Geo Librarian

STARRY RIVER OF THE SKY by Grace Lin Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012 ISBN: 9780316215534 Middle Grade Fantasy/Folktales Grades 3-6 ABOUT THE BOOK The moon is missing from the remote Village of Clear Sky, but only a young boy named Rendi seems to notice! Rendi has run away from home and is now working as a chore boy at the village inn. He can't help but notice the village's peculiar inhabitants and their problems-where has the innkeeper's son gone? Why are Master Chao and Widow Yan always arguing? What is the crying sound Rendi keeps hearing? And how can crazy, old Mr. Shan not know if his pet is a toad or a rabbit? But one day, a mysterious lady arrives at the Inn with the gift of storytelling, and slowly transforms the villagers and Rendi himself. As she tells more stories and the days pass in the Village of Clear Sky, Rendi begins to realize that perhaps it is his own story that holds the answers to all those questions. Newbery Honor author...

WELCOME to the Spirals Blog Tour. This is a wonderful historical fiction series. I hope you enjoy the post! SPIRALS by Ruby Standing Deer Evolved Publishing, 2012   YA/Adult Historical Fiction Grades 8 and up e-ARC provided by author for blog tour ABOUT THE BOOK A Holy Man, who lives in both this world and the Spirit world, waits hidden in a cave in the canyons, as a newly made woman runs toward him. She flees her would-be suitor, who wants from her more than she can give. The Holy Man and his constant companions, a colony of mice, accept the woman within the cave. She worries that he may be crazy, but given her fear of the man who desires her, maybe crazy is not so bad. In this sequel to Ruby Standing Deer’s first novel, Circles, the main character of Shining Light is now grown and with family. He dreams of the woman and the Holy Man in the canyons, and knows that, after four seasons of calm and peace in the Forest of Trees, he must go to them. He see...

LIAR & SPY by Rebecca Stead Wendy Lamb Books, 2012 ISBN: 9780385737432 Middle Grade Contemporary Grades 3-6 Reviewed from copy borrowed from library. ABOUT THE BOOK When seventh grader Georges (the S is silent) moves into a Brooklyn apartment building, he meets Safer, a twelve-year-old coffee-drinking loner and self-appointed spy. Georges becomes Safer's first spy recruit. His assignment? Tracking the mysterious Mr. X, who lives in the apartment upstairs. But as Safer becomes more demanding, Georges starts to wonder: how far is too far to go for your only friend?   REVIEW I read Stead's When You Rea ch Me when it came out, just before it won the Newbery Medal. I like d it, but I didn't love it.  So I figured going in to this one that I would probably like it but not love it.  I was wrong. I loved it. I'm not sure if it was the characters, Georges and Safer their families or if it was the plot revolving around spying on one's neighbors an...

DIARY OF A PENGUIN-NAPPER by Sally Harris Frankly Books, 2012 ISBN: 9780987416308 Middle Grade Contemporary/Humor Grades 3-6 ARC received from author for honest review. ABOUT THE BOOK 3 weeks ... 2 boys ... 1 little penguin ... What could possibly go wrong? When 11 (and a half) year old Marty is partnered up with Jessica on the overnight science trip, he thinks all of this dreams are about to come true. It's his big chance to impress the most beautiful girl in Year 7 (and probably the world) and he wouldn't miss it for anything. Only problem is: Marty can't afford to go on the overnight trip. Yet. Inspired by the urban myth that it is possible to steal a penguin from the zoo on a school visit, Diary of a Penguin-napper is a hilarious tale of growing up, bending the rules and how one big fuss can be caused by stealing just one little penguin. ABOUT T HE AUTHOR SALLY HARRIS grew up in Mildura and wrote her first book when she was in Grade 4 – it was a ...

THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate Harper, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-199225-4 MG Animal Fantasy Grades 3-6 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK Ivan is an easygoing gorilla. Living at the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, he has grown accustomed to humans watching him through the glass walls of his domain. He rarely misses his life in the jungle. In fact, he hardly ever thinks about it at all. Instead, Ivan thinks about TV shows he’s seen and about his friends Stella, an elderly elephant, and Bob, a stray dog. But mostly Ivan thinks about art and how to capture the taste of a mango or the sound of leaves with color and a well-placed line. Then he meets Ruby, a baby elephant taken from her family, and she makes Ivan see their home—and his own art—through new eyes. When Ruby arrives, change comes with her, and it’s up to Ivan to make it a change for the better. Katherine Applegate blends humor and poignancy to create Ivan’s unforgettable first-pers...

