Category: Book Reviews

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Graphic Novels YA Reads

Through The Woods

The graphic novel, Through the Woods is a book with five breathtaking tales that will have you at the edge of your seat. Emily Carroll did an extraordinary job at these five tales she wrote. Although some of the tales are short, they are by far very interesting. While I was reading this book I kept wanting to read more. Most of the stories gave me the chills after reading them.

imagesMy favorite from all five tales was one about a little girl who had to cross the woods to get to her grandmother’s house and she was always told to be careful of the wolf. I really liked this tale because at the end there is a strange wolf looking creature out her window who says a quote that gave me some creepy vibes.

“But the wolf…the wolf only needs enough luck to find you once.” Screen Shot 2018-04-23 at 8.33.45 AM

I really recommend this book if you like a horror vibe. The artwork is very intriguing  to me. Most stories use mostly black, bits of red and blue. The artwork is very vivid. It requires a lot of imagination in order to be able to visualize what is going on in the short stories.

 

By: Ivette Aucapiña

Categories
YA Reads

What I Leave Behind

Will has a daily routine.

He works at the Dollar Only store, attempts to recreate his father’s cornbread recipe and never takes public transportation. Instead of taking the bus or the train, Will chose to walk to get to his destination. However, there are things he tries to avoid at all costs. He doesn’t walk past the blessings store, his childhood friend Playa’s house and the bridge on Fourth street….

where his father committed suicide.

After his father’s suicide, Will decided to walk in order to escape his own problems. It’s been three whole years, yet, Will still has a habit of walking. However, after finding out that Playa has been raped at a party, Will comes to realization that instead of avoiding his problems, he needs to face it head-on. Especially the fact that he could’ve easily prevented that if he had just hadn’t left the party early. Since that, he begins to put some good in the neighborhood by leaving gifts for people. Along with that, he uncovers the truth about his father’s cornbread.

what i leave behindReading What I Leave Behind by Alison McGhee was a meaningful experience for me. It brought me back to reality, showing me the dark side of the tunnel and how to get out of it. Alison McGhee did a spectacular job at unraveling the story. She managed to make Will a character that’s complex and deep. The reader feels like he’s real, and has a chance of discovering themselves within the ink that stains the pages.

Kudos to Allison McGhee.

Find out what happens next in the library.

Categories
Chapter Books

The Tribe: Homeroom Headhunters

Spencer Pendleton has recently transferred to a new school called Greenfield Middle, where he will supposedly get a fresh start after starting a fire in his previous school. However, after he encounters a bully and has an asthma attack, students label him as a ‘loser.‘ He always gets himself into trouble and causes chaos within the classroom.  Instead of blending in with the crowd, Spencer stands out and catches the attention of a group of mysterious people around him.

Tribe

There’s a tribe that exists within the school, full of runaway kids that originally attended Greenfield Middle. They own the school using weapons that were made out of office supplies and they live off of cafeteria food. He sees them through the cracks between the ceiling tiles and encounters them when he least expects it. To his confusion, the school staff and students don’t have any knowledge of their presence and assume that on top of being a troublemaker, Spencer is a liar.

But they are wrong.

Reading Homeroom Headhunters was an interesting experience for me. It reminded me of all those movies where the new kid arrives at school, and they have to rise to power. However, in Spencer’s case, he doesn’t care about rising to power, nor his reputation. I’m able to relate to Spencer and his perspective of the world. He views most things in a humorous way and attempts to crack a joke every now and then. In fact, my most favorite part of the book was a dialogue between him and the assistant principal.

“‘Well Jim,’ I leaned in. ‘Do you mind if I call you Jim?’ I said, chuckling.
‘It’s Principal Pritchard.’
‘Don’t you mean Ass-istant Principal, sir?’”
-page 37

Unlike books I usually read, Homeroom Headhunters is topped off with a great amount of humor and literature references. I would recommend this to anyone that is looking for a funny book full of adventure and full of what if’s. Find out what happens next in Spencer’s journey at the library. You can also meet Clay McLeod Chapman, the author of the book, at Write to Read Day.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Chapter Books Events

The First Rule Of Punk

First RuleThe First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Perez is about a girl named Malú (María Luisa if you want to annoy her) who loves rock music, skateboarding and zines. Her parents are divorced and her mom found a job in Chicago so Malú has to move with her there. When it is Malú’s first day in her new Middle school in Chicago she wants to express herself with her punk clothes, music and makeup, but the “Queen bee” of the school, Selena, always finds a way to get her in trouble.  But that doesn’t make Malú stop doing what she loves. In fact, it motivates her to follow her heart.

Along with that, she has her mother, also referred to as ‘Super perez_featureMexican’ holding her back from being free to express herself.  Her mom always tells her to stop being a punk and be a nice Mexican Señorita like her, but Malú will always stay with her punk like her dad taught her.

