We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for this wonderful, sorrowful look at how quickly two sisters lives will be challenged when one has a secret. Nell is beginning her freshman year in high school and she can’t wait. Her much loved older sister is now a junior, and Nell follows in her footsteps making the soccer team and reveling in her older sister’s glow. Nell tells We Are the Goldens in her voice like she is confiding to her sister, or writing her a long, long letter to be read later; then Layla will really understand all that Nell has been thinking and feeling about her older sister’s distance and silences. Thankfully, Nell is a strong, likable girl with a best friend in Felix de la Cruz with whom she shares “most” of her life ups and downs. It is early on in the school year when Layla doesn’t go to parties (like she used to) and has Nell take part in her lies providing the tension, misgivings, and sadness throughout Nell’s days and nights. When it is revealed that her beautiful older sister is involved with the young, handsome art teacher, Mr. B, Nell really begins to struggle with her loyalty to her sister and this relationship that means the world to Layla. Even though their parents are divorced, Nell and Layla spend time with both parents and their parents are supportive and involved with their daughters. It is when Layla wiggles out of a time honored trip with their mom and grandmother due to “homework” that Nell really has a problem with her sister’s decisions, feelings for Mr. B, and swearing Nell to secrecy about their relationship. I ached for Nell and the loss of her sister’s support and friendship. As the book unfolds and Nell wrestles with loyalty to Layla or exposing her sister, the tension becomes many layered. Nell wants to be Nellaya (one with Layla) with her sister again; what will she do to make their bond whole again? For a riveting, true read, We Are the Goldens provides a commentary on what it means to be loyal to family, sisters, and secrets. I love Dana Reinhart’s books and this is another one of my favorites.
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Scowler by Daniel Kraus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow, there is something so twisted but absorbing in Daniel Kraus' books. I still think about Rotters and last night I couldn't get back to sleep thinking about Ry, his mom, and little sister, Sarah as Marvin Burke (dad and father) terrorizes his family after escaping from prison. But that is just one small part of this horror story extraordinaire. A meteorite has landed in their yard and Ry needs to call upon his three childhood toys to help him save his family from the sick, twisted, maniac that is his father. I couldn't stop checking the cover as I read the book and the title, Scowler, is Ry's bloodthirsty toy (his doctor says Scowler is really his father)and he is an unbelievable adversary for Ry while the other 2 toys, Mr. Furrington and Jesus Christ are much more normal, caring, and likable. I read this as part of The Hub Challenge and boy am I glad I did, I just didn't like the crazy, scary thoughts keeping me awake:)
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Torn Away by Jennifer Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and LittleBrown Books for Young Readers! What a riveting and engrossing book about family, finding yourself, and daring to believe after a tornado rips your life apart. Jennifer Brown’s description of the tornado as it affects Jersey Cameron’s life is so riveting. Jersey is a teen who unequivocally loves her mom, tolerates her stepfather, and finds her little sister very annoying. But all that changes when a tornado takes away her home, her mother, and little sister. As Jersey tries to understand why her mother is gone and her little sister, Marin, will never bug her to dance the East Coast Swing together ever again, her stepfather sends her to live with her father, Clay’s family, where she is unwelcome, taunted, and lives on the back porch. What crushes her even more is that Jersey is beginning to learn things about her mother; things she never told her, and things she kept from her. When she can no longer tolerate Clay’s family, she runs. Imagine her surprise when she learns her mother’s parents exist and bring Jersey to live with them. How will Jersey make this transition? Jennifer Brown does a great job building the tension, anger, and abandonment that Jersey constantly feels and while you root for Jersey building a lasting relationship with Grandpa Barry and Grandma Patty; it is the way Jersey hangs tough and does not give up on her hopes that will bring tears to your eyes and a warm place in your heart for her wonderful, simple, loving grandparents.
