This book pairs all poler opposites together. It's funny and sad. It's childish and serious. It's happy and dark. It tackles worldwide issues while focusing on a small-time town. Somehow all these elements come together perfectly in this book.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about an young cartoonist, Junior, living in a poor Indian reservation. He doesn't want to grow up to be just another alcoholic in the rez, so he transfers to an all-white, privileged school. Even though this book deals with intense issues such as racism, poverty, and the dangers of alcohol, it wasn't all that intense--which was kind of refreshing considering that most of the books I read are very depressing. It's nice throw one in the mix that has a sense of humor and happiness to it.

But don't get me wrong, this book was still very sad and touching. The characters were interesting and some were very unique—like Junior's sister, who lived in a basement for 7 years. The setting was also interesting and original.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian kept me interested and flipping pages. I was happy and sad, childish and serious, and laughing and crying the whole way through. Any book that stirs up that many emotions deserves to be read.

Looks by Madeleine George
reviewed by Melanie

Honestly, I'm not sure why I decided to read this book. At first glance, it looked like just another story about eating disorders. But I thought I would give it a whirl. Thankfully, Looks turned out to be the opposite of what I was expecting.

Looks is about how an obese girl, Megan, and a very thin girl, Aimee, become unlikely friends through their want of revenge on a girl that has done them both wrong. I think this book was unique in the fact that, yes, the two girls have eating disorders, but that's not what the book was about. Usually when there's a character with an eating disorder, that's all they are--"the character with the eating disorder." Aimee and Megan were so much more than that.

Though I do think the characters were interesting, the plot was less so. This book was very slow paced. It took me halfway through the book to become interested in the plot. In fact, it took me halfway through the book to even figure out what the plot was.

All in all, I have a neutral feeling about this book. I enjoyed it, but it was sometimes boring. It was interesting, yet it was somewhat bland. But hey, at least it's not just another story about eating disorders. It's got some spark to it.

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
reviewed by Melanie

I first read this book when I was in elementary school. I'm now in high school and i'm still rereading and enjoying it. Millicent Min, Girl Genius is about Millicent, an eleven-year old genius who is much better at making good grades then making friends. When Millicent meets Emily, a relatively normal preteen, she decides that the only way to befriend Emily is to hide that fact that she's a child genius. You will never meet a character as unique as Millicent. Yet, as unorthodox as she is, she still seems real. The plot is well thought-out and interesting—so interesting, in fact, that Lisa Yee has written two other books describing the same story from different character's view points (both of which I have read.) If you enjoy Millicent Min, Girl Genius then I strongly suggest you read the “sister” novels, Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time and So Totally Emily Ebbs. There's a collection of different settings through out the book that were all enjoyable to read about. Millicent Min, Girl Genius will always have a special place on my bookshelf—no matter how old I am!

Nothing by Janne Teller
reviewed by Melanie

Life is nothing without meaning.

Pierre Anthon seems to believe that meaning doesn't exist, so he climes up a plum tree and refuses to come down.

Pierre Anthon's classmates are determined to prove him wrong—so each classmate picks something that has meaning to another person, and that person is forced to add said meaningful item into a pile. But as the sacrifices to the "heap of meaning" become more and more extravagant, the idea of "meaning" is questioned as they wonder if they really found the meaning at all.

I am not exaggerating when I say this book is breathtaking. The plot was like no other and the whole idea of the book—the idea of "meaning"—was shocking and thought provoking. Nothing is definitely one of those profound books that make you stop and think.

Something I really liked about this book was the view-point in which it was written. Nothing wasn't written from the view of a character whose very important to the story or someone who had to sacrifice something mind-blowing to the heap of meaning—it was written from the point of view of a somewhat neutral character observing the more dynamic character's as they fall apart.

There where many characters, but each one was interesting and had their own traits. The pace of the book was consistent. I would recommend this book to readers who don't mind having depressing thoughts planted in their mind after reading all about how life may have no meaning.

At the risk of having plums thrown at me by Pierre Anthon from up in his plum tree, I have to say, Nothing is quite a meaningful book.

