Books to read and those to review

I know I've slacked off on the reviews lately....don't know why, but I have read a couple that are worth reading and putting into hands of students. One of those is Hatter, the graphic novel by Frank Beddor. It takes the Looking Glass series into the graphic area, which, in my estimation, is perfect for this! Hatter M is still searching for Alyss and along the way, he encounters forces he didn't know existed, followers from Wonderland watching his every move, and an orphanage that specializes in stealing their wards' most unique gifts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, especially when the first and last parts of the GN read like a fantasy history book.

Just got the galley for Kevin Brook's new novel, Dawn....and since I am such a fan, I can't WAIT to start reading this one!!! I've devoured his other novels and this will be a treat for me : )

All I have to say right now...

Everyone MUST READ:
Julius Lester's Guardian...
short, beautifully written, and the entire time I was thinking, "please no....please don't...I can't believe these things really happened...."

POWERFUL.

I then went online to visit some of the websites Lester cited in his afterword and the images on the postcards - it makes me wonder how and why?? Of course, no powerful book is without its opponents, so headed to the website (can't remember it right now) that rates books appropriate for young and YA readers - it's for parents to "judge a book" and even there, Lester's book is rated four out of five stars. But I will agree - this is for a much older YA audience.

If you have an hour, read this. It will make you think....PERFECT compliment with Draper's Copper Sun and Volponi's Response.

My booktalk for the fall semester

I always start out my booktalks using Animoto to show book covers. This year, I decided to add some text...I like the look of this one!!!

Ever get that feeling....

When you just have to put down books, turn off the computer and live a little outside the walls you've created? I know....did that this summer. Haven't posted anything in awhile, but rather got some fresh air, some sun, some family...but I'm walking into the halls to the world I've created, and it's nice to come back : )

Just finished my first blog in awhile (and that book is AMAZING!!!!) and will shortly finish another booktrailer for Crash Into Me that I've been working on for awhile! That and some Glogsters as well as Animoto videos I'm playing with will be posted this month. And let us not forget the listservs and Shelfaris!!

So from mojitos to bookitos and traileritos I'm back....and am excited about some of the titles I have in my sticky little hands!! Stay tuned : )

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Mary's heard the stories her mother's told her about the ocean....but she's never seen it. The only thing she knows is the forest, which is deadly and dangerous, and her village - ruled by the Sisters and the Guardians. But her life changes dramatically when her mother becomes one of the Unconsecrated...

The life Mary lives is a post-apocalyptic world after the Return, when a deadly infection created hordes of the Unconsecrated who feast off of those who live. And when Mary's mother is gone, she turns to her brother Jed, who shrugs her off for not protecting their family.

The only recourse Mary has is to live with the Sisters, and while there, she learns that they harbor secrets, ones that she wants to know. But she never has the chance when her village is overrun by the Unconsecrated and she narrowly escaped her village with her best friend Cass, her betrothed, Harry and his brother Travis, and her own brother Jed and his wife Beth. But loss, redemption, love, hate, pain, contentment, life and death follow their every step.

All Mary wants is to see the ocean...to see if her mother was telling the truth or making up stories. There is nothing more pressing than her drive to find the truth, and to know if there are others out there who still live, trapped in to keep out the Unconsecrated, or if her village was the only one...if they are now the only ones alive in the only world she's ever known.

It has been awhile since I picked up a book that was a riveting as I found this one to be. Carrie Ryan has created a novel that begs to be read until finished...it's that intriguing and exciting. The setting in this book takes on a characterization all on its own and owes its complexities to the Unconsecrated. The main characters are in-depth and their stories and lives weave themselves around each other. You end up hoping for the best for every one of them....

This book does remind me of a combination of M. Night Shyamalan and Richard Matheson's I am Legend (movie stars Will Smith). I'm embedding the video, which won the Teen Book Award Finalist 2008. I may be behind on blogging this novel, but it still begs to be blogged about!! Full screen video can be found at: http://www.teen.com/movies/the-forest-of-hands-and-teeth/. Apparently they are going to make a movie on this one

When traveling....

