Scythe by Neal Shusterman

I don't know what took me so long to read this.

Full Tilt by Shusterman is one of my favorite books, among those I reread often.

So I have no idea why despite having this in my library I hadn't actually read it 'til today.

It was actually a student of Ms. McCormack's that convinced me to read this with his/her independent reading project.

Imagine a world where humanity has conquered disease.  Death is easily reversible.  Only a chosen few, known as Scythes, decide who is to live and who is to die.  With a set quota, they chose who to kill and how.  Some do so mimicking the deaths of the time before, others have developed a penchant for pain.  It is a time of disagreement among the group on methods and leadership.

Citra and Rowan are two scythe apprentices.  Politics get in the way and they are farmed out to two very different mentors, in what will culminate in one becoming a scythe and the other being killed.  Scythes themselves can only be killed, or gleaned, by oneself or by fire.  Keep that in mind.

I'm so glad I finally picked this off the shelf to read.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Rereading The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

I recently saw several blog and twitter posts about rereading one's favorite book.  Both sides of the issue were explored in a lot of detail. There was one particular post that seemed to infer students should not be allowed to do so for "credit" in class. 

Whoa there.  Hold up.

I don't care what you read.  I care that you read.  Manga and anime your thing?  Cool.  Like sports bios?  Awesome.  Into military history?  Have at it. 

Although we give credit for reading, how dare someone say "you can't read that" or "that doesn't count"?!?!

I think you can tell I am on the side that rereading is OK.  In fact, I can honestly say I've reread several books multiple times.  There are quite a few books I reread nearly every year, usually during the summer.

I decided after that post for this book a day thing, one of the books I'd read would be The Westing Game, my all-time favorite book.  When I started teaching, I had 7th grade at Carrigan, the same year I read it as a student.  It was first on my list of books to do with my class.

I plan to record a review for this.  I'll be showing you all my tattered, beaten copy of Raskin's classic.  I hope it survives the journey to school in my bag. 

A game of whodunit ensues when a multi-millionaire dies.  His will declares he was murdered by one of his 16 heirs.  Paired up, each is given a set of clues.  It's a race to find the murderer and claim the money. 

I can't even say how much I love this story.  Even though some of the details are a bit outdated, it's still a great book.  I hope someone new discovers it or someone reads it another time.  Perhaps after reading this blog, you'll find your old favorite and reread it too.     

Unearthed by Kaufman and Spooner

Excuse my tardiness again.  This was yesterday's book, but I had to review it today.  My husband took me on a surprise road trip north yesterday!  So today is a twofer again.

Alright then.

No.  I'm sorry, but no.  And I am so sad to say that. 

You are aware of my love for the Illuminae trilogy (two are reviewed here; the first I read for Nutmeg 2018...I think I can say that now).  Amie Kaufman was one of two authors on that trilogy, so I had ridiculously high hopes for this, but I just did not feel the same magic.  Perhaps my hopes were too high. 

A dying race sends directions to their planet into space.  Good people and bad of course race to stake claims on what promises to be vast riches and perhaps a way to save Earth.  Think the movie version of Doom (starring The Rock) meets Indiana Jones meets Independence Day.  The plot was OK.  It was the characters I really didn't care for in truth.  I found Amelia and Jules to be incredibly annoying.  I didn't really care if they lived or died.  I kinda started rooting for the aliens, like how we all root for the sharks in Deep Blue Sea.  And the ending leaves things open for a sequel. 

So now that I'm doing the video reviews, this is one that won't featured.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Neverwake by Amy Plum

I'm doing horribly with keeping up with the daily reviews.  Sorry!

This is the sequel to Dreamfall.  I did not review it here, but for School Library Journal. 
Please read that review first.  You can read that here (you have to scroll down):
https://www.slj.com/?detailStory=sljs-april-2017-popular-picks
I absolutely loved Dreamfall.

The nightmare continues for our main characters.  Things get weirder and more violent.  There are more deaths in the dreams, which means more cardiac arrests in real life. 

I am really not sure why this had to be split into two novels.  There is not enough difference between the two to really call it a sequel.  Nor is there really a breaking point between the two parts.  The only thing I can think of is turning off teens with a larger size book? 

I also felt the ending was rushed.  These characters deserved so much more.  Again, why cut things short? 

If I were to recommend this, it'd be immediately reading both back to back as one continuous story. 

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Nightingale by Amy Lukavics

My apologies in not posting this review last night.  Something happened that kept my typing fingers too twitchy.  More on that later.

If you've followed this blog a while or have heard me recommend books to my classes, you know Amy Lukavics is tied for my favorite horror author.  I had the pleasure of listening to her speak at a conference I attended virtually.  She's awesome.

I purchased this to read and then donate, which will happen as soon as I get to school and record the video version of this review for Google Classroom.

Lukavics doesn't disappoint.

June is a teen in classic 1950s America.  Dad works, Mom stays home, brother Fred does the outside chores, June is expected to look pretty/learn to cook/not be able to think for herself.  But June has other ideas, including being a science fiction writer (her first book being about alien abduction).  She secretly applies to a writing program and intends to leave right after graduation.  But her parents arrange a date and later engagement to her father's business partner.  After losing it (I won't spoil how), her parents have her committed to an asylum.

Now, I think we all know how female patients were treated in the past in such institutions.  Lobotomy anyone?

But this institution is much, much worse.

I don't want to give away too much, so that's it on the plot here.

Now, what happened that had me riding a high last night?  Well, this:

Me suggesting Lukavics collaborate with my other favorite horror author, Kim Liggett.  AND THEM RESPONDING!

We have all of their books in our collection, but because of my tendency to recommend them, most are out.  Maybe if there is enough interest, I will order 2nd copies................ ;)

In case you're wondering, King is 3rd.  And Lukavics has a nice Easter Egg homage to one of his recent novels in Nightingale.  See if you can find it!

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

Hacking Google for Education by Currie, Krakower, and Rocco

I am so ridic excited that next year all Social Studies and English teachers will be using Google Classroom.  I've been seeking out some new resources for our teachers, and this was one that came in from a water money order. 

What I like about this particular manual is that it's broken into classroom, school, and district.  For Google's G Suite/Apps for Education to work the way it should, there has to be buy-in from administration and teachers across disciplines.  I'm hoping to get more people on board!  This guide is a really good place to start.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

I have weird obsessions.  Ancient Aliens.  Oak Island.  Southern Virginia/Northern Tennessee.  Bacon.  Those hats British ladies wear. 

But I don't think any of my obsessions reach the level of Johnson's or that of his subject.

To sum up, a young flute player breaks into a museum and steals a ridiculous amount of rare (dead/stuffed/mounted/partial) birds of beautiful feathered varieties.  Later he will claim Asperger's as his defense. 

A young man helping Iraqi refugees seeks solace in a fishing trip.  He's in awe of his friend's fly making skills.  Said friend tells him the story of Edwin Rist, the bird-thief.  The story goes Rist stole them to make fishing flys. 

Really.

I swear I'm not making this up.

When I first took this out, I judged a book by it's cover.  It looked really awesome.

Then I read the jacket description and went "what the French toast?  Are you serious?  Is this for real?  Why did I buy this?  How is this on the bestseller list?!?!?!?!"

Because I'm committed to this whole Book a Day January thing, I pressed on.

It was actually a really good story!  It is as much about Johnson's obsession to solve the crime (finding Rist's accomplices and buyers of the stolen feathers) as it is about the actual crime itself.

Kinda stunned I liked it so much.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.