Free Audiobooks

This weeks free audiobook choices are: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud and Tales from the Arabian Nights. You will need to download the Overdrive Media Console onto the device that you'll be listening from (I went to the Lethbridge Public Library site for the easiest download instructions), from there you need this website to download this weeks titles.
http://www.audiobooksync.com/free-syn-downloads/

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonthan Stroud

Nathaniel is eleven years old and a magicians apprentice, learning the traditional arts of magic. All is well until he has a life-changing encounter with Simon Lovelace, a magician of unrivaled ruthlessness and ambition. When Lovelace brutally humiliates Nathaniel in public, Nathaniel decieds to speed up his education, teaching himself spells way beyond his years. With revenge on his mind, he masters one of the toughest spells of all and summons Bartimaeus, a five-thousand-year-old djinni, to assist him. But summoning Bartimaeus and controlling him are two different things entirely, and when Nathaniel sends the djinni out to steal Lovelace's greatest treasure 'The Amulet of Samarkand' he finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of magical espionage, murder and rebellion.

Tales from the Arabian Nights

AudioFile Magazine Review:“This is an absolutely gorgeous introduction for young listeners to fine literature, a vastly different time and culture and enchanting music. Narrator Toby Stephens is dazzling as he presents three of the best-known tales: Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and The Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. He skillfully renders the text be it stupendous description, cunning adversaries or wide ranging emotion as he spins Scheherazade’s stories. At times Stephens’ accent sounds quite modern which should appeal to a contemporary audience. Both male and female voices are distinct and appropriate to the age and situation. Rimsky-Korsakov’s stirring music adds vastly to the rich emotion generated by the exotic tales. All ages will be enthralled.”

Grade 8 Farewell

Today we say farewell to over 200 grade eight students. I know I won't have a chance to say goodbye to each of them, so I'll do that here. You are a great group of kids, fun, funny, caring, and dynamic. And what a group of strong readers. My advice to you is this -- Stay curious. The most interesting people you meet in life are those that stay curious. People who want to explore, discover, invent and create. Become one of them.  They make the best friends (because they are willing to be adventurous), they make the best roommates (because they can teach you new ways of doing stuff), they make the best coaches (because they tend to think of others first), and mostly they are unafraid of change (and if there is one thing we can depend on in life it is change, so get good at it! embrace it!) Stay curious.

Summer reading

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Loved it!! Thank you Brooklyn for recommending that I move it to the top of my summer reading stack. This futuristic Cinderella story has it all, cyborgs, a plague, evil step-mother, handsome prince -- and yet it still had  an unpredictable cast and plot. (just because you know the old story of Cinderella, doesn't mean you know this version.)
Here's the summary:
Sixteen-year-old Cinder in considered a technological mistake by most of society and a burden by her step mother. Being cyborg does have its benefits, though: Cinder's brain interface has given her an uncanny ability to fix things (robots, hovers, her own malfunctioning parts), making her the best mechanic in New Beijing. This reputation brings Prince Kai himself to her weekly market booth, needing her to repair a broken android before the annual ball. He jokingly calls it "a matter of national security," but Cinder suspects it's more serious than he's letting on.
Although eager to impress the prince, Cinder's intentions are derailed when her younger stepsister , and only human friend, is infected with the fatal plague that's been devastating Earth for a decade. Blaming Cinder for her daughter's illness, Cinder's stepmother volunteers her body for palgue research, an "honor" that no one has survived.
But it doesn't take long for the scientists to discover something unusual about their new guinea pig. Something others would kill for.

And there's a book trailer:

Between Here and Forever

Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
Elizabeth Scott's writing style is like being on vacation for me, I don't have to thinking real hard, I don't have to guess what's gonna happen next, I'm not on the edge of my seat with worry or angst for the characters. I just along for the ride. She tells a great story, she reminds you what it's like to be human, and a teenager, and she makes it somehow relatable throughout. If you're a fan of Sarah Dessen, Nicholas Sparks, or Jodi Picoult most likely you'll enjoy books by Elizabeth Scott. I do.

Summary from back cover:
Abby long ago accepted that she can't measure up to her beautiful, magnetic sister, Tess. But at least she knows exactly what she is: Second best. Invisible.
Until the accident.
Now Tess is in a coma, and Abby's life is on hold. It may have been hard living with Tess, but it's nothing compared to living without her. Abby's got a plan to bring Tess back, though, involving the gorgeous and mysterious Eli. But then she learns a shocking secret about Tess. Something that was always right there, but she'd never seen.
Abby is about to find out that the truth isn't always what you think it is, and that life holds more than she ever thought it could.

This one is for anyone who's felt like they live in the shadow of their sister.

