A New Take on Wonderland

After Alice by Gregory Maguire

As is the norm with Mr. Maguire's books, he takes a famous story and tells it from another point of view. It's quite a racket for him. In this case, he took Lewis Carroll's book Alice in Wonderland and told it from the point of views of Alice's sister, Lydia, and Ada, a neighbor girl.

When told from Lydia's perspective, the reader sees what is going on in the real world. In this case, two little girls are missing, but it is chalked up to Alice being on one of her adventures and has taken Ada with her.

From Ada's perspective, we see a Wonderland very similar to the one we see in movies and such, except from a girl who is trying to find her friend. A girl who has no real friends, and is overlooked at home.

I was really looking forward to this book, but for the most part, I found it to be a bore. Nothing really original like his other books. This was just a girl encountering the same things Alice did, after Alice had already been there.

The Book Behind a Holiday Classic

A Christmas Story by Jean Shepherd

When I was growing up, A Christmas Story was one of my favorite movies. We had a bootleg copy of it that we watched nearly every time we went to my grandparents' house. To this day, my family watches it at least twice on Christmas day. So, when this book came up as a book I could get on my Kindle, I jumped on it.

While it was nice to see the background on some of the episodes that make up this classic movie, the book didn't have the same feeling for me that the movie does. Maybe because I have seen the movie hundreds of times, I don't know.

There were some differences, of course. One is that the bully in the book is Grover Dill and not Scut Farkas. Not a big deal, but picturing the character in the movie as the one Ralphie beats the tar out of instead of how it is portrayed in the movie just didn't work for me. Another difference is the Bumpuss hounds. They eat an Easter ham, not a Christmas turkey. Again, not a big deal.

Something I wish was included in the book was Flick getting his tongue stuck to the flagpole. I would have liked to have seen that in print. In fact, Flick and Schwartz didn't figure into the book too much. I mean, they don't figure into the movie a whole lot, but they are definitely more of a presence in the movie.

Am I glad I read this? Yes. It made a movie I love that much more special.

Gone Girl meets 13 Reasons Why

Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by Lynn Weingarten

The title I chose for this post is not one of my own original thoughts, but it is an apt description of this book.

June had a best friend named Delia, but in the last year, they grew apart for reasons it takes half the book to know. On the first day back at school after winter break, there is an announcement that Delia has died. Some digging/listening to gossip leads June to learn that Delia killed herself by burning herself in a shed. The problem is, June knows Delia was afraid of fire, and if she killed herself, that is the last way she would choose to go.

A day or so after her death, June goes to a memorial for Delia, where she meets Delia's boyfriend, Jeremiah. He believes someone killed Delia, and the two of them start poking around to see what they can find out. June finds out that her own boyfriend, Ryan, may have something to do with her death, or it could be the local drug dealer. All this happens in the first half of the book. Once you hit the halfway point, everything gets turned on its ear.

Some chapters are told in flashback so that the reader can get an idea of the relationship June and Delia had, and to provide some clues for June to reflect on as she searches for the truth of Delia's death. What she finds out though, she is wholly unprepared for.

Magic 8 Ball Helps

Signs Point to Yes by Sandy Hall

I bought this for two reasons. One-the cover is pleasant. Two-I enjoyed this author's first book.

This is a story about Jane, but it is also a story about Teo. Jane has a mother who doesn't understand that Jane has no desire to go to college, and sets Jane up to be an intern at the college where she works in an effort to force Jane to change her mind. Instead, Jane finds a job herself watching three little girls for the summer.

Teo is the older brother of the girls Jane is watching for the summer. He is a lifeguard with an insufferable best friend. He also is searching for his biological father. Over the course of the summer, Jane and Teo develop a crush on each other, and Jane decides to help Teo find his real father.

Things don't turn out quite the way Jane and Teo planned, but reading about their budding relationship was sweet.

TAYSHAS 4

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

Josh is a grown man looking back on the fact that he has never had a girlfriend. He wondered why, so he revisits a handful of "meaningful" relationships with girls in his life from age 13-his mid twenties. He came close several times, but just never had a girlfriend.

Josh was a pretty interesting character. He had cancer when he was young, and as a result, his left leg was amputated at the hip. He wore a prosthesis for most of his life, and got around just fine. One thing that was common about all the girls that he almost went out with was that none of them seemed bothered by his lack of an appendage. In fact, many seemed to like him more for it because it showed a determination that may have been lacking in other boys.

He was also homeschooled until high school, but didn't seem like the weird homeschool kids that always come to mind. He obeys his parents almost to a fault, which is admirable. On the whole, he was a neat character to read about, and it was kinda sad that he never had a girlfriend.

He does, by the way, figure out why things never worked out with the girls from his past, and that was an interesting take on things because it was so real.

TAYSHAS 3

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy

Dumplin's real name is Willowdean. Her mother is a former beauty queen who can't seem to accept her daughter's size. Willowdean has a best friend who is practically perfect, and Will feels like she is being left behind.

One day, Will decides to sign up for the local beauty pageant. Her mother is against it, but Will wants to show that anyone can be a beauty queen. So, she enlists some drag queens to help her.

Along the way, she attracts the attention of two boys, loses and regains her best friend, and learns to value herself for who she is. Loved this.

TAYSHAS 2

Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King

It's that time of year where I start reading the books on the TAYSHAS list so I can earn ducks, a shirt, and pizza.

Glory is graduating high school, but has no plans for her future. She worries that she doesn't have a future, that she is just like her mother, who killed herself when Glory was four. She has a self centered best friend, and on the day before graduation, she and Glory drink a dried up dead bat. After drinking the bat, they can see things when they look at other people. Glory mostly sees the future, which includes another civil war and world war IV. Ellie sees a bunch of naked people.

Over the course of the week that Glory is affected by the bat, she becomes closer to her father, finds herself, and discovers she is not like her mother. I enjoyed this book so much.

Fairy Tale Poetry

Poisoned Apples by Christine Heppermann

I ordered twelve copies of this for my classroom. One day, a student was reading it, and laughed aloud in class. She showed the poem she was reading to her tablemates, and it became a topic of conversation for several minutes. The poem that caused this sensation? "If Tampons Were For Guys." After seeing this, I knew I had to read these poems.

While that one particular was somewhat funny, most are not. They focus on the dark side of being a girl. Worrying about weight, what people think of us, being pretty, blemishes, etc. I liked these poems because they were more real than most of what we are forced to read in school, and I think that is why my students, the girls anyway, like these poems too.

A Delightful Ghost Story

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

We never  actually  know the  name of the narrator,  but she is a woman who gives  hand jobs  for a living, but has recently  been  moved up to aura reader/spiritualist.  She enjoys reading ghost  stories.

One day, a woman  named Susan  comes into the shop. She thinks something  is wrong  with  her house, and tgat her stepson is crazy and dangerous.  She asks the narrator  to cleanse her house, but then weird things happen.

I enjoyed this  novella.  Ms. Flynn is the  type of writer that you just can't get enough of  her work. This will only take an hour or so of  your time, but it is worth every second.

Not a Cult Classic

Awake by Natasha Preston

Much like another book of hers I read, this could greatly benefit from an editor. Too many misspellings for my taste.

Scarlett can't remember anything before the age of four. This bothered her, but not too terribly until she met her boyfriend, Noah. Then one day after being involved in a car accident, she starts remembering things. What she learns is that her parents aren't her biological parents. No, they used to be in a cult, but when they saw that Scarlett's parents were going to sacrifice her for their salvation, they kidnapped her.

And then there's Noah. He's not supposed to fall in love with Scarlett. He is supposed to get her to trust him so he can take her back to the cult that she narrowly escaped as a small child. He falls in love with her anyway, yet still takes her back to the cult.

Will Scarlett be sacrificed? You'll only know if you take the time to read the book.

A Great Mystery

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

I was first introduced to this author three years ago, when I received Revolution from a student for Christmas. I loved that book, though her other book was only ok. This one was awesome.

Josephine Montfort is a high society girl in New York before the turn of the twentieth century. When the book starts, she is at boarding school, but being summoned home because her father has died. First, she is told that his death was the result of a gun cleaning accident. Then she is told it was suicide, and while trying to find out why he would kill himself, she finds out he was, in fact, murdered.

While searching for the truth, Jo meets Eddie, a reporter for a newspaper her father owned. He helps Jo to solve this mystery, as well as introduces her to "unsavory" characters. All of this can potentially destroy her chances of marrying well in New York society.

I don't want to ruin this for you, but I will say this: Jo solves the mystery. What that entails, you can read for yourself.

Dead and Buried

The Hiding Place by David Bell

Twenty-five years ago, Janet's brother, Justin, was murdered. She was seven, and he was four. They were playing in the park, and a black man, Dante, took Justin to the woods and killed him. Or did he?

Fast forward to the present day. Dante served his time, and has been released from jail. With it being the twenty-fifth anniversary, and the only murder in this small town of Dove Point, people are interested in what happened.

An old friend of Janet's comes back to town and asks her what she remembers from that day because he has been working on what he remembers that day. A random stranger comes to Janet's house late at night implying that Justin didn't die, and that he is Justin. The police revisit some questions that were never really answered back when the investigation was going on.

There were a lot of twists reading this one, and thankfully, there is some resolution at the end. The whole time, I couldn't help but empathize with Janet, who grew up thinking she was partly to blame for her brother's death. All the secrets that surface in this book, are what made it a good read.

