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Running with Sherman
by Christopher McDougall

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Running with Sherman was about SO much more than teaching a rescue donkey to run in a challenging race. It covers everything from the animal human bond to the health benefits of living off the grid. It is weirdly inspiring and positive and made me feel refreshed and energized just reading it. Perhaps I enjoyed it because of my own love of all things furry, perhaps because burro racing was a topic about which I knew nothing but for whatever reason I loved every page. Highly recommended.

The Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy

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I am intrigued by the idea of a person (rather than a disease) being able to steal memories. That’s what made me pick up this book and I’m so glad that I did. I loved it. I know that the background a person brings to a book impacts how they read it so perhaps events in my life made this book sing especially sweetly to me... I know it hasn’t received great reviews on Library thing but I thought it had a little bit of everything; adventure, romance, heartbreak, twists.... Granted, I do think the romance developed pretty quickly but who am I to say it couldn’t happens that fast?
There were lots of passages that stuck out for me but these two were my favourites:

“If I dwelled on my regrets, I wouldn’t have the strength to get out of bed every morning. We can’t forget what we’ve done, but it’s what we do with those regrets that mould us. We’re given a past to learn from and grow, but sometimes the greatest mistake can change your future for the better.”
and
“Hardly a minute goes by when I don't think of him, but in a way isn't that a lovely thing Julietta? To be so loved that you're always near one's thoughts? I see him every day through the memories we made together,...

Everything Sad is Untrue
by Daniel Nayeri

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The voice of middle school student Khosrou is beautiful and heartbreaking. The story jumps from his present day Oklahoma classroom to his past life in Isfahan and occasionally takes a detour into myths of demons and palaces and magic carpets. It took me a while to get invested in the story but it was well worth persisting. I only hope that the students who read this will also read enough to get themselves hooked. This is a memorable refugee story, one that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading.

A very large expanse of sea by Tahereh Mafi

3/31/2019

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The setting is 2002, right after 911. Shirin, a 16 year old American-born Muslim is sick of the racism and ignorance that is her daily reality. She has learned to just keep her head down and avoid attracting the attention that inevitably leads to ridiculous questions and hostile comments. Then she encounters Ocean.
Warning: Mature readers due to profanity and content. 
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The Disappearance of Sloane Sullivan

7/3/2018

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Now to be fair, the first thing you need to know is that I LOVE books where the main character is in a witness protection program. I’ve read lots of them and I’ve at least liked them all.
I devoured this book in one day and I know that it will fly off the shelf in my classroom, if it even makes it to the shelf after I book-talk it.
First of all, Sasha aka Sloane is feisty and fun and tough and very likeable. The only problem is that I don’t have a consistent picture in my head of how she looks.
Then there’s the two significant men in her life, Jason and Marc. Can’t even BEGIN to say enough about those two. I imagine both of them as being gorgeous but in separate ways.
I also loved that when I thought the book was winding down it really wasn’t; lots of twists and turns kept me guessing til the end. And lastly, in spite of what she says at the end about disappearing, I prefer to believe she’ll make that phone call.
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Under Rose-Tainted Skies by Louise Gornall

1/28/2017

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Sensationally told story that made me feel all the panic, frustration, fear and anxiety along with Norah the main character. Under Rose-tainted Skies was a book I just couldn't put down. Don't want to spoil the ending for you but I can tell you that the saying, "Bad is never good until worse happens" fits perfectly. Just when I thought things were as bad as they could get, they got worse. I'm certain my heart was beating 200 bpm while I was reading Chapter 35. Highly recommended with one small warning for those who like their YA books free from profanity; the F word is sprinkled quite liberally throughout the book.
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The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout

1/22/2017

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This is the perfect book for girls who crave angst mixed with romance. Mallory's past as an abused foster child has left her an emotional mess, and as a result she has extreme difficulty talking to strangers or groups bigger than one other person. She's been homeschooled up til now but when The Problem With Forever begins, she's starting her senior year at a public high school. Although it was Mallory's decision, she's having second thoughts. Then, on her first day, she meets the boy she grew up with in the foster home, the boy who basically saved her life over and over again; Rider Stark.
The majority of the book deals with Mallory trying to sort out her feelings since Rider has a girlfriend and is off limits, but obviously still cares for Mallory. Mallory eventually realizes that she wants to be more than friends. While this is all happening, there are several subplots including bad choices about running drugs which affect someone like a brother to Ridrr, and a best friend, Ainsley, who's losing her eyesight. Not long after they officially become boyfriend and girlfriend, Rider breaks up with her because he feels that he's not good enough. Mallory ends up saving him by pointing out some hard truths. There's a very touching speech scene near the end of the book and it did make a few tears well up.
The grade eight girls will love this story.
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Going Wild by Lisa McMann

1/5/2017

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Although the book took a little longer than I thought necessary to get going, the action did pick up enough to have me interested in what happens next. We've got four teens all with newly acquired bracelets and we really only know fully about the capabilities of one of them. I think my middle school students will enjoy this series once it's out.
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Bounce by Megan Shull

