2013 Notable Children’s Books–Middle Readers

| Tasha

Each year the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, selects the best children’s books. Here is the selected list for Middle Readers, grades 3-5, ages 8-10:

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship Bear Has a Story to Tell The Beetle Book

Abraham Lincoln & Frederick Douglass: The Story Behind an American Friendship by Russell Freedman

Bear Has a Story to Tell by Philip Christian Stead, illustrated by Erin E. Stead

The Beetle Book by Steve Jenkins

A Black Hole Is Not a Hole Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team

A Black Hole Is Not a Hole by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano, illustrated by Michael Carroll

Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal – the Worlds’ Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin

Brothers at Bat: The True Story of an Amazing All-Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno

Chuck Close: Face Book Each Kindness Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin

Chuck Close: Face Book by Chuck Close

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

Electric Ben: The Amazing Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin by Robert Byrd

George Bellows: Painter with a Punch! Helen's Big World: The Life of Helen Keller

George Bellows: Painter with a Punch! by Robert Burleigh

Helen’s Big World by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Matt Tavares

Iceberg, Right Ahead! The Tragedy of the Titanic In A Glass Grimmly (A Tale Dark & Grimm #2) Island: A Story of the Galápagos

Iceberg Right Ahead!: The Tragedy of the Titanic by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson

In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz

Island: A Story of the Galapagos by Jason Chin

Liar & Spy Lulu and the Duck in the Park May B.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay, illustrated by Priscilla Lamont

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95

Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity by Elizabeth Rusch

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

The One and Only Ivan See You at Harry's Splendors and Glooms

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Patricia Castelao

See You at Harry’s by Jo Knowles

Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

Starry River of the Sky Three Times Lucky Titanic: Voices From the Disaster

Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson

Twelve Kinds of Ice Unspoken: A Story From the Underground Railroad

Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed, illustrated by Barbara McClintock

Unspoken: A Story from the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole

Wonder Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature's Undead

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Zombie Makers: True Stories of Nature’s Undead by Rebecca L. Johnson

2013 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

| Tasha

One of my favorite title lists each year is the Quick Picks list that selects book specifically to get reluctant teen readers actually reading.  Therefore these are books that are really those that are sure to get picked up off the shelves.  The 2013 list has 65 titles and three series.  The first books listed below are the top ten picks and then the rest of the list follows:

TOP TEN

Beneath a Meth Moon I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent, #1) The Night She Disappeared The Pregnancy Project

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

The Night She Disappeared by April Henry

The Pregnancy Project: A Memoir by Gaby Rodriguez and Jenna Glatzer

Ten  This is Not a Test Unchained

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

This Is Not a Test by Courtney Summer

Unchained by L. B. Tillit

I Pledge Allegiance (Vietnam, #1) VIETNAM #2: SHARPSHOOTER Free-Fire Zone (Vietnam, #3)

Vietnam #1: I Pledge Allegiance by Chris Lynch

Vietnam #2: Sharpshooter by Chris Lynch

Vietnam #3: Free-Fire Zone by Chris Lynch

 

FICTION QUICK PICKS

All my friends are still dead Ashes (Ashes Trilogy, #1) Bad Boy Cardboard

All My Friends Are Still Dead by Avery Monsen and Jory John

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick

Bad Boy by Dream Jordan

Cardboard by Doug TenNapel

 The Catch (Travel Team) Croak (Croak, #1) Darth Vader and Son

Carter’s Unfocused, One-Track Mind by Brent Crawford

The Catch by Rick Jasper

Croak by Gina Damico

Darth Vader and Son by Jeffrey Brown

Dawn Patrol Dead to You Deadly Cool (Deadly Cool, #1) The Third Wheel (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, #7)

Dawn Patrol by Jeff Ross

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

Deadly Cool by Gemma Halliday

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney

The Final Four Forced Out Girl of Nightmares (Anna, #2) Glow (Sky Chasers, #1)

