Library News Archive
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
by Marie Lu, 305 pages, Grades 7-12
In a dystopian future society, the western United States has become the Republic, a military dictatorship in a constant war with the surrounding Colonies. Student trials determine where you will be placed in the social order, but Day lives outside the law; he is the Republic’s most infamous criminal. June, on the other hand, was raised in a wealthy family; her parents and her brother held high positions in the Republic; she scored the highest ever on the Trials and attends one of the Republic’s best military academies. An accident throws these two opposites together. They should be instant enemies, but maybe what brought them together was not an accident after all, but what they are up against might be too big for the greatest outlaw and the smartest citizen even if they are working together.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
If you like dystopian fiction, you might also enjoy: The Hunger Games, by Susanne Collins, The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, or Matched, by Ally Condie.
Tags: adventure, dystopian, identity, science fiction, suspense
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
by Kenneth Oppel, 375 pages, Grades 7-11
Ben had always hoped for a sibling, but he never expected that his parents would adopt a little brother like Zan. His father is a behavioral psychologist who has transplanted the family to Canada to study chimpanzees, so it wasn’t so unexpected that his parents would bring a chimp into their home. But, in 1973 on Ben’s thirteenth birthday they surprise him with “a little brother.” Zan is a chimpanzee that they expect Ben to treat like a sibling. It is all part of his father’s study, but it soon becomes difficult to distinguish experiment from genuine feelings, and the thing is what is cute when the chimp is a baby might be a real problem when Zan is stronger than everyone he lives with.
If you enjoy speculative fiction, you might also like Airborn, also by Kenneth Oppel, or Crunch by Leslie Connor, or A Dog For Life, by L.S. Matthews; these books have a realistic feel, but a fantasy twist.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: family problems, fantasy
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Friday, January 6th, 2012
by Wendy Mass, 322 pages, Grades 5-9
Student Review
Three lives are about to be changed forever. Thousands of people gather on a tiny isolated campground to watch something unforgettable: a total eclipse of the sun.
Ally’s family has owned Moon Shadow Campground ever since she was born. She likes simple things like stargazing and comet hunting. And she refuses to imagine it any other way.
Bree is popular, gorgeous and is perfectly happy until her parents ruin everything. She can’t imaging herself camping or hiking. For Bree, fun means putting on makeup, checking out the latest fashions, modeling and being popular – the exact opposite of her parents. What is Bree trying to hide?
Jack is overweight, and a lost cause in school. He is used to sitting alone in his treehouse reading or drawing aliens. When his science teacher offers him a deal that gets him out of summer school, Jack finds himself in a place he would have never even dreamed of. MC
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
If you enjoy books about groups of friends you might also like: The View From Saturday by E.L. Koningsburg, The Misfits, by James Howe, or The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart.
Tags: astronomy, family problems, friendship, moving, stargazing
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Friday, January 6th, 2012
by Colin Meloy, 545 pages, Grades 4-7
Student Review
Prue McKeel’s life is ordinary until a murder of crows kidnaps her baby brother Mac. They take him into a place called “Impassable Wilderness.” This place is a big green area labeled “I.W” on every map of Portland, Oregon. Prue and her friend Curtis have to venture into this wilderness from which no one has ever returned alive. They travel through forests finding not only warring creatures, and menacing figures, but friendship, as they struggle for the freedom from this wilderness. Prue and Curtis uncover a whole new secret world hidden within the trees; a wilderness called Wildwood. From talking coyotes and birds to bandit camps and an evil governess, Wildwood is packed with mysteries. Can they save Prue’s brother and get out alive? You’ll have to find out. MC
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: adventure, brothers and sisters, families, fantasy, friendship
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Friday, January 6th, 2012
by Leslie Connor, 290 pages, Grades 6-8
Addie’s life has a lot of “twists and turns” that she doesn’t expect. She used to live with her Mommers, Dwight and her two little sisters, but after what she calls her big mistake everything changes. Now, she and Mommers are moving into a trailer home and “the littles” (her sisters) are moving away with their dad, Dwight.
Addie is good at making the best of almost every situation; her mom calls the trailer a piece of junk in the middle of no where, but Addie calls it an adventure and sees her new loft-room as cozy, not cramped. Even when there is no food in the house, she can create a delicious meal, in fact, she has invented a repertoire of toast-dinner recipes.
