Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Book 22: Scrawl

Scrawl by Mark Shulman

Tod Munn is a bully.  He breaks kids' glasses, forces classmates to hand over their lunch money, and steals things that aren't his.  He has recently been busted at school with his friends, or "droogs" as he calls them.  The other guys are outside on trash duty after school.  Tod is in detention with his guidance counselor, Mrs. Woodrow.  His punishment:  to write every day in a journal about his life.  He writes about the house he lives in, the teachers who gang up against him, and the secrets he carries every day.  There's more to Tod Munn than everyone thinks, but is it too late for him to prove himself?

**A Truman Nominee for 2012-2013  

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Book 21: The Heist Society

The Heist Society by Ally Carter


Katarina Bishop is finally on her own.  She has left the family "business" of thievery to attend a private school and start a new life.  But suddenly, she is kicked out of the academy and her father is blamed for a huge art heist that, for once, he didn't do.  Before she knows it, she's thrown back into the family circle where she has two weeks to prove her father's innocence.  The quest will take her all over the world, where she uncovers more secrets, surprises and clues.  Will it be enough to save her father?  And will Kat find everything she's looking for, including her own happiness?

**A Truman Nominee for 2012-2013  

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Book 20: Girl, Stolen

Girl, Stolen by April Henry


It's no big deal for Cheyenne Wilder to stay in the back seat of the car while her stepmom runs into the pharmacy.  But then someone steals the car, without realizing that Cheyenne is in it.  The fact that she is blind is only her first problem.  Can Cheyenne figure out how to get away when she can't see?  What will her kidnappers do with her?  And what other secrets are they hiding?

**A Truman Nominee for 2012-2013

Friday, July 6, 2012

Book 19: After Ever After

Wow, I am BEHIND!  Who knew that summer would be busier than the school year!  I gotta get going!!!


After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick


Jeffrey Alpers has a lot on his plate:  he's starting his eighth grade year, a new (hot) girl named Lindsey has moved to town, his brother has left suddenly to "find himself" in Africa, and there's a new high-stakes state test coming up that will determine if he goes to high school.  It would be a lot of pressure for any kid, but for Jeffrey, a state test is even harder since his chemotherapy treatments affected his brain.  Together he and his best friend Tad (also a cancer survivor) will push each other to do things they've never done before, and ultimately, face challenges that will change them forever.

**A Truman Nominee for 2012-2013

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Book 18: Something Like Fate

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Lani likes working her summer job at the berry farm, saving the Earth, and reading her horoscope.  She knows that the stars can predict her every move, and that everything happens for a reason.  So one afternoon, it's only natural to have her palm read with her best friend, Erin.  The fortune teller seems to see everything in Lani's future, including "a new boy who will change her life forever."  Then she meets Jason, with whom she shares a special connection.  Suddenly, she realizes this is the soulmate she is destined to fall in love with.  The only problem is that he also happens to be Erin's new boyfriend.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Book 17: Promise the Night

Wow.  End of school + beginning of summer = 1 VERY behind librarian.  But I'll catch up.  Promise!

Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl

In 1936, Beryl Markham was the first person to fly across the Atlantic from England.  But before that, she is Beryl Clutterbuck, a ten year old girl growing up in British East Africa with her father, an industrious horseman, who tries in vain to keep his daughter safe.  It's not an easy task when Beryl chooses to live alone in a mud hut, tracks down the leopard who hurt her beloved dog, and insists on joining the nearby Nandi tribe on a sacred lion hunt.  She refuses to be the proper British lady that everyone expects, and yet as a white girl, she doesn't fit with her best friend, Kibii, and his tribe either.  Can she balance the two very different worlds of her childhood and stay true to her own self?        

Monday, May 7, 2012

Book 16: Unforgettable

Unforgettable by Loretta Ellsworth

Baxter Green has recently moved from California to Minnesota, where he hopes to not only win the love of his former childhood sweetheart, but also put the past behind him.  His father is dead, his mother is barely holding it together, and her ex-boyfriend has just gotten out of jail after Baxter testified against him.  It's not easy being on the run from Dink or being the new kid in school.  And it's even harder trying to be someone you're not--because while Baxter would love to reinvent himself, his photographic memory won't let him forget who he truly is.