Secrets in the Shadows: Bluford High

Recommended grades 7-10.  Roylin Bailey doesn't have a perfect life, after his mother sent his father away for abusing the family, Roylin had to take a job to support his family.  He's a football player, but not a great one, and he can't seem to get his grades above a C, no matter how hard he tries.  All of this changes when Korie Archer shows up in his history class at Bluford High.  Roylin will do anything to impress her, even if it means destroying his whole life and following in the footsteps of his convict father. The third book in the Bluford High series, Secrets in the Shadows (Scholastic, 2002) deals with mature issues, including domestic violence and drug abuse, written at a level struggling readers can achieve.  Though the character development is not top priority to Anne Schraff, the Bluford series is a great way to motivate struggling readers in upper grades.  Additional Selection, ***.

Book-A-Day Almanac

Review Blog.  Creator Anita Silvey describes the Children's Book-A-Day Almanac as a "daily love letter to a book or author."  Every day, Silvey explores a classic book or a book on its way to being a classic.  Each review provides an in-depth summary and analysis of the book, addressing content and theme, as well as sample images from inside the book.  In addition to posting daily, she lets readers know what's coming up for the blog.  The website is beautifully designed and easy to navigate.  Readers can search and browse past entries by age group, subject, author/illustrator, book type, or date of entry.  Silvey's use of subject tags is simple and easy to navigate.  Readers can clearly see Silvey's passion for the books she writes about, and can gain a great overview and insight from her posts.  Book-A-Day just celebrated it's one year birthday, let's hope it survives to celebrate many more!  Highly recommended, *****

The Goddess of YA Literature

Review Blog.  Teri Lesesne, aka the Goddess of YA Literature, blogs book reviews daily from Sam Houston State College where she serves as a professor in Library Science.  The Goddess reviews mostly for younger readers- picture books and early chapter books fill most of her posts, though she also makes room for middle chapter books.  Her reviews often run no more than five sentences, and often are two or three.  Most reviews are made of a single sentence of summary, and one or two sentences of glowing review.  The Goddess seems to adore every book she encounters, which is not necessarily a bad thing but at times she seems like the little librarian who cried "excellent!"  One excellent feature of her blog is her grouping of books within themes.  This would be of great use to teachers and librarians for quick story time picks.  She also makes great use of a tagging system which facilitates easy navigation of seven year's worth of daily reviews.  This is a good blog to review for quick picks, but do not expect a critical understanding of contemporary books. Additional selection, **

Guys Lit Wire

Review Blog.  Guys Lit Wire pulls together books for boys, a notoriously hard group to find material for.  In near-daily posts, the group of bloggers behind Guys Lit Wire review books that will get guys excited about reading.  Most of the books reviewed are targeted at a middle school to high school range, though a few lower level books slip in here and there.  Most reviews are long and include passages, critiques, and the personal reflections of the bloggers.  Many of the writers include a short excerpt on the main page with a link for more material, so that readers can decide if they want to go through the full review or not.  The bloggers employ a system of tagging, though navigation is not always clear to the reader, with categories including, "Flying Cars and Lost Cities," and "So You Want to Rule the World."  Guys Lit Wire reviews a wide variety of fiction and nonfiction, contemporary and classic.  They push the edges of what boys would be interested in; they don't settle for flashy action books, but encourage the adults who influence boy readers to get into the classics too.  Definitely recommended for book lovers who work with teenage boys.  Recommended, ****

Walk Two Moons

Recommended grades 4-6.  Salamanca Tree Hiddle has heard the American Indian proverb, "Don't judge a man until you've walked two moons in his moccasins," so she, along with her grandma and grandpa, are walking in the moccasins of her mother, who left their family in their home of Bybanks of Kentucky and took a bus to Idaho.  Along the way, Salamanca shares the story of her friend, Phoebe, another girl left behind with no mother.  Walk Two Moons (Scholastic, 1994), is a story of friendship, forgiveness, and above all, family.  Sharon Creech brings to life an incredible cast of unforgettable characters; from Gram & Gramps Hiddle, who married because Gramps treated his beagle well, to Phoebe who frets about cholesterol and lunatics, and of course, Salamanca, who kisses trees to taste blackberries and find her mother's love.  Walk Two Moons is, and will remain, a timeless classic well worth its Newberry Medal and it's permanent place in library collections.  Highly recommended, *****.