Addie’s winning personality makes her a lot of friends, but her life is far from normal; she might need more than optimism to get her to out of danger in the end.
Other stories about challenging family situations are: Guitar Boy, by M.J. Auch, Grounded, by Kate Klise, and Ruby Holler, or Bloomability, by Sharon Creech.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: coping with challenge, disfunctional families, families, family problems, girls, identity, realistic fiction
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
by Ying Chang Compestine, 249 pages, Grades 5-8
Ling is nine, her parents are both doctors and they live in China surrounded by neighbors who are their friends. Little by little the China they know begins to change around them. The young people call themselves revolutionaries and say they value equality for all, but soon their chants “Down with the bourgeois!” and actions turn against people like Ling’s parents who have been educated. Ling faces challenges of school bullies, the disappearance of friends and family, the lack of food and necessities as well as the abuse of loved ones as the China she knew transforms into a different place entirely.
If you would like to read more about this time period you might also enjoy a biography called: Red Scarf Girl, by Ji-ling Jiang, or Little Green: Growing Up During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, by Chun Yu
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: families, historical fiction, resilience, revolution, sad stories, war
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
by Gloria Whelan, 209 pages, Grades 6 and up
_
Rosalind, an English girl growing up in India, prefers to spend her days exploring the city streets and bazaar with her friend Isha, but her parents don’t know that. Her father is away at war and her mother is still grieving over Rosalind’s brother who died while he was away at school in England. It is her brother’s death that made it possible for Rosalind to remain in India – her mother cannot bare to part with her only child now even though most British children are educated in England – but her father is becoming concerned about Rosalind’s education and behavior; her disobedient, unconventional ways might get her sent to England after all, and just as she is becoming interested in Indian politics, in particular a dynamic leader working for India’s independence through peaceful protest named Ghandi.
If you enjoy this book you may also like other titles by Gloria Whelan including: Parade of Shadows, Homeless Bird, or Angel on the Square. They are all historical fiction novels with strong female characters.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: coming of age, families, historical fiction, multicultural, prejudices, race relations
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Thursday, October 6th, 2011
by Louis Sachar, 336 pages, Grades 7-adult
At first Alton thought being forced to visit his elderly uncle was going to be pretty boring. He was pretty sure his uncle didn’t even know who he was, even though his mother had been making him call Uncle Lester, a.k.a. Trap, his “favorite uncle” ever since he was little.
He was even more certain that this was going to be boring when his uncle explained that what he needed was a cardturner for his bridge games each week since he could no longer see the cards; Trap had recently lost his eyesight. Alton could only remember old people playing bridge, and the game seemed to include a lot of complicated rules, not particularly, but he agreed to help his “favorite uncle.”
His “favorite uncle” also turned out to be pretty crabby at first, and was not a man to give compliments very often, but everyone has a story; there is a lot more to Trap’s story than Alton ever could have guessed. The mystery of Trap’s past is entertaining, bridge is intriguing, and when a pretty girl enters the picture Alton’s boring summer turns into one of the best of his life.
Connections: If you enjoy Louis Sachar, you might also like Holes. Another great read about younger and older generations connecting is called The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: bridge (card game), competition, cross generation, elderly, families, realistic fiction, romance, teens, uncles
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Sunday, September 4th, 2011
by Andrew Lane, 311 pages, Grades 6-9
Maybe you have heard of Sherlock Holmes the grown man who solved impossible crimes with his sidekick Watson, but did you ever wonder what he was like as a teenager?
Death Cloud is the first adventure of the teenage Sherlock. He is not yet officially the mastermind he will become, but you can see his mind already has those keen sensibilities that make him the superior detective he is as an adult.
“‘You came in Father’s carriage,’” the young Sherlock tells his older brother when he sees him.
“‘How on earth did you deduce that, young man?’
Sherlock shrugged. ‘I noticed the parallel creases in your trousers where the upholstery pressed them, … Father’s carriage has a tear in the upholstery that was repaired rather clumsily a few years ago. The impression of that repair is pressed into your trousers…’”
Brilliant deduction! But can he solve the mysterious murders taking people around him in a cloud of death while being pursued by the criminals themselves? Is the teenager up to the task?
