Lynda M. Hunt's Fish In A Tree - A must read!

Lynda Hunt follows up her wonderful "One for the Murphys" with another great modern realism story. Ally Nickerson has kept her problem from a lot of people over the years. Her family, her teachers and anyone else. No one knows she cannot read. Artistic, creative and bright, Ally thinks she is dumb. And she is sure no one can fix that, ever! Along comes Mr. Daniels her new teacher who sees past the seemingly stubborn, impulsive girl and begins to understand the real issue that Ally is so determined to hide. Back at home, Ally has a wonderful relationship with her mom and her big brother while her military dad is deployed in the Middle East. Even they don't know the true story. As Ally continues to struggle with her academic life she begins to make some real friends: Keisha who stands down to no one and knows her mind; Albert who is brilliant with science and facts. These three form a bond of people who do not quite fit the mold. They will come up against popular and mean Shay. They discover that they are up to the challenge.
If you ever felt like you did not fit in for any reason, this story will ring true for you. This is a story of acceptance and perseverance.

Sharon Draper's new historical novel is a hit!

Based on her own father and grandmother, Sharon Draper weaves a story of personal strength, family, friendship and faith in 1932 North Carolina. Stella and her family live in the segregated South. One night she and her little brother Jojo observe a frightening scene: a cross being burned at a Ku Klux Klan meeting right across the pond in their rural town. Soon the whole black community is on alert since white citizens of Bumblebee are clearly members. Stella, a 5th grader, wants to be a writer but she struggles with the process. Soon there are many things to write about not the least is the decision by her dad and two other men to register to vote despite the clear threats to everyone's safety.
This gripping tale of life under segregation during the Depression brings to life a young person's, her friends' and her family's determination to stand in the face of prejudice and ignorance.

Veronica Roth gives us more about Four! With seven stories told from his perspecitve!

2 copies in the LTC

Veronica Roth gives us what we wanted with more about Four (alias Tobias Eaton). These seven stories track him from the age of 16 when he first makes his faction choice. The reader will learn more about his relationship with his abusive father, how he became an initiate trainer, how he made friends and dangerous enemies and how he met Tris (alias Beatrice Prior). It's a great series of chapters giving fans a chance to see Dauntless, the Factionless and the Divergent through a new lens. The only down side is that the book is too short!

Realistic Fiction from the Caudill Nominees

One For The Murphys by Lynda Hunt gives readers a behind the headlines view of being in foster care. 12 year old Carley Connors struggles with a range of emotions as she finds herself the sixth member of the Murphy family. With her mother in the hospital for an unknown length of time, Carley has to start school in a new place very far from her Las Vegas home. Carley is mad at her mom, mad at the Murphys and mad at the world.
Well developed characters and settings bring Carley's new world to life. She slowly learns to connect with her foster family, a difficult kid at school with her own problems and finally her mother.
Readers will have a new appreciation for kids in foster care and the challenges and benefits that are presented to them. A fast, engaging read for anyone.

Another great title from the Caudill 2015 nominee list!

The False Prince (part 1 of a trilogy) by Jennifer Nielsen is set in an alternate history middle ages. Four teenage orphans living in the realm of Carthya are picked up by a nobleman named Conner. Conner forces the boys into a brutal competition for the chance to impersonate the heir to the realm, long lost Prince Jaron. Political intrigue, unforeseen alliances, deadly combat and lies and truths all mix to make an exceptionally well written thriller full of surprises.
All three parts of the series are available in the LTC: The Runaway King and The Shadow Throne.

Just when you thought there might not be more great dystopia series out there...

Slated by Teri Terry is the first part of a dystopia series set in not so distant future England. In this world, young people deemed by the government to be a threat as terrorists are "slated". They have their memories erased and are then sent to live with a new family as adopted children. During this period they are closely watched for any behavior that does not conform to the strict rules set for them. 16 year old Kyla is slated. But shadows of memories haunt her dreams and influence her behavior in ways that slated kids normally do not experience. Try as she might to fit into her new life, bits of her past keep coming to find her building an ever more sinister picture of what is really going on. Are the anti-government terrorists really terrorists? Do the government police, called Lorders, really have everyones safety as their priority? And what about those LEVO bracelets all slated kids have to wear? Are they really there to help monitor their emotional levels or to monitor everything about them? Think FitBit gone really wrong! This is a true non-stop thriller! You won't want to miss Part II - Fractured and the finale Shattered! All these fabulous titles are in your very own Sears LTC.

