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Darkwood, the first novel by M.E.Breen, is a fairy tale adventure where the young orphan heroine, Annie, must unravel the mysteries of her past and her future while running both from and headlong into a dark, menacing danger. Annie’s grim life in a world hemmed by a frightening forest is about to change forever when her uncle sells her to a scary man who will take her to “The Drop.” Afraid of the certain death that awaits her, Annie and her trusty feline companions, Prue and Izzy, escape into the dark wood.  The wood is the most fear place of all because it is prowledRead More →

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In: On the Edge, Young Adult Book Reviews
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13 year old Kyra has grown up in an isolated desert compound, living in a mobile home with her mother and siblings. Her father spends every third week with her mother, since he has 2 other wives in nearby trailers with a total of 20 children.  Everyone in this compound is devoted to Prophet Childs.  They’ve rejected the outside world, technology, and burned their books; they believe through obedience to the Prophet, plural marriage and the abundant production of children they can achieve a place in Heaven. Kyra doesn’t question this life much – she loves her family and feels safe in their compound –Read More →

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In: Ideas You Can Use, Reaching Reluctant Readers, This is interesting
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Scratch (scratch.mit.edu), is a free computer program from MIT’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group that’s changing the landscape of how young people learn programming, engage in media-based project creation, and develop 21st-century literacy skills. Today’s young readers are experiencing reading and books as more than a one-dimensional printed medium.  The growing popularity of books with cross-over components (39 Clues Series, Skeleton Creek, The Softwire Series just to name a few), as well as the proliferation of fan fiction sites, fan forums, and eBooks, are only the beginning.  People raised with technology integrated into all aspects of their lives see no disconnect with enjoying a story in multi-leveled, multi-facetedRead More →

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In: On the Edge, Romance (YA), Young Adult Book Reviews
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Julie Anne Peters’ newest novel, RAGE: A Love Story, will be out from Random House (Knopf) in September 2009.  It’s the intense, gritty, gripping story of a powerful first love that tears at your soul. In the last few weeks leading up to high school graduation, Johanna finds herself tutoring a hulking, creepy guy, Robbie, as a favor to a favorite teacher. Spending time with him after school, she learns some potentially scary, life-threatening secrets about him.  But what she soon discovers is that her time with Robbie has a surprise benefit – access to his sister, Reeve, the girl Johanna has been in intensely loveRead More →

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Comic generator site MakeBeliefs Comix has a new offering. Users can create their own comic strips, selecting characters, colors, stories and formatting choices.  Strips can be downloaded and printed.  Comics could also be created with speech bubbles left blank for ELL and other students to fill in their own narratives. Comics can also be created in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Latin. Be sure to check out the Teacher Resources page with tips on how to use comics in the classroom.  Sweet!Read More →

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There are a lot of books coming out from Random House in Fall ’09!  We can’t wait!  Here are just a few to look forward to: Arizona’s own Robin Brande, Fat Cat, October 2009: You are what you eat. . . .  Cat smart, sassy, and funny—but thin, she’s not. Until her class science project. That’s when she winds up doing an experiment—on herself. Before she knows it, Cat is living—and eating—like the hominids, our earliest human ancestors. True, no chips or TV is a bummer and no car is a pain, but healthful eating and walking everywhere do have their benefits.  As the poundsRead More →

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In: Action & Adventure, Elementary Book Reviews, Middle Grade Reviews, Sci Fi & Fantasy
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In the Deep Freeze of Bartholomew Freezeby Alex Williams, the town of Pinrut has been covered in blizzard conditions for at least 20 years: no sunshine, no warmth, no happiness.  Residents scrape out a meager existence in the frozen turnip fields of their overlord, the selfish, wealthy bully, Bartholomew Tullock. Everyone except for the Breeze family, however.  Rufus and his sister Madeline, together with their parents Elizabeth and Philip, believe that the sun will one day return and they just have to hold out hope that their fan-inventing family tradition will survive until the summer sun returns.  They are, however, the focus of Tullock’s wrath and jealousy, and just when their situation becomes most dire, a strange visitor and hisRead More →

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Marie Rutkoski’s debut novel, The Cabinet of Wonders, is an enchanting adventure story, full of magic, friendship, danger, and wonder. 12 year old Petra Kronos lives in a small village outside Prague in the late 16th century. Her father is both an inventor and a magician with a special power over metal. Her favorite companion is a wise, magical tin spider her father created, and her best friend captures lightning into glass spheres.  When the novel opens, her father is returned to the family after having been commissioned to build a magical clock for their Prince; after completing his work, he is blinded by the PriceRead More →

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We can’t wait for these new releases from Scholastic in Fall 2009: Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, Book 2), Suzanne Collins, Sept 1, 2009: 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.Read More →