The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose

Finished up another book fair preview title this weekend, and this one happens to be a nonfiction book.  The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose is about the Danish teens, known as the Churchill Club during WWII.  When Denmark nation accepted German occupation without any resistance, these boys were outraged.  They looked at what was happening in Norway and were inspired to fight as well.  They started with small acts to sabotage the Nazis.  They finally got caught after setting a rail car on fire - truly damaged a German strong hold.  At first the Nazis wanted to trial the boys, but the Danish government stepped in.  The Germans agreed, but had their own officer present to report to Hitler.  The boys were sent to prison, and the time served depended on their age, as they were all under the age of 18.  Prison time was difficult, but the fact a small group of boys showed courage encouraged Denmark citizens.  Soon others organized and the Danish resistance grew.  The book concludes with the boys getting to meet Churchill, who honored them for their service and bravery.  Even though the boys suffered from "prison scars," many went on and lived successful lives.

I would recommend this book to students passionate about the history of World War II.  It was good for those with a high interest, but there are other selections I would use for those not overly interested in WWII historical accounts that would hold their attention better.  In other words, it was good, but not thrilling.

Book Club is One Year Old!

Last night was Book Club Night at my house, and it was a success!  Karen praised my Italian style cooking, so we chose our book with the setting in Italy.  Juliet by Anne Fortier was the perfect choice!  In fact it turned out to be my favorite book for our club yet!

Juliet combines Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet with a modern adventurous mystery.  A major twist to the story is the "real" Romeo & Juliet that inspired Shakespeare actually took place in Siena, not Verona.  I had a blast using this novel to create an Italian themed night.  When researching I discovered Anne Fortier is actually from the Netherlands, and English is her second language.  She loves to travel with her mother, and their favorite destination is Siena.  When Anne came up with the idea, her mother went back to Siena and took pictures to help inspire Anne through her writing.  I had some of them developed and put the quote on the back for the ladies to look through.  I printed off quotes from Romeo & Juliet and made them into bookmarks.  The kitchen was decorated with sunflowers and roses - both featured in the book.  I made a box of treats for the ladies to take home - cookies inspired from Siena and some Bacci (Italian chocolate/hazelnut kisses).  I also included a skeleton key, wooden cross, and small canvas with paintbrush.  All of these items have special significance to the story!

Now for the food...  This was fun!  I researched dishes specific to Siena.  Normally my Italian cooking is definitely southern influenced, but I switched gears and went with a more northern, Tuscany approach.  This region likes beans, and not much pasta.  There's great farmland, including vineyards known for sauvignon.  this means lots of nuts and fruits.  I decided to make a cheese platter and made a bread called pan co' santi to go with it.  This bread is made each fall with dried fruit and nuts, and raisins are the "saints" that rise during baking - yummy!  For drink, I showed the ladies how to make Italian cream soda, and I had a wine drink (used a Tuscan wine, made less than 20 miles from Siena).  For the meal, I made ribolita (one of the characters in the book enjoys a bowl), along with panzenella (bread salad), zucchini & lemon salad (to lighten things up!), and I created an eggplant roll.  I absolutely love eggplant, so I had to serve it some way.  I decided to grill slices, and then stuff with mozzarella and bruschetta.  I top the rolls with some more cheese, breadcrumbs, and a drizzle of olive oil.  I let it bake for about 20 min.  The eggplant proved to be the favorite dish - I'll make anyone love eggplant!  Finally for dessert, I served a Moscato, along with bicsotti, two cookies I made ahead of time, panforte, and gelato.  So the two cookies are also favorites in Siena, and one just happens to be gluten-free.  The first is called cavallucci, or horsemen cookies, because they used to be stamped with a horse character in the middle.  They are a enjoyed during Siena's famous Palio races.  These cookies are dense with dried fruit and nuts - kind of similar to the bread.  The other cookie was my favorite and is the gluten-free.  Cantucci are light shortbread cookies made with almond flour and dusted with powdered sugar.  The panforte has quite a history.  It dates all the way back to the 1200s and was know as the cake for nobles.  It's a honey cake again made with dried fruit and nuts.  Now that I know how delicious and easy it is to make... it's going to be made again & soon!  Finally, we had to have gelato.  I mean, how can you celebrate all thing Italy without some gelato?!?  Turns out one of the ladies had never tried it - I hope I made a believer out of her about this delicious version of creamier ice cream.

