Angel

Max and Fang are going off in different directions.  Fang organizes a new group from contacts he has made through his blog.  These are all kids with special enhancements.  Max is hurt and confused by loosing her close friend and first boyfriend.

She has yet to really accept Dylan who was created out of her DNA to be her soul mate.  Now that leaves lots of questions of who, why and for what?  She knows she must blend her group with Fangs if they are to successfully accomplish anything.  Max has grown up a lot and invites more participation. Angel encourages her and volunteers to go undercover to find out things about the Doomsday Group.

In the end the two groups go off to Paris to investigate a Doomsday Group public gathering.   They penetrate the tunnels below Paris and Angel gets kidnapped.  This books ends on a cliff hanger as it continues the saga.  This is a fun read for both boys and girls.

Maximum Ride web site: http://www.jamespatterson.com/books_max.php
Newsletter: http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/features/maxride/index.html
Review of the book: http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/books/3859526-421/review-angel-by-james-patterson.html
Review by teens: http://firesidebookchat.podbean.com/2011/06/02/maximum-ride-the-angel-experiment-by-james-patterson-a-book-review-by-manny-part-1/

Teachers's webquest that can be adapted to this book: http://teacherweb.com/CA/StMichaelSchool/MrsCalhoun/ap10.aspx
Teacher's ideas: http://www.max-dan-wiz.com/page/educators-1

Maximum Ride

The next series of three books by James Patterson are a continuation of the earlier page turner novels with the same cast of avian humans.  The Final Warning takes the main characters on an adventure to save the planet.  The quest takes the flock to Antarctica where they learn how global warming is changing climate.  Very soon the flock must fight for survival in more ways than one.  Romantic feelings awakened in Max continue to develop.  There is much for discussion.  The book sets up the stage for the next two novels Max and then Fang.   Enjoy!


Review by Teenreads.com:
http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/031615556X.asp


Guide for Teachers:  http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:WfkX80qz6-MJ:www.hachettebookgroup.com/_assets/guides/EG_9780316067959.pdf+maximumride+guides&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShqhbIV0A1EL2tceOUymBIL9LYj5tt0sqTN_Y4T1_LqQju2Oerh0kUN4LGHDwiAkJRmBpquMdllJPvP3pwP7ktbW5XnrQc8QDFJd4tLv3B7rAEwWRLuwtl9I_35NqDB4oUhXBNH&sig=AHIEtbR9Ov0sBt6AXuFnK4CchUUlcR8NsQ&pli=1


Maximum Ride Study Guides:
http://www.scuc.txed.net/webpages/tgay/english_2.cfm?subpage=30190


Official Maximum Ride web site guides for several of the books:
http://www.max-dan-wiz.com/page/educators-1


Fang's Blog: http://maximumride.blogspot.com/


Other links:
Wikipedia Review: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximum_Ride


A movie will be coming in 2013: 
http://www.reelzchannel.com/movie/273882/maximum-ride/

The Missing Series

Adventure and science fiction combined in  Found (book 1) will keep you reading as this mystery unfolds.  Two friends Jonah and Chip discover they each are getting mysterious messages. "You are one of the missing." The notes keep coming.  With  the help of Jonah's sister they begin to ask questions and discover a plot so vast it reaches from the past into the future.  They are not sure just who to trust or should they believe what they are being told?  Can they investigate enough before they get into trouble?  This is a tale of adopted kids, technology and time travel.  Middle school students will enjoy this book.

Other books in this series include Sabotaged and Sent which are pictured in this blog.

Authors Web site: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Fantastic Fiction site: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/margaret-peterson-haddix/


Useful links:
A short biography: http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-haddix-margaret.asp
In her own words the author tells about herself:
http://www.haddixbooks.com/bio.html
Wikipedia review:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Peterson_Haddix
BBC review of the series of books:
http://agentqueryconnect.com/index.php?/topic/86-review-of-the-missing-series-by-margaret-peterson-haddix/
A ThinkQuest site created by middle school students with a variety of information including questions and answers students ask the author:
http://library.thinkquest.org/J0113300/

Literature and study guides:
Web Junction site with discussion questions and extension activities:
http://oh.webjunction.org/ohctrofound
LitPlans: http://litplans.com/authors/Margaret_Peterson_Haddix.html

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