The Final Four by Paul Volponi

Forced Out by Gene Fehler

Girl of Nighmares by Kendare Blake

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

Guilty High Heat The Hunt (The Hunt, #1) The Island of Thieves

Guilty by Norah McClintock

High Heat by Andrew Karre

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Island of Thieves by John Lacey

742757 Me and Earl and the Dying Girl A Midsummer's Nightmare Monument 14 (Monument 14 #1)

Johnny Delgado: Private Detective by Kevin Brooks

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

A Midsummer’s Nightmare by Kody Keplinger

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

My Sister's Stalker No Safety In Numbers Hades: Lord of the Dead (Olympians, #4)

My Sister’s Stalker by Nancy Springer

No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz

Olympians: Hades: Lord of the Dead by George O’Connor

Out of Control The Haunting of Apartment 101 (The Paranormalists, #1) Power Hitter The Prospect

Out of Control by Rick Jasper

The Paranormalist series by Megan Atwood

Power Hitter by M. G. Higgins

The Prospect by Jason Glaser

Pushing the Limits (Pushing the Limits, #1) The Raft Red Heart Tattoo Revived

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

The Raft by S. A. Bodeen

Red Heart Tattoo by Lurlene McDaniel

Revived by Cat Patrick

Shallow Grave Social Suicide (Deadly Cool, #2) Something Like Normal Starters (Starters and Enders, #1)

Shallow Grave by Alex Van Tol

Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

Starters by Lissa Price

Survive Tap Out This Is Not a Drill Tilt

Survive by Alex Morel

Tap Out by Eric Devine

This Is Not a Drill by Beck McDowell

Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

Waiting Way to Go Zom-B (Zom-B, #1)

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams

Way to Go by Tom Ryan

Zom-B by Darren Shan

Zombies Hate Stuff

Zombies Hate Stuff by Greg Stones

 

NONFICTION QUICK PICKS

Alien Investigation: Searching for the Truth about UFOs and Aliens National Geographic Angry Birds Space: A Furious Flight Into the Final Frontier Awkward Family Pet Photos

Alien Investigation: Searching for the Truth about UFOs and Aliens by Kelly Milner Halls

Angry Birds Space: A Furious Flight to the Final Frontier by Amy Briggs

Awkward Family Pet Photos by Mike Bender and Doug Chernack

Diary of a Creepy-Ass Doll Fail Harder: Ridiculous Illustrations of Epic Fails

Diary of a Creepy-Ass Doll by Stacey Leigh Brooks

Fail Harder: Ridiculous Illustrations of Epic Fails by failblog.org

Halo: The Essential Visual Guide I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior: Memoirs of an American Soldier I Could Pee on This: And Other Poems by Cats

Halo: The Essential Visual Guide by Jeremy Patenaude

I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior: Memoirs of an American Soldier by Howard E. Wasdin and Stephen Templin

I Could Pee on This and Other Poems by Cats by Francesco Marciuliano

Juvenile In Justice K is for Knifeball: An Alphabet of Terrible Advice My Friend Dahmer

Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross

K Is for Knifeball: An Alphabet of Terrible Advice by Jory John and Avery Monsen

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

Photobombed!: Making Bad Pictures Great and Good Pictures Awesomely Bad The Science of Soldiers Seeing Red

Photobombed!: Making Bad Pictures Great and Good Pictures Awesomely Bad by Beverly Jenkins

The Science of Soldiers by Lucia Raatma

Seeing Red: The True Story of Blood by Tanya Lloyd Kyi

Seventeen Ultimate Guide to Beauty: The Best Hair, Skin, Nails & Makeup Ideas For You The Ultimate Survival Manual (Outdoor Life): Urban Adventure - Wilderness Survival - Disaster Preparedness Weird but True: Stupid Criminals: 100 Brainless Baddies Busted, Plus Wacky Facts

Seventeen Ultimate Guide to Beauty: The Best Hair, Skin, Nails and Makeup Ideas for You by Ann Shoket

The Ultimate Survival Manual: 333 Skills That Will Get You Out Alive by Rich Johnson

Weird But True! Stupid Criminals: 150 Brainless Baddies Busted, plus Wacky Facts by National Geographic

What Do You Want to Do Before You Die?

