Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick. Roaring Brook Press. 2013. Review copy from publisher. The Plot: Always, there is an Eric and a Merle; a hare and a loss; and the island of Blessed. These are the constants. What changes in the seven stories of Midwinterblood is the time, starting in the future, 2073, and going back [...]
The Central Park Five is a documentary by Ken Burns, David McMahon, and Sarah Burns. Sarah Burns also wrote a book by the same name (Knopf, 2011; reprint 2012). In 1989, a female jogger was raped in Central Park. Five teenagers, all African American, were questioned, confessed, and arrested. They recanted and plead not guilty. [...]
Sophie Brookover, Kelly Jensen and myself were tossing around ideas one day — talking about how some people in libraryland are really great about promoting the great things they do, but what is the best way to get that promotion out beyond the like-minded people who already read that person’s blog, twitter, tumblr, etc.? [...]
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. St. Martin’s Griffin. 2013. Reviewed from ARC from publisher. The Plot: August, 1986, and Park Sheridan is sitting on the bus, wanting to be left alone. When Eleanor Douglas gets on the bus, the last thing he wants to do is share his seat with her. Ignore her, leave [...]
A flashback to what I was reading in April 2008: The Sleeping Beauty: Create Your Own Ballet by Viola Ann Seddon (illustrator) and Jean Mahoney (author). From my review: “Creating your own ballet for Sleeping Beauty. . . . The book is not just the stage directions to create your own play-it also includes a [...]
Game by Barry Lyga. Sequel to I Hunt Killers. Little, Brown & Co. 2013. Reviewed from ARC from publisher. The Plot: In I Hunt Killers, Jazz helped capture a serial killer. It was his father, the infamous serial killer Billy Dent, who taught Jazz the ways of killing, not thinking for a moment that Jazz [...]
I’m happy to say that Kelly Jensen, Kristi Chadwick and I will be presenting at ALA on a topic near and dear to our hearts: ARCs. I’ll say more after the official schedule goes up on April 22nd. In the meanwhile, we’re running a survey on ARCs. Why? Well, we want to make sure that [...]
Scowler by Daniel Kraus. Delacorte Press, Random House. 2013. Review copy from publisher. The Plot: August, 1981. Changes are coming; Ry Burke, 19, knows this. The family farm is dying and he, his mother, Jo Beth, and his eleven year old sister Sarah, will have to leave. Sarah hunts the sky for changes of a [...]
A quick look at the books I reviewed in April 2009: Along For The Ride by Sarah Dessen. From my review: “Auden spends the summer after high school graduation at the beach with her father, stepmother, and new baby half-sister. She discovers things about her father, her family, and herself. . . . While there [...]
Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta, Candlewick Press, 2013. Reviewed from the Australia edition (Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (Australia), 2012), a gift from a friend. will be published April 2013. Background: This is the final of three books (and one short story) that make up the The Lumatere Chronicles. It began with Finnikin of [...]
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