- 3.5 Stars  

      Early dismissal!  You could practically hear the cheers and high fives as the announcement blared over Tattawa Regional High School's intercom.  The winter storm wasn't going away, and the snow was falling quickly.  Despite that, sophomores Scotty, Pete, and Jason decide to stick around for a little while and work on the go-kart Jason had been building in the school's shop. 

Jason's dad would be there soon to pick them up, and he did have a four-wheel drive truck, after all….

At the time, the 3 friends didn't realize the winter storm was actually a blizzard - the worse blizzard ever to hit the United States.

The boys, along with four other high school students, found themselves stranded. Luckily one adult, Coach Gossell, did still remain in the building.

The remaining group began to feel hopeful when they saw lights - what appeared to be emergency lights - flashing beyond the school parking lot.  Coach Gossell decided to weather the storm and let the emergency workers know they were still there - stranded inside the high school. 

All of them quickly realized how serious the situation had become.  Coach Gossell began slowly walking, battling the wind and the snow, before suddenly sinking waist deep.  When he fought to move forward, Coach disappeared from their sight altogether - never to return to the school.

Now they only had each other.  The beautiful, popular girl and her best friend, the intimidating school bully, the goth freak, and the jocks.  The conditions will only worsen as they are left without water and heat….and the school roof begins to collapse.  Will anyone ever come for them?  Do they have what it takes to continue the fight for survival?

Trapped keeps the reader in suspense and is brief enough to hold the attention of even the most reluctant readers.  I only wish the author had developed the story more because I wasn't ready for it to end!

I wanted to like this book…After reading numerous reviews comparing Enclave  to Hunger Games and Divergent, I couldn't wait to devour another exciting novel.  Unfortunately, though, this book fell flat.  The top reasons I won't be including Enclave on the Top Tiger Book List:

1.  The characters are not well-developed.  I never really bonded with Deuce -   no specific information concerning her former family, the lack of any real detailed interactions with those she considered her close friends, very few flashbacks in the plot revealing her life growing up as a Brat in the Enclave, etc. made me feel as if I never really knew enough about her to ultimately care much about her fate.  In Hunger Games, Collins was able to take a relatively minor character, Rue, and create someone haunting and memorable despite her relatively brief role in Book One of the Hunger Games trilogy.

2.  The plot in Enclave has its moments of excitement but as a whole, it seems pretty unoriginal.  There's been a trend to write dystopia fiction where the futuristic setting actually mimics primitive surroundings, humans are reduced to an uncivilized state in order to survive,  there's a strong heroine who is skillyfully capable of defending herself and others, most of the society is being controlled by a communist-type government which strives to keep their citizens complacent and obedient by using control, fear tactics, etc. and the government typically hiding any signs or relics from the past in order to lie or confuse their citizens about what the world used to be like.

 In order to stand out, there must be something unique within the story.  Divergent implemented intensive battles, fights, and conflicts. The intiation tests of the Dauntless faction differed greatly throughout the novel - increasing the excitement and anticipation of what would be next for the reader. The characters were forced to participate in terrifying scenarios which reflected their deepest, secret fears….The threat was not only physical - but tapped into one's deepest psychological fears…

In Enclave, Deuce and Fade are frequently attacked by Freaks…smarter Freaks….hungry Freaks….a large number of Freaks…Freaks with the ability to reason…again and again.  There's no real creativity in the conflict Deuce, Fade, and the Enclave face beyond attacks from this mutant species.  Even the names given to different groups in the novel, such as Breeders, Brats, and Freaks, lack originality.

3.  Love/Betrayal is just one of the enticing elements in the Hunger Games and Divergent series.  The budding romance between Fade and Deuce seems artificial, undeveloped, and pale in comparison to Katniss/Peeta and Tris/Four.  I did appreciate, however, the surprising love traingle which appears to be emerging at the end of the novel between Deuce and Slash…

4.   The glorified violence was a big turn-off for me as a reader.  Many of the young adult novels in this genre do have frequent epsiodes of violence interwoven throughout the plot  - reflecting how society has become dangerous, apathetic to others, etc. 

Enclave, however, goes over and beyond the inclusion of violent acts by including very graphic, explicit detail - bones splitting, guts spilling out, the gouge and subsequent hiss of a stabbed eyeball, the appearance of Freaks engaging in a feeding frenzy when they trap an injured person, kill a human - or even after the death of one of their own.  Though the main character Deuce claims she doesn't believe in violence except in self-defese, she clearly enjoys inflicting pain and death upon her enemies….enjoying the power, pain, and even the appearance of blood - making her at times appear sadistic and to me, unlikeable as a character, much less a heroine.

Sooooo….despite all the accolades and comparisons of Enclave to two of my favorite books (and previous Top Tiger Book Award contenders) Hunger Games and Divergent,  Enclave does have a little flash here and there, but overall the story lacks any real  substance.

4 Stars

What was he thinking?  Did Quince actually think he could trick her into kissing him, and she'd just fall madly in love with him based on his kissing performance?  Seriously?  Sure…he was hot….in an annoying, killer-bod kinda way…. Quince, though, drove Lily mad.  He did everything possible to get under her fins.  Quince knew her true love was Brody.  Now thanks to that one unsuspecting kiss, everything was ruined.  Lily was bonded to Quince for life.

  Now she had to tell him the truth - the truth about being half-human and half-mermaid.  Lily's only hope was to leave the land and return to her underwater home, Thalassinia.  Lily's father ruled their underwater paradise, and only he could perform the separation ritual to free Lily and Quince. 

Despite her family and friend's affection for Quince, Lily is finally able to convince her father that it's Brody, not Quince, who Lily is destined to be with.    Finally they are separated…and Brody even asks Lily out!  Things could not be more perfect for this fish out of water….why, then, can Lily not stop thinking about Quince?

Very sweet love story about a mermaid teen girl and a human teen boy falling in love.  The charming descriptions of Thalassinia make the underwater palatial city seem real to the reader.  The epilogue promises more excitement and conflict to come in the sequel,  Fins Are Forever.

4 Stars - great book which emphasizes that life is not always "black and white"

 Tiphanie knew she should be happy.  When her dad got a big work promotion, Tiphanie's family moved into a fancy new house in the suburbs.  New home, new school, new life. … Tiphanie's parents reminded her to represent the African-American race - show the nearly all-white high school she would be attending and their new well-to-do community her family and race's sense of integrity, intelligence, and pride. 

     Tiphanie wanted to make her parents proud.  When she attends school the next day, though, Tiphanie discovers she is only one of two African-American students, and in 1975, many students and even teachers still resented school desegregation.  It was made clear to Tiph she wasn't wanted there.  Not only was Tiphanie ignored, a school bully targets her, calling her racist names and tripping her in the hallway.

Tiphanie feels like an outcast - until she meets Jackie Sue, that is.  Jackie Sue lives on the other side of the tracks, calling herself walking talking trailer trash.  To Tiphanie's surprise, though, Jackie Sue is fun to be around, smart and sweet - eventually becoming Tiphanie's new best friend.  They are inseparable.

     Things begin to get better for Tiphanie when she starts talking to other students, realizes they aren't all racist, and feels more accepted at school.  She even meets a cute white guy who seems to like her.  All of Tiph's problems don't go away, though.  The blockhead bully at school, Clay, still won't leave her alone.  He even bullies other students when they talk to Tiphanie - especially Jackie Sue.  She's supposed to be Tiphanie's BFF, but Jackie Sue won't even stand up to Clay when he harasses Tiphanie.  What kind of hold does Clay on Jackie Sue and why?

Tiphanie wants to know Jackie Sue's family, just as Jackie Sue begins to get closer to hers.  Jackie Sue seems secretive, though, and doesn't want Tiph to know the truth about her life…..the horrible home life she really had and had kept hidden from everyone.

In the end, Tiphanie learns that life is difficult for everyone  - no matter their skin color.  She would find a way to make friends and make a new home for herself - though she would always have to face ignorance and racism  - no matter where her "home" would be….. 

4 stars

     Samuel was a "child of the forest."  Living his entire life with his parents in a remote cabin located far from most civilization, Samuel knew the sounds, smells, and images of the forest.  He was an expert marksman and an excellent hunter - though only thirteen, his parents depended on his hunting skills for survival.  Samuel knew there were other worlds out there much different from his own - things he had only read about.  Despite that, Samuel was happy with the way things were.  Unfortunately, nothing stays the same and during the American Revolution, the madness resulting from the 8 year vicious, bloody war  would turn Samuel's way of life upside down.

   Samuel knew that something was wrong.  Hunting in the woods, Samuel suddenly felt uneasy.  After seeing smoke rise miles away, Samuel knew he had to return home quickly and check on his family.  What he found would change his life forever.  Samuel smelled the blood and smoke.  To his horror, Samuel finds his parent's cabin burned to the ground.  Samuel discovers the bodies….thankfully, not his parents, but his neighbors killed without mercy, hacked, shot. 

Samuel knows his parents were not left behind, but taken as prisoners of war by the British.  Despite the many dangers he would face, Samuel is determined to find his parents and set them free.  Together with Annie, a young girl left orphaned after the brutal attack and slaughter of her parents, Samuel embarks on his rescue mission - facing life-threatening dangers each day.  Samuel must determine who is an ally or an enemy, while using his surivial skills to keep Annie and himself alive.  The odds are greatly against Samuel surviving, but he is determined to find his parents and have his family together once again.

Gary Paulsen effectively weaves nonfiction facts, details, and statistics, along with Samuel's story, to unveil the brutalities and horrors experienced during the American Revolutionary War. 

*Recommended Read Aloud

5 Shining Stars~!  A book which rivals Hunger Games..

      It was the most anticipated day of their lives - the Choosing Ceremony.  Four Factions - One Choice.  Would Beatrice stay with her family and remain in the Abnegation with those who taught modesty and selflessness? Or should she show an aptitude for Candor – who valued honesty above all else?  Would she show an inclination for the Dauntless – the fighters, defenders, those with raw courage and bravery?  She could also choose the Erudite - the intellectuals or Amity -  those that believed in peace and unity.  Even Beatrice wasn’t sure in which faction she belonged.    

     The aptitude tests were supposed to reveal the prevalent faction best suited for each teen and could help him/her in making a wiser decision during the Choosing Ceremony.  Beatrice’s testing results, however, were different. Tori, the test administrator, seemed frightened when she tells Beatrice her results were inconclusive, indicating that Beatrice is a Divergent – one showing aptitude in more than one faction.  Tori warns Beatrice never to reveal what she is but make her own choice during the Choosing Ceremony.    

     Confused and afraid, Beatrice selects Dauntless and decides to never look back on her decision.  Beatrice changes her name to Tris, her appearance, and her entire way of life.  Determined to prove she was not this reserved, petite, weak Abnegation girl, Tris takes more risks than the other initiatives and soon begins to stand out.  Despite the violent, frightening initiation tests administered by the Dauntless instructors, Tris learns to find others’ weaknesses and use her own courage to excel all the way to the top of the list of new trainees.       

     Tris’s success is short-lived.  When one of her best friends tries to kill her in order to advance himself in the rankings, Tris realizes the danger not only lies in the tests they must undergo, but also within the people of her own faction. 

     Tensions continue to rise when Tris learns of the plot of the Erudites.  They will join the Dauntless in order to overthrow and murder the leaders of the Abnegation – including Tris’s own family and her father.  Tris has chosen a faction being trained to murder, not to protect.    

     Together with her newfound love, Tobias, Tris must find a way to use all of her talents as a Divergent to stop the bloody war that she and all the Dauntless trainees have been programmed to fight.Breathtaking excitement…page after page!

  4.5 Stars - Another great novel by Watt Key    

     Labeled a troublemaker and juvenile delinquent, Hal was determined to stay out of trouble at Helenweiller Boys’ Home in the hope that he would be released before his eighteenth birthday.  His dad had stopped drinking, was working a steady job, and Hal had met a beautiful girl named Carla who cared for him despite his rap sheet. 

     Hal actually believed he could one day have a life, especially when his attorney tells him the judge was considering early release if Hal stayed out of trouble and followed the rules.    Hal tried to make himself invisible and focused solely on getting out.  Hal, though, can only keep his temper under control for so long.  Though Hal could throw a punch and was stronger than most of the boys there, he repeatedly endured brutal beatings and harassment for his refusal to join one of the  gangs , either the Death Row Ministers or the Hell Hounds.     When Hal goes to Guard Pratt for permission to stay inside during their outside play period to avoid any confrontations, his request is denied.  Hal realizes that the director and guards often ignored the violence and seemed to even instigate conflict between the boys.    

     Soon Hal is beaten so brutally by the Hell Hounds he ends up in the infirmary; Hal begins to fear he may actually die before he is released.  All hope for release is soon gone, though, when the director falsifies conduct reports, blaming the fights on Hal and altering his medical records which detailed all the beatings he endured.      

     The enemies are not the Hell Hounds or the Death Row Ministers – it’s the Staff at the boys’ home.  

The only hope Hal has is to somehow expose the corruption and stay alive at all costs….. Companion novel to Alabama Moon

 4.5 Stars

It was supposed to be a routine trip to the pharmacy.  Cheyenne’s stepmom had agreed to leave the keys in the car while she retrieved Cheyenne’s antibiotics for her worsening respiratory infection.   In the matter of minutes, everything changed.

Though Cheyenne was blind, she knew immediately something was wrong – the slam of the car door, the smell of cigarettes, the man’s voice, cursing, as he started the car…

Griffin didn’t realize that he was also stealing her – a 16-year-old girl lying sick on the backseat.  Griffin just knew he had to bring home something that would make a profit or his dad Roy would make sure he’d pay…

Cheyenne gave the best fight she had.  She attacked Griffin as he was driving, tried to make him stop the car and let her go….Griffin had a gun, though, and Cheyenne was too weak to keep fighting

When Griffin returns home, Roy is furious at his stupid mistake.  Once he sees Cheyenne’s prominent father on television pleading for his daughter’s safe return, though, Roy decides to let Cheyenne live a little longer in order to demand a ransom from her family in exchange for her supposed safe return.

Griffin doesn’t care about the money, he finds himself caring about Cheyenne – her beauty, her honesty, her strength and kindness.  Cheyenne finds herself trusting Griffin – her kidnapper turned protector who makes sure she is taken care of and not left alone with Roy and his friends.  As time passes though, Cheyenne realizes her chances of being released alive are slim.  Despite her blindness and unfamiliarity with the area, she knew she had to escape in order to live.  Cheyenne had to take out anyone in her way – including Griffin.

