Here Are A Few Book Suggestions For The Week!

TEEN

Exit, Pursued by a Bear
By E. K. Johnston
(Inspired by Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale)

“I love you,” Polly says suddenly when I’m almost to the door.

“I know,” I say.

Hermione Winters has been a flyer. She’s been captain of her cheerleading team. The envied girlfriend and the undisputed queen of her school. Now it’s her last year and those days and those labels are fading fast. In a few months she’ll be a different person. She thinks she’s ready for whatever comes next.

But then someone puts something in her drink at a party, and in an instant she finds herself wearing new labels, ones she never imagined:

Victim. Survivor. That raped girl.

Even though this was never the future she imagined, one essential thing remains unchanged: Hermione can still call herself Polly Olivier’s best friend, and that may be the truest label of all.

Heartbreaking and empowering, Exit, Pursued by a Bear is the story of transcendent friendship in the face of trauma.

“I love you,” I say, because I really, really do.

“I know,” says Polly.

The Glittering Court
By Richelle Mead
(Author of the Vampire Academy series)

Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

Winger
By Andrew Smith

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids in the Pacific Northwest. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Filled with hand-drawn info-graphics and illustrations and told in a pitch-perfect voice, this realistic depiction of a teen’s experience strikes an exceptional balance of hilarious and heartbreaking.

The Running Dream
By Wendelin Van Draanen

An award-winning and inspiring novel.  When Jessica's dreams are shattered, she puts herself back together—and learns to dream bigger than ever before. 
Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?

As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.

With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her

Winner of the Schneider Family Book Award 

Essential Maps for the Lost
By Deb Caletti

There are many ways to be lost.

Sometimes people want to be lost. Madison—Mads to everyone who knows her—is trying her best to escape herself during one last summer away from a mother who needs more from her than she can give, and from a future that has been decided by everyone but her.

Sometimes the lost do the unimaginable, like the woman, the body, Mads collides with in the middle of the water on a traumatic morning that changes everything.

And sometimes the lost are the ones left behind, like the son of the woman in the water, Billy Youngwolf Floyd. Billy is struggling to find his way through each day in the shadow of grief. His one comfort is the map he carries in his pocket, out of his favorite book, From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

When three lives (and one special, shared book) collide, strange things happen. Things like questions and coincidences and secrets—lots of secrets. Things like falling in love. But can two lost people telling so many lies find their way through tragedy to each other…and to solid ground?

KIDS

Isabel Feeney, Star Reporter
By Isabel Fantaskey

It’s 1920s Chicago—the guns-and-gangster era of Al Capone—and it’s unusual for a girl to be selling the Tribune on the street corner. But ten-year-old Isabel Feeney is unusual . . . unusually obsessed with being a news reporter. She can’t believe her luck when she stumbles not only into a real-live murder scene, but also into her hero, the famous journalist Maude Collier. The story of how the smart, curious, loyal Isabel fights to defend the honor of her accused friend and latches on to the murder case like a dog on a pant leg makes for a winning, thoroughly entertaining middle grade mystery.







The Wild Robot
By Peter Brown

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz's only hope is to learn from the island's hostile animal inhabitants. When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her....








Serafina's Promise
By Ann E. Burg

A luminous novel in verse from the author of the Jefferson Cup award winner ALL THE BROKEN PIECES.


Serafina has
a secret dream.

She wants to go to school
and become a doctor
with her best friend, Julie Marie.

But in their rural village
outside Port-au-Prince, Haiti,
many obstacles
stand in Serafina’s way--
little money,
never-ending chores,
and Manman’s worries.

More powerful even
than all of these
are the heavy rains
and the shaking earth
that test Serafina’s resolve
in ways she never dreamed.

At once heartbreaking and hopeful,
this exquisitely crafted story
will leave a lasting impression
on your heart.

Prince Puggly of Spud and the Kingdom of Spiff
By Robert Paul Weston

Weston is back in rhyming style with a book about princes and princesses, kings and kingdoms, and what it means to look good in polka-dot bell-bottoms.

Prince Puggly of the muddy, supremely unfashionable Kingdom of Spud is surprised when he receives an invitation to a lavish ball in the far trendier Kingdom of Spiff. The poorly-dressed prince is sure that the Spiffs will take one look at him and laugh him out of their kingdom...

And that's exactly what they do! But then Puggly meets Francesca, the bookish Princess of Spiff, and together the two set out to teach Francesca’s Spiffian countrymen an absurd lesson in style.




Waylon! One Awesome Thing
By Sara Pennypacker

Waylon has lots of ideas for making life more awesome through science, like teleportation, human gills, and attracting cupcakes by controlling gravity. But it's impossible for him to concentrate on his inventions when he's experiencing his own personal Big Bang. 

