If you devoured the twisted ending of E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars, then you’ve got to read Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. This YA book is a standout because it confronts teen mental illness head-on and without apology. On the exterior, the protagonist, Samantha McAllister, has it all–a reserved seat at the lunch table with the Crazy Eights, her high school’s most popular girls, a slew of potential hunky hookups, a promising collegiate swimming career, and a potentially explosive secret she doesn’t dare share outside of her family–or her weekly counseling session. Samantha has Purely-Obsessional OCD; her overactive mind whirs nonstop with poisonous thoughts.
Thankfully, serendipity intervenes, and Sam meets Caroline, a devil-may-care outsider who knows exactly what the popular girl most longs for–real connections. Caroline leads Sam to the underground Poet’s Corner, a secret meeting spot for a group of outsiders bound together by their passion for poetry. Sam struggles mightily to find her balance: Can she join the poetry crowd and still maintain her Crazy Eights public facade? Will AJ, the shy, guitar-playing poet, ever be able to accept Sam into his world?
I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. I especially applaud Stone for her determination to shed light on a subject that we all need to be talking about–and doing so in an authentic, carefully crafted manner that’s both respectful and thoroughly entertaining. I recommend Every Last Word to mature readers who are at least in the eighth grade. High school and adult readers, too, will find this book is an engaging, thoughtful read that’s generously seasoned with mystery, suspense, romance, and heartbreak. Topics covered include mental health, suicide, depression, bullying, poetry as therapy, and first love. In case it matters, there’s one sex scene similar to Hazel and Gus’s in John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars.
Watch for more book recommendations shortly. I’ve been reading like crazy. I simply need to spend the time to write the reviews! 🙂
I need another vacation so I can read a book a day. Back at home, there are far too many distractions luring me away from the teetering tower of books I have stacked next to me. Gayle Forman, the first chapter in If I Stay conjured up accident visions that prickled and twisted inside my mind for days. I’m still reading…but I’m also buying dorm supplies for my college bound kids. Later today, you’ll find me seeking refuge on my screened porch, which feels like a treehouse perched among a fluttering sea of leaves. I’m cuddling up on my wicker glider and wrapping myself up in the pages of If I Stay. UPDATE:In the last 24 hours, I finished up both If I Stay and its followup, Where She Went. These books are most definitely PG-13 content, but deliver a gripping, intricately woven storyline that oozes with teen romance. Yes, these two books had me reaching for the tissue box repeatedly. If you loved Fault in Our Stars, add If I Stay and Where She Went to your constellation of books to read.
School starts soon. My friends in Knoxville are back in class next Monday. I wonder…how many books can we (you and me) finish before September 3, our first day back at school?
Maybe you’re perplexed about what to read next. You might read over my posts and check out the trailers I’ve linked to each book cover. (Simply click on the book cover to watch the YouTube trailer). Ask a friend–or your local librarian–for a suggestion. Find out what Fairfax County rising sixth graders might be reading by clicking here. Scroll down and view the books I’ve read lately (click on the book cover to watch the video). I recommend every one of these…
Photo Credit: http://d.gr-assets.com
Photo Credit: www.amazon.com This dystopian tale leans towards dark and deadly…so reader beware.
Photo Credit: www.amazon.com
Photo Credit: www.goodreads.com
Photo Credit: www.barnesandnoble.com This is the sequel to The Red Kayak. Be sure to read The Red Kayak first…this is the second half of the story.
Photo Credit: www.goodreads.com From page one, this is a thriller! I read it in one day and so did my daughters, Shelby (20) and Cady (14). Recommended for girls AND guys!
WANTED: Reading Recommendations…Add Your Comment!
Mrs. Rombach is seeking reading recommendations from anyone who’s willing to share. Leave me a comment with the book title and why this particular book is a definite must-read for sixth graders. Set your phone down and pick up a great book. 🙂 Better still, tweet a selfie of you reading @mrsrombachreads.
“Draw a crazy picture,
Write a nutty poem,
Sing a mumble-gumble song,
Whistle through your comb.
