September 2013

Murder on the Iditarod Trail

Posted on September 16, 2013 by webmaster

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Murder on the Iditarod Trail
by Sue Henry

The Iditarod, sometimes called “The Last Great Race,” takes mushers, (dog sled racers), and their dog teams over 1150 miles of some of Alaska’s roughest, most majestic terrain – jagged mountain ranges, iced-over areas of Norton Sound, frozen rivers, dense forests, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coastline. This year’s race has a major impediment to arriving at the finish line in one piece. It seems as if one of the contestants is eliminating the competition by cruel, unusual and permanent means. Top Iditarod mushers are dying on the trail in the most gruesome and bizarre ways. Three deaths have occurred before the halfway mark is reached in a race that has never claimed a life in its entire history.

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Jessie Arnold, the top female contender, is determined to win and not allow the terrible deaths/murders of her friends and colleagues to deter or distract her from her goal. State Trooper Alex Jensen, a gifted investigator, as well as a handsome bachelor, meets the attractive Jessie during the race and the two are immediately drawn to each other. Already committed to finding the killer before he/she can do any more harm, Jensen is especially anxious for Jessie, as she is now favored to win, and has thus become a bigger threat to the murderer. As more victims fall prey to mysterious injuries, Jensen realizes that the killer is after more than money and prestige.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
590	Middle School	320	Drama	1993	0380717581

Sabriel

Posted on September 16, 2013 by webmaster

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Sabriel
by Garth Nix

The novel is set in two neighboring fictional countries: To the south lies Ancelstierre, which has a technology level and society similar to that of early-20th century England, and to the north lies the Old Kingdom, where magic works and dangerous spirits roam the land – a fact officially denied by the government of Ancelstierre and disbelieved by most of Ancelstierre’s inhabitants. (Those who live near the border know the truth of it, especially on days when the wind is blowing out of the Old Kingdom.) These dangerous spirits range from undead corpses known as Dead Hands to supernatural beings known as Free Magic elementals.

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These living Dead are raised by Necromancers, or black magicians, who roam the Old Kingdom or live in Death, using Hands to do their bidding. To remedy the problem of dangerous, living dead, there is always a sorcerer with the title of Abhorsen, who is essentially a Necromancer himself (or herself), only in the reverse; he puts the dead to rest. At the time of Sabriel, it is her father, Terciel, who has the job of controlling the endless dead creatures doing evil deeds around the Wall, especially difficult since a new evil seems to be rising.

Sabriel is joined on her journey back to the Old Kingdom by an ancient Free Magic construct of unknown origin named Mogget. Mogget appears in the form of a white cat and is bound by a red Charter magic collar to serve the Abhorsen. Sabriel is told never to release Mogget’s collar. Sabriel and Mogget take a craft known as a Paperwing to try to find her father. On the way, they are attacked by the Dead. The craft is wrecked, and in order to save herself, Sabriel releases Mogget. The cat reveals himself to be an incredibly powerful Free Magic elemental. It almost kills Sabriel, but she rebinds him with a ring she received from him a few hours before for just such a purpose.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
880	High School	491	Fantasy	1995	0064471837

Quake Disaster in San Francisco 1906

Posted on September 16, 2013 by webmaster

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Quake: Disaster in San Francisco – 1906
by Gail Langer Karwoski

It is 1906, and 13-year-old Jacob Kaufman, who lives in San Francisco with his father and little sister, is outside when a major earthquake shakes the city, cracking streets and toppling buildings. After Jacob and his dog save the life of San, a Chinese boy, the two join together to search for their families and for food and temporary shelter. Though San occasionally faces racial hostility, the boys meet many strangers who help them through the difficult days

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
770	Middle School	153	Historical Fiction	2006	1561453692

Who am I Without Him

Posted on September 16, 2013 by webmaster

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Who Am I Without Him
by Sharon G. Flake

In the game of love, young men and women weigh what they need from the opposite sex against what they need to find in themselves. This popular short-story collection, including two never-before-published entries, gives teens a chance to witness the outcomes of twelve unique trysts.

As relationships go either right or wrong, with surprising, often funny, always on-point results, mindful readers will appreciate the warning signs and perhaps save themselves from the same fate as these fictional protagonists.

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You’ll find yourself consumed by fast-paced, intelligent writing that “just gets it” in Who I Am Without Him — a question you might ultimately choose to examine before diving headlong into the dangerous waters of romance.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
670	High School	160	Drama	2005	0786815043

Blood on the River

Posted on September 16, 2013 by webmaster

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Blood on the River

by Eliza Carbone

After attempting to steal back a necklace that belonged to his deceased mother, Samuel Collier is sent to an orphanage run by Reverend Hunt. The 11-year-old joins him on a journey to the New World, serving as a page to Captain John Smith.

