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!