Return to Sender

Check out what I'm reading this summer!

Alvarez, J. (2009). Return to sender. NY: Random House.

Program Type: Audiobooks

Length: 7h 32m

Release Date: Sep 14, 2010

After Tyler's father is injured in a tractor accident, his family is forced to hire migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from foreclosure. Tyler isn’t sure what to make of these workers. Are they undocumented? And what about the three daughters, particularly Mari, the oldest, who is proud of her Mexican heritage but also increasingly connected her American life. Her family lives in constant fear of being discovered by the authorities and sent back to the poverty they left behind in Mexico. Can Tyler and Mari find a way to be friends despite their differences?
In a novel full of hope, but no easy answers, Julia Alvarez weaves a beautiful and timely story that will stay with readers long after they finish it.

The One Memory of Flora Banks

Check out what I'm reading this summer!

Barr, E. (2016). The one memory of Flora Banks. NY: Penguin Books.

Program Type: Audiobooks

Length: 8h 9m

Release Date: Dec 12, 2016

How do you know who to trust when you can't even trust yourself?
I look at my hands. One of them says, 'Flora be brave'.
Flora has anterograde amnesia. She can't remember anything day to day: the joke her friend made, the instructions her parents gave her, how old she is.
Then she kisses someone she shouldn't, and the next day she remembers it. It's the first time she's remembered anything since she was 10. But the boy is gone. She thinks he's moved to the Arctic. Will following him be the key to unlocking her memory? Whom can she trust?

The One Memory of Flora Banks is the unforgettable young adult audiobook of 2017.

Bang

Check out what I'm reading this summer!

Lyga, B. (2017). Bang. NY: Little, Brown.

Program Type: Audiobooks

Length:5h 37m

Release Date: April 18, 2017

A heartbreaking novel about living with your worst mistake, from New York Times best-selling author Barry Lyga.

A chunk of old memory, adrift in a pool of blood.
Sebastian Cody did something horrible, something no one - not even Sebastian himself - can forgive. At the age of four, he accidentally shot and killed his infant sister with his father's gun.
Now, 10 years later, Sebastian has lived with the guilt and horror for his entire life. With his best friend away for the summer, Sebastian has only a new friend - Aneesa - to distract him from his darkest thoughts. But even this relationship cannot blunt the pain of his past. Because Sebastian knows exactly how to rectify his childhood crime and sanctify his past. It took a gun to get him into this. Now he needs a gun to get out. Unflinching and honest, Bang is as true and as relevant as tomorrow's headlines, the story of one boy and one moment in time that cannot be reclaimed.

Eragon

Eragon
Christopher Paolini

5 Stars - It's hard to imagine a better book!

Summary: First, Eragon finds a dragon egg and the dragon hatches.  Next, he and Brom travel along with his dragon in search of a place where the evil empire will not find them.  After Eragon and the dragon both grow up, they start to fight against the empire and join a secret rebellion called the Varden. 

Review: This book was one of the best books I have ever read.  The series is probably my favorite also.  Almost anybody who enjoys action would love this book!  There is always plenty of action and adventure in this book.  It is a real page-turner!

Reviewed by: Samantha Grade 5

Mercy Watson Something Wonky Comes this Way

Mercy Watson Something Wonky Comes this Way
Chris Van Dusen

4 Stars - This book is better than most.

Summary: Mercy is a pig that thinks she is human.  She loves buttered toast.  She goes around town making trouble but, she does not know it.  Mercy begins a big chase.  Why does she cause a big ruckus?  Will she get caught?  Read and find out.

Review: I think this is a book for all grades.  It has lots of funny pictures.  The part I like best is the big chase.

Reviewed by: Anonymous 3rd Grade

The Unwanteds

The Unwanteds

Lisa McMann

5 Stars - It's hard to imagine a better book!

Summary: Thirteen year old Alex Stowe was declared an unwanted by the land of Quill's governors.  He was supposed to be thrown in the lake of boiling oil, except then a stranger saved him and brought him to a land that was filled with magic and creativity, unlike the city of Quill. There, Alex and his companions trained in magic to become prepared for battle, in case the city of Quill found out all of the unwanteds were still alive.

Review: This book was an amazing book.  Anybody who likes Harry Potter books or Percy Jackson books would love this book.  There is action and adventure in every chapter.

