Book Trailers & Summaries, 9-20-13

Here is a link to the book trailers we saw today in class.  Some classes didn't get to the last one (or two in 8th hour's case).  You can view them through the link provided here.  I am linking the summaries I've already posted below, so you can read more about my thoughts on these books (just click on the titles):

The Raft - apparently, I didn't blog about this one.  I will...soon!

Uglies & Wonder

Dark Life

Entwined

I have a copy of The Raft, Uglies, & Entwined - let me know if you'd like to read any of those titles & I'll put you on the waiting lists!  Have a great weekend all!

It's Been Awhile!

Sorry I have been lax on posting to the book blog, but with school starting, I just haven't quite had as much time to read as I did during the summer.  However, I have recently finished these two gems and had to be sure to recommend them to you.

First up, The Hypnotists, by Gordon Korman.  This is his latest book and is the first in a series, though I'm not sure how many books the series will contain.  The main character, Jackson (Jax) Opus has always seemed to get by in life easily, but it wasn't something he's ever noticed much.  His best friend, Tommy, is the only one who seems to be immune, but doesn't miss how other people treat Jax.  At the boys' championship basketball game, Jax starts seeing strange things and the best basketball player in the city, whom he happens to be guarding, is having the worst game of his life.  Eventually, Jax is "discovered" by a renowned institute in the city - the Sentia Institute - and its highly-esteemed head, Dr. Elias Mako.  When he joins the institute, Jax discovers that he comes from a powerful bloodline of hypnotists and with training, he could be the most powerful hypnotist of all time.  But when Jax discovers that Dr. Mako may not be using hypnotism for good purposes, he has to decide whether to go along or to find a way out.  I put this book on hold after I read Korman's Ungifted, and it did not disappoint.  The writing was funny and the storyline was very entertaining.  It leaves you with a cliffhanger wondering what will happen with Jax next.

This one is for the girls - The Distance Between Us, by Kasie West.  This title popped up in a goodreads.com newsletter I got this summer and I tucked it away to read at some point.  I rediscovered the title & lo and behold, it was available through Overdrive (Mid-Continent's e-book source), so I downloaded it onto my Kindle and loved every bit of it.  Caymen is 17 and doing her very best to help her struggling single mom with her business, a doll store.  It's not Caymen's dream, but she feels like her mom has given up everything for her, so she's willing to do the same. One afternoon, a boy comes into the doll shop and everything changes.  He's the grandson of a regular client named Xander and he is interested in Caymen.  The only problem - he's completely and totally rich.  Why is this a problem, you ask?  Because Caymen's dad was a rich guy who left her mom with a baby and never helped her out again, and she's never gotten over it.  Caymen thinks she really likes Xander, but she's not sure how to please her mom and go after something she wants that she knows her mom will hate.  The story is a little predictable, but what really made this story for me was Caymen's "voice" telling the story.  She was so sarcastic and funny throughout that I found myself laughing out loud many times at her sense of humor.  I'm a sucker for a love story too, so it was an all around winner for me!

And finally, here's  a link to the Prezi of book trailers we looked at a couple of weeks ago in class.  There aren't summaries in the Prezi with the trailers, but I have written about most of them on this blog if you want more information.  Click here for Beastly and The Scorpio Races. Click here for Flesh & Blood So Cheap - The Triangle Fire & Its Legacy.  Click here for Ungifted.  And finally, click here for Mind Games. Or - just ask me about them in class...speaking of which...LIBRARY DAY TOMORROW!  Woohoo!  I love taking a trip to the library. :)

Books for all Kinds

I've got 4 book recommendations for you today.  Two are historical fiction, one is a futuristic fairy tale re-make, and one is heart-wrenching fantasy.

Let's start with the heart-wrenching fantasy.  If your remember, last year I raved about Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking series (The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask & the Answer, & Monsters of Men).  It was a no brainer that I wanted to read A Monster Calls, a stand alone title about a British boy named Conor.  Conor has a terrible nightmare many nights about a horrible monster, and one night a monster comes to his room.  This isn't the same monster from his nightmare, but he says Conor has called him.  The monster will tell Conor three stories, then Conor must tell the monster his story.  In the meantime, Conor's life is in turmoil.  His mom is going through cancer treatments, his dad is in America with a new family, and he is forced to move in with his grandma.  This story was not what I expected - I expected horror, blood, & guts. And though it wasn't what I expected, I was not disappointed.  It turned out to be a story that pulls on your emotions and makes you feel the hurt that Conor is experiencing.  This was a fantastic story & I highly recommend it!