Rugby Sequel

Stand Off by Andrew Smith

A couple of years ago, I read Winger by the same author. This picks up where that book leaves off. It's Ryan Dean's senior year at Pine Mountain, and he is forced to room with a twelve year old freshman. He hates it. He is still dating Annie, and still plays rugby, although this year he is not a winger, but a stand off, and the captain of the team.

Ryan Dean's biggest problem is that he never "got over" Joey's death. Not that anyone expects that really, but he never sought help coping with it, and now suffers from severe anxiety attacks in his sleep.

Over the course of this book, Ryan Dean comes to terms with his life, and finds a way to deal with things. This was every bit as enjoyable as its predecessor.

Creepy Third Part

Catacomb by Madeleine Roux

This is the third full installment of the trilogy that started with Asylum. In this one, Dan, Abby, and Jordan are headed to New Orleans because Jordan is moving there with his uncle. On the way, Abby is working on a photo essay that involves some nefarious characters, and the trio discovers that they are being followed.

Once they get to New Orleans, they find out more about Dan's bilogical parents, as well as how they died. Dan actually gets mixed up with the people responsible for their deaths, and harm comes to him.

While not as creepy as the first book in the trilogy, this one does have a lot to offer in the spooky department. It also ties things up nicely, so I doubt that there will be other books in the series, though I wouldn't be disappointed if there are.

Family Secrets

Never Come Back by David Bell

Once again, this author has impressed me. In this one, Elizabeth, a grad student, is called to her mother's house because her mother has died. As it turns out, her mother has been murdered, and the police think her brother, Ronnie, who has Down Syndrome, committed the murder. Luckily, Elizabeth has her uncle, Paul, and sometimes boyfriend, Dan, to help her through her troubles.

Things start to get weird for Elizabeth too. Her apartment is broken into, and the police don't want to believe that it is related to her mother's murder. She finds out she has a sister from her mother's unknown previous marriage, and that woman's father has come to Elizabeth asking for money. Not to mention Ronnie confesses to the murder and tries to kill himself.

So much goes on, and you just want to find out who murdered Elizabeth's mother.

Suspense is a Good Thing

Cemetery Girl by David Bell

What I like about David Bell is that his books start where most books just start to get good. He tells what happens after the climax, and I like that.

Four years ago, Tom and Abby's daughter, Caitlin, went missing while walking the family dog. Caitlin was twelve at the time. Over the course of those four years, Tom and Abby's marriage has fallen apart. Tom is still relentlessly searching for Caitlin, and Abby thinks it's time to move on.

After a new lead pops up, Caitlin is suddenly found. The problem is, she doesn't want to talk about what happened over those four years she was gone, and she doesn't want the kidnapper to be prosecuted. All of this is tough for Tom. He wants to know what happened to his daughter, and wants to see the perpetrator pay for his crimes. He knows it won't necessarily change things, but he wants the person to pay for the time he took Caitlin away.

Will Tom turn vigilante to get what he wants, or will he let Caitlin have things her way?

This was such a good read! I can't wait to see what else Mr. Bell has out there.

Another Advanced Copy

Anywhere But Here by Tanya Lloyd Kyl

Cole's life is a mess. His mother recently passed away. His dad is drinking too much and dating a stripper. He breaks up with his girlfriend of two years, only to end up sorta dating the school "slut." His life consists of school and parties in a small town where everybody knows everybody.

After a visit to the guidance counselor, Cole thinks he has found a way out: film school in Vancouver. He has to submit a short film, so he creates a documentary about how his town is like a spider's web that keeps everyone in. Along the way, he finds the one thing that could keep his dreams from coming to fruition.

As Cole deals with the frustration caused by possibly having to stay in the town that stifles him, he learns some important lessons about life.

Advanced Reader Copy? Yes, Please!

Dear Blue Sky by Mary Sullivan

If there is one benefit to being a wannabe school librarian, it is being on good terms with your school librarians. Why? Because then they think of you when they go to librarian professional development, and bring you things back. In this case, seven advanced reader copies of books. Free books are always welcome.

Cass is in middle school. She has an older brother named Sef, who is a Marine being sent to Iraq in 2006. She has an older sister named Van, who is dating the singer in a rock band. She has a younger brother named Jack, who has Down's syndrome, and wants to be just like Sef.

Apparently, the whole family revolves around Sef. The reason I say this is because he is the only person their mother seems to care about, to the point of ignoring her other children who need her just as much. Also, all the siblings seem to have some hero worship of Sef, like he could do no wrong. Even when he did things that would be considered bad, their mother just swept them under the rug, like it never happened.

Cass dwells a lot on Sef being away, and she wants to learn all she can about where he is at. So, when her history teacher told them they had to read a blog about someone from somewhere else, she chose one by Blue Sky, and Iraqi girl. From Blue Sky, she learns about the Iraq not being shown on the news. It is eye opening for her.

Over the course of the book, Cass finds herself, and learns to deal with her brother being gone. It was an ok read.

Companion to Every Day

Another Day by David Levithan

Two years ago, I read the book Every Day by the same author. It tells the story of A, who is neither male nor female, and inhabits a different body everyday. It told of him falling in love with Rhiannon after having spent the day in her boyfriend's body. Another Day is Rhiannon's side of the story.

From Rhiannon, we learn that her relationship with her boyfriend, Justin, is not ideal. Then she starts meeting random people. It's A. He explains his life and that he is in love with her. Rhiannon is blown away, but intrigued as well. They try to make their relation ship work, but Rhiannon finds that it is harder than she ever expected.

In a nutshell, this is the same story, just told by Rhiannon. It was every bit as good as the first book, and definitely worth the read.

Fall Required Reading #25

It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris

Much like It's So Amazing by the same author that I had to read last year, this book discusses sex and babies. It also discusses things like puberty, abstinence/birth control/abortion, masturbation, sexual abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, and homosexuality. On some level, I appreciate that this book exists, as it makes discussing these things with your children somewhat easier. Or would, if the child in question wasn't put off by the pictures. I will say this: due to the nature of what is contained in these pages, it may be best to let your child explore the content on their own, and come to you with any questions. I had those awkward moments for you, so take my advice.

On a serious note, this book has a place in society. It covers awkward topics in a non-threatening way, that will ultimately open the lines of communication between parents and children.

Fall Required Reading #24

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

I was given a list of authors, and had to read a book by each of them. This is my last one. I searched Amazon for the synopses, and this one sounded interesting. Once again, though, I don't feel that this one fits in the young adult genre.

Miranda lives in New York, and she has learned how to navigate her part of the world. She knows there's a guy on the corner who gives her the heeby jeebies, and she tries to avoid him. One day, she receives a note from a mysterious stranger who knows too much about her. He tells her to write a letter "from the beginning" about the incident that ultimately saves her oldest friend's life.

This jumps around a bit. It starts out in Miranda's present, but then flashes back to the fall and winter that precede that. The story does tell what happens from the beginning, but also tells what happens in the present.

Good story, but I figured it out before the author presented what she wanted you to know. I attribute this to being an adult reading a book meant for elementary school students.

Fall Required Reading #23

Poop Fountain by Tom Angleberger

I came to read and own this book because I had to read a book by this author for class. When I was looking at Amazon at all the books he had written, I was drawn to this because of the title. I didn't even read the synopsis, I just bought it. I mean, how can you not want to read a book with poop in the title?

This is about three kids who refer to themselves as The Qwikpick Adventure Society. They are in junior high, and this book is about the adventure they took on Christmas Day. As it turns out, there is a sewage treatment plant in their town, and they saw in the newspaper that the plant has a poop fountain that is about to be torn down. The kids are interested in the fountain, so they take the long journey across the cow pastures and the forest to the plant. When they get there, they see the fountain, and almost get sprayed by it.

I am sure that kids in the age range love this book, but I felt it was kinda meh. Younger me would have enjoyed it, but I feel that this one is not one older teens would get much out of. In fact, I probably would not have counted this as a young adult book. This may be my fault for choosing this book rather than one of the other books by this author.

Fall Required Reading #22

El Deafo by Cece Bell

As I have previously mentioned, I am not a huge fan of graphic novels, but I do like that they are, for the most part, easy to get through quickly.

This particular book is an autobiography. Apparently, when the author was pre-school aged, she became deaf, or partially deaf, as a result of meningitis. This follows her during the time in the hospital, all the way through sixth grade. The reader sees how Cece is treated by others because of her disability, sees her make friends, have a crush, and learn to appreciate the devices that help her out.

The best thing about books like this is that is sheds light on disabilities that we may not see on a daily basis. It could be enlightening to some children, so that they see that these kids aren't all that different; they want the same things: to be accepted by their peers, and feel "normal." This was a cute story that will open some eyes.

Fall Required Reading #21

George by Alex Gino

I bought this one because I knew there was no way the library would have this in time for me to use it for my class. This is one of the books that has shown me that young adult lit is a fairly large genre, in terms of the ages it serves. This book has a target audience of grades 4-8, and the language and writing style help to cement that.

George is in the fourth grade. He loves Charlotte, the spider in the EB White classic, Charlotte's Web. George loves her so much, he wants to play her in the school performance of the story. George doesn't see that this would be a problem, but it seems everyone else does. You see, George is a little girl trapped in the body of a little boy. No one seems to see this except for her best friend, Kelly. And I just have to say, God bless that child for letting George be who she is.

I can see how some people would be concerned that a young child would know this early-in the fourth grade- that they are transgender, but as I understand it, most feel that they are in the wrong body from a much earlier age. Unfortunately, we live in a society that is so close minded that they don't want to explore the possibility. That's why books like this are so important; they open the lines of conversation, which could ultimately lead to understanding and acceptance.

