Author recommendations

For middle grades, Andrew Clements is a great author who writes books about school from a kid's point of view. My favorite of his is Lost and Found, which is about 2 identical twins. They move to a new school and discover a clerical error that has only one of them enrolled in school. They take turns going and of course disaster ensues.
Dan Gutman is another favorite for 2nd-4th graders; his Weird School books fly off the shelves.
For middle school students, Kate Brian writes books similar to the Gossip Girl series.

When You Reach Me

A book review journal I read at the end of summer had several books on time travel. I just finished one last night; When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead. She is also the author of First Light, which is on the Rebecca Caudill award list for this year.
When You Reach Me is told from the point of view of Miranda, a young girl who begins receiving mysterious notes from a time traveler. She has to figure out who is writing the notes, which turns out to be someone she already knows. Highly recommended!

Barnes and Noble

I received a generous donation from SOS at the end of school and bought many new books for our library. Here's what to look for in the fall: new books by Mary Higgins Clark and James Patterson, the Twilight Series, the 39 Clues series and Pigeon books by Mo Willems for the younger set.

39 Clues

4 books in; I can't wait to continue the adventure with Amy and Dan! In books 3 and 4, they are betrayed again and are still not sure whether to trust Alistair Oh. Book 5 will be out in August.

Twilight

I have finished all 4 books in this series. I am loving being able to read on my deck while my son plays in the backyard.
As I said several times, I didn't expect to enjoy these books but was hooked quickly. The end didn't disappoint.
For a different tack, try The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Hicks.

39 Clues

I have read the first 2 books in the 39 Clues Series and I am completely hooked. They remind me of the Lemony Snicket Series of Unfortunate Events. Amy and Dan Cahill were orphaned at a young age and now their grandmother has died. In her will, the surviving family members are offered a chance to go on a worldwide clue hunt to find a mysterious treasure. Amy and Dan undertake the challenge but other, less friendly family members try to stop them every step of the way.
The first 3 books in the series are out with the 4th due to be published at the end of May. Titles of the first 3 are: The Maze of Bones, One False Note and The Sword Thief.

First post

Starting this blog is something I have wanted to do for a while. This will be a place for me to discuss books and authors, as well as library news. More to come soon.