Mrs. Wegener's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 11 Apr 2025 08:07:43 -0700 60 Mrs. Wegener's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Horse 59109077 A discarded painting in a junk pile, a skeleton in an attic, and the greatest racehorse in American history: from these strands, a Pulitzer Prize winner braids a sweeping story of spirit, obsession, and injustice across American history

Kentucky, 1850. An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union. On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.

New York City, 1954. Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.

Washington, DC, 2019. Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse--one studying the stallion's bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success.

Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred Lexington, Horse is a novel of art and science, love and obsession, and our unfinished reckoning with racism.]]> 401 Geraldine Brooks 0399562966 Mrs. Wegener 0 4.17 2022 Horse
author: Geraldine Brooks
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: currently-reading, adult-lit, historical
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Last Murder at the End of the World]]> 136276877
Outside the island there is nothing: the world was destroyed by a fog that swept the planet, killing anyone it touched.

On the island: it is idyllic. One hundred and twenty-two villagers and three scientists, living in peaceful harmony. The villagers are content to fish, farm and feast, to obey their nightly curfew, to do what they're told by the scientists.

Until, to the horror of the islanders, one of their beloved scientists is found brutally stabbed to death. And then they learn that the murder has triggered a lowering of the security system around the island, the only thing that was keeping the fog at bay. If the murder isn't solved within 107 hours, the fog will smother the island—and everyone on it.

But the security system has also wiped everyone's memories of exactly what happened the night before, which means that someone on the island is a murderer—and they don't even know it.

And the clock is ticking.

From the bestselling author of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and The Devil and the Dark Water comes an inventive, high-concept murder mystery: an ingenious puzzle, an extraordinary backdrop, and an audacious solution.]]> 368 Stuart Turton Mrs. Wegener 0 currently-reading 3.63 2024 The Last Murder at the End of the World
author: Stuart Turton
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession]]> 62873378 One of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of the twenty-first the story of the world’s most prolific art thief, Stéphane Breitwieser.

In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, the best-selling author of The Stranger in the Woods brings us into Breitwieser’s strange world—unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in a single room where he could admire them.

For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than two hundred heists over nearly eight years—in museums and cathedrals all over Europe—Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than three hundred objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion.

In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser’s strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, Breitwieser never stole for money. Instead, he displayed all his treasures in a pair of secret rooms where he could admire them to his heart’s content. Possessed of a remarkable athleticism and an innate ability to circumvent practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtaking number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict’s need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend’s pleas to stop—until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down.

This is a riveting story of art, crime, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost.]]> 224 Michael Finkel 0525657320 Mrs. Wegener 4 How is this not a movie?! 3.92 2023 The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
author: Michael Finkel
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/11
date added: 2025/04/11
shelves: adult-lit, nonfiction-informational
review:
How is this not a movie?!
]]> Go the Distance 54817211 What if Meg had to become a god?

After Hercules proves he's a true hero and regains his godship, all seems right in the world. That is, until Zeus tells Meg that she can't be with Hercules because she's, well, mortal. Luckily, Hera has a solution, offering Meg a chance to prove herself worthy of a spot on Mt. Olympus--as a god. All Meg has to do is complete a mysterious quest.

The mission? Oh, just to rescue her ex's current wife from the Underworld. The ex-boyfriend she saved by selling her soul to Hades. The ex-boyfriend who immediately moved on to someone else while she was stuck in the Underworld. Can Meg put her past behind her and use her quick-wit to defeat monsters and gods alike, including the nefarious Hades? Will she finally figure out her place and contribution to the world? Or will her fear of commitment have her running away from an eternity of godhood with Herc?

Written by the author of Mirror, Mirror and Conceal, Don't Feel, Jen Calonita's latest twist is sure to delight and surprise.]]> 336 Jen Calonita 1368063802 Mrs. Wegener 4 adventure, fantasy 4.03 2021 Go the Distance
author: Jen Calonita
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: adventure, fantasy
review:
I recently watched Disney’s Hercules with my son, so I thought this was a good choice for the next “Twisted Tale� to read. These are always fun, easy reads, and this one led me to learn about the Hades/Persephone myth. If you’re a big Herc fan, I don’t know that I’d recommend this to you as it mainly focuses on the character of Meg from the movie.
]]> <![CDATA[The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness]]> 171681821
A must-read for all parents: the generation-defining investigation into the collapse of youth mental health in the era of smartphones, social media, and big tech—and a plan for a healthier, freer childhood.

“With tenacity and candor, Haidt lays out the consequences that have come with allowing kids to drift further into the virtual world . . . While also offering suggestions and solutions that could help protect a new generation of kids.� —Shannon Carlin, ,i>TIME, 100 Must-Read Books of 2024

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why?

In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt shows how the “play-based childhood� began to decline in the 1980s, and how it was finally wiped out by the arrival of the “phone-based childhood� in the early 2010s. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood� has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison, and perfectionism. He explains why social media damages girls more than boys and why boys have been withdrawing from the real world into the virtual world, with disastrous consequences for themselves, their families, and their societies.

Most important, Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems� that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.

Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.]]> 400 Jonathan Haidt 0593655036 Mrs. Wegener 3 nonfiction-informational 4.36 2024 The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness
author: Jonathan Haidt
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2024
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: nonfiction-informational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom]]> 203578812 A standalone darkly humorous thriller set in modern America's age of anxiety, by New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin.

Outside Los Angeles, a driver pulls up to find a young woman sitting on a large black box. She offers him $200,000 cash to transport her and that box across the country, to Washington, DC.

But there are rules:

He cannot look inside the box.
He cannot ask questions.
He cannot tell anyone.
They must leave immediately.
He must leave all trackable devices behind.

As these eccentric misfits hit the road, rumors spread on social media that the box is part of a carefully orchestrated terror attack intended to plunge the USA into civil war.

The truth promises to be even stranger, and may change how you see the world.]]> 400 Jason Pargin 125028595X Mrs. Wegener 4 adult-lit, humor 3.97 2024 I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom
author: Jason Pargin
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: adult-lit, humor
review:
This book was super funny and a really interesting concept for a plot. The satire of Reddit culture, social media, and conspiracy theories could not be closer to the truth, however, I felt sometimes the characters rambled in their “beliefs.� While the author gave a “disclaimer� that these were solely the opinions of the characters, I couldn’t help wonder if his truth bled in a little bit. So that was off putting. and at times I felt like the story was too long. But mostly, it was humorous, thought provoking, and entertaining.
]]> The Women 127305853 From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie� McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.]]> 471 Kristin Hannah 1250178630 Mrs. Wegener 4
Buuuuut, I have to disagree with every reader I’ve discussed this book with: it’s not my favorite Kristin Hannah novel. I very much disliked the character of Frankie. Both of her romantic interests coming back from the dead I found unbelievable AND I couldn’t stop getting annoyed with how much her friends would drop everything for her, yet, what did she do for them? Minus the main character, the story is very well written; I cried and felt gut-punched while reading, while learning so much at the same time.]]> 4.59 2024 The Women
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: adult-lit, historical, realistic
review:
** spoiler alert ** The only thing I knew about the Vietnam War I learned from Forrest Gump or This is Us; it was even better to hear it from the women in war. I’ve gone down so many Vietnam rabbit holes since reading and find this part of US history both fascinating & devastating.

Buuuuut, I have to disagree with every reader I’ve discussed this book with: it’s not my favorite Kristin Hannah novel. I very much disliked the character of Frankie. Both of her romantic interests coming back from the dead I found unbelievable AND I couldn’t stop getting annoyed with how much her friends would drop everything for her, yet, what did she do for them? Minus the main character, the story is very well written; I cried and felt gut-punched while reading, while learning so much at the same time.
]]> Never Lie 62080187
But when they visit the remote manor that once belonged to Dr. Adrienne Hale, a renowned psychiatrist who vanished without a trace four years earlier, a violent winter storm traps them at the estate� with no chance of escape until the blizzard comes to an end.

In search of a book to keep her entertained until the snow abates, Tricia happens upon a secret room. One that contains audio transcripts from every single patient Dr. Hale has ever interviewed. As Tricia listens to the cassette tapes, she learns about the terrifying chain of events leading up to Dr. Hale’s mysterious disappearance.

Tricia plays the tapes one by one, late into the night. With each one, another shocking piece of the puzzle falls into place, and Dr. Adrienne Hale’s web of lies slowly unravels.

And then Tricia reaches the final cassette.

The one that reveals the entire horrifying truth.]]> 286 Freida McFadden Mrs. Wegener 5 adult-lit, thriller 4.09 2022 Never Lie
author: Freida McFadden
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: adult-lit, thriller
review:

]]> The Briar Club 181110045 A haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.

Washington, D.C., 1950. Everyone keeps to themselves at Briarwood House, a down-at-the-heels all-female boardinghouse in the heart of the nation’s capital, where secrets hide behind white picket fences. But when the lovely, mysterious widow Grace March moves into the attic, she draws her oddball collection of neighbors into unlikely friendship: poised English beauty Fliss whose facade of perfect wife and mother covers gaping inner wounds; police officer’s daughter Nora, who is entangled with a shadowy gangster; frustrated baseball star Bea, whose career has ended along with the women’s baseball league of WWII; and poisonous, gung-ho Arlene, who has thrown herself into McCarthy’s Red Scare.

