Will
I ever get tired of reading about the exploits of well-intentioned art
thieves, Katarina Bishop and her crew? I certainly hope not. Art,
intrigue, suspense, jet setting, humor, friends, family, romance: all
packed expertly into each book.
Perfect Scoundrelsis
the most personal (and, as one review I read said, perfect) Heist
Society novel yet. Because this time the intrigue hits home for Kat when
her boyfriend, W. W. Hale the Fifth, appears to be the target of
someone’s nefarious plans.
In
the wake of his grandmother’s death, Hale is given control of the
family business, a move which changes everything for Kat and her crew.
Hale has new responsibilities and a new set of enemies, and Kat isn’t
sure where she fits into this new world of his. And then the big
questions start--Had the will been tampered with? Was Hale really
intended to take the reigns or is he the victim of a very clever, very
crafty hoax? In other words, has Hale become the mark?
Kat
and company agree to look into the situation, but everyone is keeping
secrets, and its only a matter of time before distrust leads to disaster
and someone is bound to get hurt. It is up to Kat to rally her family
of forgers, con men, and thieves to Hale’s cause, whether he wants their
help or not, because that is how family works.
Ally
Carter knows her characters well, researches her plots magnificently,
and makes the reader alternately sit up straighter in suspense, laugh at
the quirky cast’s hijinks, and occasionally even swoon (let’s be
honest, Hale is a rather swoonworthy leading man). Katarina Bishop is a
bright star in her crime family, but it’s seeing the lengths she and her
family go to for Hale that really warms the heart and makes the reader
smile. As always, an incredibly fun ride.
Every once in a while we like to put up a look at what books we're excited to read. Here's a look at what we can't wait to get our hands on. With a pretty picture of the beach in Costa Rica since our librarian, Nico, was just there - giving presentations on libraries (and that's why there weren't too many posts last week, we're sorry!)
One teenage guy caught in the middle of a war... Between intense robot building future engineers and an even more intense, possibly diabolical, cheer leading squad.
Charlie is the kind of guy that people can't help but like. He's a star on the basketball team and his best friend, Nate, is captain of the Robotics team, so he's got friends across the cliques. He likes to live his life in as laid back a way as possible and it's been working pretty well for him so far.
Until now. His ex-girlfriend, the captain of the cheer leading team is locked in a serious battle with his best friend over where money from the school budget. Her great idea to secure the funds, have Charlie run for school president and make sure the money goes to uniforms and not tech parts. This is the opposite of anything Charlie wants to do ESPECIALLY when Nate is his competition. When things between Nate and the cheerleaders go from ridiculously bad to EXTREMELY ridiculously bad, Charlie is caught in the cross hairs of one epic show down. All he wants to do is play basketball and get through the year...
If you are a fan of realistic fiction, don't forget to check out the graphic novel shelf. Not only is this a very fun slice of life, but the art is fabulous. We've raved about Faith Erin Hicks before and so I was very excited to see her name on this graphic novel as well. If you think graphic novels are only for super heros, you are going to want to get your hands on Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrongand get ready for your mind to be opened. Classroom politics, family dynamics and friendships are all dealt with here inglorious detail and it sucks you in from the first page-- where Charlie gets dumped via text message-- till the very last frame.
This summer, APS suggests that middle school students read at least one
book from their fantastic, updated summer reading lists. They are full
of some excellent titles and to help you pick which book you'd like to
read, we've got three MEGA POSTS, with book descriptions, covers and
videos about the books. Take a look!
Fifteen-year-old Milly
Kaufman is an average American teenager until Pablo, a new student at her
school, inspires her to search for her birth family in his native country.
In
a small town on the coast of California, everyone over the age of fourteen
suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents
and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have
"The Power" and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who
do not.
Raised by a Japanese mother
in New York City, his American father killed in a war, Ichiro finds it
difficult to figure out where he fits in. A trip to Japan leaves the boy with
his grandfather, in a country he does not know. And one night Ichi gets dragged
down a hole by a monster. When he awakens he isn't in Japan nor the mortal
world. He has entered into the domain of the gods. Will Ichiro ever find a
place to call home?
In
an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run
from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using
mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a
boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered
beasts.
Afraid that she is crazy,
thirteen-year-old Mia, who sees a special color with every letter, number, and
sound, keeps this a secret until she becomes overwhelmed by school, changing
relationships, and the loss of something important to her.
In this
long-awaited sequel to "The Breadwinner Trilogy, " Parvana is now 15
years old. As she waits for foreign military forces to determine her fate, she
remembers the past four years of her life.
For insight into the Breadwinner series, as well as how Ellis grew up to become a writer, read this great profile.
Adonis
is smart, intellectually-gifted and born without legs; Autumn is strong, a
great wrestler, and barely able to read in ninth grade--but Autumn is attracted
to Adonis and determined to make him a part of her life whatever he or her best
friend think.
You can watch a trailer and listen to author Sharon Flake talk about writing Pinned and the how she feels about the main characters.
Lonely
after a midsummer move to a new town, sixteen-year-old high-school quarterback
Marcus Jordan becomes friends with a retired professional linebacker who is
great at training him, but whose childish behavior keeps Marcus in hot water.
