Friday, November 30, 2012

Book Trailer Animoto by Ginger Rogers

http://tinyurl.com/d22hgpz
Maze Runner Trilogy plus one!

Guest Reviewer

Doomsday Mania

Reviewed by Ginger Rogers 
 

Pfeffer, Susan Beth.  Life as We Knew It.  Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 2006. Print.

 


     It's there in the sky every night, usually visible, sometimes not.  Sometimes a full moon, a half moon, a sliver.  It pulls the tides, lights up the night, gets credited with causing crazy events when it's full, and old wives tales claim it causes plants to erupt from the ground,  hair to grow, and fades clothing left on a clothes line over night.  But mostly, it's just there, where we expect it to be, doing what it's always done.  
     But in Life as We Knew It, when a meteor hits the moon with more force than scientists had predicted, moving it closer to the earth, Miranda, her family, and friends, find out just exactly how important the moon is to every day life on earth. 
      With the moon frighteningly close and looming over the earth, life, is no longer at all as they once knew it, and each day becomes a matter of survival.   
     This is the first of a trilogy (a three part story), so if you love it, you'll want to read The Dead and the Gone, and This world We Live In next.  

     Recently there has been a rumor that the U.S. had a secret plan to blow up the moon with nuclear weapons during the cold war of the 1950's.   It would seem that it was just a rumor, but just for fun, you might want to read more about it here:  http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2412624,00.asp

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Added to our library collection through the Scholastic Bookfair


Grant, K. M. How the Hangman Lost his Heart. New York: Walker, 2007.

You see, Uncle Frank has lost his so called treasonous head.  His niece, Alice, determined to make sure he is at peace risks all.  Dear Movie Maker, Tim Burton!  Wish you would set your heart and hands to this story!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Classics Notable Books from the Past

Estes, Eleanor. The Moffats. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1941. Print.

Annotation: Each day brings another adventure for members of the Moffat Family.

    Jane Moffat, age nine, lives in the yellow house on New Dollar Street.  Her siblings are Sylvie, Joey and Rufus.  Mama provides for this endearing family by sewing for the ladies of the town.  Drop in on the "everyday" of these lively characters.  Right away you will recognize people that you know even though the story is set almost 100 years ago. Visit their hometown.  You'll find a hitching post in front of the house and the Doctor makes house calls. 
    With each chapter, expect new adventure and, gently, we experience the ups and downs of their lives. This is a series, so, follow them to enjoy Moffat love, loyalty and determination.
    Reading aloud is a great experience,you might also try The Pendericks by Jeanne Birdsall

Friday, September 21, 2012

Great audiobook


Listen to this one.  It will change the way you see the world.

Rogers, Angela Jayne, narr.  Mockingbird: (mok’ing-burd).  By Kathryn Erskine.  Recorded Books, 2010.  CD. 
Annotation:
     Caitlin suffers when her big brother, Devon, dies.  Her father, students and teachers, the town suffers too.  Two words - school shooting.  Notably, the novel, Mockingbird: (mok’ing-burd) received the 2010 National Book Award, Young People’s Literature, with nominations for the 2012-2013 Iowa Children’s Choice Award and 2011 ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults. 
Comments:
     Caitlin receives the world with a kind of filter.  She tells the truth, always and tells it until it hurts. Too much sound and movement bother her.  She loves words and the dictionary and draws her pictures, always in black and white.  Friendships do not exist for her, yet, except the one she had with her brother, Devon.  Somehow, Devon got her.  He could see her way.  With their special bond, Caitlin listened to his advice on how not to be a “weirdo”.  She understood that it helped when she dressed more like the other kids do.  She learned that “… you can’t moan or scream or shake your hands over and over in public.”  “… Because that’s not normal…”
     Devon helped her fit in just a little better.  With the shooting, with Devon’s death, she and her father must learn to live again.  That hole that comes to each of us, the hole that we just have to live with when we lose a loved–one, is huge for Caitlin.  Caitlin’s hole is literal.  It is the hole through Devon’s chest and heart made by a bullitt.
     Have I given you enough clues?  Do you recognize behaviors typical of a person with Asperger’s syndrome?  Caitlin uses all of her hard won strategies to find closure and she helps herself as well as all those around her.