msjamgochian'sinfinitebooklist

Mice have it rough: a world full of predators and not much respect. Thus, the Mouse Guard was formed, to protect their kind from enemies, help them along the path from village to village, spot severe weather patterns, and more! In Fall 1152, you'll meet Kenzie, Saxon, and Lieam; they are looking for a merchant mouse who has gone missing while making a delivery. Little do they know there is a traitor in their midst. I fell in love with their matriarchal society and the legend of Black Axe. This graphic novel collects six issues in a gorgeous hardcover format. Check out the Mouse Guard Official Site . A member of our student library advisory is reading the RPG book - and I expect to be Celanawe soon... Grade 6 - Adult

The Atherton series really picks up the pace with Rivers of Fire . Atherton has collapsed and Edgar has met Mead (Dr. Kincaid) and Vincent, who help him understand who he is and how Atherton came into being. They are on their way to the house of power, to what turns out to be a sort of control room for the planet. At the same time, Edgar's friends Isabel and Samuel are caught in the same place by evil Lord Phineas, who turns out to be more than he seems. Above ground, the villagers combine forces with the guards of the highlands to take on the cleaners. This book is action-packed, especially when compared with The House of Power (book one), and readers will appreciate new insights into why Edgar is so special. Don't miss the extras on the official Atherton website , including games. This series makes an excellent choice for a book club; our 68s middle school group is reading it now. Grades 5 - 7.

Cassidy Silver, grade seven, doesn't have any friends. Her engineer father is on a contract in the Middle East, her artist mother is busy pursuing her painting career and spending time at the homeless shelter where she volunteers, and, worst of all, Cassidy gets picked on by a group of girls at school, including her old best friend Chiaki. Suffice it to say she's having a crappy year. Then Victoria moves to town, her new teacher Ms. Allyson takes an interest in her, and she stands up to the bullies at school. A subplot that has Victoria using telekineses and Cassidy trying to master the craft doesn't go anywhere. The plot is predictable and the characters are overly simplified at times, but students who are victims of bullying may enjoy this easy to read book. Grades 5 - 7

By far the best book I've read this year! Eleven-year-old Calpurnia's world is forever changed when she befriends her Granddaddy, who introduces her to the world of science and gives her a copy of The Origin of Species . Set in Texas at the end of the 19th century, Callie comes up against her future traditional and expected societal role as the only daughter of a wealthy and respected cotton farmer. Her mother explains that she'll be 'coming out' in a few years and Calpurnia just doesn't see the point; she would much rather catalog flora and fauna than bake an apple pie or knit socks for her six brothers. As the year progresses and the end of the century approaches, Callie's mother makes it clear that she needs to spend her time learning 'The Science of Housewivery' instead of spending her time in her grandfather's laboratory. Jacqueline Kelly gives Callie a voice that is at once hopeful and resigned: "So I didn't like to talk patterns

Twelve-year-old Addie is ' waiting for normal ' in this sweet coming of age story set in upstate New York. Addie and her mother, or 'mommers,' are living in a trailer underneath a railroad track, the result of a divorce between mommers and Dwight, who Addie thinks of as her dad (although she doesn't refer to him as such). Addie's younger sisters, The Littles, are still living with Dwight,who has been granted full custody of them after mommers pulled a disappearing act, leaving an eleven-year-old Addie to take care of them in the dead of winter for three days. Mommers parenting skills haven't improved. Although Addie stoically hides her mother's neglect from the rest of her family and friends (a wonderful group of misfits at the corner store across the way), the stress of taking care of herself and not knowing when or if the food will run out take their toll, and she starts show the wear and tear of her horrible situation. You'll root for Addie as she

Cohn (Gingerbread) delves into her darker side as she probes a teen's suicide and the painful repercussions for her loved ones. After her best friend and first cousin, Laura, kills herself with an overdose of prescription drugs, 17-year-old Miles is shattered: the person Miles believed would always be there for her has left without even saying goodbye. And when her flaky mother flees town to mourn with her boyfriend in London, Miles is left alone with Laura's father to endure a summer of grief at his D.C. estate. A prescription-drug addict herself, Miles must embark upon a journey of self-discovery if she is to survive. Cohn once again excels at crafting a multidimensional, in-the-moment teenage world, this time without recourse to her usual witty style. There is a bleakness to her language that superbly suits this sad, somber tale. Her work is heartbreaking, at times excruciating to read, but it rings with authenticity. In pursuing Miles's responses, she spares few details

Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl have written a steamy gothic Southern romance. Ethan Wate is having dreams about a dark-haired girl, dreams that smell like lemon and rosemary, dreams that leave him with a sense of loss. He's living in Gatlin - a small Southern burg whose inhabitants still celebrate the Civil War and The Battle of Honey Hill with an annual reenactment. When Lena Duchannes moves to town, things heat up, and Ethan rightly suspects she's the girl from his dreams. The only problem is, Lena is a caster : on her sixteenth birthday, she'll be 'claimed,' and go either light (a good witch) or dark (a very bad and evil witch). As her birthday approaches and her romance with Ethan ignites, the two of them try to find a way to keep her safe from the dark side of her family. Ethan's character is simply gorgeous - he's thoughtful, he's cute, he's smart, and he's madly in love with Lena. A story about the power of first loves with a twist. Highly

It's 1979, and best friends Andy and Tom are enjoying their summer in the woods of rural Indiana, shooting rifles, exploring caves, and generally having a fantastic time. Meanwhile, trouble is brewing at the local Borden Casket Company, where the workers are going on strike. Tom's dad is a manager and Andy's dad is a laborer at the plant. The boys witness a violent incident as the situation erupts, forcing them to examine their friendship, their families, and their own values. An excellent coming of age story set in a time and era not often explored.

Jonathan Tropper 's hysterical story of a dysfunctional family kept me turning the pages. Judd Foxmann's father has died - his last wish was for his family to gather for seven consecutive days following his funeral to receive visitors. Hilarity ensues as Judd and his siblings gather in their family home, joined by friends and neighbors. You'll fall in love with Judd as you watch him encounter lost loves, deal with his cheating wife, and learn how to be okay with it all. If you liked Torsten Kroll's Callisto, you'll love This Is Where I Leave You.