Whole Story of Half a Girl

Recommended grades 5-7.  Sonia Nadhamuni is a girl of the 21st century-- half Indian, half Jewish, and completely conflicted.  The Whole Story of Half a Girl (Delacourt Books, 2012) is an excellent updated companion to Judy Bloom's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.  Like Margaret, Sonia inhabits the grey area between her parents' cultures.  When her father loses his job, Sonia must leave the comfort of her progressive private school to face public school.  There she is forced to choose a racial identify-- should she join the perky blond cheerleaders or align herself with the African-American students bussed from other neighborhoods?  Sonia is neither blond nor black, and is frustrated at having to identify as Jewish because her family is not religion.  Sonia faces the question that many young people face today-- with an over abundance of cultures, how can you pick and choose which to identify with?  Author Veera Hiranandani gives Sonia an eloquent and empathetic voice, and addresses sensitive issues with grace.  In addition to race and religion, Sonia reckons with her father's chronic depression, which tears him away from the family.  Overall an excellent, entertaining, intellectually stimulating YA novel that would complement any library collection. Highly recommended, ****.

Reading Raps

Professional Programming.  Rita Soltan explores a variety of family book club structures in Reading Raps: A Book Club Guide for Librarians, Kids, and Families (Libraries Unlimited, 2006).  Soltan describes four unique book club styles for young readers and their families; whole family book clubs, mother-daughter books clubs, father-son book clubs and 'Reading Raps, book clubs for young readers to participate in without their families.  For each type of club, Soltan recommends 25 appropriate books, including summaries, notes on theme, discussion questions, and a quick list of other books that share the theme.  Soltan emphasizes books that do not have alternate media tie-ins (i.e. movies or TV shows).  Soltan does not shy away from controversial books, on the contrary, she explains how family book clubs can be an excellent way for families to openly discuss tough subject.  This guide is an excellent source for books selection, however it is not enough to carry book club leaders through the whole discussion.  Highly recommended for public librarians who are interested in engaging families in new and interesting ways; especially those who want to create more family programming for readers in upper elementary and middle school for whom story time is not quite cutting it.  Recommended, ****

Jews in America

Recommended grades 10-12.  Illustrated histories are a great way for readers to access dense material.  In today's graphic novel market, there is an abundance of historical non fiction material.  Daniel Gantz contributes to this subgenre with Jews in America (The Jewish Publication Society, 2006).  Gantz covers a staggering amount of history in under 200 pages-- he traces Jews in diaspora starting in 1189 until Kofi Annan's 2005 speech about modern anti-semitism.  Though focused primarily on Jews living in America Gantz adds commentary about America's relationship with Jews outside the United States, primarily in Europe and Israel.  Gantz illustrates in dark sepia; his style mirrors political cartoonists like Thomas Nast.  Though told in "cartoon," Gantz's history is not watered down.  He uses a complex vocabulary and does not shy away from controversial topics. It is important to note that Gantz does not provide an entirely unbiased explanation of current events.  Gantz does a good job of creating a book about Jewish history not entirely shrouded in the horror of the Holocaust, which many library collections for young people lack.  Still, this volume would be best for more mature readers.  Additional Selection, ***.

It Gets Better

Grades 7-12.  When advice columnist Dan Savage and husband Terry Miller decided to share their story of coming out and overcoming bullying on YouTube they expected some response.  Dan Savage hoped that maybe 100 videos would be made to encourage LGBT youth to remain strong in their identity.  Instead more than 22,000 responses have been shared, including personal stories from notable American figures, including Ellen Degeneres, Tim Gunn, Perez Hilton, and David Sedaris, as well as words of encouragement from President Barack Obama, Prime Minister David Cameron, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and many more.  In response to the overwhelming impact of the YouTube phenomenon, Savage and Miller have edited a print version of the project, given the same name.  It Gets Better (Dutton, 2011) includes more than 100 essays, some of which were transcribed from the original videos, on the subject of coming out, surviving adolescence, and living rich and full lives out of the closet.  Not only will this book appeal to those dealing with issues of sexuality and bullying, but it will also appeal to those who wish to serve as allies.  It also could appeal to those readers who enjoy the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series; the stories shared in It Gets Better are at once deeply personal, devastating, as well as touching and at times hysterical.    The book also includes curriculum guides for teachers, as well as information on other LGBT support projects, including the Trevor Project, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education network) and the ACLU LGBT Project.  One excellent feature of the book is found on the back cover; cut-out reference guides for young people who are ready to come out as well as resources for their parents.  This book is essential to those libraries that support a diverse population.  Highly recommended, ****

