First Light is about an underground society. Great.

Amazon.com says,

"The father of 12-year-old Peter is a glaciologist, his mother, a genetic scientist. Peter is thrilled when his father decides to take the family on his latest excursion to Greenland to study the effects of global warming. Fourteen-year-old Thea lives in a secret society called Gracehope under the Greenland ice. After finding a map that leads her to the surface, she becomes obsessed with seeing the sun and bringing her people back above ground. Peter and Thea accidentally meet on the surface and discover, through a secret kept by Peter's mother, that their destinies are unexpectedly joined."

Amazon says,

"About three things I was absolutely certain. First, Edwart was most likely my soul mate, maybe. Second, there was a vampire part of him–which I assumed was wildly out of his control–that wanted me dead. And third, I unconditionally, irrevocably, impenetrably, heterogeneously, gynecologically, and disreputably wished he had kissed me.

And thus Belle Goose falls in love with the mysterious and sparkly Edwart Mullen in the Harvard Lampoon’s hilarious send-up of Twilight.

Pale and klutzy, Belle arrives in Switchblade, Oregon looking for adventure, or at least an undead classmate. She soon discovers Edwart, a super-hot computer nerd with zero interest in girls. After witnessing a number of strange events–Edwart leaves his tater tots untouched at lunch! Edwart saves her from a flying snowball!–Belle has a dramatic revelation: Edwart is a vampire. But how can she convince Edwart to bite her and transform her into his eternal bride, especially when he seems to find girls so repulsive?

Complete with romance, danger, insufficient parental guardianship, creepy stalker-like behavior, and a vampire prom, Nightlight is the uproarious tale of a vampire-obsessed girl, looking for love in all the wrong places"

Amazon.com says,

"In this fifth book in the Magykal series, Septimus ends up on a captivatingly beautiful island, one of seven set in a sparkling sea. He's stranded there with his badly injured dragon, Spit Fyre, along with Jenna and Beetle. There are some strange things about the island, including a Magykal girl named Syrah, a cat-shaped lighthouse that has lost its Light, and an eerie presence that sings to Septimus—can he escape the persistent call?
Trouble is also brewing for Lucy and Wolf Boy, who have become entangled with some nefarious sailors at sea, and for Milo Banda, Jenna's father, who is harboring a mysterious treasure chest in his ship's hold.
Charismatic storyteller Angie Sage continues Septimus Heap's Magykal journey with more laugh-out-loud adventures, more enchanting charms and spells, and an ever-deepening understanding of the interior life of a young hero."

The fourth in the series, this book doesn't disappoint.

"Eleventh grade at Bathory High is draining Vladimir Tod. Joss, a professional vampire slayer and Vlad’s former friend, has moved back to town. The powerful vampire Dorian has an overwhelming desire to drink Vlad’s blood. And his arch enemy, D’Ablo, has brought Vlad’s Uncle Otis to trial for crimes against vampires. So much for dating. When the tables turn on Vlad, he has just enough time to return to Bathory for his final good-bye" Says Amazon.com

I'm just whipping through these. Let's see... According to Amazon.com,

"14-year-old Will Burrows has little in common with his strange, dysfunctional family. In fact, the only bond he shares with his eccentric father is a passion for archaeological excavation. So when Dad mysteriously vanishes, Will is compelled to dig up the truth behind his disappearance. He unearths the unbelievable: a secret subterranean society. "The Colony" has existed unchanged for a century, but it's no benign time capsule of a bygone era--because the Colony is ruled by a cultlike overclass, the Styx. Before long--before he can find his father--Will is their prisoner..."

This book creeped me out. 

This is not the cover from my book. Mine has lockers, but it's the same book. Jaclyn Moriarty also wrote The Year Of Secret Assignments which was pretty awesome.

Amazon.com says this about Bindy:

"Moriarty follows The Year of Secret Assignments (2004) with another uproarious novel written entirely in diary entries, school assignments, transcripts, and other inventive formats. Once again the setting is Ashbury High, in Sydney, Australia, and Bindy Mackenzie, who had a pivotal cameo in Assignments, returns as the central character. Brilliant, precocious Bindy (who wrote in her diary at age 10, "I've been struggling a bit with Ulysses by James Joyce") is frustrated when her gestures of kindness toward fellow students go unappreciated. Her aggressive resistance to a new required course, Friendship and Development, sharply alienates a group of her fellow classmates, whom she nicknames the Venomous Six. But as she gradually gains self-awareness, it's these students, along with a dreamy transfer student, Finnegan, who embrace, support, and even save her. An additional crime plot is absurdly, gleefully flimsy and preposterous. It's the wild balancing act of shifting formats; the truths about family, school, and social pressures; and Bindy's unforgettable, earnest, hilariously high-strung voice that will capture and hold eager readers."

