A Reading List for Divergent Devotees

March 29, 2014June 13, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Do you love Divergent (the book series and/or the movie)? Were you there opening night, or are you still waiting to go watch the movie? Have you already read the series and love it, or are you trying to get your hands on the book and waiting for your turn with a library copy? Well, there are some books with similar themes that might make waiting for the book or movie more enjoyable.

Pulse by Patrick Carman
In the year 2051, when most Americans live in one of two gigantic, modern States, Faith Daniels, part of a dwindling group that lives between, learns that she, like other misfits, has unusual abilities that could help when the inevitable war begins.

Inside Out by Maria V. Snyder
I’m Trella. I’m a scrub. A nobody. One of thousands who work the lower levels, keeping inside clean for the Uppers. I’ve got one friend, do my job, and try to avoid the Pop Cops. So what if I occasionally use the pipes to sneak around the Upper levels. The only neck at risk is my own…until I accidentally start a rebellion and become the go-to-girl to lead a revolution”

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, she falls in love.

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Sixteen-year-old Ruby breaks out of a government-run ‘rehabilitation camp’ for teens who acquired dangerous powers after surviving a virus that wiped out most American children.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Aria and Perry, two teens from radically different societies–one highly advanced, the other primitive–hate being dependent on one another until they overcome their prejudices and fall in love, knowing they can’t stay together.

Legend by Marie Lu
In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-old Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
Sixteen-year-old Malencia (Cia) Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she figures out her friends who do not pass The Testing are disappearing.

But wait, don’t go anywhere yet! You should no by now I have trouble limiting my lists and have more for you. Here are some more books that I think fans of Divergent will enjoy; The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, Matched by Allyson Braithwaite Condie, Enclave by Ann Aguirre, Blood Red Road by Moira Young, Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien, Crewel by Gennifer Albin, Breathe by Sarah Crossan, The Line by Teri Hall, XVI by Julia Karr, Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi, Article 5 by Kristen Simmons, Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Wey.

Sharon Reads: Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody

March 23, 2014June 13, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody is a new look at the time of Robin Hood, from a completely new angle. Thirteen year old Will Shakley is the son of a lord, and has led a fairly charmed life. However, when his father is off at war fighting beside King Richard the winds change and treason is in the air. Will ends up in the forest struggling to survive. It is there that we all met up with a group of bandits. Through their trials and adventures young Will is a part of Robin Hood’s rise to power and fame.

This is an exciting tale that will keep boys and girls from around 9 through high school interested. The story follows a thirteen year old struggling with his own identity and values. He faces challenges many of us cannot directly relate too, like fights with wolves, crazy chases through the woods, facing off with a bandit leader, and quite the fire. However the story also brings up things anyone today could face, such as dealing with an over protective mother, coping with an absentee father, and trying to live up with the exceptions others have for him. The adventures of Will and the unlikely crew of comrades he acquires has moments that made me want to hold my breath to see how things turned out, while others just had me reading faster so that I discover how everything would turn out in the end. Cody certainly offered a fan of the Robin Hood legends a fresh look at Rob, Little John, Sir Guy, the Sheriff, and the rest. I also appreciated the addition of Much, who really pulled through and saved the day on more than one occasion. I think readers new to the legend might find this a great motivator to take a look at other versions of the story.

I highly recommend Will in Scarlet to all middle grade readers. The book had serious elements, excitement, and humor. Above all else, Cody does not dumb anything down just because he is writing for children and young adults. It is intelligently written, with a authentic feel in the dialogue. The details and politics of the day are well described, because they are central to the plot, but in a way that might inspire further research or reading more historical fiction rather than feeling educational. I gave this book four stars on Goodreads. (This review was originally published on Sharon the Librarian.)

Young Adult Road Trip Books

March 18, 2014June 13, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

As we are all hiding indoors because of the cold weather it is a perfect time to read something different. In particular, I think it is a great time to read about road trips and grand adventures that we could only hope to take once the thaw comes. Here are some of the best young adult books about road trips that I have seen in the last year or so. Readers that just happen to be a decade (or more) past the ‘young adult’ years (like myself) should not be afraid to venture into the teen stacks to pick one of these up. You will thank us later.

Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest by A. Lee Martinez.
On a road trip across an enchanted America, Helen and Troy will discover all this and more. If the curse placed upon them by an ancient god doesn’t kill them or the pack of reluctant orc assassins don’t catch up to them, Helen and Troy might reach the end their journey in one piece, where they might just end up destroying the world. Or at least a state or two. A minotaur girl, an all-American boy, a three-legged dog, and a classic car are on the road to adventure, where every exit leads to adventure.

Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger
Sixteen-year-old Hattie and eighteen-year-old Delores set off on a road trip that takes unexpected turns as they discover the healing power of friendship and confront what each of them is fleeing from.

Chasing the Skip by Janci Patterson.
When fifteen-year-old Rick’s mother finally leaves for good, Ricki’s absentee father steps in, taking Ricki with him as he chases bail “skips” across the country, but their fledgling relationship is tested as they pursue attractive, manipulative, seventeen-year-old Ian Burnham.

