New Books for December!

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


Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff:  Mila has an exceptional talent for reading a room—sensing hidden facts and unspoken emotions from clues that others overlook.  So when her father’s best friend, Matthew, goes missing from his upstate New York home, Mila and her beloved father travel from London to find him.  She collects information about Matthew from his belongings, from his wife and baby, from the dog he left behind and from the ghosts of his past—slowly piecing together the story everyone else has missed.  But just when she’s closest to solving the mystery, a shocking betrayal calls into question her trust in the one person she thought she could read best.  Named one of the best teen books of 2013.  New Teen Fiction Rosoff


I Even Funnier: A Middle School Story by James Patterson:  In this follow up to the bestseller I Funny, middle-schooler Jamie Grimm has big dreams of being the best stand-up comic in the world--and he won't let the fact that he's wheelchair-bound stand in his way.  After winning the New York State finals in the Planet's Funniest Kid Comic Contest, Jamie's off to Boston to compete in the national semi-finals.  But when one of his best buddies runs into trouble at school and a sudden family health scare rears its head, Jamie has to put his comedic ambitions on hold and stand by the people he cares about.  Can Jamie pass up the big competition for the sake of his friends and family? New Teen Fiction Patterson


Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper:  On the winter day Little Hawk is sent into the woods alone, he can take only a bow and arrows, his handcrafted tomahawk, and the amazing metal knife his father traded for with the new white settlers.  If Little Hawk survives three moons by himself, he will be a man.  John Wakely is only 10 when his father dies, but he has already experienced the warmth and friendship of the nearby tribes. Yet his fellow colonists aren’t as accepting of the native people. When he is apprenticed to a barrel-maker, John sees how quickly the relationships between settlers and natives are deteriorating. His friendship with Little Hawk will put both boys in grave danger.The intertwining stories of Little Hawk and John Wakely are a fascinating tale of friendship and an eye-opening look at the history of our nation.  New Teen Fiction Cooper



Battling Boy by Paul Pope:  The adventure begins in the new graphic novel by comics legend Paul Pope.  Monsters roam through Arcopolis, swallowing children into the horrors of their shadowy underworld. Only one man is a match for them--the genius vigilante Haggard West.  Unfortunately, Haggard West is dead.  Arcopolis is desperate, but when its salvation comes in the form of a 12-year-old demigod, nobody is more surprised than Battling Boy himself.  New Teen Fiction Pope



Words Wound: Delete Cyberbullying and Make Kindness Go Viral by Justin W. Patchin: 

Cyberbullying happens every day. Harsh words and damaging photos exchanged through texts, email, or social media can result in humiliation, broken friendships, punishment at school, and even legal prosecution. In some cases, online harassment has contributed to teen suicide. Faced with this frightening problem, parents, educators, and teens are looking for information and advice. Many books have been written for adults about what cyberbullying is and what to do about it, but nothing has been written specifically for teens to help them to protect themselves and their peers. Written by the foremost experts in cyberbullying prevention and reviewed by teens, this book provides practical strategies for those who are being cyberbullied, seeing cyberbullying, or who just want to do something to help make their schools a safer and more respectful place. The book includes dozens of real-life stories from those who have experienced cyberbullying, including many who have risen above it to make a positive difference in their schools. New Teen Non-Fiction 302.34 PAT

 

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal:  From the start, his path was never predictable. Steve Jobs was given up for adoption at birth, dropped out of college after one semester, and at the age of 20, created Apple in his parents' garage with his friend Steve Wozniack. Then came the core and hallmark of his genius--his quest for perfection, his counterculture life approach, and his level of taste and style that pushed all boundaries. A devoted husband, father, and Buddhist, he battled cancer for over a decade, became the ultimate CEO, and made the world want every product he touched.  Framed by Jobs' inspirational Stanford commencement speech and illustrated throughout with black and white photos, this is the story of the man who changed our world.  New Teen Biography Jobs
 

Banned Books Week--Celebrate Your Freedom to Read!

What is Banned Books Week? 

