Sunday, December 26, 2010


FINISHED:
Clements, Andrew. (2004). The last holiday concert. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[.]

STARTED:
Westerfeld, Scott. (2010). Behemoth. New York: Simon Pulse.

[LOVED LOVED LOVED the first one in this trilogy.]

*

Wednesday, December 22, 2010


FINISHED:
Bacigalupi, Paolo. (2010). Ship breaker. New York: Little Brown & Co.

[.]

STARTED:
Clements, Andrew. (2004). The last holiday concert. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[REALLY like Mr. Clements, haven't read this one, and wanted something seasonally appropriate...]

*

Wednesday, December 15, 2010


FINISHED:
Cunningham, Michael. (2010). By nightfall. New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux.

[.]

STARTED:
Bacigalupi, Paolo. (2010). Ship breaker. New York: Little Brown & Co.

[Been WAITING to read this one - such great things have been said about it.]

*

Friday, December 10, 2010


FINISHED:
Teller, Janne. (2010). Nothing. New York: Atheneum.

[Whoa.]

STARTED:
Cunningham, Michael. (2010). By nightfall. New York: Farrar Straus & Giroux.

[Thought it was time to read a "big boy" book...]

*

Thursday, December 9, 2010


FINISHED:
Railsback, Lisa. (2010). Noonie's masterpiece. San Francisco: Chronicle.

[.]

STARTED:
Teller, Janne. (2010). Nothing. New York: Atheneum.

[Lots of great reviews.]

*

Wednesday, December 8, 2010


FINISHED:
Black, Holly, and Justine Larbalestier, eds. (2010). Zombies vs. unicorns. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

[Which is cooler: zombies or unicorns? This anthology of 12 short stories, 6 featuring zombies (on whose side editor Justine Larbalestier firmly falls), and 6 featuring unicorns (the team led by editor Holly Black), aims to settle this debate once and for all. The stories themselves run the gamut: a girl rescues a newborn unicorn from a carnival sideshow at a time when unicorns are running wild and murdering with their poisonous horns; a take on a babysitter horror story where a college student ends up sitting for a famous actress’ adopted, reanimated children; a man is beheaded after being accused of sexually assaulting a princess, but when the princess gives birth is becomes clear that the baby’s father was actually a unicorn; and a group of high school students are determined to have their prom despite the fact that their town is becoming overrun with zombies, many of whom are their family members and fellow students. Interestingly, two of the zombie stories are written in 1st person and are not explicitly about homosexuality, but in both there are references, or a sense of equation, between homosexuality and being a zombie. In one of the stories, after the female narrator and a female friend become “blood buddies” with a bit of zombie blood, the friend cryptically says, “Like, if Dr. Bill saw you and me next to each other, he’d figure out what we were.” Each story is preceded by a witty tete-a-tete – palate cleansers that involve the editors stating their arguments, relating to the upcoming story, on behalf of their preferred beast. For the most part, every story is a compelling gem – some funny, some eerie, and some just plain bizarre – making the debate of “zombie or unicorn” that much more difficult.]

STARTED:
Railsback, Lisa. (2010). Noonie's masterpiece. San Francisco: Chronicle.

[Reading for ACL Distinguished.]

*

Thursday, December 2, 2010


FINISHED:
Williams-Garcia, Rita. (2010). One crazy summer. New York: Amistad/HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Black, Holly, and Justine Larbalestier, eds. (2010). Zombies vs. unicorns. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

Monday, November 29, 2010


FINISHED:
Alexie, Sherman. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

[.]

STARTED:
Williams-Garcia, Rita. (2010). One crazy summer. New York: Amistad/HarperCollins.

[The buzz!]

*

Saturday, November 27, 2010


FINISHED:
Erskine, Kathryn. (2010). Mockingbird. New York: Philomel.

[.]

STARTED:
Alexie, Sherman. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time indian. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

[Been on my list for awhile.]

*

Thursday, November 25, 2010


FINISHED:
Telgemeier, Raina. (2010). Smile. New York: Graphix/Scholastic.

[.]

STARTED:
Erskine, Kathryn. (2010). Mockingbird. New York: Philomel.

[.]

*

Wednesday, November 24, 2010


FINISHED:
Sedaris, David. (2010). Squirrel seeks chipmunk. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

[.]