I read 2 historical fiction books from my shelf at school.  If you want to be on the list to borrow either one, let me know!  First, I read Jefferson's Sons, by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.  This story was fascinating and inspired me look into the historical facts of the story after I read it.  The story is completely made up, but based on events that are believed to be true.  It is the story of Thomas Jefferson's illegitimate children that he had with his slave, Sally Hemings.  The four children, Beverly, Harriet, Madison, & Eston lived as slaves on Jefferson's estate (this is documented as true) and this story tells what life might have been like for these children growing up.  They were all eventually freed by their father, though not formally acknowledged as his children.  This story takes you through life in the early 1800's through the eyes of the children.

I also finally read Prisoner B-3087, by Alan Gratz.  This is again historical fiction, but based on true events that occurred in the life of Jack Gruener from the years of 1939-1945.  Young Jack, or Yanek, as he was known at the time, was a Jewish boy living in Poland when Hitler invaded his country.  It tells his story of living in the ghetto of his city to the 10 different concentration camps he survived.  The basic events are true, but the story has been fictionalized and embellished by the author.  This was a hard book to put down.  I find reading about the Holocaust to always be fascinating.  This year, we'll read Night, by Elie Wiesel, which is a Holocaust memoir.  I think reading anything you can about the Holocaust will give you some great background before we study it in more detail this year.

I just finished reading Cinder, by Marissa Meyer this morning.  This is another one I pulled off my shelf from school.  This is the first book of the Lunar Chronicles series and I'm already itching to read the second book, Scarlet.  Cinder is a futuristic retelling of Cinderella.  The main character, whose name is Cinder, is a cyborg (she's human, but after a horrible accident was rebuilt with mechanical parts) mechanic living in New Beijing somewhere in the future.  She was adopted by a man, who died shortly after adopting her, leaving her with his wife and 2 daughters.  With the exception of the youngest sister, the family wants nothing to do with Cinder and use her job as a mechanic to support their family.  Right before the annual ball, a couple of important things happen, Prince Kai seeks her help as a mechanic to repair an android from the palace, and Cinder's younger step-sister Peony contracts Letumosis, a plague that has no cure.  In trying to help find a cure for Peony, Cinder discovers that she is immune to the plague and there is a lot about herself that she did not know.  There is also the threat of a war with the people of Luna, who live on the moon and whose queen wants to take over the earth.  There's a lot going on in this story and it keeps you interested from start to finish.  If you like futuristic, science-fiction type stories and don't mind the fairy tale twist, you'll definitely want to borrow Cinder from me.

So, are you counting down the days until school starts?  I hope to see many of you on Thursday at registration!  This may be my last post before you start school...we'll see how much I get to read between now and then.  See you all soon!

A Little of This, A Little of That

Good Sunday afternoon my En Fuego readers.  Is anyone else totally loving this cooler weather at the end of July?  I guess it's not pool weather, but I do like enjoying the fresh air with my windows open!  The weather does not keep me from reading, though...hot, cold, whatever, you'll find me with a book in my hand about half of every day (or more if I'm lucky!).  Here's what I've been reading.

Ms. Scearcy mentioned this book to me and it's been on my to-read list for a bit.  I finally got a chance to read it and WOW.  So. Very. Good.  Wonder, by R.J. Palacio is about August Pullman.  August was born with severe facial deformities and has been protected and coddled his whole life.  Until suddenly, he learns that his parents think he may need to go to a real school instead of being homeschooled.  August really isn't sure about this, but after a visit to the school they have in mind, he decides to give it a try.  He is used to the shock, the stares, the horror that many people experience upon seeing him for the first time, but it's the first time he's every truly put himself out in the world.  He makes a couple of friends and is betrayed by one, but discovers an inner strength he didn't know he had and doesn't give up.  The story is told mostly through August's perspective, but a few other perspectives, as well and comes together as one of the most touching and heartwarming stories I've ever read.  I'm not going to lie, I cried a few tears at multiple points in this story, but if left my heart warm and fuzzy at the end.

