Caudill 2012 - Powerless by Matthew Cody

I am going to kick-off this year's Caudill nominees with a modern fantasy! Powerless is a story about being the "new kid" in junior high but just not any junior high! Meet Daniel Corrigan who had to move from Philadelphia to small town Noble's Green because his grandmother is very ill. It doesn't take long for Daniel to decide that something is up in this town with the kids under the age of 13! A big Sherlock Holmes fan, Daniel puts his detecting abilities to work. Why is Noble's Green called The Safest Town on Earth? What happened years ago when a meteor struck the orphanage in town? Did it have some lasting effect on the children who survived? How do you explain the near tragic accidents that don't quite happen somehow? Daniel soon learns about the secret but that's just the beginning of what is really going on. A deft combination of fantasy, realism, action and mystery, this thought provoking story of friendship, bravery and fitting in will keep you involved right to the end of the story!

If you liked Hunger Games try Divergent!

Set in post apocalyptic Chicago, society in and around the city has been segregated into 5 factions. Each faction delivers important structure and resources to the city inhabitants. Beatrice Prior, like all 16 year olds, will need to choose the faction she plans on staying with her entire life based on the results of a grueling virtual test. Usually the test results are clear and make the choice relatively easy, unless you are "divergent"! This revelation, a dark secret that Beatrice is told to never mention to anyone for fear for her and her family's lives, drives her decision to leave her family's faction and join a seemingly opposite one. You will experience heart stopping, risk taking action set in Chicago full of intrigue, romance, betrayal, battles virtual and real - your typical teenage day, right? What faction would you choose?
And, of course it's a trilogy. "Insurgent" is slated for Spring 2012. Veronica Roth, the 22 year old author, wrote this book while a senior at Northwestern! She majored in English. A great choice for northshore readers.
And, the movie rights have been signed, too!

The 39 Clues series continues!

Just when you thought Dan and Amy were done running for those clues and their lives, here they are again! This time around four of your favorite authors team up to write this 11th entry (you can consider this the introduction to Series 2). You will travel back in time to three separate key moments in the history of the Cahill family. How the family split into its various factions will fascinate you. The last fourth of the book will bring you back to Dan and Amy with all the high speed, page turning adventure you have come to expect. Of course now that the Vespers are clearly the new nemesis, you know there are more installments coming! August 30th Book 1 of Cahills vs Vespers: The Medusa Plot

BOOK FAIR AT THE BOOK STALL APRIL 18-20TH

Mrs. Balyiet is done with her terrific book talks! All those books are now in the LTC on display for you to come see. If you are not going to make it to the Book Stall next week be sure to come by and consider some of these great titles. There are hard cover and paperback books available.
If you do plan to come to the Book Stall I will see you there after school. You have the entire store to consider and there will be help if you need it!

Two great choices!

Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs by Ron Koertge is the sequel to Shakespeare Bats Cleanup. If you like poetry, baseball and realistic fiction both these books are for you. I feel that they are gender free meaning boys or girls will enjoy these books. In Playoff main character Kevin Boland is in 8th grade and really enjoying life including playing baseball, having a cute girlfriend and still writing a lot of poetry ( a skill he developed in the first book). Then along comes Amy. In ways you would not expect and told in prose poetry you will laugh, sigh and ponder right along with Kevin while he navigates baseball season, and his friends. Kevin's relationship with his dad continues to be a wonderful part of the story as well. It is always good to see great dad characters show up in realistic fiction!
Sorry but no cover art for the next book.
Bystander by James Preller is also modern realistic fiction but this time the topic is much darker. 13 year old Eric is the new kid in town. He quickly meets Griffin and his band of friends who make it clear that they are in charge of a lot of what goes on at the junior high. Eric is befriended by Griffin but soon begins to regret the decision. At first he is a bystander to Griffin's cruel behaviors but being new he is not sure what to do or who to trust. Before long Eric realizes that if you go against the flow with Griffin you will soon become the next target.
This bullying story rings completely true. As tensions rise and more questions about Griffin's behavior trouble Eric, the story careens along faster and faster. You will want to know what is Eric going to do and how will it all end.