New Book Spotlight
New Book Reviews
Looking for Me
by Betsy Rosenthal
from booklist reveiw
Twelve-year-old Edith Paul feels somewhat lost in her enormous Depression-era family. As the fourth of 12 children, she accepts caring for her younger siblings, working until two in the morning in her father’s diner, and sleeping three to a bed. But she also wishes for things she lacks: new school clothes, alone time with her mother, and a sense of her place in the family. Spanning the 1936–37 school year, Rosenthal’s verse novel is based on anecdotes from her mother’s childhood.
Exposure
by Mal Peet
from goodreads.com
This is the third "Paul Faustino" novel by multi-award-winning Mal Peet. A massive soccer star has it all, but someone is plotting his downfall...Revered as a national hero...married to the desirable Desmerelda...cherished by the media...soccer star, Otello, has it all. But a sensational club transfer sparks a media frenzy, and when he is wrongly implicated in a scandal, the footballer's life turns into a tragic spiral of destruction. South America's top sports journalist, Paul Faustino, witnesses the power of the media in making and breaking people's lives.
by Mal Peet
from goodreads.com
This is the third "Paul Faustino" novel by multi-award-winning Mal Peet. A massive soccer star has it all, but someone is plotting his downfall...Revered as a national hero...married to the desirable Desmerelda...cherished by the media...soccer star, Otello, has it all. But a sensational club transfer sparks a media frenzy, and when he is wrongly implicated in a scandal, the footballer's life turns into a tragic spiral of destruction. South America's top sports journalist, Paul Faustino, witnesses the power of the media in making and breaking people's lives.
Guys Write for Guys Read
various authors
from common sense media.com
A collection of nearly 100 very short stories, anecdotes, drawings, essays, comics, and memories from favorite authors from the Guys Read website, as well as from literacy experts and editors. Authors like M.T. Anderson and Walter Dean Meyers have entries. Selections include numerous memories about fathers, pranks, and bullies, thoughts about what it means to be a guy, and anecdotes about the paths that led to becoming writers and illustrators. Each is followed by a few facts about the author and a few titles of his books.
various authors
from common sense media.com
A collection of nearly 100 very short stories, anecdotes, drawings, essays, comics, and memories from favorite authors from the Guys Read website, as well as from literacy experts and editors. Authors like M.T. Anderson and Walter Dean Meyers have entries. Selections include numerous memories about fathers, pranks, and bullies, thoughts about what it means to be a guy, and anecdotes about the paths that led to becoming writers and illustrators. Each is followed by a few facts about the author and a few titles of his books.
The Humming Room
by Ellen Potter
Posted by Gaye @ Foster on King County Library System Book Talk
Orphaned at the age of 12, Roo is sent to live with an unknown uncle on a remote island. Roo realizes from the beginning that the monstrous house, once a children's hospital, and her aloof uncle, both have their secrets. Having always preferred a quiet place to be left alone, Roo finds herself increasingly drawn into the new world this island offers. She meets the elusive boy the locals call "The Faigne," discovers the dying jungle in the basement of the house, and finally...a secret door that leads her to the source of the strange sounds she's heard since she arrived. If you've read The Secret Garden, this story will sound familiar; The Humming Room is a shorter and contemporary retelling, accessible to younger readers.
The story has appeal on several levels. It features mystery and magic, a hint of fairy tale, and a cast of captivating characters. Potter packs a lot into this middle-grade read, yet she leaves us with a few loose threads to contemplate, resonating even after the last page has been turned.
by Ellen Potter
Posted by Gaye @ Foster on King County Library System Book Talk
Orphaned at the age of 12, Roo is sent to live with an unknown uncle on a remote island. Roo realizes from the beginning that the monstrous house, once a children's hospital, and her aloof uncle, both have their secrets. Having always preferred a quiet place to be left alone, Roo finds herself increasingly drawn into the new world this island offers. She meets the elusive boy the locals call "The Faigne," discovers the dying jungle in the basement of the house, and finally...a secret door that leads her to the source of the strange sounds she's heard since she arrived. If you've read The Secret Garden, this story will sound familiar; The Humming Room is a shorter and contemporary retelling, accessible to younger readers.
The story has appeal on several levels. It features mystery and magic, a hint of fairy tale, and a cast of captivating characters. Potter packs a lot into this middle-grade read, yet she leaves us with a few loose threads to contemplate, resonating even after the last page has been turned.
Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different
by Karen Blumenthal
Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography, bolstered by 40 interviews with its subject, is the current gold standard for books about Steve Jobs, but Blumenthal’s in-depth look at the innovator’s life makes a close runner-up and a winner for younger audiences. Blumenthal, a former business reporter, uses a speech Jobs made to a graduating class at Stanford as an inviting hook to draw readers in. He told his audience stories about the most important incidents in his life, beginning with his adoption, and how the dots of his life connected in mysterious ways.
by Karen Blumenthal
Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography, bolstered by 40 interviews with its subject, is the current gold standard for books about Steve Jobs, but Blumenthal’s in-depth look at the innovator’s life makes a close runner-up and a winner for younger audiences. Blumenthal, a former business reporter, uses a speech Jobs made to a graduating class at Stanford as an inviting hook to draw readers in. He told his audience stories about the most important incidents in his life, beginning with his adoption, and how the dots of his life connected in mysterious ways.
The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr. AKA Houdini
by Peter Johnson
When an author comes to speak to his class in a rundown area of Providence, Houdini decides to make money by writing his own novel.
Rule #8 for Writing a Kid’s Novel: Try to include a few lists in your novel. Kids like lists.
Houdini is way more interesting than the kid the author wrote about.
Rule #6: You have to like your characters or the reader won’t care about them. (How can I not like myself?)
Houdini chronicles his life as he and his friends start a leaf-raking business, befriend Old Man Jackson, a Vietnam War veteran with a seriously intimidating dog, and get even with the neighborhood bully, Angel. But it’s hard to find a way to write about his dad losing his job or his brother, Franklin, who is first reported missing in action in Iraq and then still seems to be missing when he comes home.
No matter what, Houdini and his friends rely on one another to figure out how to do the right thing. And Houdini discovers that writing and thinking about his friends and family lets him get to know them in completely new ways.
by Peter Johnson
When an author comes to speak to his class in a rundown area of Providence, Houdini decides to make money by writing his own novel.
Rule #8 for Writing a Kid’s Novel: Try to include a few lists in your novel. Kids like lists.
Houdini is way more interesting than the kid the author wrote about.
Rule #6: You have to like your characters or the reader won’t care about them. (How can I not like myself?)
Houdini chronicles his life as he and his friends start a leaf-raking business, befriend Old Man Jackson, a Vietnam War veteran with a seriously intimidating dog, and get even with the neighborhood bully, Angel. But it’s hard to find a way to write about his dad losing his job or his brother, Franklin, who is first reported missing in action in Iraq and then still seems to be missing when he comes home.
No matter what, Houdini and his friends rely on one another to figure out how to do the right thing. And Houdini discovers that writing and thinking about his friends and family lets him get to know them in completely new ways.
Alex Rodriguez : Hot Corner, Hot Shot
by Serena Kappes
In 2010 Alex Rodriquez achieved a major milestone. He became the seventh person in Major League Baseball (MLB) history ”and the youngest” to hit 600 home runs. The previous year had also been stellar ”for both him and his New York Yankee team. As USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, puts it, "Rodriguez, baseball's richest and perhaps greatest all-around player with three MVP awards, finally got his proudest possession ”a World Series championship."
Known as A-Rod, the baseball phenom was born in New York but grew up in Miami. In 1993, at age 18, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners and earned his first All Star selection three years later. He joined the Texas Rangers in 2000. In Texas he slugged home runs, stole bases, and won awards. A-Rod was traded to the New York Yankees in 2004, where he switched from shortstop to third base. Find out how a skinny kid with big dreams became one of the highest paid and most successful players in the big leagues.
by Serena Kappes
In 2010 Alex Rodriquez achieved a major milestone. He became the seventh person in Major League Baseball (MLB) history ”and the youngest” to hit 600 home runs. The previous year had also been stellar ”for both him and his New York Yankee team. As USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper, puts it, "Rodriguez, baseball's richest and perhaps greatest all-around player with three MVP awards, finally got his proudest possession ”a World Series championship."
Known as A-Rod, the baseball phenom was born in New York but grew up in Miami. In 1993, at age 18, he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners and earned his first All Star selection three years later. He joined the Texas Rangers in 2000. In Texas he slugged home runs, stole bases, and won awards. A-Rod was traded to the New York Yankees in 2004, where he switched from shortstop to third base. Find out how a skinny kid with big dreams became one of the highest paid and most successful players in the big leagues.
New Book Book Trailers
This section is under construction. These were books from an order at my previous school library, I'm not sure if Horizon has all of these titles at the moment. I will be updating this section soon to reflect new books in our library. In the meantime, if you are interested in any of these books, just click the hyper-linked title to watch the book trailer video.
Sapphique by Fisher (sequel to Incarceron)
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The Scorch Trials by Dashner (sequel to The Maze Runner)
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Dead End in Norvelt by Gantos (Newbery winner 2012!)
The Darke - Book 6 in the Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage
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