LaGrange Middle School Library

Have you gone to our "database" area to see out new OPAC?  I'm so excited that we're now online!  That means you can see the books and other materials we have in our library right from home.  When school starts, you'll also be able to reserve books from home!

Check out Wall Wisher!  I've added it under "Great Sites," but here's the link:  http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/pherrlms

I just finished Hate List, one of our new titles.  This book is for mature readers as it is about a Columbine-type school shooting.  Valerie and her boyfriend, Nick, are the victims of bullying--some physical, some emotional.  Valerie suggests they start a Hate List of all the people who have victimized them. Val thinks it's all in fun, a way to release their anger.  And then, one morning,  Nick comes into school with a gun....

I love fantasy.  There are different kinds of fantasy books, aren't there?  I just finished two very different fantasy stories:  Fairest by Gail Carson Levine and Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce.  Fairest is a story that is similar to Snow White.  A poor and plain young girl, with a beautiful singing voice, is invited to visit the king's palace.  There is a handsome prince, a beautiful but callous queen, and a magic mirror.  What price will the young girl pay to be beautiful?  How important is beauty?

In Wild Magic, Daine is a young, orphaned girl with a talent (really, a magic, but she doesn't know it) for communicating with animals.  She must come to terms with this magic in order to save the animals and people she loves.  What and who makes up a family?  What responsibilities do family members have to each other and to others?  It's a wild ride with some extraordinary creatures-including dragons, griffins and some very unusual "birds!"

I finished The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan last night.  It took me a bit longer than expected as I was away at a librarian's workshop for a few days (yes, even teachers go to summer school!).  In this book, the author concentrates on the lives and beliefs of the ancient Egyptians!  This is a real adventure for two siblings who discover that they have the "Blood of the Pharaohs." They discover they have magical powers--a good thing as very soon they are battling the evil Egyptian god, Set, who plans to destroy the United States and set himself up as King.  As in the Percy Jackson series, this book is filled with strange creatures, magic, and adventure.  If you enjoyed Percy, you won't be disappointed!  For those of you going into sixth grade, you'll enjoy getting a head start on learning about the ancient Egyptians! 

I've taken advantage of the summer to do something I seldom get to do--read a trilogy!  I read Dairy Queen, The Off Season and Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.  The first book takes D.J. Schwenk from working with football hero Brian Nelson, to coaching him and then trying out for the football team herself!  I learned something about football and about farming.  The book allowed me to think about things like Title 9 and stereotypes.  The second book continues D.J.'s story.  Her older brother is seriously hurt in a college football accident and the family is dependent on D.J. to help him out.  Did I mention that she has a serious problem talking with people?  Even though she is six-feet tall and very strong, she is also very shy.  She has to do some serious talking in this book--for her brother, as well as herself.  In the third book, D.J. must come to grips with her athletic talent and her shyness and fear of failure in order to make a decision that will affect her future.  These three books combined so many issues: girl's sports, stereotyping, family problems, "class" issues, college choices, getting along with others, first love--in both a serious and humorous way. I really enjoyed getting to know this character well.

I also read Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer.  This is the first YA book John Grisham has written.  It's pretty interesting and I learned a bit about the law.  Theodore is a smart kid who knows a lot about law because both his parents are lawyers.  When the town is in the grips of a murder trial, Theodore does all he can to learn more about the case.  In fact, he becomes involved in it! 

Other titles I've read and enjoyed this summer are:  The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarity (pen pals in rival schools discover romance and treachery), Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm (if you like the Wimpy Kid format, you will probably enjoy this, too!), Murder at Midnight by Avi (a murder mystery set in the Middle Ages), Hollywood and Maine by Allison Whittenberg (a family story set in the 1970's), Sea of the Dead by Julia Durango (an adventure set around the Caribbean--before Columbus), and the Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (set in 1899;if you love nature and science and finding out about the world around you, this is for you!).

I'll leave you to your reading now; I want to start The Red Pyramid--the newest novel by Rick Riordan, author of The Lightning Thief.  I hope you'll tell me about some of the books you're enjoying this summer!

Are you suffering from Twilight withdrawal?  I just finished Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.  As a child, Grace had been attacked by wolves--but one wolf saved her from certain death.  She found herself drawn to him and the wolf to her.  Eleven years pass and a teen in the community is "killed" by a pack of wolves--or was he?  Grace's wolf turns out to be a werewolf-a wolf in winter when the temperatures dip and a smart, handsome teenager when spring arrives.  Grace and Sam finally meet when he is human and fall in love.  But all is not well... winter is coming and Sam may not be able to turn human again come spring.  And then, there's Jack--is he dead? Or has he, too, been turned into a werewolf?  And still another question--why is it that Grace,herself bitten, never turned werewolf?

Don't forget to check the catagory "Summer Reading." In it, you'll find the summer reading booklists.  You'll also find two more lists for suggested titles after you've read your summer assignment book.  Soon, I'll put up the summer reading slide shows we've been looking at in the library.