What We Are Reading: Juvenile & Young Adult, Thread Two

The first thread is over 250 posts, so I am starting a new one.

Yesterday I read Enchanted Ivy by Sarah Beth Durst. I recommend it if you like contemporary fantasy. Lily goes to Princeton with her grandfather and mother to participate in a reunion weekend (and visit her dream school). When she is there, she takes part in an entrance exam that includes gargoyles, unicorns, dryads and other magical creatures and learns amazing things about Princeton and herself.

Last month I read The Lightning Thief. I've been meaning to read Percy Jackson for awhile but husband decided he was willing to watch the movie so reading first became important (I'm one of those). It turns out that it was a lighter read, aimed at a younger audience than I was expecting...more like Artemis Fowl than Septimus Heap or Bartimeaus...and I am very much looking forward to reading more of the series. It might even be time to review some Greek Mythology.

Earlier this month I finally got around to reading Over Sea, Under Stone which I very much enjoyed. I'm not sure how I've managed to miss The Dark is Rising sequence for so long but I am rectifying that.

The Sea of Monsters is on my TBR pile (underneath Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik) and The Dark is Rising has been requested from the library. I've actually added several relatively recent book to films to my TBR list and think that will be a recurring theme for this year's reading.

I just finished Hold Me Closer, Necromancer -- there are no words to describe how awesome this book is (and this is coming from someone who generally doesn't like paranormal/urban fantasy books). Not since Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series have I liked an ensemble of characters more than those featured in this book. I might even need to make a playlist out of the chapter titles of this book.

I just finished reading Bedknob and Broomsticks, a children's book first published as 2 separate books in the 1940s. 3 children staying with their aunt meet a village witch and have some magical adventures. There's a bit of time travel involved and it's good fun. I thought the second half/story was better than the first, in which they bring a man out of the 17th century to 1940s England.

> 4 Hold Me Closer, Necromancer was my first read of the year and I really liked it a lot! It has such great /energy/ and a lot of really creative touches you don't see that often in the urban fantasy genre. Can't wait for sequels (which I presume are coming).

> I checked on the author's blog and it looks like the sequel will be coming out a year from now. Can't wait!

#3, I adore The Dark is Rising sequence. Over Sea, Under Stone is... not the best. It all takes shape with the second book.

#3 I am too currently reading the Percy's series and have read the Dark is Rising series and I must say at this point, I think the Dark is rising series was a better read :) Mr. Percy is tad too predictable for my taste...shame cus it's a pretty interesting concept!

>5 elkiedee:: How is it that I have gone my whole life without knowing that Bedknobs and Broomsticks was a book first? *smacks forehead*

I think I must go find that book now.

Because Disney did not make a big deal that movies were based on a book or a short story? I remember discovering that Eric Knight had written a short story for the Saturday Evening Post before expanding it into Lassie Come Home. I actually tracked it down, too.

I'm listening to an audiobook of First Test because I misplaced my hard copy ages ago. I'm not sure I particularly care for the reader, unfortunately.

Is the First Test audiobook one done by Full Cast Audio? or one of Listening Library ones with a single reader?

No, it's a single reader. I haven't heard any of the Full Cast Audio ones yet.

I just received my own copy of Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan, which is the book he published after The Arrival which I fell in love with. Can't wait to jump into it.

Just finished Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, the second book in her trilogy. I read it over the course of one evening, which is always an indicator of a good read.

I'm just starting Heart of a Samurai, which is a Newbery Honor Book. It's based on an actual event and is illustrated. (I have to admit I got this one because I loved the cover.)

After being distracted by assorted threads here for 2 days I finally started The Sea of Monsters last night. So far it is the same sort of fun, light read that The Lightning Thief was (read that last month) and I am enjoying it.

#17> I look forward to hearing what you think.

Just wrapped up The Titan's Curse and now starting The Battle of the Labyrinth. I must say the series started off kind of weak for me but it's quickly picking up!

>#18 Seems like we are on the same reading wavelength. :)

Tanglewood, Heart of a Samurai is the only Newbery winner for 2011 that I haven't read yet. I'm curious to hear your impressions when you are finished.

I stayed up until 2:30 in the morning to finish Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City. Overall, it was a pretty awesome book that had a lot of elements that the younger set of YA readers would find appealing and I can see middle school girls eating this right up. After all, how can you go wrong with a tagline like this:

"Five delinquent Girl Scouts, a million hungry rats, one secret city beneath Manhattan, and a butt-kicking girl superspy -- welcome to the world of Kiki Strike."

>#19 It's heartening to know that you think the series is picking up steam since so often they become predictable. I'm enjoying The Sea of Monsters - alas an inconsolable toddler last night impacted my reading time.

Some thoughts on Britain's Green Rider series, as compared & contrasted with Nix' Sabriel and a bit on The Golden Compass, too:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/105255#2529793

I'm currently reading Jasper Fforde's The Last Dragonslayer and not really finding it that great, I'm about 70pgs in and will finish it as it is by Mr Fforde and I like his Thursday Next books.
I'm also reading Hush which I probably mentioned a few weeks ago, this is excellent so far, immersed as it is in an ultra-orthodox Jewish community in modern New York. I'll probably finish this one today.

Tanglewood: I brought Heart of a Samurai home from the library the other day. Not sure if I'll have time to read it (I always have too many library books around!).

I've also got Doctor Proctor's Fart Powder by Jo Nesbø to look at. Nesbø is a Norwegian writer of crime thrillers, his books are all stickered 'the next Steig Larsson' so... this one will hopefully be fun rather than slapstick, it gets positive reviews.

I got Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, illustrated by Edward Gorey for the library today. I've been meaning to get my hands on the latter for a few years now and almost purchased it sight unseen. I know there's a more recent edition illustrated by another artist. Has anyone seen that one?

#25> It's illustrated by Axel Sheffler who does Julia Donaldson's picture books and I have to wait until I pick some books up to make room on my queue to request it, blast you *she says cheerfully*.

Has anyone read the Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo? I just picked up the first 5 in the series for $2 at a library sale, but when I opened the first up to have a look, the prose seemed really basic and I've heard that the character development is flawed. Are these worth reading or should I pass them along to an actual kid? Just wondering.

Hopefully I will be able to finish up The Last Olympian today! Whoop Whoop!

I actually had time to browse at the library today (husband came with me) and one of the things I picked up to try as a read aloud for the 5-year-old daughter was Sweet Pea's Precious Promise which is one of the Flower Fairy Friends chapter books and looked like it might be less sickening than the Rainbow Magic books (which I think I'll leave her to discover for herself). It's sweet, but not overly so, and I think I'm willing to read the series to her as I locate them. Contrary to what the database says, the author is Pippa Le Quesne

#27> I have read the first two Charlie Bone books. I thought they were all right. They did not draw me in like Artemis Fowl or Percy Jackson or Septimus Heap.

Thanks for the input. I did start reading the first Charlie Bone book -- the characters are likable enough, so I thought I would carry on -- but after this one I may find a youngster to pass the series along to. Doesn't seem like the series will keep my attention all the way through, but I'm willing to give it a go.

I'm reading The Lying Game by Sara Shepard who also wrote the Pretty Little Liars series. Anyway, I'm about halfway through and the list of potential suspects is growing by the minute. The book is really fun and very readable so anyone who has liked her other books will definitely enjoy this one.

