April/May 2016
Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school-but NO ONE knows it.
Most people-her teachers and doctors included-don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows. But she can't. She can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write. Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind-that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it. From multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you'll never, ever forget. Summary from: http://sharondraper.com/bookdetail.asp?id=35 |
march 2016
When Jessica is told she’ll never run again, she puts herself back together—and learns to dream bigger than ever before. The acclaimed author of Flipped delivers a powerful and healing story. Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She’s not comforted by the news that she’ll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run? As she struggles to cope, Jessica feels that she’s both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don’t know what to say act like she’s not there. Jessica’s embarrassed to realize that she’s done the same to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she’s missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her. With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that’s not enough for her now. She doesn’t just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her. Book Summary from Amazon.com |
January/February 2016
You just can't keep a good girl down . . . unless you use the proper methods.
Piper McCloud can fly. Just like that. Easy as pie. Sure, she hasn't mastered reverse propulsion and her turns are kind of sloppy, but she's real good at loop-the-loops. Problem is, the good folk of Lowland County are afraid of Piper. And her ma's at her wit's end. So it seems only fitting that she leave her parents' farm to attend a top-secret, maximum-security school for kids with exceptional abilities. School is great at first with a bunch of new friends whose skills range from super-strength to super-genius. (Plus all the homemade apple pie she can eat!) But Piper is special, even among the special. And there are consequences. Consequences too dire to talk about. Too crazy to consider. And too dangerous to ignore. The Girl Who Could Fly is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year. Book Summary from Amazon.com |
November 2015
“Powerful and unsettling. . . . As memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank.” --USA Today
Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance. But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences. Summary from the Hardcover edition |
October 2015
"A tense, moving, and wondrously strange first novel. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story." — John Green, "New York Times" best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars
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A Truly Unique Story Filled with Haunting Photographs!
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow — impossible though it seems — they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows. Book Summary taken from Scholastic.com |
may 2015
The Story
Jenna Boller is the best employee at her branch of Gladstone’s Shoes — she can sell anybody anything. But her family problems are harder to handle, and there are times when Jenna wishes she could just get out of town and take a break. So when Madeline Gladstone, the elderly president of Gladstone Shoe Stores, hires Jenna as her driver for the summer, Jenna leaps at the change — right into the driver’s seat. And that begins a cross-country adventure from Chicago to Dallas, where she and Mrs. Gladstone learn a lot about the rules of the road…and the rules of life. Awards
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April 2015
In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina's father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All is lost. Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. She risks everything to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive.
It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive? Between Shades of Gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit. Book summary from: http://www.betweenshadesofgray.com/ |
Book Club members' comments/review: "Best book of the year."
Using the phrase, "This story is about..." supply five to six words to describe Between Shades of Gray.
"Love, survival, selflessness, loss and bravery."
"Will, desperation, agony, sadness, hope."
"Living in the midst of death."
Using the phrase, "This story is about..." supply five to six words to describe Between Shades of Gray.
"Love, survival, selflessness, loss and bravery."
"Will, desperation, agony, sadness, hope."
"Living in the midst of death."
march 2015
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
“Dead girl walking,” the boys say in the halls. “Tell us your secrets,” the girls whisper, one toilet to another. I am that girl. I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through. I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame. Lia and Cassie were best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies. But now Cassie is dead. Lia’s mother is busy saving other people’s lives. Her father is away on business. Her stepmother is clueless. And the voice inside Lia’s head keeps telling her to remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less. If she keeps on going this way – thin, thinner, thinnest – maybe she’ll disappear altogether. Book summary from http://madwomanintheforest.com/youngadult-wintergirls/ In her most emotionally wrenching, lyrically written book since the National Book Award finalist Speak, bestselling author, Laurie Halse Anderson, explores one girl’s chilling descent into the all-consuming vortex of anorexia |
February 2015
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out how he made the list. Through Hannah and Clay’s dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers. |
Comments from book club members:
"Amazing! I couldn't put it down! I finished in two days."
"Wow! Very impactful. A page turner!"
When asked, "Which book did you like better, Positive or Thirteen Reasons Why?" Student response, "Do I have to choose? They were both so good!"
"Amazing! I couldn't put it down! I finished in two days."
