Shelf Life

(Note: I read this last fall and never blogged it.)

Book 1 in this duet, Dreamhunter, ended seemingly in the middle of the story’s climax. It was one of those endings that makes you want to take the author by the lapels and yell, “why did you do that to me?!” Finally, after more than a year, the second book was released. There was no way I was going to wait for the paperback. Now I can forgive Ms. Knox. Dreamquake is every bit as good as book1, and this time the story has an ending.

This volume begins with the cataclysmic scene that ended the first book. Laura Hame, a young dreamhunter (someone who can catch and share dreams from the mysterious “Place”) overrides her famous aunt as she shares a pleasant holiday dream with thousands of people at the Rainbow Opera. The dream Laura shares is terrifying and it begins to expose insidious government corruption and abuse. Laura’s actions sicken and injure thousands of people and create turmoil. As Laura, her living sandman creation, and her cousin Rose, struggle to remain free and to show people the truth about the government’s plans, Laura must also deal with a larger and more profound mystery. What is “The Place”, where did it come from, and what does it want from her?

While there is a good deal of action and plenty of plot twists, it is the relationships that rule in this story. Knox is a pleasure to read and she creates some great characters, not least of which is Nown, the sandman. If you haven’t read Dreamhunter already you should definitely read that first. Highly recommended for stronger readers grades 9-adult.

By Mr. Doyle

Morpurgo, recipient of the California Young Reader Medal for Private Peaceful, again gives us a soldier’s eye view of life among the trenches of World War I. This time however the soldier is a horse. Joey, a beautiful and spirited young horse, is sold to the army by the father of his master, Albert. Joey, like Private Thomas Peaceful, vividly conveys the experiences of an innocent thrust into terrifying violence of the “War to End All Wars.” Joey charges machine gun nests, drags artillery, and hauls the injured and the dead. He meets a wide range of soldiers and officers, from the kind and thoughtful to the brutish and cruel. Can Joey survive a world of machine guns, artillery, and tanks, a world in which horse are fast becoming obsolete? And will Joey ever be reunited with his beloved Albert?

As in Private Peaceful, the writing is excellent and Morpurgo brings the sights, sounds and smells of the battle field alive (“Still the guns bellowed out their fury and the ground shook beneath us.”). Joey is, at times, over anthropomorphized but is a protagonist kids will root for. Highly recommended for grades 5-10.

By Mr. Doyle

My wife has been telling me to read this book for several years. But she’s an English teacher. What would she know about good books? Seriously, we have very different taste in books and it took me several years to get her to read Ender’s Game, so fair is fair. Of course my wife was right and I loved this book. I can’t wait to read the next one in the series (“Tales of the Otori”).

Tomasu lives in a small isolated village of religious dissidents in a country very much like feudal Japan. He returns from a day spent wandering around in the mountains (his favorite past time) to find his village destroyed by the ruthless Lord Iida. As Iida’s men bear down on him, intent on completing their massacre, Tomasu is rescued by a sword-wielding traveler. The traveler turns out to be Lord Otori Shigeru, the sworn enemy of Iida. Shigeru renames Tomasu and adopts him. Now known as Lord Otori Takeo, he is initiated into the world of the warrior caste and its attendant violence, intrigue, and political machinations. He also learns secrets about his own past and develops skills that will place him at the center of events that will change the history of his country.

This book will appeal to a wide range of readers. It has plenty of action to keep even reluctant readers hooked and it has a great cast of characters, both male and female. Some, like Takeo and Shigeru, are clearly good guys. Some (Iida and Shigeru’s uncles) are clearly bad guys and some are ambiguous so that the reader is never sure how they will act as the story progresses. Prevalent themes include revenge, love, loyalty, duty, honor, sacrifice, and religious persecution. Highly recommended for grades 7-12.

By Mr. Doyle

I found this gem at Barnes and Noble in the teen section. I admit that I picked it because the author is Irish and for some reason I was feeling my Irish roots that day. What a great story! I was hooked right away and plowed through the 448 pages in just a few days. I hope the author is planning a sequel because I want to see how Stopmouth and his world evolve.

