Eclipse

Eclipse is the third book in the Twilight fantasy saga by Stephenie Meyer. The star-crossed love of Bella and Edward continues. The romance heats up a little in this one so beware. Still young adult and not graphic, but more intense as the two contemplate marriage - if they survive till the end of the book. Excellent story, makes you salivate for the upcoming final chapter - how much longer till August!?!

Ratings: 7th grade - 10 out of 10 - YA (young adult) - MR (mild romance)

New Moon

New Moon is the second book in the Twilight fantasy saga by Stephenie Meyer. Bella and Edward continue to struggle against the odds (and against each other) to keep their relationship going. This book spends a great deal of time (some would say too much) developing the character of Jacob Black. It's a slow start, but worth it in the end.

Ratings: 7th grade - 8 out of 10 - YA (young adult) - MR (mild romance)

Dark Hunter Series

The Dark Hunter series is by Sherrilyn Kenyon. A complete re-working of vampire mythology, these paranormal romances tie vampires to ancient Greek mythology. If you are looking for tragic heroes, fabulous heroines, evil Daimons, Were-animals galore, and massive interference from Greek/Roman/Sumerian/Atlantean gods and goddesses then this is the series for you. The plots are captivating and addictive. The characters make you laugh and cry. The dialogue is witty and the humor sarcastic. Oh, and did I mention vampires! NOTE: this series contains profanity and graphic sexual content. NOT recommended for those under 18.

Ratings: Adult -10 out of 10 - P (profanity) - GS (graphic sexual content)

Surviving the Applewhites

Surviving the Applewhites is by Stephanie S. Tolan. Jake Semple has a problem. His parents are in jail, he has been expelled from every school in the state, and has been dumped on a farm in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of wacko home schoolers. E.D. has a problem - Jake! Will Jake be able to cope or will he be thrown out by the Applewhites as well? Very funny realistic fiction book about learning to adapt and fit in.

Ratings: 6th grade - 8 out of 10

The Music of Dolphins

The Music of Dolphins is by Karen Hesse. Mila was raised by dolphins. After she is "rescued" can she adjust? Will she ever be a "normal" human, whatever that is? This is a good book about what it means to be human and how to cope with change.

Ratings: 6th Grade - 6 out of 10

Blister

Blister is by Susan Shreve. Alyssa Reed's life is a mess. Her mother and father are separating and she is forced to go to a new school. Alyssa decides to fight back. She steals some clothes from her father's girlfriend, renames herself Blister, and trys to come to terms with her new life. A touching and funny realistic fiction story of a 5th grader's look at her family's break up.

Ratings: 6th grade - 7 out of 10

Twilight

Twilight is the first book by Stephenie Meyer. Bella moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father. The first day at her new school she notices the Cullens. Wow, are they hot! There is something strange about them though. As she comes to know Edward, the youngest Cullen, she discovers that the family are vampires. Can Bella and Edward keep their relationship going against incredible odds? You'll have to read this fantasy book to find out.

Ratings: 7th grade - 10 out of 10 - YA (young adult) - MR (mild romance)

The Last Mission

The Last Mission is by Harry Mazer. It is a great historical fiction war story for boys. Jack Raab is a fifteen-year-old Jewish boy who uses his older brother's birth certificate to lie about his age and enlist in the Army Air Corp during WWII. The book tells the story of his training, his war experiences, and his homecoming. A great look at the effects of war on the soldiers involved. There is some serious profanity in this book; but it is typical of that used by soldier's in theater and not used for shock value.

Ratings: 8th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity)

Losing Christina

Losing Christina is a series of three fantasy books by Caroline B. Cooney. The books in the series are, in order, Fog, The Snow, and Fire. Christina is from a small island off the coast of Maine. She comes to live on the mainland to begin 7th grade. She is boarding with the school principal and his wife (her English teacher) in an old inn they own. She discovers that there is something very weird and evil about the Shevvingtons - won't spoil it for you. The books get better as they go along. You begin to wonder if Christina is ever going to win her fight against evil.

Ratings: 7th grade - 7 out of 10

Welcome to the Reader's Corner

This is where you come to read about, talk about, and review books. We LOVE books here. Anything and everything having to do with books is fair game for discussion.

This blog was the brainchild of three teachers who wanted to give our students a forum to find, discuss, and recommend books to us and each other. We promise to post, at least three times a week, reviews of books we think might be helpful to our students. This blog was designed for grades 7 and up. There will be discussion of adult books, but all content will be noted by the teacher posting. PLEASE check the ratings to check for anything you may deem questionable. Since this blog is new, please be patient till at least June 1st.

As with everything in life there are rules (we are teachers after all and what would teachers do without rules).
1. If it's not about books - go somewhere else. This is NOT myspace.
2. Please put the title of your book in the title/subject line of your post. This will help us keep the posts in better order.
3. Please look for a post with the title of your book and comment under that post, if one exists. Don't start a new thread about a book when one already exists. This will help make relevant posts easier to find for seekers.
4. If you click on the title of the book in a post it will take you to the Amazon.com page for that book. There you can order the book or find other information about it.
5. Read Read Read

We hope this blog will be helpful to you all.

Happy Reading,

Miss D.