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The Journey of Hannah Woods by Helene Forst
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was so happy to receive this book from the author; what a compelling, satisfying read. Hannah Woods is the kind of protagonist the reader will enjoy getting to know. When we meet first meet her, she is inwardly freaking out at her father’s funeral. As a fourteen year old, Hannah lets the reader know she is suffering from panic attacks, hears voices cruelly putting her down, and relies heavily on drugs. After the funeral, this Hannah will leave the only home she has ever known and go to live with grandparents she didn’t realize she had. It is in this “new” home with down-to- earth grandparents, and a very strong, knowledgeable network of doctors where Hannah begins her epic journey. We learn from Hannah that she did not have a loving father or mother (they were very neglectful), was constantly under the care of nannies, home-schooled by tutors, and had only one person she could count on as a child, the head housekeeper, Winnie. Nothing was normal in her life; Hannah grew up alone, afraid, and always anxious. What I really loved about Hannah as I read this book was her positive attitude. She may have been terrified, but she did not give up hope. On the cusp of adolescence, she must attend high school, participate in class, and meet friends while she withdraws from heavy duty drugs and lives a normal life. It is this Hannah who learns how to surf, play volleyball, ice skate, become active in a Save the Earth Club, and begin to heal, express herself (through poetry) and learn how to savor life and love. I enjoyed the authentic characters Forst provides in Hannah’s loving, working grandparents, high school friends Emma and Eli, and remarkable Drs. Weinstein and Hope. This book was a journey for the reader and Hannah, and one I am very happy I made. As Hannah explores her new life in Crystal Cove, the reader is learning what it is like to have Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, fears, and anxieties. The reader roots for Hannah as she fights valiantly to control her life without drugs and learns to welcome the real Hannah Woods, “perfectly balanced” and “courageously dreaming.”
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Harrington Elementary in Denver Public Schools is looking for a Library Media Specialist. If you are interested please email me @ adrienne_lopez@dpsk12.org. Thank you!
Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read this book for two reasons, with the first being it is the Goodreads February Discussion for Books Hot Off the Presses
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
and the second is my participation in the 2014 HUB Reading Challenge
http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2014/.... This book is on the list of the 2014 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults. Rose Justice is a transport pilot, who grew up outside Hershey, PA. It is during the war that Rose's plane is intercepted, she is captured by the Germans and taken to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she is a prisoner for six months. Rose and the other captives (who are there much longer)endure beatings, torture, experimentation, and deprivation. It is during her imprisonment and after, as she recuperates in Paris that the full story emerges. What was so wonderful about this story was the "family" Rose formed while in Ravensbrück and it was these bonds that enabled them to endure and in many cases, survive. Wein weaves the importance of family throughout the whole book; with Rose's Hershey family, her pilot friends who are her family before her capture and the Rabbits, Lisette, Irina, Roza, Karolina and others who are her camp family. Rose uses her poetry and storytelling with her concentration camp friends to as a way to remember life before and survive each day whatever way they could. It is during her imprisonment (and after) with the Hamburg Ravensbrück Trials and the Doctors' Trial against Nazi war criminals that Rose emerges as a much stronger person; a writer and medical student, and is able to bear witness in her own way to the atrocities of the camp and let the world know the names of all 75 of the Rabbits who were maimed (and many killed) by Nazis due to their experimentation. Readers will love the women (pilots, survivors, and those who do not survive) in this book; their bravery, fury, compassion, defiance, craziness, and beauty. Highly recommended!
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If You Find Me: A Novel by Emily Murdoch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh boy! I loved this book; the grittiness grabbed me from the first page of Part 1 The End - revealing the hard scrabble existence in the deep, dark woods for fifteen year old Carey and her younger sister, nine year old Janessa. Carey is such a strong protagonist revealing their mother (drug addicted and bi-polar, off her meds) has been gone for two months and it is getting pretty desperate for the girls to subsist daily. But Carey never worries for herself, only for Janessa, who stopped speaking a year ago. They are forever changed when social services and Carey's father find them and "rescue" them. But that is not how Carey sees it; since her mother poisoned her long ago with tales of her father's anger and abuse. Carey and Janessa must now deal with a world of abundant food, clothing, people and many things they never had (toothpaste, toothbrush, showers, family, school, boys. Part II The Middle has the them going to school and navigating their new life. As Carey and Janessa harbor secrets from their years in the woods, they are slowly realizing what "family" really means with their father, his wife, and her daughter. But it is the beloved family dog, Shorty, with whom Janessa forges an immediate and unbreakable bond. As Carey begins her first day of school, she is saved by Ryan Shipley, after her stepsister, Delaney ditches her. He becomes her friend, protector, and maybe more? In Part III The Beginning, Carey and Janessa love their life with their family, but Carey and Janessa both know they must confront their past and secrets in the woods for true healing. Carey's character goes through many changes but she is throughout the book she is respectful, fiercely protective of her sister, a true friend, and grappling with new emotions, and feelings, and what she becomes in telling the secrets is an even stronger person with a forever home and a new beginning.