Stopmouth is a human boy living in a brutal world where humans and other sentient creatures (”beasts”) hunt each other for survival. All of the plant life in their world is poisonous so eating flesh is the only way to survive. The humans and the beasts hunt each other for food. Stopmouth, who has a severe speech impediment, is thought to be dimwitted by his tribe. If he cannot contribute to the tribe then he may become a “volunteer”. The old, the sick, the injured, and other non-contributors “volunteer” to be traded to beast tribes– flesh for flesh. So, to live, Stopmouth must show he can help provide for the tribe.

Events conspire to shake Stopmouth’s world to its very core. First he is betrayed by the brother who has always protected him. Then a beautiful woman falls from the sky into his village. And suddenly several beast tribes, who have never been able to communicate well, begin to cooperate and to hunt other species to extinction. It is only a matter of time before they turn their attention to the humans. Stopmouth learns that things are not what they seem and he embarks on a most unusual hero’s journey.

Because of it’s size the book will intimidate some readers. But it is filled with riveting action and there is enough depth to make the reader think about big ideas (loyalty, duty, honor, morality, etc.). Highly recommended for grades 7 and up.

By Mr. Doyle

Tiger is book one of the “Five Ancestors” series. The series tells the tale of five young Buddhist monks, each the master of a different animal style of Kung Fu (hence the titles of the individual volumes), who are cast out into the world after their temple is attacked and all of the adults are killed. The five warrior-monks, orphans all, must uncover the secrets of their past before they can avenge the deaths of their brethren and retrieve the sacred Dragon Scrolls stolen by the traitorous Ying. Book 1 centers on Fu, the youngest person ever to master the Tiger style. Fu is powerful and impulsive, like a tiger, and is a man of action. How can he run off and find the secrets of his past when Ying and his men are camped in the ruined temple with the Dragon Scrolls? He must fight and he must retrieve the scrolls. But is his a suicide mission? Ying is more powerful now then when he left the temple and he commands and entire army. Will Fu’s brothers help him or have they already done as the Master commanded and gone their separate ways?

Kung fu is the star here and Stone, a martial artist himself, does a good job describing the techniques and the fight scenes. A good pick for reluctant readers and martial arts fans in grades 5-10.

By Mr. Doyle

I have had kids ask for Green’s books off and on for several years. I read parts of one of his adult novels when I had the first request and was less than impressed by the writing and the explicit scenes. But the requests have continued and they usually come from kids who are not avid readers. So when I saw Football Genius in the teen section of Barnes and Noble I decided to give Mr. Green, a former Defensive End for the Atlanta Falcons and some-times sports commentator, another chance. And I am glad I did. This book won’t get any starred reviews or be studied in English classes but it is a fun read and will appeal to student-athletes and reluctant readers.

Troy White is a football genius. He sees and feels the patterns of the game and can predict what teams will do with clairvoyant accuracy. The only problem is he’s just a kid and nobody will give him a chance to prove himself. Heck, he can’t even get a chance to play quarterback on his junior league team, even though he is the best passer and play caller around. That is because Jaime Refro’s dad is the coach and Jaime will always be the quarterback no matter how bad he stinks. When Troy’s single mom gets a job with the Atlanta Falcons Jaime sees a chance to help the struggling franchise and prove his special talent. But will he succeed or will he cost his mother the best job she has ever had?

Football players and fans will love the authentic game action and the play calling. And Troy is a likeable underdog who despite repeated mistakes keeps trying for his dreams. Recommended for grades 6-10.

By Mr. Doyle

The good news:
Margaret Peterson Haddix has started a new series.
The bad news:
It has a cliff-hanger ending and we will have to wait about a year for the second installment… ARRRGH!!!

Like Ms. Haddix’s other books (Among the Hidden, Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey,etc.) this one pulls you in quickly and doesn’t let go. The story begins with a plane appearing out of nowhere at an Ohio airport. No pilots, no crew and no flight plan, just a plane full of… well, read it for yourself to find out. Jump forward 13 years. Jonah is 13 years old. He is an adopted child and his parents have been very open about it. To Jonah, it is no big deal. Then the letters begin arriving. “You are one of the missing,” is the first ominous message. Other adoptees, all 13 years old, receive similar notes. Soon the FBI comes into play and strange men appear and disappear seemingly into thin air. No one is who they seem and our protagonist doesn’t know which way to turn. The book ends with Jonah, his sister Katherine, and his friend Chip facing an uncertain fate.

