Friday Finds is hosted by Should Be Reading. Each Friday, you share the great books you heard about or discovered over the past week: "books you were told about, books you discovered while browsing blogs/bookstores online, or books that you actually purchased."
The Candymakers
by Wendy Mass
Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 453
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date: October 5, 2010
Suggested tags: middle grade, mystery
From Goodreads:
"Four children have been chosen to compete in a national competition to find the tastiest confection in the country. Who will invent a candy more delicious than the Oozing Crunchorama or the Neon Lightning Chew?
Logan, the Candymaker's son, who can detect the color of chocolate by touch alone?
Miles, the boy who is allergic to merry-go-rounds and the color pink?
Daisy, the cheerful girl who can lift a fifty-pound lump of taffy like it's a feather?
Or Philip, the suit-and-tie wearing boy who's always scribbling in a secret notebook?
This sweet, charming, and cleverly crafted story, told from each contestant's perspective, is filled with mystery, friendship, and juicy revelations."
Falling Inby Frances O'Roark Dowell
Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 256
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date: March 2, 2010
Suggested tags: middle grade, fantasy
From Goodreads:
"B z z z z z z z
The buzzing sound?
Do you hear that?
There it is again.
B z z z z z z z
No? Well, I really shouldn't have asked. Most people can't hear it, anyway. But, if you could, you'd think it sounds like you're teetering on the edge of the universe. That's what Isabelle Bean thinks...and she's not that far from the truth.
B z z z z z z z
You really don't hear that?
Well, it's actually not that great to have a buzzing in your ear. It's distracting for one thing. And when Isabelle starts listening to the buzz instead of, say, her boring teacher, strange things happen. She gets sent to the principal's office (that's not so strange), but then while awaiting her punishment, she tumbles into an adventure—into another world that's a little bit different, a little bit Hansel & Gretel-y, a little bit like a fairy tale, which would be great, but...did I mention that Isabelle is an unusual dresser? When she shows up in fairy-tale land wearing her favorite high, pointy boots, the fairy-tale people start thinking that Isabelle is a witch -- and not just any witch, but the witch!
From Edgar Award-winning author Frances O'Roark Dowell comes the unlikely story of Isabelle Bean—an ultimate misfit, an outsider extraordinaire, and not a witch!"
Touch Blueby Cynthia Lord
Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 186
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publication date: August 1, 2010
Suggested tags: middle grade, realistic fiction
From Goodreads:
"The state of Maine plans to shut down her island’s schoolhouse, which would force Tess’s family to move to the mainland--and Tess to leave the only home she has ever known. Fortunately, the islanders have a plan too: increase the numbers of students by having several families take in foster children. So now Tess and her family are taking a chance on Aaron, a thirteen-year-old trumpet player who has been bounced from home to home. And Tess needs a plan of her own--and all the luck she can muster. Will Tess’s wish come true or will her luck run out?
Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord offers a warm-hearted, humorous, and thoughtful look at what it means to belong--and how lucky we feel when we do. Touch Blue, sure as certain, will touch your heart."
The Unidentified
by Rae Mariz
Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 296
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publication date: October 5, 2010
Suggested tags: young adult, dystopia, science fiction
From Goodreads:
"Fifteen-year-old Katey (aka Kid) goes to school in the Game—a mall converted into a “school” run by corporate sponsors. As the students play their way through the levels, they are also creating products and being used for market research by the sponsors, who are watching them 24/7 on video cameras.
Kid has a vague sense of unease but doesn’t question this existence until one day she witnesses a shocking anticorporate prank. She follows the clues to uncover the identities of the people behind it and discovers an anonymous group that calls itself the Unidentified. Intrigued by their counterculture ideas and enigmatic leader, Kid is drawn into the group. But when the Unidentified’s pranks and even Kid’s own identity are co-opted by the sponsors, Kid decides to do something bigger—something that could change the Game forever.
This funny, sharp, and thought-provoking novel heralds the arrival of a stunning new voice in teen fiction."
The Unidentified sound really interesting. I'd like to see how the Game works. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog.
Me too! I'm looking forward to that one.
DeleteLove your blog! Thanks for visiting my blog too! :)