What's your favorite book read in the last month?

[Jan]

What is the best book you have read so far this month?

Mine is Surrender, by Sonya Hartnett.

Jan

[Kaye]

I really like the Courtney Crumrin graphic novel series. It centers around a little witch that has a terrible attitude, which serves to mask how lonely she is. I just read volume 3, and I thought it was great.

[Jan]

I love Courtney! She's the best.

[Sarah]

I've read the first Courtney book and loved it!
I think my favorite from the past month would have to be Born to Rock by Gordon Korman. How could it not be; it centers around a young Republican on a punk rock festival. So funny!

[Amanda]

Read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak after hearing raves about it. Had to buy my own copy, there are 70 holds on it at my library.

Courtney is good, haven't kept up with it since I first started reading it a year or two ago however.

[Kaye]

I just read a book called So. B. It, and really enjoyed it. It is appropriate for older children and young adults.

[Becca]

I finally got around to reading Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, which had been on my TBR pile for a while. I thought it was a really great little book! My YA/childrens read right now is Ella Enchanted - I am not as enamoured of it as I have been of some others recently.

[Becca]

Another good one I read recently was The Book of Dead Days by Marcus Sedgewick. The sequel The Dark Flight Down was alright, but I didn't like it quite as much.

[Lorie]

I just finished reading Laurie Halse Anderson's new book, "Twisted." This was a great read; it showed how sometimes things can spiral out of control, how facts can be "twisted" into lies, and small event can escalate. I would recommend this book to all of my high school students, especially my male reluctant readers.

Another outstanding book I just read was "Breathing Underwater" by Alex Flynn. This is my favorite book that I've read this year; I love the way the author lets the story unfold. It starts out in a court room as our main character, Nick, is getting a restraining order put against him by his girlfriend. Nick is ordered to attend anger management classes and to keep a journal. It is through the journal that we learn what really happened. Again, I loved this book and would recommend it to all students, especially the males.

[Patty]

I'm currently reading "The Foreshadowing" and am really impressed by the way the narrative is structured. It's told from the end of the plot to the beginning.

I am also on a big "Coraline" kick. This is one of the scariest books I've ever read, and there's no gore in it at all. The image of the Other Mother is seared into my brain! Everyone I know who has read this just loves it.

[bjneary]

I absolutely loved this book and if you haven't read any of Zusack's other books, YOU MUST!

His first Fighting Ruben Wolf
and the next Getting the Girl and
the final one I am the Messenger
You will not be disappointed - he is my newest, best YA author!

[bjneary]

I think Lizzie is a great historical fiction/multicultural book that i BOOKTALK to teens and they like it!

[bjneary]

I loved both of these "boy books" and both authors are female! They do a great job of getting into the male psyche and telling a great story!

[Heather]

My favorite has been Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and her sequel New Moon.

[bjneary]

I just finished, Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Staples, she also wrote the book, Shabanu. They are both about Afghanistan and teens growing up in a time of great conflict. I loved both books, they are multicultural and explore how beautiful their country is, Islam and family and cultural values. Great books!

[Anna]

I just read Luthiel's Song by Robert Marston Fanney. If you're interested in an excellent fantasy, you may want to check it out.

[Amanda]

Lorie: If you liked Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn, try the sequel, Diva. It's about what happens to Caitlyn after she has broken up with Nick.

[Amber]

my favorite book this month is Man Hunting by Jennifer Cruise

[Melissa]

The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

[bjneary]

Lorie I put Diva in our book order so we can read it this fall! Thanks Amanda!
BJ

[Amber]

I have Diva in my room it's gonna be the next book I read

[bjneary]

Let us know what you think since we won't get to it until fall! BJ

[David]

Stargirl (Spinelli), Nothing But the Truth (Avi), Speak (Anderson) – all for young readers, and all dealing, to some degree, with social isolation themes.

[Brandy]

Jack Gantos, _Desire Lines_, about a high school boy who knows a scandalous secret about two classmates--and how easy it is to sell others out to protect oneself.

[Jocelyn]

How is Desire Lines? It's on my to read stack.

My most recent favorite is Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Excellent book!

[Brandy]

Desire Lines? It's a pretty quick read, engrossing, and in its way, heartbreaking. It's rare to see a teenage boy portrayed so realistically, with all the problems and fears and insecurities that teen boys actually have. It's also rare to find a book where the narrator does something awful and yet the book doesn't have a neon sign flashing "BIG IMPORTANT LESSON! MESSAGE! LIFE LESSONS!" It's one of the most realistic "teen realism" books I've ever read, and I was pleasantly amazed by it.

[Cindy]

I just finished Twilight and New Moon also (Heather) and I loved both of them. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series - Eclipse, which will come out in August.

[Sally]

I'm in the middle of The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. I'm also listening to the audio version of Uglies by Scott Westerfield. I'm completely engrossed in both!! I also can't wait for Stephenie Meyer's new book in the Twilight series, and I'm always waiting in great anticipation for Darren Shan's new Demonata book!

