2014 American Indian Youth Literature Awards

February 11, 2014February 6, 2014 | Tasha

The American Indian Library Association has named the winners of their 2014 American Indian Youth Literature Awards. The awards honor the best writing and illustrations by and about American Indians. Here are the winners:

PICTURE BOOK

Caribou Song, Atihko Nikamon by Tomson Highway, illustrated by John Rombough

MIDDLE SCHOOL

How I Became a Ghost: A Choctaw Trail of Tears Story by Tim Tingle

YOUNG ADULT

Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac

HONOR BOOKS

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Danny Blackgoat, Navajo Prisoner by Tim Tingle

YOUNG ADULT

If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth

Review: The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage

February 10, 2014 | Tasha

The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing by Sheila Turnage

Return to the world of the Newbery Honor book Three Times Lucky in this follow-up novel. Mo and Dale continue to run their Desperado Detective Agency but the mysteries have gotten smaller. Then an old inn goes up for sale and Miss Lana, Mo’s guardian, accidentally purchases it. That’s when it is discovered that that inn comes with a resident ghost. Now it is up to Dale and Mo to figure out why the ghost is haunting the inn, something they also manage to make into a homework assignment to do double duty. But the mystery of the ghost is tied up in other secrets in Tupelo Landing, secrets that have been kept for decades but that must be revealed to solve this mystery.

Returning to Tupelo Landing was immediately like being reunited with friends. There was catching up to do, but it was easy and warm right from the beginning. Turnage’s writing is rich and layered. She excels at descriptions, creating analogies that are surprising and constantly original. Here in Mo’s voice is a description of Lavender, the boy she plans to marry eventually:

Lavender has eyes blue as October’s sky and hair like just-mown wheat. He’s wiry and tall, and flows like a lullaby.

All of your favorite characters from the first book are back again. There are the Colonel and Miss Lana, continuing to figure out their relationship while running a restaurants whose theme changes every night. There is Grandmother Miss Lacy whose funding saves Miss Lana and the inn, but who may be dealing with secrets of her own. There is even the scary Red Baker who may be closer to the ghost than anyone else. There is even one complex new character who takes time to learn about because his secrets are held very close. And then of course there are Mo and Dale, the two detectives at the heart of the story and who give the story its heart.

Funny, heartfelt and memorable, this sequel is just as good as the award-winning original. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC received from Penguin Group.

2014 Amelia Bloomer List

February 10, 2014February 10, 2014 | Tasha

The Amelia Bloomer List recommends feminist literature for children and teens aged birth through 18 years old. It is part of the Feminist Task Force of the American Library Association’s Social Responsibility Round Table.

They also named a top ten:

Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II by Cheryl Mullenbach

Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared into America’s Heart by Julie Cummins

Global Baby Girls

The Good Girls Revolt: How the Women of Newsweek Sued Their Bosses and Changed the Workplace by Lynn Povich

However Long the Night: Molly Melching’s Journey to Help Millions of African Women and Girls Triumph by Aimee Molloy

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai with Christina Lamb

Profiles: Freedom Heroines by Frieda Wishinsky

Rookie Yearbook Two edited by Tavi Gevinson

What Will It Take to Make a Woman President? by Marianne Schnall

Review: The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos

February 7, 2014 | Tasha

The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos

Trying to fill out a college application, Harry decides to ignore the word limit and tell his full story to that point. When he was 8 years old, kids in his neighborhood tied him to a tree during a thunderstorm. The tree was struck by lightning and set ablaze with Harry tied directly to it. Harry has severe scars both physically and emotionally from that day. Harry had no friends until Johnny came into his life, a charismatic and confident boy who swept down and saved Harry from obscurity and loneliness. Together the two of them started a band, one that really sucked at first, but then amazingly got better and better. Called The Scar Boys, the band transported Harry from his dull life into a different type of storm, one of music and pure joy. But bands often fall apart and so do high school friendships on the brink of college. As the future looms closer, Harry has to figure out what to give up on and what is worth fighting to keep.

Vlahos’ debut teen novel is a screamingly funny wild ride. The author was in a band himself when he was younger and the moments onstage read honest, zany and completely true. The writing throughout is smart and clever, making points with arrow-sharp zingers that are surprising and make for a great read. Here is one from page 97:

Truth is, if we’d had a shred of sense, we’d have known we were getting in way over our heads. But you can’t buy shreds of sense, and even if you could, we were pretty much out of money.

Harry is a great protagonist. He is witty and smart himself, since the book is written in first person from his point of view. Vlahos manages to never lose track of Harry’s scars but also manages to make his scars much deeper than his skin and therefore the book about much more than that as well. It is a book that explores friendships, power and dreams.

An amazing debut novel, it has a winning mix of punk rock, guitars and real life. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

Reviewed from digital galley from Edelweiss and Egmont.

