Ms.+Foust's+Booktalks

=Ms. Foust's Booktalks=

__Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure__ by P.B. Kerr
===What do an earthquake, a toothache, television-watching dogs, claustrophobia (fear of small and cramped places) and a long-lost Uncle have in common? Normally, not much, until you meet John and Philippa Gaunt. These 12-year old twins from New York are about to set out on an adventure of a lifetime--and all apparently because their wisdom teeth are coming in early--well, that and the fact that they are descended from a long-line of Djinn. They get their wisdom teeth removed, their housekeeper's wish gets granted and suddenly, the children are on their way to England to meet an estranged (and rather strange) uncle--and oh, by the way, the world, as they know it, is in extreme danger. __The Akhenaten Adventure__ is the first book in the //Children of the Lamp// series. The series so far:===


 * ===The Akhenaten Adventure===
 * ===The Blue Djinn of Babylon===
 * ===The Cobra King of Kathmandu===
 * ===The Day of the Djinn Warriors===

__The Ghost's Grave__ by Peg Kehret
===Josh has just moved to a new state with his mother and new step-father. He doesn't know anyone in his new town yet, but is excited because he just found out that he was selected to play on his school's summer baseball league team. The only catch? He can't play baseball that summer because his mom and step-dad have to travel to India. To make matters worse, he will have to spend the summer in a little coal-mining town out in the middle of nowhere with a great-great aunt he's never met. He figures he's in for the dullest, most horrible summer ever. The bus drops him off at a little general store (no bus station--town's too small) and that's when he meets his great-great aunt for the first time. The ride to her house is hair-raising--her old truck does NOT have seat belts (yep, the truck is so old, it was made before seat belts were required), which wouldn't worry him nearly so badly if she didn't drive down the middle of the road (instead of in a lane like normal people). When they finally arrive safely at her house (phew!), he's checking out the house when he hears a blood-curdling scream. He runs to the kitchen where he finds his great aunt chasing a bat. (She really doesn't like bats, and especially not in the house.) He's figuring that if they turn the lights out and stop moving, they can shoo the bat out the door or out a window, but his great-aunt is having none of that. She goes out of the room and comes back--with a shot gun--and shoots the bat. Do you think this turns out to be the dullest, most horrible summer ever? Nope. Add to this a stray cat, a one-legged ghost, and a mysterious theft and you have the the makings for a great summer-time read. Check it out! //This book won the Intermediate division of the 2007-2008 Volunteer State Book Awards.//===

__Dragon and Thief__, by Timothy Zahn
===Jack Morgan is a 14-year-old, orphaned but for his con-artist Uncle Virgil who, for some reason, never seems to leave their ship, the Essenay. Jack is also in trouble, but for once, it's for something he //didn't// do. Jack and Virgil have decided to lay low on an out-of-the-way planet until the heat dies down, but a quiet time just isn't in the cards for them. They witness an attack on and crash landing of a large alien ship, the //Havenseeker//. Of course, they go to investigate (and maybe see what they can pilfer in the process). The wreckage yields no survivors--apparently, until Jack stumbles across a dying dragon-like creature that, in a surprise attack, jumps over Jack and seems to disappear--but not exactly. Somehow, this dragon has become flat and is riding on top of Jack's skin like some strange tattoo--who can move around and talk with Jack from this unusual location. Jacks learns that the creature's name is Draycos, and that he is a K'da poet-warrior. Draycos is apparently the only surviving member of an advance colony ship for the refugee K'da and Shontin peoples--who are fleeing the Death weapon being used against them on their home world. Thing is, the Death weapon seems to have met them at their new home and Draycos must find out how and who is responsible if he is to save his unsuspecting people. To do THAT, he must first help Jack solve his own problems with some rather powerful people who framed him for a serious crime. I wish I could do this storyline justice--and hope that I'm not just making it sound silly b/c the story is anything but that. This story is full of action, intrigue, and humor--and it's also book one in a series. The series so far (and in order from first to latest) includes:===
 * ===[|Dragon and Thief]===
 * ===Dragon and Soldier===
 * ===Dragon and Slave===
 * ===Dragon and Herdsman===

"How It Started
===Sometimes extraordinary things begin in ordinary places. A fancy-dancy butterfly starts out in a plain little cocoon. A great big apple tree grows from a tiny brown speck of a seed. And the Wonders started right on our own front porch on a hot summer night I would have forgotten on the spot if it hadn’t been for what got started then and kept on going.”=== ===Eben McCallister is sure that there is nothing worth seeing in Sassafras Springs and longs to get out and see the world, like Balboa and Columbus, discovering new and exciting places and ancient marvels. When his father offers him a chance to get out of Sassafras Springs, //IF// he can find seven wonders //OF// Sassafras Springs, he’s pretty sure he won’t be able to find anything that would compare to the great pyramids of Egypt or the Colossus of Rhodes. Does he find seven wonders and get to take his trip to Silver Springs, Colorado? I won’t tell you if Eben finds his seven wonders---for that, you have to read the book—but I will tell you that, maybe, along the way, Eben finds more than he bargains for—and maybe that a great deal of the wonder //OF// a Wonder is all in how you look at it. This book was nominated for the 2007-2008 Volunteer State Book Awards.===

__Three Good Deeds__ by Vivian Vande Velde
===Howard seems always to have some kind of mischief up his sleeve and he can always find a ready excuse for not taking the blame--especially if someone else has gotten caught--even if that someone is his best friend. This dubious talent has kept him out of trouble for the most part--until he pulls one prank too many on the old woman at the goose pond. She seems able to see right through all of his ploys--and doesn't fall for any of them. Undaunted, Howard insults her--after all, he and the other children have taunted her all these years, calling her an old witch and making fun of her walk and her devotion to the geese at the pond. Imagine Howard's surprise when the the old woman turns HIM into a goose--feathers and all. The only way for Howard to ever regain his true form is for him to perform three good deeds. Piece of cake, right? Not exactly. Will he be able to convince anyone that he's a boy, not a goose? Can he figure out what makes a good deed good? Does he get eaten or does he learn the difference between being selfish and selfless? To find out, read __Three Good Deeds__ by Vivian Vande Velde.===