Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Lanesha lives with her Mama Ya-Ya, the midwife who delivered her and kept her after her mother died at her birth. Mama Ya-Ya is old and tries her best to raise her with very little money but lots of love. School is where she feels out of place with a few friends.  Smart and curious in a place where big dreams are not the norm, she finds encouragement from a teacher who believes in her. She is looking forward to her birthday, but there is a storm brewing in the Gulf that Mama's dreams keep telling her will be the end of their world. It is up to Lanesha to get ready and as others leave, she and Mama do not. It is only after Katrina hits that Mama understands what her dreams mean. They are in big trouble and it will take everything Lanesha can think of to save herself, the dog in her care, and one of her friends. But it will take the love of a mother who has always been there when the flood forces Lanesha to do things she didn't think she could do.  Which mother is it, the one who raised her or the one she knew that never really left her? Does a mother's love really ever die?

The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

Reveta has seen a lot in her 13 years, which has helped her to become a bright and strong person. She will need to be both when living in the  kingdom of Sylvania with her soldier father who has finally retrieved her from the safe place her mom left her when she died.  She is pulled into a mystery that has to be solved - where do the 12 princesses go at night and how do they get out of the locked place that their father the king has them every night? When a friend is hurt trying to solve this, Reveta knows she has to solve it or else. What she didn't know is that she will have to make a choice that no mortal should have to make. When she makes it, she is drawn into another mystery that has even more at stake. If you love fairy tales, myths, and plot twists, you will love this book. Would you have made the same choice or do you have the courage to live with your choices?

Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

How does someone go from being a counterfeiter of money to being a grave robber? Maybe it involves being desperate or could it be stupidity? Big Jim Kennally thinks stealing Lincoln's body will solve all his problems, but he is in over his head and doesn't know it. The head of Chicago Secret Service has his sources so he is out to stop it. When both men's plans don't go as planned, it makes an interesting twisted tale that would be a great fiction book if it was not in the real history books. If you are ever interested in how counterfeiting is really done or the crazy method they come up with to keep Lincoln's body safe, you will enjoy this. Or maybe you just want to find out what a bone orchard is or why you might not want to be left there on a dark night.

Up Close: Frank Lloyd Wright by Jan Adkins

If he was alive today, talk show hosts would be fighting to get him to talk. The press would have a field day about his private life, but this man changed American architecture and he didn't even have a college education. His buildings were so wanted by people that he could get away with not listening to his clients and even staying in budget. The home you live in may have been different if not for his ideas. Look up Fallingwater  or the Guggenheim Museum or the Robie House or any other of his masterpieces online to see why. Maybe this is why he could be such a cad and still be designing buildings 65 years after he started.

Aviary Wonders Inc. by Kate Samworth

This is for all of you who miss picture books. Set in the future, a future that we hope doesn't happen when birds have all but disappeared. It isn't just a catalog, it is also an instructional manual that started renewing the world's bird supplies since 2031. Founded by Alfred Wallis, who must have wanted this ancestors to roll in their graves - you will have to read it to see why. You can page through and choose the parts to make real birds or make up your own.  The only rule is that these birds cannot be caged. Would you be able to teach your bird to fly or sing? Just be careful, or you may end up with a problem that only Alfred can solve.

Nobody's Secret by Michaela MacColl

Emily's life is full of limits. Limited by the social practices and expectations of women in the 1840s. Limited by her mother's health and her mother's worries about hers. Limited by the fact that everyone in her small village knows her family, the Dickersons. So when she is out in the fields, she meets a young man who refuses to tell her his name so she calls him Mr. Nobody. She sees him in town. The next time she sees him, he is dead in her family pond. Because she is not the only one who doesn't know his name, he is laid out in the church basement to see if anyone knows who he is. Emily makes it her quest to find out who killed him. As she tries to follow the clues, she has to keep all the adults in the dark about her doings, especially her mother. As the clues lead closer and closer to the killer, the danger grows. Whoever did it has killed once and will kill again to keep from getting caught. Will Emily really risk her life and maybe the lives of her family to just bring Mr. Nobody's killer to justice? If she does, will she finally learn his name? Maybe you should not wish that your life is too boring just like Emily did. You might not like the excitement that may come your way.

