ORBS

Books Ms. Barth thinks you shouldn't go the year without reading:
//If I Stay// by Gayle Forman //The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials// by James Dashner (The last book in the trilogy, //The Death Cure//, comes out in October!)

2010-11 Book Talks with Mrs. E.:

 * //Grimpoli// by Rafael Abalos
 * //Tyger, Tyger// by Kersten Hamilton
 * //The President's House// by Margaret Truman
 * //Reckless// by Cornelia Funke
 * //Crave// by Laura J. Burns
 * //How to Take the Ex out of Ex-Boyfriend// by Janette Rallison
 * //Alibi Junior High// by Greg Logstead
 * //Reality Check// by Jen Calonita
 * //The Blue Shoe// by Roderick Townley
 * //When I Was Joe// by Keren David
 * //Bamboo People// by Mitali Perkins
 * //Dark Water// by Laura McNeal
 * //Trance// by Linda Gerber
 * //Brain Jack// by Brian Faulkner
 * //The Nightmarys// by Dan Poblocki
 * //Luxe// by Ann Godbersen
 * //Ostrich Boys// by Keith Gray
 * //Need// by Carrie Jones
 * //Crusade// by Nancy Holder
 * //The 10 PM Question// by Kate De Goldi -- A beautifully written book. Protagonist 12 year old Frank lives with horrible, nagging fears that make him anxious and worried all the time. His compulsive behavior interferes with his ability to live a "normal" life.
 * //As Easy as Falling off the Face of the Earth// by Lynne Rae Perkins -- Just before leaving for summer camp, protagonist Ry receives a letter, but ignores it. He boards a train for camp, opens the letter, and finds out...camp has been canceled! Ry tries to make his way home, but he has no help and no way to contact anyone. He loses everything -- his backpack, cell phone, everything -- and has to figure out how to get home. FUNNY book!
 * //Dirty Little Secrets// by C J Omololu -- Growing up with a mother who is a hoarder, Lucy must deal with the filth and terrible conditions she lives in. When she comes home to find her mother dead, Lucy must decide what to do. If she calls the paramedics right away, everyone will discover how she lives. If she doesn't call the paramedics, maybe she has time to clean up. But there's no way to clean up the kind of mess they exist in. Very serious but very moving.
 * //Tomorrow, When the War Began// by John Marsden -- Takes place in Australia. When a group of teens return from their regular yearly camping trip, they find their farms abandoned, their families missing, and their farm animals in distress. Moreover, they find foreign troops patrolling their lands. They find out that while they were on the camping trip, there was an invasion and a war has begun. Very intense! This is a book about war and how teens would deal with it. ACTION-PACKED, fast-paced, and calls into question how brave one person can be in a situation like this? This book reminds Mrs. E. about the resistance movements during the World Wars.
 * //Bliss// by Lauren Myracle -- MRS. BARTH LOVES THIS BOOK! When Bliss begins the year at her new boarding school, she begins to hear a voice...the voice of a ghost who haunts the third floor of one of the buildings on campus. Bliss finds herself drawn into a mystery and a dangerous play for power on campus. There is also a complex and touching side-story of a biracial relationship in the 1960s in this novel, which weaves into the mystery and ghost story.
 * //Acceleration// by Graham McNamee -- Duncan works in the lost and found of the Toronto Metro System. He finds a book one day that's beautifully covered in very soft leather. It turns out to be a fascinating journal -- but as he reads more and more, he realizes...it's the diary of a serial killer. And toward the end of the journal, the killer begins to describe his next victim. Can Duncan figure out who the victim is and save them before it's too late?
 * //The Pact of the Wolves// by Nina Blazon -- Bianca goes to boarding school (in England), a former medieval convent whose nuns had been accused of witchcraft. The secret society at this boarding school, The Wolves, is out to get Bianca. Bianca goes to the head mistress but finds no help, so on her way back to her dorm, Bianca goes through the library...and stumbles upon a dead body. Bianca thinks the dead woman has been murdered and is on the search of the killer. While the middle drags a bit, it's overall a very interesting book!
 * //Revolver// by Marcus Sedgwick -- Sig lives in an extremely cold climate, and one day his father leaves for a trek to town in the middle of winter but does not return. When Sig goes out to look for him, he finds his frozen body and brings it home. In the middle of the night, a knock on the door wakes Sig -- it's a huge, imposing man who claims Sig's father owes him money. The man takes Sig hostage in the cabin with Sig's dead father's body. What can Sig do to escape? There's a gun in the house...the revolver. Can Sig use it?
 * //The House of Dead Maidens// by Clare B. Dunkle -- This is a prequel to the classic //Wuthering Heights//. It tells the backstory of Heathcliffe, the dark, dangerous, mysterious character in //WH//. Bought as a servant from a school (or is it an orphanage?), Tabby encounters a girl -- an icy cold, mysterious girl with "great round sockets of shadow" for eyes. VERY SCARY ghost story!
 * //The Shadow Project// by Herbie Brennan -- Danny is a burglar who breaks into the wrong house and is caught. Danny fits the profile for someone the government is looking for, so Danny is given an option -- go to jail or join a top-secret anti-terrorist military project, called "The Project." As Danny gets deeper and deeper into The Project, he realizes there is something more going on... Cool spy book like //Jimmy Coats, Assassin//.
 * //Suspect// by Kristin Wolden Nitz -- A mystery in St. Louis. Jen lives at her grandmother's bed and breakfast because Jen's mother has been missing for many years. Jen receives letters from her mother -- letters her grandmother thinks are fake-- but then the letters stop coming. Jen wants to find out what happened to her mother. Mrs. E. thinks this book might be like the //Fake ID// books.
 * //Annexed// by Sharon Dogar -- Holocaust fiction. The life of Peter, the boy who was also in hiding in the attic with Anne Frank. Peter wanted to fight in the resistance to the Nazis, but he was not allowed and instead had to hide to save his life in the attic. Unfortunately, Peter's and Anne's families were turned in, and Peter went to a concentration camp. The book also follows his life in the concentration camp.
 * //Three Black Swans// by Caroline Cooney -- Missy and Claire are very close friends and cousins. They can even read each other's minds and they look exactly alike. When they have to do a project on DNA, they claim they have the same exact DNA. Their project ends up on youtube, and another girl sees it and realizes she looks exactly like them, too. The three get together and try to figure out what makes them able to see into each other's thoughts and what makes them look so much alike...and they finds some pretty interesting things...
 * //Ship Breaker// by Paolo Bacigalupi -- Post-apocalyptic future where we're running out of everything. Basically slave labor, Nathan's job is to scavenge abandoned and wrecked ships. On one of the wrecked ships, they find a girl...she promises Nathan that if he saves her life, she will give him all the money he could ever want.
 * //The Cardturner// by Louis Sachar -- (Sachar wrote //Holes//) -- Alton's summer isn't looking too exciting, but then his parents send him to work for his very wealthy, disabled great uncle. The great uncle's passion is the card game bridge. Alton learns about the game and becomes very attached to his uncle, and Alton wants to protect his uncle from everyone else who are trying to weasel their way into the uncle's will.

