Review: The Taking by Kimberly Derting

Publish date: April 2014
Source: Conference
Format: ARC
Length: 368 pages
"When sixteen-year-old Kyra Agnew wakes up behind a Dumpster at the Gas ’n’ Sip, she has no memory of how she got there. With a terrible headache and a major case of déjà vu, she heads home only to discover that five years have passed . . . yet she hasn’t aged a day. 

Everything else about Kyra’s old life is different. Her parents are divorced, her boyfriend, Austin, is in college and dating her best friend, and her dad has changed from an uptight neat-freak to a drunken conspiracy theorist who blames her five-year disappearance on little green men.

Confused and lost, Kyra isn’t sure how to move forward unless she uncovers the truth. With Austin gone, she turns to Tyler, Austin’s annoying kid brother, who is now seventeen and who she has a sudden undeniable attraction to. As Tyler and Kyra retrace her steps from the fateful night of her disappearance, they discover strange phenomena that no one can explain, and they begin to wonder if Kyra’s father is not as crazy as he seems. There are others like her who have been taken . . . and returned. Kyra races to find an explanation and reclaim the life she once had, but what if the life she wants back is not her own?" (Goodreads)


I went through a bit of a reading slump recently and was trying to find something that would grab my attention to help pull me back into reading. I knew I didn't want fantasy but after a string of contemps, I wanted something with a little more to it, so I decided to try The Taking. I had previously tried reading The Body Finder but gave up a few pages in, so I was a little leery going into another Derting novel. I did end up liking it but didn't love it (as seems to be my theme).

I read a few reviews before starting The Taking and liked that Lisa said it had an X-Files vibe to it. As a fellow X-Files fan, it definitely does, so if that's you, you'll probably like The Taking. Things are mysterious and we, along with Kyra, have no idea what happened to her in that five years. I loved that she hadn't aged at all. Definitely added more intrigue as to what might have happened to her.

Unfortunately, there were some aspects of this book I didn't like. There was major insta-love going on with Kyra and Tyler. I can handle most insta-love, but this kind was almost insane. He was 12 when she disappeared and now she's falling for him when it's only a day later for her? I don't believe that. I also wanted more closure at the end, but I get that this is the first in a trilogy.

If you're a Derting fan already or like your contemps with a splash of paranormal, try The Taking! If you want more than an easy read, though, I'd skip this one.

Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's theme is: top ten books on your summer TBR and wouldn't you know, I have a list on Goodreads just for this summer! That's how nerdy I am and how much I love Goodreads :)

In no particular order:


Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple: This one looks fun and I've been thinking about reading it for a year now. Also this is kind of cheating because I started reading it a couple days ago.

Winger by Andrew Smith: I've heard many good things about this and think it will be a hit with my students if I can read it and recommend it.

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare: I can't believe I haven't read this! I've read The Infernal Devices (and loved them) but not the series that started it all. Very popular with my students and just something I need to read.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck: This is in our English curriculum at school, but not in a class I teach. I still feel like I need to read this classic!

Shipbreaker by Paolo Bacigalupi: This comes highly recommended by a friend and won a Michigan reading award, so I must get to it.

Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas: I've heard great things about this twisty mystery and it sounds right up my alley.

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick: This one, however, does NOT sound right up my alley, but a few of my big readers at school have all but insisted I read it, so I am going to give it a shot.

Altered by Jennifer Rush: I'm not a fan of the cover, but the premise sounds interesting and she's a Michigan author, so I have to, right?

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrell: I was supposed to listen to the audio of this from audiobooksync.com, but missed the download window. Good thing I have a copy in my classroom!

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo: I liked Shadow and Bone, but did not LOVE it. Bardugo is coming to Michigan next week with the Fierce Reads tour though, so I plan to at least give the sequel a try.

Review: Salvage by Alexandra Duncan

Publish Date: 2014
Source: Purchased
Format: Hardcover
Length: 520 pages
"Ava, a teenage girl living aboard the male-dominated deep space merchant ship Parastrata, faces betrayal, banishment, and death. Taking her fate into her own hands, she flees to the Gyre, a floating continent of garbage and scrap in the Pacific Ocean, in this thrilling, surprising, and thought-provoking debut novel that will appeal to fans of Across the Universe, by Beth Revis, and The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood." (Goodreads)

From the above summary, Salvage sounds amazing! Spaceships, betrayal, floating continent of garbage and scrap, FANS OF ACROSS THE UNIVERSE?? I'm totally there. I think because of all that, my expectations were way too high because I felt totally let down when I finished Salvage.

When you read this, the first thing you notice about the writing is that the language is a bit different aboard Parastrata. It took a while for me to get used to, but eventually I figured out what the different words meant. At first it was a little annoying to deal with it, but it makes sense that language would be different in the future aboard a spaceship.