Let's mix it up with a little non-fiction too.  I've been wanting to read Chasing Lincoln's Killer, by James Swanson since I got it from Scholastic last year.  Earlier in the summer, I read Bloody Times, which was also by this author.  This was a fascinating look at how President Lincoln's assassination came about and the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and those who conspired with him to murder the nation's 16th president.  I just love books that are full of historical facts, but read like a fictional story.  This also had lots of pictures of items and places from that time that helped you to picture all the who, what, when, & where details.  If you like nonfiction - pick up this book.

I also finally got around to reading Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld.  This has been on my to-read list probably for a year.  This is part of a dystopian trilogy about a society where people who are normal-looking are considered to be ugly.  At the age of 16, everyone gets an operation that turns them pretty - they're given features that are attractive and those features that aren't so attractive, like that big nose or eyes that are too close together or to far apart, are changed.  Once you turn pretty, you have no worries, you get to party all the time, and live a wonderful life.  Tally can't wait to turn 16 and get her operation.  All her friends have already had the operation and she looks forward to joining them.  But as she waits, she meets a new friend, Shay, who doesn't want to turn pretty and tells her about a place, called "The Smoke", where they can go to escape the operation.  Tally doesn't want to go, but a week before their birthdays, Shay leaves, but leaves Tally directions for how to find her.  When Tally goes in for her operation, she is told that unless she finds Shay and the Smoke for them, she will be ugly for the rest of her life.  Tally goes along, but once she gets to the Smoke, she realizes that becoming pretty has a steep price tag...should she expose her new friends and go back and live the life she always wanted or stay where she is and live a life different from anything she ever expected?  She may not have a choice.  This is a very fast-paced and exciting read.  There is quite a twist at the end that will make you want to rush out & read the next book in the series, Pretties!

So has anyone else looked at the calendar & realized we'll be seeing one another really soon?  I was at school last week starting to get things ready.  The supply list you need is on our facebook page and is also linked on the Congress webpage.  If you need a copy, let me know, I'll e-mail you one.  I hope you're enjoying these last few days of summer...with a good book, of course!

Fairytale, Thriller, & Dystopia...

Good morning En Fuego readers!  My summer book total is up to 40...my goal for the summer was to read 60 books.  Since I head back to school in 17 days, I'm not sure I'm going to get there, but I'm going to keep trying!  Let me tell you about 3 books I've read in the last week.

I'll start with Entwined, by Heather Dixon.  This is one I pulled off my shelf at school and brought home with me for the summer.  I picked it out completely for it's gorgeous cover (how superficial, I know!), but it turned out to be a fun read.  It was totally not what I expected.  Entwined is a retelling of the fairytale of the twelve princesses who love to dance.  In this book, Azalea is the oldest sister, who is left in charge of all her other sisters when their mother dies.  Their father goes off to war, but insists that they spend a period of a year in mourning for their mother, which means the princesses cannot dance, which is their passion passed on to them from their mother.  Azalea discovers a magical passage in their castle and the Keeper of this passage invites Azalea and her sisters to come every night and dance there, where they'll never be caught.  However, over time, it seems that the Keeper wants something from Azalea and the princesses in return and it could cost their father his life.  This was a fun story & I highly recommend it!

After reading last year's Truman winner, Girl Stolen, I put April Henry's newest book, The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die on hold at the library.  This was another thriller that you won't want to put down.  In this story, our main character wakes up and has no idea who she is or where she is, but she overhears a conversation between two men where one says to "take care of her" because she doesn't know anything.  She knows her life is in danger and that she must escape and not only that figure out who she is and why people are trying to kill her.  This is a short, fast-paced read.  If you like mystery and suspense, this is a book for you!

