ILS Book Banter

Thank you to Courtney for sending in this book for cataloguing. I’ve been waiting to see it every since I heard it was out (thanks Mary!). I’m a huge Bob Marley fan; “One love” is the ringtone on my Blackberry. So this review might be a little biased.

Bob’s daughter Cedella uses some of the song lyrics and some original text in this vibrantly illustrated book. Continuing the message from her father’s, Cedella’s simple phrasing evokes a world united through love. This book is simple and striking and a worthy addition to your collections.

This book is not AR.

Chase and his dad are storm runners. Chase’s dad was in construction so he and Tomas, a hired hand, work rebuilding after storms have passed.

Chase’s dad arranges to leave Chase close by but out of the path of an approaching hurricane but things don’t go quite as planned when it goes in a different direction from what was predicted, and Chase ends up in the middle of the hurricane. Chase and two girls his age are caught on their own and have to react to save themselves and try to get to safety.

It is a quick read with lots of action.

I am totally hooked on this story and I can’t wait for book two, The Surge.

AR (BL 4.5, MG, 4 pts)

Fifteen–year-old Josh is reluctantly part of a group of youth going to do mission work in Haiti, which is led by his dad a minister and accompanied by two other women. His younger sister is also going along since their mother recently passed away. Josh has lost his faith since his mother’s death and questions (to himself) all things faith related, including his father’s decisions.

One of girls on the trip has diabetes which ends up playing a huge part of the plot. She also tells Josh about Haiti on the plane ride down which is Eric Walters way of giving information. The group is working hard at an orphanage when the earthquake hits. Josh finds himself in a position of becoming a leader and in saving people’s lives. He is able to work through his issues.

This book is MG+ due to some of the violence, especially toward the end.

I did enjoy this book aside of the preachy parts  but learned a thing or two about Haiti as well.

AR [BL 5.1; MG+; Pts. 11]

Alex is just a regular 15-year-old teenager who fights with his younger sister,  has a black belt in Taekwondo, and is willing to do almost anything in order to avoid having to accompany his family on a weekend trip to his uncle’s farm.  A cataclysmic event–the eruption of a super-volcano at Yellowstone National Park–changes everything.

“I was home alone on that Friday evening. Those who survived know exactly which Friday I mean. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing, in the same way my parents remembered 9/11, but more so. Together we lost the old world, slipping from that cocoon of mechanized comfort into the hellish land we inhabit now. The pre-Friday world of school, cell phones, and refrigerators dissolved into this post-Friday world of ash, darkness, and hunger.” (Page 1)

The story starts out with a bang–literally.  Alex is alone in his second story bedroom when a rumbling shakes the house, a hole is punched through the roof, and a fire almost traps him in his burning home.  A loud sonic boom  jackhammers the air, ash rains down from the darkening sky, and the townspeople descend into lawlessness and violence as panic ensues.  Determined to find his family, Alex sets out on a harrowing journey to his uncle’s farm over 150 miles away with only a backpack filled with limited supplies and his dad’s skis strapped to his feet in an effort to avoid sinking into the gluey ash mixed with snow.

 Along the way he confronts both hope and despair.  Never sure if a shotgun will be pointed at  his head or if he will have to fight off bandits desperate for food, Alex tries to keep the back roads.  Near death on more than one occasion, Alex is helped by a variety of interesting people who cling to their humanity.  Innocence is lost when Alex realizes he may have to kill or risk losing his own life.

Dripping blood from an axe wound in his side, Alex stumbles into a farm yard and has the good fortune to meet 17-year-old Darla.  Darla is a fantastic female character–strong, practical in ways that a city kid can never be, and smart.  She becomes Alex’s trusted travelling companion when bandits attack the farm, rape and kill her mother, and set the farm ablaze.

Alex and Darla struggle with gnawing hunger, bone chilling early winter conditions, and a government emergency plan that scoops up people from the “red” zone and places them into refugee camps with deplorable conditions.  SPOILER ALERT:  Alex learns that challenging authority will earn you a place in a punishment hut where you are left to die.  If not for the ingenuity of Darla and a nail-biting escape on a hijacked bulldozer, they would never have made it to the farm and been reunited with his sister where he learns that his parent have set off to the red zone to rescue him.

