BLOODY JACK

Bloody Jack

by L.A. Meyer

2002

278 Pages

Eight year old Mary "Jacky" Faber loses her family to pestilence. In London 1797 it's a rough time to be an orphan. With no family or home Jacky is left to survive on the streets. Sje is soon "adopted" by a gang of orphans where she learns to beg for food and money. But after the gang leader is murdered Mary decides that life as a boy might be an easier path. She cuts her hair, changes her name to Jack and is soon hired on to the HMS Dolphin, a British Navel vessel as a ship's boy.

Jacky now has to use all her wits to keep her secret and learn to survive on board.

Page 130

"All I really want is a small ship," says I, "that could carry a respectable cargo and be able to be handled with just a few-"

"We know what you want, Jacky," says Davy. "Just put a sock in it."

"Piss off, Davy," snarls I, steamed up at being interupted. "Someday, you vile little scab, someday when that wars are all over and you're stranded on shore, you'll come to the fine offices of Faber Shipping Company Worldwide and say, "Will ye be givin' me a post now, Jacky?" and I will not."

Davy laughs. "You'll have to, Jack, because of the Oath of the Brotherhood."

"Well then, Davy, I'll give you a post as a ship's boy and I'll keep you as a ship's boy till you go all bald and stooped in the back, and won't you scrub the head till it shines, by God!"

I loved this book so much! I loved the character Jacky who was full of heart and wit. This book is filled with adventure, humor and a little romance. I can't wait to read the next installment of this series-The Curse of the Blue Tattoo which is already in my TBR pile.

I reccommend this book to ages 12 and up because of some light sexual content. This book is available for check out at the Salmon Public Library.

THE WEDNESDAY WARS

The Wednesday Wars

By Gary D. Schmidt

2007

264 pages

Newbery Honor

Luck is not on the side of seventh grader Holling Hoodhood. Every Wednesday while half of his classmates attend Hebrew School at Temple Beth-El, the other half go to catechism at Saint Adelbert, Holling of Presbyterian faith is left all alone with Mrs. Baker. A teacher he is sure hates him with heat whiter than the sun. At first Mrs. Baker puts Holling in charge of custodian duties around the classroom but after a few freak accidents involving cream puffs, chalk dust and rats she decides that reading Shakespeare together would be much safer for both of them. Holling is absolutely sure that Mrs. Baker is out to get him and tries his very best to be on his best behavior throughout the year. But staying out of trouble is pretty hard to do when your on the top of the junior high bully hit list, man eating rats are after you and your experiencing your first crush.

Page 117

In my mind I could see it all: I pull back my arm, plant my left foot, Doug Swieteck's brother comes sliding into sight, I release the fastball, his face turns toward me at the last moment, and the snow-ice-slush-spitball splatters against his nose. Perfect.

I didn't really think it would happen that way. The snowball would hit the bus. Or I'd miss entirely. Or it would hit someplace that he'd hardly feel. Or maybe he wouldn't even be holding the bumper. Or maybe I wouldn't even throw it.

But I did.

And it happened exactly as I'd imagined it.

Page 240

Can you believe this stuff?

Because you don't have to be Shakespeare to know that's not the way it happens in the real world. In the real world, people fall out of love little by little, not all at once. They stop looking at each other. They stop talking. They stop serving lima beans. After Walter Cronkite is finished, one of them goes for a ride in a Ford Mustang, and the other goes upstairs to the bedroom. And there is a lot of quiet in the house. And late at night, the sounds of sadness creep underneath the bedroom doors and along the dark halls.

That's the way it is in the real world.

If I had to sum up The Wednesday Wars in two words it would be humor and heart. It's a great story filled with laugh out loud moments and tenderness. Holling takes the reader on a journey of growth as he strives to figure out who he is and who he wants to become.

I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. Both boys and girls would get a kick out of Holling Hoodhood. I bought this book at a school book sale and I'm donating it to the Salmon Public Library.

TEASER TUESDAYS......

