High School Fiction
G/A Lindner, April. Jane. Poppy, 2010. 384p. 978-0-316-08420-8. 17.99.
In this modern retelling of Jane Eyre, 19 year old Jane Moore becomes the nanny to rockstar Nico Rathburn’s little girl. The storyline is essentially the same as the original novel but updated for a new generation of readers. This book could be a great introduction to the classic, a fun read for fans of the original or just a good read for anyone interested in romance with a little mystery mixed in. Loren Spector, LAPL, Felipe de Neve
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Grounded
General Middle School Fiction G/A. Klise, Kate. Grounded. Feiwel and Friends, 2010. ISBN: 9780312570392. 196p. 16.99 Daralynn Oakland is the kind of girl who likes to escape her mother’s watchful eye. This trait saves her life the summer before sixth grade, when she is grounded for going fishing without permission. Because of this, she escapes the plane crash that kills her father and two siblings. Instead of drawing closer together in their grief, Daralynn and her mother, Hattie, cope separately. Daralynn sorts out her thoughts by imagining what she would tell her father in a letter, while Hattie becomes angry and determines to keep Daralynn closer to home. But Hattie can’t keep them isolated from their Ozark community forever. Daralynn’s energy and sensibility make this a warm story of community and how they all recover from tragedy. Anjelique Granados, CoLAPL-Angelo M. Iacoboni
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Kneebone Boy
General YA Fiction Category
VG/A Potter, Ellen. The Kneebone Boy. 2010. ISN: 978-0-312-37772-4.. 282p. $16.99.
Otto, Lucia and Max are the Hardscrabble children. Their mother has been missing for quite sometimes. One day, their father has to leave for a sudden assignment and he sent them off to London to stay with their Aunt Angela. Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding with whoever answered Angela’s phone. The children were not picked up at the London train station. Somehow, the three of them managed to find Angela’s apartment, however Angela is now in Berlin, Germany. At this point, they have to find another place to stay for the night. Max remembered the address of their Great Aunt Hattie from a letter that their father received recently. They went on their adventure to find her hoping that she would allow them to stay. As they find their Great Aunt Hattie, they discover that she was not an old lady, but a young American woman who stayed in a castle in the city of Snoring-by-the-Sea. Great Aunt Hattie encourage the children to go on their own adventure, she believe children should discover their own adventure before they reach the age of fourteen. Indeed, they discover a secret passage to the Kneebone Castle and eventually they learned something unusual about their mother. The writer has a very interest narrative style and most teenagers will find it very easy to follow and enjoy the story very much. Especially in the beginning of the story, the author indicates “I can’t tell you which Hardscrabble I am – Otto, Luica or Max,” that it is because the story belongs to all of them. Dora Ho, Young Adult Librarian - Los Angeles Public Library.
VG/A Potter, Ellen. The Kneebone Boy. 2010. ISN: 978-0-312-37772-4.. 282p. $16.99.
Otto, Lucia and Max are the Hardscrabble children. Their mother has been missing for quite sometimes. One day, their father has to leave for a sudden assignment and he sent them off to London to stay with their Aunt Angela. Unfortunately, there was a misunderstanding with whoever answered Angela’s phone. The children were not picked up at the London train station. Somehow, the three of them managed to find Angela’s apartment, however Angela is now in Berlin, Germany. At this point, they have to find another place to stay for the night. Max remembered the address of their Great Aunt Hattie from a letter that their father received recently. They went on their adventure to find her hoping that she would allow them to stay. As they find their Great Aunt Hattie, they discover that she was not an old lady, but a young American woman who stayed in a castle in the city of Snoring-by-the-Sea. Great Aunt Hattie encourage the children to go on their own adventure, she believe children should discover their own adventure before they reach the age of fourteen. Indeed, they discover a secret passage to the Kneebone Castle and eventually they learned something unusual about their mother. The writer has a very interest narrative style and most teenagers will find it very easy to follow and enjoy the story very much. Especially in the beginning of the story, the author indicates “I can’t tell you which Hardscrabble I am – Otto, Luica or Max,” that it is because the story belongs to all of them. Dora Ho, Young Adult Librarian - Los Angeles Public Library.
