*****
Ingrid Law
Mibs isn't popular by any means. In fact, quite the opposite. But that's okay because she only has one more day left at school.
That's because, tomorrow Mibs turns 13. And in her family, that's a really big deal. 13 is when the Beaumonts get their savvy. A savvy is like a special power, or, as Mibs calls it, a special know how. Rocket Beaumont makes electricity. Fish Beaumont makes storms. And Mrs. Beaumont does everything pretty much perfectly. Mr. Beaumont, however, doesn't have a savvy. And he's been in an accident.
Now Mibs finds herself on a mission. Believing she has discovered her savvy, she heads to the hospital to rescue her father. But her savvy still has a few surprises in store. As do the rest of people inadvertently along for the ride!
Really, really cute book. This is one of the Virginia Young Reader books this year and totally worth the read. The book looks long (especially since it's only available in hardback), but it's really a quick read. The characters are great. Each one is entirely believable and lovable. You won't be able to put it down!
If you liked this book, check out:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Charlie Bone Series
The new book by Ingrid Law coming out in 2010.
Showing posts with label serious. Show all posts
Showing posts with label serious. Show all posts
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
*****
JK Rowling
Ever wonder what might happen if you break a silly rule? You just might find yourself facing dangerous, possibly deathly tasks and losing your best friend! Of course, this time, Harry didn't actually break the rule. Someone did that for him. But who? And why? And how is he going to fawn over Cho, keep up with his studies, avoid Rita Skeeter, and learn to dance while preparing for the tasks?
Is it wrong that I find the premise of this book slightly hilarious? I mean, they say this tournament is dangerous. People have died! But then everything seems perfectly safe to me*. Either way, it's an enjoyable read. Even though there are sad parts, it's still mostly a light book. Nothing compared with the darkness that is to come in the next 3!
*except, of course, for that one little flaw. But that wasn't exactly planned.
JK Rowling
Ever wonder what might happen if you break a silly rule? You just might find yourself facing dangerous, possibly deathly tasks and losing your best friend! Of course, this time, Harry didn't actually break the rule. Someone did that for him. But who? And why? And how is he going to fawn over Cho, keep up with his studies, avoid Rita Skeeter, and learn to dance while preparing for the tasks?
Is it wrong that I find the premise of this book slightly hilarious? I mean, they say this tournament is dangerous. People have died! But then everything seems perfectly safe to me*. Either way, it's an enjoyable read. Even though there are sad parts, it's still mostly a light book. Nothing compared with the darkness that is to come in the next 3!
*except, of course, for that one little flaw. But that wasn't exactly planned.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
*****
JK Rowling
Prepare for a turn for the worse.
Voldemort is back. No one believes it. In fact, while Harry has been trapped in Little Winging with his horrible aunt and uncle, the wizarding world has been doing their best to discredit him...and Dumbledore.
When Harry is finally whisked back into "his world," he finds a gloomy group known as The Order of the Phoenix fighting a losing battle against propaganda, disappearances, and dark recruitments. Even at school, Harry faces a lot of opposition.
Which is a shame, because Harry could really use the help of his friends. Plagued by bad dreams, a distant mentor, classes (or should I say torture sessions) with Snape and, worst of all, another new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, this one worse than any so far, Harry feels all alone. He takes some comfort in his after-school-activities, such as the secret DA club he and his friends have formed, but when it all comes down to it, Harry will need to be the one who once again stands up to the Dark Lord.
This book made me so angry! Don't get me wrong, I loved every second of it, but Umbridge...OOOOH that woman! There was some incredible action, especially near the end, and I cried several times (like when Molly encountered the bogart!). But in the end, I was mostly numb with disbelief. How could anything end so bitter-sweet? (Although, if you think this was bitter-sweet, wait 'til you read the last one!)
If you like this, look for:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Twilight Series
Charlie Bone Series
Percy Jackson Series
JK Rowling
Prepare for a turn for the worse.
