tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46606023969111432652024-03-14T02:30:07.348-07:00Clean BooksUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger133125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-54152313007023396732015-12-02T20:40:00.002-08:002015-12-02T20:40:27.840-08:00Dear Mr. Knightleyby Katherine Reay
Rated PG
A captivating tale, told in letter form, of a seemingly tough but oh-so-vulnerable young woman who is trying to find her place in the world after growing up in the foster care system. Completely unsure of her own opinions, she has always hidden behind dialogue crafted by her favorite authoresses, namely Austen and Bronte, when she can't think of anything original to Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-24725113798201162182015-09-05T15:23:00.000-07:002015-09-05T15:24:12.003-07:00stirby Jessica Fechtor
Rated PG
I had a craving for memoir, and I picked stir up by happenstance. By which I mean, it happened to catch my eye from a display at the library, so I checked it out. And ended up loving it so much I will probably buy it as well.
Fechtor weaves the story of an unlikely brain aneurysm that struck in her 20s with her love of cooking, and even more, of feeding those she Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-30669775503789331262015-06-14T15:03:00.001-07:002015-06-14T15:03:25.623-07:00The Alchemist
By Paulo Coelho
Rated: PG
Santiago was just a shepherd boy - but not just a shepherd boy. He was a boy who had already left his family to become a shepherd in order to follow his dream of traveling. For several weeks, while resting in a field with his sheep, he had a recurring dream in which he was led to a place where he would find a hidden treasure. In confusion he went to a woman who could Triciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-44461952342964718502015-06-07T21:17:00.002-07:002015-06-07T21:17:31.119-07:00The Giver
by Lois Lowry
Rated: PG
The community Jonas lives in is extremely orderly: fifty new children birthed every year and assigned to a designated family unit - one mother, one father, one boy and one girl. At age 8, they begin volunteer assignments to identify future areas of work in which they may excel, at age 9, they get a bicycle, at age 12, they get assigned their career and start specializedTriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-68512495172386765142015-06-06T13:07:00.000-07:002015-06-07T21:17:49.022-07:00These Is My Words
by Nancy E. Turner
Rated; PG-13
Sarah Prine is just a teenager in July of 1882 when her family decides to move from the west end of New Mexico Territory to San Angelo, Texas. Although not well educated, she decides to write her experiences ". . . so if we don't get to San Angelo or even as far as Fort Hancock I am saving this little theme in my cigar box for some wandering travelers to find Triciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-57989253959353441252015-05-13T19:36:00.001-07:002015-05-13T19:36:54.673-07:00Kalahariby Jessica Khoury
Rated PG-13
Everything was all planned. The five teens would arrive on their educational trip to the Kalahari, and Sarah and her dad would teach them about living the way of the bushman. But when Sarah's dad goes missing and the campsite is deliberately burned to the ground, Sarah and the other teenagers are left to find their way across the Kalahari wilderness using whatever Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-26879997475535361462015-02-05T09:10:00.001-08:002015-05-13T19:38:18.637-07:00Calvin Sparks and the Crossing to Cambria by Rusty Anderson
Rated PG
Calvin Sparks and the Crossing to Cambria, by new author Rusty Anderson, is the first in a series of fantasy adventure books.
Obviously, Calvin Sparks is the luckiest kid in the world. Not only does he come from a lineage full of magical powers - powers that he has inherited - but he also has access to Cambria, a world hidden from most people, a Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-3279537698759328542015-01-02T14:28:00.000-08:002015-01-02T14:28:09.522-08:00Riddle
By Amanda Cale
Rated: PG
Matt and Anya are best friends. Juniors in high school, they live next door to each other and share a common love for exploring spooky places. After hearing a scream in the woods late at night, they decide to investigate. They found more than they hoped for when they uncovered a copper plate with strange engravings and, even better, a spooky deserted house to Triciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-61663672387926498432014-10-22T13:34:00.003-07:002015-05-13T19:39:47.010-07:00Sisters
by Raina Telgemeier
Rated PG
This graphic novel is extremely popular in my daughter's 4th grade world, so I thought I'd check it out.
