Book Notes

Always fun to re-read a favorite. I love the Doll People. Annabelle is a spunky doll, who lives with her doll family in Kate Palmer’s bedroom. One day she discovers her Aunt’s journal. Auntie Sarah has been missing for 45 years. Annabelle hopes the journal will provide a clue to where she lives. But finding Auntie Sarah won’t be easy. Dolls can only move around when the people are fast asleep or out of the house. And even then it’s dangerous. There’s Captain, the cat, and if a person thinks they see you move, you will go into Doll State. Even worse, if you do too much in front of people, you will go into Permanent Doll State.

Will Annabelle rescue her Aunt? Will she make a real friend? Can she avoid Permanent Doll State? Read The Doll People and find out!

It took me a little bit to really get into this book–science fiction is not my favorite–but once I did, it was hard to put down.

Tally Youngblood lives in one of the Ugly dorms. But not for long. Her 16th birthday is right around the corner, and on that day she will be changed into a Pretty. Plastic surgery will make her just as beautiful as everyone else in New Pretty Town. And then she can spend her evenings going to fabulous parties.

Before she is changed, she makes a new friend, Shay, who tells her about a secret place called The Smoke. Where you don’t have to change how you look. Shay runs away there, but not before leaving Tally instructions on how to find it. Instructions that only Tally could figure out. Special Circumstances knows that Tally can find her way to the Smoke, information that they desperately want to have. And they will find a way to make Tally go there as a spy regardless of the cost. But once there, Tally begins to doubt which side she is on. Does she betray her friend? Or does she forgo the life she’s always dreamed of, and remain Ugly?

An amazing read, that goes so quickly. Even at 400 and some pages. It’s frustrating that the non-stop action keeps going, even after this book is finished. Pretties is next. We’ll see what happens there.

We read this book for our last 4th grade book club. Very timely since to movie just came out. The movie covers all five books though. So get reading before you go and see it.

Jared, Simon and Mallory have moved to a new, but very old and creaky home. Jared keeps hearing things in the walls, and strange and unbelieveable things keep happening, like Mallory waking up with her hair tied to the bed! Jared’s mom keeps blaming him, but Jared found something. Proof that he is not the one behind the mischief. Proof that they share their home with magical, and mischievous creatures.

Even though you only meet your first creature at the very end of the book, this one is still suspenseful and fun. A great book for all you fantasy fans.

This was yet another re-read. I really should start reading new stuff! But this was so good, and each time you read a book you find new things in it, or a new passage catches your eye.

In this story, Nat Field, a Shakespearean actor, is transported back in time to 1599 London. No one knows that he from the future, and he is to perform in A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream at the new Globe theatre with Shakespeare as director and performer. It’s a magical book, and if you like plays, or acting, literature or history you will love this.

This was our pick for this month’s 6th-8th grade book club. I’d never read it before, but became interested after I heard Jeanne DuPrau speaking about her writing. So when the group chose this title, I was very excited.

Lina and Doon are twelve and have just received their work assignments. Lina will be a Messenger, and Doon will be a pipeworker. Everyone works together to keep Ember running. However, things aren’t going smoothly. The lights have been flickering a lot lately. And without lights and a working generator, the entire city will be permanently plunged into darkness. Night and day. Things are looking pretty grim until Lina finds a box with partial instructions on it. It looks like a way out of Ember. If only she and Doon can figure it out before it’s too late.

I don’t often say this, but every kid should read this book! I’ve been meaning to read Molly Moon for years. I’ve heard so many kids talk about it and how much they liked it. Well, now I have read it and think everyone else should too!

Molly Moon lives in an orphange in England. It’s a horrible orphanage with a mean owner and nasty food. A place where you have to do awful chores like clean the whole bathroom floor with your toothbrush and the food is nasty, rotten fish and yucky, slimy vegetables. The kind of place that you need some kind of escape from.

Molly Moon finds that escape one day in the library. She finds a book on hypnotism. It was written a long time ago by a very famous hypnotist. It turns out that Molly has a knack for it. She is able to hypnotise a way for herself out of the orphanage and over to New York City and then onto Broadway. It’s super fun and full of lots of twists and turns. This is the first of many Molly Moon adventures so get started!

This is book one of the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series. I wish I had read it months ago. I was reluctant, but once I started I found a great fantasy.

Percy has been shuffled from school to school. He can’t seem to stay out of trouble. He’s dyslexic, so his grades aren’t so hot, and he has ADHD, so none of his teachers ever give him much of a chance. It turns out that there is a reason for this. He’s a demigod.

