Very Behind!

I know that I am behind. I have a stack of books that I have read, I just have to write about them. I wanted to post this Glogster that I made for the start of the school year. Glogs are a really cool digital posters that you can make with web links, videos and audio files. This is my first!


http://mccoleman.edu.glogster.com/great-new-books-/

Day 43: Missing On Superstition Mountain by Elise Broach

Simon, Henry and Jack and their parents have moved to Arizona. Their great- uncle passed away and left his house to the family. It is the middle of the summer and they don’t have much to do and don’t know anyone in the small town of Superstition. The boys’ new house is at the base of Superstition Mountain. When the family cat escapes from the house the boys follow the cat up into Superstition Mountain. While up in the mountain the boys have the strange feeling that they are being watched. Things start to get weirder when they find three skulls up on the mountain. By the time they find their way home the boys’ parents are worried and the police are at the house. The boys are warned never to go up in the mountain again but the adults won’t tell them the whole story about Superstition Mountain. The brothers are determined to find out what really is going on and find out who the skulls they found might belong to. They are soon joined by a neighborhood girl, Josie and the group is off solving the mystery. The book ends with a cliffhanger so the hope is Broach will continue the mystery is the next book. This is a good mystery book and is a good fit for kids that are looking for scary books but not too scary. I really like Broach as an author. She creates good characters and her mysteries are interesting and suspenseful and unique. I would recommend this book for good third grade readers and fourth graders. 

Day 40, 41, and 42 Very behind and ended up desperate for some books to read

I know that I am a bit behind in my reading but I have been catching up. Before I list the three books I read here you need a little back story. I was in Jamaica for a librarian conference. Before you start thinking how great that sounds let me tell you not so great! I was staying at the University of the West Indies, in the Caribbean style dorms. If anyone tells you the room is Caribbean style, say no! That means that there is no A/C, no fans and no screens on the doors or windows. August in Jamaica is 90 degrees and 100% humidity and tons of bugs. While I was there for a week I read all of the books I brought with me so I had to buy a book at the school bookstore and some more books at the Kingston airport. Both places had very slim pickings. So I ended up with three romance novels. I usually am a closet romance novel lover but these three were just okay.

The first was Fat Tuesday by Sandra Brown. This is a “thriller” romance. Burke Basile is a New Orleans cop who watched his partner die and the killer go free. He decides to take matters into his own hands and get justice. This includes kidnapping the wife of the mob boss/ killer. You can guess where this story is going, the wife is really a beautiful wonderful person who is trapped in an abusive marriage. Burke and the lady fall in love, plot together to bring the evil husband down and live happily ever after. It’s not a bad book, predicable and a little cheesy.

Next up is Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn. This is a story set in Victorian England. Honoria just wants to get married. She has been out in society for two years and no husband yet. It turns out her brother’s best friend has been keeping an eye on her and scaring away any unsuitable suitors. In the end they realize that they love each other and end up living happily ever after. Again an easy read and ends the way that you think it is going to. If you are stuck at the Kingston airport this is a good book to read.

Final one is a Nora Roberts book. If you say you have never read a Nora Roberts romance novel I would say you are probably lying. Everyone has read at least one at some point. I read Inner Harbor. This is the third in a trilogy. I didn’t know that when I picked up the book but it doesn’t really matter. The story is the same as all Nora Roberts books. The girl and the boy fall for each other in a matter of days, it’s like a season of the Bachelor. There is a big misunderstanding, or secret that comes out. The couple breaks up for about a minute but realizes they need each other and end up living happily ever after. You read a Nora Roberts book when you want a predictable, easy read. The huge issue I have with Nora is the way she dresses her characters in her books. It drives me crazy! It is like she is stuck in 1981. Every time I read one of her books I am completely thrown off when she gets to describing what her characters are wearing. I have to stop and mentally redress them in something that is not hideous. I wish she would work on that part of her books.

Mainly, I’m counting these books because I did read them and I need the books to try and make my goal! I will be getting back to the children’s books now! 

