Evermore

One of our students recommended Evermore to Mrs. Corbin-Muir and I.  Evermore is the first book in Alyson Noel's 'Immortal Series' and features Ever, a teenager who lost her family in a car accident and now has psychic abilities, can see people "auras", and is able talk to the ghost of her dead sister.  The only person's mind she can not read is Damen's, the mysterious new guy at school. Once she realizes who Damen really is, she has to decide if she wants to become an immortal like him, or return to her normal life.

Normally, I am not a huge fantasy fan but I could not put this book down. There is a little bit of mystery and magic, and also a romance.  If you are a person who really liked Twilight (or just want a fun read), I think you will really like this book.  I can't wait to start the second book in the series, Bluemoon. Stay tuned!

Alyson Noel has a cool website: http://www.immortalsseries.com/.  You can watch trailers for all 5 books in the series, find out your aura, and read about other books Noel has wrote.

A Long Walk to Water

A Long Walk to Water is written from two different perspectives.  Salva and Nya are both young people living in Sudan at different times.  Nya lives in a rural village and has to walk hours everyday just to get water for her family.  When Salva is 11, his village is attacked and he flees with other villagers to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya where he lives until he is 20. He then flees to America with thousands of others known as the "Lost Boys of Sudan".  When Salva is older he eventually returns to Sudan and starts a non-profit organization that brings water to remote villages and Nya and Salva's stories come together.

A Long Walk to Water  is based on Salva Dut's amazing true story.  It was very sad at times, but the ending was hopeful.  If you are interested in some more information about the Lost Boys and the crisis in Sudan, we have some good non-fiction books in the library.



Also, check out the book trailer:

90 Miles to Havana

In 1961, many Cubans who opposed Fidel Castro's new government were worried their children were not safe in Cuba and may be sent away to Soviet work camps. Many sent their children away to live in America. Over 14,000 Cuban kids left for Miami in a mass evacuation called Operation Pedro Pan.  90 Miles to Havana is about a young boy Julian, who leaves Cuba with his two older brothers and is sent to a refugee camp in Miami.  Here they are bullied by a gang of boys that seem to be controlling the whole camp and eventually are separated from each other.  His brothers are sent to an orphanage and Julian escapes and goes to help a friend he has met rescue a family from Cuba. 

I really liked this book!  I did not know a lot about Operation Pedro Pan and it was interesting to hear about this part of Cuban and American history from Julian's perspective.  The author, Enrique Flores-Galbis, was a child refugee and much of what happens to Julian is based on his own experiences.  There is something for everyone in this book, but students who like historical fiction will really like this book.