"WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

I'm a huge Gary Paulsen fan, so a book I'm waiting on is MUDSHARK due out on May 12, 2009.

Summary courtesy of Barnes and Noble:

Mudshark is the go-to guy for any mysteries that need solving. Lost your shoe? Can’t find your homework? Ask Mudshark. That is, until the Psychic Parrot takes up residence in the school library and threatens to overturn Mudshark’s position as the guy who knows all the answers. The word in school is that the parrot can out-think Mudshark. And right now, the school needs someone who’s good at solving problems. There’s an escaped gerbil running rampant, an emergency in the faculty restroom, and all the erasers are disappearing from the classrooms.When Mudshark solves the mystery of who’s stealing the erasers, he discovers the culprit has the best of intentions. Now he has to think of a way to prevent the Psychic Parrot from revealing the eraser-thief’s identity. With a bit of misdirection and a lot of quick thinking, Mudshark restores order to the chaos . . . just for the moment.

WINTERGIRLS by Laurie Halse Anderson

WINTERGIRLS is Anderson at her best. The story of Lia takes readers into the world of anorexia. Most stories of this type become endless descriptions of horrific self-denial and skin and bones, but Anderson delves much deeper into Lia's thought process. Even more insight is provided as Lia deals with the death of her friend Cassie.

Many plot lines help draw readers into WINTERGIRLS. Lia is the product of divorce. She explains that her parents should never have been together, but pregnancy forced the issue. She has experimented with living with her mother, a work-a-holic heart surgeon, and as the book begins, she's been living fairly successfully with her father, his new wife, and a stepsister who adores and worships Lia. The character of Cassie provides yet another look at eating disorders as her method of choice is to binge and purge.

Lia's self-image and eating disorder are not new. She's already been in a treatment program twice, and everyone plays a role in monitoring her behavior in hopes of preventing a relapse. However, since Lia's habits have become her lifestyle, she is an expert at avoiding detection. Even though her friend Cassie is gone, Lia feels her influence and encouragement from the grave. Lia also finds support from an online network of young people just like herself. When family, therapists, or others threaten her need to control food, she resorts to cutting as a way to relieve the pressure. Voices constantly haunt her and hold her prisoner inside her wasting body.

It is difficult to summarize WINTERGIRLS as one would a typical novel filled with action and events. Lia's story is more of a mind game that readers will become part of and anxiously follow to its conclusion. WINTERGIRLS will cement Anderson's place as a fantastic YA author.

RESPONSE by Paul Volponi

Noah has grown up in East Franklin, a predominately black area. One night when he and two friends decide to head on over to nearby Hillsboro (about 95% white) to boost a car, life changes dramatically for Noah.

The three friends never get to commit their intended crime because they run into three white teens bent on keeping their neighborhood free of blacks. The white boys verbally abuse and threaten Noah and his friends, and it's when they begin to chase them that things take a turn. Noah trips and falls. An angry youth nicknamed Scat swings a baseball bat and fractures Noah's skull.

The quick response of paramedics and the quality treatment at the Hillsboro hospital work together to save young Noah. He's plagued with headaches and will live with a metal plate stitched into his head, but he will live to finish high school and be around to be a father for his baby daughter.

When it was determined that the three Hillsboro teens had no way of knowing Noah and his friends were there to steal a car, arrests were made and the three were charged with a hate crime. The actual attack was horrific, but now Noah and his family must live through the stressful experience of a trial. They learn the hard way about harassment and plea bargains as they attend countless meetings with county provided attorneys.

Paul Volponi brings headline material to life in RESPONSE. He portrays a black family working together to educate their son and help him and his teenage girl friend raise their own child. In Noah, readers will meet a frightened, yet determined young man learning how to make his way in a not so friendly world.

8TH GRADERS RECOMMEND SOME SPRING BREAK READING

Here's a list of books my students think would make great spring break reading.

DASHWOOD SISTERS SECRET OF LOVE by Rosie Rushton

I HEART YOU, YOU HAUNT ME by Lisa Schroeder

TWILIGHT, NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, and BREAKING DAWN by Stephenie Meyer

OR GIVE ME DEATH by Ann Rinaldi

HEAD CASE by Sarah Aronson

FEVER 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

GOSSIP GIRL series by Cecily von Ziegesar

BE MORE CHILL by Ned Vizzini

3 WILLOWS: THE SISTERHOOD GROWS by Ann Brashares

GLASS and IMPULSE by Ellen Hopkins

CHEATED by Patrick Jones

MISSING by Catherine MacPhail

BLUE BLOODS series by Melissa de la Cruz

CANDY by Kevin Brooks

RAIDERS NIGHT by Robert Lipsyte

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS series by Sara Shepard

SLEEPER CODE and SLEEPER AGENDA by Tom Sniegoski

AFTER by Francine Prose

HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS by J. K. Rowling

LORD OF THE RINGS series by J. R. R. Tolkien

BATTLE OF THE BANDS by K. L. Denman

LAST SHOT: A FINAL FOUR MYSTERY by John Feinstein

BLACK AND WHITE by Paul Volponi

IF I GROW UP by Todd Strasser

I'm off on spring break and with my stack of books, I'm going to need an extra suitcase. Can't wait to get started!

BIG BOOK GIVEAWAY - CHECK IT OUT!

Stop on over at Reader Rabbit. There's a great contest going on!

BELATED "WAITING ON WEDNESDAY"

Oops, missed Wednesday, but better late than never. Here's a book I'm anxious to read.

DESTROY ALL CARS by Blake Nelson

Release date is scheduled for May 1, 2009.

Summary courtesy of Barnes & Noble:

James Hoff likes to rant against America's consumerist culture. He also likes to rant against his ex-girlfriend, Sadie, who he feels isn't doing enough to change the world. But just like he can't avoid buying things, he also can't avoid Sadie for long. This is a fantastic, funny, sexy, cool masterpiece from one of the best YA writers at work today, an anti-consumerist love story that's all about idealism, in both James's relationship with the world and his relationships with the people around him.

BULL RIDER by Suzanne Morgan Williams

BULL RIDER by 2K9 author Suzanne Morgan Williams offers a unique combination of topics - rodeo bull riding and the Iraq War.

Young Cam O'Mara comes from a ranching, bull riding family, but his interest leans more toward skateboarding. Bull riding has never really held any attraction for him, at least until now.

The O'Mara family gets the dreaded news that their oldest son Ben has been wounded while fighting in Iraq and life changes for everyone. The explosion of an IED caused brain trauma and paralysis. Ben returns home but is in for months of hospitalization and therapy.

Cam always looked up to his older brother, and seeing him in such a weakened condition, he is at a loss about how to help his brother or provide the encouragement needed for a successful recovery. One thing does occur to Cam - he could honor his brother's name and maybe provide need money for the family if he took on the challenge of riding a massive bull named Ugly.

Readers are in for a bit of wild ride as Cam explores his newfound interest and at the same time tries to keep up his grades, hang on to friendships, and do his work on the ranch. BULL RIDER reveals a family facing difficult times as they work to support an injured family member and keep the family business from being destroyed by financial hardship. There is a strong message of the determination and sacrifice required to hold a family together through tough times.