The United States of YA

         I bumped into this really cool graphic at  http://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-united-states-of-ya/


         And the creators of the website give permission for anyone to re-post the map or to print it!    

         Epic Reads has selected one book for each state.  How many have you read?  I’ve read 15 of the books, and need to read more!  

         And check out Maine’s title: Delirium by Lauren Oliver. 

         Let me know how many titles you have read. 

        Epic Reads is now working on a world list, finding YA novels set in every country!
You can check out what they have so far here:  http://www.epicreads.com/forum/read.php?44,1086

Happy reading,
Connie

Let’s Hear It For Nonfiction!

        I read mostly fiction, but am beginning to realize all the great nonfiction books that I am missing.  Narrative nonfiction (nonfiction that tells a story) is every bit as exciting and engaging as fiction,--and has lots of good information. 

       Try pairing a fiction book you like with a nonfiction book on the same subject.  The pairing will make your reading experience of both fiction and nonfiction richer.

       Here is a pair I think you would like.

The Green Glass Sea by  Ellen Klages (fiction)

            It's 1943, and Dewey Kerrigan is on her way to New Mexico to live with her mathematician father. Soon she arrives at a town that, officially, doesn't exist. It is called Los Alamos, and it is abuzz with activity, as scientists and mathematicians from all over America and Europe are part of the Manhattan Project, working on the biggest secret of all--"the gadget" – the atomic bomb.  None of them knows  how much "the gadget" is about to change their lives.

Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin   (Mrs C’s favorite nonfiction book at the moment!) (nonfiction)

             This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and the genius that created the world's most formidable weapon --the atomic bomb.  In Great Britain and the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community; in Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing; and deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists was hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos, New Mexico, working on the Manhattan Project.

And you even can add a graphic biography to this pair (I guess this makes triplets!).

Feymann by Ottaviani and Myrick (graphic biography)

          This is a graphic biography of one of the greatest minds of the 20th century: Richard Feynman: physicist, Nobel Prize winner, bestselling author, and safe-cracker. In comic format, it tells the story of the great man’s life from his childhood in Long Island to his work on the Manhattan Project and the Challenger disaster.
      
         For suggestions of nonfiction books to pair with fiction books, just ask the staff in the Youth Services Room.


Happy reading,
Connie

It's Awards Season!

          And I’m not just talking about the Academy Awards for movies!  It’s also the time of year when the Best Books lists for 2012 are published.
          The Printz Award is given each year for excellence in literature written for young adults. 

         This year’s winner is In Darkness by Nick Lake. 

         This book, as dark as its title, is set in Haiti after a devastating earthquake. "Shorty" is a very poor Haitian boy trapped in the ruins of a hospital when everything explodes around him. He is surrounded by ruble and dead bodies. He is growing weak without any food or water.  As he waits for a rescue that may or may not come, Shorty becomes aware of another presence near him.  It is a spirit from two hundred years ago, - the spirit of slave and revolutionary leader Toussaint L'Ouverture, whose own end came in darkness. What do a child of the slums and the man who shook a troubled country out of slavery have in common?

        There also were four Printz Honor Books for 2012.  They are: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Saenz; Code Name Verity by Wein; Dodger by Prachett; and The White Bicycle by Brenna.

Check out these award-winning books at the library!
Happy reading,
Connie