6th Grade Entry - The Sea of Monsters

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Kobe’s entry. Thanks, Kobe!

The Sea of Monsters
Rick Riordan
Miramax books
279 pg.



In the book The Sea of Monsters Percy, and Annabeth have to go on a quest to save their friend Grover. On the way to do that they realize that if they can save Grover they can save Camp Half-Blood where they both live and train to fight monsters when they go on quests such as this. Another problem about the quest is that they weren’t even the ones chosen to go, but they knew that had to because the year before they had accomplished a quest similar to this. Not to mention the person that was chosen to take on this quest was their enemy from camp Clarisse. On (Clarisse’s quest) they stole away and Percy, and Annabeth went on their way searching for Grover. On the way they run a old friend from camp and Percy finds out he’s not the only sun of Poseidon the God of the sea.

The main character in this story is for sure Percy. Percy is seventh grader and is the son of Poseidon. Percy is brave, has sandy hair and sea green eyes.

What I liked best about this book is that it involves Greek myths and is interesting throughout the entire book. It was exciting until the book was over. It was also very funny and easy to relate to.

I think that just about anyone would enjoy this book especially people who like exciting stories.

Submitted by Kobe M.

6th grade entry - The Trouble with Skye

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Cassandra’s entry. Thanks, Cassandra!

The Trouble with Skye
Marsha Hubler
Zondervan, 130 p.

This story is about a thirteen-year-old named Skye Nicholson. In the past years she has been to five different foster homes. She has made some really bad choices in her life. She has no more hope in herself. She doesn’t know if her mom and dad are even alive, and while she’s lying in bed, she wonders where they are and why they haven’t came back for her. But suddenly, hope finds her through the love of Tom and Eileen Chambers, who offer her another chance in their home. She is introduced to God, and she changes her life around. In the meantime, she is cleaning out stalls, brushing horses, feeding horses, and riding them. When she first got to Keystone Stables, where Tom and Eileen live, she met a horse named Champ. Champ helped Skye learn to be responsible and be a better person. While she is training for the horse show, while Tom and Eileen were out, something tragic happens!!!
The main character in this story is Skye Nicholson. Skye is known as the bully in the school. She is an expert on being an angry, cold, and defensive teenager. She hates everybody but her friends, Sooze and Kenny. Sooze and Kenny bring Skye drugs, beer and that kind of stuff. But as soon as she accepts God into her life, she becomes nice. She gets good grades and she is making better friends, goes to church, doesn’t drink or do drugs, and respects other people.
What I liked best about the book is that it has horses in it. I love horses. I think they are a really cool animal. Another thing that I like is from in the beginning of the story to the end of the story, Skye really changed. I think it is really cool to see her change. And I liked the book in general.
I think if you are a person who likes horses, you would like this book. It has a lot about horses and a lot of riding horses. It doesn’t take a lot for you to like this book. It is really good, you should read it!!

Submitted by Cassandra I.

6th grade Entry - Elephant Run

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Brianna’s entry. Thanks, Brianna!

Elephant Run
Roland Smith
Scholastic Inc. 318p

When Nick Freestone’s apartment is destroyed, his mother thinks he will be safer living with his father in Burma on the family’s teak plantation. Nick arrives hoping to spend time with his father. Soon the Japanese invade and Nick’s father is taken captive. His father is sent to camp to die, while Nick is forced to work for the new rulers. Nick and his new friend, Mya, are planning an escape determined to save their families. Nick Freestone is a fourteen-year-old boy with green eyes and brown hair. He is sent to Burma to live with his father. He has never really spent a lot of time with his dad because his parents got a diverse when he was little. I felt bad for Nick when his dad is sent away to a camp to suffer till he died. Sometimes I wonder how he kept working even when he knew his dad was going to die and that they would never see each other again. Maybe thinking that one day he would be free and his dad would be with him working on the plantation with the timber elephants. As a reader, I am glad that Nick and Mya plan an escape because I needed a little hope that they might be free one day. I would recommend this book to people who love reading about adventure, history, and elephants. I am a big fan of history so this book gave me some good facts about World War 2. This book also taught me a lot about what Burma was like and what timber elephants were. Submitted By Brianna M

6th Grade Entry - Battle of the Labyrinth

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Noah’s entry. Thanks, Noah! '

Title-Battle of the Labyrinth
Author-Rick Riordan
Publisher-Hyperion Books for Children/New York an imprint of Disney Book Group
361pages

Main Character: Percy- A few years ago discovered that he was a Half-Blood. He also discovered he was the son of the Olympian god Poseidon. He has been asked to go on a lot of quests which his friends Grover, Annabeth, Tyson, and Nico have helped him with.

Plot- Luke a kid Kronos tricked into working for him wants to destroy Camp Half-Blood, the only safe place for Demigods. The reason why Luke wants to do this is because the Demigods have a chance of stopping Luke, the Titans, and his evil minions from dethroning the Olympian gods. Luke has discovered the Labyrinth which might lead them to camp Half-Blood across the magical borders so they can defeat Camp-Half-Blood. To do this they need to find Ariadne’s string so they can navigate through the Labyrinth. Can Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Tyson, and the rest of Camp Half-Blood survive Luke and the Titans? Read Battle of the Labyrinth to find out.

What I liked about this book was: It was funny, thrilling, and interesting all in one. In this book there is action in almost every chapter. I also like this book and this series because it is unusual, not many books that I have read about the Greek gods and goddesses are funny.

I would recommend this book to a person who enjoys laughter, thrills, and action, or likes an easy read. I would also recommend this series. The other books in the series are The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titans Curse and Battle of the Labyrinth.

Submitted by Noah C.

6th Grade Entry - Warriors - The Darkest Hour

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Andrey’s entry. Thanks, Andrey!

Warriors The Darkest Hour
Erin Hunter
Working Partners Limited, 315p

This book has four plots about the wild. The first plot is the forest. the second plot is the marsh. the third plot is themoor. And the final is theisland in the river.Between the territories are four oaks that the clans go every full moon.
One of the main charactors is Firestar. He is the leader of Thunderclanwith nine lives. Also, he was a kittypet. the first few series were all about him.
What I liked best about the book is the battle with Bloodclan. Tigerstar wanted power and went to find Scourge, leader of Bloodclan. Tigerstar and Scourge got into a big fight and Scourge ripped out the nine lives of Tigerstar in one blow! That is how this war got started.
I recommend this book to people who love animals, action, and adventure.

Submitted by Andrey B

6th Grade Entry - Ark Angel

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Dakota’s entry. Thanks, Dakota!


Ark Angel
Anthony Horowitz
Penguin Group, 323 pages

Alex Rider is no ordinary boy. Infact he is a fourteen-year-old M16 agent who goes on all kinds of missions. In his latest one, Alex finds out about a facility on an island called Flamingo Bay. On the island a billionaire named Nikolai Drevin has plans for the first space hotel, The Ark Angel. But a group of so-called eco-warriors called the Force Three vow to take down the Ark Angel project. The Force Three’s plan? Blow up a side section of the unfinished hotel, send it out of orbit, and bring it down on the Pentagon. If that happens, all the evidence that could put the Force Three behind bars will be destroyed. But who is behind the Force Three? And even with gadgets and reinforcements can Alex stop them?

