At a pool party, Ashleigh texts her boyfriend, Kaleb, a picture of herself. It's a picture meant only for him. After a bitter breakup, however, the picture goes viral even attracting the attention of the school board and the local police. Ashleigh is humiliated and alone. While doing community service, Ashleigh meets Mack, who restores her faith in friendship. This is a great story that shows how one impulsive action can have serious consequences. It's a good portrayal of what can happen if you don't think about what you are sending or posting.
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Alice and her mother are always on the move. Bad luck seems to find them frequently. When news reaches them that Alice's grandmother and author of <I>Tales from the Hinterland</I> has died, things change quickly. Alice notices strange people around her and then suddenly her mother is kidnapped. Alice finds help from a classmate and a fan of her grandmother's tales, Ellery Finch. Together they try to find safety and Alice's mother. This was a fun yet dark fantasy. Alice and Ellery are terrific characters and the plot is full of surprises. I recommend this book to those who enjoy fairy tales and fantasy.
Sophie finds herself separated from her mom and sister as they evacuate their North Carolina island as a hurricane hits. She is trapped with Finn, a guy who broke her heart during Freshman year. As they seek shelter from the storm, Sophie learns more about Finn as well as herself. This book was one of those that kept taunting me to pick it up every time I walked past the shelf. I really liked it. I had a hard time putting it down especially once the hurricane hit. I thought this was a good coming-of-age story.
Avery Grambs has to live in the Hawthorne House for only a few more weeks before she inherits billions when a mysterious visitor arrives. Avery and the boys must solve a new puzzle and this time it is with an unknown player who is very dangerous.
This was fun mystery with never many twists and turns. Fans of the previous Inheritance books will devour this one. Jeff Shaara tells the story of the attack on Pearl Harbor using the points of view of its participants including Secretary of State Cordell Hull, Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, Commander Joseph Rochefort, and Sailor Tommy Biggs assigned to the U.S.S. Arizona. Shaara puts the reader in the various points of view of naval life at Pearl Harbor, the planning of the attack in Japan, and the negotiations between Hull and the Japanese Ambassador Kischisaburo Nomura. The attack itself looks at both sides including the spy in Hawaii. This was hard to put down. The fictional character, Tommy Biggs, gave me a sense of what it was like to be stationed at Pearl Harbor. The attack itself was intense reading. Those interested in World War II and historical fiction should pick up this book. Fabiola Toussaint and her mother arrive in Detroit from Port-au-Prince, Haiti to live with her aunt and cousins on American Street. However, Fabiola's mother is detained by U.S. Immigration leaving her by herself to navigate this very different nation. While trying to figure out her new life as well as her mother's whereabouts, Fabiola is given a dangerous choice that could put her freedom in peril. This book had been on my "To Read" list for some time, but when I heard that a gentleman was objecting to the book being a part of the English curriculum at the local public high school because of one scene, I decided it was time to give it a try. I found it to be a wonderful story about trying to settle in a new country and determining what is right. I do recommend this book to upper-teens. Jon Krakauer investigates the death of Christopher Johanson McCandless. In 1992, McCandless gave away his life savings, abandoned his car, and hitchhiked to Alaska. His body was found four months later. Through interviews with the people who interacted with McCandless and his explorations of the Alaskan wilderness, Krakauer describes McCandless's last days.
This is a powerful book about man versus nature. Using his journalistic skills, Krakauer unearthed McCandless's last months and explored how much the Alaskan wilderness changes from early spring into summer. This novel takes place in 1932. Odie O'Banion and his brother, Albert are orphans at the Lincoln Indian Training School in Minnesota. They live in horrid conditions at the school. After a terrible incident, they are forced to flee with their best friend Mose, and a little girl named Emmy in a canoe on the Gilead River heading for the Mississippi River. They hope to find a new life in St. Louis. Along their journey, they meet various people struggling in their ways during the Great Depression. By far, this was the best book I have read this year so far. With similarities to Mark Twain's masterpiece, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, this is William Kent Krueger's masterpiece. There are moments you cheer for these four kids, other times you cringe, and moments you get tears in your eyes. This is an adventure and coming-of-age novel that I highly recommend to teens and adults who enjoy a great story. |
AuthorMr. Andrusyk is a school librarian at IC Catholic Prep in Elmhurst, Illinois. Past Book RecommendationsClick here to view a listing of Mr. Andrusyk's list of favorite authors, series, fiction, and nonfiction. Archives
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