Cooper Vega is used to moving around a lot, changing schools, and trying to fit in. It never works out well though - he doesn't really stand out in any way. At his new school he is just "whatshisface". All that changes when his new phone starts acting really weird. It's so weird that it has the ghost of a printer's apprentice from the 1500s in it. What's more, Roderick, claims that he wrote the play Romeo and Juliet (Barnabus and Ursula) and that Shakespeare stole it after Roderick died from the plague.
Can Cooper get the girl and right a 500 year old wrong?
Not my favorite Korman book but his fans will enjoy it.
Exquisite - gorgeous poetry, beautiful illustrations, poignant requiem for a true hero and leader.
I adore this book - beautiful illustrations full of surprises and a cute story for the littles. My younger students will love it because the heft will make them feel like "big kids" and yet they can actually read it. Score!!!
I really enjoyed the author's book Invisible Emmie and I was really looking forward to this. In this book we have 2 middle school students - Brianna the brain who is talked into performing in the talent show by her mom, the drama coach and Izzy the comedian who can't wait to be in the talent show but her grades are so bad her mom grounds her. Both girls struggle with choices and friendships. I enjoyed the back and forth and the different styles of graphics but I still had a hard time keeping the girls straight. Based on reviews I had seen I was expecting the 2 to intersect a lot sooner than they did. They is a huge reveal on the last page - I hadn't figured it out and I wish it had come sooner and had a bit more to it. I think kids will love it more than I did.
Every since Lucy was struck by lightning when she was younger she has been a mathematical genius. She loves math and has all sorts of "friends" in her online math groups. But, she also has some quirks - OCD behaviors. She has been homeschool for a long time but now her Nana is forcing her to go to middle school - make real friends, adjust, be "normal"
Lucy is very hesitant and works really hard at fitting in - don't let anyone know she's a genius, wear the right clothes, etc but it is hard. She is fortunate enough to make a few friends and as a group they find a community service project to work on. But when one of her friends betrays her trust and the one dog that she has tried so hard not to love is in danger of being put down, Lucy realizes that her calculations about life are not adding up.
While there are familiar themes this book has enough freshness to make it enjoyable.
The earth has suffered a major catastrophe - water is scarce, the sun is really dangerous and mankind's only real hope is colonizing Mars. Fortunately people like Jameson's father have gone to Mars to do the prep work. While Jameson really misses his dad he is fortunate to have a satellite communication system and he can send and receive messages every few days. But then his dad starts acting strange - lies about a mission, says he's run out of time. And there is a new girl living next door whose mother recently died on Mars. She starts acting weird and Jameson's mom is flirting with Astra's dad - yuck.
Can Jameson figure out what is going on and maybe help his dad in the process. No spoilers but I figured out the main issue pretty early on. As the book got near the end I worried that it was going to leave on a cliffhanger waiting for a sequel but it actually ended pretty well. Overall, I enjoyed it.
Penelope is really excited that her mom is going to have a baby. To pass the time and to fill in her new sibling on life Penelope starts writing letters. The letters document her obsession with the Golden State Warriors, her project for school, and typical pitfalls of a middle school girl.
The book was ok. I can imagine quite a few of my students who will like it. For me, the letter writing got a bit old and there seemed to be too much going on - nothing really stood out as really well done because it flitted around too much for me.
Life in Wolf Creek is relatively calm and peaceful - friendly, warm, safe - especially considering the maximum security prison. That all changes when 2 men escape and everything is thrown into chaos as the manhunt begins and continues for weeks.
Told through letters, notes, poems that are intended for a time capsule program from Nora Tucker, the prison superintendent's daughter, her best friend Lizzie, and Elidee, who has just moved to town to be near her incarcerated brother, this book tackles prison issues, racism, and how people react to stressful situations.
I really enjoyed the book and the format is engaging. My one caveat was the fact that Kate Messner, obviously white, is writing about the perspectives and in the voice of Elidee who is African American. In reading the author's note I was pleased about the amount of work, research, and consultation she did in "getting it right". But, I would love to see a review that reflects whether she did indeed "get it right".
Livy hasn't been to her grandmother's house in five years and she doesn't remember much about it - she especially doesn't remember the green creature that lives in the closet of the room she stays in. Who is this Bob? A zombie? An alien creature? An imaginary friend? Where did he come from and why does he remember her rescuing him when she starts to believe he may have rescued her?
I thought this was a cute story - a bit weird but heartwarming and funny.
Man - this book was frustrating. I absolutely loved the first half - the tornado, the immediate after effect - very well done, good details and action. Then... things started moving too quickly and there were things that didn't get developed enough. First, a friendship and immediate offer to go storm chasing with Lana seemed implausible on the part of the parents. Then, there is definitely an issue with the brother that is hinted at but for the target audience I don't think they will get it. Then of course is the issue of a first book in a series and a major cliffhanging ending. I usually complain about books being too long but in this case it is too short. I would rather have seen this "series" put in one slightly longer book. I think my readers will be just as frustrated as I am even though the weather - tornado and flooding descriptions were great.
