All right, I have a 40% off coupon to Borders that expires tomorrow. Quick! Suggestions! Or else I might not use it and instead save my money! Gasp!

Are there any good new releases? Any good old releases? What's a must-own?

Here's a list of the top #100 children's books compiled by Fuse #8. I've bolded the ones I have read. How many have you read?


100. The Egypt Game - Snyder (1967)

99. The Indian in the Cupboard - Banks (1980)

98. Children of Green Knowe - Boston (1954)

97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - DiCamillo (2006)

96. The Witches - Dahl (1983)

95. Pippi Longstocking - Lindgren (1950)

94. Swallows and Amazons - Ransome (1930)

93. Caddie Woodlawn - Brink (1935)

92. Ella Enchanted - Levine (1997)

91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School - Sachar (1978)


90. Sarah, Plain and Tall - MacLachlan (1985)


89. Ramona and Her Father - Cleary (1977)

88. The High King - Alexander (1968)

87. The View from Saturday - Konigsburg (1996)

86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Rowling (1999)

85. On the Banks of Plum Creek - Wilder (1937)

84. The Little White Horse - Goudge (1946)

83. The Thief - Turner (1997)


82. The Book of Three - Alexander (1964)

81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Lin (2009)

80. The Graveyard Book - Gaiman (2008)

79. All-of-a-Kind-Family - Taylor (1951)

78. Johnny Tremain - Forbes (1943)

77. The City of Ember - DuPrau (2003)

76. Out of the Dust - Hesse (1997)

75. Love That Dog - Creech (2001)

74. The Borrowers - Norton (1953)

73. My Side of the Mountain - George (1959)

72. My Father's Dragon - Gannett (1948)

71. The Bad Beginning - Snicket (1999)

70. Betsy-Tacy - Lovelae (1940)

69. The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart ( 2007)

68. Walk Two Moons - Creech (1994)

67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher - Coville (1991)

66. Henry Huggins - Cleary (1950)

65. Ballet Shoes - Stratfeild (1936)

64. A Long Way from Chicago - Peck (1998)

63. Gone-Away Lake - Enright (1957)

62. The Secret of the Old Clock - Keene (1959)

61. Stargirl - Spinelli (2000)

60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi (1990)


59. Inkheart - Funke (2003)

58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Aiken (1962)

57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - Cleary (1981)


56. Number the Stars - Lowry (1989)

55. The Great Gilly Hopkins - Paterson (1978)

54. The BFG - Dahl (1982)

53. Wind in the Willows - Grahame (1908)

52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)

51. The Saturdays - Enright (1941)

50. Island of the Blue Dolphins - O'Dell (1960)

49. Frindle - Clements (1996)

48. The Penderwicks - Birdsall (2005)

47. Bud, Not Buddy - Curtis (1999)

46. Where the Red Fern Grows - Rawls (1961)

45. The Golden Compass - Pullman (1995)


44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing - Blume (1972)

43. Ramona the Pest - Cleary (1968)

42. Little House on the Prairie - Wilder (1935)

41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond - Speare (1958)

40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - Baum (1900)

39. When You Reach Me - Stead (2009)

38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix - Rowling (2003)

37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Taylor (1976)

36. Are You there, God? It's Me, Margaret - Blume (1970)

35. HP and the Goblet of Fire - Rowling (2000)

34. The Watson's Go to Birmingham - Curtis (1995)

33. James and the Giant Peach - Dahl (1961)


32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH - O'Brian (1971)

31. Half Magic - Eager (1954)

30. Winnie-the-Pooh - Milne (1926)

29. The Dark Is Rising - Cooper (1973)

28. A Little Princess - Burnett (1905)

27. Alice I and II - Carroll (1865/72)

26. Hatchet - Paulsen (1989)

25. Little Women - Alcott (1868/9)

24. HP and the Deathly Hallows - Rowling (2007)

23. Little House in the Big Woods - Wilder (1932)

22. The Tale of Despereaux - DiCamillo (2003)

21. The Lightning Thief - Riordan (2005)


20. Tuck Everlasting - Babbitt (1975)


19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Dahl (1964)


18. Matilda - Dahl (1988)


17. Maniac Magee - Spinelli (1990)

16. Harriet the Spy - Fitzhugh (1964)

15. Because of Winn-Dixie - DiCamillo (2000)

14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Rowling (1999)

13. Bridge to Terabithia - Paterson (1977)

12. The Hobbit - Tolkien (1938)


11. The Westing Game - Raskin (1978)


10. The Phantom Tollbooth - Juster (1961)


9. Anne of Green Gables - Montgomery (1908)


8. The Secret Garden - Burnett (1911)


7. The Giver - Lowry (1993)


6. Holes - Sachar (1998)


5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - Koningsburg (1967)


4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - Lewis (1950)


3. Harry Potter #1 - Rowling (1997)


2. A Wrinkle in Time - L'Engle (1962)


1. Charlotte's Web - White (1952)

That makes 51 read. Over half! And I didn't count the ones I started to read and didn't finish. I'm quite pleased that I've read all top ten.

