Token of Darkness by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Cooper Blake doesn't want to remember the accident that changed his life.  No one else wants to mention it.  He doesn't bother with his old friends, now that he has returned to school.  Playing football would be too painful, and hanging out with the team would be too painful in another way.  Ever since Cooper awoke from the accident, he's had a most unusual freind that only he can see - a beautiful girl named Samantha. - and an unusual danger that only he can see - black shadowy beings which are capable of attacking.  Neither Cooper nor Samantha know who she is, or where she came from, or what kind of a ghost she might be... if she really is a ghost, that is.

Cosmic by Frank Boyce

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel into space?  Because he's so tall for his age, 12-year old Liam is mistakenly selected as a parent to accompany a group of children into space.  A girl named Florida pretends to be his daughter.  Many times, Liam forgets he is a "dad" and starts to act like a 12-year old!  When the mission experiences a problem and their spaceship loses connection with ground control, all of the kids expectsLiam to be the "Dad" and return them to earth. 

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I have a really good book that I want to put on the book club home page. I really encourage other people to read this book its amazing!!!! Its called The Hunger Games. Its really good!


OJ

P.S. - This is a series - Catching Fire is the second book.  This exciting trilogy concludes with Mockingjay.
 

Return of Skeleton Man

MVM Book Club has enjoyed reading Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac.  Our next book will be "Return of Skeleton Man."  Write a comment with your thoughts about how Skeleton Man will return and whether or not Molly will be able to escape again.

Olivia's Question about Skeleton Man

Why is Molly's uncle being so mysterious? Do you think the food that he gave Molly was really poisen?  Do you think that Molly's teacher was really helping her?

The Skeleton Man by Joseph Bruchac

Welcome MVM Bookclub members.  Here are some questions to think about as you read the first four chapters.  You can respond to any of the questions using the Comment button.

Chapter 1 - Why do you think Molly's parents told her the scary Skeleton Man story when she was little?  Did your parents tell you scary stories?  What event on page 10 should alert Molly to the idea that her parents didn't plan their absence?  How do you think the school found out that Molly's parents weren't home?  Does Molly's father's story about the death of all his relatives sound believable, or do you think he made that up?  How did Uncle get Molly's father's wallet?

Chapter 2 -  Why doesn't Uncle take Molly back to her own house?  Why does Uncle lock Molly in at night?  Could it be for a good reason?

Chapter 3 -  What does the dream mean?  How do you think the rabbit might help Molly?  Do you think that dreams have meaning?  Have you ever received a message from someone through a dream?

The Maze of Bones - 39 Clues

Dan and Amy Cahill are in a race against time and against their shifty, not-trust-worthy relatives which include the spy Irina Spasky, pop star Jonah Wizard, the overly athletic Holt family, rich snobs Ian & Natalie Kabra, and quiet Uncle Alistair Oh.  They are all on the hunt for the 39 clues which their relative and grandmother, Grace Cahill, left behind.  Their choices were to inherit one million dollars OR follow the clues to an even greater reward.  Many of the Cahill clan choose the million dollars but the rest are in a world-wide race to find the clues and solve the mystery.  Each book in this exciting series is written by a different author of popular fiction for middle-school kids, including Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, and Patrick Carmen.   

City of Bones

The first installment in The Mortal Instruments trilogy by Cassandra Clare opens as Carly and her good friend Simon visit a club to hear some music.  When Carly witnesses one young man being followed by others into a dark storage area, she makes a bold decision to investigate the situation.  What she finds leads her into an amazing world of adventure and an introduction to a new life as a powerful, supernatural girl whose past remains a mystery.    The trilogy continues with City of Ashes and City of Glass. 

Malice by Chris Wooding

If you like graphic novels, this book is definitely for you!  Seth and Kady have heard about the world of Malice.  Some kids have talked about it - others have whispered about it - but no one's ever really been there.  Or have they?  When Luke disappears from his home, and then turns up as a character in the next issue of Malice, Seth and Kady begin to suspect that the rumors about Malice being a real place might not be just rumors after all.  Similar in format to The Invention of Hugo Cabret - but much, much scarier -  this novel is part text, part graphic.

Catching Fire

If Suzanne Collin's Hunger Games kept you on the edge of your seat, you'll definitely want to read the sequel.  After Katniss and Peeta win the Hunger Games, Katniss hopes to bring prosperity to her district and her family.   More than anything, she'd like to return to a private life far away from the prying eyes of the Capitol.  But those days are gone.  Katniss and Peeta have become famous not only for their victory but for their act of defiance.  As the Capitol unfolds its new plans for the Hunger Games winners, Katniss realizes the government has more control over her than ever before.  

