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Diegueño Middle School

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About Mrs. Coy's Reading:

About Mrs. Coy's Reading:

I usually have 2 books going at once.  One that I read, usually YA Fiction so I know what to recommend and I listen to 1 on my Kindle on my long car ride to school and home.  

Right now I am listening to Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Caringer.  It is a British Steampunk/Spy/Mystery Novel.  I love it!!! and I can't wait to read the next two books.... If you ask me:
 
Steampunk is the new Dystopia!!
Come in and ask me about this fabulous genre! I am working on a cool bulletin board to explain all about it.
I have a challenge for you . . . keep track of all the books you read this school year.  
My partial list from last two years, with brief info is below. I am an avid reader so check back often as I will update this section regularly.  I promise to keep track of my reading and make recommendations, too!!!!
Below are some of the books I have read in the recent past.....

Below are some of the books I have read in the recent past.....

Teen/Young Adult Books
  • The False Prince + sequel The Runaway King - great adventure, intrigue and shenanigans
  • Tiger's Curse Series (4 books)- very interesting fantasy.  Takes place in India, and you feel like you are there.
  • The Old Man and the Sea - classic, but still a very good adventure.
  • Coraline - I liked it (I have not seen the movie) but I like The Graveyard Book and Neverwhere much more!
  • Legend, Prodigy and I am eagerly awaiting Champion (out Nov 2013)
  • Divergent, Insurgent and I couldn't wait for Allegiant (so far it was not worth the wait)
  • Enclave, Outpost and Horde - great, great, and great!
  • Under the Never Sky, Through the Ever Night and Into the Still Blue.
  • Found: The Missing Series + others in the series.  I really, really liked these.
  • Beautiful Creatures and Beautiful Darkness, I know there are others in the series, I just got kinda tired of the story line.
  • Ghost Hawk - very good historical fiction
  • Clockwise - just plain fun
  • The Rithmatist - this is called 'steampunk' fiction because of all the mechanized creatures (I think).  I liked this and I think it would be fun to have some battles using the chalk techniques - wanna try???
  • Diary of a Witness - boy oh boy is this one good!
  • I Am Number Four - the WHOLE series and loved them all! The Revenge of 7 will be out in late September 2014.
  • The Wizard of Dark Street - cute
  • Icefall - different because it is Viking-like, with a lot of adventure
  • The Mortal Instruments - all three books
  • The Infernal Devices - all three books
  • The Graveyard Book
  • Neverwhere
  • Clockwork Three - another book of the Steampunk genre.
  • Savvy and Scrumble - great adventures
  • Star Girl and Love, Star Girl - I loved these two books.  A great message about love and hope and being okay with being different than your peers
  • The Girl of Fire and Thorns +2 sequels Good, takes place in medieval times, very strong female hero
  • Brother's Bones - guy book, boy scouts and camping and a mystery! I liked the story but not the writing.
  • The Mysterious Benedict Society - fun but I won't be reading any of the sequels
  • The Age of Miracles - this is great! a departure from the usual dystopian society novel (the aftermath and all that, like the Hunger Games), this is more about how the world fell apart
  • The Trouble with Tuck - a blind dog gets a seeing-eye dog of his own
  • The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven - Eye opener, I think anyone would enjoy this look at life
  • The Journey to the River Sea
  • The Adoration of Jenna Fox - WOW, cool premise, I LOVED this book. Jenna awakes from a coma and can't remember what happened.  But then, she starts to, but her reality is very unreal.
  • The Year the Music Changed - A young girl exchanges letters with Elvis, teaching him grammar and how to write, BEFORE he became famous
Crossover Books, Good for Teens and Adults
  • The curious incident of the dog in the night-time - some crass language, but the story is good
  • The Snow Child - based on a familiar fairy tale, it's a love story, has some images that might be more adult-ish
  • Dog On It - I love books where the dog tells the story - this one is particularly good, a detective story to boot!
  • Yellow Crocus - historical fiction.  A white girl, "adopted" by a house servant, has to decide how she is going to live as a grownup woman.  Very good story of a horrible time in US history.
  • Freedom Writer's Diary - an interesting read, about a topic I LOVE, kids.  I look forward to seeing the movie
  • Mudbound
  • The Art of Racing in the Rain - a dog and a race car driver, the dog tells the story, very FUN
The following books are for adults or more mature teens.
If you see *** you need to talk to me, and probably get permission from an adult to read the books below, they are heavy reading.
***Everything John Green has ever written including:
The Fault in Our Stars
An Abundance of Katherines
Paper Towns
and others!!!

