Review of Revolution

For those of you who are looking for the next Secret Bonus Task...stay tuned! I will probably post it on Friday. In the meantime, here's a review of a really great book I read yesterday.

Revolution
by Jennifer Donnelly
Young Adult fiction
Due October 2010

Andi is tired of being herself. Two years ago her brother died, and since then her life and her family have been slowly falling apart. Even her music is starting to lose the power to make her forget. Finally her school sends a letter to her parents, informing them that she is in danger of failing her senior year of high school.

Andi's father decides that Andi should accompany him to Paris while he is there on business. When she gets there she comes across an old guitar case and discovers a series of secrets that lead her deep into the eighteenth century and the French Revolution.

I loved this book for a number of reasons. First, the French Revolution is fascinating and I think that Jennifer Donnelly does a good job of integrating facts into her narrative. We see the revolution through the eyes of a young actress, and that part of the story is clear and compelling. Meanwhile, Andi's story keeps us hooked because there is a magical mixture of angst, music, Paris, and a cute boy. Two cute boys if you count the composer that Andi is researching for her senior thesis.

I'm a total sucker for any novel that combines a historical tale with a modern-day mystery, or a historical mystery with a modern-day tale. This book reminded me a lot of The Devlin Diary by Christi Phillips, and I liked it just as much. Watch for it in October.

A review by Kate

Matched
by Ally Condie
Young Adult Science Fiction
Due November 30, 2010
Review by Kate Walker

In Cassia's (the main character) world the officials decide everything for you. They decide whom you will love and when you will have children. They also decide when and where you will work. They even determine when you will die! Cassia has trusted them since the day she was born. When her best friend Xander turned out to be the one she will marry and spend the rest of her life with, she knew she had been right to trust them. Suddenly she finds that life will never be the same again when another person's face appears where Xander's face should have been. Cassia's world is turned upside down and she has a hard choice to make, a choice between love and perfection.

I highly recommend this book to libraries and bookstores all around the world. This book is full of suspense and romance. Choices are made that are very much like choices made in the real world in some ways and completely different in other ways. To tell the truth I was devastated when it was over and I hope that there is another book right around the corner.

A Reminder

Hey Summer Reading Challengers!

Don't forget that Mac Barnett will be here on Saturday to talk about THE CLOCK WITHOUT A FACE. Not only is it an awesome book, but you can also find a secret treasure if you figure out the clues!

And if you come to the event...you get TWO extra entries in the Grand Prize Drawing.


See you there!

another SECRET BONUS TASK!

Hey Challengers, are you wondering what else you can do to get entries in the Grand Prize Drawing?

Well, here's another Secret Bonus Task that will get you TWO ENTRIES in the drawing. (Remember, the prize is a chance to hang out with a local author and get a signed copy of his or her book!)

All you have to do is come to a super awesome event at the bookstore. Here are the details:

What: Mac Barnett talks about his new book, THE CLOCK WITHOUT A FACE.

Where: A Great Good Place for Books

When: Saturday, June 26th at 7:00 p.m.

A little bit about the book:

We’ve buried 12 emerald-studded numbers—each handmade and one of a kind—in 12 holes across the United States. These treasures will belong to whoever digs them up first. The question: Where to dig? The only path to the answer: Solve the riddles of The Clock Without a Face!

THE BOOK The call comes in from the shadowy Ternky Tower: 13 robberies, one on each floor, all the way up to the penthouse, where obnoxious importer Bevel Ternky has been relieved of the numbers garlanding the legendary Emerald Khroniker, his priceless, ancient clock. Readers must conduct their own investigations, scouring detailed illustrations for hidden clues and knotty puzzles. All your answers can be found within this book: whodunit and how… and where the real numbers are buried now.

THE NUMBERS Twelve—and only twelve—emerald-bedecked integers sleep somewhere in this nation’s soil. If you can find them, they’re yours to keep—and only this book can tell you where they are. So read the story carefully, and examine the illustrations closely. The race is on!

Make sure you mention to a staff member that you're a Summer Reading Challenger. We'll see you there!

Summer Reading Challenge (and a Secret)

The Summer Reading Challenge has begun!

Hopefully you've already picked up your Official Rules and Instructions and your Reading Record from the store. If so, then you're ready to start reading! Here are a few tips:

• Remember to write down the titles of the books you were reading at the end of each hour. If you wait too long, you might forget what you were reading.
• The Challenge isn't about how many BOOKS you read, it's about how many HOURS you read. So you don't need to read a million easy books! Pick one you really love, and the time will fly by--even if you're reading it slowly.
• Stop by the store and check out the prizes if you get bored. You might see one you really want, and you'll have to get reading before someone else beats you to it!

And last but not least, here is the first SECRET BONUS TASK:

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post. Your comment should include your name (first and last), your age, and the best book you've read in the last few months.

If you would rather keep this information private, you can email it to me at p1rateWench@hotmail.com.

Your prize for completing the task will be an extra entry in the Grand Prize Drawing--that means you'll be entered TWICE instead of ONCE if you complete the Secret Bonus Task.

Now...get reading!

Summer Reading Challenge

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Get ready for the 3rd annual SUMMER READING CHALLENGE!

The Challenge begins on Friday, June 18th at 9 a.m. If you would like to participate, come to the store between the hours of 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. to pick up your Reading Record and a copy of the rules.

The goal of the Summer Reading Challenge is to read as many hours as possible. For each ten hours you read, you get a prize and an entry in the Grand Prize Drawing.

Our prizes this year are awesome! Here's what you could win:

• Level 1: a clip-on bookmark
• Levels 2 and 3: an item from our Prize Boxes
• Levels 4 and 5: a free book from our Advance Reader cart
• Level 6: a personalized book recommendation list from ME (Jake the girl)

Are you ready? We'll see you on Friday!