Casson family series by Hilary McKay

I’m not a big fan of the YA dysfunctional family genre, but I do like to read stories about family problems that can be settled with some compassion, cleverness, and common sense as if Beverly Cleary had written a Ramona Quimby, Age 16. I just read the last in my favorite heart-warming family saga. It is the four book series about the Casson family by Hilary McKay. Each book features one of the Casson kids -- Saffy’s Angel, Indigo’s Star, Permanent Rose, Caddy Ever After – and deals with everything from adoption, bullying, romance, friendship, sibling rivalry, divorce and much more. The entire family is artsy and eccentric (they are English) so there are many surprising solutions to their dilemmas.

Visit the Terry Pratchett site

If you are a fan of Terry Pratchett or just want to see what his Discworld is about you can visit www.terryprachettbooks.com. Click into the Discworld Travel Guide to get a glimpse of the characters, adventures, and magic. There’s a few games and stuff to print too.

If, like me, you prefer your fantasy a little wacky, try Terry Prachett’s “mini- series” about witches. (For now, it includes The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, and Wintersmith. You may have heard of Prachett’s series Discworld; these books are a series inside that series.) Anyway, it’s a goofy fantasy world with no confusing battles between good and evil, no never-ending quests, and no hundreds of characters to sort out. Instead there are teenage witch-cliques, cranky witch instructors, and little blue men who like to fight and cuss. The adventures start when the heroine, Tiffany Aching, teams up with a clan of the six-inch blue men to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland. I was hooked after the first book and couldn’t wait to follow Tiffany and the blue guys on further adventures.
BevM

Quaking by Kathryn Erskine

Another title plucked off the new books shelf... this one entirely different but soooooo good! Matt (short for Matilda) doesn't need anyone and lets no one get close to her. Moving from relative to relative, she ends up in Pennsylvania with Sam and Jessica, two peaceful Quakers. Smart and smart-mouthed, Matt trys to blend into the background until bullies (from the past and present) threaten her right to stand up for her belief in peace and those of her new family. Quaking is one of a few anti-war books written recently that makes you think about your own views about the war in the Middle East. It also has been nominated for the American Library Association's 2008 Best Books for Young Adults. I hope you give it a try.

Red Glass

I plucked this book off the new books shelf not knowing anything about it- and then read it in one day! One night Sophie, her mother, and stepfather are called to the hospital where a young Mexican boy is recovering from dehydration. He is the only survivor of a group of people crossing the border from Mexico into Arizona. No one knows who he is or where he comes from. This starts Sophie on an adventure filled with mystery, laughter, and sometimes sadness. I hope you'll give it a try... I also plan to read author Laura Resau's first book, What the Moon Saw. If it's anything like this one, I'm sure it'll be good!

Adam Canfield of the Slash

Hello fellow book bloggers: Did you ever dream of being a newspaper reporter? Adam and his co-writer, Jennifer, are living this dream through writing for their school newspaper, The Slash. I think everyone will be able to relate to this book because Adam always has an overworked schedule and sometimes get a little stressed and takes it out on people. Although the book is a little unrealistic at times, its humorous characters make up for it. If you are a fan of the book Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, you will probably like this book. They are both similar with unrealistic plots and humorous characters. Have any of you read Adam Canfield of the Slash and/or Hoot? Did you like/dislike them?

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Hello fellow book bloggers: How many of you have seen the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka? It is a little different from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp. It's a good movie to see so you can compare the different plots lines. If you did see the movie, which one did you like more? Or, did you like the book better than either of the movies?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Hi fellow book bloggers: Here is a cool website if you liked the movie or book: http://chocolatefactorymovie.warnerbros.com/

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Hi fellow book bloggers: If you liked the recent movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp, you should try reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
It’s a humorous book about a poor boy who gets lucky and draws the winning ticket for a visit to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, the most splendid chocolate factory there is!

Crooked River

If you liked reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, you might like Crooked River. Both books have to do with men who are falsely accused of different crimes. In Crooked River, a Native American in accused of murder and faces the wrath of an all white jury. Rebecca Carver, the 13-year-old girl who is scared of having an Indian in her home, has to decide who she thinks is right-the young Indian’s lawyer, Peter Kelley, or her father, who thinks that all Indians are savages.
If you haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird, you should! It’s a classic…but besides that, it’s a really great book. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a African-American man is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Scout, a young girl, has to deal with the prejudices of the other townspeople as they look down upon her father, Atticus Finch, who is defending this man.