When You Reach Me

Miranda found the first note in her library book as she was about to put it in her backpack. It didn’t make any sense. Something about someone coming to save a friend’s life. The closing line was “I will not be myself when I reach you.” And it wasn’t even signed. The next note wasn’t signed either, but it was addressed to Miranda. She found it in a bag of bakery rolls. So the note-sender knew where she went for lunch every day.   The third note seemed to predict the future with dates and events listed. Set in New York City, Miranda’s story unfolds quietly as she goes about her daily routine of school, hanging out with friends and family, avoiding bullies, and trying to solve the mystery of the notes. Who is trying to reach Miranda, and what does this person want her to do? When You Reach Me, the 2010 Newbery Award winner, is an amazing book.

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth Bunch

The legend of Rumplestiltskin comes alive again in this gripping family saga of the Millers of Stirwaters.  The hard-working Miller family has run the wollen mill which provides the village's livelihood for generations, barely managing to pay expenses and earn a living for the family.  The superstitions of the local folk hint at a curse on the mill which causes one disaster after another.  When Charlotte and her sister Rosellen inherit the mill after their father's death, they discover the mill was secretly mortgaged to a local bank, and only the late night miracle from a man who turns straw into gold can save them from closing the mill or selling out to competitors. 

Night Wings by Joseph Bruchac

"Suddenly something drops down with a whomp of wings that blot out the stars.  Two red eyes stare at me from the inhuman face of the one who guards this place."  It was only a dream, but it was a dream so powerful that Paul could not shake it from his memory.  He knew the story of Pmola, a winged creature who hid a treasure on the mountain, and his ancestor, the brave hunter,  whose live was spared by Pmola.  While Paul had great respect for his elders, he surely had a hard time believing such a story and such a creature was real.  But when modern treasure hunters kidnap him and his grandfather and force them to lead the way to Pmola's hidden treasure, Paul begins to believe that only the wisdom and the spirits of the ancients can save them. 

The Arrival

I just thought of this AMAZING book. It has no words, but it's not a comic book, it's art. It is called "The Arrival" by Shaun Tan. You can find it at the Bookloft. This is really a book you won't want to miss.
MSV

P. S. from Mrs. Kane - this is a very well-known graphic novel.  I will try to purchase it for our library.

Witness

I read a book called Witness by Karen Hesse. Witness is about the KKK. In this small town there are two people that are in the most danger. Leonora Sutter is a 12 year old African American. Esther is a 6 year old Jew. The KKK is coming soon and they must find somewhere for them to be safe. Meanwhile a couple is trying to decide if they should turn their store into a Klan store. This story is a very sweet, touching and realistic story, and I would recommend it to anyone.  MS

Secret of the Sirens

Well I just wanted to say that I think Secret of the Sirens is a wonderful book and I believe that poeple that like Percy Jackson will like this because it is very alike in many ways-  like the sirens are mythological creatures. M

Learning to Breathe

At the moment, I am reading a memoir by a woman named Alison Wright. The book is called Learning to Breathe. It is about a photographer who travels to Asia. Once, when she was there, her bus was hit by a truck. She was at the point of impact and didn't get medical care for 14 hours. But, with a miracle, she lived. This book is an amazing story about a woman who lived through death.
Thanks!
MSV

Daniel X Watch the Skies

Recently I have read the book Daniel X Watch the Skies by James Patterson. The book is very exciting, suspenseful, and interesting. The book is about a alien boy named Daniel X who is on a mission to destroy all the aliens on list consisting on 100 aliens. In Watch the Skies Daniel is on a mission to destroy number 5 with the help of his mom, dad, sister, and, friends. Daniel faces many challenges on his effort to destroy number 5 and I don't want to give away the ending so you'll have to read it yourself to find out how challenging this mission was.  IM

Elsewhere

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin is about a girl who dies and goes to a whole new world and lives a life in reverse. Liz (the girl) misses her life on earth and knows she is missing a lot of things that she will never be aable to do on Elsewhere.  Discover a whole new world and the adventures a 15 year old girl can find.
RS

The Homework Machine

A faviorte book of mine is called the Homework Machine by Dan Gutman. It is about kids who are in their school and who hate homework. After awhile they discover a kid who has perfect grades and who created a machine call The Homework Machine. What the machine does is do the homework that a person puts in. As you read the book, the adults begin to catch on which causes big trouble for the characters. I would recommend this book to anyone.  NCB

Stand by Me

I was reading a amazing book called Stand by Me.   The book is by Steven King, who we all know is a great scary writer.   Some of my thoughts on the book were that this was not one of Steven King's very scary books.  I am not finished with iit  yet, really I just started it, but so far I love it.  It is very exiting.  One of my questions is:  will the boys all be friends through out the book.  L

Mysterious Benedict Society

We would like to disscus The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.  This book is about four kids who are recruited via mysterious tests by a man called Mr. Benedict.   They then learn of a strange danger and must save the world -  remembering that if they fall,  all is lost. JG JR

Stolen Children

STOLEN CHILDREN by  is a good book because it has excitement and a heart.  This book tells people that all jobs are not easy. A girl named Amy took a baby sitting class and they did not teach her what to do if a thug comes in and kidnaps a little girl..  While Amy is baby sitting, Kendra gets kidnapped and she is out of her mind. The thugs come back and they take her too.  And to make matters worse when OR if she gets home she has no dad to run to and she thinks its her fault.   AW & EM

