Book Trailer for CRESCENDO by Becca Fitzpatrick

CRESCENDO by Becca Fitzpatrick, the sequel to fallen angel story HUSH, HUSH, comes out on October 19th - it's one of the October sequel releases I'm looking forward to. In anticipation of the release, I'm posting the book trailer.  Enjoy the preview, and if it seems interesting to you, go read HUSH, HUSH and look for CRESCENDO on October 19th.

FOREVER by Maggie Stiefvater Cover Reveal - Pre-order to get a SIGNED copy!

Maggie Stiefvater has released the book jacket image for FOREVER, the final book in The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy (begun with SHIVER and LINGER). Not only are these some of my favorite books ever, but also have the most beautiful covers I've seen for young adult books (designed by Christopher Stengel - see Maggie's interview with him about the covers here: Shiver Cover Interview). The cover is what drew me to the original book, the lyrical writing is what kept me reading, the plot and multiple point-of-view storytelling is what made me love them. I've heard Maggie speak in person and she is fascinating to listen to, and has a great web presence sharing her writing brilliance with all.

So...are you anxiously awaiting the July 2011 release of FOREVER (like I am!) to find out what happens to Grace, Sam, Cole, and Isabel in the final book of The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy? Use this link to pre-order a signed copy of FOREVER from Maggie's local, independent book store to be sent to you next summer:  http://www.fountainbookstore.com/autograph-maggie

October Releases I'm Looking Forward To

I'm really excited about some of the books that are coming out in October, lots of series sequels, and I've pre-ordered most of them. It looks like October will be a busy reading month. I'm looking forward to so many of them that I thought I'd share here!

BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl 
(sequel to BEAUTIFUL CREATURES)

THE HEROES OF OLYMPUS, Book One: THE LOST HERO by Rick Riordan
(follows the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series)

THE SCORCH TRIALS by James Dashner
(sequel to THE MAZE RUNNER)

CRESCENDO by Becca Fitzpatrick
(sequel to HUSH, HUSH)

TORMENT by Lauren Kate
(sequel to FALLEN - comes out tomorrow)

In My Mailbox - New Books This Week (2)

In My Mailbox is a shared posting concept/listing from The Story Siren (read about what it is and how it got started here: In My Mailbox).  This will be a semi-regular feature on Teach 8 YA Book Blog.
This week's In My Mailbox is mostly due to the fall Scholastic Book Club selections being so great. Thanks to them (and Random House sending a book) here are the new books that came into my classroom this week:


NEW BOOKS THIS WEEK
ARC Sent to Me:

MUSEUM OF THIEVES (The Keepers) by Lian Tanner
Sounds like an intriguing new series that fans of the Percy Jackson series might like.


Thanks Random House!




Scholastic Book Clubs TAB and Teen Readers Club Order:

ACCOMPLICE by Eireann Corrigan
Sounds like an interesting novel based on the premise of needing to stand out in today's society.




 


EMPTY by Suzanne Weyn
A new dystopian dealing with a modern concern of oil running out.

SABOTAGED: THE MISSING Book 3 by Margaret Peterson Haddix
My students have been eagerly awaiting this one by an always popular author as they've read through the first two FOUND and SENT.

WOLVES, BOYS, AND OTHER THINGS THAT MIGHT KILL ME by Kristen Chandler
Takes place by Yellowstone National Park and is a coming-of-age story of a one saving the wolves that have been reintroduced that the community is scared of. Of course the title sells it.




Pre-Ordered:

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE UGLY TRUTH (Book 5) by Jeff Kinney
Will be delivered to my room on Nov. 9, the release date.








Needed More Copies of:

THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
Got another copy because I can't keep them on my shelf - probably because I keep telling the students they all need to read it and they are!

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie

The boys that have read it have loved it, so wanted another copy to keep them reading this wonderful novel.

THE TITAN'S CURSE (PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS Book 3) by Rick Riordan
Needed another copy because I can't keep it on hand due to so many students reading the series right now.

THE SEA OF MONSTERS (PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS Book 2) by Rick Riordan
Needed to replace some that are falling apart from being read so many times!

Celebrate BANNED BOOKS WEEK - Sept. 25-Oct. 2 - Read a Book!

The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are UNABLE to say. ~ Anaïs Nin


Books: save people; save lives; help us figure out what we would do in certain situations; open our eyes to parts of the world we may never know otherwise; help us figure out our own lives, thoughts, feelings, concerns, frustrations, hopes, and dreams; help us grow; help us grow up; are the mirrors that show us who we are; are the windows to the world around us; help us figure out who we want to be and how we want to act; show us others have gone through things we have - even if no one around us understands; let us figure things out we're too scared to say out loud; help us realize that we aren't alone in this world.


That is why we celebrate Banned Books Week - a week dedicated to: celebrating the freedom to read; drawing attention to the harmful nature of censorship; reminding us about intellectual freedom (whether we personally agree with the ideas or not); stressing the importance of ensuring access to all viewpoints for those who want them; knowing the importance of our First Amendment rights; and highlighting the power of literature.

"Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities. The targets range from books that explore contemporary issues and controversies to classic and beloved works of American literature."

