In Roomies (Little, Brown, Dec. 2013; Gr 8 Up), Sara Zarr and Tara Altebrando rely on alternating perspectives to great effect as they portray a budding friendship between two young women on opposites sides of the country. Self-assured, with a boyfriend and an array of friends, social butterfly Elizabeth (EB) has little in common with frazzled Lauren, who, between two part-time jobs and helping her parents care for her younger siblings, has little time for friends. But when EB learns that Lauren will be her roommate at Berkeley, she sends the girl an enthusiastic email, and, despite a shaky beginning, the two begin to forge a genuine connection.

Zarr and Altebrando are sensitive to the nuances of social interaction among adolescents, and their use of dual first-person narration illustrates how seemingly minor remarks can result in insecurity or hurt feelings; for example, EB casually asks whether Lauren can buy a microwave or a mini fridge for their room, unwittingly provoking anxiety in the less-privileged Lauren. Similarly, EB initially interprets Lauren’s sporadic replies as disinterest, when, in fact, Lauren’s limited spare time and computer access mean days go by before she can respond to EB’s emails.

For both EB and Lauren, this new friendship becomes an anchor in a time of instability: the teenagers clash with their family and friends and deal with romantic entanglements as they cope with the strain of leaving home for the first time to start an exhilarating—but potentially frightening—new chapter of their lives. From EB losing her standing in the social circle she once took for granted after a break-up to Lauren’s mixed feelings when her parents release her from her babysitting duties so that she can enjoy her summer, this book captures the experiences of teenagers on the verge of adulthood. Readers will find these well-developed and sympathetic characters relatable, and the depiction of encounters with unfamiliar people and new experiences will resonate with adolescents.

“The world was irretrievably broken, filled with refuse, from Garbage Country to the poisoned oceans, and the rest was an uninhabitable frozen nether land; what kind of place was this to grow up in? What kind of world had they been borne to?” Melissa de la Cruz and husband Michael Johnston have often informally worked together on her books; in their latest, Frozen (Putnam, Sept. 2013; Gr 7 Up), the two joined forces to write a dystopian novel about teenagers willing to risk their lives to escape their icy cold setting for the Blue, a peaceful and uncorrupted world—but one that may not actually even exist.

When Natasha Kestal has the chance to flee the city of “New Vegas,” she relies on mercenary Ryan “Wes” Wesson and his crew to seek out the Blue. Both teens are courageous and determined, even willing to manipulate each other: Nat has no reservations about using her looks to ensure that Wes won’t abandon her, and Wes flirts with Nat in the hopes of gaining information about the round blue stone the girl wears around her neck. However, the two begin to rely on and develop genuine feelings for each other as the danger mounts.

Readers will enjoy the budding romance between these strong-willed protagonists, but it’s the world-building where de la Cruz and Johnston excel. As a result of damage wrought to the environment, a glass of water is a luxury, and many are willing to steal to pay for a hit of oxygen; meanwhile, society has devolved to the point where the government permits humans to be bought and sold as slaves. The descriptions of “thrillers,” or desperate zombielike creatures living on the outskirts of the city, are particularly horrifying. This portrayal of a world corrupted both physically and morally will stay with readers, who will anxiously await volumes two and three in this planned trilogy.

A sense of isolation permeates David Levithan and Andrea Cremer’s Invisibility (Philomel, 2013; Gr 8 Up). Sixteen-year-old Stephen has been invisible since birth due to a curse placed upon him by his malevolent grandfather. His absent father provides him with money, and the youth lives comfortably, surviving on deliveries and spending his days walking the streets of New York City. However, it’s an ultimately empty existence: with his mother deceased and his father unwilling to be a part of his life, the boy’s interaction with the world is limited to reading books, watching DVDs, and observing the other residents of his apartment building—until he meets Elizabeth, the first person who can see him.

While Elizabeth’s life has been fairly conventional compared with Stephen’s, she, too, is well-acquainted with alienation: her brother, Laurie, was recently assaulted after coming out as gay, and soon after their father soon walked out on the family. The experience has left Elizabeth fragile and wary of others (“When I let fear get the best of me, I hate myself. I react like a dog who’s been beaten; anytime I see a broom, I flinch and snarl”), and she shuts out the world by immersing herself in her love of art and comic books. However, friendship—and love—blossoms between these two outsiders. They discover why Stephen was cursed, and soon the inevitable confrontation between the boy and his cruel and powerful grandfather takes place as this romance takes a dark turn.

Although paranormal elements are significant, the relationship between the protagonists is central to the novel. Through alternating first-person narratives, the authors convey the teenagers’ willingness to welcome new possibilities and down the walls they’ve constructed to protect themselves. For Stephen, something as simple as a conversation with another person is life-altering (“She has no idea what it’s like to be an outsider to the outside world…and then to suddenly be let inside”), while Elizabeth realizes that opening up to others can mean acceptance and even love. Though the novel ends on an unresolved note, both characters have begun to heal, emphasizing the power of their strong bond.

Through their use of alternating narrators, these books provide a rich sense of perspective. Adolescent readers will particularly appreciate how the authors depict different characters’ responses to similar situations, creating nuanced, multi-layered stories.

Mick Cochrane’s Fitz (Knopf, 2012; Gr 7 Up) opens with an arresting image: a teenage boy pointing a gun at his father. Fifteen-year-old Fitz has always considered himself incomplete (a teacher once summed him up with the words “seems somewhat adrift”), a feeling he attributes to the absence of his father. The teen’s unorthodox solution is to force the man to explain why he walked out on the family when Fitz was an infant.

What follows is a slightly surreal day in which the two take part in seemingly unremarkable father-son activities—going to the zoo, eating at a diner—while discussing the events that led to the man’s departure. Little by little, Fitz’s father opens up about the strain that having a child put on his relationship with Fitz’s mother, and his own fears and insecurities about fatherhood.

The novel’s deliberate pacing and matter-of-fact, almost subdued tone contrast with the threat of violence, adding an undercurrent of urgency beneath an outwardly ordinary plot. While readers are first introduced to Fitz in the middle of a criminal act, he is far from a typical juvenile delinquent; teens will have little trouble sympathizing with this troubled adolescent whose reckless behavior stems not from malice, but from fear and loneliness.

Cochrane skillfully depicts his realistically flawed characters—both Fitz and his estranged father—with tenderness and compassion without glossing over their very real pain. Quiet, restrained prose effectively conveys the raw emotions of this unconventional reunion; a brief scene in which Fitz’s father reveals that he was the one holding Fitz in a beloved baby picture taken on the day he was born, for example, is achingly poignant. Although Cochrane refuses to leave readers with an artificial sense of closure, by the final chapter this confused and frustrated protagonist has at last taken a stand by voicing his unhappiness.

Family dysfunction has not only defined 17-year-old Matt, the protagonist of E.M. Kokie’s Personal Effects (Candlewick, 2012; Gr 10 Up), but also eroded most of his self-esteem. His mother died years ago after suffering a mental breakdown; his emotionally distant father doesn’t so much parent as coerce and bully; and though he had an ally in T.J., the protective older brother he worshiped was killed six months before in Iraq. Between internalizing his rage and grief and reluctantly complying with his father’s wishes, including the expectation that he continue the family tradition of entering the military upon graduation, Matt leads a quietly anguished life.

Kokie’s terse, sparse text infuses the novel with the tension that has become part of the teen’s experience; even the few positive things in his world are tinged with angst, such as the unrequited love—and lust—for his longtime best friend, Shauna, that he desperately tries to conceal (“If she figures it out…if she sees….God, I’d never be able to look at her again if she knew how often…”).

But when the military delivers T.J.’s personal effects, Matt discovers a series of letters from Celia, an African-American woman with whom his brother was apparently having a relationship. He plans to find Celia and her daughter Zoe and give them the letter T.J. was writing before he died—an act that slowly begins to give the teen’s life purpose. But meeting Celia isn’t what Matt expects; he learns a secret about his brother that shocks him to his core and he realizes that he isn’t the only one hiding parts of his identity. That knowledge finally gives Matt the courage to take control of his life. Though this is a gritty and at times bleak novel, Personal Effects ends on a realistically promising note; readers will close the book hoping that this downtrodden protagonist has managed to turn things around.

“[My mother] had a serious love affair with Captain Crack and Major Meth and had to support those bloodsuckers somehow. My biological sperm worm wasn’t any better.” It’s language like this—riotously funny, occasionally graphic and vulgar, but always unapologetically honest—that has so often landed Cricket, the main character of Scott Blagden’s Dear Life, You Suck (Houghton Harcourt, 2013; Gr 9 Up), into trouble. As the novel begins, Cricket is contemplating his future with uncertainty; upon turning 18 within a few months, he’ll have to leave his group home, and though it’s far from a real family, it’s the only stable environment that he has ever known.

This understandably angry young man has led a life marred by physical and emotional scars; as a child, he endured nightmarish treatment at the hands of abusive parents (his father allowed drug dealers to carve up the boy’s face), and more than once, he has had thoughts of suicide. A nuanced and complex protagonist, Cricket grapples with both the urge to destroy and to protect; though he finds himself lashing out violently, these impulses are usually rooted in his desire to defend the younger children at his group home.

While Cricket’s predilection for offensive and provocative language often leads to adults dismissing the wayward youth, it’s this very same tendency that eventually provides him with options. When an English teacher asks him to expand on an incomplete assignment he turns in, the resulting short essays lead to Cricket’s realization that he is an exceptionally gifted writer. Darkly funny, surprisingly savvy (the teen references both The Simpsons and The Lion in Winter within a matter of pages), and chock-ful of creative wordplay (“Life’s about getting picked…By an apple pie mumsy or a musclehead quarterback or a moneybag boss or a sexytime squeeze”), Cricket’s unique voice injects wit and energy into what could have easily been a morose tale of woe. Like the protagonists of Fitz and Dear Life, You Suck, Cricket has begun to form meaningful bonds with others and started to construct a real identity for himself by the novel’s close.

