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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)
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Today's podcast 03/26/2014
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Today's podcast 03/16/2014
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Hillenbrand, Laura. UNBROKEN : A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION
Hillenbrand, Laura. UNBROKEN : A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION New York : Random Hosue, 2010 IL AD ISBN 1400064163 This is the extraordinary true story of Louis Zamperini, 1936 Olympic runner and World War II bombardier, who was shot down over the Pacific Ocean flying a mission and didn’t make it home for twenty- seven months. Adrift on a raft, starving, thirsty, and weakened for 47 days he survived only to fall into the hands of the Japanese who imprisoned him for the next two years. Louis suffered physical and mental torture, hunger, extreme cold, illness, and crushing work loads which almost broke him—and yet he survived. Read this, and be inspired by a war hero who was forced to the very limits of human endurance. Winnie Host, Penncrest High School (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Today's podcast 03/13/2014
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Fine, Chelsea. SOPHIE AND CARTER
Fine, Chelsea. SOPHIE AND CARTER New York : Acacia Publishing, 2013 IL YA ISBN 1935089447 Have you ever felt like you are just trying to survive high school? Neighbors and best friends, Sophie and Carter are working hard to do just that. They do not dream about cars, proms, and graduation. Instead, they struggle to meet their very adult responsibilities and still attend high school. Both Carter and Sophie struggle to keep their families together while caring for troubled mothers and siblings. The only thing they have to look forward to is the evenings they spend together on Sophie’s front porch swing. -Peg Bruch, Bangor Area High School. (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Today's podcast 03/12/2014
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Calame, Don. CALL THE SHOTS Somerville, MA : Candlewick Press, 2012 IL YA ISBN 0763655562 “It’s my best idea yet!” Coming from Coop, this can only mean trouble. Whether it’s a plot to see a naked girl or to play in the Battle of the Bands, Coop’s schemes usually end in headache and heartbreak for his best friends Matt and Sean. His newest plan is to get rich quick by making the next big low-budget horror film. Sean laughs it off until his parents drop a bombshell: his mother is pregnant, and when the baby arrives, Sean will have to share a room with his twin sister and “Queen of Darkness,” Kathy. Suddenly, Sean could really use some extra cash to help pay for an addition on the house, and winning $30,000 in a film contest doesn’t seem so crazy. Luckily they have a killer concept for Zonkey!, featuring a plague of half-man, half-monkey zombie-vampire hybrids. Things start falling into place when Sean talks his Uncle Doug into financing the project. His new girlfriend, Evelyn, has access to some slick video equipment. Kathy’s best friend, Nessa, volunteers to help Sean out with the script. Maybe best of all, Sean gets to cast his drama class crush as the lead actress. But things get complicated when Uncle Doug demands creative control … Evelyn insists on taking over the lead part, revealing a serious jealous streak in the process … and Sean starts to wonder if Nessa actually likes him, or if she and Kathy are just up to a scheme of their own. Will Sean straighten out his love life, secure his own room, and finish the movie on time? Read the hilarious, totally fun Call the Shots to find out! (Amy V. Pickett, Ridley High School) (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Saturday, March 08, 2014
Today's podcast 03/08/2014
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Bruchac, Joseph. WOLF MARK New York : Tu Books, 2011 IL YA ISBN 160060661X Luke’s dad taught him a lot of things including outdoor survival skills, of course; after all they’re descendants of a Native American Indian tribe. But Luke’s dad also taught him martial arts including four different ways to disarm an unsuspecting enemy. Luke and his dad live alone in a ram shackled trailer in the middle of nowhere. They stay under the radar and Luke doesn’t ask too many questions. He knows his dad is former black ops, and that it left him emotionally scarred. They don’t have neighbors or family to rely on, so when Dad is kidnapped it’s up to Luke to find him. This story rips into a high-octane action adventure as Luke uses every skill in his arsenal to outwit evil villains, the Russian mafia and an unscrupulous scientist to rescue his dad. Along the way he uncovers the family’s dark secret. One look at the cover and it’s not likely giving anything away to say the story includes werewolves. But not the European werewolves you probably imagine. Luke and his dad are skin walkers…shape changers. Is that a blessing or a curse? You’ll need to read Wolf Mark to find out. Patricia McClune, Conestoga Valley High School (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Friday, March 07, 2014