*Recommended as a read aloud

   3.5 Stars - Fast paced mystery 

     Logan is shocked to learn about the murder of Mrs. Donaldson, the older lady who previously owned the home he and his family just bought.  Though it was creepy that someone had been killed in his home, Logan's family assured him that it was in the past - a random murder/robbery that went wrong. 

     Logan's new neighbor Arthur thought otherwise.  After researching the cold case, both boys are convinced that Mrs. Donaldson was targeted.  She had been accused of embezzling money from Magic Forest - the town's closed amusement park.  Many people felt like the real reason the old lady was murdered was because she simply knew too much - knew who really had stolen the money - and the killer found a way to keep her permanently quiet.

                                                    

   4 Stars - Hilarious hijinks

5 Stars - "Feel good" book done right

     A new home for Matt was no big deal.  She'd been bounced around since the age of five from home to home after her mother died.  Maybe died wasn't even the right word.  She had been murdered by Matt's own abusive, alcoholic father.  Matt not only witnessed the beatings, she experienced her father's cruelty firsthand.

No reason to dwell, Matt thought. She was tough, right?  Just look at her appearance:  the piercings, dyed jet-black spiky hair, heavy combat booths…she looked like a freak, a goth, an emo kid.  Whatever - it worked.  It kept people away…that is until she moved in Jessica and Sam.

Living with a family of Quakers?  God had a pretty odd sense of humor, Matt thought.  Not to mention the other foster kid - drooling, "developmentally challenged," icky, and annoying…Matt just needed to graduate, keep quiet, and then move to Canada where she could be legally emancipated.

Jessica and Sam pretty much forced Matt to attend the Quaker meetings.  LIke she'd rather stay at home and babysit the blob?  Truth was, the meetings were not so bad, though.  They just sat there….meditating in their own thoughts….while sharing any feelings or experiences if they felt like it.  Rather than being super-religious, the members just seemed to want to create a better world, to be kind to others, and to promote peace.  Considering the violence Matt experienced growing up, she could live with those concepts.

Unfortunately, everyone around Matt doesn't want peace.  Her Western Civilization teacher Mr. Warhead, as Matt called him, was a war fanatic.  He quickly decided to target Matt due to her anti-fighting, anti-war beliefs.  The school bully soon joins in - making Matt's life a living hell at school.

Matt just wants to be invisible to everyone.  Jessica and Sam refuse to let that happen.  They continued to include Matt, considered her their daughter, talked to her about their own lives, and treated her with kindness, love, and respect.  Matt is shocked to discover she actually likes living with them, and for the first time, she is really part of family.  Will Matt be able to hold onto her happiness? 

Some of the radical townspeople believed that the Quakers were anti-American and needed to be taught a lesson concerning what it meant to be patriotic and a "good American."  The only way to prove their point was to shut down their meeting place, wiping out some of the members and leaders in the process.

 Matt knows she has to stop the violence - despite her quaking fear of being hurt again and getting hit.  This time she wasn't going to lose the family she had grown to love.

Touching story which made me cry - more than once~!

      4.5 Stars - Suspenseful, hip, funny new Hex Hall trilogy

  Sophie Mercer learned early in life she was different from everyone else.  Raised by her single mother, Sophie knew little about her father except that he was a male witch or warlock.  Sophie herself discovered that she also had supernatural powers and using them could create a little fun at school….at times, though, her spells could cause a lot of trouble.  Casting a love spell for a nerdy girl who was crushing on the popular guy at Sophie's school led to disaster at Sophie's school dance.  As a result, was sentenced to Hecate Hall until reaching the age of 18.  Once Sophie moves into Hecate Hall, trouble in Sophie's life really begins.

Hecate Hall, or Hex Hall as the students call it,  is no ordinary private school.  It's a reform school for supernaturals.  Sophie's human classmates have been replaced with teens who are witches, faeries, shapeshifters, werewolves, and even vampires.

Life at Hex Hall isn't so great for Sophie to put it mildly.  Archer, who could pass for an Abercrombie and Fitch model, did save Sophie her first day of school when one of the werewolves decided she would be a nice snack for him between classes.  Too bad Archer was already dating another witch - the impossibly beautiful Elodie. 

The classes sure were different from regular high school courses.  Sophie would learn to cast powerful spells and use her magic to defend herself should she be hunted by a member of the L' Occhio di Dio - a group based in Rome whose single puprose was to wipe out the existence of all supernaturals.  Right now, however, Sophie was helplessly behind all her classmates.  Raised by a human parent, she didn't have the benefit of being taught how to use her power and magic as the other students had.  Not only did she feel like the biggest loser next to them, Sophie's teachers seemed to always target her in front of others.  Why did they dislike Sophie so much? 

On the bright side, at least Sophie had a cool roommate.  Jessica may be a Vampire, but as a friend, she was fun and full of life.

Things at Hex Hall quickly begin to spiral downward when the witch Chaston is nearly killed…left alone on the bathroom floor with bite marks on her neck.  She wasn't the first student to be attacked.  First there was Holly, Jenna's old roommate, who also appeared to have been attacked by a vampire.  Sophie can't believe her new BFF Jenna would hurt other students…but others are convinced that she is the culprit and Sophie herself could be her next victim.

Sophie thinks she is defenseless should she ever face an attack.  Her powers still don't measure up.  What Sophie doesn't realize is she is actually the most powerful of them all.  The danger Sophie fears does not lie in the outside world but inside the halls of Hex Hall….the enemy wears their school uniform…and Sophie is the next target. 

It will be up to Sophie to find out who is hurting her classmates and how she can use her powerful magic in order to save them all….

4.5 Stars

Savvy never wanted to move to her aunt's farm in Rhode Island.  She knew that in order for her family top get back on their feet financially, though, it had to be done.  Savvy was determined to make the best of it - unlike her drama queen older sister Callie.  

Savvy ate, drank, and slept basketball.  Standing at 6'2", Savvy knew she would be a shoe-in at the middle school girl basketball try-outs.  When Savvy meets Gonzo, another 8th grader trying out for one of the district basketball teams, she finds out the team to aim for is the highly coveted, competitive, winning Varsity Girl's Basketball team.

Savvy knew as an 8th grader that making the team would be a long shot, but she always loved a good challenge.  To Savvy's surprise, she makes the cut!  Life after making the team, however, is anything but a slam dunk. 

 Coach Fitz tells Savvy she has mad talent but unless she boosted her game to the varsity level, she'd spend most of her time sitting on the bench.  Savvy's teammates were resentful that former players lost their positions on the team to make room two middle school girls.  Savvy thought she at least had one sure thing going for her - the attention of the hottest guy on the Varsity Boy's Basketball Team - until she sees him making out with her older sister at their summer barbecue back to school party.

Determined to still be a stand out, Savvy's hard work to boost her game to a higher level soon gets noticed.  The Coach begins playing Savvy and her teammates begin to accept and like her, realizing they ultimately need Savvy to take them to season playoffs. 

Life for Savvy becomes much sweeter….until someone discovers the steroids hidden in her gym bag… 

 4.5 Stars - Great start to a suspenseful trilogy

Chloe just wanted to be accepted.  After her mom died when Chloe was just five years old, she had moved frequently - one luxury apartment after the next…never making friends or feeling like she really belonged.  It wasn't until she started attending a boarding school for the arts that Chloe finally felt like a regular teenager….normal…until she had a mental breakdown.

 Admitted into Lyle House, a group home for mentally troubled or disturbed teens, Chloe tried to forget about the corpse….the man who had appeared to her at school, grabbing her, chasing her….insisting that she help him.  She was hallucinating, right?  Just like when she was younger and would go to the basement in her childhood home.  The voices….the ghosts…the spirits…all part of her active imagination, noone else saw them…they weren't really there.

Chloe accepts her doctor's diagnosis of Schizophrenia.  She faithfully takes her meds…jumping through the hoops so she could be released and move on with her life.  It didn't stop, though.  Chloe still saw them…they cried out…lurked around her…would not stop begging Chloe to help them pass….to finally be at peace.

When Chloe admits her secret to another teen patient, she learns that several of the teens who had been admitted seem to also have unusual powers or supernatural abilities - abnormal strength and heightened sensory preceptions, the ability to move things with their minds, to start fire spontaneously without ever striking a match.  Chloe finally realizes her supernatural ability enables her to communicate with the dead - she was a necromancer. 

Why were all the teens there?  Was it a coincidence?  Or were they being held there to suppress their powers - kept prisoners, labeled "mentally insane," never to be free again?  What secrets were the teachers and doctors of Lyle House hiding?

When Chloe's friend Liz becomes too outspoken, she suddenly disappears from Lyle House.  The staff claimed Liz was discharged and released. Why then was Liz appearing to Chloe in the form of a spirit….as if she had died?

Chloe and her newfound friends soon realize the greatest dangers they face are by staying complacent, accepting their mental "diagnosis," and keeping quiet.  They know that they must somehow escape - before it's too late…  

 4.5 Stars - Must read for middle school students

     Eric hated being the new kid in middle school.  To his surprise, though, he is asked to join a popular group the first week of his 7th grade year.  Griffin seemed to be the leader of the group - he was goodlooking, charming, popular, and all the parents and community members seemed to love him.  It wasn't long, though, before Eric saw Griffin's dark side.

Griffin loved to bully others - hurt them, scare them, steal their most treasured possessions.  Being in Griffin's circle came at a cost.  You were expected to participate in Griffin's "fun activities" or look the other way.

When Eric sees how Griffin tortures David, a 7th grader labeled an outcast, he finally decides to take a stand.  Eric tells Griffin he's antics are stupid and mean.  Eric will no longer be a bystander and watch Griffin run all over everyone.

Griffin has a lot of buried anger.  He doesn't like being confronted by anyone.  Now Eric has decided he want be a bystander anymore, Griffin decides to make him his next target….

*Recommended Read Aloud

Summer Reading Book Reviews

Students may post their summer reading book reviews here!  Just select the comments link and include your first and last name (do not include your email address).  The blog post should be a minimum of 3-4 paragraphs and include the following:  summary paragraph, description of major characters, setting of novel (if relevant), and the novel's theme.  The book review should include enough specific details which indicate that the student has read the novel in its entirety.  Please note that it may take several days before the book review becomes published onto the blog's site.

D.R. Hill Middle School teachers love reading our Top Tiger book titles, also!  Select the comments link below to read their reviews of the 2011-2012 Top Tiger Books~!

    4 Stars - Not as suspenseful as The Compound, but still a good read

      Mason has been plagued with problems his entire life.  At the age of five he was viciously attacked by a dog and still had the scars left behind from his face being savagely ripped and torn.  Mason's mother drinks too much and her job frequently doesn't provide enough money to cover their bills.  The only connection Mason has with his father is a faceless video recording of him reading Runaway Bunny to Mason when he was just a toddler. 

     Despite his past, Mason is determined to have a better future.  His classmates were used to seeing the scars and no longer reacted much when they saw him.  Mason was hopeful that his grades and an athletic scholarship would provide the tuition needed to one day attend Stanford University.

Things quickly changed, though, when Mason's mother discovered his application for the summer program at TroDyn Industries.  Mason didn't understand why she demanded he stay away from TroDyn.  After all, the industry owned half the town and the facility was established for a worthy cause after all - to sustain our environment against the threat of global warming.  

Mason learns his mother has her reasons.  A former worker at the facility, she had inside knowledge about the horrific  experiments using young children, the children of their own employees, nevertheless.  TroDyn scientists claimed their work would eventually sustain life during an environmental crisis and the seemingly cruel experiments were designed to ultimately save future populations.  But what about the young children they were sacrificing today? 

Mason knew his mother had left her prestigious job in order to save him from also becoming part of the experiments, but he didn't understand why she ignored what they were still doing to the other ones left behind.

Mason takes matters into his own hands when he meets the impossibly beautiful young girl who was being locked up in the nursing home where his mother currently worked.  Despite what they said about the girl being catatonic due to a brain injury, Mason knew otherwise.  The young girl could speak and think, and she's desperate for him to help her escape, to hide her from "The Gardener"…..

What had they done to her?  Who was the Gardener?  How could he save the girl who had captured his heart?

Readers will be amazed when they, like Mason, learn the shocking truth…

  5 Stars - Great read for football fans and nonsports readers alike!

Though Marcus hated being the new kid in town, he was determined to stand out and prove  he was worthy of a spot on the town's coveted championship football team.

  Practice makes perfect, and thanks to Marcus's new friend Charlie, Marcus becomes an even more exceptional player during the summer before varsity tryouts.  Even though he was middle-aged, Charlie loved the sport as much as Marcus did, and to top it off, Charlie was a remarkable football player.  Charlie would tackle Marcus, smash him, make him feel the "pop" of a hard-hit delivered by his opponent.  It only toughened Marcus and took away his fear of being hit during the game.  Marcus not only learned to take the pop from Charlie, he also became proficient at taking down the opponent.  Charlie becomes a friend to Marcus - great player and crazy prankster, even for an older guy.

When Coach recognizes Marcus has talent he decides to give him a chance.  Troy, the star quarterback, is less than thrilled and makes no attempt to hide it. Troy knew competition when he saw it, and he instantly labeled Marcus a threat - not only for Troy's star quarterback position, but also a threat to his relationship with Alyssa, the gorgeous captain of the cheerleading squad. 

Imagine Marcus's surprise when he finds out that his new friend, Charlie, is actually the father of his rival, Troy.  Not only does their friendship make Troy more angry, he seems desperate to keep Marcus away from his family….to prevent Marcus from learning the truth about his father…

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this novel.  The end will leave you gasping.  Another touchdown by Gordon Korman!

*Recommended Read Aloud

4 Stars -

Victoria tried to ignore the little boy and his teen mom.  You couldn't help but overhear the mom's angry, biting words to the young toddler, though….or see how she jerked him up by the arm and the bruises that were already there from the many times she had been rough with him before.

It bugged Victoria that the little boy wasn't treated decently, but she had to focus on other things - like meeting her dad at the train station.  Victoria was spending the summer with her dad in New York for the first time since her parents divorced.  There wasn't anything she could do about the young toddler's situation.

When Victoria's father didn't show up on time, she walked slowly back to the train -  to her surprise, she sees the teen mom exiting the train alone…where was her sweet little boy?

Anger and frustration overtake Victoria as she thinks about the neglected little boy, and how she herself had been shuffled around since the divorce, feeling abandoned and forgotten by her father.  She knew how the child felt - how hard it was not to have a real home anymore or a real family.

