172 Hours on the Moon

172 Hours on the Moon
by Johan Harstad

It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space--and change their lives forever.

 

Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band's ticket to fame and fortune.

Midori believes it's her way out of her restrained life in Japan.

Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible.

It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space... no one is coming to save them. (description from Amazon.com)

 

I was very impressed with this science fiction thriller.

 

Though it is a little slow starting, the tension eventually builds into a spine-chilling ending.  This is the book for someone who doesn't need a happy ending.  This is the book for someone looking for realism and just a touch of horror.

 

This book has many characters and changes perspectives quite frequently, though you could say that Mia could be considered the "main character."  It actually makes it a little easier as the story goes on to be not quite invested in any specific character...

 

Whatever your suspicions may be along the way, the author manages to surprise readers with a bleak ending that will give you just the hint of nightmares for a few days...

 

Full disclosure: ARC received from Little, Brown books for Young Readers; Audio book received to review for AudioFile

Pajama Storytime: Wolf Moon

So, I've decided to try something new. Some of you may know that aside from just being a blogger, I'm  also a Librarian.  Just before the new year, I started a new job as a Youth Services Librarian, which means that aside from just doing teen services, I'm also doing two weekly storytimes (for ages 3-5) and a monthly pajama storytime. 

Since I've started doing these storytimes, I've found it immensely helpful to read the "set-up" from other storytimes on other blogs to get ideas...so I want to "pay it forward." I'm going to try to put up as many storytimes as I can so that maybe someone else will get ideas for their storytimes!

Let me know if you have any format suggestions, etc!!

This was the Pajama Storytime I did in January. 

Theme: Wolf Moon

(The Wolf Moon is the name given by Native Americans to a full moon that occurs in January.)

Opening Song: If You're a Wolf and You Know It

If you're a wolf and you know it, howl at the moon...

If you're a wolf and you know it, growl at the night...

If you're a wolf and you know it, scratch your fleas...

If you're a wolf and you know it, do all three...  

Read:

Wolf! Wolf! by John Rocco

Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza



Action Song: 10 Little Gray Wolves

1 little, 2 little, 3 little gray wolves...

4 little, 5 little, 6 little gray wolves...

7 little, 8 little, 9 little gray wolves...

10 little gray wolves rolling in the snow

(Repeat - running through the woods... howling at the moon)

Flannelboard: The Three Little Pigs

Read:

The Dog Who Cried Wolf by Keiko Kasza

Footprints in the Snow by Mei Matsuoka

Dance: "Mister Moon" from CD, Where is Thumbkin?

Craft: Wolf Howling in the Night Sky

Supplies Needed:

blue construction paper

white construction paper (pre-cut moons)

brown construction paper (pre-cut howling wolves)

gluesticks 

chalk

The kids had a blast glueing on their wolves and moons, but I think they had the most fun drawing their stars in the night sky with the chalk!!

This World We Live In

This World We Live In
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Last Survivors, book three

When one year ago, the moon was struck by a meteor, knocking it closer into the Earth's orbit, catastrophe after catastrophe plagues the earth, leaving only a sprinkling of survivors struggling to have human life continue on Earth.

Miranda's family, in rural Pennsylvania, managed through cunning, tenacity, and finally luck to survive as a unit. Alex lost half his family immediately in the disaster and struggled to save his sisters, finally being forced to flee New York City with his sister, Julie, to look for "greener" pastures.

In This World We Live In, their stories collide...Miranda and her family are beginning to worry about when their food supply with cease to exist. Her brothers go out on a fishing expedition and Matt comes home with fish...and a bride. Days later, Miranda's father also arrives on their doorstep with a troupe in tow. Not only has he brought his wife and their new baby, but also a new best friend and two new "children," Alex and Julie. With ten people in one household, can Miranda's new extended family make it work? Will they all survive?

This was the final book of the trilogy and though I am sad it's done, it was a satisfying end. Susan Beth Pfeffer is gifted in being able to deliver a heartbreaking and realistic disaster story, balanced by love and hope for the future. All elements of this story rang true. I cried...and I smiled through my tears. I sighed at the compelling ending. I will definitely read this trilogy from start to finish again and probably again in the future. If you haven't read Life as We Knew It or The Dead and the Gone definitely start with those, but don't stop until you've read all three...it's worth it!