Scary Books!

Our genre for October is SCARY BOOKS and we just got a whole lot of new scary books from our very successful Scholastic Book Fair! And now the scary books are easier to find than ever -- not only are they on display all month, but each scary book has a "Scary" sticker on the spine so you can easily find them all year round. Check these out and more @your library!

Battle of the Books Read-Alikes

Today's features come from the Battle of the Books list for 2010-2011. I read these three books over the summer, and each of them immediately brought to mind other popular Young Adult books that you may have read. I'll give you a short description of the book and the read-alike title it is reminiscent of. It's your job to come down and check these out @your library!


Truesight by David Stahler, Jr.

In a futuristic society where everyone is blind, what happens if you start to see? This book reminded me of The Giver by Lois Lowry.

Schooled by Gordon Korman

After living on a hippie commune for his whole life, Capricorn Anderson has to attend public middle school. Reminded me of Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Four very different, and very quirky, kids are recruited to help with a top secret mission to save the world. This is a fun book filled with puzzles and brain teasers that can be solved right along with the characters. Reminded me of the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz.

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Have YOU read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins? Forget Harry Potter and Twilight, these are the books you need to be reading. I have yet to find someone who hasn't loved the first book, and I'm fairly certain all of my friends devoured each book.

The main character in the series is a strong-willed girl named Katniss who lives in District 12 of Panem. Every year two teens, a boy and a girl, are selected from each district to compete in the Hunger Games, a nationally televised event much like Survivor. However, in this game the kids don't just get voted off the island -- they must fight to the death. The Hunger Games and its sequels, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, are futuristic adventures that will keep you turning pages!

What I love about this series is that it doesn't treat teen readers like children. The topics are very heavy and quite mature. I also believe these are not "boy books" or a "girl books"...either gender could identify with Katniss. There's action, suspense, politics, romance, and just so much packed into each book. I highly recommend this series to everyone, young and old. Come check it out @your library!

New Books!

Raven Speak by Diane Lee Wilson

During a prolonged winter, Jorgen, the wise man, has sent clansmen—including Asa’s father, the chieftain—to sea in search of food. Asa believes that Jorgen is treacherous and that he likely led her father to his death. Fleeing for safety, Asa meets Wenda, a one-eyed witch who promises to help Asa save her clan. Asa is loath to trust Wenda, but with Jorgen threatening her family, she may have no choice.



Athena, Grey-Eyed Goddess by George O'Connor

From the moment she emerged, fully grown, from the head of Zeus, Athena was one of the most complex Olympians. This graphic novel retells her many interwoven tales: how she killed Pallas, fought the Gigantes, aided Perseus, and cursed Arachne. Author’s note. Endnotes. Bibliography. Further reading. Discussion questions. Fullcolor illustrations.

Swamped

It's going to be an exciting week here in the media center! The 8th grade students are back from their trip to the swamp, and we are ready to start the 8th grade research paper. Our topic is the novel The Weirdo, which all 8th grade students have just finished reading. Students will get to pick any topic from the novel that they would like to research, from hypnosis to black bears to swamp ecosystems.

The Quest team will start the project today, and the Phoenix team will start on Thursday -- I'm quite interested to see this big research project from start to finish!

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Pranks are a long standing tradition at boarding schools, and Alabaster Prep is no exception. You wouldn't think that a secret society called The Loyal Order of the Bassett Hounds could cause any real hoop-la on campus...and you'd be right. Until Frankie Landau-Banks arrives for her sophomore year, having grown into a beautiful young woman over the summer. Frankie wants nothing more than to be in The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, but she can't. She's a girl.

Could a girl come up with a plot to hang bras all over campus in the middle of the night? Could a girl mastermind the Doggies in the Window prank? Could a girl organize the Canned Beet rebellion to protest the digusting and inedible cafeteria food? And how on earth could a girl be responsible for throwing a thousand pound guppy statue in the lake? The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds certainly don't think so, especially Frankie's new boyfriend, who is a member.

Frankie Landau Banks will not sit and watch the Loyal Order of the Bassett Hounds pass her by just because she is a girl. They don't even see it coming, but the joke is about to be on them...

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks is more than just a book with a feminist edge. It is a book that will make you laugh because panks are ridiculous and Frankie has a great sense of humor. Frankie is a very realistic main character, even though sometimes you want to shake her and say, "don't do it!" If you are looking for a good book, a good character, and a good laugh, The Disreputable History is for you.

The Third Eye by Lois Duncan

I decided to read this book over the weekend, mostly because we do have a class set of it here in the media center and I have always liked Lois Duncan books. Lois Duncan writes suspense novels for young adults, and this book was full of suspense!

The story centers around Karen, a high school senior who has visions she doesn't understand. Karen loves children. She earns money by babysitting and working at a local daycare center. However, her visions are always about children. Trapped children, drowning children...and missing children. Can Karen use her visions to help these children, or is it all too much for her to bear?

If you like a story with suspense and mystery, this is the story for you. Of course, there is a little bit of romance as well. I found this book to be a quick read -- once I started, I couldn't put it down! I give it four stars.