Friday 9 December 2011
PAGE TO SCREEN: THE HUNGER GAMES
Sunday 27 November 2011
HELP!
I've been processing dozens of new books into the library and my brain is so crammed with titles that I can't choose my next book to read! Help me out. What have you read recently or what are you reading that you would recommend?
Saturday 12 November 2011
GUNNERKRIGG COURT: ONLINE GRAPHIC NOVEL
I found this while browsing book sites today. Gunnerkrigg Court sounds like a series that would captivate Harry Potter fans but also mesmerize readers of quirky science fiction. There are three volumes available, but I'm not going to purchase them right now as the second volume is scarce and expensive. Fortunately, you can read the comic online at http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=1
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Win a copy of INHERITANCE!
Get your book reviews in! Good luck!
Monday 7 November 2011
TWO AMAZING NOVELS
While the Eragon fans settle in to read the fourth and final installment, I have two suggestions for the rest of you.
The first is Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I feel certain that this book is going to be the next huge word-of-mouth hit. Taylor presents two breathtaking worlds: modern day Prague and a magical world mired in conflict between angels and chimera. The action is epic, the mysteries deep and the characters intriguing and sympathetic. The chemistry between the two main characters makes Edward and Bella seem like distant acquaintances. Here's a synopsis:
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
I just finished reading the second novel, The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater. She is the best-selling author of Shiver, Linger and Forever. The action in the standalone novel is set on the small island of Thisby, where every fall the ocean tide brings large, powerful and vicious water horses to the shore. For generations, young men have caught and tried to tame these beautiful monsters in order to ride in the Scorpio Races, a competition that crowns one champion a year, but leaves many mangled bodies on the sand.
Two of the competitors are the protagonists of the story. Sean Kendrick, a skilled horse-whisperer, has raced and won many times on the back of his beloved red water horse, Corr. This year he races in order to win the life of his dreams or lose everything. Puck is the first girl to enter the race and she does so on her ordinary island pony, Dove. Even though no one believes she has a chance to win, and that in all likelihood she will lose her life in the race, she competes in order to keep her family together in the home she has always known.
Gradually , Sean Kendrick and Puck are drawn together in their quest. Their developing relationship seems a fragile thing in the midst of the dark magic enveloping the island.
You will be drawn in by the authenticity of the characters and the often explosive action in this story.
Read it!
The first is Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I feel certain that this book is going to be the next huge word-of-mouth hit. Taylor presents two breathtaking worlds: modern day Prague and a magical world mired in conflict between angels and chimera. The action is epic, the mysteries deep and the characters intriguing and sympathetic. The chemistry between the two main characters makes Edward and Bella seem like distant acquaintances. Here's a synopsis:
Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?
I just finished reading the second novel, The Scorpio Races, by Maggie Stiefvater. She is the best-selling author of Shiver, Linger and Forever. The action in the standalone novel is set on the small island of Thisby, where every fall the ocean tide brings large, powerful and vicious water horses to the shore. For generations, young men have caught and tried to tame these beautiful monsters in order to ride in the Scorpio Races, a competition that crowns one champion a year, but leaves many mangled bodies on the sand.
Two of the competitors are the protagonists of the story. Sean Kendrick, a skilled horse-whisperer, has raced and won many times on the back of his beloved red water horse, Corr. This year he races in order to win the life of his dreams or lose everything. Puck is the first girl to enter the race and she does so on her ordinary island pony, Dove. Even though no one believes she has a chance to win, and that in all likelihood she will lose her life in the race, she competes in order to keep her family together in the home she has always known.
Gradually , Sean Kendrick and Puck are drawn together in their quest. Their developing relationship seems a fragile thing in the midst of the dark magic enveloping the island.
You will be drawn in by the authenticity of the characters and the often explosive action in this story.
Read it!
Saturday 5 November 2011
INHERITANCE IS FINALLY HERE!!
Thursday 3 November 2011
RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! ZOMBIES HAVE INVADED THE LIBRARY...
DEVOUR BOOKS, NOT BRAINS: Come in and see our terrifying display!
Halloween may be over, but the zombie trend has just started. Zombies have grabbed hold of our imaginations the way vampires did a few years back and they are everywhere: T.V., movies and, of course, books. We have a number of great zombie reads, from the truly outrageous to the frankly yucky to the chillingly terrifying. Even the undead can be well-read.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie Wars by Max Brooks
"The end was near.” —Voices from the Zombie War
The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
The Enemy by Charlie Higson
They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?
We also have the sequel The Dead in the library.
The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
Welcome to the bizarre and dangerous world of Victorian London, a city teetering on the edge of revolution. Its people are ushering in a new era of technology, dazzled each day by new inventions. Airships soar in the skies over the city, whilst ground trains rumble through the streets and clockwork automatons are programmed to carry out menial tasks in the offices of lawyers, policemen and journalists.
But beneath this shiny veneer of progress lurks a sinister side. For this is also a world where ghostly policemen haunt the fog-laden alleyways of Whitechapel, where cadavers can rise from the dead and where Sir Maurice Newbury, Gentleman Investigator for the Crown, works tirelessly to protect the Empire from her foes.
When an airship crashes in mysterious circumstances, Sir Maurice and his recently appointed assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes are called in to investigate. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard is baffled by a spate of grisly murders and a terrifying plague is ravaging the slums of the city.
So begins an adventure quite unlike any other, a thrilling steampunk mystery and the first in the series of "Newbury & Hobbes" investigations.
You are so Undead to Me by Stacey Jay
Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people with a whole lot of issues.
