Archive for Ages 12 and up
April 8, 2013 at 11:08 am · Filed under Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up ·Tagged Jennifer E. Smith, Jenny Han, Maine, romance, Sarah Dessen, teen celebrity, The Summer I Turned Pretty, This is What Happy Looks Like, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
Are you looking for the perfect summer book? A light romance that is fast-paced AND well-written? This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith is the perfect escape. Fans of Sarah Dessen’s books, or Jenny Han’s The Summer I Turned Pretty will fall hard for this romance.
When teen celebrity Graham Larkin accidentally emails Ellie O’Neill about his pet pig, the two of them start a chain of emails and eventually become friends. Graham falls for Ellie so he manages to renegotiate the location of his newest film to Ellie’s hometown: a small resort town on the Maine Coast
Discovering her online crush is a movie star is actually quite complicated. Can they manage to avoid the paparazzi, keep Ellie’s family secret out of the news, and just get over the awkwardness of teenage dating?
Despite its over-the-top premise, the emotions and relationships are realistic, including complicated, but supportive, relationships with parents and friends. Younger readers, and even adults, will enjoy this clean read. The characters are witty, the romance is satisfying, and the setting is gorgeous. This is What Happy Looks Like is my favorite YA romance this year.
-Erin
This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith; Hachette; $17.99
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March 13, 2013 at 4:14 am · Filed under Adult fiction and non-fiction, Ages 10 - 12, Ages 10 and up, Ages 12 - 14, Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up, Award Winners, Booksellers Diary ·Tagged A Brief History of Montmaray, Anne of Green Gables, Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Betsy-Tacy, Charles Dickens, Chime, classics, Code Name Verity, Daddy Long Legs, David Copperfield, Dodie Smith, Elizabeth Wein, Finnikin of the Rock, Flygirl, Franny Billingsley, I Am the Messenger, I Capture the Castle, Jane Austen, Jean Webster, Jepp Who Defied the Stars, Jerry Spinelli, Katherine Marsh, L.M. Mongomery, libba bray, M.T. Anderson, Markus Zusak, Maud Hart Lovelace, Melina Marchetta, Michelle Cooper, Milkweed, Miss Megan, Sherri Smith, The Book Thief, The Diviners, YA fiction
I love middle grade, but more often than not I find myself gravitating to the Young Adult section. There are just such fantastic choices available over there these days! Here are some of my all-time favorites.
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery; Penguin; 4.99; Ages 10-adult
Opening line: “Mrs. Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped down into a little hollow, fringed with alders and ladies’ eardrops and traversed by a brook that had its source away back in the woods of the old Cuthbert place.”
For fans of: Daddy Long Legs; Betsy-Tacy
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh; Hyperion; 16.99; Ages 12-adult
Opening line: “Being a court dwarf is no easy task. I know because I failed at it.”
For fans of: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing; David Copperfield
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein; Hyperion; 16.99; Ages 14-adult
Opening line: ”I AM A COWARD I wanted to be heroic and I pretended I was. I have always been good at pretending.”
For fans of: I Capture the Castle; Flygirl
Chime by Franny Billingsley; Penguin; 8.99; Ages 14-adult
Opening line: “I’ve confessed to everything and I’d like to be hanged. Now, if you please.”
For fans of: The Diviners; Finnikin of the Rock
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; Knopf (Random House); 12.99; Ages 14-adult
Opening line: “First the colors. Then the humans. That’s usually how I see things. Or at least, how I try.”
For fans of: Milkweed; I Am the Messenger
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith; St. Martin’s; 14.99; Ages 14-adult
Opening line: “I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”
For fans of: A Brief History of Montmaray; Jane Austen
We try to always have copies of these books on our shelves! Come by and check them out sometime!
Read on, readers!
Miss Megan
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March 6, 2013 at 8:41 am · Filed under Ages 12 - 14, Ages 12 and up ·Tagged albino, boarding school, Elizabeth Laban, mystery, new releases, romance, Tragedy Paper, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
Looking for the perfect young adult novel to curl up with while it’s freezing outside? Try The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban.
