Weekly Reads: Circus Mirandus

Circus Mirandushas cropped up on a few Mock Newbery lists so I was dying to get my hands on it, not to mention that people have compared it to The Night Circus, but for children. I could not put it down. It was amazing. And every kid and adult should read it. I would not be surprised if this walks away with an award!

My rating: 5 stars!

Summary from goodreads:

Fans of Big Fish, Peter Pan, and Roald Dahl will fall in love with Circus Mirandus, which celebrates the power of seeing magic in world.

Do you believe in magic?
Micah Tuttle does.

Even though his awful Great-Aunt Gertrudis doesn’t approve, Micah believes in the stories his dying Grandpa Ephraim tells him of the magical Circus Mirandus: the invisible tiger guarding the gates, the beautiful flying birdwoman, and the magician more powerful than any other—the Man Who Bends Light. Finally, Grandpa Ephraim offers proof. The Circus is real. And the Lightbender owes Ephraim a miracle. With his friend Jenny Mendoza in tow, Micah sets out to find the Circus and the man he believes will save his grandfather.

The only problem is, the Lightbender doesn't want to keep his promise. And now it's up to Micah to get the miracle he came for.

Weekly Reads: Goodbye Stranger

When I saw that Rebecca Stead was coming out with a new book, I was ecstatic. And then I was even more excited when I got an e-ARC of the book to read and review/promote to library customers. Her Newbery award winning book, When You Reach Me , is one of my all time favorite books.

Goodbye Stranger did not disappoint. It dealt with a lot of middle school issues like peer pressure, relationships, friendships, but did so in a truly honest manner. And the unnamed perspective that is woven into the story really draws the reader in because you have to know who this girl is and what happened ASAP.

My rating: 4 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

Bridge is an accident survivor who's wondering why she's still alive. Emily has new curves and an almost-boyfriend who wants a certain kind of picture. Tabitha sees through everybody's games--or so she tells the world. The three girls are best friends with one rule: No fighting. Can it get them through seventh grade? 
This year everything is different for Sherm Russo as he gets to know Bridge Barsamian. What does it mean to fall for a girl--as a friend? 
On Valentine's Day, an unnamed high school girl struggles with a betrayal. How long can she hide in plain sight?

Weekly Reads: Echo

Echo is the newest children's book by Pam Munoz Ryan, and it immediately received possible Newbery buzz, so I added it to my list. It is a big book, clocking in just shy of 600 pages, but it is a very fast read. The story is historical fiction (which I typically loathe), told in 3 separate parts (which I typically hate), but for some reason I really really enjoyed it. I would recommend this for fans of historical fiction, those that love books that are interwoven in the same way that the movie Crash was portrayed, or anyone just looking for a really well written story.

My rating: 4 stars.


Summary from goodreads:

Music, magic, and a real-life miracle meld in this genre-defying masterpiece from storytelling maestro Pam Muñoz Ryan.

Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.
 
Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo. 
 
Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, ECHO pushes the boundaries of genre and form, and shows us what is possible in how we tell stories. The result is an impassioned, uplifting, and virtuosic tour de force that will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck.

Weekly Reads: Wonder

I have been wanting to read Wonder for quite some time, but I made it a book club selection for my reading group at work, so I had to waaaaaaaaait until it was time to read it. Well, it was finally time to read it. And I devoured it. Every kid at my library has either read it as a read aloud in school, or wants to read it, and that makes me so so happy..... The book has such a great message of acceptance and strength, so important for anyone at any age to learn and be reminded of.

I loved that the book was told from dual perspectives that helped you understand August even more in depth. I just loved most everything.

My rating: 5 stars

Summary from goodreads:

You can't blend in when you were born to stand out.

My name is August. I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.

August Pullman wants to be an ordinary ten-year-old. He does ordinary things. He eats ice cream. He plays on his Xbox. He feels ordinary - inside.

But Auggie is far from ordinary. Ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. Ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.

Born with a terrible facial abnormality, Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents his whole life, in an attempt to protect him from the cruelty of the outside world. Now, for the first time, he's being sent to a real school - and he's dreading it. All he wants is to be accepted - but can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, underneath it all?

Narrated by Auggie and the people around him whose lives he touches forever, Wonder is a funny, frank, astonishingly moving debut to read in one sitting, pass on to others, and remember long after the final page.

Weekly Reads: Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library

Mix together one part Willy Wonka and one part library book nerdery and another part awesome trivia and gaming and you'll have Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. I picked up this book because there was some buzz about it being a candidate for the Newbery award. I absolutely LOVED it. I flew through the book (I think I finished it in one sitting, two at the very most) and wanted to dive in to the book to participate instead of reading. While I don't think this will win the Newbery, I think kids will devour it! I know that 8-10 year old Jerbear would've absolutely loved it. What's even cooler is that the author Chris Grabenstein has created a game based on the game played out in the book for schools and libraries to utilize, so I'll be planning a tween program based on it. I also showed the book trailer to my kids last week and they thought it looked awesome.

My rating: 5 stars.

Summary from goodreads:

Kyle Keeley is the class clown, popular with most kids, (if not the teachers), and an ardent fan of all games: board games, word games, and particularly video games. His hero, Luigi Lemoncello, the most notorious and creative gamemaker in the world, just so happens to be the genius behind the building of the new town library.

Lucky Kyle wins a coveted spot to be one of the first 12 kids in the library for an overnight of fun, food, and lots and lots of games. But when morning comes, the doors remain locked. Kyle and the other winners must solve every clue and every secret puzzle to find the hidden escape route. And the stakes are very high.

In this cross between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and A Night in the Museum, Agatha Award winner Chris Grabenstein uses rib-tickling humor to create the perfect tale for his quirky characters. Old fans and new readers will become enthralled with the crafty twists and turns of this ultimate library experience.