Karen's Book Nook

I love Avi, historical fiction, and series so reading Crispin: At the Edge of the World, the sequel to Newbery Medal winner Crispin: Cross of Lead was thoroughly enjoyable.

About the book: The more I came to know of the world, the more I knew I knew it not.

Now Crispin and Bear have set off to live their lives as free men. But they don’t get far before their past catches up with them: Bear is being pursued by members of the secret brotherhood who believe he is an informer. When Bear is badly wounded, it is up to Crispin to make decisions about their future—where to go, whom to trust. Along the way they become entangled with an extraordinary range of people, each of whom affects Crispin and Bear’s journey in unexpected ways.  To find freedom and safety, they may have to travel to the edge of the world—even if it means confronting death itself.

My thoughts: I loved this sequel and look forward to more.  Whenever I read Avi, it’s like watching a movie in my mind. This one was no different. Who can help but pull for Crispin and cheer him on?  Avi definitely ended the book with the promise of more adventures to come.

Rating 4.5/5

In this riveting sequel to the Newbery-Award winning Crispin: The Cross of Lead—the second book in a planned trilogy—Avi explores themes of war, religion, and family as he continues the adventures of Crispin and Bear.

Continuing on my Newbery Medal self-imposed reading challenge, I listened to A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck.

About the book:

This linked series of carefully crafted vignettes is set in rural Illinois during the Depression, when fifteen-year-old Mary Alice leaves Chicago to spend a year with Grandma Dowdel. Her initial apprehension at life in a small town with a scheming old woman gradually gives way to admiration and love as she recognizes the warm heart behind Grandma’s shenanigans.

My thoughts: I love YA literature and this was one that I immediately was drawn into.  The characters are so likable and the little stories kept pulling me in to keep reading. The tales were told from Mary Alice’s perspective and over the course of the school year, we got to see her relationship with Grandma Dowdel grow and change.

Rating 4.5/5

I read the third in the Series of Unfortunate Events, The Wide Window by Lemony Snicket while floating around in the pool on a hot afternoon.

About the book:

Dear Reader,

If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted and quick–witted, but their lives, I am sorry to say, are filled with bad luck and misery. All of the stories about these three children are unhappy and wretched, and this one may be the worst of them all.If you haven’t got the stomach for a story that includes a hurricane, a signalling device, hungry leeches, cold cucumber soup, a horrible villain, and a doll named Pretty Penny, then this book will probably fill you with despair.I will continue to record these tragic tales, for that is what I do. You, however, should decide for yourself whether you can possibly endure this miserable story.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

My thoughts:  I enjoy these quick reads and I can say that if I was a young kid and was reading them I would like them too.  Of course, you always know how it’s going to end but that’s what keeps you coming back for more. I am a fantasy genre type of person and always have been. While this isn’t fantasy per se, the over the top characters give the books that feel. I definitely plan on reading the entire series and the size and length of each story is just right for a single read. Books like this evoke dreams of faraway lands for me…

Rating

4/5

Ok, here’s the scoop:  I’ve been so busy READING and being outside that I’m barely online these days. Since I’m so behind on summaries and reviews that I’ll likely never catch up, I’m just going to move forward and do the equivalent of a Google Reader “mark all read’  to get out of this hole. Here’s what I’ve read that I failed to review. I’ll be in much better shape to keep up when I don’t have a mountain to climb.

Since I’m feeling better and the weather has been outstanding, I’ve been “plugged in” and read mostly audio books while exercising, working in the yard or just being on the go: Fearless Fourteen, Kira Kira, Susannah’s Garden, Catching Fire, All in One Piece, The Golden Compass, Finger Lickin Fifteen, The Black Ice, Crispin, Cross of Lead, and A Single Shard.

Arcadia Falls and The Reptile Room were paper books.

Three of the books were Newbery Medal winners: Kira-Kira, Crispin, and A Single Shard.  Catching Fire, The Golden Compass and The Reptile Room were also YA/Children’s Literature selections.

Stories that were part of series were Fearless Fourteen, Finger Lickin Fifteen, (Stephanie Plum Series), Susannah’s Garden (Blossom Street Series), Catching Fire (Hunger Games Series), The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials Series), Black Ice (Harry Bosch Series)and the Reptile Room (Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events).