I really love reading about people living on spaceships, so I was disappointed that only about 1/4 of the book actually takes place in space (maybe even less). I guess when it was compared to Across the Universe, I figured there'd be more time in space, but no. I wasn't a big fan of Gyre or even the storyline there. Honestly, I had a hard time with this book and really wanted to like it so much more than I actually did. I appreciate what Duncan was trying to do, but it just didn't work for me, plus I think it could have easily been 100 pages shorter. 520 pages is a lot!!

I'm not sure who I would recommend this to. I have a hard time comparing it to Beth Revis's work and I don't know if my students would be willing to put in the time on this one, especially since the language makes it hard to get into. I would love to hear other people's thoughts though!

How and Why I Open My Classroom Library During The Summer

Over the last couple weeks on Twitter, I've noticed that teachers are starting to ask if other teachers/school librarians open their libraries during the summer for student use. My answer to that question is YES!! Here's why/how:


1. First of all, why not? The books will just sit there otherwise, unread by anyone but me (if I go in and get them), so why not let students borrow them? Last summer I went in every Thursday morning for a couple hours (sometimes with a fellow teacher) so students could come and return/borrow more books. Sometimes no one came; sometimes 5 people came. Regardless of how many, I'm always happy to see books going home with students. This summer I plan on being there at least once a week, probably more. I'd like to pick an evening to be there so students can come by then if they can't make the morning time.


2. Not all of the townships in my school district have access to our public library. The township I live in, for example, does not support the library, so I pay for a card every year (the amount the average tax payer contributes). Thankfully, I can afford this, but not many students can. I like to be a resource for books during the summer and am sometimes the only resource.


3. I love talking books and talking to students, so it's great to able to continue that in June, July, and August. After talking about books daily during the school year, I miss it during the summer! It's nice to have that opportunity to catch up about books and life in general one or two days a week.


4. Like I said earlier, last year I went in one morning per week and this summer, I'd like to be there one morning and one evening. I'm also available by Twitter and email for students to contact me if they are looking for a certain book or they can't come in at my regular times. I'm happy to pop into school at another time or leave a book in the office for them to pick up.

Do any of you, fellow teachers or school librarians, open your libraries during the summer? I'm curious to find out what everyone does!

My wall of books that students can pick from!

Spring Break Reading!

My spring break officially starts today at 11am! I am heading to Las Vegas with my mom and sister to visit my grandparents and plan on getting a lot reading in between the plane rides and relaxation time during our week there. This is what I'm bring with me:

And on my kindle, I hope to get to: 

I'm currently reading The Sea of Tranquility (and enjoying it!) and hope to finish it on the plane ride. Who knows which one I'll read next!

What are your spring break reading plans?

Top Ten Books On My Spring 2014 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is one of my personal favorites, TBR lists! Below are ten books I'd like to read this spring!

1. Dangerous by Shannon Hale: She is coming to a bookstore near me today and I plan on getting her newest book, Dangerous, signed (along with The Goose Girl)!

2. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan: I read The Lightning Thief earlier this year and am looking forward to continuing the series!

3. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales: A few students have gushed over this one and said I need to read it, so I am making a point to get to it soon. Maybe over spring break? Good plane reading?

4. The Forsaken by Lisa Stasse: Another student rec that sounds pretty good!

5. Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger: I've been meaning to read this one for a while and am determined to finally read it this spring.

6. The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson: I am thinking about binge reading this whole series! Yay or nay?

7. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows: I have this on my kindle and am thinking of reading it over spring break

8. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo: I've been meaning to read this forever and am thinking it's the perfect time because Leigh is coming to Michigan with the Fierce Reads tour in June!

9. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski: This one sounds awesome!

10. Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock: I need to finish DJ's story :)

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Publish date: 2012
Source: Classroom library
Format: Hardcover
Length: 368 pages
"Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her." (Goodreads)

I really thought I would love Crewel. It's been in my classroom library for a while, the subject seemed really interesting, and the cover is pretty. It all added up to what I thought would be a win for me, but I didn't end up loving it as much as I wanted to.

Gennifer Albin has created a really interesting world here with Crewel, but I spent a majority of the book confused about what was happening. The idea of weaving time with matter is really interesting, but I didn't think the concept was explained enough. I also wish there was more background with Adelice's family at the beginning of the book. Apparently I needed more explanation about everything!

That all said, I don't think Crewel was a bad book by any means, just not my thing. I have many students who absolutely loved it and we even considered it for a book club pick last year. I was intrigued by the very end though; will I like Altered more than Crewel? Feel free to advise in the comments!