Spent all day traveling from Dixon Springs in Southern Illinois to Texas. FINALLY made it to the Texas border, and as is tradition, we stopped at the nearest rest area and stood on the brass Texas Star and breathed in the hot Texas air, only to go running to the nearest convenience store for a Texas-sized coke! You can't find those in any other state : ) We're not home, but we're home, if you know what I mean : )

I've done some reading during the week there, if I wasn't on a four-wheeler checking on new baby calves or feeding goats and pigs, or enjoying a cookout of pulled pork sandwiches and home-grown corn on the cob. Am currently reading Willow by Julia Hoban (in my opinion, the best new book out there about cutting since McCormick's Cut). Finished Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and am working on Greasy Rider by Greg Melville. It killed KILLED me that I was in the same state that ALA was having their conference in, but couldn't make it. Pigs, cattle and goats don't wait for no one...grrrrr.... just thinking of all of those galleys!!

On the way home (just passed through Sulphur Springs) I have put together the storyboard for my new booktrailer for Crash Into Me by Albert Borris. It was BEGGING to be made!! I'll reveal it next week when I once again hit the road for workshops in Fort Worth, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. I think I have finally nailed down how to work and have vacation with my family at the same time. By the way, a BIG shout-out to the Wichita Falls librarians!! We had fun creating booktrailers and learning new web 2.0 tools. They are a smart bunch and on their toes!! It's always fun to spend the day with colleagues : )

Summer has gone by fast...can't believe July is halfway gone...but there is nothing like sipping a colada in Cozumel reading a great book to collecting eggs in the barn to sneak a half-hour in the barn reading another good one to riding in a truck until my butt is numb creating a trailer and posting a blog or three : )

Now it's my daughter's turn to have the computer...its myspace or death!! I choose myspace over "how far are we from home? Can I have friends spend the night tonight? When are we stopping to eat?" anyday! Plus, my husband is getting a little jealous that I'm spending time with an electronic black box named Dell than with a true-life handsome man...yeah, I choose that too!!

So, readers out there, keep reading, keep sharing, and keep the faith!!

Adelante!

Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

Owen has tried it at least three times. The last was when he seriously thought about walking into heavy traffic. But as with his other attempts, it just didn't work. So there was therapy again....but no matter how many times he goes through therapy, he can't shake the feeling of guilt for what he did and reasons why he shouldn't kill himself.

It is accidental when he meets three other teens online who has the same suicidal thoughts. Jin-Ae can't handle the pressure from her parents to be the best while she's hiding her alternative lifestyle from them. Frank comes from a wealthy family, but he can't compete with his perfect brother while he won't confess he has an alcohol problem. And Audrey....well no one can quite figure her out, although she did jump from a window in a tall building after her boyfriend broke up with her. Together, this rag-tag team, dubbed the Suicide Dogs, decide to take one last road-trip to pay their final respects to those they admired and died (ie Kurt Kobain, Ernest Hemingway), achieve some of the things on their top ten list of things they've always wanted to do, and make their way to their own final destination, Death Valley, in order to complete their pact. But what they don't realize is that this trip will alter their course and surprise even the stauchest of them that believe suicide is the perfect way out.

For a first novel, Albert Borris packs a punch. Each character comes to life on the page, allowing the reader to not only look at what they do, but also why they do the things that cause them to think of suicide. All of the teens in this book create their own personas, and one that is easily followed. The topic is a sensitive one, and Borris treats it with respect while crafting parts that are more light-hearted without taking away the seriousness of the teens' decisions. This is a realistic fiction that will be hard to keep on the shelves, and those teens who enjoyed Ellen Hopkins's Impulse will find themselves just as engrossed in this one. Excellent read.

Distant Waves: a Novel of the Titanic by Suzanne Weyn

Five sisters grow up together in unusual circumstances. Mimi and Jane are the older sisters, while Amalie and Emma are the twins. Blythe brings up the rear as the baby sister and is born after her father has died. The girls' mother has an unusual gift, to say the least, and one that is at the height of popularity at the turn of the century on the East Coast.

Spiritualism is alive and well, and Maude Taylor, medium, is doing her best to raise her five girls at something that is accepted by those with finances and a wish to talk to the dead. Eventually, her talents lead her to the small town of Spirit Vale, New York. It is here that a community of mediums have banded together to co-exist and make a living. The girls all grow up in the most unusual of circumstances, but it is their fate that will change their lives inevitably.