One day, she makes friends and together, decide to start a rock band, They create songs with drums and other instruments. The only thing concerning Malú is what if her mom finds out? If you want to find out more about the book, hear the music, or the places in Chicago featured in the story, you can visit celiacperez.com.

Celia will join us on May 25th for Write to Read Day 2018 where students can learn about how to make their own zine!

 

Categories
Battle of the Books

Battle of the books (January)

This month we decided that the books that should compete are Sisters by Raina Telgemeier and Cardboard By Doug TenNapel.

Related imageImage result for sister bok VSImage result for cardboard bookImage result

The book Sisters is about Raina and her sister Amara always fighting nonstop.  One day when they went on a road trip to Colorado to go see their family, they started to get closer and closer to each other.

The book Cardboard was about a little boy named Cam who lost his mother and his dad had to take care of him.  When it was Cam’s birthday his dad didn’t have any money so he bought him cardboard to make something with him, but the cardboard was magical and this neighbor name Marcus stole some and started to make monsters that come to life and take over the world.

We decided we should go to 3 and 4 grade.  A lot of the students in 3rd grade chose Cardboard  and in fourth grade it was even- some kids chose Cardboard  and Sisters.

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This up here is the graph of how many voted for Cardboard and Sisters. Sisters has 84 votes and Cardboard has 103 votes.One of the 4th graders said “I love how Cardboard has adventure and action”. Another 4th grade said that sisters reminds me of me and sister and how we fight a lot but not as much anymore.The rest of the 4th and 3rd grades said that the both books are very funny and grabs their attention.As we can all see Cardboard won, but both of the books are special in their own ways.

In my opinion i think anybody of any age can read these both books, but I only chose 4th and 3rd grade because those are the grades I read those books.  Honestly, I think that a lot of the kids chose the book that grabbed their attention, but it doesn’t matter if the book has a pretty cover or not its about if the book inspires you or catches your attention about what is happening.Maybe next time digital committee will choose a two book that are easier and will catch the little kids attention.

Stay tune for next month which we will be doing Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi vs Bone by Jeff Smith.

Categories
YA Reads

Long Way Down

Written in the format of poetry, Jason Reynold’s Long Way Down has caught my interests, being the first novel in verse I’ve encountered. Will, the main character, lives in a neighborhood where there are certain rules to follow or else there will be consequences. He is kept there, along with his mother and older brother, Shawn. His older brother is someone Will looks up to, yet some dark secrets are kept hidden in Shawn’s drawer. 

The rules Will needs to follow include…

Long Way Down

“NO. 1: CRYING
Don’t. No matter what. Don’t
NO. 2: SNITCHING
Don’t. No matter what. Don’t.
NO. 3: REVENGE
If someone you love gets killed,
find the person who killed
them and kill them.”  -pg. 31-33

Everything changes after his brother is shot, leading to his death that sets a spark off within Will. Sadness has taken another level, taking a form of a monster that Will cannot control. It brings light to Shawn’s character and who he truly is, revealing secrets and what led to his death.

Will decides to take action into his own hands, seeking revenge for the death of his brother. He suspects it was Shawn’s friend, Carlson Riggs, who has moved to another part of the neighborhood where it’s the most dangerous. The only problem was…how can he do it without getting himself killed? Was Carlson Riggs even the murderer, or was Will just mistaken? How will he make sure that no one will come after him after he kills Carlson as revenge?

Favorite quotes:

“Another thing about the rules…
They weren’t mean to be broken.
They were meant for the broken
to follow.”
-Another Thing About the Rules, page 35

“People always love people more when they’re dead.”
-It Used To Be Different, page 43

The second quote is more meaningful for me due to the fact that it speaks the truth in some dark way. For example, Vincent Van Gogh received no recognition throughout his career as a painter, but after his death, people began recognizing his work and he became someone. He wasn’t a nobody anymore but gained a title.

While reading this, I felt this anticipation for learning even more secrets that would impact the story. Long Way Down is one of those novels where you have to pay attention to every single detail or else you’ll become lost, sort of like a detective. It shows the way fear manages to change people and what that can do to you.

Find out what happens next in the library.

 

Categories
Chapter Books

Red pyramid(Kane Chronicles)

redpyramidThe Kane chronicles is a good series in general, but I’m specifically explaining why I recommend The Red Pyramid. Well first off I just wanna say this book catches your attention at the exact beginning. Just read this!

“We only have a few hours so listen carefully. If you’re hearing this story, you’re already in danger. Sadie and I might be your only chance.”

(It’s supposed to be a recording, just saying.) Now I don’t know about you but that’s really interesting to me. Another thing I liked was how all three books are written from the perspective of Carter or Saide, indicated at the top of the chapter by the title.

