Book Review Form

Friday, November 22, 2013

National Book Award

The National Book Foundation recently announced it's 2013 winner and finalists for achievement in Young People's Literature.  Check them out here!
 
 
WINNER
 
The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata: Summer and her little brother, Jaz, are left with their grandparents, who must come out of retirement to take care of them.  New Teen Fiction Kadohata
 
 
SHORTLIST FINALISTS
 
The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt:  Raccoon brothers Bingo and J'miah must protect their swamp when a world-class alligator wrestler wants to turn it into an alligator wrestling arena.  New Juvenile Fiction Appelt
 
Far Far Away by Tom McNeal: A dark, contemporary fairy tale about a boy who's watched over by the ghost of Jacob Grimm.  Coming soon to teen fiction!
 
Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff:  When a teenage girl's father's best friend goes missing, she tries to piece together the clues to the puzzle.  Coming soon to teen fiction!
 
Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang: A graphic novel featuring parallel stories about young men during China's Boxer Rebellion.  New Teen Fiction Yang
 
 
LONGLIST
 
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo:  After a squirrel has an accidental run-in with a vacuum cleaner, he acquires superhero powers.  New Juvenile Fiction DiCamillo
 
A Tangle of Knots by Lisa Graff:  An orphan with a talent for baking cakes is led on a journey that may reconnect her to her long-lost parents.  Juvenile Fiction Graff
 
The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson:  A teenage girl faces danger when she falls in love with the leader of a futuristic society in Brazil.  Teen Fiction Johnson
 
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan: The story of two gay teenagers who stage a protest in honor of a hate crime committed against their friend.  Based on a true story.  Available through interlibrary loan
 
The Real Boy by Anne Ursu:  A boy who works for a the most powerful magician in the village realizes even magic may not be enough to save the townspeople for something sinister in the woods.  Coming soon to juvenile fiction!
 
 

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

New Books for November!

Look for these new books coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!
 
The Beginning of Everything by Robin Schneider: Ezra Faulkner believes that everyone has a tragedy waiting to happen that will be their life-changing moment. In the summer before 7th grade, his best friend, Toby, had his moment when he inadvertently caught the head of a boy who was decapitated on a ride in Disneyland. Ezra ended his friendship with Toby after that. Now 17, Ezra encounters his own tragic event: he finds his girlfriend cheating on him and then has a car accident that ends his tennis career. He returns to school for his last year a broken boy who has shunned his jock friends and just wants to make it through life unnoticed. By reconnecting with Toby and developing a relationship with Cassidy, a new girl who has a secretive past and home life, Ezra gets the chance to remake himself into someone who lives rather than just exists.  A funny, smart novel about growing up.  New Teen Fiction Schneider


Fallout by Todd Strasser:  In the summer of 1962, the possibility of nuclear war is all anyone talks about. But Scott’s dad is the only one in the neighborhood who actually prepares for the worst. As the neighbors laugh, he builds a bomb shelter to hold his family and stocks it with just enough supplies to keep the four of them alive for two weeks. In the middle of the night in late October, when the unthinkable happens, those same neighbors force their way into the shelter before Scott’s dad can shut the door. With not enough room, not enough food, and not enough air, life inside the shelter is filthy and physically and emotionally draining. But even worse is the question of what will--and won’t--remain when the door is opened again.  New Teen Fiction Strasser


Hostage Three by Nick Lake:  From the author of the Michael L. Printz award–winning In Darkness comes a critically-acclaimed, fast-paced thriller that’s as dangerous as the seas on which it’s set.  The last thing Amy planned to do this summer was sail around the world trapped on a yacht with her father and her stepmother. All she wanted was to fast-forward to October when she’ll turn 18 and take control of her own life.  Aboard the Daisy May, Amy spends time sunbathing, dolphin watching and forgetting the past as everything floats by...until one day in the Gulf of Aden another boat appears.  A boat with guns and pirates..the kind that kill.  Immediately, the pirates seize the boat and its human cargo.  Hostage One is Amy’s father--the most valuable.  Hostage Two: her stepmother.  And Hostage Three is Amy, who can’t believe what’s happening. As the ransom brokering plays out, Amy finds herself becoming less afraid, and even stranger still, drawn to one of her captors, a teenage boy who wants desperately to be more than who he has become. Suddenly it becomes brutally clear that the price of life and its value are two very different things...  New Teen Fiction Lake