I just finished Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper. It is a very nice middle grade story of friendship and rising above adversity. And there might be angels in the story.

I just finished A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. I really enjoyed the book and will now have to get the next 2. Geesh, for everyone I read I get an additional 2 onto my To Reads!

I am starting Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book tonight.

K

I am reading The Maze Runner by James Dasher and, although I can't say I absolutely love it, I am finding it hard to put down as I really want to find out what's going on and who's behind the mystery of the maze.

>20 Whisper1: Linda, I didn't end up liking Heart of a Samurai, as much as I wanted to. For me, the best parts of the book were the two non-fiction sections at the back. ***

Just finished Sisters Red a retelling of Red Riding Hood that I enjoyed very much.

Now I am going to start Tender Morsels.

I am finally reading "The Blue Sword" which so many of my buddies have recommended.

I am currently reading Nobody's Boy by Hector Malot.

>36 PamFamilyLibrary: I hope you enjoy The Blue Sword as much as I do. It's definitely one of my all-time favorites and a go-to book when I am in a bit of a reading slump, like I am now.

I've got at least 10 or fifteen books on my TBR shelf, but none of them are something I want to read right now (and I'm not sure exactly what I want to read, either). So frustrating! Anyone have any recommendations for something fun and humorous with good characters? I think I've been trying to tackle too many dystopias here lately and they are getting me down.

>38 Cailiosa: Artemis Fowl? or perhaps Percy Jackson? I avoided the Artemis Fowl books for a long time because I wasn't sure that I wanted to read a book about an 11-year-old criminal mastermind, they were actually quite engaging. I've only read 2 of the Percy Jackson books but one of the things I am enjoying is that there is humor (in addition to peril).

>38 Cailiosa: Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians is extremely amusing.

I took 12 Brown Boys by Omar Tyree off the TBR bookcase and I'm 22 pages in.
It's O.K, but hoping the character profiles provide a little more depth.

We've begun our dinosaur odyssey and among the books read today was Boo's Dinosaur which was a charming early chapter book about a girl and her imaginary dinosaur. We've requested the sequel and I shall look around for more of Betsy Byars' easy chapter books.

I am currently reading Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson.

I love fairy tales, Stasia, and shall be very interested in what you think.

#44: I will let you know once I have finished it!

Just finished Duel: the Parallel Lives of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Excellent history of two very brilliant figures who were huge in the early days of our nation.

Regina, your recent read sounds great!

I'm currently reading Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene. I'm 100 pages into it and it is very good.

#47 > I've heard of Greene's book and would like to read it myself.

Re: Numerous The Lightning Thief readers: I've just picked up the original for my daughter and the Graphic Novel version for my son. He will read but loses focus on longer novels. Has anyone else looked at the graphic novel? (I will post my reactions once I've read both.)

I've joined the thread because I'm curious who has read The Book Thief by, Markus Zuzak?

I will be teaching it very soon in my classroom and am looking for some reactions. I will be doing a good amount of googling and reading reviews here on librarything but thought my fellow 75ers might have some unique perspectives.

Feel free to comment on my page.

Thanks.

47: I must reread that and read the sequel.

I finished reading Emily Climbs yesterday, highly recommended especially for those with past/present interest and/or aspirations as a writer.

#47> That title is very familiar...is it a Newbery book?

#48> I'm in the queue for the graphic novel but I think that we are still #5 so it could be awhile before it comes here. It is available on audio if that is something that might work for your son.

I am most of the way through Zel but the toddler had a 2-hour crying stint late last night so I did not finish. It's OK...the premise is interesting; I like the different perspectives...but I find the writing a little choppy.

I vaguely recall thinking the same thing about Zel. I was on a kick where I read every single fairy tale-inspired book in the YA section of my library (I must have read 70% of the books there that year...of course, that was before the YA section was more than a single row of bookshelves - it was the only summer I lived with my mom all three months, and she happened to live half a mile from the library, so it was wonderful). It was a really appealing book, and I like Donna Jo Napoli quite a lot, but there was something about the writing that didn't really work.

Speaking of choppy writing - I'm having the hardest time with Revolution. I should probably just quit it, but I haven't reached the time travel section yet and a trusted friend promised me that it gets better at that point. (I suspect I'm nearly there.) While the last twenty pages didn't drive me crazy with the drug & alcohol implications, and the pretentious teenager mood was more subdued than the first fifty pages, I began to notice that there were far more sentence fragments than belong in a book.

I can't decide if the pretentious teenager stuff is supposed to be earnest or parody of some kind. With The Basic Eight, you know that it's tongue-in-cheek and Handler was intentionally making the characters insufferable. (Of the books I've read, these two are very similar when it comes to the high school students.) With all the brand names and "elite" things packed into the kids' lives in Revolution, I just don't know if I'm supposed to read it as straightforward, and this is what kids in Brooklyn Heights are like, or if it's an exaggeration with the intended effect of the reader disliking them (or, perhaps, being envious? I'm not sure).

But I'm a the point where Andi is in Paris, so hopefully all that is left behind.

I've just finished The Vanishing of Katharina Linden which seems to be one of those books that is published as YA everywhere except the US where it's been published as an adult novel. It definitely would appeal to both sets of readers as it combines modern day mystery with dark Grimm style folktales in a small German town, all told from young Pia's point of view.

Kerri

I hope I can get a copy of The Vanishing of Katharina Linden...yet another one of your excellent recommendations.

About to start A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.

I read Prom and Prejudice last night on my sister's Kindle, it was a really fun and cute read that I properly blazed through (should it take just over an hour for the whole book?). It was the dose of light-heartedness that I needed.

#52 They don't have that one at the library yet, but I'll add it to the WL along with a score of others I've put there based on your rec's.

I've got two books by Arthur Slade to read, he's a great Canadian author for YA/children. The Dark Deeps is book 2 of The Hunchback Assignments, a steampunky detective style series and so far it feels as much fun as the first one. His Dust is about missing children in the Canadian prairies so I thought it would be an interesting follow on from my last read The The Vanishing of Katharina Linden.
I've picked up Gudrun Pausewang's Fall-out to read, it was recommended by PersephonesLibrary during one of the last readathons and I've enjoyed all Pausewang's other books that I've read.
Also picked up is The Strange Case of Origami Yoda because how can I resist that title and it won the Cybils Award for midgrade novel. Zombie novel Rot and Ruin won the fantasy/scifi section with it's 'fresh' approach to the genre so that's come home for me to have a look at.
I started but won't finish Zorgamazoo, it's a delightful funny verse novel from Canada, but just too young for me at present. It would make a good readaloud and has lots of interesting typography through the book.

Last night I stared Lauren Oliver's Delirium. It's good so far, but the premise is more than a little far-fetched.

I was starting Tender Morsels but Caragh M. O'Brien's Birth Marked kept calling, "Read me, read me!" So I've switched and am really enjoying Birth Marked.

Near the beginning of Rebel Angels by Libba Bray, the second book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy.

I finished Fear by Francine Prose.

I'm almost done reading The Blue Sword for the first time and I have absolutely no idea how I've never managed to read it before... it's lovely.

I felt like I wanted something light to read so started Sorcery and Cecilia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot: being the correspondence of two Young Ladies of Quality regarding various Magical Scandals in London and the Country (love the long title) by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer. Good so far.

#63> I've read all 3 of those, really good fun.