Samuel’s account of the voyage to Virginia, political intrigues among the settlers, and the harrowing first winter of the James Town settlement brings to life figures like Smith, Powhatan, and Pocahontas.

How to Access the Lesson:

To Access the UB the Director Lesson you should register and log in. Then click on the lesson icon

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
820L	Middle School	256	Historical Fiction	2006	0670060607

So Yesterday

Posted on September 16, 2013 by webmaster

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So Yesterday
by Scott Westerfield

What if it was your job to say what was cool? What if clothes and electronics companies gave you cash for your opinion, and lots of free stuff on top of it? You wouldn’t complain about that, would you?

Hunter Braque is a professional cool-hunter. No ads go on TV without his approval, no new shoes hit the stores unless he’s down with them. It’s a pretty sweet deal, until he meets Jen –a rare Innovator, one of the people who actually creates cool at street-level. Real cool, not the corporate kind. Suddenly, strange things start to happen.

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First Hunter’s boss Mandy disappears. When he enlists Jen to help find her, the two begin to uncover a plot to end consumerism as we know it! Will the world change forever, or can Hunter save the sacred bond between brands and buyers? Does he even want to?

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
770	Middle School	240	Thriller/Suspense	2004	159514000X

Thirteenth Princess

Posted on September 15, 2013 by webmaster

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Thirteenth Princess
by Diane Zahler

A king is increasingly angry with his wife for giving him daughters. When she dies in childbirth bearing a thirteenth daughter, he banishes the newborn to the castle kitchens in his rage. At seven, sort-of servant Zita learns she is sister to the princesses and daughter to the king. She doesn’t bemoan her lot, but she does sneak around behind her father’s back befriending her lovely older siblings. Happily, the older girls are very willing to take her under their wings. Zita also befriends a stable boy named Breckin whose brother is a soldier.

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It isn’t until she is older that Zita begins to worry that her sisters might be under a spell. For one thing, the twelve princesses don’t understand themselves why whenever suitors come to call, they are unable to speak. Thus they all remain unmarried. Then Zita’s sisters begin to appear weary and sickly, and their shoes start turning up with the soles worn through every morning.

With Breckin’s assistance, Zita investigates her sisters’ troubles; she also discovers a helpful witch living in hiding in the woods. (The king has banned magic from the kingdom, or so he thinks.) But someone is watching Zita, and she still hasn’t figured out who is behind the malevolent spells. She even worries that the king himself has done this terrible thing to his daughters. Of course, our heroine eventually discovers the truth and saves her sisters.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
850L	Middle School	265	Fantasy	2010	0061824984

Alt Ed

Posted on September 15, 2013 by webmaster

Alt Ed
by Catherine Atkins

Susan Calloway, bullied and overweight, faces daily humiliation at the hands of her classmates and she’s had enough. With her anger about to reach the boiling point, Susan lands in an alternative education class, a sort of group therapy for the nearly expelled. School is bad enough, but facing off with five peers, including her cruelest tormentor, is worse.

Now Susan is being forced to do something she’s always avoided: talking about herself and listening to what other people have to say about her. She has two choices: find her voice, or be prepared to take the insults in silence.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
490	Middle School	208	Realistic Fiction	2004	00142402354

Queen of Second Place

Posted on September 15, 2013 by webmaster

The Queen of Second Place
by Laura Peyton Roberts

Cassie Howard believes everyone has a talent. Unfortunately, hers is taking second place. No matter how hard she tries, she’s always second best . . . in school, in life, and especially in love. When Cassie discovers new-boy-in-town Kevin Matthews she wants him on sight. But so does conniving Sterling Carter, a ridiculously beautiful preppy princess and Cassie’s enemy since freshman year. Sterling is the kind of girl who always gets it all, and Cassie . . . isn’t. Is there any point even trying when the first fifteen years of Cassie’s life have proven she’s doomed to fail? Can the Queen of Second Place ever truly win?

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With new-found determination and the support of friends whose not-so-glorious talents range from parking cars to whistling, Cassie sets out to capture Kevin’s heart and make herself first at last.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
880L	High School	336	Romance	2006	0440238714

Twilight

Posted on September 15, 2013 by webmaster

Twilight
by Stephanie Meyer

Isabella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife–between desire and danger.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
720	High School	544	Fantasy	2006	0316015849

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