Like the “Shadow Children” series this one seems certain to attract a large and loyal following. Librarians and book store employees should brace themselves for the onslaught of questions about the arrival of the next installment (according to Ms. Haddix’s web site, “Book Two, Sent,coming 2009.”)

By Mr. Doyle

With recomendations from Scott Westerfield, Neil Gaiman, and Steven Gould how could you go wrong? Cory Docotorow, of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Boing Boing, has written a timely and exciting work about what happens when a society gives up freedom for security (btw– it gets niether).

Marcus Yallow and his friends are on the streets of San Francisco playing an Alternate Reality Game when terrorists blow up the Bay Bridge and the BART Trans-Bay Tunnel. Unable to find shelter, they are swept up by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and are questioned and tortured in “Gitmo by the Bay.” They are humiliated and broken and released, warned not to talk about what happened.

Marcus discovers that his beloved San Francisco has become a police state. Determined not to take it lying down Marcus declares a digital war on the DHS, organizing a teen rebelion against the suspension of civil liberties. Using open source software and encryption protocols they create an underground computer network and use it to organize against the authorities. But can they stand up to the nearly unlimited resources and personnel of a federal government gone bad? To find out, read

Little Brother

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By Mr Doyle

I haven’t read the first book in the series (yet :-)) but this volume stands very well on it’s own.

As a war between Araluen and the forces of the evil Morgarath draws ever nearer, Will, apprenticed to legendary Ranger Halt, is sent on a diplomatic mission with warrior apprentice Horace and Ranger Gilan to seek military support from a neighboring kingdom. Their simple, peaceful mission soon becomes a desperate journey to prevent Morgarath from springing a devestating trap on the Araluen army. Will, Horace, and a mysterious young woman in disguise are on their own in hostile territory, facing an army of vicious Wargals and a band of Skandian mercanaries.

Will is a likeable character and the action scenes are gripping. The books ends with a setup for volume 3 in the series, The Icebound Land and the recently released book 4, The Battle for Skandia. It is fun read for fans of epic series like “Lord of the Rings,” “Guardians of Ga’Hoole,” and “Shannara.”

Mr. Doyle

WOW! I haven’t liked a book this much since Looking for Alaska and Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood. Asher’s book is a must-read. Clay Jenkins receives a box of cassette tapes in the mail shortly after the suicide of the girl he was falling in love with. On the tapes he hears the girl, Hannah, explain how 13 people led her to commit suicide. Clay spends the entire night wandering the city listening to the tapes and wondering what he did to contribute to the tradgedy.

Clay is such a sypathetic character and Hannah’s story is heartbreaking and utterly realistic (like Miles and Alaska in Looking for Alaska. This is one of those rare books that will appeal equally to boys and girls, teens and adults. Don’t miss it!

Mr. Doyle

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

The book draws readers engaged into the entire story. >From the first chapter to the last words of the book, the reader will remember the book for years.

The story is about a man named Matteo Alacran who makes a clone of himself by using skin cells and placing the embryo inside a cow. The embryo grows into a baby and is named Matt (which is the shorter version for Matteo Alacran). The child grows up facing a different kind of racism. He is disliked between the family all because he is a clone. One girl named Maria, however, actually has a sense of infatuation toward Matt at the age of only six.

As Matt grows on, he learns that he is to take over the place of the original Matteo Alacran. However, his bodyguard says that Matt has a choice to make. He can be a hero and destroy everything the drug lord created or be the organ donor to Matteo Alacran so he can continue to live on. Matteo Alacran dies at the age of 148 years old.

While Matt grows into adulthood, he finds himself with Maria and her mother to find a way to destroy everything Matteo created. In the end, friendship is what saves the young man. He realizes that even if he was a clone, he is still a human no matter what others say. Maria develops her relationship with Matt where they both confess to each other that they are in love with each other.

Matt does meet challenges along the way and develops a sense of care and eventually realizes that he does in fact have a soul within him. This story brings readers to realize anything is possible. This is an unforgettable book as it inspires everyone else to reach their fullest potential and go beyond.