We had an interesting discussion about the book.  I found some questions from Oprah Book Lists.  I also had a How Well Do You Know Siena quiz that we all took together.  Out of the 10 questions, we only got 5 right!  We made a date to go see Girl on the Train movie in October, and picked our next book.  We decided to go with a scary one - fun to read during the month of October.  Karen will be hosting this one in November.  I would say this has been a fun way to celebrate our Book Club 1st birthday!  Any many more readings and gatherings in the years to come!

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

Here's my lastest review from the Scholastic Book Fair Preview Pack.  P.S. I Like You by Kasie West is the perfect choice for your teens wanting cute romance novels.  Personally YA romance books are not my first pick, but I really did enjoy this one.

Our two soon-to-be-in-love characters couldn't be more different.  In fact, they can't stand each other.  So now you're wondering how they actually fall for each other.  Well, Lily loves to create songs and listening to obscure music groups.  She keeps a notebook with all of her ideas.  She gets in trouble in her chemistry class for not paying attention, so her teacher tells her no more notebook.  She tells him she needs to take notes, so he says she's allowed one sheet each class period - that's it - she needs to pay attention in class.  It's not surprising the next day her minding starts to wander.  She writes the first line of one of her favorite songs on the desk top - this band is pretty new and not very people have heard of them or this song.  The next day someone has added the second line.  Totally blows her mind, and this starts note passing.  They even come up with a secret hiding place in the desk.  At first Lily thinks it's a girl, but soon realizes it's a boy.  Then she tries to figure out who it might be. You won't want to put the book down!  Finally Lily discovers it's Cade, her nemesis.  Will they make amends, or go their separate ways?

Adorable book!  Your young teens craving love stories - especially clean ones (don't have to worry about strong sex scenes) - will be pleased with this one.

A Little in Love by Susan E. Fletcher

So... If you love Les Miserables, then this book is for you!  A Little in Love by Susan E. Fletcher has a similar set-up, with France on the verge of a revolution.  Here we have a girl, Eponine, who is born into a poor family.  Both parents are cruel, and they teach her and her sister, Azelma, how to steal and con people.  Eponine wants to be good, to find love, but she is constantly knocked down by the confine and duties of her family.

Eponine learns kindness through Cosette and Marius.  Cosette's mother is desparate for someone to look after her daughter.  She pays Eponine's parents, who own the inn at the time, to take care Cosette while she travels to Paris.  Her family treats Cosette horribly, making her clean after them and sleep on the floor.  When Eponine's brother, Gavroche, is born, Eponine and Cosette are the ones who take care of him.  Then one day a man comes for Cosette.  He whisks her off - away from the nastiness - and Eponine yearns for someone to save her too.  She decides to try kindness, and it works until the family has to flee.  When they get to Paris, Eponine is forced back into a life of crime.  She discovers Marius and falls in love.

Eponine is determined to be "good," but always seems to find herself forced into doing terrible things.  You'll find your heart breaking for her.  Such a great story!  Definitely will be recommending to teens yearning for sad romance!

Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork

I read Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork a few weeks ago, and now I'm finally writing the review.  Not the most fun topic for a book, but a necessary one.  The book opens after the main character, Victoria, has tried to commit suicide.  She ends up at a hospital in the psychiatric ward.

Vicky meets three other teens, also dealing with psychological issues through her group therapy.  Mona, her roommate, and two guys, E.M. and Gabriel, couldn't be more different.  The doctor, Dr. Desai, is a kind woman who helps each one discover their own strengths, especially Vicky.  She learns to stand up for herself and recognize when depression is taking over.  She gains the strength to not be bulldozed into her domineering father's wishes.  She comes to terms with her mother's death, her housekeeper's leaving, her absent sister, and her cold step-mother.  Through all this, she also helps her friends.

I would recommend this book to teens.  It would open the door to real issues people are dealing with and help people realize there is help out there.  Mental illnesses are real, and when correctly diagnosed and properly treated people can continue living happy and meaningful lives instead of believing they're bad and/or would be better off dead. While this is not a "happy" read, it is "real" and you'll be rooting for Vicky as she comes to term with her depression and starts living her life, finding her strengths, and helping others.

