New & Upcoming Titles

I am eagerly waiting for tomorrow when I get to share with you about the book choices you'll have for our final book club of the year.  I always love to see which books everyone wants to read.  I really hope that you'll get your first choice!  I have several other titles to recommend to you today, though, that are purely for fun.

First up, is The Crossover, by Kwame Alexander.  If the cover gives you a clue, this story has everything to do with basketball.  Told from the point of view of Josh "Filthy McNasty" Bell, this story captured my attention from the first page.  Josh tells his story in prose...sometimes it rhymes, sometimes it just flows, but we learn about his struggles as a 12-year old prodigy basketball player when things at home don't go the way he wants them to.  His twin brother, Jordan, is growing up and away from him.  His father is denial of aging and the health problems he might be facing.  His mom is the school principal, which just makes everything harder.  If you want a quick-moving story that will pull on your emotions, you'll love The Crossover.  I read my copy through MCPL's Overdrive, but you can also find it on their shelves.  Our Congress library also has a copy.  It might be a good one to pick up before MAP testing in a couple weeks!

If you like fairy tale retellings, you might like the book I just finished earlier today - Neverland, by Shari Arnold.  I have a feeling that this is going to be a book that I'm thinking about for days to come...I loved it that much.  In this story, we meet Livy, who is still trying to deal with the death of her 6-year old sister, Jenna, who had leukemia.  Livy deals with missing Jenna by volunteering at the children's hospital where Jenna had been a patient, reading the sick kids stories every day.  It's there that she meets a mysterious boy named Meyer, who tries to help Livy move beyond her fear and sadness by having adventures.  If you haven't guessed from the title, this is a retelling of Peter Pan, and I don't really want to say much else about it, because I don't want to give all the good stuff away.  I got to read an advanced reader copy thanks to NetGalley, but the good news for you is that this title was just published on April 7th, The bad news is that I don't see it at MCPL, but I'm going to recommend to Mrs. Gehrt that she purchase this title, so hopefully, we can find it in our Congress library really soon!

If you're feeling more like historical fiction, you might enjoy Under a Painted Sky, by Stacey Lee.  This is another story that I absolutely loved about Samantha, a young Chinese girl living in none other than St. Joe, Missouri around the year 1850.  Her father owns a general store and Sammy helps out at the store and gives violin lessons to children around town.  When her father's general store burns to the ground, along with him in it, Sammy is at a loss for what to do.  Her landlord seems like he's going to help her out, but when his sinister plans for her are revealed and he attacks her, she hits him over the head with a scrub brush, and he falls, hitting his head, and dies.  Now, what is a helpless young Chinese girl who has just killed someone to do in a situation like this?  With the help of a young slave girl, Annamae, she takes off on the run out onto the frontier, heading west to California.  Sammy and Annamae disguise themselves as boys, "Sam" & "Andy" and join with a group of young cowboys heading in the same direction.  Can the two outrun the law and manage to find their way to California?  You'll have to read Under a Painted Sky  to find out.  You can find this title at MCPL.

Now, let me tell you about some titles that aren't released yet, but that I was able to preview thanks to NetGalley.  

First up is Fury, by Steven James.  This is the 2nd book in James' Blur Trilogy.  If you don't remember my recommendation of Blur (book #1), you can check it out here.  Fury continues Daniel's story.  It's been a few months since he's experienced his last blur, and Daniel has been seeing a therapist, but decides he's not willing to take his medication.  Not sure whether or not he's really going crazy, or if the blurs are beginning again, Daniel is drawn into two different mysteries - one involving wolves that are being murdered in the area, and another involving the death of another young girl that ties directly into his own history.  Can Daniel use his blurs to solve another mystery, or will his blurs get the best of him?  You'll have to read Fury to find out!  This title will be released on April 28th.  I don't see it on MCPL's site yet, but they do have Blur, so I'm confident they'll be picking Fury up as well.

Another title that is being released on April 28th is The Girl at Midnight, by Melissa Grey.  This is the first book in a new series by Grey, and it is full of magic and adventure.  Echo was an orphan, living in the New York Public Library when she is taken in by the Avicen, an ancient group of magical bird-like people who live underneath New York City.  Echo becomes a thief, who is able to get things for the Avicen.  When she is asked to find the firebird, which will supposedly bring about peace between the Avicen and their enemies, the Drakharin people.  When Echo's best friend is captured by the Drakharin, Echo knows she has to try to save her, but in doing so has to form a dangerous partnership with the Drakharin prince.  Can Echo find the firebird and save the Avicen who saved her?  You'll have to pick up The Girl at Midnight and find out!  MCPL has copies of this title on order, so you can go ahead and put it on hold if you're interested.

Finally, I'll end with Saint Anything, by Sarah Dessen.  I have long been a fan of Ms. Dessen and her books, and Saint Anything did not disappoint.  Sydney feels like she is constantly walking on eggshells in her life.  She lives in the shadow of her older brother, Peyton, who's string of bad choices has recently led to a drunk driving conviction and a jail sentence.  Sydney wants to be the opposite of her brother, and to help out with her family's recent financial struggles, she leaves her private school for the local public school.  As she starts at her new school, Sydney meets the Chatham family and soon has a new best friend and a boy she can't help but be interested in.  But, will Sydney's parents trust her enough to let her make her own choices, and will Sydney choose to step out of her brother's shadow and be her own person?
For a book that is all about friendship, family, and a little romance thrown in, you won't be disappointed by Saint Anything.  This book is being released on May 5th, and I'm sure you'll be able to find a copy of it at MCPL after it's release.  I wouldn't be surprised to find it on our Congress shelves when we return to school in next fall, as well!

