City of Bones

Clary's night starts out innocently enough at a club, but in just a few hours, events twist. Her eyes are opened to the world of vampires, faeries, werewolves and the Shadowhunters, the powerful fighters that keep the demons under control. When she tries to ignore the dawning truth, her mother is kidnapped, forcing Clary to join the world of the Shadowhunter to free her mother. Leading the young Shadowhunters is Jace, a sarcastic teenager with a deadly aim and killer looks. As Clary and Jace battle to discover the whereabouts of her mother, the world teeters perilously close to an all out war.

The first in The Mortal Instruments trilogy, City of Bones is a thrilling adventure full of danger, wit and love.

City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments: Book 1) by Cassandra Clare
Young Adult: Grades 7-13

If you like this story, check out:
City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments: Book 2) by Cassandra Clare
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
A Great and Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle Trilogy) by Libba Bray

To find these books in the Library go to our website at www.ci.newberg.or.us/library

reviewed by Korie

Back in the USSR

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith is set in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. Leo Stephanovich Demidov works for state security and the author does a great job of conveying how restrictive the society is; it seems everyone is kept in line by fear.

When Leo becomes convinced that a serial killer has been targeting children, he’s considered a dissident since, officially, there's no murder or crime in the USSR. After Leo and his wife Raisa are forced to run from the government and throw themselves on the mercy of strangers, it becomes clear that many people are not ruled by fear and are willing to risk their own lives to do what's right. The middle of the book is a little slow, but the last quarter of the book is fast paced and the ending is exciting. Smith seems to have done a lot of research (this is his first book) and does a great job of conveying life in the Soviet Union in the 50s.

To find this book in the Library, go to our catalog at www.ci.newberg.or.us/library

Reviewed by Jean

Living la vodka loca

This irreverent collection of essays, Are You There Vodka, It’s me Chelsea, depicts the wild life of Chelsea Handler and it will either shock you or make you laugh out loud (or maybe both!). Handler is a stand up comic/talk show host who usually spears pop culture with an acid wit.

In this book, Handler mostly makes fun of herself, her friends and her family and the strange situations she seems to find herself in. In one story for example, she finds that she has to pretend to be honeymooning with her father when he lies to the airline to get them upgraded. In another, she goes to extremes to convince her third grade class that she’ll we starring in the sequel to “Private Benjamin”.

If you like your comedy a bit risqué, you may like Handler’s bawdy look at life.

To find this book in the Library go to our website at www.ci.newberg.or.us/library

Reviewed by Lori M

Magical Car Rides

Our family just finished a suspenseful car ride with our ears tuned to the audio rendition of The Dragon of Doom, the first title in Bruce Coville's Moongobble and Me series. This tale of magic and adventure begins magician-in-training Moongobble's quest to complete three tasks and join the Society of Magicians. Young Edward is bored in his village of Pigbone and jumps feet first into a friendship with Moongobble and a talking toad named Urk. The full cast of voices, performed by eight actors, made us laugh and want to stay in the car even after we had arrived at our destination. Background music introduces each chapter and sound effects add to the story's suspense. Young readers will love this light-hearted fantasy that's not truly scary - just full of action and fun.

To find this and other Moongobble and Me series audio books in the library, go to our catalog at www.ci.newberg.or.us/library

Reviewed by Amanda

Sci-fi for middle schoolers

From the author of the popular Sci-Fi series, Shadow Children, comes a new adventure: Found (The Missing: Book 1). Jonah has always known he was adopted, but when strange messages begin appearing in the mail, Jonah begins to ask questions about his origins. When he discovers his friend Chip, also adopted, has received the same messages, they begin to investigate, discovering just how many kids are part of an FBI cover-up of a catastrophic event transcending time and space. Jonah, Chip and Jonah's sister, Katherine, begin a race for their lives through time to make things right.

Found, by Margaret Peterson Haddix (2008) (grades 4-7)

If you like this book check-out: Among the Hidden (Shadow Children: Book 1) by Margaret Peterson Haddix, The Book of Time by Guillaume Prevost and Larklight by Philip Reeve.

To find these books in the Library go to our catalog at www.ci.newberg.or.us/library

Reviewed by Korie

Bee-bim Bop by Linda Sue Park

Inspire your preschooler and/or early reader to step into the kitchen with this playful dinner-time tale. A young girl narrates the preparation of her favorite family dish, bee-bim bop, a popular Korean meal meaning 'mix-mix rice.' The rhyming cadence is great practice for pre-readers and captures the fun each member of the family seems to have shopping, frying, flipping, boiling, chopping and eating together. A recipe is included at the the end with instructions for both kids and their grown-ups. Bee-bim bop was a huge hit at our house and inspired my preschooler to eat cabbage using chopsticks! A testament to a great picture book.

To find this book in the library go to our catalog at www.ci.newberg.or.us/library

Reviewed by Amanda L.

Dads gone wild

I am mesmerized by Augusten Burroughs. This guy has had quite a life and knows how to tell his story in a hilariously acerbic fashion. You may know him from his first memoir Running with Scissors. But he’s also written several other books chronicling his battle with alcoholism and other aspects of his life (Dry, Magical Thinking, Possible Side Effects).

In his latest memoir Wolf at the Table, Burroughs gets a little darker (ok, a whole lot darker) in describing his father; a distant, unaffectionate, alcoholic, perhaps even psychotic man. This was a man who played cruel head games with his son including (possibly) killing and tortuing some of his pets. Burroughs was a sensitive, loving, artistic child and only wanted his father’s love. He writes in anguished detail about how far his father went to withhold that love, even on his deathbed.

If you’ve enjoyed Burrough's other books, I would recommend this one to get more of his story, but be prepared: you won’t be laughing much.

To find this book in the Library go to our catalog at www.ci.newberg.or.us/library

Reviewed by Lori M.