TK Stone's Library Blog (not an official EIS website)

This has to be one of the “cutest” books I have ready recently.  My nephew who is 3 labeled it as a “girl book” because of the cover, and he is probably right. It features a young girl dealing with her mother’s rash decision to move away from their home for the summer to be a cook/housekeeper for an artist’s retreat in Michigan.  What she discovers at the retreat, aside from eccentric artists, is mystery and someone who may change her life forever.

If I had predicted 100 different ways that The Kneebone Boy might have ended, I still wouldn’t have come close to the actual ending.  This book, the most recent by Ellen Potter, is the story of an adventure of the Hardscrabble children. To say that these children are strange might be an understatement. The oldest Hardscrabble boy doesn’t speak, and he never takes off his scarf.  Some people wonder if he used the scarf to strangle his mother–she disappeared several years ago.  Through a series of events, the Hardscrabble children find themselves alone in London where they meet their long-lost aunt.  Their long-lost aunt lives in a child’s play castle.  (See, things just keep getting more weird.)  It is from this small castle that they launch their search for the mysterious Kneebone boy.  What they find in the end surprises everyone–including me.  If you like Lemony Snickett’s books or Leaving the Bellweathers, then you simply must pick this book up at the library.

In honor of Banned Books Week and a controversy brewing in Missouri, I read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.  While I have been familiar with Anderson for some time, I had never read this book.  It is a powerful book that deals with a delicate subject.  The main character, Melinda, is dealing with a rape that happened in her recent past.  The book follows her through her first year in high school.  Obviously, the transition to high school is not the easiest transition for anyone, but the issues of the past make it nearly impossible for Melinda. She has told no one about what happened to her, so she is dealing with it on her own.  Her main coping strategy is to withdraw and avoid speaking.  As you read this book, you will understand Melinda’s difficulty in dealing with this huge issue.  How does she resolve all of this?  You will have to read the book to find out.

Have you ever dreamed of finding lost treasure?  That’s the dream of the main characters in Double Eagle, a new book in the library by Sneed Collard.  Mike and Kyle find themselves spending their summer on an island in the Gulf where Mike’s dad is a professor, and Kyle’s step-dad works in maintenance.  Both boys have their own ways of dealing with their family issues while they spend the summer among college kids, treasure hunters, and professors. The real adventure begins, however, when they begin to suspect that Confederate gold might be hiding in a nearby fort.  If there is gold there, though, there are people on the island who will stop at nothing to get it.  Treasure hunting is a dangerous business that nearly costs Mike and Kyle their lives.  Pick up this story of a treasure hunt (taking place during a hurricane) at the library.  You are sure to love it.

I finished this book last year, but am just now blogging it.  In this book, Matt Pin, the main character lives as a Vietnamese teenager in the United States right after the Vietnam War.  He has been adopted by an American family, but Matt still has to deal with the issues of the loss of his mother and sister whom he left in Vietnam.  The people in Matt’s community have to deal with their own issues as they seek someone to blame for the loss of soldiers’ lives in the war.  Baseball is what gives Matt a place to belong and a way to cope with these complex issues.   This is a quick read because it is written in poetry.  Check out this book as you start reading your way through the Kentucky Bluegrass Nominees for this year.

Last night I stayed up too late reading The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein.  This is one of several new books that arrived in the library last week.  I don’ t remember what prompted me to put the book on my list to order, but I am glad I did.  This is a unique ghost story that I’m sure most of you will enjoy.  The main character, Zach, is working on starting a new life with his father and step-mother as they move to the town where his father grew up.  As with any small town, there are ghosts of the past, but in this small town the ghosts are real.  One of the ghosts from the town’s past is intent on bringing harm to Zach and several members of the community while several other ghosts hope that Zach will be the one to complete a task that will allow them to finally be at rest.  Will Zach succeed before the evil spirit causes him harm?

When you are looking for some suspense that will propel you to keep reading late into the night, this book is for you.

My first book of the school year is one of the best that I’ve read all summer.  After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick focuses on the 8th grade year of two cancer survivors.  They each have their struggles hanging around from series of chemotherapy and radiation.  Jeff has a limp and struggles with math, while Tad is bound to a wheelchair because he doesn’t have the strength to walk.  Together these friends battle the usual struggles of 8th grade (girls and grades) while still dealing with other issues that only cancer survivors can appreciate.  Is it really true that the new girl from California likes Jeff?  Will their relationship survive “the talk?”  (That’s what Jeff calls the discussion they will have about him being a cancer survivor.)

I wish I could say that everything ends happily, but there are some complications that arise through the course of the story.  You will have to read the book to experience the ups and downs in the lives of Jeff and Tad.

The school year has officially started so my summer reading challenge is over.  Today I finished the first book of the fall semester, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.  I picked this book up after many recommendations from teachers and friends, and because it is written by the author of Because of Winn Dixie, a book that I truly enjoyed.

