Some Recent Good Reads...

I know, I must be living under a rock, but I just finished The Hunger Games.  And of course I have Catching Fire on hold at the library.  I had to read the whole thing in one evening, I could not put it down. I am looking forward to the other books as well.
Here is the trailer for Hunger Games, for those of you who may not have read it yet:



Another good read I recently finished was Star in the Forest.  It was a quick read and dog lovers everywhere are sure to appreciate this title.  This is also the first children's book I have read that includes the topics of deportation and immigration. Check out the author's website for a teacher's guide and an immigration discussion guide.

Book Review: Incarceron

Fisher, Catherine. Incarceron. New York: Dial Books, 2010.

I am not usually a reader of young adult books or fantasy novels. I chose this book to read for several reasons. First, I noticed that it was getting a lot of starred reviews and one review even said " This may be the next Harry Potter." I also needed to read a current young adult novel for a young adult workshop I was taking. I am glad I chose this book! It was one of those books that I just had to finish and could not put down. This book was first published in England several years ago and has just made its way to America. The sequel, Sapphique, is already out there (I had to order this online, I was so hooked!).
The action starts from the beginning. Incarceron is a living prison in which no one enters or exits (or do they?). We meet Finn, a prisoner inside Incarceron, with a mysterious past. We also meet Claudia, the daughter of the warden of Incarceron. Their paths meet when they both find a crystal key. The action and excitement pick up at this point in the story. This is a must read of 2010 and I see some awards in the future for this book.