Book Review: The Grave Robber's Apprentice

The Grave Robber's Apprentice is the newest tome from Allan Stratton.  Now, as they say down here in Texas, this is not Mr. Stratton's first rodeo, and this book does not disappoint!  In this story we follow Hans, a boy found at birth by an old graverobber.  Hans is raised to be a graverobber's apprentice, but he does not want that life.  Angela is a young countess who is trying to escape a forced marriage to an evil man.  These two must join forces to escape the evil Archduke who is hunting both of them for very different reasons.  There is adventure, mayhem, hermits, wolves, and even a traveling circus!  It is a great fantasy adventure, and one that many students will love.

Book Review: Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

I have never been a Sci-Fi girl.  You can ask anyone.  I have enjoyed fantasy, horror, chick lit, and mystery, but I could never get into Sci-Fi.  The most I can do is alternate futures, maybe a little time travel, but once you get into space or tech-y stuff, my eyes glaze over and I turn into a vegetable.  It is not pretty.  So, when I got a copy of this from Junior Library Guild I just placed it to the side.  However, as I began reading reviews, I decided to give it a go.  Why not?  If I do not like it, I can put it back on the shelf...
Well, let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised by this book.  It is the future, and the world is at war (World War III).  The war is fought in space - there are lots of resources there and no inhabitants.  Countries are tied to businesses, and the businesses fund the war - they want to get the resources from the planets and use them to bolster their bottom line.  Giant cruisers do all of the fighting, but they ar controlled by pilots here on earth. 
The protagonist, Tom, is a squirrelly guy who can't seem to do anything right - except play video games.  The government recruits Tom to train in their academy so that he can eventually become a pilot of one of the great space ships. Tom must face many demons, some in human form, others in his head, in order to survive his first year and graduate to the next level of training.
This is a great start to the series, and I cannot wait to see how Tom will grow and develop - I am also excited to see how his relationship with Medusa develops!

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

I ordered this book for the library after I read some great reviews on it, and, I must say, it was FANTASTIC!  It is a tale of a boy named Sage - an orphan and a theif - who is selected by a noble as a part of a secret plan to save the country.  The royal family has been killed, and unless the long lost heir to the throne is located, there will be a civil war.  The nobleman, Conner, has devised a plan to find a young man to impersonate the missing prince and become a puppet king, thus saving the country from certain war.  Sage is selected based on his looks, but he is anything other than princely.  For two weeks he must compete against other boys to determine who could transform into the Prince.  Whoever is the closest match gets to reign as a puppet king; the losers must be kept quiet at all costs.

This is a fast paced book with great action and a wonderfully flawed main character.  Sage is a good kid on a rough road.  He must find a way out of his dreary life, and, although Conner can give that to him if he is selected as the False Prince, he is unsure if that is the best way out of his situation.  He knows that the other boys are his rivals, but he also helps them out when it matters most.

This is a great read for fantasy enthusiasts, but I have also given it to some of my more reluctant readers (not that they can't read, they just do not like to do it.).  I can hardly wait for the next installment in this exciting trilogy!

Welcome back!

Hello, all!
I hope everyone had a fantastic break!  I cannot wait for another year of great teen lit!  Check back often as I will catch you guys up on some great reads!

Book Review: The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Oh my gosh, gosh, giddy-gosh! 
I just finished The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens yesterday, and I must admit, I was impressed.  Try to stay with me here, this is going to get complicated...
Imagine three siblings who are torn from their parents at quite a young age to be shuffled from orphanage to orphanage for ten years.  What keeps them going is the promise that their mother made to Kate, the oldest:  they will come back for them. 
When the three are sent to an old, run down mansion in Cambridge Falls, they think they have hit rock bottom.  There are no other children at the orphanage - in fact, there are no children anywhere.  The landscape is barren, the people are openly hostile, and the weather is abominable.  While exploring the old mansion, the students come across a mysterious book - one that can transport them to different times in history.  They are immediately sent back in time 15 years, and Cambridge Falls is completely different.  The landscape is beautiful and the mansion is gorgeous.  The children of the town have all been taken hostage by an evil witch who will stop at nothing to find the mysterious book - the one that just brought Kate and her siblings back to the past!  Kate must figure out a way to save her brother and sister, the town, the children, and find out where her parents are located all without the witch taking possession of the book.  She does not get all of these tasks accomplished, but three out of four ain't bad! There will definitely be sequals!
There is action, adventure, magic, monsters, and even dwarves!!  I found the book to be entertaining and an easy read.  I have already recommended it to some of my fantasy kiddos, and I hope they come back with raving reviews!