Elementary and Middle School

BALDACCI, David. Day of Doom. Bk. 6. 270p. (The 39 Clues: Cahills vs. Vespers). Scholastic. 2013. PLB $12.99. ISBN 978-0-545-29844-5. LC 2012948468. Gr 3-6

BRANFORD, Anna. Violet Mackerel’s Personal Space . illus. by Elanna Allen. 116p. S & S/Atheneum. Sept. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3591-9; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3592-6; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3593-3. LC 2012025783. Gr 1-3

BRUEL, Nick. Bad Kitty School Daze. illus. by author. 160p. Roaring Brook/A Neal Porter Bk. 2013. PLB $13.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-670-1. LC 2012015359. Gr 3-5

COTLER, Steve. Cheesie Mack Is Ru–nning Like Crazy . Bk. 3. illus. by Douglas Holgate. 240p. Random.June 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97713-7; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97714-4; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97715-1. LC 2012017978. Gr 3-6

DELANEY, Joseph. Slither. Bk. 11. illus. by Patrick Arrasmith. 398p. (The Last Apprentice Series). HarperCollins/Greenwillow. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-219234-9. LC 2012042032. Gr 5-8

HOLUB, Joan & Suzanne Williams. Hades and the Helm of Darkness . Bk. 3. illus. by Craig Phillips. 128p. (Heroes in Training Series). S & S/Aladdin. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5725-6; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5267-1; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5268-8. LC 2012942890. Gr 2-4

HOLUB, Joan & Suzanne Williams. Pheme the Gossip . 272p. (Goddess Girls Series). S & S/Aladdin. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6138-3; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4937-4; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4938-1. LC 2013930969. Gr 3-6

HUNTER, Erin. The Sun Trail. Bk. 1. illus. by Wayne McLoughlin. 312p. (Warriors: Dawn of the Clans Series).HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-206346-5; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-206347-2. Gr 4 Up

JOBLING, Curtis. Storm of Sharks. Bk. 5. 454p. (Wereworld Series). Viking. May 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-78558-2. Gr 6-8

KENYON, Sherrilyn. Inferno. Bk. 4. 464p. (Chronicles of Nick Series). St. Martin’s/Griffin. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-250-00283-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-250-02340-7. Gr 7-10

KIRBY, Stan. Captain Awesome and the Ultimate Spelling Bee. Bk. 7. illus. by George O’Connor. 128p. S & S/Little Simon. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5156-8; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5156-8. LC 2011046177. Gr 1-3

KOWITT, H. N. Jinx of the Loser . Bk. 3. illus. by author. 224p. (The Loser List Series). Scholastic. May 2013.Tr $9.99. ISBN 978-0-545-50794-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-545-53955-5. Gr 4-7

MULL, Brandon. Chasing the Prophecy. Bk. 3. 512p. (Beyonders Series). S & S/Aladdin. 2013. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9796-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9800-6. LC 2012035223. Gr 5-8

SMITH, Clete Barrett. Aliens in Disguise . illus. by Christian Slade. 240p. (The Intergalactic Bed and Breakfast Series). Hyperion/Disney. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-6598-9. LC 2012019758. Gr 3-6

STINE, R.L. How I Met My Monster. Bk. 3. 140p. (Goosebumps Most Wanted Series). Scholastic. 2013. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-0-545-41800-3; ebook $6.99. ISBN 978-0-545-51017-2. Gr 3-5

TASHJIAN, Janet. My Life as a Cartoonist . illus. by Jake Tashjian. 288p. Holt. May 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-8050-9609-5. Gr 4-7

PEIRCE, Lincoln. Big Nate: Game On! illus. by author. 224p. Andrews McMeel. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4494-2777-1. LC 2012952339. Gr 2-4

PENNYPACKER, Sara. Clementine and the Spring Trip. Bk. 6. illus. by Marla Frazee. 160p. Hyperion/Disney.2013. RTE $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-2357-6. LC 2011052991. Gr 2-4

WARNER, Gertrude Chandler. The Boardwalk Mystery . Bk. 131. 128p. (The Boxcar Children Series). Albert Whitman. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-8075-0802-2; pap. $5.99. 978-0-8075-0803-9. LC 2012020161. Gr 2- 5

WEST, Jacqueline. The Strangers. Bk. 4. illus. by Poly Bernatene. 320p. (The Books of Elsewhere Series).Dial. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3690-0. LC 2012040004. Gr 4-6

High School

BERRY, Kit. Shaman of Stonewylde. Bk. 5. 550p. (The Stonewylde Series). Gollancz. June 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-575-09894-7. Gr 9 Up

BURCH, Heather. Avenger. Bk. 3. 304p. (A Halflings Novel). Zondervan. 2013. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-310-72824-5. Gr 7-10

CALONITA, Jen. The Grass Is Always Greener . Bk. 3. 304p. (A Belles Novel). Little, Brown/Poppy. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-09110-7. LC 2012032534. Gr 8-11

CAREY, Anna. Rise. 320p. (An Eve Novel). HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-204857-8.LC 2012025327. Gr 9 Up

CARTER, Ally. Perfect Scoundrels. 336p. (A Heist Society Novel). Hyperion/Disney. 2013. RTE $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-6600-9. LC 2012032405. Gr 7-10

CARTER, Nikki. Get Over It. 248p. (A Fab Life Novel). Kensington/KTeen. June 2013. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7582-7271-3; ebook $8.99. ISBN 978-0-7582-8917-9. Gr 7 Up

CHANDLER, Elizabeth. Everafter. 272p. (A Kissed by an Angel Novel). S & S/Simon Pulse. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0918-7; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0922-4. Gr 8 Up

CLARE, Cassandra. Clockwork Princess . Bk. 3. 570p. (The Infernal Devices Series). S & S/McElderry. 2013. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-7590-8; ebook $11.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3135-5. Gr 9 Up

DUFF, Hilary with Elise Allen. True. 290p. (An Elixir Novel). S & S. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0857-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0861-6. LC 2012034274. Gr 9 Up

HOCKING, Amanda. Tidal. 352p. (A Watersong Novel). St. Martin’s/Griffin. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-250-00811-4; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4299-5656-7. Gr 7-10

HOROWITZ, Anthony. Oblivion . Bk. 5. 590p. (The Gatekeepers Series). Scholastic. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-439-68004-2. Gr 9 Up

KEMMERER, Brigid. Spirit. 368p. (The Elemental Series). Kensington/KTeen. June 2013. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7582-7283-6. Gr 9 Up

MEAD, Richelle. The Indigo Spell . 402p. (A Bloodlines Novel). Penguin/Razorbill. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-59514-319-8. Gr 9 Up

NOËL, Alyson. Mystic. Bk. 3. 320p. (The Soul Seekers Series). St. Martin’s/Griffin. May 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-312-66488-6; pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-312-57567-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-250-02078-9. Gr 8 Up

PORTER, Sarah. The Twice Lost. 480p. (The Lost Voices Trilogy). Houghton Harcourt. July 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-48252-1. Gr 6-9

SHAN, Darren. Zomb-B City . Bk. 3. illus. by Warren Pleece. 176p. (Zom-B Series). Little, Brown. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-21436-0. LC 2012040156. Gr 7-10

SIMONE, Ni-Ni & Amir Abrams. Get Ready for War . Bk. 2. 423p. (Hollywood High Series). Kensington/KTeen.2013. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7582-7355-0. Gr 9 Up

SMITH, L.J. & Aubrey Clark. The Temptation. 288p. (The Secret Circle Series). HarperCollins/HarperTeen.2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-213047-1. LC 2012955883. Gr 9 Up

WHITLEY, David. The Canticle of Whispers. Bk. 3. 400p. (The Agora Trilogy). Roaring Brook. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-615-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-845-3. LC 2012013789. Gr 7-10

YFEP winners Alexis Opper, Naomi Clements, and Daniel Pritchard at Youth Voices Uncensored.

“Books have been written for centuries to preserve and exhibit new thought,” says filmmaker Daniel Pritchard in his short film Excluded. “Why would we ever want to get rid of that?” Pritchard—winner of the  National Coalition Against Censorship‘s Youth Free Expression Project People’s Choice Award—was on hand with other young filmmakers this Saturday at the New York Film Academy for Youth Voices Uncensored, a special screening for all the winning films in NCAC’s annual film contest.

In addition to the winning YFEP films, works directed and produced by young people from the Global Action Project, a social justice organization for young people, and Reel Works, a teen filmmaking mentorship program, were also shown at the event.

The Youth Free Expression Project, made possible by the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation, invites people ages 19 and younger to submit videos related to censorship. This year, participants were given the theme “You’re Reading What?!?” and asked to create films focusing on book banning.

YFEP winners are joined at the screening by Karim Alexander, a producer at Reel Works Teen Filmmaking.

Through films infused with arresting visual imagery, references to actual book challenges, and poignant personal accounts, the teens vigorously defend the right to read freely, and demonstrate a strong passion for freedom of speech.

First-place winner Eden Ames relies upon the contrast between black and white and color film to underscore the restrictive, limiting nature of censorship. Her film Waking depicts a bleak, grey environment comprised of blindfolded inhabitants. A young boy is scolded by his mother when he attempts to read, warning him that books could potentially confuse him, but by removing his blindfold and accessing a library, he soon discovers a new vibrant, colorful world. Acacia O’Conor of NCAC praises the film for its nuanced look at censorship. “It admits that a lot of the things we read confuse us,” she says. ”They’re difficult to swallow, these books that show us the ugliness of our lives sometimes, but they are so rewarding.”

