Book Review: Croak by Gina Damico

Croak is an amazing book by Gina Damico. This book makes you wish it was real, and if it couldn't be real, then let it be a movie or TV show.

In Croak the main character Lex is someone who most girls wish they could be; smart, edgy, cool and she doesn't take any bull crap from anyone. As far as romance goes, this book is not lacking.

These are troubled times, and suspicion rises, but there are still people who believe in Lex. This book makes you hope that there will be a place where kids with discipline problems will be wanted, even needed, and understood. Lex is one of those kids and she has the power to transport your soul. Knowing her problems, would you let her transfer yours?

I say, "Let's go misfits!" If you want a little trouble in your life, you need to read Croak by Gina Damico!
**Review by Iyanna**

More About Croak:

Fed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex's parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape.

But Uncle Mort's true occupation is much dirtier than shoveling manure. He's a Grim Reaper. And he's going to teach Lex the family business.

She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can't stop her desire for justice - or is it vengeance? - whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again.

Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with her reaper skills?

More About Gina Damico: 

I grew up under four feet of snow in Syracuse, New York. I received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where I was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, a murder mystery improv comedy troupe that may or may not have sparked my interest in wildly improbably bloodshed. I have since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker, and breadmonger. I live in Boston with my husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies. (From Damico's website)



 

Rate Your (book) Date!

During February we ran a fun event called Blind Date with a Book and many students took a leap of faith and grabbed a book without knowing what it was about at all! Part of the program was that if you went on a date and wrote a mini-review you got to pick a book off the free book shelves. I was pleased to get several reviews back! Here are a few snippets:

The Fairy Ring
By: Mary Losure

Frances was nine when she first saw the fairies. They were tiny men, dressed all in green. Nobody but Frances saw them, so her cousin Elsie painted paper fairies and took photographs of them "dancing" around Frances to make the grown-ups stop teasing. The girls promised each other they would never, ever tell that the photos weren’t real. But how were Frances and Elsie supposed to know that their photographs would fall into the hands of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle? And who would have dreamed that the man who created the famous detective Sherlock Holmes believed ardently in fairies — and wanted very much to see one? Mary Losure presents this enthralling true story as a fanciful narrative featuring the original Cottingley fairy photos and previously unpublished drawings and images from the family’s archives. A delight for everyone with a fondness for fairies, and for anyone who has ever started something that spun out of control.

Rate you date!  "Sad, beautiful yet complex. At first I thought it was just another fairy story, but when I read it I was inspired by the two girls."

Dear Blue Sky
By: Mary Sullivan

A timely, eye-opening novel showing how war affects families on both sides

Ever since her brother Sef left for Iraq, Cassie has felt like her life is falling apart. Her parents are fighting over her brother having gone to war. Her smart, beautiful sister is messing up. Her little brother, who has Down syndrome, is pretending he's a Marine. And her best friend no longer has time for her. In her loneliness Cassie turns to a surprising source of comfort: Blue Sky, an Iraqi girl she meets through her blog. The girls begin a correspondence and Cassie learns that when Blue Sky says "I want my life back," she means something profound, as she can no longer venture out in her destroyed city. Cassie takes strength from Blue Sky's courage and is inspired to stop running away from the pain, and to reclaim her life. (from goodreads.com)

Rate your Date!  "The story is about a modern day war in Iraq. The girl's family is falling apart but she finds out about Blue Sky. It is a good story."

Go On a Blind Date with a Book

It's almost Valentine's Day and here at the library we are celebrating by going on a blind date... with a book. Stop by any time this week to take a chance on one of our new titles. You won't know exactly what book you are picking up, but we've given you a little snippet on the cover to catch your attention. If you take out a book on a blind date and return it with a mini- review, you can pick out a book to keep off of the Freebie shelf.

So...

Take a chance,

Take a look,

You may just find,

Your perfect book!

Feature of the Week

We have been getting some great new books in and this week we are featuring 2 of my favorites. Archvillain and Archvillain 2: The Mad Mask by Barry Lyga.

Archvillain-

Kyle Camden knows exactly where he was the night Mighty Mike arrived: sneaking around the fallow field behind Bouring Middle School, preparing one of his most ingenious pranks yet.

Which is why he couldn't tell anyone where he was. Or what he saw.

Those lights everyone saw in the sky weren't tiny meteors burning up in the atmosphere. They were some kind of strange, supercooled plasma that bathed the entire field - including Kyle - in alien energies

Archvillain 2: The Mad Mask-

Things haven't been going well for Kyle since Mighty Mike became the new town hero. He's pretty sure he could fix this disaster if he could expose Mike's secret (he's an alien), but to do that Kyle would have to admit he is the Azure Avenger -- the unintentional town archvillain.

