Geraldine A House that Once Was

Geraldine is a giraffe and her family is moving.  She stands out in her new town, school and she hides because she's different.  she meets Cassie and the two become friends.  Geraldine accepts who she is and is proud of it.  Very relatable story...we've all felt that way at one time or another. 

Beautiful illustrations by Lane Smith.  Two kids discover a house in the woods and as they look through it wonder about who lived there, where did they go, why did they leave?  Search the pictures for clues as you read. 

The Special Ones by Em Bailey

Esther is a "Special One" along with 3 other people.  They are kept on a private farm where they live by rules created by their "captor".  In the evening they chat online with people who follow them through videos he publishes.  He "renews" people who don't follow the rules, and he is ALWAYS watching.  Esther gets notice that she will be renewed and she determines that she will escape before he kills her.  The questions remains, who is he and will he ever be caught or will he catch her again?

The Button War by AVI

Patryk and Jurek along with 5 other friends live in Poland during WWI.  The Russians are in charge of their village and are fighting against the Germans.  Some villagers want the Russians out and the Germans to take over, which happens, but that starts another battle.  The boys of the village are having a button war to see who can collect the best button off a soldiers uniform.  As you can probably tell, the button war and WWI will be escalating, so the question is...who will survive?

Great historical fiction.

Interview with AVI about Button War

What You Hide by Natalie D. Richards

Available December 4, 2018

Told in two voices, Spencer and Mallory, at first are not connected, but become connected shortly. Spencer is a climber and decides to scale the library and ends up breaking a window, for which he has to serve community service there.  Mallory's mom has a boyfriend who is not exactly pleasant and as she tries to get her mom to leave, Charlie comes home and confronts the both of them.  Mallory goes to stay with a friend for a night, but ends up spending a lot of time in the library.  A dead body shows up and the mystery of who the girl was and what else is hiding in the library begins to unravel both Spencer and Mallory. 

The suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Carnival of Wishes and Dreams by Jenny Lundquist

Available February 12, 2019

One year ago the factory burned down, killing one man in the process and the town has never been the same.  Audrey, Grace and Harlow used to be best friends, but after the factory was destroyed, it seemed so was their friendship.  They each get an anonymous "pumpkin-gram" inviting them to meet at the Ferris Wheel at the Carnival of Wishes and Dreams at midnight.  Grace is moving to California with her mom to have a fresh start after her dad died, Audrey's mom left the family and her dad is not exactly acting dad like, and Harlow is being excluded and made fun of because her family owned the factory.  Who wants to meet them and will they ever get work through their past to become friends again?

The Agony House by Cherie Priest

Available September 25, 2018.

A hybrid of text and graphic novel.  Denise has just moved back to New Orleans with her mom and step-dad.  They are planning on fixing up an old, dilapidated house into a bed and breakfast, but the neighborhood is not exactly welcoming.  Weird things start to happen in the house, unexplained things and Denise begins to research what happened in the house and learns a famous author died there.  She begins to realize there are TWO spirits, one that is EVIL and one who is trying to help her.  

If you like ghost stories, this is the book for you!  I could not put it down.   

Grenade by Alan Gratz

Available on October 9, 2018


Told in two voices for the majority of the book Hideki and Ray. Hideki is a child on the island of Okinawa during WWII. The Japanese army has come to his school and given all the boy students two grenades, one to kill an American Soldier and one to kill themselves. They are then sent out to search for soldiers.

Ray is an American Soldier on the island and he feels that he wants to serve his country, but he also doesn't want to kill people unnecessarily. They've been told the differences about Japanese and Okinawans.

As Ray and Hideki begin making their way across the island they end up encountering each other in a way that will change their lives forever.

Grenade Book Trailer

Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

Beans Curry lives in Key West Florida in 1934.  The town is barely hanging on during the Great Depression.  Garbage is piled up everywhere,  the fire stations are closed (except one), there is no electricity around town, dogs are roaming the streets and Beans dad is looking for work....even all the way in New Jersey.  Beans tries to make money selling cans, but Winky pays him less than promised.  Beans makes a decision to work for an "unsavory" fellow, but really makes some good money, but at what cost to Beans?

Good historical fiction with fun mixed in.  

Ban this Book by Alan Gratz

Great Book!  Amy Anne has a favorite book From the Mixed up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konisburg.  When she goes to check it out the librarian says that is has been removed.  Amy learns that other books have been removed as well and she doesn't think it's fair.  She starts a library out of her locker called the B. B. L. L. (Banned Books Locker Library) and things begin to grow bigger than she ever thought.  Students are constantly wanting to check out books from her and she is scared she will get in trouble, but she learns somethings about herself in the process. 

