Book Review Form

Showing posts with label Gay and Lesbian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gay and Lesbian. Show all posts

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!
 
 

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Teen Reads Week

It's Teen Reads Week!  Celebrate with a title off this week's New York Times list of Young Adult Bestsellers:

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green:  A 16-year-old heroine faces the medical realities of cancer.  Soon to be a movie!  Teen Fiction Green

Divergent by Veronica Roth: A girl must prove her mettle in a faction-ridden dystopia.  Also soon to be a movie!  Teen Fiction Roth

Insurgent by Veronica Roth:  In this Divergent follow-up, a faction war looms.  Teen Fiction Roth

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: A girl saves books from Nazi burning.  Another movie coming soon!  Teen Fiction Zusak

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefavater: Ronen, on of the Raven boys, tries to understand his supernatural power in part two of the Raven Boys cycle.  New Teen Fiction Stiefvater

Looking for Alaska by John Green: A boy seeking excitement finds that and more in a girl named Alaska.  Teen Fiction Green

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: What it's like to grow up, from the perspective of a high school boy.  Teen Fiction Chbosky

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell: From the author of the bestselling Eleanor & Park, meet Cath, a writer of popular fan fiction, who struggles her freshman year at college.  New Teen Fiction Rowell

Paper Towns by John Green: After a night of mischief, the girl Quentin loves disappears.  Teen Fiction Green

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: An island, an abandoned orphanage, and a collection of curious photographs.  Teen Fiction Riggs

Friday, August 16, 2013

New Books for August!

Look for these new books coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!

Going Vintage by Lindsay Leavitt:  When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her online, she swears off boys.  She also swears off modern technology.  Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and complete her grandma's list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous.  But the list is trickier than it looks.  And obviously finding a steady is out...no matter how handsome Jeremy's cousin, Oliver, is.  But with the help of her sister, she'll get it done. Somehow.  New Fiction Leavitt



Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block:  The earth shakes, a wall of water comes, and everyone Penelope loves disappears, leaving her alone.  She can see nothing but ruins around her pink house by the sea in Los Angeles. Her family was swept away by the water.  Her father had warned of impending danger, and though her mother thought he was paranoid, his emergency provisions keep Pen alive.  Weeks later, men break into her house, but Pen escapes with their van.  She sets off on an Odyssey-like journey in search of her family.  On the way, she encounters giants, sirens, a witch, a girl who may be magical, and companions to aid her in her quest. Through flashbacks, she reveals that she had been struggling with feelings for one of her closest girlfriends. Now, as she, Hex, Ez, and Ash speed toward Las Vegas, Pen finds strength she's never known and love she didn't expect.  New Fiction Block


September Girls by Bennett Madison:  Sam is spending the summer in a beach town filled with beautiful blond girls who all seem inexplicably attracted to him.  But that’s not the only reason why he thinks the girls are strange.  They only wear flats because heels make their feet bleed.  They never go swimming in the water.  And they all want something from him.  Sam finds himself in an unexpected summer romance when he falls for one of the girls, DeeDee.  But as they get closer, she pulls away without explanation.  Sam knows that if he is going to win her back, he’ll have to learn the girls’ secret.  New Fiction Madison



The Time Fetch by Amy Herrick:  Edward picks up what he thinks is a rock. He doesn’t know it is a sleeping Time Fetch—and touching it will release its foragers too soon and alter the entire fabric of time and space. Soon the bell rings to end class just as it has begun. Buses race down streets, too far behind schedule to stop for passengers. Buildings and sidewalks begin to disappear as the whole fabric of the universe starts to unravel. To try to stop the foragers, Edward must depend on the help of his classmates Feenix, Danton, and Brigit—whether he likes it or not. They all have touched the Fetch, and it has drawn them together in a strange and thrilling adventure. The boundaries between worlds and dimensions are blurred, and places and creatures on the other side are much like the ones they’ve always known—but slightly twisted, a little darker, and much more dangerous.  New Fiction Herrick


Twerp by Mark Goldblatt: Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a weeklong suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade--blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he's still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can't bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear.  New Fiction Goldblatt



Unnatural Creatures: Stories Selected by Neil Gaiman: A collection of short stories about the fantastical things that exist only in our minds—collected and introduced by bestselling author Neil Gaiman. The sixteen stories gathered by Gaiman range from whimsical to terrifying, and the magical creatures range from werewolves to sunbirds to beings never before classified. E. Nesbit, Diana Wynne Jones, Gahan Wilson, and other literary luminaries contribute to the anthology. New Fiction Gaiman





The Fall of Five by Pittacus Lore (The Lorien Legacies #4): In the fourth book of the Lorien saga, the Garde are finally reunited, but do they have what it takes to win the war against the Mogadorians?   John Smith—Number Four—thought that things would change once the Garde found one another. They would stop running. They would fight the Mogadorians. And they would win.  But he was wrong. After facing off with the Mogadorian ruler and almost being annihilated, the Garde know they are drastically unprepared and hopelessly outgunned. Now they're hiding out in Nine's Chicago penthouse, trying to figure out their next move.  The six of them are powerful, but they're not strong enough yet to take on an entire army—even with the return of an old ally. To defeat their enemy, the Garde must master their Legacies and learn to work together as a team. More important, they'll have to discover the truth about the Elders and their plan for the Loric survivors.  And when the Garde receive a sign from Number Five—a crop circle in the shape of a Loric symbol—they know they are so close to being reunited. But could it be a trap? Time is running out, and the only thing they know for certain is that they have to get to Five before it's too late.  The Garde may have lost battles, but they will not lose this war.  Lorien will rise again.  New Fiction Lore