Required Fall Reading #20

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Told in free verse, mostly, this is an autobiographical tale of a young black girl from birth to approximately age ten. The reader learns a bit about the protesters who would sit at the food counters that they weren't welcomed at, but mostly learns about a little girl who grew up in these turbulent times. We read of how her mother and father split when the author is small, how she and her siblings go to live in South Carolina with her grandparents for a time. We learn of their move to Brooklyn, and the birth of their half brother who gets sick from eating paint chips.

This was a sweet story, which is not what I expected, given the time it was written about. I expected to read a lot of racist comments, but I was wrong.

It's funny to think that the author is only thirteen years older than I am, but it seems like so much more than that. Weird.

Fall Required Reading #19

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Gabi is a Mexican American girl living in California. Her mom puts a lot on Gabi being a good girl, and wanting her to lose weight. Her dad is a drug addict, and, although he's basically a lose, Gabi loves him to pieces. She has a younger brother named Beto who everyone thinks hung the moon simply because he is a boy.

This book is Gabi's journal of her senior year. Through her entries, we see how she feels about her best friend, Cindy, who is pregnant, and her other best friend, Sebastian, who is gay. We see her fall in lust with Eric, then in love with Martin. Pretty much, we see the typical life of an overweight high school girl who is just trying to live her life. I have to say, I loved this book.

There are a couple of things I didn't love about this book. First of all, I had to make a book cover so I could read this in my classroom because there is a vagina on the cover. No one wants to have to explain that to freshmen. The other thing that bothered me is that not all of the Spanish phrases were explained. Most were, and I could get the gist because the author would restate the phrase either before or after in English. Not all were that way, and I would have benefited from a glossary. In the grand scheme of things though, neither one took away from my enjoyment of the book.

Fall Required Reading #18, I think

Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden

Published in 1982, this book is considered groundbreaking. Why? Because it is about two teenaged girls who realize that they're gay. In those days, people weren't as open about homosexuality as they are now, and people certainly weren't as accepting of homosexual people. I didn't have to read this to know it to be true; though I may not have realized it at the time, I witnessed it. I'm not going to go into too much on a personal side, but there are people close to me, whom I love dearly, who are homosexual. As far as I am concerned, it's a natural part of who they are, just as eye or hair color. Because I was exposed to homosexuality at a young age, I do not get all bent out of shape about it like many people in our society. I say this because I can see narrow minded people not wanting to read this, much less put it in their school library.

In many ways, this is a typical high school love story. Really, the only difference is that the people in love are the same sex. Not a big deal. It was really very sweet to read.

The narrator is Liza, a freshman at MIT. She's thinking about Annie, the girl she met a little over a year before when she was at the Met in New York City. Liza and Annie became fast friends, and Liza felt an undeniable attraction-not necessarily sexual-to Annie. It doesn't take long for the girls to discover they have feelings for one another, feelings that go beyond the boundaries of friendship. They kiss, they hold hands, they exchange rings for Christmas. Eventually, they want to explore their relationship further, and when an opportunity presents itself, they pounce on it.

Over spring break, Liza has volunteered to cat sit for two of her teachers. They happen to be women. If you read between the lines, you know before it ever gets to this point of the book that they are lesbians too. Long story short, Liza and Annie are caught by those who don't understand, and the repercussions of their actions cause not only trouble for Liza's teachers, but cause a rift between Annie and Liza. The book is recounting what led to this silence between Annie and Liza.

I loved this book. It was more than a fictional story about two girls who fall in love for me. For me, I felt that I gained some insight to what my loved one may have experienced at the same time, and that is valuable in my world.

Summer Book #30

Calling Maggie May by Anonymous

This is another of the books I bought that was written in the tradition of Go Ask Alice. I liked this one much better than Lucy in the Sky. I think it was because this one wasn't about the dangers of drugs, which was refreshing. This one was about a girl who finds herself in the world of prostitution.

"Maggie" is 16, and has a tiger mom. You know what I am talking about: the Asian mother who makes her kids play piano and violin, and expects only A's. Maggie has an older brother who is perfect. He does everything that their parents expect. Maggie can't measure up, even if she wanted to. One day, she befriends Ada, and everything changes. Ada is a call girl. Prostitute. Hooker. Escort. Take your pick on the title. She has sex for money. In an effort to reinvent herself, and do things her own way, Maggie becomes a call girl herself.

She skips school to meet her "dates," and ultimately runs away from home. She goes from a "safe" escort service to hooking on the streets. It was definitely an interesting read.

Summer Reading #29

Lucy in the Sky by Anonymous

The appeal of this book, as well as the other two I bought during the same bookstore trip, is that it was written in the tradition of Go Ask Alice, which I read sometime in the past five years. It's written as a journal that is left behind by someone who met an unsavory end, in this case, a drug overdose. The problem I had with this one was that it was predictable, as if the author was trying too hard to emulate the predecessor. A teenager reading this may not be as discerning as I am, though, and if it keeps even one kid from doing drugs, then the reading will be a success.

The girl in this book, whose name you really don't know (it isn't necessarily Lucy), just turned 16. She lives on the beach in California, has an older brother, and not a lot of friends. In going to yoga with her brother, she meets a boy, Ross, who ultimately introduces the narrator to pot. In going to a party with her brother, she meets Lauren, who introduces her to cosmos.

The narrator spirals out of control: pot, cosmos, LSD, cocaine, Xanax, meth, heroine. She ends up in rehab, but unfortunately, nothing stops her destructive behavior in the end.

Summer Reading #28/Fall Required Reading

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

I hadn't planned to read my required Crutcher book until after school had started, but this showed up on one of my kindle emails. Definitely a good call to get this one, as it really touched me.

Ben is getting his physical to run cross country during the summer before his senior year, but finds out that he has a terminal illness and only has about a year to live. He opts out of treatment, and because he is over eighteen the doctor can't tell his parents. Ben wants to have his time on Earth be as normal as possible. He plays football with his younger brother. He dates the girl of his dreams. He questions the education he is receiving in his civics class. He tries to help the town drunk. He tries to get a street in town named after Malcolm X. He doesn't tell anyone about his illness.

When reading this, you see that, despite his illness, there are people with worse problems than Ben's. I think that's what makes this story more real than most. And although you know what will ultimately happen, you still want to read. So many emotions reading this, but I feel like a better person for it.

Summer Reading 27

Fierce Presents: Kisses and Curses by various authors

Not sure why I bought this, as I am not the biggest fan of short story compilations. I guess the fact that there are three authors out of the fifteen in this book that I have read before. Reading their short stories was relevant to me as they were related to the books I had read by those authors. The other twelve though, I had a hard time with because they were companion pieces to books I haven't read. I felt that it was necessary to have read the source material for the short stories to make sense to me. Perhaps if the stories were stand alones, I would have liked the book better.

Summer Reading #26

The Forgotten Girl by David Bell

After having read another book by this author a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd check out some of his other stuff. That was a good call. Very suspenseful.

Jason and his wife, Nora, live in the town he grew up in. They have no children of their own. One night, Jason's wild child sister, Hayden, shows up on their doorstep, asking if they can watch her seventeen year old daughter for a couple of days. Hayden needs to make amends as part of her twelve step program, but no one suspected that it may have some dire consequences.

After the timeframe Hayden gave to pick up her daughter, Jason and his family start to worry. Hayden had been spotted with the town criminal, and then her car is found abandoned with drops of blood in it. While the police are searching for Hayden, they come across the remains of Jason's former best friend, who was killed twenty-seven years ago, on the night of their high school graduation. Everyone had assumed that the friend had just taken off; no one thought he had been killed. Jason puts two and two together, and realizes his sister's sudden reappearance has to do with the death of his friend.

Jason gets to the bottom of everything, and it is a wild ride. This one kept me on the edge of my seat, and I will be reading more by this author.

Summer Reading #25

Hidden Girl by Shyima Hall

Another book that I bought earlier this week. I was intrigued by the cover, so I read the back, and then I knew I had to have it.  This is a memoir of a girl (now grown woman) who was sold into slavery when she was eight years old.

Shyima was the seventh of eleven children, growing up in poverty in Alexandria, Egypt. When she was eight, one of her older sisters, who worked for a wealthy family in Cairo, stole from her employers. Rather than call the authorities, the wealthy family decided that Shyima could work off her sister's debt. They treated her terribly, slapped her, and called her stupid. After about two years, they relocated to the United States, and took Shyima with them. They continued to treat Shyima badly, and then, one day when she was approximately 13, she was rescued. She went into the foster care system in California, and was eventually adopted.

Obviously, the book goes into more detail than that, but that's all you need to know going in. My heart broke for this girl, but then cheered when she was rescued. It opened my eyes to human trafficking and slavery in a way that I might never have known about if I hadn't read this book.

Summer Reading #24

Forever by Judy Blume

I received my first Judy Blume book when I was nine years old, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. I was going into fourth grade, so my parents thought it would be cool for me to read about a kid my age. I fell in love with the characters, so Superfudge,  and Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great were naturally on my reading repertoire. I was grown with two kids when I read Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret because I'd never gotten to it as a teen. Needless to say, I am a fan. So, when I saw this on the shelf at the bookstore the other day, I knew I would be buying it.

Written in 1975, this was ahead of its time, as far as young adult lit is concerned. Now, in 2015, the things Blume writes about in Forever are fairly commonplace. Somehow, though, this book and its content, are timeless.