A great read - Caudill Nominee Joan Bauer's Almost Home

Joan Bauer continues to be an enormously popular author in our LTC. She does it again in the modern realism genre with Almost Home, a 2015 Caudill Nominee.  6th grader Sugar Mae Cole finds herself homeless and the adult in charge when circumstances beyond her control land her mom, Reba, in the psychiatric wing of a hospital and she in foster care. Set in Missouri and then Chicago, Sugar braves many hardships and scary situations. Her talent for poetry and her determination help her to connect with the right people that come into her life. Ultimately, those connections are what save her and her mom. Secondary characters are richly drawn adding to the depth and detail of this outstanding story. Readers will leave this story with a better understanding of homelessness but also what strength of character can look like.

Caudill 2015 non-fiction nominee - Dogs On Duty Rocks!!

Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, one of the great non-fiction writers for young people, brings us the world of dogs in the military. Readers will be instantly engaged by the opening shot of a soldier and his Belgian Malinois (one of the preferred breeds in such dangerous work) partner jumping fearlessly out of a helicopter! The book covers the history of dogs used in war and battle. The progression from dog as weapon to dog as crucial partner is well developed. The careful explanation of breeding, choosing, training, testing and partnering are fascinating. Ms Patent does not shy away from the rigors and dangers of work as soldiers both human and canine. If you ever thought dogs were amazing as friends you will be blown away by dogs as soldiers. Don't miss this non-fiction Caudill nominee for 2015.

Two super additions for our dystopia fans!

Cinder is Part 1 of the 4 part Lunar Chronicles series. Author Marissa Meyer takes the Cinderella story to a whole new place twisting and tweaking all the familiar elements. Set in a post apocalyptic world, Cinder, part cyborg and gifted mechanic, tries to survive life with her evil step-mother and shallow step-sisters. Enter Prince Kai, heir to the throne of what was once China, a deadly plague, and the cruel and ruthless Lunar inhabitants. Cinder, whose mysterious past is about to catch up with her, finds herself the unlikely hero of the Earth's fate. The sequel is "Scarlet", a twist on Little Red Riding Hood that continues the story while introducing new characters. For all the Hunger Game/Divergent fans this series is for you!!


Elsie Chapman comes through with a terrific sequel to her dystopia novel Dualed. In Divided, West Grayer, now is a complete but still plagued by her Striker past. Boyfriend, Chord, also complete is trying to live a normal life knowing full well that West will find trouble somewhere. It comes this time as an offer by the Board (sinister, secretive leadership of city-state Kersh) that West cannot refuse. It will involve resuming being a striker but this time to eliminate the alts of children of the Board. Struggling with her conscience and her love for Chord, West tries to meet the challenge by herself armed with a secret new weapon. In this installment you will learn more about the history of Kersh, the hierarchy of the Board and the some teasers about the Surround. Action packed the story begs for one more entry in the series to answer the burning questions about West, Chord, the Board and the future.

Two Great Graphic Novels

Jimmy Gownley, author of the popular Amelia Rules series, writes his autobiography in graphic novel form. Covering junior high through early high school, Jimmy explains how "the dumbest idea ever" completely re-wrote his life. The story follows Jimmy as a series of illnesses side line his athletic goals but jump start his love of cartooning. The story explores friendship, coping with stress and fame and figuring out what is important to you. You will laugh and worry right along with Jimmy, his best friend and parents in this true story.

Geeks, jocks, high school elections and robotics all merge in this laugh out loud slice of modern life. Charlie, all around great guy, is caught between his cheerleader ex-girlfriend and his nerdy oldest friend. Each one represents a group vying for Student Council money. The cheer squad wants new uniforms and the techies want to go to the Robotics Competition. So they both mount campaigns to win student council but the two candidates are best friends. What could go wrong? Plenty and plenty of laughs. Where is the sequel authors Prudence Shen and Faith Hicks??!!

Stephan Pastis Wows are Students!

 Stephan Pastis visited with our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders on March 27th. Equiped with a great group of slides, he told the students about how he started out being an attorney for his career path. After ten years, he realized he really wanted to be creative and took the plunge to become a comic strip artist. He was rejected many times until he added a second character to his beloved rat, a very clever pig. (Pearls Before Swine comic strip author/illustrator)

Mr. Pastis explained his creative process. He made our group laugh as he explained his need for loud music, lots of coffee and a room with walls that he draws on to get his ideas down on paper.

He was approached several years ago to write a book for middle school children. At first, he felt he was too busy but eventually an idea came to him based on the type of stories he loved when he was that age: Detective stories. And so Timmy Failure was born!

Mistakes were Made was the first Timmy story. It was on the NY Times Best Seller list for many weeks. Soon, part two came along Now Look What You Did which is how we got to have Mr. Pastis come visit us.  Since he was doing a huge tour, The Book Stall in Winnetka asked if we would like to have him visit us here at Sears School! Well, we certainly did.

After talking to the students, Mr. P. fielded questions from the audience. He brought t-shirts, three Timmy Failure watches and temporary tattoos. We were able to have a drawing right there with him picking the names of the lucky winners.