Looking for something to read? Here's what Mrs. Barth has read lately:
media type="custom" key="9923815" [|Don't forget to check out Mrs. E.'s Shelfari page for lots more suggestions.] You might also check out [|Ms. Reimer's Shelf]!

ORBS Links:
These are great places to check for new books! [|Michael L. Printz Award winners] -- This annual award recognizes the best of the best in young adult books. [|Alex Award winners] -- This award is for the best books written for adults that might appeal to teen readers. [|American Library Association's (ALA) list of Best Books for Young Adults] [|ALA list of Outstanding Books for the College Bound] [|ALA list of Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers] -- If you don't really like to read very much, check out these books! They're perfect for "reluctant readers." [|International Reading Association's (IRA) Choice Booklists] -- The books on these lists were chosen by teenagers themselves, not by adults. [|TeenReads.com] [|Comic Books for Young Adults]

Recommended Reading from Mrs. E.'s past Book Talks:
//Lockdown// by Alexander Gordon Smith -- Best friends Alex and Toby commit a lot of petty crimes to help them get by. But then, set up for Toby's murder, Alex is sent to a horrific underground prison called "The Furnace" with no chance of release or escape.

//Born on a Blue Day// by Daniel Tammet -- A non-fiction book about a man with a form of autism often referred to as "savant" whose mathematical and language skills are amazing. A fascinating read!

