The Hobbit

Book Talk:
Bilbo is an ordinary and most respectable Hobbit.  He never does anything extraordinary or unexpected like having adventures. 

And then, one gorgeous fall day, Bilbo is visited by the strangest person he has ever met: Gandalf the Wizard.  Bilbo remembers Gandalf from when he was a much younger hobbit and Gandalf would come and visit the old Took.  But Bilbo is a respectable Hobbit who doesn't go about having adventures and associate with wizards.

After Bilbo sends Gandalf on his way, he is shocked to find 13 dwarves standing on his doorstep the next afternoon, just in time for tea.  Gandalf shows up, and the party begins.  Somehow, Bilbo finds that he has been hired to be the burglar for the group who will be departing the very next day for the Lonely Mountain.  They hope to challenge the dragon Smaug and regain their treasure that Smaug stole when he overtook the mountain many long years ago. 

The party makes a long and dangerous trek through the Misty Mountains where they are separated by the Goblins. 

It is here that a crucial turn of events takes place.  For deep down in the mountain, far out of knowledge of man, dwarf, or goblin Bilbo stumbles across a ring in the dark.  This ring, is a magic ring which makes the wearer invisible.

But what next?  Can Bilbo use this ring to find his way out of the mountain?  Will he ever find the dwarves?  What will become of the treasure guarded by the dragon?  Will the dwarves ever regain their mountain home?

Reviewer's Note:
I first read this book almost 30 years ago.  It remains one of my top 10 all time favorite books. 
With Peter Jackson working on the film version of The Hobbit well -  reading this book for the first time, or re-reading it again - it's worth your time!

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A Wind in the Door

A Wind in the Door.  1973.  Farrar, Straus and Giroux.  Square Fish, An Imprint of Holzbrinkck Publishers, New York, NY.

Book Talk:
Charles Wallace is a little odd, and very different from other children his age.  He began first grade this year, and his problems became overwhelming when he mentioned his mother's research into Mitochondria and Farandolae.  Marked as different by the other students in his school, Charles Wallace finds himself to be the subject of every bully with a point to prove.

Meg Murray is very worried about her brother and his inability to adapt to school.

She becomes terrified when Charles Wallace mentions that his mitochondria are sick, and that he might die from this disease that he has.

Her horror grows as she realizes that the battle that Charles Wallace has raging inside of him is the same battle that is raging across the solar system and has entire galaxies disappearing as if they had never existed.

Meg and her friend Calvin meet up with a giant Cherubim named Proginoskes (who looks like a giant, many winged dragon) at the star gazing rock.  They have been called by a cosmic teacher to fight the battle against the things that are destroying the galaxies- and also Charles Wallace.

Can they find the key to defeating these horrors that are raging around them before Charles Wallace himself is destroyed?

Find out in: A Wind in the Door.

Author's Web Site: http://www.madeleinelengle.com/
Note: This Web Site is currently under construction and only contains the front page for the 50th anniversary of "A Wrinkle in Time". 

Reviewer's Note:
I first read this book in 1975, when I was 10, and fell in love with the Murray family.  I always wished that I could be as smart as Meg, but alas... that was not meant to be.   This book cemented my love of the Fantasy genre.  I still go back and read the books in the series when I'm feeling in need of comfort books.  (Like comfort food, only not as fattening.)   The other books in this series include A Swiftly Tilting Planet, A Wrinkle in Time, Many Waters.

"There are dragons in the twin's vegetable garden"
 Charles Wallace to Meg... Page 1 of A Wind in the door.

Disclosure Notice: This post contains links to my Amazon Affiliates account.  By purchasing through this link, you support this blog.  Thank You!

The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Meyer, Stephenie.  The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide.  2011.  Megan Tinley Books, Little, Brown, and Company, New York, New York.

Book Talk:
The Twilight Series of books is one of the biggest selling series written for young adults.  This series transcends age and appeals to people of all ages and walks of life.

Join Stephenie Meyer and her friend, author Shannon Hale, author of the The Books of Bayern and the Newberry Honor Winner The Princess Academy as they discuss the writing process, the thoughts that went into writing the Twilight Series of books, and the tough choices and decisions that Stephenie had to make while writing the book.

