Teen/YA Books

Librarians Pick Their Favorite Books of 2014

/ Louise / Leave a comment

The top ten titles that public library staff most enjoyed recommending in 2014 have been announced. As part of LibraryReads first-year celebration,  library staff members across the country voted on their favorite LibraryReads’s picks from the monthly lists beginning with the first one in September, 2013.

The resulting list, in order of most votes received, is:

1. The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. A middle-aged bookseller mourning his lost wife, a feisty publisher’s rep, and a charmingly precocious abandoned child come together on a small island off the New England coast in this utterly delightful novel of love and second chances.

2. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Don Tillman, a brilliant geneticist, thinks that having women fill out a six-page, double-sided questionnaire before a date is logical and reasonable. Rosie Jarman, an impetuous barmaid, thinks Don should loosen up and learn to live a little. Follow the unlikely pair in this laugh-out-loud, feel-good story of unexpected joys, discovery and love.

3. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Set during World War II Europe, this novel is sobering without being sentimental. The tension builds as the alternating, parallel stories of Werner and Marie-Laure unfold, and their paths cross.

4. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. At turns funny, sweet, smart, and sad, Fangirl traces Cath’s journey to independence as she begins college, struggles to have an identity separate from her twin sister, find her voice and passion as a writer, and fall in love for the first time.

5. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Readers who love the novelist for her richly developed, dark, multi-layered characters and thoroughly researched topics will not be disappointed. Tartt pulls together many threads of a story across a long span of pages and into a complete masterpiece.

6. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart. This brilliant and heartbreaking novel tells the story of a prestigious family living on a private island off the coast of Massachusetts. Full of love, lies, secrets, no shortage of family dysfunction, and a shocking twist that you won’t see coming.

7. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. An actor playing King Lear dies onstage just before a cataclysmic event changes the future of everyone on Earth. What will be valued and what will be discarded? Will art have a place in a world that has lost so much? What will make life worth living?

8. One Plus One by Jojo Moyes. A single mom, her math genius daughter, her eye-shadow-wearing stepson, a wealthy computer geek and a smelly dog all get into a car…it sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it’s actually another charming novel from Jojo Moyes.

9. Landline by Rainbow Rowell. Landline explores the delicate balance women make between work and family, considering the tradeoffs and pain. Rowell has a special gift for offering incredible insights into ordinary life. Never heavy-handed, Rowell’s writing is delivered with humor and grace.

10. Longbourn by Jo Baker. Using Pride and Prejudice’s familiar setting and characters, Baker tells a very different story of family, love and self-discovery.beautiful, uplifting novel full of mystery, hope and romance. Highly recommended for Austen fans and historical fiction readers.

Getting Crafty With Children For the Holidays

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment
Now that the holiday season is more than well underway, parents are being barraged with want lists from their children, buried in catalogs and flyers, and hounded by television and radio ads for the next big thing. My favorite way to combat all the commercial craziness is to set the kids to crafting. No matter what holidays you celebrate this season, or none at all, it is a great time to channel that energy and excitement into making gifts or doing good things for others. Here are some books to help channel the creative energy into gifts, decorations, or charitable donations from children and adults of all ages.

1. Crafts to Make in the Winter by Kathy Ross

2. Jewish Holiday Crafts for Little Hands by Ruth Esrig Brinn with Judyth Groner and Madeline Wikler

3. Crafts for Kwanzaa by Kathy Ross

4. The Greatest Cookies Ever: Dozens of Delicious, Chewy, Chunky, Fun & Foolproof Recipes by Rose Dunnington

9. The Grolier Kidscrafts Craft Book by Cheryl Owen, Anna Murray

10. Swedish Christmas Crafts by Helene S. Lundberg

Looking for more inspiration and ideas to keep everyone busy? Here are some more books to create a spark of creativity, but if you are looking for a specific craft or type of activity do not be afraid to come on in and ask. We can find a book to help you out!
Find more inspiration here; Christmas Presents Kids Can Make by Kathy Ross, The Merry Christmas Activity Book by Jane Bull, Kids Knit!: Simple Steps to Nifty Projects by Sarah Bradberry, Fairy World Crafts by Kathy Ross, Kids Crochet: Projects for Kids of All Ages by Kelli Ronci, Holiday Crafts Kids Can Make edited by Gerald M. Knox, The Kids’ Winter Fun Book: Homespun Adventures for Family Fun by Claire Gillman & Sam Martin, Christmas Crafts: Things to Make the 24 Days Before Christmas by Carolyn Meyer, The Children’s Book of Kwanzaa: a Guide to Celebrating the Holiday by Dolores Johnson, Kids Knittingby Melanie Falick, EcoArt! : Earth-Friendly Art & Craft Experiences for 3- to 9-year-olds by Laurie Carlson, Festival Decorationsby Anne Civardi & Penny King, and Step-by-Step Crafts for Winter by Kathy Ross.

