July: Juvenile & Young Adult

Any time is a good time to read Children's and YA books, but a whole month dedicated to these categories might encourage newcomers and old hats alike to make more additions to their wishlists! Welcome one and all!

I'll be here! I've already gone sort of crazy with YA this month, but there's always more to read :)

Ha! I was just now going over to your thread to let you know I'd created this thread Zoe, but you beat me to it! Awesome! I'm sure people will appreciate whatever suggestions you have to make, even if it's just listing your favourite reads of the past month or so.

I just finished An Aquaintance with Darkness by Ann Rinaldi. Really enjoyed this book. Will be looking for more of her books.

What happened to June? Anything going on for June?

I have a huge pile of YA and children's books that I'll be attacking next month.
Good lists to work from for those new to this genre include:
The Phoenix Award - is awarded annually to a book originally published in English twenty years previously which did not receive a major award at the time of its publication.

Michael Printz Award for YA Books

and the controversial 100 YA books for the Feminist Reader - controversial because they removed books off the list after receiving a few negative comments and a storm flamed across the net and blogosphere about it.

#5 As far as I know, there's no specific theme for June.

#6 I'll have a look at those links myself, thanks for posting them Kerry!

I had never heard of the Phoenix award before. What a great idea!

Thanks for starting this thread, Ilana. I look forward to lots of good reads and recommendations.

#5 - I'm not sure what happened to June either, Morphy...I looked around but didn't see anything.

I am definitely in! I am planning on taking a lot of the young adult and juvenile books in the BlackHole out of it!

I can't wait ! I bought tons of bookks at the Scholastic Book Fair last month for the class library.

My tags tell me I have about 50 children's/YA books in my TBR piles as well as 1 or 2 from the library so I will be here in July!

Thanks for putting the link on the wiki!

Thanks for the link regarding the Prinz books! I scurried to the link immediately and have now added Ship Breaker and now I'm off to see if my local library has this one.

Oh, I'm going to love this thread!

a separate section for monthly reads on the wiki would be nice. Hard to find them amongst all the other (one book) group reads.

We can do that!

ETA: Done.

I have many, many children's and young adult titles in my TBR list also, so I'll be here bright and early July 1st. And I love the links to the award lists, Kerry, especially the Phoenix Award, which I had never heard of before.

Since the year started I've read and would recommend:

Jan:
Gail Carson Levine - Ella Enchanted
Fairy tale retold. Made into movie not seen by me

Feb:
Rick Riordan - The Lost Hero
Fantasy, first in series but directly related to prior series

Harry Turtledove - Crosstime Traffic series
Multiple universe / time lines
Related books, but different characters each book

April:
Rick Barba - The Delta Anomaly
Young adult Star Trek in the new altered universe of the most recent movie.

June:
Babe - Dick King-Smith
Basis for the Babe movie (the one with a pig not the Babe Ruth one)

Thanks for grouping the monthly themed reads on the wiki, Jim!

I had not heard of the Phoenix Award either. Seems like a good idea to me to revisit books that are standing the test of time.

more awards links:

CYBILS (Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards) - a series of children's and young adult literary awards given by the folks who blog about them. Started in 2006
http://www.cybils.com/

Newbery Medal and Honor Books:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/newberymedal/newbe...

also the ALA Notable Children's Book lists:
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb/ncbpastlists/i...

Carnegie Medal:
http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/carnegie/full_list_of_winners.php

#13 No troubles Jim, thanks to you for separating the monthly themes, it's true they were a bit hard to spot before, but no more! :-)

#15 That was a great suggestion.

#19 Thanks for the links. I'll have to start using my own wiki page to keep track of all this good stuff!

There are also pages for most of the awards on LibraryThing which I like browsing because it shows me ticks against the books I already have!

To find the Printz Award page:

1) Type 'Printz' into the search box in the top right hand corner (no quotation marks)

2) Select 'Common Knowledge' from the pink box on the left

3) Then select 'Awards' from the same box

It should list two awards, Printz Award and Printz Honor

4) Then repeat for your award of choice!

This is all user entered data so there may be some errors. If you spot any you can correct it by going to the Common Knowledge section of the book itself.

Hopefully that was clearer than mud....

Count me in for a YA July as well! I have tons on my wishlist and I can see I will be adding lots more throughout the month.