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that pageBE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!


My Teaser Tuesday is from the book-
The Seer of Shadows
by Avi
Page 18

"It has been suggested to me," she went on when she recovered, "that souls, or ghosts, what some now call the ectoplasm of the departed, linger where they have been laid to rest. I have a feeling"-she put her hand to her heart-"that my daughter, Elenora, is restless." These last words she all but whispered.
The room was silent for a moment, as if we were all listening for movement from elsewhere. "How do I know this" she continued softly. "A mother's heart knows."

CONTEST!

Books at Midnight is giving away a copy of:

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

It sounds like a great read and is on my wish list.

To enter head on over to http://booksatmidnight.blogspot.com

Contest ends Feb. 12th and don't forget to read her awesome review!

ANOTHER CONTEST!

Another giveaway on this fine Monday morning!

This contest is sponsored by Dark Faerie Tales at

http://darkfaerietales.com/

The are giving away the book Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick and a cool journal!

Get over there and enter! Contest ends Feb. 3

What are you reading on Mondays?

It's Monday what are you reading?

Is sponsored by: j-kaye-book-blog

http://j-kaye-book-blog.blogspot.com/

Its a fun way to keep track of what you're reading.

Go there and join the fun!!

I am just finishing Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

I am listening to audio book Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

Next up on my list to be read for the week is:

Does my Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Huge by James W. Fuerst

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

CONTEST!

Green Bean Queen is sponsoring a giveaway!




The reviews on both these books are amazing.
If you're in the mood for a good nail biter this contest
is the one for you!
What are you waiting for!
Go!
Contest ends Feb 12th.
http://www.greenbeanteenqueen.com/

RULES by Cynthia Lord

RULES

by Cynthia Lord

2006

200 Pages

Winner of the Newbery Honor Medal

Twelve year Catherine just wants a normal life, normal parents and normal friends. But life is not normal when you have a little brother with autism and your whole existence revolves around his disability.

Catherine has spent years compiling a list of rules to keep David from embarrassing himself and her.

For Example:

1. If someone says "hi" to you, you say "hi" back.

2. Say "thank you" when someone gives you a present(even if you don't like it).

3. No toys in the fish tank.

4. Sometimes people laugh when they like you. But sometimes they laugh to hurt you.

When a new girl moves in next door Catherine feels like she just might have a chance at a brand new friendship and maybe even a normal summer hanging out, doing normal teenage things. The problem is that Catherine forgot to let her family in on her plan.

I found Rules to be honest and believable. As the main character Catherine struggles to find a balance between independence from her brother but is also fiercely protective of him. There is great love but also resentment. The story also showed the impact that a child with disabilities has on the whole family in a realistic way.

I would recommend this story to ages 9 and up. Reading it with your children would be a great way to have a conversation about disabilities. The Salmon Public Library has this book and it is available for check out.

TEASER TUESDAYS

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

My teaser is from the book I just started last night:

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Pg. 136

"Because you called me a blind mole, and then you acted like a jerk about your father winning the Baker Sporting Emporium contract."

"That was three months ago, and I did not act like a jerk."

"You still called me a blind mole and hoped-let me see if I can get this right-you hoped that an unwholesome dew from a wicked fen would drop on me."

It was actually a wicked dew from an unwholesome fen, but I'm a lot smarter than Romeo, and I know when to shut up.

Library Loot

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Love , Love , Love this idea because I work at a library of course!

These are books that I have currently checked out on my card and are in my TBR pile:

1. Does my Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

2. Huge byJames W. Fuerst

3. Rules by Cynthia Lord

4. Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

5. Children of the Lamp-The Akhenaten Adventure by P.B. Kerr

Happy Reading People!!

What Are You Reading Mondays?

If you haven't checked out J. Kaye's Book blog you need to put that on your to do list. She hosts What are you reading Mondays? Along with the 100+ challenge that I'm currently doing, she also has great giveaways. What are you waiting for? Go!