Katherine is a senior in high school. She meets Michael at a New Year's party, and although they don't hit it off in the first hours of their acquaintance, it doesn't take long (less than a day) for Kath to be swept up in all things Michael. Kath has dated before, but the way she feels about Michael is far more than she has felt for any other boy, and she thinks it's love. She's a virgin, and Michael is always pressuring her to have sex, which seems pretty typical.

They do finally have sex, and Kath, responsible girl that she is, gets herself on birth control. She is convinced she'll be with Michael forever, hence the title. The summer after senior year, they both get jobs that will keep them apart. This is not necessarily a choice on Kath's part, as her parents force her to get a job at a summer camp. They write letters, but, gasp, Kath meets a man that she develops feelings for. She is confused about her feelings because she still loves Michael, but she likes this other guy too. Michael doesn't like this much, and breaks up with her.

What I got from this, as a grown, middle aged woman, is that we are stupid when it is first love. We are willing to give up everything just to spend time with this one person. We are more easily coerced when we think we're in love. First love makes us more naïve than we might normally be.

Summer Reading #23

YOLO Juliet by William Shakespeare and Brett Wright

This in no way is a replacement for actually reading Romeo and Juliet, but by putting it in text speak, it helps to give the reader a better understanding of the play. I mean this in terms of plot. Everything is there, plot-wise. What's missing? The beauty of the language. All the paradoxes, imagery, oxymorons, and everything that makes reading R&J an experience.

So yeah, this was a cute read, but make sure you read the real thing.

Summer Reading #22

I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora

I went to Barnes and Noble today to spend $70 in gift cards, which allowed me to get eight books-seven for me, and one for my daughter. I really had no clue what I wanted, so I was perusing every title in the young adult area. You'd think this wasn't my third trip there in two weeks the way I was checking out all the books. Ha! Anyway, I saw this, and it sounded pretty good.

Lucy, our narrator, Elena, and Michael are finishing their eighth grade year, and are given a summer reading list with 6-8 books on that. They are disappointed because their previous teacher, who died some months before, promised them they would only have to read To Kill a Mockingbird. All three kids had read the book, and it is Lucy's favorite. The kids thought everyone should read the book, and they set about finding a way to get people to read it.

They go to various bookstores and libraries in their state, and move copies of the book to different locations in the stores. Their logic is that if people think there is a limited supply for the book, more people would try to buy it and read it. They set up a website and several social media accounts, and people from all over the place start moving/stealing books too.

I thought it was cute because it is rare these days for kids to be so passionate about books that they would go to these lengths to get people to read.

Summer Reading #21/Fall Required Reading

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

In the last year, I have learned that it's ok to give up a book if the reader isn't into it by page fifty. If this hadn't been required reading for the upcoming semester, I may have given up long before page fifty. Luckily, at page fifty, this book picked up, and a part of me wanted to read it. I hesitate to say that I liked this book, but it held my interest enough that I was able to finish it

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in Prentisstown, a settlement on New World, which is suspiciously Earth-like, where there are no women. All the males on New World can hear the thoughts of each other all the time. This is referred to as the Noise. There is something about Todd that is important to the Mayor, and after much argument, Todd leaves Prentisstown with his dog, Manchee.

Not long into his journey, Todd runs into the first female he has ever seen. Her family has died, and she joins Todd on his mission, which is to warn the other New World settlements about Prentisstown. He is unsure why the mayor and his men are hunting him, or why he needs to warn the other settlements. Todd and the girl, Viola, find that they need to get to Haven, the largest of the settlements, because only they are large enough to stand up to the army of Prentisstown.

**Spoiler Alert**
During the course of the whole book, there is a crazy priest out to get Todd. No matter what happens, he doesn't seem to die. He even kidnaps Viola. Even though Todd rescues Viola, he has to make a choice, Viola or Manchee, and Todd chooses Viola. Manchee dies a violent death. Any chance of me liking this book ended with the death of the dog. It made me mad, and I ended up reading the rest of the book just to see if the dog died in vain.

Also, the ending angered me. It angered me enough that there is no way I'll read the rest of this trilogy. The ending came out of left field, and is abrupt. I realize that this is the first book in a trilogy, and there is some expectation that the book will just leave the reader hanging, but usually, there is some kind of closure. Not this one. No closure.

Summer Reading #20

Somebody I Used to Know by David Bell

I liked the title when I saw it at the bookstore on my 39th birthday the other day. I flipped it over, read the blurb, and knew this was going to be my next read. It's lived up to my expectations.

It starts out with Nick at the grocery store. He sees a beautiful redhead who has all the mannerisms of his ex-girlfriend. His ex-girlfriend who died in a house fire twenty years ago. He tries to talk to the girl to see if she is in any way related to the family of his ex, but she bolts. Later, Nick gets a visit from the police because the grocery store girl was found dead with his address in her pocket. That all happens in the first twenty pages, and I really thought I had the whole thing figured out. I was about half right.

The death of this girl brings Nick back to the love he lost in a fire, and he finds himself searching for the girl's killer. He learns some truths from the past, but it doesn't necessarily help.

This was an edge of your seat, I had to make myself stop reading at 2am so I could get some sleep type of book. I loved the suspense, and didn't want it to end. I will definitely be checking out some og this guy's other books.

Summer Reading #19

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

I was drawn to this book because of the cover. It's all black, with an asteroid at the top, and five teenagers at the bottom looking up at it. It was simple, and I was intrigued, so I read the front flap. The blurb on the flap indicated that this book would be about an athlete, a slut, a slacker, and an overachiever. Sounds similar to a movie from the 80's that I love, so I knew I'd eventually get it.

There are ten main chapters, counting down from ten to zero, and within those main chapters, are subchapters, each told by one of the characters. The premise of the book revolves around an asteroid that is passing very close to Earth, with a 66.6% chance of wiping everything out, and the way the lives of these four teenagers change over the course of ten weeks.

One wants to fulfill their dream of being a singer. Another doesn't want to die a virgin. One more wants their life to mean something. The last one just wants to believe in something. None are really friends at the beginning, but they somehow come together during all this craziness.

It was a pretty good read, and considering this is the author's first published book, I think we can look forward to more interesting reads in the future.

Summer Reading #18/Fall Required Reading

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

I liked this book, I did, but I had a hard time staying focused on it. It took more than a week to read, and this is only partially because I read another book in the meantime, plus I went on two weekend trips. It's about vampires, so if you dig them, you'll like this.

It's the summer before her senior year of high school, and Tana has attended a party. She passed out at the party, and when she wakes up, she finds herself in the middle of a massacre. Vampires have attacked the place, and this is not cool because the vampires are supposed to stay in Coldtown-places set up around the country to house vampires and those that have been infected. As she is leaving, Tana sees her former boyfriend tied to a bed, meant to be a vampire snack. He's been bitten, so he is infected, and has to go to Coldtown. She also rescues a vampire named Gavriel. Tana agrees to take them to Coldtown. Along the way, they meet Midnight and Winter, a sister and brother who desperately want to become vampires.

Once they get to Coldtown, Tana  gets a marker so she can eventually leave. She may or may not be infected, but only time will tell. Her former boyfriend, Aidan, becomes a vampire, as does Midnight. Then all hell breaks loose. Gavriel, as it turns out, has a bounty on his head, and the main guy in Coldtown is looking for him.

I won't go further than that. I didn't think it lived up to the hype on the back, but it wasn't a bad read either.

Summer Reading #17

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

If this seems choppy, it is because I am writing part of this as I go along. There are things that occur to me as I am reading that I would rather document as they happen than chance losing.

Before I get into the book itself, I want to say this: I have looked forward to reading this, for better or worse, since I heard back in February of this year that it was being released. Based on comments of many of my friends on social media, the fact that I am reading this at all may turn me into a pariah. It will be worse if I ultimately end up liking the novel. This is a chance I am willing to take.

A little background on some of the controversy surrounding this novel, if I may. First, some think that Harper Lee didn't write this, or that the publication is a result of elder abuse to Ms. Lee. This is actually the manuscript that was rejected by publishers, and ultimately turned into To Kill a Mockingbird. It was thought this manuscript was lost, but then, somehow, it turned up after the death of Ms. Lee's older sister. She has had the opportunity for more than fifty years to publish this, so people think Ms. Lee was coerced into its publication.

Another controversy stems from reviews that indicated Atticus is a racist in this book. Many people made the decision not to read this because of these allegations. As I am not finished with the book at this time, I will revisit this when I do finish.

SPOILER ALERT! If you plan to read this novel, and don't want to know specifics, I suggest you don't read any further.

On the Friday before the book was released, July 10, the first chapter was presented to the public in an effort to increase interest. I didn't read it, but many people I know did, and commented on it. They took exception with the fact that Jem has died, and Ms. Lee didn't elaborate. Many felt that it wasn't doing justice to Jem. Jem's death is actually revisted many times throughout the novel. This is what happens when you don't see the whole picture, but only a tiny piece: potentially unfair judgments are made.

I really love the flashbacks to events of Scout's childhood. Those are the parts where I could definitely see the connection between both of Ms. Lee's books, and it also solidified for me that this was, in fact, written by Harper Lee. Based on the online reviews I have seen on Amazon, many people think this is badly written. I am not seeing that at all. I guess it is because this novel is written in third person, where TKaM was written in first person. For me, this doesn't take away from the story that is being told, but it is obviously one of the changes that were made in the creation of TKaM.

I am finding this easier to read as a stand alone novel, rather than one that is being considered a sequel. Yes, most of the characters are the same, but there are enough differences in their actions and reactions, that it is almost like reading about different people. Scout isn't even called Scout, for crying out loud.

