The Prodigy

by Alton Gansky,
PRMS, paperback, 340 pages

Wow! This rocked. I started it Wed p.m. after church and read 'til 11:30. Last night, I picked it up after Curriculum Night (9:30ish) and finished it at 11:15.

The story begins with the birth of Toby to an unwed teen mother in the Appalachians. Toby is an unusual and special child. But is he performing miracles, or . . . ? Suspenseful, exciting, thought-provoking. I had never heard of this author before, but will look for more of his titles!

At one point, I checked to see who the publisher was (Zondervan) to decide if this was going to end up with a Christian perspective or not. Very cool book! I hope our book club decides to read it.

Rex Libris: I, Librarian

by James Turner
Dakota County Library, paperback, unpaged graphic novel

Funny, smart, and a little bit wicked. Librarians as secret superheroes. I know of at least one person I want to buy this for as a gift. Very clever stuff!

Rain Song

by Alice Wisler
Hennepin, Carver, and Dakota counties (I got three out so I could share)
paper, 295 pages

It's been a few weeks since I read this (and book club doesn't meet until next Monday), but I liked it for the most part.

I was frustrated by some unanswered questions - I hope we talk about these at Book Club:
- What was the purpose of Monet's character? What was wrong with her? What was she supposed to represent?
- Why couldn't Nicole have attended the reunion and gone to Japan later, like in August?
- Why didn't her father get grief counseling or share with anyone? As a missionary, I would think he'd have some support.
- Was it realistic that Nicole would overcome so much history to get on a plane and visit Harrison?

But overall, I liked the unfolding of the story. I loved the relationships between Ducee and everyone else. Iva was a hoot - my favorite character.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

by C.S. Lewis
my collection, paper, 189 pages

Louie and I watched "Prince Caspian" last week and that whetted my appetite for Narnia. I hadn't read any of the books in many years, so picked this one up and read it in an evening. Now I want to re-watch the movie version of it and read the other books in the series.

Beautiful stuff. I'm glad Lewis wrote these allegories.

Words By Heart

by Ouida Sebestyen
my collection, paper, 135 pages

Wow. This was an amazing book. It's been in my collection a really long time (I had it in my LA classroom when I taught freshman English in Jordan!), but I don't think I had ever read it before. Lena is a black girl growing up in 1910 in a white community. She's very good at memorizing and wins a Scripture contest. Her father is her hero and he lives his faith in a way that's hard for Lena to understand.

I really enjoyed this story. It says a lot in its short 100+ pages!

Frazz: Live at Bryson Elementary

by Jef Mallett
Dakota County Library, paperback, 128 pages

Wow! I never even knew this comic existed! I'm so glad I stumbled across it at the library! This is good like Calvin & Hobbes - smart, funny, (a bit less cynical). Frazz is the cool elementary school janitor and Caulfield is the hypersmart kid who comes up with the best lines. Great comic collection! I'm buying one for school and one for me at home!

Wonder Woman: Love and Murder

by Jodi Piccoult (with lots of other people - comic books are so collaborative!)
Dakota County Library, hard cover, unpaged

Wow! I've always loved comic books, and Jodi Piccoult is such a great author. This was a hit! Now I have to track down the next volume . . . Amazons Attack. The authors are different, but there's a great story line going on. Reminds me of when Superman died . . . Won't buy this for PRMS. I just don't think it's one the kids would get into.

Places I Never Meant to Be

edited by Judy Blume
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 202 pages

This volume of short stories and comments by censored writers is powerful. The stories are not here for shock value at all and I almost enjoyed reading the authors' comments after their stories as much as the stories themselves. My favorite short story was Spear by Julius Lester. Many of the stories are sad. Walter Dean Myers' The Beast is in the Labyrinth was powerful. A very good collection. Not sure about buying it for PRMS . . . not many kids read short story collections. Wonder how I can "sell" them better.

