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Imagine flying to another country to spend the summer with your mother who just happens to live with a group of Bonobos or pigmy Chimpanzees. Sophie plans to spend the summer in the Bonobo sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Instead, Sophie finds herself falling in love with a baby chimp named Otto. When the president of the Republic of the Congo is assassinated, she finds herself running for her life. Sophie spends the summer hiding from soldiers with the group of Bonobos while raising and protecting Otto. -Peg Bruch, Bangor Area High School. (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Book of the day 05/11/2014
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Book of the day 05/10/2014
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Riggs, Ransom. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
Riggs, Ransom. MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN quirk books, 2011 Jacob’s grandfather, Abraham, always told him stories about the mysterious orphanage where he grew up and the peculiar children who lived there. There were stories about an invisible boy, a girl who could hold fire in her bare hands, a boy who could single-handedly lift a boulder, and a levitating girl who had to wear special shoes just to keep her from floating away. A wise old “bird” named Miss Peregrine looked after them all. Jacob always thought the stories were too weird to be true. But after Abraham dies under strange and sinister circumstances, Jacob discovers some old photographs and letters that seem to match up with his grandfather’s tall tales. With his father, he travels halfway around the world to try and find the orphanage and tell his grandfather’s childhood friends how he died. But when he finally finds the house, it is in ruins – and has been since World War II. Or has it? Where are Miss Peregrine and the peculiar children? Were they ever even real? How did Abraham really die … and is Jacob going to be next? This is a spooky, magical page-turner that includes lots of real photographs discovered by the author. You will not be able to put it down, so pick it up today! Amy V. Pickett, Ridley High School (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Book of the day 04/27/2014
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Mullen, Mike. ASHFALL New York : Tanglewood, 2011 IL YA ISBN 1933718552 The first of a series, Ashfall is a post apocalyptic tale set in present times. A super volcano under Yellowstone Park erupts, and the catastrophic explosions are felt for hundreds of miles. Alex, left on his own for the weekend in Cedar Falls, Iowa, is almost killed in the decimation of his house, and he quickly realizes that life as he knew it is gone forever. In the midst of the panic and chaos surrounding him, he decides to head to Illinois to reunite with his family. As he struggles cross-country through heavy, drifting ash, he faces starvation, abandoned homesteads, violent strangers, and unexpected love. What will he find at the end of his journey? How can he keep going amid the death and destruction surrounding him? You will not be able to put down this gripping, sometimes grim, page-turner of a novel. Winnie Host, Penncrest High School (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Book of the day 04/23/2014
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Meyer, Marissa. CINDER Feiwel and Friends, 2012 Cinder is a sixteen-year-old cyborg; human, but she’s been reconfigured with some mechanical parts. It’s a hard life. Cyborgs are considered second class citizens in society and Cinder is also mistreated at home. She lives with her nasty step-mother and step-sisters. Taking her name into account, I bet you’re sensing a familiar story here. And you’re right. This is a science fiction mash-up of the classic Cinderella tale, but it’s unique; set in futuristic China with some exciting added action. Of course, like the original, there’s romance with an uber-charming prince. But this isn’t a flat retelling. The connection between Cinder and Prince Kai is more than love at first sight and it’s fun watching it develop. The characters aren’t stereotypes. Cinder’s a good mix: feisty, mechanical and tough. There are no mice or fairy godmothers to help out. Cinder’s a take charge gal determined to solve her own problems, although she does get a bit of help from a droid and the prince. Anyone could use help since the problems facing Cinder, and all of New Beijing for that matter, are monumental. There’s a deadly plague, and the threat of an invasion from a civilization hell bent on taking over Earth. This is a fresh look at a timeless tale. There’s only one drawback; it’s part of a trilogy so you’ll need to keep reading for the final resolution. Patricia McClune, Conestoga Valley High School (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Book of the day 04/22/2014
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Levithan, David. EVERY DAY New York : Knopf, 2012 IL YA ISBN 0375971114 “Every day I am someone else … It has always been like this.” Every morning, A wakes up in a different body: a boy or girl, rich or poor, healthy or sick. He can access facts about the person’s life to guide him through the day, but every night he leaves it all behind to start over again the next morning. After 16 years he’s gotten used to this existence, and he’s learned not to get too attached to anyone or anything. But on Day 5994, everything changes. A wakes up in the body of a boy named Justin, and he spends the day with Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. Suddenly, letting go at the end of the day isn’t so easy. A wants to be with Rhiannon the next day, and the next, and every day after that. He starts taking risks to see Rhiannon again, though every time he looks like a stranger to her. He wants to explain everything, but would she ever believe him, or be able to love him back? Is A the only one in the world who lives this way? If he could change his life, would he … or should he? Open Every Day and you will get caught up in this one-of-a-kind novel by David Levithan from the very first page! Amy V. Pickett, Ridley High School (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Monday, April 21, 2014
Book of the day 04/21/2014
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Laban, Elizabeth. THE TRAGEDY PAPER
Laban, Elizabeth. THE TRAGEDY PAPER New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2013 IL YA ISBN 0375970401 The Tragedy Paper is the title of the book and also the name of a huge assignment that every student at the prestigious Irving School must write in order to pass senior English. They all know the assignment is coming and it’s stressful. Like the tragedy paper, there are other traditions at the Irving School. It’s a boarding school steeped in traditions, including one that involves graduating seniors leaving a “treasure” for the next student to get his or her room. On the first day of fall semester the new seniors are excited to see what was left for them. Was it a favorite book with a list of tips for passing English, a check for $500 (someone actually got that one year!) or something generic like a bag of M&Ms? Duncan finds a note and a stack of CDs narrated by and left for him by Tim MacBeth. Tim was a loner who only came to Irving for the last semester of his senior year. Duncan already knows what happened to Tim last year and it wasn’t good. But he doesn’t know the whole story. It’s important for Tim to recount it and for Duncan to hear it. This is an interwoven story of friendship and first love, and of peer pressure and the magnitude of certain choices. Patricia McClune, Conestoga Valley High School (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Book of the day 03/26/2014
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Kokie, E. M. PERSONAL EFFECTS Somerville, MA : Candlewick, 2012 IL YA ISBN 0763655279 Matt Foster is angry—belligerent at school, alienated from his bullying father—and grieving for his big brother T. J., who never came back from the Iraq war. All he wants is for people to leave him alone and to have some of T. J.’s personal effects, something to remember him by. So when big boxes arrive from the military, he is determined to open them up, even though his father has warned him not to go anywhere near them. The letters Matt finds inside reveal a secret life that T.J. led before he died that Matt had never even dreamed of. Matt takes off on a road trip to find the letter writer, even though he knows his father will be furious. What will he find? Will this letter writer even want to meet him? Will what he discovers change his life forever? (Winnie Host, Penncrest High School) (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
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