What's Mrs. U reading now?

My students often ask for books about other kids like them. This is called realistic fiction. I am always on the quest for a truthful and honest look into middle school kids' lives. I want them to read a book and believe it could or has happened to them. Let's see if The Truth about Truman School by Dori Hillestad Butler is one of those types of books.

Stop Pretending: Poems About When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones

In a sequence of short, intense poems based on the author's own experiences, a 13-year-old girl suffers through her shifting feelings about her sibling's mental illness. She recalls the terror of the Christmas Eve when Sister was suddenly transformed into a stranger; the horror of visiting Sister in the hospital and finding her rocking on all fours; the fear that her friends will find out; her own worry that she, too, may lose her mind; and her wistful memories of Sister as she was before...

“The poems take on life and movement, the individual frames of a movie that in the unspooling become animated, telling a compelling tale.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Sensitively written.” (The Horn Book )

“Stop Pretending is a tour de force debut. It celebrates truth-telling, and has a purity and passion that speaks to the heart.” (Boston Globe )

“The poems have a cumulative emotional power.” (ALA Booklist (starred review) )

“Unpretentious. Accessible. Deeply felt.” (School Library Journal )

“Heartfelt.” (KLIATT, starred review )

Can you say much more than that?

What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

I am beginning Stop Pretending What Happened When My Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones. Ms. Sones is known for her verse style of writing. The kids like them because they are fast reads. However, most times they don't realize that they're getting a lot of story in those carefully chosen words.

Christopher Killer Slays!

As the daughter of a Colorado County coroner, seventeen-yearold Cameryn Mahoney is no stranger to death. in fact, she’s always been fascinated by the science of it. so she’s thrilled to finally get some hands-on experience in forensics working as her father’s assistant. but Cammie is in for more than she bargained for when the second case that she attends turns out to be someone she knows—the latest victim of a serial killer known as the Christopher Killer. And if dealing with that isn’t hard enough, Cammie soon realizes that if she’s not careful, she might wind up as the killer’s next victim. . . .

Great introduction to the series. What's great about reading a forensic thriller is that you can skim/skip over the gory parts (like FF on the DVR). I really hate blood and guts stuff, but I love the idea of science solving a crime. Having a girl teen play the main character just adds a great new element to a cool mystery. From a teacher's perspective, I think it's great whenever a female is portrayed with intelligence. It subtly shows you that your strengths and interests can lead you into all sorts of interesting possible futures. I look forward to reading the rest of the series when I get the chance.

What's Mrs. U Reading Now?

I have gone back to the beginning of Alaine Ferguson's forensic series with The Christopher Killer. I had purchased one further down along in the series without realizing that it was a series. The premise of the books is that Camryn, a high school senior, is a gifted scientist who wants to become a coroner/forensic scientist like her father. I've always enjoyed CSI and NCIS (even if I am very squeamish). The idea of solving crimes with science is fascinating to me.

Max Cassidy : Escape from Shadow Island

I enjoyed Max Cassidy: Escape from Shadow Island by Paul Adams. It had a little bit of Alex Rider, and it reminded me a little bit of First Shot by Sorrels. Only fourteen years old, Max is the world's foremost escape artist. Chained, handcuffed, locked in an airtight water tank, there's nothing he can't get himself out of. He learned the art from his father—a man who just two years ago was murdered, and Max's mother went to jail for the crime.

Now a mysterious man has shown up backstage after one of Max's shows, telling Max that not only is his mother innocent, but his father is still alive. He can provide only one clue: a slip of paper with eight digits written on it. It is this clue that will lead Max from his home in London to the exotic and deadly Central American country of Santo Domingo and the impenetrable fortress on the sinister Isla de Sombra.

There is a cliffhanger at the end, leading to sequels, I'm sure. It's not a frustrating ending, though. It was a fun adventure read.