Day 39: Artsy Fartsy by Karla Oceanak, illustrated by Kendra Spanjer

Aldo does not love sports and he can't run fast. Aldo likes to draw and he is pretty good at it. It is because of some of his drawings that he gets the nickname Artsy Fartsy from the school bully. Aldo decides to hide his love for art in hopes of losing the nickname. When the summer vacation starts his grandmother gives him a sketchbook to draw in. Aldo is not too sure about it. His neighbor suggests he keep it as a journal. So Aldo does a little bit of both, art and writing. He keeps the sketchbook in his tree fort. Only Aldo's best friend Jack knows about the drawing and the fort, or so they thought. Someone keeps sneaking into the fort and drawing in Aldo's book. Aldo and Jack set out to find the mystery artist. Mixed in with the investigation, Aldo's mom signs him up for summer baseball, Aldo is not happy about that. There are family vacations and interesting trips to the local pool as well. Eventually the two crack the case of the mystery drawer, baseball turns out to be fun and summer comes to a happy end. Artsy Fartsy is a cute book. So many kids love Diary of a Wimpy Kid and this is similar to it but not nearly as funny. I think it would be a good fit for kids who are not quite ready for Wimpy Kid. I do think the title is unfortunate. Once you read the first couple pages you understand where the name comes from but I think some kids will think the book is more like Captain Underpants books and that is not true. Still, overall it is a good book. I would recommend this book for third and fourth graders.

Day 38: Panda Man to the Rescue by Sho Makura

Panda Man is the greatest martial artist in the world, the biggest eater in the world, has the stinkiest feet in the world, and is the world's greatest passer of gas. Cowvin,a cow, comes looking for the hero to help save his village from Leo Pepperpot. Leo is trying to stop the residents of Cowvin's village from producing milk. He hates milk, his mother would torture him as a child by making him drink milk and he hated it. His evil goal is to rid the world of milk forever. I have to say I have some sympathy for Leo's cause in this book. I also hate milk and my mother tortured me as a child and made me drink it but anyway! Panda Man agrees to save the village and waive his $1 million fee in exchange for butter cake. Crazy adventures ensue, in the end the hero saves the day, somewhat by accident and gets his butter cake. This is a funny graphic novel similar to the Captain Underpants books. There are references to passing gas, crazy characters, and silliness. The Panda Man series would be great books for third and fourth grader boys, especially reluctant readers. It is the type of book that offers the humor that elementary school boys love.

Day 37: Ben Franklin: His Wit and Wisdom From A-Z by Alan Schroeder, illustrated by John O'Brien

There are quite a few biographies on Ben Franklin for elementary students and this is another one. What is unique about this book is the little tidbits about Ben the author adds. The book is set up as an alphabet book. For each letter of the alphabet information about Ben is listed. The usual facts about Franklin are in there, the library, Constitution, fire department, etc. Also included are fun facts about him. For example, under the letter D, "doll- The French loved Franklin so much Parisians could buy Ben Franklin dolls." Listed under letter V, " Vegetarian- When Ben was a teenager, he became a vegetarian but not for long. He liked eating fish too much." Peppered throughout are quotes from Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac. This is a fun addition to the collection of Franklin biographies.

Day 36: Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

This is a fun, creative poetry book. Divided by seasons, Raczka provides boy themed haiku for each time of the year. Poetry can be a tough sell for boys but for some reason haiku is something a lot of boys get excited about writing. This book offers them haiku that they can relate too. Guyku would be great to use in poetry lessons for second graders through fifth graders. Here is a sample of a haiku from Guyku that seems fitting as the summer nears the end.
                                          Hey, who turned off all
                                                                            the crickets? I'm not ready
                                                                                  for summer to end.

Day 35: A Ball For Daisy by Chris Raschka

Daisy, the dog, loves her red ball. She plays with it, sleeps with it, and takes it where ever she goes, especially to the park. One day at the park, tragedy strikes. Another dog pops Daisy's red ball. She is devastated. She is inconsolable. The next day at the park there is a surprise for Daisy, a new blue ball. The dog that broke her toy brings her a new ball. All is right with the world again. A Ball For Daisy is a wordless picture book. Raschka does a great job of telling the story and showing Daisy’s emotions with his adorable illustrations. I think that younger children will relate to Daisy and the hurt of having a favorite toy destroyed and then the joy of a new toy. I would recommend this book for Preschool and Kindergarten. 

