tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76326686488184262202024-02-18T18:30:48.453-08:00Books Aplenty, Books Galore!two teachers who eat books... and write book reviewsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.comBlogger213125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-55729048573307474012016-03-24T10:06:00.003-07:002016-03-24T10:06:55.261-07:00Book Review: The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl<b>Premise:</b> Alba has graduated from high school. Now it's her last summer with her friends, who are all moving away. But Alba doesn't want to go. She wants everything to stay the same. And then, the weirdos start showing up in her town claiming that the world is about to end and only this town will survive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht27CXXkbr6bYa8LKNvur_5v6dVJ-hvOvhHrnaqj3hDGAj8yol17c8Mve4kFK4yw20X6r-W-C4AtPK0NYikDr6jNb3YMBndQECVWad3bH2SJ9dkMLi4rh3KvxaxC0lV5uFPXkrs8UwwIe5/s1600/cinngirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht27CXXkbr6bYa8LKNvur_5v6dVJ-hvOvhHrnaqj3hDGAj8yol17c8Mve4kFK4yw20X6r-W-C4AtPK0NYikDr6jNb3YMBndQECVWad3bH2SJ9dkMLi4rh3KvxaxC0lV5uFPXkrs8UwwIe5/s200/cinngirl.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>
<b>Title:</b> The Incredible Adventures of Cinnamon Girl<br />
<b>Author:</b> Melissa Kiel<br />
<b>Length: </b>294 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Realistic Fiction<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone<br />
<b>Content Appropriate For:</b> Grades 9-12<br />
<b>Format:</b> Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> unique, nerdy, slow</span><br />
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So, I'm definitely not the right audience for this book. But, I'm sure high school students everywhere will be happy to have a protagonist who is thoroughly confused, and possibly terrified, about what's next after high school. There are lots of things that I liked about <i>Cinnamon Girl</i>, but all that "What am I doing with my life?" got really old for me.<br />
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<u>Things I Liked - </u><br />
<b>* It's really really Australian. </b>They have Christmas in the summer! And there was lots of great Aussie slang. It totally captured regular life in small-town Australia.... not that I've ever been there, but it just felt accurate.<br />
<b>* Alba is a Real Girl.</b> She isn't some skinny-mini, fashionista. Alba has her own interests and personal style. She's a real girl. Yay for real girls!<br />
<b>* Alba is a nerd.</b> She's into comics and drawing and baking. Alba is smart, and her dialogue is witty and full of comic book references.<br />
<b>* The last 50 pages were intense</b>. They kind of snuck up on me. I was surprised at how invested I had become in these characters.<br />
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<u>Things I Disliked -</u><br />
<b>* It's normal Realistic Fiction.</b> From the cover and title, I was expecting more elements of fantasy or sci-fi. But, no.<br />
<b>* The build-up was slow and tedious.</b> All that character development and internal conflict just about killed me. Can we get some plot in the first half please?!<br />
<b>* So much angst!</b> I'm definitely not the target audience!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3.5 stars</span></div>
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<b><br /></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-7607872549053561082016-01-22T13:35:00.004-08:002016-01-22T13:35:53.759-08:00Classics Review: The Birchbark House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Title: </b>The Birchbark House<br />
<b>Author:</b> Louise Erdrich<br />
<b>Length:</b> 239 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Historical fiction<br />
<b>Stand alone or series:</b> Stand alone<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 3-7<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Three adjectives that describe this book:</span></b> <span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">slow, memorable, interesting</span><br />
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A book designed to transport you into the daily life of an Ojibwa family in the mid 1800s. Not only does <i>The Birchbark House</i> meet this goal, but it does so quite vividly. This is not a plot-driven novel, but instead all about the characters and setting. It follows a family over the course of one year, so we experience all that it takes to survive in the Great Lakes region. The characters hunt, fish, and farm. They create clothing, spend time with friends, and celebrate with their neighbors. They build homes suited to each season, and must survive a challenging winter. They encounter changes brought by the white men, and make decisions about how to deal with these changes. This is a quiet story, but would be great for any middle grade reader who is interested in the lives of native peoples.<br />
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On a side note - As an adult reader, I kept sensing the clock ticking in the background, knowing that the story is set in 1847, and that the characters in this story would not continue the rhythms of life, as established by their ancestors, for much longer. It was a strange feeling to be the observer who knows more than the characters about their futures.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3.5 stars</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-20180356050932270762016-01-19T13:28:00.002-08:002016-01-19T13:28:33.404-08:00My 2015 Reading Year in ReviewI know this post is really late since we're 19 days into 2016 already, but BY GOLLY I've been chilling and wrapping up in blankets and reading... so there!<br />
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For 2015, I started a new tradition - a SPREADSHEET of my books. I'm kind of a nerd, so I actually enjoyed updating the spreadsheet. But the real fun was in gathering the data into pretty charts at the end of the year.<br />
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So, without further ado,<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>My Reading Year:</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmD0keKrkxIpb1e0Xt_iiXocJNDUymnNrVOeEY4jffSnyT2RrjZDtfyGB39yyJf28u7MjAnS6M3GLDLl_Ez8lHQxw73_MiMpoi-gZu8Uv8A0skASJ4xn7ET2nZ7_nOcUO5cHePeC8cR3E/s1600/2015BookData.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivmD0keKrkxIpb1e0Xt_iiXocJNDUymnNrVOeEY4jffSnyT2RrjZDtfyGB39yyJf28u7MjAnS6M3GLDLl_Ez8lHQxw73_MiMpoi-gZu8Uv8A0skASJ4xn7ET2nZ7_nOcUO5cHePeC8cR3E/s400/2015BookData.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Commentary:</b> Not as high as last year's total (155), but still pretty great</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRbyz6Ax6x1dhyphenhyphenn7oIAK9xL0DTOIdr0N4ijPTnUlkx5byJLN-3AUrmTPZv6gVOsa_uNyqnP6crym_YL3nVq6Q1qJ-xVAvKgjv-AVsCOxttTUebXU8XoLC_laCLLNvGHvNs3fIcl8KGjm0/s1600/2015BooksFormat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRbyz6Ax6x1dhyphenhyphenn7oIAK9xL0DTOIdr0N4ijPTnUlkx5byJLN-3AUrmTPZv6gVOsa_uNyqnP6crym_YL3nVq6Q1qJ-xVAvKgjv-AVsCOxttTUebXU8XoLC_laCLLNvGHvNs3fIcl8KGjm0/s400/2015BooksFormat.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Commentary: </b>I really mixed up the formats this year! And audiobooks are coming on strong in my reading life with 32 audiobooks. Wow!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhTSPemhVKJyUfk3BhC8N4ccgPKCtwasEl_c5vOeuMUTvn5BtNTHDyYBi6Jhu8fI6eStI89Tu0UXT7ijIlEsusVhWHihYSfHD2mnrJveQ0JzFV5J_YIN8qHUMq5Jviym6KVjcKawhW1b8/s1600/2015BooksSource.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhTSPemhVKJyUfk3BhC8N4ccgPKCtwasEl_c5vOeuMUTvn5BtNTHDyYBi6Jhu8fI6eStI89Tu0UXT7ijIlEsusVhWHihYSfHD2mnrJveQ0JzFV5J_YIN8qHUMq5Jviym6KVjcKawhW1b8/s1600/2015BooksSource.png" /></a></div>
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<b>Commentary:</b> Yay library books! Of course, this is also why I need the <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2016/01/reading-challenges-for-2016.html">Triple Dog Dare TBR Challenge</a>. Gotta keep that TBR pile under control!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXx-p6fdwRiMhjfoVW4ByKIeLHAdLOHgv5SBgGUqJ8Go_LdfUYuXHf55QvZazq8zCvVb9OloKGgRL1cyUSq4occmbS4tNO3QQXgTO-D4PbECc7f_LEtjU-7Bk0wEXMiC1uAL_KPSAORwCC/s1600/2015AverageRating.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="65" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXx-p6fdwRiMhjfoVW4ByKIeLHAdLOHgv5SBgGUqJ8Go_LdfUYuXHf55QvZazq8zCvVb9OloKGgRL1cyUSq4occmbS4tNO3QQXgTO-D4PbECc7f_LEtjU-7Bk0wEXMiC1uAL_KPSAORwCC/s400/2015AverageRating.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Commentary:</b> I guess this means that most of my books were somewhere between good and great. Meh. That's not very inspiring... maybe that's part of why my total went down by 15 books this year. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A9kDu9om3EQHNHhqtDD9mcCtExMXthDlqGZJJalN1FZSozBHc-66MYLfgrq01Gdw3s3056SJmysxiv3niASfsrCWTWa97wvFuc7SSGcqRsCv-ds1h4AZZ0z8zvy1fpRZFGXeyf-dKkKC/s1600/2015BooksAudience.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9A9kDu9om3EQHNHhqtDD9mcCtExMXthDlqGZJJalN1FZSozBHc-66MYLfgrq01Gdw3s3056SJmysxiv3niASfsrCWTWa97wvFuc7SSGcqRsCv-ds1h4AZZ0z8zvy1fpRZFGXeyf-dKkKC/s400/2015BooksAudience.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Commentary:</b> I'm a middle grades teacher, so I'm glad to see MG books dominate so much. And I'm pretty surprised that 8% were adult. That's more than I expected</div>
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Am I a nerd or what?? I love this kind of stuff! </div>