Arlo Brody is dividing the fourth grade boys into two groups. Waylon would rather be friends with everyone. Well, everyone except the scary new kid, Baxter Boylen.

Waylon's older sister, Neon, is shooting away from the family. He wishes everything would go back to the way it was before she started wearing all black and saying "What's the point?" all the time. 

Just when it looks as though Waylon's universe is exploding, something happens to bring it all together again, and it is, without a doubt, One Awesome Thing.

Mr. Lemoncello Is Back!!

Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics

By Chris Grabenstein

Welcome, boys and girls, readers of all ages, to the first-ever Library Olympiad! Kyle and his teammates are back, and the world-famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, is at it again! 

This time Mr. Lemoncello has invited teams from all across America to compete in the first ever LIBRARY OLYMPICS. Will it be fun? Like the commercials say. . . HELLO? It’s a Lemoncello! But something suspicious is going on . . . books are missing from Mr. Lemoncello’s library. Is someone trying to CENSOR what the kids are reading?! In between figuring out mind-boggling challenges, the kids will have to band together to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Now it’s not just a game—can Mr. Lemoncello find the real defenders of books and champions of libraries?

NOTES:

This is a second book in a series by Chris Grabenstein. The first book was Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library and it was not only a great read, but really fun. Grabenstein has a good wit about him and the Dewey Decimal puzzles were very creative. Give this first book a first read to get to know the characters and Mr. Lemoncello.

Greenglass House by Kate Milford

Greenglass House by Kate Milford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

**2015-2016 MD Black-Eyed Susan Nominee

Ben, Nora and Milo Pine, the Pine family, were looking forward to a quiet, low-key holiday at Greenglass House. Their usual clientele of smugglers dropped during the holidays which left the Inn virtually empty for the small family to enjoy the break together. But this stopped being the average holiday as soon as the bell began to ring signaling the Whilforber Whirlwind's ascent up the steep slope carrying their fist guest with many others to follow. Soon the family found their smuggler's Inn bustling with strangers and Mrs. Pine called in the Inn's chef, Mrs. Caraway, and her daughter Lizzie. They also brought Lizzie's younger sister, Meddy, who was all for occupying Milo's time. Milo and Meddy decided to play a role-playing game and together they realized that each guest has an agenda for being at the Inn. When items begin to go missing, the missing items aren't the only things that turn up. Down every hallway and behind every door, the secrets of Greenglass House beckon to Milo and Meddy and dare them to explore.

First, I have to say, I'm not a mystery girl. I couldn't really tell you why, but when I found out I had to read this book and that it was a mystery, I wasn't too thrilled. The cover I thought was gorgeous, but a mystery?...eh. I reluctantly started the book and right away was impressed with the writing. It was like someone telling a story with full, rich details. I wasn't too intrigued, but drifted along until THE part came when my stomach totally dropped. There was a moment that I did not see, but had been there all along that took Greenglass House from an okay book to one of my favorites! The storyline was brilliant and so neatly tied itself up at the end. I really can't recommend this book enough. If you're looking for an amazing read, then look no further...Greenglass House by Kate Milford.

View all my reviews

Graphic Novels - Still Not a Fan

My media center at my school is putting together a MD Black-Eyed Susan Challenge for our local elementary schools. My school is hosting so we have to read the books and make up the questions. Sounds great doesn't it? Who doesn't LOVE Black-Eyed Susan nominees?! But wait... there are 10 graphic novels... someone has to read those too.

I volunteered.

I'm gonna lay it out on the table (I believe I've already done that once or twice) - I don't like graphic novels. Through grit teeth, yes, they get kids reading and for a kid to read ANYTHING is a great start to a lifetime love of reading. I just don't like graphic novels for reasons I thought AND for reasons I later found out when I started reading them for a challenge. Let me share a few with you.

What I Knew:

• They are just weird. They have weird subjects and weird ways of relaying information. They have weird things written in them. Even while reading them for the challenge, I would be cruising along and even kinda enjoying what I was reading when all of a sudden - WEIRDNESS!! Something weird would be said and I'm guessing it was all a matter of time. That's a graphic novel for ya! Is that part of the graphic novel criteria? Do you have to include some off-the-wall strange line or idea to make it a "true" graphic novel. Examples?  
• Little White Duck - They stuck firecrackers up the bums of rats
• Hidden - The little boy had to stand on a desk in his classroom and show the class his little boy parts so they could see a Jewish circumcision.
• El Deafo - One little girl tells the other to look down her shirt and spell "attic" (it took me a while, but the rest of my family picked right up on it)

           In all the books I read, there was just a little something that made me say to myself "Really?".

• I was expecting a lack of depth because you just don't get the amount of detail as you would in a novel.

