Sarn, Amelie. I LOVE I HATE I MISS MY SISTER

Sarn, Amelie.
I LOVE I HATE I MISS MY SISTER
New York : Delacorte Press, 2014
IL YA 
ISBN 0385743769
Two sisters are very different but very close.  Sohane is in her last year of high school and is very serious about her studies.  Her sister Djelila is a year younger and loves playing basketball, wearing tight jeans and makeup.  And her boyfriend.  The girls live in France in a housing project with many other Muslim refugees.  France has outlawed the wearing of head scarves by Muslim girls in school.  But Sohane decides that she wants to wear one and is expelled from school when she refuses to take it off.  On the other side of the issue, Djelila is being harassed by the boys in the housing complex for being too modern.  The two side of the issue lead to a tragic outcome.

Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/XEBdcQr8gR4Ip

Krasner, Barbara. THE MYSTERY OF AREA 51

Krasner, Barbara. THE MYSTERY OF AREA 51
Minneapolis, Minnesota : Abdo Publishing Company, 2016
IL 3-6, RL 6.6
ISBN  1680780220
Have you ever heard of Area 51?  It is a place in the state of Nevada that has had a very mysterious past.  It is a top secret site that has been known as an area where advanced airplanes have been developed for the military.  It is also believed to be the site of a UFO landing many years ago.  People believe that the UFO was captured along with its crew and have been held in secret.  What is the truth to all this?  See what you think.

Podcast:  https://spark.adobe.com/video/dUSMoJ2qphLWz

Dowell, Frances O'Roark. TROUBLE THE WATER

Dowell, Frances O'Roark.  TROUBLE THE WATER
New York : Atheneum, 2015
IL 5-8, RL 5.7
ISBN 1481424637
Life in a small town in 1953 is pretty predictable.  Everyone knows each other.  Blacks and whites pretty much leave each other alone.  When 11 year old Callie who is black spots a runaway dog, she decides to try to find the owner.  When she follows the dog, she meets Wendell, a white boy on a quest of his own. The two team up to try to solve an old mystery and overcome the anger of other children because of their friendship.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/2WVUvKJh0CTDe

Cirrone, Dorian. THE FIRST LAST DAY

Cirrone, Dorian.

THE FIRST LAST DAY
New York : Aladdin, 2016
IL 3-6, RL 6.0
ISBN 1481458132

Haleigh Adams is on vacation and loving it.  Her family has rented a cottage on *the Jersey Shore and they will be moving to a new home in the fall.  She has made a new friend, Kevin, and hopes to keep in touch.  Kevin's grandmother owns a cottage and Kevin spends the summer with her.  On the day before they are all about to leave, a tragedy strikes.  Haleigh wishes this never happened.  When she wakes up the next day, she finds that none of it did happen.  She is reliving this day over.  She hopes to find a way to avoid the tragedy but is that even possible.  She finds that she is reliving the day over and over and over again.  What is going on here?

podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/7NKzG7P8H1m9n

Carbone, Courtney. DARCY SWIPES LEFT

Carbone, Courtney.  DARCY SWIPES LEFT
New York : Random House, 2016
IL YA
ISBN 1101940522
One of my favorite classics is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  It is a romantic love story between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.  Have you read it? Well, not like this you haven't.  Imagine the story told entirely in text messages and emojis.  How will that change the story?  Or will it?  And don't worry if you are not all that fluent with text.  There is a glossary at the back! 

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/bzsxJrZMsWxXC

Callaghan, Cindy. LOST IN IRELAND

Callaghan, Cindy. LOST IN IRELAND
New York : Aladdin, 2016
IL 5-8, RL 4.3
ISBN 1481462075

Are you superstitious?  What do you do if you get a chain letter?  Do you forward it to friends so you don't have bad luck?  Or do you ignore it?  Well, Meghan McGlinchey is a very superstitious girl.   When she gets a chain letter from someone in Ireland, she sends it on but not in the way it is meant to be.  Now she is worried.  And then she has a series of bad moments that she is sure are because of the chain letter.  As it turns out, her family is going to Ireland on vacation so she is determined to find the sender of the chain letter and try to break he unlucky streak.

Podcast: https://spark.adobe.com/video/8DGNVC4b4wZGl