Hooray for Books! Independent Bookstore

Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger

hooray4books — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:41:07 +0000

Hattie loves horses. She’s grown up around them and now works at a stable in her free time and feels completely alive while she’s there, especially when spending time with her favorite horse, Speed. When the owners of the stable decide that the elderly horse needs to be put down, Hattie knows she can’t allow that to happen.

Hattie and her best friend Delores, set off on one unique road trip. Mission? Set Speed free and allow him to be a real horse for whatever time he has left. They meet several different people along the way, horse lovers themselves, each taking a place in Speed’s ultimate story and in the girl’s lives.

Not simply a horse story, each of these girls are dealing with some serious personal demons, adding to the reasons that neither were sad to leave home. Those “issues” are blended seamlessly into the road trip/horse plot and leaves the reader loving both girls and wanting to see them both succeed in what they set out for.

This is a great book to hand to horse lovers that have outgrown some of the books written for younger readers. Also a great choice for a reader that loves a good character-driven novel.

Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger; $17.99; Random House Books for Young Readers; Ages 12+

Newberys, Caldecotts, and More!

hooray4books — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:23:32 +0000

This morning, the American Library Association announced the 2012 youth media awards winners. Like others in the book world, we were glued to twitter, commenting furiously as the results rolled in from Dallas. Our staff voted on our picks for both Caldecott and Newbery, so we were excited to find out how accurately we called it!

Newbery Medal: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos; Ages 10-12; Farrar Straus Giroux (Macmillan)

Newbery Honor: Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai; Ages 8-10; HarperCollins; HFB pick

Newbery Honor: Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin; Ages 10-12; Henry Holt & Company (Macmillan)

Caldecott Medal:A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka; Ages 2-6; Schwartz & Wade Books (Random House); HFB pick

Caldecott Honor: Blackout by John Rocco; Ages 3-7; Hyperion Books (Random House); HFB pick

Caldecott Honor: Grandpa Green by Lane Smith; Ages 3-6; Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan); HFB pick

Caldecott Honor: Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell; Ages 3-7; Little, Brown (Hachette)

Printz Award: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley; Ages 14+; Atheneum Books (Simon & Schuster)

Printz Nominee: Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler; Ages 14+; Little, Brown (Hachette)

Printz Nominee: The Returning by Christine Hinwood; Ages 14+; Dial Books (Penguin Putnam)

Printz Nominee: The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater; Ages 14+; Scholastic Press

There they are, folks! Interested in getting your hands on any of these award winners? Give us a call and we’ll put titles on hold! 703-548-4092, or email info@hooray4books.com.

The Fault in Our Stars: A must have!

hooray4books — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:46:02 +0000

John Green has made quite the name for himself in the YA world, with novels like Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. His latest was just released this week and is already getting lots of positive buzz in the book world. Several of us have read it and absolutely love it!

Hazel and Augustus meet in the most unusual place — a cancer support group. Though the setting alone may lead a reader to believe the story will be heavy and depressing, it’s anything but. Filled with sarcasm and hysterical wit, you’ll be both laughing and crying through the entire book. Sometimes both at the same time!

Teens and adults will each take something away from this heartfelt and honest novel of first love, whimsy, and raw soul. Buy it for everyone you know!

We have lots of copies in stock, ALL of them signed! We’d be happy to set one aside for you (or ship you one if you’re out of the area). We also have copies of Green’s other titles for you to purchase, as well. Just give us a call! 703-548-4092.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green; $17.99; Dial Books; Ages 14+

Our Newbery Shortlist

hooray4books — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:59:00 +0000

Booksellers and librarians all over the country are on pins and needles, waiting with anticipation for the Newbery and Caldecott announcements on January 23! The staff here at Hooray for Books is no different. We’ve read a a lot of books over the past year, and we’ve agreed on our top picks for the Newbery. Check out our favorites!

With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo; Farrar, Straus, and Giroux (Macmillan); Ages 10-13

Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu; Walden Pond Press (HarperCollins Childrens); Ages 10+

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente; Feiwel & Friends (Macmillan); Ages 10-13

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai; HarperCollins; Ages 8-12

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt; Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt); Ages 10+

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, illus. by Jim Kay; Walker & Company (Macmillan); Ages 12+

There you have it, folks! Stop by the store any time to check out these great titles.

