Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy JFIC Fantasy

No bones about it, this book was AWESOME! If you like magic, action adventure, comedy and mystery this book is for you. Stephanie Edgerly has recently come into an inheritance from her uncle the writer. When she begins to take an interest in his rather odd friend, Skulduggery, she learns about a whole magical world that is going on around her. Stephanie must decide whether she wants to go back to her normal twelve year old life, or help Skulduggery as his partner detective. Skulduggery was a great character. Did I mention he is a living skeleton that can shoot fire? COOL! He's tough, smart, rebellious, and funny just like Stephanie. It is a great book for 5th grade and up.

Food for thought: If given the chance for a life of danger, magic and monsters, would you take it?

Skellig by David Almond JFIC Fantasy

When Michael moves into his new home, he cannot help but find himself attracted to the run down garage. He finds a grumpy creature inside with a taste for Chinese food. Michael thinks he is a figment of his imagination until his neighbor Mina can see him too. Who/what is this creature? How can they help him? He becomes a wonderful symbol of the power of faith and hope that Michael has for his sick baby sister. I thought this was a wonderful heartwarming story with a touch of mystery. Good for grades 5 and up.

Food for thought: What do you think Skellig was?

Bunnicula by James Howe JFIC Mystery

Harold the dog and Chester the cat lead a normal life with the Monroe family until they find a bunny at the movie theatre. When the family brings it home, Chester finds that the bunny is very odd. He sleeps during the day and has fangs. Also, something strange has been happening to the vegetables in the kitchen. Chester is sure that it is the rabbit's fault. Harold and Chester aren't your ordinary pets. Chester loves to read and Harold is talked to like one of the family. The story is told from Harold's perspective, the kind loyal dog of the house. This is a great read for Halloween. If you like this story, there are many others in the series like Howliday Inn and Nighty Nightmare.

Food for Thought: Did you find any similarities between humans and the way Chester and Harold act?

Weird Stuff by Richard Tulloch JFIC

Brian Hobble leads an ordinary middle school life until weird stuff starts happening. First he becomes a superstar on the soccer team when usually no one ever notices him on the field, then his hero Lancelot Cummins picks him to be in a Special Interest Writing Group when he usually can't write more than a paragraph. Could it be the mysterious pink pen he borrowed from the class nerd? or is he just lucky?
I liked Brian as a person. He's very funny and talented even though he doesn't seem it know it himself. His cartoons scattered throughout the book are realistic and comical as he tries to understand the people and events around him.

Good for grade 4 and up.

Food for Thought: Did you ever do something that you thought you wouldn't be talent at, but you ended up surprising yourself?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling JFIC

I can't rave enough about this book. As a librarian, it was wonderful to see so many people enthusiastically reading! It sold 8.5 million copies in the first day. Did you know that people have been reading this series for 10 years? That might be older than some people reading this blog right now!

Book 7 reveals some truths about Dumbeldore, Snape, and the Horocruxes. Before I read it, I thought I had everything figured out. Rowling definately threw in some twists and turns that I did not see coming. The book dragged for me because I wanted to read the ending so badly. There are some humorous instances, but beware this is the darkest and most violent Harry Potter book.

Food for Thought: Were you satisfied with the ending?

Summer Reading

Looking for good books to read over the summer? Try these links organized by grade.

http://www.education-world.com/summer_reading/

http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/alscresources/summerreading/recsummerreading/recommendedreading.htm

http://www.haisln.org/ReadingLists.htm

http://www.justreadfamilies.org/reading/justread.asp

Island of the Blue Dolphin By Scott O'Dell JFIC

Kara and her tribe live in harmony on the Island of the Blue Dolphin until otter hunters arrive. After a vicious battle, her tribe decides to leave the island. The next ship that arrives everyone leaves except Kara and her brother. Kara learns how to survive on the island without her elders and make friends with the animals. Although her descriptions at times were tedious, I thought it was an interesting survival story (much like Hatchett). Kara is a very honorable and strong character. Her actions were very surprising and it left me wondering what I would do if I was in the same situation. Good for grades 5 and up.

Trivia:
Try to guess what the devilfish was.

FoodforThought: If you were stranded on an island,what 3 things do you think you would want?