Books+we+have+read

= = ||~ Star Rating ||||~ **Link to Encore ** || The last thing Nora Grey wants is to be Patch's biology partner. The last thing Coach, the biology teacher, wants is to hear another excuse why not. The longer that Nora is around Patch, the harder it is to ignore the strange way he makes her feel. And is that really his voice in her head? Her best friend Vee keeps warning her about Patch, but Vee's own new friends make Nora a little sick. || |||| [|hush, hush] || Talibah and her brother Adom visit Egypt with their father. They become involved in a mystery surrounding an ancient, lost pharaoh and her architect. Exotic locations, mysterious strangers bearing gifts, and a sinister archaeologist make an adventure full of riddles, legends and secrets. It also ties in to the kid's mother who died mysteriously a few years earlier. Talibah and her brother must work together to solve the puzzle and also work through missing their mother. Talibah keeps a sketchbook through her adventures, which the author includes to help her keep track of clues and solve the puzzles. || |||| [|The Pharaoh's Secret] || Sophie Mercer is a witch. She has practiced a few spells, just because she could, but they were mostly things like dying her hair purple. But this last spell gets her into a lot of trouble. She gets sent to a school for Prodigium - people like her: witches, fairies, shape-shifters, the occasional vampire. This school is supposed to teach her how to use her power without hurting the humans who she is expected to live around. It is also supposed to keep her safe. But Hecate Hall, or Hex Hall as the students call it, turns out to be anything but safe. || ||||   || Lakshmi, 13, knows nothing about the world beyond her village shack in the Himalayas of Nepal, and when her family loses the little it has in a monsoon, she grabs a chance to work as a maid in the city so she can send money back home. What she doesn't know is that her stepfather has sold her into prostitution. She ends up in a brothel far across the border in the slums of Calcutta, locked up, beaten, starved, drugged, raped, "torn and bleeding," until she submits. This painfully haunting book written in beautiful clear first- person prose and free verse through the innocent eyes of Lakshmi is nothing but pure poetic perfection. I have not read a book this touching, heartbreaking in a long time. I highly recommend it, though brutally graphic, has something to say to all mature readers middle school and higher. || |||| [|Sold] || Ruthie and Jack are best friends. They are excited to go to the Art Institute of Chicago. Part of what they are going to see are the Thorne Rooms. The Thorne Rooms are sixty-eight rooms authentically done in miniature. The rooms are from a variety of time periods and from many places in the world. Ruthie especially is enchanted by the tiny worlds portrayed in the tiny rooms. As the two are exploring Jack finds a key. When Ruthie holds the key she shrinks to five inches tall. At five inches she is able to explore all the wonderful worlds in the tiny rooms. But has someone been there before her? || |||| [|The Sixty-Eight Rooms] || This is the story of four mexican girls who are going to school in Denver. Two of the girls are legal and two are not. All of the girls are very good students and would do well to go on with thier education. The two legal girls earn scholarships, one to DU and one to Regis. The two illegal girls can not apply for assistance but earn scholarships through privat sources. These two girls also go to DU. The book highlights the life these bright girls are forced into because of their legal status - or lack of legal status. It is not a book that will soon be forgotten by the reader. mature students at eighth grade and above can reap the reward of this book. It is very well-written. The interest level stays high through most of the book. Denver natives will recognize many of the events, key players and places mentioned in this book. || |||| [|Just Like Us] ||
 * ~ **Book Jacket** ||||~ =**Mini review of the book** =
 * [[image:hush_hush.jpeg align="center" caption="hush, hush"]] |||| **hush hush by Becca Fitzpatrick**
 * [[image:hush_hush.jpeg align="center" caption="hush, hush"]] |||| **hush hush by Becca Fitzpatrick**
 * [[image:pharaoh.jpg width="127" height="151"]] |||| **The Pharaoh's Secret by Marissa Moss**
 * [[image:hex_hall.jpg align="center" caption="Hex Hall"]] |||| **Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins**
 * [[image:Sold.jpg]] |||| **Sold by Patricia McCormick**
 * [[image:sixty_eight_rooms.jpeg align="center" caption="The Sixty-Eight Rooms"]] |||| **The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone**
 * [[image:just_like_us.jpeg align="center" caption="Just Like Us"]] |||| **Just Like Us: The Story of four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America by Helen Thorpe**

