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February 26, 2007
RETELLING THE CLASSICS
Some well-loved stories are retold again and again, whether it fairy tales or Shakespeare. Here are a few young adult titles that illustrate this idea.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND RETOLD
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE by Peter Abrahams
Like her idol Sherlock Holmes, eighth grader Ingrid Levin-Hill uses her intellect to solve a murder case in her home town of Echo Falls. Welcome to Echo Falls. Home of a thousand secrets, where Ingrid Levin-Hill, super sleuth, never knows what will happen next. Ingrid is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or at least her shoes are. Getting them back means getting involved in a murder investigation rivaling those solved by her idol, Sherlock Holmes, and Ingrid has enough on her plate with club soccer, school, and the plum role of Alice in the Echo Falls production of Alice in Wonderland . But much as in Alice's adventures down the rabbit hole, things in Ingrid's small town keep getting curiouser and curiouser. Her favorite director has a serious accident onstage (but is it an accident?), and the police chief is on Ingrid's tail, grilling her about everything from bike-helmet law to the color of her cleats. Echo Falls has turned into a nightmare, and Ingrid is determined to wake up. Edgar Award-nominated novelist Peter Abrahams builds suspense as a smart young girl finds that her small town isn't nearly as safe as it seems. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7UP.
LOOKING GLASS WARS by Frank Beddor
When she is cast out of Wonderland by her evil aunt Redd, young Alyss Heart finds herself living in Victorian Oxford as Alice Liddell and struggles to keep memories of her kingdom intact until she can return and claim her rightful throne. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 UP
SHAKESPEARE WITH A TWIST
ARIEL by Grace Tiffany
In this prequel to William Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST the reader is given centuries of background to show how Caliban, Miranda, Prospero and the rest came to be who they are by the time Shakespeare picked up the tale. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
ROMIETTE AND JULIO by Sharon Draper
Romiette, an African-American girl, and Julio, a Hispanic boy, discover that they attend the same high school after falling in love on the Internet, but are harrassed by a gang whose members object to their interracial dating. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
THIS MUST BE LOVE by Tui T. Sutherland
Two good friends tell of strange occurrences between themselves and the boys they like during a high school production of "Romeo and Juliet," which are reminiscent of the magical world of William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
FAIRY TALES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY TEEN
BEAST by Donna Jo Napoli
Elaborates on the tale of "Beauty and the Beast," told from the point of view of the beast and set in Persia. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
BELLA AT MIDNIGHT by Diane Stanley
Raised by peasants, Bella discovers that she is actually the daughter of a knight and finds herself caught up in a terrible plot that will change her life and the kingdom forever. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 8.
DUCKLING UGLY by Neal Shusterman
When sixteen-year-old Cara, a girl ugly enough to break mirrors, is drawn to a place where everyone can be beautiful, her deepest desire is to return home to say goodbye--and get revenge. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 T0 10.
RED RIDER'S HOOD by Neal Shusterman
After learning that there are werewolves in his city, a sixteen-year-old is even more surprised to discover the identities of the hunters who drove them out decades earlier, but he soon infiltrates the Wolves gang to help destroy them for good. RECOMMENDED FO GRADES 7 T0 10.
THE WITCH’S BOY by Michael Gruber
A grotesque foundling turns against the witch who sacrificed almost everything to raise him, when he becomes consumed by the desire for money and revenge against those who have hurt him; but he eventually finds his true heart's desire. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 8.
SHERLOCK, EBENEEZER, ARTHUR AND THE GREEKS
THE CASE OF THE MISSING MARQUESS: AN ENOLA HOLMES MYSTERY by Nancy Springer
Enola Holmes, much younger sister of detective Sherlock Holmes, must travel to London in disguise to unravel the disappearance of her missing mother. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 8.
MARLY’S GHOST: A REMIX OF CHARLES DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The spirit of Ben's girlfriend Marly returns with three other ghosts to haunt him with a painful journey though Valentine's Days past, present, and future. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ALFRED KROPP by Rick Yancy
Through a series of dangerous and violent misadventures, teenage loser Alfred Kropp rescues King Arthur's legendary sword Excalibur from the forces of evil. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 9.
DREAD LOCKS by Neal Shusterman
Accustomed to a carefree existence, fourteen-year-old Parker Baer meets the girl next door and finds his life taking a menacing turn as he begins to absorb some of her terrible powers. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 3:45 PM | Comments (0)
February 20, 2007
THE BRAID by Helen Frost
As you are taught in school, people came to North America for various reasons and both the journey and starting anew was hard. In THE BRAID you meet the MacKinnons, who have just been evicted from the Western Isles of Scotland. Two teenage sisters, Jeannie and Sarah, are separated, when Jeannie joins the family to go to family in Nova Scotia and Sarah stays in Scotland with their grandmother. Both girls are lonely for each other but are connected by a braid of their intertwined hair. The book is told alternately by both girls in prose and poetry. The reader learns of the hardships of migrating from the ocean voyage to finding a home, and the loneliness of losing one's family, when she chooses to stay behind.
