Sunday, August 25, 2013

The Trailer for Divergent!

Here is a first look at the movie trailer for Divergent!

Divergent the Movie

Do you think it looks like how you imagined it when you read the book?



Also... the final book in the series comes out October 22nd! I will definitely be getting it on its release day!


Thursday, August 15, 2013

STUDENT REVIEW - Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

Wait Till Helen Comes
By Mary Dowling Hahn
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1986
192 pages (paperback)

Since its publication in 1986, the deliciously frightening novel Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story has not only haunted countless readers, it has also won 11 state book awards. The spine-chilling tale begins when 12-year-old Molly and her 10-year-old brother Michael learn they’ll be moving to a refurbished old church in rural Maryland with their mother’s new husband Dave and their younger stepsister Heather. Heather is an insufferable brat, but that turns out to be the least of the family’s worries. When she strikes up a friendship with Helen, the malevolent ghost of a seven-year-old girl who died in a mysterious fire more than 100 years ago, things really heat up… and Heather’s unsettling threat "Wait till Helen comes" becomes a grim reality. (from barnesandnoble.com)


It scared me, but not too much. If it was longer it would be more interesting. Yes, [I would recommend this book] because it is really good for the horror genre.
--Isabella S.

Monday, August 12, 2013

TOP TEN TUESDAY: My Top Ten Books With A School Setting

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is My Top Ten Books With A School Setting.

School is a HUGE part of people’s lives between ages 5-18 (and even longer if you work at a school) so I always like to get books about school. From funny stories to poignant ones and stories set at boarding school to ones set in public school, books about school can help us learn how to deal with all sorts of things, and laugh in the process. Here are some of my favorites!





  • Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
  • The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
  • The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  • The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
  • Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
  • The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
  • Wonder by R.J. Palacio
  • Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
  • Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa



The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden book #2)
By Julie Kagawa
Published by Harlequin, April 2013
448 pages (hardcover)
Source: NetGalley

In Allison Sekemoto's world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood.
She has done the unthinkable: died so that might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allie's birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever—and possibly end human and vampire existence.
There's a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago—and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time.
Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make. (from barnesandnoble.com)


Oh good grief Julie Kagawa… you sure do know how to freak me out. I read this right before a quick trip to Chicago and, while stuck in traffic, all I could think about were your descriptions of abandoned cars along interstates where surviving humans brutally die.

For me, the start of the book was slow going, probably because I had read The Immortal Rules almost a year before so I was trying to remember what had happened. Also, (spoiler alert!) there are some scenes that take place in D.C. and some of the monument references seemed a little hokey.

But then the book just took off with lots of suspense, backstabbing, angst, romance, surprise characters & alliances, gore, and brilliant writing. Regardless of the weird dreams I kept having, I couldn’t put the book down. The Eternity Cure is a beautifully written horrific tale of vampires, humans, and survival. Seriously… you need to read this book.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

TOP TEN TUESDAY: My Top Ten Books I Wish Could Have Sequels



Top 10 Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is My Top Ten Books I Wish Could Have Sequels.

Sometimes finishing a book is kind of sad because you have grown to know and love the characters/world and obviously want more.



Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
Was she reformed?

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
What mischief did she get into next?

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
Duh.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Did Scarlet and Rhett ever get back together? 

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Once Colin goes to college, what girls does he meet and what mathy things does he do?

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
I think there could be a lot more to Bod’s life.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Tell me about the rest of their high school years.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
What amazing things did the characters do with the rest of their lives?

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
While Elizabeth Wein has written a companion novel (Rose Under Fire) that gives us some character updates, I would have liked a whole book about the Code Name Verity characters and how the rest of the war affects their lives.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
I think it would be hard to make a sequel to this, but I think the premise was interesting and the story was so intriguing. I just wanted to keep reading.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

STUDENT REVIEW - Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House on the Prairie
By Laura Ingalls Wilder
Published by Harper Collins Publishers, 2004
352 pages (paperback)

Long, long ago, a little girl named Laura Ingalls headed west toward the prairie with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters, Mary and Carrie, and their good old bulldog, Jack. They traveled far each day in their covered wagon, driving through tall grass until they found just the right spot for their new home. With the help of their kind neighbor, Mr. Edwards, Pa built a snug little house for the family in the middle of the wide-open prairie. (from barnesandnoble.com)

This book shows a very clear description of everything you see. The ending crashed the whole book down, it could have been different because it completely changed the story. Yes, [middle schoolers should read this book] because every image was every easy to see because of the great descriptions.
--Heba S.