I picked up this book on a whim and I'm so glad I did. It was really great. Of the three, this was by far the best!

Says Amazon.com,

"Twelve-year-old Henry York wakes up one night to find bits of plaster in his hair. Two knobs have broken through the wall above his bed and one of them is slowly turning . . .Henry scrapes the plaster off the wall and discovers cupboards of all different sizes and shapes. Through one he can hear the sound of falling rain. Through another he sees a glowing room–with a man pacing back and forth! Henry soon understands that these are not just cupboards, but portals to other worlds."

Amazon.com says:

"In this dense and worthy sequel to 100 Cupboards (Random, 2007), Henry York, having discovered that he, like his uncle Frank, actually comes from a world beyond the magic cupboards in his attic room, decides to enter it again. This is a last-ditch attempt to learn more about his origins and about the strange dandelion magic that has recently seared its way into his body. Henry, his cousin Henrietta, and the rest of his Kansas family end up scattered in different parts of the world from which both Henry and his uncle came, struggling against an evil witch and her powerful minion. The plot is complicated, and readers not familiar with the first book will be hopelessly confused. The shifting locations and the many characters and factions are bewildering, but most of the characters have such deliciously flawed and fascinating personalities that fans of that book will go with the flow, waiting to see what the next bend of plot might bring. A quiet and quirky humor warms up the proceedings as well, leavening even the most intense scenes. The ending is satisfying enough to serve as a series closer, but luckily for fans of this challenging but rewarding trilogy, there is still one more installment to come"

Also,

"Henry York never dreamed his time in Kansas would open a door to adventure—much less a hundred doors. But a visit to his aunt and uncle’s farm took an amazing turn when cupboard doors, hidden behind Henry’s bedroom wall, revealed themselves to be portals to other worlds. Now, with his time at the farm drawing to a close, Henry makes a bold decision—he must go through the cupboards to find the truth about where he’s from and who his parents are. Following that trail will take him from one world to another, and ultimately into direct conflict with the evil of Endor."

According to Amazon.com:

"At the conclusion of Dandelion Fire (2008), book two in the 100 Cupboards series, Henry had found his birth parents, as well as the right cupboard door to magically transport him home. Unfortunately, his world is still threatened by evil witch Nimiane of Endor, and the this final series installment take a long time to get to the heart of the story: a meeting with the legendary Chestnut King, who can help Henry defeat Nimiane if he is willing to pay the high price. Fans will want this fine conclusion, filled with surprising plot turns."

All of the Above

"Exhausted by his efforts to teach math to apathetic middle schoolers, Mr. Collins proposes that his class attempt to build the worlds largest tetrahedron structure. The resulting endeavor, described in alternating chapters by Mr. Collins and four of the students, builds more than geometry as readers come to see them as individuals and as a developing unit. They include artistic tough guy James Harris III, who insists that the individual tetrahedrons color coordinate; Marcel the Magnificent, who works vigorously at his fathers barbecue grill; veteran foster child Sharice; and quietly ambitious Rhondell. Marcels dads recipes are sprinkled throughout. This novel is based on the true story of a Cleveland middle school tetrahedron built in 2002. Pearsall has a knack for creating strong narratives and characters that eschew predictability. While this solid, multivoiced offering is a hopeful one, the action is realistically gritty and true to its inner-city setting." Says Amazon.com

But for today I'll just update you on the most recent book I've read. I just (I mean, a few minutes ago at lunch) finished American Gods by Neil Gaiman. It was bizarre. I read YA books almost exclusively, so this was far from my comfort zone. Not only that but it was Neil Gaiman. That in itself makes the book strange.

The premise of the book was that gods are brought to America by people who believe in them. Once they're here, they survive only as long as they're worshipped. I thought that the old gods were waging war against the modern gods of Media, Technology and Information (and so on), but that wasn't quite how it turned out. The main character is Shadow and he's... odd. But I really liked him. He wanders around being a pawn, but ultimately is the most important character in the book. Of course. But not in a cheesy way (Harry Potter mesiah way). It's more subtle.