Pink by Lili Wilkinson
reviewed by Melanie

Unique social outcasts + preppy theater kids + an edgy girlfriend = a whole lot of confusion for the main character and a whole lot of entertainment for readers!

Pink is about a girl, Ava, who just wants to fit in at her new school. Problem: she doesn't exactly fit in with the popular theater kids, and she doesn't exactly fit in with the geeky outcasts. Through her time spent with the outcasts, popular kids, and her girlfriend, Ava questions who she is and who she wants to be.

I have never read a book with so many interesting characters before! I liked how many of the supporting characters' personal problems were addressed in the story, so the book wasn't focused on Ava and Ava only. As unique as each character was, they still seemed real.

The pace of Pink is consistent. The setting is interesting because it's set in many places that aren't mainstream, such as a sci-fi convention. I would suggest this book to girls who are sick of cliche, common stories and are looking from something original and new.

Basically, Pink boils down to a simple equation: Great characters + an interesting plot + a consistent pace = a very good read.


Unlocked by Ryan van Cleave
reviewed by Melanie

This book looked really promising, but sadly, it turned out not to be not so special after all.

Unlocked is about a teen, Andy, who befriends Blake, an outcast who's rumored to have a gun hidden in his locker. When Andy finds out the truth about this rumor he begins to suspect that Blake could be dangerous. I think this plot had so much to offer but it never reached its full potential. Usually I love books written in poems because they send a stronger message and each word hits you like a bullet (no pun intended,) but Unlocked didn't have that impact. It had its “wow” moments, but for the most part it was a mediocre story. Nevertheless, the characters did seem real, especial Blake who I had much sympathy for by the end of the book. The setting was like the plot -- mediocre. Overall, I was a bit disappointed but I'm still glad that I read it.

We have a new compilation of these drawings, The Art of the Hobbit, on order.

But doesn't it make you want to look through a good helicopter book with a kid? They are in the J room at 629.133 No kid? We also have The God Machine at the same number on the adult side, for the kid-at-hearts.

The intended audience? Reluctant readers and ESOL students, but many good and experienced readers will enjoy them as well. This collection is for middle and high schoolers (and adults), but we have a selection of "read-alongs" for elementary students tucked inside the Tumblebooks Library.

You can use any sort of device that has an Internet connection and a browser with an up-to-date flash plug-in.

Hints:

How do you know if a book has audio narration as well as the text?
—If the book is labeled a "read-along" or "2-in-1", it will almost always have audio.
—If a book is not labeled "read-along" or "2-in-1", it will not have audio narration, but will have great extra features such as the ability to take notes or highlight text.

Look at the bar across the top:
E-BOOKs do not have audio, but give you a lot of control over your reading experience. Look for the MENU OPTIONS button. You will be able to:

• Select a specific chapter (hm, on a DVD this is scene selection)
• Bookmark your place (this won't work unless you have protected your tumble cookies)
• Modify the text (size/spacing/width)
• Choose the colors that make reading easiest for you (text/page/borders)
• Add highlights or notes (after you've turned this on, you need to right click on your selected text to get to the note or highlight box)
• If a book is labeled "enhanced", it will have some additional features available through MENU OPTIONS.

CLASSICS are usually "read-alongs" or "2-in-1" and so have audio narrations accompaning the text. Sentences may be highlighted as they are being read. You will control the audio, page turning and sometimes other features. The interface varies, controls may be on the bottom, the top, or the sides (see below).

Some titles will be available in two formats. For example: Hamlet is available as an "e-book (enhanced)" or as a "read-along". Adventures of Tom Sawyer as well. In these cases they may use the same text description for both editions and that can mislead you a bit. Look at the label next to the title, not the details in the description.

• simple bottom control bar: This is the great e-book interface with the addition of narration.
  Text is highlighted as it is read.
  Example: Anne of Green Gables Read-Along
  clue: the descriptive blub does NOT start "Read-Alongs combine the large print features of TumbleReadables..." The readers, chapter, and teen books seem to use this interface, as do some of the classics.
• top control bar: You can control text and audio and border color.
  Phrases are highlighted as they are read.
  Example: Around the World in 80 Days Read-Along
• side and bottom control tumblepad:
  text is not highlighted as it is read.
  Examples: David Copperfield 2-in-1; A Passage to India Read-Along
  clue: This seems to be the usual interface for 2-in-1s.