Grace’s weekly attic-room dinner parties and window-brewed sun tea become a healing balm on all their lives, but she hides a terrible secret of her own. When a shocking act of violence tears apart the house, the Briar Club women must decide once and for all: Who is the true enemy in their midst?]]> 432 Kate Quinn 0063244748 Mrs. Wegener 4 4.26 2024 The Briar Club
author: Kate Quinn
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: adult-lit, historical, realistic
review:
I wasn’t sure I was going to rate this book four stars, but I really enjoyed the last few chapters, with all the characters coming together, so the book ended on a high. This is a story set in the 1950s about a women’s only boarding house in Washington DC. Each chapter focuses on a different boarder after the book begins with a murder, only you don’t know who was murdered. The chapters that focused on each character were extremely long, and I felt like each character was too much of a stereotype. I almost feel like this would have been a better movie that book, but like I said, the final chapters that brought everyone together made up for my annoyances along the way.
]]> <![CDATA[The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie]]> 216476388 My husband is dead.

I attended his funeral. I watched his casket be lowered six feet into the ground. (Actually, it may have been only five feet, but that still seems like more than enough.) And then we ate an array of finger sandwiches and deviled eggs and miniature beef wellingtons that cost more than my first car.

My point is, Grant is gone. And so are all his many, many deep, dark secrets which I never really ever bothered to ask him about. He is never coming back.

So why do I still see his face everywhere I go?

The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie is an utterly addictive, unputdownable, nail-biting, absolutely gripping psychological thriller novella with a shocking, breathtaking, heartstopping, spine-chilling twist that you won't see coming, will leave you stunned, and will literally have you picking your jaw up off the floor and bringing it to the nearest hospital for major facial reconstructive surgery.]]> 152 Freida McFadden Mrs. Wegener 5 comedy, humor The BEST thriller satire!! 3.34 2024 The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie
author: Freida McFadden
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.34
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: comedy, humor
review:
The BEST thriller satire!!
]]> Ward D 123193218 spending the night on a locked psychiatric ward.

Amy has been dreading her evening working on Ward D, the hospital’s inpatient mental health unit. There are very specific reasons why she never wanted to do this required overnight rotation. Reasons nobody can ever find out.

And as the hours tick by, Amy grows increasingly convinced something terrible is happening within these tightly secured walls. When patients and staff start to vanish without a trace, it becomes clear that everyone on the unit is in grave danger.

Amy’s worst nightmare was spending the night on Ward D.

And now she might never escape.
]]> 348 Freida McFadden Mrs. Wegener 5 3.98 2023 Ward D
author: Freida McFadden
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves: adult-lit, realistic, thriller
review:

]]> Gris Grimly's Frankenstein 17331402 208 Gris Grimly 0062239228 Mrs. Wegener 4 3.83 2013 Gris Grimly's Frankenstein
author: Gris Grimly
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/06
date added: 2024/11/06
shelves: graphic-novels, sci-fi, horror
review:

]]> The God of the Woods 199698485 When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.

As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.]]> 490 Liz Moore Mrs. Wegener 5 4.15 2024 The God of the Woods
author: Liz Moore
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/06
date added: 2024/09/06
shelves: adult-lit, thriller, historical
review:

]]> Monster 44184 Monster.

Fade In: Interior Court. A guard sits at a desk behind Steve. Kathy O'Brien, Steve's lawyer, is all business as she talks to Steve.

O'Brien
Let me make sure you understand what's going on. Both you and this king character are on trial for felony murder. Felony Murder is as serious as it gets. . . . When you're in court, you sit there and pay attetion. You let the jury know that you think the case is a serious as they do. . . .

Steve
You think we're going to win ?

O'Brien (seriously)
It probably depends on what you mean by "win."

Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. A Harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that Steve served as the lookout.

Guilty or innocent, Steve becomes a pawn in the hands of "the system," cluttered with cynical authority figures and unscrupulous inmates, who will turn in anyone to shorten their own sentences. For the first time, Steve is forced to think about who he is as he faces prison, where he may spend all the tomorrows of his life.

As a way of coping with the horrific events that entangle him, Steve, an amateur filmmaker, decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies. He writes it all down, scene by scene, the story of how his whole life was turned around in an instant. But despite his efforts, reality is blurred and his vision obscured until he can no longer tell who he is or what is the truth. This compelling novel is Walter Dean Myers's writing at its best.]]> 281 Walter Dean Myers 0064407314 Mrs. Wegener 3 realistic 3.74 1999 Monster
author: Walter Dean Myers
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: realistic
review:
I didn't "dislike" this book but it was a bit hard to follow. I think if you really like courtroom shows or legal dramas, this is the PERFECT book for you. I like how the author left the crime open-ended; even though the jury found a verdict, we never really find out if Steve actually is guilty or innocent. Very thought provoking!
]]> <![CDATA[Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #2)]]> 51335759
With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time everyone is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?]]> 413 Holly Jackson 1405297751 Mrs. Wegener 5 realistic, thriller 4.26 2020 Good Girl, Bad Blood (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #2)
author: Holly Jackson
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: realistic, thriller
review:
THE BEST SEQUEL I'VE EVER READ!!! Jackson perfectly kept the story going without dragging out the same plot from the first book. The catfish/serial killer's kid plot line SHOCKED ME!
]]> <![CDATA[A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1)]]> 40916679
Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town.

But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day. She knew Sal when she was a child, and he was always so kind to her. How could he possibly have been a killer?

Now a senior herself, Pip decides to reexamine the closed case for her final project, at first just to cast doubt on the original investigation. But soon she discovers a trail of dark secrets that might actually prove Sal innocent . . . and the line between past and present begins to blur. Someone in Fairview doesn't want Pip digging around for answers, and now her own life might be in danger.]]> 433 Holly Jackson 1405293187 Mrs. Wegener 4 realistic, thriller 4.30 2019 A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, #1)
author: Holly Jackson
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: realistic, thriller
review:
This book lives up to the hype around it! I highly recommend reading this before watching the show on Netflix!
]]> Ban This Book 31702735 -Readers, librarians, and all those books that have drawn a challenge have a brand new hero.... Stand up and cheer, book lovers. This one's for you.- --Kathi Appelt, author of the Newbery Honor-winning The Underneath

An inspiring tale of a fourth-grader who fights back when her favorite book is banned from the school library--by starting her own illegal locker library!

It all started the day Amy Anne Ollinger tried to check out her favorite book in the whole world, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, from the school library. That's when Mrs. Jones, the librarian, told her the bad news: her favorite book was banned! All because a classmate's mom thought the book wasn't appropriate for kids to read.

Amy Anne decides to fight back by starting a secret banned books library out of her locker. Soon, she finds herself on the front line of an unexpected battle over book banning, censorship, and who has the right to decide what she and her fellow students can read.

Reminiscent of the classic novel Frindle by Andrew Clements for its inspiring message, Ban This Book is a love letter to the written word and its power to give kids a voice.

-Ban This Book is absolutely brilliant and belongs on the shelves of every library in the multiverse.---Lauren Myracle, author of the bestselling Internet Girls series, the most challenged books of 2009 and 2011]]> 256 Alan Gratz 0765385562 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.39 2017 Ban This Book
author: Alan Gratz
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.39
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking, #3)]]> 20758105 643 Patrick Ness 0763676195 Mrs. Wegener 4 4.18 2010 Monsters of Men (Chaos Walking, #3)
author: Patrick Ness
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2024/08/30
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves:
review:

]]> The Night She Disappeared 12013031 229 April Henry 0805092625 Mrs. Wegener 5 thriller, realistic 3.95 2012 The Night She Disappeared
author: April Henry
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: thriller, realistic
review:
MY NEW FAVORITE APRIL HENRY BOOK!!
]]> A Bright Moon For Fools 17857138
Harry Christmas has it all: grief, debt, gout, red trousers. Running away to Caracas might seem like a good idea but mischief is a greedy companion. Escape turns to tragedy and love becomes shames as Christmas finds himself the agent of far greater havoc....

A comic novel that is as funny as it is heart-breaking, Jasper Gibson's debut marks the arrival of a bold new voice in British fiction.

Jasper Gibson is co-founder of thepoke.co.uk]]> 368 Jasper Gibson Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.55 2013 A Bright Moon For Fools
author: Jasper Gibson
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Keeping the Castle (Keeping the Castle, #1)]]> 12871232 261 Patrice Kindl 0670014389 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.57 2012 Keeping the Castle (Keeping the Castle, #1)
author: Patrice Kindl
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Mango-Shaped Space 171020 221 Wendy Mass 0316058254 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.21 2005 A Mango-Shaped Space
author: Wendy Mass
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/08/20
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Wide, Wide Sea (Chaos Walking, #2.5)]]> 17926807 The Wide, Wide Sea is set in the past, at a time before the Spackle War, and we get a first look at the fishing village on the sea where some very important things happen at the end of Monsters of Men.

Best read after The Ask and the Answer but before Monsters.

(again, hints of things to come) - Patrick Ness]]> 39 Patrick Ness Mrs. Wegener 4 sci-fi 4.01 2009 The Wide, Wide Sea (Chaos Walking, #2.5)
author: Patrick Ness
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2024/04/02
date added: 2024/04/02
shelves: sci-fi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2)]]> 20758103
Fleeing before a relentless army, Todd has carried a desperately wounded Viola right into the hands of their worst enemy, Mayor Prentiss. Immediately separated from Viola and imprisoned, Todd is forced to learn the ways of the Mayor's new order. But what secrets are hiding just outside of town? And where is Viola? Is she even still alive? And who are the mysterious Answer? And then, one day, the bombs begin to explode...

