Finished Two More . . .

I can’t begin to guess how many football games I have attended in my life — both of my brothers played and both of my sons, too. My oldest son started in 7th grade (2001) and played through high school. My younger son also started in 7th grade and continues to play for the University of Tulsa. So it’s been constant football at our house since 2001, yet I can’t remember ever reading many”football” books. But this week I read and enjoyed Football Genius by Tim Green. It tells the story of 12 year-old Troy White who is growing up in Atlanta, Georgia and is desperately trying to win a starting spot on his football team. He feels at a disadvantage because he doesn’t have a father while the other kid trying for the same position has a father who is coaching the team. The story really takes off, though, when Troy discovers that he has a special talent for predicting the next football play before it happens. He can do this for any team, any position or any player. When his mom gets a job working in public relations for the Atlanta Falcons, Troy feels this is his chance to use his special talent and help his favorite team turn their season around. But there are many obstacles, bullies, and security guards to get around before Troy can put his plan in place. There’s lots of football information, lots of action, and lots of suspense in this book. A very good selection in a series of books by former NFL player and now best-selling author Tim Green. Give it a try — whether you like football or not — I think you’ll enjoy the characters, the setting (scenes in the Falcon’s stadium and locker room!) and the fast pace of the story.

Next I read Wonder by R.J. Palacio. This book gets a spot on my “best books of all time” list. It’s the amazing story of Auggie Pullman who is starting fifth-grade at Beecher Prep. Because he was born with a facial deformity (he’s had 27 surgeries so far) he has been home schooled up to this point. But now his parents feel it is time for him to go to public school. Auggie wants everyone to realize that is he an ordinary kid on the inside, but it’s hard to get anyone to know him because of his appearance. This book will make you laugh out loud and it will make you cry as well. This is an incredible story about families, about kids at school, and about learning what is important in life. A must-read for everyone — put it on your list to read this year!!

This Entry is Secret -- Don't Read It!!

I finished The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch and while I would like to tell you about it, I was instructed by the author not to do so. (I will tell you a few things if you promise to keep them secret.) The main characters are Cassandra (Cass for short) and Max-Ernest, though I don't think those are their real names, just the ones picked by the author for story-telling purposes. Cass always carries a backpack with her, filled with survival gear, as she worries that disaster is just around the corner. Max-Ernest is small for his age, hyper, and always telling jokes, though not many people find them funny. That's all I can tell you, though, so you won't recognize them if you happen to see them around town -- or even in our school!
I don't know when or where the story takes place, either; it's another one of the many secrets you'll find in this book. But I do know that I enjoyed unraveling the mystery of the missing magician along with Cass and Max-Ernest and was amazed at their courage in the face of villains and dangerous situations. I recommend these books to all mystery-lovers and all fans of Lemony Snicket books. The authors have a similar writing style that I think you will enjoy.
This book is the first in a series of five; I realized that our library only has the first three, so I've added the others to my next book order.
Enjoy this book -- but don't tell anyone!!

Great Sciene-fiction Selection

I finished Erratum by Walter Sorrells on Sunday. An erratum is a writer or publisher’s error in a publication. In this story, the error is in the universe, and it is up ten-year-old Jessica Sternhagen to make corrections. One day, Jessica stumbles into a bookstore that she has never noticed before. There she is handed a book titled Her Lif, which turns out to be a page by page account of everything Jessica has ever done in her life. (But Her Lif is an erratum, a printer’s error; the book should be titled Her Life.) The words in the book change with each choice that she makes in her life. And things get really crazy when Jessica realizes that she has the ability to save the universe by altering present events to change the past. Sound confusing? It is, to some degree, but it’s also fast-paced and exciting as Jessica, along with her friend Dale, face nonstop action, danger, and even alternate dimensions as they make choices that will have very long-lasting consequences for themselves and the entire universe. Will they have the courage and the intelligence they need to understand how to use this powerful book? Check out Erratum for yourself and find out!

I’ve started The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. I picked up the book when I was looking for books with great beginnings for an activity I do with 5^th grade at the beginning of each school year.  Who wouldn’t love a book that begins, “WARNING: DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS PAGE!”? Which reminded me that several other books I’ve blogged about have great beginnings as well. Fifth-grader Jim L. pointed out the great first line in Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates:  “Mr. and Mrs. Gordon liked it when people died.” And Stormbreaker had a nice first line as well: “When the doorbell rings at three in the morning, it’s never good news.” Don’t you love it when a book has a great beginning and then backs it up with a terrific story?! Let me know if you find other books with great beginnings. . . and I’ll let you know if the rest of The Name of This Book is Secret lives up to its first line.

Oh, and don't forget to give me suggestion on what to read next.

Just Finished a Good One!

Last night, I finished reading Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz.If you enjoy stories with lots of action and enough special gadgets to make James Bond happy, this could be the book for you.