STARTED:
Telgemeier, Raina. (2010). Smile. New York: Graphix/Scholastic.

[.]

*

Tuesday, November 23, 2010


FINISHED:
Stroud, Jonathan. (2004). The golem's eye. New York: Hyperion.

[.]

STARTED:
Sedaris, David. (2010). Squirrel seeks chipmunk. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

[.]

*

Friday, November 12, 2010


FINISHED:
Epstein, Adam Jay, and Jacobson, Andrew. (2010). The Familiars. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Stroud, Jonathan. (2004). The golem's eye. New York: Hyperion.

[Read the first in the series YEARS ago and have been wanting to get back to it. Stroud's got a great sense of humor.]

*

Monday, November 8, 2010


FINISHED:
Lore, Pittacus. (2010). I am Number Four. New York: HarperCollins.

[Number Four is a fifteen year-old who came to Earth with his “handler” Henri ten years ago, escaping his home planet of Lorien when Mogodorians invaded and wiped out the rest of the population. Still on the run from the Mogodorians, Henri and Number Four (who has taken on the pseudonym John Smith) settle for the umpteenth time in a small rural Ohio town, hoping to keep a low profile while John begins to come into and develop his “legacies”, or special powers. Unfortunately, after looking into a “they walk among us” underground ‘zine which has info that hits a bit too close to home, and being a bit too heroic and conspicuous while saving friends from a house fire, John receives a note saying “Are you Number 4?” and realizes that he’s been found and will have to fight for his survival. While it reads like a typical “teenager moves to a small town” screenplay, the plot is cliched (of course, John falls for the prettiest girl in school who happens to be the ex of the school sporto/bully), and most characters are 2-dimensional, the novel does move at a steady pace and there are a few surprises (what’s up with Bernie Kosar, the beagle that follows John around??). Though the book is said to be written by Pittacus Lore, a 10,000 year-old Loric Elder, Lore is actually a pseudonym for two co-writers, one of whom is Oprah-shamed author James Frey (A Million Little Pieces, Nan A. Talese, 2003). A feature film version of the book (co-executive produced by Steven Spielberg) is already due out in February 2011.]

STARTED:
Epstein, Adam Jay, and Jacobson, Andrew. (2010). The Familiars. New York: HarperCollins.

[Can't remember where I first heard about this one, but I was intrigued.]

*

Friday, October 29, 2010


FINISHED:
DiTerlizzi, Tony. (2010). The search for WondLa. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[LOVED LOVED LOVED.]

STARTED:
Lore, Pittacus. (2010). I am Number Four. New York: HarperCollins.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

Saturday, October 23, 2010


FINISHED:
Balliett, Blue. (2010). The danger box. New York: Scholastic.

[.]

STARTED:
DiTerlizzi, Tony. (2010). The search for WondLa. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[.]

*

Monday, October 18, 2010


FINISHED:
Baccalario, Pierdomenico. [trans. Leah D. Janeczko]. (2010). Star of stone (Century quartet: Book 2). New York: Random House.

[.]

STARTED:Balliett, Blue. (2010). The danger box. New York: Scholastic.

[Reading to see if I deem it worthy of appearing on the 2010 ACL Distinguished List - plus, I really liked her earlier books and have been awaiting this one...]

*

Wednesday, October 13, 2010


FINISHED:
Beil, Michael. (2010). The Red Blazer Girls: The vanishing violin. New York: Knopf.

[.]

STARTED:
Baccalario, Pierdomenico. [trans. Leah D. Janeczko]. (2010). Star of stone (Century quartet: Book 2). New York: Random House.

[For some reason, I like this guy (fun mysteries? exotic and vivid locales? the inclusion of dossiers containing photos and other realia?) - so far I'm not quite sure where all of this is leading, but I'm still along for the ride.]

*

Friday, October 8, 2010


FINISHED:
Jinks, Catherine. (2010). The genius wars. New York: Harcourt.

