www.R U in Danger.net by Scott Driscoll and Laurie Gifford Adams

Scott Driscoll knows what he is talking about. As law officer for over 21 years, he served on a federal task force for Internet Crimes Against Children. When he came to our school to speak to our students, it was obvious he was both passionate and knowledgeable about what can go wrong on the Internet.

In this book, Mr. Driscoll presents various scenarios, has a quick quiz at the end of each, and then discusses what should have been red flags as he dissects each Internet transaction.

We read about teenagers chatting with people they don't know, posting videos where they exploit a fellow student, and make plans to meet people they haven't met.

This is really scary stuff because the scenarios are true and when speaking with middle school students, I know a lot of this goes on and can get out of control pretty quickly.

www.R U in Danger.net has been checked out regularly since we got it in the library. It's a book I would recommend to all middle school students and their parents and teachers.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

Sage is an orphan, and we first meet him as he is running through the streets trying to hold on to a huge chunk of slippery raw meat. Unfortunately for him, he is tripped and caught and taken away by Conner who uses brutal means to subdue the three boys he has taken.

Connor has searched the country for boys who look like the prince and heir to the throne who is presumed to have drowned. The King,  Queen, and older brother have all died from poisoning and a new ruler will be named. Connor, who has devious plans of his own, needs to find a boy who can deceive the noblemen to think he has found the long-lost prince.

If Sage can't convince Connor of his worthiness to be king, he will be killed. But how can he prove he is worthy? Sage is dirty, uncouth, and most of all, has a mind of his own. He also has secrets of his own.

The False Prince is filled with adventure and danger along with plot twists and turns. It definitely kept me reading and cheering for Sage throughout. This is the first in a trilogy. We have The Runaway King, and will be eagerly awaiting the final book in this series.

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 1st wave: kills half a million people and destroys all electronics
The 2nd wave: massive earthquakes and tidal ways kills 3 billion people in one day
The 3rd wave: the Red Death attacks the people who are still alive
The 4th wave: adults are killed and children are taken away
The 5th wave: can't tell you, but it's worth reading the book to find out!

The aliens are here and they are out to get us.

 Sixteen-year-old Cassie is our first narrator and we follow her as she tries to keep her promise to her younger brother. As he is taken away on a school bus filled with children, she promises she will come back to get him - a promise that proves hard to keep.
Other sections of this book are told by other teenage narrators and all converge towards a mind-blowing run-for-your-lives adventure at the end of the  book.

Yancy has a way of getting readers interested from page one. At the end of every chapter, I would try to take a break and put the book down, but it's the kind of book that keeps you reading one more chapter, then another ...

This is the first in a series; I can't wait for the next!  Genius!

Our Divergent Party

If you are interested in entering a drawing for the two Insurgent books that were left over, leave a comment about the party below. Be sure to put your first name and homeroom number in the comment. If you have difficulty leaving a comment, come to the media center and put your comment on a notecard. The two winning entries will be announced during the Friday morning announcements. This contest is for AMSB students only.

Thank you to all students and teachers who came to the party - it was so much fun to see you all enjoying yourselves!

Over fifty students and ten teachers attended our Divergent party. Students were asked to bring a donation to a local food bank. Students who donated were reminded that the Abnegation faction also served others.

Students selected buttons from a bag and were divided into six factions.

Each faction attended three activities-

In Amity, students had snacks, made friendship bracelets, blew bubbles, and put tattoos and face paint on each other. It's so nice to all get along!

Students also competed in a very Erudite game of trivia.



To win the Dauntless competition students were

very brave and daring!

All students then came back to the media center for more competitions, Ms. Benton's famous cupcakes, and prizes!

Divergent Party Time!

We're having our Divergent party in the media center after school tomorrow! Please bring your invitation with you and your donation to a food bank.

You will be divided into 6 factions and will compete in different activities. So wear comfortable clothes and tennis shoes and come prepared to have fun!

Check back next week for pictures from our party.

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith

Graham Larkin is a seventeen-year-old heart throb; it seems as if every teenage girl knows who he is and has seen every movie he has been in. Ellie O'Neill is a seventeen-year-old girl who works in her mother's gift shop in a small town in Maine and has no real interest in dating a boy millions of girls have a crush on.

However. Ellie has a secret crush on a boy she has never met. She accidentally received an email from a stranger from California who wrote about his pet pig. Over several months of  writing back and forth, Ellie becomes more and more interested until ...

Graham shows up in her small Maine town to film a movie. I don't want to give any more away, but this is a cute romance that will keep girls reading to find out what happens next.

I almost hesistant to review and recommend this book because this is exactly what we tell children NOT to do - correspond, then meet someone they don't know. Instead of a light-hearted romance, this definitely could have had a disasterous ending!