Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

The much anticipated final book of the Harry Potter series most definitely lives up to the hype.  Harry Potter finishes his time at Hogwarts and with the help of his closest friends: Ron, Hermione, and a few others, battles Lord Voldemort in the final battle to the death.  Read and learn what happens to your favorite characters both now and in the future.

 Ms. Duncan

I began reading this series about Bella, Edward, and Jacob after hearing so many of my students discussing them and seeing them carry around the books.  I read Twilight and New Moon each in a weekend.  I began Eclipse this past week.  I'm hooked and am waiting for the next book right along with my students.  I've never been a big fan of vampire books, but there is more to these stories.  Life isn't black and white and decisions are difficult and people aren't either good or evil with no inbetween--just like in real life.  I find myself caught up in Bella as she makes decisions and rooting alternately for one side or the other.

Ms. Bizell

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a guide to help teenagers improve self-image, build friendships, resist peer-pressure, achieve goals, get along with parents and teachers and live a more EFFECTIVE life.

Sean Covey wrote this book based on his father’s (Stephen Covey) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Mr. Vega

The Secret River by Kate Grenville is an emotional, violent, and heartbreaking look at a family of early Australian colonists. To escape prison and hanging in England they go to New South Wales in 1806 as indentured servants. While struggling to make a new life, they find themselves caught between two forces, some viciously cruel settlers and a group of natives. The tough choices they make will have a profound effect on their lives. The characters are extremely well drawn, and the harsh and unforgiving landscape is vividly portrayed. This novel haunted me for a while.

Mr. Lanier

Suite Franciase was written by Irene Nemirovsky on scraps of paper, as she was really in France in the early years of WWII. Though it is fiction, it describes the daily life, both the ordinary and extraordinary, of Parisians as they head into Nazi occupation, and you have to wonder as you read whether much of the material was gleaned from her real-life experiences during that time. It was meant to be a 5 part novel, but being a Russian-born Jew (she had converted to Cat holism), she was arrested and shipped to Auschwitz before she had time to polish and complete the novel. Tragically, she died there, and her daughter only recently found this unfinished work. I loved reading it because it made me feel like I was right there witnessing what I had never really considered before: what it was like to be in Paris during WWII. I highly recommend this book!

Ms. Bachand 

The Fred Factor was recommended to me by my mentor before he passed away recently.  It’s about finding the extraordinary in the ‘ordinary’ things we do everyday.  There is a Fred in all of us-a person who finds value and passion in life and other people, a person who purposely goes about life with a ‘can do’ attitude.  I want to be Fred!

Ms. Daniels

Results Now by Mike Schmoker

Results now tries to show teachers and administrators how to get past common problems by using best practices in education.  Theauthour belives that  “students become learners for life when they have more opportunities to engage in strategic reading, writing with explicit guidance, and argument and discussion.” *
 Go Mr. Stralla!

*Review quoted from amazon.com