I'm very tired and weary and not able to concentrate, thus I'm enjoying the Royal Diary series regarding historical women.

Today's read was Catherine The Great Journey by Kristina Gregory. This series is a delightful way to study history via the historical fiction setting which then leads to more in depth knowledge of the actual events.

I've finished Gudrun Pausewang's Fall-out which is included in 1001 children's books you must read before you grow up. Very good story set around a nuclear accident in Germany, shades of Chernobyl.

I've just started reading Raising Demons (US title Demonglass) by Rachel Hawkins, 2nd in the Hex Hall series about a teenage girl discovering her dark powers. It's a review book for the Bookbag (I reviewed and enjoyed the first book, Hex Hall, last year.

#66> One of the criticisms I have heard about 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up is that many of the selections were never translated into English which would make it rather hard for an English speaker to read them before growing up. I've not seen the book as my library does not own it and I'd like to spend some time browsing through such a book before purchasing.

@#54> I really enjoyed A Great and Terrible Beauty! I'm snagging the next 2 from the library when I get back from CA!

K

I am bringing City of Ashes with me for the plane ride to CA. That is the second book in the Mortal Instruments series. I couldn't put City of Bones down so I am hoping the same thing happens so the 6 hour flight literally "flies" by. :)

K

#69 I'm enjoying the second book so far. Hope you do too!
#70 I blitzed through the whole Mortal Instruments series in a little less than a week. Bought my own copies which I'll be reading in the not too distant future. Hope you enjoy book two!

Just starting The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray, the final book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy.

>72 MickyFine: I keep meaning to get to that but the sheer size of it is scaring me a little which is odd since I've devoured 1000+ page doorstoppers with no problem :S Bah maybe I'll brave it soon.

I started reading Al Capone Does my Shirts a couple of days ago. Really good fun so far. Also enjoying Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot with illustrations by Edward Gorey.

#72> I need to get to the second book of that trilogy. Something I have learned about myself is that in general I am not a fan of gothics though I usually think the really good ones are OK.

#74> That's right - you mentioned Old Possum before and I looked it up but I have so many things out of the library right now I won't get to them all...must make a note somewhere that it won't get buried to try that one.

I just wrapped up Flight #116 is Down by Caroline Cooney. I found it in the stairwell at school on Friday. I finished the first 175 pages at the hair salon. YES! It took that long. :0 I caught a couple of sniffles here and there. I have to read more of her books.

I just finished up Flora Segunda and Flora's Dare and I loved both of them to pieces. The characters, the world-building, the storylines were all so wonderfully clever and imaginative, like something that would come out of the mind of Dianna Wynne Jones. Anyone have any clue as to when the third book is coming out?

#77> Book 3 is due out in September. I read the first book in January and thought that I'd read book 2 & 3 together later this year. I really enjoyed book 1.

I just now read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and while I think the author certainly had courage writing a Holocaust story for young children, I don't know if he quite managed.

I also read Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson which is totally amazing. It is a prime example of historic fiction at its best.

I am reading Wither by Lauren DeStefano. Since I want to be politically correct, I have to say that it is a slow moving story and quiet and subtle action. Being less politically correct, I would say it is boring. The heroine is either in shock or incredibly passive. I'm at the halfway point and nothing has really happened yet.

I'm almost finishing The Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones. I read it a long time ago when I was a kid, and when I found it again, I decided to re-read it. It was as awesome as I remembered it. After I finish this, I'm going to start on the next one in the series!

I reviewed Al Capone Does my Shirts here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/110422#2571213

and a short'n sweet one for Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/110422#2567335

Just finished Coraline yesterday. Review coming in a few days. In the meantime, I've borrowed the movie from the library and also reserved the audiobook so I can listen to Neil Gaiman telling the story himself. I'm in ❤ with his voice! :-)

Revolution has been kicking my butt for a few weeks now. I just want to get to the halfway point before dropping it, but it's such a chore. I'm really disappointed. :(

Mostly it's because the first 30 pages or so is too much woe-is-me distraught teenager with unconvincing suicidal tendencies and drugs and pretentious rich kid hipsterism with more sentence fragments than the rest of the 474 pages needs, and when the book finally gets to the dual-time aspect, there is very little difference in the voices of the two narrators (the main difference is that one isn't always talking about her "Qwell" pills and how she plays guitar to kill the pain) - even though the opening part of those passages said so, I completely forgot that the historical character is 12 and not 17/18 like the modern one. Also, that 12-year-old is far too wise and precognitive about the whole French Revolution thing, with too many statements that make it sound like she knows more about how things will turn out than she should - especially since I'm under the impression that it's an immediate past thing, and not a story being told long after the events have occurred.

Coincidently, I've just finished Coraline, too, and will review it soon. Does it count as YA? It seems quite simple, but it has that underlying thread ....

I just started Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis. I have the eARC on my computer.

#83: I have been meaning to read Revolution for a while. One of my seniors just finished it and loved it. Of course, she is the same senior who loves Jane Austen, so her tastes and mine aren't always similar. I'll give it a try one of these days.

85> I really wanted to like revolution, which is why I'm pushing myself to get to page 237. As an abstract, it sounds like a fun book that I would love! But it definitely started out badly for me, with the drug and alcohol use by the main character's peers and the same MC's self-medication with her anti-psychotic (or is it an SSRI?) Qwell - I just don't like reading about that kind of thing. Furthermore, the MC is somewhat suicidal because of her brother's death, and I'm going through my own difficult period right now. Having my own thoughts so very present in my head, it's difficult to take hers seriously, because it feels like she's all talk/show with no real meaning. I suspect that might be kind of weird, and definitely a very individual response to the book which predisposed me to being picky about other elements. But even when I put the book down for a week and went back to it intending to just skip over the passages about how depressed Andi is and how much she wants to just die, the sentence fragments and poor differentiation between the two narrative voices jumped out at me as too irritating.

I'm also thinking that my dislike and frustration is because I was expecting to really enjoy the book and was looking forward to it.

Keri, Revolution disappointed me too, and in the same way: I thought it might have been because I was expecting it to be amazing based on others' reviews, but I also just wasn't very sympathetic to Andi's issues. As a warning, it only gets trippier, so don't feel bad if you can't make yourself finish it; you've obviously given it your best shot and still aren't into it.

Since I posted yesterday complaining about certain aspects of the second narrative in Revolution, I wanted to come back and leave a correction! (I fully believe that other people might love the book, that it'd just take someone who isn't bothered by the things that bother me, which is possible! So I didn't want to leave completely wrong information without the correction.)

Before trying to read more of it last night, I went back and reviewed the first of the parts that take place during the 1780s and realized that it isn't written as immediate-past, but from a period at least 5 years after it happened. It's still confusing for me, and I still think the character is too much of a 21st century creation with all kinds of wisdom about the whole thing, but it does explain a lot of the statements and implications that made me feel like she knew more than she should. It also explains why the narrative voice sounds so much older than 12 years.

#84 I know what you mean about Coraline, but I'd say it most definitely fits into the YA category. I just saw the movie last night and for some reason, although it was very good, still much prefer the book. Having read just a little bit about folk tales and fairy tales (via college classes and more recently got through about half of Women Who Run With the Wolves, among other things) I'd say this story is very much in the tradition of classic fairy tales. I'll go back to my sources before writing my review because this aspect of the story made me appreciate it even more. Neil Gaiman is just brilliant.