Great list!

Release Date: April 20, 2010
Pages: 352
Genre: Horror
Rating:

Official Website: Click here
Summary:

Marshall Seaver is being haunted. In the first installment of this chillingly compelling trilogy, sixteen-year-old Marshall discovers that something beyond our world is after him. The eerie clues pile up quickly, and when people start dying, it’s clear whatever this isit’s huge.

Marshall has no idea what’s happening to him, but he’s soon convinced that it has something to do with his best friend Cooper, who’s been missing for over a week. Together with Coop’s sister, Marsh searches for the truth about what happened to his friend, ultimately uncovering something bigger than he could ever have imagined.

Review: CREEEEPY! Seriously. I have had nightmares related to this book since I finished it. Not wake-up-in-a-cold-sweat nightmares, but close.

I grew up loving DJ MacHale's Pendragon series, and this book is very similar (there are also some weird parallels), and so I really did enjoy it. Great story. I really wanted to know what happened next.

However, I feel like it was just one big prologue. In the Pendragon series, you get sucked into another world almost immediately. In this book... nothing happened. I kept expecting him to travel into the paranormal world. He never did. I assume he will sometime in the future, but as it was it felt like this story couldn't decide whether it was a realistic horror story, or a ghost story.

That doesn't mean I didn't like it. In fact, it just means that I'll definitely read the next one!

All right! My UK book supplier just got Forest Born into their systems! So I'm adding it into the giveaway, but in a slightly different way. This giveaway is SEPARATE from the previous one. For this one, you much refer a friend to Squeaky Books. Can you refer more than one? Sure! As many as you like/can! (remember, as soon as we reach 200 followers, we'll have another giveaway!)

The person you refer must become a follower. I'm sorry about that, but it's the only way I can track referrals. Just have whoever you referred fill out this form, and BOTH of you will be entered into the drawing for FB. If I get more than 20 referrals, I'll give away 2 copies!

If you don't want a copy of Forest Born and would instead rather have one of the other Hale books, that's totally fine too. Also, you can enter this giveaway and the Finals Celebration giveaway and win both times.

Sound good? I hope so! This giveaway will end May 9th 11:59pm! Maybe you could win it for your mom?

Questions?

All right! Finals are done, and I don't yet know my scores which means I'm in a GREAT mood! Remember those really cool Shannon Hale covers I posted a while back? Well I'm gonna give one away! If you win, you get to choose which one you want! I have yet to decide how many people will win, it could be anywhere from 1-5! It depends on how many people enter. The more people who enter, the more people win! So spread the word! Just fill out the form below the covers. Here's how you can get points.

+1 Point: Enter the Contest, just put name and e-mail and preferred cover
+3 Points: Become a follower of my blog (if you already are one, just indicate that)
+1 Point: Follow me on Twitter
+1 Point: Comment on this Post
+5 Points: Post about this Contest on your Blog
+3 Points: Link this contest in your sidebar

So you can have a total of 14 points! So take a good look at all the books and fill out the form. (P.S. If you pick one, then change your mind, that's totally fine) And if we reach 200+ followers, then I'll have another contest after this one! CONTEST ENDS MAY 5TH. (forgot to mention that.)

Here you see the source of my sadness.

It's that time again: FINALS WEEK. Finals go from now until the end of Tuesday the 20th. So Squeaky Books is locking down for a week. I have a TON of really great books to read, as you saw, and I'm saving them all as a reward for finishing finals.

Come back on the 21st. I'm thinking I'll celebrate the end of finals with a contest.

Cheers!

IMM started by The Story Siren

Here's what I have this week:

The girl, Baz, and the boy, Demi, are master pickpockets. They weave through rich neighborhoods to slip bags off shoulders and wallets out of pockets before disappearing into the crowd. Their loot goes to Fay, who runs a gang of child thieves from her den in the Barrio. This sweltering slum—in a city that is imagined, but all too real—is what passes for home to the kids, and Fay is what passes for family.

That all changes the day Demi steals a magnificent blue ring. Soon, the police chief and the Barrio’s crime boss close in on Fay, and she begins to break under their pressure.

Baz has never doubted Fay before. She’s never been apart from Demi, either. But soon, Baz is left alone to find her way through a world more corrupt than she’s ever realized. Here, the lives of children are thrown away without a moment’s hesitation. Here, the rich and powerful are just thieves on a larger scale. And somewhere in this wreck of a city, Baz must find the scraps of hope, the small acts of kindness, and the steely strength that will take her back to Demi and wash them both out of the Barrio for good.

Thanks Feiwel & Friends!
 

I'm Trella. I'm a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping Inside clean for the Uppers. I've got one friend, do my job and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels? Not like it's all that dangerous - the only neck I risk is my own. Until I accidently start a rebellion and become the go-to girl to lead a revolution. I should have just said no...

Thanks Harlequin Teen!

