Great start to the class blog! Thanks to everyone who contributed your ideas about what makes a good book. Feel free to add to that discussion at any time or share how your thinking evolves on that topic. But now let's get specific. What have you read recently that would you recommend to others with similar reading interests?
I'll get us started:
One great new book I read this summer was The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen. I was intrigued when I found out this book was coming out because not only had I just started running again myself, but I had also recently read and really enjoyed Van Draanen's earlier book, Runaway (a story about a teenage girl who left home to figure out how to make it on the streets alone). What could be better than a book by a trusted author on a topic of personal interest? So I put in my request for The Running Dream at my local library and, when I finally got my hands on a copy, I was not disappointed. In The Running Dream, Van Draanen shares the story of a girl named Jessica who loses a leg in a car accident on the way back from setting a record at a high school track meet. We get to follow Jessica's inner thoughts as she comes to terms with her tragedy and searches for a way to run again. While the style of The Running Dream is a little more traditional than that of Runaway (which is made up of the main character's journal entries), both books share similar subject matter as they both include main characters who are teenagers dealing with intensely difficult and unusual situations. One of the reasons I like Van Draanen's books is that they help me build empathy for those whose lives are much harder than my own. I think a lot of you would enjoy The Running Dream or Runaway for similar reasons.
What else can you all recommend?
We are an 8th grade class exploring our world through reading and writing. Join us as we investigate our year-long essential questions: "How do we make a difference in the world?" and "Are we really that different?"
The Lost Hero by Rick Riodran is an exiting thiller with action on almost every turn of the page.
ReplyDeleteIf your interested in bizarre twists and romance, The Immortals series by Alyson Noel is a fantastic choice. It combines the thoughts of a high school girl with the twist of fantasy characters like immortal human beings.
ReplyDeleteI absoulutely love books by Margaret Peterson Haddix. She makes me think, and I know that if I'm not completely focused, I'll miss something and get lost! But luckily, she has a great writing style to keep me hooked so I can know what's going on. My reccomendations would be "Double Identity", the story of a girl who finds out about a secret twin, or "Palace of Mirrors", a suspenseful fantasy about a girl set to find her impersonator. Margaret Peterson Haddix' mysteries filled with twists would be great for anyone, because she keeps it exciting throughout the entire book.
ReplyDeleteI personally favor books written by Rick Riordan like "The Red Pyramid" or "The Lost Hero" that are constantly feeding you action on every page, but still make you think a little to perfectly understand each and every different situation. The Red Pyramid is about a boy and his sister who's father has suddenly dissapeared while makes a deal with a mysterious man. "The Lost Hero" is about one boy and two of his friends (who he forgot about when he lost his memory prior to these events) have to travel around the world to search for a missing camper of Camp Half-Blood. Any books by him are amazing, but i prefer these two.
ReplyDeleteI like to read realisitc fiction so rules is a good book about how one girl learns to accept others diferences. Also just listen by Sarah Dessen is a good book about one girl who think that no one understands her that meets a guy that feels the same way.
ReplyDeleteI personally would choose Pop written by, Gordan Korman because its a real thought out book and the first couple of pages makes you keep reading. The book has so much stuff on each page its hard to stop and has alot of sports in it.
ReplyDeleteZach's Lie is a good book but it has a very low lexile number of 580.Other than that its cool.
ReplyDeleteI really like "Bad Girls In Love" and "The Lost Hero". "Bad Girls In Love" gives gossip lovers every ounce of girl drama and romance. "The Lost Hero" brings back the old characters of the Percy Jackson series and new characters to obsess over.
ReplyDeleteI like the "Hunger Games" series a lot written by Suzanne Collins because it has a lot of action and adventure. It also has a little romance. The books keep you wanting to keep reading. Also, the movie is coming out soon.
ReplyDeleteMy favortie book series right now is the "Gone" series by Michael Grant. These books contain A LOT of action but it does have it's fair share of sweet moments. The main idea of the books are that everyone over the age of 14 years disappears and the kids develop some strange powers. A dome also appears out of nowhere within a 10 mile diameter of the power plant. This new place is called the FAYZ,(Fallout Alley Youth Zone) and the kids try to find ways to survive. I definetly recommend this book!! :)
ReplyDeleteI don't ahve a specific book but if your lokking for a good sports author I think Mike Lupica is a good author. His books are all about sports. So if your looking for a sports book Mike Lupica is the author to find.