Some differences that I have encountered so far include the character of Henry "Hank" Clinton. Apparently, he was close in age with Jem, and he would hang out with Jem and Scout during the school year when he lived in town, but not in the summer. He is Jean Louise's love interest, but it's hard to reconcile him growing up with the Finch children when he isn't so much as mentioned in TKaM.

Another difference is the Tom Robinson trial. It is briefly mentioned, or what we are to assume is the trial is mentioned. In this novel, Atticus defended a black man accused of raping a white girl of fourteen, but the man is acquitted. I took this to be another change that was made going into TKaM. Because this is the manuscript that was changed and edited to become something else, it makes sense to assume that there would be some inaccuracies. This is one of those.

There are some nice additions too, though. For example, we get a glimpse into what became of Dill. We also learn the name of Jem and Scout's mother, as well as a few more details about her death. Those things that were left out of TKaM that I sometimes wondered about. Uncle Jack, referred to as Dr. Finch most of the time, has a much bigger part in this novel, and this was endearing to me. In many ways, Uncle Jack was her compass in this novel.

Because of the time that this book takes place, race relations are not in a good place in many areas of the South. Maycomb is no different. While Scout is home, Calpurnia's favorite grandson is jailed for running an older white gentleman over with his car. Scout goes to see her, but Cal treats her like she doesn't know her; like she hates her. Scout has a hard time reconciling this Cal to the Cal who raised her.

Atticus...... I can see how some people think he is a racist. He attends KKK members, which, apparently, makes a person an automatic racist. In Atticus' case, he was going to the meetings to try to find out whose faces were behind the masks. He wanted to know who the "problem children" were, if you will. Know your enemy, and all that jazz-I can understand that motivation. What brings all this up for Scout is she sneaks into a council meeting in the courthouse, and sees Atticus and Hank with an over the top racist, white supremacist guy. Atticus does try to explain this: the meetings aren't usually like that, that the racist guy asked to speak at their meeting. It all seems very innocuous.

What is problematic and makes Atticus seem racist are some of the comments he makes-like the negroes are childlike. He doesn't mean that they are like children, per se, but that as a whole, since the Civil War, they are growing into their rights. Atticus believes that if things had been left to develop naturally, without the NAACP stepping in, things would have been fine. I personally cannot speak to whether this is true or not, as I have no life experience from this time. Atticus believes in states' rights first, and doesn't think the federal government should have stepped in. I think, this Atticus is a product of the time period and location, and as such, this is not a problem for me. It is, however, a stark contrast from the seemingly color blind Atticus from TKAM, and that, I think, is where people have a problem.

Another thought I have on the Atticus/Scout dynamic where this is concerned is this: TKAM is told by adult Scout, looking back through a child's eyes. It's told by a child, basically. GSaW is told by Jean Louise as an adult learning some realities about life. Think about it this way: when you were a kid, you probably idolized someone, and put them on a pedestal. Then as you grew up, you learned things about the person you adored, and it tarnished your thinking about them. This is what happened with Scout. When she was a kid, she could see no wrong in her father, but as an adult, she finds out there were things about him that had always been there, that she didn't/couldn't see. It hurts when you finally see the truth.

What you have to remember is that this novel was the rejected manuscript. This is what ultimately became the greatest American novel. If it hadn't been for this, TKaM would never have existed. That is a point I think people are forgetting. If Ms. Lee hadn't reworked this, we wouldn't have Atticus and Scout as we know them. THAT is why I read this book, and you know what? I liked it.

Summer Reading #16/Work Related

Book Love by Penny Kittle

Three colleagues and I are implementing reader's/writer's workshop on our campus in the upcoming year. This was the book we chose to use for the reading component. There are so many great ideas in this book to turn students, even reluctant ones, into readers. Additionally, there are suggestions for assessing the reading component without giving tests or essay questions.

One thing I liked about this book is that the author included actual student work, as well as student profiles about some of the students who benefited from her class. This shows me that what I am about to implement actually works. Since there are people on my campus who believe this is not a legitimate teaching tool and likely to fail, this gives me encouragement that the naysayers are wrong. I only hope we achieve some of the success that Ms. Kittle did.

Summer Reading #15

Blankets by Craig Thompson

I ordered this last week because a friend/co-worker recommended it to me, and it came in today. She told me it was more than 500 pages long, but easy to get yourself lost in. Admittedly, I forgot how long she said it was, so when it came in today, it was daunting. Not to mention that it is a graphic novel, which I have already stated I am not necessarily a fan of. I finished it in only a few hours.

This is an autobiography by Craig. At the beginning, we see him as a young boy of eight or nine, with his younger brother. He, Craig, is bullied by jerks at school. Something happens with the babysitter to Craig and his brother, and although we don't learn what it is until later, it's not good.

We then see Craig in high school, at church camp. He meets a girl, Raina, and he is smitten. They write and phone each other, and Craig goes to visit her for two weeks in the spring. Craig is head over heels for this girl, but she has too much going on in her life for her to commit just yet. Throughout the whole story, Craig wrestles with his faith.

Between the artwork and the story, you feel everything Craig feels. When he hurts, you hurt. When he is happy, so are you. I love books that draw you in like that.

Having finished two graphic novels today, I have learned that they have a lot to offer, and I shouldn't discount them just because they have pictures.

Summer Reading #14/Fall Required Reading

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

First of all, graphic novels are not really my thing. That is not to say there was anything wrong with this book, but, if given the choice, I prefer text to graphics. Sorry, I just do. But, as this is required reading for one of my classes, I thought I'd go ahead and give it a go.

Sadly, there's a lot I don't know about Middle Eastern culture. In my role as a teacher, I have had some great opportunities to learn more, but I am still woefully ignorant about much having to do with the Middle East. This book gave me a chance to learn a little more.

This graphic novel is the autobiography from ages nine through fourteen of Marji. She is Iranian, and this story occurs during the fall of the shah, when Muslims started to take over the country. Marji and her family are staunch communists, and they are not fond of the strict regulations placed on them by the new regime. Friends and family members are jailed and executed for their "crimes," females are forced to wear veils, anything Western is forbidden, bombings occur regularly, etc. Marji though, she's a bit of a rebel. She gets in trouble at school for wearing jewelry and nail polish, for telling the truth about what is going on around them.

Mostly what I got out of this was that Marji was loved by those around her, but due to circumstances beyond her control, her life kinda sucked. I will say this: I am not sure why this book is frequently challenged. Seriously, there was nothing to object to, except the one time the f-bomb is dropped.

Summer Reading #13

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Obviously, I have read books about people who are depressed, try to kill themselves, and end up in a psychiatric facility, but this was like none I have read before.

Craig is depressed. It all started when he began to go to this super competitive high school in Brooklyn. Even though he's making A's, it's not good enough, and he finds himself overwhelmed. He is prescribed Zoloft, but stops taking it when his prescription runs out. Not a smart move. He also has a thing for his best friend's girl. Also not smart.

One night, Craig decides he's going to kill himself. While his family sleeps, he calls the suicide hotline, and they suggest he go to the emergency room. This was a good call. Almost immediately, Craig starts to feel better about things. That seems unrealistic to me, but it does move the story along. Craig meets people, makes friends, and finds himself.

In all, it was a cute story. More lighthearted than most about depression, and I liked that.

Summer Reading #12

Some Boys by Patty Blount

In many ways, this is similar to the book, Speak, that I read a month or six weeks ago. In both, a girl is raped at a party, and the boy is a scumbag. The biggest difference is that the protagonist in Speak doesn't tell anyone about what happened to her for a long time, and in this one, Grace has talked about it, and identified her attacker.

This is told in two perspectives: Grace and Ian. Grace was raped at a party by the captain of the lacrosse team. She was drunk, like everyone else at the party, and was allegedly dressed like she was "asking for it." Grace claims she was raped, but the rapist posts a video to social media "showing" she was into it. Because of that, no one believes her. She loses her friends, the whole school is calling her a slut and a whore, and one of the times she stands up for herself, she ends up having to do manual labor over spring break.

Then there's Ian. He is the rapist's best friend who once had a crush on Grace. He doesn't want to believe his best friend is a slimeball. He tries to see both sides of the story, and eventually sees the truth of the matter for himself.

Most of the book takes place over the week that Grace and Ian are forced to do manual labor. Will someone finally see Grace for who she is, not what they think she is? Was she, in fact, raped? If so, will she ever get justice?

My daughter was drawn to this book, but she wanted me to read it first to make sure it was ok for her. I am glad she did. This is one of those books that every teen should read. Maybe if they did, the societal norm of victim blaming would go away. One could only hope, anyway.

Summer Reading #11

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Every time I go to the bookstore, I contemplate buying this book, but never do. After striking out on two other books I started this week but couldn't get into, I found this on the school library ebook site, and thought I'd give it a shot.

Anna Oliphant, daughter of a very Nicholas Sparks type author (and by that I mean someone who thinks they are brilliant, but tells the same story every time), is sent to Paris for her senior year of high school. It is not something she wants, but is something over which she has no choice. She has to leave behind her family, her best friend, and the boy she has a crush on.

In Paris, she makes some friends, and immediately develops a crush on one of them, St. Clair, who has a girlfriend. Anna and St. Clair face challenges together (his mother's cancer, her best friend sleeping with and dating the boy at home that she has a crush on), and you keep hoping that they'll get together.

In a nutshell, it's your basic love story, but it is just different enough to make it worth your time reading it.