The Tumble Readables collection also includes a few graphic novels. They have their own controls-on-the bottom interface. They are all narrated. You can pause, control the volume, jump to a different chapter, choose auto or manual page turning.

Other languages? Go to the Tumblebook Library (English/Spanish/French) and the AudioBookCloud (English/Spanish)

You can find this book in the library. It's on the back wall of the J room, at J B BRAILLE

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
reviewed by Lissa
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is an absorbing book, which balances grim dystopian settings with the ideals of hope. This book is the story of a girl, Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the nation of Panem. Panem is an authoritarian nation, where, as punishment for rebellion, every year each of the twelve districts has to send two tributes to fight to the death in the Hunger Games. Katniss volunteers to go to save her little sister from what, in district 12, is most nearly a death sentence. This book starts slow, but captures the attention of the reader as you follow Katniss in her journey to the Capitol and finally to the arena of the Games. There is realism in this book in that the characters don’t just shake off the things that happen to them. They leave both literal and mental scars. I would recommend this book but with the warning that it can be very grim, and not everyone lives happily ever after.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
reviewed by Lissa
What if you had an exceptional talent, one thing you where meant to do? What if it was killing? In Graceling by Kristin Cashore the main character Katsa is a graceling, someone with an exceptional skill. Gracelings can have a talent for anything from panting to swimming, but Katsa’s grace was shown to be for fighting and killing when she was young, and ever since she had worked for her uncle, the king of Middluns, using her grace to intimidate all of his various underlings and minor nobles. However she meets Po, a prince of Leinid, and leaves her home to help him find his kidnapped grandfather. Graceling is an exciting action novel, with overtones of finding your own fate. I would recommend this to people looking for an interesting action book that also has some thinking involved in the plotline. It is an excellent book.

Although this book is not based on a true story, it is so realistic and detailed, it seems almost like the script to a movie. Because almost all of the writing is styled by letters being sent and received, there is no dialog. There isn't a dull moment throughout the entire book. You become attached to the characters through reading about their perils and their triumphs. Last Days of Summer is must-read for anyone between the ages of 12 and 15.

Before, After, and Somebody in Between is about a girl, Martha, who lives with her recovering alcoholic mom and goes through a series of unfortunate and dramatic events until her mom hits rock bottom and a rich family takes Martha in. Martha starts to feel at home with this new family, until she learns that somethings are too good to be true.

This book immediately reeled me in. There are no boring parts of this book because something is always going on, which could be in danger of seeming like random, unnecessary drama, but instead, the story flows perfectly and makes sense. The characters where very interesting and seemed real. Every single character seemed to have their own personality and background, no matter how small their role in the story was. The settings are interesting because the story starts off in a rundown, bad neighborhood, then switches to a fancy, high class area. I would suggest this book to a MATURE reader who can handle MATURE topics and the sad parts. So if you're yearning for an intense story that keeps you flipping pages, Before, After, and Somebody in Between is exactly what you're looking for.

Perfect by Natasha Friend
reviewed by Melanie

Who would have guessed that the one thing the queen bee and the worker bee had in common was the ability to binge and purge? Perfect is about how Isabelle, a teenage girl dealing with the death of her father, is forced into an eating disorder and body image group therapy after she was caught throwing up. She is shocked when she finds out that the most popular girl in school, Ashley, is in her group therapy. The first time I read Perfect I loved it so much, I bought my own copy. Though when I reread it, I found it kind of cliched, I still enjoyed it and would suggest it to readers who want a book about a dark topic that's not extremely intense. I like how this book shows you that even the people you could have sworn are flawless do have issues of their own—issues that might be exactly like your own. The fact that nobody in Perfect was perfect made the characters seem real and enriched the overall story. I think a lot of teenage girls can relate to this book even if you haven't dealt with body image issues. Let Perfect be a reminder that while nobody is perfect, nobody is completely alone in their issues either.