The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin

Here's another book review from this year's Sequoyah Intermediate Book List.  The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin is a true account about a group of black men serving in the Navy during World War II.  They joined the service after Pearl Harbor determined to serve our country, but were treated unfairly.  The event is not widely known and is still controversial topic.

The armed services were still segregated, and the men were assigned to work at the Port Chicago Naval Base.  Their job was to load the bombs onto the ships.  They worked 3 - 8 hour shifts, received no training, but they all knew how dangerous their jobs were.  Sure enough, on July 17th, 1944, there was a huge explosion.

Many black soldiers lost their lives instantly, but the story continued for the men sleeping in the barracks.  The next day they were reassigned to another Navy base; but when faced to do the same job, they refused.  Was this an act of mutiny?

I will definitely be recommending this book.  I'm even looking forward to possibly doing a research project with the social studies department.  You'll want The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin in your collection.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

I've actually had the pleasure of meeting Ruta Sepetys at our annual conference.  She's a fabulous speaker and author, so when her new book came out - of course I'm getting it.

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys does not disappoint.  Here's an awesome historical fiction for teens.  The story is about the refuges making their way to the German ships to cross the Baltic Sea before the Russians get into what was East Prussia, known as Operation Hannibal.  Each character has their own survival story of WWII and are desperately seeking freedom as the war is coming to a close.  The Wilhelm Gustloff was a German luxury liner and was quickly converted into a hauling vessel for thousands of refuges.  This was already a precarious situation, and then add in a blizzard.  Tragically the ship was hit by Soviet submarine torpedoes, and so many lives were lost to the sea.  We never really hear about this tragedy during history lessons because it was a German ship during the war.  The estimates are around nine thousand people died during the sinking, and about five thousands of them were children - making this maritime disaster far worse than the Titanic.  The ship still lives on the bottom of the sea off the coast of Poland, and is called the ghost ship.

Ruta Sepetys weaves the story lines of four vastly different characters as they make their way to board the Wilhelm Gustloff.  I would definitely recommend this book for all secondary collections.  Even teens not looking for a historical fiction choice will enjoy reading this book - it'll keep you hanging on!

This Side of Hope by Renee Watson

I always enjoy reading the featured books during Scholastic Book Fairs.  I think it's important to be able to seriously talk to students about books before they spend their hard earned money.  This is one of the titles my assistant read first.  She enjoyed it and was able to talk to students about it, so it was put on the tall stack of books for me to read later.  Flash forward to a long drive to Colorado - I can get some serious reading done!

This Side of Hope by Renee Watson is great for middle and high school collections.  It has a wonderful message about the real people in a neighborhood that was once neglected, but now is starting to become trendy.  Nikki and her twin sister are seniors at the high school with a poor reputation and have always lived in this community.  While they are proud of their neighborhood and happy for the attention, they don't want to lose their neighborhood's identity.  

Forced to deal with a new principal who wants to shove his agenda and make "positive" changes, along with neighborhood homes and shops becoming hip clothing stores and coffee shops, these girls struggle to maintain their black heritage.  I believe today's students will enjoy reading this and can relate to the characters.  Definitely a keeper and one I will recommend to students looking for a contemporary/realistic fiction book.

The Freedom Summer Murders by Don Mitchell

This is one to have in your nonfiction collection.  The Freedom Summer Murders by Don Mitchell details the true story of three men murdered while trying to help register African Americans to vote in 1964.

I had no idea about the tragedy before reading this novel, which is not good since it's one of the most important events to take place during the Civil Rights Movement.  The book offer important details and plenty of pictures to highlight the courageous lives of James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner.  The author, Don Mitchell, does a wonderful job of organizing the chapters in chronological order, using the friends and families stories, and focusing on each of these men's lives - while including information of what was happening in our country, especially in the south, during the summer of 1964.

I would highly recommend this book for middle and high schools.  It could be easily incorporated into a book study in the classroom and used for discussions.  I imagine many students will want to dig even deeper, researching more, after this book is shared with them - which is what the library is all about.