In this fantasy the myths of the Greek Gods are not just myths. They are real and very much alive today. And one of them is Percy’s dad. His Greek god roots are what make him dyslexic–he’s hard wired to read ancient Greek–and the ADHD is because his body is hard wired for battle.

After finding out that he is a demigod, Percy has to undertake a quest. Zeus’s master bolt has been stolen and if it is not returned by the summer solstice world war three will begin. It’s up to Percy and his friends to travel to the underworld, get it, and get back to Mount Olympus (located on the 600th floor of the Empire State Building). This is non-stop adventure chock full of ancient monsters and ancient curses. A fun, fun book.

I really enjoyed this fantasy once I got past the initial eerie feelings. Corrina has disguised herself as a boy in order to hold the postion of Folk Keeper in large houses and estates. This job keeps the folk appeased so that they will not be tempted to turn the milk or spoil the hay.

Things change for Corrina when she goes to Cliffsend to be a folk keeper. Here she is near the sea and she begins to notice changes in herself. It turns out Corrina’s mother was a seal maiden, so Corrina is too. Now she has to decide whether she wants a life at sea, or one on land with her new love Finian.

This is a lovely, gentle read that requires some effort on the part of the reader. But I have read it twice now and have not been disappointed.

This is the first book that we are reading for our 4th and 5th grade book club. I enjoyed re-reading this. It’s been just long enough that I was starting to forget some of the details.

Do you believe in witches? Could you spot a witch if she were walking past you on the street? Our character’s grandmother can. She knows all about witches and tries to protect her grandson from them by giving him all the facts. However, the facts aren’t quite enough and when the boy is turned into a mouse, he needs his grandmother’s help to stop the witches from turning all the children of England into mice! Will they be able to stop them? Tell us what you think.

I kept on with the series and did little else for several days. These two were okay. Nowhere near as good as the first one. I was sadly disappointed by parts in both of them. Of course, Edward is still wonderful, Bella is still attracting trouble, and Alice is adorable. I’ll hang in there for the characters even if not for the plot.

I am absolutely in love! I didn’t think that I would like this book, but I took Mrs. B’s recommendation, and I am so glad I did. I will never doubt her again!

Bella moved to Forks, a small town in the Pacific Northwest to live with her dad. There she meets and falls deeply in love with gorgeous Edward, a vampire, who lives with his beautiful vampire family. They are unusual in that they don’t drink human blood. They live off of the blood of other animals. Bella feels perfectly safe with Edward. He would never do anything to harm her. He also can’t live without her, and finds himself protecting her from outside evil. Bella wants to live with him forever, free from all the dangers that she is exposed to, and thinks that it would make more sense if she were a vampire too…

Vegetarian vampires living in New York City? You bet. Lexy, Hudson, and Maddie live in Manhattan with their parents. They are not your average school kids either. They are fruit-bat vampires, or they used to be in the Old World. As if being a kid isn’t hard enough, you should try being a kid who’s a vampire!

Hudson is trying to save the planet. Lexy is trying to get Dylan to notice her, and Maddie is convinced that the people across the street are blood-sucking vampires in disguise and must be stopped. And she will stop at nothing to prove it! All this while trying to look and act like a normal human being.

It’s funny and vampire-y and a perfect fall read. Hurry and check it out before Halloween–it may give you a few ideas.

I’ve been re-reading this book, and loving every minute of it. I’ve lost track of how many times I have read this over the years, but I never cease to be amazed at how fabulous it is. It’s a very timely reading too. Ms. L’Engle passed away while I was in the middle of reading her wonderful book.

Meg and Charles Wallace and Calvin. With the coming of Mrs. Who, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. What, the three children are whisked off on an adventure through time and space to rescue Meg and Charles’ father. If you are a fantasy or Science fiction lover, give this one a try. It’s well worth it.

I have been meaning to read this book for ages, especially since the sequel just came out. I’m glad I did.

Emily Windsnap lives on a houseboat with her Mom, but has never been swimming before. Not until she joins the 7th grade swim class. Once she hits the water she swims perfectly, and for good reason–she’s half mermaid! It’s illegal for merfolk and humans to marry each other, but that’s what Emily’s parents did. When found out, her father was imprisoned in Neptune’s underwater prison, and Emily’s mother had her memory erased. Can Emily save her Dad and make her mom remember? Will she get to swim freely as a mermaid, or will she always have to keep it a secret? A fun book for mermaid fans, and a great summer read.

I will say nothing. I’ll write what I think in the comments section. You too!