Books I read over the summer

I haven't been very good at keeping up this blog over the summer, but here's the list of books I've read. Feel free to ask me what I thought of any of them. I'll have them out on display for a couple of weeks after school starts.

Fade--Lisa McMann
Gone--Lisa McMann
The Mark--Jen Nadol (Not yet AR but I've sent them an email requesting they add it)
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner--Stephenie Meyer
Hold Still--Nina LaCour
Looking for Alaska--John Green
Rikers High--Paul Volponi
Life as We Knew It--Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Dead and the Gone--Susan Beth Pfeffer

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins is a book that I see in all the stores I go to. Because of this, I figured it was popular, but I didn't think I'd like it. My sister Katie was reading it and asked me to read it so she'd have someone to talk about it with.

I thought it was pretty good. It's about a girl, Katniss, who lives in a very poor district in Panem, which is what used to be the United States. Her father died in a mine, so Katniss has to support her family by illegally hunting. Every year the Capitol puts on "The Hunger Games," a contest in which two people are chosen from each of the 12 districts to compete in a survival test. Only one of the 24 survives.

I won't give the rest away, but the book was pretty good. It reminded me a lot of the short story "The Lottery" because of how the participants are chosen and the movies "The Truman Show" and "The Even Stevens Movie" because of the contrived reality show aspect of the games.

If you like action and suspense, this is a good book for you.

AR 5.3/15 pts

After

by Amy Efaw started out really good. A baby is found in a trash can and luckily it's still alive. The police go door-to-door to try to find who put it there. They find Devon, a top student and athlete who has stayed home "sick" from school. She doesn't remember anything.

The book follows Devon through her arrest, her incarceration, and her trial.

I thought it was a little slow through the middle and some of the characters didn't seem to have a purpose to me, but overall, After was a good book.


AR 4.7/14 pts

Wake

by Lisa McMann was an INCREDIBLE book! It was very easy to read. Not only was it a one-dayer, it was a one-eveninger. (Yes, I make up my own words.)

Janie, a teenage girl, is pulled into someone's dream when she is eight years old and it has happened a lot since then. She doesn't know why or how it happens, but she goes into a trance or seizure when it happens. She has trouble with daily life because if anyone nearby is dreaming, she is pulled into it. This makes her an outcast. She also has an uncaring, alcoholic mother and is very poor.

She does find a friend in Cabel, sort of a loner himself. He helps Janie try to figure out how to deal with her situation and the two of them end up falling in love.

I couldn't put this book down. It was so so good!!

AR 3.4/5 pts

Today I put up a ring of index cards on the side of the bookshelf FIC HIG. Each index card lists an author of a series (or part of a series) that we have here. For each author, there's a list of the books in the series in order. I've underlined the books we have here in the library.

This helps you because you can easily look up the book that follows the one you just finished. For example, if you just read Eagle Strike in the Alex Rider series, you'd see that the next book is Scorpia.

These lists are constantly changing as new books are published. If you know of a series we have that I have not made a card for, please let me know.

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

by Beth Fantaskey was a pretty good book. It's been on my to-read list all year and I kept putting it off. It turned out to be another one-dayer. It's about a girl who finds a mysterious stranger stalking her. She finds out that she is a vampire who hasn't yet matured and she was promised to marry him when they were born. Things, of course, don't go as planned.

AR 4.9/14 pts

NEW BOOKS!!!

We just got a huge shipment of books in--over 200! You need to come in and have a look. The fiction books are already entered into CAT and ready to be checked out. I'm trying to get a list of them put on the front page of CAT, but technology is working against me. I'll list some of them here in the meantime. We got several new Nicholas Sparks and Mike Lupica books!!

This is the list of fiction with the author's last name:
Angels and Demons-Brown
Anything buy Typical-Baskin
As You Wish-Pearce
At Risk-Hoffman
Back Up Quarterback-Robins
Bag of Bones-French
Bend in the Road-Sparks
Blood and Basketball-Green
Bluest Eye-Morrison
Boy from the Basement-Shaw
Broken Soup-Valentine
Bystander-Preller
3 Cam Jansen mysteries
Carnival of Horrors-Preece
Christmas Genie-Gutman
Comeback Season-Smith
Crocodile Tears-Horowitz
Da Vinci Code-Brown
Death Defying Pepper Roux-McCaughrea
Doom Machine-Teague
Double or Nothing-Foon
Dragon Rider-Funke
Dying to Meet You-Klise

Plus a lot more...

