BOGO Book Fair!

We have books and lots of them! Here's a little preview of a few of the hottest titles we've got: all of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, Matched, Catching Fire and Mockingjay, Birthmarked, Big Nate, new 39 clues series, Bluford books, Guiness book of World Records, Maximum Ride manga, the new Twilight graphic novel, Green Lantern, Justin Beiber, Rick Riordan books, Ruby Red, Paranormalcy, Dead End in Norvelt, Rot and Ruin, the Gardener, Eleventh Plague, Fat Cat, Origami Yoda and Darth Paper, and most of the titles on the new Bluebonnet list. If you have a special request, just let me know and I'll see if I can get it. So what are you waiting for? Come over and buy some books!

On Tuesday, we'll be Open before and during Open House, so parents can stop and shop. Also, check out the special prize drawing for everyone who comes to the the book fair during parent night. I'll be giving away a Dr. Seuss gift in honor of the famous writer's birthday this week!

New Newbery

I love Jack Gantos. Joey Pigza cracks me up. I even named my son Joey! Gantos' biography, Hole In My Life, was surprising, but gripping. So I really looked forward to reading Dead End in Norvelt when I learned that his latest book won the biggest award in children's literature. Soooooooo, what did I think? I don't know. I'm all over the place with this. My first impression was how hilarious it was that the main character was actually Jack himself, who did indeed grow in in Pennsylvania. Interesting. All the characters were intriguiing. Maybe characterization is what Gantos specializes in. The plot though- it was a bit random. We had the dad building a plane, though I'm not sure why, the dying town and its dying residents, Jack grounded cause he shot his dad's gun because, as we learned in the, his uncle had loaded it. That part really lost me. The uncle really came out of left field. Of course, if I'm honest with myself, I do regularly miss the big picture. Maybe I just need someone pointing it to me. Maybe my readers will tell me what they see in it that I missed. I mean I liked it, but I didn't love it.

What do you value most?

In the book Divergent, it determines what faction you belong to.

Honesty= Candor

Bravery= Dauntless

Intelligence= Erudite
Peace and friendship= Amity

Selflessness= Abnegation

Tris was born as a member of Abnegation, but decides to join Dauntless at her Choosing Ceremony. In Abnegation, she just didn't feel like she belonged. Dauntless is very different, but she has to survive initiation before she can have the privledges of membership. That means she has to face her fears, fight, and survive the bullies. But  when her family is criticized for their political leadership, and her mother tips Tris off to a dangerous plot, she will be challenged to try and save her new friends, as well as her own family. In the stages of being made a movie, this science fiction thriller is as much fun as Uglies, Matched and Delirium, and is on the new Lone Star List.

Creepy story?

It's close to Halloween, would you like a scary book to read under the covers at night? This one will haunt you! Kendall lives in a farming community that is trying to get over the loss of a sophomore girl last year. She just went missing. They looked and looked for weeks, but no sign of her ever turned up. Now it's a new school year, and their one room schoolhouse has a conspicuously vacant desk. But then Kendall's best friend, Nico, starts to act strangely. Days later, he has also vanished without a trace. Kendall is absolutely numb with grief. They search the fields, like last year, but to no avail. One day at school, Kendall sits in Nico's desk just to feel its familiarity with her best friend. She lays her head down on it and carresses the familiar carved graffiti on the desktop with her fingers. And that is when she hears it. Nico's own voice saying, "Please. Save me."

Forever it is

Ah, it is sad when a good series comes to an end. At least, I think it's over.... The door was left open just a crack in case the author decides to write more in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. I'm not sure how much I should say, since it could spoil the ending if I say too much. Can I assume you know what happens in Linger? Ok, so on the cover that's Sam as a human and Grace as a wolf. That doesn't reveal too much. Grace's disappearance begins to be blamed on Sam by everyone in town. Isabel's parents are again petitioning to have the wolves eliminated from Boundary Wood. And Cole, well he's finally decided to put his genius to good use and see if he can invent a cure. But someone new learns the real secret behind Grace's disappearance. That's about all I can tease you with....