The filmmakers also express concern for current and recent book challenges. In her film Banned, second-place winner Naomi Clements cites the recent challenging of Patricia Polacco’s In Our Mother’s House, which portrays a family with two mothers. School librarians in Davis County, Utah were forced to shelve the book behind their desks until full access was restored.

Clements employs simple yet powerful animated images—bookshelves being locked away, a child staring at a book hidden behind a desk—as she narrates her beliefs in her own and others’ right to read: “It is not the right of one parent or person to decide what everyone else can read. I do not want to live in a world dictated by the insecurities of others.”

Third-place winner Alexis Opper also references recent book challenges in her film You Do Not Speak for Me, but delves into her personal feelings on the issue as well. The film shows Opper visually rearranging her own favorite books that have been banned or challenged—such as Matilda, Just Ella, and Speak—as she describes the need to safeguard access to all titles. And she pleas to well-meaning adults seeking to remove seemingly disturbing material in an attempt to protect teens: “You do not make darkness disappear by covering it up. You don’t save us by taking away reality, and you don’t determine what helps and what hurts.”

Michael O’Neil, NCAC communications director, wrapped the screening by announcing the theme for the next 2013 contest: “Video Games in the Crosshairs.” Because video games are so often viewed as potentially dangerous to young people by parents, legislators, and educators, NCAC encourages young people to share their views on this subject that directly affects them.

O’Neil emphasizes the importance of giving young people the chance to voice their opinions. “What we really strive to do with this film contest,” he says, “is to give young people a chance to speak for themselves. There are so many adult authority figures who spend a lot of time speaking for kids…and we need more opportunities for young people to speak up for themselves.”

Librarians from “Alternative Children’s Library” Panel
l. to r. Allie Bruce, Jennifer K. Hanley-Leonard, Ayanna Coleman, Leah High

With the economy still not fully recovered, what lies ahead for aspiring children’s librarians? Though prospects may seem grim, thinking outside the box may be a solution for those interested in the profession, according to New York Public Library youth materials specialist and School Library Journal blogger Betsy Bird. Bird recently moderated a panel “The Alternative Children’s Library,” in which several children’s librarians discussed their own nontraditional paths to the profession.

The panelists spoke about the challenges that they’ve encountered in their roles and the ways in which their careers differ from those of more typical librarians. Allie Bruce, librarian at the Bankstreet School for Children, an independent K–8 school affiliated with the Bank Street College for Education, is in the unique position of working with very young patrons as well as those with advanced degrees. In addition to providing teachers with materials for lesson plans and helping students look for books, Bruce also often guides students at the college looking for professional reading related to their classes.

“In some ways, I do see myself as an academic librarian,” Bruce tells SLJ, “because I assist grownups with research questions and need to have a thorough grounding in the history of children’s literature, in addition to teaching kids every day.”

Jennifer K. Hanley-Leonard, of The New York Society Library, a private, members-only library located on the Upper East Side, often finds herself in similar situations. While she primarily works with children and their parents, some of her patrons are writers who come to the library in order to get a feel for emerging trends in the industry, to look at current illustration styles, and to research potential publishing houses to pitch.

The career of Ayanna Coleman, Events Associate & Librarian at the Children’s Book Council, differs perhaps the most from the other panelists. She has yet to see a juvenile patron in her library, she notes. Because the CBC is a nonprofit association whose primary goal is to let publishers work together on common issues, the bulk of its visitors are adults in the publishing field rather than children seeking pleasure reading. Coleman describes her role as more a curator than as a children’s librarian: in addition to event planning, she is charged with maintaining a collection of books published over the past year by CBC members, as well as an ongoing collection of award winners. She often meets with editors and designers who browse materials to stay abreast of what other houses are publishing, and fields questions about weeding and maintaining the collection from visitors enrolled in children’s literature classes.

The panelists emphasize a need to be creative when entering the field. Leah High, children’s librarian at the Nolen and Watson Libraries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, says her flexibility positively impacted her career trajectory. While she was unable to find a job after receiving a fine arts degree, working in a public library after college inspired her to attend library school. Her experiences as a high school librarian and later as an after-school program coordinator, combined with her art background, eventually made her an ideal fit for her current position.

Similarly, Coleman’s original intent was to work in children’s publishing. However, finding it difficult to break into the field, she chose to obtain an MLS in order to “learn about one of publishers’ biggest clients.” Although attending library school without the goal of working as a school or public librarian was unusual, Coleman saw it as an opportunity to give herself an edge in a competitive industry. She tells SLJ, “I was all the way in the Midwest and had a very shadowy idea of how I was going to make myself stand out—hoping the library degree would do it.”

Despite the varying paths the panelists have taken, above all, they are united by their genuine love for the subject. Although Coleman’s degree has resulted in a career that is far closer to the publishing industry than to traditional librarianship, ultimately she believes that she is fulfilling the same objective as her peers. “The reason, first and foremost, that I wanted to go into publishing was to find amazing stories that kids would connect to and make sure those stories got published,” Coleman tells SLJ. “As long as I get to put thought-provoking books in the hands of youth, one way or another, I think I would be happy.”

Bruce concurs. She advises those just starting out in the field to, “figure out what your little brand of librarianship is going to be” and emphasizes the importance of following your passions and interests. “Don’t lose your sense of fun about whatever you’re passionate about.”

DePaola reminisced fondly on his family and his childhood, themes that have been long evident throughout his work, such as his memoir, the Newbery Honoree 26 Fairmount Avenue (1999), Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs (1973), and The Baby Sister (1996) all Putnam. The artist also spoke of his picture book, Tom (Putnam, 1993), in which he immortalized his beloved maternal grandfather, an Irish butcher who told him stories and jokes, and even gave him a Listo grease pencil with which he made his first forays into drawing—on his bedsheets and under the wallpaper. Additionally, dePaola talked about the inspiration he drew from his twin cousins, Kathryn and Frances McLaughlin, who later became famous photographers and who encouraged his artistic pursuits.

It was dePaola’s cousins who motivated him to attend Pratt Institute, a stimulating experience he describes as life-changing. Though intensely rigorous—only half of the first year class was invited back for a second year—Pratt was where dePaola was artistically challenged for the first time. “It took my brain and scrambled it and made a beautiful soufflé,” he said of his undergraduate years. DePaola also underscored the importance of his relationships with classmates who would later become acclaimed illustrators in their own right, such as Arnold and Anita Lobel, Ted Lewin, and John Schoenherr.

DePaola described the excitement he felt at being a part of the nascent world of children’s literature. “[It] was suddenly a place where you could be really creative” at a time when talented and innovative artists such as Leo Lionni and Mary Blair were just beginning to emerge, he said. DePaola’s own art occasionally proved too ground-breaking for those with more conventional tastes; he stated that his first agent’s response upon looking over his portfolio was to question why there were so few images of children performing ordinary activities.

However, dePaola’s editors were quick to recognize that the illustrator had talent as a writer as well. Though he found the process of condensing and editing down his work challenging while writing his first book The Wonderful Dragon of Timlin, (Bobbs-Merrill, 1966) he was given the valuable advice by writer, editor, and close friend Bernice Hunt that his vivid illustrations could help cut down on the lengthy text. “In my case it was true,” said dePaola. “One image was worth a thousand words.”

DePaola also touched on Strega Nona (Prentice-Hall, 1975), the work for which he is most famous, which garnered him a Caldecott Honor, and resulted in several related books. “If I had known what was going to happen when I did that first Strega Nona book, I probably would have been paralyzed.” However, Strega Nona is still going strong; Cummings displayed images from Brava, Strega Nona! (Putnam, 2008), a pop-up book for which he collaborated with Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart. DePaola also briefly spoke of his upcoming title, Strega Nona Does It Again, in which he introduces a new character, the title character’s cousin’s daughter, Angelina.

Of his artistic methods, dePaola confessed that, although he “[does] everything [he] possibly can to avoid sitting down” to work, once he begins, he easily finds himself immersed in his craft. Unlike many artists, dePaola doesn’t rely on preliminary thumbnail sketches but generally goes straight to finishes.

DePaola also acknowledged the difficulties inherent in creating visual art, but encouraged aspiring artists to rise to the challenge. “The scariest thing for an artist is the blank sheet of paper because a blank sheet of paper is perfect,” he said. “The minute you put one mark on it, you ruin it, so then you’ve got to make it better, and that’s a real challenge.”

Wood devoted her career to exploring the culture and lives of the Native American people of the Southwest, and often found herself inspired by the New Mexico wilderness.

In 1993, she won both the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award and an International Reading Association Teacher’s Choice Award for Spirit Walker, an illustrated book of poetry that delves into the Taos Pueblos Indians. School Library Journal  praised Wood’s ability to “[provide] serenity, contemplation, and spiritual richness, experiences that are all too rare in this clamorous age.”

Wood’s work, both for adults and children, was marked by a strong sense of spirituality. Her picture book Old Coyote, a poignant, contemplative tale illustrated by Max Grafe, depicts the last moments of an aging coyote looking back on his life and preparing for his impending death. Inspired by her seven-year-old grandson’s sorrow over the loss of his dog, Wood successfully set out to present a difficult subject with both honesty and compassion. SLJ described the book as a “gentle and sensitive story…delivered in just the right respectful manner.”

In her young adult novel Thunderwoman, Wood melded history and fantasy to tell the story of the Spanish conquest of the Pueblo people.

She brought her dedication to the history of the Pueblos to her nonfiction work as well; in her anthology The Serpent’s Tongue: Prose, Poetry, and Art of the New Mexico Pueblos—which features works from authors such as Will Cather, Tony Hillerman, and others—she collected illustrations, photographs, prose, poetry, and narrative history to explore their history and culture.