"The Ask and the Answer" is a tense, shocking and deeply moving novel of resistance under the most extreme pressure. This is the second title in the "Chaos Walking" trilogy.]]> 553 Patrick Ness 0763676179 Mrs. Wegener 3 adventure, sci-fi, thriller 4.16 2009 The Ask and the Answer (Chaos Walking, #2)
author: Patrick Ness
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/28
date added: 2024/03/28
shelves: adventure, sci-fi, thriller
review:
This is the second book the the Chaos Walking series and the only word I can use to describe it would be INTENSE! The three-star rating is not because the book wasn't great, but more so that I had a pit in my stomach the entire time reading. Nothing seemed to go well for the characters and the plot advanced not in the way I wanted it to. This story is a terrifying example of prejudice, war, and sexism presented in a dystopian world none of us would want to live in.
]]> <![CDATA[The New World (Chaos Walking, #0.5)]]> 17928853 The New World is the story of how Viola came to where we found her in The Knife of Never Letting Go .

It is best read immediately after that book because there are hints of things to come.

(I'm always hinting at things to come; it's fun). - Patrick Ness]]> 36 Patrick Ness Mrs. Wegener 3 3.84 2010 The New World (Chaos Walking, #0.5)
author: Patrick Ness
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/03/20
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1)]]> 20758104 528 Patrick Ness 0763676187 Mrs. Wegener 5 sci-fi, thriller 4.02 2008 The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking, #1)
author: Patrick Ness
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/20
date added: 2024/03/20
shelves: sci-fi, thriller
review:
If you even somewhat enjoyed The Hunger Games, Divergent, or the Maze Runner (really any dystopian series), this book is for you! It's set on a planet called New World where men can hear the thoughts of each other, called Noise. When Todd, the main character, finds a female after believing all have perished during the Spackle War, hidden truths are revealed and a fight for survival ensues.
]]> <![CDATA[I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)]]> 19161872
On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

Instead, Malala's miraculous recovery has taken her on an extraordinary journey from a remote valley in northern Pakistan to the halls of the United Nations in New York. At sixteen, she has become a global symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest nominee ever for the Nobel Peace Prize.

I AM MALALA is the remarkable tale of a family uprooted by global terrorism, of the fight for girls' education, of a father who, himself a school owner, championed and encouraged his daughter to write and attend school, and of brave parents who have a fierce love for their daughter in a society that prizes sons.

I AM MALALA will make you believe in the power of one person's voice to inspire change in the world.]]> 230 Malala Yousafzai 031632793X Mrs. Wegener 5 4.32 I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)
author: Malala Yousafzai
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/01/04
date added: 2024/01/23
shelves: nonfiction-informational, autobiography-biography
review:
First, someone would need A LOT of background information to read this book, however, the material was presented in a manner to make it easy to understand and follow. I kept thinking of my students as I read Malala's story. I think many of my students take for granted their right to so many freedoms, mainly education. I really hope teaching this book opens their eyes to worldly issues and to just how privileged they really are!
]]> <![CDATA[The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America]]> 397483
Burnham's challenge was immense. In a short period of time, he was forced to overcome the death of his partner and numerous other obstacles to construct the famous "White City" around which the fair was built. His efforts to complete the project, and the fair's incredible success, are skillfully related along with entertaining appearances by such notables as Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas Edison.

The activities of the sinister Dr. Holmes, who is believed to be responsible for scores of murders around the time of the fair, are equally remarkable. He devised and erected the World's Fair Hotel, complete with crematorium and gas chamber, near the fairgrounds and used the event as well as his own charismatic personality to lure victims.

Combining the stories of an architect and a killer in one book, mostly in alternating chapters, seems like an odd choice but it works. The magical appeal and horrifying dark side of 19th-century Chicago are both revealed through Larson's skillful writing. - John Moe]]> 464 Erik Larson 0609608444 Mrs. Wegener 4 4.02 2003 The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
author: Erik Larson
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2003
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/21
date added: 2024/01/21
shelves: adult-lit, nonfiction-informational
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Son of the Mob (Son of the Mob, #1)]]> 22237
There is just one thing that really sets him apart for other kids—his father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization.

Needless to say, while Vince''s family''s connections can be handy for certain things (like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade), they can put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living?

But when Vince meets a girl who finally seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent � the one who wants to put his father away for good.]]> 262 Gordon Korman 0786815930 Mrs. Wegener 5 comedy, realistic 3.72 2002 Son of the Mob (Son of the Mob, #1)
author: Gordon Korman
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/01/12
shelves: comedy, realistic
review:

]]> Conceal, Don't Feel 43885693 What if Anna and Elsa never knew each other?

As the future Queen of Arendelle, Princess Elsa’s life is full of expectation and responsibility—not to mention, questions. What type of ruler will she be? When will she have to pick a suitor? And why has she always harbored the feeling that some critical piece of herself is missing?

Following the unexpected death of her parents, Elsa is forced to answer those questions sooner than she’d hoped, becoming the sole ruler of her kingdom and growing lonelier than ever. But when mysterious powers begin to reveal themselves, Elsa starts to remember fragments of her childhood that seem to have been erased—pieces that include a very familiar-looking girl. Determined to fill the void she has always felt, Elsa must take a harrowing journey across her icy kingdom to undo a terrible curse . . . and find the missing Princess of Arendelle.]]> 320 Jen Calonita 1368052231 Mrs. Wegener 3 fantasy 3.80 2019 Conceal, Don't Feel
author: Jen Calonita
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/08
date added: 2024/01/08
shelves: fantasy
review:
If you are even remotely a Frozen fan, you should read this! It's super fun and an easy read!
]]> The Alice Network 32051912
1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, code name Alice, the "queen of spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.

Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth...no matter where it leads.]]> 503 Kate Quinn 0062654195 Mrs. Wegener 5 4.30 2017 The Alice Network
author: Kate Quinn
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/13
date added: 2023/12/13
shelves: adult-lit, historical, realistic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian]]> 693208
Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

With a foreward by Markus Zusak & interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney
]]> 230 Sherman Alexie 0316013684 Mrs. Wegener 5 4.05 2007 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
author: Sherman Alexie
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/26
date added: 2023/09/26
shelves: comedy, favorites, humor, realistic
review:
This book has everything: heart, sports, comics, emotion, immature stories, and language (which I'm sure middle schoolers would like). It also has important themes that students need to learn, be aware of, and try to change. I just love this book so much, if there weren't so many inappropriate (but definitely middle school approved) jokes, I'd want to teach this book.
]]> Inexcusable 307652
Keir Sarafian knows many things about himself. He is a talented football player, a loyal friend, a devoted son and brother. Most of all, he is a good guy.

And yet the love of his life thinks otherwise. Gigi says Keir has done something awful. Something unforgivable.

Keir doesn't understand. He loves Gigi. He would never do anything to hurt her. So Keir carefully recounts the events leading up to that one fateful night, in order to uncover the truth. Clearly, there has been a mistake.

But what has happened is, indeed, something inexcusable.]]> 176 Chris Lynch 1416939725 Mrs. Wegener 4 realistic 3.04 2005 Inexcusable
author: Chris Lynch
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.04
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/09/19
shelves: realistic
review:
If a student has read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, this novel presents a similar issue (consent), but from the POV of the wrongdoer. I didn't particularly enjoy it because this big, heavy "thing" was settling over the plot, however, not only is it a perfect example of an unreliable narrator, but it's an eye-opening account of young, male privilege and the results of lack of consequences.
]]> <![CDATA[Love & Gelato (Love & Gelato, #1)]]> 25756328 “I made the wrong choice.�

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is go back home.

But then she is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires her, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything she knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.]]> 386 Jenna Evans Welch 1481432540 Mrs. Wegener 3 romance, realistic 4.03 2016 Love & Gelato (Love & Gelato, #1)
author: Jenna Evans Welch
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/31
date added: 2023/08/31
shelves: romance, realistic
review:
If you are a romance fan, this book is PERFECT for you. However, I'm not a big romance gal and if I'm honest, the main character was a bit annoying. Again though, I would highly recommend it to my students, especially if they are fans of Summer I Turned Pretty or To All The Boys I've Loved Before.
]]> Two Truths and a Lie 58950704 A group of teens are trapped in an old motel with a murderer in this chilling YA mystery by New York Times bestselling author April Henry.

Nell has always wanted to be an actor, but doubts her ability. As a member of her school’s theater program, she prefers working backstage. On the way to a contest, an unexpected blizzard strands her acting troupe in a creepy motel. Soon they meet a group of strangers from another high school—including the mysterious and handsome Knox, who insists they play the game Two Truths and a Lie. When it’s Nell’s turn, she draws a slip of paper inked in unfamiliar handwriting:

I like to watch people die.
I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve killed.