[Review to come:

(Reviewed from Advance Reading Copy) : Cadel is settling in with his new foster parents (his former caseworker and the cop who helped suss out the evil genius who would stop at nothing to see Cadel dead) and taking computing classes at university thinking that life is back to normal when Prosper English, once thought to be Cadel’s father, shows up on a number of surveilance cameras around town. Soon, Cadel’s friend’s electric wheelchair is out of her control and tumbles down some stairs, traffic lights are messed with causing another of Cadel’s friends to be involved in a traffic accident, and a commuter bus’s GPS link up system is hijacked causing the bus to slam into Cadel’s home. Clearly, no one Cadel knows is safe and all forms of technology surrounding Cadel are subject to possible corruption. This concluding volume in Jinks’s Evil Genius trilogy acts as a kind of commentary on our dependence on computers, the complete interconnectivity of electronic systems, and the ease with which computers can be hacked and used to spy and/or cause harm. This is a compelling read with some fun, paranoid suspense that is HEAVY on computer jargon and technical descriptions making it likely best enjoyed by those who have a solid knowledge of computers and computer systems.]

STARTED:
Beil, Michael. (2010). The Red Blazer Girls: The vanishing violin. New York: Knopf.

[Thought the first one was FUN FUN FUN...]

*

Monday, September 27, 2010


FINISHED:
Collins, Suzanne. (2010). Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic.

[Not bad... but I just wasn't compelled to tear through it like I was with the previous installments. Yeah, it needed to wrap things up, but it could've used some more of the action and adventure of the first two books. Here, it seemed to me like the action sequences were just stuck in in order to provide sequences that would pick up the pace. Disappointed, but, as with LOST, the journey itself was satisfying enough to justify an unsatisfying ending.]

STARTED:Jinks, Catherine. (2010). The genius wars. New York: Harcourt.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

Saturday, September 18, 2010


FINISHED:
Rich, Simon. (2010). Elliot Allagash: a novel. New York: Random House.

[.]

STARTED:
Collins, Suzanne. (2010). Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic.

[Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!]

*

Wednesday, September 15, 2010


FINISHED:
Wallenfels, Stephen. (2009). POD. Honesdale, PA: Namelos.

[.]

STARTED:
Rich, Simon. (2010). Elliot Allagash: a novel. New York: Random House.

[.]

*

Friday, September 10, 2010


FINISHED:
Napoli, Donna Jo. (2010). The wager. New York: Henry Holt.

[.]

STARTED:
Wallenfels, Stephen. (2009). POD. Honesdale, PA: Namelos.

[Heard great things and read some great reviews. Sounds right up my alley.]

*

Monday, September 6, 2010


FINISHED:
de Fombelle, Timothee. (2009/10). Toby and the secrets of the Tree. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

[After spending two years living amongst the Grass People, whom the tree inhabitants believe to be primitive savages, Toby Lolness returns to the lower branches believing that his parents are dead (though they have actually been imprisoned and are attempting to tunnel out an escape route) and finds that others are being enslaved to dig an enormous crater to the center of the tree. In addition, Toby’s love, Elisha, has been locked in an egg by Toby’s childhood best friend, Leo Blue, who has now taken control of the tree and intends to marry Elisha. Though smart, densely written, and rich in character-drawing, this concluding volume in the series gets bogged down with the introduction of a number of new characters and subplots which only serve to take the focus off Toby too often and for far too long. Further, the Leo Blue character wasn’t developed enough in the first book to make the war between the friends have much power and impact. However, the strong ecological and ennvironmental message shines here with Toby’s father, Sim, finally getting people to hear his message that the tree is a living being (“The Tree is fighting back! The Tree is defending itself against us!”). All-in-all, a beautifully written series that will have limited appeal for those kids with a taste for solid, dense fantasy a la Steve Augarde’s The Various (David Fickling, 2004).]

STARTED:Napoli, Donna Jo. (2010). The wager. New York: Henry Holt.

[Reading for ACL.]

*

Friday, August 27, 2010


FINISHED:
de Fombelle, Timothee. (2006/8). Toby alone. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

[.]

STARTED:
de Fombelle, Timothee. (2009/10). Toby and the secrets of the Tree. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

Monday, August 23, 2010


FINISHED:
Hunter, Erin. (2010). Seekers: Fire in the sky. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
de Fombelle, Timothee. (2006/8). Toby alone. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

[Am reviewing the sequel for ACL so I thought I'd get up to speed.]

*

Thursday, August 19, 2010

ABANDONED:
Riordan, Rick. (2010). The red pyramid. New York: Disney/Hyperion.