Reviewed by: Rey Grade 5

Love, Stargirl

Love, Stargirl

Jerry Spinelli

4 Stars - This book is better than most.

Summary: Stargirl is a girl who has a dream of meeting again with her old boyfriend Leo who dumped her. She meets a girl named Dootsie who introduces Stargirl to a bunch of people and later falls in love with a boy named Perry. She has a party for Winter Solstice and everyone is invited. She wishes to be reunited with Leo but they live in different states. She has troubles and adventures a long the way. :)

Review: I really liked this book. I think that the best parts about this book are when she is in the fire, it was suspenseful. Also, I liked the part when they see the movie and pretend to be scared and run out. My last favorite part about the book is, well, I can't tell you or it will spoil the ending!!! I think that a lot of girls in fourth and fifth grade would love this book. But boys might be like, "EEEEWWWW this is a romance!!"

Reviewed by: Sebastian 5th Grade

Blizzard of the Blue Moon

Blizzard of the Blue Moon
Mary Pope Osbourne

5 Stars - It's hard to imagine a better book!

Summary: This book is about Jack and Annie lost in a blizzard.  They find a big castle.  They think the unicorn, which they are trying to find, is in the castle. 

Review: The best part of this book is when they find themselves in a museum.  If you like adventure and unicorns, this is the book for you.

Reviewed by: Sofia Grade 2

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom
Christopher Healy

5 Stars- It's hard to imagine a better book!

Summary: Sleeping beauty is evil, Cinderella want adventure, Snow White is tired, Rapunzel is mad, a evil witches rising and a bunch of bards have been kidnapped.  On top of all that, 4 very unreliable Prince Charmings are the only ones who can save the day...will they?

Review: This book has a thrilling plot and perfectly puts all the normal fairy tales together to make a hilarious masterpiece filled with everything from Evil Princesses to friendly, not very smart giants.  
Reviewed by Kattia grade 5

Wheels of Change

Macy, S. (2011). Wheels of change. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

Media Type: Audiobooks
Narrated by Meredith Orlow
Length: 2hrs 9 min
Release Date: June 20, 2012

Award: YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults-Nominee 2012

Summary:
This nonfiction informational book is about the history of bicycles and women's slow and steady fight for more freedom. Wheels of Change follows the effect bicycling had on women in the 1880 and 1890’s. It starts with a brief history of the invention of the bicycle before presenting a nineteenth century history of the use of bicycles by women. Women had to demand a voice when it came to clothing choices and the effect of bicycling on their health.  Bicycling was both seen as a health restorative and a sign of promiscuous behavior. This book is filled with uplifting stories of some of the women who rode bicycles and played a role in the evolution of its form.

Response:
This nonfiction books gives us an interesting perspective on how the bicycle, something we think of as giving freedom of movement to children, gave freedom and independence to women in an age where there were strict ideas of gender roles in society. A great read for anyone interested in little known aspects of history, history of transportation, women's history, and bicycles.

Other books by author

 Teaching Tools

Author's Website

http://www.suemacy.com/

Author's Blog

http://www.suemacy.com/sues-views

Lesson Plan by Six Trait Gurus
https://sixtraitgurus.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/cycling-to-freedom-blending-the-fascinating-history-of-bikes-with-womens-rights/

Awards & Reviews

Booklist

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Horn Book Magazine

New York Times

School Library Journal starred

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Wilson's Children

Wilson's Junior High School

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults-Nominees

The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

Henry, A. (2013). The girl who was supposed to die. New York: Henry Holt and Co.

Media Type: Audiobooks

Narrated by Cristina Panfilio

Length: 5h 25m

Release Date: June 11, 2013

Quick Picks 2014

Summary:

This novel begins with a young girl waking up battered and bruised. Two of her fingernails are missing, she has a loose tooth and has no memory of who she is or what happened. The next thing she remembers is being dragged out into the woods by a man who is going to finish her off. However, somehow she manages to escape. She knows that she needs to find help because she has no idea who she is and why someone would want to kill her. In her first attempt to get help she finds a security officer in Newberry Ranch. She soon discovers that she's being followed and the officer ends up dead. Next she meet Ty, who works at McDonald's and who decides to help her. With Ty's help she begins to piece together information that eventually lead her to the truth. The reason she had been targeted was because her parents created a vaccine that was going to be used for evil purposes by the company. Her parents had managed to run away with her little brother but she was kidnapped to try and gather information. In the end, she is reunited with her family and all the "bad" people are jailed awaiting trial. Ty and Cady remain friends at the end of the novel.

Response:

There is a lot going on in this novel. First, we don't know our main character's name because she suffers from amnesia. Secondly, we don't know if she is going to be the type a heroine or possible a killer. Once I got passed the first few chapters, I realized that she was not only brave, but incredibly quick on her feet. The author captures the point of view of a kidnapping victim extremely well because not only do we see the flight decision making, we see how determined she is to find out who she is and her desire to live.

Other books by author

Teaching Tools

Author's Website

http://www.aprilhenrymysteries.com/

Author's Blog

http://aprilhenry.livejournal.com/

The Siren

Cass, K. (2016). The siren. New York, NY: Harper Teen.

