Love It, Love It, Love It!!

Although most of my recent posts may have been books that more feminine readers would like, this time I'm cranking out a review of a book that both girls and guys would like! The Hunger Games trilogy is my most recent read and boy, by the end of the first book, I was HOOKED!! I wouldn't stop reading until the final page of the last book. The Hunger Games is the story of Katniss Everdeen, sixteen-year-old citizen of Panem. After the downfall of North America, Panem rose from the ashes, a country made up of the capitol and what used to be thirteen surrounding districts. But after a rebellion District 13 was demolished by the capitol. Every the Capitol forces a girl and boy, ages twelve to eighteen, to participate in a fight to the death called, The Hunger Games. In the 74th year of the Hunger Games, Katniss, along with Peeta Meelark, is chosen to represent her district, District 12, in the Hunger Games. In this set of three books you will find gore for the guys, and romance for the girls. This truly may be the best book I have EVER read. 

Oh My Goodness

Wow, wow, wow, wow!! I just read, Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson and I am just blown away!! This book not only has an amazing plot, but very developed characters and lots of emotional moments. During this book I found myself becoming very connected to all of the characters and hoping that the book would never end so that I could keep enjoying these people and what they do. Hattie Big Sky is the story of sixteen-year-old Hattie Brooks who, after living most of her life with distant relatives, discovers that she is the sole heir to her uncle's estate in Montana. Hattie moves out to Montana, making many new friends, and enemies. Hattie then must "man-up" to make her claim to the land fit all the requirements that she needs to meet to keep it. She braves many hard times and after a while, Hattie begins to have a real family out under the big Montana sky. If you are looking to read a phenomenal book that will have your emotions raging throughout, then Hattie Big Sky is the book for you!

Not Just Your Average Mystery...

I mentioned earlier that I am a sucker for a good mystery and this book proves my point. Until seeing this book on the shelf, I had not heard anything about it, so what came next was a surprise to me. This is the story of Theo Boone, a thirteen-year-old boy who thinks of himself as one of his town's best lawyers and considers himself an expert in the court room. In the small city of Strattenburg there is a major case in the court room - someone has been murdered and the person accused is about to go free... unless Theo can step in and help. Theo knows something that no one else knows, something that could change the outcome of the trial completely. I recommend this book for kids ages 11- 14, but be prepared for a long night - you won't want to put this book down until the last page!

The Sisters Grimm

My oh my how I love this series! This has been one of my all-time favorite books ever since I laid eyes on the first page of the first book. Michael Buckley is on the 8th book in the series and is doing a phenomenal job keeping me hooked. The Sisters Grimm books are about two sisters who are descendants of the Brothers Grimm and are in charge of keeping this town that's full of ever-afters, fairy-tale characters, in line. In all of the Sisters Grimm books Sabrina and Daphne Grimm are fairy-tale detectives, in charge of solving many different mysteries involving the ever-afters. All of the books revolve around one thing, saving Sabrina and Daphne's parents. Michael Buckley has done a great job keeping this series of eight full of action, twists and turns. I would recommend this book to anyone kid, boy or girl ages 9-13.

What's Your Savvy?

What is your Savvy? In the Beaumont family every person gets their "savvy" at age thirteen. This is a very important thing to the Beaumont kids. This very special thirteenth birthday is just around the corner for Mibs Beaumont, a twelve-year-old girl who would do anything, just to get her savvy. But when Poppa gets hurt in a terrible accident, Mibs birthday celebrations get put on hold, but you can't same the same for her savvy. On the day of her thirteenth birthday Mibs' savvy arrives unexpectedly, just as Mibs, her brothers, Fish and Samson, and some new unexpected friends, head out on a journey to save Poppa. Savvy is also a Caudill nominee book in Illinois. The book, Savvy, by Ingrid Law, is the perfect book for 5th-8th graders, so if you're looking for an adventure book that displays true friendship, then Savvy is the book for you.

Everyone Has a Sparkle

Diamond Willow really does get the message across that every person really DOES have a sparkle. Diamond Willow is the story of Willow, an eleven-year-old girl who lives in Alaska with her family and many sled-dogs. Willow's father truly sees how well Willow controls and works with the dogs, so he lets Willow take her own sled and dogs on the long journey to her grandparents house with her favorite dog, Roxy. Diamond Willow is written in diamond-shaped paragraphs on each page. Some words are highlighted in each paragraph and when you read these words together you get some of Willow's thoughts. Overall this is an amazing book and has been nominated for the Rebecca Caudill award in Illinois. Diamond Willow, by Helen Frost, really demonstrates the difficulties of growing up average and thinking that you don't have sparkle of your own.

And Regarding The...

Well this certainly is a creative way to write books!! Kate Klise writes each book in the"Regarding the..." series in letters, newspaper articles, faxes, etc. I think this is such a great way to make your story stand out in the large world of reading. This is series of five includes: Regarding the Fountain, Regarding the Sink, Regarding the Trees, Regarding the Bathroom, and Regarding the Bees. Now the titles may make it seem like she is trying too hard to make the series last, but each of these books bursts with creativity and new ideas. I would recommend these stories to any tween, boy or girl.

