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3/2/2010
March's Choice
Trouble {Trouble}
Written by
Gary Schmidt
I'll be honest. At first I really didn't like this book. It was very slow in building, but build it did! Picture a flower, slowly opening it's petals to release its hidden beauty and heady fragrance. This book opened slowly, but had so many layers . . .
It is the story of a family. It is the story of a community. It is the story of love, jealousy, vengeance, racial tension and mistrust. It is the story of a dog who loses a master and gains a friend. It is the story of coming to terms with who you think you are and who you want to be.
Our main character has a brother who is the community golden boy. He can do no wrong. That is - until he is run down by a car and the truth slowly begins to unfold. The truth that links the driver to an altercation involving the "golden boy" himself. The accident sets off a chain of events that no one could have foreseen. Lives are changed forever. There will be no going back. Everyone must make a decision about their future - easier for some than for others.
If you like a book with a little "meat" to it, you'll enjoy this type of Trouble.
As always,
Happy Reading!
Mrs. Owens, Librarian
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 2:05 PM 1/26/2010
February 2010 Pick
Need
by Carrie Jones {Need}
Meet Zara White. She's the new girl in town. Sent to Maine to live with her grandmother after her step-father's death, Zara finds herself despised by the town's "it-girl", the new best friend of a quiet but funny girl and her wheelchair-bound boyfriend, and the interest of a strange stalker who has followed her all the way from Charleston.
Boys her own age have begun to disappear . . . and it's not the first time! Everyone is becoming paranoid about her being outside on her own. Just when she thinks things couldn't get any stranger she discovers she is living in a town populated by Pixies and Weres (as in werewolves and such!). And the stalker . . . he just might be the Pixie King . . .
Those who loved the Twlight series will love this new trilogy by Carrie Jones. It reads quickly, is fast--paced and suspenseful. And yes, it has a touch of romance.
Enjoy!
Mrs. Owens,
Your Junior High Librarian
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 10:00 AM 1/15/2010
January 2010 Book of the Month
Ways to Live Forever! {ways}
By Sally Nicholls
This book is about Sam. He's eleven. His best friend is Felix. He has one sister, Ella. And he's dying of Leukemia. He has only months to live.
Sam has questions. So many questions. What's it like to die? What happens after you die? Does it hurt? But even more . . . Sam has goals. Things he wants to do before he dies. But he's running out of time.
This book has funny moments, touching moments, moments that make you think, and, of course, moments that will make you cry. (So get a box of kleenex and keep it handy! You're gonna need them!)
And yes, it is an AR book.
Enjoy!
Your librarian, Mrs. Owens
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 2:00 PM 12/7/2009
December's Pick
Guardian {Guardian}
By Julius Lester
Wow! Just a small book, but POWERFUL! While the book only contains 119 pages and is no bigger than a diary its message reaches far beyond its pages!
It is the story of a young boy being raised in the south during a time of racial tension. It was a dangerous time to be friends with someone of a different color. It was a dangerous time to have morals. It was a time of mob rule and lynchings. It was a time when eyes were opened to unbelievable horrors and relationships were not all they seemed . . .
Meet Ansel, a boy who knows right from wrong; Willie, a boy who knew his place in Davis and Bert, the man about to lose the respect of his son.
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 11:00 AM 11/2/2009
November's Pick
Three Cups of Tea
By Greg Mortenson
{Tea}
If you had to sit outside in the snow and ice to study, would you? If your teacher only showed up once a week to teach you, would you take it upon yourself to still do your lessons each and every day? If you, as a female, were forbidden to attend school, would you be offended? These are the conditions many children in Pakistan and Afghanistan find themselves in every day.
In 1993, Greg tried to climb K2 in honor of his younger sister who had recently passed away. Due to circumstances beyond his control he had to turn back. Upon getting lost in the mountains of Pakistan, in what surely would have led to his own death, Greg was taken in by villagers who nursed him back to health. To repay the kindness Greg promised to return and build them a school. Greg was not a wealthy man, nor was he a dignitary. This promise, so easy to make, would almost prove to be his undoing.
Through this story you will learn how even one man can make a difference. There is hope for us all - regardless of our station in life . . . as long as we do not give up!
Enjoy this true story of a man who made (and continues to make) a difference in the lives of children everywhere!
(and yes, it IS an AR book!)
Ann Owens,
Your Junior High Librarian
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 12:55 PM 10/2/2009
October's Pick
October's Pick is . . .
Dog Lost
{Dog Lost}
by Ingrid Lee
I have to admit, when I picked up this book I thought it was going to be just another "cute puppy gets lost and returned" story. It was so much more than that.
