Two Nonfiction Titles

I know that not everyone loves fiction best like me, so I'm working on reading some nonfiction titles for those of you who like to keep it real.  In many of the Scholastic orders last year, I kept seeing the title Bloody Times: The Funeral of Abraham Lincoln and the Manhunt for Jefferson Davis in the catalogs, so when I saw MCPL had it available through their Overdrive E-book checkout system, I knew I wanted to read it.  In this book, James L. Swanson takes us through Lincoln's last days and the end of the Civil War.  It was fascinating to learn facts I never really knew about President Lincoln's funeral and what happened to Jefferson Davis (the president of the Confederacy) after the war.  If the Civil War is a topic that interests you, I would highly recommend reading more about it.  James Swanson also wrote Chasing Lincoln's Killer, which is currently sitting on my shelf waiting for me to get to it.  I'll let you know more about that one once I get to it.

When I was looking on the Overdrive system at their nonfiction titles for checkout, this next title & cover caught my eye:  Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy.  I had never heard of the Triangle Fire and wanted to know more about it.  This was a devastating fire in a clothing manufacturing factory that took place in 1911.  It was the most disastrous workplace disaster in lives lost in New York until the 9/11 tragedy in 2001.  This book gives an incredible history of immigration into the United States, particularly that of Southern Italians and Russian Jews in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  It gives an incredible history of the fight for safety in the workplace.  It was a short read, but was packed full of fascinating historical details.  I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a nonfiction title to read.

If you didn't see the update on our En Fuego Facebook page, I have a new puppy at my house.  She is keeping me from doing quite as much reading, and hopefully explains the time lapse between posts about what I have managed to read.  I'm trying to teach her to be a reader too, but so far she just wants to chew up whatever I'm reading and we can't have that!  Meet Gracie.  I'll make a reader out of her yet - or at least a dog who sits quietly on my lap while I do my reading!  Until next time...keep reading!

Mind Games & The Emerald Atlas

I loved Kiersten White's Paranormalcy series, so when I saw that she had a new book, Mind Games, I was excited to read it.  If you read the Paranormalcy trilogy, you'll know that Ms. White is a humorous author...so I was expecting the same in Mind Games.  I did not get what I expected.  This book was much darker and more mysterious than the previous trilogy.  In Mind Games, two sisters, Fia (short for Sophia) and Annie are put in a special school shortly after their parents are killed in a car accident.  Annie is blind, but has the ability to see the future.  Their aunt no longer wanted to care for them and the school promised that it would provide an individualized education that would more than meet Annie's special needs and they would allow for Fia to come along, as well.  From the very first time there, Fia knew that the school was not right - that it was a very bad place.  The school takes in special girls like Annie - those who can see the future (seers), those who can feel the emotions that others are feeling (feelers), and scariest of all, those who can read minds (readers).  Fia doesn't have any of those abilities, but what the school discovers is that she has perfect instincts - she can make the best choice in every situation, whether it be a stock market pick or a dangerous situation.  So Fia is trained to be an assassin.  The school threatens Annie's life if Fia does not go along with them.  The story unfolds as we see how the past and present come together for these sisters and how they try to figure out a way to escape the life they've become trapped in.  This was a very exciting read, but you really feel bad for the sisters and the deep emotional pain they experience because of what the school has done to them.  There will be at least one more book that will continue Fia's & Annie's story.  Check out Mind Games if you're looking for an action-packed thriller.