This book is outside of my normal reading genres because it is the story of a rabbit made of china (basically a doll).  This rabbit has no unusual talents; he can’t talk or move, but he can think.  And through his thoughts, we hear the story of his journey.  His journey at times finds him on the bottom of the ocean, in the mouth of a dog, living with a hobo, and in a doll shop.  Along the way, we see how he is changed by the people who love him.  It is a touching story about a china rabbit and the people who loved him.  Despite the size of the book, it is a quick read.

As I think about going back to school, I begin to get excited because I am ready to recommend some of the great books I’ve read throughout the summer.  At the same time, I’m a little saddened because the beginning of school means that my late night reading adventures will have to end.  I’m not one of those people who can read until 2 a.m. and then be ready to function at school at 7 a.m.  Here’s a review of the latest book that kept me up reading until 2 a.m.

Killer Pizza is a book that has been on my “to read” list since it arrived in the library over a year ago.  I finally got a chance to sit down with it this week.  While it appears to be a lengthy book, it is easy and quick to read.  Killer Pizza is the name of a pizza shop where three high school students find a summer job.  Little do they know that Killer Pizza is just a front for a different kind of operation.  Also, these three are unaware of the evil that is lurking in and around their town.  I don’t want to say much more about the storyline because I don’t want to give anything away.  Let’s just say that when you begin reading and see how the battles between good and evil will be fought, you won’t want to put the book down.

Well, here we are with barely two weeks left of summer vacation. I’ve read through over 50 books this summer working towards my goal of 61.  I’m afraid that my reading speed might be slowing down. The past few books I have picked up have not pulled me in the way that some of the books from earlier this summer have.  I’ve also been reading some more non-fiction books which tend not to be action-packed page-turners.  Several of the books left in my stack are longer books that I’ve been putting off through the summer because they might slow me down on my book-a-day goal.  They all look like great books, but the thought of reading through all of them before the end of the month is a little daunting.  Sometimes the hardest part of reading is actually picking up the book and finishing the first chapter. With that said, below you will find reviews for some of the most interesting books I’ve ready over the past couple of weeks.

While I have primarily been reading books from the school library, I have, on occasion, moved outside the middle school genres to read something else.  Alton Brown’s Feasting on Asphalt: The River Run was just such a book.  I am a fan of the Food Network and enjoy watching the always eccentric, but very scientific Alton Brown on his show Good Eats.  When I saw his book in the bargain book bin at Wal-Mart for $6, I decided to add it to my stack of summer reading material.  This book is a travel journal of Alton’s motorcycle trip along the Mississippi River from its mouth in Louisiana to its source in Minnesota.  The focus of his trip, of course, was food–authentic food found near the river and never from chain restauranst.  I enjoyed the book because he talks about the food, the people, and the journey. There are several recipes included for some of the better meals he ate along the way.  All in all, it was a great read, and a quick one too.

I have long been a fan of Touching Spirit Bear.  When I saw that the author had written a sequel, I was excited and quickly purchased a copy for the library.  This book, The Ghost of Spirit Bear, begins where the last one left off.  The main character Cole has finished his year alone in the wilderness of Northern Alaska.  This was his punishment for nearly beating a kid to death in his high school.  During his time alone, Cole learns much more about right and wrong, fear, love, and life than he ever would have in jail.  Now that the sentence is over, he must return to the high school he left.  Of course, although he has changed much, his high school really hasn’t changed at all.  It is still rife with gangs, violence, and bullies.  Cole learned many strategies to deal with his anger while he was on the island, but now that he is back in school with people constantly in his face, can he still manage to control his anger?  I love how the author has painted a true picture of a struggling teen who really wants to do the right thing, but doesn’t know how and can’t find anyone to offer help or advice.  Although Cole’s time in Alaska is over, he is still on probation; one fight or small instance of trouble can send him straight to jail.  How will he ever make it through this without ending up in jail?  You will have to read to find out.

Leaving the Bellweathers was recommended by a friend on Twitter.  When I realized that it was available at Barnes and Noble, I purchased a copy.  It has to be one of the funnier books that I’ve read all summer.  I know whatever I write here will not do justice to the story.  You need to read it, even if my words don’t convince you that it is wonderful.  The crazy Bellweather family lives in lighthouse with their Butler who is the narrator of the story.  Each of the Bellweathers is quite eccentric and unique.  The father is an inventor who is known to yell a lot and throw things out the windows of the lighthouse.  Mrs. Bellweather loves to paint, so she is constantly painting the walls of the home.  One of the children, Spider, enjoys keeping dangerous pets in the house (for example, an endangered albino alligator).  The oldest daughter is always looking out for others.  She frequently brings guests (bums) into the house for a meal because she suspects that they might be feeling “downtrodden.”  The triplets are just a mess and can cause all kinds of trouble.  The butler has decided that he will be leaving the family as soon as his commitment to them is complete–who wouldn’t?  When the kids find out, they decide to convince him to stay.  Will it work?  Would anyone voluntarily work in these kinds of conditions?   Read the book to find out and to be amused.