MOVED TO NEW SITE!

I have moved my blog to a new site.

You may look for me at:

http://www.waupacalibrary.org/bestcellarsbookblog

I look forward to your feedback!

For Whom the Bell Tolls By Ernest Hemingway

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

Robert Jordan has one task, to blow the bridge. He is an American dynamiter who is working with Spanish guerrillas to help win the war. A simple task made harder by the fact he must blow the bridge during the day.

If that isn’t bad enough he must deal with the leader’s discontent, and blood lust. All these threaten not only the mission but, also, his new found love in Maria, the girl at the camp.

Told in lyrical English that mimics the Spanish cadence, this book is full of flashbacks. Many of which are lengthy. These elements can make the book hard to understand. I found the Spanish element somewhat distracting, as I have not taken Spanish. I think someone who actually spoke Spanish would enjoy the writing style more.

Over all, I think the book makes you think about love, life, and death, a good quality in a book. Some parts are purely poetic, and those are the parts I really enjoyed.

--Cat

P.S. On the CAPP Summer Reading List for Phair.

P.P.S For all you Nerdfighters, the main character, Robert Jordan, was a teacher in Missoula, Montana. The current residence of one Hank Green.

P.P.P.S 8 days until John Green!!!!

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John Green Video

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls By Steven Hockensmith

A guest review by Teen Room Staff Cat!

The dreadfuls are coming. It’s Victorian England and the Bennet sisters are surprised when Mr. Ford sits up at his funeral (It’s so improper to attend one’s own funeral.) They are even more surprised when their father insists they learn how to fight (Warriors don’t get husbands). But, the training becomes necessary when zombies invade the town.

I liked the book. It has all the love and scandal of Austen novel along with the adventure, gore, and violence of an action movie. I would recommend this book to a fan of either genre.

--Cat

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Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook : Core Rulebook I v. 3.5 by Monte Cook

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

This is the first book you must become familiar with if you wish to play Dungeons and Dragons. It's full of everything you need, ranging from races to spells. Eventually, you'll be able to move onto more advanced texts, like the Monster Manuel or the Dungeon Master's Guide, but starting off you should focus on the basics, and the basics are contained in this great text.

Not surprisingly, I love this book, and I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in playing this great game.

--Jeremy

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The Realm of Possibilities By David Levithan

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

This book is in verse
It follows the lives
that color the school
Connecting them
Through love
Hate
Joy
And sorrow

--Cat

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Garage Band by Gipi

A guest review by Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

Garage Band by Gipi is a graphic novel about four teenage boys who have dreams of one day making it big on the music scene. They start out as any band their age, in a garage making too much noise for the neighbors to handle. Eventually Giuliano, one of the band members, is given a garage by his father under the condition that he remains out of trouble. Surprisingly enough this doesn't last too long as a result of a very dumb deed done by the band.

This novel was very well written and had artwork not typically found in graphic novels. I was very surprised I even picked it up, let alone enjoyed it, because I'm not typically into graphic novels. I'd recommend this novel to just about anyone.

--Jeremy

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Looking for Alaska by John Green

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

It’s Miles Halter’s first year at an Alabama boarding school. Culver Creek has all the fun, excitement, and trouble he thought it would, but it had one thing he didn’t expect. Alaska. Alaska is the perfect girl, and as the year progresses he finds himself falling deeper and deeper into love with her. But Alaska is a mystery, and as he searches for the answer he realizes he might never find the answer.

Looking for Alaska is a great book. It brings to light a lot of questions about life and death, but has enough adventure and romance to keep anyone who reads it happy. Be careful, this is definitely a high school book.

--Cat

P.S. It’s on the Summer Reading List for Seniors

John Green!

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Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

A guest review by Teen Room Staff Cat!

Annabel Greene lives in glass house. Her father is an architect. He built a glass house for his family to live in, except, he built the house so passersby could only see some of the family, and the rest was hidden giving the illusion of a see-through house. Annabel’s life is the same as her house. Everyone thinks her life is perfect. She and her sisters are models; she has the perfect family, what could be wrong? Annabel’s life is unraveling around her. She doesn’t want to model anymore, her sister has an eating disorder, and she doesn’t want to see her friends anymore. What can she do? Soon she becomes friends with the loner of the school. He uses music to show her a new outlook on life, and she listens.

This was a good book. I really enjoyed the prominent role music had in the story. If you liked Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson you will definitely like Just Listen.

-- Cat

P.S. It’s on the Summer Reading List for freshmen.

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Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

A guest review by Teen Room Staff Cat!

Abraham Lincoln was one of the most famous presidents. But he has a deep dark secret, he is a vampire hunter. After his mother and Grandfather are killed by vampires, Abe swore revenge on these other worldly beasts. Along with some help from friends he hunts the vampires who haunt his country. A lawyer by day and hunter by night Abe starts his journey to the White House.

This is a great book, it starts out as an Abraham Lincoln biography, and quickly turns into a horror show filled with gore and lots of fighting.

--Cat

P.S. it’s on the Summer Reading List for Seniors (English 12 and Mr. Phair’s CAPP Courses)

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Paper Towns by John Green

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

For all of his life Quentin Jacobsen has lived next to Margo Roth Spiegelman, and for as long as he remembers he has loved her. Margo is the odd popular kid, cool enough to hang with the popular crowd. But when Margo’s boyfriend cheats on her she releases a storm of revenge with Quentin as her sidekick. She disappears that night. This is typical Margo behavior so only Quentin suspects there is something more to her disappearance. Following clues left by Margo he and his friends embark on a quest to find Margo, and for Quentin to find himself.

This book is great! Parts of it will make you laugh a lot.

--Cat

P.S. This is on the Summer Reading List for the Sophomores, and John Green is coming to Waupaca!