Adventures in Cartooning

Recommended grades 3-5.  Comic artists James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost break down the art of comic-making in Adventures in Cartooning (First Second, 2009).  Sturm and company instruct on the form through the Magic Cartooning Elf, who accompanies a knight on a comic adventure to defeat a dragon.  Throughout, the Elf plays with aspects of comics, including panels, speech bubbles, and ways to express emotion through drawings.  The illustrations are simple enough for children to imitate (there are even step-by-step directions at the end), though the coloring adds shade and depth.  The artists behind the book clearly care a lot about demystifying comics and encourage readers to use the lessons learned to create their own stories.  Excellent for students who are interested in art and comic books, and even those who aren't will enjoy the fun characters and creative story-telling.  Highly recommended, *****.

Why We Broke Up

Recommended grades 7-12.  Why We Broke Up is the story of a boy and of a girl.  Min and Ed were a match made in... Shakespeare.  He is a jock and she is "arty."    Unlike Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers, Min and Ed escape the relationship with their lives, if not their pride, and with a box full of artifacts.  In order to get past the heartbreak, Min undertakes the project of returning the artifacts to Ed, along with a 200+ page letter tracing the roots of their breakup.  Author Daniel Handler (the man behind Lemony Snicket and his Series of Unfortunate Events) brings intelligence and tragedy in the voice of Min.  Female readers in particular will be able to empathize with the thrill of her first love and the devastation of the fall out.  Artist Maria Kalman contributes color paintings of each item as it appears in the letter.  The paintings bring the stories into life and out of abstraction.  The marriage of the text and the images forms a sentimental, heart-wrenching tale that almost all readers, tween, teen, and adult can relate to.  Highly recommended, ****

A Doll's Life

Recommended grades 7-10.  Tanya Lee Stone dives into the life of American Sweetheart, Barbie with her unauthorized 'biography, ' The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us (Viking, 2011).  Stone covers a variety of aspects about the doll everyone loves to hate and hates to love, from the story of her creator, Ruth Handler, to her own development in the last fifty years.  Stone also approaches many of the criticisms Barbie has faced over the years, from her impossible-to-achieve figure, to her Euro-centric hair texture, Stone does not shy away from controversy.  Stone makes her voice quite clear as a researcher, openly explains her interpretations of her sources, and offers the final decision up to her readers; is Barbie to blame for anorexia or to celebrate for encouraging professional women?  In addition to her open tone, Stone includes a detailed list of source notes at the end of the text as well has a brimming bibliography.  The book is filled with black and white photos illustrating Stone's many points and showing Barbie over time.  Additionally, Stone includes a color insert of photos that benefit from full color.  This book is not only informative, it also serves as an excellent conversation starter and a model of good research.  Highly recommended, ****.

Retro Mystery- American Girl Style

Recommended grades 4-6.  The American Girls have gone far out with Julie, a girl living in San Francisco during the groovy 1960's and 70's.  In The Secret Guitar (American Girl Publishing, 2011), part of the Julie Mystery Series, Julie and her friends must find a stolen guitar that belonged to (fictional) rock star, Danny Kendricks.  The guitar is part of a charity auction for a recent oil spill in the San Francisco Bay that is devastating the marine life.  Author Kathryn Reiss drew her inspiration from her own childhood, though as a piece of historical fiction, it is unconvincing.  Reiss creates fictional versions of people and events (Jimi Hendrix, the Exxon oil spill) instead of using their real life counterparts.  This is confusing, and ultimately doesn't achieve what great historical fiction should do- teach readers about actual historical time periods using a combination of fact and fiction.  Reiss's words capture feeling and fiction, and she includes a quick historical afterword connecting the story to history.   Ultimately, the story would have been much more valuable to readers had she written within the true 1960s instead of creating a fictional parallel.  Additional Selection, **

Amelia Lost

Recommended Grades 6-9.  Candace Fleming brings us an eloquent and compassionate biography with Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart (Schwartz & Wade, 2011).  Narration of the infamous female aviator's life is broken up with small vignettes accounting her fateful crash on July 5, 1937.  Though the reader begins the story knowing what will happen, their heart will beat anyway with the beautifully executed narrative flow.  Meticulously researched and well-rounded, Fleming offers many perspectives and allows readers to question common myths about Amelia.  Fleming models historical best practice by openly analyzing her sources and questioning their intent for readers to consider.  She includes an in-depth bibliography and suggestions for further research.  The narrative is also broken up with contextual asides, which serve to inform the reader of technologies that existed in Amelia's time; from the planes she flew to the radio system that was ultimately her downfall.  Along with these contextual asides, Fleming includes captioned photographs of Amelia and the world she lived in--including an interesting look at advertising--so that readers can better understand the influences that surrounded Earhart. A new Amelia comes to light through Fleming's telling, and readers will walk away with a broader understanding of Amelia in her context.  Highly recommended, *****.

