LOTS to smile about in SMILE!

Middle school is tough!  Yesiree, just ask Raina in Raina Telgemeier's graphic novel Smile.

I remember getting braces when I was younger.  It was kinda a right of passage.  Most students were getting braces, so I wasn't too worried about being teased. But then again, I didn't have ANY of the issues that Raina faced!!

Telgemeier does an amazing job pulling the reader into Raina's drama.  You are right there with every tear, frustration, heartbreak, and hope.  And when Raina exclaims "being a teenager is no fun at all", you'll find yourself nodding in agreement.

THANKFULLY things work out for Raina, but not in an unrealistic-life-is-happily-ever-after-with-singing-and-talking-animals way ... you know there are going to be other issues in Raina's life, but you are confident she'll manage, AND you can't wait for the next book to be right there as she does.

New Books @ Your SKINNER LIBRARY!!!

They have arrived!!!  Yep!  Over 200 new books have recently arrived at Skinner Middle School!
Be sure to stop by and take a peek!   I hope to soon post reviews about these four (4) books:

I am REALLY excited to read these four novels!  They all come with GREAT recommendations! Let's see if I agree ...

Sorry for the poor lighting on these next pics.  For some reason my phone camera wouldn't access the flash.  Bummer.  

Newest Books in EJ's Corner

Here are the latest books added to EJ's Corner:

Not all stories are told through words ...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School

There's a new book on the horizon!  That's right!  Jeff Kinney has a new Diary of a Wimpy Kid book coming out this November!

National Banned Book Week

September 27th - October 3rd, 2015 is National Banned Book Week!

Throughout the world, and throughout time, people and organizations challenge various books.  A challenge is when a person or organization states a book should be taken off the shelf or out of the library or not offered to people to be read.  The reasons WHY a book is challenged is not easy to explain.  It can be because someone disagrees with how a character is portrayed; that someone feels the book's message conflicts with one's religious beliefs; that people feel words or actions included in a book do (or would) make a person feel uncomfortable or goes against their values; that people believe it is unsuited for a specific age group; and more.

Sometimes the challenges are successful and the books become banned ... this means NO ONE can have access to read that book at that specific location.

Here are a few books that were frequently challenged and/or banned from 1990 - 2014.  How many of these have YOU or your family read during your lifetime? 

* Scary Stories (series) by Alvin Schwartz* Bridge to Terabithia by Katerine Paterson* The Giver by Lois Lowry

* The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie* My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier* Goosebumps (series) by R.L. Stine* The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katerine Paterson

* A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

* The Call of the Wild by Jack London

* The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros* The Witches by Roald Dahl

* Looking for Alaska by John Green* A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle* Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

* The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky* Blubber by Judy Blume* Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George* The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton* To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee* Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes* Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling* A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein* Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher* Lord of the Flies by William Golding* ttyl by Lauren Myracle* Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey* The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B Cooney* Junie B. Jones (series) by Barbara Park

 What are YOUR thoughts on challenging and or banning books?

Flipped over Flipped!

I absolutely LOVED this book!  It was funny ... it was suspenseful ... it was eye opening.

In Wendelin Van Draanen's novel Flipped the reader is given the opportunity to see the same events from two different character's points of views and WOW who would have thought that would make a difference!

When we first meet Bryce and Julianna, I'll admit, I truly believed Julianna was a bit over-the-top, and yes, a wee bit stalkerish.  But then in the very next scene, I got to see things from Julianna's view and ... my thoughts totally turned around.  What she was doing made sense and suddenly I was in her corner.

Things are not always as they seem, and I love how Van Draanen slowly allows the reader to see the WHOLE PICTURE and not just the part that was originally in focus.  The extra nice part?  The novel doesn't really end.  Yep.  There's no "wrap up" or "epilogue", which does throw me a bit, but comes across as more realistic.

If you like a light romance with touches of humanity and family growth, definitely pick up Flipped!