Local Denver Post columnist has written a fascinating, well researched historical 1893 account of an 11 year old Denver boy who murdered a man for his watch, confessed to the killing and was tried and convicted as an adult of second degree murder. He was sentenced to twenty five years hard labor and is believed to be the youngest boy in the U.S to be tried of murder. . This was a well written and compelling read of true crime and history of Colorado's crimianl justice system and lack of rights for juveniles. The rosy baby faced boy served 12 years of his sentence, taught himself to write eloquently, play the violin, and paint and draw in prison. History and crime buffs will love this book. Highly recommended || |||| [|Anton Woode] || Cora's big brother Nate died in a car crash. Her parents can't seem to get back on track and start living again. Cora wishes herself any where else. She draws elaborate maps to help her escape from the realities of her home life. Slowly she finds herself drawn to Nate's best friend Damian, a boy her parends have forbidden her to talk to and who they blame for Nate's reckless behavior and subsequently, the accident that claimed his life. As she learns more about Damian, she learns more about her brother as well. She discovered that he was a talented artist and all his wild ways were just to cover up that fact. || |||| [|A Map of the Known World] || Cathy Ferris was attending summer school in a neighboring town for a special language program. She didn't anticipate her life would be thrown into turmoil. Tommy kept staring at her, and finally told her she looked like Murielle, his missing cousin. Murielle is the daughter of a couple who fled the country before they could be arrested for fraud and theft. The FBI had been looking for them for five years. Cathy had been living happily with her foster family and did not admit to who she really was. She must figure out how to deal with Tommy and his aunt as well as classmates and an FBI agent who wants to use her to get to her parents. || |||| [|They Never Came Back] || Newberry Award Recipient for 2010. The book was very slow,in the beginning and not that well written. Mysterious notes start arriving and 12 yr old Miranda is baffled by this person's knowledge of things that are impossible to know hinting at future events. The messages are starting to frighten Miranda realizing she is going to have to prevent a death of a close friend. A strange homeless man is at the center of the mystery. It all unravels at the end in a very well constructed plot. The end is worth the read. || |||| [|When you reach me] ||
 * ===[[image:anton_woode.jpg align="center" caption="Anton Woode"]]=== |||| ===A**nton Woode The Boy Murderer by Dick Kreck**===
 * [[image:map_of_the_known_world.jpeg align="center" caption="A Map of the Known World"]] |||| **A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell**
 * [[image:never_came_back.jpg align="center" caption="They Never Came Back"]] |||| **They Never Came Back by Caroline B. Cooney**
 * [[image:when_you_reach_me.jpeg caption="When You Reach Me"]] |||| **When You Reach Me by Rebecca Snead**