Alex Rider is, from what I’ve read, is very clever and resourceful. For example, in one chapter, Alex escapes a burning building with his room’s door locked and a gunman at the entrance to the building. Sometimes Alex tries to back out of a mission because he thinks its crazy, but he ends up doing it anyway. But having to do all these missions that sound crazy and wanting to back out, I don’t blame him.

What I liked best about this book is that it was easy to follow. Also there was a lot of action and a strong sense of adventure. This isn’t like those books that have action but is kind of slow. But in this book it was almost like a movie. When I read this book I couldn’t put it down. And it had tons of suspense.

I would mostly recommend this book to boys but it’s pretty much for everyone. But deffinently take it from me, if you love suspense, action and a sense of “didn’t see that com’in”, this is one book you cannot miss.

Submitted by Dakota A.

6th Grade Entry - Twilight

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Breanna’s entry. Thanks, Breanna!


In Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, Edward Cullen is a young vampire. He has wild, long brownish/reddish hair. His skin is always pale white. He only hunts (tackles, bites, kills) wild animals no humans are in his diet. Isabella Swan is a normal girl moving from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington, to live with her father Charlie, while her mother is on vacation. On her first day of high school Bella meets new friends. She learns about a mysterious boy named Edward Cullen and his family.

Edward saves her life by stopping a van from crashing into her body by blocking it with his body. That is the first hint of his love for her and is mysterious immortal like powers and abilities and coming to the conclusion that he is a vampire!!!!! Later in the book a group of three vampires interrupts a friendly vampire game of baseball with Bella watching. James one of the "other" vampires in the group smells Bella irresistible scent. He is after her and the epic vampire battle begins.

I liked this book because I recently read another vampire book before Twilight. I was looking for another vampire romance book to read. I also like the book because it kind of has a cliffhanger at the end, why? To leave the readers craving, wanting, will do anything to read New Moon. I like the book in general because it has vampires in it!! I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a nice romance novel.


Breanna C.

6th Grade Entry - Ark Angel

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Nick’s entry. Thanks, Nick!


Ark Angel
Anthony Horowitz
Philomel Books, 326 p.

Alex Rider, teen spy, got injured by a sniper bullet and wound up in the hospital. While he was in the hospital he met a kid named Paul Drevin in the room next to his. The night before Alex was going to get released from the hospital he snuck out of bed and went downstairs. Alex Rider saw four guys come in the hospital and kill the receptionist. Later on he realized they were a group of criminals called Force Three. He saved Paul’s life from Force Three. Later Alex figures out who Force Three is working for and he or she is planning to go in space and blow up his own hotel in space, Ark Angel. Alex Rider meets a guy named Byrne and he tells him to try to stop Force Three. Along Alex’s journey he is almost injured like when he goes go carting and when Force Three kidnaps him. Do you think he will stop Force Three?
Alex Rider is the main character in Ark Angel. He works for MI6 Special Operations, which is a spy agency. Alex is a very brave teenager and never gives up until he completes his mission. He is a fifteen year old boy that lives with his caretaker Jack Starbright. He lives with Jack Starbright because his uncle and parents are dead. Even if Alex isn’t told to do something he is always winding up following someone that looks up to no good.
What I like best about the book is all of the action. I like all of the action because it makes the book better. Another thing I liked best about the book is all the details. All of the details paint a picture in my mind. I like that Alex Rider is a really good fighter. Since Alex is a good fighter it makes all of the action better. The next thing I liked about the book best was that it’s adventurous. I like that it’s adventurous because he goes to places to that I would want to go (space). Another thing I that I like best about the book Ark Angel is that it’s suspenseful. The suspense in Ark Angel made me addicted to it. I loved how the author wrote the book with almost a different conflict in each chapter. Example one chapter will be about Force Three showing up at a soccer game and the next thing you know someone’s trying to blow up Ark Angel!
I would recommend this book to people that like their book to have a lot of action in it. If people like books with a lot of suspense in them, this book is just right for them. This book makes you imagine like you are Alex Rider, and if you like that you should check this book out or buy it. Another recommendation I have is for people that likes spy books because this book all about a spy (Alex Rider). I recommend this book to people in the age of 9-14 years old.

Submitted by Nick C.

6th Grade Entry - Eagle Strike

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Nate’s entry. Thanks, Nate!

Eagle Strike
Anthony Horowitz
Philomel Books, 257p.

Alex Rider, teen spy, sees Yassen Gregorovich, an enemy from earlier on, and wonders, “What is he doing here”. So Alex knows something is not right. He follows Yassen Gregorovich and finds him talking on his phone to a guy named Damian Cray. While Yassen is talking to Damian on the phone, Alex realizes that from what he has heard on the phone, Damian Cray is a criminal. Alex Rider gets in contact with the MI6 Special Operations, a spy agency that he works for, about Damian Cray. Later, on he realizes that Damian Cray is a former pop idol and a billionaire that everyone adores. Everyone believes Damian Cray is a good person because he donates millions of dollars to charities and does good stuff for people, but Alex Rider and the MI6 Special Operations are the only ones that believe he is a criminal. In fact, Alex’s best friend doesn’t even believe that Damian Cray is a criminal. Alex Rider has to keep in touch with the MI6 Special Operations, about Damian Cray. Alex Rider must survive a bullfight, a high speed chase through Amsterdam on a bicycle, and even being the target in a human video game, Game Slayer. When Alex Rider figures out about Cray’s plan called “Eagle Strike,” he realizes that he has to save a lot of people’s lives. Alex Rider knows he has to face a big problem. Will Alex Rider stop Eagle Strike or will Eagle Strike go on and happen?
Alex Rider is the main character in Eagle Strike. He is a teenage boy and is fourteen years old. Alex Rider is a spy that works for MI6 Special Operations, a spy agency. Alex never gives up until he completes the missions MI6 gives him. Alex lives with his housekeeper, also his best friend, Jack Starbright. I feel bad for Alex because all he’s really got is Jack Starbright. If Alex thinks there is someone up to no good, he will follow them and figure out what their problem is or if they’re criminals. So basically, he sometimes starts his own missions instead of the MI6 giving him one.

I liked that when I read Eagle Strike, it painted a picture in my head of the setting and characters. That was important because in my head, I saw characters I have never seen before and a place I have never been to. I also, liked how there was a lot of suspense in Eagle Strike because I wanted to keep on reading it and never stopping. In Eagle Strike, I liked how there was a lot of action because I like to watch people fight. I was excited when Alex Rider was trying to survive a bull fight and a high speed chase through Amsterdam on a bicycle. I was especially excited when Alex Rider tried to survive being the target in a human video game because there was a lot of action when those things happened.
I would recommend this to anyone who likes action in a book. I would also, recommend this to anyone that likes a book so much, they never want to stop reading it. If you like other books written by Anthony Horowitz, this is the book for you. If you like James Bond this is also a book for you because Alex and James Bond are both spies. Finally, I would recommend this to anyone who likes a picture painted in their mind while they’re reading.
Submitted by Nate C.

