Spring 2013 Giveaway!

Yay!... As of 7:02 this morning, it is officially spring! Which means it's time for our annual spring cleaning! Lucinda and I have once again bravely faced up to the piles of Advance Reading Copies (ARCs)  invading our offices and homes, and we've ruthlessly decided to part with the bulk of them. The good news for you? We've got 25 ARCs up for grabs, just waiting for you to claim them!

Rules of entry are at the end of the post. Please note that all prizes must be picked up at a BCPL location. Contest ends at 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, 2013.

Here are the titles we have up for grabs!

The Wednesday Daughters by Meg Waite Clayton (July 2013)
Companion Novel to The Wednesday Sisters
In the tradition of Kristin Hannah and Karen Joy Folwer, Meg Waite Clayton,
bestselling author of The Wednesday Sisters, returns with an enthralling new
novel of mothers, daughters, and the secrets and dreams passed down through
generations. –Excerpt from Publisher Overview

Five Star Billionaire by Tash Aw (July 2013)
Phoebe is a factory girl who has come to Shanghai with the promise of a job—but when she arrives she discovers that the job doesn’t exist. Gary is a country boy turned pop star who is spinning out of control. Justin is in Shanghai to expand his family’s real estate empire, only to find that he might not be up to the task. He has long harbored a crush on Yinghui, a poetry-loving, left-wing activist who has reinvented herself as a successful Shanghai businesswoman. Yinghui is about to make a deal with the shadowy Walter Chao, the five star billionaire of the novel, who with his secrets and his schemes has a hand in the lives of each of the characters. All bring their dreams and hopes to Shanghai, the shining symbol of the New China, which, like the novel’s characters, is constantly in flux and which plays its own fateful role in the lives of its inhabitants. –From Publisher Overview

Second Suns by David Oliver Relin (June 2013)
"Two Doctors and Their Amazing Quest to Restore Sight and Save Lives," from the author of Three Cups of Tea.

Transatlantic by Colum McCann (June 2013)
Three iconic transatlantic flights—Newfoundland, 1919; Dublin, 1845 and '46; and New York, 1998—are interconnected in this latest from the National Book Award–winning author of Let the Great World Spin.

The Blood of Heaven by Kent Wascom (June 2013)

The Blood of Heaven is the story of Angel Woolsack, a preacher’s son, who flees the hardscrabble life of his itinerant father, falls in with a charismatic highwayman, then settles with his adopted brothers on the rough frontier of West Florida, where American settlers are carving their place out of lands held by the Spaniards and the French. The novel moves from the bordellos of Natchez, where Angel meets his love Red Kate to the Mississippi River plantations, where the brutal system of slave labor is creating fantastic wealth along with terrible suffering, and finally to the back rooms of New Orleans among schemers, dreamers, and would-be revolutionaries plotting to break away from the young United States and create a new country under the leadership of the renegade founding father Aaron Burr.

The Blood of Heaven is a remarkable portrait of a young man seizing his place in a violent new world, a moving love story, and a vivid tale of ambition and political machinations that brilliantly captures the energy and wildness of a young America where anything was possible. It is a startling debut. –Publisher's Overview

Crime and Privilege by Walter Walker (June 2013)
In the tradition of Scott Turow, William Landay, and Nelson DeMille, Crime of Privilege is a stunning thriller about power, corruption, and the law in America—and the dangerous ways they come together. –Excerpt from Publisher Overview

Fox Forever by Mary E. Peterson (March 2013)
Jenna Fox Chronicles #3
Before he can start a life with Jenna, seventeen-year-old Locke, who was brought back to life in a newly bioengineered body after an accident destroyed his body 260 years ago, must do a favor for the resistance movement opposing the nightmarish medical technology.

Criminal Enterprise by Owen Laukkanen (March 2013)
Kirk Stevens and Carla Windermere novels #2
When a secretly unemployed man begins robbing banks in a desperate struggle to hold onto his once-successful life, FBI Special Agent Carla Windermere and Minnesota state investigator Kirk Stevens approach the case from respective angles and reconnect when the robber develops a taste for violence.  –NoveList

The Still Point of the Turning World by Emily Rapp (March 2013)
Relates how the author's hopes for her infant son were shattered when he was diagnosed with a fatal degenerative disorder at nine months, and describes how she coped with her grief by studying great works of art, literature, philosophy, and theology.  –NoveList

