Book+talks

=Let's create a repository for all of our book talks!=

//Shiver// by Maggie Stiefvater For years, Grace has been obsessed with the wolves in the woods behind her house—with one wolf in particular—//her// wolf—the one with the golden eyes.

6 years ago, when she was attacked by the pack, it was //her// wolf that saved her—//her// wolf that watches over her every winter but never gets close enough to touch.

Sam is in love with Grace—with the girl he saved. Sam is only Sam in the warmth of summer, but he has never dared to talk to talk to her in his human form. When the weather turns cold, he turns too—and it is only then that he can approach her—but he can only watch her—as she watches him.

When the pack attacks a boy from Grace’s school, she and Sam are thrown together and finally realize their deep unwavering love for each other.

But is it too late? Are these Sam’s last days to be human? Or, when he changes, will it be for good? Sam must fight to save his humanity as Grace fights to keep him—//her// Sam—the boy with the golden eyes.

//Tomorrow When the War Began// By John Marsden (who I am always tempted to call James Marsden, so be on the lookout for that slip) Ellie and her friends would rather go to Hell than the Wirawee County Fair. Every year, every farmer and family they know spend the week at the county fairgrounds, and it’s always the same – the same cows, the same prizes, the same people, the same mind-numbing boredom. Now that she’s old enough to drive, this year Ellie decides to skip the fair altogether. Instead, she and her six closest friends spend the week camping in Hell. Hell is like the size of the grand canyon. There’s no way in, there’s no way out, and the woods in the basin of the canyon are so thick no one’s really sure what’s down there. Hell will be so much better than the Wirawee County Fair. A week passes – a week of camping and fun. Ellie and her friends make a vow to return to Hell every year at the same time and never go to the Wirawee Country Fair again. But when Ellie and her friends get home, they realize something is wrong- their dogs are dead, chained up in the yard. Their cows are dead – penned up in the barn. And their parents and families are nowhere to be seen. Gradually, Ellie and her friends come to realize that while they were camping a war began and their families are all being held against their will. Now on the run from an unknown army, Ellie and her friends decide to fight back. They don’t know if they’re going to win or even if they’ll live, but they know this: Australia has been invaded, their parents are being held hostage at the fairgrounds, and Hell is the only safe haven they have left.

//The death-defying Pepper Roux// by Geraldine McCaughren (This is what I meant to say, only it came out all garbled)

Today is Pepper Roux's 14th birthday. Today is also the last day of his life.

When Pepper was born, St. Constance appeared to his Auntie Mireille in a dream and foretold Pepper's early demise. For his entire short, miserable life, Pepper has been preparing for death. He goes to confession every other day, he knows the last rites by heart, and there is even a charming little plot waiting for him in the village cemetery.

Pepper is a gentle obedient boy, polite to a fault, whose only desire is to make everyone happy. On the day of his death, Pepper decides to take a walk, thinking he'd be an easier target for the saints and angels who want to kill him. Down by the docks, he finds his father, a ship's captain, dead drunk in a bar. Without thinking, Pepper seizes the opportunity, grabs his father's cap and jacket, and presents himself aboard the ship L'Ombrage as her new captain. He orders the crew to set sail at once. Strangely, no one seems to notice that the new captain is a mere boy.

After all, people see what they expect, don't they? Or do they see what they choose?

Either way, fleeing death, Pepper steps into a series of different lives, each one more ridiculous than the last; eyes constantly searching the heavens for the saints and angels who are after him.

Pepper's on the run, and you better look alive if you want to keep up with him.

//The Lost Hero// by Rick Riordan (this is the one I wrote out, but lost before i could memorize it. then i had to re-do it, and it wasn't so great.)

When Jason wakes up on a bus at the Grand Canyon, his best friend Leo is goofing around. He's holding Piper's hand, a girl who is cuter than most girls he remembers. He wakes up confused, not because he's been dreaming, but because he remembers nothing. Not Piper, not Leo, not even his own name. Zip, zero, nada.

Piper and Leo thin Jason's pulling a fast one. The best prank of the school year. Until they realize that yes, he remembers nothing. Not the bus ride, not their school for bad kids, not yesterday. Nothing.

Then things start to get interesting. Dylan starts to put the moves on Piper; Coach Hedge starts hollering and the shit hits the fan. A storm blows in while they're crossing the skyway over the Canyon. Dylan turns demonic. Coach Hedge turns into a goat man. Leo is blown over the skyway, and luckily, Coach Hedge's hooves allow him to scurry down to get him. Piper is dropped by Dylan and Jason finds out he can fly when he dives to catch her.

Just before Coach Hedge gets sucked into the swirling vortex above them, he tells the three that they are demi-gods, whom he has vowed to protect. A chariot arrives to take them back to Camp Half Blood, a place beyond explanation. And the three embark on a quest to find themselves and the Lost Hero.

//Fever, 1793// by Laurie Halse Anderson All 14 year old Matilda wants to do is sleep. Instead she awakens to her screeching mother. Polly, their worker is late and Mattie must get up to help Eliza, their cook and her mother at their coffee shop. As she snuggles down for one last bit of sleep, a mosquito's bite finally rouses her.

It's Philadelphia, 1793, and Mattie wants nothing more than to dream of her future. Her mother has other plans. Aside from work, there's her plan to find a suitable spouse for Mattie.

It's down to the coffee. Gossip says a fever has started down at the wharves. And Polly isn't late. She's dead. And Mattie must pick up the slack -- more and more work. When her mother falls ill, she sends Mattie and her grandfather to the countryside. A cough from him gets them dumped by the side of the road, by the carriage that has been paid to take them away. But it's not he who is sick. It's Mattie. And two days later she awakens in a hospital in Philadelphia.

In the coming months, Mattie must make her own decisions, organize the coffee shop, and try and find her mother. She works with Eliza and the Free Africa Society to minister to the rapidly dwindling population of Philadelphia during Fever, 1793.

//Amulet: the stonekeeper//, by Kazu Kibuishi Emily and her mother are rushing to pick up Emily’s brother Navin, when the most horrific of tragedies happens and Emily’s father is gone—just like that.

After the accident, Emily, Navin, and their mom move into an ancient, decrepit—basically really creepy house—that belonged to Em’s great grandfather Silas. No one knows what happened to him, but one thing is for sure, he never left that house—he just disappeared.

And that is exactly what happens to Emily’s mom. On their first night in the old house, Emily and Navin see their mom disappear through a door in the basement, being dragged by an enormous, humongous… tentacle. They give chase down a twisty spiral stairway, and find themselves in a magical world populated by ferocious monsters, quirky robots, and strange half animal-half humans.

Emily discovers that a mysterious amulet she found in great grandfather Silas’ house is the key to enormous power in this new world. And with the help of Navin, a robotic rabbit named Miskit, and a cast of other oddities, Emily sets off to save her mother. But just how far will she go to keep the people she loves from disappearing?