The End of a Trilogy

Somehow I forgot to post this one so here it is! So after contemplating which book I would choose from the large pile of books I brought home for my summer reading I ended up going to the library and I came home with The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau, the third book of Ember.  I read the first two Ember books over the spring after Allie recommended them to me.  Mrs. Perkins had recommended them to me also. I really loved The Book of Ember and I liked The People of Sparks, but this book, which supposed to explain the existence of Ember, did not live up to my expectations.

The Prophet of Yonwood tells a story of a young Nickie Randolph's journey to Yonwood a small town did not really get to the point for me until the final chapter when the main character, Nickie, explains that her father was working on the underground city as part of his super secret work, and Nickie herself, when she was sixty years old, was one of the first residents of Ember and wrote the journal that was found when the kids escaped out the river from Ember.  It was meant to be a "letter to the future" but there wasn't much that was written.  Nickie had much more to tell than she did.
 Now I've found out that there is a fourth book The Diamond of Darkhold.  I guess it's not a trilogy after all.  Would it be a "quadrilogy"?

Slow Summer Reading

Well I've recently (like 2 weeks ago) finished the second book for my summer reading, and I've also finished my professional pick, The Book Whisperer by Donna Lynn Miller. I'm not setting any speed reading records by any means, but I'm having a fun filled summer and enjoying some great books too!

For my fictional pick I chose The Raft by S. A. Bodeen. It was another recommendation by Allie, she read it and then said I HAD to read it! She was right, I loved it! The Raft had lots of action and adventure and a strong character named Robie. She's a typical teen except for the fact that she lives on Midway, an atoll in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  She's visiting her aunt in Hawaii and she thinks she can be on her own when her aunt has to leave for a few days, but gets scared and decides to go home on her own. I don't want to reveal too much but as you can tell by the cover Robie is adrift on a raft and has to survive the unthinkable.  With only a bag of Skittles and her knowledge of  the ocean will she make it home?  You'll have to read it to find out!

I really enjoyed The Book Whisperer too!  It was an enjoyable read highlighting the importance of student choice in independent reading.  Ms. Miller's classroom library seems as if it would rival Mrs. Viens', with shelves upon shelves of books and she knows which will be just the right ones for her sixth grade students.   She also includes a great interest survey for students and an end of year evaluation too.

Now I'm working on Closer Reading by Nancy Boyles, who presented at a conference recently.  I appreciated her insights on reading and wanted to follow up with her book.  For my fictional tastes it will be Hurt Go Happy to satisfy my desire to read about apes who can use sign language. I've read quite a few of these in the recent past. Happy reading!