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<b>Want to make your own nerdy reading data chart thingies?</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybVHhVGSPuZKQETKn3nuDfWosRG0rv04psKi7yAwAqgXOBOrYG1gDanWvAuaP5JgNRYq7jRy_D_-Ty0D0r_kp_cjBR8L97OoYd0Av_eMMN5LiQulUrF_jptl_U2-uy5XVeRskubmTu8eB/s1600/Explore.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybVHhVGSPuZKQETKn3nuDfWosRG0rv04psKi7yAwAqgXOBOrYG1gDanWvAuaP5JgNRYq7jRy_D_-Ty0D0r_kp_cjBR8L97OoYd0Av_eMMN5LiQulUrF_jptl_U2-uy5XVeRskubmTu8eB/s200/Explore.png" width="200" /></a>Here's a<span style="color: #990000;"><b> nerdy tip </b></span>for you - I made my spreadsheet in Excel, but then Google started a new function where they automatically create charts for you, so I uploaded the Excel file to Google Sheets and pressed the magic button. And VOILA - pretty charts! For 2016, I'm skipping Excel and going straight to Google. Just click on the button in the bottom right corner.</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-61351723214605971462016-01-02T05:00:00.000-08:002016-01-02T05:00:13.631-08:00Reading Challenges for 2016Last year, 2015, was the first year that I didn't complete all of my reading challenges. I moved across the state and changed jobs, so that I may have put a hamper in my reading. On the other hand, I <i style="font-weight: bold;">really really really </i>enjoyed 2 challenges that I completed - <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/12/abc-challenge-success.html">ABC Challenge</a> and PopSugar. Both of these pushed me in ways, and helped me find new things to read.<br />
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So - I'll be doing both of those this year;<br />
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1. ABC Challenge - read a book for every letter of the alphabet. The title should start with the letter, although you may exclude The and A. For <i>X</i>, the x can be anywhere in the title.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KV34otA6eT_1-UCG86VrTJ9cG46bdQYHpjPKT6-Sx5LNECyQwPYeyRjh3Jnz1hB6kwswauWDtKeMX6Qz1UCVZb_x83GNmUTNoJXRQ3xuC6Xs8OAlx7H_g6BpnMA57eNzEuXete0SiwVv/s1600/2013-a-z-book-challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5KV34otA6eT_1-UCG86VrTJ9cG46bdQYHpjPKT6-Sx5LNECyQwPYeyRjh3Jnz1hB6kwswauWDtKeMX6Qz1UCVZb_x83GNmUTNoJXRQ3xuC6Xs8OAlx7H_g6BpnMA57eNzEuXete0SiwVv/s200/2013-a-z-book-challenge.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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2. <a href="http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2016-39126431">PupSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge</a> - A list of random genres and characteristics including "A YA Bestseller," "A Murder Mystery," "A Book of Poetry," and "A Book That Takes Place on an Island."<br />
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3. <a href="http://jamesreadsbooks.com/2015/11/22/sunday-salon-announcing-the-final-tbr-triple-dog-dare/">Tr</a><a href="http://jamesreadsbooks.com/2015/11/22/sunday-salon-announcing-the-final-tbr-triple-dog-dare/">iple Dog Dare Challenge</a> - A Challenge to make you focus on your TBR pile. In this challenge, you commit to using January, February, and March to <i style="font-weight: bold;">only</i> read books that you already own. Exceptions are - new releases, books on hold at the library (from 2015), and new ARCs.<br />
Since I just bought a pile of books at the bookstore this week, I'm excited to force myself to read them!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-30675950868389624062016-01-01T05:00:00.000-08:002016-01-01T05:00:08.555-08:00Book Review: The Terrible Two Gets Worse<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-size: 17px;"><b>Premise:</b> <span style="font-weight: normal;">Niles and Miles are back. This ranking team, known as The Terrible Two, are ready for another year of pranking their school, especially their power-loving principal, Principal Barkin. Unfortunately, one of their pranks leads Principal Barkin to losing his job, and now he's been replaced with a much more stern principal, who is out to shut down all pranking. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429675369l/24795872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="24795872" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1429675369l/24795872.jpg" width="140" /></a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Title:</b> The Terrible Two Gets Worse<br /><b>Author: </b>Mac Barnett and Jory John<br /><b>Length: </b>2</span>24 pages<br />
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Genre: </b>Realistic Fiction<br /><b>Series or Stand Alone: </b>Book 2 of 2 so far<br /><b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 3-5<br /><b>Format:</b> Digital ARC provided by the publisher via <a href="http://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> funny, easy-to-read, disappointing</span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">I straight-up loved Book 1. It was so fun! I frequently recommend it to my 4th and 5th grade students who are looking for something funny to read, and so far they have all loved it. So, my students and I were super excited for Book 2. The first third or so totally lived up to my expectations. I <b>Laughed Out Loud</b> on almost every page. Unfortunately, I'll have to break the news to them that I didn't end up loving it, and that I'm not sure I'll get a copy for our classroom. Here's why -</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">The pranks in the first book were elaborate, creative, and harmless. There were awesome diagrams accompanying several, and they did a brilliant job of incorporating the cows of Yawnee Valley. The first book was outrageous, and that's why so many of us love it.</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">This second installment simply doesn't do the same things. The pranks are too typical, easy for kids to duplicate, and far from harmless. They put peppers in people's drinks, pull the fire alarm, and drop someone's pants. I've seen this book referred to as mean-spirited, and I totally agree. To make it worse, there are no cows! Where is the creativity? Where is the outrageousness? Where are the diagrams, a la Rube Goldberg???</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-1847722983539192502015-12-31T08:16:00.000-08:002015-12-31T08:16:31.031-08:00TBR Pile Challenge UpdateI absolutely LOVED<a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/p/tbr-challenge-2013.html"> this challenge in 2013</a> and <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/p/tbr-challenge-2014.html">2014</a>. This challenge is hosted by <a href="http://roofbeamreader.com/">Roof Beam Reader</a>. The challenge is to make a list of 12 books to read by January 1, 2015 and complete them by the end of the year. The books must also have been published before 2014.<br />
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Like last year, my TBR Challenge included book that cross-list with my <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/p/classics-club.html">Classics Club Challenge</a>.<br />
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You'll see, below, that I fell short of this challenge by one book. I tried to read <i>Dragonwings, </i>but couldn't get past 50 pages. I still really want to read the remaining books, <i>Mrs. Frisby </i>and <i>Hero and the Crown</i>. I'll put them both on next year's list.<br />
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This is the first year in 3 attempts that I haven't completed this challenge. Boo! Maybe it was a bad decision to put so many classics on it... I'll rethink that policy for 2016.<br />
<strong><u><br /></u></strong><strong><u>The TBR Pile Challenge List </u></strong><br />
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1. Dragonwings by Laurence Yep - ABANDONED</div>
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2. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (1971)</div>
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3. The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland ~ Completed 4.19.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/618829300">My Review</a><br />
4. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence ~ Completed 4.9.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/859809246">My Review</a><br />
5. Flawed Dogs by Berkeley Breathed ~ Completed 2.20.2015 ~ <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-flawed-dogs.html">My Review</a><br />
6. We Are Not Eaten by Yaks by C. Alexander London ~ Completed 4.20.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1254232520">My Review</a><br />
7. Watership Down by Richard Adams ~ Completed 8.11.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1342799021">My Review</a><br />
8. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper ~ Completed 12.15.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1161154201">My Review</a><br />
9. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve ~ Completed 4.5.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1244894763">My Review</a><br />
10. HIVE by Mark Walden ~ Completed 1.4.2015 ~<a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/01/book-review-hive.html"> <span id="goog_786528570"></span>My Review</a><span id="goog_786528571"></span><br />
11. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh ~ Completed 11.15.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1440212052?book_show_action=false">My Review</a><br />
12. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel ~ Completed 9.29.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/589678565">My Review</a></div>
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1. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander ~ Completed 6.20.2015 ~ <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/06/classics-review-book-of-three.html">My Review</a><br />
2. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (1984)</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-13537477616267309782015-12-31T08:08:00.001-08:002015-12-31T08:08:06.096-08:00Pop Sugar Challenge Success!When PopSugar posted their <a href="http://www.popsugar.com/love/reading-challenge-2015-36071458">Ultimate Reading Challenge</a>, it spread like wildfire on "The Internets." I love their categories. They are challenging in a fun way.<br />
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So - I went for it.<br />
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This challenge turned out to be both Challenging and Fun. I found myself reading quite a few books I wouldn't have read otherwise including a play and a classic romance. It was fun trying to find books that could be counted across several challenges, and also figuring out how to assign books to the different categories. Some of them spent time in 3 or 4 categories over the course of the year as I tried to find enjoyable titles in each one.</div>
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Overall, I'm <b><span style="color: #a64d79;">SUPER THRILLED</span></b> to have completed this challenge!</div>
