39 Clues Books 1-3

Scholastic scheme or not. I've enjoyed this series. I've been listening to them while I clean. The reader is really good. Each book is by a different author. The first author is one that Matt really likes. One and Three were better than Two. I'm looking forward to many more hours of entertainment!

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

Okay, here's my latest read. It is all the rage right now, at least around here, with the youth. I borrowed it from the library and found it in the young adult section. I really liked it. It is set in the future in the wasteland that was once the United States. In an effort by "The Capitol" to keep the outlying districts aware of their weakness and subservience, the Hunger Games are created. It is a bit brutal...a fight to the death by teenagers chosen by lottery from each district. It is sort of a spin on our increasing addiction to reality TV, I suppose. Anyway, it's one of those books you read without having to think to much, but it really draws you in. I finished very quickly, in fact, I had it at the house when we had everyone over for Memorial Day, and before I even got a chance to start it, Lisa borrowed it (to save the 100+ person wait list at the library) and read it, then Andrew and Dave read it. This was all within a week. So, I guess I'm not the only one who got into it. As of today, I am #117 on the library's wait list for book 2 of the series, Catching Fire. Enjoy!

Skellig

I can't remember the author. I think it's Alan Something? Maybe not. Anyway, it's about an English boy and his parents who move into a new house. They're trying to deal with fixing up the place, a premature baby, and all the adjustments involved. Meanwhile, the boy finds a mysterious visitor in the crumbling old garage....

I liked this book because of the relationship between the boy and his parents and his new sister. They were under stress, but underlying it all was love. Too many books about kids portray the parents as clueless or uncaring, but this one didn't. Plus it had a supernatural, mysterious twist that still doesn't entirely make sense to me that made the book memorable.