The Cow That Was the Best Moo-ther

by Andy Cutbill

Grades K-2

A follow up to the very popular “The Cow Who Laid an Egg,” this playful picture book lets readers in on what happened after Marjorie’s new baby “cow” hatches.  Daisy isn’t like the other calves, but when Marjorie enters her in a baby cow beauty contest, the barnyard starts to talk.  When the show’s judge discovers that Daisy isn’t a cow, Marjorie’s loyalty wins them both a prize.  Wacky illustrations  with great facial expressions really bring this story alive.

Marley Goes to School

by John Grogan

Grades 2-4

The very popular story of Marley the dog has been adapted for all ages including a picture book called Good Dog Marley.  This picture book sequel tells the story of Marley following his best friend, Cassie to school one day.  Marley’s hallmark is his ability to create chaos, and this story is no different.  After running around the school all day long, he finally finds Cassie and wins over the principal, bringing the story to a satisfying close.  Colorful, energetic illustrations show just how much trouble Marley causes in one short school-day.  Kids will really respond to this idea of a crazy dog running around a place that is based on following the rules.

Scaredy-Cat Catcher

by Betty Hicks

Grades 2-4

The Gym Shorts series are both funny and insightful sports stories for the mid-elementary set.  Each centers on a different sport, and deals with some of the issues of team and sport (sportsmanship, leadership, failure,) without hitting kids over the head with the lesson.  In this one, Rocky, a great catcher before a ball broke his arm, tries to return to the field.  However, his fear of injury seems to have made him lose his mojo.

Fat Cat of Underwhere

by Bruce Hale

Grades 3-5

This hilarious series of hybrid novel/graphic novels is catching fire among the potty humor set.  Bruce Hale knows what kids like, and illustrator Hillman is a perfect complement to Hale’s humor.  Fitz the cat joins the kids in their quest for the Scepter of Underwhere.  They face the various terrors of Underwhere (Triceredoodles, bands of savage mice, etc.) with courage and hilarity.

The Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Institute

by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Grades 2-4

This installment of the Lunch Lady Graphic Novel series has our brave heroine battling a mysterious substitute math teacher who seems to be up to no good.  Using her faithful sidekick, Betty, and her handy suction cup yellow gloves, she thwarts the evil teacher and his army of robots, saving the school.  Kids will love the graphics, the sense of humor, and the irony of the superhero lunch lady.

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters

by Lenore Look

Grades 3-6

I am in love with scaredy-cat Alvin Ho.  He is funny and smart and channels the inner fears all of us have.  In this one, Alvin has to go camping with his dad, and he doesn’t want to even think about camping, let alone experience the great outdoors.  Alvin’s antics, and  the handy glossary of outdoor terms, will keep readers reading and maybe even send them off on an adventure of their own.  These are great read-alouds.

Her Fearful Symmetry

by Audrey Niffeneger

YA-Adult

Niffeneger’s Time-Traveller’s Wife has been a huge hit, and I loved the novel both times I read it.  I was hopeful that this new novel would be as good, and I think it is, albeit in an entirely different way.  This is a modern love story and ghost story with quirky characters I fell in love with.  Two sets of twins (mothers and daughters) unravel their family secrets while exploring London’s Highgate cemetary.  Really hard to describe, but well worth the read.

Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen

by Syrie James

YA-Adult

This was a fun read for Austen fans, but nothing new here.  Really just a rehashing of the idea that Jane had a secret love who fortune kept her from.  Lots of material from her novels show up in characters and events in her life.

Financial Lives of Poets

by Jess Walter

Adult

This Spokane author and National Book Award finalist is getting lots of well-deserved attention for his new novel.  A family man in Spokane is pushed by the financial crisis to seek solutions in the town’s seedy underbelly.  Humorous and heart-breaking and redemptive.

