On Sunday, the NYT published its annual Children's Books Review. I read the reviews and, given that I no longer have anyone interested in Mother Goose rhymes or picture books, I concentrated on the tomes for older kids. Here are the ones I've bought. If you click on each title, you'll go to the NYT review of the book. I'll review each one when I've read it.
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
Underground by Jean Ferris
Uglies (Boxed Set): Uglies, Pretties, Specials (Uglies) by Scott Westerfeld (The review is nominally about the last book--I'm going to read the three that preceded it.
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin (I loved her book Elsewhere.)
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Looking for books for your teen....
Martine Leavitt's “Keturah and Lord Death,” was a finalist last fall for a National Book Award. The heroine, Keturah, needs to find her one true love and save her village from the Plague while playing Scheherazade to Death himself.
The Bayern trilogy by Shannon Hale--"The Goose Girl," "Enna Burning" and "River Secrets"--is superb. Well written--it touches on true love, the nature of evil, and the seductiveness of power.
"The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife," and "The Amber Spyglass," a terrific trilogy by the great Phillip Pullman. Pullman's books evoke the otherworldliness of Tolkien and Lewis, but have at their hearts, a world far more ruled by man than by God.
"King Dork," by Frank Portman, is a bitterly hilarious mystery replete with a great sense of rock and roll. Amazon.com picked it as one of the best YA books of 2006.
"The Foretelling" by Alice Hoffman reworks the story of the Amazon women, imagining them as warrior women whose wars cost them more than their culture can ultimately bear.
"The City of Ember," "The People of Sparks", "The Prophet of Yonwood" by Jeanne Duprau explore the future with grace and a page-turning plot.
"Neverwhere" and "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman are wondrous dark fairy tales replete with murderous villains and witty heroes/heroines.
The Thief trilogy by Megan Whalen Turner is an adventure tale set in a semi-Mediterranean land.
"Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes" by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein runs the reader through all of the world's great philosophies through the lens of jokes...and it works!
The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier tells the story of a young woman's journey to adulthood in a believable and engaging fantasy world.
"The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword" by Robin McKinley are two of the best high fantasy books ever written--the reader looking for a story both profound and compelling will love these tales of the land of Damar.
"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl, published in 2006, is a hodgepodge of a book, so full of sly references to just about everything that, by its end, the reader is walloped by the stellar plot.
"The Curse of Chalion" by Lois McMaster Bujold is a great blend of adventure, fairy tale, and religion.
"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards delves into the notions of family and secrets in a believable and moving way.
"Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger is a love story extraordinaire--literally, in that Henry and Clare love each other through the magic and pain of Henry's unwanted ability to travel spontaneously through time.
"The Chanters of Trimaris" trilogy by Kate Constable tells the tale of Calwyn and the land of Trimaris. Ms. Constable blends fantasy and ecology in a way that resonates with modern readers.
"A Certain Slant of Light" by Laura Whitcomb is a love story set in a sort of Purgatory. The book is both readable and comforting in its vision of what each of us needs to do to be the best we can be.
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green is a YA book about suicide, friendship, and humor, full of laughs, insights and a few well-placed tears.
"A Great and Terrible Beauty" and "Rebel Angels" by Libba Bray are the first two books in a dense fantasy trilogy set in Victorian England.
"The Sea of Trolls" and "The Land of the Silver Apples" by Nancy Farmer are great books for anyone looking for reading in a post-Potter world.
"Wild Blue Yonder" by Jean Thompson is a moving, funny tale of a dysfunctional family and its rather crazed teenaged daughter who is trying to find her place in the world.
"Tithe" and "Valiant" by Holly Black and "Wicked Lovely" by Melissa Marr are well-written modern horror books that transcend the clichés of the genre.
"The Book of Lost Things" is a wonderfully complex read by John Connolly takes fairy tales to their genuinely unsettling place.
The Bayern trilogy by Shannon Hale--"The Goose Girl," "Enna Burning" and "River Secrets"--is superb. Well written--it touches on true love, the nature of evil, and the seductiveness of power.
"The Golden Compass," "The Subtle Knife," and "The Amber Spyglass," a terrific trilogy by the great Phillip Pullman. Pullman's books evoke the otherworldliness of Tolkien and Lewis, but have at their hearts, a world far more ruled by man than by God.
"King Dork," by Frank Portman, is a bitterly hilarious mystery replete with a great sense of rock and roll. Amazon.com picked it as one of the best YA books of 2006.
"The Foretelling" by Alice Hoffman reworks the story of the Amazon women, imagining them as warrior women whose wars cost them more than their culture can ultimately bear.
"The City of Ember," "The People of Sparks", "The Prophet of Yonwood" by Jeanne Duprau explore the future with grace and a page-turning plot.
"Neverwhere" and "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman are wondrous dark fairy tales replete with murderous villains and witty heroes/heroines.
The Thief trilogy by Megan Whalen Turner is an adventure tale set in a semi-Mediterranean land.
"Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes" by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein runs the reader through all of the world's great philosophies through the lens of jokes...and it works!
The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier tells the story of a young woman's journey to adulthood in a believable and engaging fantasy world.
"The Hero and the Crown" and "The Blue Sword" by Robin McKinley are two of the best high fantasy books ever written--the reader looking for a story both profound and compelling will love these tales of the land of Damar.
"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl, published in 2006, is a hodgepodge of a book, so full of sly references to just about everything that, by its end, the reader is walloped by the stellar plot.
"The Curse of Chalion" by Lois McMaster Bujold is a great blend of adventure, fairy tale, and religion.
"The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards delves into the notions of family and secrets in a believable and moving way.
"Time Traveler's Wife" by Audrey Niffenegger is a love story extraordinaire--literally, in that Henry and Clare love each other through the magic and pain of Henry's unwanted ability to travel spontaneously through time.
"The Chanters of Trimaris" trilogy by Kate Constable tells the tale of Calwyn and the land of Trimaris. Ms. Constable blends fantasy and ecology in a way that resonates with modern readers.
"A Certain Slant of Light" by Laura Whitcomb is a love story set in a sort of Purgatory. The book is both readable and comforting in its vision of what each of us needs to do to be the best we can be.
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green is a YA book about suicide, friendship, and humor, full of laughs, insights and a few well-placed tears.
"A Great and Terrible Beauty" and "Rebel Angels" by Libba Bray are the first two books in a dense fantasy trilogy set in Victorian England.
"The Sea of Trolls" and "The Land of the Silver Apples" by Nancy Farmer are great books for anyone looking for reading in a post-Potter world.
"Wild Blue Yonder" by Jean Thompson is a moving, funny tale of a dysfunctional family and its rather crazed teenaged daughter who is trying to find her place in the world.
"Tithe" and "Valiant" by Holly Black and "Wicked Lovely" by Melissa Marr are well-written modern horror books that transcend the clichés of the genre.
"The Book of Lost Things" is a wonderfully complex read by John Connolly takes fairy tales to their genuinely unsettling place.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)