What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

I'm desperately trying to read as many of the new books this week as I can. I may not be able to post about each one. The one I began last night is Max Cassidy : Escape from Shadow Island by Paul Adams. My students love action adventure series such as Horowitz's Alex Rider. We'll see if this one comes close...

Cages by Peg Kehret

Wow! As I thought, small book with a lot of "punch". This book touches upon shoplifting, alcoholism, animal abuse, and typical middle school angst. Kit was having a very bad day - she didn't get a part in the play, the part went to a girl who gets everything, her stepfather was home drunk, she goes to the mall and the girl that got the part she wanted is being rewarded with jewelry from her father. In a split moment, bad decision, Kit decides she needs something too and shoplift a bracelet. Unfortunately, mall security catches her. As a punishment, a committee sentences her to community service and the local Human Society shelter. Kit is so embarrassed by her "conviction" that she keeps this a secret, which leads to a whole dominoes of lies to her friends and stepfather. The story really touched me without being too sappy. As usual, I think the cover is misleading and grab people to what a great story lies within.

What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

I will be reading Cages by Peg Kehret next. Ms. Kehret has been a favorite author of the Battle of the Books committee and I have yet not to like one of her books. They are relatively short with a lot of "punch".

Blindsided by Patricia Cummigs

Natalie begins to lose her sight at age eight because she was born with a congenital disease. In the story she fights the help and aids that the school and her family give her as her sight worsens. She continues to be in denial until one day the doctor says that she has to go to a "blind school" to learn skills for when the inevitable happens. Even while there, she doesn't want to admit how much worse the disability is becoming. Meanwhile, Natalie has to contend with typical teenage problems, such as losing and gaining new friends, boy interest, and school problems. While at the school, she wakes up one morning and has lost her sight. This section was particulary heartbreaking because you can't help but imagine - what if it were me?

Along with the almost docu-drama description of her life and learning the skills to cope with blindness, like Braille and a cane, there were some exciting moments too. While going to rescue a friend from a cafe, she and that friend get attacked by some men and the girls have to use the self-defense skills learned in class. Near the end of the story, she is in her parents' barn helping a goat to give birth and a bear attacks. There are a lot of interesting levels to the story. Some of them, I wish were a little more fleshed out, but all in all, a very good story.

What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

Next on my cart is Blindsided by Patricia Cummings. It will tell the tale of a teenage girl who is slowly losing her sight. I've always been fascinated with the Braille system and the coping mechanisms that the sightless have. I hope it's not too depressing.

No Safe Place by Deborah Ellis

Topical and real are two words that certainly describe this book. Any time you humanize political and global issues is a good thing, in my opinion. Although this is fiction and the teenagers and their stories specifically didn't happen, you know that there are similar stories happening in reality. Several of the experiences were truly horrifying and I had to skim through them because they just bothered me too much. For those students who are truly interested in our world and the world they are going to be in charge of soon, they should read stories like these. The ending doesn't tie anything up in a pretty bow, but does conclude with some hope. I wouldn't say I enjoyed the book, but it did open my eyes.

What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

I am reading No Safe Place by Deborah Ellis. It is supposed to be a very topical book about a boy from Baghdad who is trying to escape some horrific conditions and get to England. Even though the world thinks it sees what's going on in the Middle East, I am curious to see what an author does with a teenager's perspective.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

How does Mr. Riordan do it? I thought he would have exhausted the good story lines with the Percy Jackson series, but, luckily, he didn't.

In this first installment of the new series "The Heroes of Olympus", we are introduced to three new characters - Leo, Piper, and Jason. Jason is a demigod who suffers amnesia at the beginning of the book and calls everything by their Roman name. He owns a coin that turns into a lance or sword. It is revealed that he is Thalia Grace's younger brother, as they have the same mother, but they share no similarities in their appearances, other than their blue eyes. When Jason was two years old, he was taken from his mother and sister by Hera, and Thalia ran away from home shortly after that. He is the demigod son of Zeus, also known as Jupiter in Roman mythology. It is also made known that he came from a Roman version of Camp-Half Blood before he lost his memory. Piper is a demigod daughter of Aphrodite and a Cherokee movie star. At the beginning of the book, Piper claims to be Jason's girlfriend. She has a dagger named Katoptris, previously wielded by Helen of Troy, that can show more than the holder's reflection. She also has the gift of charmspeak, the ability to persuade anybody to do anything. Few children of Aphrodite have had this ability, and none are living in her time that can match her in power.A demigod son of Hephaestus. Leo claims to be Jason's best friend at the beginning of the book. He has a magical toolbelt that will produce any tool he thinks of. Leo Valdez repaired the bronze dragon. He can also create fire from nothing, a rare ability given to Hephaestus's children.