The Last Lecture

by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
Dakota County Library, audiobook read by Erik Singer
4 1/2 hours

I have seen parts of the last lecture given by Pausch. Incredible guy (and a big egotistical, but he admits it). So sad that he died so young. But amazing that his story has inspired so many people. We listened to this on the way to & from Strawberry Lake and it affected Louie, Morgan, and Nick too. I'd still like to see the books (for the photos). It sounds as though his parents (and his wife!) are incredible people. Highly recommended.

Fire from the Rock

by Sharon M. Draper
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 229 pages

This story about the integration of schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, takes a while to get going, but becomes engrossing as it goes on. I'm not sure it's enough to pull in middle school readers, but I found myself caught up in the story and sadness for the many real-life people who have had to suffer because of bigotry and cruel racism. It is still hard for me to fathom the depth of hatred directed at people because of their race. It's appalling. Draper infuses the story with a little romance to go along with the human rights tale. My favorite parts were where Sylvia wrote in her journal and her enduring friendship with Rachel, a Jewish white girl.

La Linea

by Ann Jaramillo
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 135 pages

This is a powerful story of Miguel and his sister Elena trying to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. to join their parents. Everyone involved in the immigration debate should read this! What a powerful book. I hope to have a lot of students read and discuss this book. There is a lot of authenticity in the story and it makes me sad.

Life as We Knew It

by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 337 pages

A large meteor hits the moon and knocks it off course, causing devastating tides, flooding, hurricanes, and worldwide devastation. Told from Miranda's perspective, including some journaling, this is a very unusual book. For part of it, I was bored and it seemed to drag too much. Just past midway, I realized that I didn't know how it was going to end (rare with young adolescent books - they're usually pretty predictable). By the time I finished it, I was completely engrossed and thinking of re-reading the last dozen pages just to experience it again. I will probably read the companion novel, The Dead and the Gone, told from the perspective of a teenager in NYC.

The thing that bothered me was the stereotypical pastor who's a big, fat, nasty hypocrite and Miranda's friend Megan who starves herself to death in a religious frenzy, causing her mom to commit suicide. Sometimes I wonder if all YA authors have had negative experiences with religion. It's discouraging to know that organized religion has had such a negative impact on so many people. Jesus isn't about the religious hypocrisy at all!

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

by Ally Carter
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 284 pages

This is another title that I enjoyed less than I expected. Callie is a student at a private spy school. While in town on a mission, she meets a regular boy and is drawn to him. He cannot know who she really is or what goes on at Gallagher Academy.

There were elements of this story that I really enjoyed, like the students have an assigned language (out of the 14 that they learn) for mealtime conversations and some of the James Bond-type gadgets that they use. But I thought the character development was stilted, especially Macey going from bad-girl to . . . just another girl.

Will I read the sequel? Not sure.

Eighth Grade Bites: The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod

by Heather Brewer
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 182 pages

This story of a teenage vampire who's trying to hide who he really is while dealing with typical teen angst was a bit disappointing. His best friend and his aunt know and help him get the blood he needs without killing anyone. I had heard rave reviews about this book, and found the mystery of what happened to his parents, who's stalking him, etc. to be interesting. But overall, it was a bit abrupt and convoluted, especially Otis' motivation for finding Tod and how he handled the situation at the end. Not sure I'll read Nineth Grade Slays (sic), though I'm a bit curious . . .

Peak

by Roland Smith
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 246 pages

This is the third MHL nominee I've read and so far it's my favorite. I loved it! This made me cry, but the action-adventure momentum also kept me reading. I think kids will really enjoy this one.

Peak is a climber stuck in NYC, so he begins scaling skyscrapers. When he gets in trouble, his mom and stepdad don't know how to keep him out of juvenile detention. That's when his father, famous climber Josh Wood, steps in to take Peak with him to China. Only Josh's plan is to get Peak to the summit of Everest.

Cool and believable. Lots of details. Interesting characters. Fun book!