Gaiman is pretty much a genius when it comes to foreshadowing and winding tales. I was very proud of myself for figuring out a few things (like where the missing children went and who was responsible). I was also pretty proud to have followed the mixed up story line, even if I couldn't keep all of the gods straight. Maybe I shouldn't be proud to have understood mainstream fantasy, but it was a lot harder than most books I read. Good though. Very good.

From Amazon.com

"Twelve-year-old Henry York wakes up one night to find bits of plaster in his hair. Two knobs have broken through the wall above his bed and one of them is slowly turning . . .Henry scrapes the plaster off the wall and discovers cupboards of all different sizes and shapes. Through one he can hear the sound of falling rain. Through another he sees a glowing room–with a man pacing back and forth! Henry soon understands that these are not just cupboards, but portals to other worlds."

From Me: I bought this book last night. I got home around midnight, read a couple chapters and then picked it up again about 3 hours ago. I'm (sadly) over 1/2 way done.

I love this book! The author's style is engaging and beautiful. The descriptions of everything are unique and ... just right. And, even though I worried that it would be cliche and maybe a little boring, it's anything but. Somehow, Wilson has made the tired concepts of doors to other worlds seem interesting and new. (How much of a cliche review was that?)

Anyway, I can't wait to read more. But I had to take a break. Too many boys in my house are talking.

I'm not flying like I was but 1/2 way through March and I'm 16/50ths (that's 8/25ths) of the way done!

#15 was Tunnels. Not sure I liked it. It creeped me out more than it should have.

#16 was The Murder of Bindy Mackenzie. That one was pretty awesome. Maybe I'll even tell you more sometime!



For now... onward!

This blog thing is kind of getting left in the dust. I guess I'll spend some time on it one day soon.

For now, I've read a book and 3/4 of another. I finished the 11th grade Vlad book. I think it's (#14) Eleventh Grade Burns. It was really good. The end was a little predictable in a way, but I'm still hooked! Hurry up with that next book!!

Now I'm most of the way through (#15) Tunnels. I'm not sure how I feel about this book. It's one of those "character ends up in another world with an isolated civilization" books. It's a lot like First Light actually. It kind of creeps me out, actually. At the moment, the main character, Will, is underground and not allowed to leave. Even though everything is cavernous and huge, it still makes me feel claustrophobic just thinking about it. And the people there are creepy. Still, I may read the next one if this one has a good enough ending. We'll see.

ETA: I forgot to add that I'm also reading a book called (#16)All of the Above with my 2nd block. So far, it's pretty decent.

I finished Septimus Heap - Syren and Night Light. Both good in an "eh, that was ok" kind of way. I'm excited now to start book #14 - Vladimir Tod!

I've just stopped writing about it. But I should update my finished books list. Let's see...

#10 - Witches and Wizards - CHECK
#11 - First Light - CHECK
#12 - Septimus Heap Syren - In Progress
#13 - NightLight - In Progress

Witches and Wizards and First Light were both AWESOME! I loved them. In fact, I'm reading Witches and Wizards to my 3rd block.

I am almost done with Patterson’s Witches and Wizards and it’s GOOD! I don’t know if I’d say it approaches Harry Potter (But I’m a pretty big HP fan, so I’m hard to please) but it’s good! My favorite part about it is that the sections are short – about 2 pages on average. This is a wonderful when you’re reading a book and doing other things because there’s always a stopping place. My least favorite part, believe it or not, was that it was told in 1st person. Usually, 1st person is wonderful because you’re in the thoughts of the person you’re reading about, but I just don’t think Patterson nailed it with this book. I found myself spending a lot of time wondering how I felt about the characters. I just didn’t LOVE them at first. The other thing I found myself wanting was more of a setting. I think the book was purposefully vague on time and place, which can be good, but in this case lack of setting actually worked against it. Is this America? Is it meant to be taken seriously? If a government like the New Order took over here, it’d be a HUGE shock. Much more than I think the characters in the book felt! Is this the future? Present? Past? Is it as preachy and political as it seems? Or is it a story about wizards that needed a conflict to react to? I’m not 100% sure because I can’t tell if it’s even our world they’re in.



