Divergent by Veronica Roth

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Candor - The quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness


Abnegation - Renunciation of your own interests in favor of the interests of others

Dauntless - Invulnerable to fear or intimidation

Amity - Peaceful relations, as between nations; friendship.

Erudite - Having or showing knowledge

Society is divided into five factions, each valuing a different virtue. The day has come for Beatrice and everyone else who is sixteen to choose which faction she will belong to. Once they choose, they must complete an initiation. If they survive initiation their faction will become their new family. Beatrice make the difficult choice and starts initiation. What she discovers about herself and the world she lives in, threatens to change her way of life forever.

The book is a Hunger Games and Maze Runner read alike; teens in a distant future, trying to survive. The idea of choosing who you will be for all time, when you are so young, echoes reality where teens are meant to choose a college and career before they even know who they are yet. Reality aside, this kind of survival story is exciting to read. The characters are well thought out and multilayered. I’m interested to see where the story will go if there are sequels. I would recommend this for guys and girls who like action and survival stories. There is some romance and the story is slightly more girly than Hunger Games. The movie rights have been picked up so we will be seing it before to long. 

The Detention Club by David Yoo

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Peter and Drew are about to start their first year of middle school. They were the coolest kids in elementary school so they know that they would rule middle school. Peter was not prepared for everyone else changing over the summer, or the harder classes, or detention. As all of his plans to become popular fail, he and Drew try to keep their friendship together and make it through middle school.

This story is funny and cute. The book is full of hysterical supporting characters and it rings true for what happens to a lot of kids as they move from elementary school to middle school. I liked the way that Peter and his sister see the same situations differently, and the way that Drew misunderstands everything. I would recommend this book to 5th and 6th grade boys and girls who like humor and realistic fiction.

Withering Tights by Louise Rennison

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Tallulah is off to performing arts school in the country. She will be spending six weeks away from her family at sleep away camp. She is planning on studying the performing arts and boys. Unfortunately no one told her that the camp is all girls. Does she let it stop her? No. She makes friends and finds out a lot about herself and, meets some boys from the next camp over.


For those people who liked reading about Georgia, you are going to love her cousin Tallulah. It starts with Tullulah heading to the country.  We get to meet the crazy family she is staying with, and the tiny Yorkshire village where the camp is located.  This is a whole new English world for readers to enjoy.  The book is cute, funny, and full of the promise of snogging. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a girly story .

Addie on the Inside by James Howe

 

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From the outside Addie is an outspoken know it all.  She cares about the environment, human rights, and preventing animal cruelty.  On the inside she cares about those things, but she is aware of just how much she doesn't know.  This book is told in verse, poems from Addies perspective, about what's going on in her life as a 7th grader in Paintbrush Falls Middle School.  She deals with friends, bullies, gossip, and her very popular boyfriend.

This is a companion novel to "The Misfits" and "Totally Joe".  This time we get to tread the book from Addie's perspective.  I was surprised when I opened the book at it was in verse.  I didn't expect it, but I loved it.  The poems are in various styles, but the voice rings true for a 13 year old girl in middle school.  Howe deals with some difficult topics in the book, and he faces the subjects head on, while managing to keep it age appropriate for a 7th grade reader.  This is a great book and I recommend it for everyone.  

                                                                                                               Read the other books  in the Misfits Universe.

A Love Letter to James Howe

Dear James,

I love you for Pinky and Rex, for Bunnicula, and the Misfits.  I love you for Bobby and Joe, and especially Addie, who I see in the mirror nearly every day.  For being fearless and giving us three dimensional characters.  For making all of your characters read like the age that they are, and never compromising or giving in to sensationailsm.  For writing about the everyday so that people can see the drama in our regular lives.  For giving my book clubs, both teen and adult, something to talk about.  For all of these reasons and million more I can’t articulate, I love you.  

Thank you for all of the fun I had when I was a kid reading Bunnicula, and for all of the fun that the families I recommend those books to enjoy today.  Thank you for writing about real life and about vegetarian vampire bunnies.  Thank you for having characters we call all relate to.  You are a prince among men and an unparalleled writer.  

In short, you are lovely and I love you.

Sincerely 

Melissa aka Librarian Barbie 

Click here to read more about James Howe.

I'm So Sorry For Not Writing Sooner!

I have been up to nothing these past few months.  I'm not sure what's wrong but I haven't read anything good or bad that I've felt like writing about.  Now all at once these past few days I have been reading up a storm, and I have something to say.  So enjoy!