The Iron Trial (Magesterium #1)

The Iron Trial

by: Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

I really wanted to love this book. I decided to read it next because a student returned it to the high school library and begged for the next book in the series. He told the librarian he had never read anything with so many plot twists in his life. (Obviously he has never read a Robert Galbraith book.) I'm not sure if it was the time of year, or the content, but I struggled to stay awake every time I sat down to read this book. In defense of the book, the two weeks before Christmas break are some of the worst teaching weeks of the year. I did enjoy the plot twists. I did enjoy the anti-hero point of view. It just felt a little too similar to Harry Potter in structure. (An outcast boy at magic school. He has a best guy friend and a best girl friend.) I feel like I didn't hardly get to know Call's sidekicks, Aaron and Tamara. I wanted to know more about them. In the end I was just left with more questions, which I guess is the point since it's a series. I was not curious enough to get the next book in the series though. 

I would recommend this to my middle schoolers that love Harry Potter or fantasy. High school would enjoy it as well, but I think it suits the middle school angst a little more. 

Dry

Dry

By: Neal and Jarrod Shusterman

This book gave me so much anxiety. I ended up Googling how to siphon gas while I was reading. I also took a mental note of all the drinkable liquid I had available in the house. The problem with this book is, it's completely possible. My sister has a biology degree with a minor in geology. She has already told me more than once that we are consuming our drinkable water at a rate that's unsustainable. I definitely recommend this book. It stressed me out. It made me think. It was something new and different. I will admit I wanted a little more resolution, but I think I always feel that way. I like things to end with a neat bow. I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected to. 

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America

Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America

by: Beth Macy

This wasn't a book a necessarily wanted to read, but it was one I felt I had to read. As someone who has been personally affected by opioid addiction I felt like I needed to educate myself. For anyone with a loved one, or who is struggling personally, with opioid addiction: this book is a good history lesson. This wasn't a difficult read as much as it is dense. Macy has done her research. I absolutely recommend this. 

I'm struggling with what to say about this book. I was so affected by the stories of these people, but at the same time imagined my family members and their struggles while I read. I closed the book and cried.  

Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox

Tsumiko and the Enslaved Fox

by: Forthright

This book sounded so cool. But it was so weird. I feel like it was all about people nuzzling each other because they gave off good energy. Then they fell in love and decided to raise a half human half dragon baby. But like, I'm not even really that sure how we got to that point. It was sometime before Argent (The enslaved fox.) carried Tsumiko in his mouth when he became a giant fox. This book is too weird for me. But for others, this might really be your jam. It's fanciful and creative. It was certainly original. This is good for middle school and up. Although the nuzzling is super weird. I can't imagine my middle schoolers being mature about it. 

American Royals

American Royals

by: Katharine McGee

I LOVED THIS BOOK! I read it super fast. But this is my kind of book. Romance. Royalty. Alternate history. I love the concept of America having royals instead of presidents. I'm here for all of it. All. Of. It. This is up on my shelf with The Royal We. I will for sure read this one again. (I almost never re-read anything.) I'm super bummed I have to wait a year for the next book to come out. If everyone doesn't end up with a happily ever after I might just have a meltdown. This is a good beach read. 

Internment

Internment

by: Smira Ahmed

I will admit this book was really hard to read. It was hard to read because it was so plausible. It was not difficult for me to imagine something like this happening in the future. I see it with the detention centers on the border. I hear my students talk with fear when they discuss the wall and deportation. This book has some really tough realities that the reader is forced to acknowledge. I think this book is extremely powerful and I have been recommending it to everyone. I think it's one of those books that anyone would benefit from reading. This is a fantastic read and so relevant to the world we currently find ourselves in. We all need to find Layla's courage to speak out. 