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Movie Trailer for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I'm SO EXCITED! Are you??

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Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

This was a rather interesting read that is outside of my normal genre, however I still enjoyed it. It's the story of Josh, a violent genius of a Senior in high school, who, at age 12, was seduced and used by his history teacher. Throughout the novel not only do you learn about Josh's experiences with his teacher, but you also get to witness how he deals with flashbacks of his time spent with said teacher, and how he deals with and eventually overcomes them.

Like I said before I really enjoyed this book, even though it's outside of my normal genre. It's definitely intended for a more mature reader, however, so I would steer clear of it if you're not looking for a book with some steamy moments.

--Jeremy

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Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

A guest review by Teen Room Staff Cat!

Catalyst: a substance added to a reaction to speed up the reaction’s process.
Kate Malone has her life all figured out. In the fall she’s going to MIT, the same school her mother went to, and until then she’s taking care of her brother and father, and she’s not going to let anything stop her. But then several catalysts shake her life, and she learns life isn’t always what she expects it to be, and, maybe, that isn’t a bad thing.

--Cat

P.S. This book is on the Freshmen Summer Reading List.

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13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

If you were to die tomorrow what would you want to tell your friends? Hannah Baker has thought about this and she has all the answers or thirteen of them at least. Hannah is a good girl with a bad reputation and when her life spirals out of control she decides she has had enough, so she kills herself. But she is not about to be forgotten. She leaves thirteen tapes for her classmates to listen to, thirteen reason why she died.
The story follows Clay Jensen’s journey through Hannah’s mind and life, as he tries to figure out why he is on Hannah’s list, and who else caused her death.

This story has some obvious mature material in it. I would recommend it though, it is a great book. I couldn’t put it down. I just had to know how it ended.

--Cat

P.S. See here for Best Celler's review of the same title.
P.P.S. This book is on the Waupaca High School Summer Reading list for Juniors!

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Summer Reading Lists

Are you going to be at Waupaca High School next year? Here are your required summer reading lists. You only need to read one of the books on the list--but take good notes, because you'll be tested on that book when you get back to school next fall!

9th Grade:

The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones
Marley and Me by John Grogan
The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Son of the Mob by Gordan Korman
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Peak by Roland Smith
Box Out by John Coy
Cut by Patricia McCormick
Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Graceling by Kristin Cashore



10th Grade:

Paper Towns by John Green
Chasing Tail Lights by Patrick Jones
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson



11th Grade:

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Nailed by Patrick Jones
Deception Point by Dan Brown
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz



12th Grade English (not CAPP):

Looking for Alaska by John Green
Lottery by Patricia Wood
Silver Compass by Holly Kennedy
Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard
Christmas Stones and The Story Chair by Justin Isherwood
Wart Son of Toad by Alden Carter
Black Cross by Greg Iles
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch



12th Grade CAPP:

If you are taking a CAPP course you have to read two books:

All CAPP students will read one of the following classic American novels:

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Native Son by Richard Wright
Little Big Man by Thomas Berger

All CAPP students will also choose one of the following contemporary novels:

The Help by Kathyrn Stockett
The Quiet Game by Greg Iles
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
Beach Music by Pat Conroy



Students taking Communications 111 and or Theatre Appreciation need to read:

The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch

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Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Remember when Teen Room Staffer Lydia reviewed Unwind? Click here to see her review.







Check out this fan-made video on YouTube that also features Unwind.


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A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper

Sophie FitzOsborne lives in the crumbling ruins of her family’s castle on the tiny island Kingdom of Montmaray, which lies between England and Spain. She lives there with her younger sister Henry, her cousin Veronica, the housekeeper, Rebecca, and her completely mad uncle, King John. The year is 1936, and Sophie just received a journal for her sixteenth birthday. She begins by recording the events of her daily life; her desire to move to London to have her official debut, and her longing for a certain young man’s attention. Veronica, only a year older, but much more worldly wise, takes an interest in the politics of Europe and the brewing tension there. Sophie could care less, until the day that German soldiers land on Montmaray. Sophie’s journal takes a more serious turn, and so does she. She struggles to follow Veronica’s example and become Sensible, even in the face of the most bizarre disaster that Montmaray and Sophie has ever seen.

The writing was well done and told through a diary format. Sophie was a realistic character, but in comparison with her intelligent and quick-witted cousin Veronica, she seemed naïve and younger than 16. Veronica, on the other hand, was behaving and speaking in ways that made her seem older than 17. Also, Sophie was a rather flat character, while Veronica was not. In some ways the book was more about her than the narrator. The concept for the book is genius—an island kingdom that has two teen orphan girls as the main royalty figures? Honestly, the author could have taken this idea in so many thrilling directions. I almost want to steal the idea and rewrite the entire book. Have you ever felt that way about a book? If so, what book? What would you have changed?

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Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

After the murder of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6. After only two weeks of training, Alex is assigned his first mission—to complete his uncle’s last assignment and discover the secret behind a generous donation that was made to every school in the country. Can Alex learn to use his new skills and special tools to uncover the secret?

I just got started on the Alex Rider Series, and I think that it's pretty great--full of action, spy gadgets, and mystery. All my favorite things! Don't miss a single second of the action!

Stormbreaker
Point Blank
Skeleton Key
Eagle Strike
Scorpia
Ark Angel
Snake Head
Crocodile Tears


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Pop by Gordan Korman

New in town, and training for his upcoming football tryouts, sixteen-year-old high-school quarterback Marcus Jordan meets Charlie, an older man who is great at helping him train. Marcus is amazed to discover that Charlie is Charlie Popovich, or the “King of Pop,” as he had been called during his career as an NFL linebacker. Marcus soon discovers that Charlie has a big secret, and his family is desperate to keep it.

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