War Dances

by Sherman Alexie

YA to Adult

I am a fan of Alexie’s early poetry and short stories, and this book has that same wonderful feel, although with decidedly less magical realism than showed up in the earlier work.  A good follow-up to the National Book Award winning “Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian.”

The Host By Stephanie Meyer

I found this sci-fi tale of two girls in one body a much more accomplished story Twilight.  Sci-Fi for people that don’t really like Sci-Fi.

Percy Jackson: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

This is a satisfying ending to Riordan’s series, with a nice opening for a series about a new set of heroes and half-bloods.

Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan

A hit with guys.  So much so that I had to order some of them from Australia.  Good action, adventure, mystery with great relationships and other issues woven in.

Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness

This sequel to last year’s Knife of Never Letting Go is as compelling as the first.  You can hear the thoughts of boys and men, but not girls and women.  One group of men use that as an excuse to rule.  Thought provoking, surprising, disturbing.

Catching Fire By Suzanne Collins

I loved The Hunger Games and have waited anxiously for the sequel. They’re back in the games because the capital is facing an uprising inspired by their performance the first time around.  Cliffhanger ending, but worth the wait.

Thirteen Reasons Why By Jay Asher

OK, not new, but I loved this book and thought it worth mentioning for those who haven’t found it yet.  A girl commits suicide, but leaves behind a sort of chain letter that lets people know the impact their behavior had on her decision.  Powerful.

Going Bovine By Libba Bray

Weird, but also sad and funny and irreverent.  A boy with mad cow disease goes on a journey to save the planet accompanied by a punk rock angel, a little person named Gonzo, and the Norse God Balder disguised as a lawn gnome.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

This is a book about cause and effect, time travel, and the power of choice.  Really good.  Really thought-provoking. Mystery, but also something more.

How To Steal a Car by Pete Hautman

A suburban girl deals with a complicated life and teenage angst by stealing cars instead of developing an eating disorder or using drugs.  Nice device as Hautman takes you through each car’s theft.

Paper Towns By John Green

I love Green’s stuff.  This one is part mystery, part coming of age, and part road trip.  A girl disappears, but she leaves a “clue” for the neighbor boy to find.  He is convinced she wants him to find her.

Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

A great Zombie book that’s not really that much about Zombies. A girl living in an isolated village surrounded by a forest filled with “unconsecrated” wonders if there is more to the world than what she sees.  When the unconsecrated take over the village, she goes to find out.

Geektastic:  Stories from the Nerd Herd by Various Authors

A great collection of geek fiction from the likes of Libba Bray, M.T. Anderson, Scott Westerfield and many others.  These bright stories resonate.  These are the authors who get YA right.

Angry Management by Chris Crutcher

Three stories of anger gone awry, artfully told, which bring the return of several of Crutcher’s favorite characters.  Crutcher fans will love them (Welcome back, Angus!) and those new to Crutcher will seek out his older books.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Twilight with Angels? Sort of, but this one brings it’s own spin on things.  Angels are the new Vampires.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

Two high school students bond over hating the same people, but when he takes their Hate List to the extreme, she has to survive the aftermath.  Some heady issues, and a nice examination of what happens after a tragedy occurs.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot By Natalie Standiford

A unique, plutonic love story about two outsiders who connect on the fringes of teenage life.  There is depth here, and the kinds of quirky details that help elevate a story above standard YA fare.

Last Night I Sang to the Monster by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Readers meet Zach in an addiction treatment facility, but he is struggling to remember not only how he got there, but what has happened to him to get him to this point.  Those memories are the monster of the title, and the focus of the journal Zach writes as he heals.  Saenz does not shy away from the truth in this unique and effective novel.

A Song for Summer By Eva Ibbotson

Not new, but reissued and marketed for young adults, Ibbotson’s historical novels are quality reading for girls looking for romance, strength, and self-discovery.  Most set during WWII.