6th grade entry - Charlotte's Web

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Amara’s entry. Thanks, Amara!

Charlotte's Web
E.B. White
HarperCollins Publisher Inc.,
184 pages
 


Wilbur the pig was born a runt when he was little and was to have something awful happen to him, when an eight year old girl named Fern saves the baby pig. Her father allowed her to keep the pig but must be fully responsible for him. As Wilbur grows older he gets to big to be kept at the house any more and is sent away to Fern’s uncle Zuckerman’s farm. Wilbur and Fern are devastated to be apart but have no choice. When Wilbur arrives he is given a pig pen and some slop to hold him over for the day. With Wilbur missing Fern he forgets about his slop and doesn’t even look at it. No one wants to be his friend except for a beautiful voice he keeps hearing from the top corner of the wall where he sees nothing but a spider web. To his surprise the small voice was a small web-spinning spider. But Wilbur is in trouble. He questions that the farmer is thinking of eating him for dinner and Wilbur is terrified. Wilbur and his new friend Charlotte the spider think of a plan to save Wilbur’s life. They find out that there is a county fair coming up and that the farmer would never eat a prize winning pig. When they get to the fair Wilbur is in his pig pen with Charlotte in the corner of the wall once again. Wilbur does tricks and makes strange noises so people will notice him but nobody does because there’s a pig in the pen next to his that is two times his size. Charlotte then has an idea. She starts to weave some words in her web, the words say “Some Pig” everyone is amazed and cannot believe there eyes. Charlotte continues to weave other words to keep everyone’s attention. Such as humble, terrific, and radiant. But are these words enough to save Wilbur from being dinner and make him a prize winning pig? and what surprises comes from Charlotte that Wilbur will protect with his life to repay Charlotte for saving his? Is this the end of Wilber and his new friend Charlotte?

Wilbur has always felt like the outsider from everyone else. All he wants to do is go on an adventure. He is an easily frightened pink pig. All he wants in the world is a friend. But when he is forced away from his human friend Fern where will he find a friend? All of the animals in the barn are not fond of him except for one small aracnid that wants a friend to. Wilbur is on a life threatening adventure that he has been waiting for, now he must save his life and his best friend Charlotte‘s.

I feel bad for Wilbur when he is taken away from his friend Fern, but when he makes a new friend Charlotte, that doesn’t judge him by what size, shape, or color he is it makes me feel good inside because if I was alone and was ignored by everybody the one thing I would want right at that moment is a friend. That is my favorite part in the book because it is positive and heart warming. If anyone was in Wilbur’s position I’m sure they would be feel the same.

I think someone with a bright imagination, colorful personality, and big heart would enjoy this book because it really shows the value of friendship. Also, a person that like fiction stories with some humor. I was one of those people that enjoyed this book because of these traits that the book has. It is one of my favorite books.

 

Submitted by Amara E

6th Grade Entry - Moby Dick

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Casey’s entry. Thanks, Casey!

Moby Dick
Herman Melville
Modern Publishing, 185 p.


Ishmael finds an awesome adventure, so he joins the crew of a whaling ship. The ship Captain is Captain Ahab, the revenge of Captain Ahab is unbelievable for a white whale called Moby Dick. Who bit off his leg. Come join Ishmael and his crew mates on an amazing journey at sea. Also, discover how only one mate survives the face-off between a determined hunter and a high-spirited animal.
Queequeg has no hair on his shinny head except for one twisted knot on the top. He had square tattoos on his legs, arms, chest, and some on his face. Queequeg’s face was sort of dark purplish-yellow color.
The thing I liked most about this book is that Ishmael is going on an adventure. I also like that it is his first time going whaling. The last thing I liked was that it was his first time to see the whale Moby Dick, the only whales he has seen the is normal ones.
I would really recommend this book to people that are interested in whaling and fishing. If you’re a first timer in fishing or whaling than you should especially read this book so you are prepared

submitted by Casey F.

6th Grade Entry - Blue Bloods

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Taylor’s entry. Thanks, Taylor!

Blue Bloods
Melissa De La Cruz
Hyperion Paperbacks
302 pages

Blue bloods by Melissa De La Cruz is about this girl named Schuyler Van Alen. She lives with her grandma in her imposing French-style palace on the corner of leafy 101st and riverside drive. She lives with her grandma because right after Schuyler was born her mother slipped into a coma and has been in one since. Her dad died before Schuyler was born. When she turned fifteen her life changed forever. Starting with these blue blood vessels appearing, then next Schuyler receives paperwork to join up and be in The Committee which then she finds out everything. She is a blue blood which is an ancient group of Vampires. She then has to find the monster that is killing them of one by one until they are all dead.
Schuyler looks just like her mother expect for the hair. She has blue-black hair, milky white skin and the most vibrant blue eyes. She is short and eats like crazy and never gains an ounce.

What I like best about the book is that Schuyler is just like me. I hardly never gain an ounce when I eat and that she never fits in at school. I also think that it is nice for a change in what we already know about in this case we think that Vampires can never be killed or that the only way to kill them is to cut off their head or stab them in the heart, but in this book the author brings in a new way to kill them. People worldwide also agree with me.

I would recommend this book to people who love Vampire stories. Or cliff-hangers. Or just a plain good mystery and series.
Submitted by Taylor M.

Poetry Friday - Remora Remora

In honor of my recent trip to the Virgin Islands and my actual seeing of a shark (a Nurse shark) and Remora fish (not on the shark, but on other fish) - I'm posting this great poem by thomas Lux.



Remora, Remora
Thomas Lux

Clinging to the shark
is a sucker shark,
attached to which
and feeding off its crumbs
is one still tinier,
inch or two,
and on top of that one,
one the size of a nick of gauze;
smaller and smaller
(moron, idiot, imbecile, nincompoop)
until on top of that
is the last, a microdot sucker shark,
a filament’s tip – with a heartbeat – sliced off,
and the great sea
all around feeding
his host and thus him.
He’s too small
to be eaten himself
(though some things swim
with open mouths) so
he just rides along in the blue current,
the invisible point of the pyramid,
the top beneath all else.

6th Grade Entry - New Moon

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Katie’s entry. Thanks, Katie!
New Moon
Stephenie Meyer
Little, Brown And Company, 563 p.

During New Moon Edward Cullen leaves Bella Swan because Edward's family is getting revealed.
So they leave the town Forks which is where Bella and Edward met. Bella try's to get over Edward and falls in love with her friend,Jacob Black. While she's doing that her father Charlie thinks Bella is depressed because she's moping around because Edward left her. So he's trying to send her back home to her mom's house in Pheonix. But Bella's refusing to go to her mom's . Because she wants to live with her father and see Jacob more.