Out of 460 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2009, the following are some young adult titles that were in the top ten most challenged: 
ttyl, ttfn, and l8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
A few more popular titles that have been challenged recently as well:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Information from: www.bannedbooksweek.org


Exercise your freedom to read! I'm not saying you should read something just because it has been challenged, especially if it doesn't fit with your or your family's personal values, but does that mean it shouldn't be available to others who may need it? You have the freedom to make choices about what you read, and you should be making educated choices about books that are important for you to read and appropriate for you personally based on your family's values. Challenging or banning a book means one person, or a group of people, has decided that a book is not appropriate for you to read - shouldn't that decision belong to you (or those who are raising you) - those who know you and what you need the best? Being aware that this happens and knowledgeable about what it means is important as a literate member of our society. So, Celebrate Banned Books Week - pick up a book and read it - because you can!

ACES UP by Lauren Barnholdt

When I was trying to decide what book to read next last week, I decided to go with another light-hearted cute book and chose ACES UP by Lauren Barnholdt. I supposed because I've been watching the World Series of Poker Main Event each week on TV lately, I had poker on the mind when I gravitated toward this book.  


The summary goes like this: high-school senior Shannon Card needs money for college tuition because her father lost his job and she's been accepted early-decision to Wellesley, so she gets a fake ID and to get a job as a waitress at a casino to make as much money as she can. But she discovers it's a little more difficult than she imagined carrying trays of drinks while walking in high heels, and then gets the mysterious invitation in her work locker to join Aces Up, a secret group of poker players who are really talented because of their math knowledge - and she's just the kind of player they need. Only one problem - she's underage and has never played poker before. As if all of that isn't enough, Shannon's dealing with Max, who used to be her friend until there was an almost kiss they haven't talked about, and Cole, the cute college guy trying to recruit her for Aces Up.  All of that made me think this might be another fun book, and it pretty much was. But really, this book is about a girl who tries to take a quick fix for her problems, ends up getting into bigger trouble, losing herself in the process, disappointing those around her, and has to figure out how to work her way out of the mess she's created.


The thing I liked most about this book is the voice of the main character. Shannon has a great way of narrating in first person that at times seems as if she's talking to the reader in asides.  I really like it because it makes me more invested in what she's going through because I like her - although at times I do wonder if she shouldn't have seen where there was headed long before she did.  I also really liked her way of describing things - she just does it in a way that seems true to the voice of someone her age and she has a sense of humor in her voice that is somewhat snarky at times. The thing that bothered me about her though was that I think she could have taken more control over her relationships, and for as intelligent as she is supposed to be, she sometimes made really stupid decisions in parts of the book.


Here's the problem I had with the book: I feel like it was too easy for Shannon to fall into something with Cole that had no depth to it other than him being mysterious. It seemed like Shannon's character was made out to be more independent and strong than how she was acting with him, so it was hard to buy into her being that into him and into the trouble she got in to. Because that part was a little unbelievable, the story came across as a bit shallow in those parts. I really liked the parts where Shannon was dealing with Max and what was happening with their relationship, and even the stuff with her sister and work friend Mackenzie, I just wanted a little bit more depth to round out all of the characters for a light-hearted, cute, fun, girly read.


Overall I liked it for the voice and humor of the main character, the storyline with her guy friend Max, her relationship with her sister, and the fun poker references.
3 1/2 STARS for ACES UP

THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB by Elizabeth Eulberg

Sometimes I really want a light-hearted book without all the angst and drama of a lot of the popular YA books/genres out there right now, and to get a good girl-power message - even better. That's exactly what I got with Elizabeth Eulberg's debut novel, THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB, plus I got a little Beatles nostalgia along with it. I was drawn to it as soon as I heard the plot summary, but of course, the cover sold me on getting it in hardcover - it's so fun!


This book is a story with an independent high school junior girl main character who gets treated badly by a boy she's had a crush on for a long time. The girl - Penny Lane (a Beatles song of course since her parents are huge fans) - decides she's not going to deal with one more boy treating her badly, so she swears off dating for the rest of high school. Thus starts the lonely hearts club (inspired of course by the Beatles' Sargeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). Once word gets out, other girls decide they don't want to deal with immature boys who treat them badly either, and they see how much fun the girls in the club are having, so the club gets a reputation around the school.


There's a really important message coming out of reading this story - it's not just about not dealing with the boy drama, but it's more about what it means to be a good friend to the girls around you.  It's about keeping your friends honest, being there for each other, and not letting boys change your priorities. The club's rules say that a girl can't change who she is for a guy, she can't ditch her friends for a guy, she can't let a guy take over her whole life and forget about her friends - what a great message to send teen girls who need to remember that when they get to high school and boy drama and pressure becomes so much more of a part of their lives. 


I think the highlight about this book for me was that even though it deals with the typical boyfriend drama of high school girls, it's done in a unique way in which the girls still get to be strong characters. I do wish some of the secondary characters had the chance to be developed a little more fully because they had the potential to really add to the story more than they were able to with the length of the book, but it was it will be an accessible book for many adolescent girls - and it doesn't cross the line into mature content. I loved this book for it's light-heartedness, great message, and fun story (with a Beatles twist) and am glad I found it.


4 1/2 STARS for THE LONELY HEARTS CLUB