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<b><u>My Progress</u></b><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>*</b></span> <span style="color: #990000;"><b>A book with more than 500 pages</b></span> - <i>Shadow Scale</i> by Rachel Hartman (2.25.2015)<br />
<b style="color: #990000;">* A classic romance -</b><span style="color: #990000;"> </span><i>The Price of Salt</i> by Patricia Highsmith (12.21.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book that became a movie -</span></b> <i>The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963</i> by Christopher Paul Curtis (2.5.2015) <a href="http://bit.ly/watsonsreview">My Review</a><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* A book published this year - </b></span><i>The Inquisitor's Mark</i> by Dianne K. Salerni (1.1.2015) <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/01/awesome-read-inquisitors-mark.html">My Review</a><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book with a number in the title -</span></b> <i>Three Times Lucky</i> by Sheila Turnage (2.5.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book written by someone under 30 -</span></b> <i>Zac and the Dream Stealers</i> by Ross MacKenzie (1.29.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book with nonhuman characters - </span></b><i>Seeds of Rebellion</i> by Brandon Mull (1.11.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A funny book -</span></b> <i>Smek for President</i> by Adam Rex (1.15.2015) <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/01/smek-for-president-top-notch-alien-humor.html">My Review</a><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book by a female author -</span></b> <i>The Menagerie </i>by Tui Sutherland (4.19.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A mystery or thriller -</span></b> <i>Far Far Away</i> by Tom McNeal (3.21.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book with a one-word title -</span></b> <i>Seraphina</i> by Rachel Hartman (1.7.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">* A book of short stories - </span><i>To Hold the Bridge</i> by Garth Nix (6.20.2015)<br />
<b style="color: #990000;">* A book set in a different country - </b><i>Listen, Slowly</i> by Thanhha Lai (5.6.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A nonfiction book - </span></b><i>The Great Fire</i> by Jim Murphy (1.10.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A popular author's first book -</span></b> <i>Stiff</i> by Mary Roach (2.22.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet -</span></b> <i>Beneath</i> by Roland Smith (3.20.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book a friend recommended -</span></b> <i>The Princess Curse</i> by Merrie Haskell (2.16.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000;">* <b>A Pulitzer Prize-winning book</b> - </span><i>Native Guard</i> by Natasha Trethewey (11.29.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book based on a true story - </span></b><i>El Deafo</i> by CeCe Bell (1.20.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">* A book at the bottom of your to-read list -</span> <i>Scorpio Races</i> by Maggie Stiefvater (7.8.2015)<i> </i><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">* A book your mom loves - </span><i>The Invention of Wings </i>by Sue Monk Kidd<i> </i>(9.12.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book that scares you -</span></b> <i>The Diviners</i> by Libba Bray (3.1.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* A book more than 100 years old -</b> </span><i>The Wind in the Willows </i>by Kenneth Grahame (10.9.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* A book based entirely on its cover -</b> </span><i>Sunbolt</i> by Intisar Khanani (5.9.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">* A book you were supposed to read in school, but didn't -</span> <i>Watership Down</i> by Richard Adams (8.11.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A memoir - </span></b><i>My Life in Dog Years</i> by Gary Paulsen (1.11.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book you can finish in a day -</span></b> <i>The Vanishing Coin</i> by Kate Egan (1.21.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book with antonyms in the title -</span></b> <i>Black Dove, White Raven </i>by Elizabeth Wein (3.26.2015) <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/03/book-review-black-dove-white-raven.html">My Review</a><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit -</b> </span><i>Station Eleven </i>Emily St. John Mandel (6.26.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* A book that came out the year you were born -</b> </span><i>Westmark</i> by Lloyd Alexander (9.29.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">* A book with bad reviews -</span> <i>Secret Coders</i> by Gene Luen Yang (9.11.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A trilogy - </span></b>#1: <i>Prince of Thorns</i> by Mark Lawrence (4.9.2015), #2: <i>King of Thorns</i> by Mark Lawrence (5.18.2015), #3: <i>Emperor of Thorns</i> by Mark Lawrence (6.30.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* A book from your childhood -</b> </span><i>Harriet the Spy</i> by Louise Fitzhugh (11.13.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">* A book with a love triangle - </span><i>An Ember in the Ashes</i> by Sabaa Tahir (7.5.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book set in the future - </span></b><i>Fairest</i> by Marissa Meyer (2.1.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">* A book set in high school -</span> <i>Bone Gap</i> by Laura Ruby (5.24.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book with a color in the title - </span></b><i>Blue Lily, Lily Blue</i> by Maggie Stiefvater (1.19.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book that made you cry -</span></b> <i>One for the Murphys</i> by Lynda Mullally Hunt (3.1.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book with magic -</span></b> <i>Searching for Super</i> by Marion Jensen (3.15.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A graphic novel -</span></b> <i>Roller Girl</i> by Victoria Jamieson (4.11.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book by an author you've never read before - </span></b><i>H.I.V.E.</i> by Mark Walden (1.4.2015) <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/01/book-review-hive.html">My Review</a><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book you own, but have never read -</span></b> <i>Flawed Dogs</i> by Berkeley Breathed (2.19.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* A book that takes place in your hometown -</b> </span><i>Serafina and the Black Cloak</i> by Robert Beatty (5.31.2015) <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/06/serafina-is-true-middle-grade-horror.html">My Review</a><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* A book that was originally written in a different language -</b> </span><i>Jane, The Fox, and Me </i>by Fanny Britt (11.27.2015)<br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book set during Christmas -</span></b> <i>The Flying Classroom</i> by Erich Kastner (2.9.2015) <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/02/reissued-review-flying-classroom.html">My Review</a><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* A book written by an author with your same initials</b> - </span><i>Radiance </i>by Alyson Noel (11.24.2015)<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">* A play - </span><i>You Can't Take it With You</i> by Moss Hart (12.24.2015)<br />
<b style="color: #990000;">* A banned book -</b><span style="color: #990000;"> </span><i>The Giver</i> by Lois Lowry (6.12.15)<br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-weight: bold;">* A book based on or turned into a TV show - </span><i>The Secret of the Old Clock</i> by Carolyn Keene (3.25.2015) <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/03/classics-review-nancy-drew-1.html">My Review</a><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">* A book you started, but never finished </span></b>- <i>One Dead Spy</i> by Nathaniel Hale (7.1.2015)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-73912574346017446722015-12-31T08:01:00.000-08:002015-12-31T08:01:00.899-08:00ABC Challenge Success!When I first heard about the A-Z Challenge, I knew it would be great fun. But I also knew that some letters would be very difficult, like Q, X, and Z. In the A-Z Challenge you read a book for every letter of the alphabet. Some people include the author's name as eligible, but I prefer to just use titles.<br />
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I have completed this challenge for the last two years, and am so happy to have done it again this year. Once again, I cut it close - struggling with Q and Y. I completed the last book with just 7 days to spare.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Behold, my list:</span></b><br />
** Reviews are linked **<br />
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A - And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou (2.12.2015)<br />
B - Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater (1.19.2015)<br />
C - Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson (3.17.2015)<br />
D - The Diviners by Libba Bray (3.1.2015)<br />
E - El Deafo by CeCe Bell (1.20.2015)<br />
F - Fairest by Marissa Meyer (2.1.2015)<br />
G - The Great Fire by Jim Murphy (1.10.2015)<br />
H - <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/01/book-review-hive.html">H.I.V.E.</a> by Mark Walden (1.4.2015)<br />
I - <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/01/awesome-read-inquisitors-mark.html">The Inquisitor's Mark</a> by Dianne K. Salerni (1.1.2015)<br />
J - Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt (11.27.2015)<br />
K - King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence (5.18.2015)<br />
L - Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman (1.24.2015)<br />
M - My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen (1.11.2015)<br />
N - Nnewts by Doug TenNapel (4.6.2015)<br />
O - One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullally Hunt (3.1.2015)<br />
P - The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell (2.16.2015)<br />
Q - Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta (12.10.2015)<br />
R - Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson (4.11.2015)<br />
S - Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (1.7.2015)<br />
T - Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage (2.8.2015)<br />
U - Unwind by Neal Shusterman (7.18.2015)<br />
V - The Vanishing Coin by Kate Egan (1.21.2015)<br />
W - <a href="http://bit.ly/watsonsreview">The Watson's Go to Birmingham - 1963</a> by Christopher Paul Curtis (2.5.2015)<br />
X - The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith (7.30.2015)<br />
Y - You Can't Take it With You by Moss Hart (12.24.2015)<br />
Z - Zac and the Dream Stealers by Ross MacKenzie (1.29.2015)<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Hooray, me!!!</span></b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-60434231220840814222015-12-31T07:33:00.003-08:002015-12-31T07:36:54.060-08:00Book Review: Breakthrough<b style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;">Premise:</b><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17px;"> <span style="font-weight: normal;">The story of how heart surgery was invented by a team of very intelligent, but overlooked surgeons. </span></span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Title:</b> Breakthrough!<br /><b>Author: </b>Jim Murphy<br /><b>Length: </b>144 pages<br /><b>Genre: </b>Nonfiction<br /><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone<br /><b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 7-12<br /><b>Format:</b> Digital ARC provided by the publisher via <a href="http://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> interesting, lacking, thought-provoking</span></span><br />
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<i>Breakthrough!</i> explores the invention of heart surgery by three scientists. I loved that the text really demonstrated how science is collaborative and how failure and creative problem solving are critical to the process. Of course, it was also lovely that one of the three scientists was a woman, and one was African American. Murphy took a wonderfully explicit approach the issues of discrimination faced by these scientists.</div>
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Compared with other books by Murphy, though, <i>Breakthrough!</i> lacked some depth. It is extremely narrowly focused, and could have benefited from fleshing out more of the people and setting. This story of discrimination, tenacity, risk-taking, and scientific exploration didn't quite reach it's potential for captivating narrative.</div>
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This book is probably best suited for older students, as it uses medical and anatomical terminology with little explanation.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-25584010548770011612015-11-29T19:09:00.003-08:002015-11-29T19:12:50.119-08:00Book Review: Warren the 13th<b>Premise:</b> Warren lives in a hotel that has been in his family for 13 generations. But now, his uncle isn't taking good care of the place, and has married a strange, heartless woman. With no guests, Warren is trying desperately to keep the hotel going, as his aunt destroys the rooms in her quest to find the mysterious "All-Seeing Eye," a treasure she claims is hidden in the hotel.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> Warren the 13th and the All-Seeing Eye<br />
<b>Author: </b>Tania del Rio<br />
<b>Length: </b>224 pages<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy, Mystery<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 3-6<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> mysterious, creative, fun</span><br />
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This book has all the hallmarks of a fun middle grades book. A well-meaning protagonist, his questionable friends, useless adults, creative humor, and a delicious villain who is both creepy and fun to laugh at.<br />
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I was surprised how captivating this book was. I expected it to be quirky. And it was - with details like an uncle who sleeps in the lobby because he's too lazy to go up to his bedroom and a hotel guest who looks and acts like a pirate, but isn't one. There were so many terrific quirky elements thrown in that kept <i>Warren the 13th</i> super fun and engaging.<br />
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But what surprised me was how captivating the plot was as a mystery. There were twists and turns and dark corridors and clues and mazes and cellars. The whole thing had a lovely, mysterious, film noir feel and I loved it.<br />
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And look at those illustrations!<br />
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Plus the layout of the book is beautiful, and will keep middle grade readers going, providing them with visual support and keeping their curiosity/engagement piqued. Check it out:<br />
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And if you aren't intrigued enough, be sure to visit the wonderfully-crafted <a href="http://warrenthe13th.com/"><i>Warren the 13th</i> website</a> and watch the trailer below:<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-89528319822292499192015-11-07T09:53:00.001-08:002015-11-07T09:53:21.255-08:00Book Review: These Shallow Graves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Title:</b> These Shallow Graves</div>
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<b>Author:</b> Jennifer Donnelly</div>
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<b>Length:</b> 496 pages</div>
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<b>Genre: </b>Historical Mystery</div>
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<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone</div>
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<b>Content Appropriate for:</b> Grades 9-12</div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> dark, complex, believable</span></div>
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Murder mystery set in 1890s New York. Fun to read with a very conflicted main character who helped this historical setting come alive. Even though I had the murderer pegged early on, it was still fun to figure out how all the pieces fit together. Additionally, I enjoyed the way Donnelly crafted the setting and how she portrayed several different classes and how they interact with one another. Overall, a bit slow at the start, but with intriguing characters/setting.<div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">3.5 stars</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-59072987359925266692015-09-19T14:30:00.005-07:002015-09-29T19:40:34.198-07:00Book Review: Dead Boy<b>Premise:</b> Crow died 2 years ago. But he's still alive. Sort of. He doesn't sleep or eat anymore, and his sometimes maggots crawl out of his ears, but other than that he's a pretty normal kid. Except that Crow isn't allowed to leave his house. And his parents won't tell him how he died. And then, a new neighbor moves in next door and Crow gets a chance for true friendship. Together they discover the secret of Crow's death.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> Dead Boy<br />
<b>Author: </b>Laurel Gale<br />
<b>Length: </b>256 pages<br />
<b>Genre: </b>Fantasy<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 4-7<br />
<b>Format:</b> Digital ARC provided by the publisher via <a href="http://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> surprising, engaging, creative</span><br />
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I was expecting <i>Dead Boy</i> to be interesting and fun, a little gross and probably humorous. It was all of the things, but it was also entirely more. Much richer, stronger, and complex than it appears at first. There's something for everyone here.<br />
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<i>Dead Boy</i> is a story that reinvents itself over and over. First, it explores the tribulations of being a dead-ish kid. Not a zombie, a dead kid who's still mostly functional. Then, we turn to a friendship and family drama tale. Just as you think you know where the story's going, BAM you get an adventure novel with a crazy does of magic/fantasy/quest. It feels a little Indiana Jones! And in the end, you realize that somehow it was a coming of age story all along.<br />
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I found <i>Dead Boy</i> to be completely novel, highly engaging, and really well-done. It would be easy for many authors to struggle with piecing all those elements together cohesively, but somehow they flow together seamlessly with just the right balance of action, dialogue, description, and exposition. Highly recommended.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4.5 stars</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-80380097789321078272015-09-13T15:19:00.001-07:002015-09-19T14:05:47.355-07:00Book Review: Secret Coders<b></b><br />
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<b>Premise: </b>"<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Welcome to Stately Academy, a school which is just crawling with mysteries to be solved! The founder of the school left many clues and puzzles to challenge his enterprising students. Using their wits and their growing prowess with coding, Hopper and her friend Eni are going to solve the mystery of Stately Academy no matter what it takes!" ~Provided by the publisher</span><div>
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<b>Title: </b>Secret Coders</div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Author:</b> Gene Luen Yang and Mike Holmes</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Genre:</b> Graphic Novel, Mystery</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> First book in a new series</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 4-8</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book: </b>disappointing, forced, meh</span></div>
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I don't quite know how to explain my reactions to this graphic novel. It's definitely trying to cash in on the coding craze, and the coding stuff is done pretty well. The story around the coding is kind of meh, though, and the ending is horrifically sudden.</div>
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<b>The good:</b> diverse characters, clear coding explanations, humorous </div>