I think Edward Cullen is one of the main characters in New Moon.
Edward is tall, and a handsom young man. Every girl at Forks High School is in love with Edward Cullen. He's a drop dead beautiful guy! He has brown lushes hair. His eyes are a golden brown color. His skin is pail white, and ice cold. He's super fast and strong. And he's been 17 years old for a very long time cause he's immortal and he is a vampire that only eats animals. He controls his thirst for humans.

One of my favorite parts in New Moon is when Bella and her friend Jessica go to the movies and Bella see's this group of guy's and she starts walking torward them and Jessica starts running towards Bella and try's to pull Bella back away from the group of guys. And all of a sudden Bella hear's a voice out of nowhere saying " Go back to Jessica." In Bellas head she was saying I know that voice, it’s the most beautiful voice, and when Edward left Bella she promissed Edward she wouldn’t do anything stupid. Then the voice said " you promised you wouldn’t do anything stupid." And that’s when Bella knew that was Edwards voice. Bella knew he still cared about her because he reminded her about her promise.
That’s my favorite part because I think it's exciting to know Edward is still watching Bella and I think its sweet that he cares about her still. Also because he doesn't want her to get hurt.


I recomand this book to a girl or a guy that likes exciting, cliff hanging love stories. Or someone who likes bad vampiers or good ones! This book will bring excitement to you and you won't want to put the book down. It’s a page fliping series!


Submitted by Katie A.

6th Grade Entry - The Princess Diaries

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Sydney’s entry. Thanks, Sydney!

The Princess Diaries
By Meg Cabot
HarperCollins Publishers, 228 pages

Mia Thermopolis thinks she is just an average high school girl who no one seems to notice. But then her father gets cancer that makes him unable to have any more children. This forces Mia’s parents to tell her the truth about who she really is… a princess. You think a girl would be happy about being a princess but not Mia. This is her worst nightmare coming true. It seems that all at once everything in her life is going wrong. She is going to have to run her own country, her mom is dating her algebra teacher, her best friend hates her, and that’s just the start of her problems. One of the worst things to being a princess is the princess lessons her grandma gives her. Mia’s grandma is a mean, snotty woman who doesn’t like Mia any more than Mia likes her. For Mia being a princess is only making her life harder.
Mia Thermopolis is sure there is nothing worse than being a five-foot-nine, flat-chested freshman, who is flunking algebra. But then her parents play the princess card and she feels even more overwhelmed. Mia’s plan was to join Greenpeace and move to Iceland, not run a country. When her grandma gives her a complete makeover she doesn’t feel like herself anymore. Then when the news gets out about her being heir to the throne she’s always being harassed by reporters and gets no privacy. People like Lana Weinberger and Josh Richter who use to make fun of her are now acting like her best friend and causes Mia to be confused about who her real friends are. Poor Mia, her life is going out of control and there is nothing she can do about it.
I thought this was a fantastic book written by Meg Cabot. The way the author writes the book is like you are reading Mia’s diary. You truly do feel like you are reading a high school girl’s journal. You get to feel like you truly know Mia. When I read this book you feel like you are really there watching this story happen. As you get farther and farther into the book you feel even more attached to this wonderful book. I can’t wait to read the second book, Princess in the Spotlight.
I would recommend this book mostly to girls. I say this because the book is written from a young girl’s perspective and boys would probably not enjoy this as much as some girls would. I highly recommend this book for someone who wants to read about what becoming a princess might really be like. I think this book would be good for girls in middle school and up.

Sydney T.

6th Grade Entry - Searching for David's Heart

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Isabelle’s entry. Thanks, Isabelle!

Searching for David’s Heart
By Cherie Bennett 220pg
Published by Scholastic Inc.
Darcy is a girl with love and joy and the one she loves the most is her older brother David. Butt that all changes when he gets a new girlfriend. Darcy thinks that he hates her and loves his girlfriend. That’s when the big fight between them begins. She runs away and her brother is chasing after her and gets hit by a car and dies.
She thinks him dieing is all her fault. Her parents decide to donate David’s heart to transplant. That’s when her and her best friend Sam decide to go searching for his heart. Because she believes that if she finds his heart even if it is in someone else’s body she will still have him.
What I like best about this book is the love that everyone has. And the joy that keeps the book going. This book is an amazing book. If you enjoy sad books but happy endings then this is definitely the book for you.
Submitted by Isabelle B

6th Grade Entry - 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is King’s entry. Thanks, King!

The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones
Rick Riordan
Scholastic Inc. 220 pages

It was a sad day for Dan and Amy Cahill because their grandmother Grace Cahill died and they were at her funeral. Until the executer William McIntyre, gave them a choice: take a million dollars or give up the million dollars for a chance to become the most powerful being or beings in the world by finding exactly 39 Clues isolated around the world. Amy and Dan reluctantly take the challenge and watch $1,000,000 go in flames.

But they’re not alone on this. Other members of the family are in this too. The Holts. They have massive strength and brawn but not that much brain. The Kabras (or as Dan likes to call them, the Kobras). They have money and people on the inside to help them. Their Uncle Alistair is in the race too. He is old in his age and claims he invented microwave burritos but he has a few tricks up his sleeve. Their cousin Jonah Wizard is also in the contest. He owns his own #1 television show, Who Wants to be a Gangsta? And last but not least, Irina Spasky. She was some kind of agent and had the skills to kill someone. All 6 teams are on a race to find all 39 Clues.

What I liked best about this book is that it has the detail that tells me about what the setting looks like. It’s also my favorite genre, fiction. It also gives me so much information of what all the characters look like and feel like.

I definitely love the character Dan Cahill because he shows a lot of courage and leadership. Dan has a body full of bravery and a lot of guts and shows them by encouraging his sister to keep going and to never give up. He has dreams of becoming a ninja lord and collect rare baseball cards. But he sacrifices his collection for the contest showing a lot of bravery. He has a really cocky attitude especially when he sees some of the competition. Dan had dark blond hair and jade eyes, and he’s 11 years old.

I’d recommend this book and series to people who love action, adventure, suspense and for people who likes to learn about the greatest people of the century before ours.

Submitted by King S.

6th Grade Entry - Tale of Despereaux

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Celeste’s entry. Thanks, Celeste!

The Tale of Despereaux
Kate DiCamillo
Candlewick Press 272 pages

Once upon a time in the faraway Kingdom of Dor, a whole lot of laughter among the many gallons of soup, a mouse popped out of nowhere. He had a name but, no one knew it. At that same moment in time, a small mouse named Despereaux Tilling was born. The mouse that didn't have a name scared the Queen so bad that she died and the mouse fell into the soup. The day after that, the king made it illegal to have a mouse, make soup, or have pots and pans/silverware. The king hired a fat girl name Mig to be his maid. Mig's Uncle was arrested for hurting her. Her ears were so badly abused that they looked like cauliflower.

Despereaux, on the other hand, got sent to the dungeon since he wasn't like the other mice. He liked to read and listen to music. One day he heard the king playing his guitar, so he followed the music. One of the princesses touched him so he was sent to the dungeon and this is where Despereaux talked to her.

