Our favorite Star Wars characters need good book recommendations too! Yet, could you figure out a book picks for popular Star Wars characters off the top of your head? The latest and (apparently) final entry into the Skywalker saga within the Star Wars universe is just around the corner. It is always important to reflect on popular culture in the library. Such a large percentage of our collections embrace the idea of pop culture. Also, aspects of the fandoms can be great touchstones for reader’s advisory. If the teen you are trying to help doesn’t know how to explain their needs or desires in a book, asking for the name of their favorite Star Wars character could be the “in” that you need.
Continue reading What Would a Jedi Read? Reader’s Advisory for Star Wars CharactersMonth: December 2019
Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, December 13 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Best Fiction for Young Adults nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Knopf Books for Young Readers / Random House
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1524720964
In 2380, Tyler Jones, graduating cadet of Aurora Academy, rescues Aurora, a girl who has been in cryo-sleep for over 200 years and wakes with new, mysterious powers. Along with a squad of misfits from Aurora Academy, they go on a mission to uncover the truth about Aurora and what happened to Octavia, the colony Aurora had been heading to over 200 years ago.
Continue reading Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, December 13 Edition
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, December 12 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
This is our last post of the year, so please excuse the length, we wanted to fit them all in!
XL by Scott Brown
Alfred A. Knopf
Publication Date: March 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1524766245
The morning of his sixteenth birthday, four foot and eleven inches tall Will wishes for two things: a girlfriend and to be taller. After he chickens out of telling his good friend Monica how he really feels, he sees his best friend/step brother kissing her. However, one of his wishes does come true: he starts growing and doesn’t stop. As Will’s life begins to change, he soon realizes that your character matters more than your height.
The concept of the story was unique and told in an interesting way. The plot moves quickly. All of the characters are well-developed and well-rounded. The relationship drama, risk-taking and a little bit of humor make this an engaging read for reluctant readers.
Readers of Rainbow Rowell and John Green will enjoy this fun quick read. It will also appeal to those who enjoyed the slight magical realism of The Opposite of Always by Justin Reynolds.
–Elizabeth Nebeker
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, December 10 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Jackpot by Nic Stone
Crown Books for Young Readers / Random House Children’s Books
Publication Date: October 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1984829627
Seventeen-year-old Rico works long hours at the Gas ‘n’ Go to help support her mother and younger brother. When no one comes forward to claim a multi-million-dollar lottery prize, she teams up with Zan, whose wealthy family seems the opposite of hers in every way, in order to find the winning ticket.
This is a sweet coming of age story featuring a interracial romance. Stone’s writing is very engaging, and the short chapters make this a compelling read. Told mostly from Rico’s point of view, the story includes some quirky chapters narrated by inanimate objects, like the winning lottery ticket. Rico is a sympathetic and humorous character, and the book is manages to be somewhat lighthearted, even when tackling tough subjects like poverty and illness.
An excellent choice for readers who enjoy the family-oriented themes in the works of Angie Thomas and Brandy Colbert. This selection will also appeal to fans of “opposites attract” romances, like those by Sandhya Menon, or Nicola Yoon’s The Sun is Also a Star.
–Kathleen J. Barker Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, December 10 Edition
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, December 9 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Creep by Eireann Corrigan
Scholastic Press / Scholastic
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
ISBN: 9781338095081
Olivia is excited to bond with her new neighbor Janie Donahue, not to mention Janie’s sweet older brother Ben. When threatening letters signed by the “Sentry” appear throughout the Donahue home, the trio immerse themselves in local history in order to outsmart the perpetrator and keep the Donahue family together.
This is a quick thriller, as well as a modestly creepy read. Olivia is a quiet and thoughtful protagonist drawn to the loud and dramatic Donahue family, whose members are harboring a wealth of secrets. The Sentry is just threatening enough to keep the tension high, and the mystery moves along quickly, thanks to engaging glimpses into the past of the town and its inhabitants. The story wraps up neatly, and Corrigan sprinkles plenty of clues throughout the narrative to make the ending believable. The interesting setting– a historic home full of secret rooms and hiding places–adds additional excitement.
A great selection for fans of light horror, especially stories involving stalkers or watchers. Readers who appreciated The Missing Season by Gillian French or The Haunted by Danielle Vega will enjoy this book.