ReplyDeleteOne of my choices if you like more mature books would be either "Misery" By Stephen King or "Pet Sematary" Also by Stephen King. Keep in mind that they are horror books and have a lot mature content.
ReplyDeleteI don't have any specific books but a really good mystery or action book that I would recommend are by Rick Riordon. His books have a little bit of every thing a little bit of action,mystery,and
ReplyDeletesometimes sports.
Zachs Lie is a really good book, but it doesnt necessarily have suspense on the first few pages..and you have to give it time to make you want more of it. But overall its a really good one.
ReplyDeleteThrone of Fire is a great book for all Rick Riordan fans. This book contains many action battles and unexpected twists throughout, which is why in my opinion he is one of the best authors out there. So if you have the same reading interests as me then this is the book for you(first read Red Pyramid or you will get lost in this book).
ReplyDeletemonster is a realy good book it gets of to the action in the first couple of pages
ReplyDeleteA good book that I recently read is The Maze Runner by James Dashner. In this book, there are a bunch of kids stuck in "The Glade" and they are trying to find a way out by going through the Maze. Even though it's a little slow in the beginning, it's a really good mystery book, and has surprises everywhere.
ReplyDeleteIf you like a twist like a vampire/romance/suspense book.. i'd say The house of night novels. It is sorta unappropraite for school but it's really good. :)
ReplyDeleteI recommend 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins if you like constant action and high suspense. The beginning can be a little confusing, but once you get into the first couple of chapters, the action heats up. After reading the series, you will be able to compare real life situations to 'The Hunger Games'
ReplyDeleteThe book Pictures of Hollis Woods is a book about a girl who loves to draw. But also she goes and lives with 2 different familes and writes about both. This book is great for girls who like a little action but like reading what a girl has to say about life.
ReplyDeleteI finished Zach's Lie and now I'm on Jack's Run. The lexile difference is 580 to 720. Jack's Run seems to be a great book also.
ReplyDeleteThe books Red Pyramid and The Throne of Fire are both books that I could not put down. Every page was pretty much a cliff hanger and when ever I stopped reading I could not wait to start again.
ReplyDeletePersonally, my favorite book I have ever read is The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fiction book that will keep their attention and really make them want to read the book. This book not only has a very interesting story, but also many deep meanings hidden within the text. I must give a fair warning though, because at times it can be very difficult to keep track of the different characters that appear during the story. However, if they can get past that, then I am sure that anyone would find this to be a very good book that you will remember for the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteI know I'm a little late to the game here, but I wanted to give my book recommendation. Actually my recommendation isn't a single book but an entire series. If you are into science fiction, you will love the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. Her son Todd McCaffrey co-wrote some of the books with her and also wrote some of the series solo. The series tells the story of life on the planet Pern which is presented as a pre-industrial society complete with lords, holds, harpers, dragons and of course dragonriders. They are in constant battle with "thread" which threatens to abolish the planet and all those that live on it. The series was actually published in an order that does not represent a chronological order of events so the books can either be read in publication order or chronological order (I personally recommend the later). You can find a complete list of books in both orders at http://pernhome.com/aim/2006-Pern-Reading-Order.pdf This is a series that I barely finished one book and was starting the next. Happy reading!!!
ReplyDeleteI liked the book The Lord of the Flies.
ReplyDeleteI find the story very interesting because of the idea the author wanted to convey. The idea was to "trace the defect of society to the defect of man." I find the book interesting because you can see how the boys slowly descend to the dark parts of human nature.
I just finished "Jump the Cracks" by Stacy DeKeyser, and loved it! Its about this girl who her parents are divorced and shes going on a trip to go visit her dad. Her dad isn't always a person you would trust when he says he will be there at a specific time, and has not been there on time multiple times. So once again he fails to be there to pick up Victoria. As all of this is going on Victoria notices something strange. A little boy is being abused by his mother. After that the book is about what and how she stops the kid from being abused by his mother.
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