Read the in-depth histories of all the characters: Human, Vampire, and Werewolf.  Find the history of the Covens and the Quileute Indians, their Packs, and the Tribe itself.  Follow the history of Forks, the High School, and the people located within the town.

Stephenie also includes a timeline of events in the books, as well as the key plot points for each of the main characters.

For the Twilight Fan who just can't get enough, Stephenie includes a playlist of songs that should accompany major events in each of the books.

True fans of the Twilight Series will enjoy this look inside the books and into the mind of the author.

Author Web Site:
http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/

Disclosure Notice: This post contains links to my Amazon Affiliates account.  By purchasing through this link, you support this blog.  Thank You!

Bones of the Holy

Allison, Jennifer.  Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator; Bones of the Holy.  2011.  Dutton Children's Books, New York, NY.

Book Talk:
When Gilda's mother flies to Florida with a friend for the weekend, Gilda becomes suspicious when she finds all new clothes tucked into her mother's suitcase.  Upon her Mother's return, Gilda finds a diamond ring tucked away into her mother's luggage.  Curious, she calls the number on the jewelry box and finds out that her mother is engaged to be married - on the day after Halloween.

When Gilda and her mother show up in St. Augustine, Gilda begins getting strange vibrations from the house.  Not only is she concerned about her mother getting married so quickly, she is concerned about the past history of the man her mother will be marrying, and the history of his being left at the altar by his "Charlotte".

When Gilda begins to see the ghost of a young woman, wearing a filmy white dress who matches the description of Charlotte, she becomes concerned that Charlotte did not leave her fiance at the altar, but that she is dead.

Can Gilda convince her mother that she is making a mistake while there is still time?
Who is the mysterious ghost who wanders around the house, and what is she trying to tell Gilda?
Find out in "Bones of the Holy" a Gilda Joyce mystery.

Author's Web Site:
http://www.gildajoyce.com/gilda_joyce_author.html

Disclosure Notice: This post contains links to my Amazon Affiliates account.  By purchasing through this link, you support this blog.  Thank You!

Pick-Up Game

Aronson, Marc and Charles Smith.  Pick Up Game; A Full Day of Full Court.  2011.  Candlewick Press, Somerville, Mass

Annotation:
A short story anthology about a basketball court in Harlem.  Authors in this anthology include Walter Dean Myers, Bruce Brooks, Willie Perdomo, Sharon G. Flake, Robert Burleigh, Rita Williams-Garcia, Joseph Bruchac, Adam Rapp and Robert Lispsyte.

Book Talk:
There is a basket ball court in Harlem that is famous.  Court #4 is known as "the" court.  It's a public court, but not just anyone can play there.  You must first earn the right to play on this court by playing in other courts around the city.  The best of the best have played on this court.  On a hot summer day, you will find dozens of young men, waiting for their turn to play against the best the city has to offer.  College Scouts and Pro Basketball scouts make frequent stops at the cage, watching the young men, looking for the best players.  Scholarships are handed out frequently to the best players on the court.

Follow the adventures of Court #4 on a hot summer day.  In this short story collection, we look through the eyes of nine different people on and around the basketball court that day. Players, who are waiting their turn to take on the best that the city has to offer, and see how they measure up.  Young women, watching the game, and the boys playing on the court.  A young film-maker who wants to be the next Spike Lee, looking for the perfect film for his admission packet for Columbia.  Each story picks up where the previous one left off, but the characters weave in and out of all the stories.

Do you have what it takes to join the pick up game?

Website of the compilers of the anthology:
Marc Aronson: http://www.marcaronson.com/young_adult_books.html
Charles R. Smith Jr: http://www.charlesrsmithjr.com/

Disclosure Notice: This post contains links to my Amazon Affiliates account.  By purchasing through this link, you support this blog.  Thank You!

My Name is Mary Sutter

Oliveira, Robin.  My Name is Mary Sutter.  2010.  Penguin Books, New York, New York.

Annotation:
Mary Sutter is a young woman living during the time of the Civil War.  She is a midwife who wants to be nothing less than a doctor.  Follow Mary through her journey across the battlefields of the Civil War.

