2016 Children’s Book Award Shortlist

| Tasha

The shortlist for The Children’s Book Award for 2016 has been announced. This British award was previously known as the Red House Children’s Book Award. Voted on and chosen by children, this is a unique award. Here is the shortlist:

BOOKS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN

Fabulous Pie Is There a Dog in This Book?

Fabulous Pie by Gareth Edwards and Guy Parker-Rees

Is There a Dog in This Book? by Viviane Schwartz

Ready, Steady, Jump! This Book Just Ate My Dog!

Ready, Steady, Jump by Jeanne Willis and Adrian Reynolds

This Book Just Ate My Dog by Richard Byrne

BOOKS FOR YOUNGER READERS

Boy In The Tower Horrid Henry's Krazy Ketchup My Head Teacher is a Vampire Rat

Boy in the Tower by Polly Ho-Yen

Horrid Henry’s Krazy Ketchup by Francesca Simon, illustrated by Tony Ross

My Head Teacher Is a Vampire Rat by Pamela Butchart, illustrated by Thomas Flintham

BOOKS FOR OLDER READERS

Apple and Rain Listen to the Moon Smart

Apple and Rain by Sarah Crossan

Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo

Smart by Kim Slater

Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2015

| Tasha

Publisher’s Weekly has released their list of the best books for 2015. These include books for preschoolers through young adults. Here are their picks:

PICTURE BOOKS

The Day the Crayons Came Home The Dog That Nino Didn't Have Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear

The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

The Dog That Nino Didn’t Have by Edward van de Vendel, illustrated by Anton Van Hertbruggen

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Flutter and Hum / Aleteo y Zumbido: Animal Poems / Poemas de Animales Home The King and the Sea

Flutter & Hum: Animal Poems by Julie Paschkis

Home by Carson Ellis

The King and the Sea by Heinz Janisch, illustrated by Wolf Erlbruch

Last Stop on Market Street Lenny & Lucy Leo: A Ghost Story

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena, illustrated by Christian Robinson

Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

Leo: A Ghost Story by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Christian Robinson

The Night World The Only Child The Princess and the Pony

The Night World by Mordicai Gerstein

The Only Child by Guojing

The Princess and the Pony by Kate Beaton

Sidewalk Flowers Thank You and Good Night This Bridge Will Not Be Gray

Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson, illustrated by Sydney Smith

Thank You and Good Night by Patrick McDonnell

This Bridge Will Not Be Gray by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Tucker Nichols

Toys Meet Snow: Being the Wintertime Adventures of a Curious Stuffed Buffalo, a Sensitive Plush Stingray, and a Book-loving Rubber Ball Waiting

Toys Meet Snow by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

Waiting by Kevin Henkes

 

MIDDLE GRADE

Echo Friends for Life George

Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Friends for Life by Andrew Norriss

George by Alex Gino

Goodbye Stranger Hamster Princess: Harriet the Invincible Listen, Slowly

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

Harriet the Invincible by Ursula Vernon

Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

Lost in the Sun The Marvels Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War

Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff

The Marvels by Brian Selznick

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin

My Diary from the Edge of the World The Nest Orbiting Jupiter

My Diary from the Edge of the World by Jodi Lynn Anderson

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel, illustrated by Jon Klassen

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

Roller Girl The Thing About Jellyfish The War that Saved My Life

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

 

YOUNG ADULT

All American Boys All the Bright Places Bone Gap

All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Challenger Deep Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans The Game of Love and Death

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

The Hired Girl Magonia (Magonia, #1) MARTians

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

MARTians by Blythe Woolston

Nimona Saint Anything Shadowshaper

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen

Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older

The Shepherd's Crown (Discworld, #41; Tiffany Aching, #5) Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda A Song for Ella Grey

The Shepherd’s Crown by Terry Pratchett

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

A Song for Ella Grey by David Almond

Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad Trouble Is a Friend of Mine X: A Novel

Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dmitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad by M. T. Anderson

Trouble Is a Friend of Mine by Stephanie Tromly

X by Ilyasah Shabazz with Kekla Magoon

Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

| Tasha

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (InfoSoup)

In the slums of Ketterdam, you do anything you can to survive. The Dregs are a gang in the area, up and coming and led by Kaz Brekker, a teen who walks with a cane that can kill and has a ferocious personality to match. When he is offered a remarkably high sum to pull off an impossible heist, he knows just the group of people who can help him do it. The group of six teens from very different backgrounds don’t exactly get along perfectly. Some of them hate one another, others are drawn to one another for romance and still others are completely indifferent to the rest. But each of them has hidden talents that this heist will demand that they use, if they are going to survive at all.