Ban this Book Trailer

Broken Things by Lauren Oliver

Available October 2, 2018

Told in two voices:  Brynn and Mia were accused of killing their best friend Summer 5 years ago.  They were 11.  Now at 17 they are still dealing with the after affects of the loss of their friend and a past that won't let go.  They begin to relive and try to figure out what really happened to Summer by flashing back to the past, putting together pieces from interviewing people now, and talking to each other again.  Will definitely keep you guessing til the end and reading to find out what happens.

8th grade and up. 

Royal Academy Rebels: Misfits by Jen Calonita

Totally fun book.  Devin Nile is a princess, but she doesn't really want the typical princess life.  She is able to communicate with animals and wants to be a creature caretaker.  However, she is required to attend Royal Academy to hone her princess skills.  There she meets Raina White (Snow White's little sister), Sasha (Rose Briar's little Sister) and others.  The fairy godmother, Olivania, is the headmistress, but something is amiss at RA.  Olivania gives tests that seem to verge on destruction and Devin keeps getting in trouble for being herself and is in danger of failing out of RA and being banished.  Will she discover what is going on there??

Books coming to Movies 2018-19

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August 17, 2018

Suspicious and uneasy about the atmosphere at her new boarding school, fourteen-year-old Kit slowly realizes why she and the other three students at the school were selected.

September 21, 2018

A boy goes to live with his magician uncle in a mansion that has a clock hidden in the walls which is ticking off the minutes until doomsday.

October 2018 (AKA Ashes in the Snow)

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on the author's family.

 March 2019 (AKA Chaos Walking)

Todd, one month away from an important birthday, learns all the tough lessons of adulthood when he is forced to flee after discovering a secret near the town where he lives.

August 2019

Twelve-year-old evil genius Artemis Fowl tries to restore his family fortune by capturing a fairy and demanding a ransom in gold, but the fairies fight back with magic, technology, and a particularly nasty troll.

here's another one:

I'm not sure when it is supposed to come out.  

Sixteen-year-old Willowdean wants to prove to everyone in her small Texas town that she is more than just a fat girl, so, while grappling with her feelings for a co-worker who is clearly attracted to her, Will and some other misfits prepare to compete in the beauty pageant her mother runs.

Do you know of any other books coming to movies?  Comment if you do :)

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Let me just preface to say I can't wait to read the second book in the series.  

Mara Dyer is moving to a new town, new school because she needs to get away from her old life.  She and some friends were involved in an accident and she was the only one to survive.  How did she survive and no one else did?  New school...enter Noah Shaw.  He is different from anyone at the new private school.  She is not interested (but all the other girls are), but he is about the only one who seems to want to befriend her.  She finally relents to go out with him and finds out her brother and Noah have been conspiring to get them together.  As she grows closer with him she begins to share with him her past and all the strange things and Noah begins to help her unravel what is going on with her.

The Opposite of Innocent by Sonya Sones

Available September 4, 2018

Lily, 14 y.o., has been crushing on her parent's friends Luke for years.  He is back in the states and her parents invite him to stay with them until he finds a place of his own.  Lily thinks finally he will notice her, but he treats her just like he always did.  A little girl.  As she continues wanting him to notice her, she thinks he starts to, but does he really?  One day as he picked her up, he ends up kissing her and an inappropriate relationship starts.  Luke tells her they can't tell anyone, because they wouldn't understand.  Lily starts to get nervous and scared when she is around him.  She's also scared to tell.  What should she do and how does she get him to stop?

Written in Free Verse.  I felt a little uncomfortable reading this.  Definitely high school book.

Ebb & Flow by Heather Smith

Jett goes to visit his Grandma Jo for the summer.  His mom thinks it will be good for him. He and his grandma like to say puns, but Jett hopes she is not expecting the old him, because he's not there. They spend time on the beach, playing games, and paint rooms.  Jett did a bad thing and he is not his old self because of it.  He is trying to come to terms with it and get back to living.  

The book is told in Free Verse so it's a super fast read. :)

Greystone Secrets: The Strangers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Available March 2, 2019

LOVE it!  I don't think I've read or heard of any book like it.  But it did remind me of "Stranger Things" a little which I can use to promote it to my students!  What a novel concept of an alternative world with our doppelgangers there.  Really gave me something to think about. 

There is mystery and intrigue from the beginning.  Three kids with their exact names and birthdays go missing in Arizona and then the Greystone kid's mom has to go somewhere on business and they must stay with a lady who they've never stayed with before.  They still go back to their house to check on their cat and when they do they find their mom's cell phone pre-programmed with text messages to them, her laptop, and the key to a room in the basement.  They discover that it has a secret tunnel to another house.  As they start to research about the missing kids, their mom's website designs, and other clues they begin to realize there is an alternate world and they are from there.

Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Tandy Angel is abruptly awoken by sirens and police banging on her door.  Someone has called 911 and her parents have been murdered right above her.  Her father Malcolm is a pharmaceutical developer and owns Angel Pharmaceutics and her mother Maud is a hedge fund investor.  There were no signs of a break in and the only ones at home were 3 of the children and her mother's assistant.  Who could have done this?  And what secrets did her parents have? 

Don't start it until you can finish it!

Book Teaser

Uninvited by Sophie Jordan

I could not put this down!!  In the future they are testing for HTS (Homicidal Tendency Syndrome) and Davy has been tested and her DNA shows she has the gene.  She is "uninvited" from her private school, her boyfriend and best friend sabotage her and  she is sent to public school but separated from the students with other kids that have HTS.  There she meets Sean who not only has HTS, but he has been imprinted with a tattoo on his neck with an H from some infraction.  Davy ends up with one on her neck as well from the sabotage and  then as things escalate in the nation from mass murders all carriers of HTS are sent to  "camps" for the general public's safety.  Davy, however, has been chosen to go to a training facility.  She is able to get Sean chosen as well and her classmate Gil.  The HTS carriers there are being trained to control their emotions, perfect their gifts and to kill.  Sean and Gil decide to make a plan to escape and try to cross the border to Mexico.  You will not want to miss this!

8th grade and up.

Book Trailer

The Borden Murders: Lizzie Borden & The Trial of the Century by Sarah Miller

This book details the records and case notes from the famous murder case.  The author takes us from the time of Lizzie discovering her dead father's body up until she died.  The author uses books, articles, pictures from the historical society and the stenographer's notes from the courts.  Miller tries to be as neutral as possible just giving us the facts or stating when she finds a bias in the research, such as from newspaper articles from the time.  Great historical nonfiction read. 

Book Trailer for Borden Murders

WildCard by Marie Lu

Coming in September 2018.

This is the sequel to Warcross.  Emika has caused a stir within the Warcross community and now she has been recruited by Zero to hack into Hideo's mind to steal his program to be able to control people.  Emika still has feelings for Hideo, but they are in the middle of a conflict because of their difference of opinion about his algorithm.  Will she betray the man she loves to do what she feels is right or will she find another way to help Hideo and herself?  Keeps you guessing to the end.

Renegades by Marissa Meyer

ren·e·gade
/ˈrenəˌɡād/
noun

1. a person who deserts and betrays an organization, country, or set of principles.

synonyms: traitor, defector, deserter, turncoat, rebel, mutineer

"he was denounced as a renegade"

Holy smoke!  This was an amazing read!  I could not put it down.  The Renegades are trying to bring the city/ world back together before it was destroyed in an effort to let prodigies be without discrimination.  However, there are some mixed feelings about how they are doing it and not everyone is happy with them.  

Nova, aka Nightmare is out for revenge for her parents murder and the Renegades who did not protect them.  Adrian, whose mom was killed by an unknown person, is known as a Renegade, Sketch.  He battles Nightmare and she says a phrase that makes him think she knows who his mom's killer is.  Adrian also has a secret identity and he is out to find Nightmare to find some answers.

The conclusion will come out in November 2018.  I can't wait!!

Oddity by Sarah Cannon

"Gravity Falls" fans this book is for YOU!!  Ada Roundtree had a twin, Pearl.  Pearl won the Sweepstakes last year and hasn't been seen since.  Ada lives in Oddity, New Mexico and WEIRD things happen there.  Ada's best friend Raymond and newcomer-from-Chicago Cayden begin to discover just how weird there town is.  The town is run by 4 puppets, is being threatened by a Blurmonster, and runs survival drills in P.E.  Ada and Raymond are used to it but Cayden tries to explain that the "normal" world isn't like that at all.  The three of them together begin to investigate what is really going on, and what really happened to Pearl?

Warcross by Marie Lu

WOW!!!  Emika Chen is 18 years old, an orphan, bounty hunter and about to get evicted from her house.  She puts on her virtual reality glasses to watch the opening ceremony of the War Cross competition and decides to hack it and ends up in the game.  She gets the attention of the creator Hideo Tanaka and things go crazy...her debt is paid off and she is offered a job to go in the game and find a hacker who is trying to destroy the game.  As she trains for the game and immerses herself deeper into the competition she begins to become the target herself.  She starts to wonder who she can really trust...