Monday, March 28, 2011
I Am J
High School Fiction
VG/A Beam, Cris. I Am J. Little Brown, 2011. 339 p. 9780316053617 $16.99
J has always felt like a boy in a girl's body but no one else seemed to see. He finally decides that to truly be himself he must leave his old life behind. When the truth comes out, his friends and family decide to support him in their own ways. This gritty, urban story addresses some issues of transgender teens in a candid manner. There are many resources at the end of the text for transgender teens as well as parents and allies.
Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew Library
VG/A Beam, Cris. I Am J. Little Brown, 2011. 339 p. 9780316053617 $16.99
J has always felt like a boy in a girl's body but no one else seemed to see. He finally decides that to truly be himself he must leave his old life behind. When the truth comes out, his friends and family decide to support him in their own ways. This gritty, urban story addresses some issues of transgender teens in a candid manner. There are many resources at the end of the text for transgender teens as well as parents and allies.
Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew Library
Thursday, March 17, 2011
You Killed Wesley Payne
High School Fiction
G/M Beaudoin, Sean. You Killed Wesley Payne. Little Brown, 2011. 368p. 978-0-316-07742-2. 16.99.
In this noir style novel, teen detective Dalton Rev is hired to solve the mystery of Wesley Payne’s death at Salt River High. In order to do that though, he has to play all the different cliques against each other. Nothing is as it seems at Salt River: students are double agents or flat out liars, faculty and police are running their own scams and the cliques have their own agendas. The language (lots of slang) is a little off putting, but if you can get past that the story is good. The book includes lots of extras too, a clique chart and index, slang glossary and Dalton’s writing samples. Loren Spector, LAPL, Felipe de Neve
G/M Beaudoin, Sean. You Killed Wesley Payne. Little Brown, 2011. 368p. 978-0-316-07742-2. 16.99.
In this noir style novel, teen detective Dalton Rev is hired to solve the mystery of Wesley Payne’s death at Salt River High. In order to do that though, he has to play all the different cliques against each other. Nothing is as it seems at Salt River: students are double agents or flat out liars, faculty and police are running their own scams and the cliques have their own agendas. The language (lots of slang) is a little off putting, but if you can get past that the story is good. The book includes lots of extras too, a clique chart and index, slang glossary and Dalton’s writing samples. Loren Spector, LAPL, Felipe de Neve
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
10 Miles Past Normal
High School Fiction
VG/A O'Roark Dowell, Frances. 10 Miles Past Normal. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. 224 p. 9781411699582 $16.99
When Janie was was 9, being the "farm-girl" was totally cool but now that she's in high school it means sticking out for all the wrong reasons, like hopping on the bus with goat poop on your shoe. Things start to turn around when her longtime crush asks her to join the jam band that meets after school. Between the band and researching a local civil rights icon, Janie starts to find her voice and realizes that "normal" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Recommended for fans of Dairy Queen.
Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew Library
VG/A O'Roark Dowell, Frances. 10 Miles Past Normal. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. 224 p. 9781411699582 $16.99
When Janie was was 9, being the "farm-girl" was totally cool but now that she's in high school it means sticking out for all the wrong reasons, like hopping on the bus with goat poop on your shoe. Things start to turn around when her longtime crush asks her to join the jam band that meets after school. Between the band and researching a local civil rights icon, Janie starts to find her voice and realizes that "normal" isn't all it's cracked up to be. Recommended for fans of Dairy Queen.
Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew Library
Pick-Up Game: A Full Day of Full Court
Short Stories
E/A Aronson (ed.), Marc. Pick-Up Game: a full day of full court. Candlewick Press, 2011. 176 p. 978076364625 $15.99
This collection of short stories shows a day in the life of The Cage, the premier amateur basketball court in NYC. Photos and poems by Charles R. Smith, Jr. introduce each story which highlights a different player. With Walter Dean Myers, Rita Williams-Garcia, Bruce Brooks, Sharon G. Flake and more, every one of these stories is a slam dunk. Recommended for basketball fans and all high school collections.
Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew Library
E/A Aronson (ed.), Marc. Pick-Up Game: a full day of full court. Candlewick Press, 2011. 176 p. 978076364625 $15.99
This collection of short stories shows a day in the life of The Cage, the premier amateur basketball court in NYC. Photos and poems by Charles R. Smith, Jr. introduce each story which highlights a different player. With Walter Dean Myers, Rita Williams-Garcia, Bruce Brooks, Sharon G. Flake and more, every one of these stories is a slam dunk. Recommended for basketball fans and all high school collections.
Sarah Mae Harper, CoLAPL- AC Bilbrew Library
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