The Many Hats of a School Librarian

Telephone of the Tree by Alison McGhee My rating: 4 of 5 stars Beautifully written to describe a grief journey in the voice of an 11 year old.   Great to recommend for students who are in a place to explore these feelings because they haven't felt them yet or because they have.  Know your reader before recommending.  Has a lot of reaction in language with simple text so possibly  good for a lower level reader in a higher grade. However, must have deeper or developing comprehension and inference skills.  View all my reviews

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu My rating: 3 of 5 stars I will change my review when I really read it. soon... View all my reviews

Son by Lois Lowry My rating: 0 of 5 stars I really enjoyed this series and am so glad that I finished reading them. There are a couple of questions that I still have unanswered that I would like to know, but most everything is wrapped up by the end of this 4th book. I am excited to recommend this to students. View all my reviews

Messenger by Lois Lowry My rating: 5 of 5 stars The 3rd book in the Giver Quartet does not disappoint. The story of Matty, Seer, and Kira is captivating. Lowry's words paint such a haunting image of the Forest. If they ever make this into a movie, there is no way the film can be better than the mind. The focus on greed and the cost kept me tuned into the emotions of the entire story. View all my reviews

The Giver by Lois Lowry My rating: 4 of 5 stars I didn't love this when I read it the first time many years ago. The questions may have been too complex for me at the time. I re-read it last week and it had a much bigger appeal to me with the recent dystopian novels I have been reading. It's nice to know that there is a sequel - or series of companion books - so instead of an open questions, we can find out how the author intended it to end. View all my reviews

Mike Stellar: Nerves of Steel by K.A. Holt My rating: 3 of 5 stars At the beginning, this book seemed totally crazy to me. A trip to Mars? Moving there? What? Really? But then, as I kept reading, this new future environment began to be totally believable to me. I then could really care about the characters and enjoy the action in the story. View all my reviews

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson My rating: 3 of 5 stars I thought this book was really complex. It took me (as a very advanced reader)a little while to really understand what was going on. I also never really identified with the character or cared about her the way that I sometimes really care about the characters in a book. However, It was a cool story idea and a very interesting concept to think about. How are we made? What makes us who we are? View all my reviews

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz My rating: 4 of 5 stars Oh the girls in my school who like fairies will love this story of a real fairy, Flora, as she is forced to take an adventure she didn't plan to because of an accident with a bat. This fairy learns how to love the creatures she ends up to live around. View all my reviews

Reached by Ally Condie My rating: 5 of 5 stars I liked the first book, Matched enough to keep reading. The 2nd book, Crossed, I though "blah, blah, blah, love, love, love, Ky, Cassia, blah, blah. This book, Reached, was amazing. I had trouble putting it down, and when I did the story stayed in my head until I started reading again. So glad I read through Crossed to get to this one! View all my reviews

Matched by Ally Condie My rating: 4 of 5 stars It sucked me in!! I had to download the next one immediately. It's nice to have another dystopian trilogy without as much violence so I can recommend it to my 5th and 6th graders. View all my reviews

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise My rating: 3 of 5 stars I liked that this is a ghost story - but more funny than scary. It's a series; I wonder what the next books are about? It was cool how the story was told in letters. View all my reviews

Dark Life by Kat Falls My rating: 3 of 5 stars I know CV students will love this book. It is full of adventure below the sea. Any book that has fighting with outlaws is a good one for me! It also was fun to imagine what it might be like if scientists could figure out how to use the sea for us "Topsiders" to farm and live. It's the first in a series. I bet my students will be wanting more! View all my reviews

Bigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder My rating: 4 of 5 stars A friend told me that I would love this book and it raises some good ethical questions. I immediately looked forward to reading it since someone who knows me told me I would love it, but I also dreaded it because ethical usually means heavy and emotional. While I did cry (in the middle of Caribou Coffee - sheesh) at the beginning because the author painted such a perfect emotional picture of what parents separating could be like, the book wasn't heavy at all. Even though the Lead Character, Rebecca was clearly struggling with her home life, the book was filled with magic and wonder and hope. It felt lighter than the topic. It took about 1/2 the book before I found out where the ethical part comes in. I really liked this book and am excited to get my students and teachers reading it so we can chat! View all my reviews

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate My rating: 4 of 5 stars I would bet that my students would fall in love with Ivan like I did. It took my awhile to get into it, but Katherine Applegate's writing is so beautiful, I couldn't help but keep reading. This book shows, kindness, empathy, compassion, love, struggle, and art. View all my reviews

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book kept me reading for hours at one time. I almost wish I hadn't read the summary so I would have experienced all of the emotions with Alex without a little knowledge at the beginning. The idea of the arts, magic, and war was intriguing for sure. What an imagination the author has! View all my reviews

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner My rating: 3 of 5 stars This book was much more violent than The Maze Runner. It was interesting to learn what the Maze was all about and how the Gladers got there. I liked it, but it didn't have the mystery element of not exactly knowing what is going on. View all my reviews

The Death Cure by James Dashner My rating: 3 of 5 stars I needed to read this to find out what happens with Thomas and the Gladers. It was good, but I found myself skipping passages on many pages to get to the resolution. The details of the violence and never ending problems get a little repetitive. I do think that it's enjoyable and I was glad to see what happened at the end. View all my reviews