| Thie |
| Adams, Douglas |
The Hitchhiker's Guide
to the Galaxy
Poor Arthur Dent. Things are not going well for him. First, he wakes up one morning to find bulldozers ready to tear down his house. So he does what just about anyone would do; he lies down in front of them to prevent it. Then he is persuaded by his good friend Ford Prefect to accompany him to a bar. Ford has it on good authority that the Earth is about to be destroyed to make way for a huge interplanetary construction project. Arthur, up to that moment has no idea that his friend is actually an alien from a planet near Betelgeuse, who has been stranded on Earth while updating his book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to
the Galaxy.
They hitch a ride off of Earth on a spaceship and just as Arthur realizes his friend is an alien and he will never see Earth again, the Captain of the spaceship discovers the hitchhikers. He loathes hitchhikers on his ship and after subjecting them to a recitation of his poetry, dumps them into space where they will survive for thirty seconds before dying. With one second to spare, they are picked up by Zaphod Beeblebrox, president of the universe on the lam in a stolen ship, and Trillion, an alien whom Arthur tried, unsuccessfully to pick up at a party while she visited Earth.
Confused yet? This novel is rollicking fun with a sometimes twisted sense of humor. It is book one of The Hitchhiker's Trilogy, which contains five books!
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| Adams, Douglas |
The Restaurant at the End of the
Universe
Poor Arthur Dent! All he wants
is a good cup of tea! Is that too much to ask for a poor earthling
who has been reluctantly whisked off to outer space seconds before
the planet Earth was destroyed to make way for an intergalactic
bypass? Zaphod Beeblebrox just wants a good meal.
While Arthur is commanding the Heart of
Gold's drink dispenser to produce a decent cup of tea, a Vagon
fleet is descending with the sole purpose of annihilating the
president of the galaxy and the two remaining ape-like creatures
in the universe. With the computer jammed attempting to produce
Arthur's cup of tea, there is no way of escaping by activating
the ship's improbability guide. As the seconds tick away toward
total oblivion, Beeblebrox summons his great-grandfather Zaphod
Beeblebrox IV (don't ask) back from the dead with a seance to
see if he can help the crew get out of their jam, find a good
place to eat, the true ruler of the universe and maybe, the question
to the answer of the meaning of life- which is 42.
This book is a true sequel and book one
absolutely must be read to have any remote possibility of understanding
book two.
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| Adams, Douglas |
Life, the Universe and Everything
Hapless Arthur Dent, the reluctant hitchhiker is reunited with
Ford Prefect on prehistoric Earth, where the two were stranded
at the end of book 2, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.
The two are improbably rescued by Slarty Bartfast who is on a
mission to save the universe from destruction at the hands of
the people of Krikket, who upon discovering that they are not
alone in the universe, decide to destroy it.
Zany, rollicking good fun.
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| Adams, Douglas |
So Long and Thanks for
all the Fish
In this fourth hilarious romp, Arthur
Dent hitchhikes back to Earth to find his house intact save for
a mysterious thank you gift. He has been gone for eight years
and traveled over 100,000 light years and his friends have barely
noticed his absence. He also happens to meet the girl of his
dreams, only she is sedated in the back of her brother's car
and he is taking her to a mental institution because she thinks
she a hedgehog. Oh, and her feet don't touch the ground. But
otherwise, everything is normal, except for the fact that all
the world's dolphins are gone. |
| Adams, Douglas |
Mostly Harmless
This fifth book in the "trilogy" known as the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the conclusion of the warped, wacky, laugh-out-loud funny sci-fi adventure of Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect and Tracia, aka Trillian McMillan. The editors of The Guide whittled Ford Prefect's entry describing his seventeen years spent on the planet Earth down to "mostly harmless" and Ford is quite angry. He drops in on the H-shaped building to straighten things out and discovers that The Guide has been taken over by a conglomerate known as Infinitum and there are devious plans afoot.
