New Books Are Here!

Speaking of Twilight, keep your eyes open for posts from our guest blogger and Twilight Book Club founder, Sandra Quints!

Mrs. Dates has been very busy getting the new books ready for you to check out. Here are a few of the more interesting ones....

Identical : by the author of Crank, Burned, and Impulse. " Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is -- who? "

Breaking Dawn: the final chapter in the Twilight series. We have all the books but they are hard to come by....

The Guy Book: "Loaded with information about puberty, personal hygiene, dating, sex even the prom Mavis Jukes's The Guy Book: An Owner's Manual puts boys in the driver's seat."

Generation Dead: "Phoebe is just your typical goth girl with a crush. He's strong and silent...and dead. "

Game: by Walter Dean Myers. " Drew Lawson knows basketball is taking him places. It has to, because his grades certainly aren't. But lately his plan has run squarely into a pick."

All reviews from Amazon.com.

Time to pick a new book!

Ok Ladies and Gentlemen,

We've been on a break for the last year but its time to get back to it! I have a choice of three books for us to read together and share and I want you to vote. Here is a little background info on each of them:

Choice #1 The Zombie Survival Guide

Product DescriptionThe Zombie Survival Guide is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now. Fully illustrated and exhaustively comprehensive, this book covers everything you need to know, including how to understand zombie physiology and behavior, the most effective defense tactics and weaponry, ways to outfit your home for a long siege, and how to survive and adapt in any territory or terrain.Top 10 Lessons for Surviving a Zombie Attack 1. Organize before they rise! 2. They feel no fear, why should you?3. Use your head: cut off theirs.4. Blades don’t need reloading.5. Ideal protection = tight clothes, short hair.6. Get up the staircase, then destroy it. 7. Get out of the car, get onto the bike.8. Keep moving, keep low, keep quiet, keep alert!9. No place is safe, only safer. 10. The zombie may be gone, but the threat lives on. Don’t be carefree and foolish with your most precious asset—life. This book is your key to survival against the hordes of undead who may be stalking you right now without your even knowing it. The Zombie Survival Guide offers complete protection through trusted, proven tips for safeguarding yourself and your loved ones against the living dead. It is a book that can save your life.

Choice #2 Persepolis

From Publishers WeeklySatrapi's autobiography is a timely and timeless story of a young girl's life under the Islamic Revolution. Descended from the last Emperor of Iran, Satrapi is nine when fundamentalist rebels overthrow the Shah. While Satrapi's radical parents and their community initially welcome the ouster, they soon learn a new brand of totalitarianism is taking over. Satrapi's art is minimal and stark yet often charming and humorous as it depicts the madness around her. She idolizes those who were imprisoned by the Shah, fascinated by their tales of torture, and bonds with her Uncle Anoosh, only to see the new regime imprison and eventually kill him. Thanks to the Iran-Iraq war, neighbors' homes are bombed, playmates are killed and parties are forbidden. Satrapi's parents, who once lived in luxury despite their politics, struggle to educate their daughter. Her father briefly considers fleeing to America, only to realize the price would be too great. "I can become a taxi driver and you a cleaning lady?" he asks his wife. Iron Maiden, Nikes and Michael Jackson become precious symbols of freedom, and eventually Satrapi's rebellious streak puts her in danger, as even educated women are threatened with beatings for improper attire. Despite the grimness, Satrapi never lapses into sensationalism or sentimentality. Skillfully presenting a child's view of war and her own shifting ideals, she also shows quotidian life in Tehran and her family's pride and love for their country despite the tumultuous times. Powerfully understated, this work joins other memoirs-Spiegelman's Maus and Sacco's Safe Area Goradze-that use comics to make the unthinkable familiar. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Choice #3 Whale Talk

Amazon.com ReviewT. J. Jones is black, Japanese, and white; his given name is The Tao (honest!), and he's the son of a woman who abandoned him when she got heavily into crack and crank. As a child he was full of rage, but now as a senior in high school he's pretty much overcome all that. With the help of a good therapist and his decent, loving, ex-hippie adoptive parents, he's not only fairly even-keeled, he has turned out to be smart and funny.
Injustice, however, still fills him with fury. So when big-deal football star Mike Barbour bullies brain-damaged Chris Coughlin for wearing his dead brother's letter jacket, T.J. hatches a scheme for revenge. He assembles a swim team (in a school with no pool) made up of the most outrageous outsiders and misfits he can find and extracts a conditional promise of those sacred letter jackets from the coach. After weeks of dedicated practice at the All Night Fitness pool, the seven mermen get good enough not to embarrass themselves in competition. The really important thing, though, turns out to be the long bus rides to meets, a safe place to share the hurts that have made them who they are. Meanwhile, T.J.'s father, who has taken in a battered little girl to ease his lifelong guilt over his role in the accidental death of a baby, tangles with another bully--her stepfather--and his growing murderous rage.

As soon as I figure out how to do it, I'll let you vote!

New Books in the Library!

We're back and getting ready for our Fall Book Club selection. In the meantime, I thought we could look at some new books in the library.





The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks takes a look at how to prepare for the coming Zombie invasion.





Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin is about three kids trying to survive their mentally ill mother's abuse and wild mood swings.

The 9/11 Report: the Graphic Adaptation gives the 9/11 Commission's

report in graphic form, like a comic book only serious.

Keep your eyes peeled for the new book for Book Club. We're looking at some good ones!

Mrs. Codner

Tell me more!

Ok folks! All the books have gone out and some are starting to come back in. We've had a couple posts but I'd like to see more action. What do you think of Jed and Marina? Do they seem like real people to you or just characters in a book? Also, I hear that other people besides just me are finding it to be an exciting book....I read this book as an adult and found myself really worried about these kids and mad at their parents. What do you think? Do you find it exciting? Why? TELL ME MORE!!!

Mrs. C

Let's Start Blogging...

Well, there are several books out and I want to begin a discussion of the book. You do not have to read the entire book to begin discussing. In fact, after you read a few chapters, I would like to see you put up a reaction! So, get reading and let me know what you think. Mrs. Codner and I will begin responding when we get our first blog! Happy Reading!

Mr. LeVick "The Book Buddha"

They're here!

The books have arrived and Mrs. Codner will be coming around to talk to the English classes about the book club. If you are interested in reading this book, check with your English teacher or come on down to the library. We hope to get the discussion started next week!

The Books Are Coming!

The books have been ordered and will be here soon. If you want to read about how Jane and Bruce decided to write this book, go to:

http://www.brucecoville.com/books.asp?tid=133&spec=c

and read their interview. We'll keep you posted!