The Silver Dream/Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves/240 pgs./Neil Gaiman challenge

This is called the sequel to Gaiman and Reaves' The Silver Dream, but by the ending it's obvious there is at least one book coming. Also, according to the cover of the book, the story was conceived by Gaiman and Reaves, but was actually written by Michael and Mallory Reaves. Putting all of that aside, The Silver Dream picks up where Interworld leaves off. Joey Harker is a Walker--he can "walk" between dimensions. Originally from Earth (as we know it), Joey is now part of InterWorld, an "organization" whose goal is to keep the universe in balance. A new "person" enters the story line--Acacia Jones--whose true purpose isn't revealed until closer to the book's end. This is science fiction, action, and suspense all rolled into one. Middle -schoolers should find this very entertaining!

InterWorld/Neil Gaiman & Michael Reaves/239 pgs./May Challenge

Joey Harker, a high school sophomore, stumbles into an alternate world; in fact, he discovers that there are multiple earths with different properties. There are also different versions of himself coming from these alternate worlds. He comes to discover that some of these worlds are ruled by magic, and others by science--and the worlds are at war with each other! In order to keep the balance of power among the worlds even, Joey, and a team of his alternates, must battle the evil Lord Dogknife and Lady Indigo. It has action and suspense--very enjoyable!

Stronger, Jeff Bauman, 244 pages,

Jeff Bauman was waiting for his girlfriend Erin to cross the finish line at the Boston Marathon in 2013.  He stares at a young man and gets a bad feeling.  Moments later the man is gone, but his back pack is still there.  Before Jeff can react, his life is forever changed.  Jeff delivers a very upbeat account of his life after the Boston Marathon bombing.  This book was a fairly quick read from Jeff's point of view, without medical or forensic jargon.

The Big Book of Gross Stuff / Bart King / 284 pages

     Everything you wanted to know and maybe a whole lot that you didn't need to know about gross stuff is what this book is - just as advertised.  Farting - Poop - dead stuff - gross food that people actually eat and a whole lot more.  
     Did you know that Lord Nelson died at sea in 1805 and his body was put into a large keg of brandy to preserve him for the trip back to England.  By the time the ship reached England, the keg was nearly empty from sailors siphoning off the brandy.  yechhh!
     This is pretty much the theme of the book.  Which chapter or story will gross you out the most.  Actually, I could read a sequel.   the author also wrote The Big Book of Boy Stuff. which should have some fun stuff in it.

RAteam Reading for March 2014 / Biography-Autobiography

6 - Readers
6 - Books
2,484 - Total Pages

Wild Born/Brandon Mull/224 pages

Wild Born is book one in a new series called "Spirit Animals". In the world of Erdas, when every child comes of age, they will discover if they are linked to a powerful, magical spirit animal by drinking a special nectar. The peaceful world in which they live has been infiltrated by a band of conquerors, ready to ravage the world. This is a brand new platform from Scholastic that is a book series written by several best selling authors and an on-line role playing game where readers can choose their own spirit animal and fight against evil forces. The story reminds of Philip Pullman's Golden Compass series but for younger readers, grades 3 -6, Great series for boys and girls that like adventure stories.

Truman / David McCullough 256 p. December Challenge: 3 French Hens

David McCullough presents a spellbinding biography of Harry Truman.  He shows Truman's humble beginnings in Missouri.  His courtship of Bess.  His spirit, humbleness, honesty, let-the-stop-here philosophy comes through.  This is the president who fought in WWI, came home to experience the depression.  He worked on the local roads - and they were better when he was in charge.  He had his political beginnings with the Pendergast machine, responsible for the Marshall Plan, dropping the atomic bomb, integrated the armed forces, ignored the pollsters, and more.

Bossy Pants / Tina Fey / 277 p.

Tina Fey does not hold back in this autobiographical book about her life and career. Listening to her audio version was a real treat, but you must be able to handle the amount of profanity and scatological humor she uses. She is very honest about her own shortcomings and outspoken about the gender inequities she and other female comedians face.

Reckless (Mirrorworld, vol. 1) / Cornelia Funke / 394 pgs.

MY FIRST BOOK of the NEW READING SEASON!! WHOOT! WHOOT!

"Jacob and Will Reckless have looked out for each other ever since their father disappeared, but when Jacob discovers a magical mirror that transports him to a warring world populated by witches, giants, and ogres, he keeps it to himself until Will follows him one day, with dire consequences."

