Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1- the movie

Heyman, D. (Producer) and Yates, D. (Director). (2010). Harry potter and the deathly hallows [Motion Picture]. United States: Warner Brothers Pictures.
Summary
Voldemort has taken over the Ministry of Magic and his power and hatred for Harry Potter is growing. Along with the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide to finish Dumbledore's work and find the rest of the Horcruxes and destroy them in order to finally defeat the Dark Lord. Throughout this movie friendship, love, heroism, and trust play huge parts in the relationships from all of the characters and the  secret history of Dumbledore and Voldemort is revealed.
Review
Who waited in line for 8 hours to see this morning?!!? I did, I did! I would be lying to say that I am completely bias towards this series but honestly, this movie was a perfect representation of the first part of the book. The movie creators did little to stray from the true story and it was exciting to see everything come to life. Viewers will not be disappointed from this fast paced adventure and will be sad that it is almost over.
Genre
Motion Picture
Interest Level
Tween-Adult
Similar Movies
The Harry Potter movies
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief
Annotation
Voldemort's power and hatred for Harry Potter has grown and alliances are weakened. Will Harry Potter destroy himself in the process of destroying the most evil?

Bud Not Buddy- Christopher Paul Curtis

Curtis, C. (2004). Bud not buddy. United States: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Summary

Bud Caldwell is an orphan living in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression.  When his mother dies, he is placed into different foster homes and orphanages and he only has a bag of stones, a photograph of his mother when she was a child and five concert posters for Herman C. Callaway and band that he can call his own.

The story begins with Bud being placed with a foster family that is cruel and abusive and after being tormented and locked up in a shed overnight with an angry swarm of hornets, he runs away determined to find Herman C. Callaway who Bud believes is his father. Readers will be encouraged by Bud's determination and heart as he makes it to Grand Rapids, Michigan and where he meets his "father" Herman Callaway and his jazz band.

Review

This is a great story about a young African American boy who does not let the circumstances of his race or the time of the Great Depression get in the way of his determination to find where he belongs. Author Christopher Curtis balances heartbreak, meanness, and racism with love, family, and humor and readers will want to read this book over and over again. It is hard for kids to get into reading historical fiction but this book, tweens will love because it generates a young boy's powerful fight to get what he wants, even if it means breaking a few rules.

Genre

Historical Fiction

Reading Age/Interest Level

9-12 years old/Tweens

Similar Books

Because of Winn Dixie- Kate Di.Camillo

Hatchet- Gary Paulsen

The Watsons go to Birmingham- Christopher Paul Curtis

Characters

Buddy Caldwell - Bud is a ten-year old African-American orphan boy who has seen and suffered through a great deal in his short ten years, but who is definitely a survivor. His determination to find his father and his ability to use his survival skills to do so make him a heroic character for the reader.

Mr. Herman E. Calloway - He is the band leader of a Depression Era Negro Band whom Bud believes is his father. He turns out to be a rather cranky old man who doesn’t trust Bud and acts mean to nearly everyone. He is actually a very sad man who yearns for the daughter he drove away with his need for her to be what he wanted her to be.

Angela Janet Caldwell - Although she has died before the story begins, her character is a very real presence for most of the other characters in the story. 

Todd Amos and his parents - This is the foster family from whom Bud runs away after he is abused. They are typical of some foster families who would take in children just for the money the state would pay.

                                                                       Awards

                                                        Newbery Award Winner- 2000

William Allen White Children's Book Award-2002

Coretta Scott King Award- 2000

Readers Annotation

Bud Caldwell has no mom, dad, or home and definitely has nothing to lose as he uses his only possessions to guide him to a place called home. 

Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Vanderpool. C. (2010). Moon over manifest. New York: Delacourt Books Publishing.
Summary
12 year old Abilene has always ridden the rails with her father until one day he sends Abilene away to live in the Depression era town of Manifest, Missouri, alone. She lives with Pastor Shady Howard and in a town that her father left mysteriously ten years earlier. Abilene is determines to piece together the reason why her father left Manifest and the local mystery of the "Rattler" all at the same time of trying to fit in with the closed knit townspeople.
Review
This is a great debut novel for Vanderpool and it has believable and at times humorous dialogue, beautiful imagery, and great characters that grow on you. Set in 1936, this book follows the first person narrative of 12 year old Abilene and her determination to save the old town of Manifest, her father, and the goodwill of the Town. Intertwined newspaper columns are shared throughout the book which gives readers a true look at the times.
Genre
Historical Fiction
Reading Age/ Interest Level
10-13 years/ Tween
Similar Books
One Crazy Summer- Rita Williams-Garcia
Heart of a Samurai- Margi Preus
Evolution of Calpurnia Tate- Jacqueline Kelly
Awards
Newberry Medal winner 2011
Readers Annotation
Abilene Tucker has always drifted from one place to another with her dad, now she is sent away, alone, to a place where outsiders are not welcomed and a deep mystery is ready to be solved.

