Guest Blogger!

Guest blog by Telia. Copper Sun by Sharon Draper.
When the news of travelers reached Amari’s village, there was much celebration. They didn’t know what the pale visitors wanted, however. Amari is captured and taken away from her village, and sold into slavery. All seems lost for Amari, but as the other slaves remind her, “Long as you remember, it ain’t never gone.”
This book was a very good read, and gives you a better look at what the slaves had to go through. If you enjoy historical fiction, you’ll love this book.

New Books!

It is one of my favorite times of the year......NEW BOOK TIME!

Mrs. Fauske has been very busy getting the books ready for checkout. Stop in and take a look.

Edward's Eyes

Patricia MacLachlan has written many books. You might know her best as the author of Sarah, Plain and Tall. Edward's Eyes is her newest!

The story is told from Jake's point of view. He is three years older than Edward. In fact when, Maeve and Jack (Mom and Dad -- for some reason the kids call their parents by their first names -- kind of goofy?) brought baby Edward home from the hospital, they handed him directly to Jake. The family is very close-knit. They share a love of music, baseball, and books. Jake shares his memories of Edward as he grows up. I had to laugh at the scene of Edward sitting on the "potty" and older brother Jake next to him reading him a book! Jake teaches him how to throw a pitch - a perfect knuckleball - that no one can hit. They have a close brotherly bond.

Edward is special to everyone, especially Jake, and always seems to know things before they happen. When he is eight, Maeve (Mom) brings baby Sabine home from the hospital to join the large family. Edward foretold that Sabine would be a girl AND he wants fireworks to celebrate her birthday. Sabine now becomes Edward's responsibility.

There is a tragedy in the book. I don't want to give it away. I will only say that it is a wonderful book to reread. The prologue makes much more sense after you read the ending.

I did it!

Last night I finished the third book in Stephanie Meyer's vampire romance series - Eclipse - I didn't want it to end. So many plot lines were left dangling, and students tell me the next book won't be out until Fall 2008. What to do and read until then? What will happen to Bella, Edward, and the werewolf, Jacob? I suppose I can visit the author's website http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/ and track progress.....it will have to do.

Thank you to the students who insisted that I read Twilight. Once I got started I couldn't stop. The reading lamp by my bed has been on at all hours:)

Another note: I know that I always say, "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover.", but I really love the covers of the three books!

Twilight

I gave in ..... and was not disappointed. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer is a great read! Do you like vampire love stories? If so, then this one is for you. I can't wait to continue the saga in New Moon and Eclipse. Will Bella be changed? Don't tell me....I want to read about it.

Weird Wisconsin Week

"Joe Alien"

To coincide with Halloween the Media Center published a daily "weird fact" about Wisconsin. Where did I get all those ideas? Well, from a book of course:) Weird Wisconsin by Linda S. Godfrey and Richard D. Hendricks is available in the library. It is full of all kinds of weird, supernatural, and unexplainable stories from around our state. And our resident alien? Did he/she/it grow 600%? You decide.

Alex Rider Fans..............

Snakehead is coming! Anthony Horowitz's newest adventure starring Alex Rider will be in bookstores on November 13, 2007! I can't wait!!!! Visit the author's website for more information.

Breathe: A Ghost Story

This is the first book I've read by Cliff McNish. The title met all my expectations for a ghost story. It was very creepy!!

Jack and his mom move into an old house in the country. Sharing the home with them are Ann who died sixty-five years ago when she was 14; Oliver, Charlie, and seven-year-old Gwyneth. All are ghost children....spirits of the dead! Jack discovers their presence and finds a way to communicate with the four. BUT, along the way he also discovers the presence of the Ghost Mother. She is an evil entity and will go to any length to find a human body to live through. Jack's mother is taken over by this spirit. Will Jack be able to find a way to release his mother? Or..... will she be forever trapped in the Nightmare Passage?

Pirates!

Have you stopped in the Media Center to see the display of pirate books? They have been extremely popular. Bloody Jack is the first in a series by L. A. Meyer. Mary is a 13 year old orphan on the streets of London. The plague has claimed the lives of her parents and her sister. She -- yes, she -- finds her way onto a British warship that is searching for pirates. She has to disguise the fact that she is a girl and takes the name Jacky. How long can she get away with the deception? How does she get the nickname, Bloody Jack? You'll have to read the book to find out. The fifth book in the series is out and Mrs. Helm has it on order. Watch for Mississippi Jack : being an account of the further waterborne adventures of Jacky Faber, midshipman, fine lady, and the Lily of the West!

The picture is of my son who is very "into" pirates. Aaarrrrrgh!

Gossamer by Lois Lowry

What is a Gossamer touch? It is a touch that is light and airy -- as fragile as a spider web. Littlest One, a dream giver in training, has the gossamer touch. She is learning to bestow dreams. In contrast, the Sinisteeds are dream givers "gone bad". They inflict nightmares. Read the book to see how Littlest One helps John, a young boy with an abusive past, move forward from the hoards of Sinisteeds. This is another great book by Lois Lowry!

Dark Hours

Over the Labor Day weekend I sat down (finally) ......and in about 2 1/2 hours had read the newest book by Gudrun Pauseway, DARK HOURS. WOW! What a powerful book. The author was born in Germany and lived through the Holocaust. She writes from her own personal experience of living in Germany during wartime.

