The Grimm Legacy

                                                                                                                                                                        
          Ever wondered if those objects in the Grimm tales could ever have some magic to them?  Ever wonder if some libraries have more to them than meets the eye? This story will take you on an adventure with surprises woven into today's world of the New York Circulating Materials Repository.  There are real life artifacts collected here from all over the world.  Theaters rent many of the costumes and objects out.  So do people from all walks of life.  Elizabeth takes a job in this library hoping to make friends.  She is new to the city and adjusting to a new school.  One of her teachers kindly recommended her for this job. She strives to be responsible and earn the respect of her trainers. The Grimm objects are in a secret room and some of the items are disappearing.  Elizabeth and her friends begin a quest to solve the mystery.  This is very well written and will keep you guessing.  See the web page at

Polly Shulman : "The Grimm Legacy"
See the video clip from Penguin Young Readers:
YouTube - The Grimm Legacy

Woods Runner

This is a realistic tale about the American frontier during the American Revolution. What is truly unique about this book is the alternating non-fiction sections that deliver true historical facts on pertinent topics and the fictional chapters.  For example prior to Chapter 2 we read a non-fiction section on Communication methods during 1776.  A section on Frontier Life gives facts prior to Chapter 3.  The way Gary Paulsen combines these two genres is both enriching and illuminating to the main story.

Samuel lives on the edge of the wilderness on the frontier in Pennsylvania.  He knows how to hunt and survive in the raw untamed forest.  Suddenly the war comes to his area.  In a savage attack by the British regulars and Iroquois Indians, Samuel's parents are taken prisoner.  Samuel tracks them, trying to think of a way to save them.  He meets allies and patriots along the way.   Gary shows us a flesh-and-blood reality of a boy's struggle in a war that changed people in many ways.  This is one of the best historical fiction books I have read.  See the links below:
Lesson Plans:
Scholastic Links:
Book Wizard (for teachers): http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/tbw/viewWorkDetail.do?workId=1312035&

Review of the book:
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3754338


Literate Lives: a blog with teachers and librarians comments about the book

http://literatelives.blogspot.com/2010/01/gary-paulsens-newest-woods-runner.html

On the Wings of Heroes

Richard Peck has another wonderful humorous story about a family during World War II when war made life uncertain.  This is a great read for boys with oddballs, rascals and some misadventures that keep you wondering what could possibly happen next.  Davy's brother Bill flies B-17s and he is Davy's hero.  Another hero is Davy's Dad who is a fun loving and sacrificial.  It is a time that causes Davy to grow up quickly and a tribute to a family's love on the homefront.


Links:
On the Wings of Heroes Literature Unit - activities, vocabulary, quizzes, and more


Review:
Young readers book reviews -- *On the Wings of Heroes* by Richard Peck - Curled Up With A Good Kid's Book

The Roar

Ellie is desperate as she flies the Pod Fighter fast and low towards the north.  She just escaped from a space station.  Her captor Mal Gorman is furious.  Her family thinks she is dead.  Mika her brother lives in London behind a wall to be kept safe from the animal plague...or so he has been led to believe.  He knows something is not right.  He is determined to find his sister.  Mika enters a contest that recruits mutant kids to play violent virtual reality games.  He does so the take the chance to search for his twin sister.  This book will have many surprises and keep you guessing all the way to the surprising end.  This is a good read!

Review:
Goodreads | The Roar by Emma Clayton - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

The Twilight of Courage

An international cast of characters, each with their own unique 

story, unfold in this suspenseful novel of World War II.
It begins in 1939 in Jerusalem.

Enter the American journalists Josie Marlow and Mac McGrath

who are eyewitness to the siege of Warsaw and escape just in time.

Soon they are midst the "Twilight War" seeing the confusion of the

Allied countries before Hitler begins his march on western Europe.

You witness the cataclysm of war as experienced through the lives 

of men and women who faced the unbelievable realities of
war and crisis.

This is well interwoven with authentic research, romance and a 

spy story in a package that brings this decade alive.  You will

learn about World War II in a fascinating way.  This is good for teens

and adults.

Hunger Games Trilogy

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a great suspense and adventure novel. Not only do middle school students love it but so do adults.

You can not put put this book down.  I was captivated!

It is very thought provoking with topics you can discuss with

your teenagers.  

The author's web site is http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

and the Scholastic Hunger games web site is at:

 www.scholastic.com/​thehungergames/​

Spring Fling

http://acqua10.edu.glogster.com/collections/

Want to read books on the romantic adventuresome side?
Try these in the poster Glog. Interactive links have a moving red circle to click on. They will take you
to a site about the book.

Glogging

Glogging is a great tool to
visually teach with.
SlideShare has a great
presentation on Glogging.
The link to this presentation is
http://www.slideshare.net/jmcgee/glog-on-presentation. Enjoy!

The Media Center