Bad Girls Don't Die

by Kate Alender was recommended to me by Mystic. She loved it and almost read it twice. I, however, wasn't THAT crazy about it. It's the story of Lexi, an outcast girl who lives in a creepy old house. Her sister Kasey starts acting weird and Lexi realizes her sister is possessed by a spirit who used to live in the house. Lexi starts digging into the house's history to help her sister and makes some unexpected friends along the way.


I thought the book was good. I liked hearing Lexi's point of view. The story was creepy and Kasey was scary when the spirit possessed her.


AR 4.4/10 pts

Newes from the Dead

by Mary Hooper was a great book. Mystic told me I HAD to read it and she was right. It's about a servant girl in 1650 England who is accused of a crime for which she is sentenced to hang. Her body is given to doctors for dissection. The only problem with that is she's not dead. However, she's not able to communicate to them that she's still alive.

The book is based on a real girl who really did survive a hanging.

This was the best library book I've read so far after "Thirteen Reasons Why."

AR 6.9/11 pts

Story of a Girl

by Sara Zarr was just okay for me. It's about Deanna who tries to outlive a bad reputation she earned in 8th grade. She doesn't really get along with her parents. She plans on moving to an apartment with her brother and his family.

Nothing ever really happens in this book. I kept waiting and expecting, but the book didn't deliver. Deanna makes amends with people she has issues with in the book, but there was no big climactic event.

AR 4.5/6 pts

New books in today

Here are some new books for you sports lovers (all are AR):

The Story of the Cincinnati Bengals

The Story of the Pittsburgh Steelers

The Story of the Cleveland Browns

The Story of the New York Yankees

The Story of the Cleveland Cavaliers

The Story of the Los Angeles Lakers

The Story of the Cleveland Indians

These books will be on display on the new books shelf for a couple of weeks.

Jumping off Swings

by Jo Knowles is an interesting story told from four points of view. One point of view comes from Ellie, the main character, who feels unloved and wants a boyfriend. She has a "one-time thing" with Josh, thinking it will make him want her as his girlfriend. However, it turns out badly for both of them when Ellie ends up pregnant.

This book was good. I liked the four points of view. The way Ellie sees Josh's behavior is completely not what he feels on the inside. I was sad for Ellie at the end. I wish things would have turned out better for her and Josh. Corinne and Caleb are good friends to her, though.

AR 3.6/6 pts

Along for the Ride

by Sarah Dessen was a good book. It was recommended to me by Hannah B. It's the story of Auden, a bookish, sheltered girl who decides to leave her high-achieving professor mother to spend the summer with her selfish dad and his new wife and baby. There, at the seaside town, she finds the social life she always missed out on. She makes friends, including Eli, a loner who helps her on her quest--to experience the things normal kids do growing up, like riding a bike and bowling. Auden learns she can be more than just one kind of person and she doesn't have to fit into the mold her mother fit her into.

AR 4.7/15 pts

Upcoming Events for Teens at the Coshocton Public Library

For March, April, and May--Remember you are supposed to register if you plan on going. Do to that either click on the link or call 622-0956.

Weds, March 3 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, March 3 Animanga Club

Weds, March 10 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, March 17 Plugged and Unplugged

Thurs, March 18 Teen Monopoly Tournament (West Lafayette Branch)

Sat, March 20 Animanga Gaming Olympix

Weds, March 24 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, March 24 Keeping a Personal Journal (for teens and adults)

Weds, March 31 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, April 7 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, April 7 Animanga Club

Weds, April 14 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, April 14 Teen Poetry Night

Weds, April 21 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, April 28 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, May 5 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, May 5 Animanga Club

Weds, May 12 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, May 19 Plugged and Unplugged

Weds, May 19 "Now Showing @ the Library" the movie 2012

Weds, May 26 Plugged and Unplugged

Shooter

I finished Shooter by Walter Dean Myers this morning. This was a short book, but it took me forever to read it. The summary made it sound like it would be a very good book. It was made up of police and psychological reports/interviews of Cameron, who was a friend of Len, a senior in high school who shoots another student and himself.

