Beautiful Creatures - YA, Kami Garcia, Magaret Stohl

I read this young adult Twilight knock-off to see if it was appropriate for the media center. Didn't find anything inappropriate, but the writing is poor, and the story got to a point where it didin't make alot of sense. It is a shame, because the setting of a small town in SC is pretty realistic and there is a cool librarian in it! This time the story is told from the teen age boy's point of view when he falls in love with the strange new girl at school. The girls will like it, but I think I will pass on the sequel.

Size 12 Is Not Fat, Meg Cabot

If you can relate to this title, then you will love this fun, quick read! Written by the author of "The Princess Diaries", this series is more adult oriented, but has the same down to earth wit. The main character is a former teen age pop star (think Miley Cyrus in 5 years) who now works at a college in NYC where odd murders start happening.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

 Jacob is a young veterinary student during the Depression whose parents are killed in a car accident as he is preparing to take his final exams. In his grief, he runs off, hops a train and finds himself with a circus. The story is told through flashbacks from "old Jacob", now in a nursing home and largely forgotten by his 5 children. "Young Jacob" is pretty naive, and is quickly shown the cruelties of life as a working man. He falls in love with Marlena, the beautiful horse performer, who is unfortunately married to an abusive man who is Jacob's boss in the circus. Overall the book was good, although at times it felt like Ms. Gruen was trying too hard to show life in the 30's - in Chicago they go to a speak-easy (and get raided) and Jacob passes a hobo town. But I love historical fiction, and I remember my father talking about the excitement of the circus coming to town, and she captures this well. The parts with the old man were hard for me, since my mother is in a nursing home, but I liked the ending, because this is after all a fiction book. The movie is coming out this year with Robert Pattison and Reece Witherspoon.

The Book Thief, by Markuz Zusak

  Laura L. recommended this to me, and once again I am blown away by a Young Adult title. This is one of the most imaginative and creative books I have read. 'Death' is the narrator, and every paragraph contains lyrical and poetic writing. It took me a long time to read it because I would keep going back over sections just for the joy of the writing. However the subject matter - a small German village during WWII - was pretty depressing and sad. The first half  seemed to drag, but by the time I got halfway through, I didn't want to put it down. And although it is very sad, it ends on a hopeful note. The characters were so real and admirable, even Death! Adam's girlfriend read it in high school, and I can see this as a wonderful book to study, since it is chock full of imagery, themes, history, personification and all the elements that make English teachers go crazy! As an aside for teachers and media specialists, this book has an AR level of 5.1. I would say it is much too graphic for a 5th grader, and some teachers who only want their students to read on "their level" may miss out on a very thought provoking book by thinking it is not hard enough. I also liked reading a book about the Germans during the war, and how much in bondage they were. If you are looking for a fun, light book, this is not it - but it may change your views of some things. I understand a movie may also be in the works.

The Shepherd, the Angel and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog

I picked this little book up on sale at B & N, and it is my new favorite Christmas book. It was written by Dave Barry, and is set in 1960 in a town in New York. It is just a funny story about the Christmas pageant at his church when he is around middle school age, but he writes with such a funny style and it is just like middle schoolers think. Plus the characters are sweet and not gross or vulgar, and it has a nice Christmas message. I read parts of this to the 8th graders at my school and they enjoyed it.

Christmas books for children

With Christmas approaching, I am missing being at the elementary school to read all the great Christmas books out there! Here are some of my favorites. What are some of yours?

• The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett     

   Jan Brett uses her wonderful talent for details to create her own version of Santa's Winter Farm. A young elf must get the reindeer ready for Christmas Eve and runs into problems. This book is magical, but be prepared to answer the question of why Rudolph is not included.

• The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie DePaola

I love Tomie DePaola's artwork in here and the message is very good too.

• Santa's Book of Names by David McPhail

A great encourager for struggling readers, since the main character has not quite made the jump into reading. His mother keeps saying "Patience" but of course Santa helps him with the leap.

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

I'm not sure if movies help out classic books or not, but it is fun to read this to kids who have the movie memorized, since many lines from the book are in the Jim Carrey version. It is amazing how fresh and funny this book is after 50 years.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

This series is technically young adult, but I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to add it here. Imagine a game such as Survivor, but played with children and teens and the fighting is to the death. Add into that a corrupt government that manipulates the entire setting of the Games and has playbacks each evening on TV. Although the futuristic premise seems preposterous, the characters are so realistic, I felt I as if they had become my friends. Ms. Collins also make some thought provoking statements regarding war and its effects on those who live through years of fighting. These books are pretty intense, with some violence (although handled well) and mature subject matter. I would not recommend them for under 8th grade, but for everyone else, I highly recommend them! Plus there is a love trilogy that will keep you  guessing right up until the last chapter. A movie is also in the works.