Duncan returns to Irving School for his senior year, hoping to avoid discussing, or even thinking about, his role in the tragic event the winter before. But the previous tenant of his room, an albino named Tim, has graduated and left a stack of CDs for Duncan. The recordings not only reveal the details behind the tragedy, they narrate a secret romance between Tim and the most popular girl in school.
Duncan just wants to forget what happened last year, but as he becomes caught up in Tim’s story, he realizes it is influencing his own. Told in alternating perspectives, The Tragedy Paper is a compelling mystery that evokes the boarding school environment of The Disreputable History of Frank Landau Banks. Laban’s debut novel will keep the reader on edge as the tragedy looms closer and closer.
The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban; Knopf; $17.99; Ages 12 and up
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March 1, 2013 at 9:38 am · Filed under Ages 12 - 14, Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up ·Tagged ghost stories, jack the ripper, Madness Underneath, Maureen Johnson, mystery, mystery stories, Name of the Star, Paranormal, YA fiction
The Madness Underneath just came out, and we have signed copies!
For those of you new to the Shades of London trilogy, you’re in for a treat. A very spooky, treat. In The Name of the Star, Rory Devaux transfers to a London boarding school where she becomes entangled in a murder investigation. A Jack the Ripper copycat is terrorizing the East End, and on the night of one of the murders, Rory sees a suspect. The real trouble is, she seems to be the only one who can see him. Worse still, he knows she saw him and soon she becomes a target. Part ghost story, part murder mystery, part boarding school story, Maureen Johnson creates a compelling and original novel.
The Name of the Star is the first of the trilogy, but I appreciated the fact that it stood well on its own. While I was eager to dive into book 2 after finishing the last page, I was satisfied with the completion of this particular story line. The best news, however, is that book two: The Madness Underneath was just released and so I don’t need to wait for it to come out.
Watch the trailer for The Madness Underneath here.
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson; Speak; $9.99
The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson; Putnam; $17.99
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February 20, 2013 at 7:45 am · Filed under Ages 10 - 12, Ages 10 and up, Ages 12 - 14, Ages 12 and up, Ages 8 - 10, Ages 8 and up, Award Winners ·Tagged 1890s, Anne of Green Gables, bagpipes, ballad lore, biography, changeling, Cornelia Meigs, Elizabeth Marie Pope, Eloise McGraw, fairies, Fairy Folk, fantasy, folk tales, Good Master, gypsies, hansom cabs, history, horses, Hungarian ranchers, Hungary, Invincible Louisa, Jane Dyer, Kate Seredy, legends, Little House books, Louisa May Alcott, Moorchild, New York City, newbery, Perilous Gard, pinafores, Roller Skates, Ruth Sawyer, Tam Lin, tomboy
We look forward with great excitement every year as the Newbery and Caldecott winners are announced, but it’s also a pleasure to read (or re-read) past winners. Cecilia tells us about a few of her favorites:
If you like historical books or old-fashioned classics, try…
Invincible Louisa by Cornelia Meigs
This biography of Louisa May Alcott reads like a novel, and even if you haven’t read Little Women, you’ll be drawn in by the story of this author’s struggle with poverty. Alcott had an unconventional childhood moving from place to place with her family, and her early writing attempts, games with her siblings and schemes to earn money are all detailed here. A timeline and index are included and the lovely cover by Jane Dyer is a nice additional touch. Little Brown Books for Young Readers, $7.99
The Good Master by Kate Seredy
The plains of Hungary are the backdrop for adventures in this tale of cousins Jancsi and Kate. Jancsi has low expectations for a girl when he hears that cousin Kate is coming from the city, but he soon learns that she is an energetic tomboy with the same enthusiasm for horses, village fairs and gypsies as himself. The regional customs of Hungarian ranchers are depicted in loving detail and Kate in particular is a bright, engaging character. Puffin, $5.99
Roller Skates by Ruth Sawyer