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Grisham, J. (2010). Theodore boone: kid lawyer. New York: Dutton Children's Book.
Summary
Theodore Boone grew up surrounded by lawyers and the judicial system so it is only natural that he gets wrapped up in the biggest trial of the towns history. It starts out with Boone getting a pass for his entire government class to sit in the audience at the murder trial of Mr. Duffy who is accused of murdering his wife. When a witness comes forward and tells Theodore that he was witness to the murder but is scared to come forward, it is up to Theodore to save the life of Mr. Duffy and the humanity of the town.
Review
As a huuuuge fan of Grisham and I was super excited when I ordered this book for my library. It is my goal in library life to find a plethora of books for boys and this is a great addition. Theodore Boone is a kid lawyer who even has a side business offering legal advice to his peers and family. He is stuck in the middle of keeping a secret and saving the life of a convicted man and readers will struggle along with his as he tries to make the right decision. This is a fast read and filled with drama and mystery.
Genre
Mystery
Interest Age/Interest Level
9-12 years/ Tween
Similar Books
Theodore Boone: The Abduction- John Grisham
Encyclopedia Brown series by Donald Sobol
The Hardy Brothers Undercover series- Franklin Dixon
Characters

Theodore "Theo" Boone: The protagonist. He is an 8th-grader in a small town public school and is highly gifted in the law. Both his parents are lawyers and he is friendly with everyone at the Courthouse, it being his favorite place to hang out.
Marcella Boone: One half of the law firm of Boone & Boone and occupying the ground-floor office. Theodore's mother is a lawyers specializing in family cases and children law.

Woods Boone: The other half of Boone & Boone, occupying the upper floor of the building and doing nothing but real-estate law and deeds and conveyancing.
Ike Boone: The uncle of Theo and a former lawyer.Theo comes to his uncle for advice.
His Honor Judge Henry Gantry: The criminal judge. He is well respected and takes a particular interest in involving the community as part of building a legitimate judicial system.

Julio Pena: Attends the same school as Theo. His family are migrants from El Salvador who are very poor and are being helped out by the Boone family.
Roberto "Bobby" Escobar: The "phantom" witness, as described by Judge Gantry. He has crucial evidence that led the Duffy trial to a mistrial.
Mr. Peter "Pete" Duffy: The defendant on the stand, accused of murdering his wife. It is claimed he did it to get money from her life-insurance policy valued at $1 million and because his secretary was his mistress. He is accused of strangling his wife, and the crime was conducted very neatly, leaving almost no direct evidence.

April Finnemore: Theo's closest friend and confidante. Her parents are undergoing a divorce and battling it in the Family Court. Theo gives her lots of advice on how to handle the proceedings into which she is being thrown. They communicate on instant messenger.

Annotation
It was only destiny that Theodore Boone had a murder trial fall in his lap.

Al Capone Does My Shirts- Gennifer Choldenko

Choldenko, G. (2004). Al capone does my shirts. United States: Putnam Publications.

Summary

12-year old Moose Flanagan moves with his family from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island in 1935. His father has been hired as an electrician at the famous prison and his mom is eager to send his autistic sister to a special school in San Francisco. When that plan fails, Moose is upset that he now has to live on an island with no friends, no baseball, and now has to take care of his sister. Things start to look up when he befriends the mischievous warden's daughter and together they get in harmless trouble and Moose starts to be ok with living in such an abnormal place. 

Review

There is something about Alcatraz that I love..the history, the mystery, and the stories from people who have lived on this island are fascinating. Even though tweens may not be familiar with the famous Al Capone they will enjoy this story about friendship, family, and hardcore prisoners...lol. 

Genre

Historical Fiction

Reading Level/Interest Age

9-12 years old/ Tween

Similar Books

Al Capone Shines My Shoes- Gennifer Choldenko

Small Steps- Louis Sachar

Bud not Budd- Christopher Curtis
Awards
Newbery Honor
NYPL's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Book 2004
ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2005
ALA Notable Book 2005
New York Public Library Best Book for Teen Age 2005

Annotation

Things could not get any worse for too tall Moose Flanaghan. He is uprooted from his friends, home, and school and forced to live on Alcatraz Island which is home to the country's worse criminals. How can things possibly get better?

Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan

Vaughan, B. (2003). Runaways: pride and joy. New York: Marvel Comics.
Summary
Alex, Karolina, Gert, Chase, Molly and Nico dread having to get together once a year when their parents discuss their "yearly charitable contributions to society". This year, when the parents have their meeting, the tweens decide to sneak in and see what’s so important. Unfortunately, the secret meeting they stumble upon reveals the truth that their parents are all evil super humans and are out to destroy humanity and anyone who gets in their way.
Review
I am a huge fan of anything Marvel! I call it my guilty pleasure. When I saw this series, I knew that it was my duty as a Children's Librarian to purchase them...lol. This is a great series that is easy to follow and a great way to explain the back stories of the superheros we as adults grew up with. The illustrations are awesome and the story time is so cool! My tweens love this series and it is popular with both boys and girls.
Genre
Graphic Novel
Interest Level
9-12 years old/Tweens
Similar Graphic Novels
X-MEN series
The Good Neighbor series
Annotation
What would you do if you parents who you love and admire turned out to be evil villains who wanted to destroy all of humanity?

Pandora

Music Genome Project. (2008). Pandora. Retrieved April 30, 2011 from Pandora.com. 

Summary

Your taste in music, your way. Users are able to create stations of a ginormous database that has everything from show tunes to top ten music. All fans of "Beyonce" have to do is enter her name into the search engine and in a matter of seconds a station is created for you that is filled with similar music. Features include, likes and dislikes, pause, rating, ability to build own station, and share your tastes with friends. 

Review

I could not live without my FREE Pandora. It follows me to work, on a run, at home, and in the car. It is super easy to use, and has almost every single song, version, and artists in its database. I love stealing music suggestions from friends or complete strangers and it is a great way to get new music.  

Genre

Database

Interest Level

Tween-Adult

Similar Databases

Musical Genome Project

YouTube

Annotation

Are you sick of wasting time fast forwarding through hundreds of songs that you can't stand? With Pandora, you find music that you love and organize them in the way you want! Best part? It's FREE!