All Megan wants is to be normal and go to homecoming, of course. Unfortunately, it's a little difficult when your dates keep getting interrupted by a bunch of slobbering Undead.
Things are about to get even more complicated for Megan. Someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and it's looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of party the bloody kind.
Megan must stop the Zombie apocalypse descending on Carol, Arkansas. Her life and more importantly, homecoming depends on it.
I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer
Algonquin “Ali” Rhodes, the high school newspaper’s music critic, meets an intriguing singer, Doug, while reviewing a gig. He’s a weird-looking guy—goth, but he seems sincere about it, like maybe he was into it back before it was cool. She introduces herself after the set, asking if he lives in Cornersville, and he replies, in his slow, quiet murmur, “Well, I don’t really live there, exactly. . . .”
When Ali and Doug start dating, Ali is falling so hard she doesn’t notice a few odd signs: he never changes clothes, his head is a funny shape, and he says practically nothing out loud. Finally Marie, the school paper’s fashion editor, points out the obvious: Doug isn’t just a really sincere goth. He’s a zombie. Horrified that her feelings could have allowed her to overlook such a flaw, Ali breaks up with Doug, but learns that zombies are awfully hard to get rid of—at the same time she learns that vampires, a group as tightly-knit as the mafia, don’t think much of music critics who make fun of vampires in reviews. . . .
Feed by Mira Grant
In 2014, two experimental viruses—a genetically engineered flu strain designed by Dr. Alexander Kellis, intended to act as a cure for the common cold, and a cancer-killing strain of Marburg, known as "Marburg Amberlee"—escaped the lab and combined to form a single airborne pathogen that swept around the world in a matter of days. It cured cancer. It stopped a thousand cold and flu viruses in their tracks.
It raised the dead.
Millions died in the chaos that followed. The summer of 2014 was dubbed "The Rising," and only the lessons learned from a thousand zombie movies allowed mankind to survive. Even then, the world was changed forever. The mainstream media fell, Internet news acquired an undeniable new legitimacy, and the CDC rose to a new level of power.
Set twenty years after the Rising, the Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner, as does the hardest question of them all:
When will you rise?
Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie Wars by Max Brooks
The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. World War Z is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.
The Enemy by Charlie Higson
They'll chase you. They'll rip you open. They'll feed on you...When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult - fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?
We also have the sequel The Dead in the library.
The Affinity Bridge by George Mann
But beneath this shiny veneer of progress lurks a sinister side. For this is also a world where ghostly policemen haunt the fog-laden alleyways of Whitechapel, where cadavers can rise from the dead and where Sir Maurice Newbury, Gentleman Investigator for the Crown, works tirelessly to protect the Empire from her foes.
When an airship crashes in mysterious circumstances, Sir Maurice and his recently appointed assistant Miss Veronica Hobbes are called in to investigate. Meanwhile, Scotland Yard is baffled by a spate of grisly murders and a terrifying plague is ravaging the slums of the city.
So begins an adventure quite unlike any other, a thrilling steampunk mystery and the first in the series of "Newbury & Hobbes" investigations.
You are so Undead to Me by Stacey Jay
Fifteen-year-old Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a bunch of dead people with a whole lot of issues.
All Megan wants is to be normal and go to homecoming, of course. Unfortunately, it's a little difficult when your dates keep getting interrupted by a bunch of slobbering Undead.
Things are about to get even more complicated for Megan. Someone in school is using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into flesh-eating Zombies, and it's looking like homecoming will turn out to be a very different kind of party the bloody kind.
Megan must stop the Zombie apocalypse descending on Carol, Arkansas. Her life and more importantly, homecoming depends on it.
I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It by Adam Selzer
Algonquin “Ali” Rhodes, the high school newspaper’s music critic, meets an intriguing singer, Doug, while reviewing a gig. He’s a weird-looking guy—goth, but he seems sincere about it, like maybe he was into it back before it was cool. She introduces herself after the set, asking if he lives in Cornersville, and he replies, in his slow, quiet murmur, “Well, I don’t really live there, exactly. . . .”
When Ali and Doug start dating, Ali is falling so hard she doesn’t notice a few odd signs: he never changes clothes, his head is a funny shape, and he says practically nothing out loud. Finally Marie, the school paper’s fashion editor, points out the obvious: Doug isn’t just a really sincere goth. He’s a zombie. Horrified that her feelings could have allowed her to overlook such a flaw, Ali breaks up with Doug, but learns that zombies are awfully hard to get rid of—at the same time she learns that vampires, a group as tightly-knit as the mafia, don’t think much of music critics who make fun of vampires in reviews. . . .
Feed by Mira Grant
It raised the dead.
Millions died in the chaos that followed. The summer of 2014 was dubbed "The Rising," and only the lessons learned from a thousand zombie movies allowed mankind to survive. Even then, the world was changed forever. The mainstream media fell, Internet news acquired an undeniable new legitimacy, and the CDC rose to a new level of power.
Set twenty years after the Rising, the Newsflesh trilogy follows a team of bloggers, led by Georgia and Shaun Mason, as they search for the brutal truths behind the infection. Danger, deceit, and betrayal lurk around every corner, as does the hardest question of them all:
When will you rise?
Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
In Mary's world there are simple truths. The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?
Tuesday 11 October 2011
NEW BOOKS ADDED TO THE DISPLAY
GIRL IN THE ARENA by Lisa Haines
It’s a fight to the death—on live TV—when a gladiator’s daughter steps into the arena
Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’ debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine.
CRYPTUM: HALO (Forerunner Saga #1) by Greg Bear
100,000 years ago, the galaxy was populated by a great variety of beings.
