School Year Reading Log September

1) Asperger's in Pink by Julie Clark - adult - a mom's story of her daughter's journey through diagnosis and life with Asperger's.

2) The History Detectives by Barb Karg - adult - a collection of short stories telling the details behind the artifacts and stories profiled on the television show The History Detectives.

3) The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie by Wendy McClure - adult - a woman's journey through her childhood by revisiting Little House books and sites.

4) Torn by Margaret Peterson Haddix - middle grade - the fourth book in her new series, the main characters end up on a boat in the middle of Hudson Bay with Henry Hudson, hard to tell if this is the end or if there are more to come

5) The Boy at the End of the World by Greg van Eekhout - middle grade - post apocalyptic world with one human survivor, born from an ark of protected beings, who goes in search of the possibility of more survivors.

Summer Reading Challenge Weeks 11 and 12

71. Stray Dogs, Saints, and Saviors: Fighting for the Soul of America's Toughest High School by Alexander Russo - adult book - story behind Green Dot's attempt to revitalize an L.A. school - 8/10

72. Secret Daughter: A Mixed Race Daughter and the Mother Who Gave Her Away by June Cross - adult book - memoir by an Afro-American daughter of a white mother and black father, who was raised by friends of the family - 9/10

73. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda - adult book - an international adoption story told from the perspective of the birth mother, adoptive mother, and daughter - 10/10

74. The Friendship Doll by Kirby Larson - middle grades - the imagined story of one of the Friendship Dolls sent to the US by Japan in the 1920's - really four interconnected short stories - 9/10

75. Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library by Eth Clifford - young middle grade - two girls are accidentally locked into the library at night in a snow storm, best thing is the title - 6/10

76. The CAFE Book by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser - adult book - explanation of a reading workshop system, some good elements for 5th grade but seems better for primary - 8/10

77. Unraveling Freedom: The Battle for Democracy on the Home Front During World War One by Ann Bausum - middle grade/young adult - background information and story about World War One - excellent connections to 9/11, Iraq and Afghanistan today - 12/10

78. Photo by Brady: A Picture of the Civil War by Jennifer Armstrong - middle grade/young adult - background story of the Matthew Brady and Civil War photography, super pictures, hard text - 8/10

Didn't quite make my summer goal but came very close!

Summer Reading Challenge Weeks 9 & 10

62. March by Geraldine Brooks - adult - the story of the dad from Little Women during the Civil War - 8/10

63. Too Much Temptation by Lori Foster - adult - romantic fluff, but fun - 10/10

64. Best Books for Boys by Pam Allyn - adult - reading ideas and lists for boy readers, not much new - 8/10

65. Sent by Margaret Peterson Haddix - middle grade - second book in series about children who were stolen from their place in history, raised in modern America, and are being sent back in time to fix things - 10/10

66. A Pemberly Medley by Abigail Reynolds - adult - five P&P short novellas in one book, varying quality - 9/10

67. Abduction by Peg Kehret - middle grade - Kindergarten student disappears from school, gripping story but some security measures out of date - 9/10

68. The Mysterious Edge of the Heroic World by E.L. Konigsburg - young adult - two boys discover a mystery and work to right a wrong, seems to recycle some plot ideas from her other novels - 8/10

69. Leading Change in Your School: How to Conquer Myths, Build Commitment and Get Results by Douglas B. Reeves - adult - interesting book with some good ideas, not a long read - 9/10

70. Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks - adult - gripping story, interesting plot layout - 9/10

Summer Reading Challenge week #8

53. Basketball Belles by Sue Macy - picture book - neat story telling of the first time two women's basketball teams played each other - 9/10

54. The Little Red Pen by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Brummel - picture book - an absolute must read for any teacher! - 10/10

55. It Doesn't Take a Genius by Randall McCutcheon and Tommie Lindsey - adult - book for my summer class, lots of anecdotes, just ok - 7/10

56. Bird in a Box by Andrea Davis Pinkney - middle grade - Great Depression meets boxing - 8/10

57. Darcy and FitzWilliam by Karen V. Wasylowski - adult - P&P continuation from Darcy and his cousin's point of views, ok - 8/10

58. The Secret Life of Mrs. Finkleman by Ben H. Winters - middle grade - excellent story combining mystery, music, and middle school - great for Andrew Clements or Blue Balliett fans - 10/10