Suddenly a night of harmless fun turns into a matter of life and death. As guests go missing, it becomes clear that a murderer is hiding in their midst ready to strike again. In a room full of liars and performers, the truth is never quite what it seems. Nell is going to have to act like her life depends on it—because it does.]]> 275 April Henry 0316323330 Mrs. Wegener 0 realistic, thriller 3.35 2022 Two Truths and a Lie
author: April Henry
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at: 2023/01/01
date added: 2023/08/24
shelves: realistic, thriller
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Cursed and Condemned (The Cursed Six Book 1)]]> 171814962 193 Danielle Million Mrs. Wegener 5 fantasy 4.43 Cursed and Condemned (The Cursed Six Book 1)
author: Danielle Million
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/24
date added: 2023/08/24
shelves: fantasy
review:
I was lucky to receive an Advanced Reader's Copy of this book, and I'm thrilled I did! The fantasy genre isn't my favorite, and I did think this had a slow start. However, I can already picture many students who would enjoy it, and I can't wait to purchase it for my classroom library! This book had mystery, adventure, romance, and supernatural elements. The cliffhanger at the end made me pumped for the second book!
]]> <![CDATA[The Reading Comprehension Blueprint: Helping Students Make Meaning from Text]]> 51543103 304 Nancy Hennessy M.Ed. 1681254034 Mrs. Wegener 3 4.14 The Reading Comprehension Blueprint: Helping Students Make Meaning from Text
author: Nancy Hennessy M.Ed.
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.14
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/08/15
date added: 2023/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades]]> 35850531 Why you need a writing revolution in your classroom and how to lead it

The Writing Revolution (TWR) provides a clear method of instruction that you can use no matter what subject or grade level you teach. The model, also known as The Hochman Method, has demonstrated, over and over, that it can turn weak writers into strong communicators by focusing on specific techniques that match their needs and by providing them with targeted feedback.

Insurmountable as the challenges faced by many students may seem, The Writing Revolution can make a dramatic difference. And the method does more than improve writing skills. It also

Boost reading comprehension Improve organizational and study skills Enhance speaking abilities Develop analytical capabilities The Writing Revolution is as much a method of teaching content as it is a method of teaching writing. There's no separate writing block and no separate writing curriculum. Instead, teachers of all subjects adapt the TWR strategies and activities to their current curriculum and weave them into their content instruction.

But perhaps what's most revolutionary about the TWR method is that it takes the mystery out of learning to write well. It breaks the writing process down into manageable chunks and then has students practice the chunks they need, repeatedly, while also learning content.]]> 294 Judith C. Hochman Mrs. Wegener 5 4.36 The Writing Revolution: A Guide to Advancing Thinking Through Writing in All Subjects and Grades
author: Judith C. Hochman
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.36
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/08/15
date added: 2023/08/15
shelves:
review:

]]> If You're Reading This 20578942
Then, out of the blue, Mike receives a letter from his father - the first of a series Dad wrote in Afghanistan, just in case he didn't come home, meant to share some wisdom with his son on the eve of Mike's 16th birthday. As the letters come in, Mike revels in spending time with his dad again, and takes his encouragement to try new things - to go out for the football team, and ask out the beautiful Isma. But who's been keeping the letters all these years? And how did Dad actually die? As the answers to these mysteries are revealed, Mike and his family find a way to heal and move forward at last.]]> 304 Trent Reedy 0545433428 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.05 2014 If You're Reading This
author: Trent Reedy
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/22
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> West With Giraffes 56449476 An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.

“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…�

Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.

It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.

Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late.]]> 346 Lynda Rutledge 1542023351 Mrs. Wegener 5 historical, realistic 4.34 2021 West With Giraffes
author: Lynda Rutledge
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/04/17
date added: 2023/04/17
shelves: historical, realistic
review:

]]> Belly Up (FunJungle, #1) 6760793 294 Stuart Gibbs 1416987312 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.17 2010 Belly Up (FunJungle, #1)
author: Stuart Gibbs
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/04/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Wish You Were Here 57701764 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and The Book of Two Ways comes comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.

Jodi Picoult once again proves she is the master of wading through the darkness to find the light. Wish You Were Here is a powerfully evocative story of resilience and the triumph of the human spirit.
--Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising

Synopsis
Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

In the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.]]> 310 Jodi Picoult 1984818414 Mrs. Wegener 4 adult-lit, realistic 3.86 2021 Wish You Were Here
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/04/02
date added: 2023/04/02
shelves: adult-lit, realistic
review:
VERY Covid heavy, but it leaves you with SO MUCH to think about and debate
]]> <![CDATA[Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson]]> 6900
Maybe, like Mitch, you lost track of this mentor as you made your way, and the insights faded. Wouldn't you like to see that person again, ask the bigger questions that still haunt you?

Mitch Albom had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying of ALS - or motor neurone disease - Mitch visited Morrie in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final 'class': lessons in how to live.]]> 210 Mitch Albom Mrs. Wegener 5 autobiography-biography 4.19 1997 Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson
author: Mitch Albom
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2023/02/21
date added: 2023/02/21
shelves: autobiography-biography
review:

]]> Behind the Locked Door 63842698 118 M Addison McEwan 138771788X Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.75 Behind the Locked Door
author: M Addison McEwan
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.75
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/02/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> A Night Divided 40944461
But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?]]> 357 Jennifer A. Nielsen 0545682436 Mrs. Wegener 5 historical 4.34 2015 A Night Divided
author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/01/19
shelves: historical
review:

]]> The It Girl 59345249
Vivacious, bright, occasionally vicious, and the ultimate It girl, she quickly pulled Hannah into her dazzling orbit. Together, they developed a group of devoted and inseparable friends—Will, Hugh, Ryan, and Emily—during their first term. By the end of the second, April was dead.

Now, a decade later, Hannah and Will are expecting their first child, and the man convicted of killing April, former Oxford porter John Neville, has died in prison. Relieved to have finally put the past behind her, Hannah’s world is rocked when a young journalist comes knocking and presents new evidence that Neville may have been innocent. As Hannah reconnects with old friends and delves deeper into the mystery of April’s death, she realizes that the friends she thought she knew all have something to hide� including a murder.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of One by One returns with an unputdownable mystery following a woman on the search for answers a decade after her friend’s murder.

]]> 423 Ruth Ware 1982155264 Mrs. Wegener 3 3.81 2022 The It Girl
author: Ruth Ware
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/01/19
date added: 2023/01/19
shelves: adult-lit, realistic, thriller
review:
Ugh, this book was fiiiiine. It was just realllllllly long and there were many times I wasn't excited to pick it up. The ending was fine as well.
]]> Girl Forgotten 61398911
Seventeen years ago, Layla Trello was murdered and her killer was never found. Enter true-crime fan Piper Gray, who is determined to reopen Layla’s case and get some answers. With the help of Jonas—who has a secret of his own—Piper starts a podcast investigating Layla’s murder. But as she digs deeper into the mysteries of the past, Piper begins receiving anonymous threats telling her to back off the investigation, or else. The killer is still out there, and Piper must uncover their identity before they silence her forever. ]]> 264 April Henry 0316322598 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.66 2023 Girl Forgotten
author: April Henry
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Andy Warhol was a Hoarder: Inside the Minds of History's Great Personalities]]> 23995433 320 Claudia Kalb 1426214669 Mrs. Wegener 5 3.79 2016 Andy Warhol was a Hoarder: Inside the Minds of History's Great Personalities
author: Claudia Kalb
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2022/12/19
date added: 2022/12/19
shelves: adult-lit, nonfiction-informational
review:
This was SO INTERESTING! Some of the celebrities featured are some of my favorites (Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diane). But even more interesting, was the discussion around mental illness. I wish mental health was discussed more throughout history and not seen as a bad thing. Maybe the world would be a bit better now, and maybe many of these people wouldn't have lived such short lives. Regardless, if different illnesses of the brain interest you (maybe you suffer from one of these or no someone who does), I highly recommend reading this.
]]> <![CDATA[Best Friends (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels, #1)]]> 60012959 Jessica and Elizabeth are ready to take on middle school . . . but are they ready to take on each other? The New York Times bestselling world of Sweet Valley Twins returns in these all-new graphic novel adaptations!

Jessica and Elizabeth have always been inseparable twins, but starting middle school means a chance for new beginnings! Elizabeth is excited to organize a school newspaper, but Jessica is more interested in joining the exclusive Unicorn Club. What will happen when the twins realize they might not be as alike as they thought?

Middle school is hard enough, but with these twins each dealing with becoming their own person--will they be able to stay friends at the same time?

Francine Pascal's beloved Sweet Valley Twins comes to life in a brand-new graphic novel that will have old and new fans delighted as they meet Jessica and Elizabeth in graphic novel form. With the lively artwork of Claudia Aguirre, Sweet Valley Twins: Best Friends is a contemporary middle-grade graphic novel filled with heart, laughter, and lots of twins.]]> 218 Nicole Andelfinger 0593376463 Mrs. Wegener 3 3.90 2022 Best Friends (Sweet Valley Twins Graphic Novels, #1)
author: Nicole Andelfinger
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2022/12/19
date added: 2022/12/19
shelves: comedy, realistic, graphic-novels
review:
I don't typically read graphic novels, and after reading this one, I may not read another. If you're a fan of graphic novels, I think you'll really like this. However, I've been a Sweet Valley fan since I was in middle school. I've probably read 50-100 Sweet Valley books, and this newest one just doesn't sound like Elizabeth or Jessica; that's what was annoying to me. However, the graphics were awesome!!
]]> You Should See Me in a Crown 50160619
But when the financial aid she was counting on unexpectedly falls through, Liz's plans come crashing down . . . until she's reminded of her school's scholarship for prom king and queen. There's nothing Liz wants to do less than endure a gauntlet of social media trolls, catty competitors, and humiliating public events, but despite her devastating fear of the spotlight she's willing to do whatever it takes to get to Pennington.

The only thing that makes it halfway bearable is the new girl in school, Mack. She's smart, funny, and just as much of an outsider as Liz. But Mack is also in the running for queen. Will falling for the competition keep Liz from her dreams . . . or make them come true?