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have by Allan Zadoff

Andy is a 306 pound social outcast in the midst of an unpromising high school career.  Suddenly, a popular football player plucks Andy out of his obscurity and makes him a star.  This is a funny, engaging, John Hughes-style teen makeover story.

The Maze Runner By James Dashner

Thomas wakes up in “the Glade” in the middle of a maze with no memory of how he got there.  His new life is a game of survival where he and the other teenagers must work together to keep each other alive in the Maze.  Fans of The Hunger Games will enjoy this one, in spite of its cliffhanger ending.

Books I plan to read…

Love is the Higher Law by David Levithin

Three teens in post-911 New York deal with the aftermath in different and intersecting ways.

Daniel X (series) by James Patterson

Daniel X has powers that can save the world.  From the man who brought us Maximum Ride (among others).

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield

Alternate history WWI with a steampunk edge.   I loved the Uglies series, so I’ll definitely check this out.

Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

A 54 year-old concierge and a suicidal 12 year-old come together in a Paris apartment building.  Hugely popular in France.

Tombstone Tea by Joanne Dahme

A girl and a boy in a cemetery learning lessons from the ghosts of the inhabitants.

Taken by Edward Bloor

Our world in 2035 when it is commonplace for kids to be kidnapped and ransomed.  But when Claire is kidnapped, things go horribly wrong and she’s on her own.

Juggling Fire by Joanne Bell

A girl’s idyllic life in the woods is disrupted by her father’s depression and disappearance.  She takes off to find her own answers, reinventing fairy tales to keep herself entertained on the way.

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

Totalitarian Society.  Kids who discover powers that could save the world.  Sounds familiar, but Patterson usually makes it a fun ride.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia

A small town boy has dreams about a girl he’s never met.  When a new girl moves to town, he can’t seem to stay away from her.  “A curse…a girl…a grave.”

Thirteenth Child

by Patricia Wrede

Grades 5-8

This great read is sort of Little House on the Prairie meets Harry Potter. Some great and unique elements to this story about a civilizations trying to keep the unknown at bay with magic. At the same time, there is a growing segment of their civilization that is rejecting that path. The family at the center of the story is trying to navigate a path through it all.

Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie

YA-Adult

Another re-read for me this summer, but my daughter was reading it for her summer assignment for English. (Bravo LCHS for having such a great reading list for your Honors Freshman English students!) I loved getting to see her discover Alexie’s unique storytelling style, and getting to discuss both his writing and his story with her. This won the National Book Award for good reason.

Nobody’s Princess and Nobody’s Prize

by Esther Friesner

Grades 6-12

This is a really nice couple of historical novels about the young Helen of Troy. What kind of adolescent grows up to be a woman whose beauty caused wars and mayhem in the ancient world? In Friesner’s imaginings, it’s a girl who is fierce, independent, and likes to fight so much that she dresses as a boy to get the chance to train and travel. Readers will root for this heroic misfit on the verge of her womanhood and her historic beauty.

Half-Blood Prince

by J.K. Rowling

Grades 3-adult

Of course with the movie coming out I had to re-read this tragic chapter in the Harry Potter series. So much is revealed, and so much is lost, in this pentultimate volume. The movie was fun, but had none of the emotional import Rowling is able to communicate in the book. It held up really well in this second reading.

Thirteen Reasons Why

by Jay Asher

YA

Asher’s innovative storytelling and compelling tale will capture readers from the beginning. A girl commits suicide and leaves a sort of post-mortem chain letter that is to be passed around to all the people who she felt had a hand in her decision to kill herself. Some of them did harm, and some of them did good, but they have to keep the message going to find out which role they played. A really good read.

What I Saw and How I Lied

by Judy Blundell

YA

I was excited to read this National Book Award winner, but for me it was a surprising winner. The characters were interesting, and story held together well. It’s definitely a good read, but I wasn’t wowed in the way I have been by some of the other recent winners. That said, it’s a good historical novel about the realities of a family falling apart post-WWII and how the process of growing up can happen in an instant.

