Eight Keys

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Elise discovers a secret: a mysterious key labeled with her name. Could it open one of the 8 doors in the barn above Uncle Hugh's workshop, the ones that have been locked as long as she can remember? Could whatever's behind those doors be for her?

On a quest to make sense of a complex gift left for her by her father before he died, Elise discovers the heart of family and friendship, and begins to unlock the biggest mystery of all: Herself.

Video:

A Dog's Life

A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin.
Squirrel is not like most dogs. At first she has companions on her journey- her mother and her brother, Bone. But when they are seperated, Squirrel must experience the world in a different way. As a stray she faces busy highways, changing seasons, and humans who can be both friendly and cruel. It's a hard life.
This is Squirrel's story, told in her own words.
Video

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Dark Fusion Trilogy by Neal Shusterman

Take the Medusa Myth, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Ugly Duckling, add some modern day thrills and you have the Dark Fusion Series by Neal Shusterman.

Dreadlocks- Tara's "friends" start developing strange quirks like drinking gallons of milk at a time or eating dirt. Only Parker realizes what she is up to. But Tara has given him certain cravings of his own. Can he stop her destructive game in time, or is he doomed to be under her spell forever?

Red Rider's Hood- When Red's grandma is mugged by the Wolves gang, he decides to join the Wolves so he can learn how to defeat them. Soon he uncovers their terrible secret: They are werewolves with a thirst for human blood. Instead of being horrified, Red envies the Wolves' freedom and power. Will Red take up the Wolves murderous ways or take them down?

Duckling Ugly-Cara is so ugly that mirrors break and even her own parents can't deny her ugliness. Tormented and tortured by people, Cara has a miserable life. Then she receives a shimmering note from some exotic place that suggests there is more to her than meets the eye. Cara soon discovers that this place is real. It's a place where the ugliest of duclings can become swans. A swan, however, can have a serious taste for revenge...deadly revenge.

Video book talk- just click here.

Want to know more about Neal Shusterman? Click here.

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

I get scraped and bruised so much, I don't notice it anymore.
Except that I did notice my scabbed knuckles yesterday.
I try to tell myself it's nothing-that it's one of life's simple tricks, just like a stage magician's clever misdirection, keeping the audience baffled. Yet deep down, I know there's something more going on here. Something truly inexplicable I'm afraid to consider.

Video booktalk- just click here.

The rest of the Jan JLG box

These books are great too- just don't have a video book talk right now.

Planet Middle School by Nikki Grimes- Up till now, the math of my life has been pretty simple: friends plus family plus sports. What more could I ask for, right? But lately, my outside has been changing and my inside keeps telling me more is on the way. Trouble is, I'm not sure I'm ready.

The Tanglewood Terror by Kurtis Scaletta-When 13 year old Eric comes across glowing mushrooms in the woods behind his house, he's sure there is a scientific explanation. But when they begin to encroach on the town, covering the football field and popping up from beneath his house's floorboards it doesn't take Eric long to realize something is seriously wrong.

Aftershock by Bernard Ashley-Makis and his mother escape to London after a devastating earthquake in Greece. At first, it is hard, especially at school, but being a gifted footballer means that Makis slowly begins to fit in. But, through, no fault of his own, Makis lets down his team at an important match and the whole school, even the teachers, seem to turn against him.

Without Tess by Marcella Pixley-If you look inside Lizzie Cohen's locker you will see that her world is falling apart. Unfinished homework, papers with failing grades, crushed coffee cups. But look closer and you will find a secret hidden under an old sweater on the top shelf. A journal that belong to her older sister Tess, who died 6 years ago. Now Lizzie is using the journal to come to terms with living.

Dragons of Silk by Laurence Yep-Silk binds the lives of four girls from different generations with the fate of the Weaving Maid. Across a span of 75 years, both in China and in America, each girl shows the strength and courage of a dragon as she fights and sacrifices for the survival of her family and the pursuit of passion.

Wilma Tenderfoot and the Case of the Frozen Hearts by Emma Kennedy-Wilma Tenderfoot, a small but determined 10 year old orphan, dreams of becoming a world-famous detective so she can find out who her parents are. She is very good at finding clues and making deductions, especially with the help of her dog, Pickle. But now the pricesll Katzin Stone has been stolen and anyone with a connection to the stone seems to end up with a frozen heart. Wilma is sure she can solve the mystery if her neighbor, the legendary detective, Theodore P. Goodman, lets her help... and Pickle stops eating all the clues.

The JLG box from January

Just click on a book cover to see a video book talk for each.

Just click on these book covers to view a video book talk.