This is a debut novel–the first in a planned trilogy.  I enjoyed the suspenseful, action-packed story which reminded me of Life As We Knew It and look forward to the release of book two in October.  Strong description made me feel that if I looked out the window I would see a sky darkened by ash.  The violence fit the storyline–although the people descend into lawlessness rather quickly– and the rape is only mentioned and not described.    Much thought is given before Alex and Darla decide to consummate their growing relationship.  The novel is predictable in that it is an environmental disaster with certain foreseen outcomes which did not detract from the story.  This is a guy’s read that girls will also love!

AR [BL 5.0; UG; Pts. 15] — BookFinder says that his book contains graphic violence and sexual situation.  The violence was no worse than in The Hunger Games.  The sexual situation between Alex and Darla is handled appropriately.

Dead girls shouldn’t be sending emails…should they?  It’s the one year anniversary of Grace’s death when Kate’s inbox receives an email from her dead best friend pleading for help and setting her on a Nancy Drew “ish” course of events.

Snap back one year:  Society teenagers attending the prestigious Pemberly Brown Academy steeped in history and tradition, are looking forward to the start of the school year.  Grade 10 BFF’s Kate, Grace and Maddie are no exception.  Adding toKate’s excitement is a handwritten invitation requesting her presence at a secret initiation.

The story unfolds through the use of flashback chapters which enhances the suspense and mystery.  Kate is waylaid on her way to the secret initiation by her secret crush who has never shown her the time of day.  Grace is not so fortunate and is trapped in the abandoned school chapel when a mysterious fire breaks out.  No one believes her when she says it wasn’t an accident and that she saw some boys running from the site.  Ruled an unfortunate accident by firefighters, police and the school headmaster, Kate spirals into depression and a drug-induced haze prescribed by her doctor.  An only child of work-obsessed parents, Kate withdraws and rebels in little ways–dying her hair pink.  Maddie abandons Kate in favour of the Academy’s queen-bee. 

Unable to ignore the ghostly emails sent by Grace, Kate sets out to solve the mystery with the help of Seth, her next door neighbour and fellow classmate.  Following clues which involve Latin inscriptions engraved on school plaques scattered throughout the Academy grounds and secret societies dating back to when Pemberly, an all girls’ school, merged with Brown’s, a boy’s school, Kate challenges tradition and comes head-to-head with the power of the ”Sisterhood” and “Brotherhood” that wish to remain underground.

The side characters add interest and a twist of romance to the storyline.  Nerdy, carrot-topped Seth volunteers in the school office which provides access to off-limits information, is a follower of conspiracy theorists, eats nonstop in the hope of bulking up, and crushes on Katie.  Cameron, Grace’s former boyfriend with whom she was planning on breaking up, goes missing.  Liam is a bad-boy with secrets who catches Kate’s attention.  Rumour has it that he is on probation for setting a fire.  Queen-bee Taylor and her enforcer–Bethany or Beefany as Kate likes to call her–rule the girls through intimidation and bullying.  And with his parents wealth, Allister feels entitled to step on anyone who gets in his way.

Girls who like the Ally Carter books will enjoy this story.  Kate is a sassy and funny heroine who challenges the secret societies, navigates secret tunnels a la The Da Vinci Code, and even finds a little romance!

 AR [BL 5.4; MG+; Pts. 12]

Sixteen-year old Lucy is one of the lucky 1% to survive a world-wide small-pox plague that has wiped out her family.  Living in a lawless post-apocalyptic world, Lucy sets up camp in New York’s Central Park.  With a survival manual pilfered from a bookstore to guide her, she traps squirrels, boils and eats roots, and battles a series of environmental disasters.

After months of being in seclusion, Lucy encounters Aiden who rescues her from a pack of domestic dogs turned feral.  He tells her about a community of survivors who have banded together to fight the Sweepers who scoop up S’ans or anyone believed to be infected from the plague.  When her camp is destroyed by a tsunami which she miraculously escapes, Lucy makes her way to Aiden’s settlement.

