Half Way Home by Hugh Howey

So even though school has started, :) and summer is over :( I hope everyone will still talk about the amazing books they are reading throughout the year! One I hope you all read is MOCKINGJAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's out and coming to my house tomorrow morning. As soon as I read I can give it to Ms. Kesler to be passed along, in case there aren't enough copies at the school (which is always an issue)! Another newish book, Half Way Home by the wonderful Hugh Howey, is another must get. He takes things to a whole new level, and though I regretted leaving the Molly world to explore another, it was well worth it. I can't even begin to describe this book, it is so interesting! :) I think I like the Molly Fyde series better, but that is because of my opinion on some controversial issues he faces. Politically, I can tell we do not agree but I am open minded enough to understand these things- while also recognizing a lot of others I know who share my political views would not accept this. I would say only mature eighth graders for this one; it covers tricky topics. But I love it all the same and hope a few of you can benefit from these ideas! Good luck to all in school and always read. Love from Mount Airy High School- Jessi

Super Books This Summer

Peace out one and all. I read like every single book with a worthwhile cover that I could this summer, however there are a two books I think I aught to bring to everyone's attention...

Of all the books I have read this summer, only one stands out in my mind most vividly. During the last school year, I started reading The House Of The Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. It started out as one of those, "I'll pick this up on my spare time" sort of books. There was nothing different about it, as far as I could tell. Then about halfway through I realized that this was no ordinary book. The writing itself wasn't extremely genuine. But the storyline was so intense and packed that I could not convince myself to put it down. It definitely opens up your mind a little bit wider than it may have been before. I would highly recommend giving it some time to read.

This one will probably be shunned by most of you. It is called The White Mountains, by John Christopher. It's in a series of four, and the storyline is one of those classics. The bad guys walk around in these huge metal monsters called tripods. The tripods destroy all of mankind's technology, and then turn them into happy slaves who will jump off a cliff to do their bidding. It started out a little slow, but after about 50 pages it starts to pick up. Although the plot is somewhat juvenile, I found it to be a great 1-day read. It had the same feeling, as well as writing stile to it as did The Giver. I would strongly encourage all of you to give it a shot. :)