Cold winter weather provides the perfect setting for putting on headphones to listen to a good book. For over 50 years, Search Institute, a nonprofit organization, has worked to improve the lives of young people by examining and offering ideas to combat risky behaviors and determining what kids need to succeed. They were early adopters of the adage “It takes a village to raise a child,” believing that the entire community must band together to help [...]]]>

Cold winter weather provides the perfect setting for putting on headphones to listen to a good book. For over 50 years, Search Institute, a nonprofit organization, has worked to improve the lives of young people by examining and offering ideas to combat risky behaviors and determining what kids need to succeed. They were early adopters of the adage “It takes a village to raise a child,” believing that the entire community must band together to help young people grow into happy, productive adults.

 To that end, Search Institute has generated 40 Developmental Assets that help cultivate positive life experiences. Many communities have adopted them and strive to actively help children and teens find constructive ways to deal with the issues they face growing up. Libraries around the country look to these assets as they plan programs and staff training to insure that they are working as effectively as possible with their young customers.

 Of particular interest to teachers and librarians is the inclusion of “Reading for Pleasure” as one of the internal assets across all but the youngest age group. For ages three to five, the asset regarding reading focuses on “Early Literacy.” The recommendation is for young people to listen to or read books for pleasure almost every day (or at least three hours a week in high school) outside of school work.

This month’s column features titles for elementary grades through high school that are funny, poignant, thrilling, and shed light on the human condition. Encourage kids and families to listen to them and use the suggested standards to foster some lively—and instructional—discussions. Many of these audiobooks are available for download and in Playaway format.

Bless This Mouse. Written by Lois Lowry. Narrated by Bernadette Dunne. 2 CDs. 2:20 hrs. Listening Library. 2011. ISBN 978-0-3079-1629-7. $22. Gr 3-5
St. Bartholomew’s is host to a large enclave of church mice, where mouse mistress Hildegarde prepares to protect her community from the Great X. Migrating to the outdoors brings danger, new adventures, and potential disaster as the mice wait to return to the church. Listeners might want to have a print copy to refer to Eric Rohmann’s charming artwork, cathedral design, and terminology. Dunne’s narration is expressive with fine pacing as she gives each character a distinctive voice. The story, with its gentle humor and obvious human foible comparisons, will offer fine discussion opportunities when combined with Cynthia Voigt’s Young Fredle (narrated by Wendy Carter, Listening Library) and Kate DiCamillo’s The Tale of Despereaux (narrated by Graeme Malcolm, Listening Library). A trio of pleasure listening at its best.
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.3.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Chime. Written by Franny Billingsley. Narrated by Susan Duerden. 8 CDs. 10 hrs. Listening Library. 2011. ISBN 978-0-3079-1520-7. $40. Gr 8 Up
Briony Larkin believes she should be hanged as a witch. After all, she can talk to the Old Ones in the Swampsea. She is also responsible for the death of her stepmother, as well as the fall that addled her twin sister’s wits. Through her self-loathing, she is convinced that, having ruined so many lives, she must be punished. When the handsome, leonine Eldric arrives from London, Briony is attracted but fearful of destroying another relationship. Duerden creates a rich panoply of voices, from the sardonic main character to the wild denizens of the swamp, while at the same time ably conveying the richly layered language of Billingsley’s text.
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.5 Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects as mystery, tension, or surprise.

The following two audiobooks make for a grand pairing of old-fashioned storytelling. Use the accompanying standard to have students describe how two different authors set about infusing their modern-day adventure stories with traditional conventions of times gone by.

The Emerald Atlas. Written by John Stephens. Narrated by Jim Dale. 10 CDs. 11:30 hrs. Listening Library. 2011. ISBN 978-0-3078-7978-3. $35. Gr 4-8
The first installment in the “Books of Beginning” trilogy introduces three children mysteriously plucked from their parents’ home 10 years ago. Kate, Michael, and Emma have been shuffled from one miserable living situation to another and now find themselves in a curious orphanage with no other children. They discover a magical book that leads them on an astonishing time-traveling adventure. The incomparable Jim Dale reads this fantasy with great aplomb, creating wonderfully distinct voices for dwarves, witches, children, professors, and more. Heart-stopping exploits get the full treatment of Dale’s vigorous narration and will have kids and adults alike clamoring for the next book, The Fire Chronicle. Luckily, it’s available from Listening Library.

