What do Zen and basketball have in common?

Not alot unless you are San Lee a new student at a new school in a new town. San spends a lot of time thinking about identity, and more specificly what his should be in his new school. Suprisingly it's not San who chooses his identity at this new school. Instead his fellow students ranging from Jocks, Skaters, Preps and Goth assign him the role of Zen Master based on his answer's in Social Studies. San willingly accepts his assigned role and does all he can to convince the students he is in fact a Zen Master. He convinces the school's not so great basketball team that he can help improve their game with Zen. Unfortunately his version of Zen comes mostly from the Tao of Pooh. Eventually the fact that San is faking is going to come out, but you won't be sorry you took a look at this Jordan Sonnenblick book.

Twilight readers check out Hunger Games

Okay, first of all it's not about vampires. But give it a chance, after all Stephanie Meyer couldn't put it down when she read it. The Hunger Games is the story of a future where one group of people living in the capital controls everyone else living in the twelve districts. Each year the Hunger Games are held. One boy and one girl from each district participates in the games, fighting the other tributes to the death. The winning child wins riches and foods for themsleves and their district.

Katniss the main character volunteers to go in place of her younger sister to 74th Annual Hunger Games. Will she survive or die? How can she defy the capital? What will happen if she does? These are the questions that will keep you racing through the pages and begging for the sequel, Catching Fire, due out in September.

If you do read The Hunger Games and can't wait for September, check out Scholastic's page for more to do.

What if a major catastrophe occured and your whole life changed?

I recently woke up after a late night reading Susan Beth Pfeffer's book "Life As We Knew It" and had to remind myself that I had electricity.

Curious?

If you have ever asked yourself what if life as we know it ended, this is the book for you. I couldn't put the book down, and when I did I had to remind myself that I wasn't living in the world Susan Beth Pfeffer creates for her main character Miranda. You'll find yourself wondering what you would do to survive if electricity was gone, food was unavailable and you didn't know if help would come.

Once you read "Life As We Knew It" be sure to pick up Pfeffer's companion book "The Dead and the Gone". It occurs at the same time as the events in "Life As We Knew It" but in a different location in the United States.