But one species--eons beyond all others in both technology and knowledge--achieved dominance.
They ruled in peace but met opposition with quick and brutal effectiveness.
They were the Forerunners--the keepers of the Mantle, the next stage of life in the Universe’s Living Time.
And then they vanished.
This is their story.
Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting is a young rebellious Forerunner. He is a Manipular, untried--yet to become part of the adult Forerunner society, where vast knowledge and duty waits. He comes from a family of Builders, the Forerunners’ highest and most politically powerful rate. It is the Builders who create the grand technology that facilitates Forerunner dominance over the known universe. It is the Builders who believe they must shoulder the greatest burden of the Mantle--as shepherds and guardians of all life.
Bornstellar is marked to become a great Builder just like his father.
But this Manipular has other plans.
LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins
Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion . . . she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit -- more sparkly, more fun, more wild -- the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.
When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.
RAIDER'S RANSOM by Emily Diamand
Because of climate change, much of 23rd-century England is underwater. Poor Lilly is out fishing with her trusty first mate, Cat, when greedy raiders pillage the town--and kidnap the Prime Minister's daughter. Her village blamed, Lilly decides to find the girl. Off she sails, in secret. And with a ransom: a mysterious talking jewel. Along the way she forms a wary friendship with Zeph, a punky raider boy. "If I save the Prime Minister's daughter," Lilly reasons, "he's sure to reward me." Little does Lilly know that it will take more than grit to outwit the tricky, treacherous piratical tribes!
We also have the sequel, Flood and Fire, in the library.
ASHES by Ilsa J. Bick
Alex has run away and is hiking through the wilderness with her dead parents' ashes, about to say goodbye to the life she no longer wants to live. But then the world suddenly changes. An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky zapping every electronic device and killing the vast majority of adults. For those spared, it's a question of who can be trusted and who has changed... Everyone still alive has turned - some for the better (those who acquired a superhuman sense) while others for the worse (those who acquired a taste for human flesh). Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the zombies that are on the hunt, Alex meets up with Tom - an Army veteran who escaped one war only to find something worse at home - and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse. This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to find food, shelter, while fighting off the 'Changed' and those desperate to stay alive. A tense and involving adventure with shocks and sudden plot twists that will keep teen and adult readers gripped.
THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: CAMPUS APOCALYPSE by Mingming
BLACK SWAN RISING by Lee Carroll
When New York City jewelry designer Garet James stumbles into a strange antiques shop in her neighborhood, her life is about to be turned upside down. John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can't believe her luck and this eerie coincidence until she opens the box and otherworldly things start happening. . . .
Lyn is a neo-gladiator’s daughter, through and through. Her mother has made a career out of marrying into the high-profile world of televised blood sport, and the rules of the Gladiator Sports Association are second nature to their family. Always lend ineffable confidence to the gladiator. Remind him constantly of his victories. And most importantly: Never leave the stadium when your father is dying. The rules help the family survive, but rules—and the GSA—can also turn against you. When a gifted young fighter kills Lyn’s seventh father, he also captures Lyn’s dowry bracelet, which means she must marry him... For fans of The Hunger Games and Fight Club, Lise Haines’ debut novel is a mesmerizing look at a world addicted to violence—a modern world that’s disturbingly easy to imagine.
CRYPTUM: HALO (Forerunner Saga #1) by Greg Bear
But one species--eons beyond all others in both technology and knowledge--achieved dominance.
They ruled in peace but met opposition with quick and brutal effectiveness.
They were the Forerunners--the keepers of the Mantle, the next stage of life in the Universe’s Living Time.
And then they vanished.
This is their story.
Bornstellar Makes Eternal Lasting is a young rebellious Forerunner. He is a Manipular, untried--yet to become part of the adult Forerunner society, where vast knowledge and duty waits. He comes from a family of Builders, the Forerunners’ highest and most politically powerful rate. It is the Builders who create the grand technology that facilitates Forerunner dominance over the known universe. It is the Builders who believe they must shoulder the greatest burden of the Mantle--as shepherds and guardians of all life.
Bornstellar is marked to become a great Builder just like his father.
But this Manipular has other plans.
LOLA AND THE BOY NEXT DOOR by Stephanie Perkins
When Cricket -- a gifted inventor -- steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.
RAIDER'S RANSOM by Emily Diamand
We also have the sequel, Flood and Fire, in the library.
ASHES by Ilsa J. Bick
THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin
Mara Dyer doesn't think life can get any stranger than waking up in a hospital with no memory of how she got there. It can.
She believes there must be more to the accident she can't remember that killed her friends and left her mysteriously unharmed.There is.
She doesn't believe that after everything she's been through, she can fall in love.
She's wrong.
She's wrong.
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: CAMPUS APOCALYPSE by Mingming
Dark Horse is proud to present the second manga series in its Neon Genesis Evangelion line, Neon Genesis Evangelion: Campus Apocalypse!
Shinji Ikari's parents are gone, and he lives with his legal guardian, Ryoji Kaji, while attending the private NERV Academy. But no one ever told Shinji about its secrets... or that he'd find his fellow students Kaworu, Rei, and Asuka out on the streets late at night - fighting with sword, spear, and whip against an enemy that looks very human, but who Kaworu insists are beings called the Angels...
We have all four books in the series!
WHERE SHE WENT (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Foreman
It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.
Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.
Shinji Ikari's parents are gone, and he lives with his legal guardian, Ryoji Kaji, while attending the private NERV Academy. But no one ever told Shinji about its secrets... or that he'd find his fellow students Kaworu, Rei, and Asuka out on the streets late at night - fighting with sword, spear, and whip against an enemy that looks very human, but who Kaworu insists are beings called the Angels...