Day 34: Stop Snoring, Bernard! by Zachariah OHora

Bernard loves his life at the zoo, he loves mealtime, playtime and he love, love, loves nap time! But the other otters don't love nap time because Bernard snores, loudly! Bernard sets out to find somewhere else in the zoo to nap. Everywhere he goes, Bernard's snoring disrupts the other animals. Bernard feels he doesn't fit in anywhere and decides to leave the zoo. Just as he is walking towards the exit gate, the other otters rush to stop him. It turns out they miss Bernard and his snoring. This is a sweet book with really cure cartoon illustrations. I would recommend this for Preschool and Kindergarten.

Day 33: Blackout by John Rocco

The story starts with a family all in different parts of the house, watching TV, on the phone or computer and they are all too busy to play a board game. Then the lights go out, all of the lights! The family soon find themselves at a block party on the roof and then meeting more people on the street. Soon the lights are back on and everything is back to normal but the family decides they don't want normal so they turn the lights off and finally play the board game by candlelight. This is a great picture book. The illustrations are beautiful and really capture the feeling of a blackout. I recommend this book for Preschool through first grade.

Day 32: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Help is a good book. I really liked it. I am sure everyone has heard about this book, read it, had it as a pick for their book club. I won't go into the details. I read it so I'm counting it! I would recommend it if you have not read it already.

Day 31: And Only To Deceive by Tasha Alexander

My second adult book of the summer. This is a great summer beach read. Emily does not want to get married but it is Victorian England and she has little choice. Her mother wants her to make a good match and is pressuring her. Emily decides to marry Philip, a  wealthy Viscount, to make her mother happy but more importantly to get away from her mother. Within six months of getting married, Emily finds herself a widow. She is fine with that, she never really loved her husband and now she has money and freedom. Emily starts exploring her husband's house and finds out he loved Greek history and Greek artifacts. When Emily explores more she finds out that Philip may have been involved in the black market. She sets out to find out the truth about the husband she never really knew and what he was involved with. This is a good mystery and a fun backdrop of Victorian England, Paris and Greece. This is a light read and fun.

Day 30: The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens

Kate’s last memory of her parents is on Christmas Eve when she was just four years old. Her mother woke her up in the middle night, she made her promise that she would always look after her brother Michael and her sister Emma. Then the siblings were taken away by a strange man. The only thing the man left them was the last name P, just the letter P. For the next ten years Kate kept her promise. The siblings were moved from orphanage to orphanage, always holding onto the belief that their parents would come and get them one day. The P family has worn out their welcome at their current orphanage and is sent to the one and only place that will take them, a strange orphanage in Cambridge Falls, NY.  When they arrive, they find the island and town very mysterious and the orphanage even stranger. Soon Kate is having dreams of a strange emerald book. Following the path of the dreams, the siblings find the book and are transported back in time. There they find a world mixed with magic, an evil witch, horrible screechers, giants and dwarfs. The family ends up on an amazing adventure to save the town and learn that they are linked to the Books of the Beginning. The books are the most powerful books of all time and when brought together they have the power to control the world. This is the first book in a planed trilogy. It is a wonderful book, one of my favorite books of the summer. There is a lot of adventure, magic and suspense. Students that love Harry Potter and other fantasy books, I think will really like this book as well and anticipate the release of the next books in the trilogy. I would recommend this book for fourth grade and up. 

Day 29: Gilda Joyce: The Bones of the Holy by Jennifer Allison

In the fifth installment of the Gilda Joyce series, Gilda‘s mom falls in love, very quickly on a trip to St. Augustine, Florida. In a flash, Gilda finds herself on a trip to one of the most haunted cities in America for her mother’s wedding. Using her highly toned psychic abilities, her late father’s old typewriter and her go to book Master Psychic’s Handbook, Gilda is ready to make the most of the trip and talk her mother out of marrying Eugene Pook. As soon as Gilda meets Mr. Pook she knows that things are not right. He keeps calling her mother by his late fiancé’s name, there is an odd chill in the kitchen and Gilda sees a strange woman in the yard. Soon Gilda sets out to solve the psychic mystery and save her mom from making a huge mistake. I love Gilda! She is funny, sassy, loves vintage clothes and does everything over the top. This series is a great mystery series combining the right amount of suspense, ghosts and sass. I would recommend this series for fifth graders and middle school students. 

