Ms. D just finished reading ... Strange Angels #4 & #5

I just wrapped up the Strange Angels series with #4 Defiance and #5 Reckoning. 

       

I started this series a while ago and just decided to wrap up over MCAS days. I'm very glad I finished it, but I'm not surprised by the ending. 

The teaser from GoodReads for book one (Strange Angels) is: 
In Strange Angels, Dru Anderson has what her grandmother called “the touch.” (Comes in handy when you’re traveling from town to town with your dad, hunting ghosts, suckers, wulfen, and the occasional zombie.) Then her dad turns up dead—but still walking—and Dru knows she’s next. Even worse, she’s got two guys hungry for her affections, and they’re not about to let the fiercely independent Dru go it alone. Will Dru discover just how special she really is before coming face-to-fang with whatever—orwhoever— is hunting her? 

If you like vampire or werewolf stories, told from a pretty amazing character (very Buffy, the Vampire Slayer), check out Strange Angels! 

Ms. D just finished reading .... Lockdown

Creepy cover for a really creepy book. 

Goodreads says: 

Beneath Heaven is Hell. Beneath Hell is Furnace. 

Furnace Penitentiary: An underground hellhole. A place of pure evil with walls soaked in blood. Murderous gangs and vicious guards rule the darkness. Horrific creatures steal people away in the dead of night. And the impossible - escape - is the only hope.

I really didn't think I would like this book. I thought it would be like a bad prison break movie. However, it turned into a real page-turner and I'm going to start on the second one Solitary very soon. 

Highly recommended for those who like a fast pace, unknown creepy monsters, and a bad guy narrator who isn't as bad as everyone thinks. 

Ms. D just finished reading ... What Happened to Goodbye?

This was my first foray into a Sarah Dessen novel. I know she's a little romance, a little teen angst, so I wasn't sure if I would like it. What Happened to Goodbye was a good story, even if a little predictable. 

GoodReads says: 

Who is the real McLean? 

Since her parents' bitter divorce, McLean and her dad, a restaurant consultant, have been on the move-four towns in two years. Estranged from her mother and her mother's new family, McLean has followed her dad in leaving the unhappy past behind. And each new place gives her a chance to try out a new persona: from cheerleader to drama diva. But now, for the first time, McLean discovers a desire to stay in one place and just be herself, whoever that is. Perhaps Dave, the guy next door, can help her find out. 

It is a cute story, maybe preferable as a "Beach Read." Something light, makes you happy at the end. Recommended for those looking for something fun. 

Ms. D just finished reading ... Divided We Fall

I am usually not a fan of war novels, unless they're science fiction. Modern war novels are generally too close for comfort. This one certainly was. This is a very realistic novel, and honestly something that could happen.

From GoodReads:

"Danny Wright never thought he'd be the man to bring down the United States of America. In fact, he enlisted in the National Guard because he wanted to serve his country the way his father did. When the Guard is called up on the Idaho governor's orders to police a protest in Boise, it seems like a routine crowd-control mission ... but then Danny's gun misfires, spooking the other soldiers and the already fractious crowd, and by the time the smoke clears, twelve people are dead.

The president wants the soldiers arrested. The governor swears to protect them. And as tensions build on both sides, the conflict slowly escalates toward the unthinkable: a second American civil war." 

This is the first in Trent Reedy's series and I'm really looking forward to the next. I need to know what happens to the characters!

For the simple fact that this book made me uncomfortable, worried, and yet still want to read the sequel, I'll happily recommend this novel, especially to anyone thinking about joining the military!

Banned Book Week

This week, Sept 21st - 27th is Banned Book Week. Libraries across the country are raising awareness of banned and challenged books. 

If an HSC student reads a banned book and writes a review for the library website, Ms. D will write a note for the student account and allow an extra checkout. For example, all students are allowed 2 books at a time. If you complete this quest, you will earn a 3rd book. This goes for frequent readers as well, many of whom already can already check out 3, 4, or 5 books at a time! ANY BANNED or CHALLENGED book off the ALA list will count! (list is here)

Every book on this shelf has been banned or challenged in schools and/or public libraries. 

There are so many more books too! 

Come on in and ask Ms. D about Banned Book Week. 

l8r, g8r  by Lauren Myracle: offensive language; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: offensive language, sexually explicit

Beloved, by Toni Morrison offensive language, sexually explicit

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley: insensitivity; nudity; racism; religious viewpoint; sexually explicit

Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause: sexually explicit

To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee: offensive language; racism

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, sexually explicit,

My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult: homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence

Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling: occult/Satanism

The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger: offensive language, sexually explicit,

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer: religious viewpoint and violence

The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier: nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit

The Hunger Games trilogy, by Suzanne Collins: anti-ethnic; anti-family; insensitivity; offensive language; occult/satanic; violence

Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, sexually explicit, suicide

Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie: Drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit

Crank, by Ellen Hopkins: drugs, offensive language, and sexually explicit

Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher: racism, offensive language

Remember: Knowledge is power. Power corrupts. So study hard and be evil. 

Ms. D just finished reading ... City of Heavenly Fire

City of Heavenly Fire

City of Heavenly Fire is book 6 in Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series. I had been waiting for this one. I'd loved 1-5. This one, however, was lackluster. It wrapped everything up with a nice little bow and that's not how I expected this series to end. Clare hadn't been afraid to make unredeemable villains or to kill off characters. I feel that in Heavenly Fire, she stayed her hand and preferred a happier ending.

That being said, I'm glad I read it. It is a suitable ending for this series (which I honestly will re-read probably over the summer). Maybe the long wait between 5 and 6 is what made me disappointed and not the story itself.







Up next: Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess.

Ms. D just finished reading... "Crank" and "The Geography of You and Me"

 Crank by Ellen Hopkins is the first in her Kristina trilogy (Crank, Glass, and Fallout). While this book looks intimidatingly long, it is written in a poetry/free-verse style that tells you just enough to know what's going on, but not too much to bore you with details. Kristina is a girl-next-door type (based on Ellen Hopkin's daughter!) until she meets "the monster" and her life changes. Read it and find out more! 

Read more here: Crank

 

The Geography of You and Me by Jennifer E. Smith was very sweet. It was cute, almost mushy, romantic. Worth the read, especially if you have ever had a maybe-long-distance relationship. Jennifer Smith also wrote The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, which is a similar style book. This one was a little more fun, since we see from the perspective of both characters.

Read more here: The Geography of You and Me ebook







BONUS FEATURES:

 The Dumbest Idea Ever  Fun biographical graphic novel about the author writing a graphic novel.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever Another great installment of the Wimpy Kid books.

Student Review... The Ghost of Graylock

The Ghost of Graylock  by Dan Poblocki comes recommended by one of our 11th grade students. He says is was very haunting and had a good twist in the plot.

 "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. . . ." (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13316309-the-ghost-of-graylock) 

Ms. D just finished reading... The Wild Queen AND Black Heart

I'm a big fan of historical fiction, especially English royals. Mary Queen of Scots isn't exactly English, but she impacts not only her native Scotland, but England and France as well. 

Read a preview here: The Wild Queen. 

Black Heart is the finale to Holly Black's Curse Workers trilogy. I read these as they came out, so there was quite some time between them all. This is a fantastic wrap-up to the story, complete with a satisfying ending. 

Read a preview here: Black Heart