“It was my great privilege to work with her on several books, including the amazing magical realist novel Thunderwoman, the beautiful picture book illustrated by Max Grafe about a coyote’s last day, Old Coyote, and her seminal collection The Serpent’s Tongue,” Karen Lotz, president and publisher at Candlewick Press, tells SLJ. “Through these works and others, she tried to share the beauty, ritual, and mystery that she discovered in the Southwest with a global audience.

“Her poems were often read at funerals, because they were keenly penetrating in their emotion, entirely human in scale, and yet so elegantly descriptive of the smallness of that step between our world and the next—where she always envisioned the ancestors as awaiting us. I hope her own passage was as gentle and loving as her work, and I will miss her very much.”

Confident and self-assured, high school senior Tom Bouchard rarely questions his place in the world. The academically gifted narrator of Out of Nowhere is captain of the soccer team, dates the most beautiful girl in school, and comes from a family whose roots in Enniston, Maine go back generations. But Tom’s myopic views are forever shattered as Enniston becomes home to a small community of Somali refugees, resulting in a cultural clash between many of the townspeople and the new arrivals. The teenager becomes inadvertently involved when he befriends several Somali boys who join his soccer team. He is immersed even further when a punishment for an act of vandalism results in his fulfilling community service hours at a local center that provides services to the immigrants. Soon he becomes close to Saeed, a newcomer with a tenuous grasp on English but an unparalleled talent for the sport, and his protective sister Samira, who still views Tom with some wariness.

Though Tom is initially somewhat uninformed about the refugees’ experiences (the Somali boys’ Muslim traditions puzzle him, and his reaction to learning that Saeed was separated from his family for a year when they were relocated to the United States is to compare it to “an African nightmare version of Home Alone”), his informal, conversational voice make him a relatable protagonist. Readers with similarly limited perspectives will readily identify with the adolescent’s transformation as he slowly grows aware of the hostility that many in his town feel toward the refugee community.

Fast-paced descriptions of Tom and Saeed’s athletic prowess will easily draw in sports fans and Padian brings that same sense of urgency and energy to scenes that take place off the field, from tense, racially charged moments to Tom’s budding romance with a girl he meets at the center. The fervor that Saeed and the other refugees bring to the game despite their difficult circumstances—many of the teens share soccer cleats and few can afford warm jackets even during bitter Maine winters—forces Tom to reflect on his own relatively privileged existence (“We think we’re all playing the same game, but we’re not. Saeed and the guys? They try things we don’t try.”) However, this rich and nuanced title will spark plenty of discussion beyond soccer, and teens primarily attracted to the novel for the sports angle will come away with a greater understanding of issues such as racism and social justice.

“‘It broadened our minds, and we weren’t the only ones going through hard times. That’s why the team is so close. It became our family.’” Whereas Out of Nowhere examined the lives of refugees from an outsider’s perspective, the author of the nonfiction Outcasts United spoke with refugees, tracing the trajectories that brought them to the United States and allowing them to voice the ways in which their dedication to soccer helps them to cope with their daily struggles. Like the fictional Enniston, Clarkston, Georgia became a designated refugee center for immigrants from a variety of Arab and African nations in the 1980s and 90s. When Luma Mufleh, a determined young Jordanian woman, happened to watch a group of teenage refugees playing soccer, their passion and drive so impressed her that she gave up a comfortable position coaching the girls at her local YMCA to form a team that later came to be known as the Fugees (as in refugees).

For the Fugees, everything is an uphill battle. Unlike typical teen athletes whose goals include beating rival teams, these players must contend with obstacles such as traumatic memories and antagonism from locals who have responded to the burgeoning immigrant community with fear and resentment. Although the town bars them from the field they’ve been using, sending them to an out-of-the way location littered with broken glass, Luma continues to hold practices, arranges for her players to receive afterschool tutoring, and in many cases becomes intimately involved in their family lives. In spite of—or perhaps because of—these barriers, the Fugees become more than a sports team; in an unstable world, it represents community, family, and togetherness.

Suspenseful depictions of the games alternate with portrayals of the players’ challenging home lives (one boy, Alex, must watch over his brothers and infant sister after long hours of soccer practice while his mother works nights; another regularly falls asleep to the sound of gun shots from gang warfare in his neighborhood), imbuing the competitions with weight and meaning and heightening readers’ desire for the boys to succeed. Though the boys’ commitment to the team in spite of the hardships they’ve known is admirable, well-rounded characterizations that include their flaws in addition to their triumphs make them relatable: Luma kicks Mandela, one of her best players, off the team for his arrogance on the field, but a description of him continuing to display his team uniform on his bedroom wall reflects the boy’s regret, yearning, and loyalty and will resonate with readers. Brief explanations of the conflicts in the boys’ home countries that resulted in their fleeing to Clarkston, such as civil war in Burundi or the Nuba genocide in the Sudan, personalize potentially confusing or inaccessible topics for readers and may inspire them to seek out more information.

Despite its exploration of a difficult and painful topic, Outcasts United is ultimately infused with hope and optimism. This compelling narrative treats its subjects with respect and empathy, and even students with no interest in sports will find themselves caught up in these boys’ backgrounds and deeply invested in their futures.

Using either or both of these titles in a classroom is sure to spark discussion. Those seeking to introduce point-of-view may wish to ask students how Out of Nowhere would differ if characters such as Saeed and Samira had the opportunity to voice their opinions and views much like the members of the Fugees did in Outcasts United. A variety of questions might arise from such a conversation: how does a story change depending on who’s telling it? Is it possible to be truly objective, even when writing a nonfiction work such as Outcasts United? Students who have read both titles can address how their understanding of refugee life in the United States changed after reading each title. Both books also provide the opportunity to research the countries of origins of these refugees and other refugee communities in the United States, giving students a perspective on world events.

The activities suggested above reference the following CCSStandards:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot; provide an objective summary of the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.3 Analyze how particular lines of dialogue or incidents in a story or drama propel the action, reveal aspects of a character, or provoke a decision.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text

School Library Journal’s webcast series on the Common Core continues on March 14, 2013. For more information and to register, visit our dedicated webpage.

Connie Hsu, Sofia Quintero, Zetta Elliott, and Betsy Bird.

With the announcement of the Youth Media Awards only weeks in the past, talk turned to those such as the Pura Belpré and Coretta Scott King Awards. Several of the panelists discussed how these awards were a way for them to see themselves represented in literature. Little, Brown book editor Connie Hsu described growing up as an Asian American child in Alabama, and how gravitating towards books that received these awards was one of the few ways she was able to see worlds outside her own, adding that, “As a young person growing up, those awards helped me identify where I could see myself on the page.”

However, author Zetta Elliott noted that simply honoring authors of color wasn’t enough, and underscored the need to examine these awards more closely. Citing a study by Kyra Hicks that found that sixty percent of the Coretta Scott King awards go to twenty percent of writers, she voiced her frustration that fewer new and lesser-known authors are being honored. She also expressed concern over the fact that so many biographical or historical titles receive this honor, as she believes that while these books are admittedly well-written, children may not connect with them.

“Black children get the Brussels sprouts and liver books,” Elliott said. “They get the books that are good for them, they get the books that aren’t necessarily fun and exciting that would perhaps attract some of the reluctant readers in the black community.”

The panel also delved into more subtle obstacles to diversity. In some cases, the panelists said, simply including culturally diverse characters isn’t enough; attitudes are the problem. Quintero brought up the racially-tinged backlash after The Hunger Games was cast. When characters that were clearly depicted as darker-skinned were cast as actors of color, she said, many white readers were perturbed. “Even when there are characters of color on the page, people don’t see them.”

Along these lines, Elliott raised a common issue in many YA novels: white-washing covers, or depicting characters of color in such a way that draws attention away from their ethnicity on the book jacket. Elliott brought up Alaya Dawn Johnson’s recent steampunk novel The Summer Prince, which is set in an African-descended community in Brazil, but whose cover features the female protagonist in profile and from behind, making her racial identity far more ambiguous.

Though many believe that the answer is to stop putting figures on covers at all, Elliott feels that this is a copout. “We can’t surrender. We cannot give up that easily,” she said. “We have to put authentic images, accurate images on the cover.”

The panelists agreed that above all, education—at all levels—was key. Elliott, who currently teaches at the Center for Ethnic Studies at the Borough of Manhattan Community College, emphasized the need to offer training and workshops to writers and editors in order to establish cultural competence. For her, it’s vital that “people can look at a piece of literature and learn how to identify bias, how to identify distortions.”

Quintero also related an experience with the publishing industry that she said displays the pressing need not just for diversity but for awareness and cultural sensitivity. Quintero, who identifies as Afro-Latina, described having a Latina editor turn down one of her manuscripts. The rationale? Because the book’s protagonist was living in foster care instead of in a large extended family, her editor didn’t find her “Latina enough.”

Ultimately, literature is important to helping young people to be culturally sensitive and aware, Elliott stressed. “The way that the world is changing, they need to be able to demonstrate cultural competence,” she advised. “They need to understand their own cultural location but be able to communicate cross culturally with others, and books are an excellent way to do that.”

The books listed below are the latest installments in ongoing fiction series that are well-known to most of our readers. We assume that purchase will be based on popularity of previous titles. Among these titles are fast-paced adventures, thrilling fantasies, hilarious middle-grade reads, and more.