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<b>The bad:</b> coding element is a bit forced, negative example of kid/grownup relationships, non-existent ending </div>
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<b>Overall:</b> I could see using this as a starting text in a coding course or club. I'm not sure the intended audience would choose it for pleasure reading, though. Sometimes it felt very instructional.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">2.5 stars</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-47405735226590022562015-08-28T18:39:00.001-07:002015-09-19T14:02:00.510-07:00Book Review: Milo Speck<b>Premise:</b> Milo is looking for a sock when he gets pulled through the dryer into a land of giant ogres who love to eat little boys. As Milo tries to find his way home, he uncovers am incredible secret agency and an deadly scheme.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> Milo Speck, Accidental Agent<br />
<b>Author:</b> Linda Urban<br />
<b>Length:</b> 272 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 3-5<br />
<b>Format:</b> eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley<br />
<b>Publication:</b> September 1, 2015<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> fun, creative, fast-paced</span><br />
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<i>Milo Speck</i> is a super fun story. The cover makes it look like Milo shrinks, but actually he ends up in a land of giants/ogres. The ogres provide quite a bit of comedy with their short attention spans and general lack of intelligence. It's pretty slapstick, perfect for middle grade readers who have a silly sense of humor.<br />
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There are some interesting characters, too, in this fast-paced plot-driven story. Urban manages to squeeze in quite a lot of depth. There are secret-pasts for some characters, betrayal by others, and transformation for several.<br />
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Heads up, though - the premise and cover made me think, "This looks purpose for readers who need more support!" But, actually, the story is pretty complex, and some of the language is a tricky. For instance, the main character, Milo, really enjoys putting "esque" on the ends of words. He says things like, "The chair looked tree-esque."<br />
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Overall, I really enjoyed <i>Milo Speck</i>. It was a quick, engaging, light story with unexpected complexity.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4 stars</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-60644437783442034592015-08-28T18:10:00.000-07:002015-09-19T14:01:19.607-07:00Book Review: Lair of Dreams<b>Premise:</b> Diviner and object-reader, Evie O'Neill, is now a radio-superstar and media darling. As she and her friends struggle to move on with their lives after successfully stopping The Pentacle Killer, another mystery terrifies the city. People have gone missing. Others have fallen asleep, won't wake up, and eventually die. The Diviners must work together to solve the mystery from within the dream world.<br />
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<b>Title: </b>Lair of Dreams<br />
<b>Author: </b>Libba Bray<br />
<b>Length:</b> 624 pages<br />
<b>Genre: </b>Fantasy, Horror<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Book 2 of <i>The Diviners</i> trilogy<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 9-12<br />
<b>Format:</b> eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book: </b>dark, gritty, complex</span><br />
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I gave <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1202891818?book_show_action=false">book one</a> in this trilogy, <i>The Diviners</i>, an awesome 4.5 stars. I loved the way Libba Bray wove a complex, chilling tale while setting it solidly in 1920s New York City. The dialect, dancing, and speakeasies were a stellar backdrop. What kept me so captivated was the frequent chapters that followed particular murder victims. The danger and horror of it was so palpable, but Libba Bray never made it campy.<br />
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<i>Lair of Dreams</i> was almost as good as the first one. The premise and mystery were really creepy. I loved the idea of the dream world, and traveling there with Henry was really captivating. But the chilling murder scenes were less frequent, and somehow less scary. Sadly, the opening third dragged for me.<br />
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This one was a bit more character-driven than <i>The Diviners</i>. Each character got a lot more depth, especially Henry and Sam. I was surprised to find myself really drawn to both of those characters. Well done, Libba Bray! I found myself equally turned off by Evie, and I'm pretty sure Libba Bray did that on purpose. She did not handle fame well, at all! She got so self-centered and her drunkenness was irritating. </div>
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A massive conspiracy-theory, cover-up, paranormal show-down is set for Book 3 and I'm ready! I can't wait to see how she wraps it up and I'm holding out hope that Evie gets to redeem herself.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">4 stars</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-74447686574169021362015-06-20T14:00:00.000-07:002015-06-20T14:00:15.233-07:00Classics Review: The Book of Three<b>Premise:</b> When Hen Wen, an oracle pig, goes missing, Taran sets off on a quest to find her before the evil Horned King and his men. Along the way he joined by a diverse band including bards, magicians, and dwarfs. They must escape capture, battle magical creatures, and ultimately find that pig.<br />
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<b>Title: </b>The Book of Three<br />
<b>Author:</b> Lloyd Alexander<br />
<b>Length: </b>190 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> First book of a trilogy<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 4-8<br />
<b>Format:</b> Audiobook from the library<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book: </b>action-packed, fun, lacking</span><br />
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I read this book as part of the<a href="http://theclassicsclubblog.wordpress.com/"> Classics Club</a> challenge to read <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/p/classics-club.html">50 classics books</a> in 5 years. My list is comprised entirely of children's books.<br />
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I bet if I were in the target audience (maybe grades 4-6) I would love this book. There was a ton of action and the story moved quickly. As a teacher of students in this age group, I know that most of them are looking for books with a lot of action, most haven't quite figured out how to incorporate character development and world-building. So this book is perfect for them. A straight-forward quest novel, moving from one danger to another, with some comic relief built in.<br />
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With <i>Lord of the Rings</i> coming about 20 years before this book, it felt almost as if Lloyd Alexander was trying to bring that format to younger readers. Yes, Tolkien gave us <i>The Hobbit</i> for young readers, but even that has quite a bit of complexity that is more suited to upper-middle grades and YA readers. So, <i>The Book of Three</i> fills a nice void for the 1960s.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://photos.auctionanything.com/x/9186/w206e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://photos.auctionanything.com/x/9186/w206e.jpg" height="296" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cartoon version of Hen Wen the pig & Taran the pigkeeper</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But I wanted more development, both character AND world. We jumped from one event to another, with an array of characters who get little more than a cursory exploration. Folks join the band of questers without much thought, or any backstory. And the questers, themselves, make decisions about where to go and changes in course without any real clarity about what is happening. I pretty much stayed confused. Where are they going? Why? What does it look like? Who are those villains?<br />
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And the ending really really irritated me. We had to experience the climax battle with the villain second-hand because the main character was unconscious through the whole thing. Boo. Such a cop out. <i>The Book of Three</i> may have broken some ground for middle grade quest novels, but I'm glad that later titles made the genre more compelling and complete.<br />
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<b><br /></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-70777122061492942242015-06-16T13:41:00.000-07:002015-06-16T13:41:01.445-07:00Top Ten Tuesday - Summer Reading ListSummer is for reading! And this week's Top Ten Tuesday from <a href="http://www.brokeandbookish.com/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html">The Broke and the Bookish</a> invites us to share our summer TBR list. As a 4th and 5th grade teacher, I typically use the school year to read middle grade books. So, the summer is usually for adult and YA titles. I hoard them all year long, eagerly waiting to get started.<br />
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Last summer I read 26 books, including <i>The Way of the Kings</i> which is over 1,000 pages. This summer I'm hoping to top 30 books. Here are my top 10:<br />
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<b>10. <i>The Hero and the Crown</i> by Robin McKinley</b><br />
A famous, complex dragon fantasy. Apparently this is one of those books that I should have read in my adolescence, but didn't even know existed.<br />
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<b>9. <i>Emperor of Thorns </i>by Mark Lawrence</b><br />
I read the first two books in this trilogy in the spring. Talk about a messed-up protagonist who's maybe an anti-hero. These books are high level scheming, with lots of intrigue. They remind be of <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2014/01/castle-intrigue-genius-queens-thief.html"><i>The Queen's Thief </i>series,</a> but with more violence.<br />
