Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This is one of the best books I have read. Read the trilogy before you see the movie. The movie will be released in March of 2012. 

What am I Reading Right Now?

Dystopian novels...recently, I made a booklist (you can pick it up at the library). I had read a lot of the newer books, but while I was making the list I noticed I had missed a number of the older, well-known ones. I had always wanted to read them, but there are soooo many books for middle school and YA, that I always have a long list! And then they just keep coming out with more!

So, I read Uglies by Scott Westerfeld: I liked it. It was an interesting concept. I do want to read the next book, Pretties, to see what happened. But, there wasn't enough action for me to love it.
I read Feed by M.T. Anderson: I really did not enjoy this one. It's so chaotic and rambling for me. The heavy slang was a distraction. I didn't feel like I got to know the characters at all and I didn't like any of them.
Now, I am reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card: so far, it is very interesting and Ender is an interesting character. I want to find out more about him and what happens to him. I will come back to this list!

What Comes Next in That Series?

The Mid-Continent Public Library in Independence, MO has a fantastic resource on their website. It will tell you the order and title of any youth or teen series. Check it out!

http://www.mymcpl.org/books-movies-music/juvenile-series

First Stage Theater's New Season

Each year, I display the new season of the First Stage Children's Theater Productions. I used to order season tickets when my daughter was younger and I always got the books for us to share together before we went to see the production.

Here are the new productions.

So, stop by at the library to pick up any Seuss book like The Cat in the Hat or Horton Hears a Who! Pick up Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems or any of the 'Diary' books by Doreen Cronin- Diary of a Worm, Spider or Fly! Pick up Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl or Junie B. Jones, First Grader: Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! by Barbara Park.

Checkout all these books and many others written by these popular authors!

Visit by Author Margaret Peterson Haddix

Margaret Peterson Haddix will be at the library on Monday, September 19th from 5:30-6:30pm. She is the author of Just Ella, The Missing series, the Shadow Children series and the 10th book in the 39 Clues series.


She will talk about her new book, Torn, the 4th book in The Missing series. There will be time for questions and book signings. Buy one there or bring your own!

No registration is required. Everyone is welcome.

Inheritance

On November 8th, the 4th and final book in the Inheritance Cycle will be out!

If you have never read Eragon, Eldest and Brisingr, start reading these awesome books NOW before the final book is released. I have to reread them myself because it has been some time and I forgot where they left off.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever is the 6th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. It will be released November 15th.


Read the 5 other hilarious books before then!

Hugo, The Movie

Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a historical-fiction book written and illustrated by Brian Selznick and published by Scholastic Press. The hardcover edition was released on January 30, 2007, and the paperback edition was released on June 2, 2008. With 284 pictures between the book's 533 pages, the book depends equally on its pictures as it does the actual words. Selznick himself has described the book as "not exactly a novel, not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, or a flip book or a movie, but a combination of all these things." The book won the 2008 Caldecott Medal, the first novel to do so, as the Caldecott Medal is for illustrations.

The movie will open in theaters on November 23rd.

Dark Paper Strikes Back: An Origami Yoda Book by Tom Angleberger

If you haven't read The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, you should pick it up right away before this next installment comes out!

Fun!

The Betrayal of Maggie Blair by Elizabeth Laird

Maggie Blair is an isolated, illiterate girl who lives alone with her mean grandmother on a tiny island in 17^th century Scotland. Her life consists of hard work and not much else. Maggie is a strong character who proves herself to be more sensible than those around her even before she learns to read. This is a solid historical novel about a witch scare and the true-to-life persecution of Scottish Presbyterians by the English King Charles II.

The witch scare, trial and hanging are only the beginning. It goes on to cover a part of history that is not well known and it does so from Maggie's perspective which is very thought-provoking. Great book for 7th grade and up.