[Chase scene after chase scene after chase scene with a TON of crazy exposition on a BUNCH of Egyptian gods, goddesses and creatures who are inhabited by Egyptian spirits who either live in lavish homes or in underground pyramids. Whew. SO LONG, and kinda tedious. Plus, the humor is just SO obvious and snarky - I had the same problems with "The Lightning Thief" so I stopped after the first book in that series. Guess Riordan just isn't my cup of tea.]

STARTED:
Hunter, Erin. (2010). Seekers: Fire in the sky. New York: HarperCollins.

[Book 5 in the series...]

*

Friday, August 13, 2010


FINISHED:
Berlin, Eric. (2007). The puzzling world of Winston Breen. New York: Puffin/Penguin.

[.]

STARTED:
Riordan, Rick. (2010). The red pyramid. New York: Disney/Hyperion.

[It's the book that EVERYONE is reading...]

*

Wednesday, August 11, 2010


FINISHED:
Hahn, Mary Downing. (2010). The ghost of Crutchfield Hall. New York: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin.

[My official ACL review:

Orphan Florence is pulled from the orphanage where she’s been living for the past seven years and whisked away to Crutchfield Hall, a rural gothic mansion where a well-to-do aunt and uncle reside. Florence quickly realizes that all is not well, however, when she discovers that her recently deceased cousin, Sophia, seems to be lingering and has it out for Florence’s ailing cousin James. What’s worse, Sophia’s “death day” is approaching (it’s been a full year since she died) and her influence on Florence is strengthening while Florence finds it harder and harder to resist Sophia’s pull. This is a vivid, if typical, Victorian ghost story steeped in rich language and descriptive passages which give a strong sense of place and mood and, at a brisk 150 pages, would be perfect for those ready to graduate from collections of shorter scary stories. [Reviewed from ARC.]]

STARTED:
Berlin, Eric. (2007). The puzzling world of Winston Breen. New York: Puffin/Penguin.

[Heard it's fun.]

*

Monday, August 9, 2010


FINISHED:
Law, Ingrid. (2010). Scumble. New York: Dial/Penguin/Walden Media.

[.]

STARTED:
Hahn, Mary Downing. (2010). The ghost of Crutchfield Hall. New York: Clarion/Houghton Mifflin.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

Friday, August 6, 2010


FINISHED:
Oppel, Kenneth. (2010). Half brother. New York: Scholastic.

[Full review to come, but I REALLY liked this one and will nominate it for the ACL Distinguished Books List. And here it is:

It’s 1973, and thirteen year-old Ben’s father, a behavioral research scientist, brings home a week old baby chimpanzee whom he hopes the family will treat as a human while he attempts to teach him sign language. Only-child Ben is at first wary, but eventually comes to love and protect Zan (named after Tarzan) as if he really were a little brother, even going to great and extreme lengths to keep Zan around when it appears that he will be shipped off when the project is shut down. This is a straightforward, methodically plotted story that tackles such thought-provoking questions as “What makes a human a human?” and “What is a person?”, while delving into the issues of animal rights and the ethics of testing on animals. Emotionally riveting without being manipulative, there is a particularly well-handled, unsentimentally moving scence where, after the research project has been disbanded and he has been taken to a preserve where he’ll spend the rest of his days, Zan is stripped of everything that had once made him “human” with Ben despondently remarking, “We fooled him into thinking we were his real family.” Certain to incite discussion, this is stirring novel of family relationships and the ramifications of scientific posturing in the name of discovery. [Reviewed from ARC.]]

STARTED:
Law, Ingrid. (2010). Scumble. New York: Dial/Penguin/Walden Media.

[Do I deem it worthy of the ACL Distinguished List?]

*

Saturday, July 31, 2010


FINISHED:
Avi. (2010). Crispin: The end of time. New York: Balzer & Bray.

[.]

STARTED:
Oppel, Kenneth. (2010). Half brother. New York: Scholastic.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

Wednesday, July 28, 2010


FINISHED:
Martel, Yann. (2010). Beatrice and Virgil: A novel. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

[.]

STARTED:
Avi. (2010). Crispin: The end of time. New York: Balzer & Bray.

[.]

*

Friday, July 23, 2010


FINISHED:
Mull, Brandon. (2007). The candy shop war. Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain.

