The Map to Everywhere

Twelve-year-old Fin is a master thief of the Khaznot Quay. He is also utterly forgettable. That's probably why he...wait a second, what was I talking about?

Well, anyway, twelve-year-old Marrill just got news that her mom has a life-threatening illness, and she just has to get out for some fresh air. She finds herself in an abandoned mall's parking lot, when suddenly a ship looms above her. Yes, in the parking lot. And that parking lot is now full of water. And a true magician just so happens to be on this ship. So if there are magicians, there must be magic, and if there is magic, then maybe there is hope for her mom. She boards the ship to try to make her case, but when she looks behind her, the parking lot is gone and the ship is surrounded by water as far as the eye can see. She soon learns she is in the Pirate Stream, and the only way back is with a certain map. Problem is, they first have to find all the pieces.

The Map to Everywhere, by Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis is the first in a trilogy for about 4th grade and up.

STEAM Saturday

Did you know that solving puzzles strengthens cognition abilities? Being able to solve puzzles is the same part of the brain that works math and music as well. So, to celebrate this fact, here's a puzzle for you.

'We eat what we can, and we can what we can't.'
Can you explain who could make this statement?

To find out the answer, check out the book The Puzzle Emporium Presents Amazing Brain Teasers: mathematical diversions, lateral thinking puzzles, riddles, conundrums, and more by Erwin Brecher.

Authentic First Person

I think some authors are more successful than others at really capturing the voice of children in the first person. I have been fortunate enough to read three great examples recently. What I particularly love about all three of these books is that they cover some very serious issues and in no way dumb it down or try to protect the reader from these very difficult situations.

• Pack of Dorks, by Beth Vrabel. Fourth grader Lucy knows what it is like to be one of the most popular kids in school, and thanks to her former best friend and former boyfriend, she now also knows what it is like to be a dork. But is it really so bad being part of a pack of dorks? Sometimes. A very poignant story of bullying and true friendship.
• Kinda Like Brothers, by Coe Booth. Jarrett is used to his mom fostering babies that have been through horrific situations, and he tries not to become attached, because they come and go and there's nothing he can do about it. But then his mom just can't stand to separate baby Treasure and her older brother Kevon, so Jarrett gains a new brother(?)/enemy(?)/friend(?). Sharing his mom with these needy kids, and now having to share his friends, activities, and worst of all his room with Kevon, Jarrett learns a lot about abuse, family, and friendship.
• Rain Reign, by Ann M. Martin. Rose (rows, roes) lives with her dad and her dog, Rain (Reign, Rein). Her dad found Rain on a stormy night (knight) and brought her home as a gift. There aren't a lot of happy times in Rose's life other than the time (thyme) she spends with her dog and the time she spends with her uncle. But what happens if Rain isn't actually Rose's dog after all? And what happens when her dad just can no longer handle her Aspergerish need to call out homonyms every single time she hears one (won)?

Introducing Vero Leland

On a particularly stormy night, ER nurse Nora Leland tends to a dead man who comes back alive long enough to grab her arm and tell her to name the boy Vero. What boy? Apparently, the tiny infant who she finds on her chair just a few minutes later. Where did he come from? Who were his parents? She takes the newborn with her and while buying diapers, is confronted with pure evil. She has never been surer of anything than knowing she must protect this baby.

Twelve-year-old Vero Leland sometimes sees things that most people around him don't see. Like the man sitting in the tree the time that he climbed to the roof so he could fly when he was 4. Or, just recently, the really scary black figure he saw trying to steer a car into a school bus full of kids. Vero saved everyone's lives by grabbing the steering wheel of the bus and swerving into a snowbank, but that incident led to his having to see a psychiatrist.

Harry Potter is a wizard. Percy Jackson is a demigod. Vero Leland is a guardian angel.

If you enjoy following Harry and Percy's adventures, you are sure to enjoy the discoveries Vero Leland makes as he learns he is a guardian angel in Vero Rising, the first of Laurice Molinari's new series, The Ether.

Mister Orange

Twelve-year-old Linus's older brother, Albie, just went off to fight the Nazis, so now he has graduated from taking care of his younger siblings to being the family's delivery boy for their grocery store. Linus and Albie are big comic book fans, and while Albie is gone, he has entrusted his comic book collection to Linus. In the pile of comics, Linus discovers Albie's own creation, Mister Superspeed, a superhero who fights the Nazis; thus begins an everchanging imaginary relationship between Linus and the penciled superhero. In addition to this new relationship, Linus meets a man with a weird accent whose name he cannot pronounce (he happens to be none other than the famous artist, Piet Mondrian) to whom he delivers oranges every week. To Linus, he is just "Mister Orange." Mister Orange's house has clean white walls with shapes of primary colors tacked up on his walls, and loves Boogie-Woogie music and dancing. Mister Orange, by Truus Matti, is a story about family, friendship, war and imagination is a good introduction to the history of WWII and to art history for upper elementary and middle school-aged kids.