Far North by Will Hobbs

If you love the Hatchet series, try this and you will find a new author who you will love. Gabe is in boarding school in Northwest Territories of Canada to be closer to his only parent, his dad. His roommate Raymond is one of the First Nation people but comes to school with an electric guitar and a hockey stick.  When Raymond's great uncle Johnny Ravin leaves the hospital to go home, the boys join him on the plane. When the pilot decides to show the boys some of the beauty of the wild country without letting air traffic controllers know, the trouble begins. It will be up to the boys to get themselves and the other survivor out, but being modern teens do they even know how? Johnny Ravin's worries about how the old ways are being lost may be right - how do you survive if you have lived your life dependent on others to supply all your needs? How many ways are there to die in the wilderness of Canada? Read this and you will learn about too many.

How to catch a Bogle by Catherine Jinks

Your life must have been hard if you think you have it made if you are used as bait to catch supernatural demons that eat children. Birdie is an orphan who thinks she has it made because she isn't in the workhouse, begging, or stealing for a living. Alfred makes a living as a Bogle catcher and Birdie's special talent makes a good living for both of them. When Miss Eames, a rich society lady, learns of their activities, she wants to learn more about how they work. She also wants to give Birdie a better life but Birdie is loyal to the man who found her after her mother died and gave her a home. When some pickpockets come up missing, the trail leads to one of the most evil men in London and this man will kill to keep his "experiments" a secret! As Birdie, Alfred, and Miss Eames get closer, the more danger everyone is in. Will Birdie's new friend come in time? And if she does, will Birdie take the path that leads to a better life if she lives to do it? If you like fast paced mysteries with lots of clues, you will love this.

Call of the Klondike: a True Gold Rush Adventure by David Meissner & Kim, Richardson

What would make sane men suddenly leave and travel to the cold up north at a time when our modern warm clothes did not exist even in their dreams? Was it the economy that was even worse than a few year ago? Or was it gold fever that seems to strike out of the blue? In their own words, Stanley Pearce and Marshall Bond tell about how they got their fathers to foot the bill so they could find their fortunes. Both were college educated and had mining backgrounds so they were able to get to the Klondike in northern Canada ahead of those who also watched miners bring a ship full of riches to Seattle. Real pictures from the time help you understand what really happened and the dangers they faced. What supplies did they need to survive and how hard was it getting there in the first place? Maybe part of the trail leading to the gold fields called Dead Horse may tell you part of the story. Can cold really freeze your nose and how could you not even know it? How did the book Call of the Wild get involved in all of this? Did they get rich? The bigger question is why sometimes you really need to lie to your mother and have to get away with it or else. If you are ready for a real life adventure where life and death get too close, enjoy this one.

Colonel Theordore Roosevelt by David A. Adler

If you saw the PBS documentary by Ken Burns about the Roosevelt family and want to find out more about one of the most unique characters that even Hollywood could not have thought up, you will enjoy this. Maybe I am a little biased since after watching the PBS show, my husband agrees that I am too much like him. What would cause his daughter Alice to say that her father "wanted to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral?" Why would a senator be clearly upset enough to say "Now look, that damned cowboy is president of the United States?" Whatever he was, our country would be much different without him. If he was alive today, he would be still fighting some the same battles he fought years ago because he started most of them. But to really understand him,  you need to understand what made him the way he was. To do that, please read this book. To see why he is responsible for our way of life, click on the Biography label to find the other biography about him on this blog. I told you I had a little bias about him.