Ever

by Gail Carson Levine

Grades 5-12

I have really been enjoying Levine’s forays into re-imaginings of myths and traditional stories. This one has a god who wants to feel and experience what humans do. When he falls in love with a human, and she with him, they are both willing to sacrifice themselves to be with the other. Surprisingly well-developed for a myth-based tale, and some wonderfully modern ideas that work well in this context.

Tentacles

by Roland Smith

Grades 5-12

This long-awaited sequel to Cryptid Hunters takes a little while to get moving, but when it does it goes at breakneck speed to a cliff-hanger ending. Smith asks more questions than he answers, but fans will love revisiting these characters as they search for a giant squid and try to avoid the long reach of Noah Blackwood. Great adventure, nice development of the characters and relationships, and just a good, fun read.

Catching Fire

by Suzanne Collins

YA to adult

This sequel to The Hunger Games is a good one. Of course our heroes are still just trying to survive, now outside of the games. However, their victory in the Hunger Games has sparked an unexpected movement of rebellion in the districts, and the powers that be are trying to use them to subdue the resistance. Another cliff-hanger ending, but readers will love this sequel and long for the next.

American Teen

American Teen

YA-Adult

This was an interesting documentary I watched with my daughter this summer. Some apparent cliches are fleshed out as filmakers follow around five teens during a year of high school. There are predictably adolescent moments, but filmakers don’t demean them. They treat the very real feelings and experiences of these teens as the important life moments they are to the subjects. Not perfect, but definitely interesting.

Time Traveler’s Wife

by Audrey Niffenegger

Adult

I re-read this story, which I loved the first time, in preparation for seeing the movie that came out this summer. It was powerful in different ways the second time around, and ironically, reading it again made me more reluctant to see the film. I still haven’t seen it.

The Angel’s Game

by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Adult

My parents introduced me to this Spanish author, who’s other novel, Shadow of the Wind, is a terrific story, full of magical realism, set in the incredible city of Barcelona. The Angel’s Game has some connections to the other novel, but stands alone as a mystery and tragedy beautifully translated.

The Last Kingdom

by Bernard Cornwell

Adult

Another novel passed to me by my parents, this is the first in Cornwell’s novels about Alfred the Great. Vikings, Saxons, lots of fighting, and the birth of the British kingdom. If you love historical novels, Cornwell is someone to pick up.

Devil’s Cup

by Stewart Lee Allan

All ages

This was one of my first coffee reads this summer, and it’s a nice way to start. In this modern travelogue, Allan takes a journey tracing coffee from it’s origins in Ethiopia, to Yemen, Java, and then to how it spread over Europe, South America and the rest of the world. There are some great travel moments, some wonderful insights, and just a good, solid history of coffee.

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lilly Ponder

by Rebecca Wells

YA to adult

I am a Wells fan from way back, and Little Altars Everywhere is my favorite. Calla Lily Ponder had some great southern characters, and it was a good read, but it didn’t have the humor or the dark edges I have loved about Wells’ previous books. However, Calla Lily’s story is a good one, and worth reading.

I realized I’ve haven’t blogged a lot of what I’ve read.  So here’s a smattering of the missed titles of 2009. It’s mostly reading I did for fun, not for kids, but I thought they were worth sharing.

Luxe

by Anna Godberson

Grades 7-12

These are basically the Gossip Girl stories of the late 1800s.  New York socialites navigate a world of rules, intrigues, gossip and betrayal.  An interesting look into that era and probably a fun summer read for teens.

World Without End

by Ken Follett

Adult

I read Pillars of the Earth with great pleasure, and I looked forward to tackling this lengthy sequel.  It delivered on every point.  Follett knows the medieval world and brings it and it’s inhabitants to life on the page. I am an historical fiction junkie, and Follett makes it a worthwhile addiction.

