Welcome back!

School is back in session!  What was your favorite book you read over the summer?  Let us know here (and of course, tell us why you enjoyed it).

The Call of The Wild By Jack London

The Call of The Wild is Jack London's most popular novel. Set in the frozen wastelands of the Yukon, it tells of the magnificent dog buck, who is a loyal pet until cruel men make him a pawn in their feverish search for the gold of the Klondike.Brutally clubbed and beaten into serving as a sled dog, Buck finds the blood of his wolf ancestors rising within him until he breaks free to roam the Alaskan wilderness as leader of a ferocious wolf pack.

The Cat Who Knew Shakspeare

There's something rotten in the small town of Pickax--at least to the sensitive noses of newspaperman Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum. An accident has claimed the life of the local paper's eccentric publisher, but to Qwilleran and his feline friends it smells like murder. They soon sniff out a shocking secret, but Koko's snooping into an unusual edition of Shakespeare may prove CATastrophic...because somewhere in Pickax a lady loves not wisely but too well, a widow is scandalously merry, and a stranger has a lean and hungry look. The stage is set for Qwilleran, Koko, Yum Yum, and the second act of murder most meow...

The Complete Guide Manga by Jason Thompson

The Complete Guide Manga by Jason Thompson is filled with information about manga: When it first started to be popular in the U.S., the differences between manga and American comics, different styles, and reviews on all American translated manga up to 2007. This book has plenty of good, concrete information. If you are interested in anime or manga, I recommend this book. Or, If you have never read manga before and wish to find a good one, this book will help lead you in the right direction. Although, I do not recommend the book to younger children for it gives images of manga and some of them are not appropriate for ages under 13.
                   I really enjoy the way the book is formatted, and the way it is written.It is easy to find the information I am looking for, and it is easy to understand.

Little House in the Big Woods by: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Wolves and panthers and bears roamed the deep Wisconsin woods in the 1860's. Still, Laura Ingalls' father preferred to live miles away from the nearest neighbors so Pa built a snug cabin for Ma, Laura, Mary and Baby Carrie. He hunted and trapped and farmed. Ma made her own cheese and sugar. All night long, the wind howled lonesomely, but Pa played his fiddle and sang, keeping the family safe and sound.

This is an extraordinary book to me. It seems fun to live with Laura, Ma, Pa, Mary and Baby Carrie. It seems like they had a feast back then. Did they have more than us? Or is it the way that Laura wrote the book?

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

The princess bride has always been a favorite in my family. I personally have seen it at least five times. I always sort of knew there was a book but never really considered reading it. Recently as I was skimming the shelves of the ATA library looking for a new reading expedition I noticed the three words in gold colored print "the Princess Bride". I immediately picked it up and began reading. At first I was surprised by the book. It started out as more of a quick life summary of William Goldman, in Goldman's own words. When I finally reached the begging of the book (William Goldman's life was fairly interesting so I continued reading) I realized how superbly they made the movie. Quite frequently I hear people complain the movie is so much worse than the book. I myself have used the same rant on occasion. With the Princess Bride there is not much to complain about between the book and the movie.

Alex Rider:Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz

The sniper’s bullet nearly killed him. But Alex Rider managed to survive . . . just in time for more trouble to come his way. When kidnappers attempt to snatch a fellow patient from the exclusive hospital where Alex is recovering, he knows he has to stop him. But the boy he saves is no ordinary patient: He is the son of Nikolai Drevin, one of the richest men in the world. The eccentric billionaire has been targeted by Force Three, a group of eco-terrorists who claim his project Ark Angel—the first luxury hotel in outer space—is a danger to the environment. Soon Alex discovers that Force Three will stop at nothing to destroy Ark Angel, even if it means sending four hundred tons of molten glass and steel hurtling down to Earth and killing millions . . . unless Alex can stop them.

Star Trek Gods of Night

Half a decade after the Dominion War and more than a year after the rise and fall of Praetor Shinzon, the galaxy's greatest scourge returns to wreak havoc upon the federation with only one thing in mind total annihilation.

Elsewhere, deep in the Gamma Quadrant, an ancient mystery is solved. One of Earth's first generation of starships has been found dead and empty on a desolate planet. But its discovery so far from home has reopened some disturbing questions. 

The answer for these questions will define the future and show three Federation captains that some destinies are inescapable.

The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli

The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli follows the story of a lady named Helen Adams. They are in the middle of the war, and her being a photographer wanted to stay and see the end result; hoping to get pictures of the way it turns out for good money. However, her plans soon change when her boyfriend, Lihn, gets shot. Having bought medicine at the black market, she knows she wont be able to get any more medicine soon. Changing her mind, and her goal for the man she loves, she decides to escape with Lihn. But an obstacle stands in their way: men stand at all points of evacuation, shooting people who try to escape the town. Will they be able to make it out alive?

The Worthing Saga by Orson Scott Card

       It was a miracle of science that permitted human beings to live, if not forever, then for a long, long time.  Some people, anyway.  The rich, the powerful- they lived their lives at the rate of one year every ten.  Somec created two societies: that of people who lived out their normal span and died, and those who slept away the decades, skipping over the intervening years and events.  It allowed interstellar Empires to be built.
       It came near to destroying humanity.
       After a long. long time of decadence and stagnation, a few seed ships were sent out to save out species.  They carried human embryos and supplies, and teaching robots, and one man.  The Worthing Saga is the story of one of these men, Jason Worthing, and the world he found for the seed he carried.