This is the account of Walter, a Jewish boy whose family escaped to the Netherlands from Germany when Hitler rose to power. Although they were safe for awhile, when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands the family was forced to go into hiding. Because of an illness, Walter's sister Hannah was sent to a different location. Walter and his family had several close calls and hide in various locations during the war but all managed to survive.
What I found the most interesting part of the story was the hidden village in the woods built by the Underground where over 100 refugees lived in underground homes and well camouflaged houses. The site of this village and reconstructed homes can be visited.
This is a solid addition to World War II and Holocaust literature.
I am still mulling over my thoughts about this book. My reading has been very disjointed. I have my 30 minutes on my elliptical in the morning but those are my hoarded eBooks on NetGalley and Edelweiss. It is harder to get my evening physical copy books in - too many late days at work, evening and weekend commitments. I read a bulk of this last weekend but just got around to finishing it tonight. I know I liked the beginning liked the ending but the middle is a bit hazy...
Amihan lives on an island that has been set aside for lepers or "the touched". Her mother has leprosy, she does not. A decision has recently been made by the government that requires all lepers to move to the island. Children not showing signs of the disease are forced to go live on another island in an orphanage. The man in charge of the relocation and orphanage is awful!! Amihan makes some friends on the island but misses her mother dreadfully. When she finally gets one of the letters that the director has hidden from her she founds out her mother is even sicker than before. Amihan and her best friend Mari and a young boy escape from the island and make it back to the other island in time for Amihan to see her mom before she dies.
Then there is an epilogue of a few chapters at the end... which brings some closure to a wrong committed and friendships broken apart.
Lovely writing and a good story... Can be compared to Beyond the Bright Sea.
Watt Key brings the suspense and action again.
In this book Julie and her dad take a father and son out to a new scuba site. But then everything goes wrong - her dad gets sick, the anchor breaks free, the father and son stay down too long and when they come up the boy is gone and the father is suffering from the bends. And that is just the first few chapters.
Can Julie and her passengers survive the deep water?
This was pretty intense and just when you thought they had survived one aspect of the ordeal they encounter more trouble. There were definitely aspects that will make adults say "really??" but student readers won't care and will eat this up.
Shayne always goes to visit her grandmother in Maine for the summers. She enjoys spending time with her friend Poppy, collecting sea glass, swimming, and more. But things are different this summer. Her grandmother has always been a collector but since the death of her grandfather it seems worse. They jokingly call the pile in the living room "junk mountain" but it really is not a joke - and Shayne notices more stuff everywhere. And even though Shayne is supposed to be helping her grandmother organize and get rid of things, her grandmother keeps finding excuses and even gets angry with her. In addition, Poppy has changed and doesn't seem to have time for her now that she is into makeup, boys, etc. The one bright spot is Linc who is staying next door with his grandfather. For all his quirky Civil War reenacting he really is turning into a good friend.
Can Shayne help her grandmother conquer Junk Mountain?
Drest is the only daughter of the Mad Wolf - the leader of a war-band that includes all her brothers. One night they are set upon by some knights and all are captured except Drest. She alone witnesses 2 of the knights fighting and one being pushed into the sea. She is able to rescue the injured knight and gets him to agree to release one member of her family if she can get him safely back to the castle. Along the way they meet many people who have different versions of her father and his band than she has heard before. She also comes to care for her captive. Can she get to the castle in time to save her family and the knight?
This is the debut novel of a Maine author and as such I applaud the book. I found it lagged a bit in places but it may be that my own reading was a bit scattered in the last week. I wished there had been more about the uncle and the castle intrigue - assuming that will come in a sequel.
This was a truly amazing book. It brings some issues to the forefront for middle school readers without being too heavy.
The book begins when 12 year old Jerome, a young black boy living in Chicago, is killed by a police officer. The book alternates between time periods. In the present, Jerome, as a ghost, observes his family, the police officer's family, and what is happening as a result of his death. He also meets other "ghost boys" including Emmett Till and learns their stories. The book also goes back to events leading up to the shooting.
I found the book gripping and thought provoking yet approachable for middle school readers.
I am always on the lookout for a good mystery, especially for my younger readers. But... this one didn't cut it for me.
Charlie's parents have left him with his grandparents while they travel - again - to rescue some endangered animal. His grandparents - well they are not exactly grandparent material. They sit and watch TV all day except when they are off to doctor's appointments. Fortunately Charlie stumbles upon a new friend and a mystery almost immediately. While in the local library he meets a deaf woman, Aggie, who seems nervous especially when two strange men come looking for her. Then she disappears. Why did she sign the word "dead" before she left? What is she hiding? What does it have to do with the deaf school and the famous mystery writer from the town?
All good questions actually but... I think mainly the pacing seemed off. There was a lot of time spent with Charlie trying to get his grandparents to notice him and time spent getting ready for a big alumni celebration but when it came to the mystery and clues it was a bit sparse til the very end.
