I've been reading- I just haven't been blogging...

I recently finished a realistic fiction book called Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman.

The main character is a twelve-year-old girl named Emily.  Her family is on a quest to live in all fifty states and as the story begins they have moved to San Francisco, California.  For twelve-year-old Emily, the best thing about moving to San Francisco is that it's the home city of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, book publisher and creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger (a game where books are hidden in cities all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles). Upon her arrival, however, Emily learns that Griswold has been attacked and is now in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold himself, and might contain the only copy of his mysterious new game.  If you want to know more, you have to read Book Scavenger.

Happy reading :-)

What a GREAT book!

I just finished reading Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.  This book is realistic fiction told from a dog's perspective.  In this story we meet Enzo, a lovable dog that doesn't like chasing cars, but instead likes racing them.  If you love reading about dogs and families, and you aren't afraid to shed a tear or two, then this might be the book for you!  As of right now we don't have this book in the JES library, so if you'd like to read it you should go to the Jenkintown Borough library, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon.  Happy reading!

Guest blogger- Liam D'Arcy Brooks

I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944

If you like historical fiction, then you'll like this book.  In the story, two kids named Max and Zena are living in Poland, but the Nazi's are after them.  Read the book if you want to find out more!

Another Great Book!

A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord

Cynthia Lord is the author of one of my favorite books that some of you may choose to read later this year during, Rules.  Because I love Rules so much I decided to try this story.  The main character in the story is Lily, and her best friend is her blind dog, Lucky.  The setting of the book is Maine, one of my most favorite places on the planet.  The theme of the book is friendship, and it is developed through the unlikely friendship that develops between Lily and a migrant farm worker that comes to Lily's town for the summer with her family to pick blueberries.  If you like stories about animals and friendship you will enjoy this realistic fiction book.

Guest Blogger! Shanna Breen- 4Herr

The School for Good and Evil is by Soman Chainani.  In the story, Sophia and Agatha are kidnapped and taken to the School for Good and Evil.  Sophia has waited her whole life to be kidnapped to be a fairy princess and have a prince.  Agatha's mom wants her to be a fairy tale villain in the School for Evil.  Because of a mix-up Sophia is in the School for Evil and Agatha is in the School for Good.  Can they live out their fairy tales or will they suffer the consequences?  You have to read the book to find out...
By, Shanna

Sorry It's Been So Long...

Well, I've been so busy reading books for my 40 Book Challenge that I haven't had an opportunity to write lately. 
Before our Thanksgiving Break I received a few books from the book fair that students purchased from my wish list and I want to tell you about two of them.  The first book is called The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky and it is written by Holly Schindler.  The main character is Auggie Jones and she lives with her grandfather in a poor part of town.  When one of her classmate's father starts the town House Beautification Committee, homes like Auggie's are in violation of the committee regulations and could be torn down if they are not repaired.  What starts as a home renovation project for Auggie and her grandpa becomes much more as they unexpectedly redefine people's perception of beauty.  The thing that I loved most about this book is how much it reminded me of Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo. 

The second book that I'd like to tell you about is Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes.  The genre of this book is historical fiction and it deals with the topic of segregation.  This is a topic that I can not learn enough about.  In the story the main character, Sugar, lives on a plantation along the Mississippi River.  Slavery is over, but Sugar is without a mother and a father, so she stays at the plantation with the only friends she knows and continues to work.  The message in the book is important and powerful, so READ it!