Young ADULT themes.  8th and up only. :)

Mason Falls Mysteries: Tracks by Vanessa Acton

Nick and Ava are 11th graders who still have to ride the bus to and from school, but they have been friends since 1st grade.  They notice a boy who walks to school everyday they have nicknamed "The Kid".  One day they notice he seems a little different than normal: scared, running, and then they don't see him.  They begin to research who is he?  What happened to him?  That's when the action starts...

FAST READ!!

SuperHuman: Stretched Too Thin by Raelyn Drake

Evan discovers he has the ability to stretch and his friend Layla helps him "market" himself by videoing him, setting up a website and helping him promote his "power".  The question is what is his ability good for?  Just getting attention for himself or helping people?  His stretching superpower will be put to the test and he will have to decide to do good or not.

FAST read. 

Nightbooks by J. A. White

Available July 24, 2018

When I first saw this book I thought, "Creepy Library and reading at night" but I was way off base.
However, I could not put it down. It is a Hansel and Gretel witch story set in modern times, complete with essential oils (instead of potions), a New York apartment (instead of a cottage in the woods), and a nightly story to keep everyone happy.

Alex got into all this trouble trying to destroy his scary story notebooks and ended up getting trapped and the story books ended up helping him. He meets Yasmin, who is a girl also trapped by the witch.  At first she tries to steer clear of Alex, but eventually she befriends him and in an effort to escape they come up with a daring plan only to realize they are still trapped.   The stories that he was trying to escape from may be the only thing that saves him...

Angel and Bavar by Amy Wilson

Available November 6, 2018

Great fantasy with supernatural monsters, talking pictures/ statue, missing parents, etc. Similar to Beauty and the Beast in that there is a house under a spell, a tall "beastly" boy, and a small, petite girl.  Angel helps Bavar in fighting the "evil" with him because it affected her family life.  The monsters came and killed her parents and she is now living in a foster family.  Bavar's family has had this "curse" on them for a long time.  He must maintain the barrier and fight the monsters. As Angel gets to know him they discover that there is a way to repair the rift and close the door to the other world, but will it come at too high a price?

  I think middle schoolers will love it. 

Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

Available September 25, 2018

Olivia, known as Ollie, is dealing with her mom's death. She has withdrawn socially at school and after defending a new girl she runs away to a quiet place by the water.  There she encounters a woman crying trying to throw a book away.  Ollie takes the book and the woman gives her a warning to "Avoid large spaces and stick to small spaces."  Ollie begins reading the diary and it starts her on a journey to encounter supernatural experiences at Misty Valley Farm.  

Excellent creepy read!  I could not put it down until I found out what happened to Ollie, Coco, and Brian.  Would they survive the night or not????  This story has missing people, lots of scarecrows, an old diary, and ghosts.  What's not to love?   

Squint by Chad Morris & Shelly Brown

Available October 2, 2018

Flint is a thirteen year old boy who is losing his sight. Kids at school call him Squint and he really doesn't have any friends. He loves to draw comics and is planning on entering a comic contest in a little over a month. Not only is he losing his sight, but his dad left before he was born and his mom is not good at being a mom so her parents are raising him.


McKell is a newish girl at school and she slowly begins to befriend Flint, but then her brother dies, Flint gets a new cornea and things get a little sticky as they work through their friendship and the problems each of them is dealing with.


Great book! I can't wait to share it with my middle school students.

Tight by Torrey Maldonado

Available September 4, 2018

This book was TIGHT!  Bryan is a 6th grade student who is pretty much a quiet, good kid.  He loves quietness and chillness.  His sister, Ava, is in 9th grade and thinks he is soft.  Bryan's mom brings a new kid Mike around for dinner and so it begins... at first Bryan thinks Mike is cool.  They share a love of comic books and drawing.  Then things take a turn.  Mike gets Bryan to skip school, jump turnstiles and hop on subways without paying, throw rocks off of roofs, etc.  Bryan knows these things are wrong, but his dad (who has been in and out of jail) tells him he needs to be hard.  He is confused about what to do until he gets caught by his parents for skipping school.  Bryan starts to befriend Big Will and Mike doesn't seem to like that.  He starts to cause trouble for Bryan until it finally comes to a head that could start even more problems for Bryan and Mike.  I love the fact that the author uses language like a kid would use and I will admit I was a little confused on the OD and SOS...:) This book is amazing and I can't wait to share it with my students.

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson

Available August 28, 2018

The story is told from Haley's point of view and is told mainly through a flashback about her 5th grade year in a "special" class with 6, no 5 other people. The kids are all diverse: Dominican, African-American, Caucasian, etc. and each one is dealing with different things: parent immigration status, parent in jail, parent dead, racial prejudice, etc. They pretty much become a family as they are given space to just be them on Friday afternoons. Haley decides to record their stories, so she will have them as memories. Through these recordings she tells about her year in Ms. Laverne's class and how each kid deals with their situation. She explores her feelings about her own situation with her dad and uncle and determines to begin building her relationship with her dad by the end of the book...