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Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Teen for this compelling, sad, and deeply affecting book. Emma suddenly loses her mother, when she dies while pregnant. Emma is plunged into a grief so all encompassing, she loses her sense of self and who she was before; a great student with plans for college and a future. Struggling mightily through this book (posttraumatic stress disorder), Emma can’t forgive her stepfather, Dan (who she loved before) for deciding (without consulting her) to keep her mother on life support in order to give the baby a chance at life. Emma really becomes hateful, angry and explosive in the way she constantly talks to Dan about her “dead mother” and questions everything in her life. As she fails classes, morns not being able to have “more time” with her mother, she begins to become a person she does not recognize but she can’t control her feelings and reactions. She has a supportive best friend, Olivia, but it is bad boy, Caleb Harrison, who is performing community service in the hospital where her mother is, that Emma begins to connect with over their shared grief and loss. Will Emma forgive Dan (and herself) in the wake of her mother’s death and daily visits to her bedside? This is a deeply affecting story and I loved the friendship and romance aspect of the book. As an adult, I understood the trauma that Emma suffered but couldn’t seem to rise above and I worry that this aspect of the book might not speak to teens (simply because they don’t understand Emma’s constant thoughts and dialog) but Elizabeth Scott did a masterful job in portraying Emma’s and Caleb’s self- disintegration. It is difficult to read their hurt, grief, feelings of betrayal for 256 pages, but the deep themes will resonate and spark discussion.
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The Weight of Blood by Laura McHugh
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley, Laura McHugh, Random House, and Spiegel and Grau for this advance copy of a thrilling, disturbing read. This novel, taking place in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, is captivating from the first page. Lucy Dane is shocked and bewildered to find out her childhood friend, Cheri, who disappeared, is found dismembered one year later. In the small town of Henbane, everyone is rocked by this grisly discovery. For a while, the town is cautious and rife with innuendo and theories. Lucy’s mother also disappeared when Lucy was a baby and was never found. It is how these two parallel mysteries connect and the effect it has on family (and kin) in Henbane that make for a spine tingling, can’t put it down, suspenseful read. The suffocating small town atmosphere is creepy with their suspicion of “outsiders” and their belief in witches, magic, lies and secrets, but Lucy is a strong female character who will not stop looking for answers. For book club, there would be so many great discussions and I know I will be recommending this as a great cross-over young adult title.
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Imprisoned: The Betrayal of Japanese Americans during World War II by Martin W. Sandler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Martin Sandler's book is the compelling story of the banishment over 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast of the United States. Japanese Americans were forced from their homes due to hysteria after the bombing of Perl Harbor. They had no notice and had to leave homes, businesses, pets, and possessions to move into internment camps for the duration of WWII. Sandler uses photographs, interviews, quotes, and sidebars (backed up with extensive research) to tell about this very dark part of American history. Each chapter consists of information with certain pages containing large font (to stand out)and within these chapters sections highlighted areas of importance, like Dorothea Dix and Ansel Adams photography to document the internment, but their differing viewpoints. Another section is Titled, Expressing Feelings Through Poetry and shares examples of children's poems from camp classrooms. Within the camps were the Isei and the Nisei, nurses, doctors, writers, teachers who work hard to end the isolation and depression many felt. Sports, like baseball, became an important way for the Japanese Americans to fight boredom. There were those who created gardens, made jewelry, and found other ways to beautify their substandard lives. The camps were harsh and crowded, hot during the day and very cold at night; there were long waits to for lunch, dinner and laundry of 2-3 hours. There were many Japanese Americans who served in the 442nd Regiment and Nisei who served as interpreters and translators and they had a very profound impact on the US's victory. The chapters on how the Japanese Americans fared after the war and as the years wet on were so interesting. Today the Japanese Americans are working hard to make sure this does not happen to anyone ever again. They are strong supporters of the Muslim communities in the aftermath of 9/11 because they look like the enemy and have experienced discrimination like the Japanese Americans.
The book ends with Place to Visit, Visiting the Sites of te Relocation Centers, Further Reading and Surfing, Websites, Sources and Bibliography.