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<b>8. <i>Redwall</i> by Brian Jacques</b><br />
My wife love love LOVES the Redwall books. She had read every single one. So, now I'm giving them a whirl, even though they don't grab me for some reason<br />
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<b>7. <i>The Alex Crow</i> by Andrew Smith</b><br />
Andrew Smith and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/45687.Doug_TenNapel?from_search=true&search_version=service">Doug TenNapel</a> write some of the weirdest books ever. Oh - and Neil Gaiman. These gentlemen have strange minds, and sometimes it's fun to crawl inside and hang out for a while.<br />
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<b>6. <i>Station Eleven </i>by Emily St. John Mandel</b><br />
I'm trying not to read too many reviews/synopses of this adult apocalyptic novel so that the reveals aren't spoiled. All I know is that lots of people who read great books love this one, so I'm all in!<br />
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<b>5. <i>Lair of Dreams</i> by Libba Bray</b><br />
This sequel to <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7728889-the-diviners">The Diviners</a></i> is the only ARC on my Top Ten. <i>The Diviners</i> was one of the scariest books I have ever read, and it was also very compelling, so I'm curious to see where Libba Bray is taking us next.<br />
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<b>4. <i>The Name of the Wind </i>by Patrick Rothfuss</b><br />
My fellow Brandon Sanderson-loving friend, Devin, recommended this book to me for it's outstanding world-building. Summer is for epic adult fantasies!<br />
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<b>3. <i>Watership Down</i> by Richard Adams</b><br />
I have always wanted to read this classic. It's even on my <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/p/classics-club.html">Classics Club</a> list. Adventures with bunnies!<br />
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<b>2. <i>A Darker Shade of Magic</i> by Victoria Schwab</b><br />
Parallel worlds, some of which are magical. Schwab did masterful world building in <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13638125-vicious">Vicious</a></i> so I can't wait to read her newest title.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbim050odgSUtHZTyl-TQcG7Vkdmp9RNGIrgoIQQWpg20_zFzecGQ4YMHded1XHMl-DzB2lQ7L93uSCgM-IUd58puwjO5ZJ9hAy95QCsdPd6dK35QTGx3mq4VmKhw3IPkKRtmguzQJoL2Y/s1600/darkmagic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbim050odgSUtHZTyl-TQcG7Vkdmp9RNGIrgoIQQWpg20_zFzecGQ4YMHded1XHMl-DzB2lQ7L93uSCgM-IUd58puwjO5ZJ9hAy95QCsdPd6dK35QTGx3mq4VmKhw3IPkKRtmguzQJoL2Y/s200/darkmagic.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<b>1. <i>Words of Radiance</i> by Brandon Sanderson</b><br />
I HEART Brandon Sanderson and I absolutely loved reading <i>Way of the Kings</i> last summer. At over 1,000 pages per book, the books in this series take a serious commitment so I have to read them in the summer. I've had this one (book 2) on my TBR shelf for months. Can't wait!<br />
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Let the summer reading begin!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-43376604038604424042015-06-02T18:16:00.000-07:002015-06-02T18:16:08.857-07:00Serafina is True Middle Grade Horror<b>Premise:</b> Serafina has always lived secretly in the basement of a mansion, warned by her father to never go outside where the dark forest waits. But then one night a wealthy child in the mansion goes missing, and Serafina is the only witness. As more children begin to disappear, she knows that she must follow the clues to save them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2Cbc-bwEOcen8PZqHWq1m7UWG_1JC1LhKPYvdPYor-hvPxAZaxqS7Fv1dXkaAbzny8iEZZUqLJ3gu8MCqjV8CSOO4Z-xGn-lMln-QyCz7UdrFFeMJyPFnlJ5mbbkWT4citjlQB1yyRlY/s1600/23507745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2Cbc-bwEOcen8PZqHWq1m7UWG_1JC1LhKPYvdPYor-hvPxAZaxqS7Fv1dXkaAbzny8iEZZUqLJ3gu8MCqjV8CSOO4Z-xGn-lMln-QyCz7UdrFFeMJyPFnlJ5mbbkWT4citjlQB1yyRlY/s200/23507745.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<b>Title: </b>Serafina and the Black Cloak<br />
<b>Author:</b> Robert Beatty<br />
<b>Length:</b> 304 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Mystery, Horror, Fantasy<br />
<b>Stand Alone or Series:</b> Stand Alone<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 4-7<br />
<b>Format:</b> Digital ARC provided by the publisher via <a href="http://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a><br />
<b>Publication:</b> July 14, 2015<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> dark, gripping, mysterious</span><br />
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<i>Serafina and the Black Cloak</i> was much scarier than I expected! It was engaging, complex, and made me question my reading-before-sleeping habit.<br />
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I found it really interesting how Beatty wove the actual history of the Biltmore Estate with fantasy and horror elements. At times I was caught off-guard when fantasy elements crept into the story. We'd be going along with fancy mansion-life and dank basement-life, and then BAM mythical creatures in the forest!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURu5rp21UWZTogPv1l0xcyR05DP9wquTgoGg5PpL-0_qlqp8Spp87WCVMAyjkquR92HCTxwHtCZR7NcQxwN0_zPrzXqY0x1Z0ngpHeBCOpe6peNAOECGEjasUtrnnHJ2ECP8L1wWi3-TI/s1600/Diana-Hill-Three-New-Friends-1024x718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhURu5rp21UWZTogPv1l0xcyR05DP9wquTgoGg5PpL-0_qlqp8Spp87WCVMAyjkquR92HCTxwHtCZR7NcQxwN0_zPrzXqY0x1Z0ngpHeBCOpe6peNAOECGEjasUtrnnHJ2ECP8L1wWi3-TI/s320/Diana-Hill-Three-New-Friends-1024x718.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A scene from the book trailer with the Biltmore Estate in the background</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For a book to be truly scary, you must have a scary villain. So how does the villain in <i>Serafina</i> measure up? He is definitely scary. And creepy. And strange. His skin seems to be falling off and he comes for you steadily in the dark. I was definitely creeped out by him.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2RYO9hXhholkKDz8y4yoBBrfhCIp4iQBdeikmmEdfWcIQO15f31OkT9cD9X-1OwTx66fjDJF20KJsmMtdRsIYxiDDtnGGDmQU1RoQODOufi4iSPEl56GK1OgZDM9NXLeOXvCS5ycCSsE/s1600/2015-06-02_2114.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU2RYO9hXhholkKDz8y4yoBBrfhCIp4iQBdeikmmEdfWcIQO15f31OkT9cD9X-1OwTx66fjDJF20KJsmMtdRsIYxiDDtnGGDmQU1RoQODOufi4iSPEl56GK1OgZDM9NXLeOXvCS5ycCSsE/s320/2015-06-02_2114.png" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Villain in a black cloak. From the author's website.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The only reason I docked a star for <i>Serafina and the Black Cloak</i> is because most of the reveals were kind of evident well ahead of being revealed. Hopefully, upper-middle-grade readers will find them to be more surprising.<br />
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Fast-paced and dark, this book will appeal to any MG reader who wants to be truly spooked and enjoys a good mystery.<br />
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<a href="http://robert-beatty.com/">Author Website</a><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-61104370413383655262015-05-12T17:13:00.000-07:002015-05-12T17:13:02.139-07:00Sunbolt Review: Just Read it Now!<b>Premise:</b> Orphaned at a young age, Hitomi has learned to hide her magical aptitude. Most of all, she must conceal her role in the Shadow League, an underground movement working to undermine the powerful and corrupt mage, Blackflame. When Hitomi finds herself captured, it will take everything she can summon to escape with her life. <i>~ From Goodreads</i><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371269696l/18075001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="18075001" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1371269696l/18075001.jpg" width="124" /></a><b>Title and Author:</b> <i>Sunbolt</i> by Intisar Khanani<br />
<b>Length:</b> 142 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Book 1<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 9-12<br />
<b>Format:</b> Digital copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> unexpected, intriguing, intense</span><br />
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I have a major thing for world-building. I love to read Brandon Sanderson and Hugh Howey precisely because they invent super creative worlds and develop them completely with carefully placed details that create the world without boring exposition.<i> Sunbolt </i>does this too. But the amazing thing about it is that the author richly developed this world and these characters in under 150 pages. That is some seriously talented writing!<br />
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And the plot?<i> Sunbolt</i> is chock full of fight scenes, creative magic, strong women, and scary nonhuman villains. The plot also twists and turns, so that at first it seems like a political intrigue book and then a vampire story and finally a magic powers story. <b>I need book 2 now!</b><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-50259855195262725962015-05-09T17:58:00.005-07:002015-05-09T17:59:39.373-07:00Classics Review: A Long Way from Chicago<b>Premise:</b> Joey and Mary Alice spend one week each summer in a small town with their grandmother, a liar, shotgun shooter, and terrible influence. Set during the 1930s, and told in 9 short stories (one for each summer), this book is wildly unforgettable.<br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388195985l/39963.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="39963" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388195985l/39963.jpg" width="142" /></a><b>Title: </b><i>A Long Way From Chicago</i><br />
<b>Author:</b> Richard Peck<br />
<b>Length:</b> 160 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Historical Fiction<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Book 1 of 3<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 5-7<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> hilarious, unique, entertaining</span><br />
