The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

It's 1958 in Little Rock. Twelve-year-old Marlee doesn't talk. She can talk, but mostly chooses not to.

This can present problems sometimes, especially at school. Now that Marlee's beginning middle school it's especially uncomfortable for her because it's a whole new school with new teachers.

However, when Marlee meets Liz, the new girl in school, Liz finds ways to make Marlee talk. Little by little, Marlee comes out of her shell, but suddenly one day Liz doesn't come to school - and never returns.

Remember this is 1958 and in the south many schools were segregated - only whites were allowed. Rumors fly that Liz was really an African American trying to pass as a white girl.

This is a story about friendship, civil rights, and how people react when their world is changing. The Lions of Little Rock is really a terrific book. If you enjoyed Countdown, you will love this novel. This is really a worthwhile read!

What Boys Really Want by Pete Hautman

Lita and Adam have been friends forever. Neither really understands why the opposite sex acts the way they do. And when Lita jokingly tells Adam to "...write a book explaining why boys are such idiots." he does, but the only glitch is Adam isn't a writer. He finds he really has nothing much to say.

So Adam "borrows" some advice from an online advice column.

Q: What do boys want more-sex or love?

A: Most boys would probably answer "sex," but that is only because they never get any. For the real answer, go google the word sex. You will get a couple billion hits. Now google the word love. You will get four times as many.
                                         - from What Boys Want

Surprisingly, Adam finishes his book and gets it published. But when it becomes wildly popular, Lita stops speaking to him.

This novel is told in alternate points of view. We get to see what boys (and girls) really do want. Read this book to see what it is!

THE HUNGER GAMES PARTY!!!!!!!

Over seventy students and ten teachers attended our Hunger Games party Thursday after school.

Students arrived ready and eager to bring their district to glory.

Students were divided into 12 districts and then THE GAMES BEGAN! There were 4 activities for districts to cycle through.

In the Cornucopia students competed for items that would help them survive.

Students made buttons.

Districts competed against each other in Jeopardy.



Students were blindfolded and had their teammates lead them (by words only) through a maze.

Two tributes reach the cornucopia at the same time.

Directing their fellow tribute.

We played the Hunger Games version of "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot" which we called "Fire, Beast, Tribute, Shoot" to determine the victor in the game.

The victor!

Teachers drew names and students selected a parachute to see what their door prize would be.







  

Everyone enjoyed the Hunger Game themed cupcakes baked by Ms. Benton!

And for the final surprise, students found out we had reserved a nearby theater on March 23, opening day, for all of us to go watch the movie! Watch their reaction below-

 

Teachers and librarians who would like copies of some of the above ideas, please go here Hunger Games ideas

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

According to sixteen-year-old Hazel, the main character in The Fault in Our Stars, "this is not a cancer book, because cancer books suck."

And this book definitely does NOT suck. Hazel and Augustus both have cancer, but both are busy living - not dying.

Augustus is a smart, very cute seventeen-year-old who happens to have lost one leg because of cancer. However, the fact that he only has one leg does not define who he is. He is a catch, and Hazel falls for him the first time she meets him.

This is a story about Hazel and Augustus and their love for each other. It's a story about how they choose to live their lives despite their illnesses. And they do live their lives to their fullest. After reading this book people may just look at their own lives a little differently.

Really a great book, but bring the tissues! 

Girl, Stolen by April Henry

Ok, if you want to read a book you can't put down, read Girl, Stolen. I read this book in two sittings and only to stopped for a break when my husband insisted he was hungry and we needed to eat.                                                                                          Cheynne Wilder is sixteen-years-old and blind. She is also very sick with pneumonia. On the way back from the doctor's, her mother stopped to pick up a perscription for her. While Cheyenne was sleeping in the back seat her mother's car was stolen-with Cheyenne in it!                                                                                               Although Griffen, her kidnapper, only wanted to steal a car and was shocked to see a person in the back seat, he doesn't let her go. Griffen brings Cheyenne to his father's house deep in the woods and things go from bad to worse.                                                                              How can Cheyenne escape if she can't see? And when Griffen's father discovers Cheyenne is the daughter of the president of Nike his plans for a ransom seem to put Cheyenne even more at risk. This was really a book that I couldn't put down. I was really frightened for Cheyenne and amazingly, felt empathy for Griffen her initial kidnapper. If you want to read a fairly short book that will keep your interest from page one, read Girl, Stolen!

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

Rory Deveaux arrives in London during a very exciting time. It will soon be the anniversary of the Jack the Ripper killings. In 1888, a person who police nicknamed Jack the Ripper killed a number of women in London, England, in a short period of time. The killings stopped, but "Jack" was never caught.

Now, each year on the anniversary of the killings, London is filled with  a sort of party atmosphere. Stores are selling Jack the Ripper tee-shirts and pubs are packed with people.

Until a murder occurs. The murder is caught on a surveillance camera, but no killer can be seen ...except by Rory.

If you like murder mysteries and ghost stories, you will love this book.

Half A Life A Memoir by Darin Strauss

Half my life ago, I killed a girl.

I had just turned eighteen, and when you drive in new post-adolescence, you drive with friends. We were headed to shoot a few rounds of putt-putt.

So begins the memoir by Darin Strauss who was driving his friends to play miniature golf when a girl on her bike (who happened to be in his senior class in high school) darted out in front of his car.

He killed her and it changed everything.

This is a very honest accounting of how Darin reconciles the fact that although he killed a classmate, it wasn't his fault. With deep introspection, he examines his feelings right after the accident, when he attends college, and then when he is trying to build a life with his soon-to-be wife.

I'm not sure that middle school students will be able to relate to this book, but I do think at least a few students are living with what seems to be a terrible secret - a part of themselves they try to keep private from the outside world.

And probably at least one or two people reading this blog have had to deal with a terrible accident. Maybe something happened to someone you love, or perhaps you are living with guilt over something that happened in your life. It would be hard to find a book where someone has examined his feelings so honestly and written about them with such perceptive insight.