Listen to Gordon Korman talk about football and the events that inspired this book.
When fifteen-year-old Will is
rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious
Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger.
Eighteen-year-old
Perce Blackborow hid below in a locker. But the thrill of stowing away with the
legendary explorer would soon turn to fear. Within months, the Endurance,
trapped and crushed by ice, sank. And even Perce, the youngest member of the
stranded crew, knew there was no hope of rescue. If the men were to survive in
the most hostile place on earth, they would have to do it on their own.
This video clip about the Endeavor will get you in the mood for reading this amazing, page-turning adventure.
From the start, his path was
never predictable. Steve Jobs was given up for adoption at birth, dropped out
of college after one semester, and at the age of twenty, created Apple in his
parents' garage with his friend Steve Wozniack. Then came the core and hallmark
of his genius--his exacting moderation for perfection, his counterculture life
approach, and his level of taste and style that pushed all boundaries. A
devoted husband, father, and Buddhist, he battled cancer for over a decade,
became the ultimate CEO, and made the world want every product he touched.
For awesome inspiration, watch the commencement speech Steve Jobs gave at Stanford University in 2005.
Three immigrant girls from
different parts of the world meet and become close friends in a small New
Jersey town where their mothers have found domestic work, but their
relationships are tested when one girl's mother is accused of stealing a precious
heirloom.
Sofia grows up in the
close-knit community of the barrio in McAllen, Texas, then finds that her
experiences as a scholarship student at an Episcopal boarding school in Austin
only strengthen her ties to family and her "comadres."
When
her mother is abducted by aliens on Christmas Eve (or "Smekday" Eve
since the Boov invasion), 11 year-old Tip hops in the family car and heads
south to find her and meets an alien Boov mechanic who agrees to help her and
save the planet from disaster.
This summer APS suggests that middle school students read at least one
book from their fantastic, updated summer reading lists. They are full
of some excellent titles and to help you pick which book you'd like to
read, we've got three MEGA POSTS, with book descriptions, covers and
videos about the books. Take a look!
In the New York City borough
of Queens in 1996, three girls bond over their shared love of Tupac Shakur's
music, as together they try to make sense of the unpredictable world in which
they live.
When NASA was
launched in 1958, 13 women proved they had as much of the right stuff as men to
be astronauts, but their way to space was blocked by prejudice, insecurity, and
a scrawled note written by one of Washington's most powerful men. This is the
true story of the Mercury 13 women.
Explores a migrant family's
experiences moving through labor camps, facing poverty and impermanence, only
to endure through faith, hope, and back-breaking work.
After spending her summer
running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival
football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself,
not anticipating the reactions of those around her.
Available:
book, cd, eaudio, ebook (no cd for Front and Center)
Callie rides an emotional
roller coaster while serving on the stage crew for a middle school production
of Moon over Mississippi as various relationships start and end, and others
never quite get going.
Pitching
prodigy Michael Arroyo is on the run from social services after being banned
from playing Little League baseball because rival coaches doubt he is only
twelve years old and he has no parents to offer them proof.
Teens Octavia and Tali learn about
strength, independence, and courage when they are forced to take a car trip
with their grandmother, who tells about growing up Black in 1940s Alabama and
serving in Europe during World War II as a member of the Women's Army Corps.
To
everyone at Meridian High School, fourteen-year-old Michael Vey is nothing
special, just the kid who has Tourette's syndrome. But in truth, Michael is
extremely special--he has electric powers. Michael thinks he is unique until he
discovers that a cheerleader named Taylor has the same mysterious powers. With
the help of Michael's friend, Ostin, the three of them set out to discover how
Michael and Taylor ended up with their abilities, and their investigation soon
brings them to the attention of a powerful group who wants to control the
electric teens--and through them, the world.
After a family tragedy, Jacob
feels compelled to explore an abandoned orphanage on an island off the coast of
Wales, discovering disturbing facts about the children who were kept there.
Here's a bit more about this book from a previous review we did.
After a devastating tsunami
destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an
aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about
rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their
lives.
We did a series of reviews about islands and here's more about Nation.
And you can listen to the author talk about this outstanding book:
After
his family hires migrant Mexican workers to help save their Vermont farm from
foreclosure, eleven-year-old Tyler befriends the oldest daughter, but when he
discovers they may not be in the country legally, he realizes that real
friendship knows no borders.
After the death of her mother
in an automobile accident, seventh-grader Serena, who has gotten the lead in
her middle school play, is left to handle the day-to-day challenges of caring
for herself and her younger brother when their father cannot pull himself out
of his depression.
When twelve-year-old
Stephanie inherits her weird uncle's estate, she must join forces with
Skulduggery Pleasant, a skeleton mage, to save the world from the Faceless
Ones.
Available:
book, cd, eaudio, ebook (not in catalog yet)
Seven high school students
are stranded at their New England high school during a week-long blizzard that
shuts down the power and heat, freezes the pipes, and leaves them wondering if
they will survive.
For more details, here's a previous review we did about Trapped.
As
her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980s television game show,
"The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to
make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that
seems to defy the laws of time and space.
