Beauty queens by Libba Bray (FIC Bray) – When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island’s other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

City of fallen angels by Cassandra Clare (FIC Clare) – As mysterious murders threaten the new peace between Shadowhunters and Downworlders, only Simon, the Daylighter vampire, can help bring both groups together.

Crossed by Allyson Condie (FIC Condie) – Cassia, having arrived in the Outer Provinces in search of Ky, learns he has escaped from the Society and follows a series of clues he left, which result in rebellion, betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander.

The eleventh plague by Jeff Hirsch (FIC Hirsch) – Twenty years after the start of the war that caused the Collapse, fifteen-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel post-Collapse America scavenging, but when his grandfather dies and his father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen’s life is turned upside down.

First kill by Heather Brewer (FIC Brewer) – The summer before ninth grade, when Joss sets off to meet his uncle and hunt down the beast that murdered his younger sister three years earlier, he learns he is destined to join the Slayer Society.

Inheritance by Christopher Paolini (FIC Paolini) – The young Dragon Rider Eragon must finally confront the evil king Galbatorix to free Alagaesia from his rule once and for all.

Recovery Road by Blake Nelson (FIC Nelson) – Seventeen-year-old Maddie meets Stewart in a rehabilitation facility for drug and alcohol abuse, and they begin a relationship, which they try to maintain after they both finish treatment.

Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick (FIC Fitzpatrick) – Patch and Nora have overcome the secrets that existed in Patch’s past, faced tests of betrayal and trust, and fallen in love, and when a villain threatens everything they have, the couple must rely on their faith in each other to win the fight.

Where she went by Gayle Forman (FIC Forman) – Adam, now a rising rock star, and Mia, a successful cellist studying at Juilliard, are reunited in New York City and reconnect for the first time since Mia’s near-fatal car accident three years earlier drove them apart.

The wise man’s fear by Patrick Rothfuss (FIC Rothfuss) – Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero as he attempts to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of the Edema Ruh, and travels into the Fae realm where he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist.

The 2011 Japan disasters by Marcia Lusted (952.0512 Lus) – Discusses the disasters that struck Japan in 2011, including a major earthquake followed by a tsunami that caused an accident in a nuclear power plant.

The capture and killing of Osama bin Laden by Marcia Lusted (958.104 Lus) – Provides information about the capture and killing of the founder of al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden, examining the events that led to this mission and discussing how it impacted American society.

The Chilean miners’ rescue by Marcia Lusted (363.11 Lus) – Details the rescue of thirty-three miners in a mine in the Atacama Desert in Chile, describing how they were trapped, how they survived, the plans to save them, and more.

Graffiti by Michael Uschan (751.7 Usc) – Examines graffiti as a distinctive art form, discussing the history of graffiti, the birth of modern graffiti in Philadelphia in the 1960s, the emergence of graffiti artists, social and political graffiti, and debates over whether graffiti is art or vandalism.

Manga by Stuard Kallen (741.5 Kal) – Explores the origins of Japanese manga, looks at the ways in which this form of art has evolved, discusses major artists, and examines the popularity of manga in the United States.

The Mexican drug war by Courtney Farrell (363.45 Far) – An overview of the history and controversies caused by Mexican drug cartels, tracing the history of the cartels and organized crime along the border between Mexico and the United States, discussing the kidnappings, murders, and corruption, and describing the response efforts of the Mexican and American governments.

Every October, the water horses rise up from the sea.  These aren’t regular horses; they are the capaill uisce, fierce carnivorous predators that can run like the wind.  Never really tame and always dangerous, the capaill uisce can be ridden by those who dare.  On the first day of November, the most daring race their wild mounts down the beach in the Scorpio Races.  The lucky ones survive.

Puck Connolly loves her little dun mare, Dove.  Dove is a regular horse but she loves to run.  When Puck finds out she and her brothers are going to lose the house that was left to them when their parents died (killed at sea by capaill uisce), she takes the only path she can think of to get the money: entering herself and Dove in the Scorpio Races.