I finally finished City of Ashes and I am ready for City of Glass! I think that I'll take a break between books in the series since I know #4 comes out in April. :)

I also read Switched by Amanda Hocking on my Kindle while flying to CA. I must say for only costing .99 it was a decent read. I bought the next two so that I have some reading for my UK flight in 2 weeks.

I am starting Rebel Angels by Libba Bray tonight. So excited!

I have blazed my way through the first four books of The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. I hope to get to the fifth book today.

I'm reading The Bone Tiki by David Hair, which is the first in a series or trilogy, not sure how many books he'll write but book 3 comes out in April. I've also just started listening to Dealing with Dragons, which my daughter loved a few years ago and I've never read.

#88> I'm reading about your trials and tribulations reading Revolution with interest, it's on my tbr but I haven't made an effort to read it because I see so many mixed reviews.

I finished Bruiser this weekend and Mr. Shusterman did not let me down. The author of Unwind has come out with another winner.

Bronte and Tennyson, twin brother and sister, get to know the loner Brewster, nicknamed Bruiser since he shows up to school frequently bearing black eyes and other bruises. It's a book about families, friends, bullies, and a beautiful soul.

I finished reading Bloomability by Sharon Creech which was an amusing, compelling novel about a girl who goes to live with her aunt and uncle in southern Switzerland and attends a boarding school there. The story was a little weak on plot, but was an enjoyable, funny read about Dinnie's adjustment to a foreign culture, her struggles with loneliness and missing her family, her friendships with students from all over the world, and her discovery of her own value. The title, Bloomability, comes from the spontaneous translation of the word possibility by a Japanese student at the school.

I'm about to start A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn, a retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

I just got Beastly by Alex Flinn but it is a little way down the TBR stack. I just started A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and it is 592 pages of dense, small print.

I finally quit reading Revolution and wrote my review. You can read it here. I gave it 1.5 stars - more than .5 because I can see the appeal for the target audience and the concept is interesting, though poorly executed. (Also, as horrible as the narrative voices are, Donnelly writes fairly vividly.)

A warning that it's a longish review, because I included most of everything that irritated me (but not absolutely everything!)

If you look at the distribution of ratings, I think it's plainly apparent why I expected to like it so much - the average is 4.27! Who wouldn't expect it to be pretty damn good?

I expect that many of the average ratings for books are inflated. Very few people drop a book and then reveiw it as you did. Therefore, the ones who did finish the book probably didn't have the problems with it that you did. While the people in this challenge will mention that they dropped a book, this doesn't get averaged in with the people that finished it. I think if more people would put in bad reviews there would be more accurate average ratings. What I'm curious about is occasionally people rave about a book but there are no stars after their review. This must adversely affect the ratings.

98> I see your point, but the reviews on the page are overwhelmingly super positive (or they were when I looked, save for a few neutral summaries/descriptions), and there are more 4.5 and 5 star ratings than the rest combined. Out of 144 ratings, 54 of them are 5 stars and 24 are 4.5 - another 37 are 4. That leaves 29 ratings of less than 4 stars, which indicates to me that this is a fairly universally liked book. Generally, I'd expect a lot more 3 stars if it weren't.

Plus, the list of accolades, copied from booklady123's review:
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2010), Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production Honor (2011),Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction (2010),YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2011)

I only know of the SLJ and ALA ones going into it, but that's 4 things that would cause me to look favorably upon it (the Odyssey Audiobook one is irrelevant).

Anyway, I'm just saying that I expected it to be a lot better than it turned out to be. Maybe it's a Twilight thing - that book got a lot of honor, despite being pretty terrible.

 

As for lack of ratings and reviews - I'm pretty sure that if a rating isn't set, it isn't counted as a 0, even if it's attached to a review. And a lot of people still leave ratings even without a review or without finishing.

I am currently reading A Story Like the Wind by Laurens van der Post about a boy coming to age in Africa. I love the story but the author is rather long winded and I'm having to plow through pages and pages of description and back story. Overall though I am enjoying this read.

I finished reading Behemoth yesterday. It's another good action-packed, steampunk story by Scott Westerfeld. I believe it really should be read after Leviathan since there is a lot of background for the reader to know.

Started a re-read of City of Bones yesterday.

just reviewed 71234192::The Dark City by Catherine Fisher on my thread. (And since it was an Early Reviewers, I actually have a decent review up!) It was fantastic in that I still have no clue what is going on really - I wonder how many of the 4 books one has to get through to figure out exactly what is going on (with the world, not the plot, but I guess that's part of the plot) I only gave it 4 stars because I'm kind of leery of trying to give it a rating before reading the rest of them - if the rest end up bad I may feel like it tricked me into reading the whole thing, lol!

Hoping to get back to actually posting around here on the group instead of just managing to get my reads posted (and glad to break my non-fiction run, even if I'll probably have a few more of them to add in the next week - yay spring break!)

Read Beastly by Alex Flinn in two and a half hours last night. A fun re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, it has its flaws but it's a decent read.

I finished Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time which I enjoyed greatly, and now I have begun Ghost Canoe by Will Hobbs which is a young adult historical adventure story set in coastal Washington in the later 19th century.

I completed The Test by Peggy Kern. It is one of the latest releases in the Bluford Series. The message was very positive. It goes into the classroom libary on Monday.

This morning I finished an ER of a YA book called Spinning Out about two friends who try out for parts in a high school production of Man of La Mancha. They land the leads and we follow how their real life parallel their stage roles. It's due out in June.

I finished reading Holly Black's White Cat over the weekend and I quite liked it. It is a dark book (it follows a crime family, after all) and some of the characters are real pieces of work, but I thought it was intriguing how Black imagined how the modern world would be if magic was something openly acknowledged, though illegal to practice.

I'm currently re-reading A Conspiracy of Kings for the I-don't-even-know what time. Such a good book.

I picked up Breaking Point, one of the latest releases in the Bluford Series. It's not bad and it is a quick read.

I'm halfway through Stones for my Father by Trilby Kent. It takes place in South Africa and is told from the viewpoint of 12-year old Corlie Roux, a Boer girl whose father died and she, her mother and two brothers, have to leave their home ahead of the invading British army. As I started this ER book I was afraid I wouldn't like it but I'm warming up to Corlie and getting into the story.

110> I'm envious! I won that one but haven't received it yet.

I'm reading The Fires Beneath the Sea by Lydia Millet which is also an ER book. The character set reminds me of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. However, unlike Wrinkle, this book is very noticeably the start of a trilogy.

I finished Ghost Canoe by Will Hobbs. It was a rollicking historical adventure set in the coastal region of Northwest Washington in the later 1800s.

>111 keristars: I was pleasantly surprised when it arrived since it came from Canada (faster than some I've gotten from here in the States)!

I'm now reading Dust by Arthur Slade and will follow it with The Lead Soldiers by Uri Orlev.

Starting a re-read of City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare.

Micky I just finished a reread of City Of Ashes last night

I'm reading The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken, the collected Armitage family stories. I've read a lot of these before and mostly quite recently as I've been rereading/reading her books since the start of 2010, but there are some new to me ones too.

I started Pretty Ugly by Karyn Langhorne Folan. It is the last book (#17) in the Bluford Series.

I finished Stones for my Father yesterday. I enjoyed it but I think it might be a tough sell for most kids since it takes place in a time and country that's not well known.

