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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.

Geek Girl LOL funny

7/20/2013

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Normally this isn't my type of book AT ALL, but I loved it. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the descriptions and reading passages to whomever happened to be nearby! The similes and metaphors are fresh and powerful and the humor is believable. I think Smale's modeling experience shines through in her writing. It's her insightful observations of human nature that makes the book so darn funny.
Definitely an author I'm going to follow and I'll be putting a couple copies of this title on our library shelves.
Harriet Manners does not intend to break her best friend's heart by landing the career opportunity that Nat has dreamed of her whole life. She does not set out to make her parents angry with her and she certainly doesn't mean to downplay their roles as parents, but she does all of this and more in Smale's hilarious debut novel.
This is the perfect book for girls who want a little bit of humor, a little romance, and a whole lot of laughing out loud as you turn the pages!

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Planet Tad by Tim Carvell

8/8/2012

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Not often do I not enjoy a book, but this one just didn't do much for me. My big problem with the book is that the author had NO idea how a grade six going into grade seven behaves, and as a result, his twelve year old character, Tad, was not at all believable. Carvell mixes things from the primary years (dinosaurs and drawing dinosaurs where people's faces would normally be) with actions and events from high school such as being the parents of an egg child in a health class or reading Animal Farm; both of those activities are done in high school here. So, because I didn't get the feeling that Tad was an authentic twelve year old, I didn't enjoy the story as much as I might have if his actions had been believable for a middle school student. Also, it's supposed to be a blog he's writing, so having it written in a book just seemed kind of fake. It did have some funny comments, but overall the book just didn't work. Having said that, I think kids who liked the Captain Underpants series as primary students will enjoy this book.

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Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook

7/5/2012

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Isobel is a very likeable character; she's honest, funny, gutsy and original. I sympathized with her plight from the first page; her mom marries someone she's known for only a few months and uproots Isobel in her final year of high school to  live in a run down mansion which has all kinds of grisly rumors associated with it. Girls have disappeared after announcing that they were going to visit the house, a crazy woman was locked up in the attic, and her step father's first wife and child died in a boating accident in the nearby waters. When Isobel starts looking a bit deeper into the mystery surrounding these events, she finds some information that could lead her into serious trouble. I'd recommend this to mystery lovers who enjoy some lightheartedness in their stories. The book does contain some profanity, so if you're sensitive to language, you've been warned.

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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.

    goodreads.com

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