Our Caldecott Shortlist, Part 2

hooray4books — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:49:33 +0000

We’ve been sifting through new books all year, narrowing down our favorites in preparation for the Caldecott awards on January 23! Here’s the second half of our predictions for the coveted prize.

Stars by Mary Lyn Ray, illus. by Marla Frazee; Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster); Ages 3-7

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner, illus. Christopher Silas Neal; Chronicle Books; Ages 3-7

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen; Candlewick Press; Ages 3-6

Sea of Dreams by Dennis Nolan; Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan); Ages 3-6

Grandpa Green by Lane Smith; Roaring Brook Press (Macmillan); Ages 3-6

Interested in picking our booksellers’ brains for more of their favorites of this past year? Stop by and chat up our front desk any time!

Our Caldecott Shortlist, Part 1

hooray4books — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:47:23 +0000

On January 23rd, the American Library Association will announce this year’s Newbery and Caldecott medals. Here at Hooray for Books, we’re selecting our favorites to win! Here is our first round of picks for the Caldecott.

Blackout by John Rocco; Hyperion Books; Ages 3-7

Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson; Balzer + Bray (HarperCollins Childrens); Ages 7-12

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick; Scholastic Press; Ages 8-12

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka; Schwartz & Wade (Random House); Ages 2-6

Say Hello to Zorro! by Carter Goodrich; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers; Ages 3-6

Check back for our second batch of Caldecott choices–and our Newbery predictions!

Amanda’s Favorites of 2011

hooray4books — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:28:07 +0000

Amanda has been on maternity leave for awhile, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped reading! Her favorites, like her reading tastes, span a variety of genres:

Blackout by John Rocco, $16.99; Hyperion Books for Children; ages 3+

The Trouble With Chickens: A J.J. Tully Story; $14.99; HarperCollins, ages 7+

Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman; $16.99; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; ages 5+

What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen; $19.99; Penguin Group; ages 14+

Megan K’s Favorites of 2011

hooray4books — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:30:55 +0000

Megan had a huge list of favorites for the year, proving that 2011 was a GREAT year for publishing! After some crafty picking and choosing, she was able to pick just a few of her favorite books to share with you:

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver; $16.99; HarperCollins; ages 8+

Everything Goes On Land by Brian Biggs; $14.99; HarperCollins; ages 3+

The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman by Meg Wolitzer; $16.99; Penguin Group; age 10+

You Are My Work of Art by Sue DiCicco; $11.95; Running Press Books; ages 2+

Red Sled by Lita Judge; $16.99; Simon & Schuster; ages 3+

Trish’s Favorites of 2011

hooray4books — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 23:58:08 +0000

Trish read tons of books this year (as every great bookstore owner should), but a few are new favorites! These are her top picks for 2011:

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern; $26.95; Knopf; Adult Fiction

The Conference of the Birds by Peter Sis; $27.95; Penguin Publishing Group; Adult Fiction

Bigger Than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder; $16.99; Random House Children’s Publishing; ages 8+

King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently; $17.99; Penguin Publishing Group; ages 3+

Trish has a lot more titles that she loves, so be sure to ask her about them the next time you’re in the store. She’ll be happy to help you find the perfect gift or a great read for yourself!

Best Sellers of 2011!!

hooray4books — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 17:07:47 +0000

Here is a rundown of the year’s best sellers in board book, picture books, and beginning readers!

Board Books

Hooray For Fish by Lucy Cousins
Is This My Nose by Georgie Birkett
Good Night Moon 60th Anniversary Edition by Margaret Wise Brown
ABC Board Book by Alison Jay
Good Night Washington DC by Adam Gamble

Picture Books

Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen
Madeline at the White House, by John Bemelmans Marciano
Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Llama Llama Home With Mama by Anna Dewdney

Early Readers

Mercy Watson series by Kate Dicamillo
We Are in A Book by Mo Willems
Nate the Great series by Marjorie Sharmat
Should I Share My Ice Cream? by Mo Willems
Fly Guy vs The Flyswatter by Tedd Arnold