The Girl in A Coma

thegirlinacoma
The Girl in A Coma
by John Moss (Author)

Booktalk: Allison Briscoe is your average fifteen-year-old-until someone tries to kill her. Shot in the head, her doctors and family think she is in a coma, but in fact, though she cannot move, she can think, she can hear, and she can dream.

Each night, Allison lives vicariously through her pioneer ancestors, experiencing their adventures through their eyes. First, she enters the world of Rebecca Haun, a fifteen-year-old rebel who lived in Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War. To prove a friend innocent of murder, Rebecca betrays her Mennonite beliefs and joins the Women’s Brigade with George Washington’s rag-tag army at Valley Forge.

And each day, Allison struggles to find a way to show her family that she is awake-a goal that becomes increasingly desperate when she realizes that whoever shot her has come back to finish the job.

Snippet: During the day, nurses and doctors come and go. The cleaning staff comes in, The lights must be on and the curtains are pulled back. At night, the door is closed and the curtains are drawn. I can tell by the muffled sounds, by the stillness of the air. I’m pretty much on my own in the dark.

Except for my visitor. He’s in the dark, too. So, is he just listening? That’s creepy. It really is. I wonder if he’ll be back again. They haven’t removed the bandages. I’d know if they had. I wonder if he’s waiting to kill me. If so, why wait?

Copyright © 2016 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.

My House Is Alive!: The Weird and Wonderful Sounds Your House Makes

myhouseisalive.s
My House Is Alive!: The Weird and Wonderful Sounds Your House Makes
by Scot Ritchie (Author / Illustrator)

Booktalk: What’s that sound? Starting with a simple question, My House Is Alive! takes readers on a tour of the basic inner workings of a house and explains the scientific reason for the knocks, thumps, bangs, and booms we hear.

Two spreads are devoted to each scary sound: the first shows the source of the noise as imagined by a small boy — a monster, giant insect, or other wacky creature — and the second explains the reality behind it.

Snippet:

MHASample

The garage door can make a lot of noise. The door’s motor is attached to a chain. It pulls the chain one way to open the door and the other way to close it. Push a button and — presto –the door rumbles open!

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

Copyright © 2016 Anastasia Suen All Rights Reserved.