I'll Ask You Three Times, Are You OK?: Tales of Driving and Being Driven by Naomi Shihab Nye

This was another advance reader copy that I got at my conference in June. I love this author's style of writing. I think the description on Amazon really captured the mood of this book:

"Foolhardy missions. Life-altering conversations. Gifts—given and received. Loss. Getting lost. Wisdom delivered before dawn and deep into the night. Love and kissing (not necessarily in that order). Laughter. Rides on the edge. Roses. Ghosts.

As a traveling poet and visiting teacher, Naomi Shihab Nye has spent a considerable amount of time in cars, both driving and being driven. Her observations, stories, encounters, and escapades—and the kernels of truth she gathers from them—are laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving, and unforgettable. Buckle up."

Happy reading! If you read I'll Ask You Three Times, Are You OK?: Tales of Driving and Being Driven, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it. :)

Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser

I read Give a Boy a Gun in about an hour this morning. It was one of those books that you really have to keep reading all the way through. I had heard about this book and have been told by many librarian friends to read it.
This is by no means a lighthearted read - it is serious and stays with you long after you finish reading. That being said, I would highly recommend it. The author takes a very serious subject and treats it in a respectful manner and gives the reader much to think about.

from Amazon: "High school sophomores Gary Searle and Brendan Lawlor have had enough. Day in and day out, for more than two years, they have been harassed, beaten up, and cursed out by most of the jocks at Middleton High--especially by football player Sam Flach. Armed with guns they've stolen from a neighbor's collection, Gary and Brendan storm a school dance and booby trap all the doors with homemade bombs When it's all over, Sam Flach is alive (but without any hope of a future football career), Gary has killed himself, and Brendan is in a coma, after being beaten almost to death by other students who managed to disarm him. Could this tragedy have been prevented? Who, if anyone, is to blame? Consisting of short, related statements from students, parents, school administrators, and even the troubled shooters themselves, Give a Boy a Gun attempts to give a voice to the countless sides of the school violence issue."

Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock

What can I say about Dairy Queen ... it is the perfect summer reading book! :) Many students had enjoyed reading this one so I was eager to see what it was all about. :)

D.J. Schwenk, a 15 year old girl, must do most of the work around her family farm when her dad injures his back. D.J. must juggle the work on the farm, dealing with a family that doesn't communicate, and also her best friend who is going through some things as well. In addition, D.J. (whose two old brothers are great football players) decides to train Brian, the rival high school quarterback. While she is training Brian, D.J. begins to discover that football might also be her passion. The narration and inner thoughts of D.J. hooked me in - I really enjoyed it! The sequel, The Off Season, is now out so I am also looking forward to continuing to read about D.J.

Happy reading! If you read Dairy Queen, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it. :)

Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows

I just finished it. I am kind of sad - I wanted to prolong this last Harry book. :) I won't say much about the actual story, just in case anyone is reading this blog and has not finished the book yet.
All in all, I was pretty pleased with the book ...I really liked the epilogue!

Happy reading! If you read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it. :)

Harry Potter ...

So I was waiting for the mailman when he delivered my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from Amazon on Saturday morning. :) I am on Chapter 10 right now...I decided that I wasn't going to read it all at once, I wanted to just take time to enjoy this last novel. But I am so tempted to just peek at the last chapter. :) But I won't do that. I will post when I am finished reading it. :)

I also saw the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie on Saturday afternoon. I thought it was pretty good!

So all in all - it has been a Harry Potter weekend for me. :)

iPhone

***I debated about sharing this on this blog... but I couldn't resist! So I am taking a short pause from talking about books ... to share with you what I got a week ago :) ***

The thing I love the most - I can go to a bookstore, see a book I like, go on my public library website on the iPhone and then reserve that book. :) fun stuff!

Harry Potter thoughts

Wow... hard to believe that book 7 will be out in a few short days. :) I have my theories about what will happen ... I wonder if my theories will prove to be true?? It has been fun working at the public library to hear everyone's thoughts about what they think will happen. The challenge for me will be to read it fast enough before I work at the public library again ... because I sure people will be talking about it. :)
I have not seen the new movie, but I heard that it was pretty good. That might be on my list of things to do for tomorrow. :)

In other new book news... not much longer for Eclipse to come out! I can't wait!