I always wanted to read the Lemony Snicket books but never got around to it so I finally started the series with The Bad Beginning ( A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1)

About the book:

Dear Listener,

Lemony Snicket

I loved this book and it was especially a great listening experience being read by
Tim Curry. This will likely be a series that I will read quickly as I’ll either do the audio books or will read the paper copies.. just the right size to carry around as a purse book. It’s got that fantasy feel and colorful characters. Just reading the product description gives you a feel for the writing style.

Rating 4/5

I just finished Book 3 in the Mortal Instruments Trilogy, City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.

About the book

To save her mother’s life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters — never mind that enter-ing the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and Simon has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family’s past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadow-hunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadow-hunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he’s willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City — whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling trilogy The Mortal Instruments.

My thoughts: I started the book and got into it right away but needed to return it to the library before I was finished because it was overdue and there were other hold books that came in and I couldn’t check them out until I returned it. I immediately put it back on hold and when it came in I read it in two days.. couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed this one most of all and liked the way it all came together at the end. I’m glad to see that there will be a Prequel series, Infernal Devices starting and will get  Clockwork Angel as soon as it comes out. This was one of my favorite books so far this year.

Rating 5/5

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Always a lover of good children’s literature/ YA literature, I make it a point to read the Newbery Medal winners when they come out (and catch up on some of the old ones as well. This year’s winner was When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.

About the book: Four mysterious letters change Miranda’s world forever. By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper: I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this story very much and read it in one day. I kept feeling like Miranda was older than 12 and I think that even older teens would identify with her and like the book. I loved  the way all of the elements came together at the end and  didn’t want to put it down. I loved the Wrinkle in Time references and the $20,000 pyramid references as well. It was a fantasy story but very close to realistic fiction.

Rating 4.5/5

I love to read children’s  literature, especially Newbery Award winners and just finished The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

About the book: After Bod’s family is murdered, he seeks refuge in a graveyard, is adopted by its inhabitants, and taught about life through the eyes of the dead. Soon Bod finds out that sometimes the world on the outside of a graveyard can be a terrifying place, and that it takes more than just a couple of good-hearted souls to raise a child—it takes a graveyard.

My thoughts: I didn’t know anything about the book but always make it a point to read the Newbery Medal winners. I LOVED the fact that I read it via audio book and it was read by the author. The accent was perfect and it was very enjoyable. I hated to see it end and would love a sequel someday… This medal winner doesn’t disappoint.

Rating 4.5/5

Counts towards: Library Challenge, 100 Book Challenge, Audio Book Challenge,

I finished the final book (so far),  in the Wimpy Kid series,  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney.

About the book:

Product Description

It’s summer vacation, the weather’s great, and all the kids are having fun outside. So where’s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with the shades drawn.

Greg, a self-confessed “indoor person,” is living out his ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg’s mom has a different vision for an ideal summer . . . one packed with outdoor activities and “family togetherness.”

Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition to the Heffley family change everything?

My thoughts: Once again, I LOVE these books. I giggle like a silly kid while reading them. I love all of the characters and the cartoons as well. These books don’t translate well as a read aloud.. you really need to see the pictures with the expressions and situations to really enjoy them.  I wish there was another one out already. I  read this one as a “purse book” and used it as a filler when I had a few spare minutes.

Rating 4.5/5

Counts towards:  100 Book Challenge, Finish that Series

I’m always adding to my classroom library with medal winners and during our book fair I picked up The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein,  2004 Caldecott Medal winner.

About the book: This effectively spare, lyrical account chronicles Philippe Petit’s tight rope walk between Manhattan’s World Trade Center towers in 1974. Gerstein (What Charlie Heard) begins the book like a fairytale, “Once there were two towers side by side. They were each a quarter of a mile high… The tallest buildings in New York City.” The author casts the French aerialist and street performer as the hero: “A young man saw them rise into the sky…. He loved to walk and dance on a rope he tied between two trees.” As the man makes his way across the rope from one tree to the other, the towers loom in the background. When Philippe gazes at the twin buildings, he looks “not at the towers but at the space between them…. What a wonderful place to stretch a rope; a wire on which to walk.”

My thoughts: Beautifully illustrated and deserving of the medal, it was a nice story to read to my students which sparked conversation and questions. It was a natural way to discuss the Twin Towers in another light. It was an inspiring story of determination as well.  I’m sure that this will be a book that will get a lot of use in my classroom library.

Part of:  100 Book Challenge,