tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63250309852652707922024-03-07T20:52:14.190-06:00Mister K ReadsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger338125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-47301586074377092912017-08-09T10:45:00.000-05:002017-08-09T10:45:12.755-05:00House of Robots: Robots Go Wild - By J. Patterson & C. Grabenstein
This latest installment in the Patterson/Grabenstein series is as hilarious and touching as the others. If you aren't familiar with the series, it's all about fifth-grader Sammy Hayes-Rodriguez, whose mom is a famous professor of robotics, and whose dad is a well-known graphic novelist. Sammy's little sister, Maddie, has a life-threatening immunodeficiency disorder, and can't safely leave her Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-51537775798389301532017-08-09T10:34:00.004-05:002017-08-09T10:34:59.060-05:00Posted - by J. D. Anderson
It's crazy how phone-obsessed kids are today, especially at Branton Middle School, where Frost and his friends just started 6th grade. When cell phones are banned, the kids come up with a new way to communicate: Sticky Notes! Of course, this could go very well, or very wrong. When you factor in preteen emotions, you can bet things will get crazy.
More than just a creative story about Post-it Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-41671922693174007802016-08-18T15:29:00.001-05:002016-08-18T15:29:43.434-05:00The Exact Location of Home - by Kate MessnerGeocaching is pretty popular these days, and this book will tell you all about this fun activity. Along the way, it will take you on the emotional journey of a young teen boy and his friends, leaving you with an aching heart, a thirst for exploring your neighborhood, and a new perspective on poverty and homelessness.
Kirby Zigonski is not your typical teenage boy. First, his dad is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-26667699479314688372016-08-18T15:20:00.000-05:002016-08-18T15:20:35.011-05:00A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans - by Laurence Yep and Joanne RyderI love stories told from an animal's point of view, and the viewpoint of this thousands-of-years-old dragon is a great example of the genre. Miss Drake, as we know her, recently lost her "pet" human, but as the story begins, a new pet is just arriving. Winnie is a charming and precocious young teen, and her great aunt seems to have told her everything she needed to know about caring Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-52977640654555123382016-07-08T22:26:00.001-05:002016-07-08T22:26:42.190-05:00Woof - by Spencer Quinn
This deep-south mystery has all the elements of a great, suspenseful novel: A brave kid main character, an unknown but evil bad guy, nasty people, helpful hints, a unique and clearly-described setting, and dog biscuits. Well, here's the thing: The whole story is told by a dog!
Yep, Bowser the mutt is not only the narrator of our story, but one of its heroes. Along with Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-2104158100692241352016-07-08T22:14:00.001-05:002016-07-08T22:14:45.594-05:00Firstborn - by Tor Seidler
This is the fictional story of a pack of wolves in Yellowstone National Park, featuring a huge pack leader named Blue Boy. It is realistic and fascinating, but it is also a ripping good tale that will have you turning pages with enthusiasm. Surprisingly, the whole book is narrated by a bird! Maggie the Magpie (she doesn't like the name either) is our fearless narrator, and is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-34191183030152930252016-07-08T21:36:00.000-05:002016-07-08T21:36:27.736-05:00Seriously, Norman - by Chris Raschka
International spies, bomber salesmen, weird parents, odd coffee-loving tutors, lots of new words, and four friends with a shared love of old movies and saving the day. This is a zany but brainy, quirky but just-right story about young Norman and his worries about his father, whose job as a bombastic bomber salesman may be endangering them all. Can his best bud Leonard and the twin Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-19213116996495005892016-05-04T22:07:00.000-05:002016-05-04T22:07:20.381-05:00Honey - by Sarah Weeks
This is a very fun and sweet book, that has absolutely nothing to do with honey. However, it does involve a dog, a beauty salon, tuna noodle casserole, an annoying 6-year-old girl, a wonderful teacher, a grumpy teacher, and some dandelions. Oh, and a dead mom. Yeah, there's that. Don't worry, though. It's a happy story, but some characters have to deal with a few issues along Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-33612800184780302572016-04-26T21:20:00.000-05:002016-04-26T21:20:02.782-05:00Serafina and the Black Cloak - by Robert Beatty
Serafina is Chief Rat Catcher at the historic Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, home to one of the richest men in America. The year is 1899, and strange happenings are afoot at the mansion. Not just strange - terrible! Children are disappearing, one each night. A mysterious and dangerous strangers is stalking the halls of the mansion in the dead of night, and the only thing Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-7403891659737108522016-04-26T21:07:00.000-05:002016-04-26T21:07:13.171-05:00Shark Wars - by E.J. Altbacker
I had seen these books on the shelves, but had resisted picking up the shiny-covered series because it looked kind of ridiculous. Now that I've read the first book, though, I am hooked!