Other than that, it was VERY amusing! The characters become loveable as you (slowly) get to know them. There’s a little suspense and mystery and some funny/fun scenes. It was definitely worth the handful of hours it took to read. And it’s totally safe for readers of all ages.

On to book #10. Thank goodness Emily is an awesome girl with awesome taste in books! I had run out of things to read and getting around is nearly impossible with all this nasty snow!

I started this last night. It's pretty good so far. It's the kind of book that makes you feel indignant toward the "bad" guys. I hope they get what's coming to them!

I've heard that this book rivals Harry Potter in quality and interest. I'm not seeing it yet. I'm just not in love with the characters yet and it lacks the backdrop and structure that Hogwarts provides. But who knows, maybe that will change. I'll keep you posted!

Finished! I can't say this was an excellent book, because it wasn't. It left me with a bunch of unanswered questions and I'm not entirely sure of the theme. But it was entertaining and different and kind of fun, so it wasn't a waste. I am glad it wasn't too much longer. I don't think I'll seek out the other two in the trilogy.

Ah well.


Here's the summary.

Johnny Maxwell, 12, thinks he's a loser. People don't seem to notice him, his parents are threatening to split up, and he's not very good at the shoot-up-the-bad-guys computer games that he and his friends are always playing. But after his hacker buddy, Wobbler, gives him an illegal copy of Only You Can Save Mankind, strange things happen. The captain of the alien fleet that Johnny is supposed to shoot up surrenders to him–unheard of in a computer game–and soon after that all of the aliens from all copies of the game have vanished. Players looking for someone to shoot at sail through light years of empty space and return the game to the store, demanding their money back. Johnny also discovers that he is able to enter the alien ship in dreams and grows convinced that the aliens are somehow real, and are actually dying when human players shoot at them. And soon the day arrives when the humans can resume their shooting.

Yup. Another YA book. But it's funny because it's Pratchett and he's just strange. I'm about a third of the way through, I think. It was one of those, "Well, it's library day anyway. Might as well get something to read," choices. And it's another book for the year!

Get me a book.

Twitch, twitch.

Please? I have a need. I need a fix.

Twitch.

Well, finished that one, too!

Strange things are happening in Skeleton Creek...and Ryan and Sarah are trying to find out why. Ryan writes down everything in his journal, and Sarah records everything on her videocam. The two move deeper into the mystery they've uncovered, determined to discover the secrets buried in Skeleton Creek, in the conclusion to Patrick Carman's thrilling series.

Ugh, so I hate the way the title is written. Also, I'm not sure I was in love with this book, but it was definitely a page turner. I had to keep going so I could see if I was wrong about it. Anyway, here's the summary.

When Clay Jenson plays the casette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he's surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He's one of 13 people who receive Hannah's story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide. Clay spends the rest of the day and long into the night listening to Hannah's voice and going to the locations she wants him to visit. The text alternates, sometimes quickly, between Hannah's voice (italicized) and Clay's thoughts as he listens to her words, which illuminate betrayals and secrets that demonstrate the consequences of even small actions. Hannah, herself, is not free from guilt, her own inaction having played a part in an accidental auto death and a rape. The message about how we treat one another, although sometimes heavy, makes for compelling reading.

(I'll need to pull this one back up as I go, so obviously, it's unfinished.)
In no particular order:

1. Wednesday Wars
2. London Calling
3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
4. Witch and Wizard
5. American Gods
6. 100 Cupboards

I need a new book to read! Aaaaggghhhh!

In a field crowded with unlikely sleuths, Israel Armstrong--chubby, nervous, clumsy, headache prone, underachieving--stands out. Jewish and vegetarian, he stands out even more when he accepts a job in Tumdrum, Northern Ireland, where it's assumed that, if he's not Protestant, he must be Catholic. Hired to be a librarian, he arrives to find his library closed and his position retitled "Outreach Support Officer"--driver of the decrepit mobile library. Worse, the books he's supposed to fill it with have disappeared. Worse yet, his new boss will accept his resignation only if he finds the missing books first. Between Israel's inept sleuthing and the general unhelpfulness of the locals, it looks as if he'll be in Tumdrum a long, long time.

Okay, let me do a quick run-through to make sure I have everything.