Meanwhile Arthur Dent is the sole survivor of a space ship crash merely because he was the only passenger to actually read the emergency directions and after being nursed back to health by the slightly backward inhabitants on the planet on which he crash landed, becomes the village sandwich maker. Tricia McMillan rues going back for her purse after meeting an alien at a party and missing a space ship ride and so when a second alien spacecraft lands and offers to take her to Rupert, she jumps at the chance and is nearly bored to death. Meanwhile, planet-hopping newscaster, Trillion dumps her daughther, Random, on an unsuspecting Arthur Dent. He didn't realize he was a father since he and Trillion never... He's a good sport about it though. Knowledge of the previous four books is needed.
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| Card, Orson Scott |
Ender's Game
The world is preparing for
the "third invasion" of the buggers, alien creatures
who were miraculously fought off by Mazer Rackham seventy years
earlier. The world government is searching for a similar military
genius to ward off the next attack. They think they have found
their savior in Ender Wiggin. He is a genius but he is only six
years old and the buggers are coming. Will there by time to train
him? Will a six-year-old, regardless of his brilliance, be able
to lead a star fleet into interstellar combat? |
| Card, Orson Scott |
Speaker for the Dead
This sequel to Ender's Game is
every bit as compelling. Three thousand years have passed since
Andrew Wiggen unwittingly committed xenocide when he wiped out
the buggers. Wiggen is a Speaker for the Dead but few understand
that he is the original Speaker and that his sister, Valentine
is the real Demonsthenes. Traveling at the speed of light has
aged them little. But now, Val has married, is pregnant, teaches
college and is content to remain on Tronheim. Ender thought he
was as well, but finds himself summoned to the colony of Lusitania
to speak a death. Could this be the place where he can release
the hive queen he has protected this whole time? |
| Card, Orson Scott |
Xenocide
Knowledge of the previous Ender books is essential to understanding this deep, long, philosophical and highly satisfying novel. Card thought that Xenocide would form the end of the Ender trilogy, instead realized that it was actually two books culminating with Children of the MInd. The novel explores religious beliefs, ethics, morality, as well as what it means to be human.
Lusitania is waiting for its death sentence at the hands of the fleet that Starways Congress has sent with the "Little Doctor," a device designed to change the molecular structure of whatever it hits. Jane has blocked the ancible connection to the fleet, effectively making the fleet disappear, but exposing herself and making herself vulnerable to detection. Ender's adoptive family is hard at work seeking a solution to the problem of the descolada virus without altering the species of the Pequininos or affecting the hive queen both of whom rely on the virus for their survival. There are plenty of sub-plots and several new characters to complicate the story.
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| Card, Orson Scott |
Children of the Mind
Card brings the Ender series to a satisfying conclusion but leaves the door open for possible sequels.
With Ender's "children" Peter and "young Val" off running errands around the hundred worlds for Jane before she is "killed" by Starways Congress, Ender attempts to reconnect with Novenia by joining the Children of the Mind order and thereby enabling his beloved wife to become a full-fledged member of the order. He also permanently severs his connection to Jane by removing the jewel from his ear.
The book abounds with moral dilemmas and religious debate as it winds down to a resolution.
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| Card, Orson Scott |
Shadow of the Hegemon
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| Clements, Andrew |
Things Not Seen
15 year old Bobby Phillips
wakes up one morning and can't find his reflection in the bathroom
mirror. He has become invisible. Now many of us might feel invisible,
but this is a believable story about how a boy and his family
might cope with the problem. |
| DuPrau, Jeanne |
The City of Ember
The city of Ember came with a set of instructions which were
sealed in a special box that could not be opened for two hundred
years. Somewhere along the line, the box got lost and its lock
released with no one knowing that there were instructions for
the citizens. It is the year 241 and supplies and electricity
are in short supply and no one knows why. Doon, a twelve-year-old
boy with insatiable curiosity has his theories. His friend Lina
has an open mind. Their adventure begins on Assignment Day when
each are assigned jobs that they do not want. They secretly switch
their jobs and begin life as workers for the city of Ember. This
was an exciting book which now has a sequel, The People of
Sparks. |
| Enthoven, Sam |
TIM: Defender of the Earth
There are two top secret, scientific projects underway in England and both are about to collide in a BIG way. TIM, aka Tyrannosaur: Improved Model was developed as an indestructible military weapon. He’s about 100 meters tall and resides deep below Trafalgar Square in central London. The new Prime Minister decides to yank the funding for this project in order to give another project funding. This one is headed by Dr. Mallahide and involves nanobots. His intention is to change life as we know it, but the British government wants to use the nanobots as a military weapon. TIM escapes when he was supposed to be destroyed and Dr. Mallahide takes offense to the military use of his nanobots and decides to take over Great Britain. Oh and two teenagers stand in the way of each succeeding.