This wonderful short book, only 88 pages, introduces to a group of amazing young heroines by Helen Frost, the author of KEESHA'S HOUSE. This book is RECOMMENDED FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 8 TO 10.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)
February 16, 2007
THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE by Philip Pullman
A few weeks ago I was kind of watching television and an advertisement for Masterpiece Theatre began. It immediately drew me in, because the story dramatized was THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE.
This title may be unfamiliar to you, but if you loved THE GOLDEN COMPASS and its sequels in HIS DARK MATERIALS; you will be pleased to learn this book is written by Philip Pullman.
Mr. Pullman has created Sally Lockhart, a Nancy Drew like heroine who lives in Victorian England. After the death of her father, Sally, alone and friendless, is drawn into a mystery that could cause her death. She is following the trail of a mysterious ruby; it may have caused the death of her father, the death of a stranger who summoned her; and an opium loving sailor. There is also a evil old woman shadowing everything Sally does. Along the way Sally makes some new friends, begins a new career, and of course, solves the mystery.
For a good old-fashion mystery with a great female character, try the Sally Lockhart mysteries, THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE, THE SHADOW IN THE NORTH, and THE TIGER IN THE WELL.
This series is RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 AND UP.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 2:09 PM | Comments (0)
February 9, 2007
YOUNG ADULT CLASSICS
Every now and then I pick up a magazine called BOOKLINKS. It reviews books and does lists on specific subjects. The July 2006 issue was there 15th anniversary issue and they had a list of 15 classic Young Adult novels. It was a great list spanning my many years working as a Young Adult librarian. So here it is. What do you think?
THE CHOCOLATE WAR by Robert Cormier
A high-school freshman who refuses to participate in the annual fund-raising chocolate sale is forced to defend his convictions. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADE 8 AND UP (This classic is now taught in Englsh classes.)
THE CONTENDER by Robert Lipsyte
A Harlem high school dropout escapes from a gang of punks into a boxing gym, where he learns that being a contender is hard and often discouraging work, but that you don't know anything until you try. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 AND UP. (It took the author more than 24 years to write the sequel, THE BRAVE.)
FALLEN ANGELS by Walter Dean Myers
Seventeen-year-old Richie Perry, just out of his Harlem high school, enlists in the Army in the summer of 1967 and spends a devastating year on active duty in Vietnam. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 AND UP
FAREWELL TO MANZANAR: A TRUE STORY OF JAPANESE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE DURING AND AFTER WORLD WAR II by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston
This is the true story of a Japanese American family sent to an internment camp during World War II; where the conditions were cramped and unhealthy. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 9 AND UP
GENTLEHANDS by M.E. Kerr
A teenage boy falls in love with an "upper-class" girl and gets to know his estranged grandfather in one heartbreaking summer which climaxes in a shattering search for Nazi war criminals. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP (This is another personal favorite of mine.)
THE GOATS by Brock Cole
Stripped and marooned on a small island by their fellow campers, a boy and a girl form an uneasy bond that grows into a deep friendship when they decide to run away and disappear without a trace. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 AND UP
JACOB HAVE I LOVED by Katherine Paterson
Feeling deprived all her life of schooling, friends, mother, and even her name by her twin sister, Louise finally begins to find her identity. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 9
KILLING MR. GRIFFIN by Lois Duncan
A teenager casually suggests playing a cruel trick on the English teacher, but did he intend it to end with murder? RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP (It is my personal favorite. I was not a great English student.)
THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton
The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP (This is another classic English teachers use.)
THE PIGMAN by Paul Zindel
A teenage boy and girl, high school sophomores from unhappy homes, tell of their bizarre relationship with an old man. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 9 AND UP. (This is another title English teachers just love, but back in 1968 it was not selected as a BEST BOOK FOR TEENS by young adul librarians. We can't always be right.)
SAY GOODNIGHT, GRACIE by Julie Reece Deaver
When a car accident kills her best friend Jimmy, with whom she has shared everything from childhood escapades to breaking into the professional theater scene in Chicago, seventeen-year-old Morgan must find her own way of coping with his death. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 AND UP
STOTAN by Chris Crutcher
A high school coach invites members of his swimming team to a memorable week of rigorous training that tests their moral fiber as well as their physical stamina. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP
A SUMMER TO DIE by Lois Lowry and Jenni Oliver
Thirteen-year-old Meg envys her sister's beauty and popularity. Her feelings don't make it any easier for her to cope with Molly's strange illness and eventual death. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 T0 8
TIGER EYES by Judy Blume
Resettled in the "Bomb City" with her mother and brother, Davey Wexler recovers from the shock of her father's death during a holdup of his 7-Eleven store in Atlantic City. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 AND UP
THE UPSTAIRS ROOM by Johanna Reiss
A Dutch Jewish girl describes the two-and-one-half years she spent in hiding in the upstairs bedroom of a farmer's house during World War II. RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 6 TO 8 (In 1972, when the book was published, I was fortunate to meet and hear the author's experience. This book is autobiographical.)