Long Story Short by Siobhan Parkinson
reviewed by Melanie

This "Long Story" really shouldn't have been so "Short," because just 160 pages can't fully explain or resolve anything in this crazy book. Long Story Short is about a boy, Jono, who has always been able to cope with his mother's drinking, until she hits his little sister Julie, and he decides it's time for him and his sister to run away. At least that's what it says on the back cover. But my summary of Long Story Short would be more like: "Two siblings, Jono and Julia, run away from their alcoholic mom...and then a bunch of weird, random stuff happens which leaves you wondering what in the world you just read."

Though I feel this book was a collection of events that didn't flow very well, I have to admit, the drama kept me interested. The setting was also interesting, because Jono and Julie stopped by some unique places when they ran away from home. I would suggest this book to someone who doesn't really care if a book is written poorly as long as it's a good story. If you decide to read it, maybe you can inform me of what was going on.

The Time Travelers by Linda Buckley-Archer
reviewed by Kellyn

If you are feeling like reading, don't read The Time Travelers. It is a waste of paper and your time. The book takes place in London, and there is a boy named Peter Schock, and a girl by the name of Kate Dyer. Kate's father is a scientist, and when the two children were at the lab they accidentally go back in time to eighteenth-century London. Peter and Kate become friends, and also become friends with Gideon Seymour, a former thief. Peter and Kate learn many things about each other while avoiding the evil Tar Man and trying to get back to their own century. This book is amazingly slow-paced. You might be like me and fall asleep. Don't waste your time with this novel.

The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
reviewed by Kellyn

If you enjoyed the first novel in The Kane Chronicles, you will definitely enjoy the second. The Throne of Fire is a masterpiece of a novel. In this story, the world is endangered once again, but this time by the most horrible enemy yet, Apophis, the god of chaos, or maybe the snake of chaos ... the Kanes only have five days to save their beloved Earth. To have a chance, the Kanes must revive a senile sun god, Ra. But to do that they must get the Book of Ra (with its pieces scattered across the planet). This feat has never been completed by a magician. With hilarious narrators and new characters, this novel is unforgettable.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
reviewed by Kellyn

This novel is for the reader who enjoys reading about mythology and likes to be humored. The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan is a captivating opening to The Kane Chronicles. The novel is about a family that is separated. The daughter lives with her grandparents in London and the son travels the world with his father. Six years after Carter and Sadie Kane's mother's death, Carter comes to London on Christmas Eve. Their father, Julius, takes the children to the British Museum and is banished by a mysterious figure. Soon Carter and Sadie discover they are in a powerful family of magicians and the Ancient Egyptian gods are waking. Set, the god of evil, is planning on destroying the world. The children leave on a magical journey to save the world and save their father. The storytellers are humorous when narrating and make the novel very interesting. The Red Pyramid is a story perfect for readers who enjoy fast-paced action.

The Wish Stealers by Tracy Trivas
reviewed by Dianne

This is a very interesting and entertaining book. It tells about a young woman who stole peoples' wish pennies at a water fountain, making her a wish stealer. The best thing about this book is it is so entertaining and it has a marvelous ending. The characters of this book don't seem real, nevertheless it’s fun to read about them. With the setting of the book, the author creates fear and excitement at the same time. This book is also interesting because it's all about what happens in our everyday life, meeting new people who can become very special to us. This book is entertaining and worth the time. I would recommend this book to young adults, both boys and girls.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
reviewed by Dianne

This book tells about a childhood in a little town in Alabama and the crisis of conscience that rocked it. The best thing about this book is that it takes its reader back to an era of segregation which was an era of fear and suffering for many African Americans in the United States. Another good thing about the book is it teaches its’ readers a moral lesson about conscience, and the importance of listening to your conscience. Both the characters and setting of this book seem so real because the book is based on the author's childhood experience. This book has a good flow because it involves a variety of topics, such as childhood, segregation and a court scene which creates suspense in the novel. This book is a very interesting book and teens to read.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
reviewed by Dianne

This book is very interesting, and the best thing about the book is that it seems so real. When you’re reading the book, it feels like the things in the book actually happened and that makes the reader anxious to finish the book all in a day. The worst thing about this book is its ending. The book ends in a very odd and confusing way, so the readers doesn’t know if the Giver died or survived. The characters of this book seem real and very interesting. Personally, I found the setting very interesting because I kept imagining how people would live in a colorless community and the different roles they are going to play. The colorless setting of the book creates curiosity within the reader. The story actually flows very well, with one event leading to the other. This book is very interesting, yet it can be slow-paced at times, especially when the authors prolongs the ending. So I would say that only adventurous and patient readers may find it pleasing.