A Thousand Pardons by Jonathan Dee (March 2013)
Forced back into the working world after her corporate lawyer husband's spectacular downfall, Helen discovers a talent for public relations and is tempted away from her dysfunctional family by her childhood crush, now a movie star who needs her professional assistance. –NoveList

A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff (February 2013)
"Destiny leads 11-year-old Cady to a peanut butter factory, a family of children searching for their own Talents, and a Talent Thief who will alter her life forever. –Provided by publisher. Includes cake recipes

The Ambassador's Daughter by Pam Jenoff (February 2013)
Margot Rosenthal is brought by her father, a diplomat, to a peace conference in Paris where she meets Georg, who gives her a job and a reason to question everything she thought she knew about where her true loyalties should lie.  –NoveList

Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman (January 2013)
Describes the author's experiences as a young widow and the pivotal relationships she forged with five other widows, recounting the stories of their losses and bravery as exchanged throughout a year of monthly Saturday night meetings, during which the author met and fell in love with her current husband. –Novelist

Everything Was Good-Bye by Gurjinder Bastan (January 2013)
The story of an Indo-Canadian woman as she struggles to compromise the demands of her tradition and culture and her wish for a Canadian lifestyle. –NoveList
*Two Copies Available!*

The Intercept by Dick Wolf (January 2013)
Jeremy Fisk #1An adrenaline-fueled thriller debut in the tradition of Three Days of the Condor from the famed creator of TV's Law & Order, featuring NYPD Special Agent Jeremy Fisk, who is New York City's last hope against an ingenious, multi-pronged terrorist attack. –From the Publisher

Accelerated by Bronwen Hruska (2012)
Single dad Sean Benning begins to question the ethics and motives behind the administration at his son's accelerated school for the gifted and talented when he is pressured to put his son on medication for ADD. –NoveList

The Dog Lived (and So Will I) by Teresa J. Rhyne (2012)
Recounts the author's journey nursing her adopted beagle Seamus through his cancer treatment as she learned to deal with medical situations, unknowingly preparing herself for her own later triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis. –NoveList

The Pleasures of Men by Kate Williams (2012) 
When a murderer strikes the city, ripping open the chests of young girls and stuffing hair into their mouths to resemble a beak, the press christen him the Man of Crows. Catherine becomes obsessed with the grim crimes, and as she devours the news, she discovers she can channel the voices of the dead, and comes to believe she will eventually channel the
Man of Crows himself. –NoveList

Other Waters by Eleni N. Gage (2012)
Her happy life in New York shattered by a property dispute in India that culminates in her father's claim that a curse has been placed on them, Maya rejects family superstitions until a series of misfortunes prompts her to visit relatives in India to break the curse.  –NoveList

The Stranger You Seek by Amanda Kyle Williams (2011)
Offered a second chance by the Atlanta Police Department to catch a serial killer who has eluded them for years, former FBI profiler and alcoholic Keye Street begins a deadly cat-and-mouse chase with an adversary who has taken a personal interest in her. –NoveList

Wildefire by Karsten Knight (2011)
Wildefire Series #1
After a killing for which she feels responsible, sixteen-year-old Ashline Wilde moves cross-country to a remote California boarding school, where she learns that she and others have special gifts that can help them save the world, but evil forces are at work to stop them. –NoveList

Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey (2011)
Marie Antoinette Triligy #1
Imagines the early life of the doomed eighteenth-century queen, who at a young age learns from her mother, the ambitious Empress of Austria, that she must leave her coddled life in the Austrian court to marry the dauphin of France. –Novelist

The Soldier's Wife by Margaret Leroy (2011)
As World War II draws closer and closer to Guernsey, Vivienne de la Mare knows that there will be sacrifices to be made. Not just for herself, but for her two young daughters and for her mother-in-law, for whom she cares while her husband is away fighting. What she does not expect is that she will fall in love with one of the enigmatic German soldiers who take up residence in the house next door to her home. As their relationship intensifies, so do the pressures on Vivienne. Food and resources grow scant, and the restrictions placed upon the residents of the island grow with each passing week. Though Vivienne knows the perils of her love affair with Gunther, she believes that she can keep their relationship- and her family- safe. But when she becomes aware of the full brutality of the Occupation, she must decide if she is willing to risk her personal happiness for the life of a stranger--From book cover.