The Flint Heart. Written by Katherine and John Paterson. Narrated by Ralph Lister. 4 CDs. 4 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2011. ISBN 978-1-4558-2243-0. $54.97. Gr 3-7
The husband-and-wife team of the Patersons has created what they term a “freely abridged” version of Eden Phillpott’s 1910 fantasy about an ancient, heart-shaped amulet whose power reaches down through the ages to harden the bearer’s heart. When their mild-mannered father transforms into a tyrant after finding the amulet, 12-year-old Charlie enlists the aid of his younger sister, their dog, and some unusual partners, including a fairy king and a German hot water bottle to return Billy Jago to his loving self. The updated text is well served by Lister’s avuncular narrative style with its comfortable pacing and spot-on voicing of characters both human and magical.
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.9 Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Jeremy Bender vs. the Cupcake Cadets. Written by Eric Luper. Narrated by Lincoln Hoppe. 5 CDs. 6:15 hrs. Listening Library. 2011. ISBN 978-0-3079-4190-9. $28. Gr 4-7
Sixth graders Jeremy Bender and his friend Slater’s non-stop comic adventures reach new heights when they infiltrate the all-girls Cupcake Cadets. Their goal is to win the $500 Windjammer Whirl prize in order to pay for damage to Jeremy’s father’s boat. In the process, dressed as female fraternal twins, there are laugh-out-loud episodes to keep listeners engaged on all fronts. Hoppe voices the characters with distinction and palpable humor. Hilarious problem solving and the foibles of growing up are front and center, providing middle-school students, especially boys, with a truly funny story.
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.7 Compare and contrast the experience of reading a story, drama, or poem to listening to or viewing an audio, video, or live version of the text, including contrasting what they “see” and “hear” when reading the text with what they perceive when they listen or watch.

Masters of Disaster. Written by Gary Paulsen. Narrated by Nick Podehl. 2 CDs. 2 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4558-0139-8. $39.97. Gr 4-6
Combine a trio of 12 year olds—Henry, Riley and Reid—with dares and challenging adventures, and the resulting chaos delivers comedy at its best. Each escapade and comical scene builds towards the proverbial “disaster,” with a small sample of their antics involving the contents of a dumpster and some methane gas—a high jinx recipe that only Paulsen could create. Podehl personifies tween boys with his fully voiced performance, and Paulsen narrates the introduction. Listeners that pair this title with Jeremy Bender will have a fun fest that gives humor a big lift.
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.5 Explain how a series of chapters, scenes, or stanzas fits together to provide the overall structure of a particular story, drama, or poem.

Pie. Written by Sarah Weeks. Narrated by Kate Rudd. 3 CDs. 3:42 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2011. ISBN 978-1-4558-3313-9. $49.97. Gr 3- 6
Alice’s beloved Aunt Polly dies suddenly and her famous pie crust recipe is willed to her cat, Lardo. Thus begins a charming story of family, cooking (recipes included), and community. A small mystery emerges in the form of a green Chevrolet that gives Alice and her friend, Charlie, a chance to do some detective work. The ensuing pie secret brings unexpected results with everyone in town making pies. A bonus is Alice’s original songs. Rudd does a wonderful job singing the songs and interpreting the characters. This is a quiet, sweet, fun story with a fine performance—be prepared to smile a bit.
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.3 Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character’s thoughts, words, or actions).

Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different. Written by Karen Blumenthal. Narrated by Sean Runnette. 5 CDs. 5:53 hrs. Macmillan Young Listeners. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4272-2566-5. $17.95. Gr 7-10
Blumenthal has created a history of the technological development of the personal computer and the hand-held devices that are such an integral part of our lives alongside this biography of Steve Jobs. Framed by Job’s famous 2005 speech to Stanford graduates, with text sidebars seamlessly integrated into the production, listeners will gain an understanding of his compulsive drive, his abrasive personality, and how these combined to advance technology and our interactions with it. Runnette’s well-modulated voice and clear, conversational tone translates well to audio.
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.7.3 Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text (e.g., how ideas influence individuals or events, or how individuals influence ideas or events).

Winnie at Her Best. Written by Jennifer Richard Jacobson. Narrated by Laura Hamilton. CD. 1 hr. Live Oak Media. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4301-0880-1. $15.95. Gr 2-4
Fourth grader Winnie struggles to find her own special area of expertise when her friend, Vanessa, declares herself the best actress and their other friend, Zoe, the smartest. Does Winnie do something best, or must she resign herself to being ordinary? When her young neighbor needs help, Winnie triumphs over jealousy and competition as she discovers that she’s quite an excellent friend. Hamilton captures the essence of young girls in voice and pacing, adding to the charm of this early chapter book.
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Sharon Grover is Head of Youth Services at the Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI, Lizette (Liz) Hannegan was an elementary and middle school librarian and the district library supervisor for the Arlington (VA) Public Schools before her retirement. They are co-authors of the book, Listening to Learn: Audiobooks Supporting Literacy (ALA Editions, 2011)

Bringing together the best reading of the year among 17 book reviewers resulted in a wonderfully varied group of titles that combines excellence and appeal to young adults. All of these books were originally reviewed on SLJ’s Adult Books 4 Teens blog, which can be found at blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/adult4teen. There were a few trends in addition to the plentiful coming-of-age fiction and nonfiction memoirs. We ended up with three powerful debut novels about modern war–The Yellow Birds, Billy [...]]]>

Bringing together the best reading of the year among 17 book reviewers resulted in a wonderfully varied group of titles that combines excellence and appeal to young adults. All of these books were originally reviewed on SLJ’s Adult Books 4 Teens blog, which can be found at blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/adult4teen.
There were a few trends in addition to the plentiful coming-of-age fiction and nonfiction memoirs. We ended up with three powerful debut novels about modern war–The Yellow Birds, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, andThe Book of Jonas–and three titles that use the western canon as a basis–The Song of Achilles (The Iliad),Goliath (The Bible) and Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes (the works of James Joyce). It was exciting to find a trio of important global nonfiction titles here: Behind the Beautiful Forevers (India), Escape from Camp 14 (North Korea) and The Distance Between Us (Mexico). Surprisingly, The Age of Miracles is the only dystopian novel (might the tide be turning?).
Many thanks to reviewers Amy Cheney, Diane Colson, Priscille Dando, Vicki Emery, Mark Flowers, Sarah Flowers, Paula Gallagher, Francisca Goldsmith, Charli Osborne, Laura Pearle, Carla Riemer, Jane Ritter, John Sexton, Karlan Sick, Jamie Watson, and Connie Williams.

Fiction

ABBOTT, Megan. Dare Me. Little, Brown. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-316-09777-2.
This brilliant thriller tackles the mythology of high school cheerleading. Squad captain, Beth, loses her power when a new coach arrives, until a suspicious death renews her opportunity for dominance. (ow.ly/fpKiL)

BRUNT, Carol Rifka. Tell the Wolves I’m Home. Dial. Tr $26. ISBN 978-0-679-64419-4.
June, 14, is devastated when her uncle Finn, a famous artist, dies of AIDS. Then Finn’s longtime secret partner, Toby, approaches her, with an offer of friendship. (ow.ly/fpPIf)

DAU, Stephen. The Book of Jonas. Blue Rider. Tr $24.95. ISBN 978-0399158452.
Jonas, a 15-year-old boy rescued by an American soldier in an unidentified Muslim country and taken to the Pittsburgh area as a war refugee, is overwhelmed by the guilt of what it took to survive the war that claimed his family and his home. (ow.ly/fpKKC)