Being 14 isn't easy for Finn, who "feels like an alien dropped onto a strange planet." That is, until light-hearted, imaginative Johanna arrives to house-sit next door. She hires Finn and his dog, Dylan, to plant a garden to distract her from her cancer; their unlikely friendship has a profound effect on his outlook. It's not the usual sort of adventure for Paulsen, and would make a nice contrast for an author study. Book level 4.7 Highly Recommended. || || [|Notes From the Dog] || Though the subtitle to this book reads, "A Father's Quest to Heal His Son", I imagine anyone who reads this utterly phenomenal account of the journey made by Isaacson, his wife Kristin and their four-year old autistic son, Rowan will be hard pressed not to have experienced some healing in their own right. Determined to explore the possibilities of equine therapy, alternative healing by the shamen and purported sacred waters of Mongolia, the family sets off on a trek that reads in this book as a diary. Words of inspiration, of frustration, of awe and any other multitude of emotions make this a real story that should be on the manditory reading list of teachers, parents, animal lovers (especially horses), and anyone else who dares wear their heart on their sleeve. || || [|The Horse Boy] || This charming book is narrated by Enzo, an aging, dying dog who learns about life and his destiny from watching the weather and National Geographic channels on TV. Enzo loves his master, race car driver Denny Swift and essentially tells his life story. Denny has to face many years of bad luck one of which being falsely accused of sexual molestation of a minor. Enzo believes he will be reincarnated as a man and the ending just might hint at that. What is all the fuss about this book? If you love dogs you must read this book. Considered adult fiction but I believe any young adult could handle the adult content and love the voice and wisdom of Enzo. || || [|The Art of Racing in the Rain] ||   || A beautifully written survival story of two young Alaskan girls 14 year old Millie and 10 year old Maura who are orphaned from the red spot disease called " the great death" in 1917. Everyone in their village dies from this white man's smallpox epidemic leaving the sisters alone in the Alaskan winter to find any other survivors. They travel downriver and their survival skills and love for each other are tested and challenged. Based on historical fact. Highly recommended. || || [|The Great Death] || Will wants more than anything to be a warrior, a knight. But it seems he is too small to be a knight's apprentice. He is desperate to have a real trade, not be a farmer for the kingdom. He is surprised when Halt, the ranger for the kingdom sends him a message. Could he possibly become one of the elite corps of Rangers, spies for the kingdom? || ||= [|Ruins of Gorlan] || This is the story of a hound, who was once a princess, and a bear, who was once a king. The king has been in bear shape for over two hundred years. Unmagic is threatening the world and the hound and the bear have the chance to go back in time,two hundred years, to confront the Cat Man, the creator of the unmagic and also the force that changed the king into a bear. Now they have the oportunity to undo the harm of the Cat Man and protect the world of their future. At the same time they learn to live together as both animals and as humans. || || [|Princess and the Bear] || This tiny wisp of a young girl Miranda is adopted, mysteriously, by a gust of wind into the care of Wysteria Barrows. She is pretty much kept prisoner and slave to Wysteria and is never allowed to leave the house. One day she meets a boy her age (Farley) while flying a kite and they become friends. There is this whole subplot of the mystery of the manor and the captain (Wysteria's late husband) who died with secrets hidden in the manor no one knows about. Weird Dr. Mead knows something and he is doing whatever he can to find the mystery of the manor. Dr. Mead has his own selfish agenda and he uses Miranda to get to a mysterious treasure (of course money is involved). Wysteria gets sick and is taken to the hospital and Miranda must manage the manor on her own. Farley comes to her rescue to help her uncover the mystery of the manor and control her own freedom and destiny. I || || [|Bird] || In 2015, when England becomes the first nation to introduce carbon dioxide rationing in a drastic bid to combat climate change, sixteen-year-old Laura documents the first year of rationing as her family spirals out of control. (9/09 Jenn Alevy, B&T) ||  ||   || Taylor: After her police officer father is shot one night and barely gets away with his life, everything changes for Cylin's family when they are forced to move from their home and cut off ties with everyone they know in order to maintain their safety while the search for the attempted murderer continues. (9/09 Jenn Alevy, B&T) ||  ||   ||
 * < [[image:Notes_from_the_Dog.jpg align="center" caption="Notes From the Dog"]] || **Notes From the Dog by Gary Paulsen**
 * [[image:http://content.tlcdelivers.com/tlccontent/zuul/servlet/Zuul?&customerid=10&requesttype=bookjacket-md&existsonly=true&button=true&isbn=0763622354&button=true width="58" height="92" align="center" caption="Worlds Afire" link="http://catalog.denverlibrary.org/cgi-bin/cw_cgi?showImage+15543+624076067+10"]] || ====**Worlds Afire by Paul B. Janeczko** July 6, 1944 --the citizens of Hartford, Connecticut are more than ready for a sweet respite from war-time woes. Enter the Big Top! Oh, but wait...I forgot to mention that the colorful canvas circus tents were waterproofed with a mixture of gasoline and paraffin; one careless (or was it intentional) match renders the entire scene black in a matter of minutes with 167 dead and over 500 injured. This novelette in verse is quite an effective means to pique interest in an historical event worthy of further research, much like //Devil in the White City//. Though thoroughly horrific from a spectator's point of view - of which there were many, I imagine many a reluctant reader won't be able to put this one down while hoping in vain for some form of happy ending.==== || [[image:http://dpssecondarybookclub.wikispaces.com/file/thumbnail/three_stars.JPG?size=32 align="center"]] || [|Worlds Afire] ||
 * [[image:horse_boy.gif width="97" height="109" align="center" caption="The Horse Boy"]] || **The Horse Boy by Rupert Isaacson**
 * [[image:the_Art_of_Racing_in_the_Rain.jpg align="center" caption="The Art of Racing in the Rain"]] || ==**The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein**==
 * [[image:are_these_my_basoomas.jpeg align="center" caption="Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me"]] || Georgie is thrilled to be the one and only girlfriend of Masimo, the hot guy from Pizza-a-gogo land, Italy, for those of you not up on the language. But if she is so thrilled to be his girlfriend why is Dave the Laugh in her thoughts so often? In the immortal words of Georgie, “Why can’t everything be simple???” Sometimes hilariously funny and sometimes just down right confusing, this book moves forward with the story of Georgie and her friends. This book will be best for dedicated fans of the Georgie story. British slang and terms may create confusion. A mature reader will enjoy the irreverence of the story. There are some sexual references that might offend some readers. || [[image:two_stars.JPG align="center"]] || [|Are these my basoomas I see before me] ||
 * [[image:The_Great_Death.jpg align="center" caption="The Great Death"]] || ==**The Great Death by John Smelcer**==
 * = [[image:http://www.coupondad.net/Images/Rangers_Apprentice.gif width="60" height="91" align="center" caption="The Ruins of Gorlan"]] || ** The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flannigan **
 * [[image:princess_and_the_bear.aspx align="center" caption="The Princess and the Bear"]] || **The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison**
 * [[image:bird.jpeg align="center" caption="Bird"]] || ** Bird by Rita Murphy **
 * ===[[image:CarbonDiaries.jpg width="77" height="112" align="center" caption="The Carbon Diaries, 2015"]]=== || **The Carbon Diaries by Saci Lloyd**
 * [[image:Jacket1.jpg width="71" height="109" align="center" caption="The Year We Disappeared"]] || **The Year We Disappeared by Cylin and John Busby**
 * [[image:0142412686.01._SX140_SY225_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg width="70" height="105" caption="Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty"]]

