Back to School Must Reads

It's official...school has started for us at Congress Middle School!  It's been over a month since I've updated the old book blog, so it's high time I did so.  As we get ready to start spending time reading on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays during homebase, let me tell you about some titles you might want to look into as we start making library visits.

First up, let me tell you a little bit more about one of the books I mentioned in class as one of my favorite books of the summer.  A Week of Mondays, by Jessica Brody, is about a girl named Ellison Sparks who just had the worst Monday of all time:  she ran a red light and is expecting a ticket, she took the worst school photo of all time, she bombs a speech in front of her whole school, has an allergic reaction that makes her face swell up, and worst of all, her boyfriend breaks up with her.  When Ellie wakes up the next morning and discovers she is re-living her Monday, she sets out to change all of the mistakes she made and maybe if she can do that, her boyfriend won't break up with her.  This hilarious story shows Ellie living through a week of Mondays trying to figure how to get things right...and it may not necessarily work out the way she expected.  This book was right in my sweet spot of things I like to read - it's funny, it has a little romance (but not too much), and it makes you feel good in the end.  I was able to read an advanced copy through NetGalley, but it is now available at MCPL if you're interested in checking this one out.

Another book I really liked was Cinda Williams Chima's first book in her newest series, Flamecaster.  I read Chima's Seven Realms series last year and loved it (you can read about the first book in that series, The Demon King, here) and Flamecaster (Shattered Realms series #1) takes place in the same setting a generation later.  You don't have to read the other series first, but it would definitely give you some background information into the setting.  In Flamecaster, Ash, son of the queen and high wizard of the Fells, is a gifted healer who wants to get revenge on the king of Arden who has brought grief to his family.  Jenna, a girl who has grown up as basically a slave to Arden in her mining town of Delphi also wants to bring down the evil king of Arden.  When both Ash and Jenna end up in Arden and their paths collide, the king of Arden better watch his back!  This story is an incredible melding of fantasy, action-adventure, and romance.  I am already looking forward to the next installment in this series, but of course, will have to wait a year for it to come out!  If you're interested in the Seven Realms series, you can find those 4 books at MCPL, MCPL Overdrive, and in our Congress Media Center.  You can find Flamecaster at MCPL and through MCPL's Overdrive.

If fantasy novels aren't your thing, and you want a story that's more heartwarming, then you might like Bluefish, by Pat Schmatz.  This story will hit you in the feels, let me tell you.  Travis is forced to start over in a new town with his recovering alcoholic grandfather.  He's left everything he's ever loved - his home in the swamp and his faithful dog who went missing right before they left.  He has to start 8th grade at a new school, and he knows it's only a matter of time before his teachers discover how inadequate he is as a student.  But Travis meets Velveeta, a girl who seemingly has it all together, and she seems to want to be his friend.  There is more to Velveeta than meets the eye, though.  She's suffering through some grief of her own, and she most definitely does not have it all together.  Can the friendship they form and the help of an observant teacher help them to overcome their obstacles?  You'll have to read Bluefish to find out.  You can find this book at MCPL or through MCPL's Overdrive.  If you read Bluefish and like it, then you also must read Okay for Now, by Gary D. Schmidt...another incredibly uplifting story of overcoming impossible odds.  You can read more about it here.

Another really heartwarming story I read was Summerlost, by Ally Condie, who is a favorite author of mine.  In this story, Cedar is still dealing with the deaths of her father and younger brother in an accident a year ago.  She, her mom, and her other brother are spending their summer in their mom's hometown, where they've purchased a home.  When Cedar sees a boy her age riding a bike wearing a strange costume, she's curious...where is he going and why is he wearing that ridiculous costume? When she meets the boy - Leo - she learns he works at the town's annual Shakespeare festival, called Summerlost, and he helps her to get a job there too.  While working, they get caught up in a quest to discover what really happened to the Hollywood actress who died too young in their town 20 years before.  And through all the adventure, Cedar starts to work through the grief for her lost family that she's been struggling with.  This was a fun story, but it definitely was full of emotion, as well.  You can find this book at MCPL or through MCPL's Overdrive.

If you want a book that's more filled with action, you might want to check out the Virals series (5 novels + 4 novellas) by Kathy and Brendan Reichs.  Kathy Reichs is the author of the adult series that the TV show Bones is based off of.  In Virals, a group of 4 teens, Tory, Ben, Hiram, and Shelton, are exposed to a virus that changes their lives completely.  Tory and friends suddenly have heightened senses and animal reflexes that they must use to catch a killer who is on the loose.  If you like science fiction and a lot of action, you would love the Virals series.  You can find these books at MCPL, through MCPL's Overdrive, and in our CMS Media Center.

If you're looking for a light-hearted read, you might want to check out Wendelin Van Draanen's book, Flipped.  A few years ago, I read Van Draanen's The Running Dream, which is also incredible (read about it here).  In Flipped, we meet Bryce and Juli.  When Bryce moves into the neighborhood, Juli is instantly smitten with him, despite the fact that they were only in 2nd grade at the time.  For the past 6 years, Juli has driven Bryce absolutely crazy with her attention and over-the-top behavior.  He just wants to get away from this girl.  Then the story is flipped - and Juli tells us her side of the story, but as Bryce and Juli go through their 8th grade years, Juli starts to see Bryce through new eyes...and guess what, Bryce starts to see Juli for who she really is, as well.  I will warn you...this story does leave you hanging in the end, but that means that you can decide for yourself what really happens between Bryce and Juli.  You can find copies of this story at MCPL, through MCPL's Overdrive, and in the CMS Media Center.

Finally, if you're more into historical fiction, you might like Poppy, by Mary Hooper.  If you've watched Downton Abbey, and you liked it, you'd definitely like Poppy, because it takes place in 1914-15 England.  Poppy is a young servant to a wealthy family when World War I breaks out.  She is falling in love with the youngest son of the family she works with, but knows they likely don't have a future, so she decides to volunteer to train as a nurse who treats soldiers who are wounded an recovering from the war.  Poppy had no idea of the horrific things she would see as a nurse, but is amazed to find that despite that, she is really good at what she does.  When it looks like she might have a chance with the young son of her former employer, Poppy is thrilled, until that relationship comes to a devastating end.  Poppy has to decide what she'll do next with her life...you'll have to read the story to find out what that might be.  You can find Poppy on the shelves at MCPL.

That's it for now.  If you're new to my blog, I encourage you to explore through it...I've made many book recommendations over the last few years.  I hope you'll find something that you'd really like to read!