Lion Library

Red Glass

2008-10-01T06:48:00.000-07:00

Red Glass by Laura Resau

Summary from amazon.com:

"Sophie is an amoeba, a free-floating spirit who is not attached to anything besides her family and her books. Then one night she picks up a phone call from the hospital. Seven Mexican migrants and their guide have died crossing the Arizona border. The lone survivor is a six-year-old boy named Pablo who had Sophie's stepfather's business card in his pocket.

Pablo comes to live with Sophie, her parents, and Sophie's great aunt Dika, a Bosnian war refugee. Sophie grows to love her Principito, or Little Prince, but after a year her parents get in contact with Pablo's remaining family in Mexico.

Over the summer, Sophie, Dika, Dika's boyfriend, and his son must take Pablo back to his hometown so that he can choose between his new family and his birth family. The trip is hard at first, because Sophie is afraid that anything and everything will go wrong. But the stories and the struggles of her companions change her perception of danger and she grows attached to Ángel despite her fears that she will lose him.

When a terrible accident occurs, Sophie is forced to make a dangerous trip to Guatemala by herself. On the way, she realizes that while life has its risks, it is still beautiful and even fun. "

I found this to be a beautiful story that touches upon many subjects. The book discusses immigration, war, violence, self identity, and what it means to be a family.

If you are a fan of A Step From Heaven, then you will enjoy this story.

Ella Enchanted

2008-10-01T06:35:00.000-07:00

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Ella Enchanted is another version of the famous fairy tale, Cinderella. Upon her birth, Ella receives a gift of obedience bestowed upon her by the fairy Lucinda. This gift allows others to control Ella's life and make her follow their wishes. Ella has to overcome this curse in order to marry her prince.

Summary from amazon.com:

"At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery, trying to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you've ever read."

If you are a fan of Cinderella, The Princess Diaries, or a fan of fairy tales, you will enjoy this story.

Daemon Hall

2008-09-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

"Is a contest worth dying for?"

Title: Daemon Hall
Author: Andrew Nance
Call Number: FIC NAN

I picked up this horror story when Ike took the lights out a my house. It does make it a lot scarier to read the book in total darkness from a flashlight!

Famous horror author, Ian Tremblin is holding the contest of a lifetime. Five writing finalists are chosen to spend the night with Ian in the haunted Daemon Hall. The winner of the best horror story during the night will have their own short story published. However, things soon go wrong when the contest is no longer about who can write the best story but who can survive the night in Daemon Hall.

Summary from the book:
"Nothing exciting ever happens in the town of Maplewood—that is, until famous thriller writer Ian Tremblin holds a short-story writing contest with a prize that seems to be the opportunity of a lifetime: five finalists will get to spend the evening with Tremblin himself in the haunted mansion Daemon Hall, and the winner of the best short story will see publication.

Wade Reilly and the other finalists could never have imagined what they find lurking in the shadows of this demonic mansion. During a suspenseful night of tale-telling, strange incidents mix the realms of the real and the supernatural. What is Tremblin really up to, and can he be trusted? What about Daemon Hall—is it alive? And, more to the point, will any of the contestants make it out of this hall of horrors to tell their story?"

If you are a fan of R.L. Stein's Fear Street or Goosebumps series then you'll enjoy this book!

The White Darkness

2008-09-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean

If you are a fan of survival stories such as, Hatchet, then you should check out this tale of a young girl who has to struggle to survive in the Artic.

Summary:

Fourteen-year-old Symone is obsessed with Antarctica. She is particularly enamored with Antarctic explorer, Captain Lawrence "Titus" Oates. "I have been in love with Titus Oates for quite a while now- which is ridiculous, since he's been dead for ninety years. But look at it this way. In ninety years I'll be dead, too, and the age difference won't matter."

The only person to take an interest in Sym's life is her Uncle Victor, a family friend who has cared for the family since her father's death. Uncle Victor fuels Sym's interest in Antarctica and arranges for a surprise trip to the frozen continent.

What Sym does not know that she is subject to the obsessive beliefs of one man, Uncle Victor, who will go to extreme lengths to achieve his dream. The dream trip suddenly turns into a struggle for survival in the strange and harsh wilderness.

Mrs. Stockel's Favorite Reads

2008-08-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my favorite series books. Be sure to stop by the library and check one out! What are some of your favorite series?

1. Twilight
2. Chronicles of Narnia
3. The Lightning Thief
4. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
5. Cirque du Freak
6. Harry Potter
7. A Series of Unfortunate Events
8. Uglies
9. Eragon
10. Lord of the Rings

Welcome

2008-08-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Landrum Library's blog. This is a place to comment, review, and discuss all things books! I am so excited about this year. Be sure to check out the blog for updates!