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We Were Here by Matt de la Pena
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A great pick for our Februrary book discussion this month with my librarian friends! I just loved Matt's other book, Mexican White Boy Mexican WhiteBoy and We Were Here is just as compelling. Miguel is in juvi for a crime he doesn't reveal but he is totally guilt ridden about. He gets into an argument with Mong, an Asian with a severely scarred face, many other problems and health issues---scary, scary kid. When Rondell arrives; Miguel already knows him there is more of a flow to his daily life. Miguel reads lots of books, records in his journal (judge's orders) hangs out with(and makes fun of)Rondell. It is when Mong breaks them out to escape to Mexico and get jobs, that life totally changes for the three escapees. Miguel acts hardcore but he is hiding a lot behind his Mexican bravado. As they travel (and hide) to Mexico, there will be life lessons Miguel (and Mong and Rondell) work through as they come to terms with themselves, family, and their place in the world. A riveting, adventure with Miguel and friends. Reluctant readers (and teens who enjoy urban fiction) will relate to all three characters and their dilemmas.
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Hi,
I want connect with school on Unit Food and Nutrition. For exchange we need to exchange any one traditional food reciepe with its nutrients value.
Looking forward for all tracher librarian for this collaboration.
Cheers!
Chhavi Jain
Threatened by Eliot Schrefer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Many thanks to NetGalley and Scholastic for this gripping jungle adventure! Luc is a juvenile who lives in Gabon, Africa. His mother and sister died of AIDS and Luc is working off his debt to Monsieur Tatagani, a sleazy moneylender. He keeps track of all the orphans in his debt, through fear. Luc sees an opportunity to escape when an Arab, Professor Abdul Mohammed (Prof), arriving with a metal case and a monkey, asks Luc to accompany him into the lush jungle, known as Inside, to study chimpanzees for National Geographic. Prof pays off Luc’s debt, thereby freeing him from Tatagani’s ruthless servitude. Despite Luc’s young age, he is a character who is wise beyond his years and will continue to question and worry why Prof chose him for this chimpanzee mission. As Luc and Prof begin their research, Luc learns much from Prof and uses his school knowledge and his mother’s herbal remedies to survive the chaotic life that is the Inside and chimpanzee behavior. Schrefer’s story is compelling and like his first novel, Endangered, the threat to the jungle animals’ existence makes for heart-stopping reading. The reader will grow with Luc as they witness human predators, like Monsieur Tatagani, who kill, trap, and destroy chimpanzee babies, mothers and males. The reader will root for Luc as he forges a relationship with Drummer, the chimpanzee he frees from a trap and as he nurtures Mango, a baby chimpanzee who lost her mother. Will Luc remain Inside and call the chimpanzee community his family? This book will definitely be enjoyed by middle school and high school readers and I highly recommend this book to adults as well as animal lovers . Equally important is the Author’s Note at the end which has so much information and further reading on chimpanzees, Gabon, Jane Goodall, and the AIDS crisis in Africa.
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I attended an excellent bookmaking workshop at North Andover High School, MA recently. I got so much out of it that I am sharing it with others.
Bookmaking Workshop
A hands-on bookmaking session with ideas and using bookmaking with classroom activities.Very fun and very useful. Everyone went home with their bookmaking examples.
Presenter: Carole Kelly, Salem State University, MA
These are the books that we made and discussed:
HIDDEN MESSAGES: From Cherryl Moote's Sleight of Binding. Her books contain many clever paper manipulations as well as really excellent instructions on various book forms. In her books, the math connections are clearer than in some other works.
ENVELOPE BOOK: Here is this simple form and a small reminder that what kind of message or pages can be added is almost unlimited. A packet of papers with the back page glued on, an accordion book with the last segment glued in or simply an inserted paper -- like a letter -- are all easy additions.
Bookmaking Cheat SheetsEnvelope book.doc
POP-UP ROOMS: From Susan Gaylord's Super Pop-Ups for American History, this simple room can be made in many sizes and used in many different ways. Susan's book contains an astounding bunch of ideas and excellent instructions for how to make them.
HANGING ACCORDION BOOK: This one's so easy, I haven't even bothered to draw out the instructions. Make an accordion and glue the head to the tail. Double enough strands of yarn so you can feed one piece through each valley fold. Tie a knot in the middle of the yarn, thread the strands and tie beneath the accordion! See http://www.booklyn.org/education/isaccordion.pdf for basic accordion instructions.