A newer edition of ISBN 9781338503265 can be found here.]]> 336 Leah Johnson Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.07 2020 You Should See Me in a Crown
author: Leah Johnson
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at: 2022/12/05
date added: 2022/12/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Period 8 15789615
Paul "the Bomb" Baum tells the truth. No matter what. It was something he learned at Sunday School. But telling the truth can cause problems, and not minor ones. And as Paulie discovers, finding the truth can be even more problematic. Period 8 is supposed to be that one period in high school where the truth can shine, a safe haven. Only what Paulie and Hannah (his ex-girlfriend, unfortunately) and his other classmates don't know is that the ultimate bully, the ultimate liar, is in their midst.

Terrifying, thought-provoking, and original, this novel combines all the qualities of a great thriller with the controversy, ethics, and raw emotion of a classic Crutcher story.]]> 320 Chris Crutcher 0061914800 Mrs. Wegener 4 realistic, thriller
Trigger warning: trafficking of young women]]> 3.55 2013 Period 8
author: Chris Crutcher
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2022/11/11
date added: 2022/11/11
shelves: realistic, thriller
review:
This book left me with a few unanswered questions which I found annoying. I also found the relationship between the teacher and his period 8 a bit odd. Despite the lingering questions, this was highly entertaining and a quick read; I just had to know what the big mystery was.

Trigger warning: trafficking of young women
]]> The Truth About Truman School 2597796 176 Dori Hillestad Butler 0807580953 Mrs. Wegener 3 realistic
I'd probably give this more of a 3.5 or 3.7 rating, mostly because of the above quote. It's so true, for adults or teens. I liked the theme of cyber bullying and how it negatively can affect young adults. My only gripe with the book was how awful the characters were and that they pretty unrealistic. Or, maybe I know nothing, and this is truly how middle schoolers act ... but I doubt it. ]]> 3.75 2008 The Truth About Truman School
author: Dori Hillestad Butler
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 2022/09/23
date added: 2022/09/23
shelves: realistic
review:
"I think the person you show online is exactly the person you really are. The person you show in real life is the one that's fake. Think about it. Most people are chameleons. They act different around different people. What's real about that?"

I'd probably give this more of a 3.5 or 3.7 rating, mostly because of the above quote. It's so true, for adults or teens. I liked the theme of cyber bullying and how it negatively can affect young adults. My only gripe with the book was how awful the characters were and that they pretty unrealistic. Or, maybe I know nothing, and this is truly how middle schoolers act ... but I doubt it.
]]> <![CDATA[Greetings from Witness Protection!]]> 33158544 Nicki Demere is an orphan and a pickpocket. She also happens to be the U.S. Marshals� best bet to keep a family alive. . . .

The marshals are looking for the perfect girl to join a mother, father, and son on the run from the nation’s most notorious criminals. After all, the bad guys are searching for a family with one kid, not two, and adding a streetwise girl who knows a little something about hiding things may be just what the marshals need.

Nicki swears she can keep the Trevor family safe, but to do so she’ll have to dodge hitmen, cyberbullies, and the specter of standardized testing, all while maintaining her marshal-mandated B-minus average. As she barely balances the responsibilities of her new identity, Nicki learns that the biggest threats to her family’s security might not lurk on the road from New York to North Carolina, but rather in her own past.]]> 368 Jake Burt 1250107113 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.28 2017 Greetings from Witness Protection!
author: Jake Burt
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 500 Words or Less 34104980
But the more essays Nic writes for other people, the less sure she becomes of herself, the kind of person she is, and whether her moral compass even points north anymore.]]> 373 Juleah del Rosario 1534410449 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.47 2018 500 Words or Less
author: Juleah del Rosario
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Maybe He Just Likes You 43822752 A Washington Post Best Children’s Book of 2019

Barbara Dee explores the subject of #MeToo for the middle grade audience in this heart-wrenching—and ultimately uplifting—novel about experiencing harassment and unwanted attention from classmates.

For seventh-grader Mila, it starts with some boys giving her an unwanted hug on the school blacktop. A few days later, at recess, one of the boys (and fellow trumpet player) Callum tells Mila it’s his birthday, and asks her for a “birthday hug.� He’s just being friendly, isn’t he? And how can she say no? But Callum’s hug lasts a few seconds too long, and feels…weird. According to her friend, Zara, Mila is being immature and overreacting. Doesn’t she know what flirting looks like?

But the boys don’t leave Mila alone. On the bus. In the halls. During band practice—the one place Mila could always escape.

It doesn’t feel like flirting—so what is it? Thanks to a chance meeting, Mila begins to find solace in a new karate class. Slowly, with the help of a fellow classmate, Mila learns how to stand her ground and how to respect others—and herself.

From the author of Everything I Know About You , Halfway Normal , and Star-Crossed comes this timely story of a middle school girl standing up and finding her voice.”]]> 304 Barbara Dee 153443237X Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.21 2019 Maybe He Just Likes You
author: Barbara Dee
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/08/26
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Rose Code 53914938 The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.

1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of East-End London poverty, works the legendary code-breaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart.

1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter—the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger—and their true enemy...]]> 624 Kate Quinn 0062943472 Mrs. Wegener 4 4.42 2021 The Rose Code
author: Kate Quinn
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2022/05/05
date added: 2022/05/05
shelves: adult-lit, historical, realistic
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Charlie Brown and Friends: A PEANUTS Collection (Peanuts by Schulz Book 2)]]> 20325245 Peanuts.

Charles Schulz's Peanuts is one of the most timeless and beloved comic strips ever. Now AMP! helps carry on that legacy with new collections of Peanuts classics focused around topics sure to resonate with middle-grade readers. Second in the series is Charlie Brown and Friends. Whether it's the curious relationship between a bird, Woodstock, and a dog, Snoopy, or the never-ending crush that Peppermint Patty has on Charlie Brown, the gang's interactions are what make Peanuts resonate with kids.

First published in 1950, the classic Peanuts strip now appears in more than 2,200 newspapers in 75 countries in 25 languages. Phrases such as "security blanket" and "good grief", which originated in the Peanuts world, are now part of the global vernacular, and images of Charles Schulz's classic characters Charlie Brown kicking the football, Lucy leaning over Schroeder's piano, are now universally recognized.

Together these books will introduce a new generation of kids to the lovable cast in time for the new animated Peanuts movie, which hits theaters in 2015!]]> 224 Charles M. Schulz 1449452329 Mrs. Wegener 5 humor 4.50 1968 Charlie Brown and Friends: A PEANUTS Collection (Peanuts by Schulz Book 2)
author: Charles M. Schulz
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.50
book published: 1968
rating: 5
read at: 2022/04/14
date added: 2022/04/14
shelves: humor
review:
If you like Charlie Brown, you should definitely read this! I LOVE the dry humor; I laughed out loud so many times reading this :D
]]> Noggin 18049084
Now he’s alive again.

Simple as that.

The in between part is still a little fuzzy, but he can tell you that, at some point or another, his head got chopped off and shoved into a freezer in Denver, Colorado. Five years later, it was reattached to some other guy’s body, and well, here he is. Despite all logic, he’s still 16 and everything and everyone around him has changed. That includes his bedroom, his parents, his best friend, and his girlfriend. Or maybe she’s not his girlfriend anymore? That’s a bit fuzzy too.

Looks like if the new Travis and the old Travis are ever going to find a way to exist together, then there are going to be a few more scars.

Oh well, you only live twice.]]> 340 John Corey Whaley 1442458747 Mrs. Wegener 3 sci-fi 3.75 2014 Noggin
author: John Corey Whaley
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2014
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2022/03/28
shelves: sci-fi
review:
This was a very interesting concept for a book: a teenager dies from cancer, and his head is frozen. Five years later, it's replaced on a new body. That is where the story starts. While the plot was interesting, I found this to be an extremely sad book because the main character kept focusing on his "past life" while his best friend and girlfriend were five years older.
]]> Closer to Nowhere 50608272 A novel in verse about coming to terms with indelible truths of family and belonging.

For the most part, Hannah's life is just how she wants it. She has two supportive parents, she's popular at school, and she's been killing it at gymnastics. But when her cousin Cal moves in with her family, everything changes. Cal tells half-truths and tall tales, pranks Hannah constantly, and seems to be the reason her parents are fighting more and more. Nothing is how it used to be. She knows that Cal went through a lot after his mom died and she is trying to be patient, but most days Hannah just wishes Cal never moved in.

For his part, Cal is trying his hardest to fit in, but not everyone is as appreciative of his unique sense of humor and storytelling gifts as he is. Humor and stories might be his defense mechanism, but if Cal doesn't let his walls down soon, he might push away the very people who are trying their best to love him.

Told in verse from the alternating perspectives of Hannah and Cal, this is a story of two cousins who are more alike than they realize and the family they both want to save.]]> 416 Ellen Hopkins 0593108612 Mrs. Wegener 5 favorites, realistic
I loved the two main characters and how honest they were, AND how up and down their relationship was. I just can't say enough good things about this book; I loved it! ]]> 4.23 2020 Closer to Nowhere
author: Ellen Hopkins
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2022/03/23
date added: 2022/03/23
shelves: favorites, realistic
review:
Ellen Hopkins is one of my FAVORITE authors, however, her books are not appropriate for middle school students. Now, finally, one for young readers! My favorite thing about this book though, is that it's written in Hopkins's usual style of beautiful prose (poem form).

