Highland Book Fair

The first book fair of the year is underway in the Highland Learning Center.
The book fair will be open during the school day from Wednesday, 12/3 - Friday, 12/5. Students will have a chance to visit the book fair with their language arts and literature classes. Checks can be made out to Highland Middle School.

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

After her mother's death, Gemma is sent to a boarding school in London where she is to be taught how to behave like a lady in order to land a husband. She is haunted and puzzled by the events around her mother's death and the strange vision she had. After finding a hidden diary and exploring her new powers, she and three friends decide to try to explore the Realm. This decision and the excursions into the Realm has serious consequences for them all and delves into each of the girl's hearts desire.

I am anxious to read the rest of the series and see where Gemma's path takes her. I think this series would appeal to fans of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series.

Works Cited
"A Great and Terrible Beauty Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 3 Dec. 2008
http://www.librarything.com/work/32099/

Forensic Mystery

I did a little travel over break and took the first two books in the Forensic Mystery series by Alane Ferguson with me. These books feature a high school student, Cammie, who is fascinated with forensics and has convinced her coroner father to allow her to work as the assistant to the coroner. This job brings her to the scene of several crimes, and she gets really involved in helping to uncover the mysteries behind the deaths. Intertwined in all the medical and crime scene investigation information is insight into Cammie's personal life including the disappearance of her mother, her relationship with her best friend, and her interaction with the new deputy sheriff, Justin. Cammie somehow seems to get herself in the middle of the action through her tenacity, persistence, and curiosity.

I really enjoyed these books and am looking forward to reading about Cammie's third adventure.




Works Cited
"The Angel of Death Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 30 Nov. 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/1782424/
"The Christopher Killer." Online image. LibraryThing. 30 Nov. 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/1439350/

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Chains takes place while the Revolutionary War is raging. When their owner dies, Isabel is left alone with her younger sister, Ruth. They are denied their pledged freedom and taken from Rhode Island to New York to work for a Loyalist couple. After meeting another slave, a boy named Curzon on the side of the Patriots, she is torn between which side she should support. Isabel begins to play her part in the conflict, wishing only to gain freedom for her and Ruth.
Chains was a smooth, simple read that gave me a slightly different angle on the Revolutionary War. Although I had already known a little about the War, the author presented the events in a way that made me feel like I was learning about them all over again through the eyes of a young slave girl. For a young adult historical fiction book, it was very good compared to others I have read and got started quicker rather than dragging on. However, as I got to the end, I felt as if it wasn’t complete, and wanted to know more about the fates of the characters. Overall, I would rate this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Review by Bear Xiong

Works Cited
"Chains Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 30 Nov. 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/5175837/

The Great Receiver by Elena Yates Eulo

Joey Eastland is a vital part of his high school football team. As the water boy, he's a team player always ready to help. Unbeknownst to others, he aspires to be the wide receiver of his team, and he has to ability to do it. When one of the players on the team is suspended for cheating, Joey gets the spot and finds himself much more popular. As Joey tries to maintain an unstable equilibrium between staying on top of his schoolwork and acknowledging his newfound popularity, he realizes that in the end you have to do what you believe is right. This book about a high school student's struggles and accomplishments includes many moments of comedy and can be a good read even if you don't like sports.

Review by I. Kanreed

Works Cited
"The Great Receiver Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 29 Nov. 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/6065045/book/38714622

How to Ditch Your Fairy by Justine Larbalester

Charlie is a fourteen year-old girl living in New Avalon, a city in a world where everyone has a fairy that gives them good luck in certain areas, whether it be making the perfect serve every time, always having nice hair, or possessing a knack for finding loose change. These fairies are very helpful, make life easy, and can even bring fame. But for Charlie, having a fairy is a nightmare. Her is a parking fairy which always allows her find a good parking spot. Charlie’s gift has become a horrible nuisance as people always drag her along with them when driving anywhere. She begins going out of her way to get rid of her fairy. As things get worse and it seems like she will never be free of her fairy, Charlie teams up with a girl she despises, Fiorenze, who also dislikes her gift, in hopes of getting rid of their fairies. They both find a way to get what they desired only to realize that their new gifts might be even worse than before. In the end, they have to take some extreme actions to fix things.

This book was an enjoyable read, and I think it would appeal to most younger girl readers at Highland, especially those who enjoy more girly fantasy stories. I found this book a bit confusing as it was set in a different world with a whole new vocabulary. I also felt like I wasn’t able to relate to the characters. The plot was very simple and the lack of major conflicts bothered me. I also felt as if I had read similar books and thought this one didn’t stand out. I would give it two out of five stars. Though I wasn’t very impressed by this novel, it was a fun, lighthearted book that I think most readers will enjoy.

Review by KM

Works Cited
"How to Ditch Your Fairy Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 27 Nov. 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/5267367/.

The Savage by David Almond

The Savage is written by David Almond and illustrated by Dave McKean. It is a great novel within a novel kind of story. It is a fast-paced, violent, and intense book. The story is about a boy, Blue, who loses his father, and to drown out his sorrows, he creates a comic book called the Savage. This comic is about, you guessed it, a savage boy living in the woods that feeds on stray chicken and children. Blue writes about many of the Savage's adventures, that he puts into his comic book, and some of which are included within the book.

The Savage is fairly short, about 80 pages, and with all the pictures and large print, there isn’t much reading. I wound up giving the Savage a 3 out of five. It was a little too quick to read, and Blue’s handwriting is hard to decipher, but otherwise, it was a fairly good execution, and a decent book.

Review by JH

Works Cited
"The Savage Cover." Online image. LibraryThing. 13 Nov 2008 http://www.librarything.com/work/5175834