Overdrive

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Divergent: The Movie

So many of my students here at Stafford are thrilled about Divergent coming to the big screen. So I am sharing with you the fan website.

The link is http://www.divergentfans.com/.

This is a site that updates fairly regularly with news of casting, production, and fan posters with the characters on them.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Maze Runner Movie


You read that right. The movie for the amazing book, The Maze Runner, is now in pre-production. The author, James Dashner, shared this news recently on his blog. They will start filming in May in Louisiana and the movie will come out next Valentine's day. Forget all those romantic movies...I going to see this.

Read the entire blog at: http://www.jamesdashner.com/blog/

What We Saw at Night by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Summary
Allie Kim suffers from Xeroderma Pigmentosum: a fatal allergy to sunlight that confines her and her two best friends, Rob and Juliet, to the night. When freewheeling Juliet takes up Parkour—the stunt-sport of scaling and leaping off tall buildings—Allie and Rob have no choice but to join her, if only to protect her. Though potentially deadly, Parkour after dark makes Allie feel truly alive, and for the first time equal to the “daytimers.”

On a random summer night, the trio catches a glimpse of what appears to be murder. Allie alone takes it upon herself to investigate, and the truth comes at an unthinkable price. Navigating the shadowy world of specialized XP care, extreme sports, and forbidden love, Allie ultimately uncovers a secret that upends everything she believes about the people she trusts the most.

Mrs. Lassley's Review
This book blew me away. I honestly did not know what to expect, but once I started it, I could not put it down. This is a real disease that people deal with. And yet they live fairly normal lives, just at night instead. You see everything through Allie's eyes and she will take you on a crazy adventure. Just remember, do not try this at home. :-) The one downfall...this book just came out. There is a teaser chapter to the next book at the end, but no date on when it will come out. 

Legend by Marie Lu...what took me so long?



















I have known about this book for a long time. I knew it would be the next Hunger Games series, but I kept putting it at the bottom of my stack of to reads. The positive of that is I was able to read Legend and Prodigy together...the negative is that this is such an amazing book and I cannot believe I just now read it. I cannot wait until the movie news starts coming out. 

Summary
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, 15 year olds, Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover  that they have a common enemy.

YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK!!

Friday, March 1, 2013

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

Summary
Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine-a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingos in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe-in love, in herself, and even in miracles. 

Mrs. Lassley's Review
This book started off slow, but once it got started, I could not put it down. Cam is the type of girl I wish I was when I was a teenager, minus the cancer. She speaks what is on her mind, is daring, and she does not care what others think. Simply put, this is a book that will make you laugh, cry, and hope for a miracle! 

Belles by Jen Calonita

Summary
Fifteen-year-old Isabelle Scott loves her life by the boardwalk on the supposed wrong side of the tracks in North Carolina. But when tragedy strikes, a social worker sends her to live with a long-lost uncle and his preppy privileged family. Isabelle is taken away from everything she's ever known, and, unfortunately, inserting her into the glamorous lifestyle of Emerald Cove doesn't go so well. Her cousin Mirabelle Monroe isn't thrilled to share her life with an outsider, and, in addition to dealing with all the rumors and backstabbing that lurk beneath their classmates' Southern charm, a secret is unfolding that will change both girls' lives forever.

Mrs. Lassley's Review

I have been in a chick lit phase for a couple of weeks now and this totally fit the bill. I love the characters and their voices. The point of view goes from Isabelle to Mirabelle so you really get a feel for how the emotions can affect everything. You also realize how mean some girls can be but how you can redeem yourself. This has been made into a series with Winter White and The Grass is Always Greener. LOVE IT!