We have all four books in the series!
WHERE SHE WENT (If I Stay #2) by Gayle Foreman
Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.
Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.
BLACK SWAN RISING by Lee Carroll
Monday 3 October 2011
YOUR BOOK REVIEWS
Several students have expressed an interest in writing and publishing book reviews on this blog. I'd be delighted to post reviews because there is no better way to choose a great book than through word of mouth recommendations. Unless anyone strenuously objects, I'd like the review policy to be that only thoughtful, specific and generally positive reviews will be found here. Every book has its weaknesses and you are welcome to point those out, but the real purpose of the reviews is to help your fellow students find good books to read. Besides, a book that one student dislikes might be another's favorite, yet one scathing review might prevent anyone else from ever picking up that book again.
Your reviews do not have to be lengthy. You should begin with an introduction to the main characters, the setting and the plot. Set the scene and hint at future twists, but no spoilers please. If you know the genre or type of literature (paranormal, fantasy, romance, mystery, thriller, science fiction, humour, survival, dystopian, steampunk, relationship issues etc.) make mention of it.
Next, explain what you most liked about the novel. Try to be specific and provide examples where you can. If you simply say the story was interesting, you're not telling us much. But if you describe the characters as multi-dimensional, realistic and compelling and the plot as original, suspenseful and surprising, we have a much more clear impression. You can mention some weaknesses at this point, but they should not overshadow the novel's strengths.
Finish with a recommendation. What kind of reader would be most drawn to this story? Is the novel appropriate for a certain age group or for anyone? Does the novel put forward an important theme or lesson about life? Is this a series book that will have readers looking for the sequels? Is this a book that will change a reader's life?
Once you have written your review, email it to me at Christine.Schmor@mpsd.ca. I will edit it for spelling and punctuation (not content) and post it on the Review Page.
Every day I have students come in to tell me about the amazing books they just finished. Other students listen in and then pounce on the returned books to discover the magic for themselves. The Review Page could open up this inspiring experience for all of the students at HPSS. Can you think of a book you could recommend? Write a review!
Sunday 2 October 2011
AWESOME OCTOBER!
I love the golden days of October filled with the fragrance of burning leaves and the cold prickle of approaching winter. The clear, glassy light throws everything into a sharper, more vivid focus. People's eyes brighten and their skin becomes more luminous. It is also a great season for cuddling up with a terrific story, a cup of something hot and sweet, and a purring cat (if one is handy.)
There are a number of great books being released this month. The second book in Rick Riordan's new series, The Heroes of Olympus, should be in the library next week. It's called The Son of Neptune and promises to be every bit the adventure of the first book.
Also, coming soon to your favorite library is Destined, the sixth and last novel in the wickedly popular paranormal House of Night series by P. C. Cast.
Last year, James Dashner published two amazing books, The Maze Runner and its sequel The Scorch Trials. Now comes the final book in this prison dystopian trilogy, The Death Cure. Read it if you dare!
For those who love fantasy romance (and there are many of you), be sure to look out for the final book in Becca Fitzpatrick's series beginning with Hush, Hush. Silence starts where Crescendo left off. You won't be able to put it down!
Beautiful Chaos is the newest book in Kami Garcia's southern gothic series, The Caster Chronicles. Romance and mystery, who could ask for more?
I am pleased that virtually all of the books mentioned in earlier posts are now out on loan. Many of them are already out for the third and fourth time this year. Don't worry that there will be nothing left for you as I'm still processing and ordering wonderful books. The new books display is seriously out of control, and it's about to get even bigger. Come down and peruse the books or ask for a recommendation. I solemnly promise to find you a book you will love.
Monday 26 September 2011
Hope you're reading this blog...
For the student who has been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the latest book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series, Death Bringer, IT'S HERE! I should have it processed and ready to be borrowed by lunch on Tuesday.
Saturday 24 September 2011
MORE NEW BOOKS!!!
If you are a fan of the weird, wonderful, and truly unbelievable, you'll be first in line to snap up the 2012 Guinness World Book of Records or Ripley's Believe It or Not 2012 which will be available Monday at lunch.
Here are some other great reads...
PERFECT by Ellen Hopkins
Many of you have already discovered the amazing emotional intensity of Hopkin's unusual prose verse in earlier novels like Crank, Glass, and Identical.
Everyone has something, someone, somewhere else that they’d rather be. For four high-school seniors, their goals of perfection are just as different as the paths they take to get there.
Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?
Everyone wants to be perfect, but when perfection loses its meaning, how far will you go? What would you give up to be perfect?
SIDEKICKS by Jack D. Ferraiolo
But after an embarrassing incident involving his too-tight spandex costume, plus some signs that Phantom Justice may not be the good guy he pretends to be, Scott begins to question his role. With the help of a fellow sidekick, once his nemesis, Scott must decide if growing up means being loyal or stepping boldly to the center of things.
THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt
While all his classmates are enjoying (?) religious instruction, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood shares Wednesday afternoons with Mrs. Baker, his Camillo Junior High teacher. Not surprisingly, Holling lacks enthusiasm for mid-week appointments with an instructor who assigns him Shakespeare as out-of-class reading. Holling has other things on his mind besides English Renaissance drama. For his dad's sake, he's trying hard to stay out of trouble, but with hovering bullies and other impinging crises, that seems to be a full-time job. Fortunately, help arrives from an unexpected source. Another funny yet gripping novel from the author of Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy.
THE HUNCHBACK ASSIGNMENTS by Arthur Slade
This is a new steampunk fantasy series by the Canadian author of Dust. We have the next two books in the series, The Dark Deeps and The Empire of Ruins. Enjoy!