Do a loony-goony dance
‘Cross the kitchen floor,
Put something silly in the world
That ain’t been there before.”― Shel Silverstein
I’m constantly bugging my kids to reduce their screen time (TV, iPod, iPhone, computer, Xbox, iPad). I hope your parents are dong the same. Why, you ask?
When we’re sitting in front of most screens, our brains absorb existing visuals rather than creating them. Imagine instead propping up on a pillow and sipping lemonade from a licorice straw while reading the latest, greatest tome to take the young adult world by storm. In this scenario, our brains embark on their own “virtual” doodling. Your magnificent noggin starts creating colorful, elaborately detailed mind movies from scratch. Wow!
Look at it this way. Your brain is designed to create. So take it on a field trip, away from the hypnotic, ready-made offerings of YouTube and instead wrap your sun-tanned hands around a book. Or a pencil, crayon, or marker. Create something from nothing. Whether you’re sketching America’s next villian-conquering superhero, scribbling out song lyrics in a tattered spiral notebook, or delving deep into a character’s inner being, let your brain go bonkers with imagination.
Like we’ve heard a zillion times, it is far better to give than to receive. Give yourself over to the incomparable powers of your own imagination.
Last week, our family traveled to Walt Disney World, a theme park rooted in one man’s boundless imagination. In between heart-racing rides and cheesing with Mickey and Minnie, I finished up several entertaining books. This week, I’ll begin If I Stay by Gayle Forman, which targets upper-level middle schoolers (like Fault in Our Stars). Join me for this soul-stirring tale of an aspiring musician’s life-altering tragedy. When a car accident leaves her orphaned and comatose, this teen must choose between following the light or her heart. Meet me on the other side and let’s trade comments about this New York Times bestseller (and soon-to-be summer blockbuster).
These are the books Mrs. Rombach read this past week. Click on the cover to view a book trailer. What book are you reading now?
Sonnenblick expertly crafts a riveting story of a young cancer survivor’s lifelong struggles. Loved this book! Photo Credit: Scholastic.com
Flinn delivers an easy-to-read contemporary fairy tale bubbling with ample portions of regular-guy heroics, magic, adventure, royalty, and witches. Photo Credit: GoodReads.com
A word collector and stutterer, Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything. First, she’ll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that’s been cast over the town . . . and her mother’s broken heart. Summary and Photo Credit: GoodReads.com
Imagine all the wonders still awaiting you this summer. Unlock the creativity in that amazing thinker of yours. 🙂
“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.”— Henry David Thoreau
photo credit: www.chicagoparent.com
Fifteen years before The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins’ dystopian plunge into the Capital’s annual district reaping.
Eighteen years before Veronica Roth’s Divergent marched us into a faction-divided post-apocalyptic Chicago.
Before dystopian novels dominated The New York Times bestseller lists, there was Lois Lowry’s The Giver. I fell in love with this book, the 1993 Newbery Medal winner, because it was the first dystopian novel I read simply because I wanted to read it.
In a stringent society where sameness maintains order and memories have been vanquished, 11-year-old Jonas finds himself struggling to make sense of his new Community-ordained role as The Receiver of Memories. Tasked with becoming the Society’s keeper of memories, past and present, Jonas apprentices under the previous Receiver, now The Giver, and is terribly conflicted by what he learns about his Society. Every memory — from the painful violence of war to the breathtaking beauty of a winter snowfall — are transferred to Jonas with The Giver’s touch. With every memory received, more of the Society’s hidden darkness comes to light. Jonas begins to see beneath the deceptive layers of societal mandates, and his life is forever altered because of it.
You must read The Giver before it hits theaters on August 15.Young ladies, you’ll be happy to learn that Aussie heartthrob, Brenton Thwaites, the handsome Prince Philip whose first kiss failed to awaken Aurora in Disney’s Maleficent, snagged the lead role of Jonas in The Giver.
By the way, I LOVED everything about Maleficent! I expected a dark, villainous tale of woe, but was delightfully surprised to find that Disney’s original screenplay delivered stunning cinematic artistry, a magically inventive storyline, and a winsome cast of characters. Thank you, Disney, for giving me every reason to root for Maleficent, whom Angelina Jolie played majestically. Don’t wait for the DVD…Maleficent is worth every cent of the $12 I spent to watch it last week. In fact, I wouldn’t mind seeing it again in the theaters. So good!