Alex Rider is a 14 year-old boy, living in London with his uncle since the death of his parents many years earlier. But when the police show up late one night to tell him that his uncle was killed in an automobile accident, Alex finds himself all alone and filled with questions about what happened. While the police claim his uncle was in an accident, Alex finds the car riddled with bullet holes. This leads Alex to uncover more secrets about his uncle, Ian Rider. He was not really a banker as Alex had been lead to believe, but a spy working for British Intelligence's MI6. The organization realizes that Alex has many of the characteristics that made his uncle so valuable to them, and they recruit Alex to work on a very special mission for them. It involves going undercover to find an international terrorist and the person who murdered his uncle.

Alex is soon involved in life or death situations as he races against the clock to stop the diabolical plan of a madman. Check-out Stormbreaker, and you'll be checking out the non-stop action of Alex Rider in this first in a series of 9 books. Don't miss out!!

Still Reading . . .

I took home Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin (2012 Newbery Honor Book) and Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz, thinking I would preview them and then start one the next day at lunch. I didn’t even get to my preview of Stormbreaker because I was hooked on Breaking Stalin’s Nose from the first sentence. I didn’t stop until I reached the final three word sentence that concludes this amazing, thought-provoking read.

The story is told by 10-year-old Sasha Zaichik, who lives with his father in Russia. At the time of the story, Russia is ruled by Joseph Stalin, a man who would cause the death and suffering of tens of millions during his almost 25 year reign. However, as this story opens, Sasha idolizes Stalin and believes the lies and half truths he has been told about Stalin's leadership.

Sasha is excited because he will become a member of the Young Pioneers at school the next morning. But with a knock on the door late at night comes the soldiers who will arrest his father, who has been betrayed by a co-worker. That night Sasha begins to see the painful truth about his father, his friends, and his idol, Joseph Stalin.

The story takes place over a span of two days, and it that time, Sasha’s world is completely changed. Black and white illustrations add the perfect touch to this hard, cold story of fear and confusion and the pain of learning that reality can be very different from what you believed it to be.  

In the afterword, the author discusses his own experiences and gives some of the history of this brutal time in Russia.

This one will leave you thinking. . .

 

One more down . . .

As I ate my sandwich for lunch, I was able to finish The Dark Stairs by Betsy Byars. Both were tasty, but the book had lots of humor and suspense, too. If you like mysteries (especially ones like Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew) you might want to try this more modern series. Herculeah, the main character, is the daughter of a police detective and a private investigator who loves to get involved in the cases of her parents.  The book was a little frightening, definitely suspenseful, and sure to leave you wanting to read the other 6 books in the series.

Here’s what Betsy Byars says about the books: All my life I have loved mystery stories and wanted to write one. Then, by accident, I got the name Herculeah. And sometimes when I get an unusual name like that, the character sort of develops on her own. That's what happened with Herculeah and she turned out to be so strong that I had to give her something strong to deal with - like murder.

Next on my reading list: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz and Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin.

3 down, 97 to go

I was in the car for 12 hours this weekend, traveling to and from Tulsa to see my son’s football game. (Yes, TU won, and even better, Austin got to play!!) It seemed like a great time to get started on a reading challenge. I packed the car with lots of options and decided to start with Thunder Birds by Jack Arnosky, a book nominated for the 2013 Texas Bluebonnet Book Award. I quickly decided that if I couldn’t be a librarian (I love my job!!) I would want to be the kind of nonfiction author and illustrator that Arnosky is. He travels all over (with his wife, who he calls his “partner in adventure”) to gather information on his subject before he begins to write. For this book, he visited places all around the United States to see “nature’s flying predators” both in the wild and in sanctuaries (sanctuaries: places where wounded animals are kept and cared for).

The illustrations in this book are incredible – many are life-size and all are beautifully done. You will see many amazing birds and learn countless facts as you make your way through this book. This was a great selection for reading in the car because there were so many facts that I could share with (and amaze) my husband. Take your time with this book; pour over the illustrations (some on fold-out pages!!), read and wonder about the things that birds do – and be ready to want to share what you’ve learned . . . and possibly go exploring on your own!

The next book I read was Hamster Magic by Lynne Jonell. Have you ever wished that your pet could talk to you? Ever wanted to be granted a wish by a genie? If you answered yes to these questions, Hamster Magic may be the book for you (though the wish is granted by “The Great Hamster”, not a genie!).  Fantasy, fun, and furry animals – what’s not to enjoy? A quick and easy read, this book is also on the 2013 Texas Bluebonnet Award list.

My final book of the weekend, and my last Bluebonnet Award nominee for a while, was Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates by Kim Kennedy. I really enjoyed the setting of this book – a quirky old New England village during the fall season (including Halloween!) which was a perfect backdrop for this story’s crazy characters and extraordinary events. The weather in Tulsa even cooperated and produced a nice little storm to add the perfect mood for my reading. As the weather gets cooler (or stormy) and pumpkins, goblins, and other magic begins to appear in your part of town, grab this book and curl up for an exciting read – there’s humor, mystery and magic – and an ending that leaves you with the possibility of more to come.