#42

#42 Empty by Suzanne Weyn

"'When are we going to get it through our heads that oil is a nonrenewable resource? ...we must throw ourselves wholeheartedly into developing every source of renewable energy - nothing less than our survival as a global community depends on it.'"

We all know it's true. One day the oil will run out. What will the world be like? That's Suzanne's Weyn's task in this YA novel. At the start of the book Empty, gas prices are so high, most people can't afford to fill up their car or heat their home. Whole town are losing power and the food is running out. And this is all before the hurricanes come. You can just imagine the craziness that ensues. Niki, Gwen and Tom are teens growing up in the middle of it all and trying to find a way to survive in a new world.

This book is an honest look at what could happen to our world if we don't make big changes in the near future. There is so much talk about global warming, environmental changes and recycling and this book would be wonderful to use with students. I think it would pair well with a book I read and reviewed just a couple weeks ago: Ship Breaker. If we can get our young readers involved in making positive changes to help our communities, amazing things can begin to happen.

Sidenote: I just have to share a story about some of my students who are truly making a difference. A few of my kiddos did a service learning project about the need to eliminate styrofoam. They researched and read and got fired up about their project. They decided to try and convince our school district to get rid of the styrofoam lunch trays used in the cafeterias. They found companies that sell biodegradable trays, researched the cost, found the best prices, everything. They presented their findings to the principal who agreed they did an amazing job. They kept on bugging her, finding her in the halls, talking to other students, until she had no choice but to bring in the head of food service for the district. The kids presented their project to these administrators, convincing them to look into biodegradable trays. Admin was so impressed that our campus will be piloting a program to rid our district of styrofoam trays all because a small group of students got excited, passionate and wouldn't back down from what they knew was right. Love it!

#41

#41 Room by Emma Donoghue

Five year old Jack and his mother are being held captive in a small storage room in the backyard of an older man. Jack's mother was kidnapped when she was 19 years old and has been held prisoner in this room for 7 years. Jack and his mother are provided limited food and clothing, but are never allowed to leave. Jack believes Room is the whole world and has no desire to ever leave thanks to his mother who has created a happy and entertaining life within the four walls of Room. When his mother begins talking about escaping, Jack can't understand why she would ever want to leave their home.

The story is narrated in the voice of Jack, and it was interesting to listen to a young boy's perspective of the horrible situation, but I quickly became annoyed with him. I feel like a bad person for saying so, but I just couldn't appreciate his voice. I kept imagining him as one of those annoying squeaky-voiced children you can't stand to listen to and I found myself often thinking, "Seriously? Seriously..." Perhaps this all goes back to my childless life, but I just couldn't get into this story.

Far be it from me to dissuade anyone from reading, but this just wasn't the right one for me.

Moving on!

#38 - 39

#38 Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

12-year-old Lonnie Collins Motion, a.k.a. Locomotion, is living with a foster family after losing his parents in a tragic event. His sister Lili is living with a different family. He writes letters to her to keep in touch and help them both remember their past memories. Lonnie is happy with his foster mom, but still aches for his sister and parents. The letters help him deal with the gap he feels in his life.

I shared this immediately with my students, reading to them the opening poem "Imagine Peace" where Lonnie compares peace to soft flannel sheets and the good full feeling you have after eating a great dinner. Give me a beautiful poem and I'm done for. All through the book, Locomotion tries to understand peace and how, even in the midst of the Vietnam war and hurt and anger, peace can be found.

Jacqueline Woodson has once again written a touching novel about growing up and learning to deal with whatever life throws at you. But even more than that, her writing (done all in the form of letters and poems) is so lyrically beautiful, you can't help but read slowly just to enjoy the words.

#39 Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (Book one Ship Breaker series)

Recent winner of the Michael L. Printz Award

Hunger Games fans...never fear! Peeta and Katniss may be done, but Nailer and Nita are just beginning! Collins fans will be thrilled reading this new dystopian series. Picture a future North America where oil production has ruined the landscape, cities including New Orleans are completely underwater, the Arctic has lost most of its wildlife, and old tanker ships are being broken down for their metal parts. Nailer is a teenage boy on light crew whose job it is to fit into the old ductwork of the ships and strip out the copper wiring to make his daily quota and hopefully live another day.

A huge storm, a city killer, sweeps through the area, leaving Nailer and his friend Pima homeless. As they try to make their way back to their jobs, they find a clipper ship. Onboard the ship, they find more wealth than they could ever imagine. They also find a rich girl, a swank, who somehow lived through the storm. Nailer has to decide whether to kill the girl and take the riches he's found to buy his freedom from light crew or save her and help her find her way home and hopefully a better life for himself.

This was a great, fast-paced, adventurous novel I can't wait to get into the hands of my kids. They will devour this book and its futuristic implications. This would be a great book to read in a literature circle and do some deep talking about oil consumption and the environmental issues associated with it. Certainly a strong message about taking care of our Earth and each other. I will be eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

According to Bacigalupi's website, his other books really delve into important social issues. I'll be looking him up at my local library. It's great when students read, but even more exciting when they're reading high quality books with strong implications for the future. Love it!

#36-37

#36 Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (Book three Chaos Walking trilogy)

"'War makes monsters of men, you once said to me, Todd. Well, so does too much knowledge. Too much knowledge of your fellow man, too much knowledge of his weakness, his pathetic greed and vanity, and how laughably easy it is to control him.'"

