The Lovely Bones
Young adults will be immediately drawn into Susie Salmon’s world, or rather, heaven, with the second sentence: “I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.” Immediately, the reader knows that Susie is dead and in Chapter One we see and feel her murder. The description is vivid and all too real, but the reader must feel it in order to be drawn into the story.
Sebold’s gift here is not in the imaginative plot of the story, but rather in the narration. Told in first person, Susie becomes an omniscient narrator from her interim heaven where …read more

Life in the Fat Lane
 
Cherie Bennett
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
THEME: Teenage Pressures, Stress, Relationships, Weight Control, Eating Disorders, Fitting In, and Self-Perception.
RL/IL: Young Adult: Grades 7-9.
PAGES: 260
Warnings: None
Beauty Queen Lara has the perfect life. She has the perfect parents, the perfect body, the perfect friends, the perfect boyfriend and popularity. What more could a girl ask for, especially one as sweet and giving as Lara? Can life really be that perfect?
After being crowned Homecoming Queen, Lara begins to rapidly gain weight. At first, it is only 10 pounds, then 10 more, and then 20 more. Soon Lara is …read more

   All You Want and Then Some, a picture book by Carolyn McWilliams Brown and Illustrated by Deb Hoeffner.
 I found this a delightful picture book based on an experience in the life of the author and her daughter.  The narrator, Katie feels neglected because her parents are busy with a new baby and a toddler.
 Then Bella, moves next door and finds time for Katie, as happened in the life of the author’s family.  From Bella, Katie learns what it means to receive small acts of kindness, as well as give them.
 A story with Christian overtures, All You Want and Then Some …read more

When I first learned about KidZui this past holiday I thought it was interesting and logged on to see what the buzz was about. My oldest son liked it because he was just getting into computer games but at the time we did not have an internet access for him (I just can’t let him use my work computer).
Over the last few weeks thousands of kids have voted for the animated movie they think should win the Oscar. And although the winner is surprising to me (I’m watching Wall-e win the Oscar as I write this), nothing seems to …read more

Go Ask Alice
Anonymous
GENRE: Realistic Fiction or personal Non-fiction
THEME: Growing up, Family, Responsibility, Drugs, Sexuality, and Identity
RL/IL: Young Adult, Middle School or High School
AWARDS:
PAGES: 205
Warnings: Sex, drugs, molestation, homosexuality
Alice begins her diary out of necessity. She is looking for someone to talk to, someone to share her feelings of isolation from her family and her world. Instead, her diary turns into a chronicle of drug and sexual abuse. Initially, her experimentation with drugs is an accident; her friends play an “adult version” of spin the bottle, spiking her Coke with LSD. After her fascinating experience, a good first trip, …read more

The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary- Candace Fleming
Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2008:
“The scrapbook technique . . . remains fresh and lively, a great way to provide a huge amount of information in a format that invites both browsing and in-depth study.”
Review, New York Times Book Review, November 9, 2008:
“The format of ‘The Lincolns’ may be aimed at young readers, but, given Candace Fleming’s unerring eye for the dramatic quotation (with the Lincolns, there were a lot of those), this birth-to-death biography of Mary and Abraham is hard to put down even for readers who know …read more

Amanda, a children’s librarian and blogger, does a wonderful job presenting reviews and insights into numerous books for tots through teens at A Patchwork of Books.  She also has specific days of the week for reviewing and mentioning various types of books.  For instance, Saturdays usually is reserved for picture books.
Then you’ll also find tidbits about Amanda’s life, along with other information concerning children’s books and reading.  Stop by A Patchwork of Books and enjoy this blog as much as I do as I follow Amanda’s reading and life. 
(ClassicPix image at Amazon)

Jacob Have I Loved
 
Katherine Paterson
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
THEME: Growing up, Family, Twins.
RL/IL: Young Adult or Adult – Senior High School
AWARDS: Newbery Medal, ALA Notable Book, ALA Best Book for Young Adults, SLJ Best Book of the Year, Booklist Children’s Editors’ Choice, and Fanfare Honor List.
PAGES: 244
Warning: none
Sara Louise Bradshaw grew up in the shadow of her beautiful and talented twin sister, Caroline. All she has ever wanted was her parents’ love, a great education, and affection from her best male friend. But Caroline takes it all. Growing up in Chesapeake Bay Island in the 1940’s Louise turns to …read more

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Chris Crutcher
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
THEME: Growing up, Family, Responsibility, Friendship, and Morality.
RL/IL: Adult; Senior High School
AWARDS:
PAGES: 216
Warning: Sex, abortion, violence, child abuse, suicide, religion
By the time Sarah Byrnes was three years old, her face and hands had been burned in an “accident”, her mother had left town and her father had sadistically refused reconstructive surgery. In turn, Sarah became tough, cold, and sarcastic, her way of dealing with her pain. In middle school she befriended Eric Calhoune (Moby), the resident fat boy and the two struggled through middle and most of high school as …read more

To me, snow stirs up excitement, anticipation, memories. I love snow. And, obviously so does Cynthia Rylant.
She writes eloquently about snowfall, how enticing it is to see, to anticipate more, to experience all their is about the touch, the sight, the feel of snow.
It’s not just about snow but about emotion and feeling.