Ranger's Apprentice

I've read books 2 and 3 and am in the middle of 4.  I can't stop!

Spring Book Fair

Spring Book Fair will run from February 14-18th.

Come buy your favorite book, add to your teacher's classroom library, and help purchase books for children in hospitals.

Family Night is on February 17th, from 4:00-6:00.  The Chick-Fil-A cow will be here!  Come by!

Visit with Cinda Williams Chima

This past week, I got a chance to go over to Pioneer and meet and listen to an amazing author, Cinda Williams Chima.  It was very interesting to hear about her writing process and what kind of thought she puts in to her different books.  She writes fantasy novels...She says she does that because that's what she likes to read.  So far she's written the Seven Realms series and the Heir series.  She was a very interesting person to meet and talk with.  Check out her website if you like the books Demon King or Warrior Heir.

http://www.cindachima.com/

Here's a picture of me with Cinda Williams Chima.

Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan (#1)

Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

Summary (from GoodReads)
He had always wanted to be a warrior. The Rangers, with their dark cloaks and shadowy ways, made him nervous. The villagers believe the Rangers practice magic that makes them invisible to ordinary people. And now fifteen year-old Will, always small for his age, has been chosen as a Ranger's apprentice. What he doesn't realize yet is that the Rangers are the protectors of the kingdom. Highly trained in the skills of battle and surveillance, they fight the battles before the battles reach the people. And as Will is about to learn, there is a large battle brewing. The exiled Morgarath, Lord of the Mountains of Rain and Night, is gathering his forces for an attack on the kingdom. This time, he will not be denied .

Personal Thoughts
This series is super popular in my library.  I couldn't quite figure out why.  A students would turn one in and immediately check out the next one.  After I asked a fellow librarian, she said that they're good and I should read them.  WOW!  I loved it!  I couldn't wait to see what happened on the next page.  I really connected with the characters and could sense their personalities and how likable (or not) some of them are.  The only thing I didn't love about the book was that I had a hard time visualizing the kingdom.  I'm currently reading the second book and will post a review as soon as possible.  So far, it's as good as the first.  By the way, this is a rather long series, so the next several posts will probably relate to these books!

Fallen

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Summary
There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.

Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.

Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

Peronal Thoughts
Hmmmmm.  I didn't love the book, but I didn't hate it.  I kept wanting to find out what exactly was going on...What big secret was Laurent Kate keeping from us, the readers?  Well, I had it figured out but was sure there had to be something more.  This novel left a lot of my questions unanswered.  Why did Cam need to be involved in all this?  What makes Luce and Daniel so doggone special?  And the list goes on, but I don't want to spoil.  I also had a hard time connecting with any of the characters.  They just didn't seem as developed as I would have hoped.  I know this is (will be) a trilogy so I'm intrigued to read the sequel The Torment.  Hopefully that will clear up some of my confusion.

Tangled

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

Summary (from GoodReads.com)
Paradise wasn't supposed to suck.

Not the state of being, but a resort in the Caribbean.
Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all there for different reasons, but at Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Paradise will change them all.

Personal Thoughts
Hmmm.  I wasn't sure about this one when I started.  There's a fair amount of language (especially in Dakota's section) and a few lustful passages throughout.  The story was well-written and brings everything together nicely, but wasn't contrite.  Middle schoolers probably think and speak the way the characters in the book do, but it's a little raunchier than the books I normally go for.  Due to some of the more mature scenes, I would say this is more of an 8th grade book.

2011 Lone Star List

With something for everyone on this list, you're sure to find a good book!  I've read a few of these and plan on reading lots more!  Stay tuned for reviews.

2011 Texas Lone Star Reading List

Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. Little, Brown, 2010.
Bell, Cathleen Davitt. Little Blog on the Prairie. Bloomsbury, 2010.
Brande, Robin. Fat Cat. Knopf, 2009.
Carter, Ally. Heist Society. Disney Hyperion, 2010.
Childs, Tera Lynn. Forgive My Fins. Katherine Tegen Books, 2010.
Condie, Ally. Matched. Dutton, 2010.
Deuker, Carl. Payback Time. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.
Dionne, Erin. The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet. Dial Books, 2010.
Falkner, Brian. Brain Jack. Random House, 2009.
Fisher, Catherine. Incarceron. Dial Books, 2010.
Gephart, Donna. How to Survive Middle School. Delacorte, 2010.
Golding, Julia. Dragonfly. Marshall Cavendish, 2009.
Henderson, Jason. Vampire Rising. HarperTeen, 2010.
Klass, David. Stuck on Earth. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2010.
Shulman, Polly. The Grimm Legacy. Putnam, 2010.
Shusterman, Neal. Bruiser. HarperTeen, 2010.
Sonnenblick, Jordan. After Ever After. Scholastic Press, 2010.
Stork, Francisco X. The Last Summer of the Death Warriors. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010.
Wiles, Deborah. Countdown. Scholastic Press, 2010.
Yancey, Richard. The Monstrumologist. Simon & Schuster, 2009.