By Jesse Soto

PODCAST
Sonny (a.k.a. Shorty) and Alberto are best friends growing up on the mean streets of Medllin, Colombia. They do everything together, including running cigarettes for Galan. A spontaneous act of violence earns Alberto an introduction to “El Fantasma”, a soft-spoken, vicious crime lord. Alberto becomes a child hit man. El Fantasma gives him a gun, money, and drugs, all of which convey power and respect on the boy. As Alberto becomes more involved with the crime lord he and Sonny begin to drift apart. Sonny, deperate to maintain his friendship and eager to gain the power and respect that Alberto now has, begs Alberto to introduce him to the boss so he can become a killer too.

This short, action packed novel vividly describes the desperate poverty and unremitting violence of Medellin. All of which make this an obvious choice for reluctant readers.

By Mr. Doyle

A book review

Palmer is nine years old. He then falls in love with Dorothy. He finds out that Dorothy likes pigeons liked the same pigeon. Then he had a party and he invited some kids that he wanted to hang around for the longest time.

The conflict of the book is that Palmer does not want to become a real wringer like all of his other friends. The reason that he does not want to become a real wringer is because one day a pigeon came to his window. Palmer let the pigeon in and he fed him. The pigeon then left to Dorothy’s window. Palmer did not know that the pigeon had left to Dorothy’s house. Then one day that Palmer’s friends came to his house to pick him up to go to the park and they were going to go and show Palmer how to become a real wringer. They gave him a bird and he did not want to put the bird out of his misery. Then one day Dorothy came to palmer’s house and she saw the bird. Palmer didn’t want her to tell anyone about the bird because he would be embarrassed because his dad was the king of wringers.

What I think about the story is that Palmer did the right thing because you should not kill any animal that has not harmed you. The tone of the story is that the story is fiction because as we people now that you should not kill an animal unless you really need to. I really recommend this book to people because it’s a really good book and you will learn that you should not kill any animals.

By Jorge Zavala

The story is about a vampire named Renz; he is looking for his lost love Laura. Renz is one of the hottest looking guy in camp cause the two main girls which are called Livvy and Destiny. Them two go to camp and that’s when they meet Renz.
Livvy is one of the popular girls in camp and school. Destiny is one of those sisters that are really jealous of there older sister. Livvy was the first one to get to talk to Renz, he flirt around with everyone except with Destiny. It was the last of camp summer camp when Renz stopped her when she was on her way to sleep. Renz took her to the ocean for a walk that’s when Renz maid his move he started to kiss Destiny. When they were kissing Renz called Destiny, Laura that’s when he got there and put her under his spell and bit her since that day she’s been drinking blood from animals. Something weird was going on in her town there were people dieing, and they found them without a drop of blood that’s when Destiny new there was someone else like her. That person was Livvy her sister, the day of camp for seniors Livvy and Destiny where not suppose to go but as always Livvy wasn’t staying home till they found the restorer to be back to normal. When they were in camp the full moon was up that’s when Renz was going to bit Destiny. Renz came that day and when he did Destiny was waiting for him. He came in and grabbed her she got a stick and put it in his chest he died. Then Destiny’s dad came and that’s when he told her that he was the restorer. When they where talking then Destiny remembered about Livvy but it was to late she was a fool Vampire there was no turning down. She was the one killing everyone from the town, after that Livvy became a vampire and left the house the family stayed sad.
There family is still looking for her but is do impossible she is hard to find and she makes it hard. This is one of the good books I read. I do recommend it cause its exciding and there are lots of action parts.

By Saray Mendoza

Santiago is an eleven year older Mexican that migrated to the United States. He only understood a little bit of English. Santiago played soccer with a team, the Lobitos, from Los Angeles. Santiago is scouted from Lobitos to go try out for New Castle Soccer Team, in England.
Santiago is scouted at the age of twelve, but he can’t go because he doesn’t have any money. Also Santiago parents don’t want to let him go because he has to help the family. Afterwards Santiago has another problem blocking his trip because he doesn’t have a passport to go and come back incase he didn’t make it For New Castle Soccer Team.

Through out the book is intense able of what’s going on, and what will happen. The style is based on a true story. Then this book would be good to show what immigrants come to do in the U.S, which its to achieve their goals and overcome obstacles.

By Armando Davalos

In the novel surviving The Applewhites Jake Semple is a mean, spiked hair, with many earrings, always cursing always wearing black young kid. He’s been kicked out of every school he’s ever gone to until finally he’s ended up on the Applewhites’ farm. The Applewhites are neighbors of Jake’s grandfather and they are all very interesting people.

