Daniel Webster's Reading Blog

 This book is such a sweet story. Lily has promised her dad that she will try to "Strive for Five" which means she will step out of her comfort zone and speak up in school. Being in a public school for the first time, after previously being homeschooled by her recently deceased father, provides a lot of opportunity for Lily to live up to her promise, but can she do it? New school, new classmates and teachers, finding somewhere to sit in the lunchroom...too many pressures! When the election for class president rolls around, maybe Lily will be brave enough to help a new friend run but that's her limit, right?!? The best part of this story is the connections and dialogue between the characters. Each one feels real and the are all relatable; we've either known someone just like each or we might be one of the characters ourselves! That said, I would be remiss if I did not highlight one other favorite part of this book- in between each chapter, the book talks to you about t

  Everyone LOVES Jerry Spinelli, right?!?! I was so excited to get an advanced copy of Dead Wednesday! The premise itself is unique: once a year, for just a day, eighth graders are assigned a name of a child that has passed away due to an accident of some sort. They are invisible (or "dead") for that day, so no living person talks to them or pays them any attention. Only a half day of school and then freedom! For the main character, a boy who goes by the name Worm, it's a day he has been looking forward to for years. That is, until he is joined by a new friend, the ghost of his assigned "Deader," Becca Finch. Why is she here? Is she supposed to help Worm? Is he supposed to help her in some way? Just how is this day going to end? You will love this book. It is funny, sweet, a bit creepy, and heartfelt. Is it weird to say that you might fall in love with Becca Finch even though she's dead? Well, tough. You'll love her and the lesson in this story! -TK

 This is a really fun read that anyone who enjoys a little bit of fear will devour in one sitting. This collection of scary stories will creep you out and chuckle along the way as well! There's something in here for everyone, whether it is ghosts, skeletons, disappearing people, and even people turning into animals! Some stories are written in prose, others poetry, and one is even written in a transcript of a phone call.  I remember reading Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark when I was a kid in school. I think we can add this title to that shelf of books because these scary tales are certainly in that same vane! You can read them one story per sitting and just plow through the whole book at once! I know I went back and read a couple of them over a second time in order to share them with my kids as well! -TK

 Let me start by saying this book will definitely hit you! I loved it! What would you do if you possessed a curse that caused you to see into the future with every touch? How would you handle the truth that your brother is going to die and the only one who knows it is you? That's the premise of Brittney Morris's The Cost of Knowing. Alex sees an image of his little brother's grave and knows only that he is powerless to stop it and he doesn't know when or how it will happen, so he sets out to provide his brother with the best final days that he can. Along the way, Alex realizes that he might not be the only one with a special power which only complicates the matter even more. I think everyone has wondered what it might be like if you could see into the future. Some may have even wanted to have that superpower. I think this book will leave you thinking and maybe even second guessing whether or not that power is a blessing or a curse. There are certainly moments throughout

  This memoir tells the story of Robbie Waisman, a boy who experienced the horrors of the Holocaust at the concentration camp of Buchenwald. While enduring the loss of family, friends, and other strangers he encountered throughout many of his younger years, Waisman used his faith and hope to see his family again to make it through. He met perhaps the most famous survivor of the holocaust, Elie Wiesel, who also breathed hope into an otherwise hopeless world. Once Buchenwald was liberated, Waisman's journey was far from over as being a Jewish in Europe post- WWII presented a whole lot of other, and somewhat unexpected challenges as well. This is a breath-taking story of suffering and hope, loss and renewal, and the strength of spirit. I believe all students should read stories like this, especially as the years go by and this period of history becomes further into the past. We can never forget the atrocities this world experienced and knowing the story from a child's eyes is espe

