Remember Your High School Romance?

i am a hopeless romantic. I want stories that go straight to my heart. i want the unexpected, i need the character to make choices and learn from them and most of all i want to think about the story long after i turn the last page. If this is what you need The Sky is Everywhere is for you.

Mean Girls are Everywhere!

I just finished reading Boys, Girls and other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes. The themes of bullying, school situations and just plain mean girls resonate throughout the book. One thing is certain..the mean girl syndrome is not limited to middle and high school.

School Library Journal (January 1, 2010)

Gr 8-11-Attempting to avoid vicious, former "frenemies" (and their influence), Charlotte Healey starts her high school career in neighboring Harmony Falls, hoping for a clean slate. Things look promising when she makes friends the first day and awkwardly reunites, after three years, with ex-best friend/boy-next-door-turned-crush Will. Unfortunately, people from Charlie's past keep turning up, like Nidhi, former target of the nasty kids at her old school. Charlie and Nidhi reconcile and score a column in the school paper on the freshman experience. Trying to find romance and their niche in the social hierarchy, Charlie and company survive the familiar highs and lows of high school and friendship in a place where traditions, both exclusionary and dangerous, reign. Charlie learns that both sexes are equally capable of cruelty, manipulation, and susceptibility to social pressure, but she's no longer one to keep quiet when the bullies and their enablers need to be taken to task

The Theme of Death and Dying for Young Adults

When i started working at a Children's Bookstore in Ohio, young adults always came in looking for sad books, books of death and dying. The stories deal with teenagers facing trauma and provides ways of confronting, reflecting and acceptance.

I just finished listening to Everafter by Amy Huntley

Here is a small list of other books teens might like with the same theme.

Afterlife by Gary Soto

Would You by Marthe Jocelyn

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

If I Stay by Gail Forman

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

A Short Read with a Powerful Message

Broken Moon by Kim Antieau

Broken Memory: a novel of Rwanda by Elizabeth Combres

Two young characters overcome obstacles, find determination and begin to heal from the brutalities of culture and war.

The Goddess of YA Literature Posted this summary!

http://professornana.livejournal.com/388266.html

Can you say Newbery and Audio in the same sentence?

I just finished listening to The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly. i love audio books for a few reasons; one is time, the other is experiencing the book in a new way. The characters come to life and you feel like you belong in the story. Calpurnia navigates her life among six brothers, the proper upbringing for girls at the turn of the century and her interest in becoming a naturalist.
Unknowingly, i have read another book about Charles Darwin and he is growing on me.
This would be a great read aloud for teachers since students might be hesitant to pick it up. I would not be surprised to see it on the Newbery list announced on Monday January 18th.

I love when this happens..

i recently listened to Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman, a national book award nominee. i was tentative about reading it since i wasn't sure i would enjoy the story so i decided to listen to it instead. to my surprise i enjoyed the book more than i thought. the story centered around his personal life, a devoted family man and about his work in a way that students could relate to.

The next book i picked up was Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. this historical story during WWI with added science fiction, caught my attention from the beginning. References to Darwinist, DNA and Nora Darwin was fresh in my memory. When does this ever happen? A great companion novel. watch this youtube video about the book.

Reference Book

1001 children's books you must read before you grow up

editor Julia Eccleshare

Do you remember reading Good Dog Carl by Alexandra Day, Marigold Garden by Kate Greenaway, The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary or Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger? If you have, you only have 997 titles to go.

This is a beautifully illustrated book with biographical references and index. The book is available in the media center.