Full Ride by Margaret Peterson Haddix:  Becca’s claim to fame is one she’s been hiding from for the past three years: her father is a notorious embezzler, and when he was caught, his excuse was, “How else is a guy like me supposed to put his kid through college?”  Three years after the trial and imprisonment that destroyed Becca’s life, she and her mother have started over again and are living in a town where no one knows their secret. But as college—and its cost—looms large, Becca begins to wonder how they’ll afford it.  And how she can apply for financial aid without revealing her secret? A local scholarship opportunity seems like a dream come true, but as the application process begins, Becca uncovers a chain of secrets that could destroy everything she’s worked so hard to build. But the truth could also lead her toward the future she’s always dreamed of…  New Teen Fiction Haddix


This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales:  Making friends has never been Elise Dembowski’s strong suit. All throughout her life, she’s been the butt of every joke and the outsider in every conversation. When a final attempt at popularity fails, Elise nearly gives up. Then she stumbles upon a warehouse party where she meets Vicky, a girl in a band who accepts her; Char, a cute, yet mysterious disc jockey; Pippa, a carefree spirit from England; and most importantly, a love for DJing.  Laugh-out-loud funny voice, this is a novel about identity, friendship, and the power of music to bring people together.  New Teen Fiction Sales
 

Champion by Marie Lu:  June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps Elect while Day has been assigned a high level military position. But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them once again. Just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything he has. With heart-pounding action, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.  New Teen Fiction Lu

Teardrop by Lauren Kate:  Never, ever cry...Eureka Boudreaux's mother drilled that rule into her daughter years ago. But now her mother is gone, and everywhere Eureka goes he is there: Ander, the tall, pale blond boy who seems to know things he shouldn't, who tells Eureka she is in grave danger, who comes closer to making her cry than anyone has before.  But Ander doesn't know Eureka's darkest secret: ever since her mother drowned in a freak accident, Eureka wishes she were dead, too. She has little left that she cares about, just her oldest friend, Brooks, and a strange inheritance—a locket, a letter, a mysterious stone, and an ancient book no one understands. The book contains a haunting tale about a girl who got her heart broken and cried an entire continent into the sea. Eureka is about to discover that the ancient tale is more than a story, that Ander might be telling the truth... and that her life has far darker undercurrents than she ever imagined.  The first in a new trilogy.  New Teen Fiction Kate


Curtsies & Conspiracies by Gail Carriger:  Sophronia's first year at Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality has certainly been rousing! For one thing, finishing school is training her to be a spy--won't Mumsy be surprised?  Furthermore, Sophronia got mixed up in an intrigue over a stolen device and had a cheese pie thrown at her in a most horrid display of poor manners.  Now, as she sneaks around, eavesdropping on the teachers' quarters and making secret climbs to the ship's boiler room, she learns that there may be more to a field trip to London than is apparent at first.  A conspiracy is afoot--one with dire implications for both supernaturals and humans. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot--and survive the London Season with a full dance card.  The second in the bestselling Finishing School series.  New Teen Fiction Carriger

Boxers & Saints by Gene Luen Yang:  In two volumes, Boxers & Saints tells two parallel stories. The first is of Little Bao, a Chinese peasant boy whose village is abused and plundered by Westerners claiming the role of missionaries. Little Bao, inspired by visions of the Chinese gods, joins a violent uprising against the Westerners. Against all odds, their grass-roots rebellion is successful.  But in the second volume, Yang lays out the opposite side of the conflict. A girl whose village has no place for her is taken in by Christian missionaries and finds, for the first time, a home with them. As the Boxer Rebellion gains momentum, Vibiana must decide whether to abandon her Christian friends or to commit herself fully to Christianity.  This ambitious graphic novel is garnering reviews as one of the best of the year. 
New Teen Fiction Yang

 
Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series:  Filling in the background of the Percy Jackson novels, 15 writers weigh in on such diverse topics as how to recognize monsters. the ins and outs of being one of Artemis’ huntresses. parent issues, and why hero/monster tales are so important in our lives.  A must for fans of the series.  New Teen Non-Fiction 813.54 RIO




Kennedy's Last Days: The Assassination that Defined a Generation by Bill O'Reilly:  A gripping account of the events leading up to the most notorious crime of the 20th century.  Bill O’Reilly vividly describes Kennedy's family life in the public eye, the crises facing the president around the world and at home, the nation’s growing fascination with their vigorous, youthful president, and finally, the shocking events leading up to his assassination.   New Teen Non-Fiction 973.922 ORE


And look for these new books on CD:

I Even Funnier by James Patterson

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

Allegiant by Veronica Roth