I think boys will like this action/adventure fantasy.  There is lots of quests and fighting to keep them engaged and the story is a bit dartk.  I only had a problem with the ending since it just wraps up quickly without much explanation.  Perhaps, things will be better explained in the next book.  Still a very entertaining story.  

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin/Robert Byrd/

A picture-book biography of a fascinating Founding Father.  A true Renaissance man, Benjamin Franklin was the first American celebrity. In pictures and text, master artist Robert Byrd documents Franklin's numerous and diverse accomplishments, from framing the Constitution to creating bifocals.   Listed as an ALA Notable Children's Book for 2013.

Steve Jobs: the Man Who Thought Different/Karen Blumenthal/275 pages

You think you know who Steve Jobs is?  What the public saw barely scratched the surface of this enigmatic man.  While most inventors and other great cultural revolutionaries are often quite quirky, Jobs was at the extreme reaches.  He would throw tantrums and harshly berate his employees in front of others, then later be the definition of charm, making working for him extremely difficult.  As one employee said, He didn't invent computers, cell phones or portable music/audio devices, but he knew how to package them and make the world not only want one, but make them think they couldn't live without one. He single-handily changed the world and there is hardly anyone who hasn't been touched by one of his "inventions".
Blumenthal writes a teen biography that is easily read.  Steve Jobs: the Man Who Thought Different is listed on several recommended reading list.

	Top Ten Science and Health Books for Youth 2012 (Booklist) Top Ten Biographies for Youth 1012 (Booklist) ALA Notable Children's Books, 2013

The Spy with the Wooden Leg : Virginia Hall / Nancy Polette / 152 pages

This biography of Virginia Hall was quite interesting. She worked with the French underground during World War II.  Although she did receive a medal, she is not anyone I had ever heard of.  There was much that I learned about France during the war.  Nancy takes a complex time period and makes it much more readable.  She has a background page in several places which helps the reader with context.  I found it very helpful.  This isn't really a book for kids much below 5th grade because they probably don't know enough for it to make sense.

The first part of the book tells how Virginia Hall wanted to be an ambassador or a representative in the Foreign Service.  Kids won't know what is coming, but I did.  Of course she couldn't hold such a position since she wasn't a "Man"  She seemed to get glorified secretary jobs with the Foreign offices.  The United States blew her off when she offered her services as a spy so that is how she came to work for the British Intelligence.

     There are 152 pages which is the perfect number to make a teacher happy and yet not so long as to make a student sad.  Nancy Polette, a St. Charles author, has done a great job with this book.

Just a Guy: Notes from a Blue Collar Life/Bill Engvall/238 pages

Blue Collar Comedy Star Bill Engvall is JUST A GUY.  He's been one his whole life.  He can't help it.  He was born that way.  And that makes him an expert on the subject.   

For the record, here's the official definition of a guy:  A person who doesn't think before he speaks.  He can't.  He's not that deep.  Because a guy has only three basic needs: eating, sleeping, and sex.  That's it. 
In this hilarious and heartfelt memoir, Bill Engvall takes you on the rollicking ride of his life, beginning with his childhood in Texas and adolescence in Arizona, becoming a fixture in local emergency rooms, the result of massive amounts of non-thinking behavior trying to impress girls or torture his sisters; to high school in Dallas where he dabbled in an array of truly odd jobs, learned the trombone, and came of age, all strangely connected; to college and his tenure as his fraternity's social chairman, where he masterminded a series of legendary parties and attempted to rescue his pet bird while the house was burning down (not his fault, honest); to following his dream as a standup comic and, gulp, singer; to his brief stint in children's theater while sharing the stage and the back of a van with the director's dog, and as a movie extra with forked tongue and cloth claws; to his bumbling and riotous courtship, then marriage to Gail, the love of his life; and, finally, fatherhood, where he remains, to this day, a well-meaning, but flawed parent.

This was a hilarious, quick read.  If you are familiar with the comedian, then you will immediately "hear" his voice as you read.

USA: Everything you ever wanted to know (Not-For-Parents Series) / Lynette Evans / 96 pgs.

Did you know that there are no pockets in Amish clothing? or that 700,000 footballs are made for the NFL a year? or that Missouri had the nickname "The Puke State?"  This eclectic collection of facts are all in the book USA: Everything you ever Wanted to Know.   Its really not "EVERYTHING", but there are a lot of fun little facts that kids (and adults) did not know about the United States.  The book does not go into much detail as to where they got their facts from or elaborate on them, but at the bottom of every page there is a website link where one can go for more information.  I can't wait to read other books in this series since they have one on Rome, Paris, London, and others.