Bardugo is a master storyteller. Here she continues the story of the Grisha world with a new cast of characters. Their world is the mix of danger, thrill and torment of the slums that are also dashed with fakery and glitter. It will take those harsh survival skills for them to pull off the gambit, but it will also take them each wrestling with their past and how they got to Ketterdam in the first place. Bardugo makes sure that we know each of the six intimately, allowing us to see how poverty, war and loss can turn someone to a criminal.

Set in the same world as her previous trilogy, this new series adds even more depth and breadth to an already rich setting. Bardugo makes the world of Ketterdam almost its own character, filling it with villains, rivals and all around bad people. One can hear the cacophony of the streets, the sounds of the gambling, the calls of the vendors. One can smell the sweat, dirty bodies, and desperation. Against all of that, you have these teens who are all unique and fascinating, each driven by something personal to them alone. It’s a beautifully built book.

Rivetingly written, richly drawn and filled with fascinating characters, this book will please fans of the previous series and create new fans too. Appropriate for ages 14-17.

This Week’s Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

| Tasha

Here are the links I shared on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week that I think are cool:

Good Book! ...lol :):

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Better Book Title for Miss Nelson Is Missing – http://buff.ly/1O5ZDz5 #kidlit

Heads up, parents who’ll buy A FINE DESSERT due to NYTimes rec. It’s a whitewash of slavery. http://goo.gl/2wnvW9

Johnny Depp and Edgar Wright eye Neil Gaiman’s Fortunately, the Milk http://buff.ly/1Nx7Vgd #kidlit

Meet the Illustrator: Tomie dePaola | Brightly http://buff.ly/1PRolDz #kidlit

The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2015 http://buff.ly/1KHxV40 #kidlit

Popular Children’s book banned for having gay character http://buff.ly/1LARJtL #kidlit

R. L. Stine on the Goosebumps Movie and How Horror for Adults Is Different From Horror for Kids http://buff.ly/1RynjtD #kidlit

Books fill my days!:

LIBRARIES

L.A. to offer free flu shots at public libraries http://buff.ly/1kSEfkl #libraries

Why I’m fighting to get teenagers into libraries http://buff.ly/1PNM6LU #libraries

28 Totally Relatable Quotes About Books:

TEEN READS

Frances Hardinge’s Cuckoo Song casts spell over British Fantasy awards http://buff.ly/207LBRo #yalit

How do you write for teenagers? http://buff.ly/1PNM1YJ #yalit

I’m a Girl, and I’m a Huge Fan of Comic Books — Here’s Why You Should be Too | Teen Vogue http://buff.ly/1M2hg0q #yalit

YA author James Dawson: ‘I’m becoming a transgender woman’ http://buff.ly/1Nt63oK #yalit #lgbt

Review: Little Tree by Loren Long

| Tasha

Little Tree by Loren Long

Little Tree by Loren Long (InfoSoup)

The author of the popular Otis series tells a story about a tree that is heartwarming and encouraging. Little Tree is happy as he stands with the other little trees in the forest. Squirrels play in his branches and a mourning dove stops by. Autumn arrives and the leaves of the little tree change color along with those on the other little trees. The leaves began to fall, except for those on Little Tree. He held onto his tightly. The animals start to ask him why he is holding onto his leaves so long, but Little Tree just holds them even tighter. Spring comes and the other trees are taller and filled with bright green leaves. Little Tree though has only his old brown leaves. The other trees continue to grow around Little Tree, the animals no longer played in his branches, and he just held on ever more tightly. Little Tree would have to figure out how to let go and allow change to happen.

This parable is beautifully told. The parallel between a tree not dropping its leaves and allowing seasons to pass and a human fighting the inevitable changes and progress in life is compelling. Young readers will see clearly how stunted the life of Little Tree becomes and how quickly he loses the very parts of his existence that he loves so much. The writing is simple and straight-forward, making this a very shareable book that could lead to a discussion about what children are holding onto that they may want to release and let go.

Long’s illustrations are luminous on the page. He makes great use of white space, allowing Little Tree to shine on the page in a simple and engaging way. Other pages use double spreads, showing the changing forest as it grows around Little Tree. This too is very effective.

