December 22, 2012

End-of-the-Year Read-a-thon!!


I'm going to try another read-a-thon.  It seems that every time I try I get sick or a migraine, but I really want to participate so I'm going to try again!!

Enna Isilee is hosting this read-a-thon over at her blog Squeaky Books.  Check out the details HERE.  It's really laid back and self motivated.  I like that because I can just focus on the reading and nothing more.

To read:

Away by Teri Hall
One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
Fracture by Megan Miranda
Dead City by James Ponti

Good luck if you decide to join up!

December 20, 2012

The March of Middle Survey

Last year I spent the entire month of March focusing on middle grade books.  I'm trying to decide if I should do it again.  I'd love some feedback from you.  If you would take the survey below I'd greatly appriciate it!

Here the the link to the first post from last year.




Please Click here to take survey and thanks in advance!!

And if you want to leave any thoughts in the comments please do so! I'd love to hear them.

December 17, 2012

Cover Crush: Out of Reach


I love book covers. Love love love them! I've been known to drag my sister around Barnes and Noble and show her all the covers I like. I'll hunt down certain students in the morning because I know they'll love a cover as much as me. I really think I develop a crush on certain covers!


Today I'm crushing on:


I just love the utter starkness of this cover.  It has such a sad and desolate and really helpless feel - I can feel it radiating off the cover.  Very well done!

How do you find someone who doesn't want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel.

Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that he’s in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesn't come home.

Rachel’s terrified—and she can’t help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.

With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micah’s best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler…and the possibility that Micah may never come home.

December 14, 2012

Up Close and Personal: MG In the Wild

Seeing books on blogs is fun but seeing them in
 the wild rocks!!!!


Let's get Up Close and Personal with some MG books. 


Tilly's Moonlight Garden

Tilly just moved into a drafty old mansion, away from all her friends. She spends her afternoons wandering around her new backyard in order to escape the cold, dusty rooms of the house. But one night, Tilly follows a fox she has seen from her bedroom window and he leads her deep into a hidden garden that is nothing short of mesmerizing in the moonlight. This mysterious garden and the special friend she meets there help her rediscover the magic in her own life.

This is the story of an unforgettable time in one girl's life and how a new home, a secret garden, and a little fox can change someone in the most unexpected ways.


 How to Rock Break-Ups and Make-up

After a humiliating tumble down the social ladder, Kacey Simon is back on top, where she belongs. She's lost her lisp, traded in her Coke-bottle glasses for contacts, and learned that brutal honesty isn't always the best policy. Best of all, she's made up with Zander and her BFFs and reclaimed her spot as Gravity's lead singer. Her life is pitch-perfect--until Zander's ex-girlfriend, Stevie, arrives in town.

Marquette Middle hasn't seen a girl with such killer style and impressive vocals since... well, Kacey herself. Boys want to date Stevie, girls want to be her, and Kacey wants to boot her butt out of Chicago ASAP. But when Kacey reverts to her mean-girl ways to take Stevie down, will she lose the band--and Zander--for good?

It's not easy for a star to share the spotlight, but the show must go on in Meg Haston's stylish and clever sequel to How to Rock Braces and Glasses.


The Power of Poppy Pendle

Poppy may have inherited the family’s magical powers, but she would rather be a baker. How can she avoid the family business? Includes more than a dozen delectable recipes!
Ten-year-old Poppy, born to ordinary parents, inherits her famous Great Aunt Mabel’s genes—GAM was a famous witch. In Poppy’s world, witches work for good and are much valued, with powers both coveted and praised. But Poppy does not want to be a witch—she wants to be a baker, and she is extremely good at baking. Her parents insist Poppy follow in the footsteps of her great aunt, but Poppy has plans of her own.

     Part magic, part adventure, and wholly delicious, this spirited story includes more than a dozen recipes readers—and budding bakers—can try at home.


The Encyclopedia of Me

A is for "Tink Aaron-Martin," "Aardvark," and "Amazing" in this wonderful alphabetical novel!

Tink Aaron-Martin has been grounded AGAIN after an adventure with her best friend Freddie Blue Anderson. To make the time pass, she decides to write an encyclopedia of her life from "Aa" (a kind of lava--okay, she cribbed that from the real encyclopedia) to "Zoo" (she's never been to one, but her brothers belong there).

