Rot & Ruin

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Summary from book jacket:
In the zombie-infested world Benny has grown up in, teenagers must work once they turn fifteen- or they'll lose their food rations. Benny isn't interested in taking on the family business, but he reluctantly agrees to train as a zombie killer with his boring big brother, Tom. He expects a dull job, whacking zombies for cash. What he discovers is a vocation that will teach him what it really means to be human.
As his worldview is challenged again and again by the lessons he learns from Tom, Benny is forced to confront another horrifying reality: Sometimes the most terrible monsters are human.

This book came into my hands via strong recommendations from a couple of students (Kaelan etc.). As some of you already know, I'm a big scaredy pants and have only read one or two zombie books (are zombies the new vampires?) but those couple I have read have definately kept me entertained (probably more than any vampire book!) so I guess I'll be needing to try Rot & Ruin out. The reviews I've been seeing support what I've been hearing so I think I have another one to add TBR stack.

Here's an interview with Joanthan Maberry.

Five Ancestors

Tiger by Jeff Stone -- Book One in the Five Ancestors Series

Holy kung-fu fighting tigers! This was fun, exciting, action-packed. Usually when I review a series, I only read one or two - but with this series I can easily see myself wanting to read every single one of them. (that doesn't happen often - not even Harry Potter grabbed me for the whole series).

Series Summary:

Before he dies, the grandmaster of Cangzhen Temple instructs his five youngest pupils -- each a master of a different fighting style-- to search out the secrets of their pasts. Only then, he tells them, will they be able to avenge their fallen brothers and retrieve the temples stolen scrolls.

Book Summary:

Twelve-year-old Fu and his temple brothers Malao, Hok, Seh, and Long don't know who their parents were. Raised from infancy by their grandmaster, they think of the temple as their home and their fellow warrior monks as "temple brothers" - as their family. Then one terrible night, the temple is destroyed. Fu and his brothers are the only survivors. Charged by thier Grandmaster to uncover the secrets of thier past, the five flee into the countryside and go their separate ways. Book one follows Fu as he struggles to find out more and prove himself in the process.

Here's an intro / interview with the author Jeff Stone

Hunger Games

Please take part in the poll - movie vs. book.

Last Friday, I joined about 220 grade eight students, who were part of the premier opening morning for the movie The Hunger Games. (it almost didn't happen, with the sudden icy roads closing Whoop-Up Drive and Highway 3 temporarily.) But happily they made it and excitement raged.

I can't wait for today when we get a chance to be the film critics and review what we disliked and liked. Who we loved, and how they could have done things differently.
Thank you so much to Mr. Newman for arranging this for us - it was a terrific way to complete a novel study. And thanks to the grade eight team for including me.
I hope this inspires many more readers to get caught up in a captivating book - whether it's the Hunger Games or something else. I think this proves that Young Adult books have depth, capture readers and bring them into a thrilling place, can make money and aren't just for Young Adults.

Horray!!!! Suzanne Collins. We congratulate you for this success and hope their will be many more to follow.

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth

I have just finished Divergent which Lakie readers have been insisting I read - and I can see why, it's a dystopian future book, it has a lot of action, a little romance, a crazy bad guy, an oppressive government, survival in a harsh world. What's not to like? right?
Well, at times I felt things were too similiar to other books I've read, and when I read the author interview and her influences I thought to myself , oh yeah I can see that. But for those of you who maybe aren't as wide reading as me, this might be your next favourite.

I liked this review from The Guardian, it sums it up nicely.
"Close your eyes and picture this: you are sixteen years old and about to make the biggest choice of your life.You've grown up in a faction that values a particular trait Abnegation (selflessness), Candor (honesty), Amity (kindness), Dauntless (bravery) or Erudite (knowledge seeking). You could choose to stay with your parents and the place you know or you could strike out into a new faction, but beware , once you've made that decision there's no going back.
This is Beatrice's story, an Abnegation girl who is conflicted about which faction to join. On one hand she feels that she has never truely belonged in Abnegation, but on the other she doesn't want to betray her family. Her decision is made more difficult by the knowledge that she is not like most people: she is Divergent. Once in her chosen faction Beatrice must absorb the culture shocks and keep her wits about her if she is to survive as failing the initiation will render her factionless and an outcast of society. Meanwhile, government troubles are brewing and Beatrice's world is about to turn upside down."

Book Trailer.

A Passion for Victory

A Passion for Victory: the story of the Olympics in Ancient and Early Modern Times by Benson Bobrick

from netgallies

So I read this advanced reader copy online from NetGalley, and I can say that I learned a lot and found this to be a fun and very educational book on the Olympics from its inception (a celebration to honour the Greek god Zeus, to how things have fallen apart along the way, to the idea of including winter sports.) I now know the following: originally foot races were run in the nude, wrestling went on for hours (I'm talking seven or eight hours), the orginal discus was three time the weight it is now and was thrown from standing still position, chariat races were included in some of the early games, dumbbells were used in long jump, some of the first womens events were tennis and crochet. There's so much more but I guess you will have to discover some of these curiousities for yourself - the book is on order for us.

Things I liked: I learned alot about the Olympics, famous Olympians, curious beginnings, odd events, interesting photos.

Things I wasn't crazy about: sometimes I thought it was text heavy - for me that was okay, but for middle school readers who want to find just those fun bits it will be challenging.

Brody's Ghost

Brody's Ghost by Mark Crilley

This is another graphic novel that will find an immediate audience with readers at Lakie. I enjoyed this quick escapade into Brody's world but found that it was a little predictable. This is going to be a series and I can only hope that the next couple of books throw some unexpected twists and turns our way.