He then signed books before heading off to his next appointment.

PS Mr. Pastis even gave our students a sneak peek at the third Timmy Failure story We Meet Again, due out in October! We will be looking forward to that!

Veronica Roth and Allegiant (Part 3 of Divergent)

I had the pleasure to meet author Veronica Roth at The Book Stall in Winnetka a few weeks ago. I wanted to share with you some of the interesting things that came up during this great opportunity.
For instance the Divergent series has been translated into 42 languages.
Veronica Roth uses more technology now than ever to help her be consistent with timelines and events in her stories.
She was really happy with the script that was written for the film (OPENS IN MARCH 2014) and thought the casting was perfect.
The film shot for 90 days of location shooting here in Chicago so there will lots to enjoy in the movie for all of us here in the area.
She says the whole book-into-a-movie experience has really changed so much of her life.
When Allegiant came out she had to sign 1000's of copies.

Part III of this terrific dystopia trilogy is full of all the action, twists and turns, surprises and disclosures that you have come to expect from this author.  If you have not read Allegiant don't read any social media or blogs about it, if you do not want the story spoiled for you. If you have read it then please do not spoil it for anyone else. It really deserves to be read with all the surprises intact. Enjoy the author at her blog (she puts in Spoiler Alerts!) http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/

Dualed by Elsie Chapman - Another twist on the Dystopia genre.

For all the Hunger Games, Matched and Divergent fans out there, try Dualed!

Join West Grayer (15 year old orphan) as she tries to survive her city-kingdom of Kersh's harsh rules of survival. Since the world fell into constant warfare, Kersh has survived as a walled kingdom on the west coast of the US.  Everyone there has a genetically identical twin born of completely different parents. At an appointed time each twin or "alt" has a month to find and eliminate the other. Who ever remains alive is deemed worthy of becoming a member of the protective Kersh army as an adult. It's the ultimate survival-of-the-fittest story set in a tough city, short on resources and heavy on danger. 
Clearly, number one in a series, I found myself wanting to know what happened to get the world to this point; how did Kersh get started and who are the mysterious Board that run everything behind the scenes. Hints at all these things are present and you know there has to be a rebellion coming at some point.  I really liked the pace and atmosphere of this dark action story.  I hope some of my questions will be satisfied in the next installments when they arrive.

Two Caudill nominees about boys: Bamboo People and Boys Without Names

Chiko and Tu Reh are both Burmese teenage boys caught in the middle of modern day Burma and civil war. Told in the first person, the reader will live the ordeal of being kidnapped into the army and forced to become a soldier. Chiko is well educated and longs to become a teacher. He uses his education and intelligence to survive and cope, never forgetting his family. He gets to know Tu Reh, a Karenni rebel soldier, when he is severely wounded in a battlefield.  What happens next decides the rest of Chiko's life.  Themes of war, friendship, family, compassion and resilience weave a fast paced story about the lives of young people in Burma today.  Be sure to read the endnotes by the author about the current situation in Burma.

11 year old Gopal moves to present day Mumbai, India with his family. The family has lost their farm and rural way of life. In hopes of finding work through a family member in the big city they head out. Nothing is as expected in the city.  Money quickly runs out leaving the family homeless and hungry. Baba, Gopal's father, goes in search of the family member only to disappear. Desperate to help his family survive, Gopal tries to find any work he can. His trust in the wrong person gets him kidnapped into child labor.  Locked away in dark, airless loft Gopal and five other boys are held captive. All day with little food or water, the boys are forced to glue beads onto frames.  They call their cruel and dangerous boss, Scar. Gopal is determined to escape. Slowly, even in the face of hopelessness, he manages to befriend his fellow captives.  His resourcefulness and resilience ultimately changes the course of life for all the boys. This is a serious story about child labor and children's' rights and the power of friendship.

Two Caudill Nominees about modern girls: The Running Dream and I, Emma Freke

 Jessica is a star high school runner who loses her leg in a school bus crash. Her journey from complete despair to new dream realized is a believable story of determination, family and true friendship. I personally learned so much about what amputees go through that I never knew before. The story gave me a new appreciation for our veterans and bombing victims who overcome these sorts of injuries. It is an inspirational story on many levels.

Emma thinks it is terribly ironic that her name is pronounced "freak" because she often feels that way about herself.  Living with her free thinking and not very responsible mom, Emma would rather not interact with the world if she can help it.  All this changes when she is invited to attend the Freke family reunion. She knows very little about her dad and accepts the invitation. The reunion is overwhelming at first with hundreds of members in attendance but Emma soon makes several key connections that will change her self-image forever.  Joining Emma on her journey of self-discovery and acceptance is at times frustrating and funny but ultimately joyful.

