Lorraine's comments
(member since Jun 28, 2009)
Lorraine's comments from the YA Book Club group.
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I love these books. I recommend them to fans of the PErcy Jackson series. These books aren't as fast paced as Percy Jackson but they do a great job of bringing mythology to life.
Ralph wrote: "I can't wait to read Catching Fire! You should totally pass around that ARC of Catching Fire, Lorraine. :D"
Yes, I have shared with some teachers at my school. I won't put it in my library for kids until the release date, so we can torture them a little:)
I have also read an advanced copy of Catching fire, and I think it was every bit as good as Hunger Games. It definitely leaves things ready for a great final book in the trilogy too!
I have been a facebook for awhile. When I first started I was on it a lot. Now, I check into it a couple of times a week. I do keep in touch with some family & friends I don't see too often. I like it, but don't have time to be onit everyday. I find goodreads easier to check in and see exactly what I'm interested in quickly. I have a Twitter account but rarely use it.
A good series for reluctant readers who may be reading below grade level is the Bluford series from Townsend Press. They are short novels about an urban high school & the issues the kids deal with at school & at home. You can get them for $1.00 from the publisher at townsendpress.com
Orca is another good publisher for books for kids who say they don't like to read. They have high interest books at lower reading levels that are about topics that motivate kids to read. www.orcabook.com
Good luck
In addition to Lock & Key:
Jars of Glass by Barkley
13 by Jason Brown
Kaleidoscope Eyes by Jen Bryant
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Gone by Michael Grant
A Tugging String by Greenburg
A friendship for today by Mckissack
One "big people" book I've got on my shelf:
Havana Nocturne by T J English
I loved the book. I wasn't disappointed in the movie because I never expect a movie to be as good as a book. They just cannot get all the details and nuance into 2 hours onscreen. As movies go, this was good. I saw it awhile ago, so I don't remember why the movie didn't allow for sequels.
Jamie wrote: Hey how do you get involved on being on that kind of committee?
It's a committee of media specialists from around the state. I'm in Florida, but every state has something similar.
I'm on a state committee that requires I read from a list of 300 titles appropriate for elementary/middle school. That's what I read first, then I look at reviews and take a lot of recomendations from students.
I find that well-written YA fiction grabs the reader and doesn't let go! Kids & teens aren't going to sit through a 2 page description of a flower. Whether it's realistic, adventure, or fantasy Ya books keep the plot going to keep interest without sacrificing characterization.
Books & authors I've had success recommending to reluctant readers in this age group:
Lightning Thief series by Riordan
Bluford series books: 15 books about an urban HS written by Anne Schraff, Paul Langdon & others.
Hazlewood High series by Sharon Draper (Tears of a Tiger, Forged by Fire, Darkness before Dawn)
Double Dutch by Sharon Draper
Gregor the Overlander series by Suzanne Collins
Diary of a Wimpy kid & sequels by Kinney
Bone graphic novel series by Jeff Smith
Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper (7th & 8th grade)
Freak the mighty by Phibrick
Matt Christopher sports fiction are great books for boys this age.
More for girls:
Rules by Cynthia Lord
So B It by Weeks
Hurt Go Happy by Rorby
Click Here by Vega
I know there are many more but this is what I can come up with off the top of my head. L
I swung myslef up to a nice sturdy branch at about giant's eye-level and put my back against the trunk. The music ran through me like keep-awake. Water Rat hadn't said anything about sitting still, so I bounced until the tree creaked and shook.
The Changeling by Delia Sherman
Natalee wrote: "Isn't Maniac Magee about an orphan? "
Yes, Maniac Magee is an orphan who shows up in a town and turns everything upside down. As most Spinelli, it is funny and poignant. It's really a book about race relations. A great upper elemetnary/middle school book.
I just finished 'The Unnameabless" by Ellen Booraem, and highly recommend it. It's one of those alternate society stories about an island where people are named for what they do and everything must have a use. Main character doesn't quite fit the mold, of course. You'll like it if you liked The Giver or Truesight. Five stars from me.
Here are some good titles, can't remember all the authors, sorry:
Shug
Out of Patience
Rules by Cnthia Lord
Mercy on these teenage chimps
Criss Cross by Perkins
Temping Fate by Freisher
Chick Here by Vega
So far in July I have read:
Total Constant Order by Crissa Jean Chappell
The Curse of Addy McMahon by Katie Davis
Beastly by Finn
Steinbeck's Ghost by Lewis Buzbee
I am currently reading The Unameables by Booraem
I have Savvy by Ingrid Law
The Girl who could fly byVictoria Forester
Skeleton Creek by Patrick Carman for this weekend
Books I've also read this month:
Greetings from Nowhere by O'Connor
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Kelly
Ghostgirl by Hurley
Darkwood by Breen
The House of Power by Carman
Incantation by Hoffman
Changeling by Sherman
Lisa wrote: "It was written at a time when there was no ya. It's an adult novel. Because of the ages of some of the characters and because of the fact that many teenagers read it on their own or for school, it ..."
Thanks, I hadn't looked at the original copyright date. That does explain a lot.
Angie wrote: "It starts out kinda slow to me... like a Jane Austen novel. They always start slow to me. It reads more as an adult book to me then a young adult book. "
Yes, it was in the adult section at B&N.
I started this today in Barnes & Noble sipping a latte & waiting for my husband to find his books. I have to say, it didn't grab me. I probably got through 3 chapters. Since it's not something I would donate to my middle school library, I decided not to buy it but to get it at the library. I will continue, but not a fan so far.
London wrote: "oh and finish the last two book in the maximum ride series too... but the first three were way better than the fourth one is right now... i mean global warming??? please..."
The fourth one is the weakest in the series, almost like he published it before he was finished. The fifth one is good again, though, so hang in there.
