I’ll admit that it took me a few pages before I really felt pulled into The Maze Runner — when the story opens, Thomas remembers nothing about himself, knows nothing about where he is, and is too overwhelmed to interact much with the boys around him. Given where the story is [...]
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Margaret Peterson Haddix is one of my favorite authors, but I’ll admit that I love some of her books far more than others. I don’t know that I’d consider Claim to Fame one of my faves amongst her books, but it was definitely a good read.
In “Claim to Fame”, Lindsey is [...]
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There’s a lot of dystopian YA out there right now, but this book is among the best. In Birthmarked, Gaia is a 16 year-old midwife following in her mother’s footsteps in a tightly controlled world of post-environmental collapse. The book description at Amazon describes the set-up and premise pretty well, [...]
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If there’s anyone out there who is looking for a good picture book to pick up — for a child, a present, whatever — I can totally recommend Aliens Love Underpants (by Claire Freedman and Ben Cort).
The title alone made me so happy that I expected the book itself to seriously let me down, but [...]
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A good book, and would be great for use in the classroom
Putting Up Roots is a really interesting book about a group of kids who *think* they are training to be colonists on a new planet with their families — only to discover when they get there that their families aren’t coming, and [...]
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Probably my favorite choice for struggling or disengaged students
Really, Hidden Talents is a great read for just about anyone — it’s probably targeted at 4th-8th graders, but I know plenty of adults who have enjoyed this book about reform school “misfits” who discover hidden powers just as much as their children.
There are lots [...]
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