Sean Kendrick has won the Scorpio Races four times on the red uisce stallion Corr.  He lives for the horses and the races; his father died for them.  This year the stakes are higher than ever.  His employer’s son, jealous of Sean’s skill as a horseman, seems bent on sabotaging him at every turn.  Gambling everything, Sean makes a deal with his boss: if he can win the big race, he will buy Corr for his very own; if he loses, he will lose his job and his beloved stallion. 

Thing become even more complicated when Sean and Puck meet and realize they might love something other than their horses.  If Puck loses, she loses her home; if Sean loses, he loses the one thing that still links him to his father.  Who will win — and who will die — when the Scorpio Races are run?

 You don’t have to be a horse lover or racing fan to enjoy this book.  You will fall in love with the wild island of Thisby and its ancient traditions just as Sean and Puck fall in love with each other. 

Related articles

• The Ride of Their Lives (nytimes.com)

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Today is National Handwriting Day.  Practice your penmanship, write someone a letter or try your hand at calligraphy (The Usborne book of calligraphy projects by Fiona Watt [745.6 Wat] will give you some ideas).

If you’d rather read about writing, try one of these books:

Under the mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (FIC McCall) – Throughout her high school years, as her mother battles cancer, Lupita takes on more responsibility for her house and seven younger siblings, while finding refuge in acting and writing poetry.

Scrawl by Mark Shulman (FIC Shulman) – When eighth-grade school bully Tod and his friends get caught committing a crime on school property, his penalty–staying after school and writing in a journal under the eye of the school guidance counselor–reveals aspects of himself that he prefers to keep hidden.

Payback time by Carl Deuker (FIC Deuker) – Overweight, somewhat timid Mitch reluctantly agrees to be the sports reporter for the Lincoln High newspaper because he is determined to be a writer, but he senses a real story in Angel, a talented football player who refuses to stand out on the field–or to discuss his past.

A northern light by Jennifer Donnelly (FIC Donnelly) – Sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and boyfriend, takes a job at a hotel in 1906 where the death of a guest renews her determination to live her own life.

The Freedom Writers diary : how a teacher and 150 teens used writing to change themselves and the world around them by the Freedom Writers (305.235 Fre) – Tells the story of how young English teacher Erin Gruwell confronted the problem of racial and ethnic intolerance in her classroom in Long Beach, California, and features excerpts from the diaries of her students, now known as The Freedom Writers.

The ode less traveled : unlocking the poet within by Stephen Fry (808.1 Fry) – Offers aspiring poets an overview of the various elements of poetry, exercises to help them build their skills, and tips for writing and understanding good poetry.

True notebooks by Mark Salzman (808.042 Sal) – Mark Salzman chronicles his first years teaching at Central Juvenile Hall, a lockup for Los Angeles’s most violent teenage offenders, discussing what his students taught him about life.

Wildly romantic : the English Romantic poets — the mad, the bad, and the dangrous by Catherine Andronik (821 And) – In the early 1800s, poetry could land a person in jail. Those who tried to change the world through their poems risked notoriety, or courted it. Among the most subversive were a group of young writers known as the Romantics: Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth and John Keats. These rebels believed poetry should express strong feelings in ordinary language. And they were barely out of their teens when their words changed literature forever.

Chime by Franny Billingsley. Dial, 2011. 361 p.

Briony is the clergyman’s daughter and she has a terrible secret.  It has already killed her stepmother, addled her sister’s brain and threatens her future.  You see, Briony is a witch.  She can see and speak to the Old Ones who live in the Swampsea.

Now Briony has discovered that the swamp cough that has been plaguing the village is being caused by the Boggy Mun, who is angry about the pumping station that is draining the swamp.  If the draining doesn’t stop, all the children will die … including her sister Rose.  But how can Briony tell the villagers to stop the pumping without revealing herself as a witch and being hung to death?

To complicate matters, the vicarage has a houseguest, a young man named Elric whose father owns the company that is draining the swamp and building the railway that will connect the village with London.  Elric is charming, smart, wonderful with Rose and determined to know everything there is to know about Briony.  Can she be friends with him without neglecting Rose or revealing her secret? 