The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte by Jane Eagland

I have read other books based on the life of the Bronte sisters.  This one came to me for previewing, and I was excited to read it.  Sadly, The World Within: A Novel of Emily Bronte by Jane Eagland did not live up to my expectations.  I thought it was choppy and included strange tidbits about the lives of the Bronte sisters, especially Emily.  Most notably is the inclusion of a dog biting Emily.  She kept it a secret from the family and made herself sick with stress over it.  I couldn't figure out why this was included in the story?  I still can't figure out why the author felt it was necessary, or if it was even true?  This is only one example of other weird incidents the author chose to use throughout the over 300 pages of text.

This book is an okay read.  It's not terrible, but not great either.  If you're wanting a better choice for reading about the Bronte sisters, I would recommend The Brontë Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne by Catherine Reef.

I don't believe I will catalog this book for our library's collection.  We already have the other book; and, if I have a student interested in reading about these amazing sisters, I would direct him/her to it.  I will include this book as a giveaway, or give to a teacher to keep in a classroom library.

There Will Be Bears by Ryan Gebhart

Here's another review from this year's Sequoyah Intermediate Book List, There Will Be Bears by Ryan Gebhart.

If you like or appreciate hunting, this is the book for you!  This book will be a hit for boys looking for realistic fiction.  Tyson is determined to go elk hunting and prove his manhood.  His grandfather Gene is definitely an outdoors man, and has been promising Tyson when he turns 13 they will go hunting together.

But the plot thickens as news about a bear on the prowl, attacking campers.  Then Gene is forced to move to a nursing home where he can receive regular dialysis for his kidneys.  Even though Tyson's parents are trying to make the best of it, Tyson and his grandfather scheme up a plan for hunting action.

Will Tyson get to kill his first elk?  How dangerous can it be with an angry bear on the loose?  I'm not going to spoil it for anyone!

Definitely recommend for middle schoolers.  It's a quick and enjoyable read for those loving the sport of hunting.

Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel

Finally review for today, but I still have more to come...

Faceless by Alyssa Sheinmel is another book I selected to review for the secondary librarians.  This one is a nice little realistic fiction to have in your collection.

It starts off with a simply early morning run, but it quickly goes wrong with a pop up storm.  Maisie is right by a power line struck by lightning.  The sparks rain down and basically melts her face off.

Maisie is lucky to be so close to home.  She also lucky enough to be in city with a fantastic hospital for burn victims, who just happens to have the best doctor for face transplants.  Her luck continues when a young lady with similar genes dies in an automobile crash and she's a body donor.  Maisie ends up complaining throughout the book about how everyone keeps telling her how lucky she is.  In fact, it kind of got on my nerves!  Just hang in there because she does finally realize the perks of being able to live her life, even with a face transplant.  Don't get me wrong - I get the fact it would be absolutely horrible to have your face completely destroyed, get a face transplant based on the fact someone else had to die, and then try to live a "normal" life.  The story does take an uphill turn when Maisie goes to group therapy.  Basically boils down to the philosophy - when you think you've got it bad, somebody else has it even worse.

I believe the true heroes of this book were Maisie's best friend, Serena, and her boyfriend, Chirag.  These two teens are fantastic and real throughout the entire book, even when Maisie is whining.  I would recommend this book just on the basis of these two kind souls.  Perfect models for how to be a good person to those you care about.

The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine

What a dramatic change - going from a cute realistic book to an edge of your seat dystopia novel!

The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine is one I'm reviewing for the secondary librarians.  It caught my eye on the list, and, when I read the description blurb, I decided to go for it.

I have to be honest that it's a little slow and strange in the beginning.  There's the whole Motherlake thing, with a queen called Valtia, who changes each time she dies.  The main character, Elli, doesn't do anything - this includes getting dressed and walking - all in preparation for her to become the next Valtia.  On top of all this, there are powers of fire and ice.  Some of it gets a little graphic, especially when the queen is dying.  Whew - it's a lot to take in!

It's soon discovered by the priests Elli might not be the Valtia everyone was waiting for.  She must escape and finds herself on the outskirts.  Enter the next character, Oskar, who helps Elli and takes her to his family.  They live in a cave along with other families.  Elli soon learns to survive and work hard.  Meanwhile, the priests are still trying to locate the true Valtia - the survival of the people depends on the Valtia's balance of powers with fire and ice.  There's plenty of action, and it does get intense in spots.  I thought there was an odd fascination with nudity, but maybe that's just me.  I mean, if you're going to play with fire, then there's a good chance clothes will burn off!

