Book Teasers Here are book tidbits. Pick up one for lunch. They are delicious morsels! I have included AR information on the books that can serve double-duty for both enjoyment and class credit. Check the Hyde library computers to see for which novels we have AR quizzes. For other book recommendations, see Links.
Fantasy: Erin Hunter writes the Warrior series about a society of cats. One pet of the two-legs, humans, runs into the woods, hoping to prove his worth to join a clan. Will he succeed? Is this harder life really what he wants? How well will he fit into this society? And how will he figure in the other cats' struggles for power? The first book in this series,_Into the Wild_, is AR reading level 5.6, worth 10 AR points.
Fiction: Scott Westerfeld's _Uglies_ postulates a society in which everyone becomes beautiful at age 16. However, a few people do not buy into this utopian dream. What happens then? This novel is AR reading level 5.2, worth 13 AR points. It is the first in a trilogy including _Pretties_ and _Specials_.
Historical fiction: Pam Munoz Ryan's _Esperanza Rising_ tells of the Mexican migrant experience from the point of view of Esperanza, a thirteen-year-old girl whose change in fortune necessitated her departure from her home country. It is inspired by stories the author's grandmother told about her life. In the story, Esperanza gradually adjusts to a new life, learning skills to care for children, and later work for a wage in a migrant farmer camp. Sprinkled with Spanish words and their translations, this is a gentle portrayal of the migrant experience, as Esperanza has the advantage of traveling and working with her mother and companions she knows well. But what is Esperanza to do when her mother becomes ill? What is the right thing to do when other Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans wish to strike for better wages? This AR book is reading level 5.3 and is worth 6 AR points.
Adventure and myth: Rick Riordan's series of Percy Jackson and the Olympians pits modern-day half-bloods, children of one human parent and one Olympian god, against monsters and evil Titans. If you enjoy the first novel, _The Lightning Thief_, you will also find _The Sea of Monsters_ and _The Titan's Curse_ enjoyable reads.
Adventure/magic: Jenny Nimmo's _Midnight for Charlie Bone_ is the first of a series of books about a boy who discovers he has a magical talent, and is sent to a school for the gifted. The weekend before he begins attending his new school, a mystery confronts him.... The reading level is 4.8; it is worth 10 AR points.
Fantasy: Philip Pullman's _The Golden Compass_ is the first of a trilogy called His Dark Materials. In that world, humans have daemons as constant companions ... don't they? The reading level is 7.1; it is worth 19 AR points. Realistic fiction / survival story: Gary Paulsen's _Hatchet_ tells of a young man's struggle to survive when his plane crashes in the wilderness of Canada. This is an AR book. The reading level is 5.7; it is worth 7 points. Señora Lynn has a few copies in her classroom library that students may borrow.
Horror: Robert Lewis Stevenson wrote _Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde_, frightening readers with the tale of how splitting a personality might lead to disaster. This AR book is reading level 9.5, worth 5 points.
Historical fiction: _Al Capone Does My Shirts_ is told from the perspective of Moose, a twelve year old boy whose family moves to Alcatraz Island so that his father can work there. As well as adjusting to life on the prison island, Moose is expected to look out for his autistic sister. This AR book by Gennifer Choldenko is reading level 3.5, worth 7 points.
Mystery: Ever wonder what could happen if a group of friends began taking the study of Egypt really seriously? Read Zilpha Keatley Snyder's story _The Egypt Game_ about a group of children who decide to recreate Egypt ... and what the Egyptian gods do! This AR book is reading level 6.4, worth 7 points.
Fantasy: Susan Cooper writes about the struggle between the forces of good and evil in this series. Four children play important roles in the conflict between the Light and the Dark. The first book, _Over Sea, Under Stone_, is an AR book, reading level 5.4, worth 12 points. The next, _The Dark is Rising, is reading level 6.2, worth 13 points. _Greenwitch_ is reading level 5.3, worth 6.0 points. _The Grey King_ is reading level 6.2, worth 9 points. _Silver on the Tree_ is reading level 6.0, worth 14 points.
Realistic Fiction: S.E. Hinton writes _The Outsiders_, telling about prejudice, relative opportunity, and the potential for simple misunderstandings to become violent. Is there a way out of this cycle? This AR book is reading level 4.7, worth 7 points.
