Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Warning - some spoilers ahead (but not enough to ruin the book for you!)


The sequel to The Hunger Games is here! I gave Amazon.com about two weeks to offer in a Kindle edition, then I could wait no more and bought the hard-copy at Barnes & Noble.

I read it in one sitting.

Collins brings all the excitement and drama of the first book back and spins it in an entirely different way.

Catching Fire takes place in the year following the unusual and unprecedented finale of Katniss' Hunger Games. Katniss learns that she has become more than just a Victor - she has become a symbol of defiance and hope to the dejected peoples of most of the Districts. Even people in the Capitol; spoiled, carefree, and completely immune to the horrors of the games; are paying attention to Katniss. Unwittingly, Katniss begins to fan the flames of revolution - and her fire begins catching in the other Districts of Panem as the next Hunger Games - a "Quarter Quell" in which even nastier than usual trials are set for the Tributes- begin.

I recommend this book to 6th grade and up.
I think readers will take away something deeper than a survival story. These books raise a few larger issues of what it means to be loyal, what it means to survive, and what it means to be aware.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is a fast-paced survival story set in a not-too-far-away future in a nation called Panem. Katniss, the protagonist, routinely ignores the harsh laws of her world in order to hunt game and gather food for her family, her mother and younger sister, Prim.
On Reaping Day, all children between 12 and 18 are entered into a lottery to be selected for The Hunger Games - a terrible kill-or-be-killed 'game' that takes place in the Capitol, for the rest of Panem to watch. Each of the twelve districts must send two 'tributes' to participate and, if they are lucky enough to be the one survivor, bring glory and extra resources to their district.
This book begins on Prim's first Reaping Day. When the unthinkable happens, Katniss volunteers to go in her place - and finds herself thrown into a world of obvious and not-so-obvious danger.

I could not put this book down.
I recommend it for 6th grade and up.

The Royal Diary Series

This eighteen volume series, published by Scholastic, chronicles specific time periods of royal women in history.



Being slightly obsessed with British history of late, I've focused on the monarchies of England.



The books are written diary style from the perspective of the subject. All of the books I've read include a note from the author discussing which parts are history and which parts are fiction. Also included at the end are images related to each subject.

I'd recommend these books to any 3rd-6th grader interested in the subject.

Titles I've read so far:
Isabel: Jewel of Castilla by Carolyn Meyer
Elizabeth: Red Rose of the House of Tudor by Kathryn Lasky
Victoria: May Blossom of Britannia by Anna Kirwan

The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan

This book is an in-between read. It was released just prior to the fifth (and final?) Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, The Last Olympian.

This little tome is lighter-hearted, but still full of serious adventure. I get the feeling that I will enjoy The Last Olympian more for having read it.






The other books in the Percy Jackson series have been a source of great entertainment and a fun trip through Greek Mythology. I've read the first four (all five titles are listed below), and recommend them to any reader that enjoys adventure. To read them independently, the reader needs to have about a fourth grade reading level.


The Lightening Thief
The Sea of Monsters
The Titan's Curse
The Battle of the Labyrinth
The Last Olympian

The Great Brain Series by John D. Fitzgerald

I love this series. They were a childhood favorite of my husband's; he introduced me to them.

So far I've read the first four.

Neil Gaiman awarded Newbery

The 2008 Newbery Medal was awarded to Neil Gaiman for his book
The Graveyard Book.

I read this book and found it to be lyrical, deeply engaging, and a stunning picture created with words. Gaiman is very talented at putting your mind exactly where he wants it.
I recommend this book to children in Middle School and older. The reason is that the first chapter has a scene both necessary and terrible - of the suspenseful, scary, horrific sort. Without it, the story could not flow; with it, the story has greater meaning.

Newbery Honor Books

"The Underneath" by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small

"The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom"

by Margarita Engle

"After Tupac and D Foster" by Jacqueline Woodson

Caldecott Winners are in!

The American Library Association's children's services division, ALSC (Association for Library Services to Children) has announced the winners of the prestigious Caldecott Award.

The Caldecott Medal goes to The House in the Night, illustrated by Beth Krommes and written by Susan Marie Swanson.

Caldecott Honor Books

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever, by Marla Frazee

How I Learned Geography, by Uri Shulevitz

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams, illustrated by Melissa Sweet and written by Jen Bryant

39 Clues Series

This series looks like it will be a lot of fun to read. I have read both books, The Maze of Bones, and One False Note. I am curious how many books will round out the entire series.

These books, each written by a different author (Rick Riordan and Gordan Korman), keep the same flow and feel to them. I found them entertaining and fast-paced.

For readers interested in trying to solve the mysteries presented in the books, there is a contest going on. Information here.

Dog Lost by Ingrid Lee

I read this book and, I admit, it made me tear up a little. This is the story of Cash, a pit bull puppy, that is given a very mixed lot in life. She is given love and affection (and patience) by a very special boy, then turned out on her own by a very selfish and immature father.

Cash must learn to survive in a world set against pit bulls. There is cruelty and crime in this story, but there is love and justice, too.

I recommend this book for readers 9 or 10 and older. Beware that it contains some foul language - but I believe it is an important part of the story, in this case. If you love dogs, it may be hard to read a few parts, but it is worth it in the end.