Skulduggery Pleasant

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy is about a walking, talking, well-dressed, and witty skeleton who is a detective. He was also the best friend of Stephanie's Uncle Gordon prior to Gordon's death. After Gordon's death, Stephanie quickly realizes that something odd is going on and Skulduggery knows what it is. Soon Stephanie finds herself acting as a sort of side-kick to Skulduggery and the two of them are embroiled in a magical war involving something known as the faceless ones. This is a very fun book to read and is both fantasy and mystery at the same time. A good read!

Alabama Moon

Did you like the book Hatchet? You probably had to read this book in 5th or 6th grade... it was about a young boy who found a way to survive alone in the Alaskan wilderness. Well, Alabama Moon has a similiar background, only this time the boy is named Moon, and he already lives off the land with his father in the Alabama backwoods. Because they avoid all contact with people and the outside world, Moon has no idea how to survive in the real world- the opposite of Hatchet. As a big fan of Hatchet, I was hooked on Alabama Moon right away. It had a few slow spots, but I really enjoyed the details and descriptions of the wilderness and how Moon uses everything in nature to live. I hope you give this a try... you also might want to read this because it is one of the 2009 Rebecca Caudill nominees.

More Gary Schmidt

Another title worth reading by this author is Straw into Gold. I read it quite a while ago, but I remember that it was really good too. Straw takes the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin and changes it up a bit. Now I guess I'll have to try more of his stuff- including Newbery Honor book, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. If you've read anything else by him, let me know.

The Wednesday Wars

For a book that started out slowly, The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt, sure turned in to a winner! Set in the late 1960's, Holling Hoodhood (I know, weird name for a boy), is stuck staying after school alone with his teacher. She decides to teach him Shakespeare and from then on, the book becomes great. There are some serious topics covered as well, but much of the book had me laughing out loud. Just ask my fellow librarians at the reference desk- I haven't stop talking about this one! Hope you give it a try.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect

For another quick and easy read, try A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban. It's a funny story about a young girl named Zoe who has big dreams of playing the piano, but gets stuck playing the organ. She somehow manages to stay positive through some interesting (and funny) situations and be happy. This book reminded me of Because of Winn Dixie, another funny book narrated by the main character in a unique and quirky way. This book won't wow you, but it won't make you sad or cry either! Enjoy.

The Garden of Eve

Hi. If you're looking for a quick and easy read, try The Garden of Eve by K. L. Going. Evie and her father move to New York where her father has bought a withered apple orchard that the townspeople think is cursed. She encounters a boy who claims to be dead and a mystery surrounding a lost girl and a magic garden. I like a good mystery and while this wasn't the best I've ever read, I did enjoy it. I hope you'll give it a try and let me know what you think.

Award Winners!

Check out these award winners from the American Library Association!

John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village written by Laura Amy Schlitz, is the 2008 Newbery Medal winner.

Three Newbery Honor Books were named:
1. Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
2. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
3. Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson

Randolph Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished American picture book for children. The Invention of Hugo Cabret illustrated by Brian Selznick, is the 2008 Caldecott Medal winner.

Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults. The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean, is the 2008 Printz Award winner.

Four Printz Honor Books were named:
1. Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox
2. One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke
3. Repossessed by A. M. Jenkins
4. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill.


Margaret A. Edwards Award for lifetime achievement in writing for young adults. Orson Scott Card is the recipient of the 2008 Margaret A. Edwards Award honoring his outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens for his novels Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow.

Alex Awards for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences
1. American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China by Matthew Polly
2. Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
3. Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm by Jeff Lemire
4. Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
5. The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
6. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
7. Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
8. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
9. The Night Birds by Thomas Maltman
10. The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Hello fellow book bloggers: You might have read this already since it is a Rebecca Caudill this year. It’s an interesting read about a girl, Miri, whose small village has been picked to be the home of the future princess. Surprising enough to her, she gets picked to attend the academy where they learn how to become a princess. Miri finds out that learning to be a princess isn’t so easy. She has to deal with a mean academy mistress, competition between the girls, and her own desires to be chosen. The girls find themselves in trouble when bandits try to kidnap the future princess.
Did you like reading the Princess Academy? Why or why not?

How to find a good book

A great resource for finding books is Novelist, one of our electronic databases. Novelist provides a brief description, plus any available reviews. For each book it also has a list of subjects. From that list you can choose which elements you enjoyed. The database will then use your selections to recommend other books that you might also enjoy. I really like Novelist. It often comes up with books or authors that I might not have thought of otherwise. You can check out our databases here: http://tplibrary.org/ElecResources.htm

Happy New Year!

Sometimes, I must confess, I become a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of books that are available and demanding to be read. Or I find that I stick with safe things to read, and never really explore new fiction. When that happens, I find that having a plan for my reading helps. Here are some ideas:
1. Alphabetical reading. This can be either titles or authors. Two years ago, I read alphabetical by authors last name. I made it all the way through W, but was completely flummoxed by X. This was a really fun way to read.
2. Thematic reading. The Book a Month program offers readers a topic each month to guide their reading. And we aren't just talking about boring genre suggestions. The topic for January is time. They also give about 20 or 30 suggested books. Even if you aren't going to join up, check out the website. You may find a good book recommendation.

Since I am sure you all resolved to read more in the New Year, this will get you on your way! Any other ideas for planned reading?

Casson family series by Hilary McKay

I’m not a big fan of the YA dysfunctional family genre, but I do like to read stories about family problems that can be settled with some compassion, cleverness, and common sense as if Beverly Cleary had written a Ramona Quimby, Age 16. I just read the last in my favorite heart-warming family saga. It is the four book series about the Casson family by Hilary McKay. Each book features one of the Casson kids -- Saffy’s Angel, Indigo’s Star, Permanent Rose, Caddy Ever After – and deals with everything from adoption, bullying, romance, friendship, sibling rivalry, divorce and much more. The entire family is artsy and eccentric (they are English) so there are many surprising solutions to their dilemmas.

Visit the Terry Pratchett site

If you are a fan of Terry Pratchett or just want to see what his Discworld is about you can visit www.terryprachettbooks.com. Click into the Discworld Travel Guide to get a glimpse of the characters, adventures, and magic. There’s a few games and stuff to print too.

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.