Black Bear Reading

December 5, 2006

The Bully by Paul Lagan – This is one of the Bluford Series books.  Great realistic fiction book.

Summary:  A new life.  A new school.  A new bully.  That’s what Darrell Mercer faces when he and his mother move from Philadelphia to California.  After spending months living in fear, Darrell is faced with a big decision.  He can either keep on running from this bully- or find some way to fight back. 

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke – This book kept me on the edge of my seat.  I could not put it down.  If you love a great fantasy book, you have to read Inkheart.  

Summary:  Meggie loves her father, Mo, and the 12-year-old is happy, even though her mother disappeared nine years ago.  But Mo has a secret power.  A bookbinder by trade, he can bring characters to life if he reads a book alound.  When a stranger appears at Meggie’ s door one night, a journey begins that will send the girl running from Capricorn, once a character in the book Inkheart, who is intent on capturing Meggie and using Mo for his own evil plans. 

The Lottery Rose by Irene Hunt – If you have read A Child Called It by David Pelser, you might want to read this book.  You will need your kleenex for this book! 

Summary:  Abused by his mother and her boyfriend, Georgie Burgess learns to hide his hurt.  He withdraws into a safe and secret world of beautiful gardens filled with roses; just like those in the library book he treasures.  When Georgie wins a small rosebush in a grocery store lottery he gives it all the love and caring he has never had.  Georgie’s life begins to open up for him when the courts send him to a home for boys where he will be safe.  Slowly, and not without pain, Georgie learns to give-and to receive love.

August 18, 2006

Amond the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix – This is the first book in the series.  Luke is a “shadow child” – a third son in a society that allows only two children per family- and the penalities for breaking the Population Law are severe.  I love the whole series. 

A Corner of the Universe by An M. Martin.  This is a Newbery Award Honor Book.  Hattie Owen prefers to be steeped in the familiarity of her small-town life than to think about the vast world beyond her own.  Her family’s boarding house is where she feels most at home,  with its eccentric tenants and predictable routines-so different from the controlling and repressive home of her well-to-do grandparents who live nearby.  But during the summer that Hattie turns 12, her world is turned upside down with the startling arrival of her uncle no one has ever spoken about.  This book addresses many issues (family life, people with mental disabilities, friendship).  Ann Martin tells a story of a complicated and fated friendship in which readers will lose a piece of their hearts.  I love this book!  This is a great realistic fiction choice.

Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt.  This is another 2006 Newbery Award Honor Book.  In 1911, Turner Buckminster hates his new home of Phippsburg, Maine, but things improve when he meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, a girl from a poor, nearby island community founded by former slaves that the town fathers-and Turner’s want to change into a tourist spot.  The book addresses race relations, moving, and friendships.  It is a historical fiction book that you will enjoy immensely.

Stop by the media center and check these books out.  Keep the comments coming.  Please encourage your friends to leave comments on my blog.

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