1/1/2017

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I think it is auspicious that the first book I read in 2017 turned out to be fabulous. I had read Megan Shull's "The Swap" and enjoyed it, but admittedly was surprised to see her tackling the idea of being in someone else's life yet again in Bounce. However, I found Bounce to be a much more serious and deeper story than The Swap. Bounce is told with such exquisite detail and raw honesty that I really felt Frankie was living those lives. It's the kind of book that will stay with me long after I've closed the pages. There's a great lesson to be learned from The Bounce without it being preachy, and although NOT at all the same, it kind of had a Dickens Christmas Carol feel to it for me. I also love that Frannie's actual life didn't magically become perfect when she returned to it and that she didn't crumble. It's been a while since I read a book that I loved, and I'm excited that the first book of 2017 was a winner. Yay!
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Scythe by Neal Shusterman

12/5/2016

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The premise of this book is interesting; set in a future when humans have eliminated death by wars, disease, age and crime, it has become necessary to cull the population through the use of Scythes; specially trained and appointed humans who are basically responsible for gleaning (selecting and killing) humans to keep the population down. CItra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe, and neither of them are eager to take on the job. They are even less thrilled when they find out that only one of them can become a scythe and the successful candidate will have to glean the other.
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Defender by Graham McNamee

11/13/2016

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I can almost guarantee that the fast action and simple language combined with the mystery of the dead body will entice my reluctant readers. Will be interested to see if it flies off the shelf as I suspect it will.
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Crossover and Booked by Kwame Alexander

10/10/2016

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As you might surmise from the covers, these books are very similar. They are both written in a free verse, hip hop poetry format, they both involve main characters who are male athletes, and they both involve some sort of personal challenge which interferes with the athlete's focus. Where the books differ is that one is about basketball and the second is about soccer, and the nature of their problems is different, although both obstacles originate from family. 
I am quite excited to share these stories with some of my reluctant readers since I think the format of the text combined with the content will be a winning combination. If you've used these books with reluctant readers, I'd love to hear how it went.
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Reading blitz...

9/11/2016

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So sometimes I just have to go on a crazy reading blitz, and this weekend was one of those times. Between Friday and now, I read these five books. Yes... I neglected everything else including lesson prep, housework, my husband, my son and my dog, but sometimes, I am seized by the reading addiction and I binge. 
Each one of these books has merits, although I did prefer some more than others. Here's a brief description in case you're interested in finding these @ our library on Monday.
Eleven and holding - Macy does not want to turn 12 if her father can't be at the celebration, and it looks like he won't be able to be there, but she doesn't understand why he is staying away from his home, and she doesn't understand what the "important business" could possibly be.
Orbiting Jupiter - This is one of the books chosen for the 2016 Global Read Aloud.
Jack gets a new 14 year old foster brother, Joseph, and he only knows a few things about him; he almost killed a teacher, he's just gotten out of jail, he has a baby daughter named Jupiter and he wants help to find her.
The Scourge - Ani Mells, one of the River People, gets captured by a town warden and tested for the Scourge, a contagious virus that results in death. Though she is certain that she doesn't have the disease, to her surprise she tests positive, and is sent to a quarantine colony on Attic Island, with her best friend, Weevil.
It's a Wonderful Death - Taken by mistake by the Grim Reaper before her time was up, Rowena Joy (R.J.) is determined to protest loudly enough that they let her back to Earth and to her old life. When Death himself makes a deal for her, she is given the chance to redo three critical moments in her life to determine whether her life was significant enough to make it worth their while to turn back time and let her live. Who doesn't love a chance to do something over again? 
Pax - This is one of the books chosen for the Global Read Aloud this year, and it is fabulous. I love how Pennypacker takes the intimate emotions of a character, and describes them to a tee. Highly recommend this story. Loved it even though the cover didn't grab me and so it sat on my TBR pile for a long, long time!


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    Janice’s quotes


    "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."— J.K. Rowling

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    Middle School former Teacher Librarian - then MYP math and science. Update... VERY recently retired! Still adjusting that I'm not just on summer vacation!!! 
    I believe there is no such thing as a non-reader; just people who haven't discovered what they want to read.
    If you read my reviews, please leave me a comment - I'd love to know that you're out there.

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    Janice's bookshelf: read

    Siege and Storm
    liked it
    Siege and Storm
    by Leigh Bardugo
    Just didn't enjoy it as much as Shadow and Bone. I just felt like the author was really trying a bit too hard to draw this story out. I was able to put it down several times and I couldn't put Shadow and Bone down so there's the differen...
    Ruin and Rising
    really liked it
    Ruin and Rising
    by Leigh Bardugo
    The Grisha triology is a fantasy series that I really enjoyed. I reread the last book because I thought I wasn't remembering something. I'm a bit confused because I've started King of Scars and Nikolai isn't as I remembered. Don't want...
    Don't Wake Up
    it was ok
    Don't Wake Up
    by Liz Lawler
    A Very Large Expanse of Sea
    it was amazing
    A Very Large Expanse of Sea
    by Tahereh Mafi
    I’m not usually someone who enjoys a story that is predominantly about the attraction between two people BUT I did like this one. The setting is one year after 9/11 and 16 year old Shirin, an American born Muslim whose family moves freq...
    Two Can Keep a Secret
    really liked it
    Two Can Keep a Secret
    by Karen M. McManus
    I love a good mystery, and although I correctly guessed the murderer in the first chapter, I still thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns.

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