Month: December 2012

School Library Journal Best Books of 2012–Fiction

| Tasha

SLJ has named their best books of the year.  Here are the ones that fall into their Fiction category as the best fiction books of 2012:

  

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Ask the Passengers by A. S. King

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

  

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Every Day by David Levithan

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

  

The Good Braider by Terry Farish

Grave Mercy by R. L. Lafevers

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz

  

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Little White Duck by Andres Vera Marinez and Na Liu

  

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth

My Name is Parvana by Deborah Ellis

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

  

No Crystal Stair: A Novel in Documents, Based on the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

On the Road to Mr. Mineo’s by Barbara O’Connor

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

  

One Year in Coal Harbor by Polly Horvath

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson

  

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Son by Lois Lowry

The Spindlers by Lauren Oliver

  

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

Summer of the Mariposas by Guadelupe Garcia McCall

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

 

Under the Never Sky by Veronice Rossi

Who Could That Be at This Hour? by Lemony Snicket

 

The Wicked and the Just by J. Anderson Coats

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Review: Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin

| Tasha

island

Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin

Follow the birth of a group of islands to the present day in this book that beautifully documents the wonders of the Galapagos.  Opening with the drama of a volcanic eruption six million years ago, the book shows how plants and animals arrive at a new island in the ocean.  As time goes by, the island turns from barren rock to a place of lush green.  Specific attention is paid to the evolution of creatures and plants that are found only on these islands.  Young readers will fully understand why finch beaks grew larger, seagulls got larger eyes, and tortoise shells changed shape.  The book ends with Darwin arriving on the shores of one of the islands.  This book is a celebration of these islands and the wonders of nature.

Chin’s book offers information that is solid and fascinating packaged with illustrations that capture the details of what is being explained.  It makes for a book that is bright and energized and that is clearly nonfiction as well.  The story of the birth and life of an island makes for a magnificent tale that readers are sure to respond to.

In his art, Chin brings the reader up close to what is happening on the island.  We get to look between the mangrove roots at sharks, watch pelicans feast on fish in the lagoons, and see land iguanas float on logs to reach the island.  Even better, as I mentioned earlier, the process of evolution is detailed so that readers can see the gradual but necessary changes that occurred.

This is one incredible nonfiction book that teachers, parents and students will enjoy looking through and learning from.  Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Best Book Lists Continue!

| Tasha

Wow!  There are a lot of best book lists this year, more than I remember seeing in previous years!  Here are a few that I found recently:

Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2012

The Independent’s Books of the Year 2012: Children’s Books – a best books list from the UK

The Atlantic Wire’s YA/Middle-Grade Book Awards, 2012 Edition

2012 Shortlist for the Scottish Book Trust

Review: A Certain October by Angela Johnson

| Tasha

certain october

A Certain October by Angela Johnson

Johnson continues to write powerful books in a short format.  Here we meet Scotty, a teenage girl who thinks of herself as rather bland, like tofu.  The people around her seem more vibrant and complex like her little brother who has autism and enjoys trains, being naked, and eating cookies.  Her best friends too seem to be more interesting to Scotty.  Then in October everything changes because of a train accident.  Scotty’s little brother is injured severely and another boy is killed. Scotty feels responsible for both of them, though she barely knew the other boy.  This is a story that takes the small details of life and then shows how a single event can tear through, changing life forever.

Johnson writes like a poet, using unique symbolism to make her points.  Scotty sees herself as tofu, bland until someone else adds flavor.  Readers though will immediately understand that that is how Scotty views herself, not how the she actually is.  Instead Scotty is an intriguing mix of teen angst, intelligence, and a big heart. 

Johnson writes her characters in real life.  They all read as real people, not even the parents becoming stereotypical.  The teen boys are just as human as the main character, treating the girls with respect and friendship.  It’s a refreshing change to see male secondary characters who are more than a stereotype too.  When Scotty is grieving, the power of family and friendship together is obvious.

With its dynamic cover and short length, this book is sure to be picked up by teen readers.  Here they will find a strong heroine who is intensely and utterly real.  Appropriate for ages 13-15.

Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.

School Library Journal Best Books of 2012–Picture Books

| Tasha

SLJ has named their best books of the year.  I’m breaking them into the categories to make for easier browsing.  Here are their top picture books for 2012:

  

The Bear in the Book by Kate Banks, illustrated by Greg Hallensleben

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

 

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

 

Jimmy the Greatest! by Jairo Buitrago, illustrated by Rafael Yockteng

Mice by Rose Fyleman, illustrated by Lois Ehlert

  

Oh, No! by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann

Penny and Her Doll by Kevin Henkes

Rocket Writes a Story by Tad Hills

 

Sadie and Ratz by Sonya Hartnett, illustrated by Ann James

Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

 

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole

Z Is for Moose by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

2012 Parent’s Choice Award Winners

| Tasha

Parent’s Choice has selected gold and silver medal winners for different categories of children’s books.  Additionally, if you visit their site, they have recommended and approved books.  The lists below contain only the gold and silver medal recipients:

FICTION

  

After Eli by Rebecca Rupp

Alek by Bodil Bredsdorff

Captain Underpants and the Terrifying Return of Tippy Tinketrousers by Dav Pilkey

  

Geeks, Girls and Secret Identities by Mike Jung, illustrated by Mike Maihack

Iron Hearted Violet by Kelly Barnhill, illustrated by Iacopo Bruno

The Last Dogs by Christopher Holt

   

