The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini by Peter Johnson
John Smith Jr., aka Houdini, has decided to write a book about his life. There are several characters: his best friends, Jorge and Lucky; his brother, Franklin, who is fighting in Iraq; Jackson, a local Vietnam vet, who has an evil dog named Da Nang; and of course, the "villian," a kid named Angel who is out to get everyone. As the story unfolds, Houdini and his friends find themselves with a new job in town, as his parents struggle with theirs. And then news from Iraq comes, and Houdini learns that his book, and the people in it, have bigger stories to tell than he ever realized.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Book 14: Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick
Peter Friedman is a baseball player. That is, until an injury sends him to the sidelines the summer before he starts high school. Without baseball, he's not sure where he fits in--especially with his best friend, AJ, the other pitcher on the team. On the first day of school, Peter finds himself in a photography class with a girl named Angelika, and together they work on finding the "perfect" shot. But then his grandfather, a famous photographer, suddenly gives Peter all of his camera gear and Peter knows there's something wrong. Can he hide his grandfather's secret and admit his own secret before baseball season rolls around?
Peter Friedman is a baseball player. That is, until an injury sends him to the sidelines the summer before he starts high school. Without baseball, he's not sure where he fits in--especially with his best friend, AJ, the other pitcher on the team. On the first day of school, Peter finds himself in a photography class with a girl named Angelika, and together they work on finding the "perfect" shot. But then his grandfather, a famous photographer, suddenly gives Peter all of his camera gear and Peter knows there's something wrong. Can he hide his grandfather's secret and admit his own secret before baseball season rolls around?
Monday, April 9, 2012
Book 13: Dark Life
Dark Life by Kat Falls
Ty loves his life on the ocean floor. To those on land, it might be odd to live underwater and need Liquigen at times to breathe, but it's the one place where Ty's family can have their own home, not to mention acres and acres of land. One day a "Topsider" named Gemma shows up with a desperate request: she needs help finding her brother. To complicate matters, a gang of outlaws has started attacking the settlers' homesteads and no one knows when they'll strike next. Can Ty help Gemma find her brother and stop the Seablite Gang? As he uncovers the secrets of the deep sea, can he finally find peace with the secret he's been keeping?
**A Truman Nominee for 2012-2013
Ty loves his life on the ocean floor. To those on land, it might be odd to live underwater and need Liquigen at times to breathe, but it's the one place where Ty's family can have their own home, not to mention acres and acres of land. One day a "Topsider" named Gemma shows up with a desperate request: she needs help finding her brother. To complicate matters, a gang of outlaws has started attacking the settlers' homesteads and no one knows when they'll strike next. Can Ty help Gemma find her brother and stop the Seablite Gang? As he uncovers the secrets of the deep sea, can he finally find peace with the secret he's been keeping?
**A Truman Nominee for 2012-2013
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Book 12: Dead End in Norvelt
Dead End in Novelt by Jack Gantos
It's 1962 and Jack doesn't have a care in the world as summer vacation begins in his little town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania--well, except the fact that his nose gushes blood every time he gets excited, worried, or upset. But then his parents ground him and he's stuck at home. His only escape is to help Miss Volker, an elderly woman with arthritis who needs a scribe while she dictates an obituary for the most recent Norvelt death. For being grounded, his summer is a busy one. Between digging a fake bomb shelter for his father who swears the town is full of "Commies" and going to the funeral home to see the latest casualty (the town's mortician is his best friend Bunny's father), there is little time left to dodge the Hell's Angels who have invaded Norvelt or to solve a mystery that rocks the little town. Through it all, Jack learns the role of history in his own life--and even manages to have a few less nosebleeds.
It's 1962 and Jack doesn't have a care in the world as summer vacation begins in his little town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania--well, except the fact that his nose gushes blood every time he gets excited, worried, or upset. But then his parents ground him and he's stuck at home. His only escape is to help Miss Volker, an elderly woman with arthritis who needs a scribe while she dictates an obituary for the most recent Norvelt death. For being grounded, his summer is a busy one. Between digging a fake bomb shelter for his father who swears the town is full of "Commies" and going to the funeral home to see the latest casualty (the town's mortician is his best friend Bunny's father), there is little time left to dodge the Hell's Angels who have invaded Norvelt or to solve a mystery that rocks the little town. Through it all, Jack learns the role of history in his own life--and even manages to have a few less nosebleeds.
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