Chime is set in the early 20th century in a fictitious England where witches are real, the Old Ones will lure you to your death and things are not always as they seem.

Related articles

• Chime – the real National Book Award Finalist (nochargebookbunch.com)
• Chime Not Shine: The National Book Awards Nominates The Wrong Book (entertainment.time.com)

Cover via Amazon

Today is Friday, January 13, 2012 … and it’s also International Skeptics Day.  So whether you are a believer or a skeptic, here are some books to enjoy on Friday the 13th:

Voodoo histories : the role of conspiracy theories in shaping modern history by David Aaronovitch (909.08 Aar) – Deconstructs a number of conspiracy theories that persist into the twenty-first century, discussing the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the moon landing, the death of Princess Diana, and other events.

Unsolved extraterrestrial mysteries by David Southwell (001.942 Sou) – Investigates the mysteries surrounding claims of UFO sightings, abductions, and alien activities on Earth, discussing the Rendlesham Landing, the Roswell incident, alien influence in Hollywood, and other topics.

Are conspiracy theories valid? ed. by Stuart A. Kallen (001.9 Are) – Presents a collection of articles that examine the issues related to conspiracy theories, explaining if they have validity, and covering the September 11 attacks, AIDS, and John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and more.

Loch Ness Monster : fact or fiction? by Rick Emmer (001.944 Emm) – Examines the scientific evidence for and against the existence of the Loch Ness Monster and other sightings of prehistoric lake creatures around the world.

Monster hunt : the guide to cryptozoology by Rory Storm (001.944 Sto) – Profiles dozens of different types of mysterious creatures rumored to exist around the world, with scientific facts and sightings that support their existence.

Unexplained by Judy Allen (001.9403 All) – Examines legends and mysteries that challenge human capacity for belief, including hauntings, parapsychology, superstitions, UFOs, and much more.

Weird science : an expert explains ghosts, voodoo, the UFO conspiracy and other paranormal phenomena by Michael White (133 Whi) – Provides reasonable, rational, scientifically based explanations for many phenomena that are currently attributed to the supernatural.

The paranormal caught on film : amazing photographs of ghosts, poltergeists, and other strange phenomena by Melvyn Willin (133.1 Wil) – Contains photographs that are said to contain true images of ghosts, poltergeists, angels, the Virgin Mary, strange lights and apparitions, and other paranormal phenomena, each with descriptive text.

Why people believe weird things : pseudoscience, superstition, and other confusions of our time by Michael Shermer (133 She) – The co-founder of “Skeptic” magazine explains why people are so willing to believe in mind reading, alien abductions, ghosts, and other manifestations of pseudoscience, and discusses how such wrong thinking can lead to very real danger.

Voodoo science : the road from foolishness to fraud by Robert L. Park (509 Par) – Examines holistic medicine, the placebo effect, cancer scares, the roles of the media and the government in perpetuating scientific myths, and the need for basic scientific literacy in society to prevent fraud, as well as other related topics.

Merchants of doubt : how a handful of scientists obscured the truth on issues from tobacco smoke to global warming by Naomi Oreskes (174 Ore) – Examines how a group of high-level scientists with ties to politics and industry aided campaigns designed to mislead the public about the risks and dangers associated with DDT–insecticides–tobacco smoke, the link between coal smoke and acid rain, and global warming. 

Related articles

• It’s International Skeptics Day – Believe it or not! (examiner.com)
• Big $ for Nessie Pics (foxnews.com)
• Beware Of Paraskevidekatriaphobia (miami.cbslocal.com)
• It Turns Out, Friday The 13th Is Usually A Great Day For Stocks (businessinsider.com)