Westing Game

The book The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is an action-packed thriller with a twist of mystery. It's about a race with sixteen people to get the big inheritence left behind by a man who has just died.  KK & KD

Old Willis Place

The Old Willis Place was a absolutely superb read. It is about a haunted mansion called old Willis place. It is haunted by the the soul of the owner. I'll bet you are wondering why she is haunting it.  There are also ghosts who haunt outside the old Willis place. Read what happens when the new girl who has just moved to the neighborhood  enters the old Willis place.  CS & NV

Raven's Gate

Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz is about a boy called Matt who gets in trouble for a crime he didn't commit. He can go to jail or join a weird project. So he takes the LEAF project. Every night the people who take care of him leave their house for some unknown reason, so he goes to explore in the woods but gets lost because all the trees are identical.  This is the first book in The Gatekeeper's series.  LL & TBC

Bud, Not Buddy

Bud, not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis,  is a book about an orphan boy whose mom died because of a disease.   Bud does not know who his father is.  He has an idea of who his father is, but is not sure. Read the book to find out who his father turns out to be, and other questions about him.  CW

Swindle

I am here to tell you about probably the greatest book ever made!!!!! SWINDLE!!!  by Gordon Korman.  It is perfect.  In the book some guy named Palamo S. Wendle  - a.k.a.  Swindle  -   anyway he tricks some kid into giving him a million dollor baseball card!!!  So the kid pulls together a team of some other kids and pull off an amazing hiest past a high tech security system and a menacing guard dog named Luthor. CP

Belle Teal

My book is called Belle Teal by Ann M. Martin.  It is about a young girl named Belle Teal whose life is perfectly normal until a riot starts at her school because an African American family moves in to town.  But to Belle Teal,  it is completly different because she has never seen someone who is African American.  But while all the other kids are spitting and calling him names she befriends him and they become best friends.  If you want to find out more about this riveting book you'll have to read the book.


-IM

Maximum Ride Series

My book is called Max  - part of the Maximum Rides series.   This book is about a girl named Maximum Ride and her friends.  Angel Gazzy Iggy, Blind and Fang.  But these are not regular kids they are half bird and they get chased by erasers.  They are all mutated in to diffrent animals and between the hustle and bustle Fang and Max start to like each other.  There is anthor friend Nudge and she does not like to be mutated,  she wants to be normal.  The "mother" is stolen and held hostage for Max by the erasers.  These erasers are really people muteted into wolfs.  With these action packed fights,  there is also romance between the lines.  AY

Lightning Thief

Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan.  This book is about a boy naned Percy Jackson who goes to Yancy Acadamy.  His best friend is a centaurr but he is in disquise as a normal guy. Percy is the son of a god and he goes on many cool adventures in the next 4 books.  BT

Ender's Game

I am starting a discussion on the book called Enders Game by Orson Scott Card. It takesplace in the future,in about 300 years.  A terrifying race of alien life has swept down over China, killing millions.  Now humans are fighting back.  In northern carolina, a boy named Andrew Wiggin lives. He goes to battleschool, an orbiting space station where children, as young as six years old, are trained to fight for humanity. The heart of battleschool is the battleroom. "Armies" of 40 children fight against each other with harmless lasers, when you are hit, your suit goes rigid.you win when all of the enemies are "frozen".Andrew Wiggin must overcome challenges, both mental and physical, which threaten his health and wellbeing. But the teachers are the real enemy, they manipulate Ender, give him an army several years early, and give him a battle every day. Can his brilliant mind cope with the challenges?  TCB

Freak the Mighty

Freak The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick. I think that Freak the Mighty was a great book, about two young men, getting through the eight grade together. Freak also know as Kevin was a boy suffering from a crippling desease. Max was his freind, but he was freakishly tall.  Kz Cdm

The Neddiad

I would like to do a discussion on The Neddiad. It is about a boy who moves to Hollywood, meets a shaman, recieves a sacred stone turtle from the shaman, and goes to a military academy. He then saves the world with the son of a movie star's son and a girl who lives in the same hotel as him.-DBC 

Peter and the Starcatchers

I would like to talk about the Peter Pan series. This series talks about Peter Pan's life before the movie. In this series,  there are three books:   1.Peter and the Starcatchers  2.Peter and the shadow Theives and  3.Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. Peter has many problems like captain hook trying to kill him and meeting people he doesn't know   KG

A Dog's Life

A Dogs Life by Ann M. Martin is about a stray dog, who is abandoned by her mother after living in a shed with her brother for years. She struggles to stay alive, eating scraps from a garbage can and hunting small animals. A great book about the life of a stray.   CS

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I think that the first harry potter book "Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone" was probbably my favorite of them all. The story of it was like i was seeing it for the first time it was even more enjoyable then the movie   EJJ