GAME OF THRONES (#1 in The Song of Ice and Fire series) by George R. R. Martin.
There has been a tremendous resurgence of interest in this epic fantasy series since the televised version came out on HBO and the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, was released this summer. Here is a synopsis:
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective wall. To the south, the King's powers are failing, and his enemies are emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the King's new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but also the kingdom itself. A heroic fantasy of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and evildoers who come together in a time of grim omens.
We have all five books.
MONSTER HIGH (#1 Monster High series) by Lisi Harrison
On the heels of her popular Alphas and The Clique series, comes a brand new series from Lisi Harrison. We will soon have the next two books in the series.
They prefer to call themselves RAD (Regular Attribute Dodgers), but some call them monsters. So far, the "monster" community has kept a low profile in Salem, but this year two new girls enroll at Master High School, and the town will never be the same.
Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and cheerleading. But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters who might be stalking the halls, Frankie finds that life in the "normi" world can be rough for a chic freak like her.
She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver--but can a normi be trusted with her big secret?
TIME RIDERS by Alex Scarrow
This first book in the series is an adrenaline pumping ride through time. I hope to have the next three books in very soon.
VIOLA IN REEL LIFE by Adriana Trigiani
When fourteen-year-old Viola is sent from her beloved Brooklyn to boarding school in Indiana for ninth grade, she overcomes her initial reservations as she makes friends with her roommates, goes on a real date, and uses the unsettling ghost she keeps seeing as the subject of her first short film.
THE DEMON KING (#1 Seven Realms series) by Cinda Williams Chima
This novel marks the first giant step in a momentous fantasy journey orchestrated by Cinda Williams Chima, the author of the popular Warrior Heir series. Its two chief protagonists are ex-thief Han Alister, an impoverished commoner, and Raisa ana'Marianna, the headstrong Princess Heir of the Fells. The Demon King brings them together, creating part of a volatile mix of action, magic, and danger.
We have the second book, The Exiled Queen, in the library.
PASSING STRANGE (#3 Generation Dead series) by Daniel Waters
Karen DeSonne is used to pretending to be something she’s not. All her life, she’s passed as a normal all-American teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing this time, as alive.
THE HUNCHBACK ASSIGNMENTS by Arthur Slade
This is a new steampunk fantasy series by the Canadian author of Dust. We have the next two books in the series, The Dark Deeps and The Empire of Ruins. Enjoy!
GAME OF THRONES (#1 in The Song of Ice and Fire series) by George R. R. Martin.
There has been a tremendous resurgence of interest in this epic fantasy series since the televised version came out on HBO and the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons, was released this summer. Here is a synopsis:
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective wall. To the south, the King's powers are failing, and his enemies are emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the King's new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but also the kingdom itself. A heroic fantasy of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and evildoers who come together in a time of grim omens.
We have all five books.
MONSTER HIGH (#1 Monster High series) by Lisi Harrison
On the heels of her popular Alphas and The Clique series, comes a brand new series from Lisi Harrison. We will soon have the next two books in the series.
Created just fifteen days ago, Frankie Stein is psyched to trade her father's formaldehyde-smelling basement lab for parties and cheerleading. But with a student body totally freaked out by rumors of monsters who might be stalking the halls, Frankie finds that life in the "normi" world can be rough for a chic freak like her.
She thinks she finds a friend in fellow new student Melody Carver--but can a normi be trusted with her big secret?
TIME RIDERS by Alex Scarrow
This first book in the series is an adrenaline pumping ride through time. I hope to have the next three books in very soon.
VIOLA IN REEL LIFE by Adriana Trigiani
THE DEMON KING (#1 Seven Realms series) by Cinda Williams Chima
This novel marks the first giant step in a momentous fantasy journey orchestrated by Cinda Williams Chima, the author of the popular Warrior Heir series. Its two chief protagonists are ex-thief Han Alister, an impoverished commoner, and Raisa ana'Marianna, the headstrong Princess Heir of the Fells. The Demon King brings them together, creating part of a volatile mix of action, magic, and danger.
We have the second book, The Exiled Queen, in the library.
PASSING STRANGE (#3 Generation Dead series) by Daniel Waters
Karen DeSonne is used to pretending to be something she’s not. All her life, she’s passed as a normal all-American teenager; with her friends, with her family, and at school. Passing cost her the love of her life. And now that Karen’s dead, she’s still passing this time, as alive.
Meanwhile, Karen’s dead friends have been fingered in a high-profile murder, causing a new round of anti-zombie regulations that have forced nearly all of Oakvale’s undead into hiding. Karen soon learns that the “murder” was a hoax, staged by Pete Martinsburg and his bioist zealots. Obtaining enough evidence to expose the fraud and prove her friends’ innocence means doing the unthinkable: betraying her love by becoming Pete’s girlfriend. Karen’s only hope is that the enemy never realizes who she really is because the consequences would be even worse than death.
BOOK LOVE
Sunday 18 September 2011
Ramblings of a librarian...
Last week was a perfect week in the library. Admittedly, it was very busy - I think I saw more than half the students in the school as they came down in their Humanities/English classes for booktalks. Virtually everyone checked out a book or two and I'm hoping that books and readers are well -matched. If your first choice doesn't work for you, come down during lunch when there's time to chat with me about other books you will love - I'm pretty good at suggesting great reads. Some books have already been read, returned and borrowed by other students. I can see that some of you readers who simply inhale books will keep me racing to provide you with more and more titles, but I'm up for the challenge.
