Mrs. Stansbury 2012 Reads

Well, I sure didn't get close to 75 last year but I did get more read than I have in the past several years.

Let's go for another shot.

Glad to have you back with us again, Laurie! Good luck with the challenge this year.

Welcome back!

Welcome back. How's the reading going so far? Mine's got off to a very slow start this year...

I have been dragging.

However I managed to read the trilogy of the Hunger Games.

1) The Hunger Games by, Suzanne Collins
2) Catching Fire by, Suzanne Collins
3) Mockingjay by, Suzanne Collins

I am currently reading two books-

The Glory Field by, Walter Dean Myers It seems to be a teen version of Roots by, Alex Haley. I picked up my unread copy of Roots to compare and there are several similarities. At least there are in the first few pages.

I am a bit disappointed in The Glory Field as I reached the second section. It starts with a young man being captured into slavery. Then we jump one hundred years to his great-great-granddaughter's lifetime. The granddaughter section hasn't really captured my attention yet.

I am also reading I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by, Alan Bradley. I received an ARC of Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie a few years ago and loved the writing style. The lead character 9 year old Flavia de Luce isn't very credible with her adult interests. I'm not sure how old she is in Shadows though. Hopefully Bradley has aged her a bit; although that isn't likely because Flavia has not grown into a more mature character.

I started two books and put them both down.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

&

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by, Kimberly Willis Holt

I couldn't muster up the courage to read Wintergirls with the eating disorder theme.

As for Zachary Beaver that characters didn't appeal to me very much.

Welcome, Mrs. Stansbury ! Happy reading...

Thank you, topcat. I took a look at your library. WOW! You have very intriguing taste in books. I will have to look into some of those titles. Good luck on your own reading this year.

I had to abandon When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. I didn't like the characters very much. As the book is set in the summertime I will try picking it up again this summer.

I picked up The Red Pyramid by, Rick Riordan today. My son's tween book club voted on reading Riordan books/ fantasy. There is another boy reading a book from the Kane Chronicles and I don't want him to be left out. I might even get my son interested.

I read The Lightning Thief last year but haven't touched the other books in that series.

Thanks, Mrs. Stansbury. Your library is quite interesting as well.

You have to read books for your work.. ahhhh, I guess I picked the wrong work!

4) The Red Pyramid by, Rick Riordan
5) The Sea of Monsters by, Rick Riordan

I read both of these books for my son and daughter's tween book club at our local library.

Riordan is a fun writer. I enjoyed The Sea of Monsters much more than The Lightning Thief.

The Red Pyramid was even better. I enjoyed the brother and sister taking turns at narration. The story was more accessible as a result.

6) The Titan's Curse by, Rick Riordan I enjoyed this one and read it in just a few hours. I look forward to the next book.

However, I am back to the Egyptian series with The Throne of Fire.

7) I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by, Alan Bradley I actually finished this awhile ago but forgot to post it.

8) The Throne of Fire by, Rick Riordan 3/27/12

Spring Break- I got 9 and 10 done as well.

9) The Battle of the Labyrinth by, Rick Riordan
10) The Last Olympian by, Rick Riordan

I enjoyed the Percy Jackson series very much. My children will hopefully enjoy it as well. They are currently reading The Hunger Games so I don't know when they might be able to start.

11) The House of Djinn by, Suzanne Fisher Staples

12) All We Know of Heaven by, Jacquelyn Mitchard

I got this book through bookmooch and can't even remembering why I first requested it. I really enjoyed the book though.

***Spoilers*** I will keep it on my classroom book shelf for teens. It is a story of two best friends who are in a car accident. The girls are so mangled medical staff aren't even certain which girl is which. They assume the girl driving is the girl who owns the car. Weeks later medical staff discover their error. The tragedy tears the community apart and brings them closer together. I enjoyed the protagonist. She struggled to overcome her injuries and was determined to move forward. However, Mitchard also allows the protagonist to be human and give up at times. One complaint I have with teen fiction is the unrealistic romance. Mitchard allows the romance to be uncertain and confused. The couple doesn't fall apart when they break up. I believe that is a better example for young girls than Twilight books. The couple does manage to get back together but not out of desperation or loneliness. The couple sorts out their feelings and learns they want to be together. Moreover, Mitchard has the characters discard the idea of marrying as young adults. Heck, the couple never even thought about it; the parents were the concerned ones. We the reader are even left with the idea that the couple may still yet break up as they go their separate ways to college. This portrayed life and love as it should be and actually is. ***Spoilers Over***

Most of the teens I teach would enjoy this book. It has the tragedy and romance that they would find entertaining and moving. Any girl who reads this book will enjoy the ups and downs. Any kid who has ever had to deal with personal adversity will appreciate the struggle a community undertakes to recover after a terrible tragedy.

13) The Lost Hero by, Rick Riordan

This book was a ton of fun. The twist at the end of the novel made me eager to read more of the series. At first I thought the book would be a knock off. Boy, was I wrong.

14) The Son of Neptune by, Rick Riordan

I am really enjoying this second series of Greek heros. I am still surprised by how good the story line is.

15) Into Thin Air by, Jon Krakauer Finished on 5/28/12

16 Farewell to Manzanar by, Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston Finished on 5/30/12

17) The Hot Zone by, Richard Preston finished 6/20/12

18) Jesse by, Gary Soto

I didn't care for this book. The author really dropped the ball and gave this character only one thing to be proud of by the end of the book. There was little to no growth. The only thing we learn is what life is like for migrant farm workers and frankly there are several other books out there that do a much better job in that regards, such as, Esperanza Rising.

19) The Eleventh Plague by, Jeff Hirsch I really enjoyed this book. I read it in one day. September 8, 2012

20) The Demigod Diaries by, Rick Riordan finished this one earlier this week.

21) 172 Hours on the Moon by, Johan Harstad

A student insisted I read this book and lent me his copy. It was a pretty good read.

22) Pride and Prejudice by, Jane Austen
23) Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by, Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Both finished in Nov. 2012