Green, John & Levithan, David. (2010) Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Dutton Books.
John Green and David Levithan team up to write a book about two teen boys, the same age with the same name and both of them are looking for love but with some striking differences. Will Grayson of Evanston has a huge best friend named Tiny who declares to be in love with every boy who looks his way. Will of Evanston joins the Gay Straight Alliance to be near Jane, who may or may not be a lesbian. Will Grayson of Naperville is looking for love in all the wrong places. When the two Will's collide their worlds come together with a satisfying and funny ending.
40 Developmental Assets: 32, 33, 39
Friday, April 29, 2011
YA Best books NF
Walker, Sally M. (2009) Written in Bone: Buried lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland. Carolrboda Books. 5Q, 4P MJS
The excavations begin in Jamestown, Maryland dating from the 1600's by archeologist and forensic anthropologists who try to understand how the people of that time and era lived, under what conditions and how they died. Sometimes the archeologist find more than one person in a grave and sometimes they find the arrowhead still lodged in a femur raising the question of cause of death. From the bones the scientist can determine the age and sex of the person and sometimes a possible cause of death. Throughout the book there are pictures from the actual excavations. A great book for a history buff, budding archeologist, or forensic scientist.
The excavations begin in Jamestown, Maryland dating from the 1600's by archeologist and forensic anthropologists who try to understand how the people of that time and era lived, under what conditions and how they died. Sometimes the archeologist find more than one person in a grave and sometimes they find the arrowhead still lodged in a femur raising the question of cause of death. From the bones the scientist can determine the age and sex of the person and sometimes a possible cause of death. Throughout the book there are pictures from the actual excavations. A great book for a history buff, budding archeologist, or forensic scientist.
YA Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers NF
Fagerstrom, D. & Smith, L. (2008) Show Me How: 500 things you should know instructions for life from the everyday to the exotic. Collins Designs. 4Q 4P JS
It's all here. Everything that you want to know how to do is in this book. The instructions are mostly pictures, similar to IKEA instructions, but there are some simple sentences to clarify when needed. This book has instructions on how to survive an alligator attack in four simple steps to burping a baby in four simple steps. You can learn how to stack a mean hamburger or get a clean shave. If you need to know-it is here.
40 Developmental Assets: 10, 17, 30
Show Me How
Willin, Melvyn, Dr. (2008). The Paranormal Caught on Film: amazing photographs of ghosts, poltergeists and strange phenomenon. F&W Publications, Inc. 4Q 5P JS
If you are intrigued by the paranormal this book will give you hours of time to study the pictures and decide if you they are truly images of something paranormal or just a fake. All the pictures in this book were examined by two qualified experts; Dr. Harrison a specialist in forgery detection and Maurice Grosse who questioned the photographers at length and found the photographers to be acting in good faith. All of the strange, paranormal pictures have an explanation of its origins, place, date and type of camera. Some you may believe and some you may not, but it is worth looking at and deciding for yourself.
The Paranormal Caught on Film: amazing photographs of ghosts, poltergeists and strange phenomenon.
It's all here. Everything that you want to know how to do is in this book. The instructions are mostly pictures, similar to IKEA instructions, but there are some simple sentences to clarify when needed. This book has instructions on how to survive an alligator attack in four simple steps to burping a baby in four simple steps. You can learn how to stack a mean hamburger or get a clean shave. If you need to know-it is here.
40 Developmental Assets: 10, 17, 30
Show Me How
Willin, Melvyn, Dr. (2008). The Paranormal Caught on Film: amazing photographs of ghosts, poltergeists and strange phenomenon. F&W Publications, Inc. 4Q 5P JS
If you are intrigued by the paranormal this book will give you hours of time to study the pictures and decide if you they are truly images of something paranormal or just a fake. All the pictures in this book were examined by two qualified experts; Dr. Harrison a specialist in forgery detection and Maurice Grosse who questioned the photographers at length and found the photographers to be acting in good faith. All of the strange, paranormal pictures have an explanation of its origins, place, date and type of camera. Some you may believe and some you may not, but it is worth looking at and deciding for yourself.