59. I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee by Charles J. Shields - adult - provides a lot of information that I did not know about the author of To Kill a Mockingbird - 9/10

60. The Wonder of Charlie Anne by Kimberly Newton Fusco - middle grade - Great Depression meets Civil Rights meets Little House on the Prairie - 9/10

61. 20 Things Adoptive Parents Need to Succeed by Sherrie Eldridge - adult - just ok, lots of things that don't apply to our adoption situation - 8/10

Started and abandoned:

• Friends edited by Ann M. Martin and David Levithan: a collection of middle grade/young adult short stories, just didn't get into it
• The Runaway Princess by Kate Coombs: middle grade, princess goes to fight the dragon, just not my type of story
  
• The Fabric of America by Andrew Linklater: adult, theory of how boundaries define the nation, too academic for summer
  

Summer Reading Challenge Week #7

43. The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall - middle grade - The third Penderwick adventure, just as good as the first two with a different main narrator - 10/10

44. Mr. Darcy's Little Sister by C. Allyn Pierson - adult - P&P sequel from Georgiana's point of view - 8/10

45. The Case of the Curious Crinoline by Nancy Springer - middle grade - another Enola Holmes mystery, brings in Florence Nightingale - 9/10

46. The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye by Nancy Springer - middle grade - final Enola Holmes mystery, resolves what happened to her mother and her relationship with her brothers - 10/10

47. The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang - middle grade - Chinese-American girl finds out that her Chinese great-aunt will be spending several months with them and sharing her room - 10/10

48. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - adult - 1960's southern interactions between white employers and African-American domestic help - 10/10

49. The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White - young adult - First female President's daughter's experiences on the campaign trail and moving to the White House - 10/10

50. White House Autumn by Ellen Emerson White - young adult - Continuing story of Meg Powers and her family's experience - 10/10

51. Long Live the Queen by Ellen Emerson White - young adult - Meg is kidnapped by terrorists and rescues herself - 12/10

52. Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White - young adult - Meg works to rebuild her life after the kidnapping - 10/10

Summer Reading Challenge Week #6

37. Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts - adult - love story told among Montana wildfire jumpers - 8/10

38. Maria Von Trapp: Beyond the Sound of Music by Candice F. Ransom- middle grade/young adult - the true story behind the main character in The Sound of Music - 9/10

39. DK Biography: Abigail Adams by Kem Knapp Sawyer - middle grade/young adult - love this series - great book! 10/10

40. The Case of the Left Handed Lady by Nancy Springer - middle grade - more Enola Holmes mysteries - 9/10

41. The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets by Nancy Springer - middle grade - even more Enola Holmes mysteries - 9/10

42. The Case of the Peculiar Fan by Nancy Springer - middle grade - Enola Holmes, yet again - 10/10


Started and abandoned:

• Falling In by Frances O'Roark Dowell - middle grade
• Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go by Dale E. Basye - middle grade
• Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer - adult

Summer Book Challenge week #5

28. How Far We Have Come by Linda Wells - adult - final book in a Pride & Prejudice trilogy - 10/10

29. The Limit by Kristen Landon - middle grade/young adult - scarily realistic futuristic novel. Parents who spend over their government limit have their children taken away to a workhouse to pay off the debt. 10/10

30. Elmo Loves You by Sarah Albee - board book - Joy loves Elmo, 'nuff said. 9/10

31. Late For School by Steve Martin - picture book - funny pictures and text to capture the saga of a late dash to school, on a Saturday! 8/10

32. The Case of the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer - middle grade - first book in a series about Sherlock Holmes' younger sister Enola Holmes. 8/10

33. The Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall - middle grade - The next adventure of the Penderwick girls - this time at home with a newly dating father. 10/10

34. William and Kate: A Royal Love Story by Christopher Andersen - adult - Details behind the royal couple's early lives and romance. A lot of it is probably made up, but a fun read. 8/10

35. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by R.L. LaFevers - middle grade - Set in early 1900's Britain, tells the story of a girl who can sense and remove ancient Egyptian curses in the museum where her parents work. 8/10

36. The Redheaded Princess by Ann Rinaldi - middle grade - The story of Princess Elizabeth Tudor from her earliest memories to her ascension to the throne. 9/10