The End (Book the 13th) by Lemony Snicket

I finally reached the end of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. Thirteen volumes of the adventures and misadventures of the Baudelaire orphans came to an end with The End (Book the 13th).

More questions were left unanswered than answered, in my humble opinion, as the book came to its end. My vocabulary increased substantially as a result of reading this series, as Snicket uses a "big" word in the book and then gives the definition.

I started this series when my son was in fourth grade, and finished it with him now a sophomore in high school!! I read the first four volumes, and have enjoyed the last nine as CD's on my car radio. I saw the movie, which was based on the first three books--I loved it, my son hated it, and my husband slept through it. Wow, the Baudelaire orphans and I have been through so much together the past six years. A good series for those readers who enjoy expanding their vocabulary.

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch

This book was sent to me by the publisher for my review. It is scheduled to be published in October. The similarities between this book and A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket are many: among them, both of these authors' names are obviously pseudonyms. Next, the tone of absurdity and offbeat sense of humor (and I mean that in a positive way!) by both authors is similar, as is the technique of using a big word and then defining it in the text.

I was also struck by the appearance of the condition synesthesia, or confusion of senses, in this book as well as in A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass, one of the most popular books in our school library this past school year.

In The Name of This Book is Secret, Cassandra and Max find a missing magician's notebook and start to investigate the fire which burnt down his house and his mysterious "symphony of smells." I found the book a little too long (359 pages), but that seems to be the trend in children's book publishing since Harry Potter came on the scene.

So if you like Lemony Snicket (and I'm a BIG fan), you'll be sure to like this book, too. The ending foreshadows a sequel to come, so that's good, too. Who is Pseudonymous Bosch? We'll have to wait to find out.

Lunch Money by Andrew Clements

As the old song says, "Money makes the world go around", and Greg Kenton couldn't agree more with that. He and Maura Shaw, his neighbor and classmate, team up after being competitors, selling mini comic books at school and discover there's more to running a business than just making a profit.

All the components of Andrew Clements' previous novels are here once again: school, teachers, friendship (what else would one expect from an author who's a former school teacher??), but are combined with some lessons on economics and entrepreneurialism (look that up in your dictionary!) for middle school readers. I listened to this book on CD, and enjoyed a bonus: an interview with Clements at the book's conclusion.

Other Andrew Clements books for middle schoolers to enjoy are Frindle (my personal favorite), A Week in the Woods, and The School Story. I'm looking forward to No Talking, his newest book which will be released this summer, about which I've already heard a good review. I've ordered a copy for our school library which should be here in early September.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Miranda watches with her family as a meteor hits the moon, knocking it into an orbit closer to Earth. Life as they know it quickly changes for Miranda and her family, as a chain of horrific occurances (tsunamis, earthquakes, dramatic climate changes, and volcanic eruptions) creates a life and death struggle for survival for earth's inhabitants. As life goes from bad to worse, Miranda, sixteen years old, writes in her diary.

I can't remember the last time I was so engrossed in a book, not wanting to catch a glimpse of what was going to happen next. Readers will devour this engrossing, page-turning science fiction novel, which was recommended to me by Mary M., Director at the Long Hill Public Library, in a perfect case of "librarian collaboration"!

Life As We Knew It is available at the Long Hill Library and will be available in September at the Central Middle School Library.

Other books in this genre or with similar plots that I recommend are Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse; Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien; and Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden. This is the first book I've read by Pfeffer, who also wrote The Year Without Michael. All of these books are available at the Central Middle School Library, and at the Long Hill Library.

Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy

As a middle school librarian, there are several ways I can tell if students really like a book. One way is when one student comes in with a book and says "My friend says I have to read this book, so I'm here to return this book for him/her, and check it out on my library number." So I check the book in, and then immediately check it out to the second student.

Such was the case recently with Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy. I purchased the book for our school library based on reviews in a professional journal, but hadn't yet had the opportunity to read it. Yellow Star is the fictionalized account of the author's aunt's childhood in Poland. Only four years old at the beginning of World War II, Syvvia and her family were forced by the Nazis into a Jewish ghetto in Lodz, Poland. Six years later, at war's end, Syvvia was one of only twelve children among the 800 survivors. This is an incredible tale of survival, a testament to the strength and determination of one family, and in particular, one little girl. The book concludes with an update on Syvvia and her family, and a timeline of World War II events. Yellow Star is definitely one of my top reads of the year. A must read!!

Other Holocaust books I recommend are Hana's Suitcase: A True Story by Karen Levine (non-fiction); Four Perfect Pebbles by Lila Perl and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (autobiographies); and Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli and Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs (fiction), all available at the Central Middle School Library.

Summer Ball by Mike Lupica

Danny the Underdog triumphs once again in Summer Ball, sports writer Mike Lupica's brand-new sequel to his popular Travel Team. Danny Walker, still struggling with his lack of height both on and off the court, goes to Right Way, a summer basketball camp in Maine owned by a pro basketball star. Joining Danny and his friends Will and Ty (also in Travel Team) is Rasheed Hill, previously their opponent but now on the same team at camp. Summer Ball is action-packed and full of suspense guaranteed to entertain and excite middle school fans of Mike Lupica and basketball.

If you liked Travel Team, you'll love Summer Ball. And if you like Mike Lupica, try Heat and Miracle on 49th Street, also by him. Other great basketball books to read are Night Hoops by Carl Deuker and Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery by John Feinstein.