Do You Believe in Magic?

Two down and one to go.... books which involve magic that is. This one is titled "The Grimm Legacy" by Polly Shulman. Grimm refers to The Brothers Grimm, authors of a multitude of fairy tales which always have an element of magic; dancing slippers or seven league boots, artifacts which help or sometimes hinder the hero of a story.

In this book magical artifacts are a part of a very special lending Library in New York. Yes, you can actually take out and use something magical. At the beginning we meet Elizabeth, a teenage girl living with her father and stepmother and has two stepsisters. She has always loved fairy tales as they connect her to her mother. After doing a school assignment on The Brothers Grimm, Elizabeth is asked by her teacher if she would like a job at this special Library. Not fitting in at school she is anxious for the opportunity and, after a very unusual interview, she gets the job. There it is her responsibility to find old and unusual objects that people would like to borrow, like a 19th century doublet, and send them down to the main circulating area through a system of pneums.

There are 3 other pages (a term to describe the students who work there) who show her the ropes and fill her in on the mystery of some disappearing magical objects from the Grimm Collection, a very special collection that only a few people are able to access and use. They also tell her of the mysterious disappearance of two young workers. Weird things happen, magic is used and Elizabeth is torn in who to believe.

I quite liked this book with its interesting characters, of things that are not as they seem, of the very real danger of using things that could have disastrous results. Many parts kept me on the edge of my seat and I think you will like the adventure as well as the romance.

Lots of Reading..

"The Girl Who Could Fly" by Victoria Forester... loved it because of a wonderful imaginative plot and a battle of good and evil...



"The Thirteen Treasures" by Michelle Harrison... good because of the evil fairies who play havoc with Tanya.
"Neil Flambe and the Aztec Abduction" by Kevin Sylvester. Not as good as the "Marco Polo Murders" as it jumps around quite a bit and you have to concentrate a bit more but still
very entertaining character. Neil is competing in a cooking contest in Mexico when his friend is kidnapped and he tries to find her before it is too late.

"We the Children" by Andrew Clement whom I love.. but this book feels very unfinished... like they wanted to do a series so just stopped in the middle but not even at a critical point.

Benjamin 's school is going to be demolished but on this particular morning the janitor presses an old coin into Benjamin's hand along with the instruction to save the school. And then the janitor dies. More of a mystery occurs as the assistant janitor is not whom he seems and is watching Benjamin and his friend Jill as they try to figure out how to stop the wrecking ball..

The Scorch Trials

I have learned that I best write when I have just finished reading as the impact of the book is still fresh in my mind. My other recent reads over the holidays have faded and I will have to revisit them to regain their full effect.

So here it is New Years Day and I have just finished "The Scorch Trials" by James Dashner. This is the sequel to "The Maze Runner" and I will let you know now that this is not the end.

This book is for the very mature reader, ones who like "The Hunger Games" I think will like this one. But this is even darker and more evil in its theme. The characters are watched and manipulated however not for the entertainment of a country but for the survival of the world and nothing is sacred, certainly not life.

At the beginning of this book Thomas and his Gladers think they are finally safe from Wicked, the organization responsible for the Maze. Quickly they find out this is not so. There is another trial they are forced into where these few remaining boys are given the seemingly impossible task of making it across one hundred miles of vast wasteland to a safe haven while hindered by Cranks, deteriorating humans infected with a disease, and science fuelled monsters as well as horrific weather conditions; unbearable heat and severe lightning strikes.

Thrown into this equation is the fact that Thomas's friend Teresa has been taken, replaced by a boy who describes the exact same experience Thomas and his friends have gone through with one exception, the players were girls with him being the only boy.

Memories surface that describe patterns and variables being used in this trial and Thomas knows the stakes to survive have been raised.

This is such a thriller but certainly not for the faint of heart.

What are you reading today?

Walls

"Walls Within Walls" by Maureen Sherry is quite a fascinating book that includes a mystery to be solved by figuring out puzzles. I do like puzzles!

