Sunday, October 30, 2011

A Month of Sundays by Ruth White

A Month of Sundays by Ruth White
Farrar Strauss Giroux
2011
168p.

In the summer of 1956 while her mother is in Florida searching for a job, fourteen-year-old April Garnet Rose, who has never met her father, stays with her terminally ill aunt in Virginia and accompanies her as she visits different churches, looking for God.

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz
Candlewick Press
2011
226p.

Everything changes for thirteen-year-old Travis, a new student who is trying to hide his illiteracy, when he meets a sassy classmate with her own secrets and a remarkable teacher.

Money We'll Save, The by Brock Cole

The Money We'll Save by Brock Cole
Farrar Strauss Giroux
2011
unpaged

In nineteenth-century New York City, when Pa brings home a young turkey in hopes of saving money on their Christmas dinner, his family faces all sorts of trouble--and expense--in their tiny apartment.

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin
Henry Holt and Company
2011
140pgs

In the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, ten-year-old Sasha idolizes his father, a devoted Communist, but when police take his father away and leave Sasha homeless, he is forced to examine his own perceptions, values, and beliefs.

Drawing From Memory by Allen Say

Drawing From Memory by Allen Say
Scholastic Press
2011
63p.


"Caldecott Medalist Allen Say presents a stunning graphic novel chronicling his journey as an artist during WWII, when he apprenticed under Noro Shinpei, Japan's premier cartoonist. Drawing from memory is Allen Say's own story of his path to becoming the renowned artist he is today. Shunned by his father, who didn't understand his son's artistic leanings, Allen was embraced by Noro Shinpei, Japan's leading cartoonist and the man he came to love as his "spiritual father." As WWII raged, Allen was further inspired to consider questions of his own heritage and the motivations of those around him. He worked hard in rigorous drawing classes, studied, trained--and ultimately came to understand who he really is. Part memoir, part graphic novel, part narrative history, DRAWING FROM MEMORY presents a complex look at the real-life relationship between a mentor and his student. With watercolor paintings, original cartoons, vintage photographs, and maps, Allen Say has created a book that will inspire the artist in all of us"-- Provided by publisher.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
Candlewick Press
2011
204p.

Thirteen-year-old Conor awakens one night to find a monster outside his bedroom window, but not the one from the recurring nightmare that began when his mother became ill--an ancient, wild creature that wants him to face truth and loss.

Pie by Sarah Weeks

Pie by Sarah Weeks
Scholastic Press
2011
183p.

After the death of Polly Portman, whose award-winning pies put the town of Ipswitch, Pennsylvania, on the map in the 1950s, her devoted niece Alice and Alice's friend Charlie investigate who is going to extremes to find Aunt Polly's secret pie crust recipe. Includes fourteen pie recipes.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan

Son of Neptune (Heroes of Olympus, 2) by Rick Riordan
Disney * Hyperion
2011
521p.

Demigod Percy Jackson, still with no memory, and his new friends from Camp Jupiter, Hazel and Frank, go on a quest to free Death, but their bigger task is to unite the Greek and Roman camps so that the Prophecy of Seven can be fulfilled.

Desert Angel by Charlie Price

Desert Angel by Charlie Price
Farrar Strauss Giroux
2011
236p.s



In the California desert, fourteen-year-old Angel is on the run from the man who abused her, killed her mother, and intends to kill her too.

Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson

Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African-Americans by Kadir Nelson
Balzer and Bray
2011
108p.

An simple introduction to African-American history, from Revolutionary-era slavery up to the election of President Obama.

Never Forgotten by Patricia McKissack

Never Forgotten by Patricia McKissack
Schwartz and Wade
2011
Unpaged



In eighteenth-century West Africa, a boy raised by his blacksmith father and the Mother Elements--Wind, Fire, Water, and Earth--is captured and taken to America as a slave.

Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything by Uma Krishnaswami
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2011
266p.

Eleven-year-old Dini loves movies, and so when she learns that her family is moving to India for two years, her devastation over leaving her best friend in Maryland is tempered by the possibility of meeting her favorite actress, Dolly Singh.

Cheshire Cheese Cat by Carmen Agra Deedy

The Cheshire Cheese Cat: A Dickens of a Tale by Carmen Agra Deedy
Peachtree Publishers
2011
228p.

 A community of mice and a cheese-loving cat form an unlikely alliance at London's Cheshire Cheese, an inn where Charles Dickens finds inspiration and Queen Victoria makes an unexpected appearance.


Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett

Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett
Harcourt
2011
310p.



Retells the story of the minotaur through the eyes of his fifteen-year-old sister, Ariadne, a lonely girl destined to become a goddess of the moon, and her new friend, Theseus, the son of Athens' king who was sent to Crete as a sacrifice to her misshapen brother.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Adult Mock Newbery 2012 List #2

Here are ten more titles for your consideration!

Have you read these yet?  What are you waiting for!?? Read these titles and be ready to discuss them at our Adult Mock Newbery meeting in January.

Click on each link to add your voice to the discussion!


City of Orphans by Avi
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Flesh and Blood So Cheap by Albert Marrin 
The Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson

Hound Dog True by Linda Urban 

Mo Wren, Lost and Found by Tricia Springstubb
The Mostly True Story of Jack by Kelly Barnhill

The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
True...Sort of by Katherine Hannigan
Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick
 
The Adult Mock Newbery Club meeting will be held on January 21, 2012 from 10:00am - 5:00pm in the Children's Services Storytime Room at the Main Library.  Register HERE, if you haven't already done so!

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press
2011
416p.

Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.



Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson

Flint Heart by Katherine Paterson
Candlewick Press
2011
288p.

A magical amulet brings power and despair to those who touch it.


Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Farrar Strauss Giroux
2011
341p.

In the historic town of Norvelt, Pennsylvania, twelve-year-old Jack Gantos spends the summer of 1962 grounded for various offenses until he is assigned to help an elderly neighbor with a most unusual chore involving the newly dead, molten wax, twisted promises, Girl Scout cookies, underage driving, lessons from history, typewriting, and countless bloody noses.