Thursday, October 30, 2014

Armageddon

Armageddon is by James Patterson. The fifth book in the Daniel X series. Daniel and his friends take on Number 2, who turns out to be the devil himself. This book is different from the others in the series. Daniel gets help from the FBI and finds a new love interest. The theme of good versus evil is there, but a much more moral take on the story.

Ratings: 7th grade - 8 out of 10 - V (violence).

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

The Weird Sisters

The Weird Sisters is by Eleanor Brown. This is the story of three very different sisters who return to their childhood home when their mother develops breast cancer. They live in a small college town where their father is a professor specializing in Shakespeare. The daughters, named after Shakespearean heroines, have a hard time communicating with each other and with their parents. This is a story of sibling rivalry, and finding yourself; it is also a story of what it really means to be an adult. A well written and moving story.

Ratings: Adult - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content).

Sunday, October 26, 2014

SeinLanguage

Seinlanguage is by Jerry Seinfeld. A book of humorous essays by one of America's funniest comedians. Covering everything from childhood, to television, work, and being an adult. Fans of Seinfeld will enjoy this book.

Ratings: 10th grade - 7 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content).

Still Life With Crows

Still Life With Crows is by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The fourth book in the Pendergast series. FBI Agent Pendergast heads to Medicine Creek, Kansas, on a "vacation". A serial killer is on the loose in the town and he (or it) is butchering town folk in particularly gruesome ways. It's up to Pendergast to discover the hiding place and identity of the killer before he kills Pendergast's new "assistant", the local town misfit. Fans of this series will NOT be disappointed!

Ratings: Adult - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence).

If You Truly Love Me

If You Truly Love Me is by Magda Herzberger. A charming book of poetry presented by a wife to her husband on their sixtieth wedding anniversary. Illustrated by her daughter.

Ratings: 8th grade - 7 out of 10.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

The Library of Graphic Novelists: Neil Gaiman

The Library of Graphic Novelists: Neil Gaiman is by Steven P. Olson. Gaiman, who is the author of adult and young adult novels, is also a well known graphic novelist. This part of his career is the focus of this well written and illustrated biography. A great way to introduce boys to non-fiction.

Ratings: 6th grade - 9 out of 10.

The Serpent on the Crown

The Serpent on the Crown is by Elizabeth Peters. The seventeenth book in the Amelia Peabody series. A woman appears at the Emerson home and gives a priceless gold statue into Emerson's keeping. She says it is cursed and begs him to get rid of it. Emerson is more interested in discovering where it came from. Then the woman is found murdered and there are attempts on Ramses' life. Another exciting installment in this mystery series fans will love.

Ratings: 9th grade - 8 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content).

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread is by Kate DiCamillo. A charming children's tale of a mouse in love with a princess named Pea. He must save her from a rat bent on revenge and a serving girl who wants to be a princess.

Ratings: 5th grade - 8 out of 10.

A Bug Collection

A Bug Collection is by Melody Mansfield. Not a book for children! This book is a collection of short stories and poems in which the characters are bugs: roaches, ants, maggots, caterpillars, bees, and every other imaginable insect. Some of the tales are original and others are based on famous works of fiction, famous television characters, and you might even recognize a politician or two. A fascinating book that is as original and charming as it was surprising.

Ratings: Adult - 10 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (mature thematic content) - V (violence).

A Passion for Books: A Book Lover's Treasury of Stories, Essays, Humor, Lore, and Lists on Collecting, Reading, Borrowing, Lending, Caring for, and Appreciating Books

A Passion for Books: A Book Lover's Treasury of Stories, Essays, Humor, Lore, and Lists on Collecting, Reading, Borrowing, Lending, Caring for, and Appreciating Books is by Harold Rabinowitz and Rob Kaplan. Exactly what the title says it is, a charming assortment of essays, stories, and lists about everything to do with books. The forward is by Ray Bradbury and the essays and stories are by an assortment of bibliophiles. If you don't understand book lovers read this book, it may help you; if you are a bibliomaniac - you are not alone.

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10.

Five Flavors of Dumb

Five Flavors of Dumb is by Antony John. Piper is a senior in high school who needs money for college. When she is challenged to become the manager for the school's popular rock band in return for a share of the profits, she can't refuse. There's only one problem, Piper is deaf. An amusing tale of teen angst, coming of age, and rock and roll. Girls and boys alike will enjoy Piper's struggles to make a band out of a group of disparate teenagers and overcome her own physical challenges.

Ratings: 9th grade - 9 out of 10 - P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content).

Guardian of the Horizon

Guardian of the Horizon is by Elizabeth Peters. The sixteenth installment in the Amelia Peabody series. This novel is set in the time period before the start of WWI. The Emersons are summoned back to the Lost Oasis, supposedly to assist Tarek with a mysterious illness. Things are never what they seem with the Emersons however, and when they arrive they discover they have been lured back into the middle of a civil war. Fans of the series will enjoy this book and still be hungry for more of the Emerson clan.

Ratings: 8th grade - 9 out of 10 -  P (profanity) - AC (some mature thematic content).

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Graphic Classics Volume 11: O. Henry

Graphic Classics Volume 11: O. Henry is by O. Henry and Mort Castle. A selection of O. Henry's greatest stories in graphic novel form. They tales are wonderfully told and the variety of graphic design will appeal to readers of all ages. A fantastic way to get reluctant readers to experience this master storyteller.

Ratings: 6th grade - 9 out of 10.

Extraordinary

Extraordinary is by Nancy Werlin. Phoebe finds herself drawn to the new girl at her school; a girl who needs a friend. Years later Mallory announces she has a brother who is coming to live with her. Phoebe is inexplicably drawn to Ryland and finds herself doing things she never thought she was capable of. But Mallory and Ryland are not what they seem, they are faeries. They have come to manipulate Phoebe into paying a debt which will cost her life, but will save the faerie race. Will Phoebe give her life for another race?

Ratings: 9th grade - 7 out of 10 - AC (some mature thematic content) - MP (profanity).

Amelia Peabody's Egypt: A Compendium Book

Amelia Peabody's Egypt: A Compendium Book is by Elizabeth Peters, Kristen Whitbread, and Dennis Forbes. A look at the history and culture presented in the Amelia Peabody Mysteries. Fictional information and characters from the novels are thrown in, but there is also a look at the Victorian Era and Ancient Egypt.  A must-have for fans of the series.

Ratings: 8th grade - 8 out of 10.

Monday, October 6, 2014

The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems

The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems is by Billy Collins. The former Poet Laureate is at his best in this charming and accessible book of poems. A great poetry book for those who don't love poetry, or at least don't think they do, as well as for those who do love it.

Ratings: 7th grade - 10 out of 10.

A History of Fashion and Costume: Elizabethan England

A History of Fashion and Costume: Elizabethan England is by Kathy Elgin. A charming and well illustrated look at the history and fashion of Elizabethan England. A great way to get young readers to examine history.

Ratings: 5th grade - 7 out of 10.

Myths of Russia and the Slavs

Myths of Russia and the Slavs is by Anita Dalal. An interesting selection of Russian and Slavic myths and legends combined with just enough history to make them understandable. A great introduction for young readers.

Ratings: 5th grade - 8 out of 10.

Redwall

Redwall is by Brian Jacques. The first installment of the Redwall series. Matthias is a young mouse whose hero is Martin the Warrior. He lives at Redwall Abbey with a collection of other forest animals. When an evil rat army tries to overrun Redwall, Matthias must find the legendary sword of Martin the Warrior and defend his home and friends and find the courage he never knew he possessed.

Ratings: 6th grade - 8 out of 10.