No matter what, Victoria wouldn't let that happen to the little boy.  He was not going to slip through the cracks.  She would find the little boy who was left alone on the train, take him away from his uncaring mother and her boyfriend Jake - who was angry she had brought her son with her and probably a worse parent than the girl even was.  Victoria would do what she had to do in order to make sure the little boy had a safe, loving home before she would ever return him.

Victoria had no idea that she was carrying thousands of dollars - drug money - stashed into her bag on the train when she wasn't looking.  Jake doesn't care about the little boy, but he wants the money.  He'll hurt Victoria and the child to get it back. 

Victoria can only run for so long…Her face is shown all over the news.  To the police and press, she's not a heroine.  Victoria is a kidnapper.  If she keeps running, Victoria could be arrested and lose her entire future…but what about the future of the young child?  Didn't he deserve more?

  -    4 Stars

After getting into a violent fight which ended up with his opponent being hospitalized, Alex tries to make a fresh start at Glenarvon Academy.  It wasn't long, though, before things began getting a little crazy.  Suffering from insomnia, Alex takes a walk around campus to settle his nerves. 

Then Alex hears a scream of terror.  Running quickly to help, he stumbles across a dead body - freshly killed in a brutal way.  Looking away in horror, Alex sees a young girl  running away.    Intending to help her, Alex pursues the girl in white - only to have himself brutally attacked, not by a young girl, but by a ferocious vampire.

Alex manages to injure her and escape.  Although he decides to keep his little adventure quiet and to forget what happened,  the vampire does not forget.

Soon Alex finds out that he is being hunted by a clan of deadly vampires - ones who are all too familiar with the family name "Van Helsing."  Alex also learns that his teacher is not just an instructor but Secret Agent Sangster who works for the Polidorium - a group founded in order to hunt and destroy evil vampires.  To Alex's shock, he learns the group of agents once included his own ancestors and counted among its members today Alex's own father and mother. 

 Alex's superior combat skills and his sixth sense in detecting the presence of evil are no mishaps.  Alex knows he is destined to join the fight.  His skills and determination are put to a test when Alex's friends from school are kidnapped by the vampire clan and Agent Sangster is injured and unable to help.  Alex knows what he's up against, but he can't sit back when his friends are taken as a sacrifice.  He has to find them and rescue them before it's too late… 

 5 Stars - Could not stop reading this novel!

     Kyra isn't your average 13 year-old.  Isolated from the "outside" world, Kyra has grown up with 17 siblings, her mother, and her father's other two wives.  For years, Kyra believed her father when he told her that they were "the chosen ones."  She was obedient to her family and to the annointed Prophet in their small community.  Once Kyra became a teenager and a new Prophet was named, however, she began questioning the life which has been dictated to her and her siblings.

The new Prophet had restricted their access to the outside world, banned Kyra's beloved books, and believed women should be kept silent, while the men ruled their families with an iron fist, forcing them all into obedience if they ever questioned the Prophet's teachings or if they acted in defiance against their community's strict beliefs.

Kyra begins breaking the rules.  She starts reading books again delivered from a book mobile.  She also develops feelings for Joshua - sweet Joshua, even kissing him and letting him hold her hand.  When Joshua tells Kyra that in two years he wants to choose her to be his wife - his only wife-Kyra believes she can one day find happiness despite the oppressive community and overbearing rules.

Kyra's dreams are soon shattered when she learns that she has already been chosen by another.  The man she is to wed is her sixty year old uncle.  Kyra knows she has to act now and escape, even if it means leaving behind the family she adores and losing the boy she loves, even with the chance they may catch her and kill her- just as they did the others…..

 

 

*Recommended Read Aloud

     3.5 stars

Thirteen-year-old Sunny Skyland's life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.  All she ever wanted was a real home to call her own.  Left without parents since the age of three, she had been traded between her relatives, treated as if she were a burden, mistreated and abandoned, while being shifted from one foster home to another.  It seemed that she would never have a real family that loved her.  True, her latest foster home wasn't THAT terrible.  Rita was a little annoying and strict - always wanting Sunny to eat gross healthy foods and exercise.  If that weren't enough, she had even forbidden Sunny to eat her favorite foods:  nachos, snickers, and the ultimate goody - Twinkies.  Rita did seem to care somewhat, though, and had even decorated a bedroom for Sunny that looked like it was actually made for a teen.  Rita, though, wasn't family….

Just when Sunny was beginning to lose hope, fate intervened in the form of an abandoned backpack….a backpack that contained hundreds of dollars!  Sunny knew then what she had to do.  Night after night, Sunny had studied the old photograph she still had - the picture that was taken so long ago before her parents had died.  Sunny knew she wasn't alone in the world.  She had a twin sister named Starr!  Now was her chance to travel back to her hometown and search for her long-lost sister, reclaim the only family she had left…

She never imagined then that the venture to find Starr could ultimately cost Sunny her life.

 Suspenseful story with an ending which will make the reader reconsider the true meanings of "home" and "family"… 

     3.5 Stars 

Genevieve could not believe her mother’s summer plans for her family – to live three months at Camp Frontier, completely “roughing it.”    Gen had to give up her iPod, cell phone, TV, and even indoor plumbing!  And how could anyone expect Gen to ever get used to wearing the long scratchy petticoats? 

The most disgusting part of frontier life was not having running water to take a regular shower  - gross!  To top it off, Gen also had to share a bed with her younger brother, Gavin.   No matter how much she hated it, Gen’s parents insisted they stay and experience what life was like for early pioneers in the 1890s.

Did pioneer teens have to deal with a bratty, Mrs. Know It All, like Camp Frontiers owner’s daughter, Nora?  Did the girls in the 1800s crush on boys?  To Gen’s surprise, there actually was a hot guy who was also forced by his family to live at Camp Frontier.  Caleb could even rock a straw hat; he was THAT hot.  It wasn’t like he would ever look Gen’s way, though – she didn’t even have deodorant, much less makeup or a flat iron.  Besides, Caleb and Nora seemed awfully chummy.  He barely glanced her way.

The only thing that made Gen’s life somewhat liveable was when she discovered her cell phone hidden at the camp.  Each day, Gen looked forward to texting Kristin and Ashley -  telling them what it was like to grow crops, eat beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner…..and how stupid it was she had to spend hours making butter for the family.  

Gen had no idea that she wasn’t isolated from the modern world at all.  Her friend Kristin had created a blog documenting Gen’s frontier experiences, and suddenly a fan base for the blog exploded as  thousands of people began subscribing to the blog's RSS feed and reading each day…waiting for Gen’s newest observations…wondering what would happen next.

 Gen thought her life couldn’t become more different than when she left their home and began living at Camp Frontier. All she wanted was to go back – to have her old life back the way it was before.  In reality, though, Gen finds she can’t go back.  Her experiences at Camp Frontier, the relationships her family formed with the other pioneers,  and the popularity of the blog documenting Gen’s words will change her world forever….

Fun story which reminds us of all the modern day amenities we take for granted in today’s world

If you enjoyed Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass, try Little Blog on the Prairie.

Congratulations to the 38 students who qualified to attend our Top Tiger Book Award party.  And the winner is…… 

 The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Thanks again to the all the students who participated in our Top Tiger Book Award program!

Celebrating Books with Beat~! 

  Congratulations to the following students who submitted winning book Trailers during Teen Read Week's   Books with Beat:

Book Trailers can be viewed at the following link:

 http://teachers.spart5.k12.sc.us/symborse/PhotostoryFinalists.htm

from: 

Library Media Connection

     Jenna Fox wakes up from a coma and finds she has lost a year of her life. Her memories of her life before the accident are barely a whisper and she has to learn how to be Jenna Fox all over again. Her mother gives her video recordings to watch, one for each year of her life, and it is clear that Jenna has been her parents? whole world. As she gets stronger, she senses that something is very wrong…

from School Library Journal

Fourteen-year-old Toby Magill, a closeted Food Network junkie, gets a summer job flipping dough at Killer Pizza. Hoping to learn some cooking skills, Toby is optimistic about his new position, and he instantly bonds with his two coworkers. However, the teens soon discover that the establishment is actually a front for a secret monster-hunting organization, and they are the newest recruits. Their focus shifts from making pizza to weapons training and stakeouts as they try to uncover the leader of a pack of grotesque monsters that can transform into human shape and are preying on innocent people. Clearly, this is not the job for which Toby applied.

Killer Pizza  - Movie Trailer @ Barnes and Noble

 Stephanie does not get along with her mother's new boyfriend Gregg, who is very different from her late father. Gregg is always going out of his way to get on her nerves. Though he was annoying, Stephanie  never thought of Gregg as a threat – until he begins mentioning her resemblance to the girls who have recently gone missing from their homes….

 From School Library Journal

The Slash, the newspaper of Harris Elementary/Middle School, and its co-editors, Adam and Jennifer, are back for more intrigue and mystery in this second novel by Michael Winerip. After being mugged for his snow-shoveling money, Adam becomes the inspiration for an article focusing on bullying. Adam tries to redirect his investigative skills to other issues facing not just their school, but also their town. With stories about a 300-year-old climbing tree in jeopardy of being cut down, the "un-fair" Science Fair, and a mysterious plot to flatten a poorer, African-American part of the town to make way for mini-mansions, Adam and the staff of the newspaper take on some very powerful adults to uncover deeply hidden truths.

Cecilia knows that she is not just another peasant girl; she is actually the true princess, in hiding until the evil forces that killed her parents are vanquished.  A commoner named Desmia is on the throne as a decoy. As she gets older, Cecilia finds it harder to study statesmanship and palace protocol secretly at night and then pretend that she has nothing on her mind other than scrubbing the gruel stains out of her best apron by day. Cecilia knows that it is time to take charge. Along with her best friend, Harper, she flees to the capital city, determined to reclaim her throne and face the danger head on.   When Harper and Cecilia reach the famed Palace of Mirrors, they discover complications with getting Desmia off the throne. Desmia believes a completely different story about her being a princess…

Summary by Linda Estridge from SCASL.net

 

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 Mrs. Starch, the mean and strict biology teacher. But  when a fire breaks out on a school outing to Black Vine Swamp and she disappears, Nick Waters and his friend Marta think maybe a troubled kid Duane Scrod is to blame. Duane’s nickname  “Smoke” came from his reputation for setting fires on public property, and he and Mrs. Starch  have already had a run-in. Nick and Marta are even more concerned when a few days later they  see Duane with a mysterious man driving Mrs. Starch’s car. Is Duane responsible for Mrs.  Starch’s disappearance?  Did he set the fire? There is a lot more to Duane, the fire and Mrs.  Starch than anyone realizes.

Prepared by:  Jean Strickland, SCASL.net

 

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from goodreads.com

Ninth Grade Slays is the second book in the Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series. Vlad Tod is just your average half-vampire, half-human teenager. He recently found out he has an awesome vampire uncle, who is trying to protect Vlad as much as possible. He also recently discovered that there is a magical world of vampires called Elysia, that is basically everywhere he goes. The nearby vampire Council's president and Vlad had a show-down at the end of the eighth grade and Vlad killed him. Or did he?

 

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How can a group of students stop the tide of fear caused by reports of ghosts and murder in the  abandoned Ludlow House in the small town of Banesville? Hildy and Zach use the school  newspaper to challenge the local newspaper’s coverage of events.

When the city’s newspaper  editor pressures the school to stifle the school paper, Hildy and Zach go “underground” with the  help of a restaurant owner and a former newsman. Will they be able to stop developers from  tearing down the orchards for a theme park, to determine who or what murdered the stranger on  the old Ludlow place, and to unmask the ghost?

Prepared by: Linda Rosenlieb

lrosenlieb@edgefield.k12.sc.us

from Booklist:

Early in this hilarious what-I-did-on-my-summer-vacation account, Greg Heffley cynically records his clueless mother’s promise that despite tight budgets, it would still be “the best summer ever.” Boy, was she wrong! Instead, the summer brings a long list of miseries: the anxiety-provoking shower at the public pool, a falling-out between Greg and his best friend, and, worst of all, “family togetherness.”

 Since she can remember, Katarina's relatives have been grooming her for the family business–thieving. But when Kat tries to go straight and leave the Life for a normal life, she's promptly kicked out of her new school for stealing the headmaster's car and mounting it on the school fountain. Although she could have done it without breaking a sweat, ironically, this time, she's innocent.

In fact she was framed–by another highly-skilled thief. Her friend and brother-in-trade Hale, with his mischievous smile and limitless bank account, has appeared out of nowhere to bring her back to the Life, back to the family Kat tried so hard to escape. Hale has a good reason: A powerful mobster has just been robbed of his priceless art collection and he wants to retrieve it. Only a master thief could have cracked this vault, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he IS the list. Now, caught between Interpol and a far more deadly predator, Kat's dad needs her help.

summary from http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk

from School Library Journal

Up-More than 200 years in the future, Comet Bhaktul hurtles past Earth, leaving a deadly contagion in its wake. Bhaktul's disease threatens to annihilate the human race within a decade, but the mysterious illness only affects adults. Scientists worldwide scramble to find a cure, while one scientist proposes a controversial project to preserve humanity, should other efforts fail. Under Project Galahad, 251 teens are sent on a mission to reach a habitable planet free of Bhaktul's contamination. As Galahad enters space, the young people must deal with the intense pressure of saving humankind and the sadness of leaving their families behind. Sixteen-year-old Triana, the ship's commander, must manage daily operations while also dealing with her father's recent death. Matters escalate when, less than a week out, one of the teens spots an adult onboard, a potential Bhaktul carrier. With the help of the Council and the ship's computer brain, Triana does her best to solve the mystery of the uninvited passenger and save their mission.

Bounce

5 Stars - This is a great story about changes, accepting new people into your life, and letting people love you - even when you may not love yourself

Evyn's life is suddenly turned upside down.  Her stepfather is marrying a woman he barely knows.  And to top it off, Ev has to now move states away from her BFF - to live in a strange town with a new dazzling stepmother and her five children that Ev and her brother, Mackey, have never met!

Sure Eleni tries to act nice, like she's happy that Evyn and her brother are now part of her goofy family.  Evyn doesn't need her, though.  She has her dead mother who still talks to her at night, supports her, and loves her…a mother she hasn't seen since she passed away, dying in a car accident, when Evyn was just one-year old.

