The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

For those of you who've read and loved Epic by Connor Kostick, you'll certainly enjoy this book, too! Set in a future time, North America has been divided into 13 regions based on their natural resources and all the regions are under the thumb of Capital City, a place full of luxury and excess. Once a year, each district is required to hold a lottery, drawing two names from those 12 to 18, one male and one female to participate in the Hunger Games. Only one winner is allowed...and anything goes during the games. We experience the competition through the experiences of Katniss, a 16 year old huntress who volunteered to replace her 12 year old sister, and Peeta Mallark, the baker's son who has been in love with Katniss since he first saw her. The games are televised to all the districts sort of like the Super Bowl. Try to imagine an event that is part beauty pagaent, Survivor, and soap opera and you've got a start on The Hunger Games.

Full of action, adventure, some blood and guts (check out the "tracker jacks"), romance, and psychological elements, this is the beginning of a new series and I can't wait for the second book to be released! Take a read..and let me know what you think!

Box Out by John Coy

You know the old expression "you can't judge a book by its cover?". Well, for Box Out by John Coy, the expression clearly holds true.

I picked this book up reluctantly...because it looks like it's about basketball, a sport that I've never played and don't particularly enjoy (apologies to all you basketball players and fans!). And is often the case, I found more than just a book about basketball.

Coy's book does have tons of b-ball play by play but also has enough of a plot to keep readers like me interested and driving toward the finish. Liam, the protagonist, gets promoted to Varsity as a sophomore due to an injury. He's ecstatic, his dad is ecstatic and life couldn't get any better!

Until...Liam discovers that the Varsity team has some team building practices that he doesn't agree with (mandatory prayer in the locker room) and his girlfriend dumps him long distance. It is pure fun to see how Liam copes and stands up for what's right in spite of peer pressure from the team.

Check this one out at the Houston Public Library this summer (you'll need to put it on hold and have it transferred to the library branch nearest you) or from the BMS library in August.

"Trouble"

The trouble with "trouble" is you never know where or when trouble will occur. I bet you've experienced many kids of trouble in your life....friends that talk about you, family members who disappoint you, the death of someone you love, losing something important to you, etc. I always appreciate a book that show me how other people deal with trouble in their lives. Perhaps if I've had the same experience, I get new ideas about how to deal with a situation next time. Or perhaps I might learn something to use when I run head first into a new kind of "trouble."

Gary Schmidt's new book, Trouble, is one of those books. There's plenty in the story that I have never experienced (like going to a preparatory school where everybody is really smart or living in Massecheusetts) but there's a lot I can relate to.

For Henry Smith, the main character in Schmidt's novel, trouble shows up with a capital "T" on the eve of his 14th birthday. Henry's father is fond of saying "If you build your house far enough away from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you." I'm not sure I agree with Henry's dad. I think trouble can find you wherever you are. Trouble is just a fact of life. Things don't always go the way we want them to, and people don't do the things they should. Sometimes they do bad things for good reasons.

Henry's world is turned upside down when his older brother is critically injured an a car accident. As he and his family struggle to cope, they learn alot about each other and Henry learns the truth about the accident.

One part of the book that I could really relate to is Black Dog. Henry saves this dog from drowning. This part is kind of sad. She wins over the whole family and provides a way to help them cope with their grief. My own good black dog is named Ellie and she behaves just as crazy as Black Dog does. You'll be surprised when you find out how Black Dog ended up in the water.

I'm anxious for you to read this book and let me know what you think.