At the beginning of this story we are introduced to a boy and the dog his father (unwillingly) brings home. The dog, Cash, is a Pit-bull puppy. That becomes a very important part of this story. This breed has had a lot of bad press, even being banned in some towns across America. It is because of Cash's breed that the men in our story set out to capture him. They are involved in dog fighting (also in the news lately - think Michael Vic, Philadephia Eagles) and see Cash as a potential money maker.
What Cash endures in this story, simply for being a Pit bull, is heart wrenching. This story is not for the faint of heart. It is a story of challenges, pain, courage and most of all LOVE.
Enjoy.
Mrs. Owens
Junior High Librarian
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 10:00 AM 9/22/2009
September's Read
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
by Gabrielle Zevin {zevin}
(author of Elsewhere)
In this story we meet Naomi. A girl who has everything . . . and loses it. Due to an accident, Naomi loses her memories. She can't remember anything past her Elementary school days. She is now a Junior in High School, part of the "in" crowd, busy with yearbook committee, tennis and her boyfriend, Ace. Now she finds herself not fitting in. Her friends don't seem "real". She can't see what she saw in her boyfriend. What did they possibly have in common??? Instead she feels herself being pulled toward an outcast. James. What exactly is his story anyway???
While I didn't like this near as much as Elsewhere (one of my all time favorites!) it was a good story. I found myself becoming more and more alert (and fearful for Naomi) as she finds herself doing things she would never had done had she not met James. By the end of the book I was holding my breath hoping the book would not end with . . .
If you like suspense, anguish and a little romance I'm sure you will enjoy this book.
Read On! {reading worm}
Ann Owens
Junior High Librarian
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 8:00 AM 5/22/2009
May's Book of the Month
Luxe
by Anna Godbersen {Luxe}
Many of the girls at the Junior High have been after me to purchase these books and place them in the Junior High Library. This was a series that I wanted to read for myself first . . . just in case.
The story is set in New York back in the early 1900's. Our main character is Elizabeth Holland, daughter of one of New York society's ruling families. As the eldest daughter it is her responsibility to make a "good match" and help restore the family's wealth. She must adhere to all the rules governing proper ettiquette while her younger sister, Diana, is left to run wild. Before she knows it Elizabeth finds herself betrothed to Henry Schoonmaker, son of a wealthy family. Henry is quite the ladies man and finds Elizabeth "cold". She finds him handsome, but offensive. Plus, Elizabeth has already given her heart - to the hired help . . .
I've read the first one and liked it well enough to begin reading the second one as well (Rumors). The third one, Envy, has also just been released. I have not purchased it. Yet . . .
Enjoy your summer. Happy reading!
Mrs. Owens, Librarian
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 9:00 AM 4/13/2009
April's Book of the Month
The Graveyard Book
By Neil Gaiman {graveyard book}
I must be honest. At first I did not really like this book. It starts in a most disturbing way. It also left me with many unanswered questions, but the book grew on me as I continued to read it. Imagine growing up in a graveyard with a mausoleum as your home and ghosts as your family. This is the story of Nobody Owens. His family was killed when he was but an infant. As the murders were taking place he crawled, unnoticed, out of the house and made his way to the graveyard. As the story unfolds he learns of his true origins and also learns he is still being hunted.
This book has earned the Caldecott Medal for 2009. It would not have been my pick, but was an interesting read. For those who like ghosties and ghouls this read is for you.
See you next month!
Ann Owens, Librarian
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 2:00 PM 3/5/2009
March's Book of the Month
Elsewhere
by Gabrielle Zevin {Elsewhere}
Imagine waking up on a cruise ship bound for "Elsewhere" with your head shaved bald and wearing a white nightgown . . . You have no memories (at first) of how you got here. No one on board will tell you anything. Did I mention the Captain of the ship is only 9 years old?
So begins Liz's journey.
As her memories begin to return Liz discovers she was killed in an auto/bicycle accident. All other passengers have, likewise, "passed on". Some accept their fate gracefully. Some, like Liz, not so much. She spends all her time at the on-board viewfinders watching her family and friends move on without her. She watches the man who hit her with his taxi going on about his daily life and it angers her. It doesn't feel fair. There has to be a way back . . . someone has to know.
I really enjoyed this book. Getting to know Liz as she works towards accepting her fate and finding forgiveness. She also finds a few surprises awaiting her in "Elsewhere" . . . as will you. Enjoy!
Happy Reading!
Ann Owens, Librarian
Posted by R. Ann Owens at 10:00 AM |