[Interestingly, I read where Brandon Mull said that The Candy Shop War was a fan favorite and many people ask him if there will be a sequel. I found this one a bit sluggish and difficult to get through. Four kids are recruited by the mysterious old woman who runs the new candy store in town. As a reward for their help, the woman give the kids candy that makes them somewhat weightless, that shocks others when you touch them, and even changes their appearance. Meanwhile, the woman has the whole town hooked on a confection which renders them oblivious to anything around them. The four friends put some bullies in their place, rob a grave, break into the local library, travel through mirrors, and one even gets to jump back and then forward in time. Fun, and I'll certainly read a sequel because I think Mull is a talented author, but for some reason it took me WAY too long to finish.]

STARTED:
Martel, Yann. (2010). Beatrice and Virgil: A novel. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

[It may be cliche to say but, I LOVED Life of Pi - I even have it on my shortlist of books to read again.]

*

Friday, July 16, 2010


FINISHED:
Sachar, Louis. (2010). The cardturner. New York: Delacorte/Random House.

[Hoping to be included in the will of a wealthy uncle, Alton's mom forces him to be the cardturner (cardplayer) for his blind "favorite uncle" who is an avid bridge player. Not my cup of tea. Funny, in the note from the author at the beginning, Sachar says that people told him, "Who would want to read a book about bridge?" Having read this one, I can understand where they are coming from. It just didn't grab me in any way, and all of the bridge-speak went right over my head. Without a rudimentary knowledge of trump-like card games your average kid would be lost and likely give up.]

STARTED:
Mull, Brandon. (2007). The candy shop war. Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain.

[LOVED the Fablehaven series so much I thought I'd try out this one - which I remember seeing Mull comment on as being a fan favorite.]

*

Monday, July 12, 2010


FINISHED:
Pullman, Philip. (2010). The good man Jesus and the scoundrel Christ. New York: Canongate/Publishers Group West.

[.]

STARTED:
Sachar, Louis. (2010). The cardturner. New York: Delacorte/Random House.

[.]

*

Friday, July 9, 2010


FINISHED:
Houtman, Jacqueline. (2010). The reinvention of Edison Thomas. Honesdale, PA: Front Street/Boyds Mills.

[My review for ACL:

After a neighborhood school crossing guard is laid off, science wiz Edison Thomas, fearing for the safety of the other school children, attempts to construct a contraption that can that can take the place of a human at the intersection. Though never mentioned outright, Edison clearly lies somewhere on the high funtioning end of the Asperger’s/autism spectrum as he has weekly visits with a school therapist to help him distinguish facial cues, and is constantly baffled by figures of speech. Thus, scattered throughout the text are fun random facts and figures (all detailed in an appendix) from Edison’s cluttered brain which loosely pertain to situations/conversations in which he’s found himself. One of the strongest elements of Houtman’s tome is that it deals with the topical issue of bullying: Edison is unware, until it is brought to his attention by a new friend, that another boy whom he believes to be a friend is actually ridiculing Edison and attempting to get him in trouble. A strong novel of friendship and understanding, but one that will likely have limited appeal.]

STARTED:
Pullman, Philip. (2010). The good man Jesus and the scoundrel Christ. New York: Canongate/Publishers Group West.

[It's a blasphemous new Philip Pullman!]

*

Thursday, July 8, 2010


FINISHED:
Shan, Darren. (2010). The thin executioner. New York: Little, Brown & Co.

[After being publicly humiliated for his perceived weakness by his executioner father, Jebel embarks on a mythic quest to ask a fire god for invincibility in hopes of being able to return to his home and win a competition to be the new town executioner. Accompanying Jebel is a slave, Tel Hesani, whom he knows he will eventually need to sacrifice in order to appease the god, though along the way Jebel learns tolerance and the fact that it’s the journey, not what’s at the end of the road, that really matters. Shan, author of the popular vampire series Cirque du Freak (Little, Brown, 2001) has penned a (trademark) gory homage to Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which includes cons, cannibals, and involuntary graverobbing. Most characters are a bit one-dimensional and the quest story is nothing new, but Jebel’s paradigm shift in regard to what he has always learned is traditionally “right” or “normal”, and the examination of religious differences (though somewhat heavy-handed) are important lessons. Plenty of blood is shed through realistic human-on-human stabbings, slicings and beheadings which should satisfy young adult horror fans [Reviewed from ARC.].]

