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January 31, 2008
THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE by Rodman Philbrick
THE LAST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE by Rodman Philbrick is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure! I enjoyed this book. It was real exciting and Philbrick's perception of the future is one of the most believable I've ever read about! It's about a teenage boy named Spaz who is an outcast in the Urb on a journey to save his sister. He is assisted by Ryter an elderly man who's prized possession is a book that he's been writing. In his adventures he goes from latch to latch (county to county) and meets some of the most feared gang leaders in the Urb.
I RECOMMENDED IT FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL SCIENCE FICTION FANS AND EVEN MIDDLE SCHOOLERS WHO LOVE AN EXCITING BOOK.
Rita Rozen
Grade 7
W. Tresper Clarke Middle School
Posted by fjacksonem at 10:45 AM | Comments (0)
January 18, 2008
PAOLINI'S ANNOUNCES FINAL BOOK IN THE INHERITANCE CYCLE
Christopher Paolini has announced the last title in THE INHERITANCE CYCLE. It is BRISINGR.
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers explains the title in their press release for the new book. "BRISINGR (BRIS-in-gr), an Old Norse word for fire, will be familiar to fans of the cycle as the first word in the ancient language that Eragon hears."
“BRISINGR is one of the first words I thought of for this title, and it’s always felt right to me,” said Christopher Paolini. “As the first ancient-language word that Eragon learns, it has held particular significance for his legacy as a Dragon Rider. In this new book, it will be revealed to be even more meaningful than even Eragon could have known.”
Originally slated for release on September 23, 2008, the book will now go on sale at
12:01 a.m. on Saturday, September 20, 2008.
IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN PURCHASING THE BOOK, THE YOUNG ADULT DEPARTMENT WILL PURCHASE SEVERAL COPIES. WE WILL START TAKING RESERVES IN JUNE, 2008.
If you have not read the first two books, ERAGON and ELDEST, they are available at the Library.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 12:21 PM | Comments (0)
January 16, 2008
YA CLASSICS REVISITED
Our favorite classic novels are getting a new and updated look. Bloomsbury Classics has published a series of the old classics with bright new covers and introductions by current popular YA authors.
Did you know that Meg Cabot, author of the Princess Diaries loves PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen?
And who would have guessed that Darren Shan, author of the scary Cirque de Freak series would be a huge fan of Robert Louis Stevenson's TREASURE ISLAND?
Each of the classics begins with an introductory essay, "Why You Should Read This..." by a popular YA author where they explain why they love the book and why YOU should read it. You might find they agree with your English teacher.
Other titles in the collection are:
David Copperfield
Jane Eyre
Frankenstein
Wuthering Heights
Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian
Posted by fjacksonem at 11:57 AM | Comments (0)
January 11, 2008
THE KINGDOM KEEPERS by Ridley Pearson
Visiting Disney World is one of the best places to have fun at in the whole world, but when you read THE KINGDOM KEEPERS by Ridley Pearson, you may never look at Disney World the same way.
Middle school student Finn Whitman has been chosen as one of five young teens to become “hologram hosts” at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida. Finn will be on the cutting edge of technogy which is cool. It also means money for college is no longer a problem and his family has lifetime free admission to Disney World, but for Finn it means only entering the Park with permission from the company and meeting Wayne, an original Imagineer, who asks Finn and the other hologram hosts to stop the evil forces from taking over the Park.
Finn and the other hosts meet with Wayne as holograms during the teen's real time sleep. Wayne explains these forces are called the Overtakers, Disney creations including the Pirates of the Carribean and Maleficent, the evil witch from Snow White. So far these characters have terrorized the Park but could they reach out into the real world community?
Oh what fun it is to read about Disney rides that bear the clues to answer Walt Disney’s last puzzle and how dangerous these rides can be. Through the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the underground passages below Disney World our hologram teens and sometimes their human selves run for their lives.
THIS BOOK IS RECOMMENDED FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS GIRLS AND BOYS WHO LOVE DISNEY WORLD AND ADVENTURES STORIES. JUST REMEMBER TO WATCH OUT FOR PIRATES AND SMALL DOLLS.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 9:21 AM | Comments (4)
January 8, 2008
THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt
I like this book, I really like this book because it reminds me of being in school, it has got an unbelievable great adult character, it set on Long Island and it is a good story. This is THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt.
Holling Hoodhood, yes that is his name not a spelling error is the only Presbyterian in his class. Now this is 1967 and on Wednesday afternoons all the Catholics go to catechism and all the Jews go to Hebrew class, which leave very few students in their regular classrooms. (By the way when I went to school that is exactly what happened.) In Holling’s class the only one left is Holling, who stays in school with Mrs. Baker. Holling is certain Mrs. Baker hates him.
After a few Wednesdays of house cleaning, the chalk boards, erasers, and the coat room, Mrs. Baker decides to introduce Holling to the plays of Shakespeare. Of course Holling views this extra work as a punishment, but as the school progresses he learns a lot from the plays about himself, his family, his friends and the world around him. Holling even learns to curse in old English.
Since it is set in 1967 there are historical references including the Vietnam War, and the assassination of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, and there is a lot of baseball, the Yankees and Mickey Mantle.
Holling is a seventh grader, but I RECOMMEND THIS TITLE FOR BOYS AND GIRLS IN ALL THE MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE A GOOD LAUGH ANYONE WHO LOVES SHAKESPEARE.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 9:12 AM | Comments (0)
January 2, 2008
THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie
Anyone who has ever felt like they don’t fit in will relate to Arnold Spirit, the main character in Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.
Arnold is a Native American teenager living on a reservation with his extremely poor family. Though he suffers from physical limitations, such as feet that are too big and very bad eyesight, he is the smartest kid at the reservation school. When a teacher encourages him to enroll in a public school off of the reservation, Arnold decides to go for it. He transfers to the rich white school where he is the only Indian besides the school mascot. Not only is he bullied at the new school, but he is bullied at home on the reservation by those who feel that he has betrayed them by leaving. As the year goes on, Arnold must try to find his place in between two completely different worlds.
A National Book Award Winner, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian will have you laughing one minute and crying the next.
I recommend this book to teens in grades 9-12.
Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian
Posted by fjacksonem at 3:27 PM | Comments (0)