Things only continue to get weirder.  Evyn's stepsisters are impossibly perfect, and her college-aged stepbrother Linus is so incredibly hot he makes her drool.  How sick is that?

 The popular girls at school suddnely all want to hang out with her because of her cool new brothers and sisters….until they become angry at Evyn for not hooking them up with her cute stepbrother….then suddenly Ev is an outcast and the It Girls become the Mean Girls. 

To make matters worse, Evyn's best friend back home, Jules, has suddenly become Miss Popular and never has time to even talk to Ev on the phone. Ev's mom keeps telling her to be happy, to not walk - but to bounce.  Evyn will bounce.  She's ready to bounce away from this life forced on her - a life she didn't choose or want.

Every Soul a Star

  4 glittering stars

Ally loved her life at Moon Shadow Campground.  She loved living near nature, stargazing from her backyard, not having to worry about wearing the right outfit, fitting in at a public school, or finding a boyfriend.

Bree couldn't be more different from Ally.  She was beautiful, popular, and worked hard at creating the perfect life for herself - becoming the girl that every teen wishes she could be.

In Every Soul a Star, Ally and Bree find themselves having one thing in common:  Moon Shadow Campground - a place where thousands of people travel from far way and gather to view a rare moment -the total eclipse of the sun. 

Ally is devastated to learn that she will be moving away from Moon Shadow and attending a public school.  Bree's family will be taking Ally's place.  They will be the new managers at Moon Shadow.  Bree is forced to leave her school and friends behind - all for a life in the dirty outdoors, miles away from civilization, with not even a shopping mall in sight.

Together Bree and Ally decide to unite; they will convince their parents to keep their lives the way they were before.  While working together and spending their summer at Moon Shadow, Ally and Bree discover that change may be a good thing, and they both have more in common than they originally thought.  

Newcomer Jack and Ryan, a summer regular at Moon Shadow campground, also learn that appearances can be deceiving.  That they, too, can find their place in the world - even if they don't always feel like they fit in.  

This novel shows how four middle school students, who appear very different on the outside, are able to form a friendship and bond - one that will likely last forever - not just the summer at Moon Shadow Campground.

The Truth about Truman School  by Dori Butler 

3.5 Stars 

Zebby was tired of her teachers telling everyone to take a stand…just not on EVERYTHING.  Don't ever speak negatively about their school, the teachers that worked there, other students who caused problems, how life's not fair.

Zebby decides it's time that everyone had a chance to hear and tell the real story - what life was really like as a student attending Truman Middle School.

When Zebby and her best friend Amr started their own online site, they thought they would get the chance to actually have a voice, expose injustices, and express their opinions about any topic.  To their amazement, the online site becomes hot!  It gets hundreds of daily hits.  All of the popular students at Truman Middle know about it.  Some even post their own articles, letters, and links.

Someone, though, has an agenda.  Revenge.  It's time to show everyone just how easy it is to take down a popular student.  Make her an outcast.  Ruin her life.  No matter how long it takes, he will get even with her.  He will destroy her life.  Just like she ruined his. 

4 Stars - Life lessons unfold through a mysterious plot

 It was the perfect summer vacation plan.  A cross-country bike ride with your best friend.  A great adventure before having the face the real world, college, major responsibilities.  It started out as a joke, but Chris decided he really wanted the experience.

Chris and Winn had a lot in common.  Both enjoyed biking.  Both felt like they didn't fit in at school.  Both were restless, wanting adventure.  As close as they were as friends, Chris could sense the distance growing between them.  He was tired of Win's nonstop pranks that made everyone else angry.  Chris also felt uneasy about Winn's father.  He was controlling, seemed to have power over everyone else, and just acted plain weird. 

Despite this, Chris wanted to give their friendship one last shot.  He never imagined it might be the last time he would see Winn again…or that Winn would disappear, leaving Chris and his family behind. 

Chris tries to move on with his life.  He begins college and meets a beautiful girl.  The FBI, though, wants answers.  They think Chris knows more about Winn's disappearance than he's telling.  They won't let up until they find out the full story of that summer.  The bike ride that changed both Chris and Winn's lives forever.

 The Compound  by SA Bodeen

4 stars -  Unique story - suspenseful! Imagine a nuclear war has been launched - it's the end of the world. You and your family are the lone survivors.    Your twin brother and Grandma, however, didn't make it.  They weren't able to escape in time.  They had to be left behind.You, though, are one of the lucky ones.  Your father is a billionaire.  He's planned ahead.  You have a hidden underground compound built in anticipation of a nuclear war - prepared to block out all radiation, sustain life, and supplied with all of life's necessities and more.  The hidden underground compound contains all the luxuries you could ever want - right down to a plasma HDTV. Dad has bought toys for each of your birthdays.  One for every year - to be presented at each of your birthday parties.  Life, for you, only exists in the compound - until the world is safe to re-enter. Eli never questioned his father when he opened the compound doors.  For six years, Eli grieved the loss of his twin brother, struggled with boredom and oppression, and wondered if life would ever really resume for his family.   Imagine his surprise when he finds out the world is already safe.  Has been safe.  His brother didn't die - he escaped.  The real danger Eli faces is not nuclear war or destruction.  The real danger is in between the steel walls of the locked compound.  Eli's father is determined to never let them go, no matter what.  Can Eli escape this underground prison?

     4 Stars – A Goose-Bumpy, Spine-Tingling, Ghost Story that will leave you guessing until the end 

The Crossroads reminds me of an old, country, backroad.  The novel can, at times, have strange twists.  Many characters seem different and out-of-place.  The plot twists and turns will leave the reader wondering what else lies ahead.  The book can be downright scary – especially when you realize that some of the characters are not just mean people – but evil spirits consumed with the desire for revenge. Zack is ready for a new beginning.  He’s never really belonged – even in his own home.  Zack’s mother always resented his presence and never made her son feel loved or wanted.  When his mother passed away and Zack’s father remarries, his life begins to change for the better.  A new home, new town, new start. Then Zack and Judy notice something about the locals.  They look and talk funny – like old pictures and commercials from decades ago. 

 And then there’s the tree in Zack’s backyard -  the old oak tree with the white cross nailed into the truck.  The tree seemed to have a life of its own – almost human, seething with anger and hatred.   Despite some of the weirdness, Zack thought it was great to be living in his dad’s childhood hometown.  Until the evil spirits around them become stronger.  They won’t stop until they seek revenge.    Zack may be innocent, but his dead grandfather wasn’t.  It’s time for someone to pay. 

  3.5 Stars - Fast-paced story that keeps you hooked

 Most teens are used to living life in the fast lane.  Living life on the run, however, is completely different. 

When Alex's father is brutally murdered right before his eyes, Alex is asked to testify against the man that took his father's life away - the same vicious man who had also shot and left Alex for dead.

Although the man is jailed for his crime, he has powerful connections outside the prison walls.  Alex and his mother are forced to abandon the world they have always known.  They assume new identities, move to another state, and learn to become untraceable under the Witness Protection program. 

Despite their fear, Alex and his mother are able to move on with their lives.  They must learn to change themselves frequently - their looks, personality, speech, and even their home.  Alex knows he can never really become close friends with anyone - he could slip and reveal his identity, or  even worse, endanger the lives of his friends.

When they move again, this time to Virginia Beach, Alex assumes the identity of a skater.  To his surprise, he begins to really get used to this new life.  He even makes real friends - ones he feels he can actually trust.  Maybe, just maybe, he can stop being fake.  Alex would finally have a life he called his own.

That is, until the killer arrived.  

Media Center workers recently completed their digital storytelling projects on a fiction novel.  You can view the digital booktalks at the following link:

Digital Booktalks

 

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Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

5 stars - Incredible book, page-turner, exciting!!!  Can't wait  for the sequel and movie release!

Suzanne Collins has done it again!  Just like the Underworld Chronicles, she has written a riveting new series that YA and adult readers will find irresistible. 

Katniss is the spunky, admirable main character in this futuristic novel.   The story takes place in Panem.  The capitol of Panem with its 12 outlying districts "celebrate" a gruesome annual event that's viewed by everyone - the Hunger Games.  The Hunger Games seem like a virtual reality video game - except the horrors are experienced in real life by the children who live in Panem.

Each year two children's names are drawn from each district to participate in the Hunger Games.  The group must compete and fight in order to determine the winner.  The only way to win this game is to stay alive - and to destroy all others before they destroy you.  When Katniss's little sister's name is drawn from this year's participants, she quickly volunteers to take her place.  Katniss knows she is poorer and weaker than the other participants, but she has skills they lack:  determination, survival instincts, superior hunting skills, and a fierce need to save her family from their current plight of starvation and misery.

Though the odds are against her, Katniss emerges as a strong competitor - and a crowd favorite.  The greatest threat to survival is not the life-threatening starvation and dehydration she faces, nor the blood-thirsty, cruel children from other districts.  Katniss must contend with her feelings for another competitor, Peeta.  Peeta seems to care for her and protect her, but isn't it all an act?  Will he betray her in the end?  How can she destroy the only love she has ever known? 

There will only be one winner, but this victory will come at a great cost.

Amazing story, readers will be hooked

Summer Reading for Teachers

Several of our teachers selected Top Tiger Book Award Nominee titles to read and blog about over the summer!  You can read their reviews under the comments link.

Here are two videos highlighting the 2009-2010 Top Tiger Books.  Students may partipate in our Top Tiger Book Award program by reading four titles and turning in a book form or blogging about their selected books.  In order to qualify for the pizza/voting party and participate in selecting the school winner, all requirements must be fulfilled by January 28th.

The first video is a shorter version.

 

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 Online Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

      Four stars

Neeka and her best friend had been tight since they were little kids - being hauled around in their onesies by their mamas.  They always thought it would be the two them, sitting on Neeka's stoop, laughing and cutting up.  Then they met D Foster.

D was crazy beautiful.  Even Neeka's hot brother, Jayjones, got goofy around her.  D's life wasn't so pretty.  Her mom was hooked on drugs and D had been passed around from one foster home to another.  At least Flo bought food with the state money. 

The narrator and Neeka had their own set of problems, too.  Neeka had to catch grief about her older brother, Nash.  Then Nash gets locked up over something stupid.  The narrator didn't know her daddy and times were always tough for her and her mama.

Only one person seemed to know what each girl was feeling - Tupac.  Tupac's songs and dope lyrics always spoke to their hearts. 

No matter what happened, even if they lost touch with one another, and D was lost to them forever, Neeka, the narrator, and D knew what they  had together was real. As real as the pain in Tupac's voice.

The Brothers’ War: Civil War in Verse by J. Patrick Lewis

 I am excited that my project using Google Earth was recently published on the Google Lit Trip site for educators.  The direct link and download for viewing in Google Earth can be located here:

The Brothers In War:  Civil War Voices in Verse - KMZ file (downloaded and opens in Google Earth)

About the book:

 This book of poems is truly amazing.  J. Patrick Lewis writes eloquently, using emotionally loaded words and imagery, to speak in the voices of various Civl War participants - both real and imagined. 

What I found ironic about this text are the juxtaposition of the flowing, beautiful language and the subsequent horror it was detailing.  Some examples of Lewis’s powerful imagery included in The Brothers’ War are the “sickle moon” revealed during the bloody aftermath of the Battle of Seven Pines,  the voice of a hospitalized Confederate soldier - “giving up the ghost To welcome Mr. Death,” a runaway slave describing his “bullwhip-long odds” of making it to freedom - ”a land as alien as space.”  The Brothers’ War also includes Civil War photographs, adding visual interest to the events of the Civil War and the text.  This book is a useful resource in both Language Arts and Social Studies classes.

Podcasts of letters - written from the point of view of a concerned father and a son.  The son is a Confederate Prisoner of War.  He writes his letter home on his way to a Union prison.

Letter from Home - Father to Son Recording - Charles Barnett, Language Arts teacher barnettecivilwar.mp3

Letter Home - Son to Father Recording by Cody Eldridge, 8th grade student at DR Hill civiwarcody.mp3

The Google Earth Lit Trip is located under the middle grade section: 6-8. Read the viewing session tips in order to view the event locations included in this book - also included in tour is supplementary information about the Civil War.   

 *You must have Google Earth installed on your computer to view the file.  This should open automatically in Google Earth.  Under My Places, Temporary Files, you can select the Civil War .kmz file to view the tour. 

In order to read the content saved under each location and to view and hear media files, pause the tour and manually click on each underlined placemark.

  Four Stars

Troy White had a great gift - he could predict beforehand the opposing football team's strategy and plays.  Call it ESP or intuition - either way, Troy just knew he could be very valuable to his favorite team - the Atlanta Falcons. Even though the team's star linebacker lived in a ritsy neighborhood close to Troy, he knew he'd never have a chance to meet him - much less, help them have a winning season.  He couldn't even get his own football coach to let him play - not as long as Troy played the same position as the coach's annoying son, Jamie.

Troy thought his luck had changed.  His mom found a great knew job working in the PR department of the Falcons.  She even had an All-Access pass!  Troy would get to see the action up close!  And maybe, just maybe, he'd have a chance to help Seth and the Falcons win the championship.

Troy's plan fails miserably.  He gets arrested for trying to sneak up to Seth and the Falcon's Coach during a game.  His mom loses her new job.  And to top it off, she busts him for sneaking into Seth's backyard through a hole in the fence and stealing a game ball.

Troy knows he has to prove to everyone he really is a football genius - no matter what it takes.

4.5 Stars  

The story begins with the dreadful murder of a family.  A young toddler is the only survivor that fateful night.  The little boy manages to escape when he decided to go exploring.  His exploration leads him outside to a nearby graveyard.  The innocent young toddler does not know he is being pursued by an assassin. 

 His recently departed mother knows her son is still in danger. She frantically appears in the graveyard and pleads to the spirits and ghosts buried there to take her son in, shelter him, and protect him from harm.

That is exactly what they do.

This begins the story of Nobody Owens.  Though the beginning of The Graveyard Book is bleak, this coming of age story is fascinating and will keep you in suspense.

Nobody, called Bod, lives in the graveyard.  His family is a host of ghosts and spirits.  Along the way, Bod frequently finds himself in danger; at times, from graveyard spirits less than kind to the living. 

He also continues to be hunted by the man who destroyed his family. As Bod gets older, he yearns for the outside world. He outgrows the younger spirits who used to play with him, and Bod wants to experience life on his own. In order to have a life in the world beyond the graveyard gates, Bod finds himself in a position of fighting for his life once more.

Can he defeat the evil man who wants him dead?  Will Bod be able to leave the only family he knows and loves behind?

