Circle 9, by Anne Heltzel

When your whole life has vanished and only one person knows who you are...don’t you have to believe him?

 Abby doesn’t remember what happened the night she woke up in soot-stained clothes, lying next to a burning building with an unfamiliar boy at her side. But her connection with Sam is immediate and intense. And she has no one else: no family, no home, not even a last name.

She and Sam start a new life, just the two of them, and Abby’s deliriously happy. Until memories from her past begin to haunt her—and suddenly everything she’s learned to love turns sinister. It’s only a matter of time before her reality cracks apart.


Circle 9 was a little hard for me to follow, at first. But I think with as much psychological....mess....as there is that difficulty ultimately lends itself to a riveting story.

Readers will be hot or cold on this story. There won't be much in between. It's very psychological and there's a lot more going on as you wade through the story. Character development is there, but scattered in bits and pieces, it's not chronological (the development) and it certainly isn't linear...but it works, and the disjointed feel is necessary for the overall story, which is definitely more sinister and sad than you might expect as you get to know Sam and Abby.

It's deep, emotional, and driven. This book is billed as a YA, but I think it could easily be a crossover to adult fiction for those enjoying psychological thrillers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: This book is part of the e-book collection for my local public library system. I was not solicited to write a review, nor am I receiving any compensation. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

This Is Not Forgiveness, by Celia Rees

Everyone says Caro is bad, but Jamie can't help himself. She is totally different from the other girls.But he soon realizes there is more to Caro—much more. Consider: How she disappears for days at a time, or the scars on her wrists, or her talk of revolution and taking action. Jamie's also worried about his older brother Rob. Back from Afghanistan and struggling with PTSD, Rob is living in a world of his own. Which is why it's so strange that Rob and Caro know one another—and why their secrets feel so very dangerous.

With Caro, the summer should have been perfect ... but that isn't how things work out in real life, and Jamie is going to find out the hard way.



No holds barred. This book is really rather awesome. Rees doesn't sugarcoat, doesn't even provide hope. It just is what it is...and real life is that way, too.

It's really deep, with some intense undertones in the back story that shape the front line of the story, thought somewhere along the way you wind up not really sure which story is meant to be the central story line. It's so webbed and interconnected that there isn't just one main line.

NetGalley has this book tagged as "Family and Everyday Life." That's baloney. Short of the "boy meets girl" aspect, there is absolutely nothing "everyday" about this book. The effect of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on a family is harrowing, frightening. And all too vivid a story line.

Rees has, frankly, done it again. This story is in a different vein from other books I've read from her, but it's masterful.




***Note, the print release of this title isn't due in the US until October 2012, though it was previously released in the UK much earlier. However, in researching that publication date, I did find that you can purchase paperback copies of the UK print through Amazon-affiliated book sellers. Also, the Kindle version appears to be available.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Bloomsbury Children's Books through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Age of Miracles, by Karen Thompson Walker

"It still amazes me how little we really knew. . . . Maybe everything that happened to me and my family had nothing at all to do with the slowing. It's possible, I guess. But I doubt it. I doubt it very much."

On a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the Earth has suddenly begun to slow. The days and nights grow longer and longer, gravity is affected, the environment is thrown into disarray. Yet as she struggles to navigate an ever-shifting landscape, Julia is also coping with the normal disasters of everyday life-the fissures in her parents' marriage, the loss of old friends, the hopeful anguish of first love, the bizarre behavior of her grandfather who, convinced of a government conspiracy, spends his days obsessively cataloging his possessions. As Julia adjusts to the new normal, the slowing inexorably continues.

There's always been some wonder and sometimes worry about the Earth and its rotation. What would happen if it stopped? How would it affect the people, animals, plants? How do you respond? How would the world manage itself? It's something to consider, but hopefully never to experience.

But don't misunderstand me, this is not a "science-y" book. There is just enough science as it fits into the story, but it doesn't overpower it. More important is the story of Julia, a teenager who faces the normal issues of high school and family dynamics, all viewed through a lens of 24 hours of daylight, every rotation of the Earth. She learns things about her family she never imagined, but always lurked below the surface in the "normal" world.

Karen Thompson Walker took a sci-fi story line and gave it a YA drama treatment. And you know, it works. It's not a sci-fi story with some awkward romance and family angst thrown in. No, it's really a well done YA novel with some sci-fi/fear-of-the-unknowable thrown in. I caught myself talking about the science, even looked up some of the what-if websites. It's got enough there to make a reader think, or not, whichever he or she chooses.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Random House through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Rape Girl, by Alina Klein

Valerie always wanted to be the smart girl. The pretty girl. The popular girl.

But not the rape girl..

That’s who she is now. Rape Girl. Because everyone seems to think they know the truth about what happened with Adam that day, and they don’t think Valerie’s telling it..

Before, she had a best friend, a crush, and a close-knit family. After, she has a court case, a support group, and a house full of strangers..

The real truth is, nothing will ever be the same..


Valerie's story is a ABC After School Special. I don't mean to sound trite, but it is. Those screenplays were written about very specific events that could possibly happen to anyone. In the end, everything wasn't okay, but it was better and hope wasn't so far removed.

This is a shorter story (132 pages). It's  quick read, would appeal to a reluctant reader, and would speak to the girl (or boy) who has, unfortunately, been raped. It's a very real and honest account of what someone in this situation might go through.

Valerie's story is very well done, and this is a fresh reminder that while it does get better, the most profound effects of rape don't occur at the time it happens.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this ebook galley from Namelos through the netGalley publisher/reader connection program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Really Cool PowerPoint Trick

It's been several years since someone turned PowerPoint into a great way to do fun lessons and test reviews in the classroom. At one time or another, we've ALL participated in or created Jeopardy-style PowerPoint games.  (If you haven't yet, here's a template. Try it!)

On our campus, we've adopted SMART Podiums. They're pretty neat and have lots of potential, but some of us would rather create our own resources than hunt through all the things out there from others. And, honestly, there's not a lot out there for educators tailored really well to the Podiums...or at least not that I'm finding.

But, the bigger issue is that we don't have them available on all campuses. We do have what we call "presentation stations"--large televisions (I mean, large) connected to computer towers, DVD/VCR players, and image projectors (like ELMOs). No SMARTBoards are available to the teachers.

Sooo....we do a lot of PowerPoints. We just do. We've all received training, and many even create interactive ones (on the same premise as the Jeopardy idea). Today, while tooling around looking for other things, I found this AWESOME PowerPoint Trick.

This is how you WRITE or TYPE on a slide, while actively running the slideshow. Sure, old news to some, but I think it's awesome!