Samantha Sutton and the Labryinth of Lies

 

 If you're in my Summer Reading Program group, you may find this title familiar. It's in my giant bag of book picks for the 4th and 5th graders. While trying to coerce one of my more fickle readers into picking something from my gargantuan bag of tricks, I couldn't pass up this read...and it was worth taking home.

Samantha Sutton has wanted to be an archaeologist like her Uncle Jay for her entire life. And when he finally gives her, and her annoying brother Evan, the opprotunity to go on a real archaeological dig and help out, she's as excited as could be.

Once at the dig site in Peru, an ancient temple in the Andes mountains ("as ancient to the Inca as the Inca are to us"), Samantha finds out that some weird things attributed to "El Loco" have been happening at the dig. With suspicious running high against one of her Uncle's prize (though seriously rude) student, Samantha knows she has to figure out who is really behind the destruction of the dig sites, and theft of important artifacts. 

I found Samantha to be a likable enough character, although some of the language in the book made me feel like this was "written down". I also didn't like the way her parents were portrayed as the kind of people who don't know (or care...) about the difference between archaeology and paleontology --especially when archaeology runs in the family. (If you don't know the difference, let me enlighten you: paleontologists deal with fossils, archaeologists deal with people/cultural artifacts...and that's the easy definition; there are some blurred lines, but not many). I also really...really...really dislike books that insert a foreign language into a book; especially when they don't translate sentences you need to understand to get the drama! I am hopeless at languages (ironic, huh?). I took a semester of Spanish in college...and my professor didn't encourage me to sign up for another semester of it --which I was fine with. I have a lot of patience for foreign books to be translated into English.

Other than that however, it was an engaging read --and the first in a series. There is one copy available in the MORE system, which is currently in my bag 'o books but if you ask nicely, I'll let you check it out.

So, that's what I've been reading, how about you?

-S

Summer Reading is Here!

So, it's that time again...even if it hasn't really felt like it outside with all the rainy weather --but summer reading is again upon us!

Rather than the updates like we've done the last few summers, I am going to focus more on reader's advisory; this summer focusing on books that (I think!) fit well into our two summer reading themes: Dig Into Reading (ages 4-11) and Beneath the Surface (12-18). Both age groups overlap our middle schoolers, so hopefully everyone will be able to find a good book this summer!

My first suggestion for the summer is one I really, really love...and I swear I don't think I've reccomended it before.

 

The first time I read Holes by Louis Sachar, I was probably about 11. Since that first reading, I've picked it up about four more times. I don't know what it is, but I just fell in love with Stanley and all the guys at Camp Green Lake. Even though it's generally a realistic fiction book, it does have the element of mysticism to it that I enjoy in my books.

If you're not familiar with Holes, here's the gist: The Yelnats family was cursed when Stanley's dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great-great grandfather...well, stole a pig, hopped a boat to America, and never looked back. That curse is what lands Stanley at Camp Green Lake...that is neither green nor has a lake. While there, he makes friends with the delinquent boys, including Zero, a quiet kid who has "zero future". At camp, the boys dig holes daily: five feet wide by five feet deep...and if they find something "interesting", they're supposed to bring it to the attention of the Warden; a woman known for wearing venom-infused nail polish (to make the red extra shiny). The story flips between the past and present, bringing not just one, but three stories together and might just help break a family curse.

Sachar is known for his young adult fiction, and Holes is a great place to start with this author, or pick him up again. You may be familiar with his other series, like the Wayside School books or the Marvin Redpost series.What you may NOT know (at least I didn't until last year), but Holes has a sequal called Small Steps that was published in 2006. Small Steps picks back up with Armpit living at home in Austin, Texas...trying to stay out of trouble...but when X-Ray arrives, things start to spiral out of control.

Have you read Holes or are you familiar with other books by Louis Sachar? I myself rather enjoyed the Wayside School books. They're a great laugh! Feel free to share your thoughts on the book, the author, or tell me what you're reading! I'm always on the look out for a good book!