Reorganizing the Library Part Deaux

Hello, all!
I forgot to mention that I completed the ficiton re-org that I began at the beginning of the year!  Okay, it was actually completed a couple of months back, but I did not update you on the progress.  We decided on five genres that would best fit our library - general fiction, suspense (which includes mystery and horror), graphic novels, sports fiction, girl's favorites (chick lit.), fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, historical fiction and classics. 
The neat part is now I know what the kiddos here enjoy most.  Fantasy.  Fantasy!  I would have told you it was suspense, but nope, Fantasy.  The top three are Fantasy, Girl's Lit, and Suspense.  My least looked at genre is historical ficiton.  Now I know I need to start creating displays highlighting that genre - there are some real gems in there!!
I have posted some pictures of the library, so you can see examples.


An example of Girl's favorites



Fantasy - the school favorite!

Suspense - notice the Darren Shan alongside Willo Davis Roberts

My chart to let kiddos know what the colors mean

The "map" of the shelves so students can navigate their way

Book Review: I Am A Genius Of Unspeakable Evil And I Want To Be Your Class President

While shopping for books to place on the cornucopia of knowledge that is my library shelf, I wandered across this title.  I must admit, I was intrigued.  I began reading reviews ingratiated with phrases such as "laugh out loud funny" and "comedic writing at its best".  Now I was doubly intrigued.  So, I did it.  I bought the book along with countless others that I hoped would grab the attention of my adolescent readers.  Truth be told, I really wanted to read it because I thought, "If the title is this good, imagine what is on the inside!"  In four-to-six weeks the book arrived, and I immediately began reading it.  I was not disappointed.  The book follows the exploits of young evil genius Oliver, who hides his astounding intellect with astounding oafishness.  His mother provides unconditional love, and he loves her right back.  His dog, Lollipop, has been trained in the Basque language so that when Oliver gives her commands like "Kill" or "Maim", people think he is just speaking gibberish.  At school, Oliver gets enjoyment by messing with teacher's heads - he owns a cigarette company, so he has them print messages on his teacher's cigarettes like "take a bath" or "use deoderant".  Kids that try to pick on him generally get hit with some kind of chemical that makes them break out into a mass of pimples or suddenly find themselves with some sort of mysterious rash. 
Oliver has billions of dollars, owns major corporations, and even has his own private blimp, but the one thing he does not have is his father's approval.  Oliver decides that he will gain his father's approval as well as bring his self-rightousness down a notch by running for 7th grade class president.
Oliver must figure out how to run for class president against a worthy-enough-to-run-but-not-worthy-enough-to-win opponent, overthrow a dictator, survive an assassination attempt, and maintain his idiotic demeanor all at the same time.  And, oh yeah, figure out his feelings for the evil junior high "mean girl".
Part of the book gets to be a bit preachy about the democratic process, and it does poke jabs at some of the characteristics of our elected leaders, but overall it was a good read.
The book is hilarious, but I think some of the material might be over many of my students' heads. I have recommended it to my hard-core higher level readers, most of who, have stated they "thought it was funny."  As far as middle schoolers go, that's high praise!

The Seven Realms Series

Hello, all!

