In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Opdyke


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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The Great and Only Barnum: The Tremendous, Stupendous Life of Showman P. T. Barnum by Candace Fleming


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Come one, come all, and read about the greatest showman on earth. P.T. Barnum's life was as interesting as his shows. From the creation of his reputation for tricking his audience to his genius for drawing a crowd, from the complete destruction of his famous museum by fire to the financial ruin that nearly ended his career before he even began a circus, there's never a dull moment in this story.

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Weekly Clue

•MI6 report confirms suspect dispatched by secret agent and woman in a bikini.
•Librarians confirm use of candles around books is frowned upon. No candlesticks in the library.
•Foyer was occupied at the time of the crime.

•Suspects alibi confirmed by three very frightened pigs.
•Lead testing eliminates pipe as a murder weapon
•Teen area occupied by members of the Anime Club during the crime. They seem trustworthy.

•Evidence of ticking clocks in the library suggests suspect would not enter the crime scene for fear of the tick-tock
•Local History room was locked at the time of the crime
•No evidence of poison was found.

Week Four Clues:

•Research indicates suspect is currently living a long life alone with his cowardice, and could not have committed the crime.
•Extension Cord not consistent with crime as a murder weapon.
•Lack of dirt and plant matter around body indicates garden not the scene of the crime.

Week Three Clues:

•Hospital records reveal suspect was busy terrorizing patients at the time of the crime.
•Crime took place less than ten minutes before the library closed, and circulation desk was therefore closed.
•Building maintenance reports all wrenches are accounted for.

Week Two Clues

•Evaluation of past crimes suggests petty library murder is beneath the greatest criminal mind on earth.
•Surveillance Tape review confirms that no one was in the staff room during the crime.
•Victim’s wounds not consistent with the use of letter opener as a weapon.

Week One Clues:

•Wicked Witch of the West has a solid alibi. Excavation of rubble reveals witch under house at the time of the crime.
•Library inventory confirms all scissors are accounted for during the time of the crime.
•Garage area was locked during the crime, and suspects did not have access to the keys.

The Librarian Checks Out

The old librarian has shushed her last patron, and a character from one of our books is the murderer. Collect weekly clues, here or in the library and help us solve this crime. If you solve the crime, bring your solution to the library on or before October 27th and you could win a prize.




We are investigating these suspects:
The Wicked Witch of the West
Lord Voldemort
Dexter
The Big Bad Wolf
Lex Luthor
Dr. No
Nurse Ratched
Captain Hook
Prince Humperdinck

This is our list of possible murder weapons:
Scissors
Candlestick
Poison
Letter Opener
Lamp
Extension Cord
Hemingway's Head (stone statue)
Lead Pipe
Wrench

The crime could have taken place in one of these locations:
Foyer
Staff Room
Local History
Stair Well
Garage
Teen Area
Garden
Circulation
Elevator

Can You Solve the crime?

Summer Photo Contest

These four photos received votes in our summer photo contest:

A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Far more interesting than your everyday teen high school drama.

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If I Stay by Gayle Forman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Very good story, not as painful to read as I expected. I never doubted what Mia would choose. I think the real story is about her parents, the ideals and character they gave Mia, so the reader never wonders whether or not she will stay.

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Gankutsuou 1: The Count of Monte Cristo by Mahiro Maeda


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fantastic artwork, and an interesting setting for Dumas's work. Story is a bit convoluted for the format, but if you already know the plot it doesn't seem to be a problem.

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Flickr Photo Contest

Express Yourself through digital photography this summer by entering our Flickr Photo Contest. If you are already a member of Flickr, simply post your photos to the group pool at Flickr. If you are not a member of Flickr, you can e-mail your photos to me at chrissy.braun@newtonfalls.org. Then check out this blog all summer to vote for your favorite.

Contest Entries-Vote to the right.

Entry #1


Entry #2


Entry #3


Entry #4


Entry #5


Entry #6


#7


#8


#9


#10


#11


#12

Wonder Woman: Eyes of the Gorgon by Greg Rucka

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
From diplomacy to crime solving to battles to the death, Wonder Woman earns her name.


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Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars



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knit and stitch help

For any knitting club member, and anyone else who may be interested, here are a few of my favorite knitting links:

Free Knitting Patterns

Knitting Help- Great for videos, a glossary, and lots of explanations about anything knitting related. (Note, use the English videos when available, not the Continental.)

YouTube also has many knitting videos. This one shows the cast on method that we use.

This one is similar to the cast on I use for my projects.

Here is a simple knit stitch.

Here is a simple pearl stitch.

And here is a simple bind off.

And finally, for the coolest new patterns, try Knitty.com.

Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Emiko, a textbook geek, is drawn into a wild world of performance art and steals a little of her bosses life to create her own art. References to Andy Warhol and discussions about the meaning of art add meaning to a tale of a geek finding super-stardom.


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Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
A new take on an old tale, this version of Rapunzel features a snappy dressing side-kick, and old west feel and an entertaining lead character who rescues herself and a bunch of other folks as well. I'm looking forward to a sequel.