As the alphabet unfolds, so does the story of Tink's summer: more adventures with Freddie Blue (and more experiences in being grounded); how her family was featured in a magazine about "Living with Autism," thanks to her older brother Seb--and what happened after Seb fell apart; her growing friendship, and maybe more, with Kai, a skateboarder who made her swoon (sort of). And her own sense that maybe she belongs not under "H" for "Hideous," or "I" for "Invisible," but "O" for "Okay."

Written entirely in Tink's hilarious encyclopedia entries, THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ME is both a witty trick and a reading treat for anyone who loves terrific middle-grade novels.


Dead City

This one I bought! - MG zombie how could I not!

The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins says this paranormal action-adventure “breathes new life into the zombie genre” and has “a terrific twist of an ending.”
Most kids have enough to deal with between school, homework, extracurricular activities, and friends, but Molly Bigelow has something else on her list: hunting zombies. By day, Molly attends MIST—the Metropolitan Institute of Science and Technology—but outside the classroom she’s busy dealing with the undead. Because not only do zombies exist, they’re everywhere, and it’s her job to help police them and keep the peace. Sure, she’d like to be a regular kid, but given that her mother was the most revered (or feared, depending on your perspective) zombie hunter in the history of New York City, “regular” just isn’t possible. Molly’s got some legendary footsteps to follow—and some undeadly consequences if she fails.



Keeper of the Lost Cities

I've been following Shannon Messenger's blog as she got closer and closer to the date this book was published it was so fun to see her excitement!!!!


Twelve-year-old Sophie Foster has a secret. She’s a Telepath—someone who hears the thoughts of everyone around her. It’s a talent she’s never known how to explain.


Everything changes the day she meets Fitz, a mysterious boy who appears out of nowhere and also reads minds. She discovers there’s a place she does belong, and that staying with her family will place her in grave danger. In the blink of an eye, Sophie is forced to leave behind everything and start a new life in a place that is vastly different from anything she has ever known.



Sophie has new rules to learn and new skills to master, and not everyone is thrilled that she has come “home.” There are secrets buried deep in Sophie’s memory—secrets about who she really is and why she was hidden among humans—that other people desperately want. Would even kill for.



In this page-turning debut, Shannon Messenger creates a riveting story where one girl must figure out why she is the key to her brand-new world, before the wrong person finds the answer first.



Seen anything good latey???

December 12, 2012

Book Trailers - Any Suggestions of Good Ones????

Hey all I just reaching out to see if you have any to share.  The last two years I always had Trailer Tuesday in my 7th grader classes.  I would take some time at the start of the hour to show some books trailers.  

This year has been crazy since I switched jobs and I'm now teaching 5-8 High Potential English.  I'd like to start showing some more again.  

This is where I need your help!!!
 Do you know of any good YA or MG trailers that have come out in the last few months??? 
I'm behind in finding any.  
Any you could share would be great.  

Thanks!!!!!

December 11, 2012

Mini Review: Beautiful Creatures

Title: Beautiful Creatures
Authors: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

There were no surprises in Gatlin County.
We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.

At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.







This is going to be very quick because I know so many of you know this book and have already read/reviewed/ it or read reviews on it.  I picked it up to read because I was seeing all the posts about the movie, so I wanted to read it before the movie came out.

I liked it.  Did I LOVE it? No, but I did enjoy it.  I liked the characters a lot especially Lena.  I just thought she was a very strong girl, and I liked that.  The plot was good - lots of secrets that started to be opened up, so that held my interests.  I liked that people weren't all that they seemed.  There was so much under the surface of the town of Gatlin that sometimes it was hard to keep up! But I'd rather have that than be really bored :)

One thing I didn't like - the way the town including the adults treated Lena from day one.  I just found myself very frustrated by it.  I think it comes from being a teacher.  I can't stand bullying at all, so having it so prevalent in this book was hard at times. In all I enjoyed the book but I did have to let go of my annoyance over this one part!

Final thought:  I'll definitely see the movie now!!




December 10, 2012

Cover Crush: Notes From a Ghost Town


I love book covers. Love love love them! I've been known to drag my sister around Barnes and Noble and show her all the covers I like. I'll hunt down certain students in the morning because I know they'll love a cover as much as me. I really think I develop a crush on certain covers!


Today I'm crushing on:


This cover caught my attention immediately.  And to be honest I can't explain why!!  There's just something about it - her in the water seemingly hugging someone, but you know she isn't because we've all done that fake kiss/hug before.  Then the title just really makes me curious.  I don't know why, but I love it!! Sorry but I can't give you more than that.


They say first love never dies...

