Flavia de Luce Returns

I'm a big fan of Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce series.  Set on an English country estate in the early 1950's, these wonderful stories focus on the amateur sleuthing of young Flavia de Luce, youngest of the de Luce sisters, whose father is a widower who spends most of his time with his stamp collection.  Flavia has taught herself all about chemistry, a skill she uses to good effect in solving local murders.  Bradley writes compelling stories with a fantastic cast of characters.  Highly recommended.  A+ all around. 

Trouble by Gary Schmidt

Ms. Guiney's Review:
Title: Trouble
Author: Gary Schmidt
Grade: B+
Ideal readers: Boys and girls age 12 and up

Summary:
"If you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you" This is how the story begins, as Henry, the main character recalls his father's repeated comments about keeping trouble away. Unfortunately, trouble comes to this family early in the story. Henry's older brother Franklin is severely injured in a car accident and Henry has to find a way to deal with his own grief and that of his family's. While the reader is dealing with Henry's story, they are also introduced to Chay Choun, a Camodian refugee, who is found guilty of causing the accident that forever changes Henry's family. His story is just as painful and emotional to read. Many will enjoy the setting as it takes readers on a journey to Maine, where Henry plans to climb Mt. Katahdin, to honor a challenge his brother gave him. While his brother can no longer make the climb with him, it will surprise readers who does accompany Henry on his emotional climb. This book is definitely worth the read.

If you liked this, you might like:

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Ms. Guiney's Review:
Title: Bruiser
Author: Neal Shusterman
Grade: A
Ideal readers: Boys and girls age 13 and up (some violence)

Summary: Bronte and Tennyson are the fraternal twins (one boy/one girl) of two college English professors. Each chapter is titled with a new vocabulary word that their parents have drilled into them which set the tone for the readings. Bronte and Tennyson are distraught with their home life as they watch their parents relationship deteriorate, but things get even more tense when Bronte becomes romantically interested in a local boy everyone calls Bruiser. He is not an overly friendly young man, nor is he especially handsome, or even hygienic. He is named Bruiser for his hulking figure, but he also has unexplainable bruises and scars on much of his body. Bruiser mostly keeps to himself because for him it's dangerous to care about others. He has a special gift that comforts those he loves, but ultimately bring him harm. Bronte see through all of Bruiser's tough exterior and he becomes entwined in her life and in that of her protective brother Tennyson. While Bruiser finds love and friendship, Bronte and Tennyson discover Bruiser's special gift to them. This is a fast paced book with chapters written in the alternating voices of Bronte, Tennyson, and in the poetic verse of Bruiser. I loved this book, but was also disturbed by some of the sequences concerning Bruiser's violent uncle and guardian. I laughed, cried, and bit my nails while reading this book. It brought out so many emotions and thoughts about love and the sacrifices we make for those we love. This is a book that leaves you thinking long after you have closed the last chapter.

If you liked this, you might like:

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

Ms. Guiney's Review:
Title: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
Author:Jordan Sonnenblick
Grade: C+
Ideal readers: Boys and girls age 11 and up

Summary:
Written from the point of view of main character Steven, this novel tells the story of a typical sarcastic thirteen year old boy. He is annoyed by his parents, jealous of his adorable little brother that he alternates between loving and hating, infatuated with the "hottest" girl in school, and forced to write all about it in his English journal. The story takes a sad twist early in the book when Steven's adorable little brother is diagnosed with Leukemia. He and his family struggle with this diagnosis in very different ways, and Steven gets a little lost in the chaos. He finds strength in his friends, his drumming, and his love for his brother. Personally, Steven was a bit too self-obsessed for my taste and he takes a little too long to realize he might lose his brother. He took a lot for granted and was somewhat un-likable during parts of this book. It is a quick read, but not a great read. However, if you are a musician and especially a drummer, you should check this one out as there are many scenes where Steven uses the drums to forget about his troubles. I think musicians are likely to relate to those scenes.




