Crms recently held its fall Scholastic book fair.  Because the fair had several books that added to series that we had started, I decided to purchase some books for the library. The library would get some new books, and the book fair would have a larger final total which would also allow us to buy more books for our library.

     I was not aware that Unwind by Shusterman had a second book with a third to be published down the road.  Unwholly, the second in the triology, was the first book that I chose to read from our new books.  New characters were introduced and previous characters created lots of drama and action.  Our seventh graders are reading Unwind in Mrs. Nelson's science classes, and I want to sit in on the discussion at the conclusion of the book.

    Other books  purchased from the book fair that I have already read include three books in the Dead Is series: Dead is Just a Rumor, Dead is Not an Option, and Dead is a Battlefield. Readers who enjoy shifters, zombies, werewolves, and vampires will enjoy this series that takes place at Nightshade High.  Another book that I have read is Skinny. This book is a fictional account of an overweight girl who has gastric bypass surgery.  Both emotional and physical effects of this surgery are highlighted through family and school life.

     While several series came to an end much earlier than March 2012, I have only just gotten around to reading them.  Today, I completed #9 in the Alex Ryder series, Scorpia Rising.  As usual, it is filled with adventure, great gadgets, and surprises-some sad.  I am sorry to see the series end, but hopefully, Anthony Horowitz will start a new series like John Flanagan.

      Perhaps one of my favorite series is The Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja is the tenth and last in the series.  Unlike the other books where different major characters may have played a stronger, more important role than his/her counterparts, all major characters played an important  role in this final adventure.  I knew I was going to miss the stories when it ended, and that is why I was so excited to hear that Flanagan had started a new series which involved characters from other countries that we had seen in The Ranger's series. The Outcasts, the first in the Brotherband series, met my high expectations of action and adventure, and I can't wait until the second book comes out.

     I also finished Darke, the seventh in the Septimous Heap series.  In fact, it had been so long since I started the series  that I read all of the books again. This series is not finished, so I have more to look forward to.

    While The Ranger's Apprentice is one of my all time favorites, my most favorite series is The Lost Years of Merlin. These five books by T.A. Barron are filled with the most wonderful fantastical characters, and, of course, anything about the days of King Arthur are of interest to me.

   So many books; so little time!

 

     

We recently received some great new books from Tana Early.  These books complete or add to some of our sequels.  Tana donated The Son of Neptune by Riordan, Inheritance by Paolini, and the Power of Six by Lore as well as many other books that you can now find on our shelves.  Thanks, Tana, for donating these to our library.

We also received a shipment of books from Scholastic.  These were purchased with money earned from our book fair and include Dork Diaries, #3, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #6, The Slayer Chronicles #1,  The Always War, and Okay for Now, a companion novel to The Wednesday War.

We also purchased several good nonfiction sets:  HIstory's Greatest Warriors, Mythology graphic novels, and Captured History.

Other contributions were made by Lucero Jurado and Nate Jenkins.  We appreciate so much contributions made to our shelves.

 

 

 

 

I finished The Bartimaeus Trilogy last year and was disappointed that the series was over.  I felt that Bartimaeus had more to offer.  Jonathan Stroud, the author, must have felt the same way beacause this summer The Ring of Solomon came out in book stores.  It is not a continuation of his previous books, but it does take Bartimaeus, a dijinni, on a new adventure. King Solomon, the ruler of Jerusalem in 960 B.C.E., rules with the aid of a magic ring of great strength and power.  Bartimaeus, under the control of one of several powerful magicians, helps other dijinni, demons, and afrtis, construct a new temple for the king. During this time, Bartimaeus meets Asmira the captain of the Queen of Sheba's guards who is on a suicide mission to kill King Solomon and steal his ring.  More great adventures with Bartimaeous result from this meeting.

This is a great read for those who love fantasy!

I just finished Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. It was recommended to me by one of last year's library assistants and one of this year's new assistants (Thanks, Rachel and Tana!).  If you liked the Twilight series, I think you will also like this new series.  While not about vampires, exactly, it is a love story with supernatural activities that takes place in a small southern town.  As I grew up in a small, southern town (Aliceville), I recognized a lot of the characters, activities, and actions. Aliceville did not have an incubus, a siren, a keeper, or a caster (or not that I know of :-)), but it did have bullies, eccentric great aunts, libraries/librarians, and small schools where everyone knew everyone else's business. One of the main characters, Ethan Wate, thinks he knows everything about his small town until Lena Duchannes arrives. Then, his small town of Gatlin becomes the scene of impossible, magical, and  life-altering events. I'm looking forward to the release of the third book in the series, Beautiful Chaos on October 31.

 

I do not like scary books nor do I watch scary movies.  I have, however, read and enjoyed The Last Apprentice Series by Joseph Delaney.  This series is about the seventh son of a seventh son who trains to be a Spook.  What is a Spook? A Spook is hired by communities or individuals to get rid of the "bad guy" which might be a fiend, a witch, a boggart, a jibber, a troll--you get the point.  I just finished reading the 8th book in the series, Rage of the Fallen.  As I was reading it, I realized that if this book were made into a movie I would never watch it---even though I know what is going to happen. Looking for something scary?  Try The Last Apprentice Series.

One of the exciting things about this past summer was that new books in some of my favorite series were published, and some new series by some of my favorite authors were started.  The Ranger's Apprenctice Series concluded this summer with The Emperor of Niha-Ja. For those of you who have read this series, Will, Horace, and Alyssa are together for one last adventure with the help of Halt and Evanlyn.  If you haven't read it, it is a must read for boys as well as girls.  Lots of adventure, awesome characters, and exciting dilemmas that the friends work together to solve. Thanks to Dr. Dickens who contributed this last book to our collection.  He is also a Ranger's Apprentice fan!!

 

Another series that was started this year was The Kane Chronicles-The Throne of Fire by Rick Riodan, the author of the Percy Jackson Series.  If you like Egyptian mythology and action fantasy, this series is for you. Brother and sister, Carter and Sadie Kane, relate the story as each experiences new and unbelievable situations on their way to saving the world.  The second book in the series, The Throne of Fire, continues the story as the two siblings harness power and magic that has always been with them but has never been unused.