If, like me, you prefer your fantasy a little wacky, try Terry Prachett’s “mini- series” about witches. (For now, it includes The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, and Wintersmith. You may have heard of Prachett’s series Discworld; these books are a series inside that series.) Anyway, it’s a goofy fantasy world with no confusing battles between good and evil, no never-ending quests, and no hundreds of characters to sort out. Instead there are teenage witch-cliques, cranky witch instructors, and little blue men who like to fight and cuss. The adventures start when the heroine, Tiffany Aching, teams up with a clan of the six-inch blue men to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland. I was hooked after the first book and couldn’t wait to follow Tiffany and the blue guys on further adventures.
BevM

Quaking by Kathryn Erskine

Another title plucked off the new books shelf... this one entirely different but soooooo good! Matt (short for Matilda) doesn't need anyone and lets no one get close to her. Moving from relative to relative, she ends up in Pennsylvania with Sam and Jessica, two peaceful Quakers. Smart and smart-mouthed, Matt trys to blend into the background until bullies (from the past and present) threaten her right to stand up for her belief in peace and those of her new family. Quaking is one of a few anti-war books written recently that makes you think about your own views about the war in the Middle East. It also has been nominated for the American Library Association's 2008 Best Books for Young Adults. I hope you give it a try.

Red Glass

I plucked this book off the new books shelf not knowing anything about it- and then read it in one day! One night Sophie, her mother, and stepfather are called to the hospital where a young Mexican boy is recovering from dehydration. He is the only survivor of a group of people crossing the border from Mexico into Arizona. No one knows who he is or where he comes from. This starts Sophie on an adventure filled with mystery, laughter, and sometimes sadness. I hope you'll give it a try... I also plan to read author Laura Resau's first book, What the Moon Saw. If it's anything like this one, I'm sure it'll be good!

Adam Canfield of the Slash

Hello fellow book bloggers: Did you ever dream of being a newspaper reporter? Adam and his co-writer, Jennifer, are living this dream through writing for their school newspaper, The Slash. I think everyone will be able to relate to this book because Adam always has an overworked schedule and sometimes get a little stressed and takes it out on people. Although the book is a little unrealistic at times, its humorous characters make up for it. If you are a fan of the book Hoot by Carl Hiaasen, you will probably like this book. They are both similar with unrealistic plots and humorous characters. Have any of you read Adam Canfield of the Slash and/or Hoot? Did you like/dislike them?

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Hello fellow book bloggers: How many of you have seen the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka? It is a little different from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp. It's a good movie to see so you can compare the different plots lines. If you did see the movie, which one did you like more? Or, did you like the book better than either of the movies?

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Hi fellow book bloggers: Here is a cool website if you liked the movie or book: http://chocolatefactorymovie.warnerbros.com/

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Hi fellow book bloggers: If you liked the recent movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Johnny Depp, you should try reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
It’s a humorous book about a poor boy who gets lucky and draws the winning ticket for a visit to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, the most splendid chocolate factory there is!

Crooked River

If you liked reading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, you might like Crooked River. Both books have to do with men who are falsely accused of different crimes. In Crooked River, a Native American in accused of murder and faces the wrath of an all white jury. Rebecca Carver, the 13-year-old girl who is scared of having an Indian in her home, has to decide who she thinks is right-the young Indian’s lawyer, Peter Kelley, or her father, who thinks that all Indians are savages.
If you haven’t read To Kill a Mockingbird, you should! It’s a classic…but besides that, it’s a really great book. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a African-American man is accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Scout, a young girl, has to deal with the prejudices of the other townspeople as they look down upon her father, Atticus Finch, who is defending this man.

The Invention of Huga Cabret

Okay, the first thing about this book is that it is 533 pages. I know. Way too big to read. Before you totally stop listening to me, though, there is something else you should know about his book. It is mostly pictures. I would say that at least 300 of those 533 pages are pictures. The pictures aren’t just illustrating what the words say. Mostly the pictures are there instead of words.
This is a great story. I won't say that I couldn't put it down, because at 533 pages you almost have to put it down. However, I did read big chunks at each sitting. This book follows Hugo, an 11 year old boy living in Paris in the 1920's. He lives inside the Paris train station, where he is in charge of the train station clocks. He is trying to fix a mechanical man that he is sure contains a last message from his dead father. At the same time, he is trying to make sure that no one finds out that he is living on his own, or he is sure they will put him out on the street.

Book Blog on Display

Check out our new display in the YA area, featuring books that have been mentioned right here on the Book Blog. This display can be found next to the YA magazines. And don't forget our regular display shelves, which currently feature books relating to our winter programs.