Finally, I've been wanting to read the Bar Code Tattoo, by Suzanne Weyn, so I also brought this one home from my school bookshelf.  In this futuristic story, everyone is getting a bar code tattooed onto their arms to make life easier.  This bar code is identification, contains their medical information, is like a bank card, and many other things.  Everyone is getting them & eventually it becomes the law to get one.  Kayla saw what getting the bar code tattoo did to her father.  Once he got it, things started falling apart in his life until he eventually committed suicide.  She doesn't know or understand what the bar code tattoo had to do with it, but she knows that it is at the root of the problem.  Kayla eventually has to go on the run to try to join the resistance against the tattoos and what they mean for the future of their society.  This is another thrilling and fast-paced story.  

In other news, your schedules for the year were mailed home last week.  Hopefully, yours has arrived.  If it hasn't, or there are any problems with it, contact one of your teachers and we'll help you get it straightened out.  Registration is coming up on August 8!  Enjoy what's left of the summer...and don't forget to do some reading!

Dark Life

Dark Life, by Kat Falls was one of the 2012-13 Truman nominees that I just didn't get around to during the school year, but really wanted to read.  I was at Mid-Continent & saw it sitting on the shelf and knew it was time I brought this one home.  Dark Life follows Gemma and Ty in a new under-sea society.  Gemma comes from "above" in search of her brother, whom she believes is prospecting in the depths of the ocean.  She meets Ty, who lives, and was in fact the first baby ever born under the sea.  The picture on the front cover is what his house looks like - a giant jellyfish!  There are rumors that kids who live in the depths have developed "dark gifts" due to the immense pressure of the ocean when living so deep, but Ty tries to convince Gemma it isn't true.  There are undersea bandits who are trying to tear apart the delicate society that has been built under the sea and Ty knows that he is the person who has to stop it.  This is a terrific fantasy and adventure novel about what life might be like if we had to live under the sea.  There is a 2nd book in this series called Rip Tide and I'm definitely planning to pick it up sometime soon!

Confessions of the Ungifted...

So far this summer, I've read 28 books!  How many have you read?  The most recent two books I've read are Ungifted, by Gordon Korman and In Front of God and Everybody: Confessions of April Grace.

Ungifted follows Donovan Curtis who is always in trouble.  If he sees something that looks like fun, he goes for it without thinking of it and it usually lands him in a world of trouble.  For instance, when he decides to hit a statue holding a globe near his school in the backside and the globe, which is held by only one rusty bolt, gets loose and rolls into your high schools gym, destroying the floor.  Oops.  Caught by the superintendent of his school district, Donovan knows he is going to be in big trouble, but the superintendent accidentally places his name on a list of students who are going to be assigned for the district's school for gifted students.  Donovan knows he is not gifted, but decides to go and hide out there until the superintendent (hopefully) forgets all about him.  Donovan somehow manages to befriend the gifted kids, who see him as the only "normal" student in their school and he joins their robotics club.  Donovan learns how to control some of his impulses and starts to learn more about what it means to truly be a friend.  This was a fun and funny story.  I highly recommend it!

I also just finished In Front of God & Everyone...  I picked it up at the library because I liked the cover.  After I got it home, I realized it was a Mark Twain Award nominee for this year, so I knew it must be pretty good.  April Grace lives in the country outside a small town in the Ozarks of Arkansas.  She lives with her parents and older sister, and her Grandma Grace lives right next door and is at April Grace's house more often than not.  It's summer vacation and new neighbors from San Francisco, California move in, or try to, next door.  The place is so run-down, though, that April Grace's parents invite them to move in until it can be fixed up.  Now these folks are snooty and look down on April Grace and her "hillbilly" family.  There is also Mr. Rance, who is trying to romance April Grace's grandma, but April Grace has her suspicions that he is up to no good.  This is a humorous account of how April Grace deals with her parent's guests and the over-the-top gentleman who is going after her Grandma.  This was a quick and very entertaining read.  April Grace is quite the funny narrator and I found myself laughing out loud at her use of grammar and colloquial sayings (file that away - we'll talk about what that means next year).  I loved this book!

We're about halfway through the summer.  My goal is to read 60 books and I'm not quite halfway there, so I'd better get moving if I'm going to reach it.  If you want, comment below & tell me what you've been reading this summer!