Note added 10/14/14:

Peak - teenage protagonist
Josh - his dad
Mom - not sure what her real name is . . .
Rolf - stepdad
Patrice & Paula - "the two Peas" -
Sun-jo - teenage Sherpa climbing with Peak
Holly Angelo - obnoxious reporter trying to climb Everest
Vincent - the teacher who makes Peak write about his experience (in a Moleskin notebook)
Yogi - Sherpa
Yash - Sherpa
Zopa

The Monk Downstairs

by Tim Farrington
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 276 pages

This was going to be our book club book, but Jodi changed to a different one. This didn't read much like a "Christian" book, but it was very interesting. The main conflict for Michael Christopher was the struggle between the contemplative life and the life of action. After twenty years in the monastery, he was trying to figure out what to do with his life. His landlord, Rebecca, is a single mom with struggles of her own and God has no part in her life.

The thing that didn't work for me is that the author seems to be saying (or trying to say) something significant about God. Only he doesn't really have anything to say. I read the author interview, the endnotes, the discussion questions, etc. It makes me sad, but I think this talented writer is another victim of the Catholic church and general detachment from the living Word of God. Jesus changes lives, He doesn't stifle them, especially not through prayer. Very sad.

My favorite parts of this book were the friendship that developed between Mary Martha and Michael, Rebecca's zany mom Phoebe, and Rebecca NOT "settling" for Bob. I'm glad I read it, but I won't rush out to get the sequel.

Notes from the Midnight Driver

by Jordan Sonnenblick
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 265 pages

This author nails the typical teenage voice well. Once again, he has created a character (Alex) who is self-centered at the start of the story, but grows up in a big way. I liked how he drew Steven and Annette (from Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie) into this story.

The reconciliation and family relationships piece was strong. This will be a fun book to talk about with kids. I cried, naturally. Laurie and Sol were my favorite characters. Sol was a blast!



Re-read it because I brought mostly non-fiction to the lake and I wanted to "zone out" with an easy book. (Some people zone out in front of the tv . . . )

Love this! Both funny and serious, it is so delightful.

Reconciliation - parents and kids. Owning your own responsibility.

Talking to the Dead

by Bonnie Grove
Hennepin County Library, paperback, 368 pages

Wow! This one surprised me! I enjoyed it, though it's actually pretty sad for most of the story. Kate's husband's sudden death has sent her spiraling into depression. She isn't sure of her sanity as she hears her dead husband talking to her and has conversations with him. Looking forward to book club!

Ten Tales from Shakespeare

by Charles & Mary Lamb
Scott County Library, hardcover, unpaged
illustrated by Janusz Grabianski

What an intriguing find! Originally written in 1807, this edition dates from 1969. The Lambs intended this volume as a prose introduction to Shakespeare for children. Since Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed on stage, not read in a book, this was a daunting task. The preface (from the 1807 original) is enlightening! I would love to own a copy of this book.

The plays themselves are more enjoyable when read singly, for the story-after-story makes them feel like ridiculous caricatures of humanity. The ones I enjoyed the most are the ones that I have either read or watched in the original Elizabethan language. I think this version of Hamlet is my favorite. :-) All in all, a very interesting collection of stories.

Come Thirsty

by Max Lucado
Hennepin County, hardcover, 155 pages

Considering how short this is, I can't believe it took me two months to read it! Pastor Jamie was using this for our Wednesday night Bible study, but I only got to two chapters' worth. I like to finish things!

In some ways, I don't like Lucado's writing style. In the past, I've thought of him as a bit too touchy-feely. He uses lots and lots of analogies, metaphors, and visual language. But I enjoyed this book. When I finally did start reading it, I was ready for a fresh look at God's love. The book is divided into four sections: accept His work, rely on His energy, trust His Lordship, and receive His love.

Though it didn't touch me deeply, I did enjoy the reminders woven throughout this book. God's power and love are real. No matter how sinful I am, God doesn't stop loving me. I especially liked the letter from God at the end. I could see the Scriptures pouring out. I think I'll copy this for Ann and put the verses in. . . God is good!