Heart-stopping action, intrigue, danger, revenge, and romance, with a hint of a supernatural force as great as the gods—here is the epic story of an unlikely prince and his quest to save his kingdom. The fourth book in Megan Whalen Turner’s award-winning series about Eugenides, the Thief of Eddis.

Sophos, heir to Sounis, doesn’t look like much of a prince. At least, according to those in power. At least, to those who do not know him or the size of his heart and the depth of his courage, loyalty, and love. But Helen, Queen of Eddis, knows him, and so does Gen, the queen’s Thief, who is now King of Attolia. Gen and the queen believe that Sophos is dead. But they also believe in hope, especially since a body was never found. So when Sophos is discovered in Attolia, the obvious question becomes: where has he been all this time?  

Madison Kasparkova always thought she understood how Karma works. It’s that mysterious, powerful force that brings harmony to the universe. You know—do good things and you will be rewarded, do something bad and Karma will make sure you get what’s coming to you. A sort of cosmic balancing act.

But when Mason Brooks, Maddy’s boyfriend of two years, gets caught tongue-wrestling with Miss Perfect Body Heather Campbell, and absolutely nothing happens to either of them—except that they wind up the hot new couple of Colonial High School, it seems like Karma has officially left Maddy in the lurch. That’s why Maddy and her best friends, Angie and Jade, decide to start the Karma Club—a secret, members-only organization whose sole purpose is to clean up the messes that the universe has been leaving behind. Whether they’re modifying Heather Campbell’s acne cream as part of “Operation Butterface,” or righting a few wrongs when it comes to Angie and Jade’s own slimy exes, they know they’re just doing what Karma should have done in the first place. They’re taking care of one another.

Sometimes, though, it isn’t wise to meddle with the universe. Because it turns out, when you mess with Karma, Karma messes back. Now Maddy must find a way to balance her life for good, even as everything around her seems to be toppling to the ground.

Thanks Henry Holt!  

Release Date: October 27, 2009
Pages: 355
Genre: Historical, Sci-Fi
Rating:

Official Website: Click here
Summary:

What if all of London were really an amusement park—a whole city returned to Victorian times to entertain visitors from the twenty-first century? That's the wildly original premise of Ian Beck's Pastworld, a high-stakes mystery set in a simulated past.

Eve is a lifelong resident of Pastworld who doesn’t know she’s living in a theme park until a mysterious threat forces her to leave home. Caleb is a visiting tourist who finds the lawlessness of the past thrilling—until he suddenly becomes a fugitive from an antiquated justice system. And in the midst of it all, in the thick London fog a dark and deadly figure prowls, claiming victim after victim. He’s the Fantom, a creature both of the past and of the present, in whose dark purpose Caleb and Eve will find their destinies combined.

Review: If you like Running Out of Time or The Truman Show then you'll probably like this.

I don't have much to say about this book. It took me a MONTH to read. Because, while the premise is really interesting, it's a slow read. I reads kind of like film noir. Flashing from character to character while to try to solve this "mystery" of the Fantom.

I'm not unhappy that I read it. I still enjoyed the book, I just wish it had been a little less confusing and a little more cohesive.

Release Date: April 1, 2010
Pages: 239
Genre: Apocalyptic
Rating:

Official Website: Click here
Summary:

It's been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth's climate. For Miranda Evans, life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.

The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda's father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda's complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

Review: I thought Life As We Knew It was AMAZING, and I hated The Dead and the Gone. So I was really curious as to how This World We Live In would turn out.

This book is more like LAWKI than TDAG, but just doesn't match it. The story seemed really, really rushed. Only 236 pages! I read it one day! The abrupt plot and character changes just gave me the feeling that the author wanted to get the story over with. That's not nice to your readers. People read your book so that they can experience your story. Hurrying through the plot robs them of this.

All in all, I thought it was a good story (despite the fact that it was rushed). And it's pretty clearly the end of the series (just going by what the main character says at the end), but the ending was SO LAME! It wasn't even really an ending. LAWKI ended with hope, TDAG ended with grief, but this book ended with... nothing. At all. It just ended. Really, it was like she just decided, "And, I'm done."

Read it if you've read LAWKI or TDAG and want to know what happens, but if you're new to this series I'd read just Life as We Knew It.

You may have noticed that I haven't posted a book review for quite a while. Well, that's partially because I've been WAY too busy to read, and partially because the book I'm reading is very slow. The story isn't bad, it's just not super-gripping.

Which brings me to today's topic: what does it take to make you put down a book? You guys already know that I won't read a book if it has extreme profanity or vivid sexual scenes, but I try really hard not to put a book down if I'm just bored with it. That book deserves a chance too, right?

I went to a conference a while ago where the speaker said, "If you don't like a book, stop reading it!" but I don't think we should develop into a nation of quitters! At the same time, I don't want people to hate reading because they don't like what they're reading.

So? What does it take to make you put down a book?

And thus I escaped April fools day without being fooled once! Muahahaha!

Did you? Care to share pranks you suffered or caused people to suffer?