“Hattie Big Sky,” by Kirby Larson is a Newberry Honor Award winning historical fiction novel about a sixteen-year-old girl who moves to Montana by herself to live on a land claim and prove it.
Hattie Brooks was orphaned at a young age, and as a result she has spent most of her life being shuttled from relative to relative. Her relatives view her as an annoyance, especially her aunt, who wants her to work as a maid.
When one of Hattie’s Uncles dies he leaves her his land claim, 320 acres of land in Montana. Read the rest »
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Rating: 4.1/5 (12 votes cast)
“The Fruit Bowl Project” by Sarah Durkee is an unusual book about a class writing project motivated by a famous rock star.
When the kids in Ms. Vallis’ eighth grade writer’s workshop learn that rock superstar Nick Thompson is come to speak with them they are thrilled. Suddenly writing seems a lot more exciting.
When the day finally comes and Nick Thompson actually walks in the classroom door it seems too good to be true. Of course the kids have a lot of questions about Nick’s music career and other subjects, and Nick answers them. But then he guides the kids back to the subject at hand: writing. Read the rest »
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Rating: 4.0/5 (5 votes cast)
“Zen and the Art of Faking It” by Jordan Sonnenblick is a realistic fiction novel about a boy who invents a better personality for himself so that he can be popular at his new school.
San Lee has a lot of experience with blending in. His family moves quite regularly, and at each school San Lee gets a chance to build a new identity so that he can blend in with the pack. In California he was a skater. In Houston he was a rich preppy kid. In Germany he was a pretend-jock. But now San Lee is in a new place: a small town in Pennsylvania. And he is also facing a new situation: his family is no longer rich. His father is now in jail, busted for embezzling funds and cheating people in numerous states. Read the rest »
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Rating: 4.4/5 (7 votes cast)
“It’s a Mall World After All” by Janette Rallison is a humorous novel about a teenage girl and how her job at the local mall ends up changing her life.
Charlotte works in a department store at the local mall. She sprays customers with free perfume samples and tries to get them to buy the latest popular perfume. It’s not exactly a glamorous job, but it is a way to make money. In addition, her spot right near the department store door is a great lookout point to watch for cute boys. Read the rest »
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Rating: 3.8/5 (4 votes cast)
Posted in
4 Star Books, Fantasy Books, Young Adult Books October 3rd, 2009 by Nathan
“Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate,” by Adrienne Kress is a fantasy story about a boy who must help a dragon to escape from the human body that he is trapped in.
“Timothy and the Dragon’s Gate” is a sequel to “Alex and the Ironic Gentleman”. Readers of the first saga will remember that Alex is a brave young girl who sets off on a fantastic journey to save her middle school teacher from the dangerous pirates of the infamous ship The Ironic Gentleman. Now Adrienne Kress has written a second book that is just as lively and exciting.
Read the rest »
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Rating: 4.8/5 (4 votes cast)