East by Edith Pattou

I had put off reading East because of the length - it is quite long...right around 500 pages. I should of read it months ago! I started reading this Monday afternoon and finished it last night. I read it in 1 & 1/2 days - I could not put it down. :) East is on the Rebecca Caudill 2008 list.
East is the retelling of the folktale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon". You will also recognize elements of the the folktale "Beauty and the Beast." Many of you know that I love books that are retellings of classic folktales.

from Barnes and Noble: "Rose has always felt out of place in her family, a wanderer in a bunch of homebodies. So when an enormous white bear mysteriously shows up and asks her to come away with him--in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family--she readily agrees. The bear takes Rose to a distant castle, where each night she is confronted with a mystery. In solving that mystery, she loses her heart, discovers her purpose, and realizes her travels have only just begun."

I loved the voices in this novel - each chapter is told from a different character's point of view. The author does a terrific job of capturing the emotion and personality of each character, especially the white bear.

Happy reading! If you read East, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it. :)

The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman

The Schwa was Here is on the Rebecca Caudill 2008 list.
Here is the excerpt of the review from Amazon:
"When Anthony "Antsy" Bonano and his friends meet Calvin Schwa, they are impressed and puzzled by his ability to appear and disappear before their very eyes. Antsy concocts a moneymaking scheme based on the Schwa's invisibility that seems promising until he and his friends overreach and are caught by the town's legendary mean millionaire, Mr. Crawley. Schwa is an average kid who hangs on the outskirts of the crowd and longs to be noticed and included, not simply ignored."

The narrator of the story, Antsy, had a wonderful voice. He was a bit sassy and often had me laughing out loud. :) The story also gives you alot to think about: friendship, including others, and being comfortable with yourself.

Happy reading! If you read The Schwa was Here, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it. :)

Cover-up by John Feinstein

I just finished reading Cover-up: Mystery at the Super Bowl by John Feinstein. This was another advance reader copy that I got at my conference. Steve and Susan Carol (who we met in Last Shot) are back in another sport mystery.

Here is the review from Amazon:
"THE SUPER BOWL. America's biggest sports spectacle. More than 95 million fans will be watching, but Steve Thomas and Susan Carol Anderson know that what they'll be watching is a lie. They know that the entire offensive line of the California Dreams have failed their doping tests and that the Dreams' owner is trying to cover up the test results. These two teens are sitting on the biggest sports scandal of the decade. What they don't know -yet - is how to prove it."

Happy reading! If you read Cover-up: Mystery at the Super Bowl, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it. :)

Harry Potter fever?

Is anyone excited for the new Harry Potter book to come out? Less than two weeks now...

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

Wow! What a book! I started reading this book on my way home from San Diego - it made the flight go by very quickly! :) As some of you might know, I am not a huge fantasy fan - so I have been putting off reading this book, but now I am eager to read the next two books in the series.
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment tells the story of 14 year old Maximum, a spunky girl who isn't afraid of sticking up for herself. Maximum is the leader of her ragtag "family" - a group of 6 kids that are quite special. They are 98% human and 2% bird. Max and her friends are being hunted by the evil scientists that altered their DNA. They must struggle to survive and also find out more about their own origins.


Happy reading! If you read Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it. :)

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin was one of the advance reader copies that I got at the conference I attended. I was VERY anxious to read it because I loved Elsewhere, which was also written by this author. This book did not disappoint me - I had a hard time putting it down. I think the book description at the front of the book does a great job of setting the mood of the book so I will include that here:

"If Naomi had picked tails, she would have won the coin toss. She wouldn’t have had to go back for the yearbook camera, and she wouldn’t have hit her head on the steps. She wouldn’t have woken up in an ambulance with amnesia. She certainly would have remembered her boyfriend, Ace. She might even have remembered why she fell in love with him in the first place. She would understand why her best friend, Will, keeps calling her “Chief.” She’d know about her mom’s new family. She’d know about her dad’s fiancée. She never would have met James, the boy with the questionable past and the even fuzzier future, who tells her he once wanted to kiss her. She wouldn’t have wanted to kiss him back. But Naomi picked heads."

Memoirs of Teenage Amnesiac should be out in mid-August. Happy reading! If you read it, comment on this post and let me know how you liked it. :)