From critically acclaimed author Kate Ellison comes a heartbreaking mystery of mental illness, unspoken love, and murder. When sixteen-year-old artist Olivia Tithe is visited by the ghost of her first love, Lucas Stern, it's only through scattered images and notes left behind that she can unravel the mystery of his death. 

There's a catch: Olivia has gone colorblind, and there's a good chance she's losing her mind completely--just like her mother did. How else to explain seeing (and falling in love all over again with) someone who isn't really there?

With the murder trial looming just nine days away, Olivia must follow her heart to the truth, no matter how painful. It's the only way she can save herself.

December 4, 2012

Cold Nights Warm Books Holiday Book Swap: What I Got


For the first time in a while I decided to participate in a holiday book swap.  I always think they are fun, but I've gotten burned a few times, so I backed off.  But when I heard that  Emily's blog or Enna's blog was hosting a swap I decided to get in the holiday spirit and join in.  
So very glad I did!

Here's what I got!


Some really cute sticker and reading buttons.  I love the buttons.  At work I have to wear a lanyard with my ID, so I'll be able to put them there :)


Janitors
The janitors at Welcher Elementary know a secret, and it's draining all the smarts out of the kids. Twelve year-old Spencer Zumbro, with the help of his classmate Daisy Gullible Gates, must fight with and against a secret, janitorial society that wields wizard-like powers. First in a new series.

The Familiars

Is the kingdom's fate in the hands of an orphan cat?

Running fast to save his life, Aldwyn ducks into an unusual pet store. Moments later Jack, a young wizard in training, comes in to choose a magical animal to be his familiar. Aldwyn's always been clever. But magical? Jack thinks so and Aldwyn is happy to play along.

He just has to convince the other familiars the know-it-all blue jay Skylar and the friendly tree frog Gilbert that he's the powerful cat he claims to be.

Then the unthinkable happens. Jack and two other young wizards are captured by the evil queen of Vastia.

On a thrilling quest to save their loyals, the familiars face dangerous foes, unearth a shocking centuries-old secret, and discover a destiny that will change Vastia forever. Their magical adventure an irresistible blend of real heart, edge-of-your-seat action, and laugh-out-loud humor is an unforgettable celebration of fantasy and friendship.

Plus some cute owl magnetic bookmarks which are my favorite kind of bookmarks!

Thanks!!!!

November 29, 2012

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day! Love it!!!


Did you know that Saturday is:

Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day

Love, love, love this!  
My kids love going to bookstores.  They always know I can't say no to a new book :) 
And I'm a firm believer that kids need their own books in their house.  Of course if you can't afford them there is always the library!

Here's a bit about it taken from the website.


Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day began when my children were little and I was going to story time at bookstores nearly every week. Did all children know the pleasure of spending time in a bookstore? I wondered. Of being drawn into a magic world for a while, then being left to choose treasures on the shelf? I wanted to begin a holiday that would expose as many kids as possible to this joy.

But Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day quickly became bigger than one mother and her children. Bloggers and book lovers took it viral across the web, carried posters into bookstores, and welcomed me and my family to local bookstores when we traveled cross country last summer.

Now we are busily adding stores, helping support celebrations on the Day, and leading people to the wonderful places we have found. In the future, Take Your Child to a Bookstore may offer grants for children who can't visit a bookstore on their own, or perhaps there will be internships for kids who want one day to own a bookstore. Because the sky is the limit when there is a book!

To find out more and see a list of bookstores participating check out the site:


I'd love to take mine to our favorite children bookstore in St. Paul - The Red Balloon.  Or maybe we'll checkout the bookstore - The Bookcase.  We haven't been there yet!

November 27, 2012

Team Owl Review: Finally (11 Birthdays #2)


Title: Finally

By: Wendy Mass

You can pierce your ears when you're twelve. You can go to the mall with your friends when you're twelve. You can babysit little Timmy next door when you're twelve. You can get a cell phone when you're twelve. Hey, you can even ride in the front passenger-side seat when you're twelve .When you're twelve, when you're twelve, when you're twelve . . .         My name is Rory Swenson, and I've been waiting to turn twelve my whole life. In exactly 18 hours, 36 minutes, and 52 seconds, it will finally happen.            My life will officially begin.

Wow! This book was amazing! Where do I start? How about the beginning.

I have to admit, at first I didn’t know what to think about this book. I thought what could be so interesting about a girl stuck in a drain pipe? But little did I know what would be happening. Rory Swenson is an ordinary 11 year old girl counting down the days, hours, minutes, and seconds until her twelvth birthday. To her, when you turn twelve you can pierce your ears, you can ride in the front seat, get a cell phone, wear makeup, attend boy/ girl parties, and basically get to have and do whatever you want.