Devil in the White City

by Erik Larson

YA-Adult

This is one of those amazing non-fiction books that is such an compelling story, or in this case two stories, that you can’t put it down.  It’s fascinating to watch both the growth of the Chicago World’s Fair and the growth of one of America’s first serial killers.  Loved it!

French Milk

By Lucy Knisley

YA-Adult

This is a lovely hybrid graphic novel/novel that is really the journal of a mother and daughter who rent an apartment together in Paris for a month.  Lucy is an aspiring comic book artist just graduated from college, and her mom is turning 50. Lucy’s journal is an honest expression of a 22 year-old’s experience, but it captures that person on the cusp of real adulthood in a wonderfully realistic way.  I gave it to my daughter for Easter, she loved it, as did my husband.

The Darcy Connection and Mr. Darcy’s Dream

by Elizabeth Aston

YA-Adult

These are the latest additions to a series of books about the imagined five daughters of Fitwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy from Pride and Prejudice.  Some of the books, like these two, take on the stories of people  connected with that family.  They are a fun indulgence for people that love the world of Regenecy England and Jane Austen.  A little more romance than I normally enjoy, but well-written.

Ah, the pleasure of spending an afternoon outside reading a good book…

The Last Olympian

Rick Riordan

Grades 5-8

This is a worthy ending to Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series.  Percy and his friends go up against the Titans and evil half-bloods in a final battle royale, and Percy finally learns the truth of the prophecy.  Riordan brings back all your favorite characters, feeds readers another dose of Greek mythology, and gives readers a satisfying ending to Percy’s journey.  He does, however, hint that this will not  be his last Camp Half-Blood series.

Dragonfly Pool

by Eva Ibbotson

Grades 4-8

I am becoming a big fan of Ibbotson’s wonderful storytelling, interesting characters, and unique way of setting both against the background of real turmoil.  This novel tells the story of a rather odd, “progressive” boarding school right at the beginning of WWII.  The children go abroad for a folk dancing festival and find themselves rescuing a recently orphaned prince whose father was killed by the Nazis.  Some great adventure, believable friendships, and characters you actually want to know.  Take a look at some of her other books, too:  Island of the Aunts, Dial-a-Ghost, and Journey to the River Sea, and many others.  She also has some great books for adults and young adults:  Song for Summer, Countess Below Stairs, and The Reluctant Heiress.

Carpe Diem

by Autumn Cornwell

Grades 7-12

This was a fun, if not altogether realistic, read about a teenager on the fast track who goes on the trip of a lifetime to visit her grandmother in Southeast Asia.  On the way, she is seeking a secret about herself, and she learns what it’s like to let go and live in the moment.  Lots of fun!

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed

By Mo Willems

Grade k-3

This is another simple but hilarious home run from the man who told you not to get the pigeon a hot dog.  In this story, a naked mole rat asks the question “why can’t we wear clothes?”  This gets him in a whole bunch of trouble with the other naked mole rats, until the head rat suggests that they should be able to do what they want.  Lots of fun and great illustrations.

Scaredy Squirrel At Night

by Melanie Watt

Grades K-3

Another great book with our favorite neurotic squirrel.  This time he enumerates all the reasons he’s afraid of the dark and can’t sleep (including unicorns and polka-dotted monsters).  Watt knows how to tickle funny bones young and old.

Love, Splat

by Ron Scotton

Grades K-3

Funny how we love insecure, neurotic characters, but Scotton’s back with a second installment about Splat the Cat.  In the first one, Splat was afraid to go to school.  This one features a Valentine’s Day theme.  Splat and his friends Spike are both in love with Kitten, but neither is very good at communicating that to her.  Hilarity ensues.

Max’s Dragon

by Kate Banks

Grades 1-4

Kate Banks’ first book about Max, Max’s Words, is one of the most underappreciated books in the library.  It is a brilliant treatise on the power and value of language and words.  In this follow up, Max is searching for rhymes, and in spite of his brothers’ mocking, Max is able to show that words will triumph in the end.  Perfect for budding writers and readers, and brilliantly and subtley done.