I generally enjoy this type of post-apocalyptic/dystopian story.  Unfortunately, this debut story by a Canadian author just did  not ring true on a variety of levels.  As if a wildly mutating epidemic weren’t enough, the author had to throw in floods, droughts, and unexplained earthquakes.  The lack of chemistry between Lucy and Aiden will not hold the interest of girls who are looking for a little romance.  Throwing in another girl with a romantic interest in both Aiden and his S’an surviving brother who wears a mask–a la Phantom of the Opera–to conceal his disease ravaged face, does little to enhance the story.  The plot line that could have saved the story was under-developed and flawed.  Even before the full disaster struck, a school nurse and doctor were interested in her medical history and her blood which appeared to be resilient to the disease and brought the Sweepers after her.  The government workers normally assigned to scoop up S’ans–survivors believed to still be infected with the disease–were sent on a mission to capture and conduct human trials on those who who appeared to have a natural immunity to the disease.  

I don’t usually say this…but I regret spending money on this Kindle e-book.  I won’t be purchasing the planned sequel which will probably turn into a trilogy.

AR [5.4 BL; MG+; 12 pts]

The second book in The Heroes of Olympus series will not disappoint Rick Riordan fans. According to the author’s website, there will be five books in the series with the next one The Mark of Athena due out in the fall of 2012.

Percy Jackson is back suffering from amnesia and fighting for his life pursued by gorgons that keep rising from the dead. Disguised as an old lady, Juno (Hera), tricks Percy into Camp Jupiter. This is a Roman camp and home of Jason (from the first book) who has disappeared.  We soon learn that Thanatos the Roman god of death has been kidnapped and the dead are returning to life. Among these is a demigod, Hazel who died in the 1940′s but has been brought back by Nico (from the Last Olympians series), her half-brother. Another demigod Frank Zhang is the son of Mars but also inherits powers from his Chinese ancestors. Frank is of particular interest because he’s also Canadian. While other campers are suspicious, Hazel and Frank befriend Percy.

The campers are warned that they have a few days before Gaea’s followers will attack Camp Jupiter. Since the dead won’t stay that way, no matter how strong their defense is, eventually the campers will be killed and the camp destroyed. The quest to free Thanatos is inevitable. And who better to get the job done than Percy and his two new friends.

Throughout the book, Riordan delivers all the action and suspense that we’ve come to expect from him. This book will never collect dust on your shelves.  Grade 5 and up.

Personally, I won’t read any more in the series. I loved the first series and had to find out how that saga was going to end. This series seems to have less tension-breaking humour than the first and I see potential for it taking a darker turn, like Harry Potter. But Riordan’s find his niche and kids love it. And I have to admit it took me by surprise when I read that the company Amazon was run by the Amazons! Who knew?

AR IL: MG, BL: 4.7, Pts. 17.0

Cirque Du Freak – Book One: A Living Nightmare by Darren Shan

Well with all the craze of vampire books, I thought I would
pick up yet another…even if it was an older one that has already been made into a movie. I was pleasantly surprised with the content and excitement of this first book in the series, even if I felt there were a couple of holes in the story. However if you are looking to recommend a vampire book to a young Grade 4 to 6 student without the worry of language (except word hell), graphic violence or sexual connotations…this is the book! I cannot speak of the others in the lengthyseries yet.

The beginning to this story has a grabber within the first 3
pages:

“This is a true story.

I don’t expect you to believe me – I wouldn’t believe it myself if I hadn’t lived it – but it is. Everything I describe in this book happened, just as I tell it.

The thing about real life is, when you do something stupid, it normally costs you. In books, the heroes can make as many mistakes as they like. It doesn’t matter what they do, because everything works out in the end. They’ll beat the bad guys and put things right and everything ends up cool…

Real life’s nasty. It’s cruel. It doesn’t care about heroes and happy endings and the way things should be. In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins…

If this were a made-up story, it would begin at night, with
a storm blowing and owls hooting and rattling noises under the bed.  But this is real story, so I have to begin
where it really started. It started in a toilet.”

The story is written as a retell from this 12 to 13 year old boy’s point of view, on how he…spoiler alert…becomes a half vampire, and vampire’s assistant!