Happy reading --and we hope to see you into the library for Teen Thursdays (ages 12-18 at 4PM) or the Summer Reading Program (Thursday mornings starting July 11th, 9:30 AM), or just into the library.

-Samma

You Must Read This!

Cassie and Samma and I have been doing a lot of reading lately in preparation for this summer's theme, Dig Into Reading.  The book I've liked most so far is actually a series of five books that start with Gregor the Overlander by Suszanne Collins. 

Gregor is an eleven year old boy who follows his little sister Boots down a shaft in the apartment basement and discovers a world of oversized bugs and rodents and a group of people know as the Underlanders.  In this first book, Gregor is sent on a mission foretold in a prophecy that names Gregor as the Warrior.  Gregor gets to fly on the back of a bat, which I actually think would be really cool, as well as meet creatures like a three foot high cockroach named Temp.  Temp turns out to be one of my favorite characters, but I still don't like the small kind! 

Discussion: Hugo

Okay, so I'm going to cheat a bit with this book and steal some questions from another book club. For reference, I'm borrowing from: http://oneminutebookreviews.wordpress.com/2007/04/21/a-totally-unauthorized-reading-group-guide-to-the-invention-of-hugo-cabret/

First: Brian Selznick tells Hugo’s story in a unique way. He uses a lot more pictures than you find in most novels. Sometimes he tells Hugo’s story in words and sometimes in pictures. Why do you think he did this? How did you like it? What are some advantages and disadvantages of having so many pictures in a novel?

I felt like the illustrations worked to give an added depth. Too often as a readers, we become absorbed in words and in the world we build inside of our heads. With the structure of drawings, Selznick brings us into the world HE invisions, rather than the one we create for ourselves. In a way, I feel this also hinders our ability to enjoy the book. Personally, I much prefer to create the scenery in my head. The only exceptions to this are graphic novels and picture books. Novels, to me, should leave the reader to ability to create the mindscape of the written word.

If you’ve read any of the Harry Potter books or seen the movies, you may have noticed that the Invention of Hugo Cabret has some things in common with them. What are some of them?

I included this question because I was rather surprised to find it within the group. What do you think? I'm a huge Potter fan, so I can relate almost anything to the Boy Wizard. Did you get a feel of any other novels or movies while you were reading?


And this time, rather than give you a list of movies and books to check out --why don't you reccomend some to me? Get some more discussion opprotunities rolling here!


On Wednesday, we'll begin our discussion of our next novel, Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo. I read this book last summer and I absolutely LOVED it! I look forward to some slightly more active postings than I've given you guys with the last couple of novels!

Happy Reading!
Samma

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Hey everyone.

I know I've been a bit behind the last few weeks. Hopefully you enjoyed Palace of Laughter. You should now be reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick.

Summary from Books-a-Million: Orphan, clock keeper, thief: Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. Combining elements of picture book, graphic novel, and film, Caldecott Honor artist Selznick breaks open the novel form to create an entirely new reading experience in this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery.

Palace of Laughter Discussion: At the Circus

Here in Wisconsin, we're no stranger to the circus. Especially if you grew up in the town of Baraboo. Baraboo, WI is the home of the Circus World Museum (you can view their homepage here), but the short version is that the Ringling Brother's circus, nearly 100 years ago, had set their winter home in the Baraboo area. Back then, it was called the Ringlingville. The last time they camped there for the winter was in 1918, but the site is now a historical landmark.

The Circus World museum is open all summer long, so I highly encourage you to check it out. I'll admit that I've lived in Wisconsin my entire life, and I've never been to Baraboo. Maybe I'll have to do something about that this year.

Here's a few links for you to check out between your reading:
http://www.pbs.org/opb/circus/interact/big-top-trivia-quizes/

http://huntsville.about.com/library/blcircus.htm

Here's a really cool video I found of some Russian circus perfomers.



How are you guys liking the book so far? What do you think of the Tiger? Have you met Little yet? Share your thoughts and any videos and links.

