Wednesday, March 28, 2012


FINISHED:
Hall, Teri. (2010). The line. New York: Dial.

[In a dystopian future, Rachel's mother works as a housekeeper on an old estate and Rachel has begun helping to raise orchids. The greenhouse where she works is just yards from THE LINE, a line that was formed during a war where U.S. troops came in and sectioned off a large chunk of land. When Rachel comes across an old recorder playing a garbled message of help, she decides to assist a boy on the other side of the line whose family needs medicine. A FANTASTIC story that smacks of a classic, with just the right amount of politics and a message about questioning our government. Somewhat of a 1984 for tweens. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED... and I can't wait to read the sequel, Away...]

STARTED:
Mull, Brandon. (2012). Seeds of rebellion (Beyonders #2). New York: Aladdin.

[This guy is becoming a favorite - can't recommend his Fablehaven series enough...]

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Saturday, March 24, 2012


FINISHED:
Hunter, Erin. (2012). Island of shadows (Seekers: Return to the wild #1). New York: HarperCollins.

[.]

STARTED:
Hall, Teri. (2010). The line. New York: Dial.

[Ever since we got this one in I've been intrigued...]

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Tuesday, March 20, 2012


FINISHED:
Marrone, Amanda. (2010). The multiplying menace: a magic repair shop book. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[When her parents have to spend a year abroad studying a new kind of cockroach, Maggie is sent to live in a small town with her grandmother. In town, Maggie finds a Magic Repair Shop and goes in to see if she can get a job, discovering that her grandfather was actually one of the original owners of the shop... and was able to do magic... just like Maggie. You see, Maggie has the ability to make (most of) her wishes come true, and she uses this power to get herself, and another hopeful student, into a prestigious school in town. Throw in a nefarious magician who seems to be making animals (and people?) multiply, and you've got an enjoyable - if a bit uneven, and clearly a set up for further novels - start to the Magic Repair Shop series.]

STARTED:
Hunter, Erin. (2012). Island of shadows (Seekers: Return to the wild #1). New York: HarperCollins.

[She's got me hooked with these Seekers books...]

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Saturday, March 17, 2012


FINISHED:
Reisfeld, Randi. (2012). What the dog said. New York: Bloomsbury.

[Grace has retreated from school, friends, everything since her policeman father was murdered in a drive-by shooting a few months back. Her older sister, Regan, is only concerned with getting into the Parsons School of Design and convinces their mom to let her get a rescue dog - the hope being that by enrolling the dog in classes to train it to be a "helper animal", that it will look good on her college application. At the pound, a homely dog, Rex, chooses Grace to be his owner by TELLING her to pick him. Can Rex, the talking dog whom only Grace is able to hear, help her figure out the circumstances surrounding her father's murder, and eventually move her through her grief? Well, of course...]

STARTED:
Marrone, Amanda. (2010). The multiplying menace: a magic repair shop book. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[Reviewing for SFPL...]

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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

ABANDONED:
Morgenstern, Erin. (2011). The night circus. New York: Doubleday.

[It was just taking me WAY too long to get through this one. It wasn't really grabbing my attention, and I didn't find myself wanting to get back to it. Maybe another time...]

STARTED:
Reisfeld, Randi. (2012). What the dog said. New York: Bloomsbury.

[.]

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Thursday, March 8, 2012

A bit of a re-boot here. I'm pretty proud of myself for being so vigilant with this blog since its very inception (geez, almost 5 YEARS now), but I got a bit off track that last few weeks. Vacations, sickness, kind-of speed reading a few minor books not worth mentioning, etc.

BUT, we're back in business now...


STARTED:
Morgenstern, Erin. (2011). The night circus. New York: Doubleday.

[Such glowing reviews (except for the New York Times)! And, it was about time to throw in an "adult" book...]

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