Lincoln's Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin

I read the book, Lincoln’s Grave Robbers, by Steve Sheinkin. The story takes place in the 1880s in Springfield and Chicago, Illinois. It centers around an undercover police officer who is originally sent to bust an undercover fake money ring. However, he stumbles onto something way more intense than that. 

In this book you will experience laughs and many intense moments. If you like historical fiction, this is the book for you. This book is a quick read for the casual reader. I recommend this book if you want to have a book to read during your free time, like a nice relaxing Sunday morning with eggs and a hot cup of coffee for breakfast. I highly recommend this book.  

I myself don’t really care for books but once I got into this book I couldn't put it down. Page after page I found myself wanting to read the book even more. Steve Sheinkin did a very good job of giving descriptions in the book; the detail was very vivid. I highly recommend Lincoln’s Grave Robbers to people aged 13 and up who would enjoy a good historical fiction book.

Mark S.

The Pacific by Hugh Ambrose

The Pacific is a book about soldiers fighting in WW2 in the Pacific theater. The Pacific is written by Hugh Ambrose. You can see the TV miniseries based on this book, The Pacific, on HBO. This book follows six main people, Lieutenant Austin C.  “Shifty” Shofner, Ensign Vernon “Mike” Micheel, Sidney C. Phillips, Sergeant “Manila John” Basilone, Eugene B. Sledge and Robert “Lucky” Leckie. This book tells about their experiences during WW2 and all the stories and all the people are real. All six of them are fighting the Japanese but not all of them are in the same unit. Throughout the book it shows how they have to deal with death all the time and how hard it is to get through each day without dying. This book tells about the very first battle against the Japanese to the very last bullet shot in the war. This book mainly focuses on the Marines and the First Marine Division. If you like WW2 and want to find out what happened to these soldiers and are interested in reading a good book, read The Pacific.

Ben T.

Tech Tip Tuesday Wordle

Wordle could be described as a “toy” that allows users to create a word cloud. A word cloud, also referred to as a “tag cloud is a visual design from the source text. The source text can include but is not limited to:

·         Websites

·         Books

·         Maps.

The design is generated simply and automatically by two ways:  

·         pasting text into a box then click go

·         There is also an option to enter the URL of a blog or website with an RSS feed.

 The cloud that is generated displays the words from the next giving prominence to words that frequently appear in the text. Here is an example Wordle.

Wordle is a useful tool for both educators and students especially in the Web 2.0 World. Wordle fits into the Web 2.0 model because the design of the interface is user centered. The user has the freedom to change:

·          fonts,

·         Layouts

·          colors 

 Another feature of Wordle is that it is a collaborative online tool that is entirely web based. This gives the user the freedom to keep the information published on the web or to remove it if the user chooses.  

If you are an English teacher, starting to read a new text, Wordle could be a great tool for an introductory vocabulary lesson for the text.  The lesson would look like this:

·         Paste the text from the book into the text box.

·         All the words from the text will appear in the cloud. The words that appear most in the text will be the largest appearing words in the cloud.

·         The class could have a discussion about the words in the cloud and have a discussion about new and unique words.

·         Based on the discussion the class could look up unknown words in a dictionary.

·         The class could also try to determine subjects the text might be about.

In a history classroom a teacher teaching a class about current events could paste the URL of a news website that has an atom or RSS feed and Wordle could then display a cloud of the prominently used words within the site.

The class could have a discussion about the words and it could lead to a discussion about the type of information provided on the website.

• The class could have a discussion about the words and then it could lead to a discussion about the type of information provided on the website.
• The class could determine the news stories of the day based on seeing the prominent words.
• The class could go to the site and read the actual news stories and then follow up with a discussion about the actual news stories for that day.    

The Final Journey by Gudrun Pausewang

This book is filled with descriptions. In those days Jews were discriminated against and were treated badly. They were taken to camps and children were separated from their parents. The book tells about the past struggle of the Jews.

However, the book didn't have a big climax; it was just about the journey. Also, the ending wasn't good either. Other students might like this book because it was descriptive about the war and how people were treated in Germany during that time.

Srijan S.

You say you want a revolution...

Jennifer Donnelly's new book, Revolution, takes place both in present day Amercia and France as well as before and after the French Revolution.

If you are interested in reading more about the Reovlution, here are some helpful resources:

Nonfiction

190.9033 S745ie   Spencer, Lloyd.  Introducing the Enlightenment.
944.04 ARN   Arnold, James R. The aftermath of the French Revolution.
944.04 M146r  McGowen, Tom. Robespierre and the French Revolution in world history.
944.04 R826f   Ross, Stewart. The French Revolution.
944.04 S849L Stewart, Gail, 1949-. Life during the French Revolution.
B Marie Antoinette  Lotz, Nancy. Marie Antoinette and the decline of French monarchy.

Fiction

F Dickens,C  Dickens, Charles.  A tale of two cities.
F Meyer,C   Meyer, Carolyn. The bad queen : rules and instructions for Marie-Antoinette.
F Rees,C   Rees, Celia. Sovay.

Websites

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revoution
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/

Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution
http://www.pbs.org/marieantoinette/index.html

Hiroshima by John Hersey

This book was pretty interesting. It really put all the events of the bombing in prospective. This book tells you how Hiroshima was before and after the bombing and how it is today. It also helps the reader understand the effects the bombing had on the people of Hiroshima and the United States.

Jon B.

Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers By Mary Roach

“Stiff” is more like a documentary. It goes through the history of cadavers. Cadaver is the name given to dead bodies especially well-known in medical schools so they can practice procedures with human bodies. The story goes through the history of how cadavers were preserved, confiscated and used. The book is really interesting and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in dead bodies or the medical field. The book is filled with interesting facts and interviews. There are a lot of things in this book I probably would be better off not knowing but the story was definitely worth while. The book can be a difficult read at times because the vocabulary is very different from every day language. Overall, I would recommend this book to everyone. The knowledge you gain from it will change your life.

Sara L.

Iraq War

I suggest this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the conflict in the Middle East. This book gives facts about what happened in the Middle East before, during and after the involvement of the United States. It gives you the reason behind what the United Sates did and how it did what we did and what the response was from the general public. This book also tells everything just the way it happened so the reader can make their own decision about the conflict without any pressure from the author.

Jon B.

The Terror by Dan Simmons

If you are looking for a well written horror novel that involves an actual history mystery, then look no further. The Terror is about two ships who left England to go map the Arctic Circle. They eventually get stranded in the ice and are being stalked by a monster on the ice who is slowly murdering them. I liked this book because it was exciting and suspensful. Other students may like this book because it is very interesting and very eventful.

Greg B.

A Secret History of the IRA by Ed Malone

This book provides a very insightful and interesting history of the Irish Republican Army, following its stages and reorganization from the 1960's to the present. I enjoyed this book because it is historical and has very interesting information about the troubles in Ireland. I believe other students would like this book if they enjoy historical books because it is full of history that you would otherwise not be told, as it has insider IRA interviews.

Tim L.

"The Mafia's Greates Hits" by David H. Jacobs

This book is a great book to read if you are interested in the mafia murders. The book has historical information about crimes that happened. They are rated on a murder meter. How clever was the murder? Was the hit man found? Was it an important person? Where there any witnesses? If they are deserving, they will go down in the impressive Mafia Murder Hall of Fame. The book is a great one to read if you like this kind of stuff.

Rogelio D.

Triumph The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics by Jeremy Schaap

I liked the book because it was about a great African-American track runner whose dream to run at Hitler's Olympics became possible in spite of facing some discrimination along the way. But I also liked this book because it wasn't just a biography about him but also had some dialogue with in it.

The book gave a look back to those times and the story included Adolf Hitler's position. The book gave some history that went on at the time besides Hitler’s war which was in years to come. I think other students would like this book because it gives some history of the time and sets a positive view for people going out in sports.

For Jesse Owens, nothing was impossible because he made it as a young African-American male when some segregation still went on but none which he felt he couldn’t overcome.

Trenton A.

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill

I really enjoyed this book because it has a very interesting view of Irish history. This book takes the reader to Ireland at the time of Rome's collapse, which was a very barbaric place, but turns to Christianity after the capture of St. Patrick. The book continues to look at the evolution of the Irish people and it eventually shows their role in "saving civilization." People who enjoy history will enjoy this book. It provides a very unusual but very interesting look at one of the most important stages of history not many people know about.

Tim L.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Many people think this book is old and boring but really it is an enthralling story of romance, aspiring talent and trips to Europe. Written over one hundred years ago, Louisa May Alcott has woven a beautiful novel, basing it on many of her own experiences. I liked Little Women because I like learning about history in fun ways, like through historical fiction. This doesn't include a lot of facts but the time period is very well portrayed through detailed descriptions of things like clothes and other people. Although not all high school students would enjoy this book, I think anyone interested in learning about the late 1800's would. It is a very long read so it's good to read over a break or multiple weekends. Give Little Women a try as you might really enjoy it!!

Alexis H.

Number the stars by Lois Lowry

I think this is going to be a good book because it is a fiction book yet it talks about things that happen in real life. It has a lot of action and is about war and the Holocaust.

Richie G.

Number the stars by Lois Lowry

This book is about a family living in World War II. The solders change all their lives. The solders were closing stores and all the families have no food they can eat. This book is good to read because it talks about people’s lives.

Rey R.

Night by Elie Wiesel

I really liked reading Night. It had a terrifying suspense to it. I enjoyed it because Elie Wiesel, the author, wrote about his experience in concentration camps while the holocaust was going on. He wrote of how he lost his family and just his struggle to survive. I would recommend this book to any one who likes to read about the holocaust or genocides.

Joseph C.

Night John by Gary Paulsen

Night John is set in the south, pre-civil war time period. Night John is a black slave who attempts to help the others and teaches them the forbidden task of reading. I enjoyed this book because it was a short, simple read that was really entertaining during the summer out on the deck. Other students will like the length of this book if they are short on time and want to read a quick, well written story.

Danielle B.

The Color of Water by James McBride

I liked this book because it is an inspirational story about a black man and his white mother and how he was treated by outsiders. The book gives readers a view on what it’s like to be on the receiving end of prejudice and how that affects people and families. I think others will enjoy the story because of the triumphs achieved by this unfortunate character and his will to survive and succeed.

Danielle B.

In My Hands by Irene Gut Opdyke

This book is original because it does not focus on someone who was in a concentration camp, but rather on someone who was forced to serve with German soldiers and saved the lives of many Jews. I loved this book because it’s based on the real life of a young Polish girl during World War II. The book centers on things she did to help Jews escape the Holocaust. She even was forced to have a sexual relationship with an old German officer to save the lives of some Jews. Even though Irene suffered a lot, she never gave up hope and was very strong. You should read this book if you like to read books about the Holocaust.

Fatima C.