A Small White Scar by K. A. Nuzum

A Small White Scar by K. A. Nuzum is about Will and Denny, twins who aren't exactly the same. While Will was born a typical boy, Denny was born with Downs Syndrome. They live on a ranch with their father, but since their mother's death, Will has had to take over caring for Denny. Instead of working the ranch with his father and the other ranch hands, Will finds himself constantly drawn away from what he's doing by Denny. Will feels trapped - like he's growing into a man, but Denny is still a boy. He desperately wants to get away from his life on the ranch, so he makes a plan to travel 40 miles away to the rodeo. Will knows he's good enough to compete and even win, and he's hoping someone will notice his skills and hire him to work on a ranch far away from his own. Unfortunately, the day he tries to make his escape, Denny follows him! Despite being bitten by a rattle snake, having to cross a dangerously fast moving river, and Will's anger, Denny continues to follow. When he sees that the snake bite is infected, Will takes Denny to the only local doctor - a friend of their fathers. He leaves Denny in the care of the doctor, knowing their father will come for them soon, and heads out for the rodeo. Suddenly things take a turn for the better for Will - he's doing extremely well in the rodeo and people are taking notice of him! It seems like all of his dreams are about to come true. And then....

This was a really moving story. It reminded me a bit of Of Mice and Men and a bit of The Scarlet Ibis. I loved seeing the way the boys' relationship developed over the years, and the changes that began to happen as they matured separately. I also really liked the descriptions of the rodeo and events there. I've never seen a rodeo and had no idea of the skill it takes to compete. Excellent book!

Knockout! A Photobiography of Boxer Joe Louis by George Sullivan

Knockout! A Photobiography of Boxer Joe Louis by George Sullivan describes the life of boxing legend Joe Louis Barrow (Joe Louis). Joe Louis was an incredibly important person to all people in the United States during the 30s and early 40s. He stood for equality to black people fighting for civil rights, and he stood for "America" in the fight against Nazi Germany during World War II. His 11 year, 8 month record for holding the heavyweight title of the world has never been broken!

This was a really interesting book. I didn't know anything about Joe Louis until I read it. It was interesting to learn how influential and important he was to people during the 30s and 40s. He was so much more than just a sports figure.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is about Grace, a Minnesota teen who survived a wolf attack in her backyard six years ago. She doesn't remember much about the attack, except that she's certain one wolf saved her from the rest. She thinks of him as her wolf, and waits for his appearance in the woods bordering her backyard - usually in late fall of each year. The older she gets, the harder it is for her to wait for him.

The story is also about Sam, a teen who 11 years ago was bitten by a werewolf and became one himself. He is still young enough that he retains his human form during the warmest months of the year, only becoming wolf during the cold. He is Grace's wolf.

Sam and Grace live for the small moments they each get to stare at one another across her backyard each season, sharing a bond neither of them fully understands. When a student from Grace's school is attacked and killed by a pack of wolves, the townspeople (including Grace's father) take matters into their own hands and go out hunting. Sam is shot, and amazingly returns to his human form, despite the frigid fall weather. Grace finds him on her doorstep, and recognizes him as her wolf immediately. From then on, the two are inseparable, falling madly in love with one another and constantly saddened by the reality that eventually Sam will change back to wolf... maybe for good. Things take a turn for the worse as Jack, the boy who was killed by the wolf pack returns - as a wolf himself - unstable and angrier than ever. Grace's best friend Olivia begins acting strangely, and Grace is being stalked by a she-wolf who is bent on rising to the top of the pack as Sam's mate.

I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book!!!!! Mrs. Ruder (from the HOMS MC) recommended it to me, and she was right - it's my new favorite! I could barely put it down. The ending was AWESOME!! It's one of those endings that makes me want to start reading it again from the start. I would recommend this one to anyone who likes the Twilight Series, for sure! The sequel, Linger, comes out July 20, 2010, and I will be first in line to grab my copy!

