Apr 06 2012

Announcements…

A lot has happened (and not happened) since the last time I made some announcements here. Here’s a quick update on the progress.

  • The appearance of this blog is finally finished. I just installed the last update of the Graphene theme (1.6.2) today, did a few cosmetic touches to make things look like they used …

    Continue reading »

  • Oct 29 2011

    The Accidental Genius of Weasel High by Rick Detorie

    All that Larkin Pace wants is a new camcorder, so he can become the next great filmmaker. But he’s too young for a real job, his parents won’t give him money, his older sister exists just to make him miserable, and his arch-enemy Dalton Cooke is trying to steal his girlfriend, who might just not …

    Continue reading »

    Oct 29 2011

    Stuck on Earth by David Klass

    Ketchvar III’s mission is pretty simple: take over the body of an average American teenager and determine if the human race is worth saving. It helps, of course, that Ketchvar is an alien from the planet Sandoval IV and is the same size and shape as a terrestrial snail. It also helps that he is …

    Continue reading »

    Oct 22 2011

    King of the Mild Frontier by Chris Crutcher

    Fans of Chris Crutcher (which in my experience includes just about anyone who has read any of his books) will welcome this insight into his life and writing. Although he often writes about sports, it’s a bit of a surprise to learn that Crutcher was not athletically gifted as a child. This was his freshman …

    Continue reading »

    Oct 12 2011

    The Boy Who Howled by Timothy Power

    Callum isn’t like other members of his family. He can’t run through the forest on all fours, he can’t bring down deer with his jaws, and he’s not covered with fur. In fact, his dad is even thinking about eating him. It’s clear that Callum doesn’t belong with other members of his family, who are …

    Continue reading »

    Oct 10 2011

    The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh

    It is the darkest of the Dark Ages, and fourteen-year-old William is sent into the forest to gather firewood for Crowfield Abbey, the impoverished monastery where he has lived since becoming an orphan. While there, he hears a plaintive cry for help and investigating, discovers a strange creature caught in a trap. The first thing …

    Continue reading »

    Oct 09 2011

    When Jeff Comes Home by Catherine Atkins

    At thirteen, Jeff was kidnapped at knifepoint by a man he knows only as Ray, who holds him prisoner and sexually and emotionally abuses him for two and a half years before returning him to his family. Now Jeff is left to pick up the pieces of his life, all the while questioning how his …

    Continue reading »

    Oct 01 2011

    Announcements…

    I am still employed as a substitute teacher for the 2011-2012 school year, and am also doing a lot of freelancing on the side. These are my goals for this blog for the coming school year:

  • Work on the appearance. It’s a little dark, and I think I could do some things to lighten …

    Continue reading »

  • Jul 05 2011

    Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

    Sometime in the future, on the Gulf Coast of whatever is left of the United States, Nailer works light crew breaking ships. His small stature helps him clamber deep into the bowls of the ship, going after wiring and other small bits of metal. It’s dangerous work, and a hardscrabble life where a single slip-up …

    Continue reading »

    Jun 24 2011

    Boys Read 4

    Aaron is 14 and will be in the ninth grade this fall. Here are his recommendations:

    • Eragon by Christopher Paolini
    • Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
    • Hoot by Carl Hiasson
    • The Warrior series by Erin Hunter
    • The Redwall series by Brian Jacques
    • Maniac Magee and Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
    • the Percy Jackson series by Rick …

      Continue reading »

    Jun 22 2011

    The Castaways by Rob Vollmar

    The Castaways cover

    It is the height of the Depression, and thirteen-year-old Tucker Freeman’s father is gone for good. To survive, he and his family move in with the Widow, his father’s humorless and ultra-religious older sister. Convinced by the Widow that he isn’t pulling his weight on her farm, she hands him fifteen cents and tells him …

    Continue reading »

    Jun 19 2011

    Straw Into Gold by Gary D. Schmidt

    The cottage he shares with Da and the clearing beyond are the only world Tousle has ever known. When a visit to see the King’s procession results in his being given a riddle to solve within seven days or be killed, the simple life he once knew seems long in the past. Now on the …

    Continue reading »

    Page 1 of 612345...Last »