How my Summer Went up in Flames by Jennifer Salvato Doktorski.
Placed under a temporary restraining order for torching her former boyfriend’s car, seventeen-year-old Rosie embarks on a cross-country car trip from New Jersey to Arizona while waiting for her court appearance.

Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham.
Alice, Summer, and Tiernan were best friends who broke up at the same time as their favorite band, but four years later, just before they are preparing to go off to college, the girls reluctantly come back together, each with her own motives, for a road trip from Massachusetts to Austin, Texas, for the band’s one-time-only reunion concert.

Of course I cannot end a list at just five, so here are some more great young adult books about amazing road trips. Going Bovine by Libba Bray, In Honor by Jessi Kirby, Perfect Escape by Jennifer Brown, Paper Towns by John Green, Catch and Release by Blythe Woolstone,
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour, Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson, 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, Saving June by Hannah Harrington, Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard, and Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer.

Book Recommendations for Emergent Readers

March 9, 2014June 13, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Do you have a young child in your life that is just starting to ‘get’ reading? Emergent readers are those that have developed an understanding of the alphabet, phonological awareness, and early phonics. They have command of a significant number of high-frequency words, reads in a left-to-right and top-to-bottom progression, may tell the story from memory, may invent text, and are developing a firmer grasp of comprehension strategies and decoding skills. They can recognize fiction and nonfiction, and understand that there are many reasons to read.

Books for these readers should have increasingly more lines of text per page, a more complex sentence structure, less reliance on repetitive pattern and images, as well as more detailed looks at familiar topics. These books are typically Fountas & Pinnell Levels D-J or DRA Levels 6-16.Our library has labeled and cataloged a number of paperback books in levels A through G. However, our hardcover easy readers and higher level books are not leveled in the same way, and it sometimes takes a little extra time to find books that are interesting to your emergent reader and of the correct difficulty to help them continue to enjoy reading and still advance their skills. Here are some recommended books for emergent readers.

1. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and more by Bill Martin Jr.

2. Hop On Pop, One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, and many more by Dr. Seuss

3. Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka

4. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins

5. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

6. Frog and Toad Are Friends (and the entire Frog and Toad series) by Arnold Lobel

7. Look by Ted Lewin (I Like to Read series)

8. See Me Dig by Paul Meisel (I Like to Read series)

9. Bronzeville Boys and Girls by Gwendolyn Brooks

10. Let’s Go for a Drive! (and the entire Elephant and Piggie series) by Mo Willems

Did you think I could stop there? There are more and more worth while books for readers of all skill levels and ages out there every day. While many recommended books on my list are classics, there are new offerings as well. If the books already suggested have already been devoured, there are plenty more to add to your reading list. Do not forget to comment with any of your favorites that I might have missed! You might also want to check out:

Car Goes Far by Michael Garland, Perros! Perros!/Dogs! Dogs!: A Story in English and Spanish by Ginger Foglesong Gibson, Please Say Please! Penguin’s Guide to Manners by Margery Cuyler, Eight Animals Play Ball by Susan Middleton Elya, Froggy’s Best Babysitter (or any Froggy books) by Jonathan London, SuperHero ABC by Bob McLeod, Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas, No, David! by David Shannon, Mr. Putter And Tabby Bake The Cake (or any Mr. Putter books) by Cynthia Rylant, or Henry and Mudge and the Best Day of All (or any Henry and Mudge books) by Cynthia Rylant.

Great Seuss Books You Might Not Remember

March 4, 2014June 13, 2014 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Sunday March 2nd would have been Theodor Seuss Geisel’s 110th birthday. In honor of the wonderful and well loved Dr. Seuss, who also wrote under the name Theo Le Sieg, I want to mention some of his wonderful books that you might not remember. We all recognize the titles The Cat in the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish. My daughter is extremely fond of The Lorax, Fox in Socks, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and so I can recite those on demand. Most of us even have vague recollections of less known stories like Daisy-head Mayzie and that the devoted elephant Horton starred in more than one story. However, how many of these other titles have you read?

My Many Colored Days This rhyming story describes each day in terms of a particular color which in turn is associated with specific emotions.

I Am Not Going to Get Up Today! A boy is so sleepy that he vows nothing will get him out of his morning bed, neither peas and beans nor the United States Marines.

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! The students of Diffendoofer School celebrate their unusual teachers and curriculum, including Miss Fribble who teaches laughing, Miss Bonkers who teaches frogs to dance, and Mr. Katz who builds robotic rats.

The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories
Presents seven Dr. Seuss stories first published in magazines between 1950 and 1951, with an introduction and commentary on each. The Bippolo Seed, The rabbit, the bear, and the Zinniga-Zanniga, Gustav, the Goldfish,Tadd and Todd, Steak for Supper, The Strange Shirt Spot, and The Great Henry McBride.

And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street A boy imagines a series of incredible sights on his way home from school so that he will have an interesting report to give his father.