Our story takes place in New York City in a very amazing building, once the home to a very rich gentleman with the name Post. He loved puzzles and created one to lead the way to where most of his fabulous wealth was hidden. The only problem was... his heirs didn't get the first clue and no one has ever admitted to finding it.

Fast forward about 65 years and this grand apartment, now divided into 4 apartments, is the home to 3 children just moved from Brooklyn after their dad has "struck it rich" after inventing video games. The first thing to start this mystery rolling is the discovery of a painting of a very large eye behind a bedroom wall along with a very old Library book due around 65 years ago with instructions to return it. They take it back to the Library and to their amazement, after paying a $76.00 fine, are given another book in which is a series of poems. The hidden painting and panels behind their walls hint at finding symbols connected to these poems around New York and pushing the symbols on a hidden map will release "the golden water". An elderly neighbour or two seem also to be very interested in all of this.

Hmm - has this gotten your attention yet?

Lots of New York geography and history come into the plot as the group tries to see if this puzzles does indeed lead them to the treasure. Bets?

What are you reading today?

Big Nate

And now for something completely different!

Okay, I admit it... I liked it! What am I referring to? "Big Nate: In a Class by Himself" by Lincoln Peirce. I also have to admit I have never read any of the Wimpy Kids books so I am not really sure how this compares but I think it is very similar in style and audience. You can see Jeff Kinney's recommendation on the cover.

Cartoons generously illustrate the events and while the plot is not earth shattering it is almost plausible! I mean have you ever had a fortune cookie that tells you that today you will "surpass all others' and been very excited? That's what happens to Nate and he looks for opportunities everywhere... the only problem is that he keeps getting pink detention slips when things don't work out to plan. I found myself chuckling through much of the book and know I have many students I can recommend this book to!

You will have to read to see if the fortune comes true!

What are you reading today?

Out of My Mind

"Out of My Mind" by Sharon Draper is one of those amazing books that kept me reading into the wee hours of the night when I knew I had an early start. It didn't matter... I had to finish and it was worth it. It brought me to tears (Page 138!) and I cheered and applauded so many small yet meaningful victories throughout.

"Words. I'm surrounded by thousands of words. Maybe millions. ...... Words have swirled around me like snowflakes, each one delicate and different, each one melting untouched in my hands."

And with these words we begin the story of Melody, an eleven year old girl who has never used these words, she has never spoken, she has never written. She can't... she has cerebral palsy. Her body is her prison but inside this prison there is an amazing girl, one who has a photographic memory and is brilliant.

Her doctors and teachers think she is incapable of learning but her parents and caregiver believe in her and insist on sending her to school. Her classmates are all special and the program she is in in driving her "out of her mind" with its mindless repetition of the alphabet and cartoons until one day Melody discovers something that will change her world, something that will give her a voice where she can be heard.

Read this book - you will love it too.

What are you reading today?

Tough and Sweet

That is the description of Turtle, the name of the main character in "Turtle in Paradise" by Jennifer L. Holm.

Turtle is an 11 year old girl sent to live with her aunt and cousins in the hot, humid Florida Keys in June 1935. Because of the depression and shortage of jobs, her mother is lucky to take a position as a housekeeper but no kids are welcome so off Turtle goes. Not only has she never been to Florida before, her relatives don't even know she is coming! You can only imagine the adjustment for her 3 very rambunctious boy cousins!

Boys are always boys whether it be 1935 or 2010; loud, cheeky, each with very distinct personalities and, especially Bean, always looking for trouble. Not allowed to be in the "Diaper Gang", not realizing she actually has a grandmother living there, Turtle, named because of the shell she has enveloped herself in, is quickly caught up in all the family dynamics but can certainly give as good as she gets. She is absolutely delightful; gutsy and wise and I love her first interactions with her mean grandmother!

The language is that of the time, references are made to Shirley Temple and Little Orphan Annie and to know a little of the era really makes this little gem come alive. Stick with it... and you will discover if the gang finds a hidden treasure.

What are you reading today?