***Stick Figure - very difficult emotional read.  Ask me and/or your folks before you begin this book
***Go Ask Alice - mature content, quite disturbing.  See note above
***Cut - more heavy reading, serious.  See note above
Lullaby Town - detective novel (not my usual genre, but I enjoyed it)
The Watchman - see above
Keeping Faith - adult reading, a really "out there" premise
Nineteen Minutes - more mature readers - serious, kinda scary subject matter
I Am An Executioner - interesting vignettes
The Devil in the White City - historical novel, dry but interesting
The Hunger Angel - WWII holocaust - very interesting, depressing
The Dry Grass of August
When the Emperor was Divine
The Buddah in the Attic
The Dovekeeper
The Twin's Daughter - mystery
The Remains of the Day - excellent, is also a movie
The Winner's Goodbye
Never Let Me Go - excellent
The Fiddler
Lone Wolf
Last year's reads (I have edited this list to show the middle school/YA books I liked the best)

Last year's reads (I have edited this list to show the middle school/YA books I liked the best)

  • The Maze Runner - dystopian society - series of three books- I really enjoyed these, fast-paced
  • Turtle in Paradise - laugh out loud funny, takes place in the past, realistic fiction
  • Divergent - dystopia - Very good! and I am waiting impatiently for the sequel!!
  • mockingbird -  (there's no capital in the title on purpose) an autistic girl's look at her life and challenges after her brother dies.  Because I have taught a number of autistic children this book resonated with me.
  • Moon Over Manifest - I enjoyed this book that is a look at the past - not much of an adventure, but a good read
  • The Hunger Games (3 book series) - very dystopian! You've heard me recommend these - I LOVED the movie for the movie's sake, the character Cinna was perfect and Gale was rather a heart throb even for us older women!
  • Virals and its sequel Seizure - written by a favorite author -sci-fi and realistic fiction combined, quite good
  • To Kill A Mockingbird (on tape in the car) 8th grade required read.  I have probably read this a dozen times and seen the movie at least three and I never tire of the story. It was especially fun to have it read TO me.
  • So B. It - different, interesting look at a child's life with a mentally challenged parent.  I rooted for the main character throughout the book!
  • Uglies (series, dystopia/sci-fi) I didn't really like these but I read them because everyone else was.  I did not like the premise of the story and I don't feel like they give a healthy message.
  • Stuck in Neutral - I loved this unique look at the life of a child trapped in his own body.  You will gain an appreciation of people different from you after reading this inspiring book of a young man.
  • Habibi - follows the premise of Rachel's Challenge of understanding the differences in people without judging.  Very good realistic fiction
  • The Breadwinner (series, takes place in Afghanistan)  I have a friend who escaped Afghanistan, and my brother has worked there helping people, so I have an interest in and appreciation for this culture.  I loved these books.  They, too, follow Rachel's Challenge.
  • Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - peculiar! Let's see, historical fiction, fantasy, adventure.  Interesting book.  Recommend it?  For people looking for something different this might just do it.
Review Books for the Media Center

Review Books for the Media Center

Do you have a favorite book you’d like others to hear about?  Type up a short review in a Google doc and share it with me (email). I will load it up on this page to share. I love to see recommendations done on "Wordle" an online app.  Let's see if we can figure a way to get some on my pages - email attachment? Google doc?
Donate Books

Donate Books

Do you have books that are in good shape and that other students might be interested in?  Please donate them to the Media Center.  What better way to grow our book collection?!
Books That Have Become Movies - did you read the book first???

Books That Have Become Movies - did you read the book first???

  • Percy Jackson
  • Divergent
  • Harry Potter Series
  • Coraline
  • Ender's Game
  • The Giver (Aug 15th)
  • Hunger Games Trilogy
  • If I stay (Aug 22nd)
  • The Fault in Our Stars
  • The Maze Runner (Sept)
  • The Mortal Instruments
  • Here There Be Monsters (Oct)
  • Beautiful Creatures
**Help me add to my list.  Fill out the form found at Mrs. Coy's new desk...