Reading Abounds

Title:  Focused Author:  Alyson Gerber Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 181907 Description:    T welve-year-old Clea wants to do her homework, follow instructions, pay attention in school, and play chess on the school team, but it's difficult. When she is diagnosed with ADHD, she becomes determined to learn how to focus. Rubric Rating:  Level 2 - Like It Why I Read It:  Having a daughter with ADHD I thought this would be a title that she would identify with. Notes:   I really wanted to give this title a better grade but unfortunately it fell quite short of the mark in my opinion.  I read this title aloud with my daughter, even without ADHD I found the chapters way too long, and if the appeal of this book is to target readers with ADHD I'm not sure they would have the sustained attention needed.  Clea is struggling in school, she can't seem to focus in class she's distracted by the things around her, her mind flying off in all...

Title:  Burning Blue Author:   Paul Griffin Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 75470 Description:    When beautiful, smart Nicole, disfigured by acid thrown in her face, and computer hacker Jay meet in the school psychologist's office, they become friends and Jay resolves to find her attacker. Rubric Rating:  Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It:   I had read Adrift by Paul Griffin and this novel sounded good as well. Notes:    I liked this book and read it over the course of two days.  Jay and Nicole go to the same school, they know of each other but don’t know each other.  Nicole is the school beauty queen and Jay is a loner with epilepsy. At an assembly in Freshman year Jay had an epileptic attack in front of the whole school.  He hasn’t been back since with the exception of meeting with Mrs. Schmidt the school Psychologist. Nicole’s life was great until someone squirted battery acid onto her face.  When Jay a...

Title:  After Eli Author:  Rebecca Rupp Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 5668967 Description:    After the death of his older brother, Daniel Anderson became engrossed in recording details about dead people, how they died, and whether their deaths mattered but he is eventually drawn back into interaction with the living. Rubric Rating:   Level 4 - Love It Why I Read It:   Read as an ebook on my Perma-Bound eHub account. Notes:   Daniel loves his older brother Eli, he looks up to him, admires him, goes to him for advice.  So when Eli is killed during a military mission, Dan is heartbroken and a little lost. His mother retreats into herself, and his father can’t help but criticize his academic and decisions.  Rather than go to summer school Dan gets a job on a farm and finds he likes it. He also takes a look at his life, his family and his friends. When he runs into Walter, the school geek, in the cemetery and begins to u...

Title:  Sweet Author: Emmy Leybourne Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 118944 Description: On a celebrity cruise launching a new diet sweetener, Laurel is too seasick to even try the new product and beginning to regret taking this vacation, but when her fellow passengers start behaving oddly, her trip becomes truly terrifying. Rubric Rating: Level 4 - Love It! Why I Read It: Interesting cover and title. Notes: Laurel and her friend Vivika have scored big.  Tickets on the Solu Cruise to Lose! Laurel and Viv are healthy 17-year-olds who wear size 14 clothes.  But to today's youth that's just too big.  Everyone on the luxury cruise has been selected as a marketing ploy by Timothy Almstead, the maker of Solu.  The "solu-tion" to America's obesity epidemic.  Tom Fiorelli - or baby Tom-Tom as he's known from his early television days has been hired to do interviews and provide footage for television stations - an exclusive event that is supposed to reinvi...

Title:  Butter Author: Erin Jade Lange Perma-Bound Catalogue #: 76283 Description: Unable to control his binge eating, a morbidly obese teenager nicknamed Butter decides to make a live webcast of his last meal as he attempts to eat himself to death. Rubric Rating: Level 3 - Laud It Why I Read It:   Interesting cover and title. Notes: Butter's world is empty and he uses food to fill the void.  When Butter gets fed up with the bullying at school he starts a website called "Butter's Last Meal."  While it started as just an outlet for his frustration, when he starts receiving menu suggestions the website takes on a life of its own and starts to affect his real life as well.  The boys who taunted and bullied him now invite him to sit at their table, invite him bowling, and out to parties.  He gets close to his crush Anna, who has no idea that he is the JP she has been communicating with online, until he finally plays his saxophone and she reco...