If you liked this, you might like this:
The sequel to Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

13 Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman

Ms. Guiney's Review:
Title: 13 Days to Midnight
Author:Patrick Carman
Grade: A-
Ideal readers: Boys age 13 years and up (some violence)

Summary:
Jacob Fielding was recently told, "You are indestructible." This one sentence changes his life and gives him a power he never dreamed possible. Imagine walking through fire and not getting burned or challenging the bully at school to a fight, knowing you can't be hurt, but as with Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility! When Jacob shares the knowledge of his secret power with his two best friends, he also discovers that by saying this phrase he can share the actual power. Transferring the power of being indestructible back and forth between each other gets intense, especially when one of the characters decides they need to use the power for the good of others. This seems like a reasonable idea, but it gets confusing "playing God" and deciding who to save. The teens face some serious dilemmas about life, death, and ultimately, love. This is a definite nail-biting page turner that gets especially dark in the last fifty page. Readers will like the main characters as well as the fanatical story-line. I predict this will be one that everyone has on their wish list this year.




If you liked this, you might like:

That was Then This is Now by S.E. Hinton

Ms. Guiney's Review:
Title: That was Then This is Now
Author: S.E. Hinton
Grade: B+
Ideal readers: Boys age 12 and up (some violence/drug reference)

Summary:
Bryon and Mark have always been best friends, even more like brothers since Mark came to live with Bryon and his family. However, things begin changing in ways that neither boy can ignore. Bryon is tired of the street fighting, gambling and pool swindling that is constantly getting them into trouble. Then Bryon meets a girl and he starts to spending more time with her, and thinking about his future. Mark, meanwhile, sinks into a world of crime. Bryon has to decide if he should follow his friend down this path, turn him in, or turn away from him. This is a great read, if you liked The Outsiders. It has that same gritty street feel to it that is so exciting to read. It also is ultimately, the story of friendship and family and how sometimes the two are the same. It is also a story about growing up and learning who you are, who you want to be, and who you want in your life. I highly recommend.




If you liked this, you might like:

Peak by Roland Smith

Ms. Guiney's Review:
Title: Peak
Author:
Grade: B
Ideal readers: Boys age 11 and up

Summary:
Peak Marcello is a 14 year old thrill seeker with a talent for scaling large buildings! In the opening chapter, he is arrested after climbing the Woolworth skyscraper in New York City. He barely escapes being sent to Juvenile Hall because his father (with whom he has little to no relationship) comes with an offer he can't refuse and one the court accepts. Peak goes with his father who runs a commercial climbing operation in Tibet. With the help(manipulation) of his father, Peak is being trained to be the youngest person to successfully climb the 29, 208 ft. to the summit of Mt. Everest. Along the way he is fulfilling his educational requirements by writing his story of the climb for English class. This is how we come to know his fears, frustrations, and underneath the witty comebacks-the heart of this boy. Peak is written in diary form, so that we follow his trials and triumphs through his words. Overall, a very good read. Lots of action in the beginning, but drags a bit towards the end. As a reader, you really just want him to get to the top of Everest, but there are many stops and starts to that journey that can frustrate a reader, as well as an ending that some will love and some will hate! I definitely recommend Peak!




If you liked this, you might like:

Gone by Michael Grant

Ms. Guiney's Review:
Title: Gone
Author: Michael Grant
Grade: A-
Ideal readers: Boys and girls ages 12 and up (some violence)

Summary:
Gone is the story (okay warning a rather long story-over 500 pages) of an average kid on an average day where both turn out to be not so average. The main character, Sam, is sitting in another boring class of his freshman year and suddenly the teacher "poofs" actually "poofs" as in disappears. You come to discover that everyone over the age of 14 disappears from their town. Besides adults disappearing, they also lose internet, phones and any connection outside of their town. A major power struggle ensues between the town kids and the local boarding school prep kids. The not so average part comes from the nuclear power plant in their town, which may or may not have caused the disappearances. To add to the issues, some of the teens develop super-human powers and animals begin mutating- including talking wolves! The final issue of suspense is what happens when one of the teens turns 15? Will they disappear too or is the "poofing" over? I was very hesitant to pick up this book, the cover was a complete turn off for me, but once I started I couldn't stop reading. This is a must read for your 8th grade year. It is very similar to Lord of the Flies and you will find numerous connections to the theme and plot of that story, with just a little hint of Stephen King-like suspense in the supernatural elements. It is a definite page turner!



