Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

"A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."

Wow! Loved it. It was so original. The photographs are so creepy (and real!). The first half of the book is a little spooky, but with Jacob's (and the readers') realizations of what is really happening, it becomes very interesting. I love authors that create a truly new concept in a story and this one is it.

I Promise...

I am so sorry that I have been remiss at updating my book blog. I've actually been so busy trying to keep up on my reading of my new shipments and then preparing for Read Across America, I haven't been posting.

As soon as the Battle of the Books competitions are over this, I promise, to update my reviews!

What's Mrs. U reading now?

Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret was just made into a move Hugo. I didn't see the movie, but my understanding (AS USUAL) was that it wasn't as good as the book. Big surprise!

His next one, Wonderstruck, just arrived in the library. Can't wait, although the book looks huge and kids are intimidated, it's half pictures!

The Best Bad Luck I Have Ever Had by Kristin Levine

"While most of the residents in the tiny, World War I–era Moundville, Alabama, are shocked that their new postmaster is African American, Dit is simply surprised that said postmaster’s child turns out to be a girl, not the boy his own age he was expecting. Bookish, timid Emma can hardly fill the role of fellow adventurer and baseball player that easygoing Dit, with more than a trace of a Huck Finn–like charm, had his heart set on. In unexpected ways, though, the unlikely twosome cross each other’s paths and slowly build a partnership of complementary strengths. When Jim Crow rears its ugly head in the person of the menacing and blatantly racist sheriff, Emma and Dit embark on a risky adventure to save the life of a man sentenced to hang on trumped-up charges. Levine’s story treats racism frankly and with no mincing of words. The highlight of this coming-of-age journey comes from watching the two kids learn about the world and come to care about each other in the way of 13-year-olds." ~Booklist

I enjoyed this story very much. It is becoming a bit cliche...white character and black character become friends in an unlikely time, but many students still don't understand why that was once taboo and unheard of. Lots of interesting characters and few interesting twists. I will probably still have trouble talking some kids into it, but if they would give it a shot, I think they would really like it.

What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

I am reading The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had by Kristin Levine. I am always looking for historical fiction that my students would actually read. This is a difficult genre to "sell" and I hope this is one I can talk up to my students...

The Chosen One By Carol Lynch Williams

Wow! I was really impressed with this story. Cult stories are becoming fairly regular in the press these days, but it continues to fascinate me. Here's the product description:

"Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated community without questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way. That is, without questioning them much—-if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her.

But when the Prophet decrees that she must marry her sixty-year-old uncle—-who already has six wives—-Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family forever."

It's not only about the negative connotations you hear about, but about how much love can go on in a family like this one. The expectations and structure of the controlling cult is what is frightening. It's also interesting to read it from a girl's perspective who innately knows there's much more out there in the world for her and that she just doesn't belong in this world.

What's Mrs U Reading Now?

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams is next on my list. All I know is that it is about a girl who lives in a cult and was well reviews by Booklist and School Library Journal. With recent news headlines about girls escaping this type of life, I'm curious to see how the author handles the topic...

Storm Runners By Roland Smith

"Chase Masters and his father are storm runners, racing across the country in pursuit of hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. Anywhere bad weather strikes, they are not far behind. Chase is learning more on the road than he ever would just sitting in a classroom. But when the hurricane of the century hits, he will be tested in ways he never could have imagined."

This is a quick fun read that has lots of action. I preferred Mr. Smith's other series that started with Cryptids, because I happen to like science fiction, but this one is enjoyable too. This one seems to be much more realistic and will be perfect for those students who come in for an action book. It is obviously the beginning of a series, and is new, so you may have to wait awhile between publications...

What's Mrs U Reading Now?

I am going to read Storm Runners by Roland Smith next. Mr. Smith wrote two other books we have in the library that I really liked - Cryptids and Tentacles, so I have high hopes for this new one!

Candymakers by Wendy Mass

I just love Wendy Mass. She is a master storyteller. First of all, who wouldn't want to read a book about candy? That's an easy one. Then you have to really hold on to the reader, though. Ms. Mass does it so well...

Four 12-year-olds gather at a candy factory to participate in the local segment of a nationwide contest to create a new and delectable piece of candy. One contestant is the only child of the factory’s owner, known here as the Candymaker. Another boy is obsessed with allergies and the afterlife, while the third boy is unfriendly and intent on winning. The lone girl, Daisy, seems to be sweetness itself but displays great physical strength as well as odd behavior. Mass skillfully presents the two and a half days of the kids’ apprenticeship from the perspective of each of the four contestants. At over four hundred pages, this is not a lightning-fast read, but it reveals a multitude of mysteries, explaining all the clues about misunderstandings, spies, and sabotage that Mass has dropped along the way. Attentive, candy-loving readers will be richly rewarded. - From Booklist

What is so wonderful about this book is that every time you think you have the characters figured out and you know what's going on - you don't. That's what makes a great page turner.

Loved it!