What Do You Want to Do Before You Die? by Ben Nimtin, Dave Lingwood, Duncan Penn and Jonnie Penn

2013 Notable Children’s Books–Younger Readers

| Tasha

Each year the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, selects the best children’s books.  Here is the selected list for Younger Readers, preschool through 2nd grade that includes easy reader books:

And Then It's Spring Black Dog Charley's First Night

And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano. Illus. by Erin E. Stead.

Black Dog by Levi Pinfold.

Charley’s First Night by Amy Hest. Illus. by Helen Oxenbury.

Creepy Carrots! Demolition 

Creepy Carrots! by Aaron Reynolds. Illus. by Peter Brown. 

Demolition. By Sally Sutton. Illus. by Brian  Lovelock. 

Dogs on Duty: Soldiers' Best Friends on the Battlefield and Beyond Dreaming Up: A Celebration of Building

Dogs on Duty. By Dorothy Hinshaw Patent.

Dreaming Up. By Christy Hale.

Extra Yarn Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors

Extra Yarn. By Mac Barnett . Illus. by Jon Klassen.

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns: A Muslim Book of Colors. By Hena Khan. Illus. by Mehrdokht Amini.

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs Green Hippopposites

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. By Mo Willems.

Green. By Laura Vaccaro Seeger.

Hippopposites. By Janik Coat.

Infinity and Me Just Ducks! Let's Go for a Drive! (An Elephant and Piggie Book)

Infinity and Me. By Kate Hosford. Illus. by Gabi Swiatkowska.

Just Ducks. By Nicola Davies. Illus. by Salvatore  Rubbino.

Let’s Go for a Drive!  By Mo Willems.

Machines Go to Work in the City Magritte's Marvelous Hat Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert

Machines Go to Work in the City. By William Low.

Magritte’s Marvelous Hat : A Picture Book. By D. B. (Donald B.) Johnson.

Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert.  By Gary D. Schmidt, Illus. by David Diaz.

More Nighttime Ninja

More. By I. C. Springman. Illus. by Brian Lies.

Nighttime Ninja. By Barbara DaCosta. Illus. by Ed Young.

Oh, No! One Cool Friend

Oh, No! By Candace Fleming. Illus. by Eric Rohmann.

One Cool Friend. By Toni Buzzeo. Illus. by David Small.

One Special Day: A Story for Big Brothers and Sisters Penny and Her Doll Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

One Special Day. By Lola M. Schaefer. Illus. by Jessica Meserve.

Penny and Her Doll. By Kevin Henkes.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. By Eric Litwin. Illus. by Dean, James.

Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover Sleep Like a Tiger

Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover. By Cece Bell.

Sleep Like a Tiger. By Mary Logue. Illus. by Pamela Zagarenski.

This is Not My Hat This Moose Belongs to Me

This Is Not My Hat. By Jon Klassen.

This Moose Belongs to Me. By Oliver Jeffers.

Up, Tall and High Z Is for Moose

Up, Tall, and High! By Ethan Long.

Z Is for Moose. By Kelly Bingham. Illus. by Paul O. Zelinsky.

Review: One Frozen Lake by Deborah Jo Larson

| Tasha

one frozen lake

One Frozen Lake by Deborah Jo Larson, illustrated by Steven Johnson and Lou Fancher

A boy and his grandfather head out on the frozen lake to go fishing.  They drill through four inches of ice and set up their canvas ice shack.  Inside they open their tackle box and have four watery holes to fish through.  Other join them out on the ice and cocoa is shared, but after seven hours they haven’t seen a single fish.  They play cards together and wait until night falls then, a fish!  A ten incher and a keeper!  But the boy has different ideas than a fish dinner.  This picture book captures the quiet times spent fishing out on the ice with a loved one.  It’s sure to appeal to children who have headed out themselves and waiting those long hours for just one bite.

