Best of...

I love this time of year with all the Best of Book Lists!  I thought it would be fun to create a post with links to all of the wonderful book lists. Well, not all, but all the ones I find over the next few weeks.   I love seeing titles that I have read and loved, while at the same time, seeing others that I need to add to my "to read" list. 

GoodReads Choice Awards - one of my favorites.  I love to vote each year!

Amazon Best Books of the Year: 2012 Editors' Picks

 

 

YALSA 2012 Best of the Best - Young Adult Services Association

 

 



                                                           

 

Notable Children's Books - the New York Times picks for YA, Middle Grade, and Children's Picture Books

 

 



 

 







Read, Dream, Grow

December 1, 2012...is Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day! 

It is so important to instill a love of learning and reading in the lives of our little ones.  They are sponges, and they learn from new experiences.  A book can open the door to places that children may have never been or be able to go.  Support your local bookstore while nourishing your child's imaginative and inquisitive mind on December 1.  I hope to see you there!

Reached

Finally, the long awaited conclusion in the Matched trilogy!  It was just released November 13 and it was worth the wait.  I had preordered this one to be waiting on my doorstep on the 13th when I got home from work. 

There are several things that really impressed me about Ally Condie's third book.  First and foremost, I just love her writing style.  It is so eloquent.  She is gifted with such a poetic way of writing.  I can visualize her scenes very easily, yet I never feel like I'm reading huge paragraphs of boring descriptions.   Second, I loved the alternating chapters of Cassia, Ky, and Xander.  I missed Xander in Crossed and enjoyed his return to Reached.  Third, Ally Condie started answering some of my many burning questions in the first few pages.  That was exciting!  Yet, she kept the twists and turns coming, so I was never free from wondering and questioning.  I thought this book did a marvelous job of "sorting things out".  It is the first in the series to get 5 stars on Goodreads from me.

Here is the book trailer from Penguin Young Readers.

Pete the Cat Saves Christmas!

Yay!!  A new Pete the Cat picture book!  There is always a catchy tune when it comes to Pete the Cat. I can't wait to see what this one is.

So, let's click on the "browse inside this book" button and discover Pete's new Christmas song and story together!

Hmmm, I saw some of the book, which looks really fun.  But, I still don't know the tune to the song.  So, here is a short clip with some music included.



Thanks HarperKids for sharing your book with us!

I Funny!

I Funny, is James Patterson's very funny book expected to be out on December 10, 2012.  I was lucky enough to receive an advanced reader's copy!  I devoured this book.  Books for this age group do not always hold my interest, especially when they are trying to be funny.  This book IS funny!  It is also realistic fiction at its best.  Jamie Grimm is a great main character who deals with bullying, disabilities, and loss.  The reader grows and learns a great deal right alongside Jamie through Jamie's story hidden among the laughs and jokes (I actually even had a few tears). Of course, the back of the books says it best, "...a powerful and kid-friendly recipe of a laugh-out-loud story that packs an unexpected emotional punch." This is not normally my kind of book. If there is a sequel, I will read it!

Jamie Grimm, in his wheelchair, wants to be a stand-up comedian even though he is sitting in his wheelchair all the time.  This as part of his routine.  Jamie is being raised as part of a distant relative's family, and his worst enemy at school is his bully of a cousin, Stevie.  Jamie has a lot to overcome with this bully that he also lives with, and his story behind the laughter and the wheelchair.  Jamie's yo-yoing Uncle Frankie becomes an instrumental figure in Jamie's life.  Full of jokes and laughter, there are also tender moments of true emotion.  Highly recommended!

November

Hurray for picture books!!  I will be concentrating on some of the newest picture books this month.  Ok, so maybe some old favorites too.  Picture books, believe it or not, are not just enjoyed by the youngest of children.  The humor in some of them will be over their head, but the older elementary reader will "get" all the nuances.  Adults love them too!

A great example of this is Amy Rosental's Spoon and Chopsticks.  You will enjoy the humorous play on words in these two books.

   

Here is a book trailer of Spoon.

 

Amy also wrote another one of my favorites, Little Pea! It is about a cute little pea who is tired of eating candy for all his meals.  He just wants dessert...spinach!!!

Liar & Spy

 

Liar & Spy

by Rebecca Stead

 

 

 

Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me, winner of the 2009 Newbery Award, has written another fun-loving book with a settle message.  The many twists and turns at the end made the book even more intriguing.  It is realistic fiction, as Georges has to deal with many things; his dad lost his job, his family must move to an apartment, he has to face making new friends as well as dealing with classmates that aren't always so nice, his mom has an issue (no giveaways here), and he must deal with a liar and spy.  My graduate school book club read this for our elementary/middle school selection.  I have passed it on for my public library middle school book club.  It is a great one to use for book clubs, if you can keep everyone from reading ahead.  The  mystery will keep the kids guessing all the way through.  The many twists at the end are surprising, and the lessons learned will spur on some great discussions.



Hello all!

I am finally back!!!  I have finished my Master's of Library Science and have acquired a position at our local public library.  I am loving it.  I have been reading a ton, but not blogging.  So, I am back to it.

First of all, I want to send a big thanks to SYNC, who gave free audiobook downloads to our young adults (or anyone else) who wanted some books to listen to this summer.  Each week, I could download a classic and a young adult book for my listening pleasure.  I enjoyed it very much.  I am hooked on listening to a book when I drive anywhere.  Why not?  It keeps the blood pressure down when I am stuck in traffic because I just get more listening time!!  The plan is to have more available next summer, so check in with them.

I have lots of books to blog about, but I can tell you that it is much harder to blog this long after reading them!  I think I will have to pick and choose which ones to write a review about, while I try to keep current from this point forward.  I also think my blog will take a turn toward including both young adult books (because I love to read them) and picture books (because I work with the preschool to elementary kids at the library). 

It's great to be back!!