When the National Book Award Finalists were announced, it turned out I hadn’t read any of the five finalists for young adult literature!
In a way, this meant I was lucky because I could read each book looking for why it was given a nod by their fellow authors, the NBA judges. Of course, it also [...]
Recap: The National Book Award Finalists
By on November 13, 2012
Review: Endangered
By on November 12, 2012
Endangered by Eliot Schrefer. Scholastic. 2012. Review copy from publisher.
The Plot: Sophie, 14, is in Congo (the Democratic Republic of Congo) visiting her mother, who runs a sanctuary for bonobos. During the school year, she lives with her father in America.
Sophie saves a young bonobo who she names Otto; she cares for him, beginning to [...]
Review: Bomb
By on November 8, 2012
Bomb: The Race To Build – And Steal – The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin. Flash Point, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishing. 2012.
It’s About: One nice thing about non-fiction titles: they tell you up front what a book will be about. This is about the invention of [...]
Review: Out of Reach
By on October 29, 2012
Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos. Simon Pulse, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. 2012. Review copy from publisher.
The Plot: Rachel, sixteen, is on a mission. To find her older brother, Micah. Micah, 18, is a meth addict. One night, he didn’t come home. When Rachel gets an email saying Micah is in Ocean Beach, [...]
Review: Goblin Secrets
By on October 22, 2012
Goblin Secrets by William Alexander. Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. 2012. Review copy from publisher.
The Plot: Rownie is one of “grandchildren” of the witch, Graba, children she’s collected to run her errands. His mother is dead; his older brother, Rowan, brought Rownie to Graba knowing the shelter she offered was [...]
Review: Never Fall Down
By on October 19, 2012
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick. Balzer & Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins. 2012. Review copy from publisher.
The Plot: Cambodia, 1975. Arn, eleven, lives with his sisters and brother. The family is poor, yes, but they are close and have each other.
The are about to lose even that.
The Khmer Rouge seize power. Arn and his [...]
National Book Awards Finalists
By on October 15, 2012
One of my obsessions that has developed in the past few years is reading every one of the National Book Award Nominations for Young People’s Literature before the Award is announced.
Those who are unfamiliar with the NBA can check out their website.
Very briefly: judges who are authors select a shortlist of finalists, announced in October; [...]
SLJ Speaks to National Book Award Finalists
By on October 10, 2012 1 Comment
A story about the race to build the atomic bomb, a harrowing tale of the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror in Cambodia, and an adventure about love, loss, and family are among the National Book Foundation’s five finalists in the Young People’s Literature category.