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School Book the First) by Gail Carriger

You think your parents don't understand you. Sophronia doesn't want to be like all the other young ladies in her world of 1851 England (if you watch Downton Abbey you may understand). When she finally gets her mother so angry, she is shipped off to a finishing school -Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Qualities. That is the last place she wants to be, or so she thinks, but on her way she learns from her travel companions it is not your "normal" finishing school and she is what they call a covert recruit. As she is trying to find out what that is, the stagecoach is attacked by something you will not find in our history of England. This is only the start of surprises and quickly she learns that she may fit in more than she thought. If you think your teachers are weird, you have not met the faculty of this place. I would fit in easily. But there is a more pressing problem than learning how to curtsy and teatime manners while knowing how to hide the knife in your dress. Something has turned up missing and if the school doesn't hand it over, it might not be around much longer and its students may go with it. If you love a fast paced story full of the unexpected and humorous twists, this is for you. All I know is I want the pet dog she hides in her suite at school. I know I am a cat person, but I think that dog is the coolest dog in any book I have ever read. 

Suggestions on how to use and why I limit the amount of books

Five years ago, I started this book blog to help users find a good book to read. I looked at other book blogs and found too many were hard to use. They were just titles and authors, or had hundreds of books that could overwhelm. While this year, this blog will cross the 100 book mark, I choose to add only 11 books a year so it will grow slowly. I have a list of subjects that will allow users a way to call up only the books they are interested in reading. When you do, don't start at the top -- please go to the bottom where the 1st books listed will be found. Those are the ones I have given students for many years. That is why you see older books on this; once Scholastic moves on to new books, the ones which were loved can be forgotten. But some of the newest ones have made my top 25 list of my favorites. When you have been a librarian for over 28 years, you cannot have just a top ten. Those who know me from the small school district will tell you that long hair and hair dye hides my age very well.  All my other users, maybe some day we will meet.

Siver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause

Are you still having Twilight withdrawal? Long before Edward and his friends were created, there was Simon. Zoe's life is slowly coming apart. Her mother is sick, he dad is in his own world and her best friend is leaving. Simon is on a mission to end the life of the vampire that killed his mother centuries ago and made him a vampire. When this vampire almost gets her friend, Zoe's and Simon's worlds meet. Can Zoe help Simon end the evil in his life without losing hers? Can Simon fill the need of someone who loves you when Zoe needs someone to support her as her life crumbles? Can two hurt people find each other for a happy ending or does the relationship end without hope? To find out, enjoy this read. Is it better than than the better known book? Will I ruin another by helping you find a better written book again?

Savvy by Ingrid Law

You think your family is weird. Well, Mississippi Beaumont (called Mibs) has you beat and just by her name you know she can't be part of any normal family. She is turning 13 soon and this  can be a big problem in her family. When her older brother turned 13, his new talent caused her family to leave their beautiful gulf home in the south and move to Kansas. What would make a whole family leave because someone turns 13? You will not believe it. In Kansas, the family tries to lay low, but there is already talk. When Mibs learns that her father has been hurt in a car crash, she feels she has to get to him because maybe her special talent will save him. But taking off in a bus full of pink bibles to start the journey may not have been the best choice but that decision will change everyone involved including a few adults that get roped in to help the kids find their way to their very hurt father. Mibs may have it right that she can help her dad, but in a way no one expects. If you like to laugh, see people get what is coming to them, and love fantasies, you will love this.

Julia's Kitchen by Brenda Ferber

Why do I include sad books? Maybe it is because some of the best books are mostly sad, but help you learn how to handle the same problem if it ever happens to you. Or sometimes when you are junior high age, you enjoy sad books because you are glad it will never happen to you. I would not wish what happens to Cara even on my worst enemy. How can you go from being happy having a sleepover with your friend one minute to having the worst thing that could ever happen in the same night? Do you get mad at God, walk around too stunned to continue to live, or do you look for a lifeline from anywhere? Cara's Dad is no help and will not answer her questions. But finding something that makes you feel better is a start and Cara learns that doing something is better than sleepwalking through life which is her dad's choice -- or is it really her dad's choice? All I have left to say is why does the cat always get the blame when it was the human's choice?