Taken by Norah McClintock -- A girl is abducted and finds herself tied up in a shack. Mrs. E. wouldn't share many details! A disturbing mystery.

//Catalyst// by Laurie Halse Anderson -- For Anderson fans, this book takes place in the same town that her novel //Speak// is set in. Kate takes on responsibility for caring for her family after the death of her mother. When the house that lives next door burns down, the family moves in with her, making a classmate she detests her roommate. Again, Mrs. E. wouldn't share many details! An amazing but troublesome story.

//Son of the Mob// by Gordon Korman -- Charlie is currently reading this one! A boy is the son of a mafia boss in New York. A funny read, as all of Korman's books are! If you're looking for something humorous, be sure to check out Korman's stuff.

//They Never Came Back// by Caroline Cooney -- When she is seven, Muriel's parents leave the country with billions of embezzled dollars, leaving her behind. She grows up in foster care and suppresses everything that happened. With a new name and a new identity, she finds herself in the town where she lived with her parents, and she is recognized. She is forced to face everything that has happened. By the author of //Face on the Milk Carton//!

Guardian by Julius Lester -- Alabama in the 1930s. Ansel and Lil Willy are best friends. But Ansel is white, and Lil Willy is black in the segregated deep South. Lil Willy's father is lynched for a crime he did not commit, and Lil Willy and Ansel must deal with what has happened. This book deeply connects to //To Kill a Mockingbird//.

//The Great Wide Sea// by Madeline Herlong -- A group of boys are shipwrecked. A great survival story!

//Bog Child// by Shioban Dowd-- Early 1980s Ireland. Digging for peat, a boy and his uncle discover the body. They realize the body is from 4000 years ago! Mrs. E. says it is an amazing book with a great mystery!

Stitches by David Small -- Small's graphic novel is a memoir, meaning it is based upon his own life. A boy is told he is undergoing just a small, routine surgery, but when he wakes up, he realizes he has had to undergo something much, much worse. He wakes up with no vocal cords due to cancer caused by his own radiologist father who subjected him to continual radiation for sinus infections.

Envy by Anna Godbersen -- Book three in the Luxe series. (Splendor is book two.)

White Out by Walter Sorrells -- Third book in the Fake ID series. (Club Dread is the second book.)

Other recommendations from Mrs. E.'s Book Talks:
//First Shot// by Walter Sorrells //Frozen Fire// by Time Bowler //Immortal// by Gillian Shields //Tomorrow, When the War Began// by John Marsden //Evermore// by Alyson Noel //Luxe// by Anna Godbersen //Hate List// by Jennifer Brown //Boot Camp// by Todd Strasser //Reality Check// by Peter Abrahams //The Devil's Breath// by David Gilman //A Brief History of Montmaray// by Michelle Cooper //Suite Scarlett// by Maureen Johnson **//The Maze Runner// by James Dashner --** **THIS HAS BEEN A POPULAR BOOK AMONG 8TH GRADERS!** //The Help// by Kathryn Stockett //Three Cups of Tea// by Greg Mortenson //Angels and Demons//, //DaVinci Code//, and //Lost Symbol// by Dan Brown //Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters// by Chelsey Sullenberger **//Thirteen Reasons Why// by Jay Asher --** **THIS HAS BEEN A POPULAR BOOK AMONG 8TH GRADERS!** //Red Glass// by Laura Resau //Gone// by Michael Grant //The Fortunes of Indigo Sky// by Deb Caletti
 * //Wild Things// by Clay Carmichael -- MRS. BARTH __LOVES__ THIS BOOK! **

**More Suggestions: **
//Hunger Games// by Suzanne Collins -- EVERYONE loves this book. **Even Mr. Barth** read it and recommends it. In a futuristic dystopian United States divided into "districts," each district fights for its own survival in the Hunger Games. Two young people from each district are chosen to fight to the death in the televised games in hopes of winning food and other necessities. The sequel is //Catching Fire//, and it's just as enthralling.
 * Recommended by past 8th graders:**

//What I Saw and How I Lied// by Judy Blundell is an amazing novel that takes place shortly after the end of World War II. Mrs. Barth loved this book and read it in two days. When the book began, I thought it was going to be a romance, but I quickly realized I was totally wrong! It's a great mystery about a young woman who realizes that everything and everyone in her life is not what they seem. **Kimi** loves this book, too, and says that the main character, Evie, "senses that the sitaution isn't really how it seems, but what she doesn't know is, __nothing__ in that trip is really how it seems...."