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant (2009)
Condemned by sixteenth-century demands for lucrative dowries in order to marry, young Serafina is ripped from an illicit love affair and confined in an Italian convent, a situation against which she passionately rebels and reminds the convent's doctor of her own unhappy early years. –NoveList

 
Rules of Entry

1. To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below. To be eligible for the drawing, you are required to log in to the widget with your e-mail address or Facebook account AND leave a comment at the bottom of this post stating which ARCs you would like to receive. (Choose up to ten. You are not guaranteed to win your top choices, but we do our best). Click "+1 Do It!" and "Enter" on the widget only after you have posted your comment below. After completing the first task, you can also earn bonus entries by following the directions in the widget.


2.  All ARCs must be picked up at a Bullitt County Public Library location. Winners will be notified via e-mail and will be posted on this blog. Contest ends at 12:00 a.m. on Wednesday, April 10, 2013.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

FLASH REVIEWS: YALSA's 2013 Hub Reading Challenge, Check-In #1

I keep getting distracted by other books (and work, and school, and life in general), but I have managed to make a little headway into those 25 books I pledged to read for the Hub Reading Challenge. So far, I've discovered some great YA books—and I finally got around to reading Code Name Verity, one of last year's most buzzed about books.

So anyway, here's a quick look at my progress so far:

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Greg's strategy for surviving high school is to stay under the radar. He doesn't want true friends but maintains a superficial sort-of-friendship with every group in the school, from the jocks to the Goth kids. Of course, none of the other groups is meant to know that he is "friends" with the others. In a school full of cliques, Greg is Switzerland. But when his mom pushes him to befriend (or refriend) a classmate recently diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, his plan goes to hell. Suddenly, Greg is facing uncomfortable, emotionally charged situations and he has no idea how to react. Even worse, people find out about his secret filmmaking hobby. This book is far from the sad, angsty teen "cancer book" you probably expect from the description. Biting, frequently crude humor and a strong narrative voice make Jesse Andrews's debut novel a truly compelling read. Greg's lack of self-awareness and total cluelessness about the male/female dynamic reminded me of Brent Crawford's Carter Finally Gets It. While the characters of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl aren't exactly endearing, they are nuanced, believable, and incredibly well-grounded in the novel's Pittsburgh setting.

Boy21 by Matthew Quick
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Finley is used to being an outsider. He's the only white guy on his high school basketball team and he doesn't have much to say, even to his longtime girlfriend. But in a town ruled by gangs and the Irish mob, that may not be such a bad thing. Then his basketball coach encourages him to befriend a new student. Russell is really a basketball phenom from an elite private school in California, but he claims to be an alien called Boy21. This is a unique story, subtly told. The writing is clear and simple, perfect for reluctant readers, and the characters and relationships are well-drawn and compelling.

Cool fact: Quick is also the author of the adult novel The Silver Linings Playbook, the film adaptation of which is nominated for several Academy Awards this year (including Best Picture and a Best Actress nom for Jennifer Lawrence, otherwise known as Katniss Everdeen). The Awards will air this coming Sunday.

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
Genre: Fantasy/Fairy Tale
Rating: 3/5 Stars
When Sunday Woodcutter befriends an enchanted frog, she has no idea that her new friend is really Prince Rumbold of Arilland, the man her family blames for the death of her brother Jack. This reinvention of the "Frog Prince" fairy tale is full of twists and frequently intertwines with other fairy tales, yet it is a wholly original story that stands on its own. Personally, I felt that Sunday and Rumbold's relationship need more development. Also, although some of the fairy tale tie-ins were amazingly clever, sometimes the multitude of fairy-tale references became overkill, stealing focus from the main story. Still, I am eager to learn more about some of Sunday and Rumbold's relatives in the next installment of the Woodcutter saga.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Genre: Historical Fiction/Suspense
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Probably the least said about this book plot wise, the better. Suffice it to say, it is about friendship, espionage, and courage. When a teenaged spy is captured by the Nazis, she agrees to confess everything. It is then up to the reader to read between the lines of that confession and discover the truth of who "Verity" really is. Incredibly compelling and carefully plotted, with convincing historical detail, this is a multi-layered tale well worth reading.





Next up: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, which my blogging partner Lucinda has already read any enjoyed. (So you know a Dual Review will be coming soon!)

For those of you participating, how many titles have you checked off your list so far? Which is your favorite book so far?