Voldemort is back. No one believes it. In fact, while Harry has been trapped in Little Winging with his horrible aunt and uncle, the wizarding world has been doing their best to discredit him...and Dumbledore.
When Harry is finally whisked back into "his world," he finds a gloomy group known as The Order of the Phoenix fighting a losing battle against propaganda, disappearances, and dark recruitments. Even at school, Harry faces a lot of opposition.
Which is a shame, because Harry could really use the help of his friends. Plagued by bad dreams, a distant mentor, classes (or should I say torture sessions) with Snape and, worst of all, another new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, this one worse than any so far, Harry feels all alone. He takes some comfort in his after-school-activities, such as the secret DA club he and his friends have formed, but when it all comes down to it, Harry will need to be the one who once again stands up to the Dark Lord.
This book made me so angry! Don't get me wrong, I loved every second of it, but Umbridge...OOOOH that woman! There was some incredible action, especially near the end, and I cried several times (like when Molly encountered the bogart!). But in the end, I was mostly numb with disbelief. How could anything end so bitter-sweet? (Although, if you think this was bitter-sweet, wait 'til you read the last one!)
If you like this, look for:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Twilight Series
Charlie Bone Series
Percy Jackson Series
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
*****
JK Rowling
Finally, Harry is expecting a quiet year at Hogwarts. Yeah, right. Before he even gets close to going to school, things start to go wrong. Harry loses his temper and does (*gasp*) magic in front of muggles. Sure that he is about to be expelled or possibly even arrested, Harry decides he has nothing to lose and runs away from home. Thankfully the Knight Bus is there to rescue him and take him safely to Diagon Alley where he learns that he is in no trouble at all.
From there, the strangeness persists. Harry is followed everywhere by a mysterious black dog (the Grim?), hunted by a crazy serial killer, attacked by dementors, tutored by a man who grew up with his father, tortured by Snape (okay, that's pretty normal) and engrossed in the mystery of Peter Petigrew and his parents' deaths.
Is it disingenuous to give all of Rowling's books 5 stars? Oh well. I am in love with this series. This is the last light and happy book (if you can call it that) before the series starts to get pretty dark and depressing (but still irresistibly good!) There are parts of this book that will make you scream with the unfairness of it all and there are parts that may have you literally cheering for the trio.
If you like this, look for:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Twilight Series
Charlie Bone Series
Percy Jackson Series
JK Rowling
Finally, Harry is expecting a quiet year at Hogwarts. Yeah, right. Before he even gets close to going to school, things start to go wrong. Harry loses his temper and does (*gasp*) magic in front of muggles. Sure that he is about to be expelled or possibly even arrested, Harry decides he has nothing to lose and runs away from home. Thankfully the Knight Bus is there to rescue him and take him safely to Diagon Alley where he learns that he is in no trouble at all.
From there, the strangeness persists. Harry is followed everywhere by a mysterious black dog (the Grim?), hunted by a crazy serial killer, attacked by dementors, tutored by a man who grew up with his father, tortured by Snape (okay, that's pretty normal) and engrossed in the mystery of Peter Petigrew and his parents' deaths.
Is it disingenuous to give all of Rowling's books 5 stars? Oh well. I am in love with this series. This is the last light and happy book (if you can call it that) before the series starts to get pretty dark and depressing (but still irresistibly good!) There are parts of this book that will make you scream with the unfairness of it all and there are parts that may have you literally cheering for the trio.
If you like this, look for:
Harry Potter Series
Septimus Heap Series
Twilight Series
Charlie Bone Series
Percy Jackson Series
three little words
*****
Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Ashley is a toddler when 'they' take her from her mother. Throughout the next decade of her life, she is shuffled from foster home to foster home. Sometimes the parents are godsends. Sometimes they are so abusive, she can't see her way out. Separated and reunited with Luke, her younger brother, and a mother who just can't seem to get it together, Ashley can only rely on herself.