The Paranormal Caught on Film: amazing photographs of ghosts, poltergeists and strange phenomenon.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
YA-Mystery, Suspense, Horrow
White, Kiersten. (2010) Paranormalcy. Harper Teen. 4Q 5P JS
This book has all of the paranormals, but not how you expect them. Faeries are self centered and ruthless, werewolves are misunderstood and kind and vampires are everything you expect but they don't sparkle. Evie is a seventeen year old who works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency because she has the special ability to see through the glamours that hide the paranormals from humans. Suddenly paranormals are being killed at an alarming rate when a shape shifter named Lend breaks into the IPCA to find answers about the killings. Together Evie and Lend solve the mystery to the killings only to find out that she may be part of a prophecy that could destroy all of the people she loves.
40 Developmental Assets: 3,4,5,6,8,11,14,15,16,20,21-25, 26-31
Paranormalcy
This book has all of the paranormals, but not how you expect them. Faeries are self centered and ruthless, werewolves are misunderstood and kind and vampires are everything you expect but they don't sparkle. Evie is a seventeen year old who works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency because she has the special ability to see through the glamours that hide the paranormals from humans. Suddenly paranormals are being killed at an alarming rate when a shape shifter named Lend breaks into the IPCA to find answers about the killings. Together Evie and Lend solve the mystery to the killings only to find out that she may be part of a prophecy that could destroy all of the people she loves.
40 Developmental Assets: 3,4,5,6,8,11,14,15,16,20,21-25, 26-31
Paranormalcy
YA-Morris Debut Award
Madigan, L.K. (2009). Flash burnout: a novel. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Q5, P5, JS
Blake has a great life. His parents are married, he has a beautiful girlfriend, and a great friend, Marissa. Blake's favorite class is photography, but he is struggling. His teacher thinks that his photos lack emotion and are flat so Blake begins looking for a great photo opportunity. He takes a picture of a women strung out on drugs and barely alive on a bench in a seedy part of town. When Marissa sees the picture she recognizes the women as her mother. Finding her mother turns Marissa's world upside down and she takes Blake with her. Marissa struggles to help her mother and Blake struggles to keep his girlfriend and still support Marissa.
40 Developmental Assets: 1,2,3,11,14,15,16,17,20,21,22,23,24,26,27,28,32,36,37,38,39,40
Flash burnout: a novel
Blake has a great life. His parents are married, he has a beautiful girlfriend, and a great friend, Marissa. Blake's favorite class is photography, but he is struggling. His teacher thinks that his photos lack emotion and are flat so Blake begins looking for a great photo opportunity. He takes a picture of a women strung out on drugs and barely alive on a bench in a seedy part of town. When Marissa sees the picture she recognizes the women as her mother. Finding her mother turns Marissa's world upside down and she takes Blake with her. Marissa struggles to help her mother and Blake struggles to keep his girlfriend and still support Marissa.
40 Developmental Assets: 1,2,3,11,14,15,16,17,20,21,22,23,24,26,27,28,32,36,37,38,39,40
Flash burnout: a novel
Easter
Three cute little story time girls came in and said that they had bunnies in their front yard. I'll bite- "What color are they?" I asked. I got blank stares from the girls so I chalked it up to their limited vocabulary, maybe I was talking too fast, who knows. So I followed up with, "The Easter Bunny made an early visit and left them in your front yard. Are they pink or blue or green?" More blank stares. Then the nanny explained that they were real bunnies in the front yard...now it all comes together. I chatted with the girls about the bunnies, but it got me thinking. I should decorate with my kids for Easter. Good idea.
Friday evening Adam is so excited. He asked me if we could decorate for Easter on Saturday, and remembering the girls' excitement about bunnies, although they were not big pink plastic bunnies like I thought, I said sure. Adam and Maddy could hardly sleep they are so excited about decorating. The next morning I made a big pancake breakfast then the festivities began. Rob went down to the basement to get the tub labeled "Spring/Easter". By the size of the tub there must be lots of great stuff in it. Sam, Maddy Adam and I gather around the island for the big tub opening. It's been a few years since we have decorated for Easter, so we are expecting stuffed bunnies and so many unimaginable decorations in an array of soft spring colors. Well, let me just tell you that it was like that scene in The Christmas Story when the father gets the wooden crate marked "Fragile", opens it with the crow bar and steps in to find... a leg lamp.
