Inheritance series by Christopher Paolini

I am finally finishing up this series.  I reread Brisinger because too much time had elapsed when I began the series and finally getting around to the last one.  Some of my former students advised me not to bother to read the last one, but I decided that since I met Christopher Paolini and liked that he started this series at such a young age and I want to know what happens to Saphira and Eragon, I decided to read the last book.
If you look strictly at the story line and the writing, you wouldn't read this book.  However, I am enjoying it.  I do wish it moved a little faster and that Eragon would stop getting into predicaments that he should avoid.  I do like that minor characters are getting a larger role in this book.  I will hopefully be back to finish this post with a final thumbs up or down.

Goodbye Los Cerros - Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelley Moore Thomas.

I am retiring this June from my position as a teacher librarian at Los Cerros Middle School.  However, I am hoping to continue to keep up my blog.  I will eventually add more titles as I begin broadening my reading genre.
One book I am reading right now and enjoying very much is the Seven Tales of Trinket by Shelley Moore Thomas.
I had a great time listening to the author at this years California Young Reader Medal banquet.  She was Trinket at the banquet.  Trinket wants to become a bard - a teller of stories, musician, and all around entertainer.  She starts out on a journey to find her father, also a bard, after her mother's death.  She is accompanied by Thomas the pig boy on her journey.  While on her quest to find her father she is perfecting the skills she will need to become a fantastic bard.
It is worth a read for those interested in an easy quick read and the fantastical people and creatures Trinket and Thomas meet on their travels.
I hope to collect tales on my travels in my RV, now that I am retiring or changing careers...
Happy reading. - Donnine Davis

2013 reading highlights

As stated, it is hard to get time to update this blog at work, so I have to work on it at home or aka my own time.  I don't stop reading, I am just not the best writer and stress over every word and get upset when I make errors.  I guess it is not about my writing, but my reading, right?

Here are titles I have read and/or recommended in 2013.   Please ask me about them, they are all in our library.  I will include a second entry on titles that are upper middle school, but not in our library currently...

Click on picture for list

This resource list currently has 33 books, but I read more than that.  However, these are the ones that I would recommend.

Eon by Allison Goodman

I listened to this book on Brilliant Audio downloaded from Audible.com.  It was a great recording of the book.  It took me longer to listen to, than I would normally like with 25 chapters, but worth the time.  At the time I finished the book I downloaded the sequel, but have not had time to listen yet.  I also realized that I have not reviewed this book yet.  So, I will fix that now.
Eon is training to be a dragoneye.  He must be successful or his master/sponsor will loose everything.  However, Eon isn't Eon, he is Eona a girl and forbidden to train.  His master knows that his training puts them all at risk of death because women are not allowed to hold such a powerful position.
Eon is full of self doubt and worried someone will discover the truth. The day comes when the rat dragon will select a new dragoneye. - the author seems to use the Chinese zodiac and many ideas of Chinese culture in this book.  Eon barely makes it through the demonstration battle with one of her former trainers using her disability to make him fail.  He is a cripple due to an accident that crushed Eona's hip.  Amazingly, he makes it through the battle, but the rat dragon doesn't choose him, but it doesn't matter, because the mirror dragon does.  There has not been a mirror dragon in 500 years.  However, Eon struggles to bond with his dragon, maneuver through court politics, and show support for the Emperor.   This book has many twists and turns some predictable some not.  One of my favorites this year.

CYRM = California Young Reader Medal & Book Clubs

Time to get reading! Book Clubs are forming for 6th, 7th and 8th grades, so come to the library to sign up.  All the books for CYRM will be offered to vote, except for the Primary category. I will be doing some book talks to classes to advertise this program, book clubs, and reading.  Watch Schooloop for more information.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

If you love the Disney version of Cinderella, like I do, you may have a difficult time with this book.
 
Even though this is the story of Cinderella, it has some major story shifts.  The setting is New Beijing, but it is Beijing far into the future. Cinder is a cyborg.  The prince is the prince of the Eastern Commonwealth, basically China and many other former Aisan countries.  In fact, many countries have been formed into large conglomerates, including the American Republic. In fact, there are also "humans" living on the moon - Lunars.

The prince's father is very ill with a plague that has killed many all over Earth.  All of Earth is rushing to discover a cure for the plague.  Serums have been developed in the Asian Commonwealth.  All the countries are willing to help to discover a cure by sending volunteers or draftees, but it is only being tested on cyborgs.  So far, Cinder feels confident that she will not be selected or volunteered because she is the sole money earner since the death of her adoptive father.  In fact, her father died after contracting the plague.

As the story begins, Cinder is in the marketplace.  She runs a shop that fixes robots.  She is known as a phenominal repairer of machines.  So, Prince Kai comes to ask her, for her assistance to repair his robot, which has suddenly stopped working.
Also, Cinder doesn't know who her mother was.  She only knows that she was adopted.  She doesn't remember anything before she woke up with her cyber implants....
I wasn't too sure I would like this book.  My husband and I listened to the book, an Audible.com download, for a long trip.  After listening for an hour we were hooked.  We downloaded the second, Scarlett - the story of Little Red Riding Hood...sort of.

Butter by Erin Jade Lange

Butter is a junior at Scottsdale high.  He is an amazing saxophone player.  I decent student, who just happens to weigh 423 pounds.
He has been bullied and teased about his weight.  His mom worries about his weight and tries to help him to the point of irritating him.  He also has a secret double life with a girl at his school.  He is Saxman on the Internet and attracts the girl he has a crush on Anna to become interested in him.   However, she wants to meet.  They agree to meet New Year's Eve, but he doesn't really plan to keep his appointment.
In the meantime, the teasing and ostracizing gets worse.  Now he has posted a website called butterslastmeal.com, where he is planning to commit suicide.  He is not sure he really means it, but everything spirals out of control when students at his school begin to egg him on.
I am not sure if this book is really middle school appropriate, but I thought it was a good read.