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
reviewed by Dianne

This is a very interesting but also annoying play, which is filled with lots of emotion. The best thing about this version of Romeo and Juliet is the way Shakespeare's difficult to understand language is transformed to make it easier for the reader to understand. The worst thing about this book is its ending, which is a tragedy. The characters of this book seem so real because their words are filled with so much life and emotions. The story generally has a good flow but it can also be pretty boring especially when Romeo starts behaving like a baby. Also, Romeo and Juliet's love speeches can sometimes seem awfully long. Overall, though, this book is very interesting and does have a few good love quotes. This play would be interesting to young adults, both boys and girls.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
reviewed by Dianne

This book is about two very close friends (George and Lennie) during the Great Depression and how they worked to survive. One thing I love so much about this book is it brings out the true meaning of friendship (two friends traveling together, bearing each other's faults, but sticking together). One thing I didn't like about the book is when one friend took the life of the other friend. This book is filled with so much suspense, especially when George is faced with a dilemma on whether he should kill his friend. The setting of this book seems so real, which makes the book more interesting. This book is very good for adults and teenagers because it teaches the true meaning of friendship.

Forbidden Sea by Sheila Nielson
reviewed by Dianne

This book talks about a fifteen-year-old girl named Adrianne who has the responsibility of being the head of her family. But she looks down on herself as she doesn't think she's very pretty. One thing I really liked about this book is the fact that it teaches that everybody has a omething special about them. Also, I liked the fact that the book portrays mermaids as very nice and kind creatures. There is nothing bad about this book. The setting of this book could be described as interesting and scary because of the people who live on the island and because it takes place near the sea. This story has an amazing flow and it's so interesting that when you start reading you become so anxious and excited that you can't put it down. This book can be read by teenagers, both boys and girls.

Like most of Thompson's work, The Rum Diary is largely autobiographical. Set in Puerto Rico in the late 1950's, the story follows Paul Kemp, a journalist who moves to San Juan to work on the failing English-language newspaper, and the lives of the predominantly alcoholic and unhappy people he works with. Unlike the majority of Thompson's work, however, The Rum Diary follows a more conventional plot and narrative structure. It is easy to see the influence of great American novelists like Fitzgerald on the young Thompson's writing. Written long before the evolution of Thompson's trademark outrageous Gonzo writing style, The Rum Diary sees him trying for a more naturalistic tone. The strength of his writing is easily apparent without the ego that dominated most of his later work, and it is striking to realize how unsupportable the personality-driven Gonzo-era writing would have been without that underlying talent.

You didn't have to agree with Thompson's politics or his lifestyle, but underneath the Gonzo persona he was a talented and beautiful writer. Thompson's vitriolic pessimism and his breathless optimism were both supported by his underlying idealism and patriotism, and it is interesting to watch the young writer struggle with many of the same issues that would dominate his writing throughout his career. The Rum Diary is important as the early output of a notable and inventive American writer, but it is also, in signature Thompson style, great fun to read. The myth of Thompson has long since eclipsed his actual self, but his take-no-prisoners writing style, and the impossibly high standards to which he held himself as well as the politicians he wrote about, as present in The Rum Diary as any of his later work, are as or more relevant today as ever. It is hard to pinpoint the lasting appeal of the Thompson myth, but as he wrote in Gonzo Papers, Vol. 1: The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time: "Myths and legends die hard in America. We love them for the extra dimension they provide, the illusion of near-infinite possibility to erase the narrow confines of most men's reality. Weird heroes and mould-breaking champions exist as living proof to those who need it that the tyranny of 'the rat race' is not yet final."