Kate would find a common spirit in Lucinda Wyman, the protagonist of Roller Skates. Set in New York City of the 1890s, it follows Lucinda through a year of living with family friends, as she struggles with her prim-and-proper cousins, experiences thrills and disappointments and makes friends with everyone from policemen to tramps to fruit sellers. References to unfamiliar things like hansom cabs and pinafores go hand in hand with games of theater and dress-up that children still love today. A great read for lovers of old-fashioned classics like Anne of Green Gables or the Little House series. Viking Penguin, $5.99
If you like folklore and fantasy, try…
The Moorchild by Eloise McGraw
Moql is half Moorfolk and half Human without key Folk traits such as the ability to shape-shift or disappear. As a result, she is banished and sent to live among humans as a changeling named Saaski. In the human world, she also faces rejection from the villagers who fear her differences. The only place she feels safe and at home is out on the moors, playing her bagpipes. As she grows up and slowly comes to understand the tangled relationship between the Folk and the humans, she becomes determined to find the real child of her human parents and bring her home. This is a great read for fans of Franny Billingsley and other authors who write fantasy based on folktales and legends. Aladdin, $6.99
The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope
An ambitious mix of history, ballad lore and fantasy, this story begins with Kate Sutton being exiled to the remote castle known as the Perilous Gard. There she gets pulled into a series of encounters with the Fairy Folk who live underground and eventually must use what she knows of the Tam Lin ballad to save her friend Christopher, as well as decide what she truly wants her life to be. This is a slightly creepy adventure with a strong heroine and wonderful details of fairy lore and legend. Sandpiper, $6.99
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February 13, 2013 at 11:54 am · Filed under Ages 10 - 12, Ages 10 and up, Ages 12 and up, Booksellers Diary ·Tagged All Things Considered, Gary Schmidt, NPR, NPR Backseat Book Club, Okay for Now
We loved Gary Schmidt’s Okay for Now! You can read Miss Megan’s glowing review here. And now it’s going to be the next pick for NPR’S Backseat Book Club!
Schmidt will be featured on All Things Considered at the end of February. You can submit questions and comments about Okay for Now on this page.
If you haven’t read Okay for Now yet (it really is as wonderful as everyone says), give us a call or shoot us an email! We’re always happy to put a copy on hold. (703) 548-4092 or info@hooray4books.com.
And if you’re on twitter (follow us @HFBooks!), share your favorite moments, quotes, and musings to @hmhkids and @NPRBackseat using the hashtag #OK4NOW!
Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; Ages 10-adult
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February 8, 2013 at 8:18 am · Filed under Ages 10 - 12, Ages 10 and up, Ages 12 - 14, Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up, Booksellers Diary ·Tagged A Web of Air, fantasy novels, Fever Crumb, middle grade steampunk, Philip Reeve, Predator Cities, Scrivener's Moon, steampunk
When I’m hand selling a book, I typically have a spiel to introduce a favorite title. For the Fever Crumb trilogy, it usually starts with some version of, “these are really cool futuristic novels with a steampunk flair!”
Then, inevitably, the customer follows up with, “Uh. What’s steampunk?”
Help me out, internet. “Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that typically features steam-powered machinery, especially in a setting inspired by industrialized Western civilization during the 19th century.”
If this sounds outside your comfort zone, don’t panic. Author Philip Reeve handles this tricky theme with a deft hand. It’s his own vivid imagination and offbeat characters that carry the day. Victorian-meets-space-age technology is just the cherry on top.
Reeve’s title character, young orphan Fever Crumb, has been raised in the order of Engineers, the last great bastion of logic and reason in the overcrowded city of London. But Fever is no ordinary engineer. For all her training in quashing the weakness of human emotions, she is haunted by strange memories that are not her own. As tensions rise in the city, so does Fever’s confusion over her origins. Is she merely a student of science and understanding? Or is she something more? Something that is, perhaps, not quite human?