I loved the two main characters and how honest they were, AND how up and down their relationship was. I just can't say enough good things about this book; I loved it!
]]> <![CDATA[The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1)]]> 52439531
To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.]]> 386 Jennifer Lynn Barnes 1368052401 Mrs. Wegener 3 adventure, realistic 4.13 2020 The Inheritance Games (The Inheritance Games, #1)
author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2022/03/04
date added: 2022/03/04
shelves: adventure, realistic
review:
I liked all the mystery aspects of this book! The ending was a little underwhelming
]]> <![CDATA[Escape from Chernobyl (Escape From, #1)]]> 55977918


26 April 1986

01:18

Alina & Lev are two siblings living in Pripyat, one of the Soviet Union's proud nuclear cities. Both are asleep in their beds.

Their cousin, Yuri, is a custodian at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, where he's fiercely attacking a spill in the hallway with a mop.

Alina's best friend, Sofiya, sleeps just a few doors down. Her father is an engineer at the plant, a fact that has always filled her with pride.

In five minutes, Reactor No. 4 will explode in a ball of fire. It will expel radiation across their town for nine days before it's finally contained. For the people of Pripyat, it will be far too late.





Two young siblings flee the Chernobyl disaster with their parents, but the Communist party is on their heels. Meanwhile, the friends and family they were forced to leave behind must contend with a disinformation campaign that's determined to pretend nothing is wrong-even as deadly radiation spills into the air.]]> 176 Andy Marino 1338718452 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.77 2021 Escape from Chernobyl (Escape From, #1)
author: Andy Marino
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)]]> 58679358 On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High's notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn't an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he'd planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who's still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.]]> 416 Karen M. McManus 0593565371 Mrs. Wegener 5 realistic, thriller 3.87 2017 One of Us Is Lying (One of Us is Lying, #1)
author: Karen M. McManus
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2022/02/11
date added: 2022/02/11
shelves: realistic, thriller
review:
This is an AMAZING thriller/mystery! It takes the movie the Breakfast Club and puts a spin on it: five kids walk into detention and only four walk out, was it murder or an accident? Throughout the book, you get each character's point of view, which I always enjoy in novels. I also really liked how each character was from a different "clique" but they all became best friends in the end. If you even remotely like "who dun it?" type stories, read this!
]]> The Wicked Deep 35297394 Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic meets the Salem Witch trials in this haunting story about three sisters on a quest for revenge—and how love may be the only thing powerful enough to stop them.

Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow�

Where, two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town.

Now, for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three weak-hearted girls so that they may seek their revenge, luring boys into the harbor and pulling them under.

Like many locals, seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters� return, a boy named Bo Carter arrives; unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.

Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty, rain-soaked streets. The townspeople turn against one another. Penny and Bo suspect each other of hiding secrets. And death comes swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.

But only Penny sees what others cannot. And she will be forced to save Bo, or save herself.]]> 310 Shea Ernshaw 1481497340 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.85 2018 The Wicked Deep
author: Shea Ernshaw
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/02/04
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The One and Only Bob (The One and Only #2)]]> 48613333 342 Katherine Applegate 0062991310 Mrs. Wegener 4 adventure 4.18 2020 The One and Only Bob (The One and Only #2)
author: Katherine Applegate
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2022/02/01
shelves: adventure
review:
If you are a fan of The One and Only Ivan, then you MUST read this book! I didn't like it as much as Ivan's story, but it was still good. It's much more action packed than the first.
]]> The Wish 56625098
By 2019, Maggie is a renowned travel photographer. She splits her time between running a successful gallery in New York and photographing remote locations around the world. But this year she is unexpectedly grounded over Christmas, struggling to come to terms with a sobering medical diagnosis. Increasingly dependent on a young assistant, she finds herself becoming close to him.

As they count down the last days of the season together, she begins to tell him the story of another Christmas, decades earlier—and the love that set her on a course she never could have imagined.]]> 387 Nicholas Sparks 1538728621 Mrs. Wegener 3 adult-lit, realistic, romance 4.25 2021 The Wish
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2022/02/01
date added: 2022/02/01
shelves: adult-lit, realistic, romance
review:
There wasn't anything wrong with this book, I am just not a big Nicholas Sparks fan. Too much of this wasn't believable for me. However, if you're a romance girly or guy, this is the book for you!
]]> Hatchet (Brian's Saga, #1) 50
Brian had been distraught over his parents' impending divorce and the secret he carries about his mother, but now he is truly desolate and alone. Exhausted, terrified, and hungry, Brian struggles to find food and make a shelter for himself. He has no special knowledge of the woods, and he must find a new kind of awareness and patience as he meets each day's challenges. Is the water safe to drink? Are the berries he finds poisonous?

Slowly, Brian learns to turn adversity to his advantage--an invading porcupine unexpectedly shows him how to make fire, a devastating tornado shows him how to retrieve supplies from the submerged airplane. Most of all, Brian leaves behind the self-pity he has felt about his predicament as he summons the courage to stay alive.

A story of survival and of transformation, this riveting book has sparked many a reader's interest in venturing into the wild.]]> 208 Gary Paulsen 0689840926 Mrs. Wegener 4 adventure, realistic 3.77 1987 Hatchet (Brian's Saga, #1)
author: Gary Paulsen
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1987
rating: 4
read at: 2022/02/01
date added: 2022/02/01
shelves: adventure, realistic
review:
This book STRESSED me out! If you like adventure stories, I would definitely recommend this. I love my students, but I'm not sure many would have the same grit to survive that Brian had. Shoot, I don't think I would have the grit to do the things he did throughout this story. I'm happy I finally read this and will definitely be reading more of the books in Brian's series!
]]> The Nest 23271637
All he has to do is say “Yes.� But “yes� is a powerful word. It is also a dangerous one. And once it is uttered, can it be taken back?]]> 256 Kenneth Oppel Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.74 2015 The Nest
author: Kenneth Oppel
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2022/01/25
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Female of the Species 25812109
Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.

As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.]]> 368 Mindy McGinnis Mrs. Wegener 5 adult-lit, realistic 4.14 2016 The Female of the Species
author: Mindy McGinnis
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2022/01/06
date added: 2022/01/12
shelves: adult-lit, realistic
review:
This book is INTENSE and follows very mature themes. I don't recommend it for middle school readers, but could be a good read in high school.
]]> A Night Divided 22024488
But one day, while on her way to school, Gerta spots her father on a viewing platform on the western side, pantomiming a peculiar dance. Then, when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta puts two and two together and concludes that her father wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel beneath the wall, out of East Berlin. However, if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be trusted. Will Gerta and her family find their way to freedom?]]> 323 Jennifer A. Nielsen 0545682428 Mrs. Wegener 5 4.30 2015 A Night Divided
author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.30
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2022/01/06
shelves: favorites, historical, realistic
review:

]]> Resist: A Story of D-Day 48501631
An exclusive, action-packed story about one girl's daring rescue mission during World War II.

Can Samira survive the dangers of D-Day and find her mother in time?

This book was created exclusively for Scholastic Book Clubs Classrooms.

From a paper accompanying this book pack:

Dear Teacher,

June 6, 1944 -- D-Day-- was one of the most important events in human history. My newest book, Allies, tells the story of that momentous day from the viewpoint of six different young people involved in the Normandy invasion, from soldiers landing on the beaches to French citizens living under Nazi occupation.

One of those characters, Samira Zidane, is a French Algerian girl who is part of the Resistance. She plays a big role in Allies, but there was more to her story that I couldn't fit in the book. The free book you hold in your hands, Resist, is the rest of Samira's story! Samira is one of my favorite characters from Allies, and I loved the chance to dive back into her life and her adventures on D-Day as she goes on a daring rescue mission to find her mom.

Resist is a companion story to Allies. You and your students can read it before or after Allies, or all by itself. And don't worry, it doesn't have any Allies spoilers!

Allies and Resist are both action-packed stories of courage and defiance set against the backdrop of real historical events. And both stories are testaments to the idea, perhaps never proven more definitively than on D-Day, that we are stronger when we work together.

Sincerely,

Alan Gratz]]> 59 Alan Gratz 1338621807 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.97 2019 Resist: A Story of D-Day
author: Alan Gratz
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> D.C. Trip 24989498
Alicia Deats is a new teacher chaperoning her very first high school trip to Washington DC, and nothing could be more terrifying than a class full of horny, backstabbing, boundary-pushing teenagers under her watch. To make matters worse, she embarrassed herself with her co-chaperone Bryan Kenner with one too many margaritas and an ill-placed vomiting incident at last year’s teacher mixer and is hoping this trip can be a fresh start for them. Alicia believes in positive reinforcement and trust to keep her students out of trouble, but best friend high school sophomores Gertie, Sivan, and Rachel have a different idea: they plan to take full advantage of the un-parented freedom that a trip to DC offers. DC TRIP by novelist-comedian Sara Benincasa is an honest and irreverent journey of sexual confusion, bar shots, drag queens, and pot cookies in the Rose Garden.]]> 280 Sara Benincasa 0996066632 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.36 2015 D.C. Trip
author: Sara Benincasa
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.36
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dress Coded 52739872

Molly Frost is FED UP...

Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top.

Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.

Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.

Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.

Because girls' bodies are not a distraction.

Because middle school is hard enough.