This story is magical and unlike any that I have ever read before. Nail Gaiman creates a fascinating setting, interesting characters with a variety of stories to tell, and manages to weave humor, fear, and emotion into each page he has written.

Highly recommended

During 2009's Teen Tech Week, Mr. McCurry and I helped students create educational videos using Animoto. 

The students began by selecting the topics, identifying key vocabulary, and searching for graphics/photos to support their topics online. 

Students then created their own accounts in Animoto, uploaded their work, and created their final videos. They did an incredible job! 

Check out a few examples here:

Student Videos

Five Stars!

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Imagine having extraordinary powers - powers to literally move mountains or cause floods.  Imagine carrying electric currents throughout your body - enough to ignite fires, set off alarms, cause light bulbs to explode.  Your magical powers may be strong, dangerous, or fierce - or it may be something harmless that makes your life better - like the gift of always being perfect, doing things the right way, and never having to work hard for your success.  Mibs and her family have these powers - or as they call it, their "savvy."  When they turned 13 years old, their savvy was revealed to them on their birthdays.  Mibs and her siblings then had to learn to keep their family secret hidden from everyone and had to attempt to live as normally as possible while keeping their savvy under control.

Mibs was excited and nervous on her 13th birthday.  Today, she would finally learn what her savvy was. 

Rather than the day becoming a celebration, however, Mibs life began to spin out of control.  A horrible car accident has left Mibs Poppa in a coma.  Mibs mother and older brother have to travel out of state to be by his bedside while her father is fighting for his life. 

Mibs knows in her heart that her father needs her.  Though she doesn't know what her savvy is yet, she's convinced she has the ability to bring her father back from the coma - to save his life.

The adventure begins when Mibs hides on a bus headed to her father's hospital.   She never expected this bus ride journey would reveal her real savvy, connect her with a friend that accepted her the way she was, and bring her closer to her siblings.  Mibs even finds herself falling in love for the first time.

In the end, Mibs not only saves her father, she learns to accept and be happy with herself, her own savvy, and the family she loves. 

Looooovvvvvveeeddddd this book!  Fast-paced and interesting, feel-good story

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Bartoletti

   3.5 Stars

His life was a lie.  He said the right things.  Made his family proud.  Loudly declared his loyalty, his patriotism, his pride.  All alone, he swallowed the truth.  Until he could no longer live the lie. 

At first, Helmuth Hubener believed Hitler was Germany’s savior.  He became a prestigious member of Hitler’s youth and outwardly praised Hitler for protecting Germany from the Communists.  Once appointed Chancellor, though, Hitler did not keep his promises. 

He promised peace – but gave them never-ending war.  He promised them power – but took away their basic rights and freedom.  He promised them prosperity – but required great personal sacrifice. 

At first, Helmuth rebelled by listening to banned radio programs.  Here he began learning the truth.  The atrocities inflicted by Hitler – the lies he had fed the German people.  Helmuth knew he had to make others aware of the real Adolf Hitler and the threat he posed to everyone, Germany included.  He couldn’t remain silent anymore. 

Helmuth knew the great risk involved when he began printing and distributing pamphlets that spoke against the Nazi regime.  Despite the risk and sacrifice, Helmuth had to speak and take a stand for those too afraid.

This fictional account is based on actual events.  Helmuth Hubener, sixteen years old, was captured, tortured, and executed for treason.  Until the final moments of his life, Helmuth never regretted his actions.

He believed it was his obligation to tell the truth and take a stand against Hitler’s inhumanity – even if he must pay with his own life.

Waiting for Normal  by Leslie Connor

          4.5 Stars

Addie was used to chaos – or as Mommers like to call it, constant change.  Things were good for a while.  Mommers married Dwight.  Then the twins came along, Brynna and Katie.  For awhile, they were like a real family.   Then Mommers acted out again.  She started lying, spending all the money, ignoring us all.   Even a great dad like Keith has his limits.

He took the twins away when Mommers took off and left us alone for three days.  Keith was the closest thing I ever had to a real dad – losing him hurt the most. Addie tried to be optimistic. Keith promised to bring the twins over to see her as often as he could.  She thought the new trailer Dwight bought for her and Mommers was cute.  And Elliot and Soula from the minimart were supernice and fun, even though Mommers made fun of them. 

Addie knew Mommers loved her, but she didn’t act like other parents.  Mommers slept all day, never cooked, played on her computer all the time and watched goofy TV shows, like Jeanette for the Judgment, when she was actually at home.

Mommers always seemed to have a hard time holding things together.   Addie had a hard time focusing on the good when Mommers started disappearing again.  She was staying gone for days at a time, and Addie’s food kept running out.  Addie didn’t want a nicer house, new clothes, or popularity at school. 

She just wants what she’s never had - a life that’s normal.  

   Five Stars 

The Juvie Three  by Gordon Korman

• Accessory to a robbery
• Breaking and entering
• Grand theft
• Manslaughter   

Three juvenile delinquents:  troublemakers, incapable of ever rehabilitating, dangerous.

Gecko, Arjay, and Terrence were convicted of committing crimes and now are serving time as punishment.  Lives ruined – freedom taken away.

Their luck suddenly changes, though, when the three teens are selected for a new program.  Douglas Healey offers to supervise the boys as they all live together in a halfway house, attend school while keeping up their grades, attend counseling, and stay out of trouble.   Each boy knew what this meant – a reduced sentence, much more freedom, and a second chance.  Gecko begins to think that this will actually work out – that is, until the fight breaks out. 

Why did Doug try to break up the fight?  It was an accident.  He never should have gotten in the way. 

Now, he’s lying in a hospital.  He’s in a coma and may never wake up. Gecko, Arjay, and Terrence are frantic – convinced they’re headed back to juvy hall and prison.  The only way they have a chance to avoid being sent back is to pretend nothing is wrong.   Eventually Mr. Healey will wake from his coma, and they’ll explain what happened.  Keep calm and stay out of trouble.   That can’t be too hard, right? 

 Not until…Gecko falls in love with a beautiful rich girl whose uncle happens to be cop.  Arjay joins a rock band and begins playing in the hottest city clubs.  Terrence thought he wanted to join the toughest gang in the city.  When he changes his mind, they are ready to even the score.  The price?  Terrence’s life. 

Yup.  This is going to be harder than they thought.

You’ll find yourself rooting for the juvie three. This book will keep you reading and wanting more.  I was sad when the book ended – though the ending couldn’t be more perfect.

Highly recommended

   Five Stars

Factory Girl by Barbara Greenwood

Imagine living in a tiny two room apartment – you, your mom, baby sister, and little brother.  It’s cramped and dirty, with no running water or electricity. Dinner is potatoes and water soup. If you’re lucky, there may be hard, stale bread to eat.

Emily Watson was only twelve years old. She had to drop out of school and find a job. Her family depended on her for survival.  Acme Garment Factory did not care that Emily was only twelve.  Underage children were good workers – cheap labor.  Emily began working a backbreaking, boring job –snipping loose threads from garments. She earned four dollars a week for working ten hours a day.

If she accidentally pierced the garment with her scissors, Emily lost an entire week’s wages.  If she spent too long in the bathroom, her pay was docked.  She couldn’t talk to the other girls.   She couldn’t smile, stretch, or even take a brief break.  The factory was dirty, hot, and smoky.   Her bones ached, eyes blurred, and fingers cramped. 

Life in the early 1900s was miserable for the working poor.  Though Factory Girl is fiction, the setting and events are very real.  Before child labor laws, children like Emily worked long hours in deplorable workplaces, with little pay, and often experienced abuse under the hands of their ruthless employers.  They never had a real childhood.The jobs were often dangerous, and many lost their lives as a result.  The photographs in this book depict the hopelessness of their situation, the extreme poverty of the times, and the unforgettable young faces will haunt you long after you stop reading. 

If you found Factory Girl as unforgettable as I did, try Margaret Haddix’s Uprising or Getzinger's The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

Digital Storytelling:  Using Animoto to Create Music Videos

Nehemiah selected 2009-2010 Top Tiger Book Award nominee Toby Wheeler:  Eight Grade Benchwarmer.

Kaylee chose nominee Deep, Dark, and Dangerous.

Christian chose Schooled by Korman.

They did a fantastic job! View their videos here:

 

 Online Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Online Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Schooled: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Poison Apples: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 3.5 Stars

The Poison Apples by Lily Archer 

Aside from attending the same ritzy, prestigious boarding school, Alice, Reena, and Molly seem to have nothing in common.  Reena is beautiful, spoiled, and arrogant.  Alice is quiet, intelligent, and sophisticated.  Molly is hopelessly nerdy with frizzy hair and big eyeglasses.

We all know that appearances, though, can be deceivingAll three girls are shocked to learn that they share one common factor:  wicked, evil stepmothers have taken over their families and homes.  Each ninth grader is dealing with much more than the typical problems with boys, having trouble fitting into a new school, or experiencing difficulty completing class assignments.

Though their situations seem impossible to change, Reena, Alice, and Molly decide to take fate into their own hands.  Suddenly, they unite and form a group called The Poison Apples.  Their primary purpose is revenge.  Together they can fight back and stop the evil stepmothers of the world!

    3.5 Stars

 Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

Jane should have been grateful.  She could have died that day.The shark attack left her body lifeless. The blood loss so severe she almost died before reaching a hospital.  Is it selfish to not feel grateful? To wonder if a boy will ever want to kiss you? To grieve the loss of her future art career – her drawing talents?

Her friends try to be understanding, but they don’t get it. Who cares about who is dating who?  What other girls are wearing?  What guys will be at the party Friday night?

Jane is lost. Her life left behind- her identity swallowed, consumed, and left ravaged by a shark. Things will never be the same.

 4 Stars

Happy Kid! By Gail Gauthier

Could things get any worse??  Kyle suddenly found himself placed in advanced Language Arts and Social Studies classes.  Now he had to spend hours doing homework just to scrape by, and he was stuck eating lunch with the dorky A-list kids. He never had time to hang out with his friend Luke anymore.  And to top it off, Luke had already found Kyle’s replacement.

Kyle didn’t think he would ever be able to shake the bus incident.  Kids still stared at him like he was an ax murderer, and the troublemakers had even started a Kyle fan club.

It was just a screwdriver for pete’s sake.

Kyle had made the screwdriver at school.  It just happened to fall out of his backpack on the bus, right when the bus driver was looking in the rearview mirror.  Kyle didn't mean anything by grabbing the handle and holding the screwdriver upright.  According to the driver. Kyle was waving around a weapon.  A Weapon??

Kyle didn't mean to freak the driver out.  Next thing you know, 911…What's Your Emergency?

No biggie.  Even though Kyle had to sit in the police car until his dad showed up, everything did eventually get cleared up in the end.

So why won’t people move beyond it?

Kyle’s mom is tired of him moping around so she makes an offer he can’t refuse.  Kyle will get paid for every chapter he reads of this cheesy self-help book – as if that would make a difference in his life or make him "happier."

To Kyle’s surprise, it actually does.

Though his life overall still stinks, Kyle begins to see a little light at the end of the tunnel.

Great story - lots of laughs.  If you liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid, try Happy Kid!

 Toby Wheeler: Eighth Grade Benchwarmer by Thatcher Heldring

       4 stars 

Why do your friends suddenly change in middle school?  Toby liked the way things used to be.  He would hang out with his best friend JJ, pull crazy pranks at school, and spent hours playing street ball and basketball at the rec center.  Now that they’re in 8^th grade, JJ doesn’t have time for Toby. 

Great story for anyone who feels like he/she always comes in last place!      

   Four Stars

Taken by Edward Bloor

Charity wakes up groggy, tired, and confused.  The last memory she had was being taken to a hospital.  Her face still felt flush with a fever, and she was weak and tired.  Charity soon realized she is not at a hospital, and these men were not doctors.

Charity’s greatest fear has become a reality – she’s been kidnapped. 

In 2036, the children of the wealthy are frequent targets for kidnappers.  Even with the top notch security in her Highlands community, the constant supervision surrounding her and monitoring her every movement, the guards and security systems meant to protect her, Charity has still become a target.  She’s just a means to an end - a ticket being used by kidnappers to cash in ransom money.

Charity hopes and prays her father can be reached, and he is willing to follow the kidnapper’s demands and instructions. If her father acts quickly, Charity will not be harmed.  Despite how hard her father tries to save her, the plan fails.

When one of the kidnapper’s identity is revealed, Charity feels shocked and betrayed.  She knows there are no guarantees, and she must now be willing to act in order to save herself– be prepared to fight and to flee.  What Charity does not realize is that being kidnapped will actually save her in the end. 

Losing the life she has now and leaving others behind is the only way she will ever experience true freedom and happiness.

Exciting, and totally unexpected – right up until the satisfying conclusion.

       Five Stars   

Not your Mama's Rapunzel!

 I admit it.  I've never read a graphic novel.  The pictures in most make my eyes cross.  I like simple uncluttered lines of text. This graphic novel, however, may make me a fan of the genre.  Rapunzel's Revenge would never captivate readers if not for the amazing artwork.  In this spin on the traditional Rapunzel fairy tale, Rapunzel refuses to be the helpless beauty in the woods - waiting to be rescued by her prince.

As a young girl, Rapunzel began having strange dreams.  She dreamed of an unknown woman frequently.  The woman was kind, affectionate, and loving to Rapunzel - everything her own mother was not.  Rapunzel knew she should be grateful for the beautiful castle she lived in and fine clothing she wore.  Rapunzel, though, was miserable.  Her life was empty and lonely.  She was always isolated from other people, never allowed to explore beyond the castle walls.  Despite her separation, Rapunzel soon learned from her own observations that Mother Gothel was a cruel, cold woman - a witch with magic powers she used to dominate others. 

When Rapunzel finally manages to sneak away and meets the woman in her childhood dreams, she and the woman realize they are actually daughter and child.  Mother Gothel had ripped Rapunzel away from her mother at a young age, and her real mother had been grieving ever since. 

When Rapunzel confronts Mother Gothel, she finds herself in an even more miserable situation - she's locked away for years - deep in a tower in the woods.  Here, Rapunzel realizes she has to take a stand for herself, her real mother, and all the townspeople Mother Gothel has abused. 

Part fairy tale, western, romance, and comedy, Rapunzel's Revenge is a wild ride you'll never forget!  I couldn't put this book down.  Rapunzel is one of the greatest heroines you'll ever meet.  The expressive sketches in this graphic novel make the story come alive, with humor written within the graphics themselves.  Loved it!

