CATCH-UP TIME

It's been awhile since I blogged about my summer reading, so I need to catch up. First, there is Avi's new Poppy book, Poppy and Ereth, which he says is the last Poppy book. If you haven't read the Poppy books, you may need to catch up. Poppy is a deer mouse who lives in Dinwood Forest. Her books are full of adventure and friendship. Poppy and Ereth is no different. Here Poppy loses her husband, is propelled through the air and caught by a bat, and manages to escape a forest fire. There's never a dull moment with Poppy!

Another adventurous book is North by Donna Jo Napoli. Alvin is tired of his overprotective mother's restrictions on his life and intrigued by the adventures of Arctic explorer Matthew Henson, so he decides to leave home and make his way north to the Arctic. Though he is a runaway he is aided by strangers along the way and makes it to Bylot Island where he lives with a trapper and learns of the dangers and the joys of Arctic life.

For fantasy lovers I read Serendipity Market, by Penny Blubaugh. When the world gets out of balance Mother Inez calls a group of storytellers to Sependipity Market to tell their stories and restore the world's balance. These stores are from familiar fairy tales and folklore but with a different perspective. It was fun hearing about Cinderella from a mouse or the "prince" and the pea or the shoemaker and the elves from the elves point of view. There are ten tales in all for you to enjoy.

Another fantasy is in a new series from Kathryn Lasky called Daughters of the Sea. The first book, Hannah, which I read, tells the story of an orphan in 1899 who gets a job with a wealthy family as a scullery maid. However Hannah feels an unusual pull to the ocean. When the family goes to their summer house on a spit of land that juts out into the sea, Hannah finds that pull so strong that she cannot ignore it.
In the humorous genre I read I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President, by Josh Lieb. Besides the incredibly long title which I kept laughing at, the book features Oliver who appears to be fat, lazy, and not too smart, but he is really a genius and a billionaire with his own plan to dominate the world. Unfortunately Oliver wants the approved of his milk-toast father and goes to extraordinary lengths to prove himself by becoming class president at his middle school.

Not to ignore my favorite genre, science fiction, I read Neptune's Children, by Bonnie Dobkin, an Illinois author. Terrorists have released a toxin to kill their enemies that works too well and kills all people over the age of twelve. Several thousand children who were at the amusement park known as the Isles of Wonder with their families and survive the toxin are organized by Milo to create their own community using the resources of the park. This may sound like a great future with no adults to interfere, but problems arise inside and outside the park to threaten the children's safety and Milo's rule.

Finally for nonfiction readers, there is The Secret of the Yellow Death, by Suzanne Jurmain. This book looks at the hunt for the cause and a cure for Yellow Fever that was lead by Walter Reed in Cuba at the beginning of the twentieth century. At that time no one suspected that mosquitoes could transmit disease. Just comparing the medical techniques of that time to what we have today is fascinating. The book is loaded with photographs that are as interesting as the text describing this search.

I hope are enjoying your summer reading as much as I am. Please share your choices with me through this blog or when we come back to school in August.

All Winners

It's been a while since I blogged and a lot has happened in that time -- BUT I DIDN'T STOP READING! I have finished 6 terrific books. Let's start with --
The Red Blazer Girls is a new series by Michael D. Bell. I read the first book The Ring of Rocamadour. The cover advertises "A puzzling mystery! A mystery with puzzles!" and it is as Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca, and Leigh Ann try to find a birthday present that has been hidden for 20 years!

Lois Lowry's new book Bless This Mouse is a sweet story about a community of church mice who try to keep a low profile so the parishioners won't demand the Great X - Exterminator. Each mouse character has a very human-type personality and the illustrations reflect that personality.

Finishing the Crispin trilogy by Avi is Crispin: The End of Time. Now Crispin is stranded in France with the loss of his friends Bear who died and Troth who stays at an abbey to help with her healing skills. Crispin is still trying to make his way to Iceland where he believes he can live free when he falls in the a murdering thief band disguised as musicians. He risks his life to escape with a new friend Owen. Set in the Middle Ages you have a window into life of the the rich, the poor, and the criminal.

Storm Runners by Roland Smith is an exciting and dangerous adventure with Chase Masters and his father who travel the country turning up wherever there has been or is about to be a disaster. This time they are in Florida just before a hurricane with an unpredictable path hits. Chase and his father each have their own survival tale to tell. It seems that this book is going to be followed by another book continuing the story of survival after the hurricane's landfall. Please let me know if you would like the IMC to purchase this sequel.

For those of you who are not fond of science fiction, Ally Condie's book Mismatched may change your mind. In a story that takes place sometime in the future, society has rebuilt after a total breakdown into a world where all choices are controlled by the society for the betterment of the society. Cassie is excited about her Match Banquet where she will find out who she will marry. Surprised and delighted that her selected partner is announced to be her childhood friend and neighbor Xander, she becomes confused when her microcard shows a different boy. She is further confused when at her grandfather's mandatory death at 80, he tells her about a smuggled poem he wants her to have. This is a story about love, romance, and questioning a society where all choices are programmed.

All of the previous books will be new to our collection in the fall, but I also finished a book that is already on our shelves -- The Water Seeker, by Kimberly Willis Holt. Set in pioneer days this tells life story of Amos, son of a beaver trapper who is also a dowser, someone who can find water using a forked stick. Since his mother dies giving him birth, Amos has a series of mother figures in his life while his father Jake is away most of the time trapping. When Jake and his Indian wife Blue Owl finally collect Amos, they head west eventually joining a wagon party going to the Oregon territory. Amos's story is so intriguing that you find you can't wait to turn the page to learn what new adventure or experience is coming his way.