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
   

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2. Go ask Alice by Anonymous (Beatrice Sparks)
3. Catching fire by Suzanne Collins
4. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
5. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
6. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
7. Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
8. The lovely bones by Alice Sebold
9. A walk to remember by Nicholas Sparks
10. New moon by Stephenie Meyer
11. It happened to Nancy by Anonymous (Beatrice Sparks)
12. The lost boy by Dave Pelzer
13. Baby help by Marilyn Reynolds
14. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
15. Homeboyz by Alan Sitomer
16. Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone by J. K. Rowling
17. A child called “It” by Dave Pelzer
18. Gone by Lisa McMann
19. Hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
20. Frostbite by Richelle Mead
21. If you loved me by Marilyn Reynolds
22. Shut up! by Marilyn Reynolds
23. Burned by Ellen Hopkins
24. Marked by P. C. Cast
25. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Our most popular authors are Suzanne Collins, Ellen Hopkins and Marilyn Reynolds (each with 3 titles on the list).

Related articles

• Stephenie Meyer makes the Kindle Million Club (examiner.com)
• Elizabeth Banks Talks ‘The Hunger Games’ With ‘New York’ Magazine (pinkisthenewblog.com)

Cover of The Book of Fred: A Novel

Gadget nation : a journey through the eccentric world of invention by Steve Greenberg (609 Gre) – Profiles over one hundred quirky inventions, such as a mobile pet water bowl, a license plate holder that converts into a help sign, a shoulder dolly, and lighted slippers.

The radioactive boy scout : the frightening true story of a whiz kid and his homemade nuclear  reactor by Ken Silverstein (621.48 Sil) – Tells the story of David Hahn, the Michigan teenager who built a nuclear breeder reactor in his backyard in 1994, endangering the residents of his Michigan hometown and raising the ire of the federal government.

The saga of the Bloody Benders : the infamous homicidal family of Labette County, Kansas by Rick Geary (GN 978.1 Gea) – A graphic novel account of the Victorian crime saga involving the Benders, an odd family that arrived in Kansas in the early 1870s and set up a combination dwelling, grocery store, and inn from which wealthy travelers vanished at an alarming rate.

Love among the walnuts, or, how I saved my family from being poisoned by Jean Ferris (FIC Ferris) – Born and raised in isolation in a wealthy, eccentric family, Sandy is shocked when he, his parents, and their servants become victims of a vicious plot by his greedy uncles to incapacitate them and take their money.

The Book of Fred by Abby Bardi (FIC Bardi) – A sheltered fifteen-year-old girl named Mary Fred Anderson is removed from her home in a fundamentalist sect and placed in foster care in a Washington, D.C. suburb, where a violent act upon her new family has an indelible impact on her, making her reexamine her long-held beliefs.

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (FIC Spinelli) – Stargirl, a teen who animates quiet Mica High with her colorful personality, suddenly finds herself shunned for her refusal to conform.

Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz (FIC Koontz) – Odd Thomas, a short order cook at the Pico Mundo Grill, keeps his ability to speak with ghosts a secret from all but his girlfriend, Stormy, and the local police chief who he occasionally helps solve or prevent crime, but his unusual talent leads him and his fellow citizens into big trouble when a strange man comes to town followed by a horde of borachs–ghostly harbingers of mayhem.

Farmer Cap by Jill Kalz (E Kal)- After years of trying to convince their eccentric neighbor to do things the way they do, the farmers of Pfeffernut County finally see that Farmer Cap might have some good ideas, after all.

Second semester begins today and we have a lot of great stuff coming up in the second half of the school year, including our Miles For Montclair Walk-a-Thon, SPRING BREAK two more Food Fairs, the Spring Play, Sadies/Powder Puff, Prom, STAR testing, CAHSEE,  AP Exams and graduation!

January alone is packed with cool stuff:

1/16 – Martin Luther King Day ~ NO SCHOOL ~ Miles for Montclair Walk-A-Thon

1/25 – Mr. Montclair Pageant, 6:30 – 9:00 pm ~  Dave Pelzer @ Chaffey High School, Gardiner W. Spring Auditorium, 6:30 – 7:30 pm

1/28 – SAT testing ~ AcaDec competition

Whew!  It’s a good thing we just had a vacation!