Cameron is questioned about his family, Len's family, Carla (Len's girlfriend), and other relationships at school. I think the book was written to give us insight into a disturbed mind. I don't think it did a good job.

AR 4.8/5 pts

CHS books I read before I started this website

Burn—suzanne phillips rating 3.5/5 (finished 2/11/10)

cameron gets bullied at school by the jocks. he tries to hide the bullying from everyone else because he knows it will just get worseif he tells on the jocks. he lies to everyone including his mom. he finally reaches his breaking point and takes his anger out in the wrong way. this book was hard to read because i don’t like toread about kids getting picked on and it doesn’t have a happy ending. because of all this, it’s very believable. Probably most everyone can relate to cameron because we all have been picked on before.

AR 4.1/ pts

generation dead—daniel waters rating 5/5 (finished 1/27/10)

Teenagers die and come back as zombies—not brain-eating zombies, almost regular people zombies. They try to fit in at school and with the “traditionally biotic” people. Phoebe and adam, living teens, try help the zombies with their cause and end up being friends. tears came to my eyes at the end of this book. it was really good. I plan on finding the sequel.


AR 5.4/14 pts

IDENTICAL -- eLLEN HOPKINS RATING 4/5 (FINISHED 1/17/10)

TWO PRIVILEDGED TWIN SISTERS HAVE PARENTS WHO TREAT THEM BAD AND DON’T CARE ABOUT THEM. tHE GIRLS FIND COMFORT IN DOING BAD STUFF. i LIKED HOW THIS STORY WAS TOLD—tWO POINTS OF VIEW AND IN KIND OF FREE VERSE, STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS SORT OF WAY. vERY INTENSE, DISTURBING, AND EMOTIONAL.

Blood brothers – SA Harazin RATING 4/5 (finished 1/11/10)

A teen boy who works in a hospital has to deal with his very sick friend who took some bad drugs. This book was pretty good. It’s sad, though, because the main character, clay doesn’t quite fit in anywhere.

LOOKING FOR SALVATION AT THE DAIRY QUEEN—SUSAN GREGG GILMORE RATING 3/5 (FINISHED 1/23/10)

CATHERINE’S MOM DIES IN AN UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT, LEAVING CATHERINE AND HER SISTER ALONE WITH THEIR DAD. THEIR COLORFUL NEIGHBOR GLORIA JEAN GIVES CATHERINE ADVICE ON GROWING UP. ALL CATHERINE CAN DREAM OF IS LEAVING HER SMALL TOWN AS SOON AS SHE TURNS 18, BUT WHEN SHE DOES SOMETHING AT HOME HAPPENS TO BRING HER BACK.

Wintergirls – Laurie Halse Anderson RATING 4.5/5 (finished 1/3/10)

This book was really good. A girl’s friend dies for anorexia complications and her surviving friend struggles with her own anorexia issues. The end was really good.

Undiscovered country – Lin Enger RATING 3/5 (finished 1/1/10)

a teenage boy is out hunting with his dad and finds his dad dead of a gunshot wound. Did he commit suicide or didn’t he? The books follows the boy’s quest to find out the truth. I got kind of bored with this book in the middle, but it ended okay.

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight--Brad Barkley RATING 4/5 (finished 12/8/09)

A teenage girl whose mother works at fairs sort of finds a permanent home and a boyfriend. I liked the main character because of her sarcasm. cute book.

The Chosen One--Carol Lynch Williams RATING 3.5/5 (finished 12/27/09)

A teenage girl living in a religious cult is ordered to marry her 60-year-old uncle. stuff toward the end of the book made me mad when i read. I was not happy with the ending.

THE BOOK THIEF – MARKUS ZUSAK RATING 3.5/5 (finished 12/19/09)

Started out slow. almost gave up on it. it got a lot better as it went on. a teenage girl living in nazi germany hiding a jewish man in her basement.