Larson nicely weaves numbers and counting into her words in this book.  One frozen lake, two friends, three bundles of gear, four inches of ice, five hours to wait.  Then she starts again from one, building her poetic story upon the foundation of counting.  But this is not a counting book, instead it is a celebration of Minnesota winters and family.

The art here is exceptional.  The story above the ice is shown in realistic paintings that show with accuracy the relationship between grandfather and grandson.  The tones are bright, sun-filled but also cold as a northern winter should be.  Below the ice is a completely different world.  There the images are done as collages with whimsical old-fashioned touches taken from signs and flyers.  The result is a pairing that shows the stark difference between surface and depths.

Growing up on a Wisconsin lake, this picture book brought back many memories of walking the frozen lake and seeing the shanties.  It’s sure to do the same for many grandparents and grandchildren.  This is definitely a keeper!  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: Midwinter Blood by Marcus Sedgwick

| Tasha

midwinterblood

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

Intertwined stories that range from the near future of 2073 to the distant past of the Vikings, this book lures the reader in with dark promises, strange happenings, and dares you to follow your curiosity deeper and deeper.  When Eric Seven arrives at the island of Blessed to see if the claims that people have discovered how to live longer (if not forever) are true, he is greeted with warmth and immediately set up in house of his own.  No one lives on the western side of the island and the eastern side only has adults, no children.  Eric starts out with drive to discover what is wrong, but the longer he spends on the island and drinking the tea the community provides him, the less he wants to explore at all.  When he travels to the western side of the island finally, his story forms the door to those that follow.  Layer upon layer, the lives of the people on Blessed are told, each layer revealing something new and equally odd.  This impressive novel is impossible to put down until the final story and the real truth is revealed in all of its horror.

Immediately upon opening this book, the strangeness of the story was apparent.  As Eric slips into complacency, I was almost screaming at him with frustration.  It was the ideal way to open this book where so much hinges upon the moments of hair raising oddity that link the stories.  Sedgwick has built this book so exquisitely that there is no guessing at the ending until it comes.  It is a story of love but also of revenge, of brotherhood but also of murder. 

Set on a Scandinavian island that is remote, Sedgwick uses the unusual formation of the island as a large part of the story.  The two halves nearly severed from one another, they are two worlds connected only slightly.  So the island itself reflects the story of generations of people who remain connected as well.  The inclusion of the dragon orchid and the powerful tea it brews is also a great symbol within the story.  The orchids are powerful, strange but also beautiful and delicate. 

This compelling novel is amazing teen literature.  It has enough depth to be used in a classroom where the symbolism and incredible writing can be celebrated.  It is also a riveting combination of romance and horror that will thrill discriminating teen readers.  Appropriate for ages 15-18.

Reviewed from copy received from Roaring Brook Press.

Jan Ormerod Dies

| Tasha

Jan Ormerod  Sunshine 101 Things to Do with a Baby Maudie and Bear

Jan Ormerod died of cancer at age 66 on January 23, 2013.  Born in Australia, she later made her home in Cambridge, England.  She is the author and illustrator of many picture books.  For a very personal obituary, head over to The Guardian where Morag Styles has captured the life of her friend.

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:

Reading gives us a place to go when we stay where we are.

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

50 Inspiring Children’s Books with a Positive Message – PART 2 « Positively Positive http://buff.ly/UFRwfP

Algonquin Books Launches New Children’s Books Imprint – GalleyCat http://buff.ly/WV8eGe

Amelia Bedelia Turns 50 With a New Look and Over 35 Million Books Sold – ABC News http://buff.ly/11h28RC

Critics Eating Crow: Google+ Becomes Second Largest Social Platform http://buff.ly/14mxURD