If you like this, you might like:

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Ms. Guiney's Review:
Title: Tangerine
Author: Edward Bloor
Grade: A
Ideal readers: boys age 11 and up

Summary:
This is a must read that often gets forgotten with all the new titles popping up out there. I do not want Tangerine to get lost in the shuffle, so if you have not read this title yet, please borrow from my shelves! This is a title that can appeal to all of you. It has sports, family drama, sibling rivalry, and crazy occurrences like: fires burning underground, lightning striking the same spot daily, and sinkholes swallowing schools! What more can you want? Paul Fisher is the main character of this book and he is a likable self-proclaimed "geek," but he comes to realize he's really not so geeky after moving to Tangerine, Florida. Here he finds new friends, solves a local mystery, and discovers the truth behind an incident that left him nearly blind. It is written from Paul's perspective and in the style of a journal, which makes Paul's trials and triumphs even more personal. I definitely recommend that you read Tangerine this year!






If you liked this, you might like:

Hiroshima by John Hersey

This past August 6th marked the 65th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.  I had known of John Hersey's famous account of that event for many years, but I only just read it this summer.  John Hersey wrote his account 25 years ago, focusing on the lives of six individuals who lived through the bombing.  By telling these people's individual stories---where they were at 8:15 in the morning on the morning of August 6, 1945 when the bomb dropped; what their lives were like at that time; how they dealt with the immediate aftermath of the horror that ensued with the bombing; and how they managed to carry on in the years after the attack---Hersey succeeds in telling a very human story about a supremely inhuman event.  He doesn't weigh the merits of the arguments on whether the bomb should have been dropped, and he avoids any sort of polemic one way or the other.   I was struck, in fact, by how succinctly Hersey deals with any mention of the events and people, such as President Truman of the United States and Emperor Hirohito of Japan, outside the world of the six individuals whose lives he chronicles.  By sticking to details of the lives of these individuals, he tells a great and very important story about our common humanity.

I was struck by the important role that several Jesuit priests played in Hersey's story and in the events on the ground at the time of the bombing.  The Jesuits had several religious houses in Hiroshima, one of which was within a mile of the site of the bomb drop.  Incredibly enough, this house remained standing while almost all its surroundings were obliterated, and all of the Jesuits in residence survived.  Fr. Pedro Arrupe is mentioned in the story but not by name.  Fr. Arrupe was the rector of the Jesuit novitiate about three miles from the site of the attack.  A few days after the attack, the Jesuits from the residence closer to the attack made their way to Fr. Arrupe's residence.  Hersey writes: "The rector of the Novitiate, who had been a doctor before he entered the religious order, cleaned the wounds of the two priests and put them to bed between clean sheets, and they thanked God for the care they had received."  (48)

I highly recommend this book for all readers over 13.  

Here are some interesting related sites:
Read more about the Hiroshima Peace Media Center and its efforts to work for a world free of nuclear weapons: http://www.hiroshimapeacemedia.jp/mediacenter/peace-movement/index.html


Read the story of a young survivor of the bombing, Sadakon Sasaki, who died a few years later, but left an important legacy with her paper cranes for peace: http://www.hiroshima-is.ac.jp/index.php?id=64

The Unforgiving Minute by Craig Mullaney

“Get off my bus!”  screamed the cadet in charge.  “You’re not moving fast enough. Move it. Move it. Move it!”  We stampeded from the bus like a startled herd of wildebeest, clutching our small gym bags with white-knuckled grips.  As we poured into the hot July sunlight, chiseled senior cadet cadre aligned our crooked ranks.  

"Left, face."  

Forty eighteen-year-olds turned at different speeds toward white-starched cadet cadre.  We must have looked ridiculous--a ragtag collection of shorts, untucked T-shirts, and long hair.  

"Drop your bags."  

They landed on the pavement with a thud.  

"You will now begin the administrative portion of your processing.  Follow all instructions both quickly and quietly.  During this process you will pass water fountains.  You are authorized and encouraged to use them.  Do you understand?"  

I nodded my head with the others.  