Our media center student workers recently completed their digital storytelling projects:

Aurianus Garrett used Animoto for his project on Shannon and Dean Hale's graphic novel Rapunzel's Revenge:

Jesse Michael's project was created using Windows Moviemaker.  The novel  - The Juvie Three by Gordon Korman

 

 Online Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Online Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Reading All-Stars Book Reviews~!

 Post your book reviews here in order to qualify for the Reading All-Stars Program!  Click on the comment link and tell us all about the book you've read!   Remember to include the following: Fiction reviews should be a minimum of two paragraphs (a paragraph is 3-5 sentences).  Write a summary sentence and analyze at least one of the book's characters.  You may also choose to describe examples of conflict in your novel.  Would you recommend this to another middle school student?  Why or why not? 

Nonfiction book reviews should also be a minimum of two paragraphs.  Summarize the subject of your book, and describe the book's layout (chapters, index, pictures, headings, drawings, etc).  Select a picture or graphic from the book and describe its purpose.  How can you apply what you have learned during your reading to the real word? 

Five stars:  We need to remember the hate.  Read to learn what others experienced…the fear, the anger, the violence, and the despair.   Remember and Learn

Imagine being hated, beaten and cursed, because of the amount of pigment in your skin - because of your race, your ethnicity, or your religion. 

Fire from the Rock is fiction, but the events in the book reflect the history of Little Rock, Arkansas and the racism rampant in the South during that time period.  In 1954, a landmark decision was made by the Supreme Court in Brown v/s the Board of Education.  The ruling stated forced segregation of schools based on race denied equal educational opportunities.

Though the setting of Draper's book is 1957, three years after segregation became illegal, many citizens, both African-American and Causcasian, were still attempting to prevent students from other races to attend school together.

Sylvia Patterson never would have imagined herself involved in the center of this race controversy.  She was a pretty, smart girl who made good grades, loved her family, never got in trouble, and had a happy life.  Next year, she would be entering high school, and she already had a dreamy, romantic boyfriend.

When Central High School is forced to allow African-Americans to attend for the very first time, Sylvia is handpicked to be one of the chosen group.  At first, she's flattered and thinks of this opportunity as an honor - recognition for her diligence and her sensible personality.  Soon, though, Sylvia finds her life in constant turmoil. Sylvia and her siblings are physically attacked, stalked, threatened, and her parents find their jobs in jeopardy. Sylvia's boyfriend, Reggie, and her brother, Gary, both believe its time to stand up for themselves and fight back.  Is this the answer?  Or will standing up lead to their permanent downfall?

Will Sylvia become an advocate for racial equality and embrace the opportunity to be provided the best educational opportunities possible - despite the hardships she will face in a predominately white high school?  Is losing Reggie, leaving her friends behind, and the threatened violence towards her family worth the risk?

Sylvia knows there are no easy answers, and no matter what decision she makes, she will lose and sacrifice.

 Important book to read - Sylvia's experiences and words reflect the helplessness and shame others must have felt during this time period, and reminds us all of the cruelty inflicted upon people of other races- hatred projected in acts of violence and spiteful words, all because of the color of their skin.

You can learn more about Little Rock, Arkansas, the real Central High School, and the first African-American students to attend (called the Little Rock Nine) by watching video clips in United Streaming.  See Mrs. Symborski for the passcode or to view on the media center computers.

Little Rock Nine:  The first African-American students at Central High School form a study group

 4.5 Stars

Has Haddix ever written a dull book?  Not one that I have read! Her newest title, Found, is no exception to this.  Jonah is the typical pre-teen- he has a sister he cares about but often argues with, a best friend who spends time hanging out with him each day, and parents he loves, except when they're driving him crazy!  Jonah knew he was adopted by his parents.  Since this information had been open to him since he was old enough to understand and was discussed at length by his parents, it never made Jonah feel different or strange.

 That was until the first letter arrived.

 You are one of the missing.

 At first Jonah thought it was a joke.  When his best friend Chip begins receiving the same letter, and they find out that they have a eerily similar background, Jonah knew someone was after them. 

Soon Jonah, Chip, and his sister Katherine find themselves in danger - they are asking too many questions and are close to discovering the shocking truth.  Despite the danger, Jonah is determined to find out where they came from, and why they now must leave. 

Haddix has started another exciting, mysterious series for young adults!  Series Title:  The Missing, Book One:  Found

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper

    3.5 Stars

 Sparrow Delaney craves a normal life.  Unlike most teens that think their parents are boring, Sparrow just wishes her mom and six sisters would stop drawing attention to themselves and would behave the way a normal family should. 

From the time Sparrow was born into a family of psychics, she has been told that as the seventh daughter, she would be special.  Her family has assured her that she has inherited an extraordinary talent - she can communicate with people who have passed.  Sparrow can see and talk to ghosts and spirits with a stronger clarity than any of her ancestors before her.  Imagine her family's disappointment when Sparrow seems unable to communicate with ghosts at all, and furthermore, she could care less about ever developing her skills.

In reality, Sparrow has been keeping a secret from her family.  She has been able to talk with the dead since the age of five.  At fifteen years old, Sparrow has managed to successfully hide this from everyone but now she is finding it impossible to keep quiet.  

One ghost in particular, Luke, refuses to leave Sparrow alone.  He must communicate with his family before he can pass to the other side, and he needs Sparrow's help.  Sparrow only wants to think about her secret crush, Jack, and she is determined to appear normal to all the other students at her new school.  

Sparrow soon finds herself torn when she learns that Jack thinks that all mediums are fakes and liars.  And Luke, the sad, young man who needs her help, was actually Jack's brother.  Will Sparrow expose herself in order to help Luke find eternal peace?  Will she risk her budding relationship with Jack and reveal her hidden abilities to her new friends and to her family?

 Interesting book that kept my attention, but I was disappointed when the author never explained the mystery surrounding Sparrow's father's disappearance…hmmmm….I smell a sequel…

Check out the video created at Animoto advertising our upcoming book fair at DR Hill.  The book fair will be held in the media center Feb. 23rd-27th!

 

 D.R. Hill Book Fair: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

        Five Stars

Ever met a true hippy?  One that's only thirteen-years-old?  Capricorn Anderson lives in a commune, has been raised by his hippy grandmother all of his life, is a vegetarian, wears tie-dyed clothing, has long hair, has never even seen a television, much less watch one, and has been homeschooled his entire life.  Can you imagine what happens when his grandmother is sent to a physical rehab center to rehabilitate from a serious injury and Cap is forced to live with a foster family and face the "real" world?  The middle school he has to now attend has a time-honored tradition - elect the school loser as class president in order to torture him throughout the year with outrageous requests and unreasonable demands.  Cap should have been the perfect target.

Cap's classmates fail to realize he is not the average kid.  Despite his goofiness and non-stop blunders, you can't help but like Cap.  Before long, he becomes the most popular kid in school!  Though the ending of this story is a little rushed, I couldn't help but laugh throughout.  This novel is one of my favorites.

If you like Alabama Moon by Watt Key, give this title a try.

  Miriam has always been an outsider.  Having an eclectic artistic mother and hippy environmentalist, professor father, along with her "creative," artistic upbringing, always set Miriam apart from the others in her small town.  It used to be bearable when Miriam had her best friend, her sister Deborah, for support.  Everything changes for the worse when Deborah starts high school and begins caring about her appearance.  Suddenly, Deborah is popular, has tons of boyfriends to choose from, and even she now considers Miriam a freak.

When the hottest guy in high school, Artie, temporarily moves in with Miriam's family, Miriam has a hard time hiding the fact that she has a huge crush on him.  When the popular crowd at school finds out, they begin to tease and torture Miriam more than ever - making her life unbearable.  Miriam realizes she cannot go to her mother or her sister - she needs to take matters into her own hands, despite the consequences.

Freak portrays the cruel actions and words of school bullies and the lasting impact that haunts their victims in a painfully accurate light.  Not only is Miriam treated horribly by her peers, she is greatly misunderstood by her own family.  Though the ending offers some satisfaction when Miriam stands up for herself, the author does not pretend that all of Miriam's problems have suddenly vanished.  Though Miriam has learned to stand up herself, life will still be very difficult.

If you enjoy reading this book, try Drowning Anna by Sue Mayfield.

            Four Stars: Suspenseful

Thirteen-year-old Ali knew her mother was different from her friend's.  She seemed to be afraid of many things, was way too protective of her, and always seemed stressed and tense. Ali didn't realize then that her mother had a closely guarded secret - one that had haunted her since childhood.

Ali thought her summer at the lake babysitting her niece would be the perfect getaway.  That was until the strange little girl showed up.  The little girl named Sissy - who had secrets of her own.  Soon Ali learns of the horrible secret her mother has been carrying all of these years.  Someone wants revenge for what Ali's mother has done.  Will Ali be the one paying the price?

 This scary ghost story will have you hooked until the last page!

The Top Tiger Book Award Titles have been flying off the shelf (or um, cart).  Keep checking back in the media center for the book you want to read next!  I’ve just ordered additional titles at Barnes and Noble so we can provide more available books for everyone to read.  Don’t forget to complete a blog post, book test/form, or take a Reading Counts test on the four books you are reading.  All books should be read and requirements completed by February 6th in order to attend our pizza party and to vote for your favorite.I’m looking forward to having a very large group attend!

Mrs. S

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was given to me by Mr. Barnett. It was also recommended by Mrs. Cantrell. At first, I was not eager to read this book because I knew it was a Vampire story and thought it was probably more for high school students versus middle school pre-teens. I was actually wrong on both accounts.

The more I read of this novel, the more I wanted to know. I have not read many horror books or vampire stories. When I was in high school I was a Christopher Pike addict, but now I tend to prefer less gruesome, violent reading. I have read Darren Shan’s Vampire Mountain. This book is nothing like the Cirque du Freak series. Much less gore - much more emotion. Much better written.

This book includes mystery, action, suspense, romance, and all the conflicts involved with teen angst. The reader will identify with Bella. Bella never feels she belongs. She is accident-prone - terrible at all sports and often trips over her own feet. Her parents are divorced, and she finds herself pushed into a situation where she has to live with a father that she really does not know.
Surprisingly, Bella actually does fit in at her new school. Boys like her. She is suddenly popular - the new girl that everyone wants to know. Everything seems to slowly fall into place. That is, until Bella meets Edward.

Edward Cullen and his family are the most beautiful people that Bella has ever seen. Edward, in particular, catches Bella’s eye. Not because he seemed to like her so much. Bella cannot understand why he glares angrily at her with such hatred in his eyes.
Bella soon finds herself drawn into a romantic relationship with Edward. Though he tries to push her away, even Edward cannot resist the connection and attraction he has to Bella.

Edward is willing to sacrifice his life, put his own family at risk, anything to be with the one he loves. Though he feels that he has waited his whole life to meet someone like Ella, Edward also must fight a horrific temptation….the never ending desire to end Bella’s life.

This book will appeal to sophisticated readers who enjoy fantasy, suspense, and romance.
I admit I may have to buy the sequel, Eclipse. You will fall in love with this story - and will never want it to end.

   4 Stars

Funny, touching, a book that will surprise you in the end

Mick Sullivan likes reading thrillers, daydreaming about Tabitha Slater, and teasing his archenemy, Boot Quinn. Boot likes playing his guitar, daydreaming about Tabitha Slater, and punching Mick Sullivan.  Their constant fighting forces the principal to place  both in ISS an hour and a half each day.  They also must play board games together. Two enemies, one small room, and no adult supervision–battle lines are bound to be crossed.  

  Five stars - Fell in love with this book!

 Using your headphones, listen to the summary of Bella at Midnight from http://www.scasl.net.  Then do your own book review under the comments section!

 

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Jumping the Scratch by Sarah Weeks

      3.5 Stars - A book that needed to be written

Jamie's life has been turned upside down.  His father left his family with barely a word goodbye.  He left the home he loved to live in a run-down, singlewide trailer with an aunt whom needs constant supervision due to a head injury.  To make matters worse, he was liked and accepted at his last school.  Now he's the target of the school bully.  Jamie wants nothing more than to forget his life, his past, and even his current situation at home and school.  The last person on earth he ever expected to help him was Audrey Krouch.  Audrey - a girl who wears weird clothes and  glasses on her face with no lens.  What Audrey uncovers is a deeply hidden, dark secret- one that Jamie has kept to himself for over a year.   Only until the secret is revealed,  is Jamie finally able to move forward. I like the author of this novel - Sarah Weeks.  The novel she wrote on last year's SCJBA list, So B. It was not one of my favorites.  Jumping the Scratch is also not one of my favorite novels on this list, either.  So, what do I like about her?  Her novels often center on conflicts that are uncommon, and ones that teens deal with BUT NOONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT.    She handles it in a sensitive manner - but also does not downplay the impact these problems have on a young person's life.  Sarah Weeks makes you want to turn the pages and keep reading.  Another bonus about her writing is that it gets to the point.  The plot moves along quickly, and   she   does   not   drag   things   out.  So, if you find that long novels lose your interest, and/or you are in a place in your life that's not so great (as everyone is at times), give Jumping the Scratch a try.

3.5 Stars

Lise’s world is turned upside down when her mother is seriously injured in a car accident.  Unable to afford their home or return to work, Lise’s mother decides to move the family back to her childhood home in Maine.  Living on the beach for the summer doesn’t seem so bad at first, but the reality that Lise faces is nothing like what she imagines.  Her mother used to be happy, energetic, and fun.  Now Lise feels as if she has become the parent.  Her mother is quiet and withdrawn - often daydreaming about another time and another world that Lise is not a part of.  The beach house is a worn down tiny shack that doesn’t even have a TV, and the crystal blue ocean is actually bone-piercing cold and impossible to swim in, even in the hottest weather.  Lise has left her best friends behind and finds that none of the popular, cool kids her age live anywhere close to where they’re staying. Lise has a hard time accepting her situation but does her best to take care of her little brother, Free (who does not speak) and her injured mother despite her unhappiness.  Just when she begins to feel there is no hope, a stranger enters their lives.  Michael dated her mother in high school and clearly still cares for her.  Will Lise’s mother let him back into their lives - and back into her heart?  Will Lise find the inner happiness she needs to survive her new world? Sand Dollar Summer shows that even in the face of conflict and hardships, family can pull together and emerge happier and stronger than ever before.

