Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

“Catching Fire not only lived up to my high expectations, it surpassed them. It's just as exciting as The Hunger Games, but even more gut wrenching, because you already know these characters, you've already suffered with them.”
--Stephenie Meyer, www.stepheniemeyer.com

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

I'VE BEEN HEARING THAT THIS IS EVEN
BETTER THAN THE HUNGER GAMES...
ENJOY AND FEEL FREE TO DISCUSS THROUGH COMMENTS!

If the Witness Lied by Caroline B Cooney

Jack Fountain knows that what’s happened to his family sounds like the most horrible soap opera anyone could ever write. But it happened—to Jack; his parents; his sisters, Smithy and Madison. And to his baby brother, Tris. What made it worse was that the media wanted to know every detail.

Now it’s almost Tris’s third birthday, and everything’s starting again. Aunt Cheryl, who’s living with the Fountain children now that their parents are gone, has decided that they will heal only if they work through their pain—on camera. The very identities they’ve created for themselves are called into question. In less than twenty-four hours their fate will change yet again, but this time they vow to not be exploited and to discover the truth.

Enjoy this page-turner and don't forget to publish your thoughts in the comments!!!!

Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson

Click on the title to link to the official Maximum Ride website!

This series follows the adventures of Maximum Ride (more commonly known as Max), a headstrong fourteen year-old, and her group of human-avian hybrids, Fang, Iggy (who is blind due to an experiment at the school), Nudge, Gazzy (Gasman), and Angel. They make up the Flock, who have been the subjects of experiments[5] leaving them 98% human and 2% avian.

Enjoy this series and don't forget to post your comments below:

The Walls of Cartegena by Julia Durango

Calepino was blessed with good fortune. After his mother died giving birth to him on a slave ship, he was taken in by a wealthy woman who gave him every advantage. Then on his thirteenth birthday, Father Pedro, a devout priest, asks Calepino to assist him with the slaves coming into Cartagena. Soon he's fighting seasickness, living in squalor, and cursing every minute. That all begins to change when he meets Mara and Tomi, a mother and son who remind him of his own past.

When Tomi and Mara are sold to a cruel man, Calepino is more determined than ever to find a way to save them. Will this be his chance to change someone else's fortune, or will he put them all in more peril?

Enjoy! Please think about and comment on the following during or after reading:

1. Why is this statement true in Cartagena: “One man’s protection is another man’s prison?”
2. Who does the story of Mara and Tomi remind Calepino of his own story? How are they hoping he might help?
3. Describe Sacabuche and Father Pedro. Who would you prefer to work for? Why? Why do you think Father Pedro was later named the “Patron saint of slaves?”
4. What are Calepino’s special gifts and talents? Does Calepino have an obligation to use his gifts to help his people? Why or why not. Do you?
5. Why is Dr. Lopez brought to treat Mara? Why does Mara consider it a blessing for the child? How do Calepino and Dr. Lopez get along? Why?
6. Why does Calepino decide to go serve at San Lazaro? Why is it such a dreaded place? Would you be willing to risk your own health to serve others? Why is it an excellent place to hide forbidden books?
7. What became of Tomi and Mara? How does their situation become dire for both of them? How do they hope Calepino can help? Why doesn’t Father Pedro do something for them?
8. When Dr. Lopez is thrown in prison Calepino almost gives himself away for no reason. Explain why his confession would not have helped the doctor. How does Calepino convince a priest to lie?
9. Why does Tiburon say that Calepino betrayed Dr. Lopez? Have you ever refused to trust a friend with important information? 10. How do you know when you can trust someone?
11. In the end, what does Calepino decide to do with his freedom? How has he changed over the course of the novel? Do you think Calepino is following the 9th commandment of San Basilio (to be valiant and die for one’s race)?

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

One cruel night, Meggie's father, Mo, reads aloud from INKHEART, and an evil ruler named Capricorn escapes the boundaries of fiction, landing instead in their living room. Suddenly, Meggie's in the middle of the kind of adventure she thought only took place in fairy tales. Somehow she must master the magic that has conjured up this nightmare. Can she change the course of the story that has changed her life forever?

Enjoy! Please think about and comment on the following during or after reading:

1. Of all the characters you've read about in books, which one would you most like to bring to life or meet in person?

2. If you could enter a book for just one day, what book would you choose, and why?

3. Why does Mo keep his ability a secret from Meggie? Why has he never told her the truth about her mother?

4. Why doesn't Dustfinger read the ending of the story when he has the chance in Meggie's bedroom? What stops him?

5. Does Elinor like books more than she likes people? Has she truly been happy living alone with all her books? How does she change, and why?
6. Why isn't Fenoglio afraid when he meets Capricorn? What do you think it would feel like for an author to see his characters in real life? Does Fenoglio ever fear his characters as much as the others do?
7. Why does Fenoglio disappear at the end? Did he go into the book? If so, do you think he planned it?
8. How many secrets can you identify in the story?