See also Summer Reading Lists.
Don't forget that you can access OverDrive for thousands of eBooks.
- Go to https://alpineut.libraryreserve.com
- Select our school.
- Use the same number you used to check out books from our library.
Also check out Project Gutenburg for many free eBooks -- mostly the classics.
http://www.gutenberg.org/
Going on a car trip?
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/jul/21/best-audio-books-for-the-car-book-doctor
July 12, 2014 -- I finished Into the Dark: Echo Falls Mystery Series, Book 3 by Peter Abrahams.
This is a very enjoyable mystery. Here is the review from Amazon.com:
"In Echo Falls, secrets buried in the past don't always stay there.
"An idyllic day of snowshoeing on Grampy's land with Joey Strade turns out to be less than idyllic when thirteen-year-old super sleuth Ingrid Levin-Hill stumbles upon a body lying in the snow. This discovery sends the town of Echo Falls into a tailspin in which secrets long hidden are revealed and Grampy gets sent to jail. While Ingrid works to clear Grampy's name and uncover what really happened to the man in the snow, she discovers even more secrets she wishes she never knew. Just like the character Gretel, whom Ingid is playing in the Prescott Players' production of Hansel and Gretel, Ingrid must go deep into the darkness to find the truth.
"In the third book in the Edgar Award–nominated and national bestselling Echo Falls series, Peter Abrahams's talent for building suspense shines as Ingrid embarks on her most harrowing adventure yet."
BTW, I read the book on OverDrive!
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July 4, 2014 -- I just finished reading Barcode Tattoo, and am interested in reading the sequel. I'm reading the third book in the Warriors series and continuing to read Sense and Sensibility since I'm going to see the play at the Utah Shakespeare Festival next week.
June 19, 2014 -- I'm still slowing working on Barcode Tattoo. I just read Odd Thomas by the horror writer Dean Koontz (definite content advisory) because I had seen the T.V. movie (not rated) and enjoyed it. I'm reading Sense and Sensibility, The Old Man and the Sea, Warriors:Fire and Ice, and Brandon Sanderson's Mitosis.
June 12, 2014 -- I am now reading Warriors: Into the Wild (finished and highly recommended!), Barcode Tattoo, and After:Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia ( content advisory for the latter -- some of the stories are okay for junior high, others not -- finished).
Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan -- post-apocalyptic zombie novel
I enjoyed the premise since I do like dystopian/post apocalyptic stories. There was also much to like about the plot. However, I found it difficult to read because the main character kept whining. Yes, she was in a horrific situation, but she had to keep telling us how terrible it is to live surrounded by death. She didn't have to tell us that -- especially so many times. The author had already shown that. I did keep reading and finished the book, and may even read the next book in this series -- probably not.
The main character Mary lives in a village surrounded by high fences that keep out the Unconsecrated (Zombies) and keep the living in. This is many years after the infection spread and destroyed civilization as it had been. Mary does not know whether her village is the last of the living, but her mother has told her stories of the ocean that Mary dreams of someday finding. Of course, there is also romance -- and two men for the main character to choose between. (Is that now required of all dystopian fiction?)
Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson -- Regency Romance
Regency Romance means it is a romance set in the same time period as Jane Austen's books. Here is the synopsis found on Amazon:
"Marianne Daventry will do anything to escape the boredom of Bath and the amorous attentions of an unwanted suitor. So when an invitation arrives from her twin sister, Cecily, to join her at a sprawling country estate, she jumps at the chance. Thinking she'll be able to relax and enjoy her beloved English countryside while her sister snags the handsome heir of Edenbrooke, Marianne finds that even the best laid plans can go awry. From a terrifying run-in with a highwayman to a seemingly harmless flirtation, Marianne finds herself embroiled in an unexpected adventure filled with enough romance and intrigue to keep her mind racing. Will Marianne be able to rein in her traitorous heart, or will a mysterious stranger sweep her off her feet? Fate had something other than a relaxing summer in mind when it sent Marianne to Edenbrooke."
There is generally more of truth about life and human nature in fantasy books than in romances such as this, but other than too many "smoldering" looks from the "devistatingly handsome" "hero," it is a fun read.
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos -- realistic fiction -- This was a fun read.
From Amazon:
"Dead End in Norvelt is the winner of the 2012 Newbery Medal for the year’s best contribution to children’s literature and the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction!
Melding the entirely true and the wildly fictional, Dead End in Norvelt is a novel about an incredible two months for a kid named Jack Gantos [the author did grow up in a community called Norvelt], whose plans for vacation excitement are shot down when he is “grounded for life” by his feuding parents, and whose nose spews bad blood at every little shock he gets. But plenty of excitement (and shocks) are coming Jack’s way once his mom loans him out to help a feisty old neighbor with a most unusual chore—typewriting obituaries filled with stories about the people who founded his utopian town. As one obituary leads to another, Jack is launched on a strange adventure involving molten wax, Eleanor Roosevelt, twisted promises, a homemade airplane, Girl Scout cookies, a man on a trike, a dancing plague, voices from the past, Hells Angels . . . and possibly murder."
Find book reviews for parents at http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/
and
I just might read these books:
The School for Good and Evil looks interesting. See the trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqnU3ZqvL1k#t=62 
