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Nov122009
POSTED AT 02:13 PM
I have to admit - I love mysteries. A good who-dunnit is like brain candy for me. Just can't get enough!
By chance, I just finished a good one - The London Eye Mystery. The London Eye is a huge ferris wheel with carriages that are big enough to hold 2 dozen people. One day a teenager named Salim gets on the ride, goes up, but never comes down. Impossible - right? Well, it does happen, and, of course, everyone is completely shaken up by his disappearance. Everyone except for his cousins Ted and Kat. Ted sets out, with the aid of his sister, to figure out which of his 8 theories about Salim are right. Only they can get to the bottom of what really happened to him.
All in all, this is a great read. And now I'd love to go to London to ride the London Eye. Have any of you seen it?
Nov032009
POSTED AT 12:36 PM
Two more recent favorites of mine are in the science fiction genre. One of them is our current Insiders Book Club selection - The Hunger Games. What an amazing book! All of the club members talked about why it was so remarkable - some said it was full of adventure with a lot of edge-of-your-seat action; others said that the characters were interesting to follow because of decisions they were having to make. All I know is that it was unlike any other novel I've read lately. The description of it (a group of kids having to fight to the death to survive) sounds like it could be too graphic, but the author handled it very tastefully. This futuristic novel reminds me of a real-life Survivor episode - but even more compelling. Try to get your hands on a copy.
Another book that I just finished and would highly recommend is The Adoration of Jenna Fox. It's somewhat of a mysterious sci-fi novel. It's about a girl who comes out of a year-long coma with complete amnesia. Her parents try to jog her memory by showing her a series of DVDs of home movies taken from when Jenna was a baby up to right before she was in the accident that caused her coma. As I was reading I thought that I was figuring out what was going on, but I couldn't quite guess what actually happened. I love that kind of book. It's nice to be surprised, even when you can partially see what's coming.
Oct082009
POSTED AT 12:24 PM
When I saw that this book was about cowboys and rodeos in the 1940's, I have to admit that I wasn't too sure about reading it. But I gave it a chance and quickly discovered that it was so much more than that. It is primarily the story of the relationship between twin brothers, Will and Denny. Will is the would-be rodeo star, and Denny is a sweet boy who has Down's Syndrome. Despite the obstacles that go along with that disease, Denny is able to do many things that his brother can do.
It is Will's dream, though, to break away from the limiting role of being Denny's caretaker and starting his own life with the rodeo. He tries to run away but discovers Denny following him.
The story becomes one of adventure in the wild countryside of Colorado. Scenes from the rodeo, too, are gripping and make for exciting reading.
You can enjoy this book on several levels. It is a moving tale of the love between two brothers as well as an adventurous story of the great West. Either way, it is definitely worth reading.
Sep252009
POSTED AT 12:31 PM
I have read some awesome books lately. I just finished The Compound, and I would highly recommend it. I'll warn you, though, it does get a little disturbing. It's about a multi-billionaire who builds a huge underground compound with living quarters, medical facilities, a livestock area, and even a church chapel. Why would he do this? Well, he is worried that a nuclear war may break out at some point, and he wants a place for his family to stay - for fifteen years! That's how long there would still be toxic levels of radiation in the air.
And that, my friends, is all I am going to tell you because to tell you more would ruin the surprises in the story. Trust me, though, this is indeed an awesome read.
Sep152009
POSTED AT 11:49 AM
What was your favorite summer read? Mine was The Hunger Games. (I'll be telling you more about it later.) Students are always asking me what my all-time favorite book is, though, and that is a very hard question to answer. Sometimes I cop out by saying that my favorite book is the last one that I read. In some ways that is true because I usually get wrapped up in all of the books that I read. I have to admit, though, that every once in awhile I do pick up a stinker, so I can't always say that the last book was the best.