Here's the summary:

Brody hoped that it was just a hallucination. But no, the teenaged ghostly girl who'd come face to face with him in the middle of a busy street was all too real. And now she was back, telling him that she needed his help in hunting down a dangerous killer, and that he must undergo training from the spirit of a centuries-old samurai to unlock his hidden supernatural powers.

Here's a sneek peek Mark Crilley at work.

For those of you that took part in the graphic novel webcast with Jeff Smith, Raina Telimeir and Kazu , this video should be of interest to you.

Inside Out & Back Again

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

I am often drawn to novels in verse, I admire the way the author has selected just the right words to get across their message, story, and feeling. I imagine that it takes an incredible amount of time to create this kind of book, carefully choosing each word, that it will resonate the strongest, and leave a lasting impression. And this wonderful book did leave a lasting impression.
Summary:
"No one would believe me but at times
I would choose wartime Saigon over
peace time in Alabama."

For all the ten years of her life, Ha has only known Saigon: the thrills of the market, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by ... and the beauty of her very own papaya tree.
But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Ha and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed towards hope. In America, Ha discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape... and the strength of her own family.
This is the moving story of one girls year of change, dreams, grief, and healing, as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next.

I hope that many of you will chose to read this book, it will leave a lasting impression. I hope this book will encourage you to get to know someone outside of your normal circle of friends, and that kindness for others should be an everyday virtue.

How they croaked

How They Croaked : the awful ends of the awfully famous by Georgia Bragg ; illustrated by Kevin O'Malley

WARNING: If you don't have the guts for gore, do not read this book.
This fascinating collection of remarkable deaths is not for the faint of heart.
Over the course of historymen and women have lived and died. In fact, getting sick and dying can be a big ugly mess, especially before modern medical care that we all know today. How They Croaked relays all gory details of how nineteen would figure gave  up the ghost. For example:

• It is believed that Henry VIII's remains exploded within his coffin (gross!!!)
• Doctors "treated" George Washington by draining almost 80 ounces of blood before he finally kicked the bucket
• Right before Beethoven wrote his last notes, doctors drilled a hole in his stomach without pain medication

Readers will be interested well past the final curtain, and feel lucky to live in a world with painkillers, X-rays, soap and 911.

I loved this one!!!! Fun, gorey, quirky facts, great illustrations.The chapter sub-titles are hilarious. I don't think there is a thing I would change, in fact I want another volume with more awfully famous deaths. 
Here's a list of the famous deaths that are included in the book: King Tut, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, Christopher Columbus, Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Pocahontas, Galileo Galilei, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Marie Antionette, George Washington, Napoleon Bonaparte, Ludwig Van Beethoven, Edgar Allan Poe, Charles Dickens, James A. Garfield, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein.
Here's the book trailer:

Maximum Ride: the manga 5

Maximum Ride : the Manga #5 by James Patterson ; adapted and illustrated by NaRae Lee

We have a hugh fan base for the Maximum Ride series -- and it doesn't seem to matter what format it is in, it is snapped up (we have multiple copies of the chapter books, we have the graphic novel version and we have them in audio format too). I think that says something about how dynamic and thrilling this story is. I love the art work in the graphic novels, NaRae Lee is awesome!
The graphic novel interpretation of the series is now at volume 5 - so far each volume has featured one of the characters, and this time we're with the "Gasman."
Here's the summary:
The time has come for Max and her winged flock to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution," a sinister experiment to re-engineer a select group of the population into a scientifically superior master race ... and to terminate the rest. Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel have always worked together to defeat the forces working against them - but can they save the world when they are torn apart, living in hiding and captivity, halfway across the globe from one another?

Dragon's tooth

Dragon's Tooth by N.D. Wilson

For two years, Cyrus and Antigone Smith have run a saggin roadside motel with their older brother, Daniel. Nothing ever seems to happen. Then a strange old man with bone tattoos arrives, demanding a specific room. Less than twenty-four hours later, the old man is dead. The motel has burned, and Daniel is missing. And Cyrus and Antigone are kneeling in a crowded hall, swearing an oath to an order of explorers who have long served as caretakers of the world's secrets, keepers of powerful relics from lost civilizations, and jailers to unkillable criminals who have terrorized the for millenia.

Book tailer:

National Geographic

One of my favourite things in life is the National Geographic magazine. I have loved this magazine since I was a kid, when our neighbour gifted our family with his collection of the magazine that dated back to 1918. Remind me to bring in some of those early issue, they are very interesting to look through. So this morning, while I was having coffee I was reading the February 2011 issue about the secrets of the underground in Paris. Yes, the catacombs, subways, sewers, parties and adventure that lurk below the streets. Fascinating.
Then later when I was checking one of my RSS feeds I found this great little presentation by one of National Geographic's staff photographers.
Have a look.


For those of you who crave adventure, travel, other cultures and wildlife - National Geographic will quickly becoming your favourite leisure time reading.

Dr. Seuss's Birthday

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to post this yesterday, but time just got away from me. So a happy belated birthday to Dr. Seuss (his birthday is March 2.)
To many of us he is one of our all time favourite authors, someone who's stories we've asked to be read over, and over, and over again. I hope that some of you celebrated his birthday by going out to see the opening night of The Lorax.

Books to movies continued

We had lots of discussion this week about books that we'd like to see made into movies, here are some of your suggestions:
The rest of the Percy Jackson series
Remake -- Eragon
The Compound
Swim the Fly
What I Saw and How I Lied
Maximum Ride
The Maze Runner
Fablehaven
Legend
Divergent
Remake --The Outsiders -- a modern day take on it
When You Reach Me
The House of Night series
The Giver
Schooled
Dairy Queen
Skeleton Man

There were loads of suggestions, unfortunately I can't remember them all. From the books you chose, I was impressed that many of you can clearly see how they would look as a movie. Thank you to all of you who made suggestions, I thought they were great.