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The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Outlaws of Moonshadow Marsh: Sign of the Qin - Book #1 by L.G. Bass

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Tunnels by Roderick Gordon

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Max The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Maxwell Kane, whom we met in the unforgettable book Freak the Mighty, returns to save the day. I love Max because he always does the right thing (maybe not the smart thing) even though his head is telling him to let things alone. In this book Max rescues a little girl named Worm from a scary situation, and agrees to take her to her father in Montana. They have no money, and no plan, but off they go anyway. Of course Max is blessed by some incredible good luck on his journey, along with some bad luck, but somehow that doesn't make the story seem unbelievable, just really really good.


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The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
Laura Brown is a pretty normal British Teen. She plays guitar in a band, has a good group of friends, a crush on the boy next door, an annoying older sister, and parents who spend too much time talking about the old days. However, life in London cannot be normal anymore, despite what the government says. The entire country is being placed on carbon rationing, limiting what each citizen can buy, where they can travel, and even the length of a hot shower. Every single action that uses electricity or fossil fuels is limited and tracked by the state. As everyone tries to remain calm and normal, everyday life is turned upside down by violent weather, government control, and a growing black market. Laura's journal entries are pretty evenly divided between normal teen problems and the bizarre circumstances forced on an entire society by the greed and excess of the previous generation. This gives the book a creepy reality that is punctuate by the date in the title. Carbon rationing isn't taking place in some distant future, but in the year 2015.


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Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Disappointed with her new school after her parent's divorce, Maddy focuses her attention on an online role playing game and writing her own manga. With several references to real-life manga, and sections of online conversation, this is a quick and fun read for anyone interested on online rpg's or manga. Quick question...is it sojo beat or shojo beat or both?


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The Compound by Stephanie A. Stuve-Bodeen

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Wow, this one was pretty cool. A teenage boy, whose father is a billionaire genius, tells the story of his life since his family locked themselves into their bomb shelter for fifteen years, due to nuclear attack. The book starts in year six, when the food supply is dwindling, and several of Eli's father's plans for long term survival have proven ineffective. No one is very happy or content in there self-imposed prison, but they all play along with Dad because they believe all was lost on the nuclear attack, including Eli's twin brother, and beloved Grandmother. That is until Eli stumbles upon an intermittent internet signal, and discovers all is not as his father implied. Could Eddy still be alive, and can his father be trusted at all? A pretty gripping read, especially the part about the supplements....yuck!


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Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food by Eric Schlosser

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Some truly gross, and very interesting facts about the food we eat, and the effect it's production has on the world around us. Everyone should read this book, but not right before you drive through for some fries!


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Kin by Holly Black

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
While dark and pretty dreary, this volume is a quality story, a strong lead character and some really good art. I enjoyed it, and am looking for the next volume.


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Avalon High Coronation: Volume One, The Merlin Prophecy by Meg Cabot

My review

rating: 2 of 5 stars
Meg Cabot begins a graphic novel series based on her novel of the same title. Personally I felt it was a little too obvious and predictable. The first section is a recap of what you may have missed if you didn't read the novel, and the remaining chapters are a long dramatic set up for the next volume, without much real content at all. I don't think I'll pick up the next one.


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Honey and Clover, Volume 1 by Chica Umino

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed reading this series once I got into it. Personally, I had begun to feel like too much of the manga was all the same: over the top drama, near death experiences and girls fawning over guys. Honey and Clover is more light and fun, at least in this first volume. It's just a bunch of friends living in tiny apartments, and just squeaking by while going to art school. There's the occasional romance, lots of practical jokes, and silly misunderstandings, but nothing too stressful.


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3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows by Ann Brashares

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm glad the author acknowledges this books relation to her previous series, because is really is awfully similar. We meet three new girls, all with their own problems big and small, and they work through these problems over a summer. The big difference between willows and pants seems to be that the four girls in the first books helped each other, and these three only seemed to come together at the end. The resurrection of their friendship is one of the problems they have to face. They deal with most of their problems on their own. Polly and Ama are somewhat original characters, but Jo seems all to similar to Bridget for my taste. Altogether, a solid read.


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Miki Falls: Spring by Mark Crilley

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a slightly different twist to the classic high school love story. Miki has to endure some seriously bad behavior from her intended before she finds out why he's so insistent that they NOT be friends. I hope the remaining three volumes are as interesting.


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Vote for Your Favorite

As part of our Teen Winter Book Awards, we invite you to vote for your favorite book. Just select your favorite from the list on the right of this page, or nominate a new title by commenting on this post.

Time is Running Out!

Teens can review and vote for their favorite books at this website anytime in the month of March. If you are a student at Newton Falls Jr. High, don't forget to leave us your name for extra credit with your teacher. All participants have a chance to win a gift card.

New Project for Knit and Stitch

The knitting club is starting a new project. We will be making these slippers, using this pattern. Register anytime to join us and complete this simple project.

The Boyfriend List: 15 guys, 11 shrink appointments, 4 ceramic frogs, and me, Ruby Oliver by E. Lockhart

My review

rating: 3 of 5 stars
Good, humorous high school fiction. Interesting take on the ups and downs of life with a clique.


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You Choose!

Last month the American Library Association chose it's favorite books from 2008. Scroll down this page to see the winners. Now it's your turn. Nominate your favorite book from 2007 or 2008 for the Buckeye Teen Book Award by clicking here and entering the title. Past winners include Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer and Eldest by Christopher Paolini.