|| **Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty Jody Gehrman **  While working at the Triple Shot Betty during summer break, Geena's great plans are ruined when her best friend and cousin meet and instantly hate one another, but as the weeks go on and endless dramas unfold, the three finally put their silly differences aside in order to have great group adventures that no one will ever forget! (10/09 Jenn Alevy, B&T)

**Triple Shot Bettys in Love by Jody Gehrman** Geena spends a winter coping with the gorgeous new girl who is after her boyfriend, her mother's return to dating, and her best friend Amber's crush on an English teacher, while continuing to serve espressos at Triple Shot Betty. (10/09 Jenn Alevy, B&T) ||   ||   || Princess Rose and her eleven sisters are under a curse to dance every night for the evil King Under Stone. A young soldier named Galen falls in love with Rose and is determined to discover their secret and set the princesses free. Based on the fairy tale of //The Twelve Dancing Princesses,// Galen uses his many talents, including knitting to save the twelve princesses. || || [|Princess of the Midnight Ball] || When brothers Duffy and Sumo are sent on vacation, in the middle of school, to visit Aunt Lulu, they think something is off. They especially begin to wonder when they go on an expedition into the middle of an active volcano. There is a mystery involving their mother and why Aunt Lulu wants them there. This graphic novel takes the boys and the reader into the heart of the volcano. It also binds the brothers together when Duffy gets hurt and timid Sumo must find the courage to save his brother. This story is a wild ride from beginning to end. || || [|Into the Volcano] || Post WWII, things are just beginning to get back on an even keel for Evie and her mother who have been living with Grandma Glad (Evie's step-grandmother), while Joe (stepfather) has been off to fight the war. Evie's eyes are opened to the rights and wrongs of the world when her family packs up and travels down to Florida for a "vacation" in which they meet a couple who might or might not be what one thinks; a love interest sparks a sudden interest in appearances and deception between men and women; shady business begets lies and treachery, and nothing quite seems to fit just right. Definitely a read for more mature young adults, //What I Saw and How I Lied// is a National Book Award winner. || || [|What I Saw and How I Lied] || Fifteen-year-old Lindsey's life is in shambles. Her father's psychiatry practice is closed by a malpractice suit, her older brother is killed in a car crash, and her mother has left for the other side of the country, leaving her ill-equipped father in charge. Lindsey's always been considered the good girl-an outstanding student. With the recent upheaval in her life, she struggles to maintain her spotless reputation. Frustrated with her family and friends, she begins taking money from her father's wallet and shoplifting. Her problem begins to spiral out of control when school-wide locker thefts attract the attention of the police. ||  || [|The Good Girl] || Fourteen-year-old Jamie–street name Punkzilla–is AWOL from military school. He's already lived hand to mouth in a west coast city, stealing iPods, high on meth, beat up and robbed, meeting strangers who help him, sometimes the victim, as well as victimizing others. Now he is headed to Memphis where his oldest brother, Peter, a gay playwright, is dying from cancer. His story is told through his letters to Peter as he hitchhikes across the country, written in the backseats of cars, under a tree where a man hanged himself, and ultimately in retrospect when he reaches his journey's sad end || || [|Punkzilla] || Rin has five older brothers and whenever life with theem got to be too overwhelming she would run to the trees for peace. The trees gave her quiet and calm and she felt as if she could talk with them. One day she asks a boy to kiss her and after that the trees won't give her their messages of peace. Eventurlly Rin goes to the city with her favorite brother. In the city she meets the Queen and the queen's friends. She is enchanted by these strong women and wants to be like them but in her heart she feels rotten. Will Rin ever find the peace of the trees again || || [|Forest Born] ||
 * [[image:images.jpg caption="Princess of the Midnight Ball"]] || **Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George**
 * [[image:volcanoimages.jpg caption="Into the Volcano"]] || **Into the Volcano by Dan Wood**
 * [[image:What_I_saw.jpg align="center" caption="What I Saw and How I Lied"]] || **What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell**
 * [[image:the_good_girl.jpg align="center" caption="The Good Girl"]] || **The Good Girl by Kerry Cohen Hoffman**
 * [[image:punkzilla.jpg align="center" caption="Punkzilla"]] || **Punkzilla by Adam Rapp**
 * [[image:Forest_Born.jpg align="center" caption="Forest Born"]] || **Forest Born by Shannon Hale**
 * [[image:jake.jpg align="center" caption="Jake Ransom and the Skull king's Shadow"]] || **Jake Ransom and the Skull King's Shadow by James Rollins**