Etiquette and Espionage

I've written about Gail Carriger's series The Parasol Protectorate here before. Just to be clear; I'm a fan. If you're looking for some clever, adulty, plot driven fun and you're into alternative histories with supernatural romance, you can do no better. And that's a surprisingly big field, so...

Anyway, for those of you who, like me, were sad when the series came to an end, you'll be delighted to know that there's a new series of prequels beginning with Etiquette and Espionage, out this month. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an advance copy and I devoured it in one sitting. It's even better than the other books, reminding me that when authors are writing with a little restraint, choosing subtlety and innuendo over explicivity (I officially dub that word existent), the result is often much deeper, more tender, more heart stirring and just as sophisticated as adult-themed books.

In Etiquette and Espionage, book the first of Finishing School, Sophronia is enrolled in a highly regarded finishing school where, she is surprised to learn, she will be instructed in the fine arts of espionage and defense and well as curtsying and tea service. It turns out she has a certain flair for spy work, and will excel as long as she can keep herself out of trouble (at least, out of the wrong sort of trouble.) In this Victorian era romp, a steamship is the home of a girls school and is only accessible by power of werewolf leaping, the head mistress may or may not be aware that she is bringing up a horde of young ladies destined to be spies, and some of those ladies must overthrow secret plots to ruin parties via fraternity stunts. 'Tis a wild ride, and I highly recommend it to any reader 12 and up! If you still don't believe me, watch the book trailer and enjoy!

The Impossible Rescue

The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure by Martin W. Sandler tells the story of how eight whaling ships were ice-bound in Arctic waters off the coast of Point Barrow, Alaska, the most northern point in the United States in 1897.  That year the winter storms came early and it caught 300 sailors off their guard, locking the ships in thick ice with no way to escape.  The sailors had limited provisions to last themselves for what turned out to be nearly a year of being trapped.

The book goes on to tell how three men were appointed by President McKinley to go rescue the trapped sailors by trekking on land over 1500 miles through horrific terrain and freezing temperatures in the dead of an Alaskan winter using reindeer, sled dogs, and native peoples to carry thousands of pounds of provisions to Point Barrow before the sailors stave to death.  It was truly a race against time.

Sandler takes readers on every step of the journey providing first hand accounts of the rescuers, their journal entries, and vivid descriptions of raging blizzards, ice peircing cold temperatures, injured rescuers and animals, and the test of man's strength.  The book also includes black and white photographs throughout giving readers visual accounts of the men and women who were involved in the heroic rescue.  This is definately one unfortettable impossible journey!

Splendors and Glooms, by Laura Amy Schlitz

How do I even begin to describe this book? Like other books I've read and enjoyed, it has magic, grief and loss, suspense, creepiness, some pretty scary bad guys, and some nice kids just trying to get by. That's not new. But unlike any other book I've read, it combines all those things in a unique way while adding puppetry to the mix, and it becomes so much more. The ultimate creepiness for me is children being changed into little marionettes; they are completely paralyzed, and completely conscious, relying on others to give them movement. This is not a book for the faint of heart. Though the story is nothing like Harry Potter, for me it still brings that series to mind. If your child has read Harry Potter, then he or she is ready for Splendors and Glooms, by Newbery Medal Winner Laura Amy Schlitz.

Dragonborn

When Sam's master dies unexpectedly, he is left on his own to try to piece together what he has learned as a magician's apprentice over the last 6 years. For some reason an awful lot of people seem interested in where he is headed, and not all of them for benevolent reasons. He and his dragon friend, Starback, go on a magical journey and along the way they come across a magician's college, they deliver a dead man to the next place in the cycle of life, and a wild wolf becomes Sam's friend and protector. Fans of Harry Potter who also like dragons are sure to like the new series beginning with Dragonborn, by Toby Forward.

If You Liked Small Steps, by Peg Kehret...

I did a post not so long ago about what I believe to be the most-often-asked-for juvenile biography, Small Steps, by Peg Kehret. I had to read it to see what all the fuss was about, and after reading it, I understood the fuss. Now I just finished a book that reminded me a lot of that one, so if you liked Small Steps, you're sure to like Breathing Room, by Marsha Hayles. This is a story that happens during WWII but with a very different subject than most historical fiction taking place during that time.