Regarding the Fountain is about a school in Dry Creek, MN that is in desperate need of a new drinking fountain for their school, seeing that it leaks. In an attempt to get a new water fountain the principal, Wally Russ, contacts a zany fountain designer. In this crazy story, the children of Mr. Sam N.'s fifth grade class get to know Ms. Florence Waters as she designers a magnificent water fountain for the Dry Creek Middle School. I hope that this inspires you to dive head-over-heels into to this series by Kate Klise.

Boom!!

I recently read the book, Boom!, by Mark Haddon. This book features an amazing plot with many twists and turns and unexpected personalities in characters. This book was originally published in 1992 as, Gridzbi Spudvetch! Mark Haddon then took the story Gridzbi Spudvetch! and rewrote and revised it until he had the story, Boom!.

Boom! is the story of Jimbo, a young boy living in England with his mom, dad, and older sister, Becky. His sister tells him that he is being expelled, so Jimbo and his best friend, Charlie, plant a walkie-talkie in the teachers lounge just to discover two teacher talking in a mysterious code language. The story goes on to tell the story of Jimbo and Charlie's expedition to discover what this language means and why these teachers are speaking it.

Wow is all I Have to Say!!

Wow!! I recently read the Percy Jackson series and I am blown away! In this series a young boy named Percy discovers his is a demigod, half human, half god.

The first of this series of five is The Lightning Thief, and boy does Rick Riordan do a good job starting off the series!! The Lightning Thief is full of action and twists and turns in the plot. In this book Percy Jackson finds his godly parent and starts off on his first quest to return Zeus' master bolt. In, The Lightning Thief, the characters of Annabeth, Grover, Luke, and the gods, are all well developed and the beginning to a great series is made.

Second in this series is, The Sea of Monsters. In this story, Percy

sets off on another quest to rescue Grover from the Cyclops's lair and find the Golden Fleece to save Thailia's tree within the Sea of Monsters.

In the third book in this series, The Titan's Curse, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover are sent to a boarding school to escort two very powerful demigods back to camp. They also, along with Artemis' Hunters, set out on a quest to rescue Annabeth.

Fourth in this series is, The Battle of the Labyrinth, where Percy, Annabeth, and Grover head into the labyrinth to try to discover how the Titans

were discovering their war plans. It also consists of many different battles and gore,

In the fifth and final book in this series is, The Last Olympian. this book does a good job wrapping up the series with a final battle against Kronos, and many gifts in the very end.

Well Rick Riordan certainly has an AWESOME series on his hands. And all Lightning Thief lovers should brace themselves for the brand new book just out from Rick Riordan, The Red Pyramid.

Food for Thought

Hmm.. this certainly is food for thought. After many recommendations the book, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, definitely seems like a must read. The cover and title are both intriguing and I am on my toes, ready to dive headfirst into this novel by Alan Bradley.

I also, being a sucker for a good mystery, am interested in reading the book, Smells Like Dog, by Suzanne Selfors. This book has a very cute, and lovable cover that makes me want to start reading. Don't you?

Soar in the Skys with Silverwing

The book, Silverwing, definitely stood out to me with its creativity. It bursted with phenomencal characters and a wonderful plot. This book is the first in a fictional series about bats of all different species.

Shade is a silverwing bat who is the runt of his colony. When Shade breaks one of the most important colony rules by looking at the sun, he is punished severly and his colony's home is burned to the ground by owls. during his migration south, Shade is separated from his colony. Along the way he meets several different bats including, Marina, a brightwing bat with a band on her arm, Goth, a carnivorous bat who is from the jungle of Africa, and Zephyr, an albino bat who has a magical power. This is a story of true friendship, bravery, and doing what you believe in.

Whether you're 9 or 19 you will enjoy this book by Kenneth Oppel.

Take a Vacation with Jungle Crossing

I recently read the book, Jungle Crossing, this book was amazing and kept me on my toes throughout the story.

This book is about a girl named Kat who, against her wishes, is taken on a vacation to Mexico with her family. During her vacation, Kat longs to be with her friends at a mini-camp hosted by the popular girl at school, Fiona. While on her vacation, Kat's parents force her to go on a jungle tour of Mexico, led by a handsome Mayan tour guide, who tells them a story about a Mayan girl named Muluc.

I don't want to ruin the story for you, but if you're looking for a book full of adventure, then Jungle Crossing is the book for you!!

Welcome to Basecamp

Welcome to my blog!! In this blog you can find book for grades 4th- 8th. These books can be mysteries, sci-fi, or anything in between. But one thing for sure is that no matter what, these books will be loved by any age of tween. Whether it's in the classroom, or during their free time, kids are sure to love these books that are read, reviewed, and loved, by a person of their own age.