Candy Shop War

If you like magic, excitement, danger, and candy, this is the book for you.  This is the first book in the Candy Shop War series.  Nate has moved to a new town and is trying to make friends in the summer before school starts.  He meets Summer, Trevor, and Pigeon who live nearby and who also happen to be going into 5th grade just like Nate!

After the first day of school the four walk home and stop by a new Candy Shop in town run by Mrs. White.  They discover she has magic candy that she will give them, but only if they do her a "favor" first.   She first gives them rock candy that makes you weightless, which they also need to do the job for her of stealing a watch and book from the museum. (She's only borrowing it :) )  After they complete the first job, she has another job, and another because she is on the hunt for a very powerful treasure.  Mr. Stott, who drives the ice cream truck, wants to stop Mrs. White and the kids begin to help him.  Nate and his friends begin to wonder who they can trust and so they decide to go after the treasure on their own, and thus begins the WAR!

.

Mull, Brandon. The Candy Shop War. Aladdin, 2014.

The Girl I Used to Be by April Henry

Olivia Reinhart used to be Ariel Benson, a girl whose father murdered her mother when she was 3 years old.  She is told they have found her father's jawbone and think he was murdered at the same time.  As she returns to the town she lived in before for her father's funeral she is confronted with questions of why her parents were killed, who took her to the Wal-mart and dropped her off, and was it someone they knew.  As she begins to dig into the past, she stirs up too much and puts her own life in danger.  

Great book for 7th and up.  

Henry, April. The girl I used to be. Square Fish, 2017.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Miranda is 16 years old, her older brother Matt is off at college and her younger brother Jonny is 13. Miranda’s parents are divorced. She and her brother’s live with her mom, who is a writer, and her dad is remarried to Lisa, who is pregnant. On May 18 an asteroid is supposed to hit the moon and everyone is planning on watching it, it almost seems festive, like a party. However, once the asteroid hits it shifts the moon closer to the earth and causes the earth’s climate to change in drastic ways. Electricity is gone, grocery stores run out of food, gas goes up to $10+ a gallon and school is closed indefinitely... Will things ever get back to normal? Miranda wonders, but what she doesn’t realize is the worst is yet to come.


This is the first book in The Last Survivors series.

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Life as we knew it. Graphia, 2010.

Rising Water by P. J. Petersen

Kevin was arrested for stealing a car, even though he returned it, and is assigned to volunteer at an animal rescue center for community hours. Tracy and Luke work at the animal rescue center because they enjoy helping the animals. Tracy cannot stand Kevin and his attitude, and Luke enjoys having Kevin’s help. The heavy winter rains come and flood the town. Luke and Tracy, who are brother and sister, have a boat and take it to help a dog survive the flood, when it’s owner can’t get home. Luke invites Kevin to go along and help. As they start off in the boat they find more people stranded at their homes and help them to get out of the flood. After they help the dog, they notice a house has looters in it. They try to identify the thieves, but Luke gets captured. Can Tracy and Kevin work together to save Luke?

Quick read and lots of action!

Petersen, P. J. Rising water. Aladdin Paperbacks, 2003.

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

Ghost 


World Records...

Sunflower seeds...

Running...


Castle Cranshaw AKA Ghost loves learning world records and he also can run...FAST. He sees a group of people running at a track and decides to run, knowing he can run faster than the fastest. He doesn’t have great technique, but he can run. The coach begins training him and helping him become a better runner, and as he does, Ghost has to face some of his past problems, like his dad threatening him and his mom when he was younger, stealing shoes, skipping school and getting in a fight.

This is the first book of a series of books about kids who run...great book.  

Reynolds, Jason. Ghost. Atheneum Books For Young Readers, 2017.

When

Maddie sees shadowy digits on everyone’s forhead...their deathdate. Her mother makes her tell people their deathdates to make money to support her family. One lady comes to find out her daughter’s deathdate because she has leukemia, but Maddie see’s a picture of her son and his deathdate is next week. The boy goes missing adn maddie is pulled into the homicide investigation. He is later found murdered and Maddie is a suspect. As more and more young people disappear and are later found murdered, one thing is clear, Maddie is at the center of it all. Is she the key to solving the case or is she next?


You HAVE to read this book. I could not put it down. HIGHLY recommended.


2013 Lone Star Award

Laurie, Victoria. When. Scholastic, Inc., 2017.