The Ice Hotel By MC Foley

A family, reeling from their eldest son's death, escapes to the Ice Hotel, where an age-old, arctic magic connects this world to the next...

To twin siblings Izzie and Poe McGarity, big brother Rossa is not just the eldest of three children. He is a hero, a leader, a king. Or rather... he was a king. Before his mistake. Before he died.

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Nothing But The Truth: 

A Documentary Novel 

by Avi

Review:  

A ninth-grader's suspension for singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" during homeroom becomes a national news story. This is a story about the imperfect nature of what humans call the truth. The novel is set up as a documentary, drawing its "facts" from a variety of memos, conversations, letters and a diary. Because those sources themselves are flawed, the "truth" is never revealed. This problem is magnified by two groups that have a vested interest in creating controversy rather than forging an understanding. The novel illustrates how inaccuracies and outright lies can be magnified by politics and the media. 

Francesca Lia Block

Weetzie Bat

by Francesca Lia Block 

Review:

I have never heard of this author before and was not even familiar with the audience she writes for or the genre, but took a chance and truly enjoyed the adventures of Miss Weetzie Bat. The original cover for the book is so much cooler than the newly released version, but then again, who is going to judge this book by its cover. 

This is a story of a girl, who gets three wishes from a genie and they all come true. Weetzie is best friends with Dirk who is in a punk band and drives a '55 Pontiac. Dirk just reveals to her that he is gay and she is elated. They move in together and the fun begins. Weetzie finds a boyfriend, Dirk's boyfriend moves in and a baby is on the way. Who is the father? This is a complete page turner, I read it in one sitting, before bed, and really wanted more at the end. Not your average Young Adult book, I was shocked when I found out that, that was the audience, yet overall it was still worth a read. 

Stephenie Meyer

* My students cannot stop talking about Stephenie Meyer, author of the Twilight Series and her first adult novel The Host. This book is coined as "Science fiction for people who don't like science fiction." Here is the author's website, where you can read a few excerpts from her books. She is really worth checking out! www.stepheniemeyer.com/index.html

The Angel Experiment

The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book 1)

by James Patterson

Review:

"The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective..." This YA thriller, the author's first in the genre, is a great read for girls who love science fiction/fantasy and long for a female lead character. The story revolves around Maximum Ride, 14-year-old leader of a band of kids who have escaped the lab where they were bred as 98% human and 2% bird. While devouring this book, I couldn't help but think of the comic book series X-Men. The characters are all young students with super hero abilities and on a mission. The Erasers have orders to kill them so the world will never find out they exist. This is book one in a series of four , The Final Warning (Maximum Ride, Book 4) just came out Mar 17, 2008 in hardcover. Even though I am not a fan of science fiction/fantasy, I would still recommend this to anyone ages 12 and up. This is a winner with reluctant readers and girls who love boy themed books.

websites:
www.maximumride.com/
http://maximumride.blogspot.com/

Children's Literature

*This is a very useful site with interesting Links and Book Lists from around the world. The site focuses on Children's Literature and Young Adult books.

The Children's Literature Web Guide

www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/

Jessie's Mountain

JESSIE'S MOUNTAIN is coming on Valentine's Day, 2008. Viking Penguin Children's Books.

(The whole family got in on this one - daughter Lucy illustrated the birds in JESSIE'S MOUNTAIN, son Flannery edited the songs, and daughter, Norah, inspired the character of Caroline, the fairy child, and Kiffen, patient father and husband, grew up one of 13 children.)




BIOGRAPHY
Kerry Madden's debut children's novel, Gentle's Holler, (Viking, 2005) was released in Penguin Puffin paperback in 2007, received starred reviews in both Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly, and is the first in a trilogy of Smoky Mountain novels. Gentle's Holler was a New York and Chicago Public Library Pick and received a Mark Twain Nomination from Missouri, a Maine Student Book Award, and a Young Hoosiers Nominee from Indiana. Louisiana's Song (SCIBA and CYBILS Award Finalist) was published in 2007 and has been selected for the California Readers Collection for Middle Grade Fiction. Jessie's Mountain will be published on Valentine's in 2008 by Viking. She is currently working on a biography of Harper Lee for teens for Viking's UpClose Series. She may be reached at www.kerrymadden.com. She conducts writing workshops for kids of all ages across the country. She is also the author OFFSIDES, New York Public Library Pick for the Teenage in 1997 and WRITING SMARTS. (AMERICAN GIRL LIBRARY, 2002).