More Than We Can Tell

More Than We Can Tell

by: Brigid Kemmerer

This is the second book in the Letters to the Lost series. Although this is a standalone novel, and you don't have to read the first one to follow what is happening. When I read Letters to the Lost I found Rev Fletcher to be far more interesting than his best friend, whose name now escapes me. So, when I found out the second book followed him I knew I had to read it. I still love Rev Fletcher, but I didn't love this book as much. Things felt a little contrived. Emma is a little bit of a drama queen for me. She has some bad stuff happen that she should be dramatic about, but there were other moments she seemed almost too childish. Then again, I'm an adult. I don't know... I just didn't love this.... but I really wanted to. 

Sherwood

Sherwood

by: Meagan Spooner

I got a free copy of this book at the North Texas Teen Book Festival! It sounded super interesting. Robin Hood is dead and Maid Marian is left reeling. However, this Maid Marian isn't your typical medieval damsel in distress. She is a badass, independent female. This book took awhile to get going, but once it got going it was great. I couldn't put it down the the last 80 pages or so. This was my lunch book (it lives in my desk and I only read it during lunch.). I had to take it home this week and finish it. It was just too good. For you girls that like the Hunger Games, Seafire, or Cinder this is probably a good read. 

Letters to the Lost

Letters to the Lost

by: Brigid Kemmerer

I love me a good YA novel, especially a romance novel. I read all but 30 pages of this book in a day. I couldn't put it down. The concept of the letter writing, or the email sending, was great! It was so refreshing. I loved leaving one character as they wrote the letter to going to the other character's perspective as he/she read the letter. Ugh. I could talk about all the things I loved about this book all day. But I don't want to ruin anything. Just read it, then we can talk about it. :)

All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places

by: Jennifer Niven

 I was filled with a sense of dread from the moment I started reading this book. I would put it down for a couple of days at a time... I just felt this impending doom. When I read a review for the book it called it something like: THE love story of this generation. I wouldn't call it that exactly.... There is certainly love involved. However, I think it's more about two young people trying to navigate their own personal mental health struggles. Mental health is not cookie cutter, and these struggles affect everyone differently. The true value in this book is how it addresses and humanizes these struggles. This is one that will sit with me for awhile. I am so glad I read this book. I think it's great, but I don't think I will have the strength to ever read it again. This is good for high school and up. Although, I've been wanting to recommend it to some of my 8th graders.

The Other Wes Moore

The Other Wes Moore

by: Wes Moore

This book gave me the creeps. It was published in 2010, but the content is so relevant to the cultural conversations of today. It is presented in as unbiased a view as possible. To me it was a clear example of the value of parenting. That was the only thing that really stuck out to me in how their paths began to diverge. I think this book is an excellent adult read. I wish I had other people to talk to this book about. It's one I keep bringing up in conversation, especially with fellow teachers. The author Wes Moore comments many times on how important the role models in his life were to his success. Teachers should be acting as role models every single day. 

Book of the Week: Monster (The Graphic Novel)

Monster: A Graphic Novel

by: Guy A. Sims (adapter), Walter Dean Myers, Dawud Anyabwile (Illustrator)

I will admit I have not read the novel version of this book. When I mentioned it to fellow teachers they all went: I love Monster! 

I feel that maybe a lot was lost in the translation to the graphic novel. I wanted to be more inside the main character's head. There were moments where it got really cool and artsy, and then we were back in the courtroom... I was less interested in the courtroom proceedings than his personal struggle. 

However, I work with a teacher that used the graphic novel in her English classes in a very poor school. She said her kids loved it. She works with behavior students. So, if her kids are reading it, obviously it is getting its message out right. 

I think I just wanted more. But, if the students are reading it that's what matters. I have no problem passing this one on to kids. Probably best for 8th grade and up. 

Book of the Week: Brazen

This is really for last week... I feel like I'm still trying to get in the swing of things with school... Even though it's been a month. 

