Once Upon a Time in a Kingdom Far, Far Away

There seems to be a trend in Young Adult literature to bring back the familiar fairy tales, myths, and folk tales in new versions or variations. The series, Once Upon a Time, of re-told fairy tales has become very popular here at Lakeview.

One of our newest books is Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine, best know for her book, Ella Enchanted. In Fairest we meet Aza who was given by the fairy Lucinda the gift of a mysterious magical mirror. Aza never looks in the mirror because she knows she is not the fairest in the land. However, even in a land of singers, Aza's voice is extraordinary and she has learned how to do several magical things with her voice. Aza is drawn to the castle and Prince Ijori who is captivated by her. But the vain Queen Ivi would do anything to remain the fairest in the land, including blackmailing Aza into using her magical voice powers. This all leads to a power struggle within in the castle where Queen Ivi seems to be winning and becoming all powerful. I am sure that some of this sounds familiar from the classic fairy tales. How order, and goodness, is restored in the kingdom is the tale of Fairest.

Favorite Books of 2008

Sorry we missed publishing this list last year (2008) but there was no school on the last Friday before winter break due to a snowstorm. So I decided to hold the list for the first blog of 2009. Once again Mrs. Wilson and I have read a lot of great books over the past year. It was extra hard to limit our lists to only ten, especially since the Caudill nominees are all so good this time. But we have narrowed our lists and ranked them with #1 as our favorite of 2008. If you have a top ten list and would like to share it with us, please do. We would love to know what your favorites are.

Mrs. Wilson's Favorite Books of 2008

1. Alabama Moon, by Watt Key (Caudill nominee 2009)

2. A Dog's Life, by Ann A. Martin

3. Rules, by Cynthia Lord (Caudill nominee 2009)

4. Gossamer, by Lois Lowry (Caudill nominee 2009)

5. Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson (Caudill nominee 2009)

6. The Brimstone Journals, by Ronald Koertge

7. Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, by Ronalad Koertge

8. Here Today, by Ann A. Martin

9. Angel of Death, by Alane Ferguson

10. Private Peaceful, by Michael Morpurgo

Miss Hagensee's Favorite Books of 2008

1. Alabama Moon, by Watt Key (Caudill nominee 2009)

2. The Wednesday Wars, by Gary D. Schnidt

3. Life as We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfeffer (Caudill nominee 2009)

4. Icecore, by Matt Whyman

5. Notes from a Midnight Driver, by Jordan Sonnenblick

6. Rodzina, by Karen Cushman

7. Hattie Big Scky, by Kirby Larson (Caudill nominee 2009)

8. Code Orange, by Caroline B. Cooney

9. The Green Glass Sea, by Ellen Klages (Caudill nominee 2009)

10. The Looking Glass Wars, by Frank Beddor

Where Are the New Books? When Are They Ready?

If you haven't already found the section of the IMC for new books, here are the directions. On the book shelves along the wall which holds the non-fiction books, there is one section that contains a sign that says "Check Us Out - New Books." The top 3 shelves in this section are the newest books in the IMC collection. There you will find fiction books, paperbacks, non-fiction and biography books.

My usual plan for the week has me taking the final steps on new books on Friday so the New Book section is restocked by Monday morning for those edgar students who want the newest books. Books that have been in the New Book section for a while are removed and reshelved in their proper place. This week will be different. Due to the Book Fair, I didn't get to spend much time on new books today. I will start working on them Monday so you may expect new books on the shelf by Tuesday or Wednesday.

In the mean time take a look at the bulletin board by the Exit Only door in the back of the IMC. We are highlighting some samples from the IMC audiobook collection. These books come with audiocasettes or audio CDs of the entire book so you can listen and follow along in the book. To see the whole list of audiobooks, go to the Lakeview I.P.A.C. and do a subject search for audiobooks. If you find a title you like, check it out!

Shortcut Leads to Danger

Mitty Blake is a teenager living in New York City in Caroline Cooney's book Code Orange. Mitty would rather do anything other than his advanced biology project. The weekend before the project is due, Mitty's parents drag him to their country home with no public library and no Internet. Desperate, Mitty finds three old medical books in the house's library room. One of these books about infectious diseases contains an envelope with what looks like smallpox scabs. Thinking his has found a gold mine, Mitty posts his find on the Internet when his family gets back into the city hoping for a buyer. But now Mitty is in real danger. If the scabs are from a smallpox victim, could Mitty contract the disease? And who would be interested in buying smallpox scabs -- a medical facility as Mitty hopes or terrorists? The suspense is heart-pounding as Mitty gradually realizes that his shortcut on a bio project could be a shortcut to his death.