Chasing the Jaguar by Michele Dominguez Greene

Fifteen-year-old Martika Galvez has been having strange, vivid dreams about a jaguar and the jungle. Then she has another experience that sends tingles down her spine. One Saturday when helping her mother, Aurelia, clean a big house in Pacific Palisades, Markita picks up a bracelet she finds on the floor in one of the rooms she is cleaning. A vision flashes before her eyes and she drops the bracelet. "What is happening to me?" Markita agonizes. After her quinceanera, Markita and her mother, Aurelia, are called to Ted Colton's house. His daughter has been kidnapped and Ted is contacting anyone who might have come in contact with her. Does this have to do with the visions and dreams Markita's been having?

Read Chasing the Jaguar to see how this Los Angeles mystery is solved!

Poison by Chris Wooding

Poison lives in the village of Gull in the heart of the Black Marsh with her father, step-mother and baby sister, Azalea. When the Scarecrow steals Azalea on Soulswatch Eve and leaves a changeling in her place, Poison consults Fleet, a wise old man in the village, about leaving the village and traveling to the Realm of the Phaeries to bring her sister back. Fleet gives her infromation and finds her a ride out of Gull with Bram, the wraith-cather. And so their journey begins, once upon a time.

Poison is not your average fairy tale. It is a much darker. If you like the Harry Potter series or books by Cornelia Funke, you might want to give Chris Wooding's books a try.

The Freedom Writers Diary by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell

After watching the movie, I decided I wanted to read the book. As always, there was so much more in the book. If you saw the movie, you will notice some liberties taken by the screenwriters. The Freedom Writers's Diary begins with a chapter entitled "Freshman Year - Fall 1994". It's Erin Gruwell's first year teaching English at Wilson High. She asks her students to keep journals. All of the journals in the book are numbered and anonymous. But these journals give you great insight as to what it was like to be a teen at Wilson High in Long Beach, California. It is an inspiring book.

If you like Go Ask Alice or books by Sonya Sones, you might enjoy reading this one.

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

(originally posted May 29 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

The Oracle spoke: "Five shall go west to the goddess in chains, One shall be lost in the land without rain, The bane of Olympus shows the trail, Campers and Hunter combined prevail, The Titan's curse must one withstand, And one shall perish by a parent's hand."
Percy Jackson's best friend, Annabeth, is missing after a recent quest. The goddess, Artemis has dissappeared. Zoe Nightshade and Bianca Di Angelo, hunters, join Grover and Thalia on a quest to fulfill the Oracle's prophecy. Percy has been ordered to stay behind. But, it wouldn't be a story about Percy if he followed orders, now would it?
Rick Riordan's third in the series about the Olympians, is a great read. Which one of the three books is your favorite?

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

(originally posted May 16, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

When Matt and Callie witness Murdoch McIlvane defuse a situation between an abusive father and his small son at the Cumberland Farms convenience store, Matt knows he must to get Murdoch to help Callie, Emmy and him get away from Nikki. Nikki, their unstable mother, would be a fantastic villian if this story was a fantasy, but this is realistic fiction and Nikki is down-right scary. Matt doesn't trust the system and won't go through the regular channels to seek help. When he finally does involve Murdoch, Nikki ups the level of her psychotic game. Werlin keeps you turning pages to find out if these kids will ever be able to break away from Nikki.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

(originally posted May 9, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

Life As We Knew It is a remarkable book that makes you think about life as we know it.
A meteor is heading toward the moon. Science teachers have been talking about it. It's on the news. Families gather outside to view this phenomenon. But something unexpected happens when the meteor crashes into the moon! The moon is knocked out of its orbit closer to the Earth. Then things start to go crazy. Tsunamis, earthquakes, and other natural disasters happen all over the world. Miranda, her mom, and her brothers, Matt and Jonny switch from living an every day-type of life to survival mode. Would you be prepared to face what Miranda and her family are facing? Would you have the courage and the intelligence to survive?
Life As We Knew It is told through Miranda's journal entries. It pulls you in and keeps you turning pages to find out what will happen to Miranda and others in her Pennsylvania town.
Have you read anything good lately?

The Crane by Jeff Stone

(originally posted on April 17, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

The Crane by Jeff Stone is the lastest book in his The Five Ancestor Series. The series introduces five brothers, Fu, Seh, Malao, Hok and Long, who were raised by the Grandmaster at the Cangzhen monastery. Each brother was taught an animal style of Kung-fu by the Grandmaster and finds the need to use it throughout their adventures. When the Cangzhen monastery is attacked by the emperor's soldiers led by a traitorous older brother, the younger brothers must flee. Each brother scatters in a different direction and each book tells the tale of their adventures as they search for one another with hopes to reunite.
The Crane is Hok's story and Jeff Stone's lastest installment.
I suggest you start with the first book, The Tiger. Then if you want to find out the rest of the story, like I did, read The Monkey, The Snake and The Crane.