Confused? It is a bit. It is a bit slow in parts and human character development suffered a bit. That said, the book is fun and both futuristic and retro at the same time.
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| Farmer, Nancy |
House of the Scorpion
I tried to read this book when
it won the National Book Award this past fall. I don't know why
it did not grab me. I tried it again when it won both the Newbery
and Printz Honors. I figured something was wrong with me for
not getting into this book. The second try was lucky. It grabbed
me in a way it didn't the first time and did not let go. I am
glad I read this book over the February break because I read
and read until it was over and then I was sorry the story ended.
It is fantastic. It's got plenty of suspense, evil-doers, evil-doers
with consciences, ethical dilemmas, and believable science fiction.
Wow. |
| Farmer, Nancy |
The Ear, the Eye and
the Arm
Set in twenty-third century
Africa and steeped in African culture and folklore, this sci/fi
fantasy is a demanding read. The three children of General Matsika
are sheltered from the world but longing to experience it. When
they do venture out, they are kidnapped by the She Elephant's
henchmen and brought to a toxic waste dump where they mine plastic.
The distraught general and his wife hire the Ear, the Eye and
the Arm Detective Agency to hunt them down and they are always
one step behind the children as they escape the She Elephant
and find their way to Resthaven and new troubles. |
| Gaiman, Neil and Michael Reaves |
Interworld
Fifteen-year-old Joey Harker is known for his ability to get lost - even in his own house. He discovers that he is a Walker and can walk through the space time continuum into any number of parallel universes where he finds a band of warriors - all versions of himself - who are battling two forces of evil who are attempting to harness the essence of the Walkers in an effort to take over all the universes. |
| Haddix, Margaret Peterson |
Among the Hidden
The first book in the Shadow
Children sequence. Most of the children in Ms. Kenny's class
have been raving about this sequence and I finally had to read
them for myself, so I bought them at the book fair. Well, I read
Among the Hidden in one day and Among the Impostors
the next. The books were just too suspenseful to leave. The books
are set in an un-named year in the future when the Population
Police dictate that couples may have only two children. Luke
is a third child and therefore hidden. He may never go to school,
have friends or live a normal life because he is illegal. |
| Haddix, Margaret Peterson |
Among the Impostors
Takes up where Among the Hidden leaves off and puts Luke into
situations where he is unable to tell who is trustworthy and
who is not. He needs to overcome some of his fears and take a
stand. Just as suspenseful as Among the Hidden. I believe the
books should be read in sequence. |
| Haddix, Margaret Peterson |
Among the Betrayed
This book is called a companion
to Among the Hidden, though I would say it is the companion to
Among the Impostors. It leaves Luke and tells the story of Nina,
a character from Among the Importers. It is as suspenseful as
the two previous books. I had to read it almost in one sitting. |
| Haddix, Margaret Peterson |
Among the Barons
Haddix has done it again. I
read the book in one sitting. Book four is as good as book one.
The suspense never ends. Lee, aka Luke, or L as he is now called
is thriving at Hendricks School for Boys. He is becoming a real
leader and all the boys look up to him. One day, he is summoned
into the headmaster's office and informed that his younger brother
is coming as a student. The school is for third children and
Smits is not a third child, but the second child of a wealthy
baron. Why would he need to come to Hendricks? Are they trying
to trap Luke/ Lee? Do they wish to expose the school? Surely
Smits knows that Luke is not Lee, his dead brother; will he keep
the secret? As in the previous books, there are endless questions,
endless secrets and endless lies- a very good read. |
| Haddix, Margaret Peterson |
Among the Brave
In the confusion that follows
the tragedy which ended Among the Barons, Trey finds himself
separated from Lee, Smits and Nina. He is attempting to obtain
help from Mr. Talbot only to be turned cruelly away from the
man Trey thought was his protector. Questions and confusion mount
as the Population Police drag Mr. Talbot away and ransack his
house. How could they do this to Mr. Talbot, who is a Baron?
