Hero by Mike Lupica (4.6/8.0)

I didn't like this book at first because I felt like the interactions between the characters were cheesy because middle schoolers don't really speak the way he portrays them. I ended up liking it a little better by then end. It still wasn't one of my favorites, but fans of Mike Lupica will like it. Also, I think that students who like books like the Percy Jackson series will like it. It's not about mythology, but it does have that superhero vibe.

Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson (5.4/10.0)

I loved the sequel to Chains. This one was told from a few months after Chains leaves off, but it is told from Curzon's point of view. He and Isabelle are separated and he enlists again as a soldier in the Patriot army. His old owner Bellingham eventually finds him again and forces him back into slavery where he learns that Bellingham has also acquired Isabelle.

Can't wait until the third installment comes out!

Currently reading: Heroes by Mike Lupica (4.6/8.0) This is his first attempt at non-sports related writing. This one is not one of my favorites so far, which is wierd because I enjoyed some of his other books. I feel like maybe Lupica knows how kids talk in a game, but not in real life. The dialog doesn't sound real to me.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (5.2/11.0)

I finished Chains over the weekend and I really enjoyed it. I love historical fiction and this was certainly a good one. Set during the Revolutionary War, it is about a slave named Isabel. She and her sister are sold to a loyalist family that lives in Manhattan. At first Isabel is used as a spy for the revolutionary forces. She overhears a plot to kill George Washington and turns in a list of conspirators names, including the name of her owner. She thinks they will protect her, but they turn her back over to her owners wife, who beats her and has an "I" branded on her face. Through her we learn what life was like during the beginning stages of the war. If you like historical fiction I think you would love this book.

Currently reading: Forge, the sequel to Chains

Voices of Bremen

I am so proud to announce that the video production group completed the "Voices of Bremen" video. We have worked so hard to honor the school system and the students who attended Bremen City Schools in the 65-66 school year. Please enjoy or video. www.bremencs.com/sms/Voices_of_Bremen.mov

Storm Runners by Roland Smith (not yet AR)

I love pretty much anything by Roland Smith and this was no exception. I didn't realize it until the end when I was left hanging, but this is the first book in a new series. In this story, Chase Masters and his father travel across the country from one disaster to another. His father owns a construction company that specializes in clean-up and repair after disaster. The travel to Florida in anticipation of a huge hurricane. His dad is normally pretty good at predicting storms, so he leaves Chase with family friends on a farm about 50 miles north of where he thinks it will make landfall. This farm is a little on the unusual side, instead of cows and pigs, it has lions and elephants. It's the winter home to a traveling circus. When the storm does make landfall, it's not when or where anyone predicted. It hits right where Chase is as he is traveling home from school on a school bus. I'm not going to give away any more, but the cover should clue you in that it's a pretty exciting story!

Book Fair Update

The Book fair went very well. I am excited about all the new books that we were able to get. There are several that look really good. Go Long by Tiki and Ronde Barber and Storm Runners by Roland Smith look particularly interesting. I will try to get them cataloged and out in circulation as soon as possible!

As for what I'm reading:
I just finished Magky by Angie Sage. It is the reason I haven't been posting the past two weeks. It has taken me that long to read it! At over 500 pages, it's quite a long read, but that's not why it took so long. I hate to say this, but it just wasn't that interesting to me. It is about a family of wizards who have seven children. They actually had 7 boys, but one died as an infant and they adopted a baby girl. When the she is about ten her true identity is revealed. Jenna is the future Queen. She was placed with the Heap's to hide her after her mother was murdered. Marcia, the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, comes to get the Jenna and they are forced to leave town and hide with the Heap's aunt, who is the white witch. DomDaniel, the Necromancer, is an evil ex-ExtraOrdinary Wizard and he takes over the city. He wants to find and kill Jenna so that he can take over. It was all just a little too much for me. I have said before that I don't really like books about magic, but I thought after reading and liking the Magic Thief series I would give this one a try. It took me a long time, but I powered through as I am not someone to stop in the middle of a book. There were just too many things going on and not enough action, if that makes any sense. On a positive note, even though I didn't like the book, I know that there are a ton of students who have checked it out and loved it. If you like magic, then I think it would be worth the read. If you don't, I'd skip it.

Pants On Fire by Meg Cabot- I read this one last night. It was so cute. Typical Meg Cabot style. Katie is going to be a senior at Eastport High School in the fall. She works as a waitress at the local hang out serving quahogs to the Quahog football players. In the town of Eastport, the Quahogs are considered gods. The problem with Katie is that she hates quahogs (both varieties), but she is dating the super-cute kicker of the football team and participating in the Quahog Princess Pageant. She's beginning to think her brother was right all those years ago when he would chant, "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!"

Academy Book Fair

Next week is the Academy Book Fair. We will be open on Monday through Wednesday from 8:30-2:40 and on Thursday from 8:30-6:30 to allow parents to visit before or after their conferences.

The Magic Thief: Found (4.9/7.0) by Sarah Prineas

Just finished the third installment of The Magic Thief series. Many are reading books one and two, so I don't want to tell too much about this one because it might ruin those. I will tell you that while on the search for his locus magicalicus Conn discovers where the magic comes from and why it is alive. Will he be able to prove it to the magisters before it's too late?
Overall, it's a good book that seemed to wrap up the series nicely. A must-read if you have started the series.

NOOKS went out today!

The Nooks went out for the first time today! I am so excited. Check out the pics on the Flickr feed at the bottom of the page. The Nooks currently have 34 books on them. They will be checked out for one week only so that as many students can get them as possible. We already have a huge list, but since we have 6 it shouldn't take too long. If you want to check out one, you will need to get a permission slip signed by one of your parents. We are the first school in the area to do anything like this. I am so proud of that. Thanks for all of the support!

As for what I'm reading, I just finished The Limit (4.4/9.0) by Kristen Landon. I am really into these futuristic novels right now. In it, families have spending limits set by the government. If they go over their limit, the government can take their oldest child and put them in a work house to help pay off the debt and get them back under the limit. Matt's family has never had to worry about money or their limit until one day at the grocery store the cashier tells them they are over. By the time they get home, a government worker is waiting to carry Matt away. He is carried to a facility and given an aptitude test to determine what he will be good at. Matt scores well and ends up on the top floor of the building, but right away he can tell that something is not right. I'm not going to give away the ending, but it is definitely worth the read. Fans of the Hunger Games and The Maze Runner series will really enjoy this book.
Currently reading: The Magic Thief: Found Actually it was just turned into the media center today, so I haven't started it yet, but I will let you know.

The Magic Thief: Lost (4.6/8.0) by Sarah Prineas

Finished it last night. I can't wait to get my hands on the third book. I like the way these are written, because although the majority of the story is told from Conn's perspective, we get glimpses of the other characters when we get to read their letters and journals.
This book picks up where the 1st left off. Conn believes magic is a living being, but he is unable to talk to it because of the loss of his locus magicalicus. After Shadows begin attacking the people of Wellmet, Conn causes a series of explosions in which the magic communicates with him. He learns that the magic is worried. It wants him to go to Desh and figure out what or who is controlling these Shadows.
I think all readers at this age group would enjoy this series. Fans of magic and fantasy will find it particularly exciting.