Summer Reading #10/Fall required reading

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Yesterday, I found out that my professor for this upcoming fall semester changed the reading list for my young adult reading class. I was a bit miffed because I'd made decent progress on the old list. Never fear though, because I've already read twelve of the twenty-five books on the new list. This book makes thirteen.

I like Myers. I have read a handful of his books, and they are relatable-usually to boys and people of color, but reading them has opened my eyes to the plight of others not like myself. He's not afraid to tackle topics like crime and war.

This book chronicles the trial of Steven Harmon. He is on trial for a murder committed during a robbery. He is on trial with another young man. When you read this, or at least when I read this, your first thought is that this is a kid who made a terrible mistake. I mean, his defense attorney doesn't seem to believe him, so that should tell you something. As you progress through the book, and learn more about the circumstances, your opinion changes. I won't tell you how it changes, just know it does.

My biggest complaint with this book is the format. Most of it is written as a screenplay, and, while it makes for a shorter read in this case, I find it harder to stay focused than when I read regular prose. And really, this was such a little thing. This was a good book, and it's one I think I ordered for my classroom this year.

Summer Reading #9

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

This is the sequel of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, and I was excited about it because I liked the first book so much. That excitement waned as I started reading. I didn't think this was terribly special.

Lara Jean and Peter start dating for real, but Peter still seems to be hung up on Genevieve. There's a "sex tape" scandal involving Lara Jean and Peter too, and Lara Jean is convinced Genevieve is behind it. Peter refuses to believe it. One day Lara Jean gets a letter in the mail, and it is from John, the one boy who didn't respond when her letters were mailed in the first book. They have unresolved feelings for each other. Will Lara Jean stay with Peter, or will she go with John?

Seriously, this was too high school. I teach high school, so it seems I live this mess everyday; I don't need it in the books I read too. I like relationships to be a little more complex than what was here. Not a bad book, just not what I was hoping for either.

Summer Reading #8

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

I am prone to selecting books because I like the cover. I was drawn to this cover, but what made me choose this book was this paragraph from the back: "But something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at the local Starbucks watch their relationship like a t.v. series. The bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically sits them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes Lea and Gabe were meant to be together." Actually, it was that last sentence that made me buy this book. I figured if I was going to get to read from a squirrel's perspective, it was going to be interesting.

Basically, Lea and Gabe go to the same college, and are in the same creative writing class. They are attracted to one another, and EVERYONE knows except themselves. The story of their relationship, or lack thereof, is told from fourteen different perspectives. Baristas, professors, waitresses, bus drivers, classmates, various friends, a bench (yes, a bench), and a squirrel all weigh in to tell this story. It WAS different, and I LOVED it!

The bench cracked me up talking about perfect butts, and the squirrel's sections were the most fun to read. This was a sweet book, and I highly recommend it.

Summer Reading #7

The DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger

I didn't know this book existed until the movie came out a few months ago. It looked cute, and my daughter wanted to see it, so I said we had to read it first. She read it a couple of months ago, and now that I've finished it, we can catch it on Amazon Instant Video.

I read a ton of young adult literature, and this was a bit racier than what I am used to. In fact, as I was reading this, I was a bit concerned that I let my daughter read it before I did. While it wasn't graphic in any way, I was a bit concerned about all the sex that was going on in this book.

Bianca has two gorgeous friends, Casey and Jessica, who she accompanies to the local teen hangout fairly frequently. One night while there, Wesley, the "man whore" starts talking to Bianca. According to his logic, talking to her, the DUFF, would score him a date with her hot friends. Instead, Bianca ends up using him as an escape for some of the hard things in her life right now.

There's some typical high school drama, some sex, and lessons to be learned. Overall, it was a cute book, and I am looking forward to seeing how the movie compares.

Summer Reading #6

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I loved this book! I was iffy about it based on some of the reviews I read, but after reading, I determined they were idiots.

This book follows Esther Greenwood, and her downward spiral. I don't know that I would label her depressed, just apathetic. Then again, I am not a psychiatrist. Anyway, Esther is indifferent about everything, or so it seems, but then something happens, and she loses her sense of self. Once that happens, she decides to kill herself. After one particularly intense failure, Esther ends up in a mental institution or two, and receives shock treatments.

While she is in the mental institution, there are many similarities to Susanna Kaysen's Girl, Interrupted, both the book and the movie. Now I am not saying that the things Kaysen portrays in her book didn't happen, but it's a little to convenient for me that they are so similar to Plath's work. Particularly since Kaysen would have had access to this book prior to her own experiences.

Anyway, I can't recommend this book enough. Particularly if, like me, you are drawn to stories about broken people.

Summer Reading #5

The Cellar by Natasha Preston

This one was recommended to me by a student. Truth be told, I probably never would have read this one, but it was an ok read.

Summer is a sixteen year old girl in England. At the beginning of the book, she is looking for a friend who was having a fight with her boyfriend. A dude comes up to her, calls her Lily, and kidnaps her. Seriously, this happened in less than ten pages.

Psycopath/Colin/Clover takes Summer back to his place, and takes her to his immaculate cellar, where three other girls are living. They are Rose, Poppy, and Violet. Clover refers to the girls as his Flowers, and comes to have breakfast and dinner with them. They have no contact with the outside world, and Clover "falls in love" with them, which is just a nice way to say he rapes them.

All these girls had lives on the outside, but Clover kidnapped them so he could have a family. If they made him mad, he was not above killing them. Speaking of killing, he brings prostitutes home and kills them in front of the girls. He blames all prostitutes because his father slept with one when he was a child, and it scarred Clover for life.

Summer has a boyfriend, and there are chapters in his perspective detailing his months long search for her. Everyone should be so lucky to have someone love them like Lewis loves Summer. We also see Clover's point of view in chapters devoted to his perspective. What a freak.

Not sure I will read other offerings by this author, as this was only ok.

Summer Reading #4

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

I loved this book! I picked it up from the "Soon to be/Already are movies" table at my bookstore. I didn't know much about it, and I thought "Why not?" On the cover, it says that it is compared to The Fault in Our Stars, but honestly, the only similarity I can see is that both books have a girl with cancer in them. Seriously, that is where the similarity ends.

This book is funny. Greg, the narrator, is a bit crude, but it's funny. It's even funnier when you add Earl to the mix. The things they say...... holy cow.

In a nutshell, Greg is a senior in high school. A girl he knew from Hebrew school has been diagnosed with leukemia, and Greg's mother talks him into spending time with her. He tries to cheer her up, and sometimes it works. Greg and Earl make movies, bad movies. As it turns out, the dying girl, Rachel, loves their movies.

The book is mostly about Greg's misadventures, but there are some sad, sweet moments too. I highly recommend this one.

Summer Reading #3

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

First of all, the cover is intriguing, and makes you curious as to what is inside. Then you read the back and learn that, according to rumors, Alice is a slut. And a killer. Is it true? You have to read to find out.

Alice herself doesn't actually tell this story. The story is told by the most popular girl in school, and on again/off again girlfriend of the boy who was killed; the best friend of the boy who was killed; Alice's best friend; and the neighbor of the boy who was killed. Not likely to get the real story because of personal biases.

Allegedly, Alice slept with two boys in one night at a party. One of those boys was the quarterback on the football team, and a huge player. Alice gets a reputation for that. Then, a few weeks later, the quarterback is involved in a car accident. He was driving drunk, but his mother wrote that off as no big deal, there had to have been something else, so the boy's best friend tells the mom that Alice was sexting him, causing the crash. As if the previous rumors weren't bad enough, this turns Alice into a pariah in their small town.

An interesting read from the various perspectives. As you read, you find out what really happened, and see the madness started by rumors and lies.

Summer Reading #2

The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings

This is the sequel to The Murder Complex, and tells what happens next for Meadow and Zephyr. As it turns out, they are going to bring down the Initiative. Meadow's family is missing, and she wants to find them, but first she has to escape. She manages that, and finds Zephyr. They end up leaving the Shallows, and this takes a HUGE toll on Meadow.

Once again, I don't want to go into too much detail because I really don't want to ruin the story. I will say this though: I am glad this didn't end with one of those endings where everything is sunshine and roses. It feels real somehow. I also appreciate that Cummings doesn't resort to foul language in her writing. I read a lot of YA books, and I know that language is an important component for readers to relate to the characters. I also know that there are a ton of kids who miss out because they don't want to read the bad language. This book shows that you don't need the bad language to tell a fantastic story. Also, no sex. There is one sentence that implies some intimacy occurred, but that's it.

Will there be a third book? Seems like Cummings said "No" when I met her a few months ago. That being said, I feel that she left the ending open should she decide there is more to tell about Meadow and Zephyr.

Summer Reading #1

Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

I like both of these authors, so I am not sure why it took me this long to read this, but I am so glad I did. I would also like to say that this is not like any other John Green book I have read, and that is a good thing too.

This book is told from two perspectives: Will Grayson, straight, Tiny Cooper's best friend, and Will Grayson, gay, tormented, and once Tiny Cooper's boyfriend. Both Will Graysons live in Illinois, and have a chance meeting at Frenchy's porn shop. The book basically goes on about their lives and how Tiny fits into it.

There is so much more I want to say, but I am afraid that if I say anymore, I will ruin the story. Just trust me, this is worth the read.

Tragic Family Drama

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng

"Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet." How can you not want to read a book that starts out this way? When I saw this in the blurb on the back, in the Target in San Marcos, Texas, I knew this was going on my summer reading list. I managed to hold off buying it for a week, and then read it BEFORE a book I have been waiting for since March. Why? Because I was intrigued. I have no complaints whatsoever with this book. It was a fairly quick read, and there was the perfect mix of description and dialogue, so it kept me interested.