As the plot unfolds, it feels like ‘fate’ is forcing the events, in everything from how the Darren, the main character, ends up going to the ‘Cirque du Freak’, to becoming a half vampire. A good portion of the book is dedicated to the Freak show…which is very cool…and has that mysterious old air about it. This
brought back many of my own memories of wanting to see these ‘sideshows’ during an exhibition for myself.

Without retelling much more of the story, the boy deals with many external and internal conflicts that not only deal with his mortality, but also with friendship. Very relate-able for a Grade 4 to 6 boy.

The ending is quite sad and does hit home on how he must ‘die’ and leave his family. This is only a small part of the book but written concisely, which causes a quick emotional reaction rather than a long drawn out one from the reader, which I think will appeal to many young boys.

I think any grade 4 to 6 boy would be excited about the “Freaks” and their performances in the ‘Cirque’. As well the action happens quickly and a young reader can relate to the thought process of the main character without having to reach to deep. There is no romance in the story, so most boys wouldn’t
feel like ‘Ohh that is so lame’. The language is very clean with the odd challenge vocabulary word for growth.

A clear recommendation for any Grade 4 to 6 boy interested in freaks and vampires.

This is an AR book along with the other short books in the lengthy series.

[BL 4.8; MG+; Pts. 7.0]

During the summer, Joanne, Sherry Chase and I had an email book chat going. One Sherry read is this book and I asked to borrow it. And so glad I did.

Finn survives an attack on the kingdom where he lives. During the attack, the royal family is eliminated. Ten years later he’s accompanying a nobleman through the country to gather information on the location of other survivors from their kingdom. Their journey turns into a quest when they are joined by the novice Evanjalin. Not only must they break Finn’s father out of prison, but they have to reassemble the King’s Guard, return the survivors to the kingdom and settle the rumor that one of the royal family survived.

This book reminded me of Graceling (which I still love and can’t seem to find anything I like better). The kingdoms, the quest and the incredibly rich description of land and life in this land made the novel for me. I was really torn about recommending this book for an elementary so I asked Sherry. This is her response: “You would need a STRONG reader to keep track of everything and considering the genre only a particular group of readers would enjoy it.”
IL: UG, BL: 5.8, Pts: 18.0

I took five pieces of reading material with me on my trip to Saskatoon this past weekend, including The Lightning Thief which is our October Thunder Books Pick; however,     the one novel that I simply couldn’t put down was Charlie Joe Jackson’s Guide to Not Reading by Tommy Greenwald.  Rarely can I find a book that makes me laugh but this book was nonstop smiles – making it one of my favourite middle grade books of all-time.  Hmmm… I do believe I am setting you up to be disappointed since you now have unrealistically high expectations for this read.

 The book is divided into four sections.  Part One is titled: How To Not Read – The Plan: Avoid Reading at All Cost.

 The entire first chapter consists of six sentences (Charlie likes short chapters):

My name is Charlie Joe Jackson, and I hate reading.  And if you’re reading this book, you hate reading, too.

            In fact, you do whatever you can to avoid reading, and the fact that you’re holding a book in your hand right now is kind of shocking.

            I know exactly how you feel; I’m one of you.

Just remember: you are not alone.  We’ll get through this together.

Charlie Joe Jackson may be the most reluctant reader ever born. And so far, he’s managed to get through life without ever reading an entire book from cover to cover. But now that he’s in middle school, avoiding reading isn’t as easy as it used to be. And when his friend Timmy McGibney decides that he’s tired of covering for him, Charlie Joe finds himself resorting to desperate measures to keep his perfect record intact. This is the hilarious story of an avid non-reader and the extreme lengths to which he’ll go to get out of reading a book. (I copied that straight from the book.) 

The book has a great format.  It fluctuates between Charlie’s tips for not reading (my favourite parts of the book) and his actual story.  He is an adorablely manipulative character.  I think all of us have several Charlies in our schools which is why I plan on purchasing a few more copies to force :) upon my reluctant readers.  They will like reading when I am done with them, by golly. Avid readers will get a kick out of the novel, too.  I can’t understand how anyone can dislike this book; I dare you to hate it. 

AR Level: 5.4 Points: 5.0 Interest: MG