Matched

Matched by Allie Condie

Summary (from book jacket)
Cassia has always trusted their choices.  It's hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate.  So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.  Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow - between perfection and passion.

Personal Thoughts
Oh. My. Stars.  This book was GREAT!!!  I can see this book being the next Hunger Games.  I loved how easy this story was to read and how much it reminded me of some past classics like 1984.  It was a magnificent tale and should be read by anyone who like the Hunger Games.  Romance, intrigue, scandal, rebellion, questions...Seriously, it was fabulous!  The sequel is titled Crossed and is due out in  November of this year.  (I can't wait!)

The Roar

The Roar by Emma Clayton

Summary (from book jacket)
Mika lives in future London, behind The Wall, safe from the Animal Plague beyond.  Or so he's been told.  But ever since Ellie vanished a year ago, he's suspected his world may be build on secrets - and lies.  When a mysterious organization starts recruiting mutant kids to compete in violent virtual reality games, Mika takes the chance to search for his twin sister - and the truth.

Personal Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book.  It was a fascinating read...it was also a completely scary because I could see it happening in the future if we're not careful.  I think Clayton did an excellent job of weaving this particular tale.  Like many of the other books I read over break, I'm wondering if there will be a sequel.  And, yes, it is called The Whisper and is due out in Fall 2011.  I'm excited to read it and see how Mika and Ellie work through the Secret and find out what lies beyond The Wall.  Highly recommended for fans of Sci-Fi and Dystopia.

The Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (sequel to The Maze Runner)

Summary (from Horizon)
After surviving horrific conditions in the Maze, Thomas is entrapped, along with nineteen other boys, in a scientific experiment designed to observe their responses and gather data believed to be essential for the survival of the human race.

Personal Thoughts
That summary absolutely does not do this book justice.  In fact, if the book jacket summary hadn't been so long I would have copied that one.  The Maze Runner was a fabulous book and The Scorch Trials is a fitting sequel.  The characters are splendid, the scenery is described (but not to death), and the plot is fantastic and mystifying all at the same time.  WICKED, while they keep saying they're good, are just...well...wicked-sounding.  Although, without being a spoiler, this novel throws in some bizarre flashback twists that will blow your mind!  If you liked The Maze Runner, you'll love The Scorch Trials.

100 Cupboards

100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson

Summary (from Horizon)

Twelve-year-old Henry York and his cousin Henrietta discover 100 hidden portals to other worlds in the bedroom wall of his aunt and uncle's house.

Personal Thoughts
I'm usually a huge fan of books with cubbies, and shrinking, and magical places...but this book seemed to drag.  I didn't hate it, but I felt that it skipped around, lacked a lot of character development, and ended very suddenly.  In addition, there were lots of things that made absolutely no sense within the plot line, but appeared anyway.  For example, (spoiler alert) at the end, there's an appearance of an evil old witch that was nowhere in the story previously.  It made absolutely no sense to me.  Not a book I would recommend strongly.

The Gardener

The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen

Summary (from book jacket)
Mason isn't supposed to know about the Greenhouse.  He isn't supposed to meet the beautiful girl who is part of the experiment, and who doesn't need food or water to survive.  Now Mason is on the run with the girl.  And the Gardener, who is the mysterious mastermind of an institution that grows humans, wants them both, dead or alive.

Personal Thoughts
I really like the concept of this book.  And for the most part I thought it was well-written.  However, there were things left unexplained and the action scenes seemed a little lack-luster.  I'm interested to know if there will be a sequel to help answer some of those questions.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi.

Ship Breaker

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Summary (from book jacket)
In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota-and hopefully live to see another day.  But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.

Personal Thoughts
This was a good read that went pretty fast.  Despite the sometimes awkward and new terminology, it was easy to read and understandable.  The characters were well-fleshed out and the plot interesting and fast-moving, too.  Overall,  I liked this book.  I'm curious to know if there will be a sequel...Aha!  According to sixboxesofbooks.blogspot.com, Bacigalupi is planning a sequel called The Drowned Cities due out in 2011.