//The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet// by Jamie Ford -- Historical fiction set in World War II. **Abby** recommends this book about a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl at an all-white school who face terrible treatment because of America's prejudices against the Japanese in the war. When the girl's family is forced into an internment camp, the boy tries to maintain their friendship, but the hardships take their toll. Abby says she gives the book five stars "because of its simplicity, yet intriguing story line."

//Wintergirls// by Laurie Halse Anderson -- **Za'Novia**, **Sam**, **Michelle**, and Mrs. Barth all recommend this book. Mrs. Barth read it in one day. The protagonist, Lia, is an anorexic girl who thinks she is horrendously fat -- even though she weighs 95 pounds. Za'Novia writes, "When Lia learns that Cassie, her best friend, has been found dead in a motel room, maintaining any healthy habits is extremely difficult. Not only does she have to listen to her own voice obsessing about every calorie of food she consumes; now she has to deal with Cassie making her ghostly appearances and cheering her on and encourageing her to get skinnier so Lia can join Cassie on the 'oher side.'" This book is amazingly well-written; the writing is absolutely haunting and beautiful. We all highly recommend! Za'Novia says, "You will be choked up and at a loss for words by the time you get to the final page."

//The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime// by Mark Haddon -- **Emily B** and **Andrea** recommend this intriguing book about an autistic boy's determination to solve the mystery of who killed the dog that lived next door. Looking at the world through the eyes of an autistic boy is at once heartwarming and heartwrenching. Emily writes, "He doesn't understand metaphors and won't tell a lie, and he relates conversations without interpretation or commentary...The reader ends up filling in the blanks and feeling the emotions for Christopher (as well as feeling quite protective of him)...". This book is amazing -- lots of students have read it and absolutely loved it!

//Slot Machine// by Chris Lynch -- A funny but edgy book that makes you think. Before starting at a private school, an overweight boy has to go to a three-week athletics camp for students. Completely nonathletic, he has to find ways to survive the camp. Mrs. E. says it's lots of fun!

//The Spectacular Now// by Tim Tharp -- **Chloe** recommends this book about a crazy class clown goofing off through his senior year who realizes that he's kind of afraid of growing up and going on to college. Chloe says this book is "laugh-out-loud hilarious" and a quick, humorous read for both boys and girls.

//What Happened to Cass McBride// by Gail Giles -- After his sister commits suicide, a boy kidnaps the girl responsible and buries her alive! Edgy, suspenseful and scary!

//Dead Girls Don't Write Letters// by Gail Giles -- A girl receives a letter in the mail from her sister -- who passed away about a year before. A touching, emotional read.

//13 Reasons Why// by Jay Asher -- Before committing suicide, a troubled young woman creates an elaborate set of cassettes explaining the thirteen reasons why she chose to take her own life and sends them to the boy who had a crush on her. After listening to them, he is to send them on to the next in a list of thirteen people. **Serena** is reading it now and highly recommends it. Another emotional, psychological read.

//Bliss// by Lauren Myracle -- Bliss is sent to a very exclusive boarding school -- with a haunted dormitory. The third floor of the dormitory is completely closed and off limits because of the strange things that have happened there, but Bliss finds herself drawn there... Suspenseful and chilling! **Juliet** says it is amazing!

//The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes// by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle-- The best of the best in mysteries!

//Acceleration// by Graham McNamera -- A boy working in the lost and found of the Toronto subway system comes across a strange-looking book...that turns out to the be the diary of a serial killer.

//So B. It// -- A thirteen year old girl must take care of her disabled mother and their agoraphobic neighbor. Her whole life, she has never known who her family is and where she came from, so she goes on a trip to discover who she is. **Katie and Chloe** say it is very good!

//The Fold// by An Na -- An Asian-American girl is given the opportunity to have plastic surgery to look more caucasian, and she thinks that if she does so, maybe the boy she has a crush on will notice her. An Na is an amazing writer!