I Heard God Talking To Me: William Edmondson and His Stone Carvings by Elizabeth Spires

I Heard God Talking To Me: William Edmondson and His Stone Carvings by Elizabeth Spires is a collection of poetry by Elizabeth Spires written in response to William Edmondson's famous carvings. William Edmondson was the son of freed slaves. He grew up in the south, and from an early age had spiritual experiences where he heard God's voice. These experiences convinced him to begin carving beautiful, yet simple, headstones and statues. He would sell them out of his yard for very little. Now, his famous pieces can be found in museums and private collections all across the United States. Elizabeth Spires wrote poems about many of his famous works, giving a voice to Edmondson's creations.

This was a really interesting book. The poems were lovely, but I really enjoyed seeing the pictures of Edmondson's pieces and Edmondson himself. The end of the book contains more information about him, his life, and his carvings.

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams is about 16 year old Cody, the star quarter back of the Little Bend, Colorado football team. Things seem perfect - summer is starting, he's got a great job, a great girlfriend, an excellent chance of making a college football team (if he can get his grades up), until Clea's dad sends her to Hong Kong for the summer. When she returns, they are both so happy, until Cody finds out Clea will be attending a fancy prep school in Vermont that fall. Things keep falling apart for Cody - he breaks up with Clea before she goes, thinking it's what's best for them both, he suffers a knee injury during a football game, and he ends up dropping out of school. One afternoon he sees a breaking news story - a girl from a prep school in Vermont has gone missing... and, it's Clea. Not knowing what else to do, Cody leaves his dad a note and drives all the way to Vermont to help out with the search. Cody doesn't realize what he's getting himself into. It seems like finding Clea is hopeless... until Cody finds some clues that lead him closer to her, but also closer to danger.

This book was a good mystery once it got going. There was a lot of build up to Clea's disappearance, focusing on Cody's football playing. Also, there was a lot of swearing - some pretty serious language. I would recommend this book to older readers (high school) who want a good mystery.

Swindle by Gordon Korman

Swindle by Gordon Korman is about Griffin Bing, the "man with the plan". When he and his best friend, Ben, spend the night in the condemned Rockford building the night before it is to be knocked down, they never knew what kind of trouble they'd find. What they did find as a 1920 Babe Ruth baseball card. They took it to the local collectible store and sold it to S. Wendell Palomino (Swindle) for a whopping $120.00. It was only a few days later when Griffin saw Swindle on tv talking excitedly about his belief that he would earn over 1 million dollars when he put it up for auction! Griffin immediately devised a plan to get the card back, hoping he could sell it and save his family from financial ruin. Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned - from a vicious attack dog, to a friend with narcolepsy, to a nosy neighbor - things just kept going wrong!

This was a great book! I really like Gordon Korman's books, and this was one of the funniest. You know an author is good when he can make you laugh right out loud! I found myself really hoping Griffin's plan would work and Swindle Palomino would get what he deserved - I never suspected the twists and turns that happened at the end of the story! Zoobreak is a recently released book by Gordon Korman, featuring the same characters. I'll be checking that one out soon!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is about Greg Heffley and his adventures (and misadventures) as a middle schooler. The story is told via Greg's journal (NOT a diary), and is complete with his own illustrations! Poor Greg - when he's not protecting himself from getting the "Cheese Touch", he has to deal with getting chased by high schoolers bent on stealing his Halloween candy, getting kicked off of safety patrols for chasing the kindergartners with fresh worms, having his dad smash up his snowman head (after he kicked his younger brother's snowman at his brother's head), or having his mom substitute for his teacher. These are just a few of the hilarious events that happen throughout this hilarious book about a wimpy kid.

OK, so this book is so funny that I burst out laughing during the middle of silent reading time and completely disrupted the entire library!! I have seen so many of my students reading the entire series, but this is the first time I've read any of them. I finished the book in a matter of a few hours, simply because it was so amusing and engaging! I totally understand why kids like this one!