I thought that I would at least make the effort of posting our new Battle of the Books list for this year. I have been a little overwhelmed with the whole process this year. Our principal decided last summer to get rid of our librarian in an effort to save other teachers' jobs and so the entire responsibility of Battle of the Books has fallen on me.
I was a little weary about the book list that we have this year, but have been completely surprised by how fun and addictive many of the books are. So here is the annual list. For some reason, I still haven't read some of the historical fiction. They seemed a little heavy and I have needed some light reading during the past few months. So here you go, enjoy!
Adam Canfield of the Slash by Michael Winerip
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
Any Small Goodness by Tony Johnston
The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis
Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah
Dragon's Keep by Janet Lee Carey
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Maximum ride: the Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci
Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
Schooled by Gordon Korman
So B. It by Sarah Weeks
Trapped between the Lash and the Gun by Arvella Whitmore
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy
Zen And The Art Of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick
The Alchemyst is a great read for anyone that loved series such as Percy Jackson or Fablehaven. I quickly read through the first three books and am waiting rather impatiently for the fourth book that will come out this spring.
Plain Janes is the first graphic novel that we have had on our lists. Pretty cool for a different style of reading.
The Wednesday Wars might be my absolute favorite. It is a must read for anyone who loves Shakespeare or works with youth in any way. It tells the story of a boy who spends every Wednesday afternoon alone with his teacher because all of the other students go to Catholic or Jewish seminary. He thinks his teacher is punishing him by making him read Shakespeare, but we all know that Shakespeare could never be a punishment. I loved this book.
