What I am currently reading:

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein (FIC GRA) 

This book is about a group of kids who win an essay contest and get to spend the night in the new town library. This is no ordinary library. After the old library closed, the wealthy and famous Mr. Lemoncello is financing the new one (he is an inventor of amazing games). It has taken 12 years to complete and this group of kids will be the first to see it. 

Now I love libraries (I am a librarian!) but I bet you are thinking so what, why would these kids want to spend the night in one? What if I told you that it had holograms, video screens on the ceiling, a game room with all the latest electronic games, fiction shelves 3 stories high that require using a special magnetic hover craft to retrieve your book! Would you want to visit it now? I would.

I'm only halfway through this book and I don't want to put it down. The kids just found out they are trapped in the library and have to solve a puzzle to get out! 

This book is full of games, puzzles, books, action and humor. Even if the library is not your favorite place to be, I bet you'd want to get lost in Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. 

Book Review - Flora & Ulysses

I just read the Newbery award winner for this year, Flora and Ulysses. It is by Kate DiCamillo, one of my favorite authors. 

I enjoyed this funny, fantastical tale of Flora and a very special squirrel, Ulysses. There is an unforgettable scene at the beginning of the book where a squirrel is accidentally vacuumed by a powerful outdoor vacuum. Then strange and amazing things happen. It includes short sections of illustrations in graphic novel format, Flora's favorite book to read is a comic. If you like superheroes, humor and adventure then you must read this book!!

Book Review - The Year of Billy Miller

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes won a Newberry Honor award this year. Henkes is famous for his picture books including Chrysanthemum, Lily's Purple Plastic Purse, Wemberly Worried, Kitten's First Full Moon (a Caldecott award winner) and many others.

The Year of Billy Miller is divided into four sections, each focusing on a different person in Billy's life. Billy is just starting the 2nd grade and worried about being smart enough. After a misunderstanding with his teacher, Ms. Silver, Billy tries to show her he likes her by bringing her silver gifts. This moment allows them to talk in private and eventually Billy shares his worries. His fears are forgotten when Ms. Silver tells him that he is smart. This book is full of touching moments between Billy, his friends and family. It would be an excellent read aloud to a younger child.

 

I couldn't put it down!

I have always been a fan of natural disaster movies. I love to see what new way the planet will be destroyed and how humans will rally together to overcome these new incredible obstacles.

This book, Life As We Knew It, is the ultimate disaster book. It centers around Miranda, a 16 year old girl in Pennsylvania. An asteroid is headed towards the moon and everyone is planning to watch this historic event. Scientists believed it would crash into the moon, creating a new crater and because of its size people would be able to watch this event without a telescope. The asteroid is visible and crashes into the moon but then the moon gets bigger! It moves closer to earth and it's orbit is permanently changed. Immediately changes start happening on earth, flooding, power outages and eventually much worse. What starts out as an inconvenience turns into a struggle for survival. This is an amazing story that I could not put down!

If Only

This book was recommended by a student who reads voraciously. Once it was finally back in the library I took it home to read. I started reading it without knowing anything about it and was surprised and hooked. The book focuses on Corinna, as summer is ending and 8th grade is starting. But this year is much harder for Corinna because her mother has recently died of cancer. If Only deals with the grief of a lost parent in an honest but touching way. Corinna struggles with how her mom's death is affecting her friendships, her new worries about her dad and just how to get through each day. Not many books deal with such a real topic in a truthful yet positive way. An excellent book!

FIC GEI - for middle school only