STUDENT REVIEW - Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

Every Soul a Star

By Wendy Mass

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2009

336 pages (hardcover)

And as streams of light fan out behind the darkened sun like the wings of a butterfly, I realize that I never saw real beauty until now.

At Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, thousands have gathered to catch a glimpse of a rare and extraordinary total eclipse of the sun. Three lives are about to be changed forever:

Ally: Ally likes the simple things in life-labyrinths, star-gazing, and comet-hunting. Her home, the moon shadow campground, is a part of who she is. She refuses to imagine it any other way.

Bree: Popular, gorgeous (everybody says so), a future homecoming queen for sure. Bree wears her beauty like a suit of armor. But what is she trying to hide?

Jack: Overweight and awkward, jack is used to spending a lot of time alone. But when opportunity knocks, he finds himself in situations he never would have imagined.

Told from three distinct voices and perspectives, Wendy Mass weaves an intricate and compelling story about strangers coming together, unlikely friendships, and finding one's place in the universe.  (from barnesandnoble.com)

It is a good book because it keeps readers on the edge of their seat. It could have more description. Yes, I would DEFINITELY recommend this to a middle schooler because it would be a very good discussion book.

--Sequoia R.

The Scholastic Book Fair is Here!!!

The Scholastic Book Fair is Here!!! 

Thanks to some wonderful UMS Student Council members, the book fair will be open in the library during ELA classes and then it will be in the Main Foyer during Parent/Teacher Conferences. Below are the times the book fair will be open. Students may come in with passes during these periods to purchase books or they can look/buy during their ELA period. 


SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR OPEN PERIODS 
Wednesday, October 30th 
     Period 2            Period 3            Period 7           Period 8           Period 9 
Thursday, October 31st 
     Period 1            Period 2            Period 7            Period 8 
Monday, November 4th 
     Period 1            Period 2            Period 5            Period 7            Period 8 
Tuesday, November 5th 
     Period 1            Period 2            Period 5            Period 6 
Wednesday, November 6th 
     Period 2            Period 3            Period 7            Period 8            Period 9 
Thursday, November 7th 
     Period 1            Period 2            Period 5            Period 7            Period 8 


The Book Fair will be in the Main Foyer during Parent/Teacher Conferences: 
Thursday, November 7th from 4pm-8pm & Friday, November 8th from 7:30am-11:30am

STUDENT REVIEW - Deep Wizardry by Diane Duane

Deep Wizardry

By Diane Duane

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001

384 pages (hardcover)

Coming to the aid of a wounded whale, Kit and Nita are plunged into deep wizardry. The whale is a wizard, and she enlists Kit and Nita in battle against the sinister Lone Power. Becoming whales themselves, Nita and Kit join in an ancient ritual performed by whales, dolphins, and a single fearsome shark. But which poses more of a danger: the Lone Power, or ed'Rashtekaresket, the enormous shark as old as the sea? (from barnesandnoble.com)

Something that was good about this book is that it was full of adventure and magic. I loved that this book didn’t just have fantasy in it, but it also has a little bit of science in it. Something that could be improved in this book is that this book could mix genres so it can be more exciting. Yes, I would recommend this book to a middle schooler because I know that middle schoolers LOVE fantasy books filled with adventure.

--Justin C.

TOP TEN TUESDAY: My Top Ten Character Names

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. Today’s topic is My Top Ten Character Names!

With two more kiddos on the way (2 more months!), my husband and I often discuss names. Most of the time the names I come up with are from books... ha! Actually, I have stopped telling my husband that my name selections are from books so I don’t get a “look” and the name doesn’t get immediately rejected.

So what will we name the twins? We don’t know yet and we might not decide until we meet them.**

  

  

• Emmett - from Twilight by Stephanie Meyers 
• Gilbert - from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery 
• Holden – from Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 
• Finnick (Finn) – from Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins 
• Madeline/Maddy/Maddie – from the Madeline books by Ludwig Bemelmans and Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein 
• Charlotte – from The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi 
• Felicity – from the American Girl Felicity series by Valerie Tripp 
• Matilda – from Matilda by Roald Dahl 
• Tris – from Divergent by Veronica Roth 
• Harper - the author of To Kill a Mockingbird

**It is extremely doubtful that any of these names will belong to one of our children. Quite a few of them are already taken by relatives, the names don’t go with the middle names we want, or they have been vetoed by my husband.