Starting my re-read of City of Glass by Cassandra Clare.

I'm about to start Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. Pretty excited.

I was about to read that book and the others about three different times.

#118 Does that include the story where they cut out a toy garden off the cereal packet and magical things start to happen with it - or am I imagining that?

124: That is the title story The Serial Garden, yes. I really enjoyed the stories but missed the illustrations.

Whenever I see someone post about City of Ashes or City of Glass, I think that I have the first book sitting on my shelf but City of Ember is actually an entirely different series.

I started reading The Capture this evening as I have a thing for raptors and the movie is sitting on our Netflix queue.

I am currently reading The Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson, and finding it to be great fun for a Disney fan like myself.

I read my first children's book of the year, Terror on Troll Mountain. I read it for nostalgic purposes, and it was nice. More details in the posted review. :)

I finished Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson. I highly recommend this!

I finished The Capture a couple of days ago and really enjoyed it. It feels like the author did some research into owl behavior. After that I read City of Ember which I also enjoyed. Both of these made it onto my TBR pile because they were recently made into films

I finished Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, and I have to say that I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would. Bud was a captivating narrator and drew me into his story completely.

I've started I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith.

I did a quick read called Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad by Marlene Targ Brill. It's a nice read for emergent readers.

Started City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare this morning. :D

I have started reading the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. They are fast paced and fast reading. I've finished Stormbreaker and Point Blank and have started Skeleton Key. James Bond Jr. complete with all the action, bad guys, and gadgets.

>134 MickyFine: My copy of CoFA just arrived and I'll probably read it today as I really need the distraction.

Canada Post just delivered my copy of CoFA, I'm rock/paper/scissoring my daughter to see who gets to read it first! Just finished Clockwork Angel, it was great, now we are awaiting Clockwork Prince, but it's such a long wait :(

I'm starting The Adoration of Jenna Fox, which sounds a bit SF. Also, finishing up The Eagle of the Ninth.

I am rereading Locomotion for the April TIOLI Challenge for Poetry.

>138 Tanglewood:: Apparently the film "Eagle" is based on 'Eagle of the Ninth'

>140 humouress: Yes, I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie. I'm hoping to get to the next book in a week or two. I saw on Amazon that they are even selling copies of the book just titled, The Eagle.

I finished The Dark is Rising last night. I also discovered a list of Newbery books ordered by how enjoyable a group of mostly librarians and teachers found them to read (they read through the entire Newbery list as a book group over 5 years) and it's intrigued me into requesting Out of the Dust.

#140> I'll add that to the book to film list

I love The Dark is Rising.

#143> I enjoyed it too. I'm not quite sure how I missed reading it until now but I'm enjoying working my way through the sequence.

#131...Christopher Paul Harris is one of my favorite authors!

142 - Do you have a link to that list? I'd love to see it! And I didn't much enjoy Out of the Dust when I read it, but the subject matter isn't really my thing and I read it when I was quite young so I'm not sure how much bearing my opinion should be given.

#146> The Allen County Public Library's RANKED Newbery list:
http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/children/newberyranking.html

There have not been very many Newbery (Medal or Honor) books in recent years whose descriptions have made me want to run out and read them. I sometimes wish they gave out separate Medals for YA and Middle Grade titles because it seems like there is a heavy preference for angst ridden YA novels that are not a whole lot of fun to read. I've actually been paying some attention for the past 5 years (since my daughter was born) because I try to read all the Caldecott books and as many of the Greenaway shortlist as I'm able to find at the library and it's not a big stretch to see what the Newbery and Carnegie committees have listed. Grace Lin's Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is on my TBR pile.

142,146> I don't think it won a Newbery award, but I always liked Hesse's Witness more than Out of the Dust. And I always always loved the Music of Dolphins, though maybe in a different way (I was fascinated by the way she acquired language). And then there's Stowaway that she wrote that I enjoyed, but not as much as the other three...

You know, I feel at this point, I should just go read the rest of her work.

ETA: Oh, wait, I loved Letters from Rifka, too, when I was a teenager. I always forget she wrote it! That's, like, half of her ouevre already, may as well finish.

#149> It's always nice to know that an author is liked. I suspect that thanks to your comments I will give Hesse another shot regardless of how I feel about Out of the Dust

149, 150 - Despite not liking either Out of the Dust or Witness much, I remember loving Stowaway! Hesse is very hit or miss with me, I think.

I have just started Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones as part of a TIOLI Challenge. So far I am finding it charming with a good deal of wit as well.

>148 elfchild: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon is absolutely delightful, charming, gorgeous, and goes beyond just the surface fable. I think I can guarantee satisfaction!

I am in the midst of Al Capone Does My Shirts. I really enjoying it. I chose this off my shelf because it fits the the April TIOLI Challenge for Autism Awareness.

I just finished Stones for my Father, which is another entry in the war-time ya/children's genre. If you've read a lot of those kinds of books, it's not going to be the best example, because it follows a lot of the tropes but not very well, you know? but for someone who hasn't read tons (like I have) or children/pre-teens who aren't as skilled at analyzing narratives, it's probably rather enjoyable. It has the bonus of being about the second Boer War, which doesn't seem very common at all. At least, this is the first historical fiction for pre-teens that I've read.

I'm also finally starting the 8th book in the Bloody Jack series, The Wake of the Lorelei Lee. I love the series, and have read the first five books several times each, so when the third chapter starts off talking about a revival, I know that at least for a little bit, it's going to be a fantastic book. I'm kind of blanking on what that period was called, even though I was just reading about it a few weeks ago. The Great Awakening was in the 1840s, wasn't it? but that was also the second such major religious revival that century, so.

I skipped all my May plans already and started rereading (for the fourth? time) The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner. Loooove this series!

I'm listening to the audio version of The London Eye Mystery. The author works in facts about weather and meteorology in such a natural way that it stays secondary to the plot. I think it would be good supplemental reading for a middle grades unit on weather. The audio version has a male reader, and some of his "female" voices are a bit annoying. Except for that, I'm really enjoying the audio experience.

I signed up to read The London Eye Mystery also this month for TIOLI after I noticed that you had listed it. I am going to have to check and see if my library has the audio version.

Right now, I am reading two young adult books, Hoot by Carl Hiaasen and Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve. They are both excellent, but extremely different. Mortal Engines has one of the strangest worlds I have ever encountered in a book.

This weekend I was reading out loud for a kids' event, so I read a heap of kids' books. The last one I read was How to Catch an Elephant by Amy Schwartz, which I saved for the 2-4year olds: it was such a rollicking good read, I wished I'd read it to the older groups, too. There's lots of action and entertainment, especially for such a short book. Recommend it (but not at bedtime!); great fun.

>158 chinquapin: I was able to download the audio version from OverDrive, so you might check and see if your library offers it through that service.

I'll be on the lookout for a copy of How To Catch an Elephant. It sounds like a fun read!

My 2 year old's current favourite bedtime story is Goodnight Moon by Magaret Wise Brown. I've recently transferred him out of our room, and am trying to tie his routine with my older kid's, and this makes for a very soothing read to help him wind down.

I finished up City of the Dead and Bayou Dogs in the Haunting of Derek Stone series by Tony Abbott. I immensely enjoyed it and could not wait to to start the third book but I left it in my classroom. I must say that I am truly enjoying this challenge (Author Picture Gallery).
I have started Iron Thunder by Avi for the Civil War challenge.