–Kathleen J. Barker Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, December 9 Edition
Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, December 6 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Best Fiction for Young Adults nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
Katherine Tegen Books / HarperCollins
Publication Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0062748379
If you could save someone you loved, would you? That is the premise of Opposite of Always with an added Groundhog Day twist. Jack has no idea he is going to fall for Kate until he meets her at a party while he is doing a college visit. Her charm and sense of humor provides the antidote Jack needs to get over his crush on Jillian–one of his best friends who also happens to be dating Franny, his other best friend and basketball phenom. Things get complicated when Kate begins acting shady and Jack discovers that she suffers from sickle cell anemia, the life-threatening disease that ultimately kills her. . .over and over. Each time Kate dies, Jack is thrown back in time to the party when they met and is given the opportunity to try and save her, but with each changed decision he discovers there are changed consequences.
Continue reading Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2020) Nominees Round Up, December 6 Edition
2020 Nonfiction Award Finalists Announced
Five books have been selected as finalists for the 2020 Nonfiction Award, which honors the best nonfiction books written for young adults.
The 2020 finalists are:
- Free Lunch,written by Rex Ogle and published by Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W.W. Norton & Company
- The Great Nijinsky: God of Dance, written and illustrated by Lynn Curlee and published by Charlesbridge Teen
- A Light in the Darkness: Janusz Korczak, His Orphans, and the Holocaust, written by Albert Marrin and published by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Penguin Random House
- A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II, written by Elizabeth Wein and published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
- Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of “The Children’s Ship, written by Deborah Heiligman and published by Henry Holt, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
View the full list with annotations on the Nonfiction webpage. Publishers and library staff can purchase finalist seals to place on the finalist titles at www.ala.org/awardsgrants/seals.
Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, December 4 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Amazing Audiobooks nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée; Narrated by Imani Parks
Balzer + Bray / HarperAudio
Publication Date: March 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1982641580
Shayla is “allergic” to trouble and wants to avoid it at all costs as she starts seventh grade with her two best friends from elementary school, Julia and Isabella. But in junior high, the rules have changed, her friendships are changing and some classmates don’t think Shayla is “black enough.” Shayla’s sister, Hana, is involved in Black Lives Matter, but Shayla decides to stick with the track team instead of joining that movement. But after experiencing a powerful protest with her family, Shayla decides that sometimes you can’t avoid trouble and choosing “trouble” may be the right choice after all.
Continue reading Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2020) Nominees Round Up, December 4 Edition
2020 Morris Award Finalists Announced
Five books have been selected as finalists for the 2020 William C. Morris Award, which honors the year’s best books written for young adults by a previously unpublished author.
The 2020 finalists are:
- “The Candle and the Flame” written by Nafiza Azad, published by Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic;
- “The Field Guide to the North American Teenager” written by Ben Philippe, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers;
- “Frankly in Love” written by David Yoon, published by P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House;
- “Genesis Begins Again” written by Alicia D. Williams, published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing;
- “There Will Come a Darkness” written by Katy Rose Pool, published by Henry Holt, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing
View the full list with annotations on the Morris webpage. Publishers and library staff can purchase finalist seals to place on the finalist titles at www.ala.org/awardsgrants/seals.
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, December 3 Edition
Click here to see all of the current Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers nominees along with more information about the list and past years’ selections.
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty
W. Norton Company
Publication Date: September 10th, 2019
ISBN: 9780393652703
Written by a mortician in question and answer chapters, this book explores some of the more icky and intriguing questions about human corpses. Examples include: Can I keep my parents’ skulls after they die? and What happens if you die in space? With a perfect amount of snark and lighthearted illustrations, this book is a fun (if morbid) read for readers of all ages interested in knowing the facts of death.
Easy to read and funny, with an eye-opening title, this book is a fun book for those who like real life ickiness or simply want to understand more about the processes bodies go through post-mortem. Doughty’s upbeat answers and fast pacing make the read go along quickly even for the most reluctant reader.
Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? is perfect for fans of Mary Roach’s non-fiction, the podcast Sawbones by Justin and Sydnee McElroy, and the podcast Death in the Afternoon by Caitlin Doughty, Sarah Chavez, and Louise Hung.
–Cathy Outten Continue reading Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2020) Nominees Round Up, December 3 Edition