It was particularly fun to meet our brand new students in grades seven and eight. I'm still working on building our collection of books for middle school, so all of your suggestions are very welcome - keep them coming!
Lots of students showed interest in the Library Club; some even started work in the library last week. My thanks go out to all of you for helping out and giving the library a true sense of community. If you wish to join the Library Club, just come in and talk to me at lunch or after school. Everyone is welcome!
Several boxes of crisp new books arrived last week and I'm trying to process them into our system as quickly as possible. Students have already been hanging over the front counter, paging through them and begging me to "Do this one next." Patience - there are enough amazing stories in the library to keep everyone thoroughly entertained. I'll post a list of new books in a few days.
Human beings have always been fascinated by stories, using them to understand and define themselves, their relationships with others and the world around them. Originally the story experience was communal: tales told aloud by the fire at night or represented visually by drawings in caves or carvings on totem poles. With the development of written language, people were able to experience a more personal, more profound connection with stories. Just compare the reading of a book to the watching of a movie based on the book and you know that reading is almost always the more rewarding activity.
Our lives are full of stories; they are found in films, television shows, sporting events, video games, song lyrics, newspapers, and history textbooks. We post our own stories on social media sites and seek out the stories of others in their tweets and blogs. Never underestimate the power of stories to unite us, inspire us, motivate and enlighten us.
While talking to classes this week, I was reminded that there are people who resist the magic of the written word. Either they have never found a book they liked or they have been forced to read books they hated or they struggle with reading. I believe that every single person can find enough terrific books to fill a lifetime; they just need help to find them. I also believe that reading difficulties will sometimes fade away if the reader is captured by a wickedly good story. Anyone who has never been carried away while reading a book is missing one of the most wonderful and rewarding of all human experiences. So, if you have a friend who simply refuses to read, start talking up the stories you've loved. Make them curious about this pastime of reading. I once had a student who started reading for pleasure because whenever I talked about books I made it sound as though she was missing something in her life because she wasn't reading. She was missing something - and then she wasn't. It's as simple as turning to the first page.
Have a great week!
Sunday 11 September 2011
WEEK TWO
Well, we made it through the first week! It was a terrific week for me as I got to see last year's members of the library club, along with some of the library's most loyal patrons.( If you're interested in joining the library club, just check out the Library Club page on this blog for more information. ) Since last year was my first at HPSS, it was wonderful this year to see all the familiar faces come through the door.
This week, the library is open regular hours (see the About the Library page). Beginning with grade seven and eight students, Humanities/English classes will be invited down starting Tuesday for book talks. I know students are anxious to find great books for silent reading in their classes.
Monday 5 September 2011
WELCOME!
Ah, the first day back! The library will open at lunch on Friday so you can borrow a book for the weekend.
Welcome back to a new school year, everyone! I’d like to extend a special welcome to students in grades seven and eight who are new members of the HPSS community. Last year was my first year at Heritage Park, and I know you too will find the people here to be amazingly friendly and helpful. It’s a beautiful school with one of its finest features being the large and comfortable library located between the high school and the college. I hope to see all of you in here in the first weeks of school.
Welcome back to a new school year, everyone! I’d like to extend a special welcome to students in grades seven and eight who are new members of the HPSS community. Last year was my first year at Heritage Park, and I know you too will find the people here to be amazingly friendly and helpful. It’s a beautiful school with one of its finest features being the large and comfortable library located between the high school and the college. I hope to see all of you in here in the first weeks of school.
Last year, we added well over a thousand new books to the library collection, mostly fiction. As a result, the fiction shelves became badly overcrowded, so I undertook a major reorganization this summer. You will now find the nonfiction reference books on the shelves around the outside of the room while the fiction takes up almost the entire middle section. Literature Circle books are shelved with the general fiction, so when you browse through the fiction, you will now see everything we have to offer. Graphic novels have been moved up to the front of the library with a special round display of new graphic novels.
Dozens of new books have arrived in the library since the end of June! We have next-in-the-series books, brand-new-series books, stand alone fiction and nonfiction, and graphic novels. There are spy thrillers, action adventures, romantic fantasies, magical comedies, social dramas, dystopian horrors and steampunk mysteries. We have books for every taste and every grade. Come in to explore the new books display or browse the greatly expanded fiction section. There are treasures to be discovered!
Over the next few posts, I will introduce many of our new titles.
Thursday 25 August 2011
NEXT IN THE SERIES BOOKS (Part 2)
FOREVER (Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy.
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. In Linger, they fought to be together. Now, in Forever, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.
TWISTED (Pretty Little Liars #9) by Sara Shepard
Fans of this long-running series can't get enough mystery, secrets, gossip and backstabbing. What fun!
NEVER HAVE I EVER (The Lying Game #2) by Sara Shepard
More intrigue with Shepard's latest series.
TWISTED (Pretty Little Liars #9) by Sara Shepard
Fans of this long-running series can't get enough mystery, secrets, gossip and backstabbing. What fun!
NEVER HAVE I EVER (The Lying Game #2) by Sara Shepard
More intrigue with Shepard's latest series.
PASSION (Fallen #3) by Lauren Kate
Another amazing paranormal series continues its epic love story!
Luce would die for Daniel.And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .
Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.
Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.
Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.
FURY OF THE PHOENIX (Kingdom of Xia #2) by Cindy Pon
When I bought the first book in the series,Silver Phoenix, I was impressed by the great reviews and the beautiful cover. It turns out that sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover!
This lush, exotic series has a strong, but appealing female protagonist. Here's a look at the new book.
EVERLASTING (The Immortals #6) by Alyson Noel
Alyson Noel's books are constantly out on loan. She knows how to combine romance, fantasy, humor, and intrigue to create an exhilarating story.
