Own the Night, Own an iPod

If you want to win an iPod for participating in the HCPLC's summer reading program, you still have two weeks to earn tickets.

Remember that you can earn tickets for writing reviews for the books you read this summer.

Jessica read Forever by Judy Blume and highly recommends this book about first love that "ends unexpectedly and leaves you emotionally attached."

If you are looking for a great series, Jasean recommends the Artemis Fowl series.  In Jasean's review of the conclusion of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer, he says that "the Artemis Fowl series is amazing and had me hanging off my seat."

Two Book Flip participants recommend the Skyship Academy:  the Pearl Wars by Nick James.  According to Garren. "this book was really cool... it was in the future on earth.  Earth was destroyed and there are two groups... the skyship people and the unified party." 

Keep reading and reviewing!

Own the Night, Own an iPod Book Reviews

Looking for a great book to read this summer? Julia and Salena recommend The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante. This 2012-13 Sunshine State Reader tells the story of a girl who makes friends with a young boy in her apartment building after the death of her brother.

Julia also recommends Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods a novel set at the brink of Hurricane Katrina. Saint is a young musician that must help save his neighbor Miz Moran, his neighbor and his canine best friend Shadow.

Remember that every time you check out a Sunshine State or a Teen Reads book, your book review earns you three entries into the Own the Night, Own an iPod drawing for an iPod Touch.

Own the Night, Own an iPod Book Review

This summer, your reading can earn you an iPod Touch. After you finish a book, fill out an Own the Night, Own an iPod book review to receive entries into the end-of-summer drawing. Throughout the summer, we will post reviews to help you find a great book for your next checkout.

Katherine recommends The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. She describes the writing as "descriptive and realistic." Sutcliff’s historical fiction novel follows the journey of a young Roman officer named Marcus Flavius Aquila as he attempts to discover the whereabouts of his father and the other 4,000 members of the Ninth Legion after they disappeared after passing Hadrian’s Wall in northern Great Britain. Katherine also praises the novel for being "well-researched." In 2011, a movie adaption titled The Eagle starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell was released.

Book Review :: The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

The Amulet of Smarkand, a book by Jonathan Stroud, shows us a unique form of magic. Magic that is unlike that of Harry Potter, or Eragon, or even “the force” in star wars. It shows us much darker kinds of magic, sorcery of the kind where ghoulish creatures and demons are summoned mostly to do the dirty work for their masters and to protect them from other magicians and their servants.

The author uses footnotes at the bottom of several pages to help explain what is going on in the book, something that I have not seen done before, but that works very well with the book. These footnotes are very entertaining and contain a lot of information, so it would be a good idea to read them as you go. He also writes from Nathaniel and Bartimaeus’ points of view so the reader gets to see what each is thinking and how their perspectives compare and/or contrast.


Introduction to the characters:

Nathaniel was once a normal boy, but after being abandoned by his parents, he finds himself in a new life where deception and revenge are common and where power and intelligence are the key to survival. After being humiliated by another magician Nathaniel summons Bartimaeus to help him get revenge by stealing the Amulet of Smarkand. However, everything starts to go wrong when the djinn learns Nathaniel’s true name, something that gives him power over his master.

Bartimaeus is a powerful djinn who suddenly finds himself under the power of a young boy seeking to steal a very powerful amulet from a powerful magician. He tries to trick the boy, but he soon realizes that this is futile and is forced to do what the boy asks. That is until he finds out Nathaniel’s name.



If you want to find out what happens, read the book! Hopefully you’ll love it and will want to come to our book club to share your thoughts.


Book review by Gabriela L. (Jan Platt Regional Library Teen Advisory Board member)

On Thursday, April 26th at 5:30pm The Jan Platt Regional Library Teen Book Club will be discussing The Amulet of Samarkand. Come join the discussion and help select future books for the group to read. Copies of the book are available at Jan Platt Library for check out. Refreshments will be provided.

