after the moon, hit by a comet, moves closer to the earth and disrupts the weather, tides, volcanic eruptions and more. Miranda's world has become very small. It consists of her mother and two brothers. They've survived near starvation and are finally getting regular food from the government. Then, unexpectedly, Miranda's father returns after leaving with his pregnant wife in book one. With him are new strangers, new mouths to feed and new problems for Miranda. Can Miranda find a way to survive and fall in love at the same time? Can strangers become family? Can things get even worse?

I have really enjoyed this series and the newest book is no exception. I love the way the characters deal with the every day effects of a major disaster while, at the same time, try to make decisions between two or more terrible choices. Miranda and Alex, as well as the other characters deal realistically with the crazy world they live in while also looking toward the future and trying to figure out where they fit in.

I highly recommend this series!

Mockingjay: Part 2

I finished Mockingjay during middle school camp and, although I was satisfied at the end, I had a really hard time getting through the first section of the book. I felt the author spent too much time describing what happened in the past and having Katniss think about what was going on in District 13. I would have enjoyed a lot more action. When the second part of the book started, so did the action and my interest increased. I thought the authors portrayal of the reality of war was spot-on. There is never really a winner in a war...everybody loses and if you have to do horrible things to win a war, are you any better than the supposed evil you are fighting against? I also thought that the consequences of war on the characters was realistic. I won't go into details, because I don't want to give away any spoilers, but if you're a Hunger Games fan and you haven't read Mockingjay, I definitely recommend it.

Are you reading Mockingjay?

I just started reading Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, the third book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I'm not sure what I think about it yet. The book started out in an unexpected way. If you're reading it, let me know what you think...but don't give away any important surprises or the ending!

I'll see you all in a few days at camp!

The End of Summer... Almost :)

Well, it's not quite the end of summer yet, but I'm sure you're all thinking about the new school year. Have you finished your summer reading yet? If you need information about summer reading, visit the CWA MS Library website for assignment guidelines and other important information.

Have you read any good books lately? During July, I took some time to read a few fantasy and science fiction books that aren't written for Middle School students (I know, how shocking!). If you have any adult-type people in your life who enjoy sci-fi and fantasy, you could tell them about my favorites this summer, which include The Magicians: a novel by Lev Grossman. It's sort of a grown-up Harry Potter. I also enjoyed Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor, set in a very scary future Africa. Finally, I recommend an historical fiction book called, The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff.

This week I'll be getting back to some young adult fiction and would love a few recommendations from you. If you've read some great stuff this summer, comment to this post and let us know!

I'm looking forward to seeing all of you at orientations, picnics and camp in just a few weeks!

Listen to This! Part 2

So... I had to abandon Claim to Fame. I usually enjoy books by Margaret Peterson Haddix, but this one was a combination of unrealistic and boring. The main character had a strange ability that wasn't really explained very well and her situation was completely unbelievable.

Since I hadn't finished my road trip yet, I decided to start on another book: Dreamland by Sarah Dessen. This one definitely kept my attention. It's a book about Caitlin, a 16 year old girl who has to figure out how to live her life after her better-than-perfect sister Cass runs away just before heading off to Yale for college. Caitlin starts the school year by doing things she never thought she'd do...like try out to be a cheerleader (she makes the team) and meeting a boy, Rogerson, who is unlike anyone she's ever met before. Soon, Caitlin gets so wrapped up in being Rogerson's girlfriend that she lets the rest of her relationships slide. She isn't interested in being a cheerleader and she makes some choices that lead her down a very dark path. Soon her entire life is ruled by her relationship with Rogerson and he isn't the person she thought he was. This book is definitely for older readers and deals with some very intense issues like drug use and violence. However, if you are a fan of Sarah Dessen, you will probably like this book.

Listen to this!

Have you ever listened to an audio book? I don't usually, but I decided to try one during a road trip to visit family in Idaho. I listened to an entire book and even started another one on the way.

The first book I listened to was The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause. Zoe is 16 and trying to deal with the fact that her mother is very sick and possibly dying. She feels completely alone, especially when she learns that her best friend Lorraine will be moving across the country in just a few days. Then, Zoe meets a mysterious boy named Simon late at night at a park near her house. She isn't quite sure what to think about him. Meanwhile, strange murders keep occurring in town. Then, just when she begins to get close to Simon, she learns he is keeping a horrifying secret. This book is in the vampire genre, but it is a little different than ones I've read (or listened too!) before. Twilight fans, if you're waiting for the Eclipse movie to open, you might enjoy this quick read.

The next book I've started to listen to is called Claim to Fame by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Lindsey tells us in the first few pages (or, minutes!) that if she'd just done her algebra homework, she wouldn't have been kidnapped. But, she didn't and she is. However, her kidnapping isn't what you might think. We soon learn that Lindsey is hiding a secret. A really big secret. It isn't that she used to be a super famous child star, but it does have something to do with why she left Hollywood, moved to a tiny town and barely ever leaves the house. She doesn't have any friends and she's hiding from the few people who know her. I haven't finished this one yet, but it's pretty good so far...

Do you have any audio books to recommend? Post a comment to let us all know!

:) Ms. Harris

Warning: Vampires, Werewolves, Pixies and Zombies Ahead

So, you've read the entire Twilight series and Eclipse, the movie, doesn't open until June 30th. What to do? Try one of the books below. Vampires, werewolves and other mystical creatures abound. Each one is an example of magical realism, a genre of books that take place in the real world, but there's a twist. Something very strange, mysterious or creepy is going on. You never know what you'll find around the corner, at your school or in your own house. Some people are hiding secrets....

If you have more recommendations, comment to this post and share them with us!

Need by Carrie Jones
Bizarre phobias, mysterious creatures, deep, dark secrets, a stalker and pixies make Zara's trip to stay with her Grandmother in main very strange indeed.

Sucks To Be Me by Kimberley Pauley
What would you do if you had to choose between your family and a normal life? Mina's parents are vampires. If she chooses to become one, she leaves normal life, school and friends behind. If she chooses normal, she'll never see her parents again. She's about to learn everything she needs to know about vampire life...at a class with other potential vampires. Oh, and there's a cute boy.

Suck It Up by Brian Meehl
Morning isn't surprised that just when he finally has a nice Thanksgiving with a normal family away from the orphanage....vampires attack and he's accidentally turned into one. A year spent learning to be a "good" vampire doesn't help his confidence much. His young age makes him even freakish among vampires. But, when he's selected to be the first vampire to "come out" to the world, he realizes his trouble has really just begun.

Zombie Blondes by Brian James
Hannah has moved around enough in her life that she knows exactly how spot the most popular kids at school...and how to avoid trouble. Unfortunately, her expertise isn't working at Maplecrest High. The uber-popular cheerleaders have chosen her as a target and no matter what she does, they are making her life miserable...until, shockingly, she's asked to try out. Ignoring the warnings of Lukas, the strange boy who befriends her, she gives it a go only to discover that he was right. The cheerleaders are hiding a monstrous secret.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Stephenie Meyer's new book in the Twilight series will be in stores this Saturday, June 5th.

Will you be reading it? Were you first in line? Share your review with a comment to this post. I think I'll wait and see what you all think before I read it.

For more information, check out Stephenie Meyer's web page about the book.

:) Ms. Harris

Yay! Summer! Books!

Hey Tarriers!

Summer has almost arrived! It's my favorite time of year because I get to read, read, read as many books as I want.

Check back soon to get some great book recommendations. I'll let you know what I'm reading, new books I've discovered and more. I'd love to hear about what you're reading and your recommendations.

If you would like to leave a comment, just click on the "comments" link below.

:) Ms. Harris