Book of the Week for October 29-November 4

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter

After staking out, obtaining, and then being forced to give up her first boyfriend, Josh, all Cammie Morgan wants is a peaceful semester. But that's easier said than done when you're a CIA legacy and go to the premier school in the world...for spies.

Cammie may have a genius IQ , but there are still a lot of things she doesn't know. Like, will her ex-boyfriend even remember she exists? And how much trouble is she really in after what happened last semester? And most of all, why is her mother acting so strangely?

Despite Cammie's best intentions to be a normal student, danger seems to follow her. She and her best friends learn that their school is going to play host to some mysterious guests--code name: "Blackthorne. Then she's blamed for a security breach that leaves the school's top-secret status at risk.

Soon Cammie and her friends are crawling through walls and surveilling the school to learn the truth about Blackthorne and clear Cammie's name. Even though they have confidence in their spy skills, this time the targets are tougher (and hotter), and the stakes for Cammie's heart--and her beloved school--are higher than ever.

TEEN READ WEEK!

It's Teen Read Week--yay!



This year, the theme is LOL @ Your Library. Some of the activities surrounding this event:

Raffle: enter your name to win fabulous prizes
On display: funny books
Prizes: Every student who checks out a book throughout the week wins a prize
Contest: The student who submits the best doctored photo wins a $20 spa gift card
Share: Write your favorite joke on the bulletin board

October 19: Family Guy marathon. Upper school only. 7 p.m.
October 20: Entertainment game night (Trivial Pursuit 90s edition, Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader game, High School Musical DVD game, etc.). Upper and middle school welcome. 7 p.m.

Snacks served at both events!

Book of the Week for October 13-20

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli


Love, Stargirl picks up a year after Stargirl ends and reveals the new life of the beloved character who moved away so suddenly at the end of Stargirl. The novel takes the form of "the world's longest letter," in diary form, going from date to date through a little more than a year's time. In her writing, Stargirl mixes memories of her bittersweet time in Mica, Arizona, with involvements with new people in her life.

In Love, Stargirl, we hear the voice of Stargirl herself as she reflects on time, life, Leo, and—of course—love.

Give-a-Book

Thank you so much to the parents who sponsored a book at the WMA library over Parents' Weekend! For those of you who would still like to donate, please contact me at sludwig@wmanet.org.

Book of the Week for October 5-12

They Came from Below by Blake Nelson



Seventeen-year-old Emily and her best friend Reese can't wait for summer vacation on Cape Cod. Every year, it's the same thing: high hopes that they may finally hook up with some cool guys...and it never happens. But this year, they're sure it's going to be different. So it's totally amazing when out of nowhere they meet two unbelievably adorable boys who are just too cute to be true! Which, they soon discover, may be the case. A lot of odd things happen when Steve and Dave are around. Reese figures it's because they're not from around here. So where are they from, France? Well, not quite... Summoned from the depths of the sea by the dire threat of global pollution, friendly aliens "Steve and Dave" have manifested themselves in human form and come ashore in a last desperate effort to save the oceans.

Raw Danger! review by Alex Shirley

System: PS2
Rating: T for Teen
Company: Agetec
Date Released: June 2007

Just by looking at the cover, you can tell that this is one INTENSE game. Before I tell you about the overall ups and downs of this game, let me start off with an excerpt that really won't give that much information about it...

You start the game as a 22-year-old waiter, serving guests at a Christmas banquet, which is also celebrating the construction of an underground system of structures in the city of Del Ray, New York. The year is 2010. So far, all is well. You follow a waitress around, helping her, and occasionally get scolded by your boss. The Head Chef is also making you rush back and forth between guests. But, you're getting paid, right?

But disturbing things are happening. A leak breaks out in the hallway, and a pipe is dripping. And when you give the mayor his water, his assistant is urgent. The managers round up the guests and take them to the main hall. You're in the bathroom to check for more guests, and... the world falls apart.

You can find this beginning online, but basically, you're trapped in the building as rising water licks at your feet. You constantly dodge rushing waters, broken electrical outlets, and crumbling floors. Again, you're with the waitress, and as you try to move through the city, a story and a huge conspiracy theory becomes apparent to you. You solve the mystery of the flood and a murder by playing several characters, including a doctor, a convict, a taxi driver, and a high school student. All of these people are somehow connected, and they are all in huge danger.

Be aware, Agetec doesn't have access to the technology of the ages (coincidentally) so the graphics, although pretty good, aren't the best. The character's feet will more than once melt into a wall or object, and minor characters have the same response to your presence every time you try to talk to them. Plus, when someone turns around, they don't walk, they rotate.

The controls are generally easy to use. That is, before you're trying to push a cart or a ladder. You will constantly be frustrated by your inability to move the object in the direction you want it to, but luckily, it doesn't happen so much. Other characters will ask for your help, even ones that you will play later in the game, so you will have to move rubble, drive cars, and hang from wires. This is generally easy, if you know what to do.

The interesting part about the game is that whatever you do in previous levels will sometimes dramatically affect what happen later in the game. If you treat your partner right, they could consider you your best friend or even your boyfriend. And if you move a piece of rubble out of the way to pass through, it will create a problem for the next character you play. Even items you leave inside a dumpster will stay there in order for someone else to find it.

That's it. Believe me, it's an awesome game! If you're not too accustomed to state-of-the-art graphics, you may want to play it again and again. You can find it at most GameStop stores, and sometimes a rental shop. It's only $14.95 + tax, and it's a deal! Hope you have fun!