The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens is another Truman Nominee.  I don't know why, but I wasn't really that excited about reading this book, but my goal has been to read all the Truman nominees, so I jumped in.  Boy, did this story surprise me.  I ended up loving it and want to read the 2nd book in the series (The Fire Chronicles).  In this story, we meet Kate, Michael, and Emma who aren't exactly orphans, but have spent most of their lives in an orphanage.  Eleven years ago, their parents sent them off in the middle of the night to an orphanage, promising Kate they'd be together again someday, but haven't been seen since.  The kids have gone from orphanage to orphanage, each one worse than the last, when they finally end up in a strange place called Cambridge Falls in an orphanage run by a man named Mr. Pym.  The interesting thing is that they are the only orphans in the place.  One day, while exploring the strange mansion where they're staying, they discover a book.  When they open the book and place a photograph from the past in it, they are instantly taken back to the  moment that picture was taken.  They meet an evil witch, Mr. Pym turns out to be not quite what they expected, and they discover that they have a connection to this amazing and magical book.  This story is a fantastical adventure from start to finish and I can't wait to find out what happens next to Kate, Michael, and Emma in the 2nd book.  There will be a 3rd book as well, but I don't see a title or publication date out there yet.  It will be something to look forward to!

Two More Trumans

I mentioned in my last post that I was reading Lost in the River of Grass, by Ginny Rorby.  LitRoG (because who wants to keep writing out that long title?) is about a ninth grader, Sarah Emerson, who goes on a field trip to the Everglades with a few of her classmates and her favorite teacher.  Sarah is a scholarship student at her school, where her mom works in the cafeteria, and she doesn't really fit in.  She's hoping that this field trip might give her the opportunity to make some friends, but it doesn't really work out that way upon arriving in the Everglades.  She decides to skip on the scheduled morning's activities in order to take an airboat ride in the swamp with a local boy, which turns out to be a VERY bad decision.  Disaster occurs and Sarah and Andy are 10 miles into the Everglades with no way out and barely any food or water.  They decide their best bet is to try to hike out of the swamp, because no one has any idea where they are.  The story covers days of slogging through dangerous waters, where snakes and alligators and other scary creatures lurk.  Will Sarah & Andy survive?  Read Lost in the River of Grass and find out!

I also finished up Variant, by Robison Wells.  This is the first in a 2-book series.  The second is called Feedback, but I haven't read it yet...and I will, but I won't tell you about it, so I don't give anything away about Variant.   Benson Fisher is a foster kid - has been since he was five years old and he's sick of moving from one place to another.  On a whim, he decides to apply at a private school, called the Maxfield Academy, and much to his surprise, he's accepted and provided a full scholarship.  He's a few months from turning 18, so he figures he can go to Maxfield, finish his education, then he'll be free of the foster care system.  Much to his surprise, though, when he arrives at Maxfield, he discovers there are no adults - no teachers, no supervisors - only other students.  The students have broken themselves into 3 different groups and perform all the functions needed in a school, but they are constantly watched by cameras and given a daily schedule they must follow.  There are only 4 main rules - but the punishment for breaking those rules is deadly.  Can Benson find a way out of this school-turned-prison?  Variant is definitely a page-turner that you won't want to put down!

All right - I've read 9 of the 12 Truman nominees and I definitely have some favorites picked already.  Have you read any of the Truman nominees yet?  You can comment below & let me know!  

Five New Titles

I've been on vacation...so sorry for the break between updates, but I'll make it up to you with 5 new recommendations. :)  Three of the five are Truman nominees for this coming school year...let's commence with the recommending!