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I have been avoiding this book forever. Absolutely nothing about it appealed to me. Luckily I'm doing the <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/p/classics-club.html">Classics Club challenge</a>, so I needed to read it. I read <i>A Long Way From Chicago</i> as an audiobook, and it's the perfect book for that format - the novel is really a collection of 7 stories, so the audiobook feels like having your own personal storyteller. The narrator, Ron McLarty, has great comedic timing and his voices for Grandma Dowdel and her neighbors were spot-on.<br />
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The situations in this book are over-the-top, in a similar style to adult Southern Fiction. It's full of fun caricatures like a shotgun-toting Grandma and an arrogant local sheriff. This book made me laugh out loud and holler, "Get it Grandma!" I also thought it painted a good picture of life in the 1930s.<br />
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This week I started it as a read aloud and my students are absolutely loving it. I'm trying to stick to that storyteller feel, and the classroom is full of laughter.<br />
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Sidenote: Parents, guardians, and teachers may want to know that this book contains several references to alcohol and one scene with drunk old men in their underwear.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-36706342683532693902015-04-21T19:05:00.000-07:002015-04-21T19:05:45.773-07:00Big Top Burning: A Solid Nonfiction Historical Mystery<b>Premise:</b> This is "the true story of an arsonist, a missing girl, and the greatest show on Earth." The story centers around the 1944 Ringling Brothers fire in Hartford, CT that killed over 100 people. Readers experience the fire itself, the events immediately afterward, and investigations into the cause of the fire.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRZ8_ob91IeSmCwxUNAsJ3YKyEvy6RiVazS5v-uTgQYNF-BOUZ3hkZpDa-7r_yvsp6vC8bQD7Y-mh5ii-7vRSWd5cEJx6OxgUIZAirG-DCakDZiADhgn1bSFL1B72rvU_RWh2oSOn4Eol/s1600/big+top+burning.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbRZ8_ob91IeSmCwxUNAsJ3YKyEvy6RiVazS5v-uTgQYNF-BOUZ3hkZpDa-7r_yvsp6vC8bQD7Y-mh5ii-7vRSWd5cEJx6OxgUIZAirG-DCakDZiADhgn1bSFL1B72rvU_RWh2oSOn4Eol/s1600/big+top+burning.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a></div>
<b>Title:</b> Big Top Burning<br />
<b>Author:</b> Laura A. Woollett<br />
<b>Length:</b> 176 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Nonfiction<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 6-9<br />
<b>Format:</b> Digital ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> captivating, tragic, memorable</span><br />
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<i>Big Top Burning</i> is not for the faint-of-heart. This nonfiction book reads as part crime-scene investigation, part tragic documentary. Laura Woollett doesn't beat around the bush here. Over the course of this book people, including children, are burned to death, trampled, and suffocated. They die trying to escape. They die saving others. Their burned bodies are identified in makeshift morgues.<br />
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This material could have been ruined by either too light a touch - let's just ignore the dead kids over here - or by being too graphic. <i>Big Top Burning</i> threads the middle ground perfectly, never pretending that this event wasn't horrible, but also never indulging in gore for the sake of gore. The primary-source photos were especially intriguing and really added to the tale's impact.<br />
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I had never heard of the Hartford circus fire of 1944, and I found the circumstances that led to this tragedy completely appalling. I learned so much about how this event led to better regulations for safety and emergency management, and I just can't believe how much negligence was prevalent at the time. They actually covered the canvas in gasoline and wax to waterproof it. The tent was covered in gasoline! No wonder it burned so well!<br />
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Laura Woollett's narrative nonfiction follows several different people who were at the circus that day, similar to Jim Murphy's account of the <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/142976.The_Great_Fire?ac=1">Great Chicago Fire</a>.</i> This approach really humanized the tragedy, but it also made the narrative confusing at times since it was hard to keep track of so many different people.<br />
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Unfortunately, the last section, which chronicles the arson investigation and identification of one missing victim, felt rushed. Although interesting, there weren't as many details here to give this part of the story the same emotional impact as the first part of the book, so it fell a bit flat.<br />
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Overall, I recommend this book for those who are interested in fascinating historical events. It's great for readers who have already read and enjoyed books like <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/142976.The_Great_Fire?ac=1">The Great Chicago Fire</a> </i>and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3790380-chasing-lincoln-s-killer?ac=1">Chasing Lincoln's Killer</a></i>, but because of some confusing elements, I don't recommend it as a reader's first foray into narrative nonfiction.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3.5 stars</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-33140323866608343202015-04-21T18:27:00.000-07:002015-04-21T18:27:57.097-07:00TBR Pile Challenge UpdateWe are only 4 months into 2015, and I already have 6 out of 12 books completed for the TBR Pile Challenge, hosted by Adam at <a href="http://roofbeamreader.com/">Roof Beam Reader</a>.<br />
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<strong><u>The TBR Pile Challenge List </u></strong><br />
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1. Dragonwings by Laurence Yep (2001)</div>
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2. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (1971)</div>
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3. The Menagerie by Tui T. Sutherland ~ Completed 4.19.2015 ~ Review Below<br />
4. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence ~ Completed 4.9.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/859809246">My Review</a><br />
5. Flawed Dogs by Berkeley Breathed ~ Completed 2.20.2015 ~ <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/02/book-review-flawed-dogs.html">My Review</a><br />
6. We Are Not Eaten by Yaks by C. Alexander London ~ Completed 4.20.2015 ~ Review Below<br />
7. Watership Down by Richard Adams (1972)<br />
8. The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)<br />
9. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve ~ Completed 4.5.2015 ~ <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1244894763">My Review</a><br />
10. HIVE by Mark Walden ~ Completed 1.4.2015 ~<a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2015/01/book-review-hive.html"> <span id="goog_786528570"></span>My Review</a><span id="goog_786528571"></span><br />
11. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh (1964)<br />
12. Airborn by Kenneth Oppel (2004)</div>
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1. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander (1964)<br />
2. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (1984)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGIpNlLWl-jdwOos737m8uuzfK6XrixQBT6K9zBpmWvczZ-isO7WehXT_VeaSLiFwnpp3DeNve-cYjyfVJ51xP_4YiJviZptl4HAY0JKzPdzoPbcaHLPHQF-_kXPSwPGQfmkrm6Sf2a7C/s1600/mortalengines.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxGIpNlLWl-jdwOos737m8uuzfK6XrixQBT6K9zBpmWvczZ-isO7WehXT_VeaSLiFwnpp3DeNve-cYjyfVJ51xP_4YiJviZptl4HAY0JKzPdzoPbcaHLPHQF-_kXPSwPGQfmkrm6Sf2a7C/s1600/mortalengines.png" height="200" width="128" /></a>Like last year, I am using half of my TBR Pile List to make progress on the 50-book<a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/p/classics-club.html"> Classics Club Challenge</a>.<br />
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Not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty proud to be half way through the list 2 months early. Go me! My favorite book of these 6 has been <i>Mortal Engines</i> by Philip Reeve. It is a really cool dystopia about cities that migrate on giant mechanisms and eat one another.<br />
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Just this past week I finished two books on the list, so I thought that I'd combine the reviews here:<br />
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<b>Title:</b> <i>The Menagerie</i><br />
<b>Author:</b> Tui T. Sutherland<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8v6MInm317LaYtXaVApJ4FZ341QhoH7EYvb3cfkTnajRz6gTb53FtNVL5tGD4qqYQurzPYoen9Rbx_Vu6Q4XalJ1MmVhPyB3rcYUbXA8HQRq5XPqt3zxlAKNxfMwmPXpTN_q8GI6t2YK/s1600/menagerie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix8v6MInm317LaYtXaVApJ4FZ341QhoH7EYvb3cfkTnajRz6gTb53FtNVL5tGD4qqYQurzPYoen9Rbx_Vu6Q4XalJ1MmVhPyB3rcYUbXA8HQRq5XPqt3zxlAKNxfMwmPXpTN_q8GI6t2YK/s1600/menagerie.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a><b>Genre:</b> Fantasy (book 1 of 3)<br />
<b>Length:</b> 288 pages<br />
<b>Audience:</b> Grades 4-7<br />
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Seventh grader Logan Wilde gets involved in tracking down a group of missing griffin cubs. The cubs have escaped from a secret facility that houses and protects mythical creatures. Along the way we encounter arrogant unicorns, temperamental pheonixes, and an adorable mammoth. This book was a fun, but light read. There are ample doses of humor, adventure, mystery, and unicorns. <i>The Menagerie </i>is totally accessible for the target audience, so lots of middle grade students love it. However, for me, it didn't feel very original and just blended into the crowd of other similar MG fantasies (<i>Fablehaven,</i> <i>Spiderwick</i>, etc).<br />
<b>Rating:</b> <b>3 stars</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0piYwGR1n_DK-CnU6yt3F-AEbU-eb_rz8VFkXXVtr7DBAY8hVCJCrXgv_GH-IldbeimR8r6NiadSgYNbP8GvBwVJpsO-1ymxhcNXrKejJYH244lD5U-rNRHtdTAH74AcLrk2XzXkCP9RC/s1600/yaks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0piYwGR1n_DK-CnU6yt3F-AEbU-eb_rz8VFkXXVtr7DBAY8hVCJCrXgv_GH-IldbeimR8r6NiadSgYNbP8GvBwVJpsO-1ymxhcNXrKejJYH244lD5U-rNRHtdTAH74AcLrk2XzXkCP9RC/s1600/yaks.jpg" height="200" width="128" /></a><b>Title:</b> <i>We Are Not Eaten by Yaks</i><br />