Sharon Reads: Centaur Rising by Jane Yolan

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment
Centaur Rising is a middle grade to young adult novel by Jane Yolen. Arianne has always wished for magic in her life, a meteor shower and some team work might just make that reality. During the Perseid meteor shower, Arianne thinks she sees a shooting star land in the fields surrounding her family’s horse farm. About a year later, one of their horses gives birth to a baby centaur. The family wants to protect the young boy and has had enough attention already. Arianne’s six-year-old brother was born with birth defects caused by an experimental drug, and their rock-star father has deserted them. They do not want the limelight, but soon the horse farm’s clients growing suspicious. How long can they keep their secret and everyone safe? What will happen if the world learns about the miracle on the farm?
Centaur Rising keeps with the record of Yolan never disappointing me. I really enjoyed the characters, the setting, and the premise. Arianne is a girl that has grown up faster than she should, and is still both compassionate and weary. Her father left the family when her younger brother was born with birth defects. Her outlook was realistic with still a wistful hope for magic and better things. I loved her younger brother’s determination and resilience, and her mothers efforts to protect them both.  I will say that my favorite character is still Martha, a employee that is more of a family member on the horse farm. I think that the description of the centaur foal and his development was key to the story. It kept the wonder of his very existence, but also dealt with the practicalities and truth that made him much more human and real than most people here in reality, This is much more than a fantasy, more than a coming of age story, this is a look at how real people facing extraordinary circumstances still have to keep moving forward and dealing with the minute details that are often left out of books and television. I also have to say that I got a bit of a kick out of the fact that the farm where this all takes place just happens to be right here in Connecticut.
I really enjoyed Centaur Rising. Yolan, as usual, brings her characters to life. She leaves readers with a feeling that this family, this farm, could really be out there somewhere. Her characters are so real. Like in real life, there are funny moments, moments that make you want to scream, and moments that make it all worth while.
I gave this book 4 stars in my review, which was previously published on Sharon the Librarian and Goodreads.

You Can Turn Endless Political Talk into Election Education

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

With the political ads practically inescapable lately and midterm elections happening today, it is a perfect time to talk about voting with our children. Introducing the history, responsibilities, reasoning and ideals behind voting, and maybe a few laughs along the way, can turn the political ad season into a more enjoyable prospect for readers of all ages. I have broken the subject into two short lists, non fiction books and fiction.

Juvenile Nonfiction:

1.How Do We Elect Our Leaders by Willian David Thomas

2.Voting by Sarah De Capua

3.Today on Election Day by Catherine Stier

5. If I Ran for President by Catherine Stier

More nonfiction books that are solid resources in understanding the political process and the history behind it include: Eyewitness Vote by Phillip Steele, Getting Elected: a Look at Running for Office by Robin Nelson and Sandy Donovan, Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President by Ann Malaspina, Rightfully Ours: How Women Won the Vote, 21 Activities by Kerrie Logan Hollihan, So You Want to be president? by Judith St. George, The Taxing Case of the Cows; A True Story About Suffrage by Iris van Rynbach and Pegi Deitz Shea, Running for Public Office by Sarah De Capua, Vote! by Eileen Christelow, You Want Women to Vote, Lizzie Stanton? by Jean Fritz, A Kid’s Guide to the Voting Process by Tammy Gagne, and America Votes: How our President is Elected by Linda Granfield.

Juvenile Fiction:

1. Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio

5. Amelia Bedelia’s First Vote by Herman Parish

More stories about elections and the political process include: Election Day by Margaret McNamara,
President of the Whole Fifth Grade by Sherri Winston, Vote for Larry by Janet Tashjian (YA), Bad Kitty for President by Nick Bruel,Vote 4 Amelia by Marissa Moss, Pioneer Summer by Deborah Hopkinson, The Case of the Crooked Campaign by Lewis B. Montgomery, Otto Runs for President by Rosemary Wells, The Red, White, and Blue Crew by Lisa Mullarkey, The Hope Chest by Karen Schwabach, Babymouse for President by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm, Duck for President by Doreen Cronin,and Vote for Me! by Ben Clanton.

Great Graphic Novels for Young Adults

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

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If you have not been in our teen or children’s area lately you might not know that we have a solid collection of graphic novels for both age groups. The collections include the expected superhero books, but there are also classic stories and non fiction books in graphic novel format. There is also a large collection of Manga in the teen section that garners a large amount of attention for older children and teens. I would highly suggest taking a look at these collections and checking out the wide variety and high quality of graphic novels that have been released in the last few years. Just because the book is shelved in the teen section, that does not mean adults of all ages cannot enjoy them as well. However, if you are uncomfortable checking these out yourself we also have a growing collection of adult graphic novels.

 1.The King’s Dragon by Scott Chantler

2.Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff

3. Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan

4. Primates: the Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas by Jim Ottaviani & Maris Wicks

5. The War Within these Walls by Aline Sax

6. The Adventures of Superhero Girl  by Faith Erin Hicks

7. War Brothers: the Graphic Novel by Sharon E. McKay, Daniel Lafrance ; art by Daniel Lafrance

8.Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi

9. The Sea-Wolf by Jack London ; adapted by Riff Reb’s

10. Bad Machinery. Vol. 1, The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison

This list barely scratches the surface of great graphic novels that are currently gracing our shelves. In fact, the happens to be a brand new order of graphic novels that need a little attention and then will be ready for you to check out as well. Here are some more books in our collection that are well worth reading as you wait the next batch of new additions; The Undertaking of Lily Chen by Danica Novgorodoff, Hidden: a child’s story of the Holocaust  by Loïc Dauvillier, Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi, Laddertop. Books 1-2 by Orson Scott Card, Battling Boy by Paul Pope,  Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong by Prudence Shen & Faith Erin Hicks, Peanut by Ayun Halliday, The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet: a play by William Shakespeare by adapted by Gareth Hinds, Saints and Boxers by Gene Luen Yang, Templar  by Jordan Mechner, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: theGgraphic Novel  by Ransom Riggs, and Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and other Things that Happened by Allie Brosh.