The Fever Crumb books were written after Reeve’s Predator Cities quartet as a companion series, they are in fact prequels, and can easily be read first (that’s what I did). If you’re getting tired of the many dystopian series floating about, this is a great alternative that keeps the adventure middle and upper grade readers crave while presenting a fantasy world that feels fresh.
Also, if you love the series, rumor has it there will be more. Keep your eyes peeled!
Read on, readers!
Miss Megan
Fever Crumb trilogy (Fever Crumb, A Web of Air, and Scrivener’s Moon) by Philip Reeve, Scholastic Press
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January 28, 2013 at 10:49 am · Filed under Ages 10 - 12, Ages 10 and up, Ages 12 - 14, Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up, Ages 3 - 6, Ages 6 - 8, Ages 8 - 10, Ages 8 and up, Award Winners ·Tagged Aaron Reynolds, Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Beverley Brenna, Bomb, Caldecott medal, Code Name Verity, Creepy Carrots, David Small, Dodger, Elizabeth Wein, Extra Yarn, Green, In Darkness, Jon Klassen, Katherin Applegate, Laura Amy Schlitz, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Mac Barnett, Mary Logue, Newbery medal, Nick Lack, One Cool Friend, Pamela Zagarenski, Peter Brown, Printz award, Sheila Turnage, Sleep Like a Tiger, Splendors and Glooms, Steve Sheinkin, Terry Pratchett, The One and Only Ivan, The White Bicycle, This Is Not My Hat, Three Times Lucky, Toni Buzzeo
Earlier this morning, the American Library Association announced the Youth Media Awards. We selected our picks for Caldecott, Newbery, and Printz a couple of weeks ago, and now the committees have spoken! Behold.
Michael L. Printz Award
Winner: In Darkness, Nick Lake, Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children’s Books
Honors: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz, Simon and Schuster; Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein, Hyperion Books (staff pick & Megan’s pick); Dodger, Terry Pratchett, HarperCollins; The White Bicycle, Beverley Brenna, Red Deer Press
Caldecott Medal
Winner: This Is Not My Hat, Jon Klassen, Candlewick Press (staff pick & Megan’s pick)
Honors: Creepy Carrots, Aaron Reynolds, illus. by Peter Brown, Simon and Schuster; Extra Yarn, Mac Barnett, illus. by Jon Klassen, Balzer & Bray/Harperteen (staff pick & Megan’s pick); Green, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Roaring Brook Press; One Cool Friend, Toni Buzzeo, illus. by David Small, Dial Books; Sleep Like a Tiger, Mary Logue, illus. by Pamela Zagarenski, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Newbery Medal
Winner: The One and Only Ivan, Katherine Applegate, Harper (Megan’s pick)
Honors: Bomb, Steve Sheinkin, Flash Point (Roaring Brook Press); Splendors and Glooms, Laura Amy Schlitz, Candlewick Press (staff pick & Megan’s pick); Three Times Lucky, Sheila Turnage, Dial Books for Young Readers (staff pick & Megan’s pick)
Stop by the store and check out these wonderful titles for yourself! Give us a call to check availability–we’ve got a bunch of award darlings on order just for you!
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January 21, 2013 at 3:29 pm · Filed under Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up ·Tagged ages 12+, british boarding school, ghosts, jack the ripper, Maureen Johnson, penguin, the name of the star
If you have ever seen, heard, or followed the twitter of Maureen Johnson, you know that she has a different way of viewing the world around her. If you haven’t read any of her books before, The Name of the Star is a good place to start. The story veers from a “normal” plot line of a girl from America going to a British boarding school in London when duplicate Jack the Ripper murders start popping up right around the main character, Rory’s, school.
But of course that’s not the only strange thing happening in this book. The night of the fourth repeat murder, Rory and her roommate sneak out. That night, Rory sees someone nobody else sees; now, she has become the only witness to these Jack the Ripper murders. She soon learns that it’s not that nobody was looking but that she was the only one around with the ability to see this man. Somewhere down the line, Rory gained the ability to see ghosts and now she has seen Jack the Ripper.