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 10:55 AM | Comments (1)
MARIE, DANCING by Carolyn Meyer
Have you ever seen a ballerina dance? If you have, you would most likely think at the time: “Wow, isn’t she talented!” or “ What he just did was amazing”. People usually don’t think about the hard work dancers have to do to be able to do what you see. The book MARIE, DANCING by: Carolyn Meyer portrays the historical fiction story of Marie Van Goethem who modeled for Edgar Degas’s sculpture, “The Little Dancer”.
In the book, Marie is a student at the Paris Opéra ballet school struggling in poverty. To Marie, dancing is the only joy in her life. Before her father dies, he makes her promise to keep the family together. Without a father Marie finds life a lot harder than before. Her mother is an alcoholic, her older sister is selfish and she has a younger sister that she has to take care of. Follow the story of a young dancer struggling poverty and life through Marie.
I WOULD RECOMMEND THE BOOK FOR GRADES 7-10 and anyone who has read some of Carolyn Meyer’s other books such as DOOMED, QUEEN ANNE, LOVING WILL SHAKESPEARE, and PATIENCE, PRINCESS CATHERINE.
Camille Deytiquez
Grade: 7
School: W.T. Clarke Middle School
Posted by fjacksonem at 10:01 AM | Comments (1)
February 1, 2007
HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS by J K Rowling
The Hogwarts experience will conclude with this title. The scheduled date for release was announced on THE TODAY SHOW.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 5:30 PM | Comments (0)
TEEN READERS SWEEPSTAKES
Penguin Young Readers Group and Baker & Taylor have created a TEEN READERS SWEEPSTAKES for young adult ages 12 to18 who residen in the continental United States. VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE PENGUIN TITLE. All entries must be submitted through the public library.
The winning teen will receive an assortment of five recently published Penguin young adult titles worth approximately $106. The Library could win a visit by one of the authors listed on the official ballot.
Stop by the Young Adult Services area and fill out an official ballot for the sweepstakes. Ballots must be returned to Mrs. Jackson by February 26, 2007.
Here is the slate of candidates:
AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by John Green
Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships
BLACK & WHITE by Paul Volponi
Two star high school basketball players, one black and one white, experience the justice system differently after committing a crime together and getting caught.
THE BLACK TATTOO by Sam Enthoven
When his best friend, Charlie, is possessed by an ancient demon, fourteen-year-old Jack, accompanied by a girl with superhuman powers, battles all over London and into Hell to save him.
DEFINING DULCIE by Paul Acampora
When sixteen-year-old Dulcie's father dies, her mother makes a decision to move them to California, where Dulcie makes an equally radical decision to steal her dad's old truck and head back home.
JIM THORPE: ORIGINAL ALL-AMERICAN by Joseph Bruchac
A biography of Native American athlete Jim Thorpe, focusing on his early athletic career.
JUST LISTEN by Sarah Dessen
Isolated from friends who believe the worst because she has not been truthful with them, sixteen-year-old Annabel finds an ally in classmate Owen, whose honesty and passion for music help her to face and share what really happened at the end-of-the-year party that changed her life.
LOOKING FOR ALASKA by John Green
Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.
MONSTER BLOOD TATTOO by D. M. Cornish
Having grown up in a home for foundlings and possessing a girl's name, Rossamünd sets out to report to his new job as a lamplighter and has several adventures along the way as he meets people and monsters who are more complicated that he previously thought. Includes glossaries and maps.
PEEPS by Scott Westerfeld
Cal Thompson is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism, and must hunt down all of the girlfriends he has unknowingly infected.
RANGER'S APPRENTICE by John Flanagan
When fifteen-year-old Will is rejected by battleschool, he becomes the reluctant apprentice to the mysterious Ranger Halt, and winds up protecting the kingdom from danger.
RED KAYAK by Priscilla Cummings
Living near the water on Maryland's Eastern Shore, thirteen-year-old Brady and his best friends J.T. and Digger become entangled in a tragedy which tests their friendship and their ideas about right and wrong.
ROCK STAR SUPERSTAR by Blake Nelson
When Pete, a talented bass player, moves from playing in the high school jazz band to playing in a popular rock group, he finds the experience exhilarating even as his new fame jeopardizes his relationship with girlfriend Margaret.
THE RULES OF SURVIVAL by Nancy Werlin
Seventeen-year-old Matthew recounts his attempts, starting at a young age, to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother.
S.A.S.S. PARDON MY FRENCH by Cathy Hapka
Seventeen-year-old Nicole's dreams and plans center around her boyfriend, but a semester in Paris encourages her to think about herself and her future in a new way.
TRAITOR by Andy McNab and Robert Rigby
A boy who believes his grandfather to be a traitor, a spy who turned against England and then disappeared, tracks down his grandfather and finds out the truth.
WAIT FOR ME BY An Na
As her senior year in high school approaches, Mina yearns to find her own path in life but working at the family business, taking care of her little sister, and dealing with her mother's impossible expectations are as stifling as the southern California heat, until she falls in love with a man who offers a way out.
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 11:59 AM | Comments (1)