DOIG, Ivan. The Bartender’s Tale. Riverhead. Tr $27.95. ISBN 978-1-59448-735-4.
Rusty and his single father, Tom, “the best bartender who ever lived,” reside in companionable contentment in their rural Montana town until “that year of everything, 1960,” when Zoe, the daughter of the new café owners, and Proxy, an unsavory “friend” of Tom’s from the old days, arrive in town. (ow.ly/fpKZK)

FOUNTAIN, Ben. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. Ecco. Tr $25.99. ISBN 978-0-06-088559-5.
It is surreal to go from a firefight in Iraq to the 50-yard line at Cowboy Stadium in Dallas, making it difficult for Billy Lynn to feel like the hero that he is acclaimed to be in this satire of war. (ow.ly/fpLab)

GAULD, Tom. Goliath. Drawn & Quarterly. Tr $19.95. ISBN 978-1-77046-065-2.
In this graphic novel, the Biblical David and Goliath story is told from the giant’s point of view with humor and good will. (ow.ly/fpLqk)

KEESEY, Anna. Little Century. Farrar. Tr $26. ISBN 978-0-374-19204-4.
Orphaned at 18, Esther moves from Chicago to Oregon and takes up homesteading. She finds herself in the middle of a feud between an idealistic sheepherder and her cousin, an established cattleman. (ow.ly/fpLEh)

MCCLEEN, Grace. The Land of Decoration. Holt. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-8050-9494-7.
Judith McPherson, 10, and her widower father John are mercilessly bullied as they fervently try to adhere to their apocalyptic religious beliefs in this debut novel about faith and imagination. (ow.ly/fpLNU)

MCCULLOCH, Derek. Gone to Amerikay. illus. by Colleen Doran and José Villarrubia. Vertigo. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-1-4012-2351-9.
Three intertwined stories reveal both individual and generational experiences by disparate immigrants to New York City from Ireland, in 1870, 1960, and 2010. Doran and Villarrubia’s images provide views of tenement housing, thieves’ dens, an unsettled ghost, and modern jet-set trappings. (ow.ly/fpM1d)

MILLER, Madeline. The Song of Achilles. Ecco. Tr $25.99. ISBN 9787-0-06-206061-7.
Patroclus retells the events of The Iliad, focusing on the all-too-short life of his companion, Achilles. By concentrating on these two young men and their tragic lives and love, the author rejuvenates the epic legend for a contemporary audience. (ow.ly/fpMcc)

O’MALLEY, Daniel. The Rook. Little, Brown. Tr $25.99. ISBN 978-0-316-09879-3.
In this funny, cool, inventive speculative fiction, Myfanwy Thomas wakes up in a body and a life she doesn’t recognize and assumes the job of protecting England from bizarre supernatural manifestations while trying to find the traitor who stole her (host body’s) identity. (ow.ly/fpMmw)

POWERS, Kevin. The Yellow Birds. Little, Brown. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0-316-21936.
Private John Bartle’s attempt to honor his promise to bring his combat buddy Murph home safely leads him to commit and cover-up a crime in this powerful novel that alternates between the war in Iraq and Bartle’s homecoming. (ow.ly/fpMt4)

RASH, Ron. The Cove. Ecco. Tr. $26.99. ISBN 978-0-06-180419-9.
Living deep in the isolated mountains of Appalachia just after World War I, Laurel believes her loneliness may be finally over when a mute young man suddenly appears in their dark, secluded cove. (ow.ly/fpMDD)

SIEGEL, Mark. Sailor Twain: Or the Mermaid in the Hudson. illus by author. First Second. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-636-7.
In 1887 Captain Twain is in charge of a steam vessel plying New York’s Hudson River when he rescues a wounded mermaid. Their story in this graphic novel collides with those of a reclusive British author and the shipbuilder’s lothario brother in a fantasy combining history, geography, mythology, and the timeless human concerns with love. (ow.ly/fpMOS)

WALKER, Karen Thompson. The Age of Miracles. Random. Tr $27. ISBN 978-0-8129-9297-7.
Just before Julia’s 12th birthday, scientists announce that the Earth’s rotation is slowing. The unraveling of life on the planet is told from the perspective of one girl living in an ordinary California neighborhood. (ow.ly/fpN2f)

