Category Archives: Mystery

ALA Winners for 2012

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 On Monday, January 23rd, the American Library Association announced the winners of the Newbery, Caldecott and other book awards.

In the children’s book world, this is like the Academy Awards of books. Librarians get pretty excited about the announcement and try for weeks ahead of time to predict the winners. 
Here are the winners for 2012 and ready for you to checkout!!!
John Newbery Medal – for the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Newbery Honor Winners

Randolph Caldecott Medal– to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children.

Caldecott Honor Winners-


 

Hugo in Theaters!

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Cover imageIn 2008, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, written and illustrated by Brian Selznick, won the Caldecott Medal for best illustrations. But wait! you say, “Isn’t that a chapter book?” Yes. Yes, it is. And it is awesome. On November 23, 2011, the companion movie, Hugo, directed by Martin Scorsese, is opening nationwide. Will it be just as amazing as the book? Who knows? But we can’t wait to find out!

“ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl and the owner of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together…in The Invention of Hugo Cabret.”-–from the official The Invention of Hugo Cabret web site.

The Name of This Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch: Student Review by Courtney

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The Name of This Book is Secret is about a girl who is a survivalist, and it is also about a boy who talks a lot. This book is one of those books where you want to keep reading it, but you want to stop so that you want to have something to read the next day. Also it is one of those books where there is so much to tell about it that you can’t even explain it. I would reccomend this book to anyone who likes unusual authors. So as you see that I haven’t included much about the summary because if you want to know about it go read the book.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick:Student Review by Kaitlin

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Cover imageThe invention of Hugo Cabret is the best mystery book you will ever read this book is also great for book reports too. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is about a boy who lives in a train station in France,Paris. One day Hugo’s father comes home and show him this thing called an Automaton that can write or draw things and to get it to work they need to find a heart shaped key that can fight in the key hole. One day while Hugo was at his house his uncle comes in and tells Hugo that his dad died in a fire. So Hugo has to come live with his Uncle who is never home and he has to keep his Uncles clock’s working. Will Hugo find the Automaton that his dad died with in the fire? Will Hugo be able to live by himeself in his Uncles apartment in the train station? Will Hugo be able to keep the train stations clocks running for his Uncle? Read the book to find out what will happen next and what miracuouls journeys Hugo will go on!

The Old Motel Mystery by Gertrude Warner: Student Review by Beatrice

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oldThe Old Motel Mystery is very interesting. You go on an adventure with the Boxcar Children, Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny. The old motel is not kept up very good, so the Boxcar Children help making it nicer. However, there is a prowler that sometimes sneaks around at night. But it turns out to be one of the guests that come to the old motel. The reason the prowler did it is because they wanted the motel to shut down. The real owner is Kay.
The prowler gives the children AWESOME things to eat. Then she asks questions and hurrys out in a rush. The prowler once droped her bag and some letters fell out. She tried to pick them up quickly, however Violet wanted to help and was faster.
Then she saw it. The address was: Ms. Kay something.
Then near the end, the prowler dresses like a painter. When she is caught, she has a meeting with Ms. Kay and they work it out quickly. Ms. Kay said that she would NOT call the Police instead, she said to leave IMMIDATELY.
Then the Boxcar Children’s aunt came to pick them up.

Powerless by Matthew Cody: Student Review by George

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powerlessI have just finished the best book that I have ever read….. Powerless. I know that I might have said that about some other books but this one is really the BOMB!!! When Daniel Corrrigan moves into a new village called Noble Green, he finds out that the new friends that he’s made are actually superheros!!! When two of Daniel’s friends forget who he is Daniel is bewildered and asks his friends for an explanation. Thats when he finds out that you lose your powers on your thirteeneth b-day. His friends think that your powers just don’t leave you somethging takes them away. So it’s up to Daniel and his friends to stop thiis thing and uncover a secret that will leave you having super thoughts!

Theodore Boone:Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

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theodore

As the only child of two attorneys, 13-year-old Theodore Boone knows more about the law than most adults.  Theodore dreams of going into the law himself, working as a trial lawyer and eventually becoming a judge. He already knows all the attorneys and judges in his small city of Strattenburg, and has even named his dog Judge. Theodore is so passionate about the law that he works as an amateur attorney, giving basic legal advice to friends. But Theodore’s hobby turns potentially deadly when he becomes involved with a key witness in a major murder trial. In “Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer” best-selling author John Grisham details how Theodore sorts out a legal tangle that involves an illegal immigrant, a cold-blooded killer and a creepy private investigator who seems to be stalking Theodore. Author John Grisham is best known for his over 21 adult books.  “Theodore Boone” is John Grisham’s first children’s novel.  To see how kids liked his book, Grisham worked with the fifth-graders in his daughter Shea Grisham’s class at the A.B. Combs Leadership Elementary School in Raleigh. Early in the process of writing “Theodore Boone,” Grisham read the first two chapters to the class and asked for feedback.
Click on this link and have fun with this website! www.theodoreboone.com
Mrs. Kalbfleisch

Powerless by Matthew Cody: Student Review by Erica

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powerlessI’ve recently been reading a book called Powerless and it has been one of the best books I’ve ever read! I loved it because of the witty characters, the vivid scenery, and the mystery that doesn’t turn out the way you think it will. It engulfs you with so many descriptions, you will literally feel like a part of the book! Daniel has just moved into a neighborhood where kids aren’t like the people outside of this little city. They have powers! Some can fly, some have super strength, others have super senses! But, the downs of this extraordinary feeling is you lose your power on your 13th birthday along with the memories of them and the friends you’ve made along the way. As Daniel tries to unsolve this mystery, he learns that true strength doesn’t come from powers but trust in your friends… I hope you have a fun time reading this amazing fiction!