Jane, in her younger years, had the pleasure to meet Nikola Tesla and his curious inventions. When she and her older sister Mimi decide to run away to New York City for the day, their future fate is sealed. Mimi becomes a companion for a young wealthy French lady while Jane meets Thad and has trouble trusting her feelings. During this time, their mother has been in constant contact with famous English medium W.T. Stead. With unusual circumstances and even more interesting relationships, the girls and their mother find themselves in England on the eve of the maiden voyage of the Titanic. But will they heed the feelings, warnings, and trust in the spirit world, or is it something more scientific that is going on?

Suzanne Weyn has created a YA turn-of-the-century historical fiction filled with true-life historical figures, such as Ehrich Weiss, Nikola Tesla, John Jacob Astor, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to name a few. And whilst this historical plot is being read, the reader can't help but see sicence fiction come into play, making this book a unique blend of both genres. The sinking of the Titanic is not what you may think happened... This is a PERFECT pair for the non-fiction book The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero by William Kalush and Larry Sloman.

On a personal note, I picked up this book for the beautiful cover, and it does encompass my favorite historical era, but I was pleasantly surprised to see which direction the author was taking this book. Not at all the norm, but one that will appeal to those fans of science fiction as well as historical fiction. Readers may have to suspend belief some toward the ending, and although the first part of the book was not as filled with intrigue as the last part, it ended up being a surprising and pleasant read.

Ruined by Paula Morris

I said I would write some reviews for the three books I read in Cozumel (more like the airport terminal), but had some time on my hands and created another booktrailer. This will be out August 2009, so keep your eyes open for them in bookstores. Who doesn't like a good ghost story set in New Orleans?
Enjoy!!

Three books in three minutes....more to come!

Malice
Remember Stephen Kings Creep Show? Very similar, but for young adults. This is the first true graphic novel/book fusion Ive come across. Excellent read, and cant wait to get my hands on the next one!!!

Ruined
Meet the young adult contemporary to Anne Rice. New Orleans, ghosts, curses and teens....this will be one that will be hunted down in the library and never seen again.

Crash into Me
Four teens on a suicide trip, but will it end that way? fast-paced and a great first novel for first time author!

Ill do more reviews on these in the days to come and add covers as well. Right now Im about to set off for some snorkeling on the Playancar Reef in Cozumel. Having a BLAST with my family!!! Cozumel...cant beat it!

Answering questions on "questionable" books...

This article was sent out through the listserv today, and after reading it, I thought it was ripe for discussion.
What makes this such a great online article read is the author's take on dark YA and the comments from professionals, including heavyweight David Gill. So don't just stop at the article...read on....
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203771904574173403357573642.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Eternal Booktrailer

WAY cool!!!

The list is well under way and it's AMAZING what web 2.0 can do! I feel like I'm part of a community of professionals - collaborating, creating, talking together. Guys, thanks for being a part of this!!
It's FRIDAY!!! I'm in the mancave hanging out with my lovely enjoying the weekend like no other. I'm just so thankful and proud to be part of this : )
You are the BOMB!!!

YA: A2Z - Won't you join me?

So, on the listserv, I saw this creatively awesome idea, and thought about how I could change it up just a bit....so here's the plan:

Let's collaborate and create lists of YA books (no more than five years old) from A to Z. One is by title (ie A is for Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson); one by author (ie M is for Mazer, Norma Fox, author of Missing Girl); one by subject (ie S is for steroids, Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte).

Another subject would be??? I thought, "Hmmmm...main character, genre, a tag you'd give a book..." the possibilities are endless!

So, want to join the fun? And in the process take away some pretty cool lists created by all of us? Read on!

To join, I need an email address. Once I have that, you're on! I've already started on all of these lists. This could be very interesting and valuable for us all : ) No one will "own" the list - once you're in, you're in, baby!

Just make sure you SAVE! And you can also download a .txt or .html version onto you computer to edit, own, create, etc...

Just another wonderful example of web 2.0! Brought to us by writeboard.com!

Here's the address:

http://123.writeboard.com/c39cb5fef21a240b4/login

MAKE SURE YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE BOX WHERE YOU LOGOUT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE (are there any dangling modifiers in that?)SO WE CAN SEE WHEN YOU CAME AND CHANGED THE LIST!!! : )

Destroy All Cars by Blake Nelson

Meet James Hoff - high school junior who doesn't drive and lately, doesn't have a girlfriend. Not a big deal, right? Well, welcome to his AP English essays...and welcome to his world...

