Club news:
- Check out our new mugs!
- Some still available for $18 from Mrs. Caldicott
- paper cups will soon no longer be available; bring your own mug!
- 8th grade orientation
- We met 15 very interested new readers who want to join our club next year
- Thank you Manha, Sophia, and other Book Clubbers who came to talk to 8th grade students and their families
-
We (Heart) Books book swap
- Start scanning your home bookshelf for a book you'd be OK giving away in our annual We (Heart) Books book swap
- Fri Feb 16
- We'll play a game to swap books
- LMC will have a few extra books to give away, plus some wrapping paper
What we've been reading:
- The Novice by Taran Matharu
- Genre: fantasy
- Summary: When blacksmith apprentice Fletcher discovers that he has the ability to summon demons from another world, he travels to Adept Military Academy. There the gifted are trained in the art of summoning. Fletcher is put through grueling training as a battlemage to fight in the Hominum Empire’s war against orcs. He must tread carefully while training alongside children of powerful nobles. The power hungry, those seeking alliances, and the fear of betrayal surround him. Fletcher finds himself caught in the middle of powerful forces, with only his demon Ignatius for help. As the pieces on the board maneuver for supremacy, Fletcher must decide where his loyalties lie. The fate of an empire is in his hands. The Novice is the first in a trilogy about Fletcher, his demon Ignatius, and the war against the Orcs.
- Emma likes the book for its "D&D energy."
- The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee
- Genre: nono-fiction
- Summary: The future can be prosperous for everyone, but only if we address the problems of racial and economic inequality. McGhee believes that all people, of all ages and all backgrounds, need to rethink their attitude toward race and strive together to create opportunities that benefit everyone. This book is a call to action. McGhee examines how damaging racism is, not only to people of color but also to white people. She offers hope and real solutions so we can all prosper. An expert in economic policy, McGhee draws lessons both from her work at a think tank and from her travels around the country talking to everyday Americans fighting for a more just and inclusive society. The people she meets prove how the stories we tell ourselves about race and belonging influence the policies that determine our shared economic future. The Sum of Us provides hope that with understanding and open-mindedness, the world can be more united and equitable than it is today.
- Just Do This One Thing for Me by Laura Zimmerman
- Genre: action
- Summary: "Just do this one thing for me." One thing? The division of labor in Drew's family goes like this: Mom manages a few shady side hustles, a thriving fake review business, and a lifelong obsession with Justin Timberlake; Drew is responsible for every other thing, including herself, her younger siblings, groceries, ukulele lessons, optometry, snowblowing, and generally solving all the problems the rest of the family creates. Drew is a planner, a rule follower, and mere months from leaving the chaos of her mother's world behind for the list-making, box-checking structure of the University of Wisconsin, whish is why she agrees when the Momnipulator leaves her in charge while she takes a last-minute trip to a concert in Mexico City. What's one more "just one thing"? But when Heidi fails to return and her schemes begin to unravel, Drew finds herself in the middle of the biggest mess of all—and in a race to figure it all out before the thaw. She can either stick with her plans, do the responsible thing, and walk away alone. Or take over the cons, stay a step ahead, and just maybe hold her family together.
- Mrs. Caldicott gives it 5 *****!
- Heartless by Marissa Meyer
- Genre: fantasy
- Summary: Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen. Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
- "First recommended by Grace, then recommended by Emma, then read by my sister Betty, and now I'm reading it," said Betsy.
- A Forgery of Roses by Jessica S. Olson
- Genre: fantasy:
- Summary: She's a portrait artist whose paintings alter people's bodies, which is a talent some would kidnap, blackmail, and worse to control. Guarding that secret is the only way to keep her younger sister safe now that their parents are gone. But one frigid night, the governor's wife discovers the truth and threatens to expose Myra if she does not complete a special portrait that would resurrect the governor's dead son. Once she arrives at the legendary stone mansion, however, it becomes clear that the boy's death was no accident. A killer stalks these halls--one disturbingly obsessed with portrait magic. Desperate to get out of the manor as quickly as possible, Myra turns to the governor's older son for help completing the painting before the secret she spent her life concealing makes her the killer's next victim.
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- Genre: mystery
- Summary: Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? Avery has no idea why -- or even who Tobias Hawthorne is. To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch -- and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Unfortunately for Avery, Hawthorne House is also occupied by the family that Tobias Hawthorne just dispossessed. This includes the four Hawthorne grandsons: dangerous, magnetic, brilliant boys who grew up with every expectation that one day, they would inherit billions. Heir apparent Grayson Hawthorne is convinced that Avery must be a conwoman, and he's determined to take her down. His brother, Jameson, views her as their grandfather's last hurrah: a twisted riddle, a puzzle to be solved. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.
- winner of the 2020 Illinois Teen Choice Award
- "I binged about a third of the book last night!" Madeline said
- Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher
- Genre: fantasy
- Summary: For a thousand years, the people of Alera have united against the aggressive and threatening races that inhabit the world, using their unique bonds with the furies - elementals of earth, air, fire, water, wood, and metal. But in the remote Calderon Valley, the boy Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. At fifteen, he has no wind fury to help him fly, no fire fury to light the lamps. Yet as the Alerans' most savage enemy - the Marat horde - returns to the Valley, Tavi's courage and resourcefulness will be a power greater than any fury, one that could turn the tides of war ...
- series Codex Alera
- "Politics are a fascinating angle that people take to gain power"
- They Both Die At the End by Adam Silvera
- Genre: sci-fi
- Summary: Adam Silvera reminds us that there's no life without death and no love without loss in this devastating yet uplifting story about two people whose lives change over the course of one unforgettable day. On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They're going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they're both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There's an app for that. It's called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure -- to live a lifetime in a single day.
- winner of the 20 Illinois Teen CHoice Award
- The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher
- 24 books in the series
- Book One Storm Front