"Pick up your bags." 

So begins Craig Mullaney's memoir about his four years at West Point and subsequent deployment to Afghanistan. Along the way, Mullaney studied Romantic poetry as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and trained as an Army Ranger.  This is not your typical soldier's story.   Mullaney is a talented writer who pays homage to the military while raising important questions about the course of military endeavors in the time he served in the Army.  

I loved this book and recommend it highly to all readers 14 and up.  I give it a solid A.  

If you like this book, you might also enjoy: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (the classic story of combat in World War I); The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara.  

You may also enjoy looking at the author's excellent website: http://craigmmullaney.com/content/index.asp

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Young adult authors these days seem unable to write a single volume novel and let the story stand on its own two feet.  My skeptical side (and pragmatic) attributes this to marketing: if you can get a large audience behind a good first book, then they'll likely come back again and again (and again, and again, and again, and again in the case of Harry Potter).  So, I approach these "series" with great skepticism.

Collins wrote an engrossing first novel in Hunger Games (see review earlier on blog), so I was looking forward to the sequel.  Overall, it was a good read.  I think the author spent too much time reacquainting the reader with what had transpired in the first book; she should give us more credit for remembering what happened.  I didn't really get behind the story until over a 100 or so pages, but by the middle, I was flipping the pages once again.  Katniss, the protagonist, is a compelling character; Collins does a great job at developing her character further in this novel.  The third (and final? Who knows) installment, Mockingjay, comes out in just over a week.  Of course, I'll have to get it, and my expectations are high---I hope she doesn't let us all down.

Recommended for those who read and enjoyed Hunger Games (but wait for the paperback edition or borrow it from one of the many people who have the hardcover already).  I give this a respectable B.  

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Ms. Guiney's Review: Catching Fire
Title: Catching Fire
Author: Suzanne Collins
Grade: B/B+
Ideal readers: Boys and girls age 12 and up

Summary: In this second installment of the Hunger Games series, main character Katniss finds herself back in the action and fighting for her life. She must once again cheat death at the hands of the Capital and its hideous power plays. There are new characters being introduced, but the same problems. This story is part adventure and part romance, and to be completely honest, I'm not entirely sure which part I love more. Both books in the Hunger Games series have been quick page turners and Collins creates characters that readers will care about long after we finish the final chapters. The final installment will be released just days before the start of our new school year and I can't wait to see how it will all end! This series is a must read for middle schoolers.

You might also like:

Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples

"But just a month earlier the Twin Towers fell in New York, and Nusrat knew the world had changed, that no one was safe.  She began to worry about Faiz with every day that passed with no word from him.  When the American President announced the United States would bomb Afghanistan, Nusrat felt her heart begin to break into fragments.  And now she lives every day with dread."

Here is a story I would like all Arrupe students and families to read.  The author actually tells two stories in this novel and weaves them together seamlessly as they unfold.  Najmah is a young Afghan girl who finds herself alone after her mother and baby brother are killed by a bomb and her father and older brother are taken captive by the Taliban to fight in their rogue "army."  Najmah realizes the complexity of being a girl in this society, so she dresses and acts like a young boy and sets out for refugee camps in Pakistan.  The events that unfold on that journey are gripping and poignant.  Nusrat is the other main character; she is an American woman whose husband is a Pakistani doctor working in the north of Afghanistan.  Nusrat starts a school for young refugees from Afghanistan, mostly young girls, and it is through this work that she meets Najmah and their stories intertwine.

Atticus Finch says famously in To Kill a Mockingbird that we need to stand in another's shoes in order to understand his life.  This book allows us to stand in the shoes of a young Afghan girl and understand her life.  It is an important---indeed, essential---story to read and understand.  Staples does a great job at avoiding political commentary; rather, she lets the story speak for itself in letting the reader share the plight of these two women and see through their eyes what terror and, more importantly, what hope there is in the world.

Highly recommended for all students 12 and up.  I give the book a solid A, without hesitation. 

Here is an excellent website by the author with interesting articles, reviews, and information: http://www.suzannefisherstaples.com/

If you liked this book, you might also like: Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples; Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang.

Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"Well, Watson, what do you make of it?"  That famous question---those famous words---are repeated throughout the novel by Sherlock Holmes to his trusty assistant, Dr. Watson.  They are asked of Watson as much as of the reader, and that's what makes reading Doyle such a pleasure; you become engaged in mystery-solving and sleuthing along with the famous duo.  

This was my first time reading a novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (a shameful confession, but there it is!), and I have already picked up Vol. 1 of Doyle's collected Holmes stories because I so enjoyed this novel.  The writing is crisp, witty, and thoughtful.  There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing what will happen next.  

I enjoyed reading it with a sense that the Holmes novels and stories were the great entertainment of their day.  In a world before radio, TV, and of course, the computer and Internet (people lived before the Internet?!  The horror!), people turned to stories and novels for a good thrill.  In a world before shows like Lost, Law and Order (and their myriad spin-offs), ER and the like, Doyle and others provided great stories that offer intrigue, mystery, murder, and deception.  It is a worthwhile endeavor to see how those are done by a master; they will enhance our enjoyment of shows and movies and other forms of entertainment in our own day.  

Highly recommended for all readers 12 and up.  I give it an A+  ---how could I do other than that?

If you liked this, you may also enjoy: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson; either of the Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Tate (The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag are currently out; A Red Herring without Mustard will be published in early 2011, and I can't wait!); any other story or novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about Sherlock Holmes, of which there are many; the stories of Edgar Allen Poe (who influenced Doyle's own writing).  

You may be interested to read about the life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, an Irish-Catholic boy raised in Scotland and educated by the Jesuits: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/hound/ei_doyle.html

IF I Stay by Gayle Forman

If I Stay is an engrossing story told from the point of view of a girl in her late teens who is stuck in a coma after a horrific car accident that claimed the lives of her parents and younger brother.  While the very premise of the story sounds morbid, the author writes with such naturalness and sensitivity that nothing seems grotesque or repulsive, which some scenes could have been.  I was taken with the story from the first page because the narrator's voice is so inviting and compelling---I just wanted to listen to her tell her story.  The basic premise of the novel is that the narrator has to decide whether she has the will to stay---in this world, in this life, without her family and brother.  She comments on the scene in the hospital room as family and friends visit, nurses take care of her, and her body fights to recover.  The author handles a grave situation in a very humane, respectful, and uplifting manner.  She makes an otherwise incomprehensible situation quite palatable, and invites the reader to consider some weighty questions in a thoughtful and mature way.  What if...? 


I give the story and writing a solid A.  Highly recommended for readers age 14 and up.  


You can read more about the book, the author, the story, and more at this website: http://www.ifistay.com/




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Ms. Guiney's Review:
Title: If I Stay
Author: Gayle Forman
Grade: A
Ideal readers: Boys and girls age 14 and up

Summary: Mia, the main character of this novel, introduces us to her perfectly flawed and utterly lovable family (mom, dad, and younger brother Teddy). The problem is she introduces us to them through the use of flashbacks because the family suffers a car accident that instantly kills both her mother and father. Mia herself is gravely injured in this accident and lies in a coma waiting to live or die. The amazing part of this story develops as the reader is pulled into Mia's realization that she must actually decide to leave (die) or stay (live). This was a heartbreaking story and I cried my way through most of it. Mia listens to the bed side vigils of her sweet grandfather, her brave grandmother, her spunky best friend, and her sensitive boyfriend, but all the while she is coming to a decision. Will she stay behind with the broken family she has left or will she leave it all behind and follow those she loved?

If you liked this, you may also enjoy:

The Great Wide Sea by M. H. Herlong

I've had great luck with books this summer---The Great Wide Sea is an A+ in my estimation.  The author sets the story primarily on an uninhabited island near the Bahamas, where three young boys find themselves stranded after their boat crashes during a storm in which their father has gone missing during his night watch.  The main character, Ben, who is in his mid-teens, has to take care of his younger brothers, Dylan, about 11, and Gerry, 5.  Their dad had changed dramatically since the death of his wife, the boys' mother.  The author does a great job dealing with some heavy emotional baggage resulting from death, loss, and bereavement; she writes with insight, sensitivity, compassion, and conviction.  I could hardly put the book down. 