Elementary and Middle School

BLADE, Adam. Fire and Fury. Bk. 4. 192p. (The Chronicles of Avantia Series). Scholastic. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-545-36154-5. Gr 5-7

BURGIS, Stephanie. Stolen Magic. 388p. (Kat, Incorrigible Series). S & S/Atheneum. Apr. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9451-0; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3382-3. LC 2011042347. Gr 5-8

BYNG, Georgia. Molly Moon & the Monster Music. 310p. HarperCollins/Harper. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-166163-1. LC 2012952450. Gr 4-6

COLE, Steve. Z. Apocalypse. 276p. Philomel. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25255-6. Gr 6-9

COVEN, Wanda. Heidi Heckelbeck Is Ready to Dance! illus. by Priscilla Burris. 118p. S & S/Little Simon. Mar. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5192-6; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5191-9. LC 2011046288. Gr 1-3

ENGLISH, Karen. Nikki & Deja: Substitute Trouble. illus. by Laura Freeman. 112p. Clarion. July 2013. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-547-61565-3. Gr 1-4

GIFF, Patricia Reilly. Zigzag Zoom. Bk. 8. illus. by Alasdair Bright. 80p. (Zigzag Kids Series). Random/Wendy Lamb Bks. Apr. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74275-7; PLB $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99075-5; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97703-8; ebook $4.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97704-5. Gr 2-4

GILMAN, Charles. Teacher’s Pest. Bk. 3. illus. by Eugene Smith. 176p. (Tales From Lovecraft Middle School Series). Quirk. May 2013. Tr $13.99. ISBN. Gr 6-8

HARPER, Charise Mericle. Just Grace and the Trouble with Cupcakes. illus. by author. 208p. Houghton Harcourt. May 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-547-87744-0. LC 2012033824. Gr 2-4

HARPER, Suzanne. A Mischief of Mermaids. Bk. 3. 288p. (The Unseen World of Poppy Malone Series). HarperCollins/Greenwillow. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-199613-9. Gr 3-6

HUNTER, Erin. River of Lost Bears. 304p. (Seekers: Return to the Wild Series). HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-199640-5. Gr 4-6

IGNATOW, Amy. The Awesomely Awful Melodies of Lydia Goldblatt and Julie Graham Chang. Bk. 5. illus. by author. 208p. (The Popularity Papers Series). Abrams/Amulet. Mar. 2013. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0536-6. Gr 4-6

JENKINS, Emily. The Whoopie Pie War. illus. by Harry Bliss. 160p. (Invisible Inkling Series). HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. Aug. 2013. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-0-06-180226-3. Gr 2-4

JOBLING, Curtis. Nest of Serpents. Bk. 4. 494p. (Wereworld Series). Viking. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-78457-8. Gr 6-8

KLISE, Kate. Hollywood, Dead Ahead. Bk. 5. illus. by M. Sarah Klise. 144p. (43 Old Cemetery Road Series). Harcourt. Apr. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-547-85283-6. Gr 4-6

LOOK, Lenore. Alvin Ho: Allergic to Babies, Burglars, and Other Bumps in the Night. illus. by LeUyen Pham. 192p. Random/Schwartz & Wade Bks. Apr. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-87033-0; PLB $18.99. ISBN 978-0-375-97033-7; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98889-9. LC 2012011455. Gr 2-4

MALONE, Marianne. The Pirate’s Coin. Bk. 3. illus. by Greg Call. 210p. (A Sixty-Eight Rooms Adventure). Random. May 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97717-5; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97718-2. LC 2012017540. Gr 4-6

MATT AND DAVE. Yuck’s Pet Worm. illus. by Nigel Baines. 112p. S & S. Apr. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8150-3; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8149-7; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-81�51-0. Gr 3-4

MYRACLE, Lauren. Awesome Blossom. 384p. (A Flower Power Book). Abrams/Amulet. 2013. Tr $16.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0405-5. LC 2012035668. Gr 3-6

NELSON, Peter. AeroStar and the 3 1/2-Point Plan of Vengeance. Bk. 3. illus. by Rohitash Rao. 348p. (Herbert’s Wormhole Series). HarperCollins/Harper. May 2013. Tr $10.99. ISBN 978-0-06-201220-3. Gr 3-7 .

O’RYAN, Ellie. The Case of the Digital Deception. Bk. 5. 160p. (Club CSI Series). S & S/Simon Spotlight. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-7258-7; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-7257-0. Gr 4-7

PEIRCE, Lincoln. Big Nate Flips Out. illus. by author. 224p. HarperCollins/Harper. 2013. Tr $13.99. ISBN 978-0-06-199663-4; PLB $14.89. ISBN 978-0-06-199664-1; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-210759-6. Gr 2-4

RIVERS, Nathan. Phoebe. Giving Up the Ghost. 160p. (Saranormal Series). S & S/Simon Spotlight. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6616-6; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6617-3; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-6618-0. LC 2012938943. Gr 4-7

ROBBINS, Trina. The Bark in Space. Bk. 5. illus. by Tyler Page. 64p. (The Chicagoland Detective Agency Series). Lerner/Graphic Universe. May 2013. PLB $29.27. ISBN 978-0-7613-8166-2; pap. $6.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-0725-1; ebook $21.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-0972-9. Gr 4-7

RYLANDER, Chris. The Fourth Stall Part III. 294p. HarperCollins/Walden Pond Pr. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212005-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212007-6. Gr 4-7

SALISBURY, Graham. Extra Famous. illus. by Jacqueline Rogers. 176p. (Calvin Coconut Series). Random/Wendy Lamb Bks. Apr. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74220-7; PLB $15.99. ISBN 978-0-375-99047-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97427-3. Gr 3-4

SIMNER, Janni Lee. Faerie After. Bk. 3. 272p. (Bones of Faerie Trilogy). Random. May 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-375-87069-9; PLB $19.99. ISBN 978-0-375-97069-6; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-307-97455-6. Gr 5-7

High School

CARTER, Aimée. The Goddess Inheritance. 312p. (A Goddess Test Novel). Harlequin Teen. Mar. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-373-21067-1. Gr 7 Up

DE LA CRUZ, Melissa. Gates of Paradise. 355p. (A Blue Bloods Novel). Hyperion/Disney. 2013. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-5741-0. LC 2012032358. Gr 9 Up

DIVER, Lucienne. Fangtabulous. Bk. 4. 276p. (Vamped Series). Flux. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-7387-3150-6. Gr 8 Up

GILL, David Macinnis. Shadow on the Sun. 424p. HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Apr. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207335-8. LC 2011002841. Gr 9 Up

GRANT, Michael. Light. Bk. 7. 409p. (A Gone Novel). HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Bks. Apr. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-06-144918-5; PLB $19.89. ISBN 978-0-06-144919-2. Gr 7 Up

HAMILTON, Kersten. When the Stars Threw Down Their Spears. Bk. 3. 390p. (The Goblin Wars Series). Clarion. June 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-73964-9. Gr 8 Up

HAND, Cynthia. Boundless. 434p. (An Unearthly Novel). HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-199620-7. Gr 7-10

HARTINGER, Brent. The Elephant of Sur prise. Bk. 4. 226p. (Russel Middlebrook Series). Buddha Kitty Bks. 2013. pap. $12.99. ISBN 978-0-9846794-5-4. Gr 10 Up

KESSLER, Jackie Morse. Breath. Bk. 4. 322p. (Riders of the Apocalypse Series). Houghton/Graphia. Apr. 2013. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-547-97043-1. Gr 8 Up

KITTREDGE, Caitlin. The Mirrored Shard. Bk. 3. 294p. (The Iron Codex Series). Delacorte. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73833-0. LC 2012020816. Gr 7 Up

KUNZE, Lauren with Rina Onur. Scandal. Bk. 4. 324p. (The Ivy Series). HarperCollins/Greenwillow. Mar. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-196051-2. LC 2012022602. Gr 9 Up

LONDON, J. A. Blood-Kissed Sky. 338p. (A Darkness Before Dawn Novel). HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-202066-6. Gr 7 Up

MAHONEY, Karen. The Stone Demon. 336p. (The Iron Witch Series). Flux. Apr. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-7387-3340-1. LC 2012035619. Gr 8 Up

MAYHALL, Robin. He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not. Bk. 7. illus. by Kristen Cella. ISBN 978-0-7613-6005-6; ISBN 978-0-7613-8548-6; ISBN 978-0-7613-8738-1.

ROBBINS, Tring. A Match Made in Heaven. Bk. 8. illus. by Xian Nu Studio. ISBN 978-0-7613-6857-1; ISBN 978-1-4677-0732-9; ISBN 978-1-4677-0978-1.

ea vol: 128p. (My Boyfriend Is a Monster Series). Lerner/Graphic Universe. May 2013. PLB $29.27; pap. $9.95; ebook $21.95. Gr 7 Up

SHEPARD, Sara. Cross My Heart, Hope to Die. 322p. (A Lying Game Novel). HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-212819-5. Gr 9 Up

SHIRVINGTON, Jessica. Emblaze. 448p. Sourcebooks/Fire. Mar. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4022-6846-5. Gr 9 Up The continuation of the series that began with Embrace and Entice .

STOLARZ, Laurie Faria. Deadly Little Lessons. 336p. (A Touch Novel). Hyperion/Disney. 2012. RTE $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-3162-5. LC 2012013991. Gr 8-11

All things Dr. Seuss were in the air Monday at the 42nd branch of the New York Public Library, including a sea of students sporting Cat in the Hat  hats in an attempt to set a Guinness Book World Record, a read-aloud of Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon, and even a visit from the Cat in the Hat himself. These festivities marked Random House Children’s Books and Dr. Seuss Enterprises’ launch of the “Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!” campaign, a yearlong celebration of the famed children’s book author that coincides with the 75th anniversary of The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins.

This first stop for the campaign also included an announcement of a new partnership between Random House Children’s Books, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and the Jeff Gordon Children’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to finding a cure for pediatric cancer.