Despereaux loved it when he heard the king playing his guitar. In most of his spare time he would go to the library and read fairy tails. Unlike all of the other mice, he wasn't scared of cats. He wouldn't eat food that other mice would normally eat like paperback books, cheese, and garbage. Despereaux Tilling only ate people food. His favorite food was soup.

I was very happy when Despereaux became more encouraged about getting out of his jail cell to go and save the princess from Mig. The thing I loved most about this book is that Despereaux was so in love with music that he followed it. It's just too bad the king hated mice. Another reason I loved this book so much is because it was hard to put down. I also loved how the author made the sights, smells, and sounds as real as she made the characters.

I definitely recommend this book to people who like to read books that keep them on the edge of their seat with suspense wanting more. This book might look thick and long but, once you get past the first chapter, you'll want to stay up all night reading it. This is the best fantasy book I've read all year.

Submitted by Celeste H.

6th grade entry - Cryptid Hunters

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Monica’s entry. Thanks, Monica!

Cryptid Hunters
Roland Smith
Hyperion paperbacks for children, 348 p.

In Cryptid Hunters by: Roland Smith Grace and Marty get literally dropped in The Congo but this was not part of the plan. The plan was Wolfe (their Uncle Travis) and his partner, Laurel Lee were going to The Congo to save their friend, Masalito from Butch McCall. Why were Grace and Marty with them? They were supposed to be going back to their boarding school in Switzerland (they were all on Wolfe’s Jet). On Grace and Marty’s journey they end up separated only to be saved by Masalito! Unfortunately, Wolfe comes looking for them with no success and to top it all off Wolfe’s arch enemy Noah Blackwood is after Grace and Marty too!

Grace is a sweet girl with jet black hair and deep blue eyes. She is scared of almost everything and has a nightmare that she can’t even remember! She believes the key to opening the memory of this dream is somewhere in The Congo. So she’s kind of happy when she gets there aside the snakes, bugs, monkeys and bats.

Trying to pick my favorite part will be hard so I’ll just share my favorite parts. This book is great for learning because it tells a lot about myths and cryptozoology (the study of animals such as Sasquatch and others whose existence has not been proven scientifically). Another good part would be when Grace and Marty find the long lost (but dead) sauropod Moklembe (Mo- kee- lee- em- mem-bay). There are so many more awesome parts but Miss. FB said no spoilers so sorry!
I think people interested in myths and cryptids would love this book. As for age group anyone with a 750 Lexile would work. For gender I think both boys and girls can enjoy this book if they enjoy a book filled with nonstop action in a
well-packed jungle adventure.

Submitted by: Monica C.

Find Beauty Challenge - My entry

I did it! I go my video done for Justina Chen Headley's Find Beauty Challenge, part of her North of Beautiful . It's my first time to ever post something on YouTube. It's pretty exciting :) If you'd like to watch it, it's linked below.

You can also find my video and many other entries in the contest HERE and vote for your favorite. Everyone's a winner in this contest, though, because for every entry, Justina's donating $10 to help children in third-world countries born with cleft lips and palates. That's beautiful!

Enjoy!

6th Grade Entry - The Lightning thief

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is KC’s entry. Thanks, KC!

The Lightning Thief
Author Rick Riordan
Publisher First Scholastic printing, 375 Pages


Percy Jackson is a kid who has been kicked out of most boarding schools in New York City. Percy feels that gods, goddess and monsters seem to be coming after him, for some unknown reason. Percy has dyslexia and ADHD, but as time goes by he learns these will be his greatest tools. He has angered the king god, whose name is Zeus and this is where the trouble begins. Now Percy and his friends must retrieve Zeus’s Master Bolt, which was used to defeat Kronos, his father. Percy and his friends are trying to stop a war, which would destroy the western civilization. They have ten days to retrieve the Bolt and find the true thief.

Annabeth has a cap that can turn anyone who wears it, invisible. She ran away from home because her stepmother was very rude and mean to her. Annabeth met a satyr and two other kids who were trying to get to Camp Half Blood. Annabeth is rude to Percy because of who their godparents are.

I liked how much fiction was in the book. I also liked how many weird creatures were in the book. Mythology is one of my favorite subjects, and that is why I liked this book so much. The book got more interesting with each chapter. The ending was so good and amazing it totally surprised me.

This book is great for kids who like fantasy. It is also good for people who like mythology, they can learn about creatures and gods. I would recommend this book for kids between the ages of six and fourteen.

Submitted by K.C.S.

6th Grade Entry - Torn to Pieces

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Raquel’s entry. Thanks, Raquel!

Torn to Pieces – Margot McDonnell
Harper Collins, 258 pages

In Torn to Pieces by Margot McDonnell, Annie is hoping that she won’t have to move again. Her mom has dragged her around with her grandparents since she was a little kid, and she really wants to settle down. She’s just made a friend when two mysterious boys arrive at her school. Although she doesn’t know it, as Annie gets closer and closer to the boys, she’s also getting closer to her mother’s past. Led by a phone message left by her mother Annie finds a bunch of thousand dollar bills in a hollow book. Soon after, her mother disappears. Annie knows that her mom must have been dealing with drugs. What happened to her? Is her employer after her? Is she dead? Read the book to find out.
Annie has bright orange hair, the color of maple tree leaves in the fall. Boys are a mystery to her since the only person who dated her was using her. The only person who like-likes Annie is a how-low-can-you-go pants kid named Junior who has baggy, pink, eyelids. She plays a saxophone called Beastie Boy and has a cat named Zorro. I wish I had hair like Annie’s.

I liked that this was a mystery without the detective as the main character. Usually the whole story is about the detective. The book was more interesting that way. Detectives don’t get into a lot of fights, they just solve the crimes. Torn to Pieces was very suspenseful. Also, Annie was an interesting character.

I think that mystery-lovers should read this book. Also, people who like romance with action. People who like suspenseful books would like this book. Finally, people who don’t mind blood, hair loss (not because of old age), and broken bones should read this book.

Submitted by Raquel G.

6th Grade entry - Twilight

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Bailey’s entry. Thanks, Bailey!

Twilight
Stephenie Meyer
Little, Brown and Company, 498 pgs.

Isabella (Bella) Swan has just moved to the small town of Forks, Washington, to spend some time with her dad Charlie since she didn’t want to go out on the road and travel a lot with her crazy but loving mother and her new step-father Phil. Bella was so used the hot weather of Phoenix, Arizona, that she just wanted to go back home because Forks, Washington is one of the wettest places on earth. That’s what she thought until she met the beautiful Edward Cullen. He’s hiding something from Bella and she can’t figure out what it is. So Bella decided to do some researching on what she knew about the mysterious Edward Cullen. She knew he was incredibly fast, strong, and cold-skinned. Will Bella find out Edward’s secret and will she be able to resist his beauty?


Bella Swan is a seventeen year old girl in her year of being a junior in high-school. She has a crazy and loving mother who just got married to a minor league baseball player named Phil. She lived in Phoenix, Arizona until she didn’t want to go traveling the road with her mom and Phil, so she moved to Forks, Washington to stay with her dad.

