Seven Wonders of Ancient Africa - ADVISABLE

Woods, Michael and Mary B. Woods Seven Wonders of Ancient Africa, 76 p. NON-FICTION

MS, HS - ADVISABLE

There are seven books in the Seven Wonders series. This particular one details seven ancient monuments from Ancient Africa, including the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids. Every picture and drawing is in full color and is accompanied by the ancient and the modern significance of each structure. Which wonders, you ask? I'm not going to tell you! Any one of these books would be an excellent springboard to class projects about these or other sites. If a teacher had all of the series, they would have a very rich unit indeed.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

I'll Pass for your Comrade by Anita Silvey - ADVISABLE

Silvey, Anita I'll Pass For Your Comrade: Women Soldiers in the Civil War, 100 p. Clarion, 2008. NON-FICTION.

MS- ADVISABLE

From the first battle of the Civil War, women were involved along side the men, either overtly as nurses or camp wives and such, or covertly, disguised as men. Women weren't wanted in the war, but many persisted and made their presence know.

Photographs, lithographs and etchings from the period bring Silvey's text to life. This short, well-researched book is a good addition to a school Civil War collection.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Designing Disney by John Hench - OPTIONAL

Hench, John Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show, 149 p. NON-FICTION. Disney Editions, 2008.

MS, HS - OPTIONAL

Hench shows us in his colorful book how the Imagineers at Disney use story, character and color to create the many projects that are Disney from its early pass to its present.

Hardcore Disney fans will be fascinated by the detail and process that go into every Disney decision. Mostly for public libraries, but you should show this to an art or design teacher - there is lots to learn!

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Must Love Black by Kelly McClymer - OPTIONAL

McClymer, Kelly Must Love Black, 167 p. Simon Pulse, 2009.

MS - OPTIONAL 

Philipa can't believe that the nanny job is requiring someone who loves black, but when she comes to the beautiful, though slightly spooky mansion on the Maine Coast, she starts to understand that only someone who loves black may be able to figure out the eccentric twin girls who live there.

I'm afraid that the spooky black cover is a bit misleading, because this is not a vampire or creature on the night book - as much as Philippa loves black, she doesn't really come off as a goth girl. But it does show that girls in black may have some skills that girls in pink may just not have. Just for the cover it will get a lot of circulation, but don't be surprised if you get a couple of complaints.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Diary of a Chav by Grace Dent - NO

Dent, Grace Diary of a Chav, 234 p. (including the extensive glossary). Little, Brown, 2008.

NO

My student readers and I were completely perplexed by this book. This new style of British poor, working class girl leaves us going HUH? The three of us who tried to read it found nothing entertaining about Shiraz and her friends.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Handcuffs by Bethany Griffin - ESSENTIAL

Griffin, Bethany Handcuffs, 306 p. Random House, 2008

Language: PG-13; Sexual Content: PG-13; Violence: G

HS - ESSENTIAL

Parker Prescott gets caught one day in a mess including her ex -boyfriend, handcuffs, and her parents. Everything goes downhill after that. Sort of. Her world is changing and she no longer knows who she is. Does anyone?

I really liked this book. I just had to keep reading it. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes a little mixed up romance; it's pretty darn enticing. The characters were so easy to relate to and yet so different. It was amazing.

Student Reviewer: KH

Bifocal by Deborah Ellis and Eric Walters - ADVISABLE

Ellis, Deborah and Eric Walters Bifocal, 273 p. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, 2007

Language: G; Sexual Content: G; Violence: PG.

MS, HS - ADVISABLE

When a Muslim boy is arrested at a high school on suspicion of terrorist affiliations, growing racial tensions divide the student population. This book was very interesting. You get to see the view points of people on either side of the racial boundary, and what happens when people start to separate and judge one another.

It was very good once I got into it and grasped what was going on. I liked the viewpoints and how there were so many things to relate to. Pretty good but you should fill up on ESSENTIAL books first.

Student Reviewer: KH

I am Scout by Charles Shields - ESSENTIAL

Shields, Charles J. I Am Scout, 212 p. BIOGRAPHY. Henry Holt, 2008

Language: PG; Sexual Content: G; Violence: G.

MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most widely read novels in American Literature. Yet one-time author Harper Lee is a mysterious figure who leads a private life. Her life is as rich as her fiction and is revealed in this riveting story pieced together with hundreds of interviews. I really enjoyed this book.

When I first picked it up, I was thinking, "oh, a biography...great." But as I read more and more about Harper Lee and her life as an author, it made me want to keep reading, and it also inspired me to read To Kill a Mockingbird (which I had never heard of before). It was very well written and very good.

