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The sequel to Airborn and Skybreaker comes out in February, but I got an advanced reading copy from the publisher.

Matt Cruse returns, but this time he’s able to captain his own airship. It’s basically a giant, floating crane, but he’s okay with that. His crane services the Celestial Tower, the French’s answer to space travel: just build a big enough tower. There are terrorists who don’t want this or any space expedition to succeed. It’s for this reason that the Canadians are keeping their project secret.

The Canadian Starclimber is essentially a giant elevator to the stars. When I first read this, I laughed. It fit with the whole airships and steampunk feel of the first two books.

But then I saw that it’s in the works.

LiftPort is a real life company looking to send a cable into the sky, keep it attached to a counterweight held in gravitational orbit, and have an elevator travel up the cable. Craziness, but if it succeeds…

After competing to be a part of the Starclimber project, Matt teams up with Kate to explore outer space. Just like the other two books, you’ll see some exotic creatures. We had cloud cats, giant hydrogen jellfish…what next?

I enjoyed the book, but I’m a big fan of flying and exploration. The romance between Kate and Matt develops but of course becomes complicated when Kate becomes engaged to someone else. It makes for some awkward times trapped in a small space elevator.

This one had a little bit more bathroom humor to the book, but it actually contributed to the plot.

Not often do you see the following quote:

A lot was riding on this. And it all came down to two toilets.

Lots of fun. If you’re like my brother-in-law and judge the quality of a book by the amount of monkeys present, you’ll be pleased.

This is the latest in James Patterson YA fiction. It’s a fun story, especially if you like movies like Men in Black. At first I had trouble adjusting to the narrator, but once his imaginary friends show up, it’s great.

Yeah, seriously.

Daniel X has the power to rearrange molecules into any other creation. He uses this power to hunt down the top 25 alien villains hanging out on Earth. It’s a simple story with some light action that you’ll be able to read quickly. This is not The Diary of Anne Frank, but that’s not why you picked up Daniel X.

Alan Gratz’s great mystery, Something Rotten, is now free. Check out the great Scribd version of the book.

You need to read it. This will be one of those books people talk about for years. The pacing is amazing: when you have a question, so does the main character. The chapters are just the right length and there’s enough society-challenging that this may end up being a class novel. Great stuff, Suzanne Collins!

Check out the crossword puzzle that Ally Carter created to reveal the name of book 3. (Although some of you who attended the author visit may have a clue.)

Google Pages now has morphed into Google Sites. The part that I appreciate with the upgrade is that it now looks like it runs well in Safari.

Check out the Future Professionals site:
http://sites.google.com/site/futureprofs/.

Use TextEdit to create your HTML. We’re practicing creating links and referencing images:

Create your page with the title “Welcome” and the number of the computer that you’re on. Also, don’t put any mention of your name online.

The book cover. That’s the big draw for Generation Dead by Daniel Waters. Even author P. J. Haarsma’s attention was grabbed by the cover when it was on display at my school. Many students saw me reading the book and kept hounding me to finish it.

This is Waters’s first YA book and I’m excited for more. The concept is that teenagers who have died recently are starting to come back. Where it branches from the horror norm is that these “biotically different” (zombie not being politically correct) teens want equal rights.

It’s a great allegory where readers are challenged without knowing it. Sure, we want Tommy (one of the living-impaired kids) to be allowed to try out for the football team, but wasn’t it spring of 2007 when Turner County High finally had a prom where races were integrated? There’s still work to be done in real life that Generation Dead may inspire.

There’s actually some spooky sections mixed in with the humor. The high school is surrounded by a forest and not everyone who goes in comes back out. Also, Pete Martinsburg is now one of the best villains I’ve read this year. He’s the perfect antagonist to Adam. Both are football stars: Adam learning self-control and respect over the summer, Pete harboring hatred and betrayal since his girlfriend wasn’t able to come back from the dead.

It’s a great plotline that moves at a decent pace to keep you engaged over the 400+ pages. (Definitely a connection for your Twilight fans.)

I can’t always read books about superheroes or superspies, and that’s okay. Meg Cabot is one that I go to expecting some funny character concepts that find a delicate balance between realistic and larger than life.

In Airhead, Meg Cabot continues to deliver great voice and crazy situations that make her other books a success. These characters are fun to hang out with. Be forewarned that it is book one in a new series. (I’m guessing since Princess Diaries is winding down with book 10.) Prepare yourself for an awkward ending that cuts off, like how you’re frustrated that Found’s sequel doesn’t come out until Spring ‘09.

What’s especially fun is that there are some elements of science fiction to the story. (Like the Mediator series getting into horror or how Avalon High had some fun with fantasy.) Expect some body-switching in a non-cliche way.

Did you hear about the sixth Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy book? It’s going to be written by Eon Colfer, of Artemis Fowl fame, and is scheduled for release October 2009.

The author visit by P. J. Haarsma was a lot of fun. He knows astronomy, technology, and how to get young adults interested in what he’s talking about.

Librarians, a warning - you’ll need to order more books. Mine are all checked out and on hold.