Thirteen-year-old Evvy is sent away to Loon Lake Sanatorium to recover from tuberculosis. She shares a room with grouchy Dena, princessy Pearl, always cheerful Beverly, and kindred soul Sarah. The rules of the room are simple. Don't talk. Don't move. That's about it. If you want to get better, you must follow those rules. Of course, that is not so easy for 5 teenage girls, and so of course sometimes those rules are broken.

This powerful story is one of heavy loss but also of strong friendship and hope. Though it can be found in our Young Adult Fiction section, it is also appropriate for younger kids. I would say about 4th grade and up.

Favorite Book Friday- The Fault In Our Stars

Once in a blue moon you read a book and just know it will be a classic. It may have a certain aura before you even flip open the cover, and once you begin reading you can't help but feel connected to the future generations who will still be reading this book, still feeling the same impact. John Green's new book, The Fault in Our Stars , simply reeks of lasting literary significance. Reading it for the first time was like reading Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian or Marcus Zusak's The Book Thief- I knew I was reading something immortal. In other words, it's a good book.

Hazel Grace is experiencing the side effects of dying, and she has been for years. When she 12, she was diagnosed with a terminal type of cancer, and while she has worked hard to fight it, she know that her fate is inevitable. Yet, here she is, 17-years-old, on a new type of drug that is doing a fairly good job of keeping her alive, and she suddenly finds herself dealing with the side-effects of living as well as dying. Like falling in love, imagining a future for her friends and family, and doing whatever it takes, even hauling her oxygen tank to Amsterdam, to satisfy her ravenous curiosity.

Yes, The Fault in Our Stars is a book about kids with cancer. It's a book about dying, but only in as far as dying is a side-effect of living. Hazel has figured out how to live with humor, honesty, boldness and tenderness. Read this book and she will become your hero!

Titanic: 100 Years Later

Most of you may already know that April 15th was the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the R.M.S. Titanic.  In honor of this historic event, why not stop by the library and reflect upon this moment in time through one of our displays of Titanic books and reproduced memorabilia?  Adult books and materials are on display in the library lobby and children's and teen books are on display in the children's room in the cube display located next to the Puett Room.  There is also another display on the 2nd floor next to the adult reference desk that highlights new adult titles, which also includes a bibliography of these new books.

Here's some of my favorite Titanic books for youth:
Titanic Sinks! by Barry Denenberg (for ages 8 & up)
This recently published book (2011) presents the true story of the building and launching of the Titanic and offers a "you are there" feeling when the steamship struck an iceberg and sank on her maiden voyage.

Inside the Titanic (A Giant Cutaway Book) by Ken Marschall (for ages 6 & up)

Cut-away illustrations feature stories of real-life children who sailed aboard the Titanic on the night of its disaster in the North Atlantic.  I could look at the illustrations of this book for hours, as it's so enthralling to study each room displayed on the ship.

Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912  by Ellen Emerson White (ages 8 & up)
From the Dear America Series, Margaret Ann describes in her diary how she leaves her lonely life in a London orphanage to become a companion to a wealthy American woman, sails on the Titanic, and experiences its sinking.  This is a wonderful historical fiction read for chapter book readers that has enough simplicity without being too overly detailed.

And on my reading list: The Watch That Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic by Allan Wolf (for ages 12 & up)

Told through multiple voices, this recreated fictionalized accound of the 1912 sinking of the Titanic as it is observed by millionaire John Jacob Astor, a beautiful young Lebanese refugee finding first love, "Unsinkable" Molly Brown, Captain E.J. Smith, and others including the iceberg itself.   

Here's some of my favorite Titanic books for adult readers:
The Last Dinner on the Titanic by Rick Archbold

This offers an on-board tour with fascinating descriptions and anecdotes, archival photographs and memorabilia, and a host of evocative period paintings and illustrations, complete with directions for hosting a Titanic-themed dinner.

Lost Liners by Robert D. Ballard
This coffetable style book contains a great number of illustrations and paintings.  It's worth taking a browse through.

And on my reading list: The Dressmaker: A Novel by Kate Alcott

A historical fiction book about a spirited young dressmaker who survives the sinking of the Titanic only to find herself embroiled in the tumultuous aftermath of the tragedy.

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous

I recently finished reading How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous by Georgia Bragg.  Growing up, we learn snippets here and there of famous people such as King Tut, Cleopatra, Christopher Columbus, George Washington, and Albert Einstein to name a few.  We've learned why they are famous but rarely about their health and how they passed away.  While the topic of death isn't always pleasant, this book informs readers on the lack of medical knowledge at the time when these people lived and how doctors tried to treat them.  It's fascinating to learn what little medical knowledge existed back in those days to compared to today.  Simple ailments today were a real bear to treat hundreds of years ago.  To quote the text from the front book jacket, "From King Tut's ancient autopsy to Henry VIII's explosive demise to Albert Einstein's great brain escape, these pages contain all the gory details of the awful ends of nineteen awfully famous people."