It looks and reads like a book-length comic strip, which is one of the reasons it's so appealing to kids. And, I'm delighted to say, it's clean :)
The book follows real-life sisters Raina and Amara as they embark on a family road trip. The sisters are about 14Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-53423096915817738722014-10-21T21:30:00.002-07:002014-10-21T21:42:15.547-07:00Fever
by Mary Beth Keane
Rated PG-13
This well-researched novel chronicles the life of the unfortunately nicknames "Typhoid Mary", a woman who appears to be in perfect health, but is accused of being an asymptomatic carrier of the deadly Typhoid virus.
As medical science plows through uncharted waters in the early 1900s, Mary finds herself in her own uncharted waters - forced to live for years in Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-49873409478116721342014-04-28T20:40:00.000-07:002014-04-28T20:41:47.873-07:00Frozen Read Along Book & Cd Special!This isn't a review, but I just thought some of you might be interested in the Frozen read-along book and CD - it's on sale at Amazon right now for just $4.16 and features the original movie voices. This will only be a good deal for you if you have Amazon Prime or if you order enough to get free shipping. Otherwise the shipping is $12.98 :(
Click on the image above to go straight to the product Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-84603930564982377772014-04-28T19:53:00.000-07:002014-04-28T19:53:44.678-07:00The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel
by Michael Scott
Rated: PG
15-year-old twins Josh and Sophie do everything together, they even work across the street from each other in San Francisco: Josh in a used book store and Sophie at a coffee shop. With their parents on an archaeological dig, Josh and Sophie are living with an elderly aunt and enjoying a perfectly ordinary summer until an ancient evil dressed in an expensive suit Triciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-90149955189634795512014-04-21T20:28:00.002-07:002014-04-28T19:54:27.934-07:00The Elegance of the Hedgehog
By Muriel Barbery
Rated: PG-13
What is a humble concierge at No. 7, Rue de Grenelle, Paris (a very exclusive address, you know) to do when she knows she doesn't fit the preconceived image of a concierge? Why, pretend, of course. Pretend to be slow, stupid, addicted to bad television, and unable to comprehend even a shallow thought, much less a deep one. Renee lives for her solitary Triciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-71136062442522229112014-04-21T20:03:00.000-07:002014-04-21T20:04:18.722-07:00Out Stealing Horses
By Per Petterson
Rated: PG-13
In a small cabin by a lake in Norway, Trond is finding peace with his life and the loss he has recently suffered. Isolated and rustic with only one nearby neighbor and in need of a lot of TLC, it is exactly what Trond is looking for to find meaning in each moment. But a chance meeting with his neighbor stirs old memories and Trond finds himself returning to in Triciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-15453062815048328232014-04-09T15:34:00.000-07:002014-04-09T15:35:00.455-07:00Mister Owita's Guide to Gardeningby Carol Wall
Rated PG
Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening is a tender memoir about an unlikely friendship, combined with a little lesson in facing our trials with dignity.
When Carol Wall tentatively approaches the man who has made her neighbor's yard so beautiful, it is with some serious misgivings. After all, she has always had an aversion for flowers, dirt, and all things horticultural.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-1942921411856703132014-01-18T08:38:00.002-08:002014-01-18T08:39:51.458-08:00The First Phone Call From Heavenby Mitch Albom
Rated PG
The small town of Coldwater, Michigan is turned upside down when residents begin receiving phone calls from the dead. Suddenly, daughters are getting calls from mothers, mothers from sons, businessmen from partners...is it real, or some sort of complex hoax?
It would seem much of the world believes the phone calls are real, as strangers from all over begin flocking to Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-3515255114861585592014-01-02T18:17:00.000-08:002014-01-02T18:17:04.014-08:00Belonging to Heavenby Gale Sears
Rated PG
I love Christmas, I always get new books, Yay!!!
