Alex Gilvarry’s first novel is darkly funny, yet deadly serious. It reflects both his experience living in New York City post-911, his obsession with Guantanamo Bay, and a deep interest in celebrity. A brief yet telling interview with the author is available on NPR, and Penguin offers discussion questions. GILVARRY, Alex. From the Memoirs of [...]
What teen is going to sit down and read a 656-page biography?? Well, I have to tell you, Steve Jobs is one of the most-requested nonfiction books in my library this year. Just yesterday, walking down the hall, a teacher asked if the library owned it. Sitting at my desk about half an hour later, [...]
from graphic novel guest blogger, Francisca Goldsmith: While editorial pundits offer up simplistic bits and pieces of opinion purporting to “inform” readers and listeners about the why’s and wherefore’s of government programs, it takes a team of creative communicators to provide a truly insight-provoking explanation of something as complex as the Affordable Care Act. Simple soundbites may [...]
Dr. Quiñones-Hinojosa tells the inspiring story of his journey from undocumented migrant worker to neurosurgeon and brain cancer researcher at Johns Hopkins Medical Center. An October interview on C-SPAN shows his energy, enthusiasm and optimism, as well as his awe at the beauty of the human brain. He discusses the racism he encountered early in [...]
Nancy Bilyeau features a nun, actually a young novice, as the main character in her first novel, an historical thriller set in the Tudor period. This is another great recommendation for teen fans of Philippa Gregory, notable for taking readers beyond the royal court and into another important realm of the time — the monastery. [...]
The Sisters falls securely in the category of women’s fiction. When I first saw the cover and read the description, I doubted that it would have teen appeal. Still, it was vacation, I had time, I gave it a try. The Sisters begins with a bang. It grabs the reader from the first chapter. And [...]
Jesse De La Cruz has written an important memoir chronicling his journey through and out of the prison system. His hope is that others will learn from his mistakes. Detoured is published by Barking Rooster Entertainment, which was co-founded in 2009 by author Luis Rodriguez with the intent of supporting the creation of original content. Detoured [...]
Anthony Horowitz, author of the popular Alex Rider series, was chosen to write the first new Sherlock Holmes novel authorized by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate. See Horowitz read from The House of Silk and (even better) talk about his favorites from the Holmes canon, including “The Adventure of the Devil’s Foot,” which he can [...]
Naomi Benaron has already won the Bellwether Prize for Running the Rift, a novel about a boy who grows up during the ethnic conflict in Rwanda and the 1994 genocide. The last two winners of the Bellwether were also first novelists whose work showed teen appeal: Hillary Jordan, 2006, for Mudbound (Algonquin Books) and Heidi [...]
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