Student Reviewer: KH

The New Girl by Meg Cabot - ADVISABLE

Cabot, Meg The New Girl (Allie Finkle series), 222 pgs. Scholastic Inc., 2008.

Content-G

EL - ADVISABLE, MS-OPTIONAL

Allie Finkle just moved in to a new neighborhood and has to go to a new school. Allie has a few people in her school that really like her and one girl that doesn't like her that much. It talks about how she deals with being the new girl.

I really liked this book. It was very enjoyable for me to read. It was a very good book and I would highly recommend it.

Student Reviewer: MB

Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher - ESSENTIAL

Fletcher, Charlie StoneHeart, 450 pages, published in 2007.

Mature Content: G, Violence: PG, Language: PG.

EL, MS - ESSENTIAL

StoneHeart is a very good, intense book. A twelve-year-old boy named George Chapman doesn’t really fit in at school. He gets mad and breaks the head of a stone dragon outside the Natural History Museum. He awakes an ancient power that has been dormant for many years. He awakes all of the gargoyles and statues of London. The gargoyles and non-human statues are furious but the human statues are on his side. What will happen?

This book has a lot of action. I like StoneHeart because it has a lot of action and it's a big adventure.

Student Reviewer: SO

Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman - ESSENTIAL

Carman, Patrick Skeleton Creek, 192 p. Scholastic, 2009.
MS - ESSENTIAL

Ryan shattered his leg in a bad accident, messing around after dark at the old dredge - a place he wasn't supposed to be. Now he's recuperating at home and he has been banished from talking with Sarah, his best friend - the girl who was with him when he was injured. Where there's a will, there's a way, however, and Sarah has been sneaking video to Ryan as she continues to investigate the mysterious happenings out at the dredge. All Ryan can do is write in his notebook, look for what clues he can, urge Sarah not to be foolish and try to keep from being discovered. He has to get well enough to follow Sarah as she puts her life in danger to solve the mystery!

This book is a great mix of written and online content - Ryan in his notebook and a passworded website to see Sarah's videos. There is also myspace, youtube and a couple of other designated websites with content. I am amazed that people found the sites before the book was even published and have alreay filled pages with their comments. As long as the sites are up, I think this will be a fun book for the middle school library. And it looks to be the first in a series.

Cindy, library-Teacher

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare - ESSENTIAL

Clare, Cassandra City of Glass, 541 p. McElderry (Simon), 2009.

Language: G (9 swears), Violence: PG (fighting violence), Sexual Content: PG (glimpse of a bra).

MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Clary is very excited to be on her way to Idris, the City of Glass, to meet with the Clave. Jace, however, will do whatever he must to keep Clary from going. Being Clary, she find her own way there, drawing upon her newfound skills – skills that should not exist. Clary’s presence – and especially the presence of Luke, who came along with her – cause all sorts of problems, just on the eve of Valentine’s ultimatum – the Shadowhunter’s must submit to his will or he will unleashed his army of demons.

The first two thirds is a lot of great background information , but after the scene where Isabelle chews out Clary, the action picks up considerably and thunders to its satisfying conclusion. Fans of the series will have a great time immersing themselves in the story!

Cindy – Library Teacher.

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury - ADVISABLE

Bradbury, Jennifer Shift, 245 pgs. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008.

Language – PG-13, Sexual Content - PG; Violence – PG13

HS – ADVISABLE

When Chris and his best friend, Winston, decide to ride their bikes across the country after their high school graduation, the world feels free and limitless. Everything changes when Winston disappears at the end of their journey. Chris’ world shifts and only he can solve this mystery.

I loved this book; the characters are realistic and suspense is heavy. Older teens will enjoy this ambitious read.

Jennifer Rodriguez - YA Librarian

Sea of Love by Jamie Ponti - ADVISABLE

Ponti, Jamie Sea of Love, 236 p. Simon Pulse, 2008.

Content: G

MS - ADVISABLE

Darby has moved from the bright lights of New York and is now stuck in tiny-town Florida working at her dad's mid-life crisis (a hotel). She has caught the eye of a local surfer boy, but as the romance evolves, Darby's ex pays a visit and sends everything into a spin.

Another in the Romantic Comedy series - right on target!

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

The Eyes of a King by Catherine Banner - OPTIONAL

Banner, Catherine The Eyes of a King, 448 p. Random, 2008.

