What Mrs N's Been Reading - A War of Gifts

Stepped outside of the Fredricksen Teen collection for a bit and read Orson Scott Card's A War of Gifts. I love Card's older stuff - Ender's Game is probably my all time favorite book, and I couldn't believe how good Ender's Shadow is, considering that you know going in how it's going to end if you've read Ender's Game. I also really liked his Tales of Alvin Maker series. I used to say that Card could rewrite the phone book and make it compelling reading. I had been hearing from other Card fans however, that he's been slipping lately - losing continuity in series' and getting a little preachy. I was hoping they were wrong. A War of Gifts is a quick read (only 126 pages) and it does present some interesting points. Unfortunately, my sources are right about Card getting preachy. Maybe my expectations of Card are a little high, but I just didn't enjoy this one like I have others. My recommendation is to skip this one, but if you haven't read Ender's Game yet, you definitely need to! I'd also highly recommend Ender's Shadow, and First Meetings in the Enderverse, as well as the three books that are direct sequels to Ender's Game - Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind, as well as the totally unrelated, Pastwatch. Enjoy those! Take a pass on A War of Gifts.

What Mrs N's Been Reading - The Off Season

Just finished Catherine Gilbert Murdock's The Off Season. It's a sequel to Dairy Queen, which I hadn't read. Not having read the first had absolutely no effect on reading this one. It's about D.J., a high school junior who lives on a dairy farm in the midwest. D.J. narrates and it reads just like a friendly farm girl is sitting next to you telling you her story, like you're old friends. D.J. isn't the type of high school girl that books generally get written about. She has been a star basketball player, and is hoping for an athletic scholarship, because she's not going to get an academic one. She is also a starter on her high school football team, and a linebacker, no less! The book is about a month or 2 in D.J's life as her family faces a few crises, her love life is a roller coaster, she suffers an injury, and her best friend moves away after being thrown out of the house by her mother. I enjoyed it - mostly because I liked D.J., but also because, although you weren't really left hanging with any ofthe story lines at the end, you also didn't get an ending that was tied up in a pretty little bow with everything working out like a sitcom or a movie of the week. In other words, I thought it was pretty realistic. If you're a middle or high school girl, but not the girlie type that so many teen books seem to be written for, check this one out - you'll probably enjoy it.

Guitar Hero Tournament Results

Just finished the first Guitar Hero Tournament of the school year. They always go well. We had 21 kids enter the tournament and a handful more that just came for the ambience, the board games, and the popcorn. Man, those final 3 kids were good! Chris K emerged as our grand prize winner with Aaron R coming in second and Brandon K a close third. A big thank you also, to Jared, the recipient of the "thanks for cleaning up midway through" prize. I love to see a man with a broom in his hands, especially voluntarily!

We'll be doing a 2 on 2 Guitar Hero World Tour Tournament in December. Watch for details, and see you then!

Pics from today are below.

What Mrs N's Been Reading - Repossessed

Just finished A.M. Jenkins' Repossessed. If you're open to exploring the possibilities of what heaven and hell might actually be like, this is a very interesting book. Kiriel, a fallen angel (don't use the term "demon" please) whose job has been to "echo souls regrets back at them, thus letting them feel the full burden of their shame, guilt and sorrow" for millenia, decides that he's had enough and wants to experience physical being. He snatches the body of Shaun, a typical teenager, seconds before he is about to be hit and killed by an SUV. Pretending to be Shaun, Kiriel sets out to experience all of the human senses and as many of the seven deadly sins as he can before being found out. Jenkins did a really good job of letting you feel what it would be like to suddenly have a physical body and senses, after millenia of being purely a spiritual being. There's some mature content, as Kiriel plans to experience some things. There's nothing graphic, though, and ultimately he winds up viewing some of those things in an entirely different way than how he started out. You might want to read this one with someone, because if you really get into it, you'll want to talk about some things, especially the ending. Not for young middle-schoolers, but an excellent book. If you're in the mood to get just a little philosphical, check it out!

What Mrs. N's Been Reading - First Shot and The New Policeman

I've been out for a bit while in the process of moving, and am a bit behind in postings. I (fairly) recently finished 2 good ones. The first one was Kate Thompson's The New Policeman. It is based on old Irish folklore about fairies. Everyone in the village of Kinvara seems to be far more rushed and behind then usual, and it seems to be getting worse. Young J.J. wants to give his mom the only thing she really wants - more time. An encounter with a neighbor from the village sets him off on a mission to find and stop a time leak in the land of fairies where time usually stands still. Along the way J.J. also clears up a mystery from his family's past involving the sudden disappearance and presumed murder of the local priest. There are a fair number of Irish terms used that you could get the general gist of the meaning of as you read, but a glossary is also provided at the end of the book (thank you!) Suitable for any age, it's a nice mix of fantasy and mystery that, being based on the Irish folklore, is a bit different from the usual fantasy. Chapters are incredibly short, so it's good for reluctant readers. And for those who are musically inclined, there is sheet music for old Irish tunes at the beginning of each chapter. A very good book with some different twists.