<b>Author:</b> C. Alexander London<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Fantasy (book 1 of 4)<br />
<b>Length:</b> 384 pages<br />
<b>Audience:</b> Grades 4-6<br />
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Two TV-obsessed kids end up on a quest to find the lost Library of Alexandria, the same quest on which their mother disappeared 3 years ago. London gives this story an intentionally over-the-top tone with ridiculous obstacles (being thrown from a plane and surviving via a raft/poncho), outrageous villains (evil witches who love television), and strange allies (Buddhist oracles). It's super fun and works well for students who love both silliness and adventure. However, the humor felt kind of forced to me. Some of the characters were really annoying - the protagonists with their constant complaining and desire to watch TV, and the main villain with his excessive arrogance.<br />
<b>Rating:</b> <b>3 stars</b><br />
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Both of these books remind me that <b>I am not the target audience</b>. Some books appeal to middle grade readers and adults equally well, others seem to appeal more to one or the other. I really think both of these books would be loved by lots of readers in grades 4-7. They didn't work for me, but since I'm not the target audience... take that for what it's worth.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-91209798281287490452015-04-07T10:34:00.001-07:002015-04-07T10:34:15.603-07:00Classics Club Spin #9<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Classics Clubs is hosting its ninth <a href="http://theclassicsclubblog.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/the-classics-spin-5/">spin event</a>. For the spin, you simply choose 20 books in 4 categories. The moderators will announce a random number and whatever title in your list corresponds to the number, that's the book you read by May 15th. My list for the spin is below. To see my entire list of 50 books for the Classics Club check out <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/p/classics-club.html">my official list.</a><br></span><div class="separator" style="text-align: start; clear: both;"><a href="http://theclassicsclubblog.wordpress.com/" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaltQWr7_72w1kCzfWxkfE9zB5G2jhA1zY0TAFQrM4bO_TcG4xns7k4Dmzvj24kUp8Bog_QqGod_Tw2e_k8bXyX3oNUWJu5kELaBHXLzu0Iw-2zKYeTA-D4gSpMBv-s1nfYEuGTe2aOj9i/s1600/clclub.jpeg"></font></a></div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br><u style="font-weight: bold;">5 Books I'm Hesitant to Read</u><br>1. The Black Stallion by Walter Farley<br><b>2. My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George <---- The Winner!</b><br>3. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt<br>4.<b> </b>Frindle by Andrew Clements<br>5. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin<br><br><u style="font-weight: bold;">5 Books I'm Excited About</u><br>6. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle<br>7. Watership Down by Richard Adams<br>8. Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine<br>9. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien<br>10. The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper<b></b><br><br><u style="font-weight: bold;">5 Books I'm Neutral About</u><br>11. The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich<br>12. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll<br>13. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson<br>14. A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck<br>15. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli<br><br><u style="font-weight: bold;">5 Books I'll Have to Hunt For</u><br>16. Zlateh the Goat and Other Stories by Isaac Bashevis Singer<br>17. The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks by Katherine Patterson<br>18. The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright<br>19. The Storm by Cynthia Rylant<br>20. Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome<br><br></span><div style="margin: 0px;"></div><br style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><div style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-19814844316566773952015-03-30T08:42:00.000-07:002015-03-30T08:42:00.105-07:00Classics Review: Nancy Drew #1<b>Premise:</b> Wealthy Josiah Crowley has died, but his relatives and friends are shocked to find that he left his entire estate to the mean, already-wealthy Topham family. When Nancy learns that Josiah had promised an inheritance to many needy families, she goes searching for Mr. Crowley's hidden will.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> The Secret of the Old Clock<br />
<b>Author:</b> Carolyn Keene<br />
<b>Length:</b> 192 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Mystery<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Book 1 in the long-running Nancy Drew series<br />
<b>Content appropriate for:</b> Grades 3-6<br />
<b>Format:</b> Hardback gifted to me by a student<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> simple, predictable, disappointing</span><br />
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I read this book as part of the<a href="http://theclassicsclubblog.wordpress.com/"> Classics Club</a> challenge to read <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/p/classics-club.html">50 classics books</a> in 5 years. My list is comprised entirely of children's books.<br />
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Apparently Nancy Drew books really work for lots of people. There are a great many nostalgic 5-star reviews. Now as a 30-something, this was my first time reading a Nancy Drew, and I was underwhelmed. </div>
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Nancy comes off as a bit snobby and entitled. The supporting characters are ridiculously flat, and always single-minded. The central mystery hinged on locating a missing will, and I found myself not caring much about it. I mean, of course she'll find the will and the poor folks will get the money they've been promised. Duh. Classic, over-done scenario.</div>
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Overall, it probably only warrants 2 stars from me, but the extra star is because so many people credit Nancy with getting them started as readers.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632668648818426220.post-67919408411248517472015-03-29T08:21:00.001-07:002015-03-29T08:21:09.681-07:00Book Review: Black Dove White Raven<b>Premise:</b> Em and Teo are the children of two female American stunt pilots, and they're sort of brother and sister now that Teo's mother has died in a plane crash. When they move to Ethiopia expecting a peaceful life free of racial discrimination, they find themselves in the midst of a war with Italy.<br />
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<b>Title:</b> Black Dove White Raven<br />
<b>Author:</b> Elizabeth Wein<br />
<b>Length:</b> 368 pages<br />
<b>Genre:</b> Historical Fiction<br />
<b>Series or Stand Alone:</b> Stand Alone<br />
<b>Content Appropriate For:</b> Grades 7-12<br />
<b>Format:</b> Digital ARC provided by the publisher via <a href="http://www.netgalley.com/">NetGalley</a><br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Three adjectives that describe this book:</b> interesting, slow, disappointing</span><br />
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I loved Elizabeth Wein's previous books, <a href="http://booksaplentybooksgalore.blogspot.com/2014/06/book-review-code-name-verity.html">Code Name Verity</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17262236-rose-under-fire">Rose Under Fire</a>, but this one lacked the emotional heft and believability of those novels.<br />
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I really enjoyed the setting of this book. I learned so much about a time and place that I had never really thought about before, Ethiopia in the 1930s. The League of Nations politics were fascinating! And the Ethiopian landscape and people were lovingly and accurately depicted since Wein has traveled there several times.<br />
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However, this book didn't hold my interest like Wein's previous works and I truly considered abandoning it. I probably would have if I hadn't read and loved <i>Code Name Verity, </i>which taught me to be patient with Elizabeth Wein because <b><i>all is not as it seems</i></b>.<br />
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The problems come down to three areas:<br />
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<b><span style="color: #990000;">1. Pacing - </span></b>The first half (or maybe 3/4) was dreadfully slow. Almost no plot happened for huge sections of text.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>2. Characters -</b></span> I didn't connect well to the main characters. Em was awfully self-centered. She complained and bragged and generally annoyed me. On the other hand, Teo's quiet self-consciousness irritated me. And I kept wondering how he felt being in a white family and how he managed to skip right past grieving for his mother and accept Rhoda as "Momma." speaking of which, why wasn't this book about Rhoda and Delia? They were fascinating!<br />
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<span style="color: #990000;"><b>* Format -</b></span> Like Wein's other books, this one is told through letters and journal entries. She also added in school essays and some character-written fiction. Unlike her previous novels, this format didn't work very well. My initial problem was that the character voices sounded too much alike. As I read on I became frustrated with how the writing was way too advanced to be believably written by young kids with little education.<br />
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Overall, I'm glad I finished this book because the historical setting was fascinating and completely new to me, but it did not live up to my expectations based on Wein's previous works.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15023849026866219188noreply@blogger.com0