Courtney's Past Picks
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Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass Thirteen-year-old Mia Winchell appears to be a typical eighth grader. But Mia is keeping a secret from everyone who knows her: sounds, numbers and words appear in color for her. Mia has synesthesia, the mingling of perceptions whereby a person can see sounds, smell colors, or taste shapes. Courtney recommends it because... Want to buy this book? |
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Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer Miranda’s disbelief turns to fear in a split second when a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? Told in journal entries, this is the heart-pounding story of Miranda’s struggle to hold on to the most important resource of all - hope - in an increasingly desperate and unfamiliar world. |
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The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer This harrowing companion novel of Pfeffer’s Life as We Knew It examines the same events as they unfold in New York City, revealed through the eyes of seventeen-year-old Puerto Rican Alex Morales. When Alex's parents disappear in the aftermath of tidal waves, he must care for his two younger sisters, even as Manhattan becomes a deadly wasteland, and food and aid dwindle. |
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This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer It’s been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda, life as she knew it no longer exists. The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever. |
| Courtney recommends this series because... These are great stories for readers that loves sci-fi/dystopian books. The fact that the events described on the book - meteor hitting the moon out of its orbit - could actually happen, makes me introspective of all the luxuries that people have and take for granted.(February 2011) Want to buy these books? |
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Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana, in 1840 - or so she believes. When diphtheria strikes the village and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie's mother reveals a shocking secret - it's actually 1996, and they are living in a reconstructed village that serves as a tourist site. In the world outside, medicine exists that can cure the dread disease, and Jessie's mother is sending her on a dangerous mission to bring back help. Courtney recommends it because... Want to buy this book? |
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The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer As a teenage vampire, Vlad has spent the last four years trying to handle the pressures of school while sidestepping a slayer out for his blood. Now he's a senior, and in this final, action-packed book in the series, Vlad must confront the secrets of the past, unravel the mystery of who he really is, make decisions about his future, and face his greatest enemy. It's a senior year that totally bites. Courtney recommends it because... Want to buy this book? |
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Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements Bobby Phillips is an average fifteen-year-old boy. Until the morning he wakes up and can't see himself in the mirror. Not blind, not dreaming - Bobby is just plain invisible, and there doesn't seem to be anyone who can figure out the reason. Then he meets Alicia. She's blind, and Bobby can't resist talking to her, trusting her. He has to find out how to be seen again, before it's too late. Courtney recommends it because... Want to buy this book? |
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A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz In this mischievous and utterly original debut, Hansel and Gretel walk out of their own story and into eight other classic Grimm-inspired tales. As readers follow the siblings through a forest brimming with menacing foes, they learn the true story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses, and outwitted witches.
Courtney recommends it because... Want to buy this book? |
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Misty Gordon and the Mystery of the Ghost Pirates by Kim Kennedy Things in the New England town of Ashcrumb are getting weirder, even for Misty Gordon, whose antique-dealing parents drive a van that says “D.E.A.D.” on the side (for “Deceased’s Estate and Antique Dealer”), is accustomed to weird. Misty learns that her hometown was settled not by respectable colonists but by pirates! And the ghosts of the pirates are returning to reclaim a dangerous, powerful treasure they lost centuries ago. Who will find it first, Misty or the pirates? Courtney recommends it because... Want to buy this book? |