The Scorpio Races by Stiefvater (2011 Printz Honor Medal winner)

Different cover from one
in the LTC

This is one of those stories that suck you in slowly. You might not even be sure you like it but you have to know what is going to happen next. In the end, you are totally caught up in the world of the island of Thisby and the annual Scorpio Races.

Puck Connolly, first female to ever enter the races, has to race to keep her home. Sean Kendrick, four time winner and talented horse trainer, has to race to keep the horse that gives him purpose. So is this some horse/race story set in the north Atlantic? Not exactly since the horses in the races are mythical Capall Uisce (pronounced CAPple ISHka). They come out of the sea looking like huge race horses only they eat flesh and are almost impossible to train. If you can race one they are the finest mounts in the world, just don't get eaten while you try. 

If you let the lyrical, rich prose carry you along, the island, the people and the horses will come vividly to life. The story is about family, bonds, purpose, loyalty and ultimately love. If you are a horse person (such as myself) you will be moved by the land and water equines in the story. You might need a tissue. Also, please be warned that the film rights have been purchased so the movie is in the planning stages.

Jordan Sonnenblick visits with our junior high!!

Jordan Sonnenblick, internationally acclaimed young adult author, visited with our junior high students this past week. Many of his books have been reviewed here at lebrisary such as Notes from the Midnight Driver; After Ever After and Curveball. His live visit with our students was as great as his books. He was well worth the wait! For a brief report on his visit go to http://bit.ly/JordanSonnenblickvisit on our school website. I invite our readers to search his name here at lebrisary for the reviews of some of his excellent work in the modern realism genre.

Ally Condie wraps up her series with "Reached"!

Reached is Part III of Ally Condie's Matched Trilogy. Cassia, Xander and Ky have grown up a great deal in the last two books. The final installment brings the three matched friends together again in a race against time. The Society has collapsed, a victim of their own controls and the inside work of the Rebellion. The plague originally engineered to eliminate "Aberrations" and "Anomalies", perceived enemies of the Society's stability, has now out-stripped medical resources and is killing at an alarming rate. The Rebellion led by an appointed "Pilot" as leader is trying to take over by delivering life saving serum to all sectors of the population. Cassia, Ky and Xander are part of the Rebellion trying to save lives and find a true cure. Cassia as a data analyst, Xander as a medic and Ky as a skilled pilot. Friends and family, loyalties and betrayals mark this complex but satisfying end to the series. There are no easy answers for the three young protagonists but their will to live and love drives them forward.  A very strong addition to the popular dystopian novels genre, readers of Matched and Crossed will be entertained by the action and challenged to think about society, community and family.

Gordon Korman does it again with "Ungifted"

Donovan Curtis is the likable cut-up of his junior high school. Only problem is that trouble seems to find him wherever he goes. Detention is his home away from home. When a seemingly simple whack on the school statue of Atlas holding up the world ends up destroying the better part of the gym, it looks like the end may be near for Donovan. But instead of the expected expulsion, Donovan's family receives notice that he has been admitted to the district's school for the gifted The Academy of Scholastic Distinction. Pretty much a straight C kind of a guy, Donovan realizes that some sort of bureaucratic mix-up has taken place. He decides to go with this odd turn of events. The ASD may be the just the place to hide out while tempers cool. Donovan may not be gifted in the conventional way but it turns out that he does have some unique talents that his new classmates do not. The story is told from various characters' points of view.   Donovan, his parents, his married older sister, his brother-in-law's dog, the superintendent of the district, his old pals at the junior high, his new gifted classmates and the Robotics Club's competition robot are all changed in this hilarious, non-stop romp. You will never think of "gifted" in quite the same way.

2013 Newbery and Caldecott Winners!!

The Newbery Committee really did a fabulous job this year picking Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan. Told from Ivan's point of view, you will experience a wonderful, thoughtful and intense experience.  Ivan and his animal friends are part of a small circus housed in a mall. Cramped, run down and losing money daily, life has few happy moments. Ivan is a philosopher and tries to make the best of his life including enjoying creating artwork that is sold at the mall. One day a baby elephant, Ruby, arrives and everything changes for Ivan. His love of art drives him make a difference in Ruby's life that effects everyone around him. Katherine Applegate is known for her other titles: Home of the Brave and the Roscoe Riley Rules series.


The Caldecott Committee also did a fabulous job this year picking Jon Klassen's This is Not My Hat. If you are familiar with an earlier title of his I Want My Hat back you know he has a quirky sense of humor and a thing about hats! Told in first person, small fish tells his proud tale of stealing a lovely hat from a very large fish.  Small wonderful details will elicit laughs and plenty of "uh ohs" as the story swims along to the surprise ending.  Jon Klassen also won a Silver Caldecott Medal for his illustrations of  Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett.  Jon Klassen is only the second illustrator to win both medals in the same year since 1946. The Caldecott celebrates it's 75th Anniversary this year!!