[bjneary]

I just loved The Book Thief- 550 pages seemed like 100! I just love the way Zusack writes! His voice, not matter if he is Liesel or her father or Death is so mesmerizing. I can't say enough about him as an author. Read his other books and I promise you will not be disappointed. I booktalk them to high school students and they love them- but I Am the Messenger is also a great adult novel by Zusack(just like The Book Thief)

BJ

[Diane]

I just read What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles. It was so good I had a hard time putting it down to do any work. 2 other favorites that I have read lately are The Warrior Heir and The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima.

[Sharon]

I recently read the book Chanda's Secrets by Allan Stratton. The story is about a young girl in Africa who lives in a village where AIDS is very prevalent, but is considered a disgrace and those who have it are ostracized. This creates an environment of lies and denial which is finally brought home to her at the end of the book. Highly recommended.

[Heidi]

I just finished The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. It's sweet and predictable, but gritty enough to keep it from being sappy. It was on our library's "Fairy Tales for Adults" list, and I think that's a good description.

[Book]

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Twilight, and New Moon.

<3 them all.

[Alexander]

"Consider Phlebas", Iain M. Banks

[Elisabeth]

I have fallen madly in love with Megan Whelan Turner's trilogy The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, and The King of Attolia.

[Amber]

It's an old book But I love Manic Magee. Does anyone like that book too.

[Cindy]

I loved Maniac Magee also. One of his characteristics that I loved best was that he was always running wherever he went, I try and do that whenever I can!

[Alexis]

I just finished "The Last Dragon" by Silvana De Mari. I can't recommend this one enough. It has some crazy, laugh out loud parts! It is one strange fantasy and I loved every bit of it. I hope the author writes a sequel! I also loved "The Goose Girl". I also found it predictable but I really enjoyed Ani's personality and am on to read "River Secrets".

[Meghan]

Crooked Little Heart by Anne Lamott. it's fantastic.

[bjneary]

I just finished 2 great young adult books, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson. Two very different books but I loved both of them. The Christopher Killer is a forensic mystery and this teen helps her dad who is the coroner solve a murder that ends up being the 4th murder by the same killer and is a girl she knew and worked with. There was the right amount of suspense, Cameryn is spunky and very knowledgable (helps her dad with her book knowledge).
Twilight was so erotic, scary, romantic and about vampires (which I am not interested in at all)and hooked me from the lst page. Stephenie Meyer has that unique ability to grip you with her descriptions of the tortuously beautiful Edward Cullen and his clutzy, human love Bella! I can't wait to go out and buy the sequel!
BJ

[[deleted user]]

My favorite has been "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak.

[bjneary]

Acceleration by Graham McNamee was a thriller about a teen who works a dead end job in an underground lost and found in Toronto. He comes across a journal by a guy he names "Roach" who has been killing animals, staring fires and escalating to killing women. Duncan races against time to try to find out who the freak is and stop him from killing one of the three women he has been following on the subway.
The Battle of Jericho by Sharon Draper is so awesome, about a group of high school boys and one girl who pledge an exclusive club only to find it is run by sicko seniors who have escalated the initiation process to include hazing, lying and stealing, many things Jericho is against but feels he must do to join the Warriors of Distinction. A page turner!
BJ

[Jennifer]

Agreed on Twisted by Anderson. You feel so bad for the main character knowing that he is a good guy caught in a bad situation.

[Tatesha]

Just finished reading Teach Me by R.A. Nelson. It was a powerful and addictive book about the relationship between a High School student and her English teacher.

[bjneary]

I just finished reading 2 great and really different books! The Off Season is the sequel to Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock and the main character DJ Schwenk, is injured and has to give up football (the only girl on the team) in order to make sure her chances of getting a basketball scholarship are not in jeopardy. I can't wait to booktalk this book, BUT since my students live in the suburbs I don't know if they will relate to the "farm" life but I think the author does such a great job of covering the backbreaking work, how DJ's family is losing money on the farm and can't make desperately needed repairs and then her mother hurts her back and her brother is injured in a college football game. I couldn't put this book down.
The 2nd book, I loved and finished was "March" by Geraldine Brooks. If you haven't yet read her other book, Year of Wonders, pick it up immediately. But March is the story told by the father of the girls in the "Little Women" book, Mr March who is an ardent abolitionist and preacher in the Revolutionary War. The war from March's point of view changes as he spends more time in battle and sees the atrocities of slavery, the North and South wreak havoc on each other and his letters home are moving. A really great historical fiction novel from an awesome, awesome writer.
BJ

[Dorian]

I LOVEDD I AM THE MESSENGER!!
AAAAAAH!
such a good book!

[Dorian]

I LOVE MANIC MAGEE TOO!
he is TRULY a manic!
:)

[Dorian]

YEAH!
i felt SOO bad for him.
i was like WAT THE???
i would HATE to be in tht situation.
[in response to the book twisted:]

[bjneary]

Dorian, if you have not read all of Markus Zusack's books -- Fighting Ruben Wolf, Getting the Girl and The Book Thief--- they are all totally awesome. He is one of my favorite authors--I love his voice and the way his characters think and feel!
BJ

[Joncy]

Mine is recent and my fav, The Uninhabited Kind by H. Garni. The book is like so good. I couldn't stop reading it. If anything I found myself thinking about it all the time. I wondered if that's a true story or something. Anyway, I'm telling all my friends about it.