If pressed, I would have to say that my favorite book of all time is The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank. I read this back when I was in junior high, and its impact on me was great. Never before had I been so moved by a book. It opened my eyes to a world that I wouldn't have thought could exist, and I was shocked to learn that it was true. It changed me from the young innocent that I had been to a more mature reader, aware of the harsh realities in life.
A more recent book set during the time of the Holocaust had a similar moving effect on me. Its title is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. At once it is a simple tale of a young boy growing up alongside a German concentration camp and the greater story of the senseless cruelty of an entire political regime.
Neither of these books are light reads but rather ones to be read for quiet reflection. I would recommend both.
Aug182009
POSTED AT 12:21 PM
Hey, guys, glad to welcome you back to FJH (our last year here at the old homestead). Have you seen the progress on the new campus? It's pretty awesome. I can already see the outline of the new library. Of course, there are no walls right now, but if you REALLY use your imagination....
I've changed things up just a bit this year with the Lone Star Reading Contest and the Insiders Book Club. Stay tuned for details in your L.A. orientation classes. Hopefully, we'll have even more students involved this year.
I look forward to seeing all of you next week. I'm excited! Hope you are, too.
May012009
POSTED AT 02:49 PM
The Kingdom Keepers, by Ridley Pearson
What a great premise for a book. All of the characters from the Disney movies start coming to life at the Disney World theme park. And with a force as strong as the gale winds of a hurricane behind them, they're sure to wreak havoc unless a group of five teenagers can stop the 'Overtakers.' I just bet that this one becomes a movie. It certainly has all of the ingredients for an exciting one.
Apr162009
POSTED AT 12:54 PM
The Seance, by Iain Lawrence
For a book about seances and Houdini, there's really not a whole lot of magic or the supernatural in this one. Actually, this is mainly a good mystery set back in the 1920's. Scooter's mom, Madam King, is a medium and holds seances for a living. Scooter is her assistant. When Harry Houdini comes to town, he is thrilled, but the master magician's appearance is overshadowed by the death (or is it murder?) of a local comedian in the very theater in which Houdini is to perform. Scooter has an idea of who might be responsible for the crime, but he has to do a lot of sleuthing before he can get officials to believe him.
I love mysteries, and this one is extra great for me as I am a long-time fan of stories about the world's most famous escape artist. Some actual events from Houdini's life are woven into this piece of fiction making it all the more realistic. Read it if you like magic or mystery. You won't be disappointed.
Apr092009
POSTED AT 02:38 PM
You're probably familiar with Newbery books. They are those award-winning books for folks your age. Each year a new one is chosen by a group of librarians, and lately there's been a bit of controversy about their choices. Some people think that a few of the recent winners don't have appeal to kids - just to the adults who chose them.
In my opinion, and quite a few others', this year's winner is back on track with being a book that young people will enjoy. It is called The Graveyard Book, and the title and cover art automatically draw you to it. It tells the story of a boy who grows up in a graveyard - somewhere between the world of the living and the no longer living. It is a strange premise, I admit, but it makes for a very satisfying read for those who enjoy a bit of mystery and suspense.
Ghostly figures of various sorts protect Bod (short for Nobody) Owens from those who would do great harm to him. See if you can figure out who 'The Jacks' are as you read this tale of an orphaned boy being hunted by the people who killed his family when he was just an infant.
As for me, I think the Newbery Committee made a great choice this year.
Mar122009
POSTED AT 10:58 AM
The best book I've read in a long time is called Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, by Wendy Mass. A month before his 13th birthday, Jeremy receives a package. It is a wooden box with multiple locks. On it are engraved the words, "The Meaning of Life." Strangely enough, though, there are no keys. Even stranger still is the fact that the box is a present from Jeremy's father, who died five years earlier.
Jeremy, along with his best friend Lizzie, decides to set off on a quest to find keys that will open the box. Along the way they encounter several people who help them get a glimpse of what the meaning of life might truly be.
This is a charming but not overly sentimental book. Read it and enjoy discoveries of some of the world's small, everyday wonders.
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