I did hang in there, and it does get good.  In fact, it gets pretty great.  I can't really say too much without giving it all away, but it does end with a bit of a cliffhanger possibly opening it up for a sequel - which I would definitely read.  I would recommend for high school and mature middle schoolers because of the intensity, nudity, and slight sexual reference.  Oskar and Elli do sleep together, but just for the ice power thing - apparently she can take some of it away without hurting herself - that's all I'm going to say because I don't want to ruin it for you!

A Million Ways Home by Dianna Dorisi Winget

I'm going to being playing catch up with a ton of book reviews because it's summer... even though I've been reading like crazy, it's a little hard to sit down at the computer and type up posts.  Here we go!

First up is A Million Ways Home by Dianna Dorisi Winget.  Cute realistic fiction, especially for the younger crowd in middle school.  It has drama - the main character Poppy witnesses a murder.  She's also having to deal with her grandmother's stroke.  It's just Poppy and her grandmother, since her parents died earlier, so while her grandmother's in the hospital Poppy has to live in the orphanage.  This means the book has some meat to it and will keep the reader rooting for its main character.

There are some positive elements woven throughout, such as the police officer who takes a special interest in Poppy's case.  She makes new friends, including a dog.  The German shepherd is considered a dangerous animal, but Poppy is determined to save the day.

I would recommend this book for upper elementary and beginning middle school readers.  The characters are real and develop together.  It's predictable, but sometimes we need that in life.

Shuffle, Repeat by Jen Klein

Summer reading continues on... Next on my review list is Shuffle, Repeat by Jen Klein.  Cute romance, and even though you know pretty much how it's going to end you still can't help rooting for the couple.  

Oliver and June's mothers are best friends, and so the two have basically grown up together.  Their personalities are total opposite, and they have avoided each other until now, their senior year.  The mothers decide Oliver will drive June, who refuses to learn how, every day to school.  At first the ride is extremely awkward for the two until Oliver comes up with a plan - when one proves the other wrong, he/she gets to select a song of their choice to listen to.  They create a playlist - with total opposite music genres - but it helps them relax and pretty soon they're actually enjoying hanging out with each other.  

There's some drama moments, as with any romance novel.  I liked how it was divided into the four seasons.  I would recommend for high school, maybe mature middle schoolers, due to the party scenes, language and sexual innuendos.  I hadn't realized until I got to the end, the author Jen Klein writes for Grey's Anatomy - very cool!

The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer

This book, The Secret Hum of a Daisy by Tracy Holczer, is on the Sequoyah Intermediate List this year.  I do try to read most, and hopefully all, of the titles.  I think it's important to support the Sequoyah Team of OLA, and then be able to adequately recommend the latest and greatest picks each year.  Plus, it's exciting to see if the students select your favorite book as the Sequoyah winner... which hasn't happened too often, but it's usually in my top 3 picks.

Now onto the review... If you like family drama, then this is a great choice.  The realistic novel starts at a funeral, where Grace is having to bury her mother and live with her estranged grandmother.  She rebels and slowly you discover the friction between these two.  Personalities play into the drama - with a clean and orderly type A person trying to raise a more free spirited soul.  Grace is stubborn, even goes as far as sleeping in the barn vs. her mother's old room.  There's a bit of a mystery throughout the story where Grace believes her mother is sending her messages.  Again, this story is about people coming to terms with each other in a bittersweet and heartwarming way.  I would definitely recommend this book, especially those craving realistic drama.

Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01 by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

I just finished an incredible book - Illuminae: The Illuminae Files_01 by AmieKaufman & Jay Kristoff.  What really intrigued me about this book is how it is written.  It's strictly done using just emails, data reports, and documents saved during an attack and evacuation of a tiny planet on the edge of the solar system.  There are no "chapters," but rather countdowns to approaching warship and time needed to make it to the nearest safe planet.  Have I peaked your interest yet?

