Confessions of a Bibliovore

Title: All the Lovely Bad Ones Author: Mary Downing Hahn Narrator: Jeff Cummings Travis and his sister, Corey, can t resist a good trick. When they learn that their grandmother s quiet Vermont inn, where they re spending the summer, has a history of ghost sightings, they decide to do a little haunting of their own. Before long, their supernatural pranks have tourists flocking to the inn, and business booms. But Travis and Corey soon find out that they aren't the only ghosts at Fox Hill Inn. Their thoughtless games have awakened something dangerous, something that should have stayed asleep. Restless, spiteful spirits swarm the inn, while a dark and terrifying presence stalks the halls and the old oak grove on the inn s grounds. Only Travis and Corey can lay to rest the ghosts they've stirred. This means discovering the secret of Fox Hill and the horrors visited on its inhabitants years before. One sentence review: A nicely spooky story that would make my young middle school stud...

Title : Taking Cover: One Girl's Story of Growing Up During the Iranian Revolution Author : Nioucha Homayoonfar Copy Obtained : From publisher in exchange for an honest review About the Book from Goodreads This coming-of-age memoir, set during the Iranian Revolution, tells the story of a young girl who moves to Tehran from the U.S. and has to adjust to living in a new country, learning a new language, and starting a new school during one of the most turbulent periods in Iran's history. This true story of Nioucha Homayoonfar offers a window into an at-once familiar yet foreign culture. Religion classes are mandatory at her new school. Nioucha has to cover her head and wear robes. Her cousin is captured and tortured after he is caught trying to leave the country. And yet, in midst of so much change and challenge, Nioucha is still just a girl who listens to music and idolizes pop stars. But she has to be careful when Western music is banned and she cannot be seen in public togethe...

Title : The Pumpkins War Author : Cathleen Young Copy Obtained : From the publisher in exchange for an honest review About the Book from Goodreads At the end of every summer, Madeline Island hosts its famous pumpkin race. All summer, adults and kids across the island grow giant, thousand-pound pumpkins, then hollow one out and paddle in it across the lake to the cheers of the entire town.  Twelve-year-old Billie loves to win; she has a bulletin board overflowing with first-prize ribbons. Her best friend Sam doesn't care much about winning, or at least Billie didn't think so until last summer's race, when his pumpkin crashed into hers as she was about to cross the finish line and he won. This summer, Billie is determined to get revenge by growing the best and biggest pumpkin and beating Sam in the race. It's a tricky science to grow pumpkins, since weather, bugs, and critters can wipe out a crop. Then a surprise visit from a long-lost relative shakes things up, and Billi...

I am a middle school media specialist - grades 5-8.   Here are some things happening in our media center!  We just finished up testing. Well ok, we have one day of science test next week, but that's an easier one! So now we can finish the year strong and work at getting all our books back! Last week I was lucky enough to have our American Indian Parent Advisory Committee gift us a selection of 26 books all with American Indians as positive characters or about the culture. I was very excited because that part of our collection is severely lacking! We either have nothing or what we have is old. What's even more perfect is that all the books were bought from Birchbark Books , so I know they are all well done and accurate. I cannot wait to get them cataloged and into the hands of the students! A few other things in the library I put out six speed cubes, and the kids loved them! Can't wait to do more with cubing next year. I also put out one Snap Circuit set, and the kids really...

Title : Calvin Author : Martine Leavitt Copy Obtained : Purchased About the Book from Goodreads As a child, Calvin felt an affinity with the comic book character from Bill Watterson’s  Calvin & Hobbes . He was born on the day the last strip was published; his grandpa left a stuffed tiger named Hobbes in his crib, and he even had a best friend named Susie. Then Calvin’s mom washed Hobbes to death, Susie grew up beautiful and stopped talking to him, and Calvin pretty much forgot about the strip—until now. Now he is seventeen years old and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Hobbes is back, as a delusion, and Calvin can’t control him. Calvin decides that Watterson is the key to everything—if he would just make one more comic strip, but without Hobbes, Calvin would be cured. Calvin and Susie (is she real?) and Hobbes (he can’t be real, can he?) set out on a dangerous trek across frozen Lake Erie to track down Watterson. One sentence review:  An important look at mental illn...