#79 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

This young adult book I read as a possible novel study for our fifth grade class. I am not sure yet whether I will use it or not. It tells the story of a young girl who leaves her home in Barbados to travel to Conneticut colony in the late 1600's. As always I love books with a historical perspective and this book has a great feel for telling us about the lives of the first American Colonists and in particular about the Puritan Religion. Very good read; I will let you know whether we will be reading it as a class.

#80 Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

I did promise to read this over the summer to find out what all the buzz is. I now know why Edward is a teen idol! I have not seen the movie, and besides I always think that the book is better. I loved Twilight and am eager to read New Moon next. This book is a fast paced, romantic story for the preteen and teen audiences. This is a fantasy book, although it is set in a normal American town. It has some themes that may be too mature for a fifth grader, however it is a great book to discuss if questions do arise.

#91 - #81 Various historical fiction by Celeste Bradley

These are my eye candy books. Quick, fun, escapism reading. I read ten of them- 3 different series.

#92 If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Young Adult book- I highly recommend it. Emily has read it too and cried at the end. It is the story of a family... I really don't want to tell you much more because you should read it for yourself. Suffice it to say the main character (a girl-17 years old) is in a coma and the book's title gives us her dilemma- should she stay in the land of the living or let herself die. Read it!

# 94 and #93

The Golden Queen and Beyond the Gate both by Dave Wolverton. Book 1 and 2 in a trilogy of the science fiction/fantasy genre. In these books there are thousands of alternate worlds linked by a series of gates. The worlds range from backward middle ages to highly technical where genetic manipulation is common place. Our hero and heroine travel between these worlds trying to defeat the Swarm, an insectasoid race who are striving for worlds domination! So far our heroes are thwarting them. A fun and easy read for adults. I promise a young adult book soon!

#95 Annie's Ghosts by Steve Luxenberg

This is a book recommended by my mom who greatly enjoyed it. Me-not so much. It is an interesting story at first about a mother who dies and upon her death her son learns that his mother had a sister who the family never knew about. The sister was committed to an insane asylum in the 1940's and lived there until her death 30 years later. By following a paper and photograph trail leading back over 70 years he is able to piece together the story of his aunt who was both mentally and physically handicapped. The story bogs down in the latter third, but I kept reading hoping for a shocking revalation- no such luck- but it was an interesting read and gave quite a bit of historical perspective which I like in a book.

#96 Maximum Ride The Final Warning by James Patterson

This book is again part of a series. Thanks to Rocio who let me know the new one was available. (She was reading it during the last weeks of school!) This one was very good, not great, but very good. It concerns a group of 6 kids (the flock) who had bird DNA introduced into their systems when they were babies. They grew up in cages as genetic engineering science experiments, but survived and escaped. The oldest is 14 years old and the youngest is 6. Along the way, they are developing other "super powers" besides the ability to fly. They all have wings- 10 to 14 foot wingspan. This story follows their adventures as the government tries to get them to come home so they can be studied. They are also running from a group of bad guys who want them so that they can be exploited and used to build power. Read the book if you want to find out how it all ends! Below is a website where the characters from the story have blogs. This book is for young people and is in the genre of science fiction/fantasy! Enjoy!

http://www.max-dan-wiz.com/page/maximum-ride-blogs

Escapism Reading-

is the tendancy to escape from daily routine by indulging in daydreaming or entertainment. I read a lot of books purely for my own enjoyment. These books have little or no literary merit. They were written by authors strictly for fun to allow the reader to drift and visit another world, or take the reader out of time and space and share a new outlook on life. The next two books fall into this category, but I did promise to share ALL my summer reading with you so I have to include even the books that are just "fluff"! The following books are adult novels.

#98 Up in Smoke
This is a fantasy series where the main character (human female) is married to a dragon that can take human form. Yes, it sounds crazy, but the pair run into all sorts of trouble because they live in a world full of humans and the dragon has to conceal his true nature.

#97 A Good Woman by Danielle Steele
This is a realistic fiction writer who writes about relationships. This book is also set in the past (spans from 1914-the Titanic disaster through the First World War- 1928) and I found the historical parts of the story fascinating. I love history and enjoy reading historical fiction. The story deals with a young woman who loses her brother and father on the Titanic. Her mother returns but is saddened by the loss of her husband and son. The girl did not go on the family's annual voyage to Europe because she was very sick, but recovering. The story follows the young girl's life as she travels to France to become a medic in the World War and enters medical school in France (In America at the time it would have been unheard of for a woman to want to go to medical school) She graduates and becomes a doctor. I liked the story a lot.

#99 Pendragon: Book 10 The Soldiers of Halla by D.J. MacHale

Here's another series that I read and book 10 is the final book in the series. This is a young adult book series that I started reading with Christopher when he was 11 years old. At about Book 6, he lost interest, went to High School, and didn't read the same books as his mom anymore, but I continued reading and even got my niece, Allison, hooked on this series. In fact, it is her book, the 10th one that I borrowed to finish the series. The Pendragon series is exciting. It contains elements of history, fantasy and science fiction. The end was excellent and again, it's the characters that make this book so special. Bobby Pendragon begins the series as a young boy and in the final book, we see him as an old man. The story of his life and his race to save humanity was quite a ride. "Hobey ho, let's go!"

#100 Rides a Dread Legion by Raymond E. Feist

This is an adult science fiction writer that I follow avidly! He has written 25 previous books in this same series and I have read them all. This book- number 26- is just like all his other books. Races and clans of people are in conflict with each other, but a greater threat is coming and in spite of all the difference between the people they must band together for survival of all their races. I love the characterization- how he develops his characters. In book 1 I met this young boy who has grown to be the most powerful magician in his time. He is over 100 years old now and the author keeps developing this same character, making him more complex. That's the sign of a good author- when he can keep a reader interested in a character throughout the character's lifetime!

Summer Reading

Ok, 6th graders it's time to read! I started this blog 3 years ago in 2006 as part of a class project for a technology class I was taking. You know I LOVE reading so of course my blog was about reading books. I am going to try again to read 100 books this year and I will continue to keep track as I count down from 100. I will read a combination of adult, young adult, and children's books. I will specify which are books for you and if I recommend them. Please join me in reading and I look forward to seeing you all back in August!

#94 Gilda Joyce Psychic Investigator

Another book geared toward 5th-8th graders. This one follows the journey of Gilda Joyce who wants desperately to develop her psychic abilities. Her father has died and she wants to communicate with him as well as helping her new friend cope with the mystery surrounding her aunt's death. There are some disturbing elements of mental illness in this book, but it is handled appropriately. This is a good book, but I wouldn't put it on my list of favorites.

#95 Mable Riley A Reliable Record of Humdrum, Peril and Romance

This is a young people's fiction book aimed at 5th-8th graders. It is an important book about the women's movement in 1901. I really liked the writing style of this book. It is written as a series of diary entries and letters to friends. The young heroine (age 12) wants to be a writer some day. She get embroiled in the plottings of a group a suffragists and even gets hauled off to jail with them. Ultimately she sees their point that a woman should not have to work in dangerous conditions just to support her family. This was a very pleasant, quick read. I highly recommend it!