Friday, August 29, 2008

What Mrs N's Been Reading - Jumper


Wow! It seems like ages since I've posted anything. I'm still not quite caught up after Teen Summer Reading, but it's good to get back to this anyway. Read a few things over the summer that I never posted. When I remember what they were I may post a quick thumbs up or down on those. In the meantime, I just finished Steven Gould's Jumper. Been wanting to read that one since I added to the collection I don't remember how many years ago, and finally got around to it. It's the story of Davey, who finds out quite by accident that he has the ability to teleport. On two different occasions when he his put into a horrific situation, he suddenly finds himself in the town library. As he starts to piece together what is happening he realizes that the library has always been a safe place for him, explaining why he appeared there for what had appeared to no apparent reason. He then starts to experiment to determine his limits. In addition to providing some good action later on (hijackers, government agents, etc.), Gould does a fabulous job of getting into Davey's head and exploring all of the emotions and ethical decisions that go along with his abilities. Yes, this is the book that the movie with Hayden Christensen was based on. I haven't seen the movie, but based on reviews, it sounds like it was more "inspired by" (think, I, Robot) than based on. Anyway, there is some mature content, but it's not graphic or overdone. I'd recommend it for high school or older middle school students. Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Reverse APB on a Pig

OK folks, I'm trying to clean up after Teen Summer Reading. I still have a lovely ceramic pig that was left here after The Simpsons movie way back in June. Would the owner please come and claim it at the Information Desk, or it will become mine.