What I Found Out

• I found out that I was right on the weirdness, BUT it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I really expected a lot worse.
• Yes, there was a great deal lacking in depth, but that part was worse that I expected. The books were harder to follow and less memorable because you didn't really invest any real time with characters or story lines. They almost seemed to be abbreviated or abridged stories.
• The pictures were right there for you so you didn't have to create them yourself which saddened me. When I read, and I don't know if this true for everyone, but the whole book gets played in my mind like a movie. I think this why I have such high retention because I don't just READ the book, I SEE the book.
• The good part was that it was really easy to get through a book. This may not mean much to many folks, but it is such a GOOD feeling to finish a book! I think that this is really encouraging for kids and I also think (I hope) that continually finishing books will encourage them to reach out an try some longer books.

Bottom line and my graphic novel opinion?
I think that they are good because they get kids reading especially boys. I really encourage parents to read the books first or look them over because they do have some strange things in them that may confuse some kids at different levels of development. I highly encourage conversations about these things too. I would caution in spending money on them or maybe get a group together to swap the books. These books can be read in a day and sometimes just a few hours. I don't know about you, but if I'm spending $18 on a book, then I want it to last for more than a day. The library is an excellent source for graphic novels AND they are coming out with more and more every day. Graphic novels are not really new, but they are steadily gaining in popularity and becoming more mainstream. I think library's are having a rough time catching up to the demand. I know our library has more than doubled our number of graphic novels. I HIGHLY encourage parents to read some of these books. I HIGHLY encourage parents to read many of the books their kids are reading. Books are knowledge and knowledge is power. Books can be just as influential as the company your kids keep and you should be in the know.

HAPPY GRAPHIC READING!!

Why Are Books Not Cool?

When my son was a baby, he would make his way into his bedroom as best as he could to sit by himself and look through books we brought home from the library. Up until the 4th grade he was a good reader. He LOVED Magic Treehouse books!! My daughter was a good reader too. She lasted until 5th grade. Her favorite books were Ivy and Bean and she loved all things realistic fiction. And then the day came...

MIDDLE SCHOOL!!

My son now HATES books and reading. It's a passion that I could only hope he would direct in a positive way into his studies. He is very auditory so I've even gotten him some books on "tape". Our library has these nifty little Playaway packs. They come with a book and a small MP3 player. You can also get them with just the MP3 player. He wants nothing to do with them. Although he is too far gone, I will never give up.

My daughter... there may be hope. She can touch a book without getting upset unlike my son. She has read some books for school AND has mentioned something about summer reading lists. I still have hope for her. I have sat down with her and asked - So what's up? Why no books? The answer? Besides having too much homework and being forced to read by the school... books are for geeks. No one reads anymore. Kids tease kids with books. *GASP*

What in the world is going on?! Why are readers labeled geeks? Although I think being is a geek is endearing, I'm also not 14. What is the problem with books? This is a real question because I seriously do not have an answer to.

HELP ME!!!

Library Haul!

 

 

Rebel Bully Geek Pariah

By Erin Jade Lange

 

"The Breakfast Club" gets a modern, high-stakes reboot in this story of four very different teens and a night that changes them forever.

The Rebel: Once popular, Andi is now a dreadlocked, tattooed wild child.
The Bully: York torments everyone who crosses his path, especially his younger brother.
The Geek: Tired of being bullied, Boston is obsessed with getting into an Ivy League college.
The Pariah: Choosing to be invisible has always worked for Sam . . . until tonight.

When Andi, York, Boston, and Sam find themselves hiding in the woods after a party gets busted by the cops, they hop into the nearest car they see and take off—the first decision of many in a night that will change their lives forever. By the light of day, these four would never be caught dead together, but when their getaway takes a dangerously unpredictable turn, sticking together could be the only way to survive.

With cinematic storytelling and compelling emotional depth, critically acclaimed author Erin Jade Lange takes readers on literary thrill ride.

 

Marked

By Laura Williams McCaffrey

 

Sixteen-year-old Lyla lives in a bleak, controlling society where only the brightest and most favored students succeed. When she is caught buying cheats in an underground shadow market, she is tattooed—marked—as a criminal. Then she is offered redemption and she jumps at the chance . . . but it comes at a cost. Doing what is right means betraying the boy she has come to love, and, perhaps, losing even more than she thought possible. Graphic novel–style vignettes revealing the history of this world provide Lyla with guidance and clues to a possible way out of the double bind she finds herself in.

Kids Today

 

So very true. I honestly believe that kids today lack imagination. Think about it. There are video games, smart phones and graphic novels. Their days are structured with so many scheduled activities and sports and there is rarely time to sit and dream. Ask a kid to sit down and draw a picture...they are going to ask "How?". We need to teach kids how to relax... and read!