Media Type: Audiobooks

Narrated by Arielle DeLisle

Length: 7 hours

Release Date: January 26, 2016

New York Best Seller List : #1 week of February 14, 2016

Summary:

As a young girl Kahlen is spared by the ocean when her ship goes down killing everyone on board. In return she must serve the ocean for 100 years as a siren. Being a siren consist of seducing humans with her song to feed the ocean. For 80 years Kahlen is obedient and loved deeply by the ocean. Until one day she meets a boy named Akinli and she falls madly in love. Realizing that she will never be allowed to love him she leaves him only to reunite with him months later. This time she makes the mistake of speaking to him and the ocean is outraged and almost kills him. In an effort to spare his life she pleads with the ocean to let him live. She allows him to live but punishes her to 50 more years of servitude added to her sentence. A few months later she begins to fall ill and finds out that he is dying of an unknown cause. After doing much research her sisters find out the problem and beg the ocean for compassion. At first the ocean refuses to let her go and save Akinli but in the end she transforms her back into a human. When she is reunited with him she has no memory of her past or who he is. All she remembers is his voice, and that is all she needs to know that everything will be alright.

Response:

This novel had a unique twist on a mythological story of sirens. The setting throughout the book perfectly blended the real world and fantasy together. While I wanted the end to include more details to see how everything was resolved, I enjoyed the development of the plot and it ended the way I expected it to.

Other books by the author

Teaching Tools

Author's Website

http://www.kieracass.com/

Author's Blog

http://partylikeawordstar.tumblr.com/

Interview with author

http://ronreads.com/author-interview/author-interview-kiera-cass/

The Sledding Hill

Crutcher, C. (2005). The sledding hill. NY: Greenwillow Books.

Media Type: Hardcover Book

This book contains 230 pages.

Summary:

In The Sledding Hill novel, you will meet Eddie, who encounters a great loss and feels miserable, when his father and his best friend pass away.  Eddie does not know how to react when they pass away and stops talking, he chooses to become mute.  His best friend Billie’s soul remains in Earth and wanders next to him and gives him hope over the deaths.  Eddie’s mother desperately not knowing how to help Eddie decides to join a church, the Red Brock Church.  She seeks help for him and Eddie slowly begins to talk again.  Eddie starts speaking again and only because he desires to stand up to a conservative minister and English teacher who is orchestrating a censorship challenge.  The ending of this novel ends when Eddie makes new friends and even gets a girlfriend.  After seeing Eddie become stronger, the soul of Billy decides to say his final goodbye’s to Eddie forever.    

Response:

This book would be a great recommendation for Banned Books Week, students struggling with personal choice issues related to religion, sexuality, friendship, and students who are actively seeking to read books with multiple perspectives on contemporary issues.

Other books by the author

Awards/Reviewing Sources:
Publishers Weekly starred 06/06/05
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) 06/01/05
School Library Journal starred 06/01/05
Kirkus Reviews starred 04/15/05
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 06/01/05
Booklist 05/15/05
Horn Book 10/01/05

Teaching Tools

Author's Website

http://www.chriscrutcher.com/

Lesson Plan from HarperCollins Children's

https://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pdf/HarperCollins/ChrisCrutcherBooks_Guide.pdf

The Scorpio Races

Stiefvater, M. (2011). The Scorpio Races. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Media Type: Audiobooks
Narrated by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham
Length: 12 hrs. 6 min.
Release Date: October 18, 2011

Award: Printz Honor Book 2012

Summary:
In the island of Thisby there is a special race called "The Scorpio Race" that is done every year in which men ride water horses called Capaill Uisge.  There are two different horse riders this year, Sean Kendrick who is a natural with the creatures and a female named Kate Puck who unwillingly is trying the race for the first time.  Sean is sure he will win which will secure him his very own water horse.  Kate is forced to race because if she wins her family will have a place to live otherwise they will be homeless. Sean and Kate begin to develop mutual feelings towards each other. Unfortunately they are competing against each other and only one person can win the race.  When Sean sacrifices his winnings Kate arises victorious.

Response:
There is a slight romance in this novel but "The Scorpio Races" is not only about a love story. While listening to the epilogue you will learn that the Capaill Uisge are actually based off of an ancient myth about water horses. This is a  dystopian novel about carnivorous water horses that come out of the ocean each year. They are captured and raced by the islanders with deadly results which attracts tourist to the small island.

Other books by the author

          

Teaching Tools

Author's Website

http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/

Author's Blog

http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/blog/matt-sobel-set-to-direct-the-scorpio-races-for-focus-features/

Lesson Plan from Scholastic

https://www.teachingbooks.net/media/pdf/Scholastic/ScorpioRacesDG2012.pdf