I read White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick and The Glass Demon by Helen Grant over the weekend. Both very well done. I had been wondering whether to read The Vanishing of Katharina Linden (also by Grant with the same german setting) and now I've read Kerry's review I think I will!

Started Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin this morning and am thoroughly enjoying it thus far.

#164> Dee - I have White Crow on my tbr, I really must read it and I've added The Glass Demon.
I've only read a couple of YAs lately - Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey and Pyre of Queens by David Hair, both New Zealand writers. Both were good reads based on mythology.

I just finished up the last two books of Tamora Pierce's Alanna series, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man and Lioness Rampant.

165 - I have that waiting for me at home. I must get to it this summer!

Currently reading Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C. Wrede. Loving it so far.

I read The Night Fairy and Dog Diaries aloud to my daughter recently. I need to get back to the Percy Jackson books but got seduced by the beautiful cover of Eidi then discovered that it's a sequel so I've requested The Crow-Girl.

#167> I read the Alanna books a few years ago, and the series that followed and liked them both very much. Then I found myself debating whether to keep reading the Tortall books or try the Circle of Magic books and I ended up doing neither. I really should pick her up again.

>169 elfchild: : Do both! I read the Alanna books; I liked the way the female protagonist didn't get landed with the traditional princess role. I can't remember if I read Circle of Magic; maybe I should pick it up, too!

I've read all of the Tortall and Circle books and in my opinion the Tortall books are better. Keladry's series, the Protector of the Small, is my favorite, although the newest series about Beka Cooper, which is set several hundred years before the Alanna books, is a close second.

I like all of Tamora Pierce's series. The Circle books are more middle grade while the rest are more young adult. I point my young students to those.

I have been reading lots of review books lately: Shine by Lauren Myracle, Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, and No Place Like Holmes by Justin Lethcoe so far this week.

I am just going to begin Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando which is one of the books I got from Early Reviewers.

I just finished the Beka Cooper books (Terrier and Bloodhound) and liked them a lot! They were written a bit younger than I might have preferred, but they're kinda awesomely kickass.

Scorpia Rising, the last of the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz, got checked out before I could get too deeply in it (I left a sticky note on my page) so I thought I would give his other series, The Gatekeepers, a try and started Raven's Gate. It was going pretty well, although the main character is not very likeable, and darn it if we didn't receive The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan. So now I have three books started.

Touchstones are not cooperating. Sorry.

I didn't know there was another Alex Rider book. I though Snakehead was the last.

I've started Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt today. I first heard about this Newberry Medal Honor book from Whisper (Linda), set during the Civil War, I think this is going to be a very moving story.

>175 DragonFreak:: Snakehead was definitely promoted as being the last Alex Rider and read like the final one. However we now have Scorpia Rising (doesn't seem to have a touchstone) which is being promoted as an all-action finale featuring all the enemies we loved to hate in the previous books. I can't help feeling a bit cynical!

Edited to add: According to LT's Alex Rider page there was also something called Crocodile Tears between Snakehead and Scorpia Rising! It also seems to have been promoted as "the last Alex Rider"!

@48 Hi
I've read the Book Thief and I'm in the minority who did not like it at all. I thought it was derivative, banal and wildly irritating. The rest of my book group disagree, but frankly, Terry Pratchett does Death with more conviction!

@101
So glad to hear (again) that the Scott westerfiled steampunk is good! His series Uglies, Pretties, Extras and Specials is very good indeed - YA fiction that looks at ideas of physical beauty and our perceptions of ourselves. Midnighters is pretty good too - a big step up from the usual twaddle in the 'paranormal romance' genre.
It's great to hear about all these lovely books. I'm taking my own challenge with a Reading Passport for my school - the list of books is at: http://www.gch.org.uk/files/passport%20lists.pdf
and my progress is documented in the Reading Passport thread on this board.
GG

Ive just finished the Inkheart trilogy, which rank with the best fantasy I have ever read. Not only a great story, interesting and engaging characters and unexpected plot twists, these books are also a long rumination on the nature of reading and what it does to us, and a useful book list (via the chapterheading quotes) of European literature!
Very highly recommended.

Thanks to everyone with comments on Tortall and Circle of Magic books. I will definitely return to Tortall this summer and try Circle of Magic as well.

#172> When I think young students I think lower grade, but that's probably because I have a 5 year old and am always looking for chapter books to read aloud. We have to watch the scary elements and a lot of middle grade books don't work simply because of the themes.

#180> I liked the Inkworld trilogy but ultimately found it a just little disappointing. I wanted to *love* the books (the premise of the first book - a man who reads characters out of stories - was fascinating) but they fell a little short of love for me. I still think that they are very good books though.

#180
Oh no! Am I going to have to read Inkheart? Maybe I am.

I just finished The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd, and it was an excellent children's mystery. A brother and sister try to figure out what happened to their cousin who disappeared while riding the London Eye. The brother (who is the narrator) has Asperger's Syndrome and brings a unique voice and way of thinking to the story.

#181 I should clarify, by young students I mean middle graders as opposed to high school students. Young adult for me can sometimes include middle graders.

I agree that being able to read the words alone doesn't make a book suitable for younger readers. The themes and situations matter too.

wow adding the Inkheart series to my wishlist!

I just finished Inkheart at the beginning of the month and enjoyed it as well! Will be trying to finish the other 2 books by the end of the month.

I am about a third of the way through Matched by Ally Condie. So far I am enjoying it. Trying to decide whether to bring my copy of City of Glass to Mexico with me. I haven't read it yet but I try to pack books that I don't mind leaving at the resort........this would not be one of those books since I'm collecting the series.

What to do. What to do...........

Yesterday I finished Word Nerd by Susin Nielsen which is quite adorable. I'm now about 50 pages into An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.

I just finished up Billionaire Boy by David Walliams - entertaining enough.

Found this today - 30 Books That Could Be The Next Harry Potter an interesting list and while some books do get appalling film adaptions, it is nice to daydream as they have on ideal casting and directors... anyway I added a couple of books to my tbr list and I'd like to know when an English translation of the Oscar Pill books will be available.

I highly recommend the books of Ann Rinaldi. I finished The Staircase and it is wonderful!

Finished Runaway by Meg Cabot today. About to start Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride.

I'm almost finished with Strings Attached (40 pages left, out of 300) and omg. It is way more than I expected it to be (partly from the cover, partly from the blurbs), and I'm really enjoying it. I also haven't been able to predict how it ends, and a Big Thing happened just a couple pages ago that I wouldn't have thought would ever happen. (Unless it turns out to be a fake!)

I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but... the book is about Kit Corrigan who has run away to New York to get into theatre, and who has just broke up with a boyfriend who was controlling and abusive. Her boyfriend's dad is a lawyer for the mob who doesn't know they've broken up, only that they had a fight and the boyfriend ran away and enlisted in the military and will be sent to Korea soon... and in the meanwhile, he's giving Kit a nice place to stay in order to get her to keep tabs on the boyfriend and maybe help him out as a cover for his mob dealings. The story is told with a non-linear narrative - the framing part is her life in New York in 1950, which is interspersed with chapters from before, but not in chronological order - the order is more about what matches the 1950 New York events. I really like this kind of narrative structure, myself. :)

July is Juvenile & Young Adult month! Here's the thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/119020

Over halfway through Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones by Brandon Sanderson. Quite amusing so far.