Summer Reading has officially begun

The Last Musketeer by Stuart Gibbs
Summary:
On the first day of a family trip to Paris, Greg Rich's parents disappear. They're not just missing from the city -- they're missing from the "century." So Greg does what any kid will do: he travels through time to rescue them.
Greg soon finds out that his family history is tied to the legendary Three Musketeers. But when he meets them, they're kids his age , and they'll only live long enough to become true heroes if he can save them. To rescue his parents, Greg must assume the identity of a young Musketeer in training and unite Athos, Porthos, Aramis, and D'Artagnan -- but a powerful enemy is doing everything possible to stop him from succeeding.


I love it when a book has a great first sentence that makes you want to keep reading. This book had it, I was also intrigued with the reinvention of The Three Musketeer's story, and although I'm not a huge time travel fan, it worked for this story. I enjoyed how Greg struggled with some of the more descriptive and challenging aspects of history - scratchy clothes, travel by foot or horse and worst of all the smells of sewage everywhere.

Free Audiobooks

Here's a great opportunity for you to download free audiobooks this summer. Each week another two free audiobooks will be available. You will need to download some software (Overdrive Media) onto the device you will be listening from. There are instruction on the website for this, if you're having trouble come down to see me and I'll see if I can help.
http://www.audiobooksync.com/free-syn-downloads/

This weeks titles are the below.

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

Summary: In an America devastated by war and plague, the only way to survive is to keep moving. In the aftermath of a war, America's landscape has been ravaged  and two-thirds of the population are left dead

from a vicious strain of influenza. Fifteen year old Stephen Quinn and his family were among the few that survived and became salvagers, roaming the country in search of material to trade. But when Stephen's grandfather dies and his father falls into a coma after an accident, Stephen finds his way to Settler's Landing a community that seems to be too good to be true. Then Stephen meets strong, defiant, mischievious Jenny, who refuses to accept things the way that they are. And when they play a prank that goes horribly wrong, chaos erupts and they find themselves in the midst of a battle that will change Settler's Landing and their lives forever.

 The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.
The novel focuses on the Joads, a poor family of sharecroppers driven from their Oklahoma home by drought, economic hardship, and changes in financial and agricultural industries. Due to their nearly hopeless situation the Joads set out for California. Along with thousands of other "Okies", they sought jobs, land, dignity and a future.
The Grapes of Wrath is frequently read in high school  and college.

Top Titles of 2011-2012

Here's our most popular titles of the year.
http://www.youblisher.com/p/358801-Lakie-s-favourite-titles/

Make Magazine

My most excellent husband surprized me with a copy of Make Magazine this past Sunday. Tons of projects that I can't wait to explore. Make has been a favourite of mine, since discovering it a couple of years ago. I know I'll be making the marshmellow shooter before long. We're also planning to try to make our own silk screening operation. I'll do a test run on the Kryptonite Kandy. The LED hula hoop looks fun. There's all these and more!!! I'll try to remember to take pictures along the way, so you can be learning from my mistakes.
Here's an image of the m.m.shooter.

For Riordan Fans

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

Well, fans of Mr. Riordan here's a sneak-peek at the third book in The Heroes of Olympus series. I know it's going to be a long wait until Oct. 2 when it is finally released. As promised here's the link to the first chapter (for those of you who just can't wait)The Mark of Athena.

Insurgent

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

I want to say I really liked this one, but unfortunately I just didn't. Book two in the Divergent series, reads like a roller-coaster - crazy twists and turns, unexpected dives and a rocketing pace - but at times the ride was going to fast for this reader and I felt lost. I think this can be explained in a couple of ways ; firstly it had been awhile since I had read Divergent, so it wasn't really fresh in my memory where things left off ; secondly I felt that some of the characters lacked development, so much so that they were easily confused with characters from other factions ; and finally I felt that it was too violent. I did keep reading and the ending probably made it worth it and had enough of a hook to make me want to read the third book when it comes out.

Here's the summary from the book jacket:
One choice can transform you - or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves - and herself - while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and lyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable - and  even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guiltm raducak bew discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

Book trailer:

The Wrath of Zozimos

Stickman Odyssey : the wrath of Zozimos by Christopher Ford

I love Christopher Ford for drawing stickmen and having such a wonderful sense of humor. The fact that he can give stickmen so much expression gives us creatively challenged folks hope.
Here's the summary:
In his quest to reclaim the throne of Sticatha from his evil stepmother, the exiled prince Zozimos has fought golems, matched wits with a sphinx, and overcome his own ineptitude to, well, stay alive. Now, with his homeland finally in sight, he and his band of misfits ready themselves for battle. Only it's not quite the fight they were expecting...

Where my last funny book left me a little bored, this one kept me reading and laughing right along.