RED RISING by Pierce Brown

It takes some time for a great book to become part of our universal consciousness much like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Divergent. There is a book languishing on the shelf despite the fact that it might well be the best book published last year, and I thought I might give it a push for the students of HPSS. Last fall I recommended Red Rising to a reluctant reader in grade 11; he was back in the library yesterday anxious for the sequel, Golden Son. We talked about the book and his praise reminded me of just how good this series is.

Here is a review.

Sometimes an author comes along and writes a book so fascinating that it takes readers by storm. RED RISING is THAT book. Debut Novelist Pierce Brown blends the past, present and future together in a novel that if you haven't read yet, you'll want to soon because it is all you're going to be hearing about.

Darrow is a Red. He is sixteen years old and a slave. He is what is known as a "Helldiver". He drills deep into the miserable bowels of the planet Mars mining for elements that would make the surface of the planet inhabitable as Earth has become overpopulated and dominated. All Reds are slaves. Only, they don't really know it.

Darrow is married to Eo. They grow up much more quickly living under the surface of Mars. Eo is beautiful, and also a Red. She loves Darrow and has dreams that they will escape this life under the surface. Eo knows they are enslaved. And she's willing to go to her grave for freedom. And she does exactly that in an act of rebellion.

Heartbroken and determined to avenge Eo's death, Darrow allows himself to be recruited by a mysterious faction whose plan it is to infiltrate the Golds. The Golds are those who are the elite; those who enslave the Reds; and those who hold the lie that the surface of Mars is uninhabitable when it is already inhabited. To do this, Darrow must become a Gold. He must undergo a complete and painful transformation to make him stronger, taller and more golden.... And only then, will he be accepted into their "Academy" where he will compete against other Golds for prestigious placement in their hierarchy.

The battle in the academy among the "students" who are separated into 12 houses is brilliant writing. Utterly brilliant. Words form the artwork in your mind that creates vivid canvases that come to life as the battle scenes play out. Many of the scenes are gruesome. All of the scenes are vivid, meticulous and smart.

The characters that are created in this whole new world that takes the mystery of the Roman gods and combines it with the sad history of slavery and class warfare and today's societal ills, are built upon, nuance by nuance, until they seem as if they're fighting for you. Not only are we given the gift of Darrow as our main character, but watch for other players in this game, especially Servo, Mustang and Rogue. These are exciting and complex characters.

This is supposed to be a book for young adults. And it is, I suppose. But don't be fooled by the genre, this book has it all~~the dystopian society, science fiction, romance, mystery and it THRILLS. Though comparisons could be made to THE HUNGER GAMES, DIVERGENT and THE PARK SERVICE, this book is somehow different, somehow, more evolved. Anxiously awaiting January 2015 to find out what happens in GOLDEN SON (Red Rising Trilogy #2).

I'll Give You the Sun

For those of you who love originality, art and John Green's books, I give you your next great read, I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. There is a terrific review of this glorious novel on Reading Rants, just click on the link and scroll down a bit.

Another year of great books!

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a chance to spend some of the holiday curled up with a wonderful story.

2015 is already looking like a promising year for lots of excitement in the library. The new bookmarks were revealed on Tuesday and they have flown into readers' hands. Don't worry, I'm getting more printed. For the second time, the drop box was filled to overflowing with students returning their holiday books and there have been long lines of patrons requesting the next in the series or a new series or more books by this author - more, more, more books! Every day new books arrive and many are hotly anticipated. The sequel to Red Rising by Pierce Brown arrived this morning; it is called Golden Son and will be ready to check out tomorrow. Firefight continues the story of Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. A graphic novel series, Gunnerkrigg Court, is now available; it will delight the Courtney Crumrin fans.

There are books for everyone in our library. Come in and browse or ask for some recommendations - matching the right reader with the perfect book is my goal and I have many more hits than misses. (I love a challenge.)

BOOKMARK CONTEST!!!!

This time around, the Bookmark Contest was more successful than ever before. More students participated with an impressive display of artistic skills and imaginative content. As it was too difficult to choose just six entries, we chose nine to be made into bookmarks. The following students will soon see their bookmarks on the library counter:
Abi Seeley
Rebecca Sichon
Hunter Donohue
Joshua Williamson
Chelsea Banman
Kelan Williamson
Joshua Boonstra
Macy Arnold
Aaron Williamson

The overall winner and recipient of the $20.00 gift card to Black Bond Books is Aaron Williamson.
Thanks to all for your terrific work. Look for the bookmarks when we return to school in January.

NOVEMBER BOOK CLUBS

The discussions were awesome! Hopefully, this month's reads will spark so many ideas. Senior Book Club will read the immensely popular The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Junior  students will read and talk about a steampunk adventure story, The Hunchback Assignments, by Arthur Slade.