As the first line states, Lydia is dead, just days after her sixteenth birthday, having drowned in the "lake" near her house. Is it a homicide? A suicide? No one knows. While we do find out the answer to that question, that's not what this book is about. It's not a mystery to solve. Instead, we see what led up to this tragedy. We see how Lydia's siblings felt about Lydia being the center of her parents' world. We see how her parents met, and how tough things were because one was Chinese and the other a blond blue eyed American.

There were reasons for what happened to Lydia, and in reading these stories, you understand. I can't recommend this book enough.

A Tale of Margaret Pole

The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory

I have read all of the books by this author in her Cousin's War and Tudor series because I love her work. She thoroughly researches her subjects, and I'd like to believe that things happened fairly closely to the way she wrote them.

This particular book is about Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. Margaret is a Plantagenet, which means that just being herself could put her in danger during the Tudor rule. At the beginning of the book, she is in charge, with her husband, of overseeing Arthur, Prince of Wales. When Katherine of Aragon comes to England, she befriends her, and they remain friends until Katherine's death. She sees Henry VIII come to the throne, and is the one who is responsible for breaking the news of his children's births. She is also the governess of Mary Tudor, until she moves to Hatfield to serve Elizabeth.

As I said, just being who she is, she and her family are always suspected of treason. At the end of her life, two of her sons and she herself are sent to the Tower of London. Her oldest son and heir is executed for treason. Margaret herself is executed, even though no charges were ever brought against her. Her execution, of itself, was fairly interesting. The executioner was inept, and did not behead her on the first try. She got up, ran and had to be chased, all the while the executioner is hacking at her. It took about ten blows to finally cause her death.

Margaret led an interesting life, and I am glad this book gave me insight into said life.

Boring Kidnapping Story

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

I saw this one day at the bookstore with my daughter. It was on one of those YA Must Read tables, so I read the back cover. The premise sounded good, so I bought it.

In a nutshell, Gemma is travelling with her parents. They have a layover in Bangkok, where she meets a guy at the airport coffee shop. His name is Ty. Ty drugs her coffee, and kidnaps Gemma, whisking her off to the middle of nowhere Australia. Turns out, Ty has been stalking Gemma since he was 19 and she was 10, which is not creepy at all. *sarcasm* She's now 16, so he stalked her for six years, all the while building a house in the middle of nowhere. He was convinced she would ultimately fall in love with him. Sadly, I know it happens, and it did here too. She does manage to get away, and this book is Gemma's letter to Ty about the time he had her.

Really, this sounded good. I just wish it was as good as it sounded. I was more than 200 pages in before I got to the "I can't put this book down" point. No one should have to be that invested in a book for it to be good. I have to wonder how it won so many book awards, as boring as it was. I am happy to say though, there was nothing sexual, so I can let my daughter read this. Only a couple of f-bombs dropped, if you have a problem with that. Seriously though, I wouldn't waste my time.

Based on a poem

His Last Duchess by  Gabrielle  Kimm

This book is  based on the poem "My Last  Duchess " by Robert  Browning,  which was  based on historical  events.  In this story,  Lucrezia de Medici is married off to Alonso, Duke of Ferrara. He cannot seem to  consummate  their marriage,  but blames her. In order to get  an heir, he plots her death so he can marry elsewhere.

In the meantime,  Lucrezia  falls in love with  a  painter who came with Fra Pandolf to paint a fresco and later her portrait. The painter gets wind of the duke's plan, and tries to  save Lucrezia.

If you've read the poem, you think you  know the story. What  if you're  wrong?

Fall Reading List Possibility #13

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

It was on the list, so I got it off the shelf. Immediately, I thought this might be a bad idea. Why? Because the cover describes it as a combination between Lord of the Flies and A Separate Peace, both of which I hated. Also, this is the oldest book on the reading list. I wondered why. Apparently, this is the first book that is considered young adult. Well, that seemed to explain why it was on my reading list. It had to be done, so I read it.

I'll be the first to admit that this book was nothing like the two books it was compared to. It was actually much easier to read, and stay focused on. I won't say I enjoyed it, however.

This book takes place at a Catholic boys' school in New England. There's a corrupt teacher, and a "secret society." We hear from several different character's perspectives. It's about a school fundraiser, and what happens to the one boy who decides he doesn't want to participate. It's not good, and the ending is a bit unresolved, as the reader doesn't know what happens to the dissenter.

What would have made this better, in my opinion, is knowing why Jerry didn't want to sell the chocolates. For the first two weeks, it makes sense, but after that, he doesn't give much of a reason. Then again, if everyone knew why he didn't want to sell the chocolates, it probably wouldn't have ended the way that it did. I also really wanted to see Archie get what was coming to him, but that didn't happen either. Those things were a bit of a let down for me.

Fall Reading List Possibility #12

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

This has been on my Kindle for months, it looks like it may be on my young adult reading list for fall, and I was shamed by my team because I hadn't read it yet. All these are reasons I decided to read this book at this time.

Melinda is raped at a party during the summer before her freshman year of high school. All her friends hate her because she called the cops, and they broke up the party. No one knows the reason why Melinda called the cops because Melinda can't talk about what happened. She has become a social pariah for something that wasn't her fault.

When she does talk about it, the person she tells doesn't believe her, and thinks she is just jealous. School becomes an unsafe place for Melinda from time to time. She does, however, find some solace in the project she has to complete for art, a hidden away closet, and the flowers she plants in her yard.

I thought that this was well written, considering the author is an adult trying to think like a teenager, She does a good job with it, and Melinda is believable. Not all books written this way are successful. I would like to read more from this author because of her treatment of this book.

TAYSHAS #18

The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos

Harry, when he was eight, was tied to a dogwood tree by children he wanted to play with. They ran off when it started to rain, and the tree was struck by lightning and caught fire with Harry still tied to it. Physically and emotionally scarred, Harry has a hard time with life. He's a loner and is picked on a great deal. One day in junior high while being bullied at lunch, another kid, Johnny, stands up for him.

Harry and Johnny become friends and start a band. Things go well for them, and they go on tour. There are problems.

What I got out of this is that Harry never stands up for himself, even when, or especially when his best friend is the one who treats him badly. If I have one complaint, that's it-that Harry just takes what's dished out.

TAYSHAS #17

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Jersey is 16, and lives with her mother, stepfather, and pre-school aged little sister, Marin. One day, just before school was out for the year, Jersey's mother took Marin to dance class, and a horrible hurricane hit. Jersey lost her house while she was in the basement. Two days later, her stepfather found her, and informed her that the tornado took her mother and sister from her.

As if this isn't bad enough, no one seems to want Jersey. She really has no one to take her in, until the most unlikely people do.

This was a gut wrenching, realistic novel about loss.

TAYSHAS #16

Rotten by Michael Northrop

I thought I was done with TAYSHAS for this year, but then I got my ducks. One of my ducks is a black and tan dog, that I got because it reminded me of my black and tan dachshund. One of my librarians said it looked like Rotten. When I gave her a confused look, she asked if I read the book with the dog on the cover. I hadn't and it was there, so here we are.

JD is just home from upstate, and his mother rescued a Rottweiler while he was gone. Johnny Rotten, or JR, is what JD has decided his name is. JR doesn't like men much, but JD is working on him. One day, one of JD's idiot friends comes over and gets bitten. This bite is thrown out of proportion, and JD and his mom are now being sued. Things don't look good for JR, who has a bully breed history. Will JD be able to save his canine buddy?

Prequel Novella

Fear Trials by Lindsay Cummings

I liked Murder Complex so much that I got the prequel novella on my kindle. It's a fairly short read, but it highlights how Meadow became the killer that she had to be to survive the Shallows. It also shows Koi, and how he acts toward Meadow after he fails. We also get to see Meadow's mother in a much different light than in the main book.

This was a good, short read to tide me over till the sequel comes out in May.

TAYSHAS #15

Freakboy by Kristin Elizabeth Clark

I always say that in teaching, the relationships with students is more important than the content I teach. I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I am the teacher kids go to when they feel they need to talk to. I know this, and the counselors have told me this too. They purposely put the kids who need someone with me. I've had a student come out to me and ask for advice about telling her friends. I've talked one out of suicide. There's nothing special about me, per se, I just listen. I'm good at that. I have yet to have a student who is transgendered, but I feel that having read this book will help me to be empathetic when that day comes.

Brendan is a high school senior. He has a baby sister, a mother, an interloper, and a girlfriend. He is on the wrestling team, even though he hates it. Brendan also thinks he may be transgender. He is experiencing some serious confusion, as he is caught between liking aspects of being male, yet wanting to be female. It has caused problems with his girlfriend, and things get worse when his best friend catches him in a bra.

Lucky for Brendan, he meets Angel, who is also transgender, and works at a youth center for transgender teens. Angel has been through some rough times herself, but she is someone that Brendan can talk to. While there's no true resolution to this story, I'd like to believe that Brendan turns out ok. There were some dark times for him as he wrestled with his identity, and my heart broke for him. I want him to be ok.

This was told in verse, but this didn't detract from the message at all. In fact, for once, it was an easier read than it might have been. I like that the author also included messages within some of the poems.

All in all, and I know this sounds cheesy, but I feel like a better person for having read this.

TAYSHAS #14

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

Apparently books about girls in boarding schools are one of the themes of this year's list. Last year, it was boys in boarding schools.