Dreadful Fates; What a Shocking way to go! by Tracey Turner

With chapters like Fatal Food, Animal Encounters, and Fatal Mistakes, you get the feeling that some of this could happen to you if you are not careful. Maybe you should read this to keep some of your more brain dead friends (aren't all teens at different times during the day?) from joining these unlucky souls. From some gruesome book covers that you can really see if you visit a more interesting library than ours to why some people really did have a worry about being buried alive, I would not want you to read this on a dark stormy night alone in your house. For those who love those Mythbusters - please don't try this at home: "How to mummify yourself" ideas from some experts. Just in case you think these are just old true tales, a few have happened in your lifetime even if you are only in junior high. But DON'T AND I REPEAT DON'T get ideas about using any of this stuff on your "favorite" teachers. It is not legal and it is not nice. You will get me in trouble again for giving you ideas. You know what happened the last time that happened, don't you?

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms: Magic, Mystery & avery Strange Adventures by Lissa Evans

Stuart Horten is not happy to move back to his father's home town. He had to leave his friends and a cool house to go to a small home with 3 noisy girls next door who like to write bad things about them in their "newspaper." But once he learns about the mysterious disappearance of his great uncle Tony, life gets more interesting. Turns out his dull father was left a clue to solve what really happened to Uncle Tony but didn't bother to do it. So Stuart sets off on the cold trail that leads to places where he will only get in trouble if he goes. On his quest, he doesn't know who he can trust, but he has to do something before they tear down Tony's abandoned house which might have the final clue to lead to the surprising ending. When he realizes that he is being followed, life gets more dangerous with every clue. If he does find the truth, will any of adults believe him? If you love a good mystery that is not easy to know where it is going, this book is for you.  

Alchemy and Meggy Swann by Karen Cushman

Have your parents ever told you that you have a bad attitude, are mean, and say awful things? Then you may understand Meggy. Do you ever feel the world is out to get you? Then you do understand Meggy. Born to a mother who didn't really want her, she is sent to a father who she has never met after the one person who really loved her dies. There her life doesn't get much better. She has to make her own way and not expect much from him, but you will be shocked by how unloving his last behavior is toward her. Even with his attitude, she still doesn't know what to do when she learns of a plot he is involved with that could get him hanged. What she does will bring a surprising ending to those from whom she found kindness in this medieval world. If you don't know what alchemy is, don't look it up before you read this book. Why ruin the same surprise that Meggy had when she learned what her father was really up to.

The Last Silk Dress by Ann Rinaldi

Does every stand have to cost you dearly? Susan's life has been turned upside down by the Civil War. She is a daughter of the South and wants to help any way she can. So she gets involved in finding a way to give the South its own balloon even if she has to leave her comfort zone. But the war's effect on her life is not as big as the secrets her family has. Once those secrets are learned, how can she be the same? Choices you make once you find the truth don't always affect only you. One choice will be deadly. If you think your family may be strange, you have not read about this one. Modern soap operas have nothing on some Southern families before the Civil War and once war comes the drama only gets harder on those involved. Which side would you have been on if you were in Susan's shoes? Are you sure of that answer? You have to read to find out that those in history had reasons to do stuff we condemn today.

Lincoln's Flying Spries: Thaddeus Lowe and the Civil War Balloon Corps by Gail Jarrow

Before airplanes and satellites, armies still needed to know what each other were doing or even if they left under the cover of darkness. 150 years ago, balloons were the new high tech and brave (or stupid depending on your definition of those words) men rode high to do the spying. Thaddeus Lowe was the most famous and daring - he wanted to prove that he could take a balloon across the Atlantic Ocean but war broke out, so he volunteered to help the Union cause. How much trouble could a man in a balloon could get into? Being shot out of the air or being captured was a possibility any time you went up, but something else stopped them cold. Was it the technology that was lacking or was it humans' lack of vision?   When did the first aircraft carrier really exist? What were those "Quaker Guns" the balloons helped to find? (FYI - Quakers don't believe in war, so what is with those guns???) When did the first balloon trip happen across the Atlantic? Did those Confederates get their own balloon? How did Custer get involved with all of this? If you want the answers, keep reading this book.  If you have missed pictures in those books you have to read for school, you will enjoy the ones here.  They are really from the era so don't ask me why they are in black and white.