Digital Booktalk

Drive By by Lynne Ewing “Jimmy always told me there were only two kinds of gang-bangers: Those who were dead and those who were going to die. Joining a gang doesn’t make sense to Jimmy…” Jimmy is dead now — gunned down in front of his little sister, Mina, and his brother, Tito. And Tito is left wondering: Was Jimmy in a gang after all? Ice Breaker Joe and Lamar think so. They say Jimmy was skimming their drug money, and if the missing cash isn’t returned, Tito may have to pay — with his life. Some people go to the crossroads, but Tito’s crossroads laid themselves down in front of him. His brother Jimmy sprawled on the sidewalk at his feet. Shot in a drive by. Now a gang claims that Jimmy was their Ace Man. They say Tito must take his place and resolve some unfinished business. They give him a gun. “You need protection. It’s not safe on the street.” What path will Tito choose at the crossroads? He knows one leads to safety and one to death . . . but which is which?

Dried Blood – Elise Leonard Series About Elise Leonard: Elise was a successful teacher of inner-city kids for over 20 years before starting her writing career. She now lives in Florida. About This Book: This is the second book of the Junkyard Dan series. Details: Published: 2008. All the books in this series are 100 pages (+/-). This book contains approximately 10,500 words. ISBN: 978-0-9815694-1-3. All books are Lexile 1 & 2 Storyline: A customer returns blood-covered parts. Could it mean murder? Dan needs to find out!

A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck Joey and his younger sister, Mary Alice, live in the Windy city during the reign of Al Capone and Bugs Moran. Most of their adventures occur during their annual down-state visits with Grandma Dowdel, a woman as “old as the hills,” “tough as an old boot,” and larger than life. Grandma continually astounds her citified grandchildren by stretching the boundaries of truth. [spoiler title=”Click for More”]In eight episodes spanning the years 1929-1942, she plots outlandish schemes to even the score with various colorful members of her community, including a teenaged vandal, a drunken sheriff and a well-to-do banker. Grandma, Joey and Mary Alice’s adventures include such escapes as preparing an impressive funeral for Shotgun Cheatham, catching fish from a stolen boat and arranging the elopement of Vandalia Eubanks and Junior Stubbs.

The Pearl by John Steinbeck Kino is a poor Mexican fisher and diver who one day discovers a large and beautiful pearl.  He thinks that it may be valuable and shares the news with his wife, Juana.  Kino dreams that the pearl will bring him and his family a better life.   However, his good fortune has some unplanned consequences.  Will he and his family eventually find happiness, or will the pearl bring them only misfortune? The Pearl is a deceptively small book that teaches a very important lesson – that you should be careful what you wish for.  Despite Kino’s hope that a priceless jewel can help him achieve the American Dream, he is faced with an attempt on his life, the burning of his home, and violent conflicts with his wife.  It is a novella that reveals the capacity for yearning and jealousy within us all.

Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Connor Grennan A true story of families and children, and what one person is capable of when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson Ginny, 17, reads a letter from her free-spirited, unpredictable Aunt Peg, who has recently passed away. She is given several destinations, four rules, and the instruction to open one envelope upon her arrival at each place. Thus begins a rapid tour of Europe as the teen struggles to accomplish the tasks established by her aunt. Ginny wants to understand the woman’s wanderlust and, possibly, she just wants a connection to her beloved relative. Throughout her adventures in Rome, Paris, Greece, England, and the Netherlands, the teen collects pieces of Peg’s past and learns more about her rapid departure. She also learns much about herself.

Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler A king is increasingly angry with his wife for giving him daughters. When she dies in childbirth bearing a thirteenth daughter, he banishes the newborn to the castle kitchens in his rage. At seven, sort-of servant Zita learns she is sister to the princesses and daughter to the king. She doesn’t bemoan her lot, but she does sneak around behind her father’s back befriending her lovely older siblings. Happily, the older girls are very willing to take her under their wings. Zita also befriends a stable boy named Breckin whose brother is a soldier. It isn’t until she is older that Zita begins to worry that her sisters might be under a spell. For one thing, the twelve princesses don’t understand themselves why whenever suitors come to call, they are unable to speak. Thus they all remain unmarried. Then Zita’s sisters begin to appear weary and sickly, and their shoes start turning up with the soles worn through every morning. With Breckin’s assistance, Zita investigates her sisters’ troubles; she also discovers a helpful witch living in hiding in the woods. (The king has banned magic from the kingdom, or so he thinks.) But someone is…

1984 by George Orwell Winston Smith keeps a diary full of illegal thoughts about his unhappiness with the way things are, knowing that, at any moment, he might be taken away to some torture cell. He soon discovers that one of the people he works with, the beautiful Julia, has secretly fallen in love with him. Winston also wonders about the mysterious O’Brien. People say that he is a secret leader of the Brotherhood, an organization that is trying to destroy the existing government.

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur Elise and Franklin have always been best friends. Elise has always lived in the big house with her loving Uncle and Aunt, because Elise’s parents died when she was too young to remember them. There’s always been a barn behind the house with eight locked doors on the second floor. When Elise and Franklin start middle school, things feel all wrong. Bullying. Not fitting in. Franklin suddenly seems babyish. Then, soon after her 12th birthday, Elise receives a mysterious key left for her by her father. A key that unlocks one of the eight doors upstairs in the bar…

Ararat by Clive Barker Candy Quackenbush is tired of her humdrum existence in boring Chickentown, MN. After skipping out on a particularly frustrating day of school, she wanders into an empty field at the edge of town, and suddenly, her life takes a remarkable turn. Through a series of most unusual events, she finds herself transported to Abarat, a magical realm composed of 25 islands, each representing one hour of the day, with the mysterious Twenty-Fifth designated for Time Outside of Time. As she travels around the islands, Candy becomes involved in a power struggle between two ruthless and bitter rivals, Rojo Pixler of Commexo City and Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Midnight. Each man seeks to control the island chain, and Candy may be the deciding factor in its survival or destruction.