Those are all the recommendations I have for now.  It's not too early to start making your list for summer reading...hopefully one or more of these might find their way onto your list!

Train Heists, Murder, and General Mayhem

It's been awhile since I've blogged and my list of books to recommend keeps getting longer and longer...so I'd better update this before my list gets too out of hand!

Let's start with The Boundless, by Kenneth Oppel.  In this story, we meet Will, who starts the story as a poor boy whose father is working on the trans-continental railroad in Canada.  When Will and his father save the life of the owner of the railroad company, his father is promoted and when we pick up with the story a few years later, things are going much better for the family.  In fact, Will and his father are about to embark on the first journey of a new train called the Boundless...the longest train every built in history.  But...when Will comes upon a plot to rob the train of a treasure it carries, he must hide among a circus that is traveling on the train.  Can Will and his friends from the circus foil the plot of the bad guys?  Read The Boundless to find out.  I had a lot of fun reading this one!  I recently got a copy of this, so if you're interested, ask me about checking it out from my library.  You can also find it at MCPL or through MCPL's Overdrive.

If you're not in the mood for a train caper, but instead are looking for a little romance, you might want to check out The Start of Me and You, by Emery Lord.  In this story we meet Paige, who is known by everyone in her school and town as the girl who's boyfriend died in an accident by drowning.  She and Aaron only dated 2 months, but now, over a year after his death, people still give her "the look" - one of pity and sadness.  Paige is ready to move one, but she's not sure how.  Before her junior year begins, she decides to try new things and makes a list of things she wants to set out to accomplish in the coming year, including dating her long-time crush, Ryan Chase.  But sometimes with new beginnings, the unexpected occurs...and sometimes the unexpected is better than anything you could have planned for.  I absolutely loved this one...but I'm a sucker for a good "chick-lit" story.  If you're a fan of Jennifer E. Smith (This is What Happy Looks Like, The Geography of You & Me, etc), you would probably like this book.  I checked my copy out through MCPL's Overdrive.  I'm sure you can find it on their shelves, as well.

If you're more into historical fiction, you might like Prisoner of Night and Fog, by Anne Blankman.  This is the first book in a new series about Gretchen Muller, who is living in 1930's Munich, Germany.  She's always been a favorite of her family friend, "Uncle Dolf"...Adolf Hitler...after her father lost his life protecting Hitler.  Gretchen has always been shielded from reality and has believed the propaganda that told her that Jewish people were subhuman.  But circumstances in her life, and meeting a new friend, Jewish journalist Daniel Cohen, start to convince her that things are rotten in Germany.  Can she stand up against Hitler and go against her families beliefs?  This was a really interesting fictional story based on real events that were occurring in Germany in the early 1930's.  I look forward to reading more in this series - the 2nd book, Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke comes out on April 21st!  I have a copy of this book, so see me if you're interested.  You can also find it at MCPL.

Another great historical fiction book is Countdown, by Deborah Wiles.  I talked about this one in class recently, but in case you've forgotten, let me tell you about it again.  In Countdown, Franny Chapman is just trying to live a normal life, but circumstances keep getting in the way.  First, her best friend isn't acting like her best friend anymore.  Her older sister is acting really mysterious and is never home anymore.  On top of all that, her elderly uncle who lives with her family is acting crazy and it's embarrassing.  And all the while this is going on in Franny's life, she also has to worry about the possibility of nuclear war with Russia, because this story takes place during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.  This book, like Revolution, which I recommended in a previous blog, includes lots of actual historical pictures and documents from the time.  Seeing the real story against the backdrop of a fictional one makes for a fascinating read, in my opinion.  You can borrow a copy of Countdown from me.  You can also find it in our Congress library, as well as MCPL.

If you're more into a good murder mystery, you might want to check out April Henry's latest, The Body in the Woods.  This is the first book in Henry's new Point Last Seen series.  In this story, Alexis, Ruby, and Nick are all teen volunteers for a Search and Rescue group in Portland.  When out in the woods searching for a lost man, they instead stumble upon the body of a dead girl...and she's clearly been murdered.  When they think the police are looking at the wrong suspect, they decide to take matters into their own hands and try to solve the murder themselves.  Of course, this puts them square in the sites of the killer.  Can they solve the mystery before the murderer gets them?  You'll have to read The Body in the Woods to find out!  I have a copy of this book if you're interested in reading it.  You can also find this book at MCPL.

For those of you who are reading the Shades of London series by Maureen Johnson (The Name of the Star (#1) & The Madness Underneath {#2}), you will want to check out book #3, The Shadow Cabinet.  I was under the mistaken impression that this was the last book in the series, but much to my surprise, that's not true!  I don't want to give too much away, because if you haven't made it to book #2 yet, there is a HUGE plot twist at the end.  What I will say is that Rory and the Shades have a big plot to uncover before the ghosts haunting London try to take things over.  It was a great read!  You can check this out through MCPL's Overdrive or find it on their shelves.

And finally, I'll leave you with Fairest, by Marissa Meyer.  This is book 3.5 in the Cinder series.  If you're reading the Cinder series and you've wondered what has made the Lunar queen, Levana, such a horrible horrible person, you'll want to pick this story up.  We meet Levana as  a young princess, who eventually becomes the queen.  You also get a glimpse at the early life of the protagonist of book #4...Winter...who's book, Winter will hit shelves this fall.  I have a copy of this book, so if you're a Cinder fan, come see me and I'll hook you up with my copy.  You can also find a copy at MCPL or check it out through MCPL's Overdrive.

I'm going to end on that note.  I actually have 2 more books to recommend, but they aren't actually released yet, so I'll wait until closer to their release dates to tell you about them.  Until then...keep reading!