Everlasting is the sixth and final installment of the epic love story that has enchanted readers across the world. Ever and Damen have spent centuries facing down bitter rivals, jealous friends and their own worst fears-all in the hope of being together forever. Now in Everlasting, their destiny is finally within reach.
Will they be united-or torn apart forever? Readers will finally discover the truth in this anxiously awaited conclusion!
Will they be united-or torn apart forever? Readers will finally discover the truth in this anxiously awaited conclusion!
Wednesday 24 August 2011
NEW GRAPHIC NOVELS IN THE LIBRARY
ZEUS (Olympians #1) by George O'Connor
George O'Connor is a Greek mythology buff and a classic superhero comics fan, and he's out to remind us how much our pantheon of superheroes (Superman, Batman, the X-Men, etc) owes to mankind's ORIGINAL superheroes: the Greek pantheon. In OLYMPIANS, O'Connor draws from primary documents to reconstruct and retell classic Greek myths. But these stories aren't sedate, scholarly works. They're action-packed, fast-paced, high-drama adventures, with monsters, romance, and not a few huge explosions. O'Connor's vibrant, kinetic art brings ancient tales to undeniable life, in a perfect fusion of super-hero aesthetics and ancient Greek mythology. Volume 1 of OLYMPIANS, ZEUS introduces readers to the ruler of the Olympian Pantheon, telling his story from his boyhood to his ascendance to supreme power.
ATHENA (Olympians #2) by George O'Connor
Step into a world of fearsome battle, cruel treachery, and fierce loyalty. Your guides are the three Fates, eerie figures who weave the tale of life. Their subject today is Athena, warrior goddess. Five astonishing tales of brave Athena's adventures lie ahead . . .
AMAZING GREEK MYTHS OF WONDERS AND BLUNDERS by Michael Townsend
From Hercules' snake assassin slippers to Arachne's wicked weaver rap songs, these are the mythic monsters and Hellenic heroes that have captured Western culture for centuries - but a whole lot more fun. Each story showcases the wondrous and blunderful antics of gods and mortals in bright graphics that rival the super-heroic action of The Lightning Thief, burst with the knock-your-socks-off humor of Jeff Kinney, and still remain unerringly faithful to the original myth. Kids won't be able to resist the bickering sheep, unruly rulers, and undercover details of Amazing Greek Myths - while teachers, librarians, and parents can relish this new way to share moral messages that remain as relevant today as they were a thousand years ago.
BIG NATE IN A CLASS BY HIMSELF by Lincoln Peirce
Supremely confident middle school student Nate Wright manages to make getting detention seem like an achievement.
BRAIN CAMP by Faith Erin Hicks
Neither artistic, dreamy Jenna nor surly, delinquent Lucas expected to find themselves at an invitation-only summer camp that turns problem children into prodigies. And yet, here they both are at Camp Fielding, settling in with all the other losers and misfits who've been shipped off by their parents in a last-ditch effort to produce a child worth bragging about. But strange disappearances, spooky lights in the woods, and a chilling alteration that turns the dimmest, rowdiest campers into docile zombie Einsteins have Jenna and Lucas feeling more than a little suspicious . . . and a lot afraid.
LIFE SUCKS by Jessica Abel
Life sucks for Dave Marshall. The girl he's in love with doesn't know he exists, he hates his job, and ever since his boss turned him into a vampire, he can't go out in daylight without starting to charbroil. Undead life in its uncoolest incarnation yet is on display in this cinematic, supernatural drama told with gallons of humor and hemoglobin. In striking, colorful, B-movie style artwork and light-hearted, intelligent writing by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece, Dave Marshall's story comes alive - in a vampiric kind of way.
SMILE by Raina Telgemeier
Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly. This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have ever had a bit of their own dental drama.
COWBOYS AND ALIENS by Scott Mitchell Rosenburg
In the Old West, settlers and Native Americans wage a bloody battle for control of the land. But when the Earth is threatened by conquerors from the stars, these sworn enemies must work together to save all humanity.
THE UNWRITTEN Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey
Then, it seems, Tom might actually be a wizard...
THE UNWRITTEN Vol. 1: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey
Tom Taylor's life was messed up from go. His father created the Tommy Taylor fantasy series, boy-wizard novels with popularity on par with Harry Potter. The problem is Dad modeled the fictional epic so closely to Tom's real life that fans are constantly comparing him to his counterpart, turning him into the lamest variety of Z-level celebrity. In the final novel, it's even implied that the fictional Tommy will crossover into the real world, giving delusional fans more excuses to harass Tom.
Then, it seems, Tom might actually be a wizard...
NEXT IN THE SERIES BOOKS NEW TO THE LIBRARY (Part 1)
The series format has been wildly popular in young adult literature for decades. From The Chronicles of Narnia to the Harry Potter stories, series allow us to become familiar with fantastic worlds and compelling characters. Finishing a great series is a little like moving away from a much loved neighbourhood. Of course, the wait between books in a series can be agonizing, but there is that joyous anticipation when the next installment is in your hands!
Well, for many of you the wait is over as several amazing series had sequels published this summer.
SCORPIA RISING (Alex Rider #9 ) by Anthony Horowitz
Nine books and still going strong, this adrenaline pumping installment is perfect for middle school readers who love action.
Scorpia has dogged Alex Rider for most of his life. They killed his parents, they did their best to con Alex into turning traitor, and they just keep coming back with more power. Now the world's most dangerous terrorist organization is playing with fire in the world's most combustible land: the Middle East. No one knows Scorpia like Alex. And no one knows how best to get to Alex like Scorpia. Until now.