So… Rory makes a list of everything she wants and keeps adding along the way until she reaches 12 wants or nessesities of life as Rory called it, split into two categories, an important, and a not as important but still very useful. Some of the things on her list include a cell phone, riding in the front seat, getting your ears pierced, getting a cute white fluffy bunny, attending her first boy/ girl party, and much, much more.

Alright now let’s get this show on the road. It all started on a field trip to the wildlife reserve. Rory decides to go rest on a rock because her legs were starting to get sore after all that standing and walking. Or what she thought was a rock. She sat down and SWOOSH! Rory got sucked into a drain pipe. I know your thinking how could a girl mistake a rock for a drain pipe? Now I don’t want to give any spoiler alerts so if you think I’m going to tell you anything, just move on. So now she’s stuck abandoned by her classmates until an old lady with white hair and a birthmark shaped like a duck that wiggles when she talks sees Rory. She helps her out, and tells her ‘You won’t get what you want, until you see what you need.” Now this sentence carries Rory on basically throughout the entire story, but she is skeptical on what it means.

My favorite event that happened in the story was a movie tryout to be an extra with starring teen sensation Jake Harrison! So of course, Rory and a few of her friends try out. I mean that’s just like walking into school and seeing Justin Bieber or whoever you totally dream about and getting the opertunity to be a movie star and get to meet that famous person.. 

Tryouts are in this cold dark gym that smells like sweat and has been in their middle school for years. The tryouts go fantastic for Rory and her friends.  Of course now you have to shave your legs, get your hair done, do your nails, get your ears pierced, and buy makeup in order to get the part of the movie while still impressing the famous Jake Harrison. That’s exactly what Rory does and if I was her, I would regret ever even trying out for the play. But Rory keeps going. She starts by shaving which is not a good idea for someone who is alone shaving for the first time. After that tragic accident, Rory keeps going hoping for something better.

Along the way, Rory does get a lot of the things on her list but everything goes wrong. In the end, Rory realizes, she hasn’t gotten what she wanted, because she hasn’t seen what she needed. This is a warming, book on friendship, and love. Mainly suitable for girls ages 10-13. Or for people that just want to have a funny but serious book to fulfill your taste buds with the joy of reading. But I have to warn you…Warning This Book May Cause You to Never Stop Reading Due To Its amazing Events, Details, Humor, And the Way It Connects to Many Peoples Lives!!!

          Tell the world! This book is here. Share it. Read it. Achieve It. I hope this story is here generation after generation        so millions of billions of people can experience the joy of not only reading this book, but the many books to come.               

This book is truly amazing. When I read this, every page I would stop and say, ‘that sounds like me.’ I really connected with this book in a feeling type of way, and events that have happened to me and Rory. Praise the author Wendy Mass for creating these awesome books. She has a wide variety of amazing books that I would recommend to anyone. I hope you truly connect with this book as much as I did.

November 23, 2012

Thankful For Middle Grade Giveaway

Hey all I've had some extra copies of some MG books, so I thought it would be fun to give them away!

There will be three winners one for each book below.

The three books are:

Liesl & Po


Liesl lives in a tiny attic bedroom, locked away by her cruel stepmother. Her only friends are the shadows and the mice,until one night a ghost appears from the darkness. It is Po, who comes from the Other Side. Both Liesl and Po are lonely, but together they are less alone.
That same night, an alchemist's apprentice, Will, bungles an important delivery. He accidentally switches a box containing the most powerful magic in the world with one containing something decidedly less remarkable.
Will's mistake has tremendous consequences for Liesl and Po, and it draws the three of them together on an extraordinary journey.


Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms

Enter a wonderful world filled with real magic, mystery … and danger.


As if being small for his age and also having S. Horten as his name isn't bad enough, now 10-year-old Stuart is forced to move far away from all his friends. But on his very first day in his new home, Stuart's swept up in an extraordinary adventure: the quest to find his great-uncle Tony--a famous magician who literally disappeared off the face of the earth--and Tony's marvelous, long-lost workshop.  Along the way, Stuart reluctantly accepts help from the annoying triplets next door… and encounters trouble from another magician who's also desperate to get hold of Tony's treasures.



Ghost of Graylock

Does an abandoned asylum hold the key to a frightful haunting?

Everyone's heard the stories about Graylock Hall.