With chapters containing snippets from the press and police, this book has a feeling of a crime show mixed with a boarding school adventure mixed with ghosts.
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson; Penguin; paperback $9.99; Ages 12+
Don’t miss the second book in the Shades of London series, The Madness Underneath, coming out February 26, 2013!
Happy Reading,
Maryam
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January 17, 2013 at 7:01 am · Filed under Ages 10 - 12, Ages 10 and up, Ages 12 - 14, Ages 12 and up, Ages 14 and Up, Ages 8 - 10, Ages 8 and up, Booksellers Diary ·Tagged Code Name Verity, Elizabeth Wein, Good Masters Sweet Ladies, Jepp Who Defied the Stars, Katherine Applegate, Katherine Marsh, Laura Amy Schlitz, Liar and Spy, Newbery medal, Newbery predictions, Rebecca Stead, Sara Pennypacker, Sheila Turnage, Splendors and Glooms, Summer of the Gypsy Moths, The One and Only Ivan, Three Times Lucky, When You Reach Me
Newbery choices are tough. There are so many great books to choose from, so many rules and various criteria to consider, so many helpful opinions to process. But, in the end, I have to stick with the books that have left the greatest impression on me this year.
True, the Newbery committee doesn’t always pick the same titles I do, but I really think they should. Fingers crossed for 2013!
Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz; Candlewick Press; 17.99; Ages 10-16
I’m rooting for this book so hard! Code Name Verity is my favorite book of the year, but this one’s a close second. Baltimore librarian and previous Newbery medal winner Laura Amy Schlitz dazzles with lush descriptions, hilarious dialogue, and an utterly engrossing setting. I didn’t want this book to end. Brilliantly done.
Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead; Random House; 15.99; Ages 9-13
A classic mystery in so many ways, but it feels fresh. And disagree if you like, but I prefer this title to Stead’s previous Newbery medal winner, When You Reach Me. The plot flows effortlessly, the characters are endearing and engaging, and the storyline has layers of poignancy and emotion that are handled with just the right amount of restraint. A strong contender for the medal!
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh; Hyperion Books; 16.99; Ages 14-adult
The rules for the Newbery dictate that books written for readers up to the age of fourteen can be considered. In that case, Jepp has to be part of the discussion. The title character’s voice was one of the strongest I’ve read this year, and Marsh’s ability to make period fiction feel both historically accurate and fresh for a modern reader is commendable. This one’s a wild card for me, as it’s also a strong choice for the Printz Award, which recognizes achievement in young adult literature.
Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker; Balzer & Bray/Harperteen (HarperCollins); 15.99; Ages 9-12
Pennypacker weaves a story that packs a hefty emotional punch without feeling manipulative or forced. She handles an often overused theme in middle grade fiction—the “unlikely friendship”—in a way that is natural and engaging. I couldn’t get this novel out of my head after I read it. I still can’t! Gypsy Moths is a Newbery dark horse that I’d like to see get some (much deserved) recognition.
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate; Harper; 16.99; Ages 8-12
A moving story of a silverback gorilla’s quest to find a better life for the baby elephant that arrives at his dilapidated zoo. Applegate handles the themes of conservancy and animal welfare with a deft hand, and it is to her credit that she writes both her animal and human characters without judgment. Even the “bad guy,” we discover, has a tender side. What could have been a heavy handed sermon is, instead, a lovely exercise in control.
Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage; Dial Books for Young Readers; 16.99; Ages 9-12
Like Liar and Spy, this is a mystery that’s more than just a formula. Hilarious prose and a small town full of wonderfully zany folk make this one of the most entertaining middle grade picks this year. The Newbery committee doesn’t always go for humor, but I think they should give it a go this time around. Turnage’s story is utterly fantastic.
Others to watch: Wonder, The Lions of Little Rock, The Great Unexpected
What are your picks for Newbery? Comment and let me know which titles I missed!
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