One night a new masked hero, aptly named the Mad Mask, arrives, boasting to the Azure Avenger of an off-the-charts IQ and superior superpowers. Yet the Mad Mask has come seeking intellectual assistance in building Ultitron (the robot of all robots). In exchange he offers to allow the Azure Avenger to use the awesome Ultitron to rid the world, or at least Bouring, of Mighty Mike. Forging alliances isn't usually Kyle's style, but it seems he has no choice. While Kyle agrees to help, he also has another plan: finding out who the Mad Mask is and how he got his powers. Because the last thing the Azure Avenger needs is another mindless archvillain hanging around town!

Stop in the library today to check out these, and all of our other great new books!

Feature of the Week

It's been a few weeks since our last feature- but the first book orders are in and it's time to show off! This week we have a great pair of books that just came in, and, as an extra bonus, I also have an ARC of the third book of the series... and it could be yours. First check out this awesome series.

 

The Fourth Stall

By: Chris Rylander

Author Website

Do you need something? Mac can get it for you. It's what he does—he and his best friend and business manager, Vince. Their methods might sometimes run afoul of the law, or at least the school code of conduct, but if you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can pay him, Mac is on your side. His office is located in the East Wing boys' bathroom, fourth stall from the high window. And business is booming.

Or at least it was, until one particular Monday. It starts with a third grader in need of protection. And before this ordeal is over, it's going to involve a legendary high school crime boss named Staples, an intramural gambling ring, a graffiti ninja, the nine most dangerous bullies in school, and the first Chicago Cubs World Series game in almost seventy years. And that's just the beginning. Mac and Vince soon realize that the trouble with solving everyone else's problems is that there's no one left to solve yours.

The Fourth Stall Part II

The life of crime is good.Mac has taken down legendary high school crime boss Staples, business has been booming, and Mac and Vince are getting ready for middle school baseball tryouts. But this can't last. Mac has always tried to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. But what happens when you can't tell the difference?

This dilemma walks into the fourth stall in the form of Trixie Von Parkway--an eighth grader with a mean look and an even meaner predicament. The new science teacher is terrorizing her, and she needs Mac to get him off her back. Seems simple enough, but as Mac starts to dig deeper, he finds even more trouble brewing at his school, including a new administrator bent on destroying his business, and indications that Trixie isn't who she claims to be. In the past, the worst thing that could have happened to Mac was that he might lose a little money, maybe catch a beating. In The Fourth Stall Part II, though, there's going to be much more on the line than that.

Sounds good, right?!  If this series seems like it's up your alley, then I have a deal for you. I have a copy of The Fourth Stall Part III  just waiting to be read. If you read the first two and want more (which you will), then you can have first dibs on Part III. There's only one little catch... you have to review the book. Either for the Student recommendation wall or for the website, your choice, but you have to let us all know what you think. 

Stop into the library to find out more! 

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Thank you to Kellie at Walden Pond Press for the ARC of The Fourth Stall Part III!  

A Call for Reviewers

Love reading? I want to hear from you. If you are interested in writing reviews to be posted on the blog please see Ms. Taddeo for more information.

5th Graders Geek the Library

Before Christmas break the 5th graders worked on an awesome project that was a spin off of the Geek the Library program.


For those of you unfamiliar with Geek the Library, check out their website! The program is a fabulous one that helps to show support for local libraries by highlighting all the awesome things you can learn and do at the library. Geek Skiing? There's a book for that. Doctor Who more your style? There's a book or movie for that too. From resources to programs and events, libraries do it all, which is why I Geek the Library.

So how did I tweak this program for my 5th graders? Well, it was pretty easy, I went to a seminar a few years ago at NYLA by Buffy Hamilton and she highlighted how she implemented the program in her library. This was 2 years ago and I was really excited to get to take her idea and my kids and make it happen!

For our project the kids were working on using our online catalog system. What better way to get that done then by looking up what we geek?! To start students had to brainstorm what they geek. What they love so much they can't help but be a nerd about it. We had some great topics- everything from Superman to Knitting made the list. Next the kids had to look up that topic in the catalog to see what kind of resources we had available. They needed to make note of the title, author and call number and whether or not the resource was currently available in the library. Lastly, they each made a poster about what they geek, including all the resource information so that other people can check out not only what everyone geeks, but the resources we have to offer. It was great seeing the kids share their passions and find common ground with classmates they may not have talked with before.

It was a fun project and I'll definitely miss the 5th graders as they head back to their home school for the Spring semester!


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For more about Buffy Hamilton and all of her amazing ideas and programs check out her twitter page. I for one can't wait to see what she does in her new position at the Cleveland Public Library. She's given me more great ideas then I can count already, and I can't wait to see what's next!