New mythology fiction

A new novel I just read is Solstice, by Tricia Hoover. We are lucky to have this author come for a visit to our middle schools next week. For all those fans of Percy Jackson, I think this will be a great suggestion. It is full of characters from Greek mythology who happen to be living in Austin, Texas. The main character is a girl named Piper, who is turning 18. Her world suffers from global warming so out of control the city has built glass domes that can protect its citizens when temperatures soar. But the weather is behaving unpredictably, producing ice storms, fierce winds and thunderstorms. In the midst of the chaos, Piper appears to be the single most eligible bachelorette in town. Men materialize out of thin air to woo her. The obstacle to her fairy tale romances is her mother, overprotective with a capital o. There's a history there... And you mythology buffs might know it! Check out Solstice!

Ice days

What a great time to share with you my list of books that have to do with snow and ice, right? Unfortunately, it's at school on my desk and i'm at home in bed... Such is life. Let's see what my brain can remember anyway! 

If I Stay

Trapped

Bonechiller

Devouring

Merrilee Marvelous

Confessions of an Ice Princess

Peak

Shackleton's Stowaway

Cry of the Icemark

The Arctic Incident

Blackwater

After the Snow

How to Save a Life

Wicked Lovely

Before I Fall

Blizzards wake

Diamond Willow

Far From You

Frost

Cold Spell

So, let's go see what's cheap on Amazon and curl up with a good book!

Catching fire read alikes

I got to see an early preview of Catching Fire last night-woo woo! And i just did booktalks for a bunch of dystopias a lot like it. So, if you're looking for something that will get your blood going like The Hunger Games, here's a list of similar titles you can check out:

Legend

Divergent

Matched

Uglies

Girl in the Arena

Blood Red Road

Under the Never Sky

Gone

City of Ember

Delirium

Fever Crumb

Epic

The Sky Inside

The Selection

The Maze Runner

Insignia

Unwind

Among the Hidden

Incarceron

Feed

The Giver

Diary of Pelly D

Cinder

It's just all too much!!!!

Just started Allegiant! Need to get Unsoulled! Champion is just around the corner! And the movie of Catching Fire! And you know, our book fair is the week after next. I've been promised these new releases as well as Hard Luck, House of Hades, and a ton of other things on my to be read list! Hooboy there's a lot of reading to be done!

The Banned Wagon

I read the report in TLJ this weekend and was LOLing!!! My highlights below:

#1 Conal ISD, Garden Ridge ES

Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle for sexual content or deleted

First of all- Eric Carle????????? Sexual?? (ok, I haven’t read it, but really?) Then the action: content changed or deleted. Hey, I didn’t know we could do that!!!!!

#2 The Ehrhart School

Ransom My Heart, Princess of Genovia BY Princess Mia Thermopolis

Uhhhhhh, did no one catch that the real author is Meg Cabot? Mia Thermopolis is a CHARACTER.

#3 Flour Bluff ISD, Flour Bluff intermediate

Remembering September 11^th- a video

We can challenge videos now?

#4 Kemp ISD, Kemp High School

Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck

No reason cited, but in the note it says parent felt the plot was depressing. I see why they didn’t want to voice that as their reason; it’s pretty lame. Read more Steinbeck- it totally gets better.

#5 Lake Dallas ES

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angelberger

Cited for having a page with “#?!!**” standing for a cuss word. I guess they didn’t have any books with actual cuss words in them to ban. Good for them (don’t come to my library though!).

#6 Wieland ES in Pfugerville ISD

Captain Underpants- 10 books retained all challenged for “no reason” but included in the note: spelling errors, grammar errors, objectionable story lines/scenes, undesirable/unsafe behavior. Why do you think the kids like it????

#7 Texas College Preparatory Academies/Premier High School

U.S. History teaching materials, Responsive Education Solutions

Challenged for references to religion. Apparently we need to try teaching US history without mentioning religion.

#8 UME Preparatory Academy

Challenged CSCOPE. HAHAHAHAHAHA! At this point, I was about to cry.

Will the insanity never cease? I hope your library offended someone today.