And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and before long, her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.]]> 303 Carrie Firestone 1984816438 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.15 2020 Dress Coded
author: Carrie Firestone
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Heartless 18584855 Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.]]> 453 Marissa Meyer 1250044650 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.10 2016 Heartless
author: Marissa Meyer
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Thousandth Floor (The Thousandth Floor, #1)]]> 24921954
A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future where anything is possible—if you want it enough.

WELCOME TO MANHATTAN, 2118.

A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. Everyone there wants something…and everyone has something to lose.

LEDA COLE’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.

ERIS DODD-RADSON’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.

RYLIN MYERS’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will this new life cost Rylin her old one?

WATT BAKRADI is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy for an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.

And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is AVERY FULLER, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.

Amid breathtaking advancement and high-tech luxury, five teenagers struggle to find their place at the top of the world. But when you're this high up, there's nowhere to go but down....]]> 448 Katharine McGee Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.65 2016 The Thousandth Floor (The Thousandth Floor, #1)
author: Katharine McGee
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/11/17
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Kill the Boy Band 25184383
We were not planning to kidnap one of them. Especially not the most useless one. But we had him—his room key, his cell phone, and his secrets.

We were not planning on what happened next.

We swear.

From thrilling new talent Goldy Moldavsky comes a pitch-black, hilarious take on fandom and the badass girls who have the power to make—or break—the people we call “celebrities.”]]> 320 Goldy Moldavsky 0545867479 Mrs. Wegener 5 comedy, favorites, realistic 3.53 2016 Kill the Boy Band
author: Goldy Moldavsky
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/08
date added: 2021/11/08
shelves: comedy, favorites, realistic
review:
The FUNNIEST book I've read in a really long time! It also made me miss my NSYNC fandom days. Best for 13+ years ...
]]> <![CDATA[Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks]]> 45493566 From National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds comes a novel told in ten blocks, showing all the different directions a walk home can take.

This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy�

Talking about boogers.
Stealing pocket change.
Skateboarding.
Wiping out.
Braving up.
Executing complicated handshakes.
Planning an escape.
Making jokes.
Lotioning up.
Finding comfort.
But mostly, too busy walking home.

Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life.]]> 204 Jason Reynolds Mrs. Wegener 5 comedy, realistic 3.93 2019 Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks
author: Jason Reynolds
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2021/10/19
date added: 2021/10/19
shelves: comedy, realistic
review:
This book is ten different stories, each one about a kid or group of kids walking home from school one day. Something happens to each kid (or group) that is extremely relatable. This is one of my favorite books I've read in a long time :)
]]> The Big Dark 25582479
What would you do if every spark of electricity suddenly vanished, as if somebody had flipped a switch on the entire planet? Cars won't start, the heat shuts off, there's no water in your faucet, and your radio, TV, and flashlight go dark. Everyone in Charlie's small town is baffled.

But as time passes, lawlessness erupts and takes an ugly turn. When the market and pharmacy are torched by an anti-Semitic arsonist, Charlie realizes his mother will die without her medicine. So he dons skis and heads off alone, seeking the nearest hospital. After traveling fifty miles through brutal ice and snow, Charlie encounters a burned-out, looted city of terrified citizens. Will he be able to save his mom?]]> 178 Rodman Philbrick 0545789753 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.71 2016 The Big Dark
author: Rodman Philbrick
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/09/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Ashes to Ashes (Burn for Burn, #3)]]> 10662433
After Rennie's death, Kat and Lillia try to put the pieces together of what happened to her. They both blame themselves. If Lillia hadn't left with Reeve... If Kat had only stayed with Rennie... Things could have been different. Now they will never be the same.

Only Mary knows the truth about that night. About what she is. She also knows the truth about Lillia and Reeve falling in love, about Reeve being happy when all he deserves is misery, just like the misery he caused her. Now their childish attempts at revenge are a thing of the past and Mary is out for blood. Will she leave anything in her wake or will all that remain be ashes?]]> 387 Jenny Han Mrs. Wegener 4 realistic, thriller 3.63 2014 Ashes to Ashes (Burn for Burn, #3)
author: Jenny Han
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2021/08/18
date added: 2021/08/18
shelves: realistic, thriller
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fire with Fire (Burn for Burn, #2)]]> 10662420 When sweet revenge turns sour� Book two of a trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.

Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn...]]> 517 Jenny Han 1442440783 Mrs. Wegener 5 realistic, romance, thriller 4.04 2013 Fire with Fire (Burn for Burn, #2)
author: Jenny Han
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2021/04/28
date added: 2021/04/28
shelves: realistic, romance, thriller
review:
HOLY COW! The ending of this book was crayyyyyy-zy!!! I can't wait to read the final book in the series!
]]> Front Lines (Front Lines, #1) 18743370 The green, untested American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled—the armed forces of Nazi Germany.
But something has changed. A court decision makes females subject to the draft and eligible for service. So in this World War II, women and girls fight, too.
As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering. Not one expects to see actual combat. Not one expects to be on the front lines.
Rio, Frangie, and Rainy will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. They will fear and they will rage; they will suffer and they will inflict suffering; they will hate and they will love. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known.
New York Times bestselling author Michael Grant has created a masterful alternate history of World War II in Front Lines, the first volume in a groundbreaking series.]]> 548 Michael Grant 0062342150 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.09 2016 Front Lines (Front Lines, #1)
author: Michael Grant
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Ground Zero 52664722 In present-day Afghanistan, Reshmina is an 11-year-old girl who is used to growing up in the shadow of war, but she has dreams of peace and unity. When she ends up harboring a wounded young American soldier, she and her entire family are put in mortal danger. But Reshmina also learns something surprising about the roots of this endless war.]]> 336 Alan Gratz 1338245759 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.32 2021 Ground Zero
author: Alan Gratz
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Bystander 6609550 240 James Preller 0312379064 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.64 2009 Bystander
author: James Preller
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Want to Go Private? 8922184 Abby and Luke chat online. They've never met. But they are going to. Soon.
Abby is starting high school--it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Everyone tells her to "make an effort," but why can't she just be herself?

Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke--he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does.

But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.]]> 330 Sarah Darer Littman 0545151465 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.71 2011 Want to Go Private?
author: Sarah Darer Littman
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)]]> 23395680
The year is 2575, and two rival mega-corporations are at war over a planet that’s little more than a speck at the edge of the universe. Now with enemy fire raining down on them, Kady and Ezra � who are barely even talking to each other—are forced to evacuate with a hostile warship in hot pursuit.

But their problems are just getting started. A plague has broken out and is mutating with terrifying results; the fleet’s AI may actually be their enemy; and nobody in charge will say what’s really going on. As Kady hacks into a web of data to find the truth, it’s clear the only person who can help her is the ex-boyfriend she swore she’d never speak to again.

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents � including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, and more � Illuminae is the first book in a heart-stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth, and the courage of everyday heroes.]]> 608 Amie Kaufman 0553499114 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.23 2015 Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)
author: Amie Kaufman
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.23
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/04/14
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Burn for Burn (Burn for Burn, #1)]]> 13406425
KAT is sick and tired of being bullied by her former best friend.

LILLIA has always looked out for her little sister, so when she discovers that one of her guy friends has been secretly hooking up with her, she’s going to put a stop to it.

MARY is perpetually haunted by a traumatic event from years past, and the boy who’s responsible has yet to get what’s coming to him.

None of the girls can act on their revenge fantasies alone without being suspected. But together…anything is possible.

With an alliance in place, there will be no more “I wish I’d said…� or “If I could go back and do things differently...� These girls will show Jar Island that revenge is a dish best enjoyed together.]]> 356 Jenny Han 1442440759 Mrs. Wegener 5 realistic 3.81 2012 Burn for Burn (Burn for Burn, #1)
author: Jenny Han
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2021/04/13
date added: 2021/04/13
shelves: realistic
review:
Dra-Ma!!!! Three girls seek revenge on those who hurt them. While I loved how fast paced and quick this book was to read, I think it left a few plot holes along the way. I was confused at times about the girls' reasoning for revenge and feelings toward the other characters, especially Lillia with Rennie. But, it ended on a major cliffhanger, so I'll definitely be reading the second book!
]]> The Four Winds 53138081 Texas, 1934. Millions are out of work and a drought has broken the Great Plains. Farmers are fighting to keep their land and their livelihoods as the crops are failing, the water is drying up, and dust threatens to bury them all. One of the darkest periods of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl era, has arrived with a vengeance.

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Great Alone comes an epic novel of love and heroism and hope, set against the backdrop of one of America’s most defining eras—the Great Depression.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9781250178602]]> 464 Kristin Hannah 1250178606 Mrs. Wegener 5 4.27 2021 The Four Winds
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2021/04/08
date added: 2021/04/08
shelves: adult-lit, historical, realistic
review:

]]> The Great Alone 34912895 Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents� passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown.

At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights� lack of preparation and dwindling resources.

But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.

In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska―a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.]]> 435 Kristin Hannah Mrs. Wegener 5 4.44 2018 The Great Alone
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/23
date added: 2021/03/23
shelves: historical, realistic, adult-lit
review:

]]> <![CDATA[To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1)]]> 15749186
But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh.

As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.]]> 355 Jenny Han 1442426713 Mrs. Wegener 5 realistic, romance, favorites 4.04 2014 To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1)
author: Jenny Han
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/10
date added: 2021/03/10
shelves: realistic, romance, favorites
review:
This is such a sappy and cheesy book; I didn't think I'd like it as I started reading. It wasn't what I was expecting. But then the story surprised me in a pleasant way. It became a fast read once it got going, but I also feel like there was a slowness among the characters and the development of their relationships. Every time I expected the plot to be forced, it wasn't. This is just the cutest, most fuzzy story ever and I fell for it.
]]> Making Bombs for Hitler 12524125
But she cannot escape the horrors of World War II.