I'll start with Beastly and Cloaked, by Alex Flinn.  Cloaked is one of the Truman nominees for this year and when I looked at it on goodreads.com or somewhere of the like, it said it was Beastly #2, so I decided I had better read Beastly first.  Well, wherever I saw it was Beastly #2 was untrue - the two books are not related whatsoever, except in the fact that they are new versions of different fairy tales and both very fun summer reads.  In Beastly, Kyle Kingsbury is a very popular, but self-centered freshman in high school.  He's rich, has a lot of friends, and can get any girl he wants.  One day, Kyle decides to ask a not-so-pretty or popular girl to the upcoming dance as a joke...you see, he's really going with totally pretty & popular Sloane, and he's going to ditch this other girl, Kendra at the door.  What a nice guy, right?  Well, it turns out Kendra is a witch, who casts a spell on Kyle, turning him into an awful beast.  She gives him 2 years to get a girl to fall in love with him for him - not for his looks or money.  Only then, can the spell be reversed.  This is a modern-day retelling of Beauty & the Beast.  The book was funny and has a great message about the fact that maybe we shouldn't judge others solely on how they look.  Cloaked is not just based on one fairy tale, but is a mash-up of several different tales.  In Cloaked, Johnny is a poor, 17-year old shoe repairman who is trying to help his mom make ends meet.  One day, a princess stays in the hotel where his shoe shop is located and asks him to complete a quest of her - find her brother who has been turned into a frog by an evil witch.  She gives him a magical cloak that can transport him to wherever he wishes and a magical earpiece that allows him to talk to any animal that was once human to help him.  In return, she'll marry him and he'll have all the money he's ever wanted.  His best friend Meg ends up helping him out in this quest.  The story has a lot of twists and turns and will introduce you to some fairy tales you might not have heard of before.  If you are a lover of fairy tales, these 2 books will be just right for you!

The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen, was an incredible story of overcoming what seems to be impossible.  Jessica is a runner...it is her passion and her life, but on her way home from a track meet, her bus is in an accident.  Another student is killed and Jessica's foot is crushed beyond repair and must be amputated.  This story is Jessica's journey of learning how to deal with the loss of not just her foot, but her ability to do the thing she loves the most...to run.  I. Absolutely. Loved. This. Book.  I think this one is a strong contender for winning the Truman Award this year.  Be inspired by Jessica & read her story!

If you were paying attention when we were in the library this year, Mrs. Gehrt and Erin from Mid-Continent both spent time talking about the book The Death Catchers, by Jennifer Anne Kogler.  This book is another favorite Truman Nominee of mine.  The story is told by Lizzy in a letter she is writing to her English teacher in hopes that she will pass her English class despite not turning in a really important project.  The letter shows her teacher her understanding of all the literary techniques & elements learned over the year (is it any wonder your TEACHER loved this book?).  Lizzy tells the story of how she saw her first "death specter" - or prediction of the death of someone close to her.  Her grandmother, Bizzy, shares with her, their family legacy of being "death catchers" - ones who learn of the untimely deaths of those close to them and have the opportunity to stop that event from happening.  This gift dates back to the time of King Arthur's court and is a job that must be taken seriously, because there can be bad consequences if you handle it in the wrong way.  Lizzy learns of a plot for "doomsday" and she, Bizzy, and her best friend Jodi, must do all they can to keep doomsday from happening.  This is an exciting, action-packed, funny adventure and I highly recommend it!

And finally, let me tell you about The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater.  If you were paying attention in class, you know this is a title I added to my bookshelf a couple of months ago.  I said I hadn't read it, but really wanted to, because I had heard good things about it.  Well, I finally got to it, and it did not disappoint. In the story, Puck (Kate) Connolly and Sean Kendrick live on the island of Thisby where every October, something magical and mystical occurs - water horses come out from the sea, but these aren't any kind of horse you'd really want to be around - they're flesh-eating and violent horses.  But the people of Thisby have a tradition of racing the water horses on November 1 every year, so many young men catch the horses and attempt to train them and race them without being injured of losing their lives.  Sean Kingston has won the Scorpio Races four times and has a way with the water horses that keeps him in demand in the island.  Puck has just learned that her oldest brother is leaving the island for the mainland, and since their parents died 18 months ago, she doesn't know how she is going to support herself and her younger brother, so she decides to do the unthinkable - enter the Scorpio Races and race on her own regular horse, Dove.  Sean and Puck strike up an unusual friendship when many on the island don't want to see a) a girl & b) a regular horse in the race.  Can Puck win or will Sean win for a 5th time.  This is an adventure you don't want to miss.  I loved it!

And that is that for now.  I'm currently reading Lost in the River of Grass - another Truman nominee.  Stay tuned for more about this one later in the week!  I hope you're all enjoying your summer!