I finished three books and started two others.
Mockingjay by Collins
What I saw and how I lied by Blundell
Greetings from planet Earth by Kerley
Zorgamazoo by Weston
Gods of Manhatton by Mebus
The first, Mockingjay was worth the wait. I read it quickly and actually finished it before leaving for Arizona, but wanted to talk about it. Katniss is back with even more trouble to deal with in District 13. I don't want to spoil the book for anyone, but it was worth the time to read. However, be aware that if you think the first two books: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire are violent...they are rather mild by comparison. Realize that Katniss is now older with many people depending on her. We have a few copies in the library, but put it on hold, otherwise you will probably not get to borrow it from our library anytime soon! While you wait, other dystopian society books you may like are Scott Westerfeld's Uglies, Pretties, and Specials, or Life as we knew it by Pfeffer.
What I saw and how I lied is set post World War II. It was an interesting book, but definitely young adult. The character is 15 going on adult. I will be passing this book onto another teacher or adult before adding it to our collection. Several of the middle schools have passed on this book for their collections.
Greetings from planet Earth is also set post war, but after the Viet Nam war. In fact the story is set around events a few years after the war during the Voyager expeditions. Theo is struggling to determine what he wants to use for the most important thing about Earth for his class project. His father never returned from Viet Nam, so as he is trying to puzzle out his project he is also trying to puzzle out what happened to his dad. Those that have read books about Viet Nam or are interested in space, may want to read this. It would be a great pick for 7th grade boys looking for an interesting book that is not a difficult read for book groups. If you like this book you may wish to consider Cracker! best dog in Viet Nam by Kadohata, Letters from Wolfie by Sherlock, Eyes of the Emperor by Graham (WWII) or if you want a more graphic picture of the war in Viet Nam *Fallen Angels by Myers. (*This one is for mature readers, probably not for 6th grade, yet!!!! )
Zorgamazoo, I gave up on after the first few chapters. I hardly ever set a book aside, but this one is written in rhymes. The rhythm is very similar to Dr. Seuss' in pattern and style. However, the skill that it took for Mr. Weston to do this is amazing. I have ordered it on CD for our library because I think it will be joy to listen to. If you like books written in an unusual style, try Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse or Love that Dog by Sharon Creech or something really different Regarding the sink: where o, where did waters go? by Klise and Klise.
Finally, Gods of Manhatton by Scott Mebus, I haven't finished yet. I started giving it to students last year without reading it first for student who liked Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and Olympians series. I made a mistake! It is nothing like those books. I am currently about half way through the book. It is interesting, but it is more like the Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh, than Percy Jackson. In fact the Night Tourist is more like Percy Jackson than this book. I will finish it in the next few days and possibly write more. I am also planning to read Oh my Gods by Child, which promises to be similar to Percy Jackson. I may follow that with Jane Yolen's Young Heroes series. In the meantime, I will keep looking for a read alike for that series.
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