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.