WILSON, G. Willow. Alif the Unseen. Grove. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-8021-2020-5.
Alif is a hacker whose exploits are guided by an ethical dedication to a greater good. His ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, the all-powerful head of state security, is fiercely determined to destroy him. Alif’s narrow escapes are a romp through the contemporary, historic, and mythical Islamic world. (ow.ly/fpNfx)

Nonfiction

BOO, Katherine. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. Random. Tr $28. ISBN 978-1-4000-6755-8.
Abdul, 16, has been accused of driving his neighbor to suicide. Abdul and a one-legged woman are just two of the many people readers meet in the Annawadi slum behind the Mumbai airport and hotel district where 3000 squatters live with poverty and corruption. (ow.ly/fpNpc)

GRANDE. Reyna. The Distance Between Us: A Memoir. Atria. Tr $25. ISBN 978-1-4516-6177-4.
After losing their parents to “El Otro Lado”–the United States–Grande and her siblings lived in grinding poverty with their hateful grandmother. Finally their father took them to Los Angeles with the help of a Coyote, where they began new lives, and Grande became the first college graduate in her family. (ow.ly/fpNBK)

HARDEN, Blaine. Escape from Camp 14: One Man’s Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West. Viking. Tr $26.95. ISBN 978-0-670-02332-5.
In North Korea, more than 100,000 people are held in prison labor camps. Shin Dong-hyuk was born in one. This is the account of his life in the camp and his escape into China at age 23. (ow.ly/fpPTi)

IVERSEN, Kristen. Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats. Crown. Tr $25. ISBN 978-0-307-95563-0.
Iversen’s memoir combines life within a dysfunctional family and the investigation of a nuclear weapons program cover-up that took place in her own backyard. (ow.ly/fpOdR)

KLEON, Austin. Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told you about Being Creative. Workman. pap. $10.95. ISBN 978-0-7611-6925-3.
Kleon offers engaging, inspiring and practical advice on becoming a successful artist, beginning with the premise that “nothing is original.” He encourages readers to study what they love and embrace outside influences. (ow.ly/fpOtX)

MCGILL, Jerry. Dear Marcus: A Letter to the Man Who Shot Me. Spiegel & Grau. Tr $22. ISBN 978-0-8129-9307-3.
The author was 13, living in the inner-city, when he was shot in the back while walking home late on New Year’s Eve. What happened to him after that unfolds in letters to his assailant, who was never found. (ow.ly/fpOKQ)

PHELPS, Carissa. Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Street, One Helping Hand at a Time. Viking. Tr $26.95. ISBN 978-0-670-02372-1.
Preferring the freedom of the streets to a life with her family, 12-year-old Carissa was taken in by a pimp, and eventually landed in a detention center. She turned it around with the help of mentors, education, and work as a youth advocate. This memoir shines a personal light on the issue of sex trafficking. (ow.ly/fpOXi)

ROSS, Richard. Juvenile in Justice. Richard Ross. Tr $29.95. ISBN 978-0-9855106-0-2.
Photographer Ross spent more than 5 years speaking with 1000 youth confined in juvenile detention facilities in 31 states. The result is a profound visual narrative, accompanied by provocative quotes and statistics. (ow.ly/fpP78)

STRAYED, Cheryl. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. Knopf. Tr $25.95. ISBN 978-0-307-59273-6.
With her life out of control and burdened with the unresolved grief of losing her mother to cancer, the author writes of her solo journey on the Pacific Crest Trail in this searingly honest and brilliantly humorous memoir. (ow.ly/fpPgH)

TALBOT, Mary M. Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes. illus. by Bryan Talbot. Dark Horse. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-1-59582-850-7.
The Talbots collaborated on this graphic dual biography of James Joyce’s daughter, Lucia, and Mary Talbot herself, whose father was a Joyce scholar. Both daughters suffered their fathers’ disappointment, one destroyed by it, the other ultimately triumphant. (ow.ly/fpPp6)