Tangerine by Edward Bloor

Paul Fisher is going to a new school, and new town, a new state, a new everything. His parents decided to move from Texas to sunny Florida to a new development in Tangerine, FL, which use to be all citrus groves. Paul wouldn't have been an unusual kid if it weren't wore these bottle cap glasses he has to wear because of his near blindness. Paul tells people that he looked at an eclipse but he never remembers ever staring at it. Even though he has to wear goggles when he plays, he's one heck of a keeper (soccer goalie).
When he tried to get in the Soccer team for school he was cut because the school didn't want him to be a liability. Now with nothing to do school has become terrible to cope with until one day when a sinkhole suck down half the school. When given the chance to transfer to another school Paul jumps on the chance to once again tries for the soccer team and hopefully win some recognition from his dad who idolizes his football star kicker brother. Paul wins new friends at his school and is slowly remembering why he really became fully blind.
RH

Hoops by Walter Dean Myers

Lonnie Jackson seems like a regular kid living in the ghetto but he has a natural talent for playing basketball. The only problem that Lonnie has is that he isolates himself from the people around him, his mother, friends and even his girlfriend. When the local gym decides to join in on a city wide tournament, Lonnie is introduce with a street bum named Cal who will be his new coach.
Lonnie doesn't like this new addition to the team and immediately clashes with Cal on how to run the team. When Cal tries to help Lonnie improve his game, Lonnie discovers that Cal use to be a top notch player from the NBA! Cal then talks on how he made mistakes in his career and was banned from playing ever again. Now Cal hopes to teach Lonnie so that he doesn’t do the same. Will the Lonnie get to live his dream of playing pro basketball or will Cal's past come haunt him again?
RH

The Smuggler's By: Iain Lawrence

The tittle of this novel caught my eye, being that some of my ancestors that I have traced, were English pirates that roamed in the Caribbean. This novel is full of adventure, and great characters who are unforgettable. The book is intriguing, and full of suspense.

At the beginning of the book, we find Mr. Spencer, and his son traveling by coach,(not a bus) to Dover, England to purchase a ship called "Dragon." Dragon in the past had been a smuggler's ship.

Now, the Spencer's " Dragon"will be laden with wool for honest trade. We ask ourselves can a ship that has been a smuggler's paradise be used now for normal cargo ? Can John Spencer a 16 year old , a young man be responsible now that his Father died?

Captain Crowe is hired to pilot, and steer the "Dragon," which is not an easy task. In the end, we learn that Cpt. Crowe had been in charge of a smuggling ring.

Read the novel, and find out more details. I myself, found the book exciting, and the characters very unpredictable throughout the novel.

LRD 6/10/o6

Stop That Girl by Elizabeth Mckenzie

A collection of stories that starts off with the main character, Ann Ransom, at age 8 who takes a trip with her grandmother a.k.a Dr. Frost to Europe. When she comes back her mother is a wreck and Ann learns that her grandparents have split up. Fast forward a few years and Ann is getting ready to go off to college. She is working full-time at a pizza place to save money for college. She even takes a trip with her boyfriend to see the college she is considering going to. She talks to financial aid and a short time later gets a full scholarship to college. During her senoir year her granmother reappears in her life the same day as Allen Ginsberg is speaking at her college. Dr. Frost wants to take Ann on a trip to Norway after she graduates. Fast forward another few years and Ann is married and has a son. She is living in a not so stellar house and it takes coversations with her sister to realize that everything doesn't have to be done so fast. She needs to slow down to enjoy the things in life no matter what.

Tom Burnham

G-Dog and the Homeboys: Celeste Fremon

The Pico Aliso housing projects in East Los Angles is one of the toughest neighborhoods in the country. Many of the teenagers don’t even know if they’ll make it to adulthood, heck they don’t know if that very day they’ll get shot. The author recounts the lives of people living in the barrio mostly that of Father Greg Boyle most known as to the homies G-Dog or just as G. Father Greg is a Jesuit priest who works to change the lives of many of the homeboys for the better. Celeste Fremon the author of the book was motivated to do this book after meeting with Father Greg and his homeboys when she wrote a story of them in the newspaper. She became deeply involve with helping Father Greg in maintaining order in the gang infested barrio of East LA.

Father Greg way of competing against gangs was to get the kids off the streets and working to better their lives. The only bad thing is that many people have negative views that gangsters are overly aggressive and violent delinquents; no establishment wants to hire such people. Father Greg manages to have the companies to hire the gang members if he pays their salary but having so many people under wages it has nearly bankrupt Father Greg. Even with such obstacles in his way Father Greg manages to pay all the wages of his gang workers and manages to change a few lives for the better.

RH

Girls in Pants By: Ann Brashares

This novel attracted me, because I had seen the movie "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." This was a smash movie in the summer of 2005, and I viewed it at home, and I loved it.

This novel is about Carmen,Lena, Bridget, and Tibby who have been good friends since childhood. Pants are what keep them together as friends, and have some magical touch for all four girls. The girls spend their final summer together, before going to different colleges.

It's interesting the way the girls react towards events. First, Tibby learns that her pants had known what she hasn't about Brian, so she longs, and lingers for her pants. Carmen, she's needs the magical pants because,she is taking care of Lena 's Greek grandmother for the summer. Another fact is that Carmen is pretending to be someone she is not.

On the other hand, Lena wishes the pants could tell her whether to go to Art School which is her dream or should she follow, even if it means her family would not support her. Bridget the final, but not the best of the group, was especially glad to have the pants at soccer camp when Bridget finds , who her fellow coach is.

LRD 5/8/06

Under the Jolly Roger. By: L.A. Meyer

This book is a sequel to Curse of the Blue Tatoo. It relates once again to Jacky Faber, our main character in both books. This time she finds herself against her will aboard a ship where the Captain of the ship makes advances towards her sexually. Jacky is fortunate in that the Captain is ill, and dies. In the mean time, Jacky convinces the sailors to her side, which makes her gain command of a ship in the Royal Navy. In between time, Jacky encounters many adventures. She Jacky makes the rank of Liet. in the Royal Navy by Captain of a ship she was on.

In the end, Jacky Faber was known as a pirate throughout the seas. She was caged in the hold of a ship, and taken to London, England to the gallows. I am not letting you know why, because you need to read the book to find out. Did Jacky Faber escape ?


LRD 5/8/06

Poison Ivy by Amy Goldman Koss

Ivy has been picked on since the fourth grade by the Evil Three Ann, Benita, and Sophie. The Evil Three are three of the most popular kids in school, and Ivy isn't popluar at all. Ms. Gold takes this as an opportunity to have her 3rd period American Goverment class learn about the judical system. The students pick a lawyer for Ivy and a lawyer for the Evil Three. They also pick a judge and a jury. They have a trial to find out if the Evil Three are guilty of being mean to Ivy over the past few years. The trail lasts for two weeks in the classroom. The jury reaches a verdict, but it proably isnt the one you're thinking of.

Tom Burnham