This Week’s Tweets, Pins and Tumbls

February 7, 2014 | Tasha

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

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

9 Life Lessons Everyone Can Learn From These Beloved Classic Children’s Books http://buff.ly/1fpfseZ #kidlit

2014 Spring/Summer Picture Book Preview| Minh Le | http://buff.ly/1dqyBKX #kidlit

Black history books teach children about traditions, unsung heroes http://buff.ly/1fpfm74 #kidlit

Books on Film: Making ‘The Calls’ — @100scopenotes 100 Scope Notes http://buff.ly/1dsPS6j #kidlit

COVER REVEAL: Raina Telgemeier’s ‘Sisters’ — The Beat http://buff.ly/1dqyA9I #kidlit

Exclusive: JK Rowling on Harry Potter character Gilderoy Lockhart – audio | Children’s books http://buff.ly/1bZvf1L #kidlit

Happy Year of the Horse! – The Horn Book http://buff.ly/MYlAmC #kidlit

‘Harry Potter’ Ending May Be Wrong, Says JK Rowling http://buff.ly/1dkpT0C #kidlit

How stories and reading can help teach children about disability | Guardian Professional http://buff.ly/MTe7p3 #kidlit

Jim Henson Company Options Rights to Randi Zuckerberg’s Picture Book DOT; Plans New Animated TV Series http://buff.ly/N9lp8a #kidlit

New ALSC Rule Will Limit Awards Committee Members’ Reviewing, Blogging | School Library Journal http://buff.ly/1dqTPZ0 #libraries #blogging

Pip Jones’s top 10 cats in children’s books | Children’s books http://buff.ly/MFgdsk #kidlit

Tim Federle ‏@TimFederle Feb 3

Confidence is overrated. Everything I’ve ever been proud of began in a place of total uncertainty.

Video: Mo Willems reacts to winning a 2014 Giesel honor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jsqz_giMvzw&feature=share&list=UU7XkXRUKONFXX3-rnZO7Tag

EBOOKS

FCC makes “close call” in issuing e-reader waiver – District Dispatch http://buff.ly/MTmYa7 #ebooks

LIBRARIES

FCC: The time is now to speed library broadband connections http://buff.ly/N9AQxe #libraries

Minnesota’s libraries are rushing to adapt to a post-book world | Star Tribune http://buff.ly/N9DeE6 #libraries

Sonoma Library to Host Minecraft Camp – The Digital Shift http://buff.ly/1bZBanp #libraries

TEEN READS

For Black History Month, a time line to what black history in YA fiction looks like: http://bookriot.com/2014/02/05/black-history-ya-fiction-time-line/ …

Manga comics: where to start | Children’s books http://buff.ly/1fpfzHb #kidlit #manga

Outstanding Books for the College Bound | Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) http://buff.ly/1fz0mUd #yalit

Ransom Riggs, photo collector – Fine Books and Collections http://buff.ly/1fN4Ecl #yalit

2014 Notable Children’s Books–Older Readers and All Ages

February 7, 2014February 5, 2014 | Tasha

The Association for Library Service to Children has announced their picks for the best books for children from 2013. The books below are from the older reader section which is for ages 11-14 as well as the all ages section.

OLDER READERS

Becoming Ben Franklin: How a Candle-Maker’s Son Helped Light the Flame of Liberty. Freedman, Russell.

Counting by 7s. Sloan, Holly Goldberg.

Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles, America’s First Black Paratroopers. Stone, Tanya Lee.

Darius & Twig. Myers, Walter Dean.

Diego Rivera: An Artist for the People. Rubin, Susan Goldman.

Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty. Bolden, Tonya.

Etiquette & Espionage. Carriger, Gail.

Far Far Away. McNeal, Tom.

Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design. Kidd, Chip.

The Living. de la Peña, Matt.

March: Book One. Lewis, John and Aydin, Andrew. Illus. by Nate Powell.

Navigating Early. Vanderpool, Clare.

One Came Home. Timberlake, Amy.

Paperboy. Vawter, Vince.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Medina, Meg.

ALL AGES

Journey. Becker, Aaron.

Poems to Learn by Heart. Kennedy, Caroline. Illus. by Jon J Muth.

Review: Searching for Sarah Rector by Tonya Bolden

February 6, 2014 | Tasha

Searching for Sarah Rector: The Richest Black Girl in America by Tonya Bolden

This nonfiction book takes a detailed look at a period in history that most of us know nothing about. It is the history of Indian Territory and the slaves who worked and lived there. It is the story of Oklahoma becoming a state, the establishment of black towns, and the changes that the oil boom brought to that area. It is also the story of one girl who is caught up in this history, made rich by the circumstances, and just like many other black children trapped by the corruption of those around her.

The history here is completely fascinating. Bolden brings it to life by focusing on one girl, but that focus really is a way to enter the story rather than the bulk of the story itself. Instead the story is the history and the twists and turns that it created. Bolden manages to piece together the story of Sarah Rector against this history, displaying the corruption of the adults and the system, the rush of wealth that comes and goes so quickly, and the racism that drove it all.

Bolden always creates nonfiction that is compellingly written. She shares sources at the end, offers a complete index, and her dedication to accuracy is clear throughout her books. Using primary documents, she has managed to bring together text and illustrations that paint a complete picture of the time.

Fascinating and powerful, this look into an unknown section of our history makes for one amazing read. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

2014 Notable Children’s Books–Middle Readers

February 6, 2014February 4, 2014 | Tasha

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) has selected their 2014 Notable Children’s Books list. The Middle Readers section contains books for children ages 8-10. Here are the books: