The Time-Traveller's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century by Ian Mortimer

Grades: 8-12
I have to confess that I am a little bit of a reality TV addict. I am just very interested in how people live. This interest spreads into a general interest in people and culture. I love books that are journal format (Dear America, Bridget Jones Diary, Ophelia, etc) because I feel like I get to eavesdrop. Isn't that like the most fun in the world?

Well, this book combines all those reality TV guilty pleasures with actual history. It is a "history" book but it is written like a travel guide. It breaks down every principle to the basic ideas and then expounds upon them. Very informative while being sooooo interesting!

Medieval England's social structure is completely different from the modern world we know and love. Even the basic "Christian" beliefs are different. Not only was deodorant not invented yet, it was thought that taking a bath could kill you. Think about life without indoor plumbing, toothpaste, band-aids, Advil. The average person lived to be 38. 38? That is not that old. How old are your parents right now. My Dad is 59. He likely would have been dead for the past 21 years.

I am always amazed that people could live at all without modern conveniences. I just don' t know how a person could even consider living without a microwave. Why would anyone WANT to do that. It just seems unfathomable. But that is history. Everyone has ancestors who were alive at that time. I don't know where mine were, but they very likely could have been in England not bathing and dying at age 38. Who knows?

This book used facts and historical events to capture my imagination more than Survivor EVER has.

Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nichols

Grades 6+
I should have known. When I read the back of the book I knew it was about a kid, Sam, who has leukemia. But as I read, it became evident that Sam not only had terminal leukemia but he had less than 6 months to live.

Sam, as one would expect, struggles with the idea of death. To try to figure out life's big questions, Sam makes lists of questions and documents how he tries to reason them out. Then he starts to make lists of things he wants to accomplish before he dies and documents how he achieves those things.

The family dynamic was the most interesting part. The mother was so emotional about the whole thing. The father seemed to be in denial. The sister was just too young to know what was going on. Towards the end, the roles reversed, as they often do in life.

I hate to spoil the end, but Sam does die. So yeah, this was a depressing book. But it was also sooooo good. Sam is a believable character. He doesn't white wash anything and he is not perfect. He is brave in facing his own death and sometimes he has to show an example for his parents who can't easily accept that their child is going to die.

When I finished this book, I cried like a little baby. My grandfather died a few months ago and that was my first experience with true loss. While Sam's death was vastly different from my grandfather's, but Sam's character reminded me of my grandfather. Sam prepared for his demise and wanted to make sure his loved ones would be prepared and able to continue on without him. He showed strength and great heart.

Loss is universal and a scary part of life. The reason I cried so much when I was finished reading this book is that the book proved to be true and it touched my little librarian heart.

File this book under "life changing."

Tunnel in the Sky By Robert A. Heinlein

The final exam for Dr. Matson's Advanced Survival class was meant to be just that: only a test. But something has gone terribly wrong...and now Rod Walker and his fellow students are stranded somewhere unknown in the universe, beyond contact with Earth, at the other end of a tunnel in the sky. Stripped of all comforts, hoping for apassage home that may never appear, the castaways must band together or perish. For Rod and his fellow survivors, this is one test where failure is not an option....

I was skeptical reading the first couple chapters of this book because, normally I would not just pick up a science fiction novel to read. However, what a surprise as I continued to read further in this novel the more I loved it. It was a book published back in 1955 but, could easily happen today. In reading the book I could picture what it was like to be one of the characters stranded in this unknow place with only limited reasources to use to survive. I definetly was hooked into this page turner of a novel and was rooting for Rod Walker and the rest to survive thier test and make it back alive. This was a great read and a perfect book for a book discussion!

Teen Tech Week Book Blog

So this is our book blog.

The idea behind this is to have a place where we can easily share our thoughts and ideas about books we’ve read or want to read.

Part of reading is sharing. I’ve read many a book in my day, and nothing is more satisfying when you find someone else who loved a book you loved (Woot! Percy Jackson! I’ve read the books at least 3 times and given them as presents to my brother, husband, mother-in-law…) OR hated a book you hated (I mean, what was with the Scarlet Letter? Apparently it is a classic, or something, but I require more dialogue in my novels.).

Librarians can post topics and you can comment on them. If there is a topic you would like a librarian to blog about you can email us and we will blog at your command or we can post your comment verbatim and see what discussion comes up.

Now, there is one rule but it is very simple to follow: respect other people’s opinion. This does NOT mean that you can’t say you didn’t like a book. Not everyone is going to enjoy the same book. I for one didn’t much enjoy Twilight—sacrilege, I know. It takes all kinds and that is why there are different kinds of books. Some people like romance. Some people like science fiction.
The book blog will remain as long as there are those of you who read!

Read on!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (bks 1 and 2)by Jeff Kinney

Grades 4+ 
Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

In the second book, Greg enters the new school year. He’s eager to put the past three months behind him . . . and one event in particular. Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all about the incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules chronicles Greg’s attempts to navigate the hazards of middle school, impress the girls, steer clear of the school talent show, and most important, keep his secret safe.

Alright. Greg is not a nice person. He is ashamed of his best friend. He is jealous of anyone who gets any attention. He lies and doesn't understand the purpose of being nice--unless it gets him something. He is always trying to get more even if he doesn't deserve it. Greg is a pretty miserable human being and is the type of person who made my life horrible in middle school--the bullied becomes the bully. If Greg is the type of hero that the world has to offer, the world is in trouble!

The books are certainly funny and capture the essence of Middle School. I was always hoping that Greg would do the right thing but I don't think he ever did, not once. For anyone who has read (or seen the movie) Emma, Greg is basically Emma: a self centered, unrepentant, jerk.

And yet, I read the first 2 books in one day and I want to read the third book. Is there something wrong with me?

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

Grades: 11-12

17-year-old Lucy Scarborough is a reasonable girl who lives with her foster parents while her crazy bag lady mother wanders around the city seemingly terrorizing people. But everything changes the night of Prom. Lucy discovers her family is under an ancient curse by an evil Elfin Knight, she realizes to break the curse she must perform three impossible tasks described in the song her mother always sang to her. She must complete the tasks before her daughter is born in order to save them both.

I was stuck in an airport by myself when I remembered I had this book. It was a good read because it took me to another place. While Lucy was grounded in the "real world" there were elements of fantasy that were really fun.

The song was haunting. I had to go and listen to the Simon and Garfunkle song.

Does Anyone See A Problem?

Love Percy Jackson. Love that they made a movie of the book (even though they changed lots of stuff...whatev). Love the whole thing. Just want to say that first.

<--This is a poster that being sold by the American Library Association. But there is a problem with this poster. Percy is dyslexic (this has to do with his demi-god status because his mind was designed to read only ancient Greek. Isn't that cool!? What if you were designed to read some language!? Just really great!). So Percy is a great hero but he isn't a reader in the normal sense because what he can read is ancient Greek and there aren't too many books published in ancient Greek.

Do you see the problem? Yeah. The sign should say, "The Greatest Heroes are Great Reads."

Oh well. The advertising folk tried to be cool. What more can they do? I don't know, maybe read the book?