Prisoners in the Palace

Recommended Grades 8-12.  Queen Victoria is arguably one of the most well-known monarchs in Western Civilization.  She was the Queen of Great Britain when it was at it's peak of "the Sun Never Setting" and the longest ruling monarch in British history.  But what was her life like before she was the queen?  Michaela Macoll answers just this question in her well-researched historical fiction novel, Prisoners in the Palace (Chronicle Books, 2011).  It turns out, Victoria's life was shockingly similar to that of Cinderella's; she was greedily watched over by a vapid mother and evil stepfather (well, not truly stepfather, but her mother's consort), trapped in the palace doors, locked away from the rest of the world, in an attempt to influence and control her power.  Instead of singing mice and a fairy godmother, Victoria has Liza, the orphan of a knighted family down on her luck.  Liza, the true main character of the story, comes to terms with her dramatic fall from grace, while empowering the young princess to rise to her greatest heights.  Liza is fictional, though Macoll clearly put a great effort into making her, and the rest of the scenarios, as true to history as possible.  She includes excerpts from Victoria's diaries and letters, bringing to life a true teenage girl.  Overall, this is an entertaining, informative, and compassionate telling of British history.  Highly recommended, ****

Friends

Recommended Grades K-3.  It is a deep wish in the human imagination that animals develop the same emotions and relationships that humans do.  Though we know it is a "dog eat dog" world out there, we still desire compassion and connection from our animal friends.  Catherine Thimmesh makes this dream a reality in her narrated photo essay, Friends: True Stories of Extraordinary Animal Friendships (Houghton Mifflin, 2011).  Thimmesh brings together a series of touching photographs of cross-species companions; an orangutan and her pet cat, a piglet and baby lion raised together in Namibia, among others.  The pictures are accompanied by a poem about friendship, using language accessible to younger readings.  Each picture is also accompanied by an in-depth paragraph giving the background of the photograph, meant to be shared with older readers.  Though Thimmesh shows us a variety of heartwarming animal alliances, she is very honest that some of these pals are not pals for life.  She does not sugarcoat the fact that some animals use each other for survival and nothing more, while showing how some animals have formed genuine attachments.  Recommended, ****

Forsythia & Me

Recommended Grades K-2.  Forsythia & Me (Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011) is the touching and hilarious story of Chester and his best friend Forsythia.  'Best' is a title Forsythia wears proudly, as Chester explains to us her many accomplishments, including taming the zoo and bringing all of the animals to tea time!  Ultimately, Chester is the 'best' too, at supporting his friend and their friendship builds them both up to their best ability!  Author Vincent X. Kirsch provides playful illustrations in bright colors and incredible detail.  The colors pop, and the thin-lined characters seem more exaggerated for their minimalist features.  The reader can read this book over and over, finding something new to laugh at in the illustrations, which add depth and meaning to the words.  This book is an excellent and enjoyable lesson in friendship!  Highly recommended, ****

The Phantom Tollbooth

Recommended Grades 5-8.  The Phantom Tollbooth (Yearling, 1969), is an established classic, for good reason!  After fifty years, it remains as fresh, brilliant and relevant as ever.  Author Norton Juster takes us on a brilliant quest through a magical world with our hero Milo.  Milo starts as a boy quite jaded to the world around him.  He doesn't care for school, he doesn't care for play, he doesn't much care for anything.  One day he comes home from another humdrum day at school to find a magic Tollbooth beckoning him to Dictionopolis, a faraway land where thoughts and ideas literally come to life.  He must save the Princesses Rhyme and Reason to bring balance to the kingdom!  Milo himself is not the true hero, it is the embodiment of his curiosity and intelligence that overcome the greatest odds, freeing him to explore the world around him with passion and enthusiasm.  With humorous and descriptive pen-drawn illustrations by Jules Feiffer, Milo's quest becomes our own.  The reader gains a new appreciation for the worlds of thoughts, words, ideas, and equations that we have built around us.  This book is filled with countless jokes and plays-on-words, so it could pose a challenge for some but these young readers, with aid, can cherish the book all the more for overcoming the challenges, just as Milo did!  Highly recommended, *****