TURKISH MAP FOLD or EXPLODING FOLD: This one is tricky when you try to fold it the first time. So I'm including a video as well as a set of drawings. http://www.greenchairpress.com/blog/?page_id=1944 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoR5Xa5zPp4
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First let me say, I LOVE LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON!!! This book stopped my heart many times- the title was so key to Hayley and her father and their memories. Hayley and her Dad, Andy, have decided to settle down in his grandmother's house and try for a more normal life. Before this time, Hayley lived with her father's Post Traumatic Stress demons from many tours in Iraq. She has heard his screams in his dreams, listened to his horrible, horrible memories of Iraq and watched him over the years drink and drug himself, which has resulted in a dad she loves and hates. She is now almost eighteen, attending high school (for the first time) and she doesn't know any of the rules and social norms, since she has traveled in her father's truck and been homeschooled for much of her life. When she reacquaints herself with Gracie, her kindergarten classmate, she also becomes part of her group and with this association, comes Finn. Finn (according to Gracie is an awesome swimmer, hottie, and ubersmart) is a really nice guy who Hayley asks for a ride one day so she can rescue her father once again. As Finn and Hayley get to know one another, Hayley dares to hope that she can have a normal life that is not fraught with the agonizing drama that is her father. As Hayley is pulled once again into the horrors, she begins to remember and with these memories, she battles who she is (did she really want to through herself off the quarry ledge?)and asks herself, who does she really want to be and want for her future? A compelling story, I couldn't put it down, I loved Hayley and Finn and so will teens. This book will be enjoyed by boys and girls, librarians and teachers will be recommending this thrilling, hopeful read.
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Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for this great romance. Levi moves from California to Wisconsin in 7th grade. The principal asks Macallan to take Levi to his classes that first day. At lunch, when Levi sits alone, MaCallan and her friends ask him to join them and so begins the friendship of Macallan and Levi, which quickly grows into best friends. As they grow older and enter a new school year, each has their own boyfriend or girlfriend. Can Macallan and Levi continue to be best friends and nothing more? I liked the way each chapter is presented from Macallan or Levi’s point of view. Levi’s family becomes a part of Macallan’s family. They have weekly dinners, many of which Macallan cooks. Macallan is passionate, cool, and totally focused on being a good friend. Levi is on the football team and the track team, and enjoys his guy friends. At some point, Levi begins to feel more than friendship for Macallan and when he expresses his feelings to Macallan, she goes to Ireland for the summer. What will happen to Macallan and Levi? Elizabeth Eulberg’s characters are believable teens and for those who like friendships, high school drama, and the tension and warmth of romance, this book will not disappoint!
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The Shadow Throne by Jennifer A. Nielsen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
NetGalley, thank you for this wonderful book! At long last, the third installment in the Ascendance Trilogy! Jennifer Neilsen keeps the pages turning with Jaron’s kingdom, Carthya waging war against Avenia. As a very young king, Jaron must keep his wits about him, protect his kingdom, and win a war where they are outnumbered in every possible way. Jaron uses his bravado and coupled with wit and determination; he is able to pull off many impossibilities. Roden heads the military and Tobias helps the injured soldiers . King Vargan of Avenia is hateful and will stop at nothing to wipe out Carthya. There is drama in the Imogen and Amarinda love triangle, but you will just have to read this rip roaring good book to find out. Who will survive this war? Like the other two books, hold on for nonstop action and adventure. Highly recommended.
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Parched by Melanie Crowder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an apt title, Sarel's family life has been decimated with the arrival of men looking for water. They murder Sarel's parents and set their home on fire with Sarel terrorized thereafter with the recurring fire nightmare. If she did not have her father's dogs (Rhodesian Ridgebacks)I know she would have perished from grief. Each night Sarel would lock the herself and the dogs kennel and they would drape themselves across her body. For awhile there was water but it became evident that the water was drying up. There is a boy, Musa, who is in shackles and being held against his will because he can find water just by dowsing sticks. Musa escapes his captors and walks across the desert and finds Sarel and her dogs. The mother dog, Nandi, knows Musa is the boy who will find them water. Melanie Crowder's plot, characters, and their exhaustive, painful search for water is a must read. It will make readers aware of how many throughout the world are losing their water source and how we must work on conserving this natural resource before it is too late.
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