The Mighty Mars Rover: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity/Elizabeth Rusch/75 pages

On June 10, 2003, a little rover named Spirit blasted off on a rocket headed for Mars. On July 7, 2003, a twin rover named Opportunity soared through the solar system with the same mission: to find out if Mars ever had water that could have supported life.A thrilling addition to the acclaimed Scientists in the Field series, The Mighty Mars Rovers tells the greatest space robot adventure of all time through the eyes—and heart—of Steven Squyres, professor of astronomy at Cornell University and lead scientist on the mission.

The Mighty Mars Rover: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity was listed in ALA Notable Books for Children in 2012 and was named one of the Top Ten Science and Health Books for Youth 2012 (Booklist)

My Beloved World / Sonia Sotomayor / 315 pages

     Sonia Sotomayor has written a fascinating book about her life up until her becoming a judge.  She grew up in the "other America"  - the Bronx of New York - which was almost it's own 3rd world country.  She has been a type 1 diabetic since age 8, has had vast amounts of experiences that most people will never have in a lifetime.  Her ability to survive and thrive and become who she is --it's just amazing.  Yes, she entered Princeton due to affirmative action, but she really deserved to be there.  She had the brilliance, the drive, the grades and the talent;but not the wealth, connections, or male gender.  I think that as a judge she will have more insight into cases that come before her than people who are born to priviledge.  She is a work-aholoic and will spend hours studying anything that is relevant to a case.  I am so glad that she is on the supreme court.
     (the cd is read by Rita Moreno - a real treat!  The library should buy the cd)
People should read or listen to this book.  it is that good.

Anne Frank remembered / Miep Gies with Alison Leslie Gold 264 p.

Thanks to Alison Leslie Gold who convinced Miep Gies to remember her days outside of the secret annex in Amsterdam where Anne Frank and her family and friends hid. Miep recounts those harsh, horrid, horrific days with simplicity, honesty and such clarity the one is there as she spends hours supporting the Franks.  This is a great book for those who wish to know more about Anne from one who was her protector as well as her special friend.

The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey/Louise Borden/80 pages

This is the story of the Reys and their escape from their home in Paris during the Nazi invasion during World War II.  Escaping on bicycles, they managed to save the manuscript for The Adventures of Curious George among their few possessions.

I had no idea the story behind Curious George and the narrow escape of the Rey's , who were Jews, from the Nazi invasion of France, and their eventual immigration to the United States.  But even their story before World War II was interesting and filled with adventures, including a pet monkey that was the inspiration for George.  The book is filled with both photographs from the Rey's collection and colorful illustrations from Allan Drummond, the illustrator of this non-fiction book, that compliments the Rey's illustrations of their many children's books.

Steve Jobs/Walter Isaacson/627 pages

I'll start off by saying that this is a book club selection. Although I enjoy biographies, Steve Jobs is not someone that interests me, and I'm not a computer person. (That's my husband in the background saying, "Nope, she's not. Not at all!") I was a little intimidated by the length of the book. I was afraid it would be dry and much too technical. Plus, I'm not a fan of Apple as a company. All that being said, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this. As someone said to me recently, a good biographer can make all the difference. Isaacson's style is very readable, and I never felt like I was over my head in any aspect of Jobs' life. It was hard to put down even knowing the basics of the story.

Sometimes I read biographies because I want to know if my low opinion of the subject is undeserved and should be altered or at least updated. Sometimes what I discover is the person is worse than I thought! (Pete Rose comes to mind.) Steve Jobs falls into this category as well. Although he is hailed as a genius, it seems that his true "superpower" was being able to bully people into doing what he wanted. He was called a visionary and maybe that's his legacy. It seems that we as a society excuse bad behavior by saying someone is a genius or an artist or a visionary as if that's a necessary trade-off to being civil. I'm in the process of picking out my first smartphone. My first instinct was to go with an android because, as I mentioned before, I'm not an Apple fan. That's because they don't play well with others. I thought after reading this I might be a convert to the iPhone. Nope.

The Sea of Monsters/Rick Riordan/279 pgs.

This is book 2 in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series.  Percy Jackson's 7th grade school year was pretty uneventful until some monsters show up to engage in a deadly game of dodge ball.  On top of that, the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been compromised, leaving the safe haven for demi-gods in danger. There is plenty of action, humor, and adventure. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.