I have been neck-deep in series over the last month!  Since the Hunger Games movie came out, I re-read the series to refresh my memory.  I also got hooked on The Seven Realms Series by Cinda Chima.  This is a hard-core fantasy with just the right amount of action, romance, and strong characterization to make any teen reader happy.  It begins with The Demon King.  In this novel, a reader is introduced to the principals, Raisa ana'Marianna - the future queen of the Fells and Han Alister - a streetwise ex-thug who is trying to live his life on the right path.  You are also introduced to various other delectable characters - the Bayers (evil wizarding family), Dancer (Han's clan born best friend), and Amon Byrne (the nauseatingly good soldier/friend of Raisa).  Han and Dancer run into Micah Bayer on the fields of Hanalea when the latter is illegally using a wizard medallion to set fire to the mountain.  Han takes away the medallion so that Micah cannot use it against him, and this sets off an unlucky chain of events.  Han discovers that this medallion belonged to the Demon King, the most evil wizard of all, who destroyed the world a thousand years ago.  The Bayers hunt Han in order to retrieve the very powerful medallion, and they stop at nothing, destroying everything Han loves, in order to get it. 
Raisa, in the meantime, is doing everything a shallow royal does at the age of 16 - kissing boys, arguing with her mother, and being a general nuisance.  When her long time friend, Amon, returns from the military academy, she discovers that there is more to life than just dating.  There is a war in the south, the relationship between the Clans and the wizards is reaching a boiling point, and her mother, the queen, has turned a deaf ear to everyone except the powerful head of the Bayer family, Gavan.  As the Queen falls deeper under the spell of Gavan Bayer, Raisa realizes that the only way to protect her country is to escape it and be free of the clutches of her mother and Gavan. 
Book two (The Exiled Queen) follows Han and Raisa (now known as Rebecca to hide her true identity) in school.  Han has become a wizard while Rebecca is hiding in the military school.  They must each find their place among their peers if they are to help their loved ones and country to survive the certain war that is coming.  
Finally, in book three (The Gray Wolf Throne) Raisa returns to The Fells and she has brought her own trusted friends to help guide her during this tumultuous time – Amon, the captain of her guard, the guard, and Han Alister, her wizard friend who has his own secrets.  When Raisa reclaims the throne, she faces several challenges from the wizards, the Clans, and from outside forces bent on controlling her kingdom.  Raisa foils several assassination attempts and must prove to everyone that she can handle the throne. 
This is a fast-paced series that I could not put down!  Raisa begins as a vapid teen but grows into a strong heroine.  Han begins as a guy trying to make an honest life for himself, but at every turn something awful happens, and he is pulled to the dark side (a la Darth Vader).  Amon is ever-noble as Raisa’s captain, but he secretly longs for her.  And Micah; I have no idea what to make of Micah.  Is he good?  Is he bad?  Han certainly does not like him, and Raisa has every reason not to trust him, but it could very well be he is less like a Bayer than everyone believes.  
I cannot wait for the final installment, The Crimson Crown, so that I can get some closure!  I have loved all three books so far, and I am sure the next will not disappoint!!

Book Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Hello, all!
Sorry for the long absence - things have been busy busy busy!  We have reorganized the library by genre, redecorated (to update the look a bit), and I have been getting all of my extra-curricular school duties in working order (webpage, sports, yearbook photos, etc).
Today I want to let you know about a book I read that I absolutely LOVED.  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is one part mystery, one part horror, one part fantasy, one part romance, but all parts good!  The photos peppered throughout the book are great, and add a creepy vibe that I felt was pure awesomeness!  They helped to create a unique book that kept my interest the entire time!  In this book we follow Jacob, who's life is all planned for him.  He will go to college, inherit a chain of drug stores, and be happy forever.  Jacob, however, is not excited about this prospect.  Add to the mix his grandafter who has always been "peculiar".  He has crazy stories from his youth during World War II, and lately he has been convinced that the monsters are out to get him.  When Jacob discovers his grandfather murdered, he thinks his grandfather might not be so crazy after all - the problem is, everyone thinks Jacob has gone a little mad himself.  Jacob decides he would like to visit the orphanage where his grandfather grew up, and his shrink agrees that this would be good for him - it will let Jacob see that the monsters are not real.  When Jacob visits the remote island with the orphanage he begins to realize that things are not always what they seem.  He is thrust into a fantastical world of amazing children and must decide which path he will take.  Will he help Miss Peregrine in her hour of need, or will he return to his perfect life that has been planned out for him? 
Many of the reviews I have read did not like the fact that the "mystery" of the island orphanage was solved half way through the book.  I did not mind that so much because the story had layers. To make it only about one aspect would have made the book very bland to me.  I was waiting for an "aha!" moment, and, luckily, there were several throughout the novel. I hope that Riggs continues to develop his voice as an author, and creates a sequel to the story.  I would like to see both grow!