REVIEW: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Teen/Young Adult

Summary: In the summer of 1987, two 15-year-old loners meet and forge a powerful friendship. Ari is a brooding "tough guy" who obsessively questions his place and purpose in the world; Dante is his complete opposite, relentlessly positive, self-assured, and emotionally open. Over the course of a year and through his friendship with Dante and Dante's parents, Ari  finally comes to terms with himself and the unspoken secrets that haunt his family.

First Line: "One summer night I fell asleep, hoping the world would be different when I woke."

Tracy's Thoughts:
This book blew me away. The writing is deceptively simple, poetic, and quietly powerful. It's easy to slip right into Ari's mind, to feel every nuance he is feeling, from confusion to impulsive anger. Despite this, Ari remains a bit of a mystery—he refers to himself as "inscrutable"—as even he does not understand himself. I love that Ari is more than a little angsty as a character, but it's not a dark and overblown angst. Yeah, he's confused and often feels quite lost and even angry, but the book never once feels depressing. Not that certain issues addressed in the book aren't emotional and potentially upsetting. Yet Sáenz handles it all gracefully without being heavy-handed in the slightest; in his capable hands, Aristotle and Dante's story is far more sweet than bitter, but it never minimizes those ever-present "issues."

Family drama, issues of sexual and ethnic identity, and even PSTD play a part in this stunning novel, and yet none of these elements overwhelms the story. Ari's coming of age plays out slowly and patiently, and the novel unfolds in a realistic manner. Although one particular family revelation feels a bit coincidental, I bought it. And although it may seem a bit unlikely, I loved that the parents were so accepting of Ari, Dante, and their possible more-than-friends feelings for one another. Perhaps this wouldn't have been the norm in 1980s Texas, but I appreciated that Sáenz didn't need to go there. There is a lot going on in this book, but it all works together seamlessly, without any wasted subplots or characters. At its core it is less a book about sexual identity than about family, friendship, and having the courage to speak honestly and freely to the people who matter.

2013 Hub Reading Challenge: Are You In?

So the HUB Reading Challenge began yesterday, and I didn't even know it. For years, I've been seeing blog posts about reading challenges and I've always wondered... Am I up to it? This year, I've decided to find out!

So now I have to vowed read (or listen to) at least 25 of the 83 challenge-eligible titles before 11:59 pm on Saturday, June 22. Eligible titles include 2013 winners and honor books of the six YALSA awards, Top Ten titles from YALSA’s 2013 selected lists, 2013 Schneider Family Book Award honorees, and 2013 Stonewall Book Award honorees. A complete list of eligible titles can be found here.

The bad news is that I've already read several of these books, so they don't count (unless I read them again). The good news is that I've already gotten started without even knowing it: I read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl—a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten selection—on Sunday, the first official day of the challenge :) Now only 24 more to go!

So... Is anyone crazy enough to join the challenge with me?

NEWS: 2013 Youth Media Awards—Tracy Weighs In

... Cause what ya'll really want to know is what I think, right? Hey, humor me here.

So, the Newberys, Caldecotts, Printz Awards, and other key ALA book awards were announced yesterday, and I was rather proud of myself for having read so many of the honorees. Here's how things played out (with a little commentary from me :)).


John Newbery Medal

Medal Winner: The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
This book was unique and absorbing, bittersweet and altogether lovely. I approve 1oo%. Many of the past medal winners have skewed more toward tweens (10–14), but The One and Only Ivan is perfect for younger ages as well. Again, I approve.

Newbery Honor: Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz
Not long after I started reading this book, I found myself thinking This is a book that will win awards. I also thought that it was a book that might have more appeal for adults than kids, one of those books that adults really, really want kids to love, but which turn out to be right only for that small, perfect audience. Who will love it with a passion. It's undeniably well written, but I couldn't bring myself to get excited about it although I enjoyed it and admired it in a impersonal kind of way. But if you (or your child) always wished Oliver Twist had a bit of dark fantasy mixed in, this may be just the book for you. (Okay, that sounds really intriguing. Maybe I should give this one another go...)

Newbery Honor: Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
In my mind, this one was pretty much a shoe-in for a nod. I'm not a huge reader of juvenile nonfiction, but the storytelling here was compelling and informative. Thumbs up. Bomb was also the winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award and of the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults.

Newbery Honor: Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
I was so excited—and the teeniest bit surprised—to see this one get an honor nod. While there is no magic in this book in the supernatural sense, it is magical nonetheless. Turnage's storytelling—the sense of place, character, voice, and tone—here is fantastic, and Mo is an unforgettable heroine if there ever was one.