Throughout history (and continuing today), schools and libraries have banned or received requests to ban books from their shelves.  The American Library Association (ALA) promotes the freedom to express one's opinions, even if they might be considered unpopular.  Below are some of the classics that have been banned or challenged:

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie--Teen Fiction Alexie

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher--Teen Fiction Asher

Are You There God?  It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume--Juvenile Fiction Blume

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky--Teen Fiction Chbosky

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins--Teen Fiction Collins

The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney--Teen Fiction Cooney

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee--Adult Fiction Lee

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle--Juvenile Fiction L'Engle

The Giver by Lois Lowry--Juvenile Fiction Lowry

The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer--Teen Fiction Meyer

The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling--Juvenile Fiction Rowling

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger--Adult Fiction Salinger

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck--Adult Fiction Steinbeck

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain--Adult Fiction Twain

Celebrate your freedom to read by checking out a banned or challenged book!*  You can read more about Banned Books Week here. 

*Riverdale Public Library recognizes that not all books are appropriate for all ages or reading levels.  It is the library's recommendation that parents and guardians review books before permitting teens to read them. 

Alex Awards

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) recently announced the 2013 winners of the Alex Award.  The Alex Award is given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults. 

Juvenile in Justice by Richard Ross:  The photographs in Juvenile in Justice open our eyes to the world of the incarceration of American youth. The nearly 150 images in this book were made over five years of visiting more than 1,000 youth confined in more than 200 juvenile detention institutions in 31 states. These riveting photographs, accompanied by the life stories that these young people in custody shared with Ross, give voice to imprisoned children from families that have no resources in communities that have no power. Not currently available


Caring is Creepy by David Zimmerman:  Fifteen-year-old Lynn Marie Sugrue is doing her best to make it through a difficult summer. Her mother works long hours as a nurse, and Lynn suspects that her mother’s pill-popping boyfriend has enlisted her in his petty criminal enterprises. Lynn finds refuge in online flirtations, eventually meeting up with a troubled young soldier, Logan Loy, and inviting him home. When he’s forced to stay over in a storage space accessible through her closet, and the Army subsequently lists him as AWOL, she realizes that he’s the one thing in her life that she can control. Meanwhile, her mother’s boyfriend is on the receiving end of a series of increasingly violent threats, which places Lynn squarely in the cross-hairs.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan:  The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and luck has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the strange Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.  New Adult Fiction Sloan

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf:  You only think you know this story:  In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer—the most notorious serial killer since Jack the Ripper—seared himself into the American consciousness. To the public, Dahmer was a monster who committed unthinkable atrocities. To Derf Backderf, "Jeff" was a much more complex figure: a high school friend with whom he had shared classrooms, hallways, and car rides. In My Friend Dahmer, a haunting and original graphic novel, writer-artist Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche—a shy kid, a teenage alcoholic, and a goofball who never quite fit in with his classmates. With profound insight, what emerges is a Jeffrey Dahmer that few ever really knew, and one readers will never forget. Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard:  In 1971, a small-town high school baseball team from rural Illinois playing with hand-me-down uniforms and peace signs on their hats defied convention and the odds. Led by an English teacher with no coaching experience, the Macon Ironmen emerged from a field of 370 teams to become the smallest school in Illinois history to make the state final, a distinction that still stands. There, sporting long hair, and warming up to "Jesus Christ Superstar," the Ironmen would play a dramatic game against a Chicago powerhouse that would change their lives forever.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

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.  New Teen Fiction Baggott

The Round House by Louise Erdrich:  One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and thirteen-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.  While his father, who is a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own. Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe. And this is only the beginning. The Round House was the 2012 National Book Award winner.  New Adult Fiction Erdrich

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt:  1987. There’s only one person who has ever truly understood  14-year-old June Elbus, and that’s her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can only be herself in Finn’s company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, June’s world is turned upside down. But Finn’s death brings a surprise acquaintance into June’s life—someone who will help her to heal, and to question what she thinks she knows about Finn, her family, and even her own heart.  At Finn’s funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail. Inside is a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finn’s apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes she’s not the only one who misses Finn, and if she can bring herself to trust this unexpected friend, he just might be the one she needs the most.  Available at other libraries through interlibrary loan

Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple: Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom.  Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle--and people in general--has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic.  To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence--creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world.  New Adult Fiction Semple

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Did you know that November is National Native American Heritage Month?  A great book to learn more about what it's like to be a Native-American teen today is Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  Based on the author's own experiences, the novel tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation.  Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the "rez" to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.  He expects disaster but soon finds himself making friends with both geeky and popular students and starting on the basketball team.  Meeting his old classmates on the court, Junior grapples with questions about his community, identity, and tribe.  The book even includes simple pencil cartoons to reflect the promising artist within Junior.  Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian chronicles the adolescence of one Native-American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he thought he was destined to live.

Alexie's YA debut won the 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.  You can look for the book or put it on hold here.