Some Dog

by Mary Casanova

Grades K-2

This is a sweet story about a mellow old dog who starts to doubt his place in the family when an energetic little stray shows up and shows off.  In the end, though, it’s the old dog who saves the day.  Great illustrations.

Purplicious

by Elizabeth Kann

Grades K-2

I was pretty impressed with this follow up to Pinkalicious.  Our heroine still loves pink, but the other girls in her class are teasing her because they say liking black is cooler.  After a week of angst, she meets a girl who shows her how powerful pink can be.

If you Give a Cat a Cupcake

by Laura Numeroff

Grades K-2

There’s nothing new in the pattern here, but these books seem to please kids no matter what the subject is.  Some modern elements here (the cat goes to the gym to work out) and some fun new settings (the beach, a park).

Yes We Can!

by Sam McBratney

Grades K-2

This book has a nice lesson without being too didactic.  The three friends challenge each other to do things, but when one of them fails, the other two laugh.  Pretty soon everyone is cranky and hurt.  The mother kangaroo comes up with a way to make things better. Wonderful expressive illustrations with lots of energy!

Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller

by Sarah Miller

Grades4-10

This is historical fiction in that it tells the story of Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller’s teacher, from Annie’s point of view. However, the events, conflicts, and even much of what Sullivan thought, are well-documented in other accounts, so this feels as much like a memoir as anything. A quick and lively read.

Chronicles of Vladimir Tod

by Heather Brewer

Grades 5-YA

We now have the first two of this series in the library. It’s a vampire book, yes, but it’s also a book about a teenage boy trying to cope with loss and growing up and the pain of being different. This isn’t going to be a classic, but it’s a worthwhile read for both boys and girls.

Chains

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Grades 5-YA

I think Anderson is writing some great stuff for young adults. Her contemporary fiction (most famously the novel “Speak”) is spot on, and her historical fiction is both compelling and interesting. This novel, the first in what will obviously be a series, tells the story of a Revolutionary War slave who is supposed to be freed when her master dies, but is instead sold off to a cruel Loyalist where she is overworked and beaten. In the meantime, the war is raging and both sides are trying to use her for their own purposes. This was a National Book Award finalist this year. A great read.

Models Don’t Eat Chocolate Cookies

by Erin Dionne

Grades 5-8

I was wary of this one, but the story takes a pretty healthy approach to the topics of teenagers, body image, and beauty. An overweight teen puts up with teasing and the loss of her best friend, but is basically ok with herself until her Aunt enters her in a plus size beauty pageant. She starts to eat healthier and exercise in order to sabotage the pageant and make herself ineligible. In the mean time she also learns some lessons about believing in herself and speaking up for what she wants. A nice story about empowerment.

An a podcast worth noting:

The Moth

http://www.themoth.org/

This one is not for kids, but I have been listening obsessively to all the backlist stories from this wonderful show. The concept is simple: people tell a true story about themselves on stage without notes. Most of the stories run 10-15 minutes. They range from hilarious to heartbreaking. The language can be rough, as can the content, but the stories are compelling.

Inkdeath

by Cornelia Funke

Grades 5 & up

I am a huge fan of this trilogy, and I think she closes it out beautifully with Inkdeath.  This has all the great villains, and heroes, and complex characters that made me love Inkheart to begin with.  There is justice, and action, and lots of surprises for readers in the Inkworld.

Uprising

by Margaret Haddix

Grades 5-12

This is a really compelling historical fiction novel about the Mill worker strikes of the early 20th century.  The main characters work at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, so the famous fire figures in the plot as well.  However, the real story here is what it was like to be a young woman in a time when the world was opening new possibilities for work, for voting, for college, and for life.  The three women Haddix focuses on are heroines for sure.

