Misty Gordon is not the most popular girl in Ashcrumb. Her father owns a business called D.E.A.D. that buys furniture and belongings from the recently deceased and sells them in an antique shop. The other kids call her vulture and make fun of her second hand clothes.
But things get really crazy when she finds a pair of glasses belonging to the local fortune teller, Madame Zaster, and she begins to see things in a whole new way. Suddenly the dead aren't quite so dead, and Ashcrumb's charming history may not be as true as everyone thinks.
If Misty wants to save Ashcrumb, she'll have to decipher a prophecy, find some Greek gods, and escape an escapee from the local mental institution named May Nays with a passion for a certain sandwich spread!
India, Mouse, and Finn have just lost their house due to a financial crisis, and now they are on a plane, alone, on their way to Uncle Red's house in Colorado. Soon after take off, strange things begin to happen, but the three siblings are distracted by their own frustrations.
India doesn't want to leave her friends and school, and she can't believe her mother is making her babysit her younger brother and sister on the way to Colorado. They are so annoying!
Finn is worried about everything and sad about leaving his manager position on the basketball team. Things will never be the same, and they barely even know Uncle Red. He just doesn't see how everything can work out with so many problems in their path.
Mouse notices everything, and while her older brother and sister are worried and annoyed that she will drift away, she is frustrated because no one is listening when she tries to point out important signs and information.
When the land, they aren't in Colorado. They are in a place that seems too good to be true. They soon discover that what seems like paradise really isn't and that they might just want to go back to their normal lives. But is it too late? Time is strange in this new place, and it's running out fast.
This book is told from the perspectives of the three kids, so you get different versions of the story. It gets a little confusing as you read, but it will all make sense in the end, even the reasons why it is a little confusing. :) Visit Gennifer Choldenko's website for more information. I recommend this for everyone, especially if you like a little fantasy in your life!
Tessa has never known a world without war. For longer than she or her parents have been around, the country has been at war. This has left the people depressed, poor, and struggling to survive. Tessa is happy to hear that a childhood friend and neighbor, Gideon, is winning a medal for his military service because she hopes this will inspire her community and give them something to live for.
But Gideon isn't happy about his award at all. He is filled with guilt about what he has done and determined to do something to make things right.
As Gideon, Tessa, and an orphan named Dek set out on one final mission, they begin to realize a shocking truth about this always war that has consumed everyone's lives for generations.
This is a quick read and interesting perspective on war and intelligence. The Always War will make you think about war and truth in a different way. As you read, look for place names that sound familiar but are a little off. See if you can figure out the real places Dek, Gideon, and Tessa discuss and visit. I recommend this for everyone, 6-8. Enjoy!
This is a reimagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein which just means the author took the basic ideas of the original story and looked at them in a different way or in this case, fleshed out part of the story. Oppel looks at Victor Frankenstein as a teenager. Victor and his twin brother, Konrad, are best friends, but that doesn't mean there isn't a touch or jealousy and competition in their relationship. This competitiveness only increases for Victor when he thinks of the lovely Elizabeth.
Life is relatively peaceful until Konrad becomes unexpectedly ill, and all medical efforts fail. Victor remembers a dark library hidden in the house with alchemy books and papers. He struggles to create an Elixir of Life to save his brother and to glorify himself. Victor and Elizabeth must battle vicious creatures and cunning enemies to meet their goal, but Victor finds the danger exhilarating.
This book was a heart pounding thrill ride that manages to be character driven at the same time. Oppell looks further into Victor's motivations than the original story does, and he creates a character who is believable and disturbing.
The best compliment I can give This Dark Endeavor is it inspired me to read the original Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'd never read it, but I thought I knew the story based on a jumble of movie clips and cultural references. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was wrong and that Shelley's novel provokes questions about loneliness and personal responsibility. We also have Shelley's book here in the library. Both are challenging reads, so I would recommend them for 8th graders and 7th graders who are strong readers.
Lizzie and Karl live with their mother in Dresden, Germany, during WWII. Dresden hasn't been bombed by the Russians or the Allies yet, but everyone knows it won't be long. Lizzie's mother is a zookeeper who has taken a special interest in Marlene, a young elephant whose mother recently died.
When the zoo director informs his staff that if Dresden is bombed that the animals will have to be killed to avoid the danger of wild animals running through the city, the family finds new sleeping arrangements for Marlene in their back garden. The city is bombed while they are taking Marlene for a walk, and they begin a journey across the country to safety.
Alice's Aunt Polly makes the best pies anywhere. All you have to do is take one bite, and you'll agree. Aunt Polly says the secret is love. She loves baking pies and watching people enjoy them. Alice has spent hours with Aunt Polly talking and watching her bake pies. She feels more loved and special with Aunt Polly than anywhere else, so it is a terrible shock for Alice when Aunt Polly dies.
Everyone one in town seems determined to find Aunt Polly's secret pie crust recipe and become a famous pie maker, but Alice just feels lonely. When she gets a call from Aunt Polly's lawyer, her mother is thrilled, thinking Polly has left Alice her secret recipe and the key to wealth.
But Aunt Polly has left her something else entirely, her cranky cat, Lardo. There is still another another surprise: Aunt Polly left the secret recipe to Lardo! Now there are mysterious goings on and mysterious characters running around town, and Polly is determined to get to the bottom of all this and to be a good friend to Lardo.
Pie is sometimes sweet, sometimes sad, and sometimes delightful, just like a good slice of one of Aunt Polly's creations. Maybe you can learn to make pies, too, using the recipes spread through the book. Maybe I'll try the peach. Mmm...delicious!