//Prom// by Laurie Halse Anderson -- **Emily B** recommends this book about a high school girl balancing all the events and expectations leading up to prom with a hectic homelife and a complicated love life.

//Water for Elephants// by Anna Gruen -- **Chloe** recommends this beautiful, witty, and touching book about a young man in the 1930s who unexpectedly finds himself working as the veterinarian for a circus. He falls in love with the woman who is the leader of the horse menagerie, which proves difficult and dangerous because her husband is an unstable schizophrenic man. Chloe loved the twists and turns and called the ending "overwhelming, dazzling and horrifying all at the same time." Mrs. E. agrees that this is a beautiful book.

//Guardian// by Julius Lester -- This book is a good read after //To Kill a Mockingbird//. A white boy must live with the bystander role his father played in the lynching of an innocent black man.

//Nation// by Terry Pratchett -- On a small island, a native boy who has just survived the rite of passage to become a man in his tribe returns home to find that his nation has been wiped out by a tsunami, and he is the only survivor. Inland, he finds the remains of an English ship that has been shipwrecked in the tsunami. Inside the shipwreck hides an English girl. The boy and girl must survive together. **Andrea** liked it!

//Ender's Game// by Orson Scott Card -- The Ender series is fantastic -- fast-paced sci-fi action/adventure. **Tieg** and **Clement** recommend the series.

//The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe// by Douglas Adams -- This series is extremely fun! They're very funny sci-fi adventures with lots of crazy characters and storylines that intertwine in completely unexpected ways. **Clement** recommends!

//Angels and Demons// by Dan Brown -- from **Jack C** -- A prequel to the Da Vinci Code, and in a lot of readers' opinions, a much better story! Very suspenseful!

//The Boy in the Striped Pajamas// by John Boyne -- from **Henry S and Emily B** -- The son of the director of a concentration camp in Nazi Germany befriends a boy in the camp. This book comes very highly recommended! Henry also recommends the film based on this book.

//The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian// by Sherman Alexie -- from **Ben W, Steven S, Lexi M**, and **Emily B** -- A Native American boy leaves his reservation friends to attend an all-white high school. He deals with tragedies at home and at school, but he overcomes, thanks to his new friends, basketball coach, and family. A lot of 8th graders have read this book and loved it!

//Looking for Alaska// by John Green -- from **Emma K** -- A boy's very boring, uneventful life is turned upside down when he leaves for boarding school and meets Alaska, a beautiful and clever but also irresponsible, out of control, and self-destructive girl. Emma loved the ending! If you like Looking for Alaska, check out Green's other books: An //Abundance of Katherines// and //Paper Towns//.

//The Center of Everything// by Laura Moriarty -- from **Emma K and Chloe K** -- A girl grows up with an irresponsible mother who often makes poor decisions. They face struggles with love, faith, betrayal, and poverty, but with determination, intelligence, and grit, she finds their way through.

//Freaky Green Eyes// by Joyce Carol Oates -- from **Chloe K** -- A girl faces a challenging family life with an abusive father and an absent mother, and when her mother takes off, she has to figure out and face what she'd rather not see about her family. Dealing with these issues brings out a whole new part of her, a whole new side of her personality. Suspenseful with a great ending! All of Oates's books are suspenseful -- great reads.

Books by Mary Higgins Clark -- great mysteries! If you like Mary Higgins Clark, you'll also like Joyce Carol Oates.
 * Recommended by Mrs. Eppelsheimer:**

Books by Gordon Korman -- funny books!

//Death by Bikini// and //Death by Latte// by Linda Gerber -- fun mysteries that take place at a tropical resort.

//Shift// by Jennifer Bradbury -- Two boys begin a cross-country bike ride but have a falling out and split up. At the end of the summer when one boy begins college, he finds out that the other boy has not been seen or heard from since -- he was the last person to see his friend.

//Elsewhere// by Gabrielle Zevin -- A girl passes away and goes to a sort of heaven -- Elsewhere -- where you age backwards. When you become a baby again, you are reborn into the world. Many 8th graders have read this book and loved it! I thought it was a beautiful, touching book.
 * Recommended by Mrs. Barth:**

//The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy// by Douglas Adams -- These books are cult classics! They're very funny sci-fi adventures with lots of crazy characters. I love them because the characters and storylines intertwine in completely unexpected ways.