I loved how Stephenie Meyer made everything so real to me. She did a really good job at choosing her word choice too. I recommend this book for people who love mystery and excitement. People who love that kind of stuff will love this book, I know I did.


Submitted by Bailey A.

6th Grade Entry - The Lightning Thief

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Sergio’s entry. Thanks, Sergio!

The Lightning Thief
Rick Riordan
Hyperion Paperbacks, 375 pages

Percy Jackson always gets kicked out of school. Percy lives in a small apartment in New York with his mom and stepdad. His real dad left to a sea voyage before Percy was born. Percy thinks he is dead. Eventually, he has to go to a camp his dad wanted him to go. It is called Half-Blood Camp. There, he is granted a quest to find Zues's stolen lightning bolt.

Percy has ADHD and dyslexia. Before the quest, Percy didn't even believe in gods. The quest turned him into a different person.

Percy is a great character to put in a mythological book. This book makes mythology fun, easy, and funny. Humor is perfectly placed in the right spots to give this book a two thumbs up.

I'd recommend this book to readers that like mythology or know a lot about it. If you like humor, pick this book up and read it.

Submmitted by Sergio S.

6th Grade Entry - Peter and the Starcatchers

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Sage’s entry. Thanks, Sage!

Peter and the Starcatchers Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson Hyperion Books for Children/ New York

Peter and his five friends, who are orphans, aboard a boat called the Never Land with a strange trunk on it. The whole crew is talking about how it’s the greatest treasure in the Seven Seas. Peter meets a new friend aboard the Never land. Her name is Molly. When Molly reveals a secret to Peter the mystery of the strange trunk begins to unravel. When Molly, Peter, and the trunk wash up on an unknown island they meet savages, a huge crocodile named Mister Grin, beautiful, but ferocious mermaids, and ravage pirates. They also discover the true powers of the trunk, and Peter’s powers. Everyone is after the trunk. Who gets the trunks? You’ll have to find out.

Peter is a sneaky and tricky boy. When all the boys and Molly are in danger, he shows affection. Peter is incredibly brave and almost gets killed several times to save the lives of the boys, Molly (who seems to be in the most danger) and a fellow sailor whose name is Alf. He also saves the chief of the savages (Fighting Prawn), and Molly’s father. Peter is courageous, but has a soft side.

Poor Peter. He’s already an orphan and has to take care of five boys, because he’s their leader, and on top of that he has to be brave and act like he’s not scared when he feels like he’s so scared he could pee in his pants. Now on top of this he’s responsible for nine lives. I question if this responsibility helps Peter by knowing that he is the one who is in control and gets himself and the others through this stressful time. The reason that I loved this book so much is mostly because of the suspense. I loved how the writers wrote the chapters. They would write about what was happening in one part in the story and then the next chapter would be about what was happening in another part of the story. For example: The writers would write about what was happening with Peter and Molly and the boys. Then the next would be what was happening with Black Stache. This way the chapters where always left at a cliff hanger.

I greatly recommend this book to people who like suspense and to those who like (or love) Peter Pan. Whoever enjoys a good book, I highly recommend this book. This is a great book if you’re bored or have nothing to do. Once someone who likes the things I said above picks up this book, I’m sure that they’ll get lost in it.

Submitted by Sage D.

6th Grade Entry - Fire on the Wind

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Kendra’s entry. Thanks, Kendra!

Fire on the Wind
By Linda Crew
Delacorte Press, 198 Pgs.

It is the year of 1933 and the driest season of the year. There are so many trees everywhere that could start on fire any minute. Storie is a young girl who is a logger’s daughter. Storie’s father and the other loggers have discovered a fire in Gales Creek which is pretty close to Blue Star Camp which is where Storie and her family live. The fire is spreading uncontrollably through the forest. There is no moisture in the air from the fire and a lot of the streams and lakes have evaporated from the ground. The loggers try to stop the fire but it is too much to handle.

Storie is a logger’s daughter and is fairly young. She has long brownish-blonde hair that is wavy. The girl is very courageous, not very lady-like, and she thinks she knows everything when she hasn’t ever been to school. Storie is a lot like her father because she wears overalls and she gets dirty all of the time and doesn’t really care about it.

I liked Fire on the Wind because it was adventurous and there was a little bit of a love story too. It also reeled me in and I wanted to keep on reading it. I couldn’t suspect what was coming up next until I read what happened. This was one of my favorite books. I didn’t ever get tired of reading Fire on the Wind because there was always another problem or new happening.

I would recommend Fire on the Wind to people who are interested in historical fiction, people who like a little bit of a love story mixed in, and people who would like to see and feel what it is like to be living deep in the woods and to have a logger as a father.

Submitted by Kendra T.

6th Grade posting - A Great and Terrible Beauty

6th graders at WOMS have been invited to post guest entries on my blog for YA books they’ve recently read. This is Rosita’s entry. Thanks, Rosita!

A Great and Terrible Beauty

Libba Bray

Delacorte Press 403p.

The plot in this book is that Gemma Doyle has special powers. Her powers are that she attracts the supernatural. She becomes entangled with the school’s (Spence Academy)most powerful girls. She also discovers her mother’s connection to a shadowy group called the Order. It’s there that her destiny waits .. if only she could believe it.

Gemma Doyle is a very proper young lady is very elegant. She has a dream of that she will overlook her father that she will go to Spence Academy.

Poor Gemma: I feel sad for her because she just had lost her mother, Virginia Doyle two months ago. The way the book was so mysterious it just kept on getting better this made me keep on reading the book until I finish it. And how it was old fashion in the 1895 how it describes the setting.

To me as reader I was interested in mysterious books some people I think would like this book are people who I ghosts and mysterious books or just like old fashion books.

Submitted by Rosita S.

Spring Break Reading - 7 books

Over Spring Break I was lucky enough to go to the Virgin Islands for some serious time on the beach. There's no better place to read a book, if you ask me. I finished 7 grown-up books this week. I took no kid books, because those are mostly books I've checked out, not ones I own, and I don't really like to take library books on vacation. So here's a SHORT review on each.

*Blind Spot - Scary and creepy. Could not read at bedtime.

*a Jennifer Cruisie novel - Silly and goofy, but fun.

*British Mystery I already forgot the name of - I actually liked this book, but the name escapes me, and I left it there, so I can't go look for it...unless I go back...

*Astrid and Veronkia - I was so hoping this was going to be fantastic becasue it had one of hte prettiest covers ever, but it left me a little flat.

*Tortilla Curtain - Disturbing and depressing. NOT a good beach book.

*The Last Time I Was Me - A light and easy fun romance novel. Set in Portland and surrounding areas.

*The Middle Place - I cried my eyes out on this one, but I really loved it. A memoir that everyone who enjoys the genre, particularly if you're a woman in your middle years, should not miss. I would not, however, recommend reading this one in the middle of a crowded airport, as many people will wonder, "What is WRONG with that woman?" if you do.

I'm back at work this week, and ready for some more teen lit, so stay tuned!