**What's Missing: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I adored Wonder and firmly believe it should be required reading for every upper elementary or middle school student. And then their parents and older siblings need to read it too.


Randolph Caldecott Medal

Medal Winner: This Is Not My Hat, illustrated and written by Jon Klassen
Personally, I thought Klassen was cheated out of a Caldecott last year for I Want My Hat Back. He's a genius when it comes to providing subtle visual cues to punctuate the sly humor that makes both of his "hat" book shine.

Caldecott Honor: Creepy Carrots!, illustrated by Peter Brown and written by Arron Reynolds
This was one of my absolute favorite picture books of 2012, and I am pleasantly surprised to see it get a nod here. I loved the cinematic feel (one review I read likened it to a Hitchcock horror movie—for kids of course), and the palette of orange, black, and gray. A fascinating combo of kiddie horror and humor. Well done, Caldecott committee.

Caldecott Honor: Extra Yarn, illustrated by Jon Klassen and written by Mac Barnett
So they're really making up for overlooking Klassen last year. Although the text/story of Extra Yarn didn't completely do it for me, I loved Klassen's artwork—which is what counts for the purpose of this award.

Caldecott Honor: Green, illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
This is the book I expected to win, though I am quite pleased with the final outcome. Seeger's work here is innovative, and the wonder of Green is made abundantly clear in this book trailer.

Caldecott Honor: One Cool Friend, illustrated by David Small and written by Tony Buzzeo
I liked it, but didn't love it, which is why it didn't make the cut for our list of the Best Children's Picture Books of 2012. But, as with Extra Yarn, I quite liked the illustrations. So I'm totally "cool" with this one too.

Caldecott Honor: Sleep Like A Tiger, illustrated by Pamela Zagaresnski and written by Mary Logue
Once again, I liked the book and the illustrations but it didn't really make a strong impression on me one way or the other.

**What's Missing: Oh, No!, illustrated by Eric Rohmann and written by Candace Fleming and Nighttime Ninja by illustrated by Ed Young and written by Barbara DaCosta, both of which I expected to make the list. And—while I always saw it as a long shot—I really, really love Ashley Wolff's artwork in Baby Bear Sees Blue. I also think illustrator Doug Santat did some phenomenal work this year. But then, everybody can't win :)


Coretta Scott King (Author) Book Award
(Aka, the category that totally breaks my streak of having read the material...)

Medal Winner: Hand in Hand: Ten Black Men Who Changed America by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Brian Pinkney
Okay, not only does this one break my reading streak—I hadn't even heard of this book yet. But then I already admitted that I'm not much of a juvenile nonfiction reader...

King (Author) Honor: Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
A gentle yet powerful picture book about bullying from the side of the (belatedly regretful) bully, and one of our picks for Best Children's Picture Books of 2012

King (Author) Honor: No Crystal Stair: A Documentary Novel of the Life and Work of Lewis Michaux, Harlem Bookseller by  Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie
 I've heard fabulous things about this one, and it is currently sitting at home waiting for me to find time to read it.

Coretta Scott King (Illustrator) Book Award

King (Illustrator) Medal: I, Too, Am America, illustrated by Bryan Collier and written by Langston Hughes
I read it and loved the art. Unfortunately, the Langston Hughes text didn't quite resonate for me (I know; awful, right?). As a result, the book wasn't very memorable for me. But I may have to take anthor look.

King (Illustrator) Honor: H.O.R.S.E., illustrated and written by Christopher Myers
I am not familiar with this title :( .

King (Illustrator) Honor: Ellen's Broom., illustrated by Daniel minter and written by Kelly Starling Lyons
Don't know this one either.

King (Illustrator) Honor: I Have a Dream., illustrated by Kadir Nelson and written by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Yay!!!! Enough said.


Michael L. Printz Award
As a side note, I must say: There was LOTS of debate yesterday and into today on librarian listservs and blogs about the recent winners of this category, some stating that the winners are often too literary to appeal to teen readers or that engaging stories are overlooked in favor of technical writing or literary experimentation. As this is an award for literary excellence, I would say the winners should be extremely well written. But in my view, literary merit depends upon that magical element of good storytelling as well as good technical writing. I'm not going to comment on how these specific qualities do or don't apply to the specific winners and honorees (past or present) because here's the thing: judging books—anything really—is SUBJECTIVE. Rant over.