Finished Across the Universe by Beth Revis yesterday--a quick read.

Blitzed my way through Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick.

I've finished, what is it, my 2nd (I think) YA fiction of the year, Tribes. I liked it. I'm surprised it had such a low overal rating here on LT. *Shrug*

I finished White Darkness yesterday. Introverted teenager, Sym battles with her shyness and a mad uncle in Antartica with the support of her imaginary friend, Captain Titus Oates. I loved it!

#200 Ooh - wishlisted.

I think I read Tribes when I was in high school because it was listed for the White Pine award (surprisingly, I can't seem to find previous lists, just winners). At the time I was grumpy with the whole award because of the idea that high school students want to read YA books; I had pretty much abandoned YA in high school and only came back to it later, and it always irritated me that some librarians seemed to think that teens only wanted to read about teen problems. Also, I never liked realistic fiction.

I don't know if this explains the general low rating, but that was my experience with the book, as far as I can remember.

#199:Stephen - I've read a couple of Arthur Slade's books and really liked them. I have a couple of others lined up for this coming month though not Tribes.

Zoe: Hmmm, I don't pay attention to which books get which awards, or what critics say about books, so fortunately other people's opinions of books don't have any effect on my own. :)

Kerry: I hope you like 'em. I've never read any of his other books and I doubt I'll seek out more, simply because I usually don't go too far out of my way to read YA, but I stumbled upon that book at a library book sale and practically bought it because I liked the cover, and the summary sounded mildly interesting. Turned out to be an enjoyable read though.

>204 Ape: Yeah, I generally don't pay attention to those things either. But this was as close as we got to a book club in high school (read some of the nominated books, then meet over lunch to discuss and vote for favourites), so I thought I should at least give it a try.

In retrospect, I've never really been good at book clubs. There are too many books that I want to read for me to devote time to other people's choices. Oh well.

I am almost finished with London Calling by Edward Bloor. This is very different from Tangerine which is the only other book by him which I have read. It is about a boy who is able to travel in time to London in 1940 during the Blitz using an old radio from that time period that was given to him by his Grandmother. I am going to have to look into reading more of Bloor's books.

I finished Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It is delightful!

I just finished Rosebush by Michele Jaffe. Fantastic book!

For those interested, Jim (aka drneutron) has just started a thread for a Group Reading of Watership Down. The suggested start date is next week, July 22nd so it can fit into Children's and YA month. All are welcome of course!

I just finished Wild magic by Tamora Pierce. A real blast-from-the-past that brought back all the reasons I used to love fantasy novels! A refreshing change. Good idea for a challenge.

I just finished Ursula K. Le Guin's YA trilogy, gifts, voices, and powers.

Finished up The Gollywhopper Games this afternoon, trying to squeeze in Catherine Called Birdy.

I am currently reading an incredible book by Gary Schmidt. I highly, highly recommend Okay for Now

I just started Graceling and it looks real promising.

I encourage anyone who has an appreciation of YA literature to read this incredible book. I believe it is destined to be the Newbery medal winner for 2011.



Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt

I find that when a book has a heartfelt impact on me, it is most difficult to write a review that would do the story justice. I'm about to try to tell you why this is the best book I've read this year, and in a number of years!

This is written by one of my favorite authors, who also wrote the incredible books The Wednesday Wars and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boys. Truly, this author is a rare genius. Each and every page is filled with well written, heart-warming and heart- breaking text. It is an understatement to say Schmidt knows how to work with the beauty of words and to weave a masterful story that stays with the reader long after the last page is finished.

This is much more than a coming of age tale of young eighth grade Doug Swieteck. It is in fact a complicated story which deals with the heavy issues of an alcoholic father (I had one of those), a passive mother, the loneliness of moving to another town and finding it difficult to adjust when you are blamed wrongly by the town folk and your teachers for the dysfunction of your family.

It is also a tale of hope and the search for wholeness. It is a tale of the need to protect oneself from outside forces that are out of your locus of control. It is a tale of trying to survive in a hostile environment of a new school, an alcoholic father, a brother who is acting out and another brother who returns from the nastiness of Vietnam emotionally maimed and physically crippled.

Upon his arrival back to the United States, the anti war crusaders pummel and spit at Doug's crippled brother in his helplessness much like the teachers originally treat Doug. Both were placed in out of control situations of which they had no power or choice.

One might wonder how Gary Schmidt accomplished so much within a mere 360 pages, the answer is the book is timeless and anyone who has been impacted by even one of these issues, will rapidly relate to young Doug.

And, those of us who find solace in the love of books, will particularly embrace the fact that one of Doug's saving graces is found in the local public library where he finds art in the form of a rare book filled with original plates of Audubon birds. A wonderful, kind, elderly librarian opens the world of symbolism in art and develops Doug's artistic abilities to draw the birds.

Sadly, the town is selling the Audubon plates one by one, and through wit and calculation, Doug determinately tracks down the plates and creatively finds the way to return them back to the original book. Thus, the marvelous theme of wholeness is woven intimately with Doug's search to overcome a terrible childhood in an attempt to get things in their rightful place.

Doug finds a young soul mate who regularly visits the library and through this spunky young lady, Doug learns to trust and heal.

With the backdrop of the turbulent 1960's when Vietnam was raging and when America was forging the brave frontier of space travel, Schmidt deftly weaves the agitated, violent forces occurring with a nation in a senseless war and a lonely child tempest torn like an Audubon tern trying to stay afloat amid chaos and the longing for hope in a brave new world.

HIGHLY recommended!

I just finished my last YA read for the month with The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. While I am unpardonably late to this, it is undeniably one of the best books I've ever read. Gorgeous prose and a beautiful story that leaves it mark on the reader. If you're like me and haven't gotten around to this book yet, there are not sufficient words to express how quickly I think you should go out and pick it up.

The Book Thief has been sitting on my shelf forever and a day. If I weren't already so ridiculously overbooked with more Children's/YA reading in August, I'd add it on the pile, but it'll just have to wait. So you're just late whereas I'll be getting to it well after the party's broken up and everyone's gone to sleep. ;-)

Hahaha. But books are delightful in that they'll patiently wait for you as long as you need them to and they'll still have an effect no matter when you read them. Hope your August reads are enjoyable even if The Book Thief hasn't made the cut. :)

I think I've got some pretty good stuff lined up for next month... if you're curious to see the list, it's right here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/120552#2815495. Just a *tad* ambitious maybe?

Maybe just a little. ;)

I agree with comments regarding The Book Thief. Anyone who thinks YA is fluff, might want to read this book for a great reference re. how in depth YA book are.

I think I forgot to list Elmer by David McKee and The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander

Also agree with comments re The Book Thief. Also, I can't remember now how I first heard about that book or where I picked up my copy, but I don't recall it being marketed as a Young Adult book over here, and I did not read it on the basis of it being a YA book, simply a novel that happened to have a young girl as the central character. I was quite surprised when I first heard people referring to it as a YA book - but then until LT I hadn't really discovered the concept of YA. I thought in terms of children's books and general (adult) books, some of which might be read by older children. Though, come to think of it, I had noticed shelves labelled 'for teens/ for 12+) increasingly in bookshops. Maybe we just don't use the label YA so much in the UK (or was I just not paying attention to it - perhaps other UK-based members could comment?).

