4.5 Stars   

The story begins with the dreadful murder of a family.  A young toddler is the only survivor that fateful night.  The little boy manages to escape when he decided to go exploring.  His exploration leads him outside to a nearby graveyard.  The innocent young toddler does not know he is being pursued by an assassin. 

 His recently departed mother knows her son is still in danger. She frantically appears in the graveyard and pleads to the spirits and ghosts buried there to take her son in, shelter him, and protect him from harm.

That is exactly what they do.

This begins the story of Nobody Owens.  Though the beginning of The Graveyard Book is bleak, this coming of age story is fascinating and will keep you in suspense.

Nobody, called Bod, lives in the graveyard.  His family is a host of ghosts and spirits.  Along the way, Bod frequently finds himself in danger; at times, from graveyard spirits less than kind to the living. 

He also continues to be hunted by the man who destroyed his family. As Bod gets older, he yearns for the outside world. He outgrows the younger spirits who used to play with him, and Bod wants to experience life on his own. In order to have a life in the world beyond the graveyard gates, Bod finds himself in a position of fighting for his life once more.

Can he defeat the evil man who wants him dead?  Will Bod be able to leave the only family he knows and loves behind?

This story is magical and unlike any that I have ever read before. Nail Gaiman creates a fascinating setting, interesting characters with a variety of stories to tell, and manages to weave humor, fear, and emotion into each page he has written.

Highly recommended

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

During 2009's Teen Tech Week, Mr. McCurry and I helped students create educational videos using Animoto. 

The students began by selecting the topics, identifying key vocabulary, and searching for graphics/photos to support their topics online. 

Students then created their own accounts in Animoto, uploaded their work, and created their final videos. They did an incredible job! 

Check out a few examples here:

Student Videos

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Five Stars!

Savvy by Ingrid Law

Imagine having extraordinary powers - powers to literally move mountains or cause floods.  Imagine carrying electric currents throughout your body - enough to ignite fires, set off alarms, cause light bulbs to explode.  Your magical powers may be strong, dangerous, or fierce - or it may be something harmless that makes your life better - like the gift of always being perfect, doing things the right way, and never having to work hard for your success.  Mibs and her family have these powers - or as they call it, their "savvy."  When they turned 13 years old, their savvy was revealed to them on their birthdays.  Mibs and her siblings then had to learn to keep their family secret hidden from everyone and had to attempt to live as normally as possible while keeping their savvy under control.

Mibs was excited and nervous on her 13th birthday.  Today, she would finally learn what her savvy was. 

Rather than the day becoming a celebration, however, Mibs life began to spin out of control.  A horrible car accident has left Mibs Poppa in a coma.  Mibs mother and older brother have to travel out of state to be by his bedside while her father is fighting for his life. 

Mibs knows in her heart that her father needs her.  Though she doesn't know what her savvy is yet, she's convinced she has the ability to bring her father back from the coma - to save his life.

The adventure begins when Mibs hides on a bus headed to her father's hospital.   She never expected this bus ride journey would reveal her real savvy, connect her with a friend that accepted her the way she was, and bring her closer to her siblings.  Mibs even finds herself falling in love for the first time.

In the end, Mibs not only saves her father, she learns to accept and be happy with herself, her own savvy, and the family she loves. 

Looooovvvvvveeeddddd this book!  Fast-paced and interesting, feel-good story

Friday, April 17, 2009

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Bartoletti

  3.5 Stars

 

His life was a lie.  He said the right things.  Made his family proud.  Loudly declared his loyalty, his patriotism, his pride.  All alone, he swallowed the truth.  Until he could no longer live the lie. 

At first, Helmuth Hubener believed Hitler was Germany’s savior.  He became a prestigious member of Hitler’s youth and outwardly praised Hitler for protecting Germany from the Communists.  Once appointed Chancellor, though, Hitler did not keep his promises. 

He promised peace – but gave them never-ending war.  He promised them power – but took away their basic rights and freedom.  He promised them prosperity – but required great personal sacrifice. 

At first, Helmuth rebelled by listening to banned radio programs.  Here he began learning the truth.  The atrocities inflicted by Hitler – the lies he had fed the German people.  Helmuth knew he had to make others aware of the real Adolf Hitler and the threat he posed to everyone, Germany included.  He couldn’t remain silent anymore. 

Helmuth knew the great risk involved when he began printing and distributing pamphlets that spoke against the Nazi regime.  Despite the risk and sacrifice, Helmuth had to speak and take a stand for those too afraid.

 

This fictional account is based on actual events.  Helmuth Hubener, sixteen years old, was captured, tortured, and executed for treason.  Until the final moments of his life, Helmuth never regretted his actions.

He believed it was his obligation to tell the truth and take a stand against Hitler’s inhumanity – even if he must pay with his own life.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

  

 

 

 

Waiting for Normal  by Leslie Connor

     4.5 Stars

Addie was used to chaos – or as Mommers like to call it, constant change.  Things were good for a while.  Mommers married Dwight.  Then the twins came along, Brynna and Katie.  For awhile, they were like a real family.   Then Mommers acted out again.  She started lying, spending all the money, ignoring us all.   Even a great dad like Keith has his limits.

He took the twins away when Mommers took off and left us alone for three days.  Keith was the closest thing I ever had to a real dad – losing him hurt the most. Addie tried to be optimistic. Keith promised to bring the twins over to see her as often as he could.  She thought the new trailer Dwight bought for her and Mommers was cute.  And Elliot and Soula from the minimart were supernice and fun, even though Mommers made fun of them. 

Addie knew Mommers loved her, but she didn’t act like other parents.  Mommers slept all day, never cooked, played on her computer all the time and watched goofy TV shows, like Jeanette for the Judgment, when she was actually at home.

Mommers always seemed to have a hard time holding things together.   Addie had a hard time focusing on the good when Mommers started disappearing again.  She was staying gone for days at a time, and Addie’s food kept running out.  Addie didn’t want a nicer house, new clothes, or popularity at school. 

She just wants what she’s never had - a life that’s normal.  

Wednesday, April 15, 2009