Medal Winner: In Darkness by Nick Lake
I haven't read this one yet and have read mixed reviews, but can't wait to read for myself.

Printz Honor: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Just finished this last weekend and immediately it became my Printz sleeper favorite. It's compulsively readable plus incredibly well written (but not in a showy or gimmicky way). I couldn't be happier that Sáenz also nabbed the Pura Belpré (Author) Award and the Stonewall Book Award. I really have to read his highly praised book Last Night I Sang to the Monster ASAP.

Printz Honor: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
I know people who absolutely LOVED this book and others who found it so confusing they couldn't finish it. Based on early buzz, I thought for sure it was going to be selected as the medal winner. It's still sitting at home in my (rather tall and wobbly) to-be-read pile.

Printz Honor: Dodger by Terry Pratchett
Haven't read this one, and haven't heard too much buzz up till now. But you can never count out Terry Pratchett, and I will get to this one someday...

Printz Honor: The White Bicycle by Beverly Brenna
This one was a surprise to many; at least many of the commenters to my various listservs hadn't yet heard of it. But then, that's what I love about book awards: the chance to discover wonderful books that might've been otherwise overlooked.

**What's Missing: Lots of people are up in arms over the exclusion of John Green's A Fault in Their Stars, which I adored and agree to be incredibly well written. At the same time, I didn't think it was a perfect book and am not overly disappointed. Maybe I'm just too happy about Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.  And A Fault in Our Stars wasn't completely left out as it garnered the Odyssey Award for the audiobook.



Other ALA Award winners announced yesterday include:

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman,  William C. Morris Award winner
I found this to be an excellent debut novel featuring a well-developed fantasy world and an intriguing take on dragons. I can't wait for the sequel.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth, William C. Morris Award finalist
I found this book quite engaging, but for me it begins to drag a bit in the middle. I actually had to set it aside for a while. That being said, even though I wasn't reading it for a while, the writing and characters stayed in the back of my mind. I completely understand why the book has been compared to The Catcher in the Rye, although Cameron is a gay girl in 1980s small-town America and the book actually takes place across several years (as opposed to a few days). That being said, I was surprised that it wasn't a Stonewall Honor Book


For a complete list of awards, winners, and honorees (if you're not sick of awards lists by now), you can read yesterday's ALA Press Release.

BEST OF 2012: Middle Grade/Tween Books

Sorry for the long wait between Best of 2012 posts. We've been frantically reading books that we somehow missed last year, books we felt needed to be considered for our Best of 2012 list. And our reading certainly paid off—otherwise, we would have missed out on the fabulous The One and Only Ivan, winner of the 2013 Newbery Medal. (But more on that tomorrow...)

So, without further ado, here are our favorite 2012 books for middle-grade readers and tweens:

Fiction:

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Ascendance Trilogy #1
In the country of Carthya, a devious nobleman engages four orphans in a brutal competition to be selected to impersonate the king's long-missing son in an effort to avoid a civil war. –NoveList

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
The four princes erroneously dubbed Prince Charming and rudely marginalized in their respective fairy tales form an unlikely team when a witch threatens the whole kingdom.  –Provided by publisher.

Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger
At age twelve, Sophie learns that the remarkable abilities that have always caused her to stand out identify her as an elf, and after being brought to Eternalia to hone her skills, discovers that she has secrets buried in her memory for which some would kill.  –NoveList

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
Seventh-grader Georges adjusts to moving from a house to an apartment, his father's efforts to start a new business, his mother's extra shifts as a nurse, being picked on at school, and Safer, a boy who wants his help spying on another resident of their building.  –NoveList

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis
With love and determination befitting the "world's greatest family," twelve-year-old Deza Malone, her older brother Jimmie, and their parents endure tough times in Gary, Indiana, and later Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression.  –NoveList

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pilcher
With his family still grieving over his sister's death in a terrorist bombing seven years earlier, twelve-year-old Jamie is far more interested in his cat, Roger, his birthday Spiderman T-shirt, and keeping his new Muslim friend Sunya a secret from his father. –NoveList

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
When Ivan, a gorilla who has lived for years in a down-and-out circus-themed mall, meets Ruby, a baby elephant that has been added to the mall, he decides that he must find her a better life.  –NoveList

The Second Life of Abigail Walker by Frances O'Roark Dowell
Bullied by two mean girls in her sixth-grade class, a lonely, plump girl gains self-confidence and makes new friends after a mysterious fox gently bites her.  –NoveList

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible in her family, where grumpy eighteen-year-old Sarah is working at the family restaurant, fourteen-year-old Holden is struggling with school bullies and his emerging homosexuality, and adorable, three-year-old Charlie is always the center of attention, and when tragedy strikes, the fragile bond holding the family together is stretched almost to the breaking point.  –NoveList
Read Tracy's Review

Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker
A foster child named Angel and eleven-year-old Stella, who are living with Stella's great-aunt Louise at the Linger Longer Cottage Colony on Cape Cod, secretly assume responsibility for the vacation rentals when Louise unexpectedly dies and the girls are afraid of being returned to the foster care system.

