JOURNEYS THROUGH SPACE AND TIME

Gordon Korman has a new series of fiction books about the Titanic. Book 1 Unsinkable introduces us to four children aboard this famous ship - two passengers, a young steward, and a stowaway who learn a terrifying secret. And the secret is not that the ship is going to sink! In Book 2 Collision Course these four young people find themselves in a tangle of mysteries while the Titanic is nearing its fateful crash with an iceberg. These two books are currently available. Book 3 S.O.S. will be added to our collection very soon.

In Across the Universe by Beth Revis, Amy and her parents are frozen and place aboard a space ship bound for a new world to be awakened when the ship arrives. But Amy is wakened, not because the ship has arrived at is destination, but because someone is trying to murder her! As Amy explores the world of the ship with the help of Elder, she realizes that something has gone terribly wrong with the original mission. The ship is under the control of a tyrant and may not be headed to the new planet at all.

The books are displayed next to the Blogged Books sign on top of the Reference shelves. There are many other new books in the New Book Display by the windows.

SOMETHING OLD AND NEW

I recently finished reading Countdown by Deborah Wiiles. There has been a copy of this book in the IMC since June of 2011, but now it is one of the 2013 Rebecca Caudill Book Award nominees. Since 6th graders will participate in voting for this award, the IMC will be getting new, multiple copies. Set in 1962, Fanny Chapman tells the story of her family living outside Washington DC and the story of United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Franny worries with the rest of the country if there will be nuclear war while dealing with family problems such as a shell-shocked uncle who starts digging a bomb shelter in the front lawn, an older sister who disappears for days, a very anxious younger brother, and a father on active duty. In between chapters there are pictures and excerpts from speeches or news articles about the greater crisis facing the world. Somehow Franny's world and the larger world around her survive this frightening year.

PATRICK CARMAN

Last fall when I had the incredible opportunity to sit and chat with author Patrick Carman, he talked about two new books -- Floors and 3:15, Things That Go Bump in the Night. I already know about his series books -- Land of Elyon, Skeleton Creek, Trackers, Atherton, and his participation in the 39 Clues series. I immediately purchased 3:15 because I thought it would make a great Halloween book. 3:15 is a short story collection where you listen, read, and watch. For each story there is a short audio introduction online, then you read the story in the book, then you watch the video conclusion online. I had great fun giving chills to the 6th grade Language arts classes on Halloween with that book.

Now we are adding Floors to the collection. Floors takes place in the Whippet Hotel, a most usually designed place where each floor has its own wacky design and wacky secrets. Leo and his father take care of the hotel and its residents who are as unusual as the hotel itself. One day four mysterious boxes are left for Leo. If he can solve the puzzles the boxes lead him to, perhaps he can prevent money-hungry Bernard Frescobaldi from taking over the hotel and tearing it down.

Patrick Carman is a strong believer that reading and the Internet go hand-in-hand. There is always an online connection to his books. Check out his website at http://www.patrickcarman.com/.