Book Talk:
Mary Sutter is a young woman who is one of the most gifted midwives in all of Massachusetts.  Her mother was a good midwife, but Mary is better.  Whenever anyone is having trouble giving birth, Mary is called in to help save the life of the mother and child.

But, Mary wants more.  So much more.  She wants to be a doctor.  Specifically, she wants to be a surgeon.  She has read every anatomy book she can lay her hands on, but no medical school will admit her because she is a woman.

When the Civil War begins, a call is issued by Dorothea Dix for young women to serve as nurses during the unrest.   Mary runs away from her family and travels to Washington in order to become a nurse and receive more medical training.

As Mary serves in the nursing wards, she finds herself caught in the middle of two powerful surgeons, both of whom fall in love with her. 

As she travels from battlefield to battlefield, Mary finds that the line between nurse and doctor is blurred, and she learns even more about medicine than she ever imagined possible.

Will Mary survive the terrors of working in Civil War hospitals?  Will she ever realize her dream of becoming a recognized doctor?  What of her family, left behind in Massachusetts? 

Step back in time with Mary Sutter in her book... "My Name is Mary Sutter"

Author's website: http://www.robinoliveira.com/

Reviewer's Note:
I debated with myself over whether or not to post this book at all. It is an amazing book.  It is the best book I've read so far this summer.  It's also an adult book, not strictly a YA book.  Since this blog is a YA Blog, I did debate long and hard about whether or not to post.   I finally decided that when I was in High School, I would have read this book.  And I would have loved it just as much then as I do now.

The book is full of insightful writing into a time of utter chaos in our national history. 

Many forget that there was a time when an educated woman was an embarrassment to the family.  Higher education was not encouraged among young women, either by the families or by the institutions of higher learning.  A woman in the classroom was taking away a seat from a man who would need the spot in order to furthur his education in order to feed his family.

When I was reading this book, I kept thinking "Finally - a smart woman's Gone With the Wind".  No one lusting after Ashley Wilkes.  No one playing stupid mind games in order to get the attention of a man.   Instead, the book has a smart, intelligent woman who is more about garnering more education.  OH, there is romance in the book.  There is heartbreak in the book.  But, this book keeps everything in balance.  It is a beautifully well written piece of work.

I'd recommend this book to anyone in high school or above.

Disclosure Notice: This post contains links to my Amazon Affiliates account.  By purchasing through this link, you support this blog.  Thank You!

Eat Fresh Food, Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs

Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs. Gold, Rozanne.  Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs.   Bloomsbury, New York, 2009.

Book Talk:
Just about everyone loves food.  Eating it is wonderful.  This book shares some amazing recipes that are easy to make and stress the use of fresh produce.

Spring Rolls, Tabouleh, Chick-Pea Burgers with Mango Salsa, and Eggless Ceasar Salad are just a few of the yummy recipes waiting to be tried.

(While you are talking, hold open the book and show the beautiful full-color pictures of the completed dishes.)

The directions are clear, concise and easy to follow.  The author also includes helpful information, such as how to pick the best produce, and how to slice a mango.  The recipes all require the use of a sharp knife and cutting board, so if you want to try them, make certain that you know how to safely handle a knife before you start!

Bon Appetit!

Author's Web Site:
http://www.rozannegold.com/

Reviewer's Note:
We now own this book.  We cooked our way through the book.  I tried tabouleh for the first time in my life, and it was amazing!  I have many new favorite recipes from this book.  Many of her recipes are healthier recipes than the more traditional recipes (my Mom's) that I have been using for a while now. (The meatloaf and Ceasar Salad recipes pop to mind.)

I think most anyone could follow the recipes, but you do need to make certain that whoever is doing the slicing and dicing is familiar with a knife.  Many school districts have now cut their Home Economics programs, and we have a generation of kids who aren't familiar with how to safely slice produce without slicing off a finger.  If you're going to use this book with your kids, invest some time in working on knife handling skills before you set them loose. 

I also think this would be a great book for anyone who is moving out on their own for the first time and needs some easy to follow, healthy recipes to get started with.

Disclosure Notice: This post contains links to my Amazon Affiliates account.  By purchasing through this link, you support this blog.  Thank You!