I also read Walter Sorrells' First Shot. I recently read, and liked very much, his Fake ID. First Shot was another good mystery. This one takes place at a private school in New England, where David is the unremarkable son of the strict headmaster. Events at the beginning of his senior year lead David to suspect that his father may have murdered his mother two years previously, an awfully tough spot for a kid to be in! While working to solve his mother's murder, David also uncovers some additional scandalous secrets. There's a little bit of language in this one, but not too bad and nothing graphic. I thought this one wrapped up a little too quickly at the end ( the old, "you have this many pages left - tie up all your loose ends now" ending) but still thought it was a very good mystery.

Enjoy!

Wii for Seniors

We just held our first Wii for Seniors program. It went so well that we will probably do it again. Members of the Teen Advisory Group were on hand to demonstrate and help out. A small, but very enthusiastic group of seniors got to play bowling, golf, tennis and baseball on Wii Sports and did a little shooting in Wii Play. We also had board games and the infamous Nerf ping pong available as well. It was a great afternoon! Pics below.

Middle School VGT Update

We just wrapped up a fun afternoon with our first video game tournament for middle school for this school year. 20 kids showed up and had a great time playing Super Smash Bros. Melee on the big screen. A big thanks to Tony from GameStop/EBGames at the Capital City Mall for bringing along the extra game systems and games, and staying late to get the Wii back in the box for me. (Yes, I would have gotten it eventually, but it would have taken several times as long.) A big thanks also to Patrick Y for running the tournament. Congrats to Patrick as well, being our winner for the day. It looks like Evan was our runner-up. Thanks also to Tony for providing t-shirts and other cool prizes. If you missed it, some pics are below. Watch this space for details on other upcoming teen programs.

What Mrs N's Been Reading - Fake ID

Just finished Walter Sorrells' Fake ID. If you're looking for a good action-packed mystery, I just might have the book for you. This one is about a teenage girl, who has spent her entire life moving from place to place with her mom, taking on a new identity everywhere they go. She doesn't know what her real name is, but at this latest stop, she's going by Chass. When Chass' mom suddenly disappears, she not only has to deal with the local sheriff, who considers her and her mom trash, and wants to quickly get Chass turned over to juvenile authorities and out of town, but several big men with guns who want something that they won't even identify. In the course of trying to find out what happened to her mom and stay a few steps ahead of the guys with the guns, she also opens up a 20 year old can of worms in the form of an old local unsolved disappearance that sounds like it was probably a murder. Like I said earlier, plenty of action and plot twists, and no content that would be inappropriate for middle-schoolers. All in all a darn good book and a pretty quick read to boot.

Enjoy! And if you do, you might want to also check out the sequel, Club Dread.

What Mrs N's Been Reading - Fly on the Wall

Just finished e. lockhart's Fly on the Wall. It's a quick read - the story of Gretchen Yee, a student at an arts magnet high school in New York City. Her best friend Katya seems to be blowing her off lately, her parents just told her that they're getting a divorce, her drawing teacher is hypercritical of anything not done in the particular style she prefers, and she just can't figure boys out at all. In a discussion about boys, Gretchen comments to Katya that she'd love to be a fly on the wall in the boys' locker room. Sure enough, the next morning she wakes up as a fly on the wall in the boys locker room. Over the course of several days Gretchen goes from being a voyeur to starting to see beyond the surface of several of her classmates. I'd recommend this one to high school students, due purely to some of her observations in the locker room. Considering what she's describing, I thought it was remarkably non-graphic, but it is what it is. There's also some salty language, but if you ride the bus, you've probably heard it all. Hopefully reading this book will encourage you to look beneath the surface of some of the people you think you know. What you find there may surprise you.

Enjoy!

What Mrs N's Been Reading - My Swordhand is Singing

Just finished Marcus Sedgwick's My Swordhand is Singing. Sometimes a title is just so off-the-wall that it makes you pick the book up for a second look. This was one of those books. The creepy eyeball looking at you on the front cover helped, too. That, and the fact that I've liked other Sedgwick books. Anyway, this book is based on the very early folklore about vampires and the undead. Yes, it has undead vampires, multiple murders, chase scenes, and a gothic horror story setting, but if you're looking for a really creepy, blood and guts, vampire story, this ain't it. What it is, is a very well-written story about a teenage boy learning about life, death, love and the truth about his drunk, seemingly irresponsible father. It's a story of true heroism in the face of extreme adversity. It's a story about coming to terms with who you really are and what you're meant to do. It takes place at an nonspecific time several hundred years ago, in an unnamed eastern European country. It's a quick read, that doesn't fit any specific genre. There's plenty of tension, both from the action and the setting, but nothing graphic. I recommend it for both middle school and high school students. Enjoy!