Last-Minute Recommended Books for Holiday Giving

The Butler Children’s Literature Center at Dominican University has released a list of books written for children and young adults suitable for giving as holiday gifts to young people. The list includes recommendations based on grade level of the reader, from preschool through grade 9, and a variety of genres, from picture books to seasonal stories and thrillers for young teens.  Visit the list at
http://www.dom.edu/newsroom/features/holidaybooks.html and scroll down to view the list.

Meet The Collection Mondays: Young Adult Non-Fiction

Welcome to the world of Young Adult non-fiction!

To find your next favorite Young Adult non-fiction book, you first get to go on a treasure hunt through the adult non-fiction stacks. Shelved among adult materials, you can find excellent teen-oriented reads on many subjects.

DNA: Do you like your science with a lot of pictures? The Stuff of Life is a graphic non-fiction guide to genetics and DNA. Usually an overwhelmingly complicated subject to delve into, The Stuff of Life almost makes genetics seem simple.

DIY: Get inspired to sew your own plush dolls with Plush You, profiling artists who make everything from socktopusses (octopus sock monkeys) to felt eggs and bacon. Or crochet your own pepperoni pizza scarf following step-by-step instructions in Twinkie Chan’s Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies.

SPY: Perhaps you’ve always imagined having a life as an undercover operative. The Real Spy’s Guide to Becoming a Spy will prepare you for your ultimate career.

In addition to these gems, you will also find many other materials to support the educational, recreational, developmental, and informational needs of young adults from 6th through 12th grade. Whether you are writing a school paper, looking for some fashion tips, or interested in finding more information about your favorite skateboarder, the Young Adult non-fiction collection has something to offer. Come visit at the Young Adult reference desk, and we will help you navigate the non-fiction stacks to find the materials that best suit your needs.

It's not just about vampires...

I just read an interesting article about Young Adult literature and why adults should read it. It's interesting to me that the legitimacy of YA lit is still in question, considering the number of incredible, award-winning titles that have been published in the last several decades as the category becomes more popular. If you haven't explored YA lit yet, promise me you will. I read it for years before I became a teen librarian, and I know I'll be reading it for the rest of my life. While I enjoy a good adult book, there is nothing more refreshing than the sense of hope and discovery that can be found between the pages of a good YA book. Even the darkest genres convey a feeling of wonder and lack the cynicism of adult books, perhaps because these characters have their whole lives ahead of them. I've listed some recommendations below, and I welcome comments about your favorites.

Modern classics:

Teens are all about currency. In fact, their demographic sets many trends for the rest of us. Music, fashion, film, literature: It's all about what teens love and their tastes are constantly shifting. However, every once in a while there's a book that has a certain aura about it, and you can just tell that it will not only define a generation, it will be relatable to readers hundreds of years from now. Among these books is the Harry Potter series, and Sherman Alexie's incredible Absolutely True Diaries of a Part-Time Indian. OK, every reader is different, but to me, this book is perfect. This authentic, funny, deep, heart-felt, elegantly written book will go down in history as one of the greatest YA books ever written. And the audiobook (read by the author) is an incredible experience in its own right.

Emerging Genres:

The predominant trend in YA lit right is Dystopias. These books feature worlds that are often quite similar to our own, or portray a very clear vision of our future, and the protagonists endeavor to free themselves from the binds of a tyrannical government. What can be more typically teen than the struggle to find ones own individually and fight for independence in a world controlled by adults with their own agendas? I think we can all relate to that one. You've all heard of The Hunger Games, and if you loved it or are still waiting for your hold to come in, try one of these great reads: The Knife of Never Letting Go or Lauren Oliver's Delirium.

Maybe you're a steampunk fan? If you love Jules Verne or contemporary writers like Paolo Bacigalupi or Cheri Priest, you may adore Scott Westerfeld's Leviathan or Eoin Colfer's Airman.

Realistic Fiction:

Do you love reading stories about people like you, people that you could meet on the street or in the library? Me too. I love character-based books filled with revelations about what it means to be a friend, a child, a student, a human today. Books like Please Ignore Vera Dietz, Last Summer of the Death Warriors, The Canning Season, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and Love is the Higher Law.

