I am writing this on the Sunday evening of a weekend during which the movie “Insidious: Chapter 2″ made $41 million dollars at the box office. Tomorrow evening “Sleepy Hollow” premieres on Fox and CBS airs the finale of the first season of “Under the Dome”. “The Walking Dead” is on the cover of this [...]
Speculative Fiction
By on September 9, 2013
Baba Yaga is a witch of Russian folklore, and Toby Barlow bewitches with his new novel — our starred reviewof the day. His first, Sharp Teeth, was a 2009 Alex Award winner, a story of werewolves in L.A. told entirely in verse. Babayaga is (mostly) straight prose, and offers quite a combination of genres–spy thriller, [...]
Tattoos, a Funeral Home, and a Cat Named Bob
By on September 3, 2013
Three new memoirs make the most of teen-friendly subject matter. First, a celebrity memoir by Don Ed Hardy, the man who helped bring tattoo art into the mainstream. Hardy knew from the age of 10, when he was using colored pencils to give his friends “tattoos,” what he wanted to do with his life. He [...]
Hot title alert: The Bone Season
By on August 26, 2013
The Bone Season is the first in a projected seven-book fantasy series by 21-year-old Samanatha Shannon. Last week it was announced as the first TODAY book club selection. There is a great deal of buzz around this book, and I believe teens will be asking for it. Shannon wrote the book while a student at Oxford. I [...]
On the Come Up and Giveaway
By on August 21, 2013
Although the review of On the Come Up: A Novel Based on a True Story by Hannah Weyer was posted on AB4T several weeks ago, I am reposting today in conjunction with the publication of my interview with the author, which is available in the SLJ Teen Newsletter (and briefly on the SLJ homepage) today. Weyer [...]
Debut Author and Filmmaker Hannah Weyer Talks About ‘On the Come Up’
By on August 20, 2013 Leave a Comment
Filmmaker Hannah Weyer based her novel on a true story and uses an authentic “urban vernacular” to keep it real. Teen readers will be rooting for her young protagonist from start to finish. Adult Books 4 Teens blogger Angela Carstensen speaks with the author about On the Come Up and the real teen that inspired the book.
Weekly Reviews: Literary Mysteries
By on August 12, 2013
Gavin Extence’s debut novel earns today’s starred review. This is a unique book, which will be especially popular with the many fans of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and with Kurt Vonnegut readers. Every year, when I booktalk to my students, they bring up Haddon’s novel. It is still a widespread [...]
Brewster
By on August 8, 2013
I have been anticipating sharing Brewster since May when, at BookExpo, it was one of my strongest recommendations on the Librarian Shout ‘n Share panel. Finally, publication week is here. It was the winter after the summer of love, and it went on for a long time. Brewster is told by an adult, Jon Mosher, who [...]
Weekly Reviews: Monster Thrillers
By on July 30, 2013
Benjamin Percy’s Red Moon is a political thriller as much as werewolf horror novel, in the same way that World War Z is about military strategy. Red Moon reflects the current state of our world, in particular terrorism, persecuted minorities, and the importance of energy sources in today’s political decision-making. In fact, Justin Cronin (author of The [...]
Weekly Reviews: Murder in London
By on July 22, 2013
Two excellent murder mysteries set in 19th century London begin our week. Veteran action/thriller writer David Morrell mixes fact and fiction in his latest, Murder as a Fine Art. It has been so successful that he plans to write at least one more book featuring Thomas De Quincey and his daughter Emily. Morrell was awarded the International Thriller Writers’ [...]
2013 Alex Award Program, ALA Annual
By on July 4, 2013
On the Sunday morning of ALA, I attended the 2013 Alex Awards program. Three of the ten winning authors spoke – Derf Backderf, My Friend Dahmer Julianna Baggott, Pure Robin Sloan, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore Each author spoke for 10 minutes, followed by Q&A with the audience and a signing, with the books donated by [...]
Weekly Reviews: Great Spring Fiction
By on June 27, 2013
Today we highlight three very different spring novels that all hinge on a crucial element of teen appeal — forging one’s own identity. Daniel Wallace is best known as the author of Big Fish. The Kings and Queens of Roam combines folklore and light fantasy elements with family drama, in particular that of two sisters [...]
Graphic Novel Review: You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack
By on June 26, 2013
from graphic novel guest blogger, Francisca Goldsmith: What’s So Funny about Parody? Artful parody, as the American journal The Onion shows readers again and again, makes us laugh for a couple of reasons: often, the parody presents a situation that is farcical on its face, and it also tickles our brains with the surprise of [...]
Best of the Year so far, 2013
By on June 20, 2013
Summertime…and the livin’ is easy… Speaking to all you school librarians out there — is there anything better than the first weeks of summer vacation? When time suddenly opens up, sleep is a possibility, and opportunities to read seem to be everywhere? Many teens feel the same way. Here’s hoping some of them find these [...]
The Debut: SLJ Talks to Katja Millay About ‘The Sea of Tranquility’
By on June 18, 2013 Leave a Comment
Angela Carstensen, Adult Books for Teens blogger, had a hard time putting The Sea of Tranquility down, even after reading it all the way through. Debut author Katja Millay put the book together by gathering scribbles, random lines, and characters in her head, calling her attempt to create an outline “laughable.”
Weekly Reviews: Debut novels
By on June 18, 2013
Can I really call Jeannette Walls’ The Silver Star a debut novel? After all, everyone knows The Glass Castle. And Half-Broke Horses was a novel, wasn’t it? Well, yes, but it was a fictionalization of her grandmother’s life. The Silver Star is Walls’ first work of pure fiction. It touches on many of the same themes [...]
Weekly Reviews: Boarding Schools & Sports
By on June 17, 2013
Today we review two notable debut novels featuring teen protagonists who are talented at the sports they love — riding and rowing. There are a surprising number of similarities between these books. Both take place in elite boarding schools, and feature teens who are new kids among long-time classmates, less wealthy outsiders struggling for the [...]
Weekly Reviews: Science & Knots
By on June 12, 2013
In both of today’s nonfiction titles, the authors speak directly to their readers. Both have the potential to become favorites with the right teen reader. First up, Edward O. Wilson’s passionate and inspiring Letters to a Young Scientist. Maybe it’s the time of year, but I can’t help thinking that this would make a terrific graduation [...]
Random House Fall Kids | Preview Peek
By on June 11, 2013 Leave a Comment
Early on the morning of May 23 in the Louis L’Amour Room of the Random House building on Broadway in New York City, there was a magical gathering of librarians, reviewers, and publishers. Attendees consumed a delicious breakfast as editors from each imprint shared upcoming titles. Here are some of the highlights.
Weekly Reviews: Self-Publishing Phenomenons
By on June 5, 2013
It is my great pleasure to write about The Sea of Tranquility today. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed a book quite so much. I read it at the same time as a few other books because I wanted it to last. Each time I checked something while writing the review I got caught [...]
