Warner Bros. has announced the release date for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two. It will be July 15, 2011.
The studio has decided to split the final book in J.K. Rowling’s series into two movies. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part One will be released November 19, 2010.

Go Ask Alice
Anonymous
GENRE: Realistic Fiction or personal Non-fiction
THEME: Growing up, Family, Responsibility, Drugs, Sexuality, and Identity
RL/IL: Young Adult, Middle School or High School
AWARDS:
PAGES: 205
Warnings: Sex, drugs, molestation, homosexuality
Alice begins her diary out of necessity. She is looking for someone to talk to, someone to share her feelings of isolation from her family and her world. Instead, her diary turns into a chronicle of drug and sexual abuse. Initially, her experimentation with drugs is an accident; her friends play an “adult version” of spin the bottle, spiking her Coke with LSD. After her fascinating experience, a good first trip, …read more

If you are a fan of Marley like I am (we have our own precious lab) then you know why the Marley books are loved in our house. There are many others that you can get for your kids to read that are just as great. This lists ranges from early elementary to late Middle School.
A Dog’s Life: Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin
Told in the first person, a stray dog narrates the story from birth to death.
Amazing Gracie: by Dan Dye (Author), Mark Beckloff (Author):
Gracie was a deaf and partially blind albino Great Dane with a …read more

Marley has certainly made his impact in bookstores and in children’s and adult’s hearts across the country (the book was first a biographical  novel about Marley 2005). He is as lovable as any dog, especially because he is a rambunctious lab that almost every boy and girl can relate to. He destroys everything in sight; shoes, dinners, and toys. But, he is also the most adorable pup to ever bound across some book pages.
Wikipedia says that Marley, a yellow Labrador Retriever, is described as a highly strung, boisterous, and somewhat uncontrolled dog. He is strong, powerful, endlessly hungry, eager to …read more

Holes
Louis Sachar.

GENRE: Fantasy
THEME: Responsibility, Friendship, Survival.
RL/IL: Young Adult, Grades 5-8.
AWARDS:.Newbery Medal, National Book Award, Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, ALA Notable Book, ALA Quick Pick, Christopher Award for Juvenile Fiction, Horn Book Fanfare, Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, Bulletin Blue Ribbon, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.
PAGES: 233
Warnings: None

I have been a big fan of Kate DiCamillo since I began reading her novels way back when…Because of Winn Dixie (which makes me cry).
The Tale of Despereaux tells a magical story about a mouse in love with music, stories, and a princess named Pea (reminds me of a friend who played the Princess in the play). It is ALSO the story of a rat who lives in darkness. It is ALSO the story of Miggery Sow, a serving girl who wants one wish granted.

And, in true fantasy, Camillo tells us, the readers, that it is “our destiny to find …read more

I’ve heard mixed reports about Twilight, the movie made from Stephenie Meyer’s best selling vampire book.  No, I haven’t seen the movie…and I haven’t read the book, or any of her books.
However, I’ve discussed the books with my 17-year old granddaughter, Kara, and one of her friends, Jennie.  Kara had no interest in seeing the movie after reading the books.  She’s a fan of fantasy and this type of book.  However, she said she found the Twilight series books slow reading.  There seemed to be a great deal of extraneous material that wasn’t necessary to the story, she thought.  So she found herself skipping that and getting to …read more

If you are either a fan of Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond, or the well renowned writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald …you will probably enjoy seeing this over your holiday vacation.
Mark your calendars for December 19 and check out the trailer below.
To order the book before seeing the movie (always a good recommendation) click on the link. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: The Inspiration for the Upcoming Major Motion Picture
To see Brad Pitt this week…check out the Today Show on Tuesday morning.
Trailer

Freewill
Lynch, C.
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
THEME: Grief, Death, Family, and Emotional problems.
RL/IL: Young Adult: Grades 7-10.
AWARDS: Michael Printz Award,
PAGES: 148
Will would confuse Holden Caulfield himself with his thought process. Will is sent to an alternative school and to live with his grandparents after his father commits suicide and kills Will’s stepmother (although the reader does not know this until midway through the novel). The story becomes even more confusing when several teenagers in the community mysteriously die and Will is blamed. After much consideration, Will begins to believe that he did harm them and believes he is …read more

The Rainbow Fish
“This is what the author means,” so often teachers, reviewers and readers say.
I’ve often wondered how they know, unless the author has specifically stated it.  When I was in school, my teachers, then my college professors told us this or that was what the author actually meant about books, plays and short stories we were reading.  They would pull out a commentary of some “expert’s” opinion and say that was what the author meant. Reviewers often tell us the same thing.
However, I often wondered, “Did the author actually say this is what he/she meant by that story?”  Yes, sometimes the …read more