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November 30, 2007
THE POISON APPLES by Lily Archer
Alice, Reena, and Molly all come from different backgrounds, but they share one thing in common: they all have a wicked stepmother. Like the wicked stepmothers in fairy tales, the women have managed to keep their evil nature a secret from everyone but their new stepdaughters. When it seems that things can't get any worse for Alice, Reena, and Molly, they are shipped off to boarding school in Massachusetts. It is there that the 3 girls meet and bond over their shared bad luck. They form a secret club called “The Poison Apples” and plan to exact revenge on their stepmothers for ruining their lives.
Alternating from each girl’s perspective, The Poison Apples is a fun story about friendship, family and fitting in.
I recommend this book to girls in grades 7 and up.
Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian
Posted by fjacksonem at 9:28 AM | Comments (0)
November 20, 2007
BLUE HERON by Avi
What is magic really for? Avi will tell you in BLUE HERON.
As Maggie approaches her thirteenth birthday, she wants to believe that some kind of magic can stop all the changes in her life. She is going to visit her father and his new family at a lakeside cabin in Providence, Rhode Island. During the trip, Maggie fears that her father would love his new daughter more than herself. When Maggie comes to visit him, she finds him troubled and withdrawn. But his father says that nothing is wrong with him, which makes Maggie worry even more. Alone with her secret thoughts, Maggie secretly finds comfort from a beautiful blue heron that constantly comes to the lakeside in the mornings. With each visit Maggie grows more attached to this bird, but has a sense of feeling that someone out there is plotting to harm this lovely creature. In her determination to protect the blue heron, Maggie understands the magic of change in her own life and the changes going on around her.
Stephanie Zhang
Grade 8
WT Clarke Middle School
Posted by fjacksonem at 11:40 AM | Comments (0)
November 9, 2007
The Inheritance Trilogy
Eragon fans will be happy to hear that Random House has announced that there will be a 4th book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Trilogy. The third book, which is still untitled, will be published on September 23, 2008.
In a news release, the author had this to say:
"I plotted out the Inheritance series as a trilogy nine years ago, when I was fifteen. At that time, I never imagined I'd write all three books, much less that they would be published. When I finally delved into Book Three, it soon became obvious that the remainder of the story was far too big to fit in one volume. Having spent so long thinking about the series as a trilogy, it was difficult for me to realize that, in order to be true to my characters and to address all of the plot points and unanswered questions Eragon and Eldest raised, I needed to split the series into two books."
Posted by fjacksonem at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)
November 1, 2007
“New Moon” rises in YALSA's 2007 Teens' Top Ten
CHICAGO - More than 6,000 teen readers across the country chose “New Moon” by Stephenie Meyer as their favorite book in the annual Teens' Top Ten (TTT) vote, sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the fastest-growing division of the American Library Association (ALA). The online vote took place during Teen Read Week, October 14-20, with the second entry in Meyer's popular vampire romance series winning easily.
The 2007 Teens' Top Ten is:
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer (Hachette Book Group USA/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006).
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (Viking Children's Books, 2006)
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles (Flux, 2006).
Maximum Ride: School's Out - Forever by James Patterson (Hachette Book Group USA/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006).
Firegirl by Tony Abbott (Hachette Book Group USA/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006).
All Hallows Eve (13 Stories) by Vivian Vande Velde (Harcourt, 2006).
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Harcourt, 2006).
River Secrets by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury, 2006).
Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe (HarperCollins, 2006).
Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks (Chicken House, 2006).
TTT is a “teen choice” booklist, put together as part of YALSA's Young Adult (YA) Galley Project, which facilitates access to advance copies of young adult books to national teen book discussion groups. These groups evaluated books published between January 2006 and April 2007 and created a list of 25 nominations. Teen voters across the country then cast ballots for their three favorites, culminating in the 2007 Teens' Top Ten. Final nominations for the 2008 Teens' Top Ten vote will be posted in April at www.ala.org/teenstopten.
This is the press release from the American Library Association dated October 30, 2007
Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
Posted by fjacksonem at 7:00 AM | Comments (0)