Katy and Ezra are the main characters, along with an AI (artificial intelligence), known as AIDAN.  Katy has just broken up with Ezra when the attack happens.  Together they try to locate parents and make it to the 3 evacuation ships.  They are separated, but communicate to each other via Katy's computer hacking skills.  This books has lots of twists and turns, including a horrible virus that basically turns people into zombies and AIDAN, who is convinced it knows best.  Strong female character, which I loved, along with "Seriously! I didn't see that coming!" scenes made this book one of my favorites.  Happy dance because I just discovered there's a book #2 coming out in October!

This is a definite purchase for high school, and I would only recommend to mature middle schoolers.  The zombie scenes get a little intense.  Plus, Katy and Ezra do reminisce about their relationship - it's subtle, but there.

The Land of 10,000 Madonnas by Kate Hattemer

I had a long road trip... to New Orleans, so I grab some of the books needing to be previewed.  This was the first one I read, The Land of 10,000 Madonnas by Kate Hattemer,

The book starts off with a flashback of two close cousins on an adventure.  Jesse is a courageous teen trying to enjoy life, but knows his heart is not going to last much longer.  Before he dies he arranges for his 3 cousins, including the girl in the opening chapter, and two other friends to go on a quest to find his mother.  One of the friends is actually his girlfriend - these two girls do not get along!  So the boys do their best to keep the peace.  Jesse, using his college fund, arranges for this backpack tour to start in Germany, and the group ends up following the trail all through Europe.  Each of these five teens has their own unique quirk, and way of handling grief and remembering Jesse.  It's a story of a group thrown together under unusual circumstances with a task they all feel compelled to complete in order to honor their loved one.  Each comes to terms with his/her relationship with Jesse and learns the importance of flexibility and cooperation.  I enjoyed it, but it would not be a book I would select for middle school.  It did kind of remind me of John Green novel, but not as humorous as his writing.  There is some mature content, such as the relationship between Jesse and his girlfriend.

My Seventh Grade Life in Tights by Brooks Benjamin

This would be a light-hearted read.  If you're into So You Think You Can Dance or Dance Moms, then this book might be right up your alley.  The main character, Dillion, loves all things dance, but has never been formally trained.  The plot twist - there's a dance competition with a grand prize of a dance studio scholarship.  Dillion is faced with choices throughout the book - his dad's not thrilled with the dance phase and would rather see his son play football, and he starts falling for one of his friends, but does she feel the same way - issues middle schoolers can relate to.  In the end Dillion learns some great life lessons and everybody's happy.  Like I said - an easy and enjoyable read, especially if you're interested in dance.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Neal Shusterman has written another outstanding YA novel, Challenger Deep.  I did get this for my middle school, but I will only point the older and more mature students towards it.  The main reason is the subject matter - the main character deals with schizophrenia.  I certainly know many families are affected by mental illnesses, but might be a little too much for a 6th grader to handle.  However, this book is an intriguing way to handle the mind of someone struggling.  It turns out Neal Shusterman's son actually helped his dad write the book - highlighting the daily struggles and hospital/psychiatric care necessary to turn people's lives around.  It's not something you can cure, but regulate through medication and counseling.  I also enjoyed the original art work in the book done by his son, Neal.

Red Queen Series Book Review

I read the first book in this series when we our first book order arrived back in December.  Loved it!  I kept telling everyone how fantastic it is, and I just know this series is the next big Hunger Games/Divergent for young adult fans.  

Victoria Aveyard starts us off with Red Queen.  The world is divided by the color of blood - the silver bloods have great powers and live very elite lives, while the red bloods are treated horribly and end up having to do whatever the silver bloods tell them to.  This includes being the soldiers in wars between battling silver blood domains.  Our heroine is getting ready to go be a soldier when she meets someone who offers her a job at the palace.  Rather than go to war, she decides to become a servant.  During her first day something significant happens and we discover Mare also has silver blood powers, even though she has red blood.  The silver bloods try to hide it... meanwhile there's a revolution brewing.  It's non-stop action and sure to be a favorite!

Luckily my next book order arrived with the second book, Glass Sword.   Many times in a series (and usually it's the middle one) that drags a bit.  I get it though because the author is laying down the important parts and setting up for a fantastic ending.  This book is not that at all.  I loved it - just as much as the first.  The action is still happening, with surprises mixed in.  You continue Mare's journey as the revolution continues.  Definitely ends with you hanging on the seat of your chair - I cannot wait to read the final book, Cruel Crown.

