by Christopher Paolini
CMSW, hardcover, 748 pages
I enjoyed Eragon's further adventures and am looking forward to the final installment of the story (probably two years out). Eragon is finally maturing a bit, though he still displays some bratty outbursts. The whole scene with the dwarves and the coronation was a bit too drawn-out. Roran's storyline rocked! My favorite, though, was the banter and interplay between Eragon and Saphira.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Anne of Avonlea
by L.M. Montgomery
Hennepin County, audiobook on CD
read by ???
Listening to this reminded me of why I *hate* abridged versions of books! I wasn't careful at the library - it didn't say it was abridged, but I could tell right away. I still enjoy the story, but am glad that I've read the full version before. So much of the story line and character development are lost in the abridgement!
Anne is a much more enjoyable character in this story. Her improvement society and teaching experiences are fun and interesting.
Hennepin County, audiobook on CD
read by ???
Listening to this reminded me of why I *hate* abridged versions of books! I wasn't careful at the library - it didn't say it was abridged, but I could tell right away. I still enjoy the story, but am glad that I've read the full version before. So much of the story line and character development are lost in the abridgement!
Anne is a much more enjoyable character in this story. Her improvement society and teaching experiences are fun and interesting.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
The Quilter's Legacy
by Jennifer Chiaverini
Carver County Library, hard cover, 310 pages
Sylvia tries to locate her mother's quilts. Andrew's children object to their marriage. The parallel story focuses on Sylvia's mother, Eleanor, and her upbringing, marriage, and making of her quilts.
I liked it, especially the historical storyline. I also enjoyed stretching this out over a long time, as I only read it a little bit at a time before going to sleep. I still need to make time to quilt!
Carver County Library, hard cover, 310 pages
Sylvia tries to locate her mother's quilts. Andrew's children object to their marriage. The parallel story focuses on Sylvia's mother, Eleanor, and her upbringing, marriage, and making of her quilts.
I liked it, especially the historical storyline. I also enjoyed stretching this out over a long time, as I only read it a little bit at a time before going to sleep. I still need to make time to quilt!
Saturday, December 06, 2008
Making Big Schools Feel Small: Multiage Grouping, Looping, and Schools-Within-a-School
by Paul S. George and John H. Lounsbury
St. Thomas Library (via Minitex), paperback, 112 pages
I was looking for information on looping in middle schools and so thankful I found this book! It looked at a number of middle schools across the country which have tried some of these methods of making large schools seem smaller. The evidence for these programs is overwhelmingly positive on many levels. The last part of the book ends with surveys from teachers, students, and parents. It's interesting that parents were least positive about the results and their number one concern had to do with students getting stuck with a "bad" teacher more than one year in a row. Interesting!
This will go on my professional shelf at PRMS, if I can find a copy!
St. Thomas Library (via Minitex), paperback, 112 pages
I was looking for information on looping in middle schools and so thankful I found this book! It looked at a number of middle schools across the country which have tried some of these methods of making large schools seem smaller. The evidence for these programs is overwhelmingly positive on many levels. The last part of the book ends with surveys from teachers, students, and parents. It's interesting that parents were least positive about the results and their number one concern had to do with students getting stuck with a "bad" teacher more than one year in a row. Interesting!
This will go on my professional shelf at PRMS, if I can find a copy!
Friday, December 05, 2008
The 100-Year Old Secret Files of Sherlock Holmes
by Tracy Barrett
Carver County Library, audiobook, 3 CDs
Read by David Pittu
This book just seemed too darn young for me - to the point of being irritating. (Never mind the plot point that Xander & Xena are Sherlock Holmes' descendants . . . and he's fictional.) Basically, the two American kids are in Britain for a year and they have been taught by their father who was taught by his father who was taught by you-know-who to be extremely observant. They are introduced to the Society for the Preservation of Famous Detectives (SPFD) in a rather strange manner and given a casebook of files that Sherlock Holmes never solved. They gather clues and find the long-lost painting of "Girl in a Purple Hat," stunning the art world and saving the day.
Pittu gave voice to the characters very well, but the story just didn't cut it for me.
Carver County Library, audiobook, 3 CDs
Read by David Pittu
This book just seemed too darn young for me - to the point of being irritating. (Never mind the plot point that Xander & Xena are Sherlock Holmes' descendants . . . and he's fictional.) Basically, the two American kids are in Britain for a year and they have been taught by their father who was taught by his father who was taught by you-know-who to be extremely observant. They are introduced to the Society for the Preservation of Famous Detectives (SPFD) in a rather strange manner and given a casebook of files that Sherlock Holmes never solved. They gather clues and find the long-lost painting of "Girl in a Purple Hat," stunning the art world and saving the day.
Pittu gave voice to the characters very well, but the story just didn't cut it for me.
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