Lida's parents are ripped away from her and she is separated from her beloved sister, Larissa. The Nazis take Lida to a brutal work camp, where she and other Ukrainian children are forced into backbreaking labor. Starving and terrified, Lida bonds with her fellow prisoners, but none of them know if they'll live to see tomorrow.

When Lida and her friends are assigned to make bombs for the German army, Lida cannot stand the thought of helping the enemy. Then she has an idea. What if she sabotaged the bombs... and the Nazis? Can she do so without getting caught?

And if she's freed, will she ever find her sister again?

This pulse-pounding novel of survival, courage, and hope shows us a lesser-known piece of history -- and is sure to keep readers captivated until the last page.]]> 186 Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.34 2012 Making Bombs for Hitler
author: Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/03/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> It Came From the Sky 45184313 From the author of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett and As You Wish comes the unforgettable story of the one small town's biggest hoax and the two brothers who started it all.

This is the absolutely true account of how Lansburg, Pennsylvania was invaded by aliens and the weeks of chaos that followed. There were sightings of UFOs, close encounters, and even abductions. There were believers, Truth Seekers, and, above all, people who looked to the sky and hoped for more.

Only...there were no aliens.

Gideon Hofstadt knows what really happened. When one of his science experiments went wrong, he and his older brother blamed the resulting explosion on extraterrestrial activity. And their lie was not only believed by their town―it was embraced. As the brothers go to increasingly greater lengths to keep up the ruse and avoid getting caught, the hoax flourishes. But Gideon's obsession with their tale threatened his whole world. Can he find a way to banish the aliens before Lansburg, and his life, are changed forever?

Told in a report format and comprised of interviews, blog posts, text conversations, found documents, and so much more, It Came from the Sky is a hysterical and resonant novel about what it means to be human in the face of the unknown.]]> 512 Chelsea Sedoti 1492673021 Mrs. Wegener 5 3.87 2020 It Came From the Sky
author: Chelsea Sedoti
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/05
date added: 2021/03/05
shelves: adventure, comedy, realistic, sci-fi
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #1)]]> 6324090 96 Lewis Carroll Mrs. Wegener 5 adventure, fantasy 4.05 1865 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, #1)
author: Lewis Carroll
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1865
rating: 5
read at: 2021/03/05
date added: 2021/03/05
shelves: adventure, fantasy
review:
I never thought I'd laugh as much as I did reading this! :D
]]> Beaten (Surviving Southside) 9544250
Paige, cheerleading captain at Southside High, and Ty, star running back, appear to be the perfect couple. But when they have their first fight, Ty screams at Paige. Paige is shocked and afraid, but Ty apologizes. Then after losing a game, Ty goes ballistic and hits Paige. Ty is arrested for assault. Even after this, she secretly meets up with Ty. But can Paige be with someone she's afraid of? What's worse―flinching every time your boyfriend gets angry? Or being alone?]]> 104 Suzanne Weyn 0761361642 Mrs. Wegener 4 realistic 3.95 2010 Beaten (Surviving Southside)
author: Suzanne Weyn
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2020/11/23
date added: 2020/11/23
shelves: realistic
review:
Super quick read! Also, the topics in it are tough, but need to be discussed!
]]> Great 18090059 In Sara Benincasa's contemporary retelling of The Great Gatsby, a teenage girl becomes entangled in the drama of a Hamptons social circle, only to be implicated in a tragedy that shakes the summer community.

Everyone loves a good scandal.

Naomi Rye usually dreads spending the summer with her socialite mother in East Hampton. This year is no different. She sticks out like a sore thumb among the teenagers who have been summering (a verb only the very rich use) together for years. But Naomi finds herself captivated by her mysterious next-door neighbor, Jacinta. Jacinta has her own reason for drawing close to Naomi-to meet the beautiful and untouchable Delilah Fairweather. But Jacinta's carefully constructed world is hiding something huge, a secret that could undo everything. And Naomi must decide how far she is willing to be pulled into this web of lies and deception before she is unable to escape.

Based on a beloved classic and steeped in Sara Benincasa's darkly comic voice, Great has all the drama, glitz, and romance with a terrific modern (and scandalous) twist to enthrall readers.]]> 263 Sara Benincasa 0062222694 Mrs. Wegener 5 realistic 3.53 2014 Great
author: Sara Benincasa
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/10/06
shelves: realistic
review:
If you read The Great Gatsby, read this!!!!!!!
]]> <![CDATA[Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker (Illustrated Biographies by Chronicle Books)]]> 17043027 104 Patricia Hruby Powell 1452103143 Mrs. Wegener 5 3.85 2013 Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker (Illustrated Biographies by Chronicle Books)
author: Patricia Hruby Powell
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2020/10/06
shelves: autobiography-biography, historical
review:
LOVED!!! Beautiful pictures and written in prose, so a quick read! Plus, a true story!!
]]> An Abundance of Katherines 49750 Katherine X just wanted to be friends
Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail
K-19 broke his heart

When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact.

On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun--but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl.

Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.]]> 229 John Green 0525476881 Mrs. Wegener 0 3.54 2006 An Abundance of Katherines
author: John Green
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/06
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[American Royals (American Royals, #1)]]> 43744300 What if America had a royal family?

When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne.

As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America's first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling.

Nobody cares about the spare except when she's breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn't care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her.

And then there's Samantha's twin, Prince Jefferson. If he'd been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.]]> 448 Katharine McGee 1984830171 Mrs. Wegener 3 romance 3.81 2019 American Royals (American Royals, #1)
author: Katharine McGee
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2020/10/06
shelves: romance
review:

]]> The Girl in the White Van 46223426 A teen is snatched after her kung fu class and must figure out how to escape—and rescue another kidnapped prisoner—in this chilling YA mystery.

When Savannah disappears soon after arguing with her mom’s boyfriend, everyone assumes she's run away. The truth is much worse. She’s been kidnapped by a man in a white van who locks her in an old trailer home, far from prying eyes. And worse yet, Savannah’s not alone: Ten months earlier, Jenny met the same fate and nearly died trying to escape. Now as the two girls wonder if he will hold them captive forever or kill them, they must join forces to break out—even if it means they die trying.

Master mystery-writer April Henry weaves another heart-stopping young adult thriller in this story ripped straight from the headlines.]]> 224 April Henry 1250157595 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.88 2020 The Girl in the White Van
author: April Henry
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/10/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Pumpkin's Story 53085283
Luckily, Pumpkin and her mom were rescued by Twist of Fate Farm and Sanctuary. The sanctuary's founder knew that Pumpkin was special. She would do whatever it took to help her.

Pumpkin got lots of love from her animal and human families--plus the support of thousands of online fans from across the globe. Together they helped Pumpkin beat the odds and learn to run!

This true story told in novel form was in partnership with the The Dodo, maker of lovable animal videos, and Scholastic. Find it at your local Scholastic Book Fair or Book Club!]]> 224 Aubre Andrus 1338575651 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 4.06 Pumpkin's Story
author: Aubre Andrus
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.06
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Betrothed (The Betrothed, #1)]]> 52580111
Hollis has grown up at Keresken Castle among the other daughters of nobility who hoped beyond hope that they’d catch the king’s eye. So when King Jameson declares his love for her, Hollis is shocked—and thrilled.

But she soon realizes that along with the extravagant presents and fawning attention, this new life brings outsized expectations—expectations that make her wonder if she’s really cut out for life as a royal.

With a visit from the king of Isolte on the horizon, Hollis sees a chance to prove to Jameson—and herself—that she has what it takes to be queen. But when she meets an Isolten stranger with the mysterious power to see right into her heart, she finds that the future she wants is one she never dared to dream of.]]> 307 Kiera Cass 0062291637 Mrs. Wegener 0 to-read 3.04 2020 The Betrothed (The Betrothed, #1)
author: Kiera Cass
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 3.04
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/03/21
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Booked (The Crossover, #2) 25897953 National Book Award Long List
New York Times µţ±đ˛őłŮ˛ő±đ±ô±ô±đ°ůĚý

Like lightning/you strike/fast and free/legs zoom/down field/eyes fixed/on the checkered ball/on the goal/ten yards to go/can’t nobody stop you/
can’t nobody cop you�
In this follow-up to the Newbery-winning novel THE CROSSOVER,  soccer, family, love, and friendship, take center stage as twelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams. Helping him along are his best friend and sometimes teammate Coby, and The Mac, a rapping librarian who gives Nick inspiring books to read.  
This electric and heartfelt novel-in-verse by poet Kwame Alexander bends and breaks as it captures all the thrills and setbacks, action and emotion of a World Cup match!]]> 314 Kwame Alexander 0544570987 Mrs. Wegener 5 realistic, sports 4.16 2016 Booked (The Crossover, #2)
author: Kwame Alexander
name: Mrs. Wegener
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2020/02/13
date added: 2020/02/13
shelves: realistic, sports
review:
Kwame Alexander's books are so well done; poetry (with sports) for young adults. But, he also tackles teen issues like broken families, student relationships, bullying, etc. I can't recommend his books (especially for my students) enough! Also, WHAT WAS IN THE DRAGONFLY BOX AT THE END OF THIS ONE?!
]]>