They are interesting because they all have unique talents, or are either developing their own talent. All except for a young girl by the name of E.D. she is very organized and always seems to rub Jake the wrong way. At the end it doesn’t matter because the whole family gets involved in the father’s musical production “The Sound of Music” staring Jake.Everyone puts their talents together in this production and because of E.D.s neatness it all comes out great for the whole world to enjoy.

I thought that that this was a great book because I show how a young ruthless boy changes over a matter of time into a respectful young man. I also liked it because it talks about how a family who put their heads together and accomplished so much more than they can imagine.

By Chris Jarero

Emako’s dream was becoming a singer. She has many struggles to overcome. Some of her struggles were to get out of Los Angeles; she didn’t like it there because so many problems to face daily. There were times she wished she could just get out there and start a new life. Emako was a girl the always got what she wants because she worked hard for it.
The number one thing she hated about where she lived were the people that got her brother in gangs. That’s why she always worries about when he will be home .Once he’s home all the drama begins for her. She has to be careful and is always watching over her back because people could shoot at her. In school she will participate in everything and also will help people out and be there when they need a friend. She has many friends because her attitude was friendly.

Sometimes when people join a gang they never think about their family member. All they care is just having fun and not caring about anything else or anybody. Life could change in a second! It’s also like a rollercoaster, we all have our ups and downs even though we think nothing like that will ever happen to us. We just have to get used to it people live and die every day so I don’t know why we get so scared when that happens. We have to express our feelings toward our family members because we never know when we live or die. I will recommend this book because it shows people be to value there live and there family member. It explains what happens when join a gang.

By Eder Ambriz

Pilot Rayford Steele suddenly gets the news that dozens of people are missing on his flight. They are nowhere to be found and they sure didn’t jump out of the plane at 3,000 feet in the air. They just simply vanished. As he lands in Chicago he realizes that thousands of people have disappeared all over the world. Rayford can only hope that his family is safe as he scurries out of the airport trying to get home, not knowing that the prophesies in the bible, have just began.

Rayford is in shock as he lunges himself into his bedroom. His wife isn’t in bed. His devastated as he pulls back the covers only to find his wife’s nightgown laying their along with her wedding ring. He runs to his son Ramie’s room already knowing what his going to find.

Overall the book is fascinating as the people left behind, non true believers in Jesus Christ, struggle to understand what‘s going on. Only to come to the conclusion that the hardest point in their life’s is yet to come, the Tribulation Years. You will be intrigued by this book with all its twists and turns, not being able to take your eyes off the pages

By Perla Magallanes

Being a teenaged parent is not a big deal, but, it is for Sam when it comes to give away his son for an adoption. Sam all of sudden decides to take care of his son Max on his own. Regardless of his parent’s explanation he is stuck to his final decision and little confused, he brought Max home.

Sam who is senior in a high school is now taking care of his son Max. Max was not his plan but, now is part of his life. Attending an alternative high school he is giving fatherhood his best shot. His love toward Max is not all questionable. Suddenly a situation comes when Sam realizes that he is not able to give Max the time and attention as he should be giving. This led him to make the most tough decision of his life. This decision will change the deal between him and his father.

Though it is a fictional story it reveals the truth of teenaged parent’s love toward their kids and how sometimes they have to make tough choice’s for the betterness. Full of sadness and confidence this book will make one feel the way Sam felt for himself and his son Max. This sadness and confidence will allow one to turn the pages until Max is eighteen year’s old.

By Baljit Bedi

Turning the class goat into class favorite was Rob Hayes goal. Simon Glass was an outcast always on the outside. At B’ Vale High there where different cliques; the Goths, rockers, preps, band kids, the popular kids, and the jocks; Then there’s the nobody’s. Simon Glass was a nobody. Rob Hayes transferred to B’Vale from “out of state”. Rob takes over as the most popular guy among other things in school. Lance who used to be very cool lost everything so he retaliates by picking on the class goat. Rob disapproves and has to do something. Rob formulates a well formed plan to get his friends involved in it. Simon becomes a science project that goes wrong. Simon takes a stand for outcasts everywhere.

This novel is amazingly shocking, reveling and dramatic. It has twists and turns that will have you in a daze, I sure was. I would recommend this to all high school students. Especially those of you who are outcast there’s one in everybody.

By Maricela McKean