Poetry Friday - 365

Well, baseball season is about to start and then I'll be hearing the Chicago Cubs on every radio in my house nearly every day until October. In honor of all the baseball fans out there who can hardly wait for next week and opening day to arrive, here's a poem for you.




365
~Jack Buck

When someone asks you your favorite sport
And you answer Baseball in a blink
There are certain qualities you must possess
And you're more attached than you think.
In the frozen grip of winter
I'm sure you'll agree with me
Not a day goes by without someone
Talking baseball to some degree.
The calendar flips on New Year's Day
The Super Bowl comes and it goes
Get the other sports out of the way
The green grass and the fever grows.
It's time to pack a bag and take a trip
To Arizona or the Sunshine State
Perhaps you can't go, but there's the radio
So you listen-you root-you wait.
They start the campaign, pomp and pageantry reign
You claim the pennant on Opening Day

From April till fall
You follow the bouncing white ball
Your team is set to go all the way.
They fall short of the series
You have a case of the "wearies"
And need as break from the game
But when Christmas bells jingle
You feel that old tingle
And you're ready for more of the same.
It will be hot dogs for dinner
Six months of heaven, a winner
Yes, Baseball has always been it.
You would amaze all your friends
If they knew to what ends
You'd go for a little old hit.
The best times you're had
Have been with your Mom and your Dad
And a bat and a ball and a glove.

From the first time you played
Till the last time you prayed
It's been a simple matter of love.

Poetry Friday - Vacation

Can I tell you how very excited I am to be heading to St. John in the US Virgin Islands for spring vacation? It is going to be an amazing week of sunshine, sand, and snorkeling in Caribbean blue waters (yes, of course there will be books, too, but it doesn't fit the alliteration pattern). I plan to come back tan, rested and ready for the end of the school year. I thought this was a fun poem to start off vacation. Enjoy your break!

Vacation by Rita Dove I love the hour before takeoff, that stretch of no time, no home but the gray vinyl seats linked like unfolding paper dolls. Soon we shall be summoned to the gate, soon enough there’ll be the clumsy procedure of row numbers and perforated stubs—but for now I can look at these ragtag nuclear families with their cooing and bickering or the heeled bachelorette trying to ignore a baby’s wail and the baby’s exhausted mother waiting to be called up early while the athlete, one monstrous hand asleep on his duffel bag, listens, perched like a seal trained for the plunge. Even the lone executive who has wandered this far into summer with his lasered itinerary, briefcase knocking his knees—even he has worked for the pleasure of bearing no more than a scrap of himself into this hall. He’ll dine out, she’ll sleep late, they’ll let the sun burn them happy all morning —a little hope, a little whimsy before the loudspeaker blurts and we leap up to become Flight 828, now boarding at Gate 17.

Wake - Lisa McMann

I just wanted a book I could read for a few minutes before I went to sleep, but instead, much like Janie gets sucked into other people's dreams, I was sucked into this book with no chance of escape before the last page was finished. One of my students recommended this book, and I must have seen it elsewhere as well (again, NO clue where -annoying!) because it was already on my to be read pile (mountain). WOW was it amazing.

It's just a little bit scary, but not so scary that I couldn't read it in bed (until 11:30!), super suspenseful, enough hopeful that it's not depressing, tinged with a little bit of romance, strong in character development, but in a very unusual way - just a great book.

Janie, as I mentioned, gets sucked into people's dreams. If anyone around her is dreaming - in class, on a bus, through an open window of their bedroom as she's driving by, she'll be sucked into their dream and see exactly what they're dreaming. It begins when she's 8 or 9, and now she's in high school - where there's plenty of drama as is, let alone if you can see into your classmates' dreams. When this happens to her, she sort of blacks out and goes into a seizure-like state. It can be pretty scary for her, depending on what's in the dream, and it can be really scary for anyone else who sees. She doesn't want people to know about this, so she tries to be sure no one does see, but sometimes it happens.

The one person she lets in is Cabel, a boy from school whose dreams she's seen, and she's pretty afraid as a result of it. But Cabel likes her, and is kind to her, and Cabel has some big secrets of his own.

I thought this was a fantastic suspense story. It has some mature content, so I probably won't be getting it for our library, but older readers who like suspense stories are sure to enjoy it. Just be sure you set aside some time becasue you won't want to stop once you start!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer

This book was this month's choice for my grown up book club, and it is one of the best books we've read in all our meetings. I can't wait to get together to talk about it with everyone. I also am really, really hoping they make this book into a movie. The whole book is done in letters back and forth between many different people, and I can totally see all the different ways they could do the letters - some as flashback, some as people reading, some writing. It would be wonderful!

This novel is set in London and on the Isle of Geurnsey (near France) just after World War II has ended. A young author is looking for a subject for her new book, and just at that time a man from Geurnsey writes to her asking for help finding more book by a certain author. Thus begins an extraordinary communication between Julia (the author) and many members of The Geurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Since this blog is really mostly about kid lit, I'm not going to spend a lot of time reviewing this book, but if you're at all interested in (post) WWII fiction, you love strong character development, you like novels written in letter form, or all of the above, you should run, not walk, to put this book on hold at your library. It's awesome and I highly recommend it this brilliant novel. (I also heard the audio is excellent, but I haven't had a chance to check it out yet.)

Enjoy!

This Full House - Virginia Euwer Wolff

First of all, how brilliant is this cover? It's just so pretty! And, those curlicue ribbons aren't just for show, either, but you'll have to read it to figure out what that's all about. I will give you a clue, it has to do with science, something which LaVaughn, the main character in this, the third in the Make Lemonade trilogy, is really, really great at. I have been waiting so long for this book that I thought it might never come, but Virginia Euwer Wolff is not a woman to be rushed because great things take time! I have been getting so lucky with all the new stuff that's coming out lately. I've read the new Mitali Perkins, the new Justina Chen Headley, the new Meg Cabot and now this! Wow! This was totally worth the wait!!!!

Why did I love this book so much?
*It's written in poetry form - a form I really enjoy in novels (see Shark Girl entry, here)
*ALL the important characters from the other books are back - Jolly and her two kids, Jody, LaVaughn's mother. It was like old home week to meet up with them again.
*LaVaughn is a ROCK STAR at science, which is why she gets invited to join the Women in Sicence program which invited only forty-five girls. I love books about smart girls!
*LaVaughn is not perfect, but she's a good person, and I am proud to be her friend in the pages of this novel.

This novel could be read as a stand alone, but I wouldn't recommend it. I think LaVaughn's backstory plays a huge role in understanding a lot of what's happening in this novel and makes this story much richer. Knowing about Jolly and how she has struggled with raising two kids and trying to get her GED makes you cheer that much more loudly when she succeeds, and makes your heart go out to Annie that much more. Knowing about what happened to Jody makes the sweetness of the final pages that much better. Knowing how her mother has felt about her babysitting for Jolly since the start makes you realize the depths of her empathy when she still goes out of her way to bake Jolly a cake for her party.

This novel has a huge ethical dilemma in it which would make it an excellent book to read with another person to try and decide what you might do in LaVaughn's shoes. Does she make the right choices? Would you have done the same if you were in her shoes? I'd be interested to know, so leave me a comment if you've read the book!