Today's podcast 03/07/2014
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Bodeen, S. A. THE RAFT New York : Feiwel and Friends, 2012 IL YA ISBN 0312650108 Robie peeked over the edge of the raft, water everywhere. It wasn’t a dream, it was a real nightmare. It was her normal flight from Honolulu to her home on the island. It was the same cargo plane, the same pilot, just a new co-pilot. But something had gone terribly wrong. There was a crash in the ocean. With the pilot dead and the co-pilot unconscious, she struggles to survive on a leaky raft with no supplies but a bag of Skittles. Robie just hoped that help would come in time. Marti Trzepacz, Strath Haven Middle School (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Today's podcast 03/05/2014
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Bardugo, Leigh. SHADOW AND BONE
Bardugo, Leigh. SHADOW AND BONE New York : Henry Holt, 2012 IL YA ISBN 0805094598 Ravka, a land constantly at war with its neighbors, is divided in two by the “Unsea,” an almost impenetrable swath of darkness infested with flesh-eating monsters called volcra. Alina Starkov, an orphan of the Border Wars, has spent most of her life in an orphanage along with her best friend and secret crush, Mal. In Ravka, Grisha Examiners test every child for magical abilities. When neither Alina nor Mal shows any talent for magic, they are assigned to the less glamorous tasks of map-making and tracking. But on their first crossing through the Unsea, they are attacked by volcra. Mal is nearly killed and Alina’s magic finally reveals itself: she is a Sun-Summoner, the only one who can bring light into the Unsea and reunite all of Ravka. She’s quickly whisked away into the glamorous world of the Grisha elite and their mysterious leader, the Darkling. As Alina struggles to adapt to a world of rigorous training and royal gossip, she falls under the Darkling’s seductive spell even though Mal is never far from her mind. But when a dark secret is revealed, she realizes that she might be even more important to Ravka than she ever could have imagined – and in more danger. This intense, action-packed, romantic high fantasy is the first in a trilogy, and a movie is already in development. Read it ASAP! (Amy V. Pickett, Ridley High School) (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
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TenNapel, Doug. CARDBOARD New York : Graphix, 2012 IL 5-8, RL 2.6 ISBN 0545418720 When you were young did you build things out of cardboard boxes? Cam’s father brings home a cardboard box for Cam’s birthday and they build a boxer with it. Only the cardboard is magical and the cardboard Boxer comes alive. Read this to see the adventures Cam and his Boxer have after Cam’s spoiled, really bad neighbor steals the left over cardboard and makes evil creatures. A fun, enjoyable story for all ages. (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)
Tuesday, March 04, 2014
Today's podcast 03/04/2014
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Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. NERD GIRLS : THE RISE OF THE DORKASAURUS
Sitomer, Alan Lawrence. NERD GIRLS : THE RISE OF THE DORKASAURUS New York : Disney/Hyperion Books, 2011 IL 5-8, RL 4.7 ISBN 1423139968 “I’m not just un-cool; I’m anti-cool. I mean, I even know how to properly use a semicolon in a sentence. What could be more pathetic than that?” That’s the description Maureen gives of herself. She is a nerd girl. And one day she stands up to the Popular Perfect Pretty Girls in her school and forever seals her fate as a nerd. She’s not alone, however. She has two new “friends” in Allergy Alice and Barbara. Suddenly, by uniting, these three nerd girls could just take on the Popular Pretty perfect and undoubtedly mean girls of the school and reclaim some self-dignity. Can the Nerd Girls take the Popular Girls? You’ll sure hope so in this roller coaster ride of a book. (Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award nominee, 2014)