As usual, Mr. Riordan does a magical job of teaching without preaching. I remember being very confused about the Greek versus Roman gods when I was in school. In the book, it is integrated so seamlessly that I would get a much better grade on a test now!

I look forward to the next installment!

Check out my Glogster poster on the book : http://mrsullrich.edu.glogster.com/the-lost-hero/

What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan is next on my list! I am going to have to power through this one since so many student are anxious to read it. This is a companion or "sister" book to the "Lightning Thief" series. I am very interested to see if Mr. Riordan could write about the same topic but in a new fresh way.

The Red Pyramid

Wow! Loved it! Rick Riordan sure knows how to infuse a great story, real kid characters, action, and mythological stories. In this new series, a brother and sister, get thrown into a crazy ride with every Egyptian god and goddess you can think of.

I actually finished the book about a month ago and probably read about twenty in between, but what sticks with me is this - very cool! It's told from both the brother and sister's point of view. You have to look at the top of each page if you forget who is speaking. Their father summons some Egyptian gods in a museum and gets "sucked" into one of their spirits and into a coffin down to Hades. From there his kids are thrown on a nonstop roller coaster ride of mystery and action.

Unless you really hate fantasy, I can't think of anyone who wouldn't enjoy this one.

What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

Yay! Rick Riordan (author of the Lightning Thief) has come up with a new book series about the Egyptian mythology. I am very excited to read it, as I am sure most of my students are. It's called the Red Pyramid.

Bull Rider

Really great story! It's very topical in that the main character's older brother is injured in Iraq. He then decides to try to win his family money by entering in bull riding contests (behind his mother's back). The characters are very real, with lots of faults, and very relatable. You don't need to know anything of the ranching/bull riding culture to enjoy this story. Try it!

What's Mrs. U reading now?

I am reading "Bull Rider" by Suzanne Morgan Williams. The cover reads "Eight seconds of danger...a lifetime of honor". It's a great teaser. All I know so far is it's about a boy who's a skateboarder whose family is full of bull riders. Not sure if this is my taste, but I always read with my students in mind, thinking about who would like it.

"Shine On Coconut Moon" was a fantastic! It hits on so many topics that I'm surprised the author does each one well. The main theme is the reaction by Americans to anyone of the Muslim (or perceived Muslim) faith after 9/11. It is told from a teenage girl's point of view. While she's dealing with her own typical teenage dramas - mom, friends, boyfriend, peer pressure - she now is hypersensitive to how people treat anyone of the Indian culture. It taught ME a lot, which is the best type of reading - a great story that informs me without being didactic or preachy. I highly recommend this book to 7th and 8th graders and adults.

What is Mrs. U Reading Now?

I began "Shine On, Coconut Moon" by Neesha Meminger yesterday. It is a very unusual and topical fiction novel...a Sikh teenager post 9/11 who becomes hyper-aware of the new prejudices and yet considers herself very American with typical American teenager problems. I'm interested to see how she reconciles all these conflicting emotions and influences.

I finished "Tomorrow When the War Began". I really enjoyed it! For those of you around my age, it reminds me of the 80's movie "Red Dawn" about the US being invaded and a group of teenagers fighting back. This book's setting is Australia, and except for some vocabulary that's native to that nation, it is not distracting at all. The book is written from one of the main character's point of view. This group of teenagers are away camping when some rival nation invades their town and country. Since most of the natives were at their festival ( like a state fair), the enemy captures the town on the fairgrounds. When the main characters return home, their farm animals are dead, no one is left in their homes, and they start encountering the invading soldiers. There are many sequels to this which I look forward to reading this summer because I have too many other new books to read right now!

What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

I tore through the first half of "Tomorrow When the War Began" by John Marsden from yesterday through this morning. I was asked to purchase the quizzes for this series by a student and put it on my list of new purchases. I should finish it soon and will then give my full review...

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Finished Shiver...I really enjoyed it. A love story with the werewolf twist. A girl is dragged off her swing by wolves, but is not eaten. She continues to be fascinated by the wolves who live in the woods near her home, always watching the one with the yellow eyes who also seems to be watching her. As a teenager she finds a boy with the same eyes on her doorstop grazed by a bullet. Who is he? How did he become what he is? Why can't he be in the cold? Why did she not turn as a child? All answered in this tale. I'll be happy to talk it up in my library.

What Is Mrs. Ullrich Reading Right Now?

I am in the process of reading lots of new books right now before I put them out for students. . I'm almost done with "Shiver". It's a new take on the werewolf myth. I'm enjoying it so far and will let you know what I think.