Week Fifty, Book Sixty Seven

A Mango-Shaped Space

by Wendy Mass

Review:

Wendy Mass visited my school this week and spoke to the 6th grade students about her life as a writer and the books that she has written for children. Although, I had not read any of her books before, I felt compelled to pick up A Mango-Shaped Space this week and find out for myself why this book appeals to so many girls in my school. I loved this book, mainly because I had never heard of the condition that the main character has before. Synesthesia, which means that the visual cortex in your brain is activated when you hear something. There are many forms of this condition and the main character as a teen struggles to figure out how to deal with the outside world that she for the longest time hid her secret from. This is a great coming of age novel that can be taught in literature classes, because it lends itself to so many themes that teens face everyday. Below is the book that inspired the author to write this work of fiction based on science as well as a few sites for teachers to use for teaching this piece in the classroom. Enjoy!

sites:

www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/teenreads/index.html

www.wendymass.com/files/Wendymass_eg_on.pdf

book:

The Man Who Tasted Shapes (Bradford Books)

by Richard E. Cytowic

Week Forty Eight, Book Sixty Two

Speak

by Laurie Halse Anderson

"My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis."

Review:
Freshman Melinda Sordino calls the cops on an end-of-summer party because she was raped by an older boy. Scared that the cops will bust her for being drunk she scurries away before they can even hear her story. Flash forward and it is the beginning of a new school year and all of her friends from elementary school have abandoned her. She has a secret that she cannot reveal and struggles daily trying to "not speak". In the end Melinda finds her voice and is set free from this horrific nightmare. This book is ideal for any one who has ever felt left out or forgotten. Anderson perfectly captures the cruel world of high school cliques and how one struggles with peers and pressure. A must read for all young adult girls.

What are Kids Talking About?

*Today I took all of my classes to the annual school book fair and found myself wondering, "what are they reading?"

You would be surprised, yet here are a few titles to think about.

Eclipse (Twilight, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer

Clique #8, The: Sealed with a Diss: A Clique Novel (Clique Series)

by Lisi Harrison

Ark Angel (Alex Rider) by Anthony Horowitz

Travel Team by Mike Lupica

Week Thirty Seven, Book Forty Nine

The House Of The Scorpion

by Nancy Farmer

Review:

I could not put this 380 page book down or even shut the CD off in the car all week long. All and all, I probably read more than I listened, due to the rich storyline and pace of this young adult science fiction tome. This is a thought-provoking novel, presenting issues like human cloning, the value of human life, the importance of responsibility and friendship. You will fall in love with the main character and hope for a sequel. If you love adventure, today's sociopolitical, and ethical issues, then look no further.

Week Thirty One, Book Forty Three

You Don't Know Me

by David Klass

From Publishers Weekly

The 14-year-old narrator describes the physical and emotional abuse he experiences from his mother's boyfriend in this "well-conceived novel," said PW. "The hero's underlying sense of isolation and thread of hope will strike a chord with nearly every adolescent." Ages 13-up. (Aug.) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review:
This book was one of the many I had to read this Summer and evaluate for a possible Literature Circle unit this Fall. The size of this young adult novel is overwhelming, it's no Harry Potter, but it is longer than most I have read lately. The story is perfect! I love the voice that Klass has given the narrator and the stream of consciousness is at times hysterical and other times sad. John looks at the world around him and believes everything is make believe except for his life of hell that exists at home. John has friends, but he is essentially alone in the world and no one seems to notice or care. The ending is not at all predictable, but very satisfying to say the least. I think that middle school students should read this book for language alone and highly recommend it to sophisticated readers only.

click here: You Don't Know Me - Google Books Result
This site is crazy! Did you know you can read a whole book online. I personally love to touch and smell the book, I hope you do too.