 Hurricaine

by Terry Trueman

Grades 4-8

This is a survival story that fans of Gary Paulsen can take a sideways step into.  The young protagonist survives a horrible hurricaine and its aftermath with determination and creative problem solving.  A wonderful look into another culture and the human spirit. By the local author of the book Stuck in Neutral, which is also excellent.

Tales of Beedle the Bard

by J.K. Rowling

All ages

Die-hard fans of Harry Potter can get a little fix while they are waiting for the delayed sixth movie to come out this summer.  This is a slim volume of stories, a copy of the stories given to Hermione by Dumbledore. The stories help guide the young heroes through the final two episodes of the series.  It is not a new Harry Potter book, but it is a new glimpse into the mythology of that world.

The Graveyard Book

by Neil Gaiman

Grades 5-adult

I know I already raved about this book, but I am so thrilled that it won the Newbery Award this year.  Gaiman says it is not a kids book, and I think he’s right in the sense that it is a book that is not just for kids.  Beautiful story, beautifully written.

Library Mouse

by David Kirk

Grades K-2

The library mouse writes books, and can’t understand why all the humans think this is such a hard thing to do.  When the librarians invite him to a “meet the author” event, he turns the tables on them and helps them see that we can all be authors.  Some great applications in the classroom.

The End

by David La Rochelle

Grades K-2

This clever book starts with the end, and then gives cause and effect statements all the way to the beginning of the story.  It has a wonderful sense of humor, and some nice possibilities for talking about writing, organization, sequencing, transitions, and lots of other writing skills.

Face to Face With Caterpillars

by Darlyne A. Murawski

Grades 2-6

This great series from National Geographic features fantastic photos and wonderfully informative text.  The layout is really appealing, and the facts go beyond just normal non-fiction fare.  There are titles with Grizzlies, Wolves, Sharks, Gorillas, and many others. Kids love them, and so will you.

Dinosaur Parade

by Kelly Milner Halls

Grades Pre-K-2

This vibrant picture book by local author Kelly Milner Halls has a wonderful rhyming text that tells kids about the dinosaurs.  The illustrations put the kids in the dinosaur parade, and by doing so show readers how big these dinosaurs were relative to the children.  The kids are wildly diverse, a nice thing to see in a picture book that’s not about diversity.  Kids will have a ball with this one.

Sorcerer of the North

by John Flanagan

Grades 5 & up

This is book 5 in the Ranger’s Apprentice series, finally out in the U.S. Will has his first official assignment as a Ranger, and if he fails, the whole kingdom could fall. Careful, though. This one has a cliffhanger ending and book 6 not out for months.

I, Q: Independence Hall

by Roland Smith

Grades 5-8

Smith is a very popular author amongst middle readers. This new series is about a blended family traveling around the country in an RV on tour. The parents are musicians while the new step-siblings are out solving crimes and helping international spy agencies. Good adventure, cool gadgets, lots of fun!

Catalyst

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Grades 9-12

Anderson knows how to strike a chord with young adults, and how to address taboo subjects in a way that’s smart and interesting. In this novel, a young perfectionist runs headlong into a family whose lives are falling apart. Anderson deals deftly with incest, unexpected grief, and understanding of what compassion really looks like.

Twisted

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Grades 9-12

Anderson again takes on some tough subjects (suicide, bullying, date rape, internet gossip, emotional abuse) with a skilled hand. This time her protagonist is a boy, Tyler, who has a reputation for being a screw-up because he vandalized the school. He’s paying for his crimes over and over by the way he is treated by his family and peers. However, the dream girl starts to pay attention to him, and things are looking up until someone posts some unseemly photos of her, and Tyler gets blamed. I am still not sure I liked or believed the resolution, but I still enjoyed the book.