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World

by: Penelope Bagieu

This book was such a pleasant surprise! I had no idea it was a graphic novel until I opened it as I was walking out of the library. This book provides the histories of women from all over the world and all over history. These are women that were innovative and willing to carve their own paths. Though I will admit I hadn't heard of most of them. I loved reading about all of these women. As I got to each woman I found myself Googling her and looking at pictures and reading her Wikipedia page. (Don't hate on Wikipedia. We all use it.) This book is lots of fun and a pretty quick read despite it's thickness. I highly recommend for all your trailblazing ladies out there. 

Book of the Week: The Love Interest

The Love Interest by: Cale Dietrich

This book was recommended to me by a librarian. The premise is these two guys are trained to be spies. A "Nice" guy and a "Bad" guy. The two are sent to woo and win over a girl showing immense potential. Their job will be to win her heart, and then spy on her for the rest of her life. There can be only one winner. That's not the problem though, the problem is the two boys seem to be falling for each other.

Sounds super cool right? I was pretty ok with it for the most part. I read a lot of YA and Fantasy so I can buy into pretty much anything. My problem was the last 100 pages. I got to the point where I thought things were really wrapping up, but there was still 100 pages left. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the author still had to say that would take that long.

My thoughts on the last 100 pages. That could have been the sequel. Instead it was a whole book wrapped into 100 pages.

Miraculously and quickly things are figured out.

So I'm left feeling mostly meh towards this book. I wanted it to be great. I really did.

Book of the Week: Beneath the Surface

Oh my gosh I am obsessed with this book.

Beneath the Surfaceis the account of a former Sea World orca trainer.

It's the second week of school and I have stayed up way past my bedtime reading this every night this week. It also references an academic article, which I found and read as well. People kept asking me if the book was making me sad. No. This book makes me angry. I've only been to Sea World once, when I was little. But I feel terrible about it. I feel terrible that this is still happening, and nothing is really being done to stop or change the way of life for these orcas.

Maybe I need to channel my inner Free Willyand kidnap a whale and put him on a trailer and take him back to the ocean.... (I'm kidding. I've read enough to know these orcas can't be returned back to the ocean like that.) Sea pens!

Book of the Week: Orbiting Jupiter

Orbiting Jupiter by: Gary D. Schmidt

I went to two different librarian conferences this summer. At both conferences librarians were preaching how great this book is. One librarian said she bought 11 copies, about 8 of which disappeared at the end of the year. She said, "I don't care. I'll buy ten more copies if it means my boys are reading books they like." I knew I had to read it for myself.

I'm a little over halfway through. I've had trouble putting this book down. It reads so easily and so quickly. Before I know it I've read fifty pages. The narrator just sucks you into the story. While I haven't finished yet, I can definitely see the appeal this book has for middle school boys. Especially middle school boys coming from less than stellar home lives. I plan on passing this title along to my English teachers. 

Also. I'm super stressed about how this is going to end. I feel like I might cry. It takes a lot for me to cry. But I'm super worried about where the characters are right now... wish me luck. 

Book of the Week: Missing!

This week was finals week AND my first week back at work. I've been a little bit busy. :)

I got a book from the library I learned about at one of my library professional development conferences over the summer.

Missing!: Mysterious Cases of People Gone Missing Through the Centuries

I'm super excited about this book! I started it last night and I am loving it! It seems like it's going to be really good for middle school level kids. I think it will be a good one to try and give to reluctant readers since it has the true mystery element. 

Drama-brarian

Hello!

My name is Jessie and I am currently working on getting my Master's in Library Science.

This means I love books!! My undergraduate degree is a Bachelor of Fine Art's in Acting. I have spent the last six years working as a middle school theatre teacher. I LOVE my job. But it's a lot of time and work outside of school. I'm looking forward to the library transition.

Some of my all time favorite books:

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

 I wanted somewhere to document what I am reading. I love going back and looking at where I was. 

So that's my goal. (I'm hoping by writing it out I stick to it better.) I will blog at least once a week with what I'm reading.