Okay I will admit, I requested this on NetGalley because...frogs. I mean come on...I love frogs. But from the very beginning I was confused. The action jumped right in with The Creeps (never explains the name or really gives much in the way of background) and something with evil pudding in the cafeteria. As punishment for that this group of students has to do cleaning. There is also an issue with students protesting frog dissection. Then the frogs disappear and the Creeps try to figure out who did it. That part of the book was okay but there was this nagging feeling throughout the book that I was missing something - that this was not the first in a series. But it is... My students might not mind it but it bothered me.
In Mare's world there are people like her with red blood and people with special abilities who have silver blood. The silver blood's are the ruling class and the reds are the soldiers, the workers, and the slaves. Mare knows that when she turns 18 she will be conscripted just like her brothers before her. But a chance meeting with a stranger changes all that. He has connections and gets her a job as a servant for the Silvers. On her first night of work she finds out that this benefactor is actually Prince Cal and in a strange turn of events she discovers that she has an ability. In an effort to use her new ability and maybe help stop a rebellion among the Reds, Mare is forced to pretend she is a silver and become engaged to Maven, the "spare". Her loyalties are divided and Mare struggles to help the Scarlet Guard but is she trusting the right people?
This was a good book. Good action and intrigue, good plot twists, and decent world building. I enjoyed this. It is too old for my own students but I would recommend it to teenagers.
Zavion and his father lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. They are now trying to put their lives back together but Zavion is scared and wants to fix everything. Henry just lost his best friend Wayne in an accident and he feels responsible. When Henry's mom gives away a pair of his jeans to help people in New Orlean, Henry realizes his lucky marble was in the jeans and contrives a way to get down to New Orleans. Zavion, of course, was the recipient of Henry's jeans and marbles. Through a series of events the two boys meet and form a friendship. Eventually, Zavion and his dad come up to Henry's home in Vermont where both boys come to terms with what happened to them.
This book was told in alternating chapters. I found the book to be good and the friendship was cool. Both boys were realistic in their responses to the situations they found themselves in. But...plausible??? The reader really has to go with their highly unlikely meeting. This most likely bothers adult readers more than children.
Serafina has always known she was different. She is a child of the night, Chief Rat Catcher, and is kept hidden by her father. When Serafina stumbles upon a mysterious man in a black cloak and sees him absorb a young girl, Serafina knows she not only needs to get away from him but she needs to stop him. With the help of the Vanderbilt's nephew, Braeden, Serafina attempts to discover the secret of the mysterious man and in doing so learns more about herself.
Great story!!! It was creepy and a bit violent in spots but students will love it. Deliciously spooky.
Jake Cutler was abandoned on a planet when he was just a baby. He knows the story - their ship was hit by an asteroid, his father disappeared, and he was rescued but left at a monastery with just a necklace and a blanket. Now, 11 years later, space pirates have found him. They want him to find the location of his home planet with its crystal moons. But Jake doesn't remember anything so how can he help?
Lots of action in this book and good friendships develop. The ending was unexpected and leads into sequels but the ending was satisfactory (if you have read my blog much you know I hate a bad, wait for the sequel ending). This wasn't my favorite science fiction book but it was pretty good.
Okay, I have had this book for months and just now got to it. Sorry...I am such a hoarder on NetGalley that I read a lot on there to keep ahead of archive dates. But I am so glad I finally read it.
Ally is used to failing, getting teased, feeling dumb but she doesn't know what to do about it. She gets in trouble to avoid the truth and no one seems to know - even her teacher. But, when a new teacher comes in - he realizes what is up and helps Ally not only with her reading but with the realization that being different is okay. I was a big fan of One for the Murphys and loved this as well. While working in education I like to think that a student wouldn't get to 6th grade without help, I suppose it isn't out of the realm of possibility. This reminded me a lot of Thank you, Mr. Falker.
Dacia and Lou have been raised in New York in good families. But then, all of a sudden they are whisked away to meet their mothers' family in Romania. Things start to get ominous when warnings come from close relatives and strangers ask them questions about Wing, Claw, and Smoke. Then they meet their grandmother - and she is a terror who is threatening to overthrow a king. Just who are their relatives and are the two girls destined to become part of the family's legacy?
I love when there is a new spin on an old tale and I really enjoyed this. I loved the character development of Lou especially and how Dacia, although hesitant at first, embraced her new role. While it is too old for my students I will recommend it to older students that I know.