The Knife of Never Letting Go

by Patrick Ness

Grades 8-adult

This novel has a fascinating premise: imagine a world where the thoughts of all males (people and animals) can be heard by everybody else. In Ness’ novel people walk around hearing each other’s “noise” all the time, however, nobody can hear the noise of women. When one boy, Todd, is about to become a man, he discovers the secret of what really happened to the women in his town, and he tries to escape. This is a great adventure, with a really thought-provoking and original premise. Warning: it’s also book one in a series with a cliffhanger ending.

Tender Morsels

by Margo Lanagan

Grades 9-adult

I generally love novels that feel a bit like fairy tales, or at least that have some of those elements. This one had that appeal, but in the way the darkest, original versions of fairy tales appeal. A young woman who has been brutalized in many ways is “given” another world to live in, a world that is her dream in many ways. However, as she raises her two daughters there, the real world keeps encroaching on her world, and eventually the two come together again. There is a lot of darkness in this book, and at times it was achingly sad, but the characters and story are compelling and rich.

Octavian Nothing: Kingdom of the Waves

by M. T. Anderson

Grades 9-Adult

I read and liked the first book of Octavian Nothing, which won the National Book Award a couple years back. I liked this one even better. Octavian Nothing is a Revolutionary War-era slave who is raised to believe he is a prince. However, this fabrication is an experiment created by a college of scientists to test the mental and emotional abilities of the slave races and the idea of Tabula Rasa. This book continues Octavian’s story as he joins the Loyalist forces and tries to discover more about his past and parentage. Anderson has a created a richly written historical novel, with some wonderfully original stories about some of the lesser known participants in the Revolutionary War. A challenging but worthwhile read

The Last Lecture

by Randy Pausch

Grades 6-adult

This is not my normal fare, but I bought this on the recommendation of several friends, and I’m really glad a did. Pausch was a smart, insightful guy with a some incredible clarity about his own life and death. I admit I cried whenever he talked about his children growing up without a father, but not because it was maudlin, because Pausch said things that connected in a universal way. His actual “Last Lecture” is on You Tube, and watching it made me like Pausch and the book even more.

To Kill A Mockingbird

by Harper Lee

Grades 6-Adult

My 8th grade daughter just read this book for the first time. It challenged her, especially those first fifty pages, but once she was deep into the book, she was hooked. She rooted for Tom, couldn’t put it down during the trial, and loved the ending. For her, Scout is the hero of the book as much as Atticus. I loved hearing her perspective on this beloved novel. If you haven’t read it in awhile, it might be a timely classic to pick back up.

Road to Oz

by Kathleen Krull

Grades 3-5

There are few biographies of this beloved author written for this age group.  How wonderful that Kathleen Krull would be the one to write this engaging picture book biography.  Kevin Hawkes’ illustrations are a great fit for images of Baum’s life, both the realistic parts and the flights of imagination.

As Good As Anybody

by Richard Michelson

Grades 2-4

This wonderful book tells the stories of Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Herschel, a Jewish Rabbi.  They were friends, and were both working for civil rights at the same time. This book addresses both their differences, their common experiences with discrimination, and their work together for tolerance in America.

Helen Keller: Her Life in Pictures

by George Sullivan

Grades 4-6

This is an interesting take on Helen Keller’s life, and one of the first I’ve seen that really shows her as a complex, interesting human being beyond her amazing accomplishments.  The photos really lend her a humanity and personality many biographies miss.

Sisters & Brothers

by Steve Jenkins

Grades 2-5

This is another of Jenkins’ wonderful books about the natural world.  This one examines some amazing facts about how siblings interact in the natural world.  It ranges from animals who stay allies with brothers or sisters throughout their lives, to species who eat their unlucky siblings as soon as they are born.  Fascinating, and wonderfully illustrated.

Bees, Snails & Peacock Tails

by Betsy Franco

Grades K-3

This is a great concept book, illustrated by Steve Jenkins.  It looks at patterns and shapes as they are found in nature.  Good informative text and beautiful illustrations.