HS - OPTIONAL

Young Leo finds a book left behind by his powerful uncle and reads the unfolding fairy tale of a lost prince exiled to a foreign land. What Leo doesn't understand at first is that the fairy tale is the true history of his homeland and the foreign land is present day England. Events move from reading the past and into the current time and Leo makes a fatal mistake that has a dire effect on his and his country's future.

This first time effort of a teenaged writer is definitely a first effort. Leo's story is not particularly interesting, but at least the author is not derivative of past fantasy writers. Best in a large collection; seems to be the first in a trilogy. I hope that the story focuses next ona more interesting character.

Cindy, Library-Teacher.

Black Box by Julie Schumacher - OPTIONAL

Schumacher, Julie Black Box, 168 p. Delacorte (Random), 2008.

Language: PG (11 swears, no "f").

MS, HS - OPTIONAL

Elena doesn't know what to do when her older sister, the perfect one, loses her grip on sanity and is institutionalized. Then the school bad boy, Jimmy, befriends Elena and gives her some good advice and a shoulder to lean on as things at the hospital and at home begin to spiral out of control.

This book about the sibling of someone with depression gets its message across, but it will probably do best in a large collection.

Cindy, Library-Teacher

Beanball by Gene Fehler - ADVISABLE

Fehler, Gene Beanball pgs. 128 Clarion Books

Language~PG, Mature Content~G; Violence~PG

MS, HS –ADVISABLE

How fast does a baseball travel when thrown by a high school pitcher? Do you know? The average speed is between 65-70 mph. Now imagine a ball coming at your face at that speed! One fateful day Luke ‘Wizard’ Wallace is struck in the face by a beanball(a wild pitch.) Beanball is the story of this accident and what happened after not only to Luke but everyone that was there that day.

Written in free verse, the story is told from the perspectives of 28 different narrators all who were affected in some way by the accident. This is a fast paced read that will have readers cringing at times, but on the edge of their seat to the end.

Allison Madsen~Teen Librarian-SJO Public Library

Walk of the Spirits by Richie Tankersley Cusick - OPTIONAL

Cusick, Richie Tankersley Walk of the Sprits pgs. 320 Puffin

Language~PG-13, Sexual Content~PG-13; Violence~PG-13

MS, HS –OPTIONAL

Miranda has just lived through a nightmare. A hurricane devastated her home in Florida, now homeless, she and her mother have moved to Louisiana to live with her Aunt Teeta and her grandfather. As part of a school project, Miranda and her friends need to research the history behind their town for a Ghost Walk. A Ghost Walk is a tour of an area with special interest in the stories of the past especially any haunting or ghost activity. This Lousianna town was home to one of the bloodiest Civil War battles. Their investigation leads Miranda to discover an unnerving talent she has for communicating with the dead who need her help.

This will not be very spooky for most teens that are familiar with Cirque du Freak type horror. An enjoyable read. One of Miranda’s friends uses a lot of sexual innuendo and uses coarse language, but no ‘f’s. This is a light-weight read and if your library has a high demand for ghost fiction (that’s not horrific) you may want to pick this up.

Allison Madsen~Teen Librarian-SJO Public Library

Madapple by Christina Meldrum - NO

Meldrum, Christina Madapple 416 pages. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Language~PG-13, Sexual Content~PG-13; Violence~PG-13

NOT RECOMMENDED

Jimsonweed, madapple, bloodroot, gnaphalium all wild growing plants that play a major role both figuratively and literally in this complex and depressing novel about a young girl named Aslaug. For as long as Aslaug can remember, her mother kept the two of them separated from the world and society. Now she is on trial suspected of murder and arson. Will she be found innocent or will the overwhelming circumstantial evidence convict her.

This novel jerks the reader back and forth past to the present and the storyline is so convoluted that many readers will give up. This novel needed a strong spine to hold it together. I would definitely skip this one . . .even for the public library.

Allison Madsen~Teen Librarian-SJO Public Library

After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson - ADVISABLE

Woodson, Jacqueline After Tupac & D Foster, 153 pages. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2008.

Language: PG-13, Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13;

HS – ADVISABLE

Neeka and her best friend are crazy about Tupac and his music; he really seems to get where they’re coming from. When they meet D Foster, the girls get a better understanding of the harsh reality behind Tupac’s music. The three girls spend a brief two years together, growing up and looking for their “Big Purpose”, and then both D Foster and Tupac are forever gone.

Woodson does an excellent job of describing the growing pains of these young girls. I personally felt I better understood why Tupac meant so much to so many after reading this. Teens will enjoy the relevant issues and realistic dialogue.

Jennifer Rodriguez - YA Librarian