This is the story of the world's oceans - from under the water! It turns out that shark rule the seas, through groups known as "shivers". Each shiver has a leader, who is supported by a "line," the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-67821088642816963002016-02-26T14:26:00.000-06:002016-02-28T22:34:22.025-06:00The White Giraffe - by Lauren St. John
This story takes us to South Africa along with Martine, poor thing. You see, Martine is a young teen from England whose parents died in a fire that she managed to escape from. Before long, she was trundled away to her grandmother's home in South Africa, on the grounds of a wild animal reserve. This was not the outcome that anyone wanted, and when Martine arrived, she could tell Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-83905551598996679702016-02-26T13:54:00.001-06:002016-02-26T13:54:31.070-06:00A Whole Nother Story - by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
Strange, mysterious bad guys. International super spies. Sock puppets. Epic wads of bubble gum. Dirt clods. Time machines. A hairless dog that can sense danger, and finds many opportunities to use this skill. A very odd narrator. Such an odd list, but they can all be found within this strange and wonderful book.
Dr. Ethan Cheeseman and his children are trulyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-28214611655352351902016-02-20T16:08:00.003-06:002016-02-20T16:08:53.742-06:00Captain Nobody - by Dean PitchfordWho is Captain Nobody? It all starts during a football game, THE BIG GAME, where fourth-grader Newt Newman's older brother Chris, the star quarterback of the high school team, is out to make history. He does, but not quite in the way he intended.
This story follows Newt and his two best friends, tall-girl J.J. and short but drum-crazy Cecil, as they navigate being the least-popular Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-23188422442046392432016-02-20T15:57:00.001-06:002016-02-20T15:57:42.607-06:00Absolutely Almost - by Lisa GraffSad, sad, sad. That's what my Guys Read book club decided kept us all from loving this book, it was just kind of sad.
Don't get me wrong, no book is completely sad, and there were definitely some interesting and enjoyable parts of the book. It's all about this kid in New York City, Albie, who although he tries his hardest, just can't seem to please his teacher, his parents, his best Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-40197191886000392422016-01-13T15:19:00.003-06:002016-01-13T15:19:41.608-06:00The Terrible Two - by Jory John and Mac Barnett
It's a perfect prank. The principal's car is halfway up the school stairs, parked sideways and totally stuck. The question is, who did it? Miles Murphy, the new kid in town on his first day at his new school, wishes it had been him. In his old school, everyone knew that he was the #1 Prankster, but here he is forced to admit, there just might be some competition.
As theUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-1610721581240866632016-01-07T11:48:00.001-06:002016-01-07T11:48:56.374-06:00Paper Towns - by John Green
This is an amazing story, and it definitely earns its "Teen/Young-Adult" category label, but not for the same reason as many books in the genre. This is the story of Quentin, a high-school senior who finally gets the chance to hang out with his dream girl, his next-door neighbor, the crazily popular, wild, and unattainable Margo, for one wild night. From those after-dark adventures,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-76342007494075009332016-01-07T11:39:00.003-06:002016-01-07T11:39:46.509-06:00Sunny Side Up - by Jennifer & Matthew Holm
What young girl wouldn't love to spend a summer in sunny Florida? Sunny Lewin was pretty excited about the opportunity, until she realized that her grandpa's retirement community was not what she expected... just a bunch of geezers sitting around all day doing boring, boring, and more boring.
