FAR FROM NORMAL by Kate Klise

In DELIVER US FROM NORMAL, the Harrisong family left their hometown of Normal, Illinois, to live on a houseboat in the Gulf of Mexico.  Their adventures have taken them from Alabama to Florida and everywhere in between.  Now a new adventure is about to begin.

Young Charles Harrisong, an aspiring writer, wrote the family's story which was then published in a well-known magazine.  Cause for celebration except for the fact that a corporation known as Bargain Bonanza accused Charles and his family of causing a substantial decrease in their sales. 

Using a bit of legal trickery, the company has the Harrisong family signing on the dotted line to become the company's spokes family.  On the surface this seems to be the chance of a lifetime, but you know what they say about something being too good to be true.

Bargain Bonanza exploits Charles and his family until Charles decides to take matters into his own hands.  His clever plan doesn't quite do the trick, but he learns that if his family works together they can accomplish what it takes to put a giant corporation in its place.

Fans of Kate Klise will enjoy this continuation of the Harrisong family story.  Both books are great selections for middle grade readers.

CLUB MEDS by Katherine Hall Page

Freshman Jack Sutton has ADHD.  He relies on Ritalin to get him through the day.  It's part of his daily routine to join the line of students outside the school nurse's office waiting for their meds.  They even have a name for their situation - Club Meds.

Jack is hoping being in high school will change his life.  His condition and his often odd behavior have always made him the target for bullies.  Unfortunately, Jack soon discovers high school doesn't change anything.  In fact, the bullying becomes more serious.

Longtime enemy Chuck has a new game that involves Jack.  Chuck demands that Jack hand over his medication in exchange for not getting beaten up.  Gripped by fear, Jack is forced to substitute look-alike mints for the medication he desperately needs.  Taking his meds becomes a game of Russian roulette since he never knows if he is getting the real thing or a useless mint.

Jack's friends come up with a plan to catch Chuck in the act.  Will it work?  Or will Chuck be able to turn the tables and pin everything on Jack?

CLUB MEDS by Katherine Hall Page is an adventure featuring the high school students kids usually dismiss as the weirdos.  Jack fully understands his place in the high school hierarchy and how it requires that he stand up for himself.  CLUB MEDS champions the underdog and helps the rest of us better understand their plight.

Check out this cool blog!!!

If you have a spare minute or two, check out this awesome blog created by a couple of my students in computer class.  It's called The Zoos of America.  Click here to visit.

PERFECT FEBRUARY CONTEST!

Thanks to the generosity of a friend, I have the perfect book for a February giveaway contest.

VEGAN, VIRGIN, VALENTINE by Carolyn Mackler is ready and waiting to be sent to one lucky winner.


Entering is easy!  Just fill out the form below by midnight on February 20, and you could have this copy for your very own.

BUNHEADS by Sophie Flack

Hannah left home at age 14 to live in New York City.  She attended the School of the Arts, and now she is a senior corps member of the Manhattan Ballet company.

Life as a dancer is not easy.  On one hand there is beauty and grace, and on the other there is pain and sacrifice.  Hannah's days are filled with endless rehearsals and evenings of performances with only Monday off.  Even on Mondays, she attends yoga and strength training sessions.  Being a dancer means tireless dedication.

Debut author Sophie Flack is able to capture the true essence of what it means to be a ballerina because she has lived it.  Her own dancing career began at age seven and took her to the New York City Ballet and on to dance in over seventy ballets.  BUNHEADS takes readers into the world of dance and explains everything from the hierarchy of the dancers to the way they break in a new pair of toe shoes.  The pressure to stay thin leads to eating disorders and the stress of competition makes friendships tenuous at best.

Hannah's drive to be promoted from corps member to soloist requires that she breathe, eat, and sleep ballet.  She finds that making the choices between relationships and dancing are becoming more and more difficult.  Each time she is passed over for a solo part, she questions her future.  Readers will appreciate her struggle to remain dedicated or to take her life in a different direction.

I'LL BE THERE by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Sam has spent most of his life looking out for his younger brother Riddle.  Raised by a father more interested in taking advantage of people and getting whatever he wants illegally, meant that Sam and Riddle were shuffled from one place to the next. 

Their contact with people living normal lives was severely limited.  Using the excuse that he homeschooled his children allowed their father to keep them isolated.  But it was more than mere isolation since the two boys were not only forced to stay indoors during the day to avoid being reported for truancy, but were also left on their own to scavenge for food in restaurant dumpsters. 

Sam developed a strong sense of responsibility for Riddle and suffered abuse at the hands of his father as he tried to protect his young brother.  Riddle withdrew, and instead of talking, communicated through mechanically technical drawings made on the pages of old telephone books.  Neither boy realized their lives could be better.

Sam's path crossed with Emily's because of his love of music.  He slipped into the back pew of her family's church on the Sunday she was to sing a solo.  Being in the choir was fine with Emily, but singing a solo terrified her.  Her voice wasn't exactly remarkable, and after her debut, she rushed from the church into a back alley.  Sam was drawn to follow her.  Something about her vulnerability made him offer comfort as she vomited behind the church.

What follows is a story filled with remarkable connections.  Beautifully told by first time novelist Holly Goldberg Sloan, I'LL BE THERE is a fantastic story.  Readers will immediately bond with Sam, Riddle, and Emily as their story unfolds.  Intense emotions, heartbreaking twists and turns, and the perfect amount of tension-breaking humor combine to make this one of the best books I've had the pleasure to read.    

AND THE WINNER IS......

The winner of SPRING BREAKUP by Stephanie Hale is

                 *Christina*

I have sent her an email informing her of her lucky win.  Watch for a new contest soon!