November+books

I'm losing interest in this series. It's so depressing. The kids are still stuck in the Faze, and have less and less food and water. And various people are going crazy. Caine wants to look for a private island where there might be food. Zil sets the town on fire to get rid of Freaks. Drake and Brittany have come back from the dead. Zombies? Sam is burned out from saving everyone. Astrid is realizing she can't solve the Fazes problems and her little brother Pete is doing something mysterious. Death, cruelty, deception, it's a little much for me. YA for obvious reasons. How does she consistently write such creepy ghost stories?? Larger print and just 150pp, I thought this might be a little simplified. It was a quick read but terrifically creepy. Starting with the cover picture of two children in sepia in a broken frame with a large red drop of blood. And the blurb: Uncle said the dead did not return. He was wrong. (goosebumps yet?) Florence is brought to Crutchfield Hall to live with her great uncle and aunt and her sickly cousin James. And the ghost of Sophia, James' cruel dead sister. Excellent. 4th+ A city community garden rises from a junk and rat-infested empty lot. Each chapter is a different story. And a different culture. Really nice. Once chapter with a pregnant teenager might be more YA than the rest. Could skip for fourth-fifth grade read aloud. Nice mixture of cultures, etc. 5th+ Stevie and Susan Carol, teen reporters and sometimes tv "talent", find out about possible doping by the offensive team of the California Dreams. The true evil is the crazy owner who is a megalomaniac. Some pretty scary moments as well as lots of ""he said, she said" politics. Not so much sports writing (no actual descriptions of the game until the last play), but more journalism behind the scenes. Good. 5th+ This was a reread for me since I want to do a read-aloud. It's short, with large print, but packs a wallop. (Spelling?) Zitlally's dad is deportado and there are so many emotions swirling around her life. Crystal, who lives next door in the trailer park, is not popular, but ends up doing what a true friend does. They find and care for a dog, tied up in a junk yard. Zitlally comes to believe Star is her father's special animal, linked to his outcomes. The story is good, but this is especially strong in helping us understand what illegals might experience in the US. 3rd+  Put this one off for ages just because the whole purgatory thing seemed so awful to me, but this is a great read. Two kids bump each other on their way to the light at the end of the death tunnel and end up in Everlost where kids wander forever. Avoiding being sucked down into the earth as well as monsters and strange leaders (Mary Queen of Snots, Mary Hightower, the Sky Witch--all the same person) Nick and Allie are trying to find answers. The conclusion is extremely satisfying but leaves future books open to possibility. Really picks up speed during the story to a great conclusion. Excellent. YA for maturity of content (death, monsters, afterlife) M ** elting Stones by Tamora Pierce ** I'm not sure if this is part of a series, but it was fine as a stand alone. Evvy is a stone mage and traveling to the Battle Islands with her mentor Rosethorn and a water mage, Myrrhtide (also known as Fusspot). They originally are trying to discover why there are dead spots on the island, but Evvy soon discovers there is a volcano forming after meeting to volcano children. Very metaphysical, yet easy to imagine. Her companion Luvo is a heart of a mountain. Terrific characters. The conflict of her desire to be a rock (who knew this could be so appealing??) and her self as a meatcreature makes for some great reading. No reason to be YA outside of difficulty of reading. MS+ ** The Secret Zoo by Bryan Chick ** This was a hard read for me. I never did the suspension of disbelief thing. Three kids have to get into the Secret Zoo to rescue a sister who has been kidnapped. They connect with animals who seem to understand them but can't speak. (hmm, one sided evolution?) There are good guys who help them, but one mysterious shadowman who doesn't ever really become a part of the story, and a batch of Sasquatches who are awful and end up getting killed during a final battle that makes no sense. Sorry. I didn't like this one. 4th+ And what about creepy Charlie Red and the creepy police monkeys? They just fade away? ** Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card ** Read this in a marathon sit down--all day one Saturday. Reads in the same style as Ender's Game. Interplanetary flight plus 11,000 year history of planet Garden. Rigg grows in the wilderness with Father who trains him in a way that he can step into high society, or live with the privicks (lowest yokels), and hone his power of seeing paths. He joins with Umbo who can move through time,and Loaf who becomes their guard, in search of Rigg's sister. The story line moves quickly although there are passages where the discussion of time travel hurt my brain. I also was not happy with the treachery of the "expendables"--traveling robots. YA for maturity of time/physics themes and some sexual repartee. ** Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney **
 * Lies, A Gone Novel by Michael Grant **
 * 1) 3 after Gone and Hunger.
 * The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn **
 * Seedfolk by Paul Fleischman **
 * Cover-Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl by John Feinstein **
 * Star in the forest by Laura Resau **
 * Everlost by Neal Shusterman **
 * 1) 5(purple) So I don't have much to say. Greg Heffley continues through middle school with the usual problems: friends, older kids, body issues, responsibilites, etc. etc. The ugly truth=you are getting older and it's not that great. There are humorous situations like his Uncle's fourth wedding and the gathering of the family. But there is only a wisp of a plot, or any character development. Oh well. "Do no harm" sums it up. 3rd+ OK.

** City of Bones: The Mortal Instruments I by Cassandra Clare ** Clary only remembers growing up normally until she starts to see paranormal creatures and then comes under attack herself. Jace, a young Shadowhunter brings her in to the Institute where she starts to learn who she really is. Her best friend (and "mundane") Simon backs her up through attacks by walking dead, vampires, werewolves and those she thought were her allies. I thought this was going to be as dark as Tithe by Holly Black, but not nearly. It was an entertaining and suspenseful gothic fairytale with plenty of intrigue. Excellent. YA for extreme violence. And romance.