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Top Ten Romance Books for Teens

Happy Valentine's Day!  What better way to celebrate than with a heartwarming story.  Here are the top ten romance books for young adults, from Booklist, September 2012:

a + e 4ever by Ilike Merey: Ash is a shy, bisexual pretty boy, and Eu is a strident lesbian.  Their brief but intense relationship unfolds over the course of this graphic novel, revealing much about human nature.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin:  Sixteen-year-old Anya, whose family is involved in organized crime, meets Win, the son of the state's district attorney, and the result is a jolting high-wire romance set in New York City in the year 2083.  Teen Fiction Zevin

The Boy on Cinnamon Street by Phoebe Stone: In this deeply affecting novel, seventh-grader Louise Terrace receives a note from a secret admirer--"I am your biggest fan"--and, in spite of the pain in her life, allows herself to get swept up in the mystery.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony: The story of piano prodigy Glory Fleming and Argentinian teen Francisco Mendoza's mutual obsession is played out over photographs, sketches, scrap paper, IMs, and other visual imagery.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Every Day by David Levithan:  It's a compelling premise: A (his only name) wakes up in a different body every day, which he accepts...until he meets Rhiannon and falls in love.  New Teen Fiction Levithan

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green:  This ambitious, beautifully conceived book explores the weighty issues of life, love, and death through the relationship between cancers survivors Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters.  Teen Fiction Green

Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl: A witty take on classic Regency romances, this Pride and Prejudice-inspired novel introduces 17-year-old Althea Crawley, who needs to marry rich in order to secure the family's only inheritance--a dilapidated castle on the North Sea.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen:  Scar's distinctive first-person voice leads readers deep into the heart of a troubled girl as well as the labyrinth of Sherwood Forest, resulting in a rip-roaring--and romantic--take on an old story from a debut author.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

The Story of Us by Deb Caletti: Over the course of a single weekend, everygirl Cricket offers up  heartbreaking meditations on the nature of love and loss, partially through letters to her long-term boyfriend, Janssen, whom she has pushed away.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler: Senior Ed Slaterton and junior Min Green fall into a halting, breathless love affair in this 2012 Printz Honor Book.  Their breakup is told from Min's perspective and structured around objects of varying importance--from a matchbook to love letter--that she intends to return to her ex.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

You can put books from other libraries on hold here.  Have you library card and pin number on hand.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

New Books for January!

Look for these new books coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!

Dodger by Terry Pratchett:  A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's . . . Dodger.  Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown girl—not even if her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.  From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.  


Etiquette and Espionage by Gail Carriger:  It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.  Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.  
 
The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand: Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does too.) But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that the Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out…different. Or they don’t come out at all. If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria—even if it means getting a little messy.


Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi:  Since she’d been on the outside, she’d survived an Aether storm, she’d had a knife held to her throat, and she’d seen men murdered. This was worse.  Exiled from her home, the enclosed city of Reverie, Aria knows her chances of surviving in the outer wasteland—known as The Death Shop—are slim. If the cannibals don’t get her, the violent, electrified energy storms will. She’s been taught that the very air she breathes can kill her. Then Aria meets an Outsider named Perry. He’s wild—a savage—and her only hope of staying alive.  A hunter for his tribe in a merciless landscape, Perry views Aria as sheltered and fragile—everything he would expect from a Dweller. But he needs Aria’s help too; she alone holds the key to his redemption. Opposites in nearly every way, Aria and Perry must accept each other to survive. Their unlikely alliance forges a bond that will determine the fate of all who live under the never sky. 

Pure by Julianna Baggott:  Pressia barely remembers the Detonations or much about life during the Before. In her sleeping cabinet behind the rubble of an old barbershop where she lives with her grandfather, she thinks about what is lost--how the world went from amusement parks, movie theaters, birthday parties, fathers and mothers . . . to ash and dust, scars, permanent burns, and fused, damaged bodies. And now, at an age when everyone is required to turn themselves over to the militia to either be trained as a soldier or, if they are too damaged and weak, to be used as live targets, Pressia can no longer pretend to be small. Pressia is on the run.  There are those who escaped the apocalypse unmarked: Pures. They are tucked safely inside the Dome that protects their healthy, superior bodies. Yet Partridge, whose father is one of the most influential men in the Dome, feels isolated and lonely. Different. He thinks about loss--maybe just because his family is broken; his father is emotionally distant; his brother killed himself; and his mother never made it inside their shelter. Or maybe it's his claustrophobia: his feeling that this Dome has become a swaddling of intensely rigid order. So when a slipped phrase suggests his mother might still be alive, Partridge risks his life to leave the Dome to find her.  When Pressia meets Partridge, their worlds shatter all over again.
Every Day by David Levithan:  Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.   There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.  It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day. 


The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth: When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is soon forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone (as her grandmother might say), and Cam becomes an expert at both. Then Coley Taylor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship—one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, ultrareligious Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not exactly sure who that is. 
 
 
Grace, Gold, and Glory: My Leap of Faith by Gabrielle Douglas: In the 2012 London Olympics, US gymnast Gabrielle Douglas stole hearts and flew high as the All-Around Gold Medal winner, as well as acting as a critical member of the US gold-medal-winning women gymnastics team. In this personal autobiography, Gabrielle tells her story of faith, perseverance, and determination, demonstrating you can reach your dreams if you let yourself soar.