Newcomers are always welcome! See Ms. Schmor in the library to pick up your copy of the book and the 2 meeting dates.

BOOK CLUBS!

Laurel Bieber, the teen librarian at the Mission Public library, visits HPSS twice a month to co-host two book clubs with me. Junior Book Club is open to students in grades 7 to 9. They meet twice a month at lunch hour to discuss a book that everyone is reading. For October, the book is an exciting action story that explores the issues around anger and violence. It is called Touching Spirit Bear and you can pick up a copy in the library.

Senior Book Club is open to students in grades 10 to 12. They meet Friday after school. The first meeting is to discuss the first half of the chosen book. The last meeting explores the whole book. The October book is an amazing read, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold.

The first meeting for both groups will be Friday, October 17th. The last meeting falls on Friday, October 31st. We'll decide as a group whether to move the last meeting to a new date or have a mini Halloween party as part of the book discussions.

It'll be fun, energizing, enlightening and surprising! See you in the library for your copy of the book.

Fall into an Amazing Sequel

Which is better - to begin reading a series in which all the books have been published so you can read one and then immediately start the next OR begin a series when only the first book is out and have to wait several years to finish it?

While it is fun to gobble up a series in a few months, I prefer the second choice. Why? Because I love the anticipation, that building of excitement until you finally get the freshly published book in your hands. I was lucky to begin my journey with Harry Potter when only the first three volumes were available. I had to wait, with the rest of the world, a year or more for each magical instalment. Do you remember the midnight sales in bookstores full of Gryffindor robes and wizard hats? The military-like secrecy about each book and the endless speculation about what would happen? The experience brought millions of people together in their love of great stories. It warms a librarian's heart.

This fall, a number of terrific series have sequels. Here are a few to look for in our library.

HEROES OF OLYMPUS series by Rick Riordan
Blood of Olympus #5

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen—all of them—and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood—the blood of Olympus—in order to wake.

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it "might" be able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)

by Sarah J. Maas 

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

The Revenge of Seven (Lorien Legacies #5)

by Pittacus Lore

The worst was supposed to be over. We were reunited after a decade apart. We were discovering the truth of our past. We were training and getting stronger every day. We were even happy...

We never imagined the Mogodorians could turn one of our own against us. We were fools for trusting Five. And now Eight is lost forever. I would do anything to bring him back, but that's impossible. Instead, I will do whatever it takes to destroy every last one of them.

I've spent my entire life hiding from them, and they've stolen everything away from me. But that stops now. We're going to take the battle to them. We have a new ally who knows their weaknesses. And I finally have the power to fight back.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

Number Three in Kenya.

And Number Eight in Florida.

They killed them all.

I am Number Seven.

I will make them pay.

Island of Legends (Unwanteds #4)

by Lisa McMann (Goodreads Author)

Uncover adventure and dangerous secrets in book four of the New York Times bestselling Unwanteds series, which Kirkus Reviews called The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter.

As Alex grows more confident in his role as the mage of Artim, he expands his skills and brings his first creature to life;with results that are both painful and wonderful. A team from Artim heads out to rescue Sky and Crow's mother from underwater Pirate Island and discovers there are more creatures than they ever imagined in the ocean surrounding the islands and not all of them are friendly.

Meanwhile in Quill, Aaron faces threats to his leadership as Gondoleery hones her rediscovered magical abilities and Eva and Liam form a secret alliance against him. But Aaron's distracted with a discovery of his own, a hidden jungle that holds a dangerous secret. His time there yields a startling truth about himself, and a potential opportunity to increase his power.

A Grimm Warning (The Land of Stories #3)

by Chris Colfer

4.5\
Conner Bailey thinks his fairy-tale adventures are behind him--until he discovers a mysterious clue left by the famous Brothers Grimm. With help from his classmate Bree and the outlandish Mother Goose, Conner sets off on a mission across Europe to crack a two-hundred-year-old code.

Meanwhile, Alex Bailey is training to become the next Fairy Godmother...but her attempts at granting wishes never go as planned. Will she ever be truly ready to lead the Fairy Council?

When all signs point to disaster for the Land of Stories, Conner and Alex must join forces with their friends and enemies to save the day. But nothing can prepare them for the coming battle...or for the secret that will change the twins' lives forever.

The third book in the bestselling Land of Stories series puts the twins to the test as they must bring two worlds together!

The Infinite Sea (The Fifth Wave #2)

by Rick Yancey

How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid the humans of their humanity.

Surviving the first four waves was nearly impossible. Now Cassie Sullivan finds herself in a new world, a world in which the fundamental trust that binds us together is gone. As the 5th Wave rolls across the landscape, Cassie, Ben, and Ringer are forced to confront the Others’ ultimate goal: the extermination of the human race.

Cassie and her friends haven’t seen the depths to which the Others will sink, nor have the Others seen the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.