Heist Society is written by Ally Carter, author of the Gallagher girls series. It is also a nominee for the Truman Award for 2012-2013. Carter is quite good at writing strong female leads, and I was not disappointed with this book.
Kat's family has always been in the same business- and by family I mean everyone! Their business in crime... they are thieves. She's been part of the business since she was a little girl, and she's quite good at it. Even though she has talent, she doesn't want any part of it any more, so she cons her way into an exclusive boarding school at 15. She's doing ok, when her friend shows up and drags her back into the thieving world.Someone thinks her dad stole something big, and they are determined to prove that it isn't true. She and several friends/family members (who are all teens) form a little society and go about pulling schemes and trying to prove her dad's innocence.
Carter writes in a way that makes you root for the "bad" guys. It almost makes you see nothing wrong with their way of life, because they are just so darn good at it! And of course, there is romance. Wouldn't be a good girl book if there wasn't! I really liked Kat as a main character- she's snarky in all the right places, incredibly smart, and talented to boot! Plus there is a sequel, Uncommon Criminals, and another one on the way!
If you like Heist Society, check out the Gallagher Girls series- it starts with I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You. Great title, huh?
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label books. Show all posts
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Deaf Child Crossing
I picked up this book because I found an amazing actress and, as I often do when I find a new obsession, devour everything about/by them... Her name is Marlee Matlin, and she is one of the most famous deaf actresses. She's currently acting on the ABC Family show Switched at Birth, but she's done movies and many TV shows, and is also an author.
Deaf Child Crossing is written from the perspective of Megan, a little girl who is vibrant and excited (and 10), who happens to be deaf. She doesn't let that define her, and quickly becomes friends with the new girl in the neighborhood. Megan teaches her to sign, but she thinks that Cindy is trying to do stuff for her, even though Megan is perfectly capable. The story goes through the first summer of their friendship, and is cute and entertaining most of the time.
Matlin did a good job in capturing a point of view and friendship that isn't written as often as it should be. I mean, how many deaf protagonists do you know? I certainly wish there were more. It's a fascinating culture with yes, it's own culture, language, and values. I loved getting another perspective than the boring textbooks I tried to read about deaf culture.
It is too young for my kiddos- they would be bored in an instant, but elementary kids or kids with siblings who are deaf would enjoy it.
*MG=Middle Grade
Deaf Child Crossing is written from the perspective of Megan, a little girl who is vibrant and excited (and 10), who happens to be deaf. She doesn't let that define her, and quickly becomes friends with the new girl in the neighborhood. Megan teaches her to sign, but she thinks that Cindy is trying to do stuff for her, even though Megan is perfectly capable. The story goes through the first summer of their friendship, and is cute and entertaining most of the time.
Matlin did a good job in capturing a point of view and friendship that isn't written as often as it should be. I mean, how many deaf protagonists do you know? I certainly wish there were more. It's a fascinating culture with yes, it's own culture, language, and values. I loved getting another perspective than the boring textbooks I tried to read about deaf culture.
It is too young for my kiddos- they would be bored in an instant, but elementary kids or kids with siblings who are deaf would enjoy it.
*MG=Middle Grade
Books to Read
So I decided, since I was cleaning out my most recent Goodwill/Scholastic purchases from my car, that I would make an actual stack of the books I want to read this summer. It's HUGE! It includes, in no certain order:
Teacher books (like The Bee Eater and Waiting for Superman)
James Patterson's latest (which is like 5 books!)
The Truman Nominees for next year (already read two of them!)
A ton of YA and middle grade novels (from my school library)
Random books that I actually own but haven't read yet
Plus a few books on tape from the library... I got books I want to read on tape so I can "read" while doing other stuff like cleaning or mowing the grass or whatever!
Seriously, the stack is actually several stacks and there are definitely OVER 100 books there. What did I get myself into???
Off to go eat dinner so then I can get caught up on some of my book/movie reviews!
Teacher books (like The Bee Eater and Waiting for Superman)
James Patterson's latest (which is like 5 books!)
The Truman Nominees for next year (already read two of them!)
A ton of YA and middle grade novels (from my school library)
Random books that I actually own but haven't read yet
Plus a few books on tape from the library... I got books I want to read on tape so I can "read" while doing other stuff like cleaning or mowing the grass or whatever!
Seriously, the stack is actually several stacks and there are definitely OVER 100 books there. What did I get myself into???
Off to go eat dinner so then I can get caught up on some of my book/movie reviews!
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Author: Andrew Klavan
I stumbled upon Andrew Klavan when deciding which Truman nominee (11-12) to pick first. I was quickly sucked in and devoured all four of his teen series, Homelanders, in a matter of weeks. Upon perusing Amazon, I found that he actually has 16 other books in print and 1 on the way. Yay! Most of the other books seem to be adult novels, but I think I'll try one or two of them this summer and see if they are just as good as his teen series. One of the other novels is Don't Say a Word, like the movie with Michael Douglas- I know that one will be good!