Happy Reading,
Samma

Final Discussion: The Sea of Trolls

Hey guys. Hopefully by now you've finished The Sea of Trolls. I'll admit, I haven't. But Les basically told me what happened...

So, first, discussion questions. (Insert obligatory Spoiler warning here)

1. If you had to choose between being a Northman/Berserker or a Saxon, which would you choose and why?

2. How would you like being a bard's apprentice? Do you think it's a good career choice?
(Side fact: speaking of 'bards', I happened to be looking through a 20,001 Baby Names book, and stumbled upon the name Riordan (which made me think of Rick Riordan, of course) --and it means bard, or poet.)

3. How did you feel about Olaf's death? Was it neccesary? Could it have been different? Do you think Olaf went to Valhalla or one of the other after-lives mentioned in the book?

4. Which after-life do you think you'd prefer?

5. How did you feel about Lucy as a character? How about her relationship with her father, verses the relationship with Jack or her mother? Do you think it was right (or perhaps kind?) of her father to allow her to live in her fantasy world?

6. The Bard advises Jack, "You should look intelligent even when you aren't." How does this advice serve Jack as he travels on his quest? And how can you apply this to your own life; do you think the statement has real-world merit?

7. If you had the chance to visit Mimir's Well; what do you think you'd have to give up in order to drink from it?


Over all, I enjoyed the book. It was rather hard for me to get through while I was busy doing other things. I liked the tie to Beowulf. When I was in high school and had to suffer through it for what seemed like months (it's 96 pages! Why did we spend nearly an entire semester on it?!), I had little-to-no-patience for it. We watched a couple different movie adaptations, including a really horrible (and kind of creepy) claymation movie. While the story of Beowulf itself is interesting, reading it in edited old english is not exactly what I would call a good time. Especially when you can find modern, novel-length retellings that are about fifty times better... But hey, personal opinion.

Per the characters...I got a little exasperated with Lucy. Jack obviously had a lot of patience. Much more than I would have had. The instance they started talking about her being a "lost princess", I just KNEW that something wasn't going to bode well. Half-way to Ivar the Boneless and Frith's castle, I wanted to toss Lucy overboard...

I didn't like Thorgil at first, but she kind of grew on me. I wasn't sure how I felt about her change in mood after drinking from the well however... I kind of wanted to just feed her to the dragon.

As usual, I've got a few reccomendations for you.

Movies:
How to Train Your Dragon
Thor --and not just the recent movie version. Marvel has done a few animated films as well (old school style, which is just awesome!). I also highly reccomend the Ultimate Avengers movies, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man.
Eragon

Books:
The How to Train Your Dragon Series (Cressida Cowell)
Underworlds: The Battle Begins (Tony Abbott)
Raven Speak (Diane Lee Wilson)
The Coming of the Dragon (Rebecca Barnhouse) *Note: This is another Beowulf tie!*

Also, keep in mind that this is actually part of a trilogy. The other books in this series are The Land of the Silver Apples and The Island of the Blessed --both of which are available, of course, on MORE.

Graphic Novels:
Asterix Comics; there are several titles, and I'm not 100% sure which is "first". You may want to try an Omnibus (a large collection of many volumes), or just select one at random to see if you like it.
The Life Eaters (David Brin) --I haven't read this, but the cover looks interesting. It might be a little advanced for the younger spectrum here
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword (Barry Deutsch)


As always, if you've got any reccomendations or final thoughts on the book, share! Otherwise, get prepped for our first official Summer Reading Program book!

The Palace of Laughter by Jon Berkeley. Place your holds now!

When the mysterious Circus Oscuro arrives in the dead of night, Miles Wednesday, a runaway orphan living in a barrel, is the only person in the town of Larde to witness the event. Later that same night, he is approached by a tiger who claims he can smell the circus in Miles. Thus begins a chain of events that introduces the boy to a winged waif named Little, a captive of the circus's sinister ringmaster. Upon Little's escape, the two set out to rescue her friend from the Palace of Laughter, which seems to be far more dangerous and horrible than the name implies. –Christi Voth, Parker Library, CO
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Happy Reading,
 Samma