Carley Conners has
always been self-sufficient with a mother who at times can be unreliable. She never imagined, however, the events that
would place her in foster care with the Murphy’s, a fun-loving family with
three boys and a mother Carley never imagined existed. As Carley lets down her guard and allows this
family in, her mother recovers and Carley is faced with life-changing decisions.
Content Notes:
None J
Teacher Notes:
I absolutely loved this
book. It takes an honest look at how
people are not always what they appear to be and I think that’s something everyone
needs to be frequently reminded of! This book
is appropriate for all middle school students.
Book Trailer:
Jack knew upon waking that
something was wrong. While his mother
had promised him a few days’ vacation camping at a national park, Jack wakes to
discover he is all alone. Not only
alone, but all traces of his mother have vanished and she won’t answer her cell
phone. Jack must face the startling
realization that his mother has abandoned him and as he begins his trek home,
Jack must decide who to trust.
Content Notes:
A hungry child steals
food and other items.
Teacher Notes:
I really enjoyed this
story. This story would be appropriate
for any middle school student.
Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKgG3b0XDD0
This nonfiction book
chronicles the events that led to the largest man-made explosion prior to the
detonation of the atomic bomb. Filled
with photographs and interviews, this griping non-fiction book entices the reader
to become lost in the devastation of the explosion and how families recovered
afterwards.
Content Notes:
This book discusses
family members being killed as well as includes a picture of a makeshift morgue
with bodies covered by sheets.
Teacher Notes:
I normally have a really
difficult time reading nonfiction books, and I absolutely loved this book. For any kids who have a hard time reading
non-fiction or who enjoy reading about disasters, they would love this book
too!
Ella has been bred to
be the perfect pet. She is quiet,
graceful, stays when told, and performs on command. No need to clean up after her or feed her,
she can clean up and feed herself. She’s
even potty trained. The hitch? Ella is human. In a world where cloned humans can be bought,
sold & treated as pets, Ella finds herself living with a rich family as a
playmate for their only daughter. But as
Ella begins to have dangerous thoughts of her own, will she survive to live her
life, or will she discover what is behind the red door?
Content Notes:
This book alludes to
sexual content and is about human pets.
Teacher Notes:
This was a book I had to
seriously think about when I finished reading. I found it disturbing that a
book would be written about human pets, which are essentially slaves. Even though these pets were cloned, they were
still human and I had a hard time with the concept & how the characters in
the story justified this. I honestly
wouldn’t recommend this to a student to read.
As Gray Weathersby
nears 18, he realizes he has two choices.
Face the Heist that takes all boys at the age of 18 or take his chances
with the wall, a barrier built around his village that no one has survived
crossing. Contemplating his choices, a
startling discovery makes him desire the truth even more. What IS outside the wall? How did they all get in the village and what
happened to their memories of before?
The more Gray receives answers, the more questions he has. What is really the truth, and can he survive
it?
Content Notes:
This book has no bad
language, but does allude to sexual content.
Younger readers may be unaware of what is alluded to, but older readers
would be. I would recommend this to Jr.
High students and above.
Teacher Notes:
This was an interesting
story that I thought was a little slow in spots. This will be a trilogy but I won’t be
pursuing the other books in this series.
After bringing down
Prime Destination (Starters), Callie
wants life to just return to normal. But
when she begins to hear the Old Man in her head, she realizes that things are
far from normal and answers must be found to protect the ones she loves. Things take a startling spin when the identity
of the Old Man is revealed and Callie struggles with who to trust….and who is
trying to kill her.
Content Notes:
This book is
appropriate for middle school readers.
Teacher Notes:
A great sequel to Starters! I look forward to the third book in the
series coming out. J