Dan Abnett’s top 10 fantasy mash-ups | Children’s books http://buff.ly/WC3zuO

How Dr. Seuss Helped the Berenstain Bears – GalleyCat http://buff.ly/WV8d5d

How the Story of Alice in Wonderland Was Born 150 Years Ago Today | Brain Pickings http://buff.ly/N7hGjl

Katherine Applegate on Winning the 2013 Newbery: ‘Stunned Disbelief’ http://bit.ly/11asaWN

My top 10 horses in fiction | Children’s books http://buff.ly/Ysiwmh

PW Talks with Laurel Snyder: Kid’s Books Are Not Just for Kids http://buff.ly/11h20l6

Why books need literary prizes | Books http://buff.ly/WLTREu

I've already read that movie!

LIBRARIES

The Best Fictional Libraries in Pop Culture – Flavorwire http://buff.ly/WqOQTF

Bring back shushing librarians – http://buff.ly/WSEsSI

Featuring: Lisa Congdon | Library as Incubator Project http://buff.ly/WDCWFX

"I see a library as a place of quiet wonder, in a world designed to frazzle us." http://buff.ly/YsihYl

Madison’s libraries are state leaders in checkouts per resident : http://buff.ly/WC4YBH

The New York Times Declares War on the New York Public Library http://buff.ly/WCZ3MF

Social Media Marketing: How New York Public Library increased card sign-ups by 35% | MarketingSherpa Blog http://buff.ly/11lKM6r

TECHNOLOGY

Critics Eating Crow: Google+ Becomes Second Largest Social Platform http://buff.ly/14mxURD

Google’s Plans For Trekker Come To Fruition With 9,500 Grand Canyon Panoramas Added To Google Maps | TechCrunch http://tcrn.ch/14yCPPy

Why a Microsoft Office 2013 Subscription Makes Sense for Families http://buff.ly/11iYeaW

Why 2013 Is The Year You Need To Get Serious About Tumblr – Forbes http://buff.ly/Yqmegg

Fight evil. Read books.

TEEN READS

Storytelling in the graphic form, or why writing comics is the bomb |http://t.co/N8Jspumi

Teen fiction and the shadow of cancer | Books|The Guardian http://buff.ly/Wnl8z5

Top 10 Urban Fiction Books by Jennifer Fountain « Nerdy Book Club http://buff.ly/10P0kPE

2013 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

| Tasha

YALSA has announced the books selected for this year’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list.  There are 102 books on the list selected from 200 official nominations.  The books are specifically for ages 12-18 and are both high quality literature and appealing to teens.

The full list can be found on the YALSA website.  Here are the top ten:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Boy21 Code Name Verity

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

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

The Diviners (The Diviners, #1) Enchanted (Woodcutter Series, #1) Every Day

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

Every Day by David Levithan

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Never Fall Down The Raven Boys (Raven Cycle, #1)

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

Seraphina (Seraphina, #1)

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Review: Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

| Tasha

flora and the flamingo

Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle

There are oh so many ballet books out there for little ballerinas who look for tulle and pointe shoes.  So it was with that bias and perhaps a cringe or two that I opened this book.  Inside it’s very pink cover is a very pink world that is pure pink fabulousness!  In this wordless book, Flora meets the flamingo and immediately imitates its stance and attitude.  Then the flamingo launches into a dance that Flora struggles to match in her swimcap and flippers.  It all goes well until Flora loses her footing and flops into the water.  What happens next speaks to what friends should do when they see someone take a flop.  Start again with plenty of support.  All this with no words!

Idle has a stunning simplicity in this book.  It has the draw of flaps to open, but that is all about the dance and the movement.  There is a pleasure in lengthening the dance by having the two of them dance movements again and again by opening and closing the flaps.  It turns readers into storytellers in a way that is engaging and free, just as this entire book is throughout. 

I love Flora and her lack of tulle and ballet outfit.  Instead wearing her swim gear, she is able to mimic the flamingo all the better.  It takes the emphasis off of the clothes of ballet and back to the dance itself.  Now all children need is a friendly flamingo.  Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Chronicle Books.