AWAKEN by Kristen Day Daughters of the Sea, #2 ISBN: 9780615708058 YA Fantasy Grades 9 and up   ABOUT THE BOOK The sacrifices we make have the power to shift the very fabric of who we are, and ultimately who we are meant to be… After learning of her true destiny as the intended Leader of the Tydes, Anastasia Whitman must now embark on a perilous quest to the Underworld before the age of eighteen in order to plant the seed of immortality and complete her essence to become a true Sea Goddess. But before she can make her legendary journey, an unexpected new student transfers to Lorelei; initiating a sequence of events that will unravel Stasia’s new life, and test the boundaries of her relationship with the mysterious, dark, and sexy Finn Morrison. The line between the Underworld and the Living begins to blur as gruesome ghosts, morbid reveries, and pure evil haunt her waking hours as well as her sanity. Once the details of Finn’s own startling destiny a...

GRAVEDIGGERS: Mountain of Bones by Christopher Krovatin Katherine Tegan Books, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-207740-0 Middle Grade Horror Grades 4-8 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK Ian was the one who chased the majestic buck into the forest. Kendra and PJ followed him. They all hoped to return to the hiking trail before anyone noticed they were gone. However, the mountain had other plans for them: dark, sinister plans that only nightmares are made of. The Goonies meets The Evil Dead in this series about three kids who become separated from their backpacking group in the Montana wilderness and discover they are stranded in the heart of zombie country. Ian was the one who chased the majestic buck into the forest. (His motto: Act first, think later.) Kendra didn't want to become separated from the other sixth graders, but she followed Ian anyway, despite what her analytical mind told her. PJ followed him, too. Even though he was scared, he figured he might catc...

STORYBOUND by Marissa Burt Harper, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-202052-9 MG Fantasy Grades 4-6 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK In the land of Story, children go to school to learn to be characters: a perfect Hero, a trusty Sidekick, even the most dastardly Villain. They take classes on Outdoor Experiential Questing and Backstory, while adults search for full-time character work in stories written just for them. In our world, twelve-year-old Una Fairchild has always felt invisible. But all that changes when she stumbles upon a mysterious book buried deep in the basement of her school library, opens the cover, and suddenly finds herself transported to the magical land of Story. But Story is not a perfect fairy tale. Una’s new friend Peter warns her about the grave danger she could face if anyone discovers her true identity. The devious Tale Keeper watches her every move. And there are whispers of a deadly secret that seems to revolve around Una herself.... With ...

Welcome to the Fairy Tale Read-a-thon Finish Line! While I haven't done as much reading as I had hoped, I have enjoyed the reading I've done.  Also be sure to check out my mini-challenge and giveaway which is open until October 27th. Hope you all had a good time!  Be sure to check Debz Bookshelf as she is our hostess and has done a lot of work getting this together. FINISH LINE Total Books Read: 3 1/2 Total Pages Read: 1189 Books Read Since Last Update: 1 1/2 Pages Read since last update: 355 Total time read: 11 and a half hours How I'm currently feeling: I finished three and a half books and really enjoyed them all. I'll be posting reviews over the next week or so. I'm about half way through Rapunzel and enjoying it.

UNGIFTED by Gordon Korman Balzer + Bray, 2012 ISBN: 978-0-06-174266-8 Contemporary Middle Grade Fiction Grades 4-8 Reviewed from purchased copy. ABOUT THE BOOK The word "gifted" has never been applied to a kid like Donovan Curtis. It's usually more like "Don't try this at home." So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he's finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction (ASD), a special program for gifted and talented students. It wasn't exactly what Donovan had intended, but there couldn't be a more perfect hideout for someone like him. That is, if he can manage to fool people whose IQs are above genius level. And that becomes harder and harder as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything). But af...