PURE – TERRY ELAN MCVOY RATING 2/5 (finished 11/12/09)

a group of Girls wear purity rings until their firendships fall apart. I had to force myself to keep going with this one.

Bliss--Lauren Myracle RATING 4/5 (finished 10/24/09)

A high school girl is sent to live with her grandmother in the 1960’s south. Has some paranormal stuff in it. Pretty good. I read it in one night.

The Poison Apples

It's about three girls who are put in a boarding school because of their "evil stepmothers." They tell their backstories--how their parents split up and where the stepmothers came from. Then they all move to the new school and have to try to find friends there. They end up meeting each other and find out they have the common "evil stepmother" bond.

I was a little disappointed in the ending of this book, but up until the last 20 pages or so, it was pretty good.

AR 4.3/9 pts

Thirteen Reasons Why

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is not a new book to our library and it was recommended to me by a student (Thanks CS!). It turned out to be a one-dayer, what I call a book so good I read it in a day. I even woke up to finish it in the middle of the night because I couldn't wait to see how it ended.

Clay gets a box of 13 cassette tapes in the mail from Hannah, a girl who recently committed suicide. Each tape contains a story (told by Hannah) about a person from school who made a significant impact on Hannah's life and death. On the day she commits suicide, she mails the box of tapes to the person whose story is on the first tape. Then he mails the box to the next person and so on. Clay has to listen to all the tapes to see how he fits in, even though listening to each one is incredibly hard for him.

This book will make you rethink all your actions, whether they're intentional or not, and wonder what kind of impact they make on other people. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

AR 3.9/9 pts

Instructions for using "My Account" on CAT

The "My Account" section of our online library catalog (CAT) allows you to place or cancel books on hold (reserve them when they are next checked in), renew books, and check if you have been billed for a lost/damaged book. In order to use "My Account," you will need to log in.

To log in:

1. In the ALT ID box (the 2nd box) enter your lunch number.

2. In the PIN box (the 3rd box) enter your birthday month and day. This is a 4 digit number. For example, if your birthday is January 3, your PIN would be 0103. If your birthday is October 15, your PIN would be 1015. You must place zeroes in front of single digits. If you don't understand this or have problems logging in, see Mrs. Beaumont for help.

*Some of you were given barcode numbers on index cards earlier this year. Disregard those. You use your lunch number instead.

Account Summary Tab: Gives general details about your account

Additional Tabs appear if transactions exist (checkouts, bills, holds):

Checkouts tab will give your checkouts/overdues information. This is where you can renew books.

Bills tab will give bills information (if you have been charged for a lost/damaged book).

Holds tab will give holds information. It will show if you have a book on hold or it will allow you to cancel a hold.

To place a hold on a book:

Search for the book you want on CAT. When the description comes up, look for the "Place Hold" link. This is where you enter your lunch number in the Alt ID box and your birthday (month and day) in the PIN box. Then click "Place Hold". This completes the process. Be sure to log out when finished.

When the book is checked in, Mrs. Beaumont will send a note for you letting you know that your book is in and you can come pick it up.

IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, ASK MRS. BEAUMONT FOR HELP.

Hush, Hush

I just finished reading Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. I liked this book a lot. It reminded me so much of Twilight. Nora is a sort-of uptight high school sophomore who gets paired up with Patch, the mysterious newcomer, in biology. Sound familiar? Patch shows a romantic interest in Nora, but she can't admit she likes him. He keeps "accidentally" into Nora wherever she goes. There is quite a bit more to this plot, but I don't want to give it away. If you liked Twilight, you'll definitely like this book.

AR 4.5/12 pts

Ghostgirl

I just finished reading Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley. This was a cute book. Charlotte is not popular at school but really wants to be. She envies the most popular girl, Petula, and has a crush on Petula's boyfriend, Damen. Charlotte makes a plan to get Damen to notice her. However, her plan backfires when she chokes to death on a gummy bear. Determined to reject her newly dead status, Charlotte can't give up her plan to get close to Damen, even though the other dead kids make it clear she needs to give it up.

I loved the poetry and song lyrics that started out each chapter. Some I recognized and some I didn't. There were lots of references to music within the chapters, too.

AR 6.6/10 pts