WWW Wednesdays

What are you currently reading?
Riot by Sarah Mussi
Life in Great Britain is at a boiling point. Unemployment and crime are at a record high. Businesses are failing. Cities are overcrowded. In an effort to fix things, politicians suggest a radical move: cut funding to support systems for the poor and force sterilization on drop-outs, criminals, and other "problem populations." Outraged, Tia and her hacker friends organize protests. They find themselves caught up in something much larger. 
This is a pretty exciting read so far and I look forward to finding out how it ends.
  
What did you recently finish reading?
Deliver Me by Kate Jarvik Birch
In the Union, every citizen is judged by a set of ideals at the age of 16. The best are made into soldiers or carriers. The rest are assigned to jobs. There is little interaction between genders and concepts like love, family, and thinking for ones-self are strictly prohibited.
It was a pretty good, quick read that reminded me pretty strongly of Lois Lowry's Giver quartet.
 
What do you think you will read next?
Swimmers by Amy Bright
Desperate to escape her quiet, controlled life of isolation and homeschooling, Poppy takes off on a bus trip with her neighbor's nephew Harper and his friend Lee to face the secrets Harper left behind at home.

Ninja Librarians Recon Team Week 6

This is it. The final week of the Ninja Librarians Recon Team prompts. It's been a lot of fun. In fact, that's this week's prompt: Tells us your favorites. Your favorite part of the book. Your favorite part of the whole Ninja Librarians adventure, from reading the book to being a Recon Team member.

So, my favorite part of the book was definitely the beginning. I love the clutter and the chaos of the Barnes home. Miranda was a great, quirky little sister and her quirks nicely set up later events. And Dorrie is so wonderfully ordinary. It's a great beginning to a great book.

My favorite part of this whole experience (apart from the book) was the list from week 2. I loved compiling my list of things I would take out of books. It really stretched my creativity.  

Turtles

This weekend I was experimenting with some new polymer clay figures. I'm toying with the idea of using some of my crafting to do some charity fund-raising. One of the ideas I designed was a turtle.

Ta da!

After I'd baked this little guy, I began to notice some problems. Most notably, that his neck is too narrow to hold up his big head. 

He tends to look like he is reading something.

So, here's take 2 with an internal wire supporting his head and a little more color planning. (The first turtle was made with random scraps which is why it is yellowish and pinkish)

Much better head placement.

If I'm going to use this little fellow for fund-raising, I'd like to give him a name. I'm open to any suggestions.

Book Review - The Chance You Won't Return

Title: The Chance You Won't Return
Author: Annie Cardi
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Similar books: Crazy by Han Nolan
                     So B. It by Sarah Weeks
Rating:

Eye-opening

Summary: Alex has a lot of worries. She's flunking drivers ed. She fights with her mother all of the time. And she's crushing on a cute guy at school. Her life gets even more complicated when her mother begins to believe herself to be Amelia Earhart.
My opinion: Alex is a great character. Often selfish and impulsive, she lacks confidence in her daily life. Her shame and fear regarding her mother's illness and the responsibility thrust upon her as well as the consequences of the secrets she keeps from those closest to her really grow her as a character. Add in the sensitive but grimly realistic portrayal of mental illness, and this becomes the kind of book every teen should read.

Advanced reader copy provided by NetGalley.

Books on Screen

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

 Of the movies based on kid's books that I have seen, this effort from Walden Media does the best job of replicating the events of the book as well as the sensibility. A breath-taking movie that genuinely does justice to Lewis's master book (which is what made the nest two movies such a disappointment, but that's perhaps something to discuss in another post). Additionally, this movie makes a point of something we often miss when reading the book - the Prevensies are being evacuated during the London Blitz. Were it not fro the war, they wouldn't have found the wardrobe! Both the book and the movie are well worth your time.

WWW Wednesdays

What are you currently reading?
She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
Laureth's writer father is meant to be in Switzerland. The only problem: she just got an email saying a man found his notebook in New York City. When her father doesn't respond to any phone calls or texts, Laureth packs up her younger brother, steals her mother's credit card and gets on a plane.
I'm intrigued to see how this mystery plays out, especially to discover the tie-in of that title.
 
What did you recently finish reading?
How I Got Skinny, Famous, and Fell Madly in Love by Ken Baker
With her family in financial trouble, overweight Emery agrees to be the focus of a weight-loss reality show. As she begins to lose weight and her fame grows, Emery must face a number of truths she's not sure she's ready for. 
An interesting book hitting two hot-button issues.
  
What do you think you will read next?
The Drowning by Rachel Ward 
I rather liked Ward's series The Numbers, so this book about a young man haunted by the memory (or maybe the ghost) of his dead brother is high on my list of "to read" books.

Ninja Librarians Recon Team Week 5

The journey is almost over, friends. I'm going to miss these awesome prompts. Here's this week's prompt:
You're going on a quest to save a person who is being punished for standing up for the truth. What time period are you traveling to? Who are you trying to save? What are you taking with you?
The final requirement for this prompt, making it different than the others, is that we are instructed to answer with images. So here is my response.

I went with fairly recent history.

Muridke Pakistan, 1995

Iqbal Masih, 12 year old child labor activist

A really good disguise.

 

a riot shield

A bike, so we can make our getaway.