His first assignment: a 4 page persuasive essay. James believes we must destroy all cars because:

1. It's a primitive machine that you put gas in and poison comes out. "Is it a good idea to start your car in your garage and sit beside it, reading the paper, while your garage fills up with exhaust? No. Then why would that be a good idea on global level?"

2. He's so sick of cars!!

3. The lameness of people in general because of their production and consumption of "USELESS CRAP."

His grade? They go up and down, matching his emotional state at the time. He just broke up with Sadie and the only way James knows how to deal with it is to write...and think about her...and try to hang out with friends...and think about her...

And then there's the competition. What does Sadie see in jock Will Greer? And then there's the dumpster-diving, food-eater Jedediah. Who'd want to be with someone who ate garbage you threw away - in the school cafeteria!?!

James's life is complicated. From Mr. Cogweiller's essay grading to adjusting to his father coming back home after leaving them to figuring out what he'll do after graduation to making a list of potential girls who'd want to hang out with him, James is elbow deep in everything a typical guy deals with. And what will happen with Sadie? And can the possibility of destroying all cars seriously destroy our government system? Oh, the possibilities...

Blake Nelson has written another fantastically funny and cleverly written book. James pops out of the pages and will make you laugh out loud. Rare is a book that will grab a YA that isn't about the grimmer things in life, and while a serious break-up is grim, Nelson puts a spin on this while adding issues that teens really are involved in. Perfect pairing and very on par with Jake Wizener's Spanking Shakespeare. Recommended.

If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser

DeShawn is alive....that's a good thing. He lives with his sister Nia and his Gramma in the projects. At night, ducking for cover while bullets fly isn't anything new. Seeing someone shot and dead is something that happens regularly. Knowing who's in charge is common knowledge.

DeShawn, Lightbulb, and Terrell live in the Frederick Douglass Projects, home of the Douglas Disciples. Across the neighborhood are their rivals, the Gentry Gangstas. At twelve years old, Deshawn and his buddies have seen people come and go through violence and drugs. And they also see the payback if you're good at what you do.

Slowly but surely, the devolving of these twelve year olds take place. By the time the boys are fifteen, life has become different than it was three years ago. Now it's about drugs, becoming fathers, getting jumped into the gang...owning your first gun. It's about putting food on your table, taking care of your family, protecting your gang and your turf. And at age eighteen, life for DeShawn, Lightbulb, and Terrell are dramatically changed - through experience, coincidence and choices made.

Wow....wowowowowowow...Strasser packs a PUNCH in this book. If you don't have firsthand knowledge of what the projects are, welcome to this experience. Strasser not only takes you there physically, but emotionally as well. The reader sees firsthand what kids face living in places like these, where the norm is death and the exception is a rap start or a basketball player. Year by year, you are drawn into the lives of these kids and during these times you'll find yourself caught by surprise. Personally, I am safe, protected, cushioned.... but there are those who aren't...

Strasser is a master of prefaces and afterwords as well as statistical data. Look at his past books, and this one is another exemplary work of research and fiction combined. Gritty realism permeates from beginning to end, and the reader is held spellbound till the end, hoping the fate of DeShawn correlates with the hopes the reader makes. A must-have for all YA collections.

Love You Hate You Miss You Booktrailer

I used Windows XP moviemaker....later I will use Vista, which has much more selection. Enjoy!!!

Books I'm reading and can't put down!!!

So...I was looking through the genre lists I've created for the library of all the books I've read over the past 3-4 years, and found my preferences pretty easily (can you guess what it is?) After that evaluation, I decided I needed to get on the ball and read some more supernatural fiction as well as guy books. The problem with these genres is that they get so mangled with the same plot (think of all the vampire books out there!!) or there just aren't a whole lot of new ones that are truly good (boy books are HARD to come by!!)

Yes - there are tons of titles out there, but they have to go through the Naomi filter. Can't wait to read the new Strasser book!! But...I have found two very well-worth reading books that when I booktalk them, I KNOW they'll go fast!

So, the low-down:

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop.

