Everblossom - Larissa Hinton

Everblossom is an anthology unlike any I have ever read before.  First of all it seemed strange to read something that was so casual in its style.  I almost felt as if I was at an oral story telling.  This is not bad, just different.  Her mixture of short stories and poetry was refreshing.  I loved the poem “Childhood”.  As I find myself getting older it was nice to read a poem that took me back to what it was like to be a child.

Just about the time I thought I had the author’s style pinned down she slipped in something new.  “Crack” seemed like a short story of an abusive mother.  It had a twist to it that caught me off guard.

I think I enjoyed the poetry more than the short stories.  I felt like there needed to be more to the stories.  Maybe it was just my desire for there to be more.  I do believe this is an author we will see more from.

Student Saturday: The bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket

Publisher:  Harper Collins
Pages:  162
Genre:  Middle Grade, Mystery
Reviewer:  Maddy

Imagine finding out your parents are gone forever.  Imagine how you would feel if you learned they died in a fire.  That is what happened to three children.  These children were from a different dimension, and lived in a very old and dull city.  The oldest is Violet who is fourteen, the second is Klaus, a twelve year old boy, and lat is a little girl named Sunny.  She is just two years old.

Mr. Poe is a family friend and tells the children the terrible news about their parents.  He informs them they are to go live with their uncle Count Olaf.  The children have never met their Uncle and are very scared to go live with him.

Olaf is a tall, skinny man with a tattoo of an eye on his ankle.  There is even an eye on the door of his house which is old and dusty.  Olaf is not very hospitable.  He gave them a room with only on bed to share.


Mr. Poe told Olaf about the children's fortune.  This act was very unfortunate for the kids.  Soon Olaf was trying many things to get to the fortune.  This becomes the plot of the book.  Many unfortunate events begin to happen to them as Olaf gets greedy.

I recommend reading this book and finding out what unfortunate events Olaf cooks up for the children. It is an amusing book with great detail and event after event.  It is sometimes very funny.  Sunny made me laugh at times  It is also a little sad.  I enjoyed reading it and hope you do too.  The book is part of a series.

Want to Go Private – Sarah Littman

Publisher:  Scholastic

Pages:  336

Source:  Review Copy from author

Genre:  Young Adult, Realistic Fiction

Warning:  Due to the nature of the subject matter I would suggest to parents that they read the book and decide if you want to allow your child to read this.  Either way, this is a conversation you need to have with your teen.

First of all let me say that I am aware that many people don’t believe anyone under the age of 14 should read this book.  I happen to disagree.  I teach 6^th grade middle school.  Let me tell you.  I can see what most of my students are posting on Facebook if I wanted because they have no security set up and they chat with anyone.  I hear their conversations and know that at this age many of them are dating with their parent’s permission.  May of them are already sexually active.  We have talked on several occasions about online safety.  It is scary to realize so many of them don’t think there is anything wrong with talking to someone online that they don’t know.  They see no harm in it.  Will I put this book on my shelf for 6^th graders?  You bet I will.

Abby and Faith have been best friends for a long time.  When they reach high school, Faith moves on making friends quickly while Abby feels she is being left in the dust.  Things are not any better at home.  She’s constantly fighting with her sister and her parents just don’t seem to listen or care. That is how Abby feels about everyone around her.  She has gotten so low she feels everyone is ignoring her.   That is until she meets Luke in a chat room.  He understands her and listens to her.  Before she knows it she finds herself falling for him.  When things escalate at home she turns to Luke.  He suggests they run away together.  Then Abby goes missing.  Things didn’t turn out the way she thought they would and she is abused.  This story takes a look at how things got to this point and then they look at how her friends react to it.  This is a book that should be on every shelf.  It is a definite must read.  It is a hard read.  This topic is not a feel good topic.  The land this book takes kids to is one they need to learn about no matter how hard.  Trust me, they all think this kind of thing would never happen to them.  I want to make sure I do everything in my power to make sure it never does happen to them.