"Wow! Very impactful. A page turner!"
When asked, "Which book did you like better, Positive or Thirteen Reasons Why?" Student response, "Do I have to choose? They were both so good!"
December 2014/January 2015
An astonishing memoir for the untold number of children whose lives have been touched by bullying. Positive is a must-read for teens, their parents, educators, and administrators—a brave, visceral work that will save lives and resonate deeply.
Paige Rawl has been HIV positive since birth, but growing up, she never felt like her illness defined her. On an unremarkable day in middle school, she disclosed to a friend her HIV-positive status—and within hours the bullying began. From that moment forward, every day was like walking through a minefield. Paige was never sure when or from where the next text, taunt, or hateful message would come. Then one night, desperate for escape, fifteen-year-old Paige found herself in her bathroom staring at a bottle of sleeping pills. That could have been the end of her story. Instead, it was only the beginning. Paige's memoir calls for readers to choose action over complacency, compassion over cruelty—and above all, to be Positive. Includes twenty-five photos from Paige's personal collection throughout. Book summary from Amazon.com |
Positive quotes from the book Positive.
“If you, reading this, are in the middle of your own darkness, hold tight. Your own people are out there-those friends who will love you for exactly who you are. When you find them, you’ll laugh harder than you ever imagined. That laughter will fill all the nooks and crannies of your heart, all those places where pain had been.” –Paige Rawl
“If you’re lucky enough to not understand what it’s like to be surrounded by darkness, I’m telling you: someone near you needs kindness. They need it today. They need it desperately. Offer it. Sit with them a while. Ask them questions. Get to know them. Then get to know them better. Share a bag of cheese puffs. It really is that easy.” –Paige Rawl
“I know I was given this life because I am strong enough to survive it.” –Paige Rawl
“If you are in the darkness now, hold on. I promise you can do it. You can get through all the negativity and live a life that is positive.” –Paige Rawl
“You have to shine your own light. And when you do, when you shine your light, you begin to notice all these blessings around you. And you realize that you are blessed. And all the people that hurt you just kind of fall into your past.” -Paige Rawl’s friend Brryan Jackson.
“Each day has the potential of being your best day. You decide what each day will bring.” –Paige Rawl’s counselor.
“If you, reading this, are in the middle of your own darkness, hold tight. Your own people are out there-those friends who will love you for exactly who you are. When you find them, you’ll laugh harder than you ever imagined. That laughter will fill all the nooks and crannies of your heart, all those places where pain had been.” –Paige Rawl
“If you’re lucky enough to not understand what it’s like to be surrounded by darkness, I’m telling you: someone near you needs kindness. They need it today. They need it desperately. Offer it. Sit with them a while. Ask them questions. Get to know them. Then get to know them better. Share a bag of cheese puffs. It really is that easy.” –Paige Rawl
“I know I was given this life because I am strong enough to survive it.” –Paige Rawl
“If you are in the darkness now, hold on. I promise you can do it. You can get through all the negativity and live a life that is positive.” –Paige Rawl
“You have to shine your own light. And when you do, when you shine your light, you begin to notice all these blessings around you. And you realize that you are blessed. And all the people that hurt you just kind of fall into your past.” -Paige Rawl’s friend Brryan Jackson.
“Each day has the potential of being your best day. You decide what each day will bring.” –Paige Rawl’s counselor.
November 2014
Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective…but there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.
Since its publication, Stephen Chbosky’s haunting debut novel has received critical acclaim, provoked discussion and debate, grown into a cult phenomenon with over three million copies in print, spent over one year at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and inspired a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about what it’s like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates, family dramas, new friends and peer pressure. Of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up. Summary from Amazon.com |
October 2014
In this Newbery Medal-winning novel, Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an
unusual place—he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy
by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the
antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly
teachings—such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him.
Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both
the living and the dead? And then there are being such as ghouls that aren't
really one thing or the other.
The Graveyard Book won the Newbery Medal and the Carnegie Medal and
is a Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel.
Book summary from Amazon.com
unusual place—he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy
by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the
antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly
teachings—such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him.
Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both
the living and the dead? And then there are being such as ghouls that aren't
really one thing or the other.
The Graveyard Book won the Newbery Medal and the Carnegie Medal and
is a Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel.
Book summary from Amazon.com