Jam is sent to a boarding school in Vermont because she is having trouble coping with the death of her boyfriend, Reeve. This particular school caters, if you will, to people who have problems. Jam is chosen for a select English program. There are only four other students in the class, and it is the teacher's swan song.

The students are required to write in a journal in this class, and something happens to each of them when they do. This draws the five of them together, and helps them to heal.

I liked this book until I read the truth about Reeve. Then I felt cheated. Frankly, if her classmates had known this, I believe they would have felt cheated by Jam as well.

Might be on my fall reading list

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexi

Some months ago, I saw the reading list for the Spring 2015 Young Adult Lit class, and this book was on it. I am taking that class this fall, and unless the list changes drastically, I am one book closer to having the list done.

I can see why this book has won so many awards. It's a nice mix of humor and realism, and you feel things with the narrator. It's great when the reader can laugh along with and feel things with the narrator.

Arnold "Junior" Spirit lives on an Indian reservation in Washington state. He has some health issues which makes him come across as a wimp, and many people mess with him. His best friend, Rowdy, protects him. On the first day of his freshman year, Junior gets upset because he is given a textbook that belonged to his mother when she was in high school, many years before. Junior gets so mad that he throws the book at his teacher and breaks his nose. While serving the suspension for this infraction, this teacher comes by and tells Junior he's better than the school on the reservation. Junior ends up going to a high school in a "nearby" white community.

At first, Junior is not well liked because he is different. He doesn't fit in at his school, and he doesn't fit in on the reservation because they feel like he has betrayed them for wanting better for himself. Junior makes some friends, plays varsity basketball, and becomes popular. Sounds good, right? Well, this is when the author gets serious. He makes no secret that alcoholism is a problem on the reservation, and because of alcohol, Junior loses three important people in his life. I cried with Junior when I read this.

Like I said, this book makes you feel what the narrator feels. That seems to be a rare and wonderful thing.

TAYSHAS #13

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard

Emily is now away at boarding school. It was thought best for her after her boyfriend killed himself in the school library because she was pregnant and wouldn't marry him. That is the meat of the story.

Emily happens to share her birthday with Emily Dickinson, goes to the same school she did, and is a poet as well. Emily finds a connection with the famous poet.

Yea.

This was a fairly quick read, but not entirely entertaining.

TAYSHAS #12

Coaltown Jesus by Ron Koertge

I chose this because it was short, and then two different people told me I would like this book. It's short, and the format looks like verse. It was sweet, and gave me a new perspective on Jesus. Apparently, he's funny and likes Almond Joy candy bars.

Walker's brother recently died, and he has asked Jesus to help his mother cope with it. Turns out, Walker needs help coping too, though he doesn't realize it yet. Jesus hangs out with Walker for a few days, and Walker is able to see the beauty in what is around him. Jesus helps him, just like we believers think he will do.

I like this version of Jesus, and I hope he's this cool in Heaven.

TAYSHAS #11

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

On the recommendation of one of my students and one of the school librarians, I read this book. For the first 75% of the book, I didn't like it. Not sure why I didn't give up, but I guess I am glad I didn't. I guess.

Noah and Jude are twins. Noah is crazy artistic and Jude is outgoing. The book is told by Noah at age fourteen and Jude at age sixteen. Basically, what happens before and after their mother's death. We learn their secrets and their heartbreaks, as well as their mother's.

Like I said, and ok book. It's winning a ton of awards, but I just don't understand why. I didn't think it was anything special, particularly since it took so much before I liked the book.

TAYSHAS #10

Tease by Amanda Maciel

In our day and age, bullying is a big deal. Some kids are bullied to the point that suicide seems like the best option to escape. This book is about bullying from the side of the bully.

Emma Putnam killed herself in March. Her parents claim it was due to the bullying she received from Sara and Brielle, but we'll never know because we never "hear" Emma's side of the story. We do, however, "hear" Sara's.

The book goes back and forth from the present to the events that lead up to Emma's suicide. Apparently, Emma has a thing for the boys because she has earned a reputation for being loose and a boyfriend stealer. She steals Sara's boyfriend, and that is part of why Sara and Brielle bully her. They call her things like skank and slut because they feel those names are earned by her actions. They pull pranks on Emma, like sending her fifty roses for Valentine's Day. Apparently, it all gets to Emma because she kills herself.

Sara, Brielle, and a couple of others are going to trial because Emma's parents believe they should pay for driving Emma to suicide. Once again, I have a hard time believing that's all that drove her to that. There's a story there that the reader doesn't know. Now, this in no way means I am downplaying bullying, but without her side, we just can't know for sure.

Anyway, Sara is the one telling the story, and it is clear that a lot of what she does to Emma is because her best friend is doing it. I am not trying to absolve Sara either, but peer pressure makes us do bad things sometimes. And yes, this is me speaking from experience. By the end of the book, I felt some empathy for Sara.

TAYSHAS #9

Conversion by Katherine Howe

I had no idea that this was on the list until I accessed the ebook site for the school. Had I known earlier that this was on the list, I am fairly certain I would have read it before now, as I have been debating with myself whether I should purchase this book.

In 2012 in Danvers, Massachusetts, several girls mysteriously come down with illnesses. No one knows why. It makes national news, there is no cure, and still no one knows what's causing this. Colleen sees all this going on, but doesn't understand what's going on around her. Then she has to research The Crucible to bring up her grade in APUSH. What she finds makes her realize, to some extent, the similarities between what is going on now and what went on in 1692, particularly since Danvers used to be known as Salem Village.

What I liked best about this book was that it jumped from 2012 to the early 1700's. I love the Salem Witch Trials, so getting so read something based on real events after the trials was a treat for me. I realize both stories in this book are fiction, but both are based on real events, and I found that interesting. Glad I read this one.

Dysfunctional Family Time

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

Camille is a reporter for a small Chicago newspaper. Her editor gets wind of a murder mystery in her home town, and sends Camille home to cover it. While there, Camille finds herself reliving moments of her childhood with her mother.

Camille had a younger sister who died because she was sickly, or so everyone believed. It took coming home to investigate the deaths of two young girls for Camille to find out otherwise. Camille also becomes acquainted with her youngest sister, who is not what she appears to be.

The whole time Camille is home, she is mind f#$%ed by her mother and sister, and this causes issues. Camille does end up finding out who the killer is.

I know I did a bad job summing this up, but I REALLY don't want to give it away. I could not put this one down. I wish there were more of Flynn's books because she keeps me enthralled. They're fiction, but they draw the reader in, and they feel so real.

Great Thriller

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

After reading Gone Girl last year, I had contemplated reading Flynn's other novels. The reason I went ahead with this one is because I saw it was being made into a movie, and I wanted to read it first. This was a good decision.

The best way I can describe this is a cross between Amityville Horror (the original movie, as I have never read the book) and In Cold Blood. Reading this, you would never know it was fiction.

In the early hours of January 3, 1985, Patty, Debby, and Michelle Day were killed in their home. The youngest child, Libby, made it out safely, and the oldest child, Ben, was convicted of their murders. Twenty-five years after the murders, Libby, running out of money, is approached by a group who is convinced that Ben didn't commit the murders. Libby finds herself on a mission to find out the truth about what happened.

Flipping between the perspective of Libby in the present and Ben and Patty on that fateful day in 1985, we, the reader, finds out what really happened. There are some interesting twists and turns, as well as some disturbing imagery, but, all in all, a book that holds your attention.

TAYSHAS #8

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

No joke, I chose this book because the cover kept popping up in my dreams. Is that weird or what?

Cadence is from a wealthy family in the northeast. She is the oldest grandchild, and every summer, they travel to the family's own private island off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. There, her grandparents have their own house, her mother her own house, and her two aunts each have their own house. Every summer, she spends with her cousins, of which, she is closest to Johnny and Mirren, and Johnny's quasi cousin, Gat. They refer to themselves as the liars.

As the book begins, Cadence is nearing her eighteenth birthday, but is having trouble remembering the summer she turned sixteen. All she knows is that an accident happened, but she doesn't know exactly what happened to cause the accident or the immediate aftermath. All she knows is that as a result, she has these awful headaches and everyone babies her now.

Now that she is headed back to the scene of the accident, things have changed, but bit by bit, she remembers what happened that one awful summer.

This started off slow, but once it got going, was a very good read.

My First Signed Book

The Murder Complex by Lindsay Cummings

I bought this book because the author came to my school library a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly, when I saw it was dystopian, my first thought was "Ugh, another one?" because there are so many dystopian novels out there right now. In fact, I probably never would have read this had the author not come to my school, if you want the truth. So, I met the author, and she signed my book. She is totally cool, and for someone so young, I was and am totally blown away by her writing. I am so glad I gave this book a chance. I will be buying the "prequel" novella and the sequel to this, and I have put it on my list of lit circle books for my classroom.

Told from the perspectives of Meadow and Zephyr. Meadow lives on a houseboat with her father, older brother, and younger sister. Her mother was killed sometime before. Zephyr is a ward, which more or less means he grew up an orphan. They live in Florida, in what today is the Everglades. People are given rations based on their job for the society. What makes this society interesting is that when it gets dark every evening, hundreds of people are killed, and no one knows why. Meadow has been trained all her life to survive by her father. Zephyr's job is to pick up all the dead bodies.

Meadow and Zephyr meet, and find that they need to find out the mystery of the killings. What will it cost them to know the truth? How can they stop it?

I don't want to give too much away. Just trust me, you want to read this book.