A strong picture book with an important message that is cleverly told, this book encourages young readers to embrace change and the uncertainties of life. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from ARC received from Philomel Books.

2015 Governor General’s Awards

| Tasha

Canada Council for the Arts have announced the winners of the 2015 Governor General’s Awards. Here are the winners of the youth categories:

Children’s Literature – Text Winner

The Gospel Truth by Caroline Pignat

Children’s Literature – Illustrated Books Winner

Sidewalk Flowers by JonArno Lawson, illustrated by Sydney Smith

Review: Who Done It? by Olivier Tallec

| Tasha

Who Done It by Olivier Tallec

Who Done It? by Olivier Tallec (InfoSoup)

This long narrow picture book opens with the spine at the top, showing two lines of characters in a double-page spread. A question is asked about the characters. Who is in love? Who is wearing a disguise? Who is playing a prank? Then the reader tries to spot the answer among the characters. Some of them are easy, others are more challenging to answer and take some close examination of the illustrations. This is a quieter kind of “I Spy” book with simple art and a focus on emotions.

A French import, this picture book will surely find a lot of fans with the crowd who are a bit too young for more complicated finding books. The focus on emotions is very appealing and will lead to conversations about how you can tell from a picture who is feeling a specific thing. Tallec does a wonderful job of keeping the images clear enough to figure out the answer but also alluring enough that readers will examine almost every figure to see if there are more than one answer.

This is a very appealing picture book that mixes search and find with emotions. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.

Review: Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

| Tasha

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D Schmidt

Orbiting Jupiter by Gary D. Schmidt

When Joseph joins Jack’s family as a foster child, Jack’s life definitely changes. Joseph is 14 and Jack is 12, both of them end up not going on the school bus the first day that Joseph goes to school, since the bus driver made a comment about Joseph before he even got aboard. So the two boys walk together to school, two miles in the winter weather. As they journey together, they get to know one another better. The dairy farm that Jack’s family owns is also another place where Jack can learn about Joseph. Joseph is immediately accepted by the cows, a good sign in Jack’s opinion. Joseph is desperate to find the daughter he has never met. But it is not simple to do that, even though his life is changing for the better.

Schmidt writes a spare and fierce novel here, one where the biting wind of the winter is tempered only by the warmth of a caring foster family and the love of a dairy cow. The sharpness of the cold is also cleansing, clearing the way for Joseph to tell the truth to Jack and his family. The relationships here are built in a natural and understandable way. It all feels real especially as the story veers into tragedy.

The two main characters are different yet brotherhood grows between the two of them quickly. It happens in leaps and bounds as they both discover that the other will be there for him. Yet that is how brotherhood and friendship works, it is slow until it is fast. This book captures that wonderfully. Jack’s parents are also well rendered, full characters who wrestle with the problems Joseph brings to the family and yet are available and open to see him as he is.

This is a book that speaks to the tragedy of some young people’s lives, the power of love to transform, and the impossible choices that life creates. It is powerful, beautiful and wrenching. Appropriate for ages 10-13.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead

| Tasha

Lenny and Lucy and Philip Stead

Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (InfoSoup)

This award-winning husband and wife team return with another winner of a picture book. Peter knows that moving to a new house is a bad idea, especially when he sees the dark woods. Their new house is on the other side of a bridge from the woods. Peter and his dog Harold spend a sleepless night watch the bridge to make sure nothing crosses it from the woods. Then they head out and use pillows and blankets to create Lenny, a guardian. Unfortunately, they worried that Lenny might be lonely out there at night all alone, so again they did not sleep. The next day, they took blankets and leaves and created a second guardian, Lucy. That night, everyone slept. And the next day, a visitor arrived, one who shows that despite the scary woods this might be a good place to live after all.

Stead has the beautiful ability to create a story out of leaves, pillows and blankets. This book speaks to all children who have moved and those who have been afraid of other things too. There is a menacing sense from the woods, and Stead combats that with a concrete feel of normalcy but also a strong creativity. This all feels like childhood to me, capturing that wonder mixed with fear that turns into something else all the more powerful.

Erin Stead’s art has a delicacy about it that matches Philip’s tone in his prose. She creates a linear forest, uncluttered and somehow all the more strange and alien because of that. The hulking bodies of Lenny and Lucy are so solid on the page that they combat that feeling just by being there. Readers will immediately see the safety in these creatures.

This is a story of moving but also about wonder and fear. It’s a brilliant picture book, one to finish with a contented smile. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.