I debated posting this book at all. But I have some very mature readers and I think you can handle it, if not just yet. I'm definitely rating it R or maybe higher because it's very mature. But as I read all 320-some pages in one day, I thought I better share it with you. It's a memoire (autobiography) of a girl who has lived through it all. You won't be able to put it down and you just may cry!
Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Ashley is a toddler when 'they' take her from her mother. Throughout the next decade of her life, she is shuffled from foster home to foster home. Sometimes the parents are godsends. Sometimes they are so abusive, she can't see her way out. Separated and reunited with Luke, her younger brother, and a mother who just can't seem to get it together, Ashley can only rely on herself.
I debated posting this book at all. But I have some very mature readers and I think you can handle it, if not just yet. I'm definitely rating it R or maybe higher because it's very mature. But as I read all 320-some pages in one day, I thought I better share it with you. It's a memoire (autobiography) of a girl who has lived through it all. You won't be able to put it down and you just may cry!
Fever 1793
*****
Laurie Halse Anderson
Mattie is a 16-year-old in 1793 Philidelphia. Like many teenagers, all she wishes for is a little freedom, the boy of her dreams and a chance to sleep just a little later in the mornings. But all of these simple desires change when the family's maid becomes one of the first to die from Yellow Fever. As the death toll rises, the city begins to shut down. Mattie tries to hold her family together and at times just to survive as the world around her falls into utter chaos.
This is an excellent book! You won't be able to put it down. Laurie Anderson is one of the best writers I know, and this book is no exception! It's a very easy read and would be good for anyone who likes books that are a little sad, but really, really good.
If you like this book, look for:
Out of the Dust
Day of Tears
The Mailbox
Speak
Catalyst
Laurie Halse Anderson
Mattie is a 16-year-old in 1793 Philidelphia. Like many teenagers, all she wishes for is a little freedom, the boy of her dreams and a chance to sleep just a little later in the mornings. But all of these simple desires change when the family's maid becomes one of the first to die from Yellow Fever. As the death toll rises, the city begins to shut down. Mattie tries to hold her family together and at times just to survive as the world around her falls into utter chaos.
This is an excellent book! You won't be able to put it down. Laurie Anderson is one of the best writers I know, and this book is no exception! It's a very easy read and would be good for anyone who likes books that are a little sad, but really, really good.
If you like this book, look for:
Out of the Dust
Day of Tears
The Mailbox
Speak
Catalyst
Day of Tears
*****
Julius Lester
Follow Emma, Maddie, Will and their friends on this heartbraking journey. Master Pierce has lost all of his money gambling and has to sell off his slaves to pay his debts. It's hard on the Butler family to lose the people they've grown up with, but it's much harder on the slaves sold to new owners around the country. As families are split apart, the tales intertwine to give a clear and crushing story of what it is like to live in slavery.
This is an excellent book. It's written as a play and makes you feel like you're really there alongside the families suffering in this book. Even though it's mostly sad, it's a wonderful book to read. It gives such a clear picture of the loss and suffering as well as some heartening stories of reunion.
If you like this book, look for:
Fever 1793
Out of the Dust
Run for Your Life
Julius Lester
Follow Emma, Maddie, Will and their friends on this heartbraking journey. Master Pierce has lost all of his money gambling and has to sell off his slaves to pay his debts. It's hard on the Butler family to lose the people they've grown up with, but it's much harder on the slaves sold to new owners around the country. As families are split apart, the tales intertwine to give a clear and crushing story of what it is like to live in slavery.
This is an excellent book. It's written as a play and makes you feel like you're really there alongside the families suffering in this book. Even though it's mostly sad, it's a wonderful book to read. It gives such a clear picture of the loss and suffering as well as some heartening stories of reunion.
If you like this book, look for:
Fever 1793
Out of the Dust
Run for Your Life
The Mailbox
****
Gabe has been adopted by his Uncle Vernon. Finally, he has the family he's been missing since his mother died years ago. But when Gabe returns home on his first day of 6th grade, he finds his uncle dead in the study. Gabe, afraid of going back into foster care or of being blamed for his uncle's death decides to tell no one what has happened.