I am currently reading Rules by Cynthia Lord

Also on my To Be Read List for this week is:

1. Huge by James W. Fuerst

2. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

3. The Seer of Shadows by Avi

4. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Happy Reading!

THE CUPCAKE QUEEN

The Cupcake Queen

by Heather Hepler


2009

242 pages






First I must admit that I bought this book because of the cover and title. It just looked like a fun read. And looks were not deceiving. It was a quick, fun, easy read.

Poor Penny has just been moved from New York City to a little hole in the wall town called Hog's Hollow. Her parents have just separated and her mom's new business venture is a cupcake bakery. Blurb is from author's website: heatherhepler.com

Six months ago, if someone had said the word cupcake, it probably wouldn't have even registered. I mean, sure, who doesn’t like them? But a whole bakery devoted just to cupcakes? I asked my mother that when she told me. “Nothing else?” She just laughed like it was the funniest thing I’d said all day. I didn’t quite believe it until I saw the man putting the final touches on the lettering on the window: “The Cupcake Queen”.
When she said, “I’m going to open a bakery”, dumb me, I thought she meant in New York. And while it was surprising, I wasn’t really surprised. My mom has always been what she calls “vaguely artistic”. I started to get excited as she talked about the bakery idea. I pictured a tiny shop in Soho that made specialty cakes and got featured in the Food Section of The New York Times. Then she told me the bakery wasn’t going to be in the City at all, but out here. Here, in Hog’s Hollow, where they actually crown a Hog Queen every fall.

The Cupcake Queen is a great little book. I loved Penny's sense of humor and her ability to just keep slogging through life even when everything seems out of control. I also loved the way the author handled Penny's parents separation, it felt very honest. She showed that parents sometimes do not have the right words or even handle things right all the time. I also liked that the author didn't try to wrap things up in a neat little tidy package at the end, because as we all know life isn't all neat and tidy-the story continues to go.

I recommend this book for readers ten and up. I'm donating it to the Salmon Public Library so it will be available for check out real soon.

MAGYK BY ANGIE SAGE

MAGYK

BOOK ONE-SEPTIMUS HEAP

BY ANGIE SAGE

ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARK ZUG

2005

564 PAGES

On a dark and stormy night the seventh son of the seventh son is born to Sarah and Silas Heap. Sadly, the baby boy is pronounced dead by a midwife and whisked away into the night.
That very same night Silas finds an abandoned baby girl in the snow and takes her home. The Heap family raise the girl as their own along with their six sons. Life goes on as normal until Jenna turns ten. Suddenly nothing is as it seems when her real identity is revealed by an Extra Ordinary Wizard named Marcia who now must protect the future queen at all costs. With Darke Magyk and Necromancer DomDaniel hot on their heels they escape into the marshes and hide out. More Magyk ensues as a hunter, DomDaniel's apprentice and an assessin is sent after them. As the story unfolds more long hidden secrets are revealed to Jenna and her family and their future will never be the same again.

Magyk is a book filled with magic(of course) and action at every turn. There are wizards, spells, witches, boggarts and ghosts to fill your fantasy order to the brim. There are several characters with their own view points throughout the story which sets the book up for future books. The story speeds along at a quick pace which is nice because it is a lengthy book, but I never felt like the story was bogged down.

I enjoyed the story even though I'm not a huge "fantasy" fan and I personally have never read Harry Potter(Yes I know, I'm a terrible person and probably should be beaten with a wand) library patrons that have read the Septimus series have compared them to Harry Potter stories.

I recommend this book for ages 10 and up. This book is available for check out at the Salmon Public Library.

At this moment.....

I am right in the middle of son's basketball season which leaves nights packed full of practices and games. I am also indulging in my guilty pleasure-season 2 of Dexter from netflix. Books are piling up and I need to get busy reading!
I'm just finishing up Magik by Angie Sage-I'll be writing a review this weekend on it.
I also purchased used on Amazon -
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
"Audrey, Wait!" by Robin Benway
What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles
After I read and review these I'll donate them to the Salmon Public Library.
We desperately need newer, updated books in our young adult section!
So that's what I'm up to at this moment.