#1 Pandora Gets Vain by Carolyn Hennesy
#2 The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
#3 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
#4 The Sign of the Beaver
#5 The Case of the Missing Books
#6 London Calling

So, let me tell you briefly about the last two books I read. They were both pretty great, by the way.

The Case of the Missing Books was kind of silly. It was about a guy who moved to Ireland to be a librarian, but ended up hunting for all the books. What I found annoying was the really neat and kind of unbelievable ending. I won't give it away, but it was kind of silly. I was surprised by where the books had gone, so that was great. It's hard to keep the ending a secret when writing a mystery, but then it was like the author decided he needed a sweet, predictable ending. And I just didn't buy it. Which was a shame and also probably why it was on clearance. The rest of the book was totally worth it, though!

London Calling by Edward Bloor was a very strange book that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters were great and believable and...I loved them. The plot was creative. The writing was great. I was hooked from the first page! What was a little annoying was how the main character went from non-religious (at least that's the feeling I got) to uber-religious at the end. I was also a little put-off by the way the character could just get whatever he wanted. Whose father flies them around the world just because they ask?? Nope, not buying it. It's a shame, because the rest was WONDERFUL. I cried and cried (probably only due in part to being over-tired and emotional)! Definitely pick it up!

Also pretty cool, I passed it on to one of my favorite students today! I hope he enjoys it, too. I fully expect he'll have it read by Monday!

Okay, now I'm off to post summaries!

Just a quick note to say that I finished two more books. Sign of the Beaver and The Case of the Missing Books were both awesome!

I'm now 5 books in!

Huckleberry Finn had a tough life with his drunk father until an adventure with Tom Sawyer changed everything. But when Huck's dad returns and kidnaps him, he must escape down the Mississippi river with runaway slave, Jim. They encounter trouble at every turn, from floods and gunfights to armed bandits and the long arm of the law. Through it all the friends stick together - but can Huck and Tom free Jim from slavery once and for all?

DONE! Awesome book. Awesome end. Hooray!

Why does Tom Sawyer have to make everything so complicated?? I mean, Huck would have been fine on his own. Yeah, some of Tom's input is pretty brilliant, but he could accomplish the same thing without being so crazy.

Sorry, I'm just nervous that Jim won't make it out!

Done! AWESOME BOOK!

Are you still reading that book? Yes, actually. I haven't had any long period of time just reading so I'm still picking away. It's so good. Last night it made me cry!

I'm still reading. In fact, I'm only a little over 1/2 way done, but I'm loving this book! The narrator has such a great voice. It's entertaining without being too terribly unrealistic. It's amusing but also somewhat serious. I can definitely see why it's such a highly-awarded book!

On Wednesday afternoons, while his Catholic and Jewish schoolmates attend religious instruction, Holling Hoodhood, the only Presbyterian in his seventh grade, is alone in the classroom with his teacher, Mrs. Baker, who Holling is convinced hates his guts. He feels more certain after Mrs. Baker assigns Shakespeare's plays for Holling to discuss during their shared afternoons. Each month in Holling's tumultuous seventh-grade year is a chapter in this quietly powerful coming-of-age novel set in suburban Long Island during the late '60s. The slow start may deter some readers, and Mrs. Baker is too good to be true: she arranges a meeting between Holling and the New York Yankees, brokers a deal to save a student's father's architectural firm, and, after revealing her past as an Olympic runner, coaches Holling to the varsity cross-country team. However, Schmidt, whose Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy (2005) was named both a Printz and a Newbery Honor Book, makes the implausible believable and the everyday momentous. Seamlessly, he knits together the story's themes: the cultural uproar of the '60s, the internal uproar of early adolescence, and the timeless wisdom of Shakespeare's words. Holling's unwavering, distinctive voice offers a gentle, hopeful, moving story of a boy who, with the right help, learns to stretch beyond the limitations of his family, his violent times, and his fear, as he leaps into his future with his eyes and his heart wide open. - Amazon.com

Oh yeah, did I mention it's also a Newbery Honor Book?

As a part of BNaBBT's 50 Book Challenge for 2010, I'm reading and blogging about 50 books. Reviews, progress updates, summaries, pictures and thoughts: that's what you can find within!

Pandora Gets Vain is book #2 in the Pandora series. As her name suggests, this is the Pandora (Pandy in the book) who opened the box and unleashed evil on the world. In the series, she's trying to collect the evil and put them back in the box before they ruin everything.