Shhhh!

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick is such an exciting book to read. I absolutely love books that have to do with supernatural things. It's really cool to dive into the author's world not knowing what to expect. In this book, the main character, Nora, meets a boy. Of course, I thought it would just be a cheesy love story about two characters that were destined to be together. To my surprise, it was much more than that. The author writes about secret, evil plots and bad guys turned good. It is riveting from begging to end. I read this book when I was younger and I had forgotten how much I absolutely loved it.
Throughout the book, we follow Nora as she reveals secret identities and strange relationships. I think that if you love action and romance, you will love this book. I definitely recommend this series. Fitzpatrick leads you through a world full of angels and demons, good versus evil. Check it out so you can have something exciting to share with everyone.

Flying

This is a book about a class that gets left without a teacher for the day. Their regular teacher is out for some reason and their sub calls in sick. Through some misfortune, the sub never gets replaced and the students are then left without any supervision. It is actually quite interesting to read this because it shows the points of view of several of the students in this class. A lot of the kids talk about a recent event regarding one other student in the class and it's interesting to read how it's affecting everyone. I love this story so far but I'm only halfway through and the kids are trying to run class like they would if they did have a teacher. Things are getting pretty risky though and I'm really wondering if they can actually pull it off. It also makes me think of what would happen if this were to actually happen in real life. I can't imagine any scenario that is actually believable but still, it's something to think about. If I think back to when I was young and if my teacher wouldn't have shown up for class, would I have told someone? Would I have reacted the way the students in the story are? I think my future students would definitely enjoy reading this because they would probably find this sort of event to be desirable. Anyway, if you're looking for an easy read and a fun book, check out Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher.

Encore!

This is a book that I read last semester for one of my classes. I chose to re-read it because it has such an awesome plot and a great message. This is a story about a young girl who is just starting high school. She feels like a big kid so she wants to be cool. She has a cousin with Down's syndrome that moves close to her and therefore starts going to the same school. At first Edie doesn't have very nice thoughts about her cousin. She feels embarrassed by her and like her parents force her to spend time with Merry. As the story progresses Edie becomes the director of a school play. She sees that she hasn't been treating her cousin kindly and so decides to change that.
I think that this story is great for little kids and adults. It shows how good intentions can be seen as bad even when we try our best to do good. Edie also teaches us how to treat people better and learn from our mistakes. It's a really great way to get people talking about this issue at a young age. I think that kids will love it and I hope adults do too!

Troubles

Bait by Alex Sanchez is a very emotional and transforming book. This is a story of a troubled teenager. He has a difficult past and it's making an impact on his present. It's the most realistic book I've read for this challenge so it was very different. Through the book we gather a lot of information about our main character, Diego. He has a few secrets that I won't reveal in case anyone decides they want to read it. Basically, the story goes through the path that he takes in order to get over his past and move on. He goes on probation because of the trouble he gets into and eventually, through therapy, begins to change his ways. I think it's very important, as a teacher, to read stories of all kinds. I think this story really helped me dive into the mind of a troubled kid and will hopefully become useful one day. The one thing I loved about this book is how Diego found people in his life that never gave up on him. It made me think about how much of an impact we can make on other people. I want to be someone that kids feel they can trust and ask for help when needed. I know that I will probably see kids that have similar issues as Diego so I want to be as prepared for them as possible. The author writes this story from Diego's perspective so it's interesting to see where Diego's mind goes to during difficult situations or conversations. It was also great to see him grow into a person he could be proud of. Sorry if that ruined the ending but I think it's important to mention that it is a positive story, even when it really doesn't seem like it.

Favorite!!!

Oh my goodness. I don't know how to even start. This book is AMAZING! It quickly turned into my favorite book so far during this challenge. It has so much going on. This book is set in a world where some people have developed a mutation that changed the color of their blood and also gave them strange abilities. The book follows a girl who was not one of those people and was born into a very poor family. The reader soon finds out that she is actually very special and not what everyone thinks. She moves into the castle and somehow becomes engaged to one of the king's sons. It all happens very fast and very unexpectedly.
If I could use this as a mentor text, I would do so with upper elementary. We could use it to focus on vocabulary and how to write words that we don't commonly use into our texts so that it sounds more interesting. Aveyard uses words like bitterly, muster, and disdain. These are words that aren't exactly familiar to small children so this would be a great opportunity or all of us.
The author writes every detail of this story so well. It just keeps the reader's attention so well. I have to admit it was hard to put the book down. There are so many amazing plot twists and entire chapters that make it so emotional. I actually cried at the end of the book because the author delivers yet another unexpected twist in the last few pages. I can not stress how good this book is. I don't want to give too much away because it really is worth reading. I'm so glad my nephew suggested I read it because now I can't wait to buy the two books left in the series so that I can find out what happens next. Victoria Aveyard delivers a fantastic, dramatic, action packed story in Red Queen. It is a story that put me on an emotional roller coaster with all of the high stakes. I hope you guys like it if you get a chance to read it!

A Princess and a Captain

 This last week I read two books. They were two very different books from each other so it was quite a wild trip. I enjoyed reading the Princess in Disguise book because I'm still a little girl at heart and I love everything to do with princesses. This book was really good especially for young kids because it uses repetition a lot. It also explains a lot of things so if you haven't read the other books before this one (it's part of a series), you will still understand what's going on. This book made me feel like a little girl again. It's based in a fantastical land with witches, fairies, and lots of magic. It's sure to bring out a little smile on everyone's faces.