Year of the Monkey

Happy Year of the Monkey!
Looking forward to this year, as, according to the Chinese calendar, my zodiac is the monkey.  In honor of this Chinese holiday, I will write about some books I have read for my studies through the OU Confucius Institute.

First up, China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power by Rob Gifford.

I did enjoy reading this book.  He offered so many perspectives about the people of China.  It's a long book - I would read for such a long time, but it wouldn't appear that I had put much of a dent in it.  I don't recommend jumping in if you're trying to read a ton of YA titles on the side.

The author is a former British journalist, who did a study abroad in China.  He decides to travel China on their main highway, sort of like the Route 66 for us.  The book gives detailed accounts of his journeys and the many people he meets along the way.  It's touching and you get a true sense that while we are different, we're still the same even across the world.  The ancient China is having to change quickly in its quest to be a super power.  This book made me discover things I hadn't even thought about.  

Second book, Winter Sun, is a collection of poems written by Shi Zhi and translated by Jonathan Stalling.  He's an OU professor in the College of Arts and Science.  He's also an editor of Chinese Literature Today.

Very interesting background for this book.  The poet was right in the middle of China's Cultural Revolution.  His poems convey the turmoil the young people of China endured during this difficult part of history.  Prof. Stalling explains how he thought he understood the translation, but then had the opportunity to travel to China and actually meet Shi Zhi.  It was through this experience, he felt he could do the poetry justice.

One side is written in Chinese, and the other is in English.  I'm not a huge poetry fan.  I like it, but I don't love it.  I have to admit that some of these poems truly touched my heart.

EdCamp918

Yesterday was the BIG unconference, known as EdCamp.  This year was a little difference, because I actually helped plan it.  We've been working on it for the past 4 months!  Every Friday morning, our planning committee would meet.  I thought we would be officially finished with our 7:30 AM meetings, but it looks like we're meeting again this Friday to discuss how it all went... and maybe start planning for next year's.

I did feel like this year's had more energy than last year.  We didn't have as many people, even though our registration numbers were great.  People just didn't show up.  Apparently most of the no-shows were Tulsa people, so that's a drag.  It was a beautiful Saturday, and for the last weekend in January, maybe this was the culprit?

T-shirts were awesome, and Kailyn took the design and freehand a drawing for us.  I will laminate for future use!  So many people were impressed with her artistic talent - including our state and district superintendents.  We started with KIPP drum guard and dancers to pump everyone up, then we quickly made the schedule, and the conference started.  I helped with two of the sessions - one on Search Ninja and the other on MakerSpaces.

I was happy to meet a librarian from Texas.  Her husband is relocating to Tulsa and so she'll be looking for a job next year.  I hope something will work out.  She seemed like a great school librarian, with plenty of ideas and a team player.

I'm getting worried about the budget crisis looming.  Apparently it's 14 million for TPS, with more cuts promised by our legislatures.  I wish others would take this issue seriously.  I'm troubled that more librarians were not at EdCamp, but I was pleased with Carver's showing.

Will I help with another EdCamp in the future - absolutely!  We were a motley group, with instructional coaches, academic coordinators, administrators, IT director, and me - a librarian!  Fun times!

January Book Club

This book club was hosted by my neighbor, Julie.  She sis a fantastic job!  The book chosen was:

So I loved how there were multiple stories going on throughout this novel.  It's modern day, but reverts back to historical fiction.  The history part is all about the Holocaust, which the main character's grandmother endured.  She is faced with difficult decisions, and I'm not going to give too much away because I would definitely give this book a high recommendation to read yourself.  It might seem a little puzzling at first, but just hang in there because all the pieces tie together.  There's even a surprising twist at the end, and I kept asking myself - why?  You'll know what I mean after you read this great book about asking yourself and others for forgiveness.

