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Đang hiển thị bài đăng từ Tháng 3, 2014

The Giver by Lois Lowry

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I have to admit something kind of embarrassing here....until this year I'd never read The Giver .  This book came out when I was 13, and by then I'd skipped what little YA there was and was onto adult novels like Jurassic Park .  Since the movie is coming out, and because I needed to fill this gaping hole in my reading repertoire I decided that I would check The Giver out from the library and give it a go. For those of you that don't know, The Giver takes place in what appears to be a utopic society.  There is no war, no famine, no pain, and everyone is the same.  At 12 everyone receives their position/job for the society.  The main character of the novel, Jonas, is chosen as the next 'Reciever of Memory'.  This is a special position which allows the person in it to live outside the rules of the regular society.  This person is allowed to ask questions, and even allowed to lie (something that is forbidden to anyone else).  The current 'Receiver ...
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Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

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Set during WWII, Lina is a regular 15 year old Lithuanian girl, until the night Soviet soldiers come to her house and take her mother, brother, and her away.  Lina is put onto a train with other Lithuanians then shipped off to live in harsh conditions at a Soviet work camp.  She has been separated from her father, with only a hint of where he is.  A talented artist, Lina attempts to send drawings to her father in hopes that he will know that she and her family are still alive, and that when this nightmare is all over he will be able to find them. This novel is amazingly moving, and based on real events that very few people know about.  The action starts very quickly, as the novel opens with Lina and her family being taken.  You only get glimpses of her life before through Lina's flashbacks.  The author took trips to Lithuania and met with survivors of the Soviet genocide.  I tried looking up information on the setting so I could get a better handle on ...
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Book Spotlight: Air

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On May 31, Air became available via Barnes & Noble - it's a new YA contemporary novel by Ryan Gattis. What's it about, you ask? Synopsis: When 17-year-old Grey witnesses the tragic death of his mother in Colorado, he is shipped off to live with his aunt in inner-city Baltimore. Grey struggles to fit in to his new school and environment until his new friend, Akil, introduces him to the enigmatic Kurtis, the leader of a group that uses high-octane sports as a form of social activism. By challenging the police with death-defying stunts and then posting videos of them online, Kurtis, Grey, and their group become unlikely heroes in the fight against the prejudice that surrounds them. As Kurtis takes Grey under his wing, they come up with a name, an insignia and attract more and more followers to their extreme acts. The lines between social activism and criminal behavior blur and their escalating stunts become a rallying point for the underprivileged and disenfranch...
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Book Promo - School of Deaths

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The Scythe Wielder’s Secret is a thrilling young adult fantasy/adventure series by Christopher Mannino. The first two books in the trilogy, School of Deaths and Sword of Deaths , are out now, with the third book Daughter of Deaths expected to be released next year. The Scythe Wielder’s Secret series has received rave reviews and been compared to bestsellers like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, and Percy Jackson. It is recommended for readers who enjoy magical realism, fantasy, paranormal, middle grade, young adult, and/or books with a strong female protagonist. School of Deaths ( The Scythe Wielder’s Secret, Book 1) : Thrust into a world of men, can a timid girl find bravery as the first female Death?  Suzie Sarnio is a thirteen-year-old whose world is turned upside down when she discovers that she is destined to be a Death. She always believed the Grim Reaper was a fairy tale image of a skeleton with a scythe, but now, forced to enter the College of Deaths, she finds ...
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Book Spotlight: Ninth City Burning

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This upcoming September, keep your eyes open for this red and orange cover! Ninth City Burning is the first in a new epic science fiction series from the debut novelist J. Patrick Black. As all best books are, it has a YA and mainstream crossover audience appeal. And if that doesn't whet your appetite enough already, below you'll find an excerpt and some additional info! Excerpt The Valentine War, Earth 500 Years Ago It starts with the world how it used to be, with countries and billions of people living everywhere. Back then there was no such thing as thelemity, and people built houses and machines sort of like they have in settlements today, but all of that changed when the Valentines came. The reason we call them the Valentines is that the day they first attacked, February 14 on the old Western Calendar, was called “Valentine’s Day”. We still don’t know what the Valentines call themselves, because we’ve never been able to talk to them. We don’t even know what they look like...
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