I enjoyed how the book has to do with Egyptian gods. One way is having both Sadie and Carter inhabit the two gods Isis and Horus. The second way is how they describe certain gods in the way they actually look according to Egyptian mythology and others in their own way, as humans. Here’s as example with Anubis, Egyptian god of death:

“a good-looking boy of about sixteen dressed in black robes. His complexion was pale, but he had lovely brown eyes… His black hair was long and tousled.”

Interesting for a human. And also he has a form were he turns into a little puppy, so cute! Anyway, another thing I like about this book was how even though it contains A LOT of fantasy, it also might inspire young readers to go deeper into the book and search up somethings about Egyptian mythology! It certainly made me want learn more about Egyptian mythology, especially the gods!!

 

Categories
Graphic Novels

TomBoy

Image result for tomboy book

The graphic novel “TomBoy” by Liz Prince is extremely relatable. I personally loved this book for that same reason. The book is based on her own childhood stories and how she grew up being a tomboy. She grew up like an average child, the only difference was that she was into thing that were/are considered for “guys” which was why she was considered a tomboy.  Although she was happy being a tomboy, she did struggle with what it meant to be a girl. In the novel she says that she felt out of place and different.

One that I most liked was when she spoke about how she was a Girl Scout. I really enjoyed this part because me and some of my friends used to be Girl Scouts as well. At some point, we both open our eyes to the real world and how it treats girls who prefer male things. Her experience as a girl scout is different from mine, due to the type of entertainment she had.

While reading this, I felt intrigued and wanting to read more. I recommend this book for girls, as well as boys who felt a bit different from society, not wanting to follow society’s usual behavior. It gives girls support to be who they want to be without society holding them back. You can find this book in the library.

By: Ivette & Leslie

Categories
Battle of the Books

Battle of the books (November)

This year we’re introducing a new monthly post, Battle of the Books.  Battle of the books is when a member of Library House comes into your classroom and reads a page of the two books that the class has to choose from.  This month, digital committee presents…

Image result for greg heffley
Diary of a Wimpy Kid

vs.
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Dork Diaries

The 1st Dork Diaries book, Tales From a Not-So-Fabulous Life, is about Nikki introducing herself and telling her story about the guy she likes and how this girl was trying to steal him from her.  The page we read for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Long Haul, (the 9th book) is about how Greg’s mom wants Greg to go outside because it is not natural for a kid like him to stay inside, but Greg obviously does not agree with his mom at all.  Most of the classes thought that it was funny that Greg does not want to leave his house and that Nikki is so jealous that the girl Mackenzie was trying to steal her true love Brandon.

chartOne of the third graders said “I choose Dork Diaries because it is challenging to read and I like that.”  Another third grader said, “I like Diary of a Wimpy Kid because it has a movie and it explains more.”  Most of the third, fourth, and fifth graders said that both of the books are funny, but in the end Diary of a Wimpy Kid won the battle as you can see from the graph.

In my opinion I think that all of the grades voted more for Dairy of a Wimpy Kid because most of the time boys think that Dork Diaries is a “girl book” and Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a “boy book” so they choose Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but a lot of the girls voted for Diary of a Wimpy Kid too.  Girls were able to vote for Diary of a Wimpy Kid society has made it able for girls to express themselves, even their inner masculinity. Meanwhile, males haven’t gained the chance to express their interests due to them not having the opportunity and not feeling like they are allowed to.

The fact that there’s a movie for Diary of a Wimpy Kid means kids who don’t like to read can go and watch the movie so that they have the same experience as the people who do read the series.

I’m glad that a lot of the kids in the classes showed that you can choose any book that grabs your attention.

Categories
Battle of the Books

Scholastic Book Fair

Library House is pleased to announce that we will be starting the 2017 Winter Book Fair. This means that Elementary classes will have the opportunity to visit the book fair and buy books. Middle School Students will not have a preview time but they will be able to buy books. It would happen Monday through Friday, December 18-22. If you want to volunteer, you can fill out the form that will be delivered by Library House to inform when you are able to help. We will be setting up on Friday, December 15. We hope you would be able to come and buy your favorite books.

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La casa de la biblioteca se complace en anunciar que estaremos comenzando la Feria del libro de invierno de 2017. Esto significa que todas las clases tendrán la oportunidad de visitar la Feria del libro y comprar libros. Sucedería de lunes a viernes, diciembre de 18-22. Si usted quiere ser voluntario, usted puede llenar el formulario que sera entregado por la casa de la biblioteca para informar cuando usted es capaz de ayudar. Vamos a establecer el viernes, 15 de diciembre. Esperamos que pueda venir a comprar sus libros favoritos.