Reorganizing a library...

Okay, so I have not been on for a few weeks to review Jack Blank, my current read.  But I have a really really good reason.  I am reorganizing the school library!  Well, okay, not the WHOLE library, but the fiction section at least.  I am assigning the books genres (a la Barnes and Noble), and I will put all of the genres together.  In order to do this, I have to look at each book summary and subject headings to determine which genre it goes in.  Assigning books by genre is not as easy as it sounds.  Some books are historical mysteries – do they go in historical fiction or mystery suspense?  Others might be adventures with a sci-fi twist.  Where do those go??  So, my brain cells are working overtime trying to complete this daunting task.  Once I determine in which genre the books fall, I then send them over to the library assistant who slaps a colored spine label on them (each of my genres are color coded) and changes their call number in the online catalog (we decided not to change the spine labels on the books though – that would take a lot more resources and we are on a limited budget – I cannot afford more spine labels!!)

So here is a picture that gives you an example of what I have done – as soon as I get all of the books color coded I will rearrange the shelves into genres.  Wish me luck!

Book Review: Plain Kate by Erin Bow

"Plain Kate
Kate the Carver
No one's friend
and no one's daughter"
I liked this book muy mucho!  Kate is the daughter of a wood carver.  She is also a gifted wood carver - so gifted, in fact, that people think she is a witch.  When her father dies and she finds herself on her own, she must battle superstitious attitudes and make a life for herself.  When she meets the mysterious stranger, Linay, he offers her a chance to escape the town and begin life anew.  All he asks for in return is her shadow.  When Kate discovers why he needs her shadow, she must figure out a way to break the curse before it is too late. 
This book was excellent!  I loved the setting, the characters, and especially the cat!  Even though there is no love or "Prince Charming", I have recommended this book to all my kiddos that are into the magical princess fiction (a.k.a. Levine or Baker).  It is similar to those types of books but much darker. 

Book Review: The Only Ones by Aaron Starmer

Hello, all and happy new year!  Over the holiday break I finished reading The Only Ones by Starmer.  It was a very unique concept to me.  I have read lots-o-end-of -the-world scenarios, but this one was a little different.  No weird diseases, weapons of mass destruction or anything - just a giant mystery.  I rather liked it.  You are introduced to Martin Maples, a boy who has lived his whole life on a secluded island with his father and a machine on which his father is constantly working.  The only contacts he has with the outside world are the summer tourists and books.  One day Martin's father embarks on a journey to locate pieces for his machine, and he promises to return.  The problem is, he never does.  Martin waits for two years, during which no one visits the island.  Finally Martin decided to venture out into the world on his own, but he discovers it is not like it is described in his books - the world has been abandoned as well.  He meets a boy that tells him of a village of kids that are living together not too far away - just sniff around for peanuts and he'll find it.  He does, and here Martin meets kids that have also been left behind.  Each has a peculiarity, and each does not seem to mind so much that the entire world has disappeared.  Here Martin discovers that he might be able to help them all return to their families, but not all of the children think that is a good idea.  This book is part Left Behind, part Lord of the Flies, and all good stuff!!  The ending tied up all the loose ends, albeit a bit too neatly, and there is a murder thrown in for drama, but overall it is a great mystery and an interesting read.  I just want to know what happened to Nigel!!  I am recommending this to my dystopian kids as well as my mystery buffs.