God Grew Tired of Us - Book Review

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Dau, John Bul., and Michael S. Sweeney. God Grew Tired of Us. Washington, DC: National Geographic, 2007. Print.

God Grew Tired of Us, takes readers on a journey of hope. John was born into a life of poverty and starvation.  At a young age, his native village was attacked by Arab soldiers. Dinka villagers were forced to evacuate the area, causing John to be separated from his parents. John was forced to head north where he met Abraham, a former friend of his father. The pair made their way to Ethiopia for a place of shelter, and then to a refugee camp in Kenya where he met with other “Lost Boys”.  Later on, John was one of the select few to immigrate to America where he faced a drastic change in his lifestyle.

God Grew Tired of Us, is an inspirational adventure that captivates readers with its humbling plot. This is a first person account of what it was like to be in Africa during a time of civil war. I recommend this book to anyone who likes stories of perseverance and rising up against slim odds. God Grew Tired of Us also tells of John’s culture shock and his peaceful but lonely life when he moved to America. This gives the audience a unique perspective on change.

John Muir Library Gets Chromed!

listen to ‘John Muir Library Gets Chromed!’ on Audioboo

February was an exciting month for the JMMS Library as far as technology. We were lucky enough to receive a Reach for the Stars grant courtesy of the Wausau School Foundation, which enabled us to receive 13 additional Google Chromebooks for a grand total of 21 in the LMC by the end of the year. Nine of those machines have already arrived, and the integration into classroom use has been seamless. The pre-loaded apps like EasyBib, Diigo, Adblock, Select and Speak, and Google Dictionary make for a very enriching learning experience, and students are able to begin working much faster than before due to the ultra-quick boot speeds of Chromebooks.

Image by Google

Another thing we're proud to announce is the first app in the Google Chrome Store created specifically for students at the Wausau School District who attend John Muir. The John Muir Middle School app is ready for download in the Google Chrome Store, and it will help students cut down significantly on the time it takes to navigate to important websites associated with JMMS. Download it today for Google Chrome. Simply search "John Muir Middle School" in the Chrome Web Store or click this link.

The JMMS Library Hits the Chrome Web Store to Speed Up Access to Important Resources

Also, if you haven't seen it already, Mrs. Lind's 4-5 block has done an excellent job publishing a variety of book reviews as guest authors of the JMMS library blog. Students learned how to cite book sources quickly by using ISBN codes in Easybib's link to WorldCat. In addition, students learned to import pictures and create captions on Blogger, create labels to organize their posts by genre, and some even learned a little basic html to customize their posts. Give them a quick browse at http://bit.ly/14bUDwN.

The Scorch Trials- Book Review

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Dashner, James. The Scorch Trials. New York: Delacorte, 2010. Print.

     “Other sounds snuck their way into his consciousness. Thumps. The clang of metal against metal. Something shattering. Boys shouting. More like the echos of shouts, very distant, muted. Suddenly they became more like screams. Unearthly cries of anguish. But still distant. As if he’d been wrapped in a thick cocoon of dark velvet.”

     This eye-opening third book in The Maze Runner series gives you an inside peek on the world years in the future. Sun flares have left most of the Earth dry and desolate. Food and water is scarce and it's every man for himself. On top of the ravaging heat, a terrible disease nicknamed the Flare spread across the planet. The Flare is a disease that attacks the brain, slowly driving you insane.

     In the Scorch Trials, a group of boys called the Gladers are supposedly rescued from the terrible experience of being trapped in the Maze, as described in the second book. The boys find out that they are actually part of a big experiment. An organization called WICKED took them from their parents at a young age and wiped their memories. WICKED then put the boys in a series of tests. WICKED’s ultimate goal is to try to find a cure for the Flare by monitoring the Gladers brain waves. After they escape from the Maze, the Gladers are finally rescued, fed and dressed in clean clothes. Everyone feels safe for the first time in many months. When Thomas, the main character, hears disturbing sounds arousing his well needed rest, he knows something is wrong. Are the tests really done or have they just started?

     The Scorch Trials is a fantastic read. I couldn’t put it down as soon as I started. Dashner does an amazing job of leaving you guessing the entire book. I recommend this book to anyone who loves science fiction and action. The Scorch Trials is one of my favorite books and I will be reading it over and over.

             

Sweet Venom - Book Review

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Book Review

Childs, Tera Lynn. Sweet Venom. New York: Katherine Tegen, 2011. Print.

“Horror stories? Absolutely. To share? Not on your life.” 
Grace's move to San Francisco was supposed to be an exciting new school experience, but when she begins to see Minotaur roaming around downtown, her life turns completely upside down. Her long lost sister, Gretchen, was adopted by Ursula years ago, and has pursued her destiny of being a huntress. To be a huntress means to defeat mythical creatures, and dispatch them back to Tartarus. Things have grown quite peculiar until Gretchen acquires the reason why. While seeking out a monster, Gretchen stumbles upon her look-alike, Grace. Both girls are shocked with the unsettling news of being twins.When Grace agrees to accept her fate as a huntress, they begin training to fight the creatures. Everything is going smoothly, when they discover a third sister. The triplets need to unite in their darkest hours, but, the third sister, Greer doesn't think so. In addition to all the madness, all three girls have “admirers.” It’s difficult to date when you're chasing monsters through the night.

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs is a very intriguing book. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy fantasy and romance twisted together. This breath-taking novel is sensationally written in a pleasing style readers can relate to. Sweet Venom is the first book in Tera Lynn Childs’ series, and the ending leaves you wanting more.