Lunch & Learns

A fellow LMS shared a cool idea at our last secondary librarians meeting we had last month.  I had already been toying with the idea of having casual, no-stress mini workshops/share sessions after we got back from winter break.  I was considering Wednesdays after school, since I already stay after on Tuesdays and Thursdays for MakerSpace Club.  I was thinking I would open it up to everyone - teachers and students - because we could learn from all perspectives.  Then this high school librarian told us about her Lunch & Learns, and I thought this would be perfect for Carver.  Not too many teachers stay after school, and if they do, it's because they have something they're already doing.  I won't get the students involved, but I could go for staff.  I seriously want people to start feeling comfortable using Google.  The truth of the matter - the students have no problem jumping in, so maybe it's a good thing to just concentrate on the adults.

I got it approved by my administration and sent out the invitation as soon as we got back for second semester.  I immediately got positive responses.  People were definitely interested.  I sold the Lunch & Learn by promising a light-hearted approach and that all levels of experience are welcome.  They simply needed to bring their lunch to the library, and I would have a treat for them to enjoy.

I created a calendar for possible topics, and the first one would be about personalizing their chromebook and shortcuts.  At a Maker Space conference I attended this past summer, the instructors stressed how important it is to personal your devices.  I have to agree - you are more comfortable on your "own" device - even it's really owned by the school.  You can still make some changes, especially in Google!, making it more personal and unique.  So I went with this idea and added the shortcuts, because who doesn't love to save time!

For the treat I made these -
Oat Fudge Bars
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, divided
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla, divided
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups oatmeal
1 can of sweetened evaporated milk
1 bag of semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*.  Lightly grease a 9 x 13 dish.  Using the stand mixer, whip 1 cup of butter.  Add both sugars and thoroughly combine.  Add 1 tsp of vanilla and the eggs.  In another bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and oatmeal.  Gradually add this to the butter and sugar mixer.  Spread a little more than half of the dough into the bottom of baking dish.  With a saucepan on low heat, mix 1/2 cup of butter, milk, chocolate chips, and remaining vanilla.  Pour this over the dough in dish.  Then drop the rest of the dough on top on the chocolate layer.  Bake for about 25 min.

One of our teachers had her daughter's birthday party the day before and offered to bring the leftover food - stuff to make sandwiches, some chips, and popcorn.  It was a great bonus!  Hopefully people won't expect such a spread for the next one!

I had about 30 people participate.  The last 2 groups wanted help with Google Classroom, so I highlighted the other and switched gears to answer their classroom questions.  One of the teachers had a super idea for me to setup a Google Classroom for Lunch & Learn.  I already have 8 people enrolled!

All in all, I would say Lunch & Learns is a hit.  A great way to help people with technology!  I plan on having these every other week on Mondays.

November Book Club

Karen was our gracious host for November's Book Club.  We read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins.

If you want a thrilling read, with a twist at the end, this might be the book for you.  Personally I was not a huge fan.  The main character drank - alot!  Now, I will say there's a good reason why she drinks, and it's definitely part of the story.  I just wanted to shake her and snap her out of the funk.  I know, I know... this book is a huge hit with many people.  I did like the author's style, and I was anxious to see how it ended - so points for that!  

Karen feed us well, and she had adorable goodie bags - complete with a small bottle of wine and cork screw (important to the story line!).  She also served us adorable little cans of champagne.  

Julie is hosted our next meeting, and we'll be reading The Storyteller.

Book Club has Started!

Awhile back I wrote about my genius idea for starting a book club.  Well, I'm happy to report that our 3rd event is happening this Saturday.  Our group is great!  We currently have 6 members, but we're open for others to join  - we just don't want to get too big.

I hosted our first meeting back in September with the book Paris in Love by Eloisa James.

Loved reading this book while home with a hurt back last year.  I found it using my Nook, which is connected to the Tulsa City County Library's ebook collection - great way to read books when you're stranded at home, not feeling well.  Anyway, I decided it would be perfect for our first get-together.  Of course I went with a Paris theme.  I had music playing in the background and served French treats.  A platter displayed all kinds of cheeses, with fruit, spreads, and crackers.  I had croissants and baguettes, along with fun hors d'oeuvres.  I made a fall inspired sangria and served French (thick & rich!) hot chocolate.  Karen brought some yummy chocolate eclairs.  We talked about the book and made bookmarks using Paris/travel stamps.  We also talked about having book club every other month.  Karen said she would host the next one, and we decided on The Girl on the Train.