Here is a list, in order, of the fabulous decorations we found:
1. 4th of July banner
2. 4th of July wall hanging
3. Summer candles (Rob hopefully asked if it was an Easter candle)
4. Finally a promising looking box that says "Easter Express" with a picture of a ceramic train-hooray!! It's empty:(
5. Easter baskets-two for each child-(our Easter bunny doesn't fool around)
6. On the very bottom-plastic eggs-one did have candy in it still which Adam tried to eat until I interceded.
No bunnies or unimaginable decorations-nothing. There were looks of stunned disbelief and heavy sighs. A little head scratching, wondering what happened to all of the Easter stuff, another sigh. So we took the eggs and matched them and counted them. Then we talked about filling them with candy for the egg hunt on Sunday at Aunt Carol's. We all felt better after that. The boys went back to the game station, Maddy went to clean her room, Rob went to the den to work, and I went to the store... to buy candy.
Friday evening Adam is so excited. He asked me if we could decorate for Easter on Saturday, and remembering the girls' excitement about bunnies, although they were not big pink plastic bunnies like I thought, I said sure. Adam and Maddy could hardly sleep they are so excited about decorating. The next morning I made a big pancake breakfast then the festivities began. Rob went down to the basement to get the tub labeled "Spring/Easter". By the size of the tub there must be lots of great stuff in it. Sam, Maddy Adam and I gather around the island for the big tub opening. It's been a few years since we have decorated for Easter, so we are expecting stuffed bunnies and so many unimaginable decorations in an array of soft spring colors. Well, let me just tell you that it was like that scene in The Christmas Story when the father gets the wooden crate marked "Fragile", opens it with the crow bar and steps in to find... a leg lamp.
Here is a list, in order, of the fabulous decorations we found:
1. 4th of July banner
2. 4th of July wall hanging
3. Summer candles (Rob hopefully asked if it was an Easter candle)
4. Finally a promising looking box that says "Easter Express" with a picture of a ceramic train-hooray!! It's empty:(
5. Easter baskets-two for each child-(our Easter bunny doesn't fool around)
6. On the very bottom-plastic eggs-one did have candy in it still which Adam tried to eat until I interceded.
No bunnies or unimaginable decorations-nothing. There were looks of stunned disbelief and heavy sighs. A little head scratching, wondering what happened to all of the Easter stuff, another sigh. So we took the eggs and matched them and counted them. Then we talked about filling them with candy for the egg hunt on Sunday at Aunt Carol's. We all felt better after that. The boys went back to the game station, Maddy went to clean her room, Rob went to the den to work, and I went to the store... to buy candy.
YA-Best Books-Sports
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen. 2006. Houghton Mifflin. 4Q 5P MJS
Seventeen year old D.J. spends her time milking cows and tending to other chores on the farm in rural Wisconsin. Her father hurt his hip moving the manure spreader, so instead of helping with the milking he has started cooking concoctions. D.J.'s brothers were excellent football players for their high school, Red Bend, but they have moved on to college. All those years of watching and practicing with her brothers makes her an excellent workout partner for Red Bend's rival from the neighboring town of Hawley. Handsome Brian is out of her league and D.J. knows it, but while working out together they seem to connect emotionally. But when Brian finds out that D.J. will be playing for Red Bend he feels betrayed because she never told him that she wanted to play football. Not only that, but D.J. knows all of Brian's football moves. What if she uses that information against him to win the big Red Bend v. Hawley game.
40 Developmental Assets: 1,3.5,6,7,10,12,14,16,18,20,23,26,27,28,33,36
Seventeen year old D.J. spends her time milking cows and tending to other chores on the farm in rural Wisconsin. Her father hurt his hip moving the manure spreader, so instead of helping with the milking he has started cooking concoctions. D.J.'s brothers were excellent football players for their high school, Red Bend, but they have moved on to college. All those years of watching and practicing with her brothers makes her an excellent workout partner for Red Bend's rival from the neighboring town of Hawley. Handsome Brian is out of her league and D.J. knows it, but while working out together they seem to connect emotionally. But when Brian finds out that D.J. will be playing for Red Bend he feels betrayed because she never told him that she wanted to play football. Not only that, but D.J. knows all of Brian's football moves. What if she uses that information against him to win the big Red Bend v. Hawley game.
40 Developmental Assets: 1,3.5,6,7,10,12,14,16,18,20,23,26,27,28,33,36
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