I've never read any of the Captain Underpants books until this one. My 5 year old niece begged me to buy it for her so I decided to read it since she left it at my house. This book is full of jokes and ridiculous scenarios. I really liked how it is really easy to read and understand. I bought it for a five year old after all. This book is great for readers that don't like seriousness and love adventure. It's a great way to get small children involved if they aren't that into reading long books with little or no pictures at all. I think that it's important to have all kinds of topics and reading styles available for our kids so this one fits right in on my book shelves!

These two books encourage me to read out of my comfort zone and explore. I hope that some of you take the time to get out of your comfort zones and try something new!

Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters

This book was so great! I absolutely loved it! It had action, adventure, and a strong female lead! This is the third in a series about girls who go to a Princess Academy to see which of them gets chosen to be a real princess. I have not read the first two books because I didn't realize this was part of series until it was too late. To my surprise, that didn't really affect the story! I was able to very much enjoy the adventure that the girls went on. It had a lot of action packed drama as it is set during war time and it's about three girls who didn't know were royalty suddenly find out that they are related to the king! This book made me not want to put it down. They way that the author, Shannon Hale, writes makes the reader feel like it's happening all around us. I love how this book moves through each chapter. It moves fast, not allowing the reader to lose interest. I am so excited to find the rest of the books in the series because I am sure that they are probably just as good as this one. If you like stories that involve a lot of action, unexpected warriors, and plot twists, this book is for you!

Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not so Popular Party Girl

This book is honestly hilarious! Reading it reminds me of when I was in middle school and everything was so dramatic! It's a quick read and quite entertaining. I think that a lot of girls can probably relate to how cute it is. The book is a bout a girl that feels like she's a loser. She get's herself into a lot of awkward situations with the boy she likes and a lot of parties. What I really love about this book is that it's written like an actual diary instead of chapters. It makes it so much easier to read if you're not the conventional reader. It doesn't really feel like I'm reading a book at all. It just feels like I'm going through someone's actual diary.
Throughout the book, I found a lot of ways to relate to this girl who keeps having awkward situations. I think it's very important for young girls to feel like they can relate to the characters they read about and this is the perfect example. I haven't gotten to the end but I'm hoping that a happy ending awaits Nikki. I'm a huge sucker for happy endings. Besides, this girl needs some good luck! If you're looking for something fun and interesting, I definitely recommend this book. I'd love to read more from this series, too.

Atlantis and other lost worlds

This book is definitely not what I expected. I thought it would be something more fantastical. This book is actually more about evidence that has been found throughout time about Atlantis actually being real! I know, that sounds a little crazy. I am finding some interesting things though. In the book, they mention that many countries have been on the search for evidence of a sunken city. I also didn't know that Plato actually believed that this place exists. I am finding out a lot of information that I didn't expect to be learning about. I don't know that I'd actually recommend this book to anyone unless you like learning about weird things like that.
So this book brings forth all of the evidence that people have found. In the introduction, they pour out a bunch of times where walls or city ruins have been found in the middle of the ocean. As it says on page 12, "physical proof for the sunken capital may have come to light in early 1974, just where Plato implied it existed."
While reading this book, I am reminded of the Disney movie Atlantis. I feel like Milo, the main character from the movie, would have loved this book before discovering Atlantis! It just brings up a lot of facts that could really mean that there was once a great civilization that was sunken down into the ocean. I mean, I'm not an archaeologist or any sorts but who am I to deny that something existed.
Well, in conclusion, if you want to read something about some far off civilization that may have existed, this is the book for you! It gives a lot of great sources of where they found their information. I think that even if you don't believe Atlantis could have existed, it's a great way to expand your knowledge on different civilizations. It is also a great way to awaken creativity! This book was definitely out of my comfort zone but I think that it was beneficial to read it.

We Almost Know

I'm currently reading We Know It Was You by Maggie Thrash. This book is based on the lives of several teenagers and an accident that happens at school. I won't give out too many details because I definitely recommend that you read it yourself. It starts of with a football game and one of the cheerleaders at this game basica
lly goes crazy. Nothing makes sense for the rest of the school until our main characters (who are also part of the Mystery Club) decide they have to find out what happened.
I just got done reading a part about two of the main characters going to a sort of bar. Of course, they are not old enough to be there so they have to sneak in and stay out of trouble so as to not get kicked out. While they're there one of the two starts actually drinking. The boy that's with her then has to take care of her along with another friend that they find there. This just made me think of when I was in high school, not because I would get drunk, I was actually the kid that always got stuck taking care of everybody. It all was so realistic and relatable which is one of the things that I love in books. Maggie Thrash does a great job of getting into the minds of young adults in this book. She also has a really good way of keeping the book mysterious yet playful. There are a lot of elements in this book that keep the reader turning the pages.
"But as her eyes adjusted, she noticed a pale shadow standing against the background, almost like a ghost" (pg 148.) This part is talking about the girl main character, Virginia. She keeps seeing someone in her room. I haven't gotten to a part of actually knowing who it is or if she's just imagining it but I am very excited to find out.
I just keep thinking, who is in her room? Is there really someone there? What really happened to the cheerleader? I can't wait to get all of my questions answered!