STARTED:
Houtman, Jacqueline. (2010). The reinvention of Edison Thomas. Honesdale, PA: Front Street/Boyds Mills.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

Sunday, July 4, 2010


FINISHED:
Mull, Brandon. (2010). Fablehaven: Keys to the demon prison. New York: Shadow Mountain.

[.]

STARTED:
Shan, Darren. (2010). The thin executioner. New York: Little, Brown & Co.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

Sunday, June 27, 2010


FINISHED:
Dashner, James. (2008). The 13th Reality: The journal of curious letters. New York: Shadow Mountain.

[.]

STARTED:
Mull, Brandon. (2010). Fablehaven: Keys to the demon prison. New York: Shadow Mountain.

[The LAST one! What a brilliant series - hope this one doesn't disappoint.]

*

Thursday, June 24, 2010


FINISHED:
Jacques, Brian. (2004). Rakkety Tam. New York: Firebird/Penguin.

[.]

STARTED:
Dashner, James. (2008). The 13th Reality: The journal of curious letters. New York: Shadow Mountain.

[The Maze Runner was my favorite book of 2009, so I thought I'd read something else by Dashner.]

*

Thursday, June 17, 2010


FINISHED:
Mull, Brandon. (2009). Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary. Salt Lake City, UT: Shadow Mountain.

[SOOOOO good.]

STARTED:
Jacques, Brian. (2004). Rakkety Tam. New York: Firebird/Penguin.

[#17...]

*

Friday, June 11, 2010


FINISHED:
Connor, Leslie. (2010). Crunch. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Mull, Brandon. (2009). Fablehaven: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary. Salt Lake City, UT: Shadow Mountain.

[LOVE LOVE LOVE these books.]

*

Tuesday, June 8, 2010


FINISHED:
West, Jacqueline. (2010). The books of Elsewhere: The shadows. New York: Dial.

[My review for ACL:

Olive, perpetual new student, and her nomadic, mathmetician, computer screen-glued parents move into a dusty old house still full of the previous occupants’ Victorian-era belongings. One of the first things that Olive notices is the abundance of paintings (which seem permanently attached to the walls) whose images, when viewed through a pair of found antique reading glasses, begin to move. Ever the curious explorer, Olive discovers that she is able to climb into these paintings and, while wandering around in one, comes across a frightened little boy in an old nightshirt who claims to have been stolen from the real world and imprisoned in the painting by a malevolent, ever-watching shadow. West’s debut novel, the first in an assumed series, is briskly paced and, for the most part, engaging, with a spunky outcast for a protagonist in whom avid readers of the genre will recognize shades of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (HarperCollins, 2002). A trio of talking cats add comedy and a bit of confusion: aside from the occasional difficulty of keeping them straight, their motives are unclear as they seem genuinely helpful but appear to be “working for” the shadowy force. Thorough, vivid physical description provides a definite sense of environment and the premise is intriguing enough to attract young fantasy beginners. (Reviewed from ARC.)]

STARTED:
Connor, Leslie. (2010). Crunch. New York: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.

[Reading for ACL.]

*

Saturday, June 5, 2010


FINISHED:
Cottrell Boyce, Frank. (2010). Cosmic. New York: Walden Pond.

[.]

STARTED:
West, Jacqueline. (2010). The books of Elsewhere: The shadows. New York: Dial.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

*

Tuesday, June 1, 2010


FINISHED:
Silverman, Sarah. (2010). The bedwetter: Stories of courage, redemption, and pee. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Cottrell Boyce, Frank. (2010). Cosmic. New York: Walden Pond.

[So many starred reviews!]

*

Saturday, May 29, 2010

STARTED:
Silverman, Sarah. (2010). The bedwetter: Stories of courage, redemption, and pee. New York: HarperCollins.

[I put Eating Animals aside for the moment - figured this non-fiction title would read a bit faster...]

*

Wednesday, May 26, 2010


FINISHED:
Clements, Andrew. (2010). Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School: We the children. New York: Atheneum.

[.]

STARTED:
Foer, Jonathan Safran. (2009). Eating animals. New York: Little, Brown and Co.

[Comes highly recommended.]

*

Tuesday, May 25, 2010


FINISHED:
Hunter, Erin. (2010). Seekers: The last wilderness. New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Clements, Andrew. (2010). Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School: We the children. New York: Atheneum.

[I like my Clements...]

*