Insurgent

The second book in the Divergent Series, Insurgent, is a terrific read. If you at all enjoyed reading The Hunger Games or Divergent you will definitely enjoy Insurgent. Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent Series, has a great website and shares this summary of Insurgent:

One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so. (Roth)

Not only does life change forever for Tris' and Four, but Roth leaves you waiting for more. The third book in the series isn't due out until Fall 2013 and in the mean time Roth has re-written a scene in Divergent from Four's perspective. Find the links to Free Four on Veronica Roth's blog. I'm looking forward to reading Free Four and can't wait to hear from you about Insurgent.

Ms. Kaufman

References

Roth, Veronica. "Books: Insurgent." Veronica Roth. N.p., May 1 2011. Web. Web. 23 Jul. 2012. <<http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.ca/p/books.html>>

The Serpent's Shadow is Released!

Just released on May 1st! Check out the 3rd book in Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles series!! Here's the blurb from the Indigo website: 

He's b-a-a-ack! Despite their best efforts, Carter and Sade Kane can't seem to keep Apophis, the chaos snake, down. Now Apophis is threatening to plunge the world into eternal darkness, and the Kanes are faced with the impossible task of having to destroy him once and for all. Unfortunately, the magicians of the House of Life are on the brink of civil war, the gods are divided, and the young initiates of Brooklyn House stand almost alone against the forces of chaos. The Kanes' only hope is an ancient spell that might turn the serpent's own shadow into a weapon, but the magic has been lost for a millennia. To find the answer they need, the Kanes must rely on the murderous ghost of a powerful magician who might be able to lead them to the serpent's shadow . . . or might lead them to their deaths in the depths of the underworld.   Nothing less than the mortal world is at stake when the Kane family fulfills its destiny in this thrilling conclusion to the Kane Chronicles.

Leave a comment if you've already read it or plan to this summer. 

Ms. Furnival

Red Maple 2012

Earlier this spring the 2012 Red Maple winner was announced.  Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel was the first choice among Ontario students with honourable mentions going to Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey.  Be sure to add these to your summer book list if you haven't read them yet!

Red Maple Presentation

The first Red Maple meeting will be on Wednesday, January 25th during morning recess due to the PA Day. On a regular week, we will meet in the afternoon on Mondays. Please read through the commitments and choose wisely whether Red Maple is a good fit for you. You need to be committed to reading the Red Maple books quickly so that everyone has a chance to read the books. We only have 2 copies of each book.

Check out our Red Maple Prezi for a sneak peek at the 2012 nominees:

WW's Red Maple Program 2012 on Prezi

Red Maple Nominees

The Red Maple nominees have been launched. Check out this year's nominees here: 2012 Red Maple Nominees

Our program will begin during the first week of January with an overview of the program. In response to feedback from our grade 7s last year (our current grade 8s), our program will run very differently this year. Participants in the program will commit to reading as many of the nominees as they can. We will meet for a laid-back reading, blogging and book chatting session once a week. At the end of each month, we will invite staff members who have also read the books to join us to chat about the nominees. 


I am happy to allow highly interested students to sign-out the books over the holidays if you'd like to get started early!  


Ms. Furnival


              

New Books

These are some of the new teen books that just arrived on Monday. They are behind our counter waiting to be shared, but if you'd like to sign them out, please just ask.

       


          


 

Heat

Michael has the heat. He, his faithful friend Manny and his older brother Carlos are holding a secret. A big secret. A secret that could get Michael and Carlos sperated from each other. But every time something gets in the way of Michael, he seems to find a way to get over it.

Heat is a great book for any kind of sports fan!