Historical Fiction:

Lovers of history will not want to miss the fascinating, densely written and elaborately titled The Astonishing Live of Octavian Nothing, or the richly emotional Folly.

Thrillers:

Loved The Lovely Bones? Then try Stolen or The Missing Girl. Or, if you like your thrillers with a bit of a psycho-supernatural flavor a la Steven King (with a dash of Dexter), try I Am Not A Serial Killer.

Fantasy:

As you may know, there is a lot of fantasy in YA lit. A lot. You may think you're reading a mystery or a romance or some other genre, then find you are also reading a fantasy. There's a lot to chose from! Fans of Tolkien may love the books of Jonathan Stroud. If you like Miriam Zimmer Bradley, than don't miss Graceling. Terry Pratchett fans: if you haven't read Sir Terry's smart and hilarious Wee Free Men, you must. Hurry. Finally, if you like your fantasy modern, with a bit of steamy romance, try the fabulous Hold Me Closer, Necromancer.

There are so many more great YA books. Stop by the Young Adult Reference desk sometime and we'll overwhelm you with even more recommendations!

YA for Grownups

I like my books with plenty of drama, some mystery and a hint of romance. I also need a book that I can read quickly between work, kiddo care and sleep. And I have to have a great plot; I have little patience for lots of background with no action. That's why I love Young Adult fiction. There's a whole group of us: grownups who read books published for teens. Want to give it a try?

Chime by Franny Billingsley. Briony can see the Old Ones who haunt the Swampsea. When her sister becomes sick with the Swamp Cough, she knows she must confront her witchy-past and risk losing her life to save her sister. A dark and beautiful tale.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. Angry and depressed after the death of her brother, Andi just wants to play her music. Instead she has to finish a major project or she won't graduate high school. A discovery belonging to a musician from the time of French Revolution provides insight into Andi's life and a young revolutionary.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Flash forward to planet colonization. A plague has hit the settlements, killing the women and infecting the men so that they constantly hear each others thoughts. One day Todd hears something different out there...silence and discovers a girl. The truth leads him on a wild chase.

WWI Fiction

Until the last two books I have read, I realized I don't think I had ever read any fiction books on World War I. Now it just happened that I read two in a row. One adult book and one children's book. It was interesting to read about this difficult subject with two different audiences in mind. I highly recommend both books.

If you haven't read Ken Follett's historical fiction for adults, you should. It is quite an undertaking to read one of them, but it's worth it. His latest novel about WWI is called Fall of Giants.

I usually try to read the Newbery Award winners, and this year it was Moon Over Manifest, by Clare Vanderpool. Sometimes I read the Newbery books, and I don't actually think they're that great. This one I read and I absolutely loved.

You should try reading the adult book, have your child read the kids' book, and then compare notes. It might bring up some interesting discussion about an important time in history.

Hero, by Mike Lupica

Want to know what it's like to suddenly find out you have superpowers? Fourteen-year-old Zach knows. Cool, right? Well, it doesn't turn out to be all roses. In addition to dealing with the grief of his dad being killed in a plane crash, Zach discovers things he never wanted to know. His dad used to tell him bedtime stories about "The Bads." But it turns out that The Bads aren't just characters in bedtime stories; they're real. And his dad was the one hero who could fight them.

Will Zach be able to move past the tragedy of losing his father? What will happen now that the world's only hero is dead? Will Zach be able to hone his superpowers to keep the world safe?

Read Hero, by Mike Lupica. 4th grade and up

A Long Walk to Water

The year is 1985. The country is Sudan. Eleven-year-old Salva is forced to leave his village due to the war going on. He does not know whether he will ever see his family again, but has come to accept that they are probably dead. He walks and walks with other refugees across the war-torn country, rows home-made boats across the Nile, and walks and walks some more across a desert until he reaches a refugee camp in Ethiopia. He experiences and witnesses terrible horrors, but never loses hope.

The year is 2008. The country is still Sudan. Eleven-year-old Nya walks and walks every day to get water for her family. Three trips a day to the pond which is miles away from her village and eventually dries up so that every year her family then has to camp by a lake that is days away from their village. The only reason they don't permanently stay by the lake is because it is too dangerous because of the war.

The lives of Salva and Nya eventually intersect. Little did Salva know when he was Nya's age that he would do so much for his war-torn yet beloved country years after he left Sudan for the United States.

Linda Sue Park, author of Newbery Award winner A Single Shard, wrote A Long Walk to Water, based on the life of Salva Dut. It is a heartrending story about hope, at times difficult to read because of the horrific events the reader experiences with Salva. Recommended for 4th grade and above. Parents, this is a good book to share with your child and will open up a discussion about the horrors of war.