Midnighters: The Secret Hour

I absolutely loved the book Midnighters: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfield. It has plenty of action, adventure , suspense, mystery, and basically, a little bit of everything. It starts when a 15-year old girl named Jessica Day moves from Chicago to the town of Bixby, Oklahoma. Other than some abnormal people and abnormal. things, like the taste of the water, Jessica thinks the town is pretty normal. But after waking up to a room bathed in blue, yet with no shadows, she quickly realizes it isn't. Jessica is plunged into the world of the 25th hour, a secret hour kept for monsters, aka Darklings. in the 25th hour, almost all humans and nay of thier creations are frozen, and it passes by in a split second for them. The ones who aren't frozen, the Midnighters, are blessed with special abilities, in the 25th hour. Dess is a polymath, someone with extraordinary math skills, which happens to be the Darklings weakness, along with technology. Rex is a Seer, someone who can read the ancient hidden history of the lore and Darklings. Melissa is a mindcaster, someone with telepathic abilities. And lastly, Jonathan (who ends up becoming Jessica's boyfriend), is an Acrobat. Gravity has no effect on him in the 25th hour. Up until Jessica arrived, the darklings haven't troubled any of them. After being attacked by the ruthless devils, they know that Jessica's power is really powerful, enough to scare the Darklings. For the sake of her life, Jessica teams up with the rest of the Midnighters to keep the Darklings at bay, and find out what her mysterious ability is. What happens next? you need to read this incredibly amazing book to find out. This book is definitely a 10 out of 10. The plot is awesome, filled with unexpected twists and mesmerizing details. You literally have to read all of the 383 pages in one sitting. Scott Westerfield is a mastermind, and this book is a must-read. The Midnighters is a trilogy, an it's also on of the few cases where the sequels are just as super as the original. You have to read this book!

Submitted by Sudha

New Tampa Regional

TAB

The Girl Who Could Fly

'The Girl Who Could Fly' sounds like a story packed with action, but it's a basically a feel-good story. The book is centered around a girl named Piper McCloud who believes that if you truly believe with your heat, you can do anything. In this book, 10-year old Piper McCloud lives with her old parents on a farm in Lowland County. Piper has never been given much freedom, and while the other folks think it's because she isn't right in the head, it's actually because Piper can fly. one day, after a series of unfortunate and disappointing events, Piper accidentally reveals her ability and instantly become world-wide news. Shortly afterwards, she gets a visit from a very caring, nice, and beautiful government agent. The agent, Dr. Letitia Hellion, comes with an exclusive invitation to join her school for kids with special abilities just like hers. Piper is then happily whisked away to I.N.S.A.N.E., where she meets 11 kids who have awesome super powers. She find her 11 year old enemy, Conrad, a mad genius, She also finds great friends like Violet, who has the power to shrink at will, and Bella Lovely, who can color anything at a touch. Through a series of fortunate (even though it didn't seem like it then) events, Piper realise that the facility isn't as perfect as she thought it was. She quickly learns that not everything is as it seems, and that anything worth having doesn't come without a fight. I would give this book a 8 out of 10. There were parts in this book where the author, Victoria Forester, couldn't added details. There were also parts where she couldn't expanded on what she was saying. There were also a part in this book where I was seriously confusee on whether the book took place in the past, present, or future. There was one really cheesy, but touching, part of the book, but it was bearable. I think Victoria Forest did a pretty good job portraying the characters of these kids. She was perfect as making the character's personality match their ability. For example, Bella, who had the power to spread color, was joyful, optimistic, kind, caring, and always smiling. Piper McCloud was portrayed as bubbly, optimistic and determined girl. She cared for others and wouldn't give up. This book didn't have much action, but it definitely had a lot of adventure. This book is long, but it's an easy read. Even though I think Victoria Forester could've done better on some parts, I still liked "The Girl Who Could Fly" and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun book.

Sudha

New Tampa Regional Library

TAB Member

Billy Creekmore by Tracy Porter

The book Billy Creekmore by Tracy Porter is the tale of a 10-year old Billy Creekmore's unsual life. Able to sense ghosts and make up completely believable storeis since he was born, Billy's life has been a series of unfortunate events. As historical fiction, it follows Billy and details his life from the time he was born (Friday the 13th!) to his dream home, surrounded by people who love him. The book starts off in an orphanage run by the lazy and mean Beadles. Then, it goes to Holly Glen, a coal camp, where Billy lives with his aunt and uncle. Finally, it goes to circus after circus, as Billy meets new people and finds lost friends. Overall, I give book 4 stars. Since it's set in the 1900's, many of the characters and settings are modeled after real people or places of that time. This keeps the plot interesting. However, the author could've done a better job describing how Billy feels in some parts.




Sudha

New Tampa Regional Library TAB Member