The story is told as a letter from a grandmother to her granddaughter, Stephanie, as a 16th birthday present. Gisel, the grandmother writes the story of her own 16th birthday which was sixty years ago. Most of her birthday was spent trapped in the mangeled remains of a bomb shelter--there was complete darkness, limited food in a backpack that her brother was able to salvage, the responsibility of caring for her brothers and sisters--along with a stranger, and a dying stranger in the next room. How did she manage? Read the book!

Summer hiatus

Wow..........It has been a busy summer. I did lots of reading with my son. He's really into Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George, and anything about trucks. Not necessarily the type of reading that middle schoolers are into.
Stay tuned. I'll get updated asap:) Have a great school year!

Revenge of the Witch

Revenge of the Witch is the first book in The Last Apprentice series. Meet Tom Ward...... he is the seventh son of a seventh son. This unique birth position places him in line to become the apprentice to "Old Gregory" the village Spook!

It is the job of the Spook to keep ordinary people free from the harmful affects of boggarts, imps, ghostly spirits...and most especially .... witches. Take a look at the book cover - even the Spook would scare me. During Tom's trial period he accidently frees and kills Mother Malkin, one of the most dangerous witches in the area. Read the book and see what happens as the witch reappears in Tom's life.

I am eager to read Book 2: Curse of the Bane. Both books can be found in the Media Center.

The Road to Paris

No......the road does not lead to Paris, France. Rather, the story is about a girl named Paris Richmond. Paris and her brother Malcolm are in the foster care system. They have moved, or have run away from several different foster homes....all of them bad experiences. As the story begins they leave a family and run to the only stable person in their lives -- their Grandmother. Unfortunatly, she can not keep them. On to another foster home, but this time Malcolm and Paris are separated!! Paris is sent to live with the Lincoln family. She is fearful and expects the worst. Slowly, the family earns her trust and she makes a friend at her new school. But.....what about Malcolm and her mother? Will they ever be a part of her life again? Read the story and find out!

If you like this book by Nikki Grimes you will find other books in the library by her!

Horowitz Countdown

Are you a fan of the Gatekeepers Series by Anthony Horowitz? Here is the countdown link to Nightrise. It is due out April 12, 2007. http://countdowns.atspace.com/Nightrise.html

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

John Boyne has written this very powerful novel of life in Nazi Germany. The story is told through the eyes of 9-year-old Bruno. I don't want to say more.... Read it and come talk to me about it!!!

Yankee Girl

Yankee Girl, by Mary Ann Rodman, is a newer book I picked up when the 7th graders were working on their "obstacles" unit. Alice and her family have just moved from Chicago to Jackson, Mississippi. It is 1964, the summer is hot, and people are not as open-minded as they were in Chicago. Alice's father is an FBI agent who has been assigned to the area to help protect the rights of blacks. As Alice struggles to make friends in a new school, another new student does as well. Valerie Taylor is the first black student to integrate the public schools. The treatment that Valerie receives from the "in" clique of girls is appalling. Violence toward Valerie and her family escalate. This book shows the racism of the 1960's up close.

Lots of new middle school books!

The past month Mrs. Fauske has been very busy processing lots of new books. I've been reading so much I haven't had a chance to blog much. To see a list of the new books remember to use the "Visual Search" button in Destiny. Here are some that are sure to be popular......

• Crispin: At the edge of the world. Finally the sequel by Avi arrives :)
• The Second Life of Linus Hoppe. Did you read the first book, The Destiny of Linus Hoppe? Read this first and then move on to the sequel.
• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. This is a holocaust story that everyone -- especially 7th graders who just finished the unit -- should read!
• The Return of the Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac continues the story!
• Book 4, Gregor and the Marks of Secret is here. Gregor returns to the world beneath New York City.

I could keep going on and on......stop in the media center and check things out :))))

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

I am a great Anthony Horowitz fan, but until now hadn't read any of the Gatekeepers books. I have been "pestered" by a 6th grade boy to read the series. I started late Saturday night and could not put the book down.

Matt is the 14 year-old main character. His parents died in a tragic car crash...one that Matt foretold. For the past eight years he's been in and out of trouble. Finally he is "sentenced" to live with a very strange old woman on an isolated farm in Lesser Malling, England. She, along with the inhabitants of the town are witches. Matt is involved in a classic fight between the good and evil forces in the world. The Old Ones are ready to unleash evil from a gate beween our world and a strange circle of stones. Think Stonehenge. As Matt is laying on a stone slab, ready to have his heart cut out, his magical powers are realized. Read the book and be warned. There are more gates opening. Read Evil Star, Book 2 of the Gatekeepers!

Satch & Me

Do you like stories where people time travel? Dan Gutman writes books in the Baseball Card Adventure Series where people do just that! Thirteen-year-old "Stosh", Joe Stoshack, has the ability to travel back in time. In this adventure he and his baseball coach, Flip, travel to 1942 using a baseball postcard they purchased on eBay. They take along a modern-day device -- a radar gun. Hopefully the gun can be used to clock the speed of the famous Leroy "Satchel" Paige's throwing arm. Is he the fastest pitcher that ever lived? Some people say so.

This is also a good book to introduce you to the Negro Baseball League and the injustice that Black Americans faced in the 1940's. Good author -- good book!