The Trap by John Smelcer

(originally posted on April 16, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

I recently finished reading The Trap by John Smelcer. If you like Hatchet, you should like The Trap. Albert Least-Weasel is out checking his traplines in the Alaskan wilderness as he has always done for the past sixty years. When he doesn't return as scheduled, his grandson, Johnny Least-Weasel begins to worry. The temperatures are steadily dropping. Should he follow the advice of his uncle and wait or should he follow his heart and go look for his grandfather?
There are several attributes that make this book an interesting and enjoyable read. The story is told in alternating chapters, one in Albert's voice and the other in Johnny's voice. Each chapter begins with a Native American legend which gives you an additional tale. The harsh setting of the Alaskan wilderness adds to the intensity of this survival tale. For those of you who love survival and adventure, try out The Trap.

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

(Originally posted on March 20, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

Imagine having a voice so wonderful, so incredible that when you read aloud from a book some of the characters would appear in this world. Meggie's father, Mo, a bookbinder, has this gift. But this gift also comes with a curse for when one character from the Inkheart's world appears in our world, someone from our world disappears into Inkheart's world. Two characters, Dustfinger and Capricorn, have been released from Inkheart into Meggie's world and Meggie's mother has disappeared. Capricorn and his gang are searching for Mo. They have an evil plan for our world and Mo's gift is needed to set the plan in motion.
Follow up this great read with the sequel, Inkspell. Meggie reads herself in Inkworld and a new adventure begins.

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding

(originally posted on March 20, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

The beautiful and mysterious Alaizabel Cray is discovered by seventeen-year-old Thaniel, the wych hunter, while he was on the trail of a cradlejack, a vampire-like creature. Alaizabel has been possessed by Thatch, an old wych, who along with a sinister society have evil in store for Victorian London. Thaniel and his colleagues rally to save Alaizabel and the city from a host of murderous fiends. If you like gothic horror tales, you should enjoy this one.

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

(originally posted March 18, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

I just finished reading the Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. I actually had a chance to meet the author at the Comic Convention in San Francisco a couple of weeks ago. He gave me a 60 second synopsis of the book, enough to make me curious and purchase the book. He plans to write a triology and he is working with others on a comic book series that is already out entitled Hatter M based on Alyss's bodyguard. I'm intrigued with the concept of having cross-over characters in the novel and comic book. Those of you who are familiar with Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass should read Looking Glass Wars just to see how Beddor uses familiar characters and the setting of Wonderland to take us on a whole different journey. And now for Looking Glass Wars...
At Queen Genevieve's command, Hatter Madigan, the Queen's faithful and loyal bodyguard, snatches up seven-year-old Princess Alyss and flees through the Pool of Tears to keep her out of the clutches of her vicious Aunt Redd. After emerging from the portal, Alyss finds herself separated from her bodyguard and alone in Victorian London. In London, she meets the author Lewis Carroll to whom she entrusts the terrible story of the Wonderland coup. Alyss hopes that someone will read the tale, come to her rescue, and return her to Wonderland. Lewis Carroll publishes her story as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and he gets everything wrong including the spelling of Alyss's name. Meanwhile, Wonderland has come under the cruel rule of the Queen of Hearts, Alyss's Aunt Redd. Will those loyal to Alyss be able to find her in time to return her to the throne? Will Wonderland ever return to its former glory? Check out a copy of The Looking Glass Wars to find out.
What have you read lately?

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

(originally posted on March 9, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

Well, the gods of Mt. Olympus have been at it again. They've been interfering with the lives of mere mortals. Poor twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is about to be kicked out of yet another boarding school for causing trouble during a class field trip. But he had to defend himself against his pre-algebra-teacher-turned-monster. After all, she was trying to kill him! When the Minotaur chases Percy to a summer camp for half-bloods, Percy begins to understand the life he has been dealt.

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan

(originally posted on February 22, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

What are you willing to sacrifice for your best friend? Cirque du Freak, The Saga of Darren Shan, Book 1 is the first book in the twelve book series by Darren Shan. As the series begins, Darren is just an ordinary guy who likes hanging out with his friends doing guy stuff. One night Darren and his best friend, Steve, sneak out to watch a visiting freak show. That's when events start to go wrong for Darren. Throw in a vampire and a giant spider, and suddenly Darren's life starts to sprial out of control.
If you've read any of the Cirque du Freak series, let us know what you think. But remember, don't give everything away!

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt

(originally posted on February 20, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

I just finished reading Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. If you like romance, you should enjoy this book. Keturah Reeve, a peasant girl, wanders away from her loving village out into the forest following the legendary hart and soon she is lost. After three days of wandering deeper into the forest, Keturah weak with fatigue and hunger realizes she is dying. When Lord Death comes to claim her, Keturah uses her storytelling skills to gain another day. She strikes a bargain with Lord Death that if she can find true love, he will have to let her go. Lord Death returns her to the edge of the forest close to her grandmother's cottage after Keturah promises to return the next night to finish her story and to be claimed by Lord Death. Will Keturah find her true love in just a day?
What have you read lately?

Starting Out on the Trail

(originally posted on February 17, 2007 on BookTrail@edublogs.org)

What have you read lately? Share it on the Book Trail blog. Harris and Trail students, faculty and staff are invited to discuss what they are reading with others in our reading community. Just remember to follow the rules posted on the netiquette page. Don't forget to tell us the title and author of what you are sharing. And for you enthusiastic readers, please don't spoil the book by telling us too much about it. So let's get started talking about what you are reading. Come join us on the Book Trail!