The Help by Kathryn Stockett

  I must start by saying that this is an "adult" book and will not be able to be in our library.  If you're interested in it, I'd love to talk to you about it and answer any questions you have.  If your parents have questions, I'd be happy to talk to them about it.

This book has to be in my all-time Top Ten Books, and that's saying something for a reading teacher.  :)  I've read this book twice (I suppose we could get into semantics, because I listened to part of it on audio), and I've loved it both times.  With the movie coming out, I figured you should know that it started as an amazing book.
Enter Jackson, Mississippi in 1961.  People are still doing goofy stuff, like judging people based on the color of their skin.  People whose skin is darker live in a different side of town, earn different wages for the same jobs, and cannot use the same facilities as white people.  This is the time of "separate but equal" and water fountains and restrooms which were labeled for "colored" people.  Follow the story from three different points of view, Aibileen, Miss Skeeter, and Minny tell the good and the bad about what it's like to work for the women of Jackson. 
Movie/Book Trailer of The Help (I found that I had to turn off the music at the top of the page and the comments throughout the trailer).  Based on the trailer, I have high hopes for how it will compare to the book.

MIA?

I'm sure you guys have thought I've been Missing in Action (MIA) these last few months.  In fact, I have been traveling and working on so much homework that I haven't had time to update this blog as much as I would have liked.  Rest assured that I was out having life experiences and working on homework which will make me a better librarian for you.  I can't wait to see everyone next week when school starts!  Come by to check out the new books, some of which are "hot off the presses."  :)

Specials (Uglies Trilogy Book 3) by Scott Westerfeld

Things never work out like Tally plans.  She wanted to be part of The Smoke, but the accidently brought Special Circumstances straight to The Smoke with her tracking device.  She wanted to think clearly, but the medicine she thought was supposed to help her severely hurt her friend.  She wanted to be with the guy of her dreams, but he couldn't forgive her.  In this third installment, Tally is now a member of Special Circumstances.  She's a member of an elite group of "cutters," who cut themselves for fun.  They have special tattoos and go on secret missions for Dr. Cable.  Tally thinks this is the life she has chosen, but always in the back of her mind is a nagging thought about David.  Where is he?  What is he doing? 

What would you be willing to do if the government told you to do something?  Would you do it and follow blindly?  Would you resist?  What if there were consequences for resisting?  This continues the struggle of free-thinking vs. societal rules, and it takes that struggle to new heights.  See what Tally does for those about whom she cares.  See what happens when the world they think they know changes. 

Forever (Wolves of Mercy Falls Book 3) by Maggie Stiefvater

For Grace and Sam, time is never on their side.  Imagine swinging quietly on your swing one day, only to be carried away by wolves.  These wolves didn't act like normal wolves, and one saves you from being killed.  From that point forward, you are fascinated by him.  Eventually, you meet him, and you have a "summer romance."  That's all it can be, because as the temperature changes, your love shifts into a wolf.  Such is the plight for Grace and Sam.

This is the third book in the series and one of my favorites, partially because Cole plays such a big part in all of the story.  The wolves are desperate to find a way which makes them human for longer.  That plan is rushed when a girl turns up dead, and the town believes it was at the hands of the wolves.  A hunter in town gets special permission to corner all of the wolves by helicopter and shoot them all.  Will they be able to show the wolves how to move to another location in time?  Will they ever solve the mystery of what makes them shift?  Why did Beck really make a new "batch" of wolves?  Who was Beck really?  Read the page-turning conclusion to the series, Forever.

Sisterhood Everlasting: A Novel by Ann Brashares

  Return to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants...ten years later. 

I should tell you ahead of time that this is listed as an "adult" book and is not allowed to be in our library.  If you're interested in reading this book, feel free to talk to me about it. If your parents are wondering about it, I'm happy to discuss it.
Follow the adventures of Tibby, Carmen, Bee, and Lena now that they're older.  They're still figuring out life, and they still need each other just as much, but it's harder to keep in contact when "real life" sets in.  Suddenly, there are demands, like teaching, being a famous actress, being in a serious relationship, and taking care of the needy.  All of that is moved around when one of the four girls decides they need another trip to Greece together and purchases plane tickets.  Tragedy strikes, and the girls reel from the consequences.  It shakes everything they've thought they knew to the core.  Will their friendship survive?  What do you do when you're not sure you knew the people who have been like sisters your whole life?

Radiance by Alyson Noel

Those who are familiar with The Immortals series by Alyson Noel will be recall Ever's sister, Riley.  Imagine being in a car accident and going with your family to a bridge.  Your parents cross over the bridge.  You're all set to go with them until you look back and see your sister.  She's not crossing the bridge.  You don't know why.  At the last second, you go after her.  As a result, she goes back to live, and you end up in a sort of in-between world, not really alive and not really dead.  You've got to learn how to do everything anew, and you still want to do what you can to help your sister.  You've always looked up to your big sister, and it's hard to watch her having such a hard time adjusting to life without you guys. 

This book is told from Riley's point of view, enlightening us on what she's doing on the times when she's absent from Ever's narrative and showing us her thoughts and feelings.  You follow her as she essentially learns to "ghost hunt" and help souls move on from the ever-nerdy Bodhi.  Along the way, she learns to be confident in who she is and does what she can to help Ever.  Those who have read The Immortals will enjoy this companion piece.

Passion by Lauren Kate

This is the third in the Fallen series.  Imagine watching yourself fall in love over and over again throughout time with the same man, only to have that love lead to your destruction and death.  Continue to learn the history of Luce and Daniel's love story as she tries to unravel the mystery.  Why does she always die?  At what point is their love so strong she bursts into flames?  How does she feel about Daniel each time?  What kind of person is she before she knows him?  One of the things that makes this book special is that you get to travel through time with Luce, learning about her life in the south on a plantation, all the way to Versailles, France in 1723.  This is the first book which is told from both Daniel and Luce's point of view, which makes it that much more interesting.  I'm looking forward to the last book in this series.  :)Btw, this is me with the author, signing my copy of the book.  How cool is that?