Friday, March 23, 2012

Book 11: The Gardener

The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen

Mason doesn't know anything about his father, other than the one video of his dad reading a bedtime story.  He hates seeing his mom struggle; there's never enough money, she spends numerous evenings at the local bar, and she has a dead end job at the town's nursing home.  Then Mason meets a girl who's different from every other girl he's met--and he tries to ignore that she doesn't appear to need food or water. . .   He begins to uncover secrets that his mom has been hiding and soon realizes that the past isn't what he thought it was--and his future may not be what he wants either.      

**A Truman Nominee for 2012-2013

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Book 10: Revolver

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

Sig's father, Einar, has taught him how to shoot a Colt revolver--according to him, the most beautiful symbol of perfection known to man.  Sig never dreams that he'll need it, especially not after he discovers his father's frozen body in the broken ice of a nearby lake.  He waits at home with the body while his sister and stepmother get help, but a stranger appears at their cabin door, claiming that Einar has gold that belongs to him.  Sig has never known his father to have any gold, and as the stranger tells his tale, Sig discovers that it isn't the only secret his father kept from the family.  As Sig is held hostage, he realizes that the only way out is to get Einar's revolver--which is hidden in the cabin's back storeroom.  Can he get his hands on it before the stranger shoots his own gun, silencing Sig forever?      

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Book 9: Jefferson's Sons

Jefferson's Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Most of us know Thomas Jefferson as the third President of the United States, the Founding Father who wrote the Declaration of Independence.  Few know that after his wife died, he fell in love with his slave, Sally Hemings, and had seven children with her.  This is the story of the four children who lived:  Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston.  Based on true facts, Bradley explains the hardships of growing up as both a slave AND Master Jefferson's children:  the disappointments of never having a "father," the special treatment not extended to other Monticello slaves, and the constant battle to define oneself in a world that had already labeled them.  Were they the President's children or slaves?  And was it possible to be both?   

Friday, March 9, 2012

Book 8: Paranormalcy

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Evie is used to her not-so-normal life.  Her best friend is a mermaid, her former love is a faerie, and her tutor is a werewolf.  She works for IPCA, International Paranormal Containment Agency, with a special gift:  she can see paranormals' true identities through their "glamours."  She travels through faerie doors, "tags and bags" vampires, and meanwhile, watches episodes of her favorite teen drama, wishing she could go to high school like a normal girl.  But then a creature like nothing she's seen before ends up in the Center, and suddenly, something is mysteriously killing paranormals.  It's up to Evie to figure out what's happening, and she learns that her own identity isn't quite what she once believed.

**A Truman Nominee for 2012-2013