Throughout his career, Frasconi wrote and illustrated numerous children’s books, many of which were critically recognized. The American Library Association awarded its Caldecott Honor to his bilingual picture book The House That Jack Built/La Maison que Jacques a Batie (Harcourt, 1958), and a Notable Book Award to his bilingual The Snow and the Sun/La Nieve y el So (Harcourt, 1961). The Snow and the Sun also won a Horn Book Fanfare Award.

Frasconi’s other notable works for children include illustrations for Gabriela Mistral’s Crickets and Frogs: A Fable in Spanish and English (Athenium, 1972), which the American Institute of Graphic Arts presented in its Children’s Book Show from 1973–1974, and Mistral’s The Elephant and His Secret (Atheneum, 1974), which was chosen as a Child Study Association’s Children’s Book of the Year.

In 2005, relying once more on his trademark woodcuts, he illustrated a new edition of Langston Hughes’ poem in the picture book Let America Be America Again (Braziller, 2005). School Library Journal described his portrayal of the poem’s characters as “powerful,” with “especially moving faces” and “expressions that are at once individual and universal.”

Born in 1919 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Frasconi was raised in Uruguay but moved to the United States in 1945 after World War II. At age twelve, he worked as a print-maker’s apprentice and eventually went on to study at the Art Students’ League in New York. He briefly worked as a guard at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, where he later he presented his first solo art show.

Originally inspired by the woodcuts of Paul Gaugin, Frasconi’s own distinguished art career spanned over fifty years. He illustrated more than 100 books, including works by Pablo Neruda and Jorge Luis Borges, and his artwork has appeared in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Library of Congress, The Brooklyn Museum of Art, and in exhibitions worldwide.

His major acclaimed work, “The Disappeared,” depicts the torture, incarceration, and deaths of citizens in Uruguay during dictatorship. The dramatic series of woodcuts took him 10 years to complete.`

His first children’s book, the Caldecott Honor Anansi the Spider (Holt, 1972), based upon his animated film, retold the traditional West African tale of the clever and mischievous trickster. In his Caldecott Medal-winning Arrow to the Sun (Viking, 1974), McDermott once more recast one of his animated films in picture book format. The book retold the Pueblo tale of a boy who journeys to the sun to seek his father.

McDermott received both a Caldecott Honor and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award for Raven: A Trickster Tale from the Pacific Northwest, (Harcourt, 1993), a Native American tale of the birth of the sun which School Library Journal described as an “amusing and well-conceived picture book.”

In recent works such as Creation (Dutton, 2003), Pig-Boy: A Trickster Tale from Hawai’i (2009), and Monkey: A Trickster Tale from India (both Harcourt, 2011), McDermott turned to Aztec, Hawaiian, and Buddhist traditions to continue with his convention of bringing folklore to life.

In addition to his work as an author and illustrator, McDermott regularly shared his views on his craft with others through lectures and presentations. In 2001, he gave several talks in Japan, where his books have long been popular, and in 2003, he presented a discussion on picture book art at the Maui Writers Conference in Hawaii.

Born in 1941 in Detroit, McDermott displayed a passion for art early in life. At the age of four, he took classes at the Detroit Institute of Arts. McDermott went on to study at Cass Tech and then later at Pratt Institute in New York on scholarship. He then started a career as a filmmaker, producing short animated features on folklore, including “Anansi the Spider,” which garnered the American Film Festival Blue Ribbon in 1970.

“Gerald had an unusual talent for reaching both kids and adults; the six trickster tales he published with Harcourt certainly show his ability to reach across generations,” said Jeannette Larson, editorial director of Harcourt Children’s Books, who worked with McDermott. “His grasp of the cultural heritage behind his stories was impeccable, yet his books were never weighed down by his depth of knowledge. Every story is distilled to its essence; each one has a vein of humor that makes it accessible to even the youngest readers. And his artwork! Always stunning.”

“She lies like this mostly so that she can feel her hip bones against the floor, hard like rocks, leaving bruises.” In Alyssa Sheinmel’s Stone Girl (Knopf, 2012; Gr 9 Up), 17-year-old Sethie’s constant appraisal of her body has nothing to do with pride in her appearance; rather, it’s a symptom of the girl’s all-consuming desire for perfection and self-control.

A whip-smart, disciplined but tightly-wound senior at an elite Manhattan high school, Sethie is preoccupied with maintaining a sleek, slender body, overcoming her family’s financial obstacles to attend an Ivy League university, and retaining the attention of Shaw, the attractive but inattentive and capricious boy she’s dating. The overachieving teen has always engaged in ritualistic behaviors regarding food (counting calories, drinking large quantities of water before bed). However, her issues soon begin to escalate after she meets Janey, her confident and self-assured foil, whom Sethie views as physically ideal and who introduces her to bulimia. The realization that Shaw sees her not as a girlfriend but merely as a means for sexual gratification threatens to push Sethie further over the edge.

While Sethie’s descent is not portrayed as graphically as in books such as Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls (Viking, 2009) or Lesley Fairfield’s Tyranny (Tunda, 2009) (both her mother and a close friend intervene before her condition becomes extreme), the author thoroughly depicts the thought processes of someone suffering from an eating disorder through the girl’s obsessively vigilant observations about her own and others’ bodies: she admires Janey’s protruding clavicles, wishes that her own ribs are visible enough to count, and often catalogs what she perceives to be her facial flaws. Sheinmel has said by writing The Stone Girl, she sought to depict not a seriously ill adolescent but rather, “the girl who skates on the precipice of her disorder, not quite diving in.” As a result, Sethie’s plight will resonate not only with teens who have dealt with eating disorders but with any reader who has felt the unyielding pressure to conform to a just out-of-reach ideal.

Weighing in at  more than 400 hundred pounds, the 17-year-old title character of Erin Jade Lange’s Butter (Bloomsbury, 2012; Gr 9 Up) is physically restricted by his body–but more importantly, his size has resulted in his leading a merely half-lived life. He faces ridicule from his classmates; he is a gifted musician but his crippling self-consciousness prevents him from playing in public; and though he’s in love with the gorgeous, popular Anna, his interactions with her are limited to anonymous online conversations. When the bullying goes too far, he decides to commit suicide by overeating and creates a website where he will broadcast his own death. The site goes viral, and soon the obese teen is adopted by a popular clique that takes a morbid interest in Butter’s macabre plans.

While the hellish situations Butter’s tormentors have subjected him to are depicted in unflinching detail (he earns his nickname when a sadistic classmate force feeds him a stick of butter), his strong voice keeps this novel from becoming overwhelmingly bleak or melancholy. His wry observations are at times self-deprecating but never self-pitying (“See, there’s another awesome side effect of being 423 pounds: life-threatening diabetes”), and readers will root for this surprisingly appealing character. Lange keeps this dark novel firmly grounded in the realm of realism, refusing to veer down an artificially positive path in which Butter’s weight loss or social success is assured. Despite the unusual and potentially off-putting subject matter, however, Butter will provide plenty of fodder for in-depth discussions on depression, bullying, and familial dysfunction long after the book is over.

For many teenagers, the fantasy of becoming thin and attractive carries the same allure as a fairy tale ending. Fittingly, in Skinny (Scholastic, 2012; Gr 7-10), a story about an overweight 15-year-old girl named Ever who loses weight through gastric-bypass surgery, author Donna Cooner frames her protagonist’s physical transformation as a modern-day Cinderella story.

The novel opens with Ever as the long-suffering, overlooked member of her family: the mother whom she adored is dead, her father and stepmother barely acknowledge her, her gorgeous, airhead stepsisters view her with scorn, and except for one friend–the brilliant but awkward Rat–Ever is a pariah at school. But following her surgery, she sheds her drab, dull image in favor of a vibrant, new persona. Ever moves up the social hierarchy at school, finds herself flirting with an attractive and charming boy who barely acknowledged her before her weight loss, and develops the confidence to flex the musical and acting skills she’s been hiding for years.

However, Skinny is far from a simple makeover story, and Cooner expertly portrays the disconnect between Ever’s outward appearance and her inner emotions. The nagging voice in her head that continually expresses her feelings of self-doubt (“You’re still fat and ugly. Ugly. Ugly.”) refuses to be silenced, and she finds herself dissociating from her rapidly changing body (“I stare at my bare forearms on the desk. It’s like someone put the wrong arms on my body. Overnight.”). Not only are the technical aspects of this surgery explained in comprehensible terms, but readers will also easily relate to the emotional rollercoaster that accompanies Ever’s sudden metamorphosis.

Many teens cast a critical eye upon their perceived blemishes or physical flaws, but for the title character of Cris Beam’s I Am J (Little, Brown, 2011; Gr 9 Up), his body is a virtual prison that prevents him from living the life he wants. A biological female who considers himself male, J has coped with a body he views as foreign by shortening his name from “Jeni” to “J,” by hiding the curves that disgust him with oversize t-shirts, and by cropping his hair. But once he learns that there are other transgender individuals like him, J feels free to express his true gender for the first time. Complications arise when he tries to explain his feelings to others. J’s Puerto Rican mother and Jewish father have sacrificed for years so that their child can attend college, and they see his desire to obtain testosterone supplements and live as a man both as frightening and as a potential distraction from academic achievement.

Beam’s stark, straightforward prose sets the tone of the realistic, often harsh world J inhabits: his appearance results in bullying from others and his–not entirely unfounded–fears of disappointing his parents drive him to temporarily run away from home. Never romanticized, J’s raw, painful experiences are authentic; however, his small triumphs–such as successfully passing as male when he flirts with a girl or publicly displaying his photographs–infuse the novel with a genuine sense of hope. This unorthodox but poignant coming-of-age narrative sheds light on the gender issues with which many teens and adults are still unfamiliar.

Meghan McCarthy, Susan Kuklin, Sue Macy, and Deborah Heiligman at NYPL’s Ethics & Nonfiction Panel.