Connections: If you like a good mystery you might also enjoy Heist Society, by Ally Carter, or Montmorency: Thief, Liar Gentleman?, by Eleanor Updale.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: adventure, detective, London, mystery, teens
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Sunday, September 4th, 2011
by Eoin Colfer, 412 pages, Grades 7-8
Conor Broekhart was born in the air. His parents took a ride in a hot air balloon at the 1878 Paris World’s Fair, and that is the moment Conor decided to arrive. It is no wonder he is determined to fly; he is a brilliant engineer from very young and is lucky enough to work with another brilliant man, Victor Vigny, advisor to the king. The king’s daughter admires Conor’s talent as well, and all seems to be perfect for the Broekhart family.
Unfortunately, his life takes a dramatic turn. The good king has placed his trust in the wrong man; one of his confidants, Marshall Bonvilain, kills the king and frames Conor for the murder! Conor is thrown into a high security prison on an island, and his parents believe him to be dead. He is subjected a brutal life in the prison, but also makes some allies that help him attempt to save the kingdom, and his family as well as seek revenge on the evil Bonvilain.
Connections: If you enjoy steam punk fiction, you might also like: Leviathan, by Scott Westerfeld, or Airborn by Kenneth Oppel. The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas is the first novel about a man being mistakenly imprisoned and escaping to seek his revenge.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: adventure, fantasy, science fiction, steam punk, survival, suspense, Young Adult
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Sunday, September 4th, 2011
by Christopher Paul Curtis, 341 pages, Grades 6-8
Elijah wishes he was not quite so fragile. He can take off running when he sees a snake, or might feel like crying when someone tells the sad story of escaping from slavery in America. His parents worry that his fragile nature might make his life difficult, but it is that very nature that turns him into a hero.
Buxton was a real town established in 1849 by an American abolitionist who hoped to give people escaping American slavery a place to live as free human beings. The story of Elijah is fictional, but things that happen are realistic for the time and place.
Even though his family thinks he is a delicate soul, Elijah finds courage deep inside himself and takes a lot of risks to do the right thing. It is a dangerous time to be African American; Elijah’s adventure is truly heroic.
Connections: Christopher Paul Curtis is gifted at creating exciting stories that happen to be set in realistic times in history. If you like Elijah of Buxton, you might also like Bud Not Buddy, or The Watson’s Go to Birmingham, both by Curtis as well.
Tags: African Americans, coming of age, families, historical fiction, identity, multicultural
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
by Eileen Cook 256 pages grades 7 and up
Hailey Kendrick got the whole school on probation; no one can leave campus because of her. She has gone from popular to outcast in one night.
Hailey attends a fancy boarding, so fancy, in fact, children of movie stars, and teen stars themselves, are her classmates. She has no money worries, obviously, she is popular and is dating one of the most handsome guys in the school. Her life seemed pretty perfect until she got everyone on probation.
What is going on? Has Hailey lost her mind, or was there something already boiling beneath the surface that just had to burst free? And, how is she going to manage life when everyone she knows has dumped her?
Other fun realistic fiction with teen girl central characters are: Heist Society, by Ally Carter, Rules of the Road, by Joan Bauer, and a fantasy with a teen girl central character is Matched, by Ally Condie.
Tags: friendship, girls, high schools, identity, realistic fiction, romance, teens
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Friday, June 3rd, 2011
by Maryrose Wood, 278 pages, Grades 7 and up.
Even Jesamine, who is the daughter of the apothecary and a skilled gardener, is not allowed beyond the locked gate of the poison garden. Jesamine lives with her father, who heals the sick in and around London, in a country house in the mid 1800s.
One day the man in charge of the local home for the insane delivers a mysterious young man he calls Weed to their doorstep. Jesamine’s father agrees to take him in even though he seems dangerous; he might be to blame for curing those in the asylum, and creating an epidemic of insanity in town.
The arrival of Weed reveals things to Jesamine that she has not realized about herself, about her father, and about the nature of poisons. Her life will never be the same.
If you like romance, mystery and fantasy you might also like Graceling, by Kristin Cashore, Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, or Matched by Allie Condie.
Tags: family problems, fantasy, historical fiction, love stories, mystery, teens
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Friday, May 27th, 2011
by Carolyn Coman 263 pages Grades 6-8
Hope watches her sister get smaller and smaller as her parents drive their car away. “Forget her!” they tell Hope, but she loves Honey, how can her parents abandon her on the side of the road.