Highly recommended for all readers ages 11 and up.  

Great website about the author: http://www.thegreatwidesea.com/The%20Author.htm


Interesting news item about a young girl from Holland who has set out on a solo around the world sailing trip with the goal of becoming the youngest person to achieve this goal: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11048130

If you like this book, you might also enjoy: Peak by Roland Smith; Hatchet by Gary Paulsen; Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen; The Other Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.  

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Ms. Guiney's Review: The Great Wide Sea
Title: The Great Wide Sea
Author: M.H. Herlong
Grade: A
Ideal Readers: Boys and girls age 11 and up

Summary: The story of three brothers who suffer the sudden death of their mother and an emotional freeze out from their father. Almost immediately after their mother's death, the father has sold their house, packed up three duffle bags of their belongings, and has them all headed to Miami where they will board the boat that will be their home for the next year. The boys have to deal with their grief, a father who deserts them in more ways than one, and a fatal storm that changes everything. This is a must read for the whole family. I highly recommend this novel!

You might also like:

Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

Another great read on my summer list is this coming of age story about a young teenage boy who runs afoul of the law and ends up facing time in a juvenile detention center.  The boy, Cole Matthews, struggles with serious anger issues rooted in a trouble home life that contribute to his violent actions toward his peers, one in particular, who ends up badly injured by Cole.  A wise and compassionate social worker intervenes in Cole's case and offers him the opportunity to serve time in a different prison: isolation on an island south of Alaska as part of a Native American ritual known as Circle Justice.  Cole seizes the opportunity and confronts the mythical Spirit Bear.  The story digs deep into the human psyche and presents a thoughtful meditation on justice, human behavior, anger, and ultimately, redemption.  I was deeply moved by the characters and story.  


I give the novel an A+.  I've recommended it to several people who were also taken with the story.  Highly recommended for all readers 12 and up; for strong readers younger than that.  I'm eager to read Mikaelsen's other books.  

You might enjoy an interview with the author: http://www.benmikaelsen.com/about_ben_interview.html

A brief biography of the author on the Scholastic website:

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=2592

If you like this book, you might also enjoy: Peak by Roland Smith; Hatchet by Gary Paulsen; The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong; The Other Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.  

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I finally read this wonderful novel, after hearing many students and colleagues rave about it during the last year. I understand now what the buzz is all about; this is a great read! Suzanne Collins is a talented writer who knows how to craft an interesting and intriguing story-line with characters you grow to care about deeply. This is first of a proposed trilogy; the sequel is Catching Fire (see post, above), and the final installment, Mockingjay, comes out in late August.

Set in a dystopian future America, called Panem, the main character, Katniss Everdeen, her family, and friends struggle to survive against the oppressive control of a ruling district. Katniss is one of those characters you think about after you put the book down; you want to get to know her as a friend in real life because the author develops her personality so well. What ensues as we move from learning about Katniss and her family and home in an outlying and oppressed district of Panem is a fantastic adventure story with plenty of twists, turns, and surprises to keep you flipping pages to learn what happens next.

I give the book a solid A. Highly recommended for all readers 12 and up.

You can read more about the book and author at these links:

• The Hunger Games movie set for production: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/07/hunger-games-suzanne-collins-billy-ray-chloe-moretz.html
• The author's website: http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/
• What is a "dystopia"? Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dystopia

If you liked this book, you may also enjoy: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins; Graceling by Kristin Cashore; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury; Gone by Michael Grant

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Ms. Guiney's review: The Hunger Games
Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Grade: A
Ideal readers: Boys and girls age 12 and up

Summary: Katniss is chosen to represent her district in the "hunger games" where she and her partner will fight the representatives from the other 11 districts to the death (all on reality tv). This is an incredible page turner in the first 150 pages. It takes that long for you to really understand what these children will be expected to do in these games. The book does have a good dose of romance which slows down some middle chapters, but if you can hang in there and suffer some sweet moments in the midst of chaos and killing then you will be rewarded with what I think is one of the best series of books to be written for middle school age readers. If you have not read Hunger Games yet, you are definitely missing out!

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