Counting Down to "Winter Break".....

Although it doesn't feel much like winter at 55 degrees! Ms Weber and Mrs Coyle would like to wish you a Happy Holiday Season! Remember to read over the break, and if you read an awesome book and just can't wait until January to tell us about it, send us a message or comment here! Ms Weber plans to finish The Dead and The Gone, and start Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, while Mrs. Coyle is almost finished with Chains and hopes to start the third in the Life As We Knew It Trilogy- This World We Live In-by Susan Beth Pfeffer.

Happy READING!!!

Thank you Yellow Group!!

Thank you for writing comments on our blog and for making them meaningful!

Ms Weber

Review on Catching Fire- #2 in the Hunger Games Series

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

From School Library Journal:

Starred Review. Gr 7 Up--Every year in Panem, the dystopic nation that exists where the U.S. used to be, the Capitol holds a televised tournament in which two teen "tributes" from each of the surrounding districts fight a gruesome battle to the death. In The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, the tributes from impoverished District Twelve, thwarted the Gamemakers, forcing them to let both teens survive. In this sequel, Katniss, again the narrator, returns home to find herself more the center of attention than ever. The sinister President Snow surprises her with a visit, and Katniss’s fear when Snow meets with her alone is both palpable and justified. Catching Fire is divided into three parts: Katniss and Peeta’s mandatory Victory Tour through the districts, preparations for the 75th Annual Hunger Games, and a truncated version of the Games themselves. Slower paced than its predecessor, this sequel explores the nation of Panem: its power structure, rumors of a secret district, and a spreading rebellion, ignited by Katniss and Peeta’s subversive victory. Katniss also deepens as a character. Though initially bewildered by the attention paid to her, she comes almost to embrace her status as the rebels’ symbolic leader. Though more of the story takes place outside the arena than within, this sequel has enough action to please Hunger Games fans and leaves enough questions  unanswered for readers to be desperate for the next installment. 

From Mrs. Coyle

I loved this book! Yes, it starts out slow, but you will  not be disappointed, as the action picks up quickly and you won't want to put this book down!! 

Of course we all want to know what will happen in the Katnis, Peeta, and Gale Love triangle.

And that just gets more complicated and intriguing, So Get to Reading!!!

Calcutt Library Glog

Calcutt Library Glog

Check out the library glog!!

Update on The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Well, this is the second in the series, following Life as We Knew It. I started it last week and was thrilled to find out that it takes place in New York City because in the first book, I had wondered what the big cities were going through. And it is interesting but a little more gruesome. I'm not sure I really like this one because some of the situations Alex finds himself in are a little too hard to take. Some readers may like that and it may keep their attention, but it was a little too gross for my taste.

Someone from Calcutt should read it after me because I would love to talk about it and see what they think.

Ms. Weber

Review Voluteers?

Is there anyone who has read a great book and wants to tell us about it?  Or does anyone have any suggestions of what we should read next? I am hoping to read the sequel to Matched (Crossed) and Ms Weber is currently reading the sequel to Life as We Knew It, (The Dead and the Gone), so we will share those with you soon!
Keep reading, it'll take you places!

Mrs. Coyle

Review on Matched by Ally Condie

From the book Jacket:

In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one… until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow — between perfection and passion.

What we think :

Don't judge this book by its thickness, once you pick it up, you will not be able to put it down! You are instantly drawn in to the strange world of The Society, what some would call a  dystopia (an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives), and are always rooting for Cassia to find her freedom and her true love.  We can't wait to read Crossed-the next book in the series, and let you know what we think.

If you like books like The Giver, The Hunger Games Trilogy, and Wonderstruck, you'll love this series.

 Website for this book

Thanks for visiting,

Mrs. Coyle

Our First Student Book Review by T. Elliott

Shattered Mirror

by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes                                                                                         

The book Shattered Mirror is about a girl named Sarah Tigress Vida who is a witch and vampire hunter and  her family who are on the search for Nickolas, who  killed a Vida years ago  

There's  a boy named Christopher who's a vampire who is romantically interested in Sarah but with Sarah knowing she cant be with she ends their relshonship so it cant go no farther starting in  world of problems. 

I liked this book because it was one of the those page turner books  that you could never put down because as you got more into the story there was more action as you turned the page.

I would recommend this to a friend because this is a book that many pre teens would like. It is  filled with a lot of action and thrilling details.

View more info on this book on Amazon.com 

   

The Seventh Graders are taking over Reader of the week! 11/28 and 12/5

The reader of the week last week was L. Scholz.

This week's reader is T. Elliot

Is there someone you know who is always reading?

Come to the library and tell us about them!

If you think that's YOU, come let us know why!

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

From the book jacket:       

When Miranda first hears the warnings that a meteor is headed on a collision path with the moon, they just sound like an excuse for extra homework assignments.  But her disbelief turns to fear in a split second as the entire world witnesses a lunar impact that knocks the moon closer in orbit, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate.

Everything else in Miranda’s life fades away as supermarkets run out of food, gas goes up to more than ten dollars a gallon, and school is closed indefinitely.

But what Miranda and her family don’t realize is the worst is yet to come.

Told in Miranda’s diary entries, this is a heart-pounding account of her struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all – hope – in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar time.

What we thought....

 This book (which is the first of 3 in a Trilogy) is written in such a way that you can see how this type of situation is possible, and it will make you wonder about how we would survive, if this happened to us now.  It really gets you thinking.  Middle School students will love the diary entry format, and can relate to Miranda and other members of her family.

Keep checking back for the reviews on the next two books, The Dead and The Gone, and This World We Live In.......coming soon.

Reader of the week update

I just wanted to post our last two
Readers of the week for 6th and 7th Grade

Y. Velasquez

J. Rose
Keep up the Great Reading!!!! 

To be chosen as Reader of the Week, you must have One or more of  the following:

*According to our checkout statistics, be one of the top patrons

*Show Maturity and Respect around school with Teachers and Fellow students

*Read ALOT of books, and tell us about them

*Be Caught Reading or Helping another student find a good book

ask us how you can write a review to be featured on this blog and posted on the
Library Catalog -a place to find out about books, read reviews and find their location!

Have a Great Day!
Mrs. Coyle

Check this out!

Speaking of The Hunger Games......
http://blog.scholastic.com/ink_splot_26/2011/09/hunger-games-movie-preview.html#more

A long Holiday Weekend!!!

Remember to check out some books for the long weekend! Wednesday night is supposed to be a dreary rainy night, great for curling up with a good book! I recommend any of The Hunger Games series! They are filled with adventure, action, murder, and even a Love story!
Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving! What ARE you thankful for? I am thankful for books, audiobooks, and of course, my family.
-Mrs Coyle

Bluford Series

We recently aquired a small set of books from Townsend Press : The Bluford Series. 

"The Bluford Series novels from Townsend Press were written to appeal to both intermediate and advanced readers. Each novel contains less than 200 pages, encouraging even reluctant readers to read from cover to cover. Topics, themes, and situations in the Bluford Series were chosen to engage students' real-life experiences. By having immediate relevance to students' lives, the books are more likely to keep students' interest--and teach them the value and pleasure of reading." taken from http://www.embracingthechild.org/bluford.html. 
The students are raving about them, hopefully we'll have some reviews on here soon!!!