Day 28: A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine

Elodie leaves her small island community to go to the City of Two Castles to be an apprentice. Her parents want her to be a weaver or another sensible profession. Elodie wants to be a mansioner, an actress. When she arrives in the city she finds out that free apprenticeships are no longer permitted, she is robbed by a cat, and befriends a dragon. When Elodie realizes that her dreams of being an actress need to be put on hold, she agrees to be the dragon’s assistant. As the dragon’s assistance she will help the dragon reason and deduct as well as use her acting skills to solve mysteries. When the Ogre, the inhabitant of one of the castles, goes missing and is accused of poisoning the king, the inhabitant of the other castle, it is up to Elodie and the dragon to figure out what really happened and who is behind it. I usually like Levine’s books. Her books are creative and unique stories influenced by fairytales. Two Castles was just okay. There are a lot of characters, back stories, ogres, cats, actors, good people that are really evil. The story ends up being very muddled. Which is a shame because if some of the elements were edited it would have been a very fun, fairytale mystery. Levine has a good following and I have a group of girls who are always looking for fairytale and fantasy books, I know this book will be read. I just don’t think the readers will find it as satisfying as others they have read. I would recommend this book for fourth and fifth graders. 

Day 27: Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

Teddy spent most of his live in Africa. His mom is a world famous scientist and studier of apes. His father is a famous wildlife photographer. When war breaks out in the Congo, Teddy’s parents decide to move back to the US where is will be safer. Teddy’s parents are convinced to work at FunJungle, the new animal park created by an eccentric billionaire. FunJungle seems like the greatest zoo ever. The animal habitats are huge and similar to the natural environments of the animals. Teddy is the only kid living at the park and has the run of the place. He realizes that something is wrong when Henry the Hippo, FunJungle’s mascot goes belly up! Teddy starts investigating and finds out that Henry was murdered. When no one believes him, he tries to call the police, they threaten to arrest him for prank calls, and his mom thinks he is overreacting. Teddy sets out to solve the mystery on his own. When I first saw the cover of this book it seemed like a funny story, and it is but it is also a good suspense mystery. FunJungle is a wonderful setting for the story, there are many twists and turns and a great who done it. I would recommend this book for fifth grade and up. 

Day 26: The School for the Insanely Gifted by Dan Elish

Daphna is a genius. She composed her first sonata at the age of two, at eight her first opera. Daphna lives in a crazy one room apartment in New York City. All she has to do is push a button and the whole room transforms from a music room to living room to kitchen and then to a bedroom. This amazing apartment was designed by Daphna’s best friend at the School for the Insanely Gifted, a school for the smartest children. Daphna’s mom died in a plane crash several months before and she has tried to keep her life as normal as possible. When Mr. Blatt, the head of the school and a billionaire computer genius, announces the “Insanity Cup” competition things start to get out of hand. Daphna realizes that her mother discovered something and that her death might not have been an accident and all of this is somehow linked to Mr. Blatt, his inventions and the school that she loves. This book is crazy and over the top, the kids fly a car/ airplane to Africa, they invent amazing items like Gum-Top, chewing gum that allows you to connect to the internet using your mind. It is a creative, funny story with nutty characters and a really fun read. I would recommend this book for good third grade readers, fourth and fifth graders. 

Day 25: The Death-Defying Pepper Roux by Geraldine McCaughrean

Pepper’s Aunt had a dream. St. Constance came to her and told her Pepper would die by the time he was fourteen.  Pepper has spent his whole childhood preparing to die. Now it is the morning of his fourteenth birthday and Pepper wakes up alive. Pepper decides to go for a walk so that he will not burden his parents when the terrible event occurs. When he gets to town he has a crazy idea, to get on his father’s boat and head out to sea. What follows is an over the top adventure as Pepper travels around France, changing names and occupations all in an attempt to cheat death. At different points, Pepper is convinced that the Angel of Death was confused and took someone else in his place so he tries to make things right. I was excited to read this book. It was on quite a few best book lists and has been talked up a lot. The book did not live up to the hype. There was way too much going on in this story. The beginning is promising, boy heads out on a sea adventure but the story gets bogged down with too much emphasis on this Angel of Death aspect and Pepper’s guilt at being alive. At some point, even the simplest of people would realize that they were not going to die and just live but it takes Pepper entirely too much time to get to this. I do not think many kids will stick with this book, I know I had a hard time and ended up flipping through to get to the end. If you do have any takers the book would be for fifth and sixth graders.