"Locket Full of Secrets" by Dana Burkey

3 of 5 stars.

I have finally finished reading this book!!!! I was supposed to finish reading this book in December to complete my GoodReads 2015 Challenge, but I am just now finishing the book. Lol! Life always finds a way to distract me from my reading.

The Basics: After Claire's best friend, Olena, has to suddenly leave, she returns several years later and leaves a dead body in the wake. Olena is now on the run and Claire has no idea what danger Olena could be in or what has become of her close friend. Claire has now went off to college and has a budding romance with Steven, when Olena pops back up. But, Olena is in search of the locket she gave Claire many years ago. Olena then takes Claire and Steven on a journey to Kiev and eventually Pripyat, the scene of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, to unveil a story that will uncover deception related to this disaster. In addition, there are many willing to kill Olena for the information she has and being with Olena makes Claire and Steven a perfect target.

My Thoughts: Though it took me forever to finish the book, I did enjoy it. The Chernobyl connection (though fictional) was a nice touch. I've never read or seen much about the Chernobyl disaster so it was nice to get a little background (and then I went and looked up some stuff on the internet, it is quite interesting). The relationship between Claire and Steven was sweet, but it was obvious that Olena an Steven knew each other in some way.
I did think some of the story line was a bit unbelievable, like Olena obtaining the passports in a short period of time and securing a significant amount of money for them to travel with. Either way, this was not the best story I've read but the Chernobyl connection made it much more interesting to read.

~Remember, teacher read fun stuff too!

"Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

3 of 5 stars.

This book is a classic. I read it several years ago and decided to try to tackle it with my eighth graders. Some enjoyed it, some did not but it is such a great book to experience. Though for my students, it was a challenge and a bit archaic, there are some great discussion points in this novel. We spent a whole quarter reading this book (though it is short) because I had to make sure my students understood what they were reading and there were so many discussions we had based off of what was going on in the book.

The idea that the government can censor what you read is rather intriguing for my students. We had a discussion on whether this would be viable in the world we currently live in. We also discussed that it in the book, the government didn't have to stop citizens from reading, they pretty much did that on their own. The firemen where an added spectacle or "circus" as they are referred to it in the book.

Even the idea of having TV walls as Mildred sits in front of the TV like a zombie everyday, entertained my students. In actuality, there are many people like Mildred in the world we live in. So, though Bradbury wrote this book in the 50s about a futuristic society, we are indeed experiencing the things he wrote about. People are Ok with being entertained rather than informing themselves about what is going on in the world, the media seeks to distract the public away from the real issues in the world, people don't value education, children have become reckless, society is superficial, and knowledge is not valued. Isn't this the world we currently live in?

Though Bradbury can be overly descriptive and metaphorical, the content of his novel is a great leeway into awesome discussions. I have to think about whether I want to read it in the coming years with my students, but it definitely had my students thinking more than they usually do. We are going to follow up with the movie which will allow them to visualize some of the content of the novel.

~Remember, teachers read fun stuff too! 

"The Infinite Sea" by Rick Yancey

OMG! It is March and I have been slipping, majorly! I haven't read nearly as much as I want to. It took me several weeks to read a book that I would normally finish in 1-2 weeks. I'm about to go on Spring Break, so I'm hoping to get back on track.

5 of 5 stars!

The Basics: This is the second installment in the 5th Wave series by Rick Yancey. The story continue with Ringer being separated from the rest of the crew to possibly find another location for them (as they are in a rat-infested hotel). They realize the Others will probably come looking for them and Ringer is determined to start moving, though Cassie is hopelessly waiting for Evan Walker. As the story unfolds, Teacup ends up secretly following Ringer, Evan Walker does return (with some unwanted company following him), and Vosch makes life even harder.


My Thoughts: Again, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, just as much (maybe even more) than the first novel. Yancey knows how to tell a story (and include some great twists and turns). Spoilers ahead: The ending had me in a tailspin. I cannot believe Alex (Razor) shot teacup just to allow Marika (Ringer) to be free and then he was killed in the midst of that. That was definitely unexpected, but I was happy it happened because Ringer would continue to be under Vosch's control because she loves Teacup so much. As she said, "Love is one thing in the universe that's unpredictable."  Nothing is more evident of that than what Ringer has continued to sacrifice for Teacup and Alex's ultimate sacrifice for Ringer.
I did like that Evan found Cassie by the end of the book. I enjoy their love story. The alien thing is getting me confused though. So, Evan (and Ringer now) are humans, just virtually indestructible humans? He doesn't have an "alien" in him, he has the 12th System installed which amplifies his abilities and senses? I need more clarification on this. I cannot wait for book 3!!

~Remember, teachers read fun stuff too!