COOL cover!! Not only is the cover great, but so is the story!! It's the tale of a missing sophomore whose past is peppered with him taking off, but this time the fears of his buddies' minds take over, especially when the English teacher is parallelling Tommy's disappearance with the murderous tale of Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky. Was Tommy murdered? Is he still alive? Can you push yourself so far as to believe the made-up world in your mind or stay grounded in the world you occupy?

Parliament of Blood by Justin Richards.

He is fast becoming one of my most favorite English authors. Chaos Code, Death Collector...and now this one. Take Victorian England, throw in the social class of intellectual, and mix it with the environment of that era, including coal-smogged streets, carriages, and elite clubs joined only by invitation. Put in the Museum of London and an old sarcophagus, some teens and the presence of vampires, and you have a great YA historical fiction fused with the supernatural. It does very much remind me of the classic Dracula but does so much for more the target audience of today's YA set!

Love You Hate You Miss You by Elizabeth Scott

75 days since the accident, and Julia...I love you...

Amy and Julia have been close friends, nearly sisters, since junior high. They've both seen the ups and downs of friendships formed and lost, boys come and gone, and high school society, including the parties they both attended regularly. But now Julia is gone, and Amy knows she the one responsible for her death.

114 days since the accident, and Julia....I miss you...

After the funeral and rehab for her drinking, Amy has to face the challenges of school life on her own. And she realizes that her life after the accident hasn't changed. Her parents are still exclusively into each other, her therapist doesn't know what she's thinking or feeling, and everyone at school is pretending they miss Julia as well, from her boyfriend (who cheated on her) to old friends, like Caro and Beth (who put on a good show). Amy is lost and all she wants is a drink.

Even though her life is going on, Amy can't shake her guilt, her responsibility, and the punishment she thinks she deserved. She now sits at the loser table at lunch with moustache girl, who also ignores her. It hurts, but Amy knows it's all deserved. Everyone knows she's guilty...everyone...

But it's during an English group that a door silently opens up for Amy. An old friend, another solitary person who creates a spark in Amy unlike anything she's ever felt before - will she allow that door to open or shut it, herself, and her memories of Julia inside?

135 days since the accident, and Julia, I hate you...

Part in diary format, part in real time, this book hits the rise and fall of a friendship and the emotional needs of the main character. Elizabeth Scott has addressed the issue of emotional and physical trauma and created a tale of a broken girl put back together again through her own strength as well as those around her, whether she wants them there or not. Parental characters take on a strong role in this novel and transformation can be seen across the spectrum in a story of love, loss and the steps it takes to become whole again. A good pair with Sarah Aronson's Head Case. Recommended.

The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer

Angela is a dangerous girl. She lives the fast life, stealing money from her parents, hanging out with much older guys...and her grandfather's death...that's another horrible story. Her parents have tried everything they can, and what they discovered is Hidden Oak.

Hidden Oak is not just another prep school. It's designed specifically for dangerous girls, i.e. girls who haven't lived up to parental expectations; girls who have rebelled and continue to live a destructive lifestyle; girls who can't or wont life up to their parents social reputations; and girls who have problems, either psychological or emotional, that their parents can't handle. It's a four year school and there are two tracks for students - one is academic, the other is to fight for your life.

Angela makes it to orientation with a chip on her shoulder and plans to leave. But things don't turn out the way she thought. Stripped of all personal belongings, she realizes quickly that Hidden Oak isn't a typical school. You can't talk about what brought you here, you are pitted against other students, the facilities are moldy and falling apart, and your every move is recorded. And that's just the first month.

Angela makes it through orientation and is put into the elit gold group, but she can't quite shake the feeling of dread when it comes to the girls she met during orientation. What happened to Juin, a self-leader and big rebel, or Riley a follower and not to be trusted? She soon finds out when she is demoted into the purple faction and sees the truth for what it is....Now in a life or death situation where everyone is an enemy, Angela realizes that she must maintain her dangerousness in order to survive.

Sober, enthralling, mysterious...those are only a few words that qualify this book for YA readers. They will become engrossed in the lives of all the characters, from students to teachers, and wonder what the outcomes will be and how each girl will be impacted. Strong characterizations and situations will draw readers in, and although the ending doesn't live up to the denouement, this book will fly off shelves, and is an excellent companion book to Todd Strasser's Boot Camp.