Monday, February 19, 2007

Girl Like Moi - Lisa Burham - ESSENTIAL

Barham, Lisa A Girl Like Moi: The fashion-forward adventures of Imogene, 265 p. Simon Schuster –

 MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

After maxing out her AmEx and failing to make payments, Imogene finds herself having to take on an internship in New York, in order to pay off her bills, instead of flying off to Paris with her best friend. A fabulous boy and a catty co-worker turn Imogene’s summer upside down as she tries to remain tres chic with absolutely no cash.

 A fun, fluffy Devil Wears Prada rip-off for the teen set that is perfect for reading while tanning this summer. Does not resort to the crassness of so many other teen novels and yet is full of fashion buzzwords. Already in paperback!

CINDY

Trigger by Susan Vaught - ESSENTIAL


Vaught, Susan Trigger 290 p. -

Language: PG; Sexual Content: G, Violence: G

MS, HS - ESSENTIAL 

This book is about a kid who shot himself but did not succeed in his attempted suicide. He has major brain damage, and most of the kids at school see him as the new "freak." The book is about his struggle and journey to go back to school for his senior year and trying to figure out why he did it.

 I enjoyed reading this book. It was really well written considering it is in first person. It might be a little harder for seventh grade students and below, but I think it is well worth the time for older students. I would recommend this for school libraries.

 Student Reviewer: JH

 What I enjoyed most about this novel is that it shows the danger of spinning little problems out of control – making them so important that they overwhelm everything else. -Cindy

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

Dear Author: Letters of Hope - ADVISABLE

Kaywell, Joan F., editor Dear Author: Letters of Hope, 222 pages

 Language: G; Sexual Content: PG (a girl wrote to the author of Speak who had a similar experience as the character in that book); Violence: G

MS, HS, ADVISABLE

This book is a collection of letters that everyday teenagers have sent into various authors and the authors' responses to these letters. I really liked reading this book because I could relate to a lot of the letters in there. Reading the responses and the encouragement the authors gave was in a way helpful to me. I liked reading about the real world from the eyes of teenagers through their letters and it helps you see that you aren't alone, no matter what your situation.          

Student Reviewer: JH
Kaywell, Joan F., editor Dear Author: Letters of Hope, 222 p. - Language: G; Sexual Content: PG (a girl wrote to the author of Speak who had a similar experience as the character in that book); Violence: G - This book is a collection of letters that everyday teenagers have sent in to various authors and the authors' responses to these letters. I really liked reading this book because I could relate to a lot of the letters in there. Reading the responses and the encouragement the authors gave was in a way helpful to me. I liked reading about the real world from the eyes of teenagers through their letters and it helps you see that you aren't alone, no matter what your situation. MS, HS, ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: JHKaywell,          Joan F., editor <i>Dear Author: Letters of Hope</i></b>, 222          p. - Language: G; Sexual Content: PG (a girl wrote to the          author of Speak who had a similar experience as the          character in that book); Violence: G - This book is a          collection of letters that everyday teenagers have sent in          to various authors and the authors' responses to these          letters. I really liked reading this book because I could          relate to a lot of the letters in there. Reading the          responses and the encouragement the authors gave was in a          way helpful to me. I liked reading about the real world from          the eyes of teenagers through their letters and it helps you          see that you aren't alone, no matter what your situation.          MS, HS, ADVISABLE. Student Reviewer: JH<

Opelia by Lisa Klein - ESSENTIAL


Klein, Lisa Ophelia 328 p. Bloomsbury - 

Everyone thinks that they know the story of Ophelia, from Shakespeare's Hamlet, but this beautifully written book takes everything you think you know and turns it on its head. 

Klein has written an engaging book that adds depth and dimension to the recent trend of rewriting Shakespeare. Even if you haven't read Hamlet, you will enjoy this book. A must read for anyone. 

MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

CINDY

Monday, February 5, 2007

Larger Than Life Laura by Dandi Mackall - ESSENTIAL


Mackall, Dandi Daley Larger-Than-Life Lara 151 p. Penguin – 

EL, MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Laney’s fourth grade class is stunned the day that Lara, the fattest girl they have ever seen, walks into their classroom. This girl is so fat, that she needs a special desk. Lara’s parents have instilled her with a healthy sense of self-esteem, but she is hard pressed to keep her chin up against the unreasonable prejudice of her fellow students. 

This book will make you cry and it should be read to every child every single year. 

CINDY

Emil and Karl by Yankev Glatshteyn - ESSENTIAL


Glatshteyn, Yankev Emil and Karl 194 p. Roaring Brook (Holtzbrinck) – 

MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Emil and Karl are best friends in the city of Vienna at the start of World War II. Through horrible circumstances, both young boys are left orphaned and without family to take them in. Their little eyes see many of the cruel atrocities carried out in the name of Christianity upon the bodies of Austria’s Jews. 

The amazing thing about this book is that it was written in 1940, in Yiddish, so that the Jewish children of America could know what was really going on in Europe. I am amazed that it hadn’t surfaced in English before now. 

CINDY

Twilight Child by ally Warner - ESSENTIAL


Warner, Sally Twilight Child Pages: 211 pgs. Penguin - 

MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Eleni is a girl from Finland who was born at twilight, and given a special gift to see and talk to creatures normal humans can't. Leaving Finland Eleni makes knew friends, goes through many hardships, and learns more about her gift. 

I had a lot of fun reading Twilight Child, and would gladly recommend it to anyone who asks for a good book to read. It educates the reader- including me- with some Finnish words slipped in here and there, as well as provides non-stop entertainment. I really enjoyed it! 

 Student Reviewer: JH

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon - ESSENTIAL


McCutcheon John Christmas in the Trenches PICTURE BOOK Peachtree – 

EL, MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Christmas Day 1914, the two armies of World War I exit their trenches and meet in the middle to celebrate the day during a spontaneous truce. Although these actions did not stop the war, it left a feeling of hope in the hearts of each soldier who participated. Also included is a CD of the original song that McCutcheon also wrote. Having been to Flanders Fields myself, I call tell you that this is an important part of the WWI story. This subject should be fit into the curriculum anywhere it can – English, Geography, Music, Art – wherever. 

CINDY

Terrier by Tamora Pierce - ESSENTIAL


Pierce, Tamora Beka Cooper: Terrier 563 p. RandomHouse – 

MS, HS – ESSENTIAL

Beka Cooper has always wanted to be a Dog – a peacekeeper in the realm or Tortall. Now she is a Puppy, assigned to the two greatest Dogs in town, learning her trade in the mean streets that she grew up in. Only her persistence, ingenuity and ability to make unlikely friends will save the town from two terrible threats. 

Another exciting tale from Pierce’s well-crafted world. The page count is high, but it is misleading, as the words are really big. When printed in paperback, I would be surprised if it topped 200 pages. 

CINDY
 
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2007/02/
kissthebook.blogspot.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2022-21
185742
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:Z7POISNEKFPUEBXPPEYPMFIAQ362S72T
<urn:uuid:ec9ccff3-c9cb-4748-82f6-c6afc529fa05>
2022-05-18T23:04:24Z
142.250.73.193
application/xhtml+xml
sha1:NMJQRYXRIX4JURORMHPEZLL3XXBPDCXU
<urn:uuid:f5df379b-e670-4db3-b10a-f9d9d5d52ba9>
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2007/02/
response
<urn:uuid:2de319ac-06ce-4c60-b338-1312a37afcbc>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2022-21
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for May 2022
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-60
software: Apache Nutch 1.18 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.3-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: https://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/