 4 stars - Great book 

I discovered Blood on the River: James Town 1607  by Elisa Carbone two years ago and loved reading this book.  I was very happy to see it on the South Carolina Junior Book Award nominee list for this year.  Though this book is classified as fiction, it contains many true events that occurred during the Jamestown settlement. 

The story focuses on eleven- year- old Samuel Collier, a page to Captain John Smith, who decided to travel to the New World.  An orphan who likes to use his fists, Samuel felt like he had nothing to lose by embarking on this journey.  The adventure he encountered, however, was beyond anything he ever could imagine.  You may be thinking…”Oh great…another book about Jamestown.”  This book is very different, however.  The details give the reader insight into other people who were key to the Jamestown settlement, beyond Captain John Smith.  To me, the best part of this book is the view of  Native American culture and daily life.  The book is suspenseful, interesting, and historically accurate. 

  4.5 stars 

Good Masters!  Sweet Ladies! Voices From a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz, Illustrations by Robert Byrd I rarely use words like “quaint” or “delightful” in book reviews, but both terms seem to apply in this book review.  Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! contains poems written from the point-of-view of various townspeople of very different statures living in the same medieval village.  The poems often connect in plot - giving the reader an insight into how the life and background of the villagers lends them a different perspective on events occurring in their town. The author often incorporates humor into the poems - Lowdy, the Varlet’s child (Varlet refers to a man who looks after animals) paints a portrait of living in a home full of fleas.  He states: I love the dogs, but God’s bones! The house is full of fleas! ….Fleas in the bread, Bloodsucking fleas In the blankets of our beds, Nibbling our buttocks, And the back of our knees, Biting and delighting Through the night - those fleas! (page 60) The book contains interesting footnotes explaining unknown terms the reader will find in the poems.  The notes also explain various occupations of the townspeople.  The book provides a collective view of what life was like during the Middle Ages.  Here are a few examples of the “voices” you will hear in Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! read by DR Hill students.  The poems include copyright free music  representing the Middle Ages - Mariot and Maud are the Glassblower’s daughters.  They discuss Piers, their father’s apprentice, who has been promised the family business if he selects on of them to marry.  Maud clearly finds the idea of marrying Piers repulsive.  Though Mariot claims she feels the same as her sister - her words indicate the contrary:  -  Kas Streater and Charrion Morgan Mogg is the Villein’s daughter.  A villein is a peasant who could be bought and sold like a slave.  His belongings were considered to be the property of the lord who resided over the manor.  Mogg’s father died recently.  She must come up with a plan to save the few resources her family has before they are taken by the greedy landowner. - Charrion Morgan Thomas is the doctor's son.  He provides a glimpse into medieval medicine. - John Gillespie Isobel is The Lord’s Daughter.  In this poem, she expresses her frustration after someone in town threw a dung clod at her dress.  Isabel is upset because she knows that she lives a privileged life as a nobleman’s daughter but her social status was according to God’s will.  Furthermore, Isobel resents this treatment because she has always been charitable and helpful to others less fortunate. - Kas Streater Highly recommended

 

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 Mogg by Charrion Morgan: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

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 Isobel by Kas Streater: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

      Five well-deserved stars      

10-year-old Moon lived a life very different from other people.  He and his father lived in an isolated shelter that was covered with dirt and trees -  virtually impossible for anyone to detect - purposely hidden deep in a seemingly abandoned forest.  They had few traces of modern life - no electricity or running water, no store bought food, medicine, etc.  They survived by living off the land.  Moon never really questioned why they lived this way - he never knew anything different.  He did know that his father said they should never trust the government.  Moon's father taught him how to survive on his own, and said Moon should live in Alaska (far away from civilization) if anything ever happened to him.  He wanted him to find a place where other people distrusted the government also and were self-reliant. Moon's father held to his beliefs until he died.  His death from a broken leg could have easily been prevented with modern medicine or surgery, but he refused to re-enter society to seek treatment.  Suddenly Moon is all alone and unprepared to function in modern society. After Moon buries his father, he's discovered by a man who has built a home on the same property as Moon and his father's cave.  Life for Moon is turned upside down when he is sent to a group boy's home.   Unable to cope with all the changes and forced rules, Moon decides to escape.  His survival skills enable him to outrun and "whip" up on anybody - no matter their age or size.  Though he has what it takes to live on his own, Moon finds out being alone can actually be very lonely.  And though Moon does not need anyone else to help him live, he wants love, affection, and friendship. Moon realizes that maybe, just maybe,his Pa was wrong all along. I could write pages and pages about this incredible story.  Moon is very rough around the edges, but you can't help but cheer him on throughout the story.  You want him to find happiness and your heart aches for the struggles he has to face when he must live in a world vastly different from his own.  The ending of this book is perfect, and (get ready) may make you shed a tear or two.  I admire the creativity of this book and the original plot.  This book is the best novel I have read in a long time - truly amazing. 

    3.5 stars - Grabbed my attention start to finish

Author Will Hobbs visited DR Hill in 2004.  He is such a down-to-earth, nice guy who clearly has a passion for writing.  I read several of his books in preparation of the author visit.  My favorite was Jackie's Wild Seattle.  Now my favorite is Crossing the Wire. Hobbs is an adventurer and a lover of nature - both of these personality traits are reflected in his novels.  Some of his books contain lengthy descriptions of the setting - personally I find that tough to follow as a reader.  Crossing the Wire, however, is more action-packed and suspenseful. Victor is only 15 years old.  Despite being young, he must grow up quickly and become a man.  Now that Victor's father is deceased, his family depends on him for their survival.  In Mexico, there are limited opportunities for children born to poor families.  Victor tries to save the family's corn crop, their sole source of income, but falling prices and outside competitors leave his family penniless and facing starvation. Victor must do the impossible - "Cross the wire" from Mexico to the United States in order to find work.  This is his family's last hope.  Victor is determined to come to America - even at the risk of his own life. Readers will be amazed at the hardship Victor faces on his journey.  Hobbs spares no punches on how difficult the voyage is - near starvation, physical exhaustion, failed attempts resulting in deportation, extreme heat/cold, dodging bullets, betrayals, poisonous snakebites (and these are only a few events in the story).  What impresses me most about this novel is that it makes the reader think.  This is a reminder of how fortunate Americans are - and also gives you a different perspective of why people enter our country illegally. Highly recommended 

Video was created using Animoto - very cool free tool available for educators!

 

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Teachers may register at Animoto and create their own accounts.  Educators are also given a promo code to use that will enable them to use Animoto with full access rights for a year, AND they can let their students create their own accounts for free (after one year, free accounts are still available but with limited picture uploads and video lengths).  Please see me for a generic educator’s code if interested.

Can animoto videos be used for instruction?  Absolutely!  This can be utilized to promote events and highlight student achievement, but they also can be created to review key concepts or to introduce essential information in a unique, appealing visual format. 

You can create powerpoint slides, open them with Microsoft paint, and resave them as jpg files.  These can also be uploaded and created into a video. 

Imagine students creating their own videos for vocabulary review! 

The site is very user-friendly and has a music library ready for users to select the song they want.

Here are a few teachers’ examples from other subject content areas:

Students Created Science Flash Cards 

Student Artwork

Space and Planets

Magnets and Magnetism

Free at Last - Civil Rights

Recycling

Bill of Rights

Simple Machines

Intro to the Roman Empire

Plants

 Plants Too!

Student created video on Hungary

     4 stars

 Holly's entire life was filled with conflict and tragedy.  After her dad died, Holly and her mom moved from one ratty apartment to another.  When Holly's mom got fired for stealing from her workplace, they soon became homeless.  Holly never really cared about that.  Even the old van was home as long as her mother was there with her arms wrapped tightly around her.  That was before her mom met Eddie. Holly's mom started staying out late  - often leaving Holly alone all night in the van.  She also started acting funny, and her eyes were always shiny.  Holly soon learned that she would have to take care of herself to survive.  Not long after meeting Eddie, Holly's mom died from a drug overdose in her arms.  Now Holly truly was all alone. Don't be fooled into thinking Holly's life would become better after her mom was gone.  At least her mom loved her - though she loved heroin more than she ever loved Holly.  Holly is bounced from one foster home to another.  She doesn't want to trust another adult.  She feels like she can't let her guard down again. Holly reaches her breaking point when she is sent to live with The Benders.  Her foster father wants to be "closer" to Holly.  Holly can tell by the way he stares at her that his thoughts aren't fatherly.  Her foster mother steals money from her husband, and then blames it on Holly.  Holly spends her nights cold, alone, and hungry - locked in a dark, damp, dirty laundry room with only a journal to keep her company.  At first Holly is angry that her teacher was forcing her to write in a stupid journal.  Soon, however, Holly finds comfort in the journal pages as she begins telling her story.  The story will haunt you.  The pain Holly feels is achingly evident, and you will find yourself wondering how she continues to survive. Holly decides to run away - this time for good.  Life on the streets cannot be any worse than the abusive home she lives in now… All the pain she's been through… nothing can shock her.  Life alone has to be better than this. Unfortunately for Holly, she's wrong.  Things can get much worse.  Reading this book may make the problems you have in your life seem very small in comparison to Holly's.  Despite the sadness the reader feels while reading about Holly's experiences, the ending will bring you comfort.  Holly will at last find peace and happiness.   

4.5 stars -  

This fast-paced, funny book will hold the reader’s interest from start to end. 

Kirsten hates her life.  Her best friend Rory is suddenly popular and hangs out with the beautiful, but mean, Brianna.  Kirsten knows she will never be popular - she’s overweight and feels like an outcast.  Her mom and dad are always fighting now.  It seems like nothing will ever get better for her.

Suddenly there’s a new student named Walk who transfers to Kirsten’s school. 

Kirsten’s life is about to become much more interesting.  

She discovers who her true friends are - and finds out the shocking secret her parents have been keeping - one that brings Kirsten closer to Walk than she ever could have imagined.

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

Review by Sarah Cloonan 

This is a great book and I would recommend it to any student. It’s about an orphan named Hollis Woods who has this idea that she is a mountain of trouble. Until one day when she is brought to a home with an old lady, Josie, who has much in common with Hollis. But as much as Hollis likes staying with Josie, she can’t help but remember the times she had in her last home, the Reagans. Just when Hollis Woods is warming up to Josie, though, she is threatened to be taken away and put with another family. Now Hollis is running away with Josie to her old home. Will they get caught? Will they find her old family? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

Olive’s Ocean is about a girl named Martha Boyle. She is a middle school girl who is going to her grandmother’s for a week. Martha wanted to please everyone one, which later on she figured she couldn’t do. At the end Martha realized that she would rather be at home.   I think students would like this book would because it is about a girl our age, and she is going through typical teen changes, too. I think that some students would also like this because they would know that people have problems out there to help them through any hard times if they don’t have someone to talk to.  Review by Kas Streater  

Tap groups self-selected a project to complete after reading The Revealers. Here are some of their ideas:

Bully Out Plan 

Stand Up!  Stop Bullying!  

 Our ideas:  

•  Student newspaper monthly or quarterly to express views and opinions of students.
• Student jury of peers to handle small incidents.
• Peer Mentoring when a new student comes to school.
• Consistent punishment with no tolerance policy as with weapon and illegal substances.
• Anonymous hotlines could get reports of bullying when kids do not want to be a snitch.

Stop Bullying Magazine  

Helpful Hints

-         Tell someone.

-         Stand up for yourself.

-         Stay in a crowd if you are scared.

-         Don’t start a fight.

-         Tell your friends.

-         Tell the bully you are tired of it!

Dos and Do Nots for Parents:

Don’t ignore your children if they say they are getting bullied.

Be involved in school.

Know who your children’s friends are.

Ask them about school everyday.

Be alert if they are acting different.

Advice Column 

• Don’t bully someone it may cause them to bully back.
• If you are bullied tell an adult immediately.
• Stay with a group of friends.
• If someone else is being bullied help them.
• Try to tell the bully to stop and why without using violence.

Top Ten Things Bullies Do 

Start a fight

Take money      

Make fun of people       

Pick on kids       

Tease people       

Disrespectful to teachers       

Low grades       

Lower people’s self esteem        

Mental abuse       

Physical abuse      

Letter to the Editor:  

Dear Editor,

      Our class really enjoyed this book. It showed us how people are affected by bullying and how they can solve the problem without fighting. We see how people can stand up for themselves and end bullying. It was great. Thanks.

Mrs. Mathis Tap Group

We are so pleased with the success of our new Tiger Advisory Group Program “Stand Up!  Stop Bullying!”  Here are a few comments made by students after completing their reading of The Revealers:

Post reading – Students’ Reactions/Thoughts:                                                      

I think this book has taught me a lot about the affects of bullying. Many people don’t realize how it can affect people’s lives, such as the bullied kids can get physically sick before they go to school because they are so scared to go to school. Also many kids could commit suicide. In fact it has happened so much in the U.S. that it’s called bullyside. These are only some of the affects bullying can have on people.

This book has taught me so much about bullying. It made me realize how much it has happened here at school and everywhere. Not only is it taunting its physical bullying and online. Most people end up getting killed by going home and committing suicide or seriously injured.  Most people bully because they have a low self esteem and want to make themselves feel better. Bullying can be over many things. This is a serious problem that does need to be dealt with.

I learned many things from the book. I learned that bullying can lead to really dangerous things. Bullying can lead to death, broken bones, and suicide. But what people really don’t know is that bullying can affect the people who are doing the bullying. They could be suspended from school, put in jail, and many other things. This is a few things that I have learned from Revealers.

I did not know that bullies get picked on too. Also I did not know that bullies can cause suicide. People do not know how other people feel and how much it can hurt.

This book was an excellent book. It makes you realize what can happen at your school. It shows people how kids feel when you bully them. It also shows you how to resolve problems about bullying. I am so glad I read this book. It helped me to make sure I never bully anyone. This book shows me different ways kids bully. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did!

This book shows students how people effected from bullying stand up for themselves. It also shows how bullying can effect kids. It is not right and we should stand up for ourselves and others. The book gave us a great example of everyday problems.

Post-reading bulletin boards:

Requirements for rising 8th graders enrolled in Honors English I @ D.R. Hill     

 Summer Reading is required for all Honors English classes.  Read the assigned book during the summer.  Written and/or oral assignments/projects will be assigned and completed during the first week of your English course.            