The next day, he returns from school to find his uncle's body vanished and a strange note in the mailbox. With the help of his mysterious guardian and the memories of his loving, yet brusque uncle, Gabe manages to live by himself with only his new dog Guppy to keep him company. But when the police arrive at the end of a fieldtrip one afternoon, all of that may be at an end.
This book is excellent! Gabe is a lovable character that you can't help but want the best for. Mr. Bohem, the English teacher he bonds with is kind and nurturing and Gabe's memories of his uncle are great comic relief in a heart-breaking book.
If you liked this book, look for:
Catalyst
Harry Potter Series
Speak
Eggs
Fever 1793
Gabe has been adopted by his Uncle Vernon. Finally, he has the family he's been missing since his mother died years ago. But when Gabe returns home on his first day of 6th grade, he finds his uncle dead in the study. Gabe, afraid of going back into foster care or of being blamed for his uncle's death decides to tell no one what has happened.
The next day, he returns from school to find his uncle's body vanished and a strange note in the mailbox. With the help of his mysterious guardian and the memories of his loving, yet brusque uncle, Gabe manages to live by himself with only his new dog Guppy to keep him company. But when the police arrive at the end of a fieldtrip one afternoon, all of that may be at an end.
This book is excellent! Gabe is a lovable character that you can't help but want the best for. Mr. Bohem, the English teacher he bonds with is kind and nurturing and Gabe's memories of his uncle are great comic relief in a heart-breaking book.
If you liked this book, look for:
Catalyst
Harry Potter Series
Speak
Eggs
Fever 1793
Hatchet
****
Gary Paulsen
Brian is having a hard time. His parents have divorced and his dad has moved to the Canadian wilderness. As he boards the single-passenger plane and heads to his father's house for the summer, he thinks about the recent past. But what he doesn't know is that the future is going to be much, much harder. When the pilot suffers a fatal heart attack, it's all Brian can do to crash the plane into a lake. Though he survives the crash, he is now hundreds of miles from humanity, without any supplies or food and completely unprepared to fend for himself. What's worse, the plane veered so far off course that no one will be able to find him. Will he be able to use his clothing, pocket change and hatchet to keep himself alive? And will he ever be able to see his family again?
This is a great book. Though it's geared toward boys, I enjoyed this book as an adolescent. It has adventure, an easily traceable plot and likeable characters. If you enjoy it, there are plenty of books to follow up with!
If you like this book, look for:
The River
The Cay
Brian's Hunt
Brian's Winter
Brian's Return
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Sign of the Beaver
Lord of the Flies
Touching Spirit Bear
The Island
Winterdance
Gary Paulsen
Brian is having a hard time. His parents have divorced and his dad has moved to the Canadian wilderness. As he boards the single-passenger plane and heads to his father's house for the summer, he thinks about the recent past. But what he doesn't know is that the future is going to be much, much harder. When the pilot suffers a fatal heart attack, it's all Brian can do to crash the plane into a lake. Though he survives the crash, he is now hundreds of miles from humanity, without any supplies or food and completely unprepared to fend for himself. What's worse, the plane veered so far off course that no one will be able to find him. Will he be able to use his clothing, pocket change and hatchet to keep himself alive? And will he ever be able to see his family again?
This is a great book. Though it's geared toward boys, I enjoyed this book as an adolescent. It has adventure, an easily traceable plot and likeable characters. If you enjoy it, there are plenty of books to follow up with!
If you like this book, look for:
The River
The Cay
Brian's Hunt
Brian's Winter
Brian's Return
Island of the Blue Dolphins
Sign of the Beaver
Lord of the Flies
Touching Spirit Bear
The Island
Winterdance
Holes
****
Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats has really, really bad luck. So bad, in fact, that it lands him in a "summer camp" for screwup kids. But this isn't like any summer camp that Stanley's ever heard about. The warden works the kids tirelessly digging holes in the desert. When they mess up, the punsihments are severe. But when Stanley realizes that they're not just digging to build character, but to find something, he begins searching for the truth. And it nearly kills him.