The Giver – Movie Trailer
In my previous posts, I mentioned two other movies, MazeRunnerand If I Stay, both young adult books that will hit movie theaters later this summer. Stuff these two books in your beach or pool bag and read the stories before they reach the big screen. After you do, post a comment here. Let me know what you thought of the books.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library lived up to my son’s lofty reviews. I ripped through this quirky, extremely readable book on the way to and from delivering my daughter, Cady, to summer camp. With puzzling twists and winning turns, this fun-to-read novel dips into Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s world of naughty, have-it-alls who refuse to play fair against the rule-abiding nerds and regular Joes. You’ll find yourself rooting for reluctant reader, Kyle, and his unlikely team of clue-busting cohorts (and wishing brown-nosing Charles takes a royal nose dive). As an added bonus, I loved author Chris Grabenstein’s playful word references to so many other equally awesome YA books. Get thyself to a library and escape in a good book!
Speaking of good books, it’s time to vote for the second book of summer. I’m not sure how many bloggers are in town, but if the votes don’t come in, don’t worry. I’ll roll the dice and pick one to read. I’ve already started A Snicker of Magic and am loving the down-home storytelling that’s floating like Felicity’s words into my brain.
Which of these four books looks like the next Blogtastic Book Club winner? Click on the book cover to connect to a book or movie trailer! I’ve borrowed summaries from others who’ve already read these tantalizing titles. Check them out. Cast your vote in the poll at the bottom of this post. 🙂
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Mia is a very gifted cellist. She has everything she could ever want, a loving family, an adoring boyfriend, an amazing best friend, and an amazing career ahead of her in music. All of that changes suddenly. Mia and her family have a terrible car accident and Mia is rushed to the ICU. Mia is caught between life and death, and watches as family and friends come to visit her at the hospital she is in. Soon Mia realizes that she must make the most critical decision of her life – wake up to live a life more difficult than she ever could have imagined, or slip away and die. (credit: http://colleenworger.weebly.com)
Photo Credit: GoodReads.com
A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd
Introducing an extraordinary new voice—a magical debut that will make your skin tingle, your eyes glisten . . .and your heart sing.
Midnight Gulch used to be a magical place, a town where people could sing up thunderstorms and dance up sunflowers. But that was long ago, before a curse drove the magic away. Twelve-year-old Felicity knows all about things like that; her nomadic mother is cursed with a wandering heart.
But when she arrives in Midnight Gulch, Felicity thinks her luck’s about to change. A “word collector,” Felicity sees words everywhere—shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog’s floppy ears—but Midnight Gulch is the first place she’s ever seen the word “home.” And then there’s Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity’s never seen before, words that make Felicity’s heart beat a little faster.
Felicity wants to stay in Midnight Gulch more than anything, but first, she’ll need to figure out how to bring back the magic, breaking the spell that’s been cast over the town . . . and her mother’s broken heart. (www.goodreads.com)
Photo Credit: Barnes and Noble
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls. Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift. Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers. Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind. (credit: www.jamesdashner.com)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman
Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Native American is the school mascot. (How timely and topical, given our community’s discussions about the Washington Redskins decision to change or keep their team name.)
The votes are in, and author Chris Grabenstein’s Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library takes home the win. You can order this book online or pick it up from your local public library, but be sure to get Mr. Lemoncello in your summer reading hands pronto. Here’s the teaser found on Amazon:
In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters.
Kyle Keeley is the class clown and a huge fan of all games—board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the construction of the new town library. Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot as one of twelve kids invited for an overnight sleepover in the library, hosted by Mr. Lemoncello and riddled with lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors stay locked. Kyle and the other kids must solve every clue and figure out every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route!
This much-talked-about book earned high praise from my rising sixth grade son, Sean, who gave up YouTube, FIFA gaming on Xbox, and Discovery Channel extreme nature shows to dedicate every waking minute of a 24-hour period to finish Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. When I asked him what he liked most about the book, he replied, “Everything! It’s one of the best books I’ve ever read.” That’s quite an endorsement from my Rick Riordan-obsessed boy. So what are you waiting for? Pick up the first book of summer. Before you do, take a virtual trek over to Chris Grabenstein’s kid-perfect website.