The Magician's Elephant

The Magician's Elephant

By Kate DiCamillo

Illustrations by Yoko Tanaka

2009

201 Pages

Young Adult

From the inside flap:

What if? Why not? Could it be?

When a fortune teller's tent appears in the market square of the city of Baltese, orphan Peter Augustus Duchene knows the questions he needs to ask: Does his sister still live? And if so, how can he find her?

The fortuneteller's mysterious answer(An elephant! An elephant will lead him there!) sets off a chain of events so remarkable, so impossible, that Peter can hardly dare to believe it.

But it is-all of it-true.

In this story we are taken on a journey of hope by Peter as he searches for his long lost sister. Several characters are brought in as the story progresses and each play a small key role in the journey as a whole. Although Peter is the main character, the story is from other view points as well. The policeman, the magician, and the elephant. I loved the author's ability to use a few small descriptive words to give the reader a complete idea of a character in the story. Her words are so perfect and beautiful-the imagination just flows from there. This story just begs to be read out loud. I also enjoyed the beautiful artwork that was done by Yoko Tanaka. His pictures completed the package.

This small quick read leaves a giant impression on your heart. This magical tale is about hope and love and dares you to ask the question -What if?

I recommend this book for readers 10 and up. This book is available for check out from the Salmon Public Library.

A Challenge!

It's good to challenge your self right??

OK here it is-I accept the challenge!

100 book in 2010.

This challenge is hosted by j-kaye-book-blogspot.com

My goal is to read and BLOG every single one.

If only losing 30 pounds was as easy and enjoyable.....

The Movie-Angus,Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Yahoo for Nickelodeon!!!

If you didn't have a chance to catch it Friday night the DVD is also for sale through Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

It was so great! Loved it!!!

The movie is based on Louise Rennison's the first two books in her series about Georgia Nicolson. Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging & On the Bright Side I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God

Georgia Groome played Georgia Nicholson perfect! She was everything I imagined in my head about this character. Rent it and watch it with your daughter! It's just laugh out loud funny.

For a little more information about the movie I've included the synopsis on the back of Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging. I dare you not to laugh!

There are six things very wrong with my life:

1. I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next two years.

2. It is on my nose

3. I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.

4. In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuhrer Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic teachers.

5. I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.

6. I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.

In this wildly funny journal of a year in the life of Georgia Nicolson, British author Louise Rennison has perfectly captured the soaring joys and bottomless angst of being a teenager. In the spirit of Bridget Jones's Diary, this fresh, irreverent, and simply hilarious book will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it's "Fabbity fab fab!"

The BEST Books of 2009

It was harder than I thought it would be to narrow "The Best" down to 10 books.


Many books were read in 2009 and not all were blogged about(hence the goal of 2010) but I felt like I needed to choose the blogged ones so that if a title or cover catches your fancy you can scroll back and read the review. Most of these are not new books and in no particular order. So here goes.....

1. Memories of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
2. Spud by John van de Ruit
3. Thirteen Reasons by Jay Asher
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5. The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
6. The Giver by Lois Lowry
7. Looking for Alaska by John Green(and gets my vote for coolest cover)

8. The Ranger's Apprentice-The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan

9. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

10. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I can't wait to see what 2010 has in store!
Here's to a fabulous year of reading and blogging!

Resolutions for 2010

Am I a pessimist or an optimist?

Am I the kind of person who views the glass as half full or half empty?

Well I sort of think that it depends on the day.....

As I set my goals or resolutions for the year of 2010 I wonder if I am lighting a fire of determination or simply setting myself up for failure?

Hmmmm-stay tuned.

My Goals for 2010-

1. Read 100 Books

2. Write a review for each and every one

3. Be a part of more book challenges

4. Be more of a participator and less of a lurker on other book blogs

5. Work on people skills and poker face(especially while at work)

Happy New Year!