The book that is coming out in May is called Crazy Dangerous. Here is the link to the Amazon summary: Crazy Dangerous.
Sounds pretty good huh? I know I'll be hunting for it at my library this summer!
The book that is coming out in May is called Crazy Dangerous. Here is the link to the Amazon summary: Crazy Dangerous.
Sounds pretty good huh? I know I'll be hunting for it at my library this summer!
The Final Hour (4th in a series)
The Final Hour is the fourth and final book in the Homelanders series by Andrew Klavan. Finally! We get to figure out what happened to Charlie and how he's going to solve the whole mystery and clear his name. Charlie is in prison (after all, everyone thinks he is a murderer) and has a flashback of another planned terrorist attack. He has to figure out how to get out of jail and stop it from happening. Action follows every step- something Klavan is extremely good at.
Honestly, all you have to do is look at the cover and it just draws you in. A plane flown by Charlie through buildings that close? All I wanted to do was read quicker so I could get to that exciting moment. And, of course, I had to know how Charlie would finally clear his name. Klavan did a good job at summing up the story and tying up most of the loose ends. It's still a highly unlikely story... but it leaves you wondering, could it actually happen??? Another good "boy" book--done!
Honestly, all you have to do is look at the cover and it just draws you in. A plane flown by Charlie through buildings that close? All I wanted to do was read quicker so I could get to that exciting moment. And, of course, I had to know how Charlie would finally clear his name. Klavan did a good job at summing up the story and tying up most of the loose ends. It's still a highly unlikely story... but it leaves you wondering, could it actually happen??? Another good "boy" book--done!
The Truth of the Matter (3rd in a series)
The Truth of the Matter is the third book in the Homelanders series by Andrew Klavan. Charlie has (up until now) woken up with no memory of the last year of his life, gone home to try to discover more about his situation, found out he's wanted for murder, and found the girlfriend he doesn't remember. Waterman- that's the name that was whispered to him in secret. Now he has to find out who Waterman is and what he has to do with the mystery surrounding Charlie's life.We also get to find out what really happened to Charlie through memory flashbacks!
Suspense and action hang off of every page in this book. Charlie (and the bad guys) never give up trying to either find the truth or stop the truth from coming out. It definitely keeps you guessing. It's another good "boy" book and I'm glad many of my students kept going with the series. (It helped that I kept bugging them to read the books.) I like how we get to find out more about Charlie- I was eagerly waiting for the truth, and I'm glad Klavan finally gave it to us.
Suspense and action hang off of every page in this book. Charlie (and the bad guys) never give up trying to either find the truth or stop the truth from coming out. It definitely keeps you guessing. It's another good "boy" book and I'm glad many of my students kept going with the series. (It helped that I kept bugging them to read the books.) I like how we get to find out more about Charlie- I was eagerly waiting for the truth, and I'm glad Klavan finally gave it to us.
The Long Way Home (2nd in a series)
The Long Way Home is the second book in the Homelanders series by Andrew Klavan. Charlie knows that he is wanted by the police as an accused murderer. He heads back home to try to get some answers. Charlie holes himself up in an abandoned mansion and gets some help from his best friends and the girlfriend he doesn't remember. They play detective and try to get to the bottom of the mystery solving the murder of Charlie's friend from childhood.
This story picks up really soon after The Last Thing I Remember. This wasn't as action-packed as the first book, but you learn a lot more about the Homelanders and Charlie's situation. It's definitely more of a "world-builder" and I appreciated that. There was too much about Charlie's world that we didn't know before. I do like how we learn things as Charlie learns them- it makes it more exciting that way.
Stay tuned for the next two books in the series.
This story picks up really soon after The Last Thing I Remember. This wasn't as action-packed as the first book, but you learn a lot more about the Homelanders and Charlie's situation. It's definitely more of a "world-builder" and I appreciated that. There was too much about Charlie's world that we didn't know before. I do like how we learn things as Charlie learns them- it makes it more exciting that way.
Stay tuned for the next two books in the series.
The Last Thing I Remember (1st in a series)
The Last Thing I Remember (TLTIR) is the first in a four part series, The Homelanders, by Andrew Klavan. It's an action adventure series, and TLTIR is a Truman nominee for 2011-2012. Charlie wakes up one day strapped to a chair and has no idea what is going on and who is holding him captive. The last thing he remembers was being at school the day before. Little did he know, it had been a year since that last day at school. The whole book is a struggle for Charlie- trying to remember what happened over the past year and exactly who the Homelanders are.
Good book, full of adventure and action- it was the perfect gateway book for several of my students. The cool thing was that it appealed to both girls and boys. More of my girls actually stuck with the series and continued along. Definitely worth a read!
Good book, full of adventure and action- it was the perfect gateway book for several of my students. The cool thing was that it appealed to both girls and boys. More of my girls actually stuck with the series and continued along. Definitely worth a read!
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