Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien



Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with four small children, is faced with a terrible problem. She must move her family to their summer quarters immediately, or face almost certain death. But her youngest son, Timothy, lies ill with pneumonia and must not be moved. Fortunately, she encounters the rats of NIMH, an extraordinary breed of highly intelligent creatures, who come up with a brilliant solution to her dilemma. And Mrs. Frisby in turn renders them a great service.


Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo

AR Level 4.2

It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences.
The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry—and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart.
From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format—a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by artist K. G. 
Campbell.
2014-2015

Monday, June 16, 2014

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan


AR Book 4.2



Dark Water Rising by Marian Hale


“As exciting as the best action and disaster

 movies. . . . Exciting, tear jerking, and life

 affirming, this is historical fiction at its

best.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review


Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Velchin


During Stalin's reign, from 1923 to 1953, Joseph Stalin ensured his absolute power by waging war against the Russian people.  Stalin's State Security executed, imprisoned, or exiled over twenty million people.  Not a single person, whether it be a government official, war hero, worker, teacher, or homemaker, could be certain he or she would not be arrested.
Compelling book!  Took me 30 minutes to read.
AR 4.6