It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 2-24-14

Visit our hosts Jen & Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers for their reviews as well as links to all the other bloggers participating in the book sharing fun!  There are so many new books to discover, and so many great conversations to be a part of!

Get your library cards out!

Books I Read this Week:

The Path of Names by Ari Goelman

Arthur A. Levine Books, 2013

Fantasy

344 pages

Recommended for grades 6-8

Talk about a unique storyline!  I was fascinated by the double plot in this book.  In the forefront we have Dahlia, a girl that only agreed to go to a Jewish sleep-away so that her parents would consent to her going to magic camp later in the summer.

Once Dahlia gets to camp she begins seeing the spirits of two young girls, and one ominous man.  Around the same time Dahlia begins having strange dreams and visions where she glimpses the past of a man named David.  

Somehow David, the young girls, and the ominous man are all connected to the camp Dahlia is staying at.  And she is there just in time to help stop more children from disappearing in the mysterious juniper hedge maze in the woods near camp.

I think that kids in 4th and 5th grade will be drawn to this awesome cover, but there were some reasons I pegged this book as being one for older readers.  First off, the plot would be very confusing for a 4th grader.  The many Hebrew words might also bog them down at times.  The second reason would be due to some of the content.  When Dahlia sees her visions of David's past there are some rather scary scenes (like, a murder).  There are also mentions of drinking, making out, and female body parts.  

Poison by Bridget Zinn

Hyperion, 2013

Fantasy

280 pages

Recommended for grades 6+

I read this book in about the span of a day.  With a fast paced plot and a main character that you immediately want to know more about, it was easy to get lost in this book!

Kyra is a 16-year-old Master Potioner...or at least she used to be, before she tried to assassinate her best friend, the Princess.

So we meet Kyra on the run.  Running from all the parties out to stop her, and running also to find the Princess in hopes of finishing the job she started.

Readers will be curious about Kyra's past and will be anxious to find out why she is after her former best friend.  And of course, a budding-maybe-romance always keeps things fun.

Numbed by David Lubar

Millbrook Press, 2013

Science Fiction

144 pages

Recommended for grades 3-6

This is a perfect read for on level 3rd graders, and readers in 4th through 6th that are still growing their skills.  Nice white space between lines, short in length, and a storyline that is easy to keep straight.

I will be adding this book to my classroom library because it is a book that might draw in my reluctant boy readers, giving them a chapter book to be successful with.

Now, is the story that amazing, well no.  The characters are underdeveloped, maybe because it is a stand alone sequel, I'm not sure.  The premise is that two boys go on a field trip to a math museum, get zapped by a robot and have their brains numbed, removing their ability to do any math.  The book is definitely cool for getting kids to think about all the math around them.  The scene in the mall where the boys realize they can't tell time, and therefor won't be able to meet their ride on time, was pretty funny.

The boys must make several trips back to the museum to try to get their math abilities back.

Monster on the Hill by Rob Harrell

Top Shelf Productions, 2013

Fantasy/Graphic Novel

192 pages

Recommended for grades 4-6

Sweet, funny, and at times down right witty.  

Every town has a monster. The monster comes down from his lair, scares the townspeople, and retreats to his lair.  The monster is idolized by the townspeople because he is fearsome and exhilarating, and also because the people know that as long as they have a dangerous monster their town is protected from the threat of invasion by another monster.  Only one per town you know.

But...the monster you're looking at above is not doing his job.  He is depressed and hasn't attacked his village in seven years.  And turns out that attack was really just a misunderstanding...he only wanted a pack of gum.

Anywho, the monster needs to get whipped back into shape, and an experimenting doctor with his license revoked can practice again if he can turn the monster's mood around.  Add in one small stow-away and you've got a fun read ahead!

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Thanks for stopping by!  Have a wonderful reading week!