Before long, though, Sunny realizes that there may be a little more to these old folks than sheUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-79321976392997600322015-09-08T22:00:00.001-05:002015-09-08T22:00:26.453-05:00Lawless - by Jeffrey Salane
Kids have different opinions about school. I know this, because I'm both a parent and a teacher, and have seen all sorts. None of the kids I know have ever been interviewed and enrolled in a super-secret hidden school for the children of master criminals, though. Not that I know of, at least.
In this amazing, action-packed, suspenseful thrill ride of a book, young M. Freeman Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-46613831329225411012015-08-06T13:23:00.002-05:002015-08-06T13:23:29.175-05:00Pieces & Players - by Blue Balliett
This is Blue Balliett's fifth book about the same characters solving art mysteries that the police can't seem to solve. Starting with Chasing Vermeer, Ms. Balliett has introduced each of these five characters, sometimes in their own books, and now she pulls them all together for their biggest mystery yet.
It's a very good story, and if you like complex mysteries about stolen artwork, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-54114757452152476042015-08-06T13:16:00.001-05:002015-08-06T13:16:32.568-05:00Wilder Boys - by Brandon Wallace
Two boys and a dog, escaping into the wilderness on a special quest, running toward an unknown dream, and away from a scary man. This is an excellent story of hope and survival, of using wits to overcome a terrible situation, and of friendship and family.
Jake and Taylor Wilder had been taking care of themselves for a long time. Their mom was sick, their dad missing somewhere in Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-18052389301712762642015-07-27T18:29:00.000-05:002015-08-06T13:24:41.389-05:00Space Case - by Stuart Gibbs
Stuart Gibbs is an amazing writer, and this may be his best book yet! Imagine yourself on the moon, but not as an astronaut: You are a member of the first group of moon colonists, along with your mom, dad, and six-year-old sister. This is where we find Dash, the 12-year-old protagonist, and he's not too happy about it. It turns out that the government's Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-69289081468996533282015-07-24T20:07:00.003-05:002015-07-24T20:07:38.091-05:00House of Robots - by James Patterson
Imagine that you're the fifth-grade son of a famous robot inventor mother, and one day she asks you to bring her newest invention to school with you. Two problems: You are the second-most unpopular kid in your class (after your best-friend Trip), and the invention is a walking, talking nerdy robot that you are sure will ruin your life forever!
As E (the robot) tags along with SammyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-24227478315204867542015-07-09T18:06:00.001-05:002015-07-09T18:06:30.537-05:00Return to Augie Hobble - by Lane Smith
Most of us know Lane Smith's artwork; he has illustrated a number of best-selling books, including a number of Jon Scieszka's stories. What would a first-time novel from such a creative artist be like? A little weird. Adventurous, sad, mystical, mysterious, enjoyable, yet... weird.
This is the story of middle-schooler Augie Hobble, a pretty neat kid whose family lives and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-69036059010825432972015-06-12T10:43:00.001-05:002015-06-12T10:43:02.611-05:00All the Answers - by Kate MessnerWhat if your pencil were magical? You know, you ask it questions, and it tells you all the right answers. Would it change your life? Would you never fail a test again? Would there be any problems?
When 6th-grader Ava Anderson who is a bundle of nerves, and her best friend Sophie find the mysterious blue pencil, it seems that all of their problems are solved. As theyUnknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6325030985265270792.post-4526392813438967322015-06-12T10:34:00.000-05:002015-06-12T10:34:18.437-05:00Tuesdays at the Castle - by Jessica Day GeorgeCastle Glower is not your ordinary castle, and Celie is not your ordinary princess! This 11-year-old has the interesting habit of mapping the castle, which is made all the more difficult by the fact that each Tuesday, the magical castle changes its layout! A new hallway here, new rooms there, you never know what a Tuesday will bring.
One fateful Tuesday brings more than changes: When Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0