The best juvenile nonfiction strives to be both entertaining and enlightening, but writing a book that is both factually accurate and enjoyable can be a big challenge, says author and illustrator Meghan McCarthy. McCarthy was on hand recently to discuss these issues with some of her peers at New York Public Library’s latest literary panel, “Ethics and Nonfiction,” held on January 5. NYPL Youth Materials Specialist—and SLJ blogger—Betsy Bird moderated.

For these authors, a strong commitment to conveying the truth is paramount. When Deborah Heiligman wrote Honeybees (National Geographic, 2002), it wasn’t until the last possible minute that she noticed a factual error that the book’s illustrator had made: several bees are depicted flying in curlicues, not in a beeline as the insects actually travel. While it was too late in the publishing process to correct the mistake, Heiligman’s consternation over this relatively minor detail illustrates the strict allegiance that many authors have to accurately representing their subjects.

Panelists addressed the tension between crafting a good story and correctly portraying their subject. “It’s so hard to…infuse the story with excitement and stick to the letter of the law,” said Sue Macy, who wrote a precise history of women’s basketball in Basketball Belles (Holiday House, 2011) but wished that the book had been more entertaining in places. “I fight myself on this all the time because you want people to read the book but you also want to be accurate.” She is currently dealing with this very issue as she works on a picture book on women’s roller derby in the 1940s. One moment in her book—a character jumping over the railing during a game—may not have actually occurred, but Macy (who will note for readers that this detail represents creative license on her part) believes this addition will enliven the narrative.

Though Heiligman disagreed with Macy about this particular example, she, too, acknowledged the difficulty of adhering to the facts when constructing a narrative. In her picture book The Boy Who Loved Math (Roaring Brook, 2013), the story of Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdös, she eliminated a line about how her subject’s sisters died of scarlet fever while he was being born, stating that she felt this would set a depressing tone and distract young readers from the rest of the book.

Authors also discussed the problem of how to proceed when not all the facts are available to them. When Susan Kuklin wrote Iqbal Masih and the Crusaders Against Child Slavery (Holt, 1998), the story of a Pakistani boy who became an activist against child labor, she came across conflicting information about the boy’s death. Unsure whether his death at age 12 was an accident or murder, she included both possibilities in her book. In this case, this was a “blessing in disguise,” as it provided opportunities for students to debate this question for themselves.

Panelists concluded by discussing the problem of information that some might see as inappropriate for younger readers. When working on Mary Leakey: In Search of Human Beginnings (W.H. Freeman and Co., 1995), Heiligman had some reservations about depicting Leakey’s affair with Richard Leaky, wondering if it would affect book sales, but ultimately included it. Macy said that when she was recently asked to write a middle-grade book on astronaut Sally Ride, she needed to be able to include that Ride had a same-sex partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy. Though her publishers were wary of the book being labeled a coming-out biography, Macy felt strongly that she needed to incorporate Ride’s relationship with O’Shaughnessy in order to honestly portray her life.

Ultimately, Heiligman’s words underscored the importance of accuracy in children’s nonfiction: “We have to make the choices as nonfiction writers to be…honest and true.”

Elementary and Middle School

BRANSFORD, Nathan. Jacob Wonderbar and the Interstellar Time Warp. illus. by C. S. Jennings. 262p. Dial.Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3703-7. Gr 4-6

D’LACEY, Chris & Jay D’Lacey. Rain & Fire. 304p. Scholastic/Orchard. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-41453-1. LC 2012014374. Gr 5-8 A companion guide to the Last Dragon Chronicles . Gr 5-8

FREDERICK, Heather Vogel. Wish You Were Eyre. 464p. (The Mother Daughter Book Club Series). S & S.2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3064-8; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4423-4199-9. Gr 6-9

FRIEDMAN, Laurie. Mallory and Mary Take New York. Bk. 19. illus. by Jennifer Kalis. 152p. Darby Creek. Mar. 2013. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-6074-2; ebook $11.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-0962-0. LC 2012019008. Gr 3-5

GUTMAN, Dan. Miss Kraft Is Daft! Bk. 7. illus. by Jim Paillot. 112p. (My Weirder School Series).HarperCollins/Harper. Jan. 2013. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-204215-6. Gr 2-3

GUTMAN, Dan. You Only Die Twice. Bk. 3. 289p. (The Genius Files Series). HarperCollins/Harper. Feb. 2013.Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-182770-9; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-182771-6; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-220284-0. Gr 5-8

HOLUB, Joan & Suzanne Williams. Pandora the Curious. Bk. 9. 256p. (Goddess Girls Series). S & S/Aladdin. 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5975-5; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4935-0; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4936-7. Gr 3-6

IRWIN, Bindi & Chris Kunz. Bindi: Behind the Scenes: The Wildlife Games. 192p. Trafalgar Square. Feb. 2013.pap. $11.99. ISBN 978-1-86471-839-3. Gr 3-6

KAIN, P.G. Dramatic Pause. Bk. 3. 288p. (Commercial Breaks Series). S & S/Aladdin. 2012. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9788-7; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9791-7. LC 2012948208. Gr 5-8

KESSLER, Liz. Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun. Bk. 5. illus. by Natacha Ledwidge. 272p.Candlewick. Feb. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5824-3. Gr 4-6

KINNEY, Jeff. The Third Wheel. Bk. 7. illus. by author. 224p. (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series). Abrams/Amulet.2012. Tr $13.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0584-7. Gr 4-8

LASKY, Kathryn. Star Wolf. Bk 6. 246p. (Wolves of the Beyond Series). Scholastic. Jan. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-27962-8. LC 2012029320. Gr 4-6

MCCLINTOCK, Norah. Change of Heart. Bk. 7. 218p. ISBN 978-0-7613-8317-8; ISBN 978-1-4677-0701-5; ISBN 978-1-4677-0963-7.
–––– . In Too Deep. Bk. 8. 224p. ISBN 978-0-7613-8318-5; ISBN 978-1-4677-0702-2; ISBN 978-1-4677-0964-4.
ea vol: (A Robyn Hunter Mystery). Darby Creek. Mar. 2013. Tr $27.93; pap. $8.95; ebook $20.95. Gr 6 Up

MCDONALD, Megan. Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout. Bk. 8. illus. by Peter H. Reynolds. 160p. Candlewick.Feb. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6140-3; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6422-0. Gr 1-3

MATT AND DAVE. Yuck’s Fart Club. illus. by Nigel Baines. S & S. 112 p. Jan. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8153-4; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8152-7; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8154-1. LC 2012027627. Gr 3-4

PILKEY, Dav. Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers. Bk. 10. illus. by author. 224p. Scholastic. Jan. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-545-17536-4. LC 2012944030. Gr 3-6

RIORDAN, Rick. The Mark of Athena. Bk. 3. 608p. (The Heroes of Olympus Series). Hyperion/Disney. 2012.Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-4060-3. LC 2012017264. Gr 5-9

SELFORS, Suzanne. Smells Like Pirates. Bk. 3. 384p. (Smells Like Dog Series). Little, Brown. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20596-2. LC 2012028738. Gr 4-7

SMITH, Roland. I, Q: Kitty Hawk. Bk. 3. 230p. (I, Q Series). Sleeping Bear. 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-58536-605-7; pap. $8.95. ISBN 978-1-58536-604-0. Gr 5-8

SNIEGOSKI, Tom. Quest for the Spark. Bk. 3 . illus. by Jeff Smith. 288p. (Bone Series). Scholastic/Graphix.Jan. 2013. Tr $22.99. ISBN 978-0-545-14105-5; pap. $10.99. ISBN 978-0-545-14106-2. LC 2012025128. Gr 4-8

High School

CHIMA, Cinda Williams. The Crimson Crown. Bk. 4. 598p. (Seven Realms Series). Hyperion/Disney. 2012.RTE $18.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-4433-5. LC 2011053079. Gr 8 Up

CONRAD, Lauren. Starstruck. 294p. (A Fame Game Novel). HarperCollins/Harper. 2012. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-06-207980-0. Gr 5 Up

CREMER, Andrea. Rise. 388p. Philomel. Jan. 2013. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-399-15960-2. LC 2012012263. Gr 10 Up The continuation of the series that began with Nightshade and Wolfsbane .

DESTEFANO, Lauren. Sever. Bk. 3. 384p. (The Chemical Garden Trilogy). S & S. Feb. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0909-5; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0913-2. LC 2012015702. Gr 9 Up

EDWARDS, Eve. The Rogue’s Princess. Bk. 3. 272p. (The Lacey Chornicles) Delacorte. Jan. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74093-7; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98976-6; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-98339-9.Gr 9 Up

ESTEP, Jennifer. Crimson Frost. 384p. (A Mythos Academy Novel). Kensington/KTeen. Jan. 2013. pap. $9.95. ISBN 978-0-7582-8146-3. Gr 9 Up

FITZPATRICK, Becca. Finale. 464p. (The Hush, Hush Saga). S & S. 2012. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2667-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-2669-6. Gr 9 Up

GODBERSEN, Anna. The Lucky Ones. 374p. (A Bright Young Things Novel). HarperCollins/Harper. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-196270-7. Gr 9 Up

KINCY, Karen. Foxfire. Bk. 3. 297p. (An Other Novel). Flux. 2012. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-7387-3057-8. LC 2012019102. Gr 9 Up

LACKEY, Mercedes & Rosemary Edghill. Sacrifices. Bk. 3. 304p. (Shadow Grail Series). Tor. Apr. 2013. Tr $21.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-2852-0; pap. $21.99. ISBN 978-0-7653-1763-6; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4299-9719-5. Gr 7-10

LORE, Pittacus. I Am Number Four: The Lost Files: The Legacies. 416p. 2012. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-221110-1.
–––– . The Rise of Nine. 416. Feb. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-197458-8.
ea vol: (I Am Number Four Series). HarperCollins/Harper. Gr 7 Up

MOORE, Stephanie Perry & Derrick Moore. Settle Down/Be Real. Bk. 4. 310p. ISBN 978-1-61651-887-5.
–––– . Shake It/Got Pride. Bk. 5. 309p. ISBN 978-1-61651-888-2.
–––– . Yell Out/Do You. Bk. 3. 336p. ISBN 978-1-61651-886-8.
ea vol: (Lockwood Lions Series). Saddleback. 2012. pap. $14.95. Gr 7 Up

SCHREIBER, Ellen. Full Moon Kisses. 224p. (A Full Moon Novel). HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Bks. Jan. 2013. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-198653-6. LC 2012949623. Gr 7 Up

SHEPARD, Sara. Ali’s Pretty Little Lies. 292p. Jan. 2013. ISBN 978-0-06-223336-3. LC 2012950661.
–––– . Burned. 324p. 2012. ISBN 978-0-06-208192-6. LC 2012949622.
ea vol: (Pretty Little Liars Series). HarperCollins/HarperTeen. Tr $17.99. Gr 9 Up

SHIELDS, Gillian. Destiny. 374p. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Bks. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-200041-5. Gr 7-10 The conclusion to the series that began with Immortal , Betrayal ,
and Eternal .