By the way, all red type indicates an active link. Click and instantly be transported. Once you’ve started reading, post comments here–and in your own blog post. Better yet, post a picture of you reading Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library and share it on your blog, Instagram, or Twitter (#ermsreads, @CGrabenstein). If you’re an Eagle Ridge reader, be sure to register for the Summer Reading Challenge (if you haven’t done so already). I encourage EVERYONE (of every age) to enroll in A Million Books for Hope read-a-thon to help raise funds to cure childhood cancer.
(2) read the first three chapters (while you’re waiting for your copy to arrive!)
(3) play Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Escape game
(4) read Chris’s interview with Jack and Jill Magazine
(5) visit the school library that inspired Mr. Lemoncello’s Library
(6) buy the paperback or hardcover version of the book (Amazonis currently the least expensive at $5.04 for the paperback).
(7) meet Fred, his retired Hollywood dog
(8) learn about all the other books written by Chris (including Crossroads, a book about zombie hauntings).
Don’t forget to be blogtastic all summer long. Read and write. Write and read. Who knows…maybe someday your 6th, 7th, or 8th grade writing journal will be sitting pretty on your own author’s website. I wonder…what special features would your author website include? Post a comment and let the world know!
Happy Summer! Happy Reading!
Mrs. Rombach
P.S. — Roadtrip on Sunday to deliver Cady to Summer’s Best Two Weeks in PA. Rest assured, I’m bringing Mr. Lemoncello along for the ride.
Just two more crazy days in a classroom before summer break officially starts. With the countdown nearly complete, I wonder…what’s on your summer to-do list?
Besides digging my bare toes into the sun-bleached North Carolina beaches, I’ll be turning pages in books I’ve been dreaming about reading all year long. Next week, we (as in you and me) officially launch this blog’s Blogtastic Summer Book Club, a way to keep us reading and writing about fabulous, must-read books. (Vote for Blogtastic Book #1 at the bottom of this post.) This summer, it’s time to read for pleasure…and for the promise of a future without childhood cancer.
A Million Books for Hope – Summer Reading Challenge
Thanks to Alice, one of my students who knows all too well the tragedy of losing a young friend to cancer, I can share A Million Books for Hoperead-a-thon with all of you. No matter how old we are, an adversary like cancer makes us feel helpless. Did you know that cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children and adolescents in the United States? In fact, cancer kills 7 children every day in the United States. (Source: National Cancer Institute).
How can a parent–much less a kid–do something that actually makes a difference? What if I told you that by reading books you can contribute to the cure? It’s true. Childhood cancers get shortchanged when it comes to federal funding. Grownups are working on that issue, but while they’re speaking out nationwide and lobbying Congress, we can take part in A Million Books for Hope read-a-thon. Ask your Mom or Dad, Aunt Kathy or Uncle Oakley, or MeeMaw and Grandpa to sponsor you. Whether it’s $1/per book or $5/book, 100% of proceeds go to childhood cancer research. Plus, with Barnes and Nobleas A Million Books for Hope sponsor, you’ll earn a $25 gift card if you raise $250. Raise more; earn more! Prizes are detailed on the webpage. Click here to register (or just get more information).
Maybe you know someone who’s living with cancer? We at Eagle Ridge have our own hero, Gavin Rupp, #15, who lost his life to brain cancer on July 30, 2013. Only 4% of cancer funds go to childhood cancer. That needs to change. We will find a cure…one day soon.
Eagle Ridge Summer Reading Challenge
To encourage and inspire you to read as many books as possible this summer, sign up for the ERMS Summer Reading Challenge, too. Read whatever you want…and keep track of the books you’ve read. If you do, prizes are potentially in your back-to-school future.
On Tuesdays, you’ll receive a text message with book recommendations. You can read one of the recommended books…or any book that interests YOU!
Keep track of what you read. On Sundays, you’ll get a text message as a reminder to log any book you’ve finished. Click hereto log books.
Tweet about what you’re reading! #ermsreads
Instagram your books! #ermsreads
Pick a Winner…
Which book should the Blogtastic Summer Book Club read first? Click on the book cover to watch the book or movie trailer.