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage
Washed ashore as a baby in tiny Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, Mo LoBeau, now eleven, and her best friend Dale turn detective when the amnesiac Colonel, owner of a cafe and co-parent of Mo with his cook, Miss Lana, seems implicated in a murder.

The Unfortunate Son by Constance Leeds
Luc, a youth born with one ear and raised by a drunken father in fifteenth-century France, finds a better home with fisherman Pons, his sister Mattie, and their ward Beatrice, the daughter of a disgraced knight, and even after being kidnapped and sold into slavery in Africa, he remains remarkably fortunate.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his classmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

Nonfiction:

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Recounts the scientific discoveries that enabled atom splitting, the military intelligence operations that occurred in rival countries, and the work of brilliant scientists hidden at Los Alamos.

We've Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children's March by Cynthia Y. Levinson
Discusses the events of the 4,000 African American students who marched to jail to secure their freedom in May 1963

REVIEW: See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Audience: Tween/Teen (11 and up)

Summary: Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible in her family. Her dad is obsessed with the family restaurant and hardly ever comes home for dinner anymore; her mother is constantly escaping to her special room to meditate; and her perpetually critical sister Sara is miserable to be stuck at working at the family diner while her friends are all away at college. Fern has always had a special bond with her older brother Holden, but now that he's started high school he's busy coping with school bullies and his own emerging sexuality. And then there's adorable, irrepressible three-year-old Charlie, the constant center of attention within the family. The only person keeping Fern sane is her eternally calm and optimistic best friend Ran, who almost makes her believe that "all will be well." But then tragedy strikes and even Ran can't see how things will ever be okay again.

 First Line: "The very best day of my life, I threw up four times and had a fever of 103 degrees."

Tracy's Thoughts:
This is a book that will make you laugh, break your heart, and then somehow, against all odds, make you smile again. Knowles's characters are fully developed, with authentic emotions and flaws. Quiet, introspective Fern makes a wonderful narrator, and though the lens through which she sees each of her family members is necessarily skewed by her own perspective, readers are able sympathize with each of the characters. Fern's voice is distinct and engaging, often with shades of unintentional humor. This is especially true when she talks about her family:

Holden is always running off in a huff, and I am always the one searching for him and bringing him home. Holden's named after the main character in The Catcher in the Rye. I wasn't supposed to read it until I'm older, but I snuck my mom's paperback copy out of her room last year. The pages were all soft from her reading it so many times. The book is about this boy who's depressed because he thinks everyone he knows is a phony, so he runs away. I understand why my mom liked the book and all, but I personally think is was a big mistake to name your kid after a boy who tries to kill himself, even if he is thoughtful and brilliant. My favorite parts in the book are when the main characters talks about his little sister, Phoebe. Sometimes I think I'm a little like Phoebe to our Holden. Because in the book she's the one he goes back for. And that's sort of like me. Only I have to go looking for him first. (25–26)

The first third of the book introduces the quirk-filled family, from Fern's goodhearted, embarrassing father to demanding, loveable Charlie. But then everything—the simple coming-of-age story you thought you were reading—comes to a devastating halt as tragedy strikes. The emotions become even more palpable, and the characters more real.

Relationships shine in this book, particularly the bond between Holden and Fern—and later, when she steps up after the tragedy, Sara. Fern's friendship with Ran and Cassie—which also adds a minor love triangle to the mix—rings equally true and enjoyable. I don't want to spoil the "tragedy" that shifts the direction of the narrative, so there is not much more I can say about this gripping story. Characters must cope with guilt, grief, and other complex emotions, but the story never becomes maudlin or melodramatic. But there are hints of brightness amidst the darkness that comes. This is a simply but incredibly well-written story, full of humor, compassion, heartwrenching tragedy, and, eventually, healing.