It was meant to be a place of healing - a hospital where children and teenagers with mental disorders would be cared for and perhaps even cured. But something went wrong. Several young patients died under mysterious circumstances. Eventually, the hospital was shut down, the building abandoned and left to rot deep in the woods.

As the new kid in town, Neil Cady wants to see Graylock for himself. Especially since rumor has it that the building is haunted. He's got fresh batteries in his flashlight, a camera to document the adventure, and a new best friend watching his back.

Neil might think he's prepared for what he'll find in the dark and decrepit asylum. But he's certainly not prepared for what follows him home. . . .

To enter just fill out the rafflecopter

Must be a US resident
Must be at least 13




a Rafflecopter giveaway

November 20, 2012

Cover Crush: Forever My Girl


I love book covers. Love love love them! I've been known to drag my sister around Barnes and Noble and show her all the covers I like. I'll hunt down certain students in the morning because I know they'll love a cover as much as me. I really think I develop a crush on certain covers!


Today I'm crushing on:


I absolutely love this cover.  I saw it revealed on another blog, and I had to know more about the book.  Why I like it?  It's just not what you see these days.  For one the boy takes up more of the picture than the girl.  You don't see that as much.  And it seems whenever there is a boy/girl cover it's all touchy romancy (like my word choice there??).  This one isn't that way.  
And then of course all the questions it raises.  Who is the boy?  Who is the girl? What is their history? Why the guitar and what part does it play?  Why is she walking away?

LOVE IT!

I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after. 

I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile. 

And now I’m going back. 

After ten years. 

I hope I can explain that after all this time. 

I still want her to be my forever girl.


Holiday Book Swap!!! Join the Fun!

I'm part of the



This is a great opportunity to give some books to people who share your interests, and GET some books to add to your library! But it only works if lots of people sign. Up. You can sign up either at Emily's blog or Enna's blog. Sign ups are open until November 22nd.

SIGN UP TODAY!

I've sign up.  Have you????

November 19, 2012

Team Owl Review: Cinderella Society by Kay Cassidy


TITLE:     The Cinderella Society
AUTHOR:   Kay Cassidy


When the Prom Queen becomes your fairy godmother…

Sixteen year old outsider, Jess Parker, gets the chance of a lifetime: an invitation to join a secret society of popular girls dedicated to defeating the mean girls of the world. The Cinderella Society guides all new recruits through its top secret ultimate life makeover. It’s all part of preparing them to face down the Wickeds and win. Determined not to let the Cindys down, Jess dives in with a passion. Finally, a chance to belong and show the world what she’s made of.

… be careful what you wish for.

Jess’s transformation wins her the heart of her dream crush and a shot at uber-popularity. Until the Wickeds–led by Jess’s arch enemy–begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers the real force behind her exclusive society. It’s a high stakes battle of good vs. evil, and the Cindys in power need Jess on special assignment. When the mission threatens to destroy her dream life come true, Jess is forced to choose between living a fairy tale and honoring the Sisterhood… and herself.

What’s a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn’t want to wear it anymore?

In the book The Cinderella Society, Jess Parker survives high school by staying invisible. Jess is new to the school and doesn’t have any close friends, because she stole Lexy Steele’s spot on the cheerleading squad. By stealing the spot, she and Lexy became enemies.

 One day, Jess gets an invitation to join the Cinderella society, a secret club run by some of the popular girls. The goal of the Cinderella society is to get girls to feel good about themselves. There is also a rival club called the Wickeds, and the Wickeds goal is to treat innocent girls badly just to get what they want.

 It’s a battle between Good and Evil, and the Cinderella society needs   Jess more than ever.  

I think the book was an awesome book because its genre was some realistic fiction mixed with a little bit of a fairytale.

 I think that this book is considered a girly book, for young adults.

Teacher note: I absolutely LOVE this book!!!!!


November 16, 2012

Age Categories


Because I review books that kids of different ages might read I span a lot of content, and I wanted a really easy way for my readers to see what age group the book might be best for.


Now to explain each of my categories!


Picture Books
Just what it sounds like :)



Early Chapter
These are book one level below middle grade.  They are short chapter book appropriate for elementary students that are beyond picture books. 


Middle Grade
These are books that are classic MG - designed for ages 9-12.  They are ones I would feel comfortable giving my 5th and 6th graders for sure.


YA-Young Adult
These are classic YA or ages 12+.  They might have some things that might be appropriate for some of my younger students.



UYA- Upper Young Adult
These are books I would say are geared more towards ages 14 or 16 and up.  They contain things that would make them more inappropriate for younger kids. 


I hope you find them useful!!!!!