Sunday, February 19, 2017

Misty of Chincoteague, by Margeurite Henry


This book begins with the sinking of a galleon off the coast of Virginia over three hundred years ago, a real-life tragedy which released dozens of Spanish ponies onto the shores of America.  Centuries pass until the modern day when we meet two children, Paul and Maureen Beebe, who are saving their money to buy a Chincoteague pony.   Each year the residents of Chincoteague work together to pen up a number of the wild horses, and the Beebe children find themselves the proud new owners of a foal named Misty.  As much as they love and care for their new animal, however, it becomes quickly apparent to the children that some wild things weren’t meant to be tamed…

“Misty” is one of those classics that you might not be able to find in a bookstore today, but I guarantee there’s a copy waiting in your local library.  Now seventy years after it was first published, the book still carries the same meaning for a new generation of readers.  If you make the effort to search out and read this book, it probably won’t be long before you’re hunting for one of the sequels as well…

Sunday, February 5, 2017

Armada, by Ernest Cline


Zach Lightman is living every high school kid’s daydream…he was bored in class one day, just staring out the window when suddenly a UFO appeared!   The particular ship looked to be straight out of a popular video game called Armada, in which the players log online to collectively defend the Earth from alien attack.   As the ship takes Zach away, he’s as surprised as the rest of the world to learn that the game is actually a secret government training program.  The world is about to come under attack, and it’s up to Zach and the rest of the Earth Defense Alliance to defend us!

Mr. Cline’s writing in “Armada” is just as fast-paced as it was in “Ready Player One”, so even the most reluctant young adult reader will be quickly drawn in.  My favorite part, however, is the amazing storyline where a popular video game basically comes to life.  What do you think the story would be like if any other game turned out to be real?  Super Mario Brothers?  Call of Duty?  Who knows, maybe there’s another great story waiting for you to come along and write it…