The Memory Bank is told in two ways from two points of view. Honey is quickly picked up and handed a lollipop by a smiling lady and a bunch of laughing kids; her story is told in pictures, while Hope’s is described in words.
Hope cannot forget her sister, of course, and ends up being investigated by the World Wide Memory Bank for delinquent memory creation; instead of creating new memories, all Hope can do is think about her sister. Maybe the bank will hold the key to finding her.
The authors flash back and forth between these two adventures until they come together for a smashing finish.
If you like graphic novels you might also enjoy: Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword, by Barry Deutsch, or The Invention of Hugo Cabret: A Novel in Words and Pictures, by Brian Selznick
Tags: adventure, brothers and sisters, fantasy, girls, graphic fiction, orphans
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Friday, May 13th, 2011
by Ally Carter, 287 pages, Grades 6-10
Kat knows a lot about famous works of art, she is an expert when it comes to museums, but she is not a museum curator or an art history major; she is a teenager. Kat was raised surrounded some of the greatest criminal masterminds in history; her mom died when she was young, but her dad and her Uncle Eddie taught her everything she knows, and she knows a lot!
Kat thinks she is taking a break from the family business; she is enrolled in a private boarding school, but then her dad is in trouble and she has to pull a heist herself to save him.
If you liked any of the Oceans movies you’ll enjoy Heist Society; it is Oceans Eleven with teen criminals and a female in charge.
Tags: adventure, crime, families, mystery, suspense, teens
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Friday, May 13th, 2011
by M. J. Auch 260 pages Grades 6-9
Travis is out on the street. His father, at his wits end after his mother’s accident, lost his temper and kicked him out of the house with nothing but the clothes on his back and his mom’s old guitar.
Not only does Travis have to worry about how to survive on the street, he is also worried about the rest of his family. His younger sister had to give up going to school to take care of their three younger siblings; the three little ones are missing their mom, and don’t really understand what has happened to her; his father is so distraught he has lost one job and cannot find another; his mother, rather than being helped to recover, has been housed in a convalescent home with a lot of people not expected to get any better.
Travis has his hands full, and his pockets empty. Guitar Boy is a different kind of survival story.
Other stories about difficult family situations are Bloomability, by Sharon Creech, and If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, by Gennifer Choldenko.
Tags: Add new tag, brothers and sisters, coming of age, family problems, fathers and sons, outsiders, realistic fiction, teens
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Thursday, May 12th, 2011
by Kate Klise 196 pages Grades 6-7
Daralynn’s father, brother and baby sister died in a plane accident, and Daralynn is only alive because she was grounded that day and had been forced to remain behind.
After the tragedy, her mother becomes the hairdresser for the dead at the local mortuary to make ends meet, but it is not easy to recover from such a shattering loss. Daralynn’s mother is not only over-protective of her, but also seems to be angry about everything, and kind to no one.
Even Daralynn’s Aunt Josie, her father’s sister, is often the victim of Mother’s attacks. When Josie starts dating Daralynn’s mother’s competition, things really heat up. But, there is something suspicious about “Uncle Clem,” Josie’s new beaux, and Daralynn’s investigation might just prove to be the thing her family needs to pull them back together.
If you enjoyed Regarding the Fountain by Klise, you won’t be disappointed by this sweet narration. Another great book about family perseverance in the face of tragedy is Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine
Tags: families, family problems, identity, mystery, realistic fiction, sad stories
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Have you read the California Young Reader Medal winners for 2009?
Middle School – Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Young Adult – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
Please respond to the poll by following the question link.
Would you listen to audiobooks on your MP3 player?(answers)
In the fall, we will be adding a new audiobook format to our collection called MP3 CDs. MP3 CDs are easily downloaded to MP3 players or iPods. To sample some of the titles, click on the cover image links below:
The London Eye Mystery
Adam Canfield of The Slash
Princess Ben
Posted in Library News | Comments Off
Monday, March 23rd, 2009
Please return all library books by June 7th. Beginning June 10th, sixth and seventh grade students may check out library books for the summer. For lists of high interest books organized by genre, check out our Recreational Reading Suggestions.
Posted in Library News | No Comments »
by Marie Lu, 305 pages, Grades 7-12