This is a pretty good book. It's a quick read and a real page turner. The twists are a little far-fetched for a book that claims to be realistic fiction, but it's definitely worth picking up.
If you like this book, look for:
Shakespeare's Secret
Chasing Vermeer
Touching Spirit Bear
Hamlet
Harry Potter Series
Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats has really, really bad luck. So bad, in fact, that it lands him in a "summer camp" for screwup kids. But this isn't like any summer camp that Stanley's ever heard about. The warden works the kids tirelessly digging holes in the desert. When they mess up, the punsihments are severe. But when Stanley realizes that they're not just digging to build character, but to find something, he begins searching for the truth. And it nearly kills him.
This is a pretty good book. It's a quick read and a real page turner. The twists are a little far-fetched for a book that claims to be realistic fiction, but it's definitely worth picking up.
If you like this book, look for:
Shakespeare's Secret
Chasing Vermeer
Touching Spirit Bear
Hamlet
Harry Potter Series
Airborn
*****
Kenneth Oppel
Matt loves to fly. He was born in the air aboard the airship that carried his parents to their new home in the Americas. His father worked aboard the classy airship Aurora and brought home fascinating tales of the views, the feelings, the smells and the work. But now that his father is gone, it's up to him to support his mother and two sisters, so he takes a job aboard his father's old ship.
For Matt, there's no better feeling than being free and aloft in his beloved ship. But all of that changes when he rescues a strange, stranded man only hours away from death, meets a beautiful and rich young woman named Kate, gets attacked by pirates, sees a creature that shouldn't exists and somehow gets caught in an adventure he never wanted.
If you like this book, look for:
Skybreaker
Kenneth Oppel
Matt loves to fly. He was born in the air aboard the airship that carried his parents to their new home in the Americas. His father worked aboard the classy airship Aurora and brought home fascinating tales of the views, the feelings, the smells and the work. But now that his father is gone, it's up to him to support his mother and two sisters, so he takes a job aboard his father's old ship.
For Matt, there's no better feeling than being free and aloft in his beloved ship. But all of that changes when he rescues a strange, stranded man only hours away from death, meets a beautiful and rich young woman named Kate, gets attacked by pirates, sees a creature that shouldn't exists and somehow gets caught in an adventure he never wanted.
I loved this book! It's a little verbose (wordy), but worth the effort. Once the action really starts, you will fall in love with the characters, the plot and the Aurora. The descriptions are beautiful and vivid. The characters are real and interesting and the twists will keep you guessing!
If you like this book, look for:
Skybreaker
Speak
*****
Laurie Anderson
Melinda starts 9th grade with no one in her corner. Because of something she did over the summer, most of her new school hates her. The problem is, what she did isn't the problem. Melinda (Mel) is keeping a secret...from everyone. But how will she survive high school with no true friends? And what will happen when the real problem rears its ugly head once again?
This is a great read! Though you might want to wait until high school, whether you're a boy or girl, you should read this book (but especially if you're a girl). Laurie Anderson is an incredibly talented writer. She gives Melinda such life and tells about high school in a realistic and interesting way. But beware! This book will break your heart!
If you like this book, look for:
Catalyst
What My Mother Doesn't Know
Sloppy Firsts
TTYL
Laurie Anderson
Melinda starts 9th grade with no one in her corner. Because of something she did over the summer, most of her new school hates her. The problem is, what she did isn't the problem. Melinda (Mel) is keeping a secret...from everyone. But how will she survive high school with no true friends? And what will happen when the real problem rears its ugly head once again?
This is a great read! Though you might want to wait until high school, whether you're a boy or girl, you should read this book (but especially if you're a girl). Laurie Anderson is an incredibly talented writer. She gives Melinda such life and tells about high school in a realistic and interesting way. But beware! This book will break your heart!
If you like this book, look for:
Catalyst
What My Mother Doesn't Know
Sloppy Firsts
TTYL
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