SMITH, Alexander Gordon. Execution. Bk. 5. 352p. (Escape from Furnace Series). Farrar. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-374-36224-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-374-32239-7. LC 2012004870. Gr 7-10

SMITH, L. J. Destiny Rising. Vol. 3. 394p. (The Vampire Diaries: The Hunters Series). HarperCollins/HarperTeen. 2012. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-201773-4.
Gr 9 Up

TANIGAWA, Nagaru. The Indignation of Haruhi Suzumiya. tr. from Japanese by Paul Starr. 224p. Little, Brown.2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-316-03900-0; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-316-03899-7. LC 2012013848. Gr 7 Up

’Tis the season for prizes, including the 2012 Edublog Awards. Announced yesterday, the winners and runners-up include “Best Individual Blog,” “Best Twitter Hashtag,” and “Best Individual Tweeter.”

Sponsored by blogging service Edublogs, the awards are determined by a nomination process open to the general public, and winners and runners-up are chosen by vote. The awards were started in 2004 as a response to schools, districts, and educational institutions blocking the use of social media with the intention of promoting the importance and relevancy of these sites.

SLJ’s “Cool Tools” columnist Richard Byrne garnered both “Best Ed Tech/Resource Sharing Blog” and a runner-up award for “Best Individual Blog” for his site Free Technology for Teachers, where he provides practical tips for incorporating technology into the classroom. From apps that help students keep track of homework assignments and platforms for peer tutoring, to infographics on the solar eclipse and programs providing an in-depth look at human anatomy, Byrne’s site has something for everyone.

Bibliophiles looking for a site melding tech and kid lit will appreciate John Schumacher’s (aka Mr. Schu) Watch. Connect. Read (pictured), which was runner-up in the “Best/library/librarian blog” category. Exploring the world of book trailers, Schu’s blog also features interviews with authors and illustrators, revisits Newbery and Caldecott-winning books, and recently included the highlights of a Twitter chat about the “Babymouse” and “Lunch Lady” graphic novels. “Best Library/librarian blog” winner, Educational Blog, Iliana Ilieva-Dabova shares tips and suggestions for Bulgarian teachers creating lesson plans.

For educators eager for apps but overwhelmed by the vast selection, there’s the Edublog category “Best Mobile App.”: The winner, Flying Books, is based upon William Joyce’s short film and picture book The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (Atheneum, 2012), the story of a man who follows a flying book into a library where he spends years working. Runners-up included apps for Dropbox, which lets  users  share videos and images, Evernote, for storing ideas and notes, and the Night Zookeeper Drawing Torch, a game that features animals and monsters and that lets players tap into their drawing abilities.

“Best Student Blog” and “Most Influential Blog Post” went to Jaden, a student in California who blogs on subjects ranging from the past presidential election to the “Hunger Games” series at Jaden’s Awesome Blog. In “Ten things I’ve learned from blogging,” the fifth-grader shared wise words about lessons learned while creating a social media presence. Tips:  “When people are nice enough to comment on your blog, comment back so they will return to your blog,” “Don’t post pictures of yourself,” and “Add gadgets to make your blog the best it can be.”

The winner of the “Best Twitter Hashtag,” #UnfollowBullying was started by  the Elk Grove Unified School District as a way to take a stance against cyber-bullying. Best Hashtag runners-up included #comments4kids, providing ways for students and teachers to find blogs they’d like to comment on, and #slpeeps, for speech and language professionals.

@SpeechyKeenSLP won the “Best Individual Tweeter” award, while @ictmagic and @RossMannell were among the runners-up.

Making the most of Twitter was a common thread in this year’s awards. The runner-up for “Most Influential Blog Post,” “Nomenclature and basic functions of Twitter” by Lexical Linguist, for example, gives novices a “101” introduction to the social media platform, sharing pointers about hashtags, privacy issues, and how to interact with other users.

Other winners included Jamie Forshey, instructional technology coach and teacher at the Bellwood-Antis School District in Central PA, who took “Best New Blog,” for Edutech for Teachers and Tim Rylands, an experienced teacher from the UK known for his integration computer games and technology into the classroom, who won Edublog’s “Lifetime Achievement” award.

The award was first created two years ago and honors nonfiction titles published for young people ages 12-18.

The 2013 finalists are:

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster (Scholastic) by Deborah Hopkinson, an intricate examination of that fateful night that incorporates stories from Titanic survivors as well as detailed facts.

Bomb: The Race to Build — and Steal — the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon (Roaring Brook) by Steve Sheinkin, an enthralling, suspenseful account of how the work of scientists, spies, and saboteurs resulted in the atomic bomb.

Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95 (Farrar) by Phillip Hoose, which explores a species of bird that migrates hundreds of thousands of miles over the course of its life.

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Karen Blumenthal (Feiwel & Friends) by Karen Blumenthal, a nuanced portrait of the late entrepreneur and innovator that delves into both his life and his myriad accomplishments.

We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March (Peachtree) by Cynthia Levinson, a meticulously researched photo-essay that chronicles the narratives of four young people involved in the Birmingham Children’s March.

“The committee is very proud of the five finalists,” Angela Frederick, chair of YALSA’s Nonfiction Award committee told SLJ. “I think each author succeeded in telling a true story in a fascinating way, and that is what will attract teen readers. There were many wonderful nonfiction books published for teens this year, and the committee struggled to narrow it down to the five that were ultimately chosen.”

YALSA will host a reception honoring both the finalist authors and the winner, as well as YALSA’s Morris Award winner and finalists, at a reception from 10:30 am to noon on January 28 in room 606 of the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle.

Members of the 2013 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults award committee are: Chair Angela Frederick, Nashville (TN) Public Library; Ruth Allen, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR; Roxy Ekstrom, Schaumburg (IL) Township Library; Angie Manfredi, Los Alamos (NM) County Library System; Judy Nelson, Pierce County Library System, Tacoma, WA; Maren Ostergard, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA; Laura Pearle, VennConsultants, Carmel, NY; Adela Peskorz, Metropolitan State University Library, Saint Paul, MN; Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington (VA) Public Library; Sara Morse, Nashville (TN) Public Library; and Gillian Engberg, Booklist, Chicago.

Sponsored by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), the award recognizes a book written for young adults by a debut author.

The 2013 finalists are:

Wonder Show (Houghton Harcourt) by Hannah Barnaby, a dark tale of historical fiction about a teenager who joins a traveling sideshow as she searches for her father.

Love and Other Perishable Items (Knopf) by Laura Buzo, an unflinchingly honest story following a fifteen-year-old and her intense, but one-sided, crush on an older co-worker.

After the Snow (Feiwel & Friends) by S.D. Crockett, in which a teen boy searches for his family in a bleak, dystopian world of freezing temperatures, crowded cities, and a fascist government.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray) by emily m. danforth, a complex and poignant coming-of-age story of an adolescent girl, wrestling with the death of her parents and her own sexuality, who is sent to a conversion camp for gay teenagers.

Seraphina (Random) by Rachel Hartman, a fantasy about a girl who inhabits a world where dragons and humans uneasily coexist—and who is hiding a potentially devastating secret.

The finalists “may be first-time published authors, but they are writing with great polish and sophistication, and their books have themes or topics that are really relevant to teens’ lives,” Joy Kim, chair of YALSA’s Morris Award committee, told SLJ. Representing a wide range of topics and genres, the finalist list “reflects that teens have diverse reading interests,” she said.

The finalists and the winner will be honored at a reception hosted by YALSA, as well as YALSA’s Nonfiction Award finalists and winner, from 10:30 a.m. to noon on January 28 in room 606 of the Washington State Convention center in Seattle.

The award is named for William C. Morris, an influential pioneer in the world of publishing who advocated marketing books for children and young adults.

Members of the 2013 William C. Morris Award Committee are: Chair Joy Kim, Pierce County Library System, Tacoma, WA; Lee Catalano, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR; Diane Colson, Palm Harbor (FLA) Library; Michael Fleming, Pacific Cascade Middle School Library, Issaquah, WA; Sarah Holtkamp, Chicago Public Library; Shelly McNerney, Blue Valley West High School, Overland Park, KAN; Anne Rouyer, New York Public Library; Judy Sasges, Sno-Isle Libraries, Marysville, WA; Vicky Smith, Kirkus Reviews, South Portland, ME; Sandy Sumner, administrative assistant, Morehead (KY) State University Camden–Carroll Library; and Ilene Cooper, Booklist consultant, Chicago.