Who is running the country? Where are Lee and the others? Trey
has always looked up to Lee and counted on him to make decisions.
Now he is on his own and needs to find a way to be brave. |
| Haddix, Margaret Peterson |
Among the Enemy
Fans of the series will want
to read this addition which opens up with a raid of the Neidler
School and the rounding up of the third children into trucks
bound for a "work camp." Matthias, Alia and Percy manage
to escape, but not without injuries that might be life-threatening.
Matthias tortures himself with guilt over their injuries and
frequently calls up the memory of Samuel and his frequent maxims
regarding his faith and the ways of God. Issues of trust continue
to be explored here as well as Matthias infiltrates the Population
Police and while he knows that there are some sympathisizers
to the rebel cause, he doesn't know who might be. |
| Haddix, Margaret Peterson |
Among the Free
Fans of this series will not be disappointed in this, the seventh and final book of the immensely popular Shadow Children series. As with the earlier installments, there are plenty of plot twists to keep us guessing whether the Population Police have lost their power. |
| L'Engle, Madeline |
A Wrinkle in Time
Meg Murry feels and acts prickly
and unlovable in her high school where she is judged by her peers,
the teachers and her principal. Her father disappeared over a
year ago and she is well aware of the vicious gossip going around
about that as well as her "strange" little brother,
Charles Wallace. Charles Wallace has befriended three strange
women, named Mrs. Who, Mrs. What and Mrs.Which who will bring
them together with a newfound friend, Calvin to Camazotz where
IT resides and is holding Mr. Murry prisoner. |
| Lubar, David |
Flip
Ryan and Taylor McKenzie are twins and are complete opposites.
They are eighth graders and Taylor is vying for first in her
class with Ryan probably last. Everyone, including his parents
expect him to fail and he usually rises to expectations. His
sister feels guilty for her success and is constantly trying
to help him which adds to her stress, but that is nothing compared
to the stress which begins to build when they discover some discs
which Ryan says came from an exploding space ship. After some
impressive experimentation, Ryan discovers the discs powers,
as well as addictive qualities and the next two weeks prove to
be quite interesting. This book is often laugh-out-loud funny. |
| Wells, H.G. |
The
Time Machine
This was Wells' first novel, published in 1984 and tells the
story of the Time Traveler, who invents a time machine and travels
hundreds of thousands of years into the future. In the year 802,700
the earth appears to evolved into a Eutopia in which there is
no toil, no pain, no need to eat meat and very little difference
between the sexes. The Time Traveler appears content to stay
among these people and study them until he discovers that his
time machine has been stolen. It turns out that two distinct
races of humans dwell on Earth, the surface-swelling, peaceful
and beautiful Eloi and the Morlocks, who dwell beneath the surface
and prey upon the Eloi in the dark of night. |
| Westerfeld, Scott |
Uglies
Sixteen-year-old Tally Youngblood cannot wait until her sixteenth birthday for then she will undergo an operation that will transform her from an Ugly into a Pretty. She has been living in the Uglies dorm ever since outgrowing being a Littlie. Her best friend and co-conspirator, Peris, became a Pretty three months earlier than Tally and she is lonely. So she slips onto the island of the Pretties to make sure that Peris will remain her bff. Peris has been transformed into something almost too beautiful to behold. He is her best friend, but not. She has undertaken great risk by venturing onto the Pretties' territory and Peris is not as supportive as Tally would like. She meets Shay, another adventurous Ugly and the two form a strong bond of friendship. However, where Tally can't wait to become a Pretty, Shay has ideas of her own.
This dystopian novel is very fast-paced and I can't wait to read its sequels, Pretties and Specials. This book was recommended by a student from the class of 2006.
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