Book Chat: One Thousand White Women

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodds by Jim Fergus
***
"Biggest surprise was when I read the author page in back of book, after reading the book, it was wrote by a man! Delves into the feelings and actions of women who were 'sold' to the indians by the government to help savages to learn the white man's way. The women learned the indian's life was more civil than whites in many ways." -Cindy Longhofer

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

A young boy buys a rhinoceros for a pet and he has no idea what he is getting into.  The rhinoceros doesn’t chase a ball or a frisbee.  He doesn’t roll over or do any kind of tricks.  He is nice but just kind of keeps to himself.  After talking to a rhinoceros expert, he finds out rhinoceroses only do two things, pop balloons and poke holes in kites.  My Rhinoceros by John Agee is a perfect reminder people should not give up on anyone even a pet rhinoceros.

Have you ever really wanted to have a party even though it is not your birthday or a special holiday? If so, you will enjoy the newest “Little Princess” story I Want A Party! by Tony Ross.  It’s not her birthday or even Christmas but the Little Princess wants to have a party.  She plans the best party ever for her friends.  Oops! She forgets one tiny detail with really big consequences.  Be sure to read this fun story and find out what happens. 

Louise The Big Cheese is back in Louise The Big Cheese And The Back-To-School-Smarty-Pants by Elise Primavera.  When a new school year starts Louise decides she wants to get straight A’s. She thinks if she does everyone will want to be her friend and maybe she will even get to skip a grade.  Her new teacher Mrs. Pearl is very strict and everyone tells Louise she never, ever gives out A’s.  Louise tries but never seems to get an A.  As you will read in this story, sometimes growing up and gaining wisdom come with a few growing pains.

Book Chat: The Lace Reader

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
****
"If you enjoy fortune telling, witches, and natural intuition, then this book will keep you captivated. As the author does a great job presenting the life of a family who possesses a gift and the price they have to pay for owning it. Lace reading, withces, and the coming of a newly created religion all become intertwined creating a chain of agony to generations of one family." -Diana Madrigal

Book Chat: The Day After the Dollar Crashes

The Day After the Dollar Crashes by Damon Vickers
**
"Vickers began the book well by talking about the problems our country is facing. However, his solutions were generally terrible. Instead of talking about the root of these problems, he went into an in-depth preview of the "New World Order" will look like once everything settles down in a few years. Unfortunately, his vision of what the world will be in a few years is not based on reality." -Peter Cook

Book Chat: Hard Times

Hard Times by Charles Dickens
****
"I always enjoy Dickens and was not disappointed. I agree with Dickens that Imagination and Emotion is just as important as Fact and Logic." -Calantha Tillotson

Hayley's Children's Book Reviews

It is no fun to be sick at home feeling yucky with nothing to do. That is exactly what happens in the book Llama Llama Home With Mama by Anna Dewdney. Llama Llama stays home from school because he isn’t feeling so well. Soon Mama Llama is sneezing and sniffling too. Who is going to take care of Mama Llama? This book is perfect for anyone not feeling well, who needs a little cheering up.

When winter doldrums come to the zoo, the animals chase them away by putting on a zoozical. A zoozical is a song-and-dance extravaganza performed by the animals in the zoo. Since winter weather is keeping all the kids from coming to the zoo a zoozical seems like a perfect fix. Kids will love the singing, dancing, and adventure in ZooZical by Judy Sierra. When all the animals in the zoo get along as friends and pool their talents together, it’s a magical night.

Have you ever heard of a cat that likes water? Splish, Splash, Splat! by Rob Scotton is about a cat named Splat who thinks water is scary and wet and it makes him soggy. Splat is having a bad day. First his mom tells him he is going to have a play date with Spike, someone who will break his toys. Then she tells him he is going to start swimming lessons at school. What will happen when Splat figures out that he and Spike both do not like water and will this help them become friends? Find out in this fun book that shows kids when you face your fears you might be surprised at how much fun you can have.

Book Chat: I Remember Nothing

I Remember Nothing and Other Reflections by Nora Ephron

*****

"This is witty and wonderfully irreverent and validates the feelings of women of a certain age. The reflections include losing things, absolutely forgetting important moments in life, and the sense that life is passing by. It is a series of short but smart chapters and some just include lists like 'What I Won't Miss - dry skin, Fox, Joe Lieberman, mammograms;' and 'What I Will Miss -  my kids, fireworks, the dogwood, twinkle lights.'" -Elma Broadfoot

Book Chat: Sea of Thunder

Sea of Thunder by Evan Thomas
*****
"This book, written on the World War II Naval campaigns in the Pacific, is one of the better books on the subject. Thomas provides a sweeping overview from 1941-1945 on the naval war in the Pacific and the result is a page-turner that covers both the facts of the war and the motives that drove the American and Japanese into battle." -Peter Cook

Book Chat: Room of Marvels

Room of Marvels by James Bryan Smith


*****

“This is a wonderful book to help heal the heart after the death of a loved one. It is an easy read but definitely makes you think about life, death, and life after death. I bought a copy for a friend of mine whose husband just died.” –Mary Anne Maupin

Teens' Top Ten Nominees, Part VII: Vampires and Werewolves

Okay, so maybe last week’s realistic drama titles aren’t your thing. Maybe you wanted to hear more about Paranormal Romance. You’re not alone: most of the titles nominated for the Teens’ Top Ten this year have paranormal characters. If you didn’t see anything you wanted on the other blog post, perhaps you’ll find a title here.

Hex Hall and Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
It’s unusual for two books from the same series to be nominated to the list in the same year, but it’s happened for the first two books of the new Hex Hall series by Rachel Hawkins. The series follows sixteen-year-old witch Sophie after she is sent to a reform school for delinquent witches and faeries, or Prodigium, when a botched spell at her normal school attracts too much attention from her human classmates. As the series unfolds, Sophie learns more about her mysterious powers, her family’s dark secrets, and her supernatural classmates. A third book is scheduled for release in March of 2012.

Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore
In a world where vampires are the social elite and wulves are second class citizens treated like criminals, half-vamp Danny likes to pretend his other half is human. Unfortunately, it’s not true: his father is a wulf. As Danny grows older, it’s getting harder to hide his half-wulf heritage. If anyone finds out, he’ll be forced to live as an inmate at a government compound during each full moon, but living as an unregistered wulf is illegal: if he’s caught, his punishment will be even more severe.

Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith
In this exciting sequel to Tantalize and Eternal, Quincie would like to run her restaurant in peace, but dying and becoming a vampire kind of messes up your schedule. As Quincie tries to clear her werewolf boyfriend of murder charges and stop an evil vampire overlord from ending the world, her newly hired waiter turns out to be an angel with plans of his own. Quincie’s soul is at stake… no pun intended.

That’s all for this year’s Teens’ Top Ten nominees! Voting closes this week on Friday, September 16th. The winners will be announced during Teen Read Week in October. Remember, all of these titles and more are available at the Andover Public Library.