  I was a huge fan of Truly Devious which tells the story of a girl named Stevie who goes to the prestigious Ellingham Academy and ends up solving a decades old mystery. I was really excited to read this installment in the series and I actually told someone today that I was enjoying even more than Truly Devious. Stevie has left Ellingham Academy for the summer to serve as a camp counselor- or at least that's what she gets her mom to believe. In reality, while she does go to camp in the role as counselor, the owner of the camp has brought her on in order to help solve a quadruple homicide that has gone unsolved for decades. In true horror movie style, as Stevie's friend Nate loves to remind her throughout the story, four camp counselors sneak out one night for some fun in the woods and are discovered the next day brutally murdered. With historical incompetence and people then in power in the small town possibly covering up the truth, perhaps Stevie can unravel what really happen

  Annie and Jamie are sister and brother. They grew up super close, bonded by their shared love of a magical world called Gumlea which they created and escaped to frequently throughout their childhood. As the two grew older, though, Jamie begins to distance himself from their shared world and one day Jamie disappears. Annie is convinced Jamie has become trapped in Gumlea and is determined to bring him back. This proves increasingly difficult as time goes on and everyone believes that Jamie isn't gone, but rather that he is dead. Is Jamie simply trapped or is he really dead? If he is merely trapped, does Annie have the power to bring Jamie back? The twist in this book will certainly be unexpected! I will be honest and say I struggled with this book. The mix of fantasy and reality often is as confusing for the reader as it is for Annie herself. Perhaps North does this on purpose, especially early on and at the end, but I really got into this book when North sticks to Annie's real

  If you happened to read Puddin , you will equally enjoy Pumpkin. The reader returns to Clover City and this time we meet Waylon Brewer, a fat gay teen (her description, not mine) who begins to dabble in drag. When a video of him experimenting in drag goes semi-viral at his high school, he is nominated to run for Prom Queen. What he first believes might be a cruel joke just might turn into a life changing and life making journey for Waylon as he begins to discover his true self. Murphy writes with humor and heart. The message of each of her books is to love yourself for who you truly are and in this day and age, our students can use more of that. No matter how you live, Pumpkin can serve as a reminder to treat everyone with love and respect!

  I am a huge fan of all Alan Gratz's books. Ground Zero tells a story that all Americans feel they know, but one that (teachers now sometimes forget) many of our students were not alive to live through and remember. Like many of Gratz's books, the story is told through the eyes of two main characters in two different time periods. Brandon is a suspended middle schooler who goes to work on September 11, 2001, with his father in the World Trade Center and Reshmina is an girl living Afghanistan in 2019 who is dealing with war-torn life that she and her family finds themselves living in between the Taliban and the United States. As always, the two characters find themselves extraordinarily connected by their individual and forever linked experiences, whether they know it or not. For someone who lived through 9/11-I was in college at the time- Ground Zero brings back the terrifying history that our country experienced while also providing a perspective from "the other side&quo

  Bridget is your average high school girl with a passion for the world's most popular fantasy book series, Swords and Shadows  by the reclusive RM Haldon. Upon meeting him at a book signing, she becomes his got- researcher for any reference he has made in his series. They communicate primarily by email, but Bridget feels closer to Haldon than anyone and when Haldon is taking longer than usual to finish his novel she begins to worry. Upon getting a confusing email from Haldon, Bridget becomes certain something is wrong. She vows to get to the bottom of his disappearance. This book reminded me of the Stephen King book/movie Misery, with a few diabolical twists .  Some people get a little over zealous with celebrities and often it is a question of whether they will get away with their plans or not. Will Bridget get to Haldon in time or will time run out? I highly recommend Eyes of the Forest. It will get your blood pumping! -TK

 You have to read this book from cover to cover to fully understand and even realize what the heck is going on. There are parts early on in Dig that the reader will not initially understand in the bigger picture and that, standing on their own, may seem completely neither here nor there. As the story unfolds, the numerous storylines, told from the point of view of five cousins who either have little or no idea they are related, come together in a dysfunctional family Easter reunion of sorts. I am a huge fan of A.S. King. King's novels always tackle serious issues in the most interesting way. In Dig, King examines the toxicity of white supremacy and racism amid generations of a really messed up family. This book will certainly not be for everyone, but those who "get it" will absolutely love it! -TK