Well, I finally made it to the end. I feel like I've run a marathon and I'm not sure how to put my experience into words. Admittedly, this book was more difficult for me to get through than the other two, but not because I had lost interest in the storyline or characters. In fact, the book became more complex, dealing with more obscure characters and "sci-fi" (NOT syfy) situations. I had to slow down and read with caution.

The New World war continues, but this time the Spackle organize against the humans to avenge their murdered comrades. A group of new settlers arrives and the Mayor of the town struggles even more with the ceaseless Noise while both Todd and Viola are forced to make decisions that will change the course of the human race. I feel like I can't say much without giving things away!

If you're in for a rollercoaster ride, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

#37 If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Mia is a 17 year-old cellist from a close, musical family. She and her family are in a horrible car accident leaving her in a coma and her family gone. As her mangled body lays in a hospital room, Mia is fully aware of her surroundings and is walking around the hospital watching herself and her family. (Think Ghost but without the ability to move cans and smash cigarette cases). As she learns of the seriousness of her condition, she also has to make the decision to fight for her life or succumb to the peacefulness of death.

A strong story with gorgeous writing. Very poetic and beautiful and I can see how this book could help young people dealing with loss. Mia remembers the memories of her family and wants to dwell in the past, but she also knows that she has a family still alive and waiting for her to wake up. A powerful read.

#35

#35 The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness (Book two Chaos Walking trilogy)

I've put off writing this review for a day because I wasn't sure what to say. This book took me on an unexpected emotional rollercoaster ride. This book pulled me in, gripped me tight, made me mad, pulled me in again, made me mad again, and kept me hooked until the very last page, where I got mad again. I had to finish it just to give myself some relief.

If you are a fan of recording the titles you read (I'm sure I'm not the only nerd I know), you may want to check out http://www.goodreads.com. If you do, look for me: goodreads.com/amontgomery. I mention this seemingly off topic comment because on the site, when you finish a book, you have the opportunity to rank it on a scale of 1-5 stars. I normally rank books in the 3-4 star range, reserving the 5 star ranking for those most special books. I gave this book 5 stars without hesitation. I don't want to go overboard with this title and make you believe this is the book everyone in the world has been waiting for, but it just really struck a cord with me. And isn't that what reading books is all about anyway? Finding books that really hit you?

POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!

In this second book in the trilogy, we begin with Todd and Viola. The chapters are written from their alternating points of view, which I enjoyed. The two have been separated upon reaching the town of Haven where Mayor Prentiss is in full control and purposefully keeping Todd and Viola apart. As in book number one, The Noise continues to be a battle for the townspeople. Todd learns about the native people living in New World, the Spackle, and what has happened to them in Haven. The Mayor's true character is revealed when we learn of his ability to control The Noise and what he is doing with that ability. A quote that stuck out to me comes from Mayor/President Prentiss (evilevilevilevil!), "'I have two maxims that I believe...One, if you can control yourself, you can control others. Two, if you can control information, you can control others.'" This book is all about control; control of self, control of others, lack of control. Viola and Todd are on opposite sides of this "control" and each must decide how far they are willing to go to do what they believe to be right.

Read the first one, The Knife of Never Letting Go, and prepare yourself for The Ask and the Answer. I've got the third book on hold at the library, Monsters of Men and I'm planning to pick it up today. Go find a copy for yourself and share a comment with me about what you think!

#34

#34 The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson (Book 3 Millennium series)

I'm thrilled to say...I finished the Millennium Trilogy!! What a wild ride! I think this was my favorite of all three. It was the one I had the hardest time putting down. And I got very lucky since I was finishing it during my 4 unexpected snow days this past week. What a perfect time to cuddle up with crazed killers, corrupt police officers, and vicious lawyers. :)

This third book begins the same moment the second ends. Salander and Blomkvist continue as the main characters, but the story does spread wider to include many more big players. The reader gets to learn much more about Salander's (twisted) family and the injustices done to her thanks to her terrible father. And as all great crime stories, the books ends with a great trial scene. Be aware! The action truly doesn't stop until the very bitter end. I hate to give much more than that away dear readers. If you have gotten this far into the series, you absolutely must finish with this third book.

I admit, I forgot many of the character's names and roles in the story (there were so many!) and had to just keep reading. I was worried that I wouldn't get the story, but it ended up being okay. If I was to offer a suggestion to serious readers, keep track of the characters' names on a piece of paper. It's hard to remember them all.

Sidenote: I utilize my public library system as often as possible and try hard not to spend money on books, but this one had 22 people waiting ahead of me. There was no way I could wait that long. The book is only available in hardback at this point (at least $20), so I took the plunge and spent the $9.99 on the Kindle version. Shoutout to my Kindle! Love you!

#33

#33 Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle

Seeing as how this book was a Texas Lonestar book, I am surprised I hadn't read it sooner. I picked this one up to preview for a possible literature circle title for my sixth graders. I was hoping it would appeal to my boys and include opportunity for great historical research as well. It does! And I admit that I cheated just a little. I found this on CD at the library and listened to it going to and from work. But honestly, what a great use of time!

This story is set in present day with flashbacks to 1929. Rebuen Hart and Jeddy Mackenzie live in Rhode Island during Prohibition. One day Rebuen and Jeddy find a dead body on the beach, a man who was shot in the neck and washed up on the shore. They assume he was a rum runner. When they return later in the day with the police to take him, the body has disappeared. Pretty soon, the two boys are accused of taking an important item from the dead man and end up in the middle of a liquor smuggling battle. Jeddy's father is the police chief and both boys have to decide if it's more important to follow the law or watch out for your friends.

I think my kids will enjoy the story and all the rum running and liquor smuggling will be fun to talk about.