Last Command: The Thrawn trilogy

The embattled Republic reels from the attacks of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who has marshaled the remnants of the Imperial forces and driven the Rebels back with an abominable technology recovered from the Emperor's secret fortress: clone soldiers. As Thrawn mounts his final siege, Han and Chewbacca struggle to form a coalition of smugglers for a last-ditch attack against the empire, while Leia holds the Alliance together and prepares for the birth of her Jedi twins. Overwhelmed by the ships and clones at Thrawn's command, the Republic has one last hope--sending a small force, led by Luke Skywalker, into the very stronghold that houses Thrawn's terrible cloning machines. There a final danger awaits, as the Dark Jedi C'baoth directs the battle against the Rebels and builds his strength to finish what he had already started: the destruction of Luke Skywalker.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Jonathan Harker travels to Transylvania for a business deal with a Romanian nobleman, only to find himself ensnared in the horrific world of Count Dracula, a mysterious man with an evil secret. Worst of all, the Count is now headed toward London-and Jonathan's beloved Mina. Can this monster be destroyed? 

This is an exciting book! First Jonathan is doing business with Count Dracula then he’s a prisoner, killing vampires in London!  I really like this book because, vampires, detail and horror. I love horror and scare. If this book was longer, I would be reading it now! This book is part horror and part mystery. 

Prince Caspian By C.S Lewis

Sequel to the Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Prince caspian tells the story of a young prince born into an empire where fairy tails and storys of the past are strictly forbidden. The young prince is then guided on a journey to reveal the past in the most exciting and and suspensefull stories you'll ever read.

Gregor And The Curse Of Warmbloods

WITH TWO PROPHECIES FULFILLED,

Gregor is now focused on the prophecy of Blood, which calls for Gregor and the " Princess," Boots, to return to the Underland to help ward off a plauge. His mom agrees to let them go- on the condition that she travel with them.

When they arrive in the subterranean city, the plauge is spreading- one of Gregor's family is stricken. Only then does he  understand his role in the prophecy. He must summon all his power to the end of biological warfare, or the warmblood creatures of the underland will die.

Ranger's Apprentice The Lost Stories By John Flanagan

This book is the eleventh in the series and is comprised of multiple stories. These stories are answers to questions that fans have asked throughout reading the entire series. This book has answered some questions that I have had since starting the series more than 5 years ago. This book is all about filling in details that the author couldn't add into his previous books. the stories don't exactly go in order though, there are ones from before the series began and after it had ended and it really shed light on so many inquiries that I had had. This  is Young Adult fiction so its really a breeze to read yet I still enjoy this novel very much.

Seven Wonders: The Colossus Risesby Peter Lerangis

Just one boy . . .

Jack McKinley is an ordinary kid with an extraordinary problem. In six months, Jack is going to die.

Just one mission . . .

After Jack collapses in the middle of a busy street, he's whisked off to a strange hospital in a strange place. There are armed guards and weird kids and fantastic creatures, not to mention no parents, no phones, and no possibility of escape. The place is run by an odd professor named Bhegad, who tells Jack that what's killing him is a genetic trait inherited from the prince of a long-lost civilization. It's destroying Jack by making him too strong too fast. He'll need to stay strong, though—because it's up to him to save the world.

Just one problem . . .

That long-lost civilization sank when seven magic Loculi were stolen and hidden around the world. Now Jack and his friends must find the Loculi before they fall into the wrong hands. If they don't, they'll never be cured, that lost world will rise, oceans will be displaced, and life as we know it will pretty much end.

Seven wonders

No one ever asked Jack if he wanted to be a hero. He just has to be one. One kid. One mission. One big problem. 

The Mzungu Boy by Meja Mwangi

Kariuki knows the land around his African village well -- the forest, the rivers, the grassy plateu where Zebra, Gazelles and Wildebeasts live. Thats where he and his new freind Nigel go hunting for Old Moses, the ugliest, oldest and meanest warthog in the whole world.

But it turns out that Old Moses is not the biggest danger that awaits the two boys. There are dangerous men in the forest, and Nigel is the mzungu boy, the grandson of the ruthless and powerfull local  landowner.

A story about freindship and adventure set in Kenya before independance, at a time when people were rising up against British rule.

The False Prince

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Things Fall Apart tells two intertwining stories, both centering on Okwonko, a "strong man" of an Ibo village in Nigeria. The first, a powerful fable of the immemorial conflict between the individual and society, traces Okonkwo's fall from grace with the tribal world. The second, as modern as the first is ancient, concerns the clash of cultures and the destruction of Okonkwo's world with the arrival of aggressive European missionaries.

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S Lewis

During the war for Britain, four children were sent to another part of England to escape the continuous air strikes. During their stay, they discoverd a wardrobe in a spare and so their adventures began. This is a wonderfull story, combining a White Whitch, a lion called Aslan and the recovery of Narnia from the never-ending winter.