On the Road to Mr. Mineo’s by Barbara O’Connor

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

Star Wars: A Galactic Pop-Up Adventure by Matthew Reinhart

The Universe of Fair by Leslie Bulion

 

NON-FICTION

 

The Impossible Rescue by Martin W. Sandler

Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 by Phillip M. Hoose

 

PICTURE BOOKS

 

Bailey at the Museum by Harry Bliss

Bear in Love by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

  

Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E. B. Lewis

Fifty Cents and a Dream by Jabari Asim, illustrated by Bryan Collier

The Frank Show by David Mackintosh

  

Jangles: A Big Fish Story by David Shannon

Life-Size Farm by Teruyuki Komiya

Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! by Wynton Marsalis, illustrated by Paul Rogers

 

Sky Color by Peter Reynolds

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole

Goodreads Choice Awards 2012–Picture Books

| Tasha

The GoodReads Choice Awards were voted on by users of GoodReads.  The results are now in and the Best Picture Book of 2012 is:

Olivia and the Fairy Princess by Ian Falconer

The other top vote getters that round out the top ten are:

  

The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin

 

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Peter Brown

 

Listen to My Trumpet! by Mo Willems

Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett

  

Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

This Week’s Tweets and Pins

| Tasha

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter and Pinterest accounts this week that you might find interesting:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

25 of the Most Wonderful Book Covers of the Year – Entertainment – The Atlantic Wire http://buff.ly/SkyZTD #yalit #kidlit

2012 Nerdy Book Club Award Nominees « Nerdy Book Clubhttp://buff.ly/YEZW9R

Children’s books that would make good gifts – Books – The Boston Globe http://buff.ly/YHsWO3

Christmas 2012: children’s books of the year – Telegraph http://buff.ly/VkumaW

Festive Books for Children booklist | Booktrust http://buff.ly/YKR3LR #kidlit

Great New 2012 Teen Reads For International Day of Persons With Disabilities | The Hub http://buff.ly/Vg449I

New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2012 http://wp.me/p1iTZw-1Mp

NYT upgrades children’s bestseller lists for a digital era — paidContent http://buff.ly/YT71DK

Young Latino Students Don’t See Themselves in Bookshttp://buff.ly/YPx8eW

 

E-BOOKS

Can a ‘Spotify for books’ really work? — paidContent http://buff.ly/YPvbiC

Kindles For Kids: Amazon Launches Service For Children’s Games, Videos And Books http://buff.ly/YPxdiF

 

LIBRARIES

Everyone Achieves at NYPL | The New York Public Library http://buff.ly/VkGZ5U

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

A cautionary tale: Putting your business in the hands of Facebook http://buff.ly/RAHexY

Instagram Declares War on Twitter, Social Media Loses http://on.mash.to/TIoKtR

Why I love Twitter and barely tolerate Facebook — I.M.H.O. — Medium http://buff.ly/VaWTzK

 

TEEN BOOKS

9th Grade English Assignment Prompts Some Parents To Ask For Book Ban for Perks of Being a Wallflower – http://buff.ly/YKP7Dh #yalit

"The Legacy of Katniss, or, Why We Should Stop ‘Protecting’ Manhood and Teach Boys to Embrace the Heroine" http://buff.ly/VhPTky

MIND MELD: Great Books to Read During Winter – SF Signal –http://buff.ly/YP7wyN

MT @TLT16 has a thoughtful essay "We NEED YA books for Teens…." where they discuss the influx of adult #YA readers:http://ow.ly/fOUZP

The Norton Jury on the Norton Award: Why It’s Important for All SFWA Members http://buff.ly/YKOdqe #yalit

Review: The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

| Tasha

drowned cities

The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi

Mahlia and Mouse survive in the war-torn area near the Drowned Cities, living a hunger and danger filled life dodging soldiers from both sides of the war.  But you can only hide and dodge for so long, Mouse gets caught by a wounded half-man who was bioengineered solely for war, named Tool.  Tool holds Mouse hostage until Mahlia brings drugs to heal him.  Even that is not easy, because a squad of soldier boys, injured by Tool, is there demanding the same drugs that Mahlia needs to free Mouse. Things do not go as planned.  Soon their village is in flames, Mouse is captured by the soldier boys, and Mahlia has lost everything.  Now it is up to her to decide whether she is just going to go on hiding or take an impossible chance and head for the Drowned Cities.

The book is like a strong dark current that submerges the reader, pulling you deeper and deeper into the novel.  At times, the tension and horror gets to be overwhelming, and I would have to put the book down and take some deep breaths in the sun before diving right back into the darkness.  Bacigalupi writes with an amazing clarity and strength.  Here he tackles war from the point of view of children who are caught in a situation not of their making, but who will do almost anything to survive.  The issue of child soldiers is at the heart of this story, but it also touches on war itself and the atrocities that come along with it on both sides.

Happily, there is also a golden and true heart at the center of this story.  It comes from its three main characters: Mahlia, Mouse and Tool.  All three are entwined in the war and yet somehow apart from it too.  Their story is one of dedication, friendship, and loyalty.  All things that are far too rare in the rest of this dark world.  Against that darkness, the three shine.

If you enjoyed Ship Breaker, this second book returns to the same setting but features different characters.  It’s an amazing feat to create a sequel just as good as the first, and Bacigalupi achieves that here.  Appropriate for ages 16-18.

Reviewed from library copy.