Vile Bodies takes as its subject the "Bright Young Things," (originally intended to be the title of the novel, Bright Young Things was the title given to the Stephen Fry film adaptation in 2003). Set in the period between World War I and World War II, the novel follows a group of privileged, party-driven London socialites as their decadent lifestyle is gleefully covered and ridiculed in the press. Focusing primarily on Adam Fenwick-Symes in his comically ineffectual attempts to secure the marriage of his lover Nina Blount, the book parodies both the traditional conventions of romantic comedy and the carefree hedonism of high society at the time.

All overriding themes aside, Vile Bodies is as fun to read as any of Waugh's satire. His quick wit and vicious observations allow him to alternate between hilariously absurd exaggeration and bitingly accurate societal commentary. Though openly ridiculing of the society he portrays, Waugh dedicates the novel to Bryan and Diana Guinness, the leading high society couple at the time (the two later divorced and Diana went on to marry Fascist party leader Oswald Mosley in a ceremony attended by Adolf Hitler). Published in 1930, the book was written in a time of great flux, and though the reversal in narrative tone may be attributed to the dissolution of Waugh's marriage at the time, as was proved not many years later later, it is not an unrealistic turn of events. Vile Bodies is an engaging, hilarious representation of London society in the 1920's, but it is also itself a product of that time.

Legendary musician and poet, Patti Smith is called the "Godmother of Punk" for her involvement in the birth of the New York City punk music scene, and her 1975 debut album Horses, which employed her unique combination of music and spoken word poetry, is one of the most influential of that decade, listed at number 44 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Her career has included collaborations with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, and a rock 'n' roll marriage to Fred "Sonic" Smith of the MC5 that lasted until his death in 1994. In her memoir, Just Kids, however, Smith chooses to focus on an earlier period of her life, detailing her long and profound relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe, fulfilling a promise made to the artist to share their story.

Just Kids focuses primarily on Smith's 20's, spent living and making art with Mapplethorpe in New York City. She is a beautiful writer, and the New York she describes is as compelling and romantic as the Paris of Rimbaud she so idolized. Smith describes how she and Mapplethorpe worked menial jobs and lived in squalor, spending what money they had on art supplies and food. The early narrative traces Mapplethorpe's obsessive attention to medium and detail, turning their meager apartments into life-size art installations around her as Smith wrote poetry and drew. The two friends were far from the famous artists they would become, but they never wavered in their confidence in their talent, dedicating themselves entirely to the pursuit of art.

Mapplethorpe's struggle with his sexuality created conflict with his deeply religious background; Smith and Mapplethorpe had once gone so far as to fake a marriage to explain their cohabitation when visiting his Catholic family. Smith and Mapplethorpe continued to live and work together even after Mapplethorpe's realization of his homosexuality, supporting each other both materially and in their navigation of and entrance into the Manhattan artistic scene. Their time spent living at the famous Chelsea Hotel provides the context for interactions and friendships with figures like Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Allen Ginsberg, Jim Carroll, William S. Burroughs, and Gregory Corso. Smith's account of their lives in the early 1970's reads like a Guess Who? game of significant literary and artistic figures, including her brief and intense affair with Sam Sheppard, a relationship with Blue Öyster Cult's Allen Lanier, her presence at the earliest Television performances at CBGB, and encounters with Bob Dylan, Andy Warhol, Jimi Hendrix, and Salvador Dalí.

Smith continues the narrative through Mapplethorpe's premature death of AIDS-related complications in 1989, though the majority of the book focuses on their time spent together in New York. The deep love and respect the two friends had for each other is clear, and it is fascinating to experience the vibrant artistic scene of New York in the 1960's and 70's through Smith's eyes. Her avoidance of the narcotic dependence that claimed so many of her contemporaries allows for clear and precise narration of her experiences, and the strength of her artistic motivation allows the reader to appreciate the significance of the world she relates. Just Kids is a celebration and memoir of a friendship, not a person, and the lasting and profound impact that relationship had on the lives and careers of both Smith and Mapplethorpe. The lyricism of her prose compliments the subject matter and evokes her musical and poetic style. The deserving recipient of the 2010 National Book Award for nonfiction, Just Kids' major flaw is its unsatisfying premature ending, and it leaves readers hoping for a continuation, detailing Smith's life after she became famous.