One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke

One Whole and Perfect Day is the story of Lily and her family. Lily a 10th grader in Australia, thinks her family is weird. Her grandfather is a racist, her grandmother has an invisible friend, her mother brings home stray senior citizens, and her brother can't seem to settle down and stick to anything. She herself does all of the housework and so has a bit of a Cinderella complex around her friends.

I wanted to like this book. I really did. But I found the main character, Lily, grating and her mother was too wishy-washy. The resolution was too easy, but not in an over-the-top funny way. I wanted more from the characters. They just felt too one-dimensional.

Life on the Refrigerator Door

This book, written by Alice Kuipers, is a collection of notes between a mother and daughter. The daughter is named Claire, while the mother is known as simply "Mom" throughout. Like most of us these days, they are super busy. Claire has school, homework, friends, babysitting, and boys. Her mom is a doctor working with cancer patients and has a very hectic schedule. As a result, they are always leaving notes on the fridge. As the story develops, we learn that Claire's mom is, herself, ill, and how Claire will deal with that.
This whole book really is just notes back and forth. I am a big fan of books written as letters and this was very similar. It was a quick read that I really couldn't put down.

In Search of Mockingbird

I think maybe I think I liked this book more than I really did. What I mean is that because this book is about To Kill a Mockingbird, which is a book I really do love, that I let that color my opinion. So, because I like TKaM, I think I like In Search of Mockingbird more than I really did. I think I just wanted more from this story. Everything was too quick and too easy. I am not really sure how else to describe this. It wasn't a bad book, just not as good as TKaM. And maybe that standard is too high.
Has anyone else read this? What did you think?

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

I really loved this book. It was quite a bit like Twilight, so if you are a fan of Twilight, definitely check it out. I would say that it is not quite as well written as Twilight, but is very satisfying in ways that Twilight is not. It moves much quicker and it reaches a definite resolution at the end. So, if you are looking for a good, quick read, I would check out this realistic fantasy book.
The story revolves around Aislinn, who would be a normal 17 year old, if not for the fact that she sees fairies. She has spent her whole life pretending not to see them, because if they found out, the best thing she could hope for is to be blinded. Imagine her surprise when the Summer King, one of the fey royalty, approaches her to be his Summer Queen. He needs her to fulfill a centuries old prophecy. Aislinn wants no part of fairy life. Plus, her friend Seth is beginning to hint that he would like to be more than just friends. And he's hot. What's a girl to do?

East

East has a lot to do with Nordic exploration, as Rose journeys the earth for the search for her true love. Did you know the Vikings were one of the first peoples to explore America? Here is a website on Leif Erikson, who discovered North America.
http://www.mnc.net/norway/LeifErikson.htm

East-original verision

This website contains the original version of East of the Sun and West of the Moon:
http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/tales/east/ftpgeast.htm

East by Edith Pattou

Hello fellow book bloggers:
In East, by Edith Pattou, a young girl woman Rose journeys the earth in search of her one true love, who is under the spell of a troll queen.
The book is based off of a saga called: "East of the Sun and West of the Moon." It is also a Rebecca Caudill 2008 nominee.

Mythology this week!!!

Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton
If you like mythology, the Earthly Knight by Janet McNaughton is another good read.
Jenny is only sixteen years old, yet she is old enough to be married in the year 1162. Will Jenny find happiness being married to William de Warenne, the brother of the king of Scotland, or will she find happiness with Tam Lin a mysterious man who lives in the enchanted forest?
Read the book to find out!!!!

http://swan.sls.lib.il.us/search?/tearthly+knight/tearthly+knight/1%2C1%2C2%2CB/frameset&FF=tearthly+knight&1%2C%2C2

More Crutcher

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am now a huge Chris Crutcher fan. I recently read both Whale Talk and Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes in two days. Both were great. I will say that these aren't light, happy-go-lucky reads, but don't let that stop you from picking them up. Whale Talk is about a boys swim team made up of misfit kids getting together to prove a point about sports teams in high school. I was laughing out loud a lot! Staying Fat deals with friendship and loyalty. Crutcher has written about a dozen books- most with realistic teens in realistic situations. He isn't afraid of tackling sensitive issues, so don't look here for a "fluffy" read! But, if you like a quick read with some substance, these books are for you.

Deadline

This latest book by Chris Crutcher was the first I'd read by the author. Now, in just a few weeks, I've read almost everything he's written! Once I started Deadline, I couldn't put it down-and here's why... at a recent YA literature conference I actually saw Mr. Crutcher in person and heard him read aloud the first few pages. From just a few sentences, I was hooked. I immediately went out and bought the book! Deadline has a shocking beginning... high school senior Ben makes a huge decision and then proceeds to live his life in his own personal way. His character is intelligent, sarcastic, and very, very funny. I'm purposely being vague because I don't want to give anything away. I just hope you'll give this one a try... I guarantee that it will make you think and laugh out loud!