Connecticut middle schooler Jake and his older sister Kady are transported by a Mayan artifact to a strange world inhabited by a mix of people from long-lost civilizations who are threatened by prehistoric creatures and an evil alchemist, the Skull King. They must use their knowledge to discover the mystery of what happened to their parents and to find a way back home. || || [|Jake Ransom] ||
 * [[image:cat.jpg align="center" caption="Hate That Cat"]] || **Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech**

Jack is studying poetry again in school. He continues to write poems reflecting his understanding of famous poems and how they relate to his life. A wonderful follow up to __Love That Dog.__ || || [|Hate That Cat] ||
 * [[image:farwalker.jpg align="center" caption="The Farwalker's Quest"]] || **The Farwalker's Quest by Joni Sensei**

Ariel and her best friend, Zeke, are ready for Namingfest when they are chosen by their talents to become an apprentice.Ariel believes she will be a healer like her mother, but a telling dart appears and is meant for her. This causes a series of events including her kidnapping. Zeke follows to rescue her and together they quest for Ariel's true calling. || || [|The Farwalker's Quest] ||
 * [[image:fire.jpg align="center" caption="Journey Through Fire"]] || **Journey Through Fire by Maya Snow**

Ever since their fathers murder, Kimi and Hana have honed their fighting skills. They have become true warriors with hearts of samurai. Reunited with their mother and brother, they must travel to the court of the Shogun to gain his support to fight their evil uncle's regime. Even at court, danger is everywhere and betrayal when least expected. This is the third book in the "Sisters of the Sword" series. || || [|Journey Through Fire] ||
 * [[image:blueflame.jpg width="117" height="174" align="center" caption="Blue Flame"]] || **Blue Flame by K.M. Grant**

In 1242 in the restive Languedoc region of France, Parsifal, having been charged as a child to guard an important religious relic, has lived in hiding for much of his life until he befriends a young couple on opposite sides of the escalating conflict between the Catholics and the Cathars. Yolanda and Raimon are in a fated love since she is the daughter of a nobleman and a Catholic. Raimon is the son of a commoner and a Cathar. They help Parsifal and unlease the Blue Flame, rumored to have the power to bring the country together. Yolanda believes Raimon was burned at the stake and she is promised to marry another. .[ || [[image:three_stars.JPG]] || [|Blue Flame] ||
 * [[image:whiteheat.jpg width="112" height="169" align="center" caption="White Heat"]] || **White Heat by K.M. Grant**

Raimon has escaped the pyre and heads into hiding deep within the mountains of the Occitan. Although he longs to follow Yolanda to Paris where she has been forced to marry Sir Hugh, he must fulfill his duty of protecting the Blue Flame to save their beloved country from the advancing forces set on destroying it. This is book two in the Perfect Fire Trilogy and the author leaves us waiting for more. || || [|White Heat] ||