I'm still in recovery from Juvenile July but have made a start on a large sized children's book The Secret Lives of Princesses, it's beautifully illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer.

gennyt - While I'm not sure about the UK, I do know that The Book Thief was marketed for adults in Australia, so it could well have been the same where you are. I count myself lucky to have got my hands on an ARC of The Book Thief. As soon as I finished it, I knew it was something special - I was recommending it left and right.

I plunged right into To Kill a Mockingbird. I knew it was an excellent book of course, but no matter how good a book is, it usually takes me at least a full chapter if not more to get into a story whereas this one pulled me in from the start.

I'm going to be reading the following in August:

The Lost Hero - Heroes of Olympus Series
The Red Pyramid - Kane Chronicles
Lady Friday - book 5 of the Keys to the Kingdom series

I listened to The Red Pyramid last month and I thought it was exciting and fun.

This month I plan to read:

In Darkness, Death - #3 of the Samurai Mysteries by Dorothy Hoobler
I.Q.: Independence Hall by Roland Smith
Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters by Lesley M. M. Blume
The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis

I finished In Darkness, Death, the third of the Samurai mysteries by Dorothy Hoobler. I have really enjoyed all of them, but each one seems better than the last. This one won the Edgar Award for Children's or Young Adult Mystery in 2005.

I finished and reviewed Graceling and started Thirteenth Child.

Not sure where to post this but I just watched this 'musical' tribute to the Harry Potter books and thought others might like it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8m5XZwqp2s&feature=player_detailpage

The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher

Eddie and Billy are best real life friends, until Billy accidentally kicks a pile of sheet rock that rapidly cascades and kills him. Sadly, within the span of a very short time, Eddie losses both his best friend and his father to freak accidents.

Knowing his friend has a lack of social skills and is also in emotional pain, Billy decides to hang around before passing on to the next level. Thus, his spirit regularly visits Eddie to provide guidance.

When the nasty small-town preacher decides to use Eddie and his emotional pain as a statement regarding how to be a "Christian", Billy provides assistance.

This book was ok, not great, just ok. It was good enough to finish and initially held my interest, but I was taken aback by the author's self aggrandizement. One of the major themes of the book was the banning of books and censorship.

I was a tad bothered by the fact that the author used his real life book to incorporate into the fictional tale of Eddie and Billy and censorship.

Kerry

Thanks for the Harry Potter link. My partner is a real fan of the books and movies and I'll be sure to share it with him.

>232 avatiakh: Ooookay. That was... odd. Compelling, but odd.

Read the children's classic Anne of Green Gables. My review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/74281158

#235: I felt compelled to share the oddness.

Currently reading my way through Philip Reeve's Hungry Cities series. Finished and enjoyed Mortal Engines and Predator's Gold and just started Infernal Devices.

I'm almost finished with a marvelous book that seemed to jump off the library shelf. I highly recommend Bird in a Box.

I'm continuing to work my way through the Prydain series, with Taran Wanderer. I'm also reading The Amber Spyglass.

I reviewed several books recently including:

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead http://www.librarything.com/topic/121423#2861751

5 graphic novels by David Wiesner http://www.librarything.com/topic/121423#2862054

2 more goodies by Benjamin Lacombe http://www.librarything.com/topic/121423#2864032

Finished Spinning-Wheel Stories by Louisa May Alcott. A 'meh' experience for me.

At the tail end of last month I read the YA classic, The Catcher in the Rye, as well as Please Ignore Vera Dietz. Am now about to tackle the rest of the Uglies series, starting with Pretties.

Is it me or has it been incredibly quiet over here?

I guess I can only blame myself, since I read and reviewed quite a lot of Children's & YA books (many gorgeously illustrated), but just didn't think to post about it here. My latest review is for The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which I loved very much.

I've read a few lately including Have spacesuit...will travel which was written in 1958 but still works for today's YA audience I would think especially appeal to those with an interest in space travel as there is quite a bit of detail in the workings of a spacesuit and astronomy.
I also finished One dog and his boy which is Eva Ibbotson's last book and was a joy to read. I'm currently reading Wings over Delft first in a trilogy set around an artwork. The first book is set in the 17th century and is about the girl who is sitting for a portrait, her interest in science and her possible marriage which would unite two pottery businesses.

I've just been forgetting to post. I read Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments trilogy (starting with City of Bones), and also her Clockwork Angel. I haven't even updated my own thread with that last one yet....

Lately, I have read Karen Cushman's A Midwife's Apprentice, College Road Trip by Alice Alfonsi and now working on Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers.

I used them for the 75 Book Club Challenges.

I've not managed to read much, recently, and not read any YA for myself. However, for bedtime reading, we are working our way through a giant book of Tashi stories, at the moment.

(240) I read the Prydain series many years ago, and have fond memories of it.

Maybe I should go back to the library...

humouress, did you ever get to The High King?

> 249 : Not yet; it's on my (ever growing) TBR.

Zen and the Art of Faking it is the current novel I am reading. One of my students donated it the classsroom library last year. I picked it up because it fits several of this month's 75 BOOK CHALLENGES.

I finished This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel this week. I found it quite entertaining. I try not to read other reviews before posting my own and was quite surprised that others didn't like it.

To celebrate Series Month I am reading the very popular manga series, Fruits Basket. We have the whole series of 23 volumes in my library and it would be good for me to know why it's so popular.

>251 jacqueline065: @jacqueline065 I enjoyed Zen and the Art of Faking It. I hope you like it.

Finished Specials by Scott Westerfeld and with that I'm done with the Uglies series. Each book has been successively disappointing and while the issues he explores are interesting, the plots and characters are insufficient for me. I definitely won't be bothering with Extras, the additional book in the series which follows different characters.

I finished Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George yesterday, the sequel to Princess of the Midnight Ball and a fun re-telling of Cinderella.

I just finished Darwen Arkwright and the Peregrine Pact today. It's an ER that's due out in October, and I thought it was pretty good. My review: http://www.librarything.com/review/74249578

It's in the same genre as Narnia or Harry Potter, the fantasy-adventure featuring a pre-teen who is without parents and in a strange place, but despite the fairly ordinary plot patterns, it was creative and enjoyable. The characters are well-rounded and the descriptions are fantastic. I really appreciated that not only is the cast diverse physically, the friend-who-is-a-girl isn't pigeon-holed into many of the girl-best-friend stereotypes that I recall from so many other stories. Plus, the kids all act like kids, and the distant guardian figure isn't really so distant if you read between the lines, and she's really trying to be a good guardian (and Darwen recognizes this and tries to help, instead of ignoring her or being contemptuous).

Anyway, I liked it :)

Finished the extremely excellent Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld, the second book in the trilogy. Great steampunk set during an alternate version of WWI. Highly recommended!

>MickyFine: And you don't have to wait too long for the next book -- I believe Goliath comes out next week.

On @girlfromshangrila's recommendation, I'm reading Unwind by Neal Schusterman. Thought-provoking and good so far.

I discovered yesterday that a new book by Brian Selznick is coming out today called Wonderstruck. It is said to be in the same style as The Invention of Hugo Cabret and I can't wait!

>258 Cailiosa: Yes, I'm very excited! I'm also first in line for the library's copy. :D

I've started a NEW THREAD before this one gets unwieldy.