The chases have never been more intense, the fights more treacherous, or the risks so perilous to mankind. And this time, Alex won't get away.
The chases have never been more intense, the fights more treacherous, or the risks so perilous to mankind. And this time, Alex won't get away.
THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC (Aramov #1) by Robert Muchamore
Those of you who thought the Cherub series was at an end will be thrilled to know that Muchamore can't quite let the storyline go, so he's created a new series that links to Cherub. This spy-thriller will likely fly out of the library as fast as his other books, so hurry down to get a copy!
Ryan's been waiting for a mission since he passed CHERUB basic training eight months earlier.
Ethan is his target. A privileged California boy, who likes computers and chess. He makes easy prey for school bullies, but his grandma's running a billion dollar crime syndicate in distant Kyrgyzstan.
Ryan expects to enjoy the California lifestyle in a routine operation. But he's in for a nasty shock, as his mission turns into one of the biggest in CHERUB's history.
Ryan's been waiting for a mission since he passed CHERUB basic training eight months earlier.
Ethan is his target. A privileged California boy, who likes computers and chess. He makes easy prey for school bullies, but his grandma's running a billion dollar crime syndicate in distant Kyrgyzstan.
Ryan expects to enjoy the California lifestyle in a routine operation. But he's in for a nasty shock, as his mission turns into one of the biggest in CHERUB's history.
DARKE (Septimus Heap #6) by Angie Gage
Middle school readers and others will love this magical series.
In the sixth book of the Magykal series, Alther Mella has been Banished, a Darke Domaine engulfs the Castle, and a Darke dragon is on the loose. Septimus must use all of his skills to save the Castle and the Wizard Tower from destruction: He must enter the Darke. But he cannot do this alone. With the help of Jenna, Alther Mella, Marcellus Pye, and his estranged brother, Simon Heap, Septimus and Marcia Overstrand, the Extraordinary Wizard, battle the spreading Darkenesse. Will Septimus succeed in protecting his Magykal world?
WARLOCK (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #5) by Michael Scott
Alcatraz:
Although their ally Dr. John Dee has been declared utlaga, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid will follow the plans the Elders have laid before them: they will loose the monsters of Alcatraz on the city of San Francisco, thereby triggering the end of the humani race.
Although their ally Dr. John Dee has been declared utlaga, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid will follow the plans the Elders have laid before them: they will loose the monsters of Alcatraz on the city of San Francisco, thereby triggering the end of the humani race.
Danu Talis:
The Shadowrealm that Scatty and Joan of Arc have entered is far more dangerous than they could ever have imagined. And they haven’t landed here by chance-the warriors were called for a reason. So were Saint-Germain, Palamededs, and Shakespeare. The group was summoned because they must travel back in time to Danu Talis and destroy it. For the island of Danu Talis, known in humani myth as the lost city of Atlantis, must fall if the modern world is to exist.
San Francisco:
The end is finally near. Josh Newman has chosen a side, and he will not stand with his sister, Sophie, or with the Alchemyst, Nicholas Flamel. He will fight alongside Dee and the mysterious Virginia Dare. Unless Sophie can find her twin before the battle begins, all is lost – forever.
In the fifth installment of this bestselling series, the twins of prophesy have been divided, and the end is finally beginning.
THE LAST LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPE (Little Blue Envelopes #2) by Maureen Johnson
This short series falls into the Social Issues genre of fiction. If you like Sarah Dessen and Alyson Noel, then you should give Maureen Johnson a read.
When Ginny Blackstone received thirteen little blue envelopes last summer she recognized them for what they were: a wild adventure laid out by her Aunt Peg–Ginny’s wildly interesting relative who could never do anything the simple, mundane way.
The envelopes led Ginny to England and on an adventure across Europe. Along the way Ginny learned a lot about her aunt and even more about herself. Until her adventure was cut short when the last little blue envelope was stolen. Even without that final piece, without that bit of closure, Ginny knows following the rules in the envelopes was the most exciting thing she has ever done. Too bad she can’t explain any of that in 1000 words for her college application essay.
Then an inscrutable English boy offers Ginny the last little blue envelope. For a price. She doesn’t much like Oliver. She definitely doesn’t trust him. And she knows he has his own agenda. But she also knows she has to accept his offer. It’s what Aunt Peg would do and, now, it’s what Ginny needs to do.
This last piece of Ginny’s adventure has no rules. It will lead her back to familiar sites and old friends. It will test Ginny’s mettle, and maybe even her sanity when it comes to dealing with Oliver. This trip will be the stuff of a great college application (and a great story).
PLAGUE (Gone #4) by Michael Grant
A world with no adults? Sounds great, right? Not so much. This thrilling dystopian series has a twist for every turn - it will keep you at the edge of your seat.
THE POWER OF SIX (Lorien Legacies #2) by Pittacus Lore
The first book, I am Number Four, was the publishing phenomenon of last year. It was such an immediate success that the movie was released in less than a year. Now, we're in for another electrifying installment of the war between young aliens with amazing superpowers and ruthless monsters who are determined to take over the earth.
I’ve seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he’s a mystery. But to me . . . he’s one of us.
Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We’re hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another . . . but our Legacies are developing, and soon we’ll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I’ve been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together?
They caught Number One in Malaysia.
Number Two in England.
And Number Three in Kenya.
They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed.
I am Number Seven. One of six still alive.
And I'm ready to fight.
And I'm ready to fight.
There is also a novella, Six's Legacy, available to download from most on-line booksellers.
Check the Pittacus Lore website for more details.
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