Historical fiction: Charles Dickens wrote _A Tale of Two Cities_, describing what happens to a family with ties to both England and France during the time of the French Revolution. The behavior of at least one of the characters is maddening at the beginning, but he changes. Sit down somewhere comfy, with a pack of tissues handy, for reading this one. This is an AR book, reading level 9.7, worth 27 points.
Realistic fiction: Jerry Spinelli's _Stargirl_ takes place in an Arizona town. The main character is a boy in high school who runs the school television show. The new girl who comes to school, Stargirl, is different from eveyone he has ever known. Does he like Stargirl? Is she really annoying? Should she be featured on his school television show? This book is reading level 4.2, worth 6 points.
Fantasy: Lloyd Alexander wrote a series about Prydain, a mythical world in which the characters behave not dissimilarly from people in our own world ... and there are magical forces of good and evil. Follow the main character throughout all five books. _The Black Cauldren_ is an AR book, reading level 5.2, worth 7 points. _The Book of Three_ is also reading level 5.2, worth 7 points. Next comes _The Castle of Llyr_, reading level 5.4, worth 7 points. In _Taran Wanderer_ the main character searches to find out his parentage and who he truly is. This is reading level 6.2, worth 9 points. The last book in the series, _The High King_, is reading level 6.1, worth 11 points.
Science fiction: _I, Robot_ is not just a movie! Long before the movie with Will Smith, _I, Robot_ became the title of one of Isaac Asimov's science fiction short story collections about robots. In them he tells the three laws of robotics... and how these sometimes go awry. This is an AR book, reading level 6.1, worth 11 points.
Fantasy: In J. R. R. Tolkien's _The Hobbit_ Gollum & Bilbo have a riddle contest. The first begins, "Thirty white horses...." What is the entire riddle? What is the answer? --Which riddle answers would you have successfully guessed? This is an AR book, reading level 6.6, worth 16 points.
Fantasy: In J. K. Rowling's _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_ , what is the name of the person who uses the British term, "wotcher," when entering the hospital for magicians and witches? This is an AR book, reading level 7.2, worth 44 points.
Science fiction: In Isaac Asimov's _Prelude to Foundation_, his main character Harry Seldon struggles to come up with a predictive history of the galactic empire while on the run from the galactic emperor. The sequel to this book, _Foundation_, tells how Harry Seldon's successors work to keep the conveniences and knowledge of civilization while the empire is failing.
Fantasy: Mercedes Lackey retells the story of sleeping beauty in _The Death of Sleep_, a multi-hundred page novel that includes English wizards, witches, and magic.
Drama: Titania is the queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's comedy _A Midsummer Night's Dream_. She falls in love with a worker & actor named Bottom, who has the head of a --let's say donkey. She fell in love with such an odd person because her husband ordered Puck to cast a spell on her. Both mortals and fairies become befuddled in this funny play!
Mystery: Sherlock Holmes & Doctor Watson lived at 221b Baker Street in London, England, between 1881-1904. The residence was a rooming house for years until 1936. Its famous 1st floor study, with a view of Baker Street, is kept as it was in the Victorian era. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle invented these characters. At one point the Sir Arthur killed off Sherlock Holmes, and the public's hue and cry caused him to bring Holmes back. But by that time Sir Arthur had lost interest in the character; some people find the earlier mysteries vastly superior to the later ones Sir Arthur wrote reluctantly.
Fantasy: Robin McKinley wrote _Beauty_. I appreciate the setting of the book--the seas are still the route to riches through trade, but their passage is treacherous. City dwellers use horses for transportation; magic still exists in the countryside. Even more enjoyable is the family; I like the sympathetic portrayal of the sisters. Try it--see what you think!
Mystery: Who is Leroy Brown? Hint: look in the Encyclopedia Brown books.
Mystery: In the Hardy Boys series, what are the names of the protagonists? -Strange but true: Franklin W. Dixon did not write the Hardy Boys books. He didn't actually exist. The Hardy Boys books were written by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The same syndicate originated the Nancy Drew mysteries and the Bobbsey Twins books. One person did write 21 Hardy Boys novels: Leslie McFarlane. This individual also wrote the first 4 volumes of _The Dana Girls_ under the pseudonym Carolyn Keene.