Available at Multnomah County Library.

Forever Princess - Meg Cabot

I can't believe it. It's the end of the Princess Diaries series. Admittedly, I have had enough of Princess Mia myself, but it's just that she's been around so long and I've read all of the other books, too, I find it hard to believe there really won't be any more. I'll kind of miss her, actually.

In this book Princess Mia is getting ready to graduate. She'll finally be off to college - but which one, which one? This is a big issue for Mia, who really wants to go to a college that didn't just let her in because she's a princess but because she deserves it. Mia has a boyfriend in this book who takes up a lot of her time, and an ex-boyfriend who's back in town and taking up a lot of her mind. She's still not speaking to Lilly, sister of said ex-boyfriend, and that's another big plot point in this novel. And then there's her whole historical fiction romance novel...So much going on in this book. Mia has grown up a lot over the course of these books, and it's nice to see her being more mature about a lot of things. There are some areas in which she still has some growing to do, but hey, she's just graduating from high school, so of course she does.

Did I mention Sean Penn's in this novel? LOVE Sean Penn. Do not love that Sean Penn sanctions JP's lame, self-aggrandizing play, but still, LOVE Sean Penn.

I read a review that said this, "Mia is where readers love her: insecure and self-deprecating." I think that about sums it up, and I'll be looking forward to whatever Meg Cabot writes next because she's a fantastic writer and you know she's got plenty more great stuff hiding in that oh-so glam girl head of hers!

Available at the Multnomah County Library.

Operation TBD & WOMS book exchange

April 16th is Support Teen Literature Day, and the WOMS library of course supports teen literature, so we're going to have a celebration. Through the efforts of readergirlz, GuysLitWire, YALSA, and publishers, teen patients in pediatric hospitals across the United States will receive 8,000 new young-adult novels, audiobooks, and graphic novels.

Inciting all to participate in Operation TBD in its drive to spur reading on a national scale, readergirlz invites teens and YA authors to leave a book in a public place on April 16th. So here's what we're going to do at WOMS:

We're going to have a book exchange.

To get in on the action, here's what you need to do:

*Between now and April 14th, bring middle school appropriate books from home to the library for donation (PLEASE ask your parents FIRST).
*Get a ticket when you donate

On the 16th, we'll have a book exchange at lunch. Students who have tickets will get first chance at the books, and then anyone else who wants to may take a book.

Fun and FREE!!!!! Woohoo!

Watch this video for more info on the Teen Book Drop project and be a part of the reading community by participating.

Poetry Friday - The Bat

I tried to find a good Friday the 13th poem today (our second in a row!), but I couldn't find one I really liked, so I chose this poem by Theodore Roethke instead cuz bats are pretty creepy when you really look at them.

The Bat - Theodore Roethke

By day the bat is cousin to the mouse.
He likes the attic of an aging house.

His fingers make a hat about his head.
His pulse beat is so slow we think him dead.

He loops in crazy figures half the night
Among the trees that face the corner light.

But when he brushes up against a screen,
We are afraid of what our eyes have seen:

For something is amiss or out of place
When mice with wings can wear a human face.

This is a picture of some fruit bats I took at the Oregon Zoo recently.

North of Beautiful - Justina Chen Headley

You have no idea how many times I tried to win a copy of this book - entering every North of Beautiful blog contest out there, but I could never beat Justina Chen Headley's super fast fans at finding the answers. Until last week. My heart practically skipped a beat when I got a note from the author herself (super rock star status for authors when you're a librarian, you know) saying I'd won a prize in her geocaching contest. I wasn't sure if it was a book or one of her cool geocaching tins, but did it really matter? I was getting a prize from Justina Chen Headley herself! You can imagine my excitement when I went to my mailbox on Friday and found a copy of the book, inscribed personally to me!!!! There was dancing in the office, I will tell you that. Other weekend plans were put on hold. The carpet didn't really need vacuuming, did it?

This book has gotten a lot of good reviews, and after spending my weekend with it, I know why. It's amazing in so many ways. There's the whole restorative power of art angle which I always love to see because it's so true. Whenever I'm struggling with something, it seems like all I want to do is go create something. I feel a lot better about everything when I can physically create some sort of art. It doesn't have to be anything spectacular, either. It could just be stringing some seed beads on an elastic string. but I feel better.

I also love the geocaching in this book. It's a fun seek and discover past-time that some of my friends are into, so it was fun to read about it just in that sense, but it's so symbolic here as well. Terra, her mother, Jacob, Norah - they're all seeking something much deeper than a geocache. this would be a great way to teach extended metaphor!

Terra's dad's verbal abuse of her mother and her is a major piece and very difficult to take for me. I've never been what anyone could describe as passive, so it's hard for me to imagine putting up with that kind of thing. But I've never been in a situation like that, either, so I try not to judge. My parents - and everyone around me - have always been ultra supportive of whatever I do, whoever I am, whatever I look like. I can imagine that if you're always told the opposite, you might be a different kind of person. I can't help judging the dad, though. He is a total jerk. But now I hear my friend Suzanne's voice niggling at me to try and be empathic toward him as well. He must really be hurting to lash out in such a way. But he needs to move on from his grief. He's hurting everyone around him and may very well lose them. It's unfair!

The power of friendship and the need for connection is a huge part of this book as well. I hear my friend Suzanne again - she was always reminding everyone around her of the importance of connection between people. She would so have loved this book. Jacob and Terra, neither of whom necessarily fit the typical definition of beauty - she due to a large port-wine stain birthmark on her cheek and he due to a cleft lip - have some insight into one another's lives which gives them a strong connection right form the moment Terra nearly runs Jacob over. Together they struggle to determine what makes something beautiful, both in art and in life - a question which will linger with readers as well.

I also loved the whole China part of this book. Jacob and his mother are returning to China to visit the orphanage where Jacob lived for three years before his mother, and Terra and her mother have been invited by Terra's brother to visit him in China, so they all end up traveling together. The sights and sounds of China made their travel seem very real to me, and since China is a place I want to visit someday, I really enjoyed that. The author spent some time living in China last year, but I'm not sure if she had actually traveled to China before that or not. It seems like she must have because she had so many details in her writing, but I'm sure she's a good researcher, too, so maybe not. Perhaps if we're lucky she'll read this entry and make a comment telling us the answer (hint, hint).

Finally, I loved how there was a cameo in the novel of some characters from Girl Overboard - that was so fun and, you know me, I loved the romance piece.

Another fabulous novel from a fabulous lady. Available in the WOMS library soon. And don't forget about her Find Beauty Challenge video contest - it's open until the end of March. I'd love to see some WOMS entries. I can even help you make it if you want to come in at lunch and use our video camera.


Here is a picture of my cat Hummer trying to sneak in and read North of Beautiful. I was reading in bed on Saturday night (I am a wild girl, I know), and I got up to get a drink or something. Next thing I know my cat has commandeered both my spot AND my book. He didn't get a chance to finish reading, but he assured me he liked what he saw.