 Pick of the Month
The Final Warning: Maximum Ride #4
RELEASE DATE March 18, 2008
By James Patterson
Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride and the other members of "Flock"-Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids.
Only they have wings and can fly (they are 98% human and 2% bird). It seems like a dream come true--except that they're still being hunted by new threats at every turn like the Erasers, which are normal men except when they turn into wolf-like creatures. This time, the U.S. government wants to keep the Flock under observation, offering a safe haven and schooling in return. But after their incredible adventures in books 1-3, Max and Flock have grown to love freedom. After all, haven't grown-ups always found a way to ruin their lives?
After escaping the control of the feds, they are surprised to find themselves allied with a group of environmental scientists who just might be trustworthy. And besides, what enemy could find them in one of the most remote locations on earth? They're in Antarctica, on an expedition studying the effects of global warming up close. There is one Person who threatens them: The terrible Director. Literally, brains on a stick-an evil being who has developed mechanical soldiers far more frightening than Erasers.
Their quest? To retrieve the Flock and sell them in a global auction for billions of dollars. Will the Director that calls Max her daughter nab them before she, Fang and the flock succumb to the dangers of the harsh Antarctic wilderness?And will Max and Fang's personal relationship develop? Only time will find out. |
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 Alfred Kropp #02 The Seal of Solomon
By Rick Yancey
The Seal of Solomon has been stolen from the Office of Interdimensional Paradoxes and Extraordinary Phenomenon (OIPEP) by one of its own operatives, so once again the services of Alfred Kropp are needed. Alfred is an ordinary 15-year-old boy, slightly overweight, tall, with a big head, who gets bullied in the halls of his local high school. Of course, this same Alfred has blood that can heal, is the last son of Sir Lancelot, and is the sole heir to the Samson fortune. His is a name known by all and his mistakes are the kind that can end the world as we know it. As the Outcasts of heaven are released, readers follow Alfred through many fast-paced adventures, starting when he is kidnapped from his foster home in Tennessee and taken to many parts of the world. The teen hero parachutes out of airplanes, faces demons, and has a plan to save the world, if he can live long enough to carry it through. |
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Airman by Eoin Colfer
Conor Broekhart was born to fly. In fact, legend has it that he was born flying in a hot air balloon at the world's fair.
In the 1890's Conor and his family live on the sovereign Saltee Islands, off the Irish coast. Conor spends his days studying the science of flight with his tutor and exploring the castle with the king's daughter, Princess Isabella.
But the boy's idyllic life changes forever the day he discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king. When Conor tries to expose the plot, he is branded a traitor and thrown into jail on the prison island of Little Saltee. There, he has to fight for his life as he and the other prisoners are forced to mine for diamonds in inhumane conditions.
There is only one way to escape Little Saltee, and that is to fly. So he passes the solitary months by scratching drawings of flying machines into the prison walls. The months turn into years, but eventually the day comes when Conor must find the courage to trust his revolutionary designs and take to the skies.
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Clique #09 Bratfest at Tiffany’s by Lisi Harrison
Bratfest at Tiffany's is the ninth book in the bestselling The Clique series by Lisi Harrison. Some parts of the book are from Alicia's point of view, just like Revenge of the Wannabes. The book begins in the first day of the eighth grade. Massie and Claire have arrived at Octavian Country Day school and enter, though a sign says "ALL STUDENTS MUST KEEP OUT UNTIL 8 A.M. NO EXCEPTIONS", to claim table eighteen in the cafe for The Pretty Committee. Later on, after they have reserved their table, they meet up with the Pretty Committee, to discuss Massie's new rule, the boyfast. She states that "This year is going to be all about us. And only us. Boys. Are. Out.". |
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Reader Review
Flight by Sherman Alexie
So let me preface this review with this, I read this book recently not because I wanted to, but because me and my fellow classmates were forced (that's strong), required to, for our pre-service English teacher course. That aside I probably would not pick up this book otherwise. Just the idea, a teenage boy searching for his identity, has been done numerous times before, and by such remarkably brilliant authors, it's almost a genre within itself. Add to this the Native American issue and alarm bells begin ringing. After reading the first tew pages, I was patting myself on the back, saying to myself "Michael, you were right again." And then it happened; the book took off (sorry for the pun).
I think for me what set this book apart was the simple prose that Alexie uses, deceptively simple, because within each phrase, even between, there are worlds of feeling and depth. What "Flight" does is what great literature should do, it makes the reader believe in the interconnectivity of humanity. We begin through the eyes of a downtrodden-world hating-teen named Zits, and such is his disgust with himself and the world around him that he turns his back on society. But then Zits is transported to various points of view throughout our nations "colorful" history. What he discovers while he inhabits the bodies of others is, quite simply, himself and how much they are a part of him, and he a part of them.
I'm supposed to be looking and reviewing this book through the eyes of a soon-to-be English teacher. On that note what this book provides for the younger reader: an accessible, believable young character. Love him or hate him, he is honest and jaded, a proto-typical teen. Seeing the world through Zits' eyes may be a novelty for adult readers, but I think teen readers will find it refreshing. A Holden Caulfield for a post 9-11 generation. "Flight" like good post-modern literature is honest, self-reflective and powerful. What more can any reader, young or old, ask for?
- Reviewed by Michael S. age 16
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