Honors English I Selection:

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns Description from Titlewave.com:  In 1906, the citizens of the small Georgia town of Cold Sassy are scandalized when Grandpa, the owner of the general store, marries a Yankee many years his junior only three weeks after becoming a widower. 

from Library Media Connection (March 2007)

 Twelve-year-old Maggie has begun to think about the possibility of a life away from the Erie Canal. What would it be like to live in a house on dry land where she wouldn't be called "dirty canal girl" and have rocks thrown at her. After her father and uncle are arrested, Maggie, her ailing mother, and her brother fight a desperate battle to get their cargo to Buffalo in time to collect a bonus and prevent the loss of the cargo-hauling boat that is also their home.

Gangsters do laundry?

On Alcatraz island they do…

 Book Excerpt:   

 

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by Cody Eldridge

the-city-of-ember.ppt

Student Review of Escape from Memory:

 

 Online Video: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

summary from Follett’s Titlewave:

When thirteen-year-old Koly enters into an ill-fated arranged marriage, she must either suffer a destiny dictated by India’s tradition or find the courage to oppose it.

Description from Titlewave.com:

Confused by all of the males in her life, thirteen-year-old Alyssa “Blister” Reed wants to help when her best friend Jonah’s quest for popularity lands him in deep trouble, but his desire to make her his girlfriend gets in the way.

 Swear To Howdy is a very amusing book with hilarious characters. Joey and Rusty love to go on a new adventure but every time they get caught up in a sticky situation. So after getting out of the situation, the boys make a pact promising each other they won’t tell. Most of the time the adventures have to do with pulling a prank on someone. Amanda Jane and Sissy, their older sisters, are constantly annoyed by their obnoxious brothers getting on their nerves. But one day does Joey go too far with his silly pranks… And will  Rusty ever speak up to help save his best friend’s life?… Read this book to find out! 

By Charrion Morgan

Easy to read, but not easy to forget

Julius Lester, in Day of Tears, weaves together the haunting story of an actual historical event occuring in Savannah, Georgia - the largest slave auction in American history.  Pierce Butler auctions off the majority of his slaves because of his mounting gambling debts.  The slaves have lived on the Butler plantation with their families for generations.  Through dialogue, Lester effectively relays the horrors of slavery and the tragic aftermath that occurs to all of the people who participated that day.  Lester’s writing in this novel may seem simple at first, but it quickly becomes emotionally charged.  The reader will feel as if he is experiencing the emotional losses, the degradation, the sorrow,  and the cruelty as he reads about the experiences of several people attending the slave auction from multiple viewpoints :  the slaveowner, slaveowner’s ex-wife, slaveowner’s children, slave seller,  several slaves sold at the auctions (young and old), the mother and father of a slave sold, a slave couple desperately in love who are separated, etc.  Lester uses both historical fact and fictitious details to demonstrate how all people were deeply impacted by that fateful rainy day on March 2nd and 3rd, 1859.

This book is highly recommended.

 From book cover -

Then: Sweet Pad in the family mansion,

King of the Pool, $5000 Stereo, Mercedes, SRK (Spoiled Rich Kid)

 Now:

Crashing in dead guy’s bed at crazy Aunt Mary’s

King of Cleaning pools

Minimum Wage

Ford

P.B. (Poor Boy)

Brett had everything a high school freshman could ever ask for…money, popularity, hot girls….

When Brett’s dad is jailed for insider trading, Brett eyes are suddenly opened.  The view?  Not so pretty..

Despite the serious subjects, this book will still make you laugh out loud. 

The book Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde is a fiction book. It is based around a video game that is malfunctioning and has trapped one gamer inside. To beat it she must live until the end of the third day and complete certain task. It’s a good book if you’re into fantasy books with knights and dragons. I liked it and I think others will, too.

By John Gillespie

Heartbeat is about Annie who loves to run. She runs to get rid of all her stress and to take things off her mind. Annie then finds out that her mom is pregnant and everything starts to change. Her grandfather stops remembering what happens and her best friend Max is trying to hide his feelings from her. I would recommend this book because it is a book you cannot put down. Once you start you will want to find out what happens next.

By: Sydney McMakin

Jack lives in a Saxon village with a father who is always disappointed in him and a beautiful, slightly obnoxious younger sister who is the family’s favorite.  It seems that Jack will be destined to live his days as a poor farmer, just as his bitter father was once forced to abandon his own dreams and accept a more simple life as a peasant.  Jack’s fate dramatically changes, though, when he is asked to be become an apprentice to the revered Bard…Jack?  Why not the other town boys who seem much brighter and stronger?   Jack does not realize that the Bard foresees great promise in his character, and the Bard believes Jack is the only hope for their town’s survival. 

Jack internship is violently interrupted when the wild r raid his home, capturing both Jack and Lucy and forcing them to leave their home far behind.  Soon Jack finds himself embarking on a mysterious, dangerous journey.  He must fulfill a seemingly impossible quest - and quickly!  If not, his beautiful, beloved sister will be brutally offered as a sacrifice.

This book provides great humor and spine-tingling adventures (dragons, spiders, and vicious trolls - Oh My!).  The greatest aspect to this book are the numerous life themes Nancy Farmer addresses - loyalty, faith, love of family, ambiguity of good and evil, and many more.  Jack emerges from this adventure as a true Bard in his own right.

Nancy Farmer is an amazing writer.  Hopefully the long length will not discourage any readers - once started, you will eventually wish the story had never ended!

3.5 stars  -  1/2

- Not my favorite, but will appeal to many readers

 This is What I Did has been highly recommended in several professional journals.  To me, this book was a bit of a disappointment for several reasons.  One may be because it has bullying as one of the main topics.  I understand why it’s important that writers include stories of bullying - it certainly has become a central issue in today’s world - even in cyberland.  We all know about true stories of terrible tragedy occurring as a result of bullying in schools, on MySpace, Facebook, etc.  That being said, it seems that young adult authors, however, frequently jump on a hot topic bandwagon - this novel being no exception.  To be fair, the book is about more than a young boy being harassed…

Logan was always a bit of an outcast at school and even within his own family.  Things began to look up when he met Zyler.  Though Zyler and Logan come from two very different backgrounds, they hit it off from the start.  Logan quickly learned not to ask Zyler too many questions about his background, particularly regarding his drunken, mostly absent father.  Logan overlooked the bruises on Zyler’s face and never questioned his stories of how he had broken his arm or his collarbone.  As much as Logan tried to not get involved, he soon found himself in the center of controversy…

Upset over a fight at his own home, Logan sneaks out of his house to go over to his Zyler’s.  What he sees in Zyler’s window, at first, angers him.  Cami, his crush, is sitting on Zyler’s bed.  They are talking about him, laughing over Logan’s hang up calls to Cami’s home.  Then they are kissing.  KISSING.  His best friend and the girl he loves!!  Logan, disgusted, turns to leave when he hears a door slam.  Zyler’s father storms into his bedroom in a violent, drunken rage with an evil glint in his eyes.  What Logan sees next he will never get over - he will never forget.

In the end, Logan feels he is the one who betrays his best friend - and he betrays himself.

This novel will hook most of its readers.  You will want to know - what did Logan see?  What happened?  Why did Logan’s family have to move to a different town.  Be prepared for the shocking answers AND the unanswered questions at the end.

4.5 Stars   1/2

Fascinating information, includes great pictures of Houdini, his family, and several of his magic tricks being performed 

Everyone has heard about Harry Houdini.  What you may not know is how he became legendary in the world of magic. In this book, the author does not reveal Harry’s magic secrets.  Sid Fleischman, a well-known author and himself a magician, would never break the magician honor code.  The author does give the reader a whole new view of the man behind the legend.  During his lifetime, Harry basically recreated himself - where he was from, his heritage, and even changed his own birth name. 

He builds a wildly successful career despite very poor, humble beginnings.  Harry always believed that the show must go on - and he shows this iron-clad will and determination literally until he takes his dying breath.  Harry wanted more than the ability to entertain the world.  He wanted to ensure his name would be kept immortal in the world of magic. The book chronicles Harry’s life, his love for his wife, Bess, and his talent for inventing (or sometimes “borrowing”) innovative and daring magic escapes.  The photos highlight amazing feats and also demonstrate that the great Houdini was a pretty extraordinary man - one whom was not without flaws, however.

Readers will enjoy this book, and may even develop their own interest in magic as a result.

5 stars  -

 Heat caught me by surprise.  I’m really not a big sports fan and in general, not a lover of sports fiction.  Though the love of baseball is definitely a central theme throughout the book, the novel is not just sports-centered.  The book is really a story of great courage and determination.  This is a feel good story that has the struggling young hero winning at the end, despite the great odds against him.  This has the makings of a great movie - though any shortened film adaptation will be weak in comparison to the book.

Michael is only twelve years old, but his pitching skills rival professional adult ball players.  His competitors are no match for Michael, and they (along with the coaches and jealous parents) know it.  Before long, a few people band together to take the matter in their own hands.  Michael is asked to produce his birth certificate in order to continue playing in the Little League.  This will show his true age and prove his American citizenship.  Ordinarily this situation would be a cinch for Michael.  His father would know who to contact in Cuba in order to obtain the proper documentation.  Then Michael could go back to the game - the sport that was his passion. 

There’s a big problem.  Michael has a secret.

One that could not only end his promising future in baseball, but that could tear him away from the only family he has left.

You will find yourself rooting for Michael and will learn through his example that with enough hard work and determination, any dream is possible.

4 stars

Ginny describes her seventh grade year - her first boyfriend, her best friend's betrayal, her brother's arrest, and her mom's remarriage, all through her "stuff."  What kind of stuff?  Guidance counselor reports, notes she's written, report cards, etc.  This book is a bit like reality TV.  It's almost a guilty pleasure because you feel as if you are peeking or watching a person's life unfold.  I loved this book b/c it was a quick read, kept my interest, and gave a realistic view of what it's like to be a 7th grade girl whose life is not perfect! Recommend

The Story of rats and people

3  stars

I admit it.  I didn’t want to read this book.  The beady red eyes…the huge furry rat on the cover…was so…ewwwwwwww….. 

Why I liked this book:

1.  Text and pictures made it very easy to read - 30 minutes.

2.  Side notes on the pages were interesting - such as “rat” dishes enjoyed in restaurants around the world.

3.  The book really exposes you to a whole other side of rats - such as how sanitary they actually are, how they have saved so many lives throughout history, their great strength and resiliency, and promising studies that indicate how valuable rats can be to our society.

 No - I will not be adopting any pet rats in the near future.  I am glad, however, that I can think of this book if I ever am surprised by an unexpected visit from one of these creatures!

 Read Oh, Rats!  You may find yourself becoming a rat fan as well.

Click the arrow below to hear live rats!

 

 Rat Noise: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 4 stars

Sam’s life is hanging by a thread. Her best friend since elementary school has turned into a typical dorky, pervy middle school moron. Although Sam has four BFFs that she spends every weekend with, they don’t have a clue about her father’s alcoholism. Sam’s mother is always zoned out on yoga, and she never wants to hold Sam’s father accountable for his drinking binges. Desperate for advice, Sam turns to an anonymous source - by leaving a letter describing her problems in a library book. Soon Sam begins corresponding back and forth with a person she’s never even met. With this support things begin to get better, though. Sam finds herself the object of a hot high school guy’s crush. She is suddenly Miss Popularity at her own school. Her father promises to make some changes. Yep - life is good. That is…until the violence starts.

Lush is an important book for anyone in middle school dealing with struggles and stress in his home life. The author does not paint a pretty picture or a happy ending in this novel. This does, however, offer hope to anyone dealing with alcoholism - and will offer the reader hope in the end.

5 stars

Black Duck  is a book inspired by actual events in our history.  When alcohol was banned during Prohibition, a rum-running cargo called Black Duck became legendary for its seemingly heroic feats.  The crew was always managed harrowing escapes from the Coast Guard, and the boat itself seemed to vanish into thin air when being pursued.  Though the exploits of the boat and crew are interesting to read about, it's the cast of characters in the novel that will capture the reader's interest. The story begins when David Peterson locates an elderly man named Ruben Hart who is rumored to have been a crew member of the Black Duck during his younger days.  Through informal interviews, David learns the story of Ruben, Ruben's best friend Jeddy, and the tragic downfall of the Black Duck. The story will leave the reader spellbound - starting with Ruben's first recollections. Ruben asks David, "Have you ever seen a dead body?"  Then Ruben begins his story.. So Jeddy McKenzie and I came on this body… page 8 This novel hooks you from the start - all the way to the tragic, yet satisfying conclusion.

A special thank you for the Greer Partnership for Tomorrow…  Due to the funding received from this partnership, we were able to purchase The Revealers and incorporate the Stand Up! Stop Bullying! program at DR Hill.

Chad Crews visited our school February 27th.  He performed a show titled “Authors of Mystery and Horror.”  Chad used magic to captivate our student audience and to encourage everyone to read stories by famous classical authors, such as Poe, Stoker,  and Doyle.  He did a great job!  Our students were very entertained.  Here’s an excerpt of his performance:

 

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by Hannah Reed and Darian Huntley

The book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is about a beautiful young girl named Isabella Swan, Bella for short,  who moves from the big town Pheonix to live with her father in the rural rained out town Forks, Washington.  There she meets Edward Cullen, the amazingly gorgeous, long living vampire. At first he seems unreal and annoyed by Bella, avoiding her constantly. But when we can’t control his emotions toward her any longer they follow down the dangerous path of true love. As time goes on, going through dangerous obstacles to be together,  Bella experiences near death situations countless times. This book isn’t just a sloppy love story; it’s suspensful, dark, and mind gripping. It will keep you reading and guessing through every sentence you come across.

“Sometimes I wonder if I was seeing the same thing through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain.”

- Bella Swan.

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

from - http://www.the-revealers.com/resources/questions.html

At school, what is the most comfortable room (or class) for you to be in? Why?

  Questions from http://www.the-revealers.com/resources/questions.html Do students in your classes treat each other with enough respect? How can you tell?

Tom thought it would be a regular school day.  He would meet Jeff after school to goof off and continue making plans to hang out the following weekend with Jeff's uncle.  Jeff and Tom were going to take a ride in his dream car - a Cobra. In the meantime, Tom could continue fantasizing about the hottest girl at his middle school, Courtney. Tom's world gets turned upside down when a new student arrives - Jessica.  Jessica was involved in a fire - none of the students know the particular details.  She has been horribly disfigured.  Most of Tom's classmates can't stand to even look at her.  Suddenly Tom finds himself torn between his friends - and a loner girl he finds a connection with. This book doesn't have much action in the plot - but it serves an important purpose.  Students will realize the importance of accepting others