The Insomniacs by Karina Wolf

The Insomniacs is an adorable picture book for reluctant sleepers.

"The Insomniacs" by Karina Wolf and illustrated by The Brothers Hilts is a lovely picture book about a family who just couldn't go to sleep. In the beginning, they were like a normal family and slept at night.

But when Mrs. Insomniac gets a new job twelve time zones away, things change. The whole family finds that they simply cannot fall asleep at night.

They try everything. Warm milk, meditation, hot baths, crossword puzzles -- nothing helps. When searching for advice from bears (after all, bears sleep all winter, they must know some good sleep secrets), they notice that the night is full of life.

Bats, foxes, reindeer, owls, rabbits, and others enjoy the night. The Insomniacs decide to give it a try.

Read the whole review at: http://www.examiner.com/review/the-insomniacs-by-karina-wolf-is-a-perfect-book-for-the-child-who-won-t-sleep?cid=db_articles

Jane: a modern retelling of Jane Eyre by April Lindner

Imagine Jane Eyre today--with its dated setting and characters, including a nanny, housekeeper and brooding master-of-the-manor.  Brushing off the cobwebs, polishing up the characters and yet staying true to the original would seem a herculean task, but April Lindner found a way to make it all work--and it does in Jane: A Modern Retelling of Jane Eyre.

Not only will loyal Jane Eyre fans enjoy this retelling, readers of the new Jane will likely take up the original Jane Eyre to compare the two and see why the first inspired the modern version.
Jane Moore must drop out of college, and she finds a plum job as the nanny to the child of a rock star (definitely America's royalty). True to the original, there are mysteries at Thornfield Park, the estate where Jane goes to live with Maddy, the lonely, motherless child.

The plot follows the original in a fashion as true-to-form as one could hope for. Plausibility is the key here--Lindner keeps the story real and modern and yet somehow manages to retain the magical feeling and mystery of Jane Eyre.

From the publisher:
Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance.

But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?

An irresistible romance interwoven with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers.

Mockingjay-a fitting finale

Mockingjay is both powerful and touching. Not everyone will like the ending--but isn't that what makes a good book? Controversy, discussion, surprise, these all make the difference between a good read and a good book.

All the loyal readers of the Hunger Games series have been anxiously awaiting the final book in the trilogy--Mockingjay. Questions abound from the last book, Catching Fire: who will Katniss pick, Peeta or Gale? WIll the revolution be successful? And more basic questions like: Where will Katniss go now that District 12 has been destroyed?

From the publisher: Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she's still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12. Powerful and haunting, this thrilling final installment of Suzanne Collins's groundbreaking The Hunger Games trilogy promises to be one of the most talked about books of the year.

Katniss--as the mockingjay--is still a symbol of the revolution against the Capitol. At least others view her as that symbol--but will she willingly take on the role and act as the spark to set off the final stage of violence that is the revolution? That is the heart of this book.

As in the first two books, Katniss is strong. She abhors violence, but hunts and will kill to protect those she loves. As in the first two books, she feels powerless against those who can use her as a pawn in the violent game of chess that is the revolution.

Although the Hunger Games trilogy is not for the faint of stomach, the values and messages shine through. , War and those who plot at war are evil. No matter which side of the violence one is on--simply by the act of killing and plotting to kill, one loses morality. Value human life, love those around you, and take pleasure in simple things.

A series worth reading, thinking about and discussing. Mockingjay is a book to make you think and a book to make you feel. And isn't that what reading good books is all about?

Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret by Liz Kessler


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Charming finish to this series. Touching at the end with (spoiler alert!) the humans and merpeople learning to get along. Emily gets a boyfriend, keeps her mermaid friend, and makes (or remakes) a human friend. It's a satisfying read.

View all my reviews >>

Cryptid Hunters and Tentacles

Cryptid Hunters is the first book in this series. Until Roland Smith wrote Tentacles, no one knew that it was a series. And he has done it again. Like his other books, Tentacles is action-packed.

In Cryptid Hunters, brother and sister Grace and Marty travel to the Congo with their uncle in search of a dinosaur. There are bad guys galore and staying alive in the jungle is not easy. Marty and Grace find that things are not what they seem and people are not whom they appear to be.

In Tentacles, the setting is the ocean. Marty and Grace are in search of a giant squid. Inventors with amazing new technology, really bad guys (and I mean really, really bad), and clever heroes make this book just as exciting and full of adventure as the first. There is also the distinct possibility (probability) that there will be another book in this series. I hope it doesn't take as long to write as Tentacles did!

Found and Sent

Hurray! The next book in the Missing series is out. I read Found last year and was fortunate enough to have dinner with the author, Margaret Peterson Haddix (thank you District 112 librarians!). What a wonderful experience.

Sent starts out with a bang. Jonah, through whose eyes we are experiencing the story, and his sister and best friend have traveled back to 1400's England. It's a great way to learn about a period of time that is unfamiliar to many of us (me, included).

Like all her books, this is action-filled and you immediately care about the main characters. If you didn't read Found, you should still be able to enjoy this book.

I highly recommend it for good 4th grader readers and on up through middle school. Of course, older readers will still enjoy it. I love reading her books!

The Chosen One

This book is a middle school through high school book. Not for elementary students! The Chosen One is about Kyra, a girl who grows up in a polygamous community. Her father has three wives and she has over twenty siblings. They live in a secluded community where the leader's word is law.

Kyra loves her family but also grows to love a boy she wants to marry. When she finds out that she has been "chosen" to marry her uncle, she rebels.

Reading this book is like entering a foreign country. The lifestyle and morals of this community are not those to which we are accustomed. The hypocrisy is apparent: the leaders live in large homes with air conditioning while the others live in trailer homes with no air conditioning in the desert heat. The leaders have computers while the followers are told that computers are evil. The leaders have libraries while the followers are not allowed to read anything but the Bible.

I highly recommend this book.