Pregnant pause by Han Nolan.  Harcourt, 2011. 340 p. (FIC Nolan)

Eleanor is 16 and pregnant.  Her parents are about to go back to Kenya to continue their missionary work with AIDS orphans; her stuck-up sister and her husband have been trying to have a baby and would like to take Eleanor’s.  But Elly doesn’t want to go to Kenya, or to California to live with her sister.  She wants to stay in Maine with her boyfriend, Lam.  Soon she learns you should be careful what you wish for …

Elly’s parents will only let her stay if she marries Lam.  His parents offer them a cabin at their weight-loss summer camp in exchange for counselor duties.  Now Elly finds herself stuck in a dump of a cabin, eating diet food (mashed cauliflower? Yuck!) and trying to help kids with crafts and dance class when she’s hopeless at both.  Still, she makes friends with some of the other counselors and finds herself mentoring one of the campers, a whiny girl named Banner.

Just as Elly is starting to feel like she fits in, things start to fall apart.  Lam gets caught messing around with one of the other counselors; yet another counselor, Ziggy, starts making moves on Elly.  Suddenly her choices are multiplied: give the baby to her sister? give the baby to her in-laws? keep the baby and stay married to Lam? keep the baby and start a relationship with Ziggy?

As the day of her scheduled C-section gets closer, Elly gets more and more confused, until a tragedy at camp and some unexpected news about the baby make things crystal clear, at least to her.  Now she just has to convince the rest of the world that she’s making the right decision.

Cover via Amazon

Winter Break is coming soon (it begins on Thursday!).  Don’t forget to pick up something to read while you are off.  Here are some Christmas fiction titles:

Confessions of the Sullivan sisters by Natalie Standiford (FIC Standiford) — When the Sullivan sisters’ grandmother gathers the entire family on Christmas to announce that she is removing them all from her will unless whoever it is that has offended her confesses in writing by New Year’s Day, everybody begins to consider what they may have done.

Dash & Lily’s book of dares by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan (FIC Cohn) — Told in the alternating voices of Dash and Lily, two sixteen-year-olds carry on a wintry scavenger hunt at Christmas-time in New York, neither knowing quite what–or who–they will find.

Finding Noel by Richard Paul Evans (FIC Evans) — In the midst of dealing with the death of his mother, a recent breakup with his girlfriend, and depression, Mark Smart meets Macy Wood, who was raised by foster parents, and together they search for the woman’s lost sister, Noel, and subsequently overcome their personal issues.

Princess present by Meg Cabot (FIC Cabot) — In a series of diary entries, Princess Mia describes celebrating Christmas with her friends in Genovia.

All I want is everything by Cecily von Ziegesar (FIC Von Ziegesar) — Chronicles the activities of two friends, Serena and Blair, and a group of wealthy students from exclusive private schools in Manhattan during Christmas break of their senior year.

The Christmas shoes by Donna Van Liere (FIC Van Liere) — Robert, a busy attorney on the verge of divorce, has an eye-opening, life-changing experience when he encounters a young boy in the midst of the bustling Christmas shopping crowd searching for exactly the right present for his mother who is dying of cancer.

What child is this? by Caroline Cooney (FIC Cooney) — When seventeen-year-old Matt tries to find a family for an eight-year-old foster child, his attempt backfires and both of them need a Christmas miracle.

‘Twas the night before : a love story by Jerry Jenkins (FIC Jenkins) — Noella, a journalism professor at Northwestern University, and Tom, a reporter for the Chicago Tribune, are engaged to be married. After several failed relationships, they believe they have finally found true love. As Christmas approaches, though, they come up against a basic difference in their temperaments. When Noella insists that a medallion she received as a child was actually from Santa Claus, Tom bah-hum-bugs it, and, sadly, they realize they are just too dissimilar to get married. However, while in Germany on assignment to write about the Father of Christmas, Tom makes a discovery that restores his faith in much more than Santa.

The rifle by Gary Paulsen (FIC Paulsen) — A priceless, handcrafted rifle, carried throughout the American Revolution, is passed down through the years until it fires on the fateful Christmas Eve of 1994.