Belonging to Heaven is historical fiction, based on the life of one of the first Mormon missionaries to preach in the Hawaiian islands, George Q. Cannon, and the man who became one of the first native leaders of the church there, as well as Elder Cannon's lifelong friend, Jonathan Napela.
The story is rich in Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-5560928924170271592013-12-22T19:34:00.002-08:002013-12-22T19:34:56.083-08:00The Magic Halfby Annie Barrows
Rated PG
By the author of the Ivy & Bean books, this is a great little time travel book for young readers, and actually, this old reader enjoyed it too!
When Miri moves into an old house and finds a broken bit of an eyeglass, she has no idea it will transport her back to...the exact same house, but in the 1930s.
Not only does she have to find her way back to her own Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-41931971439560194802013-12-22T19:27:00.001-08:002013-12-22T19:27:10.737-08:00The Signature of All Thingsby Elizabeth Gilbert
Ah, the pleasure of having a nice, thick book to look forward to. And the disappointment of finding out you can't read it through because it's not clean.
Do yourself a favor and avoid this one. It goes along pretty well under the guise of an interesting story for a little bit, but suddenly becomes highly sexualized.
Not Recommended.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-77374081023962363722013-11-17T21:21:00.000-08:002013-11-17T21:21:04.839-08:00The Rent Collectorby Camron Wright
Rated PG
I've been on the waiting list at the library to read this book, and when my turn came I zipped right through it in a couple of days :)
This novel is loosely based on a real family in Cambodia, who make their living, and their home, in the dump, scavenging for metal and glass that they can exchange for barely more than enough money to feed their family each day. They Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-70445758397303917642013-10-22T15:43:00.001-07:002013-10-22T15:43:59.332-07:00The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
Rated: PG
"Come to the Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, Home of the One and Only Ivan, Mighty Silverback!"
Although born in the wild, Ivan has lived in a mall for the past twenty-seven years, surrounded by glass walls so shoppers can see him. He is the only gorilla but his good friend Stella - an elephant - is in the neighboring cage and Bob - a stray dog - enjoys Triciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-23867483283517203842013-10-21T19:59:00.003-07:002013-10-21T20:01:02.644-07:00Until I Say Good-Byeby Susan Spencer-Wendel
Rated PG
When 44-year-old Susan Spencer-Wendel was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, she knew it would be fatal, and perhaps quickly so. But she was determined to leave her family with a legacy of joy, rather than sorrow.
Until I Say Good-Bye chronicles Susan's (pretty successful) attempt to live joyfully alongside her disease, committed to counting what Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-88549641953766329472013-07-16T11:11:00.001-07:002013-07-16T11:11:15.685-07:00A Reader SuggestionThank you, Samantha S., for suggesting the Girls to the Rescue series for elementary age readers. My 8-year-old will be checking those at the library, they sound like lots of fun!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-9881011154614300592013-07-15T18:59:00.002-07:002013-07-15T18:59:33.438-07:00Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
by Robin Sloan
Rated: PG
Clay Jannon was a victim of the great recession. His marketing job with a precision bagel company went phut with the company after just one year; barely long enough to gain experience and certainly not long enough to make any real impression on a prospective employer. As the job search dragged on, Clay decided to take a chance when he saw the help wanted sign on aTriciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660602396911143265.post-60515431450780314832013-05-26T13:00:00.000-07:002013-05-26T13:00:39.095-07:00Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were MadeBy: Stephan Pastis
Rated: G
Timmy Failure owns the greatest detective agency in town, the state, and maybe even the nation. He solves high profile cases at a rate of $4/day plus expenses. With his trusty business partner, a polar bear named Total, he sets out to change the world one stolen Halloween candy basket at a time. He must overcome his mother, school, idiot study partners, and nefarious Triciahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07088867724285873499noreply@blogger.com