Hmm, an excuse to read tons of YA next month? I am totally in. :D

Here's another list to peruse. Elizabeth Bird is my favorite kidlit blogger. She's a children's librarian at the NYPL and she tends to concentrate on books for elementary school kids and below, which is to say, lots of picture books and middle grade novels and very few YA books. This is the results of her 2010 poll of the Best Children's Books. I've been working my way through the 100 Best Picture Books that I missed and just discovered this list:

http://blog.schoollibraryjournal.com/afuse8production/2010/04/13/the-top-100-chi...

I highly recommend the YA books of Ann Rinaldi, Christopher Paul Curtis and Gary Schmidt

I have read 2 of Ann Rinaldi's books. Really enjoyable books.

I have several on my TBR list and in my TBR pile at home. I will have to try to dig a few of these out and check out a few!

Yeah a new theme! Too early to see what I'm going to read though...

I just finished an excellent YA book. I recommend Penny From Heaven by Jennifer Holm

Ooh - OK, will reserve July for YA books!

There is no June theme so I am starting in on the kid books early. Many of my choices fall under the "Potential Readalouds for the 5-8 Crowd" theme, which is to say, interesting chapter books written for the 2nd through 4th grade crowd and/or middle grade books whose themes are appropriate for that age (my nearly 6-year-old is not ready for the themes in a lot of middle grade book). Recommendations always appreciated.

42. Windblowne by Stephen Messer
Genre: middle grade fantasy
Notes: 11 in 11 #8: Potential Read Alouds for the 5-8 crowd; also #7: New to Me Authors; on Elizabeth Bird's Best Books of 2010 list (not to mention a whole lot of other 2010 Best of lists)

Summary: Oliver desperately wants to make and fly kites in the tradition of his mountain town of Windblowne, but he isn't any good at it. In the aftermath of an attack on his former champion, crackpot uncle, Oliver discovers one of his uncle's prized possessions - a simple, red kite - which flies him to another world where he discovers that he has his own talents and the courage to protect his own and other worlds.

Reaction: What a delightful read! I empathized with Oliver and rejoiced in the way he discovered his own strengths and talents. I'm guessing this will work as a readaloud in about a year or so (say 7-ish). This is not a well-known or popular book, I had to ask our library to purchase it...but I'm considering purchasing our own copy.

Rating: 8

I can definitely support getting started early :). June already turned out to be YA month for me, since I read Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic and Circle Opens quarters, plus The Will of the Empress.

I'm now reading Beauty Queens, about a plane full of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island....

Glad to see this thread, Ilana!

My daughter really liked Beauty Queens and is lending it to me.

The two that have stood out for me so far this year are a new one, Divergent by Veronica Roth (dystopian), and an old one Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher.

I have Divergent sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. I've heard good things about that one on several occasions.

I'm also planning to read Delirium.

It's nice to be reminded of Tamora Pierce. I read the first 2 Tortall quartets a few years ago but have never read the Circle books and have always meant to return and read more of the Tortall books. Thanks, Zoe...on the TBR list for the summer now!

I hope you enjoy them!

#34 No troubles Joe, don't mention it. It's so easy to start up a thread, and the nice part is that there's not any work involved after at all; just post it, then let everyone else take over! :-)

My suggested reading list for JJ&YA is now at just under 25 books, all of which are from my own shelves, but then I couldn't help but make about as many reservations at the library for books these past couple of days—almost all of them based on various LT recommendations. It is highly doubtful I'll have time to read most any of that (unless I give up everything else and read 24/7 during July...), but one can always hope, right?

I plan to make July the Newbery month of reading. For the last two years I've been on a quest to read all Newbery books. I'm doing a credible job, but have a long way to go.

I'll be watching closely to see what you read and what you think of them. I am not on a quest to read all the Newberys, but I know that there are a lot of good titles there. I have done pretty well reading the Medal winners, but no so great reading the Newbery Honor titles.

I'll probably start with The Magician by Michael Scott since I've read book one of that series, and then try Magyk the first book of the Septimus Heap series.

Although I read in this category year round, this could be just the impetus I need to finally reread the first 3 Percy Jackson books and read #s 4 and 5 for the first time, as well as reading books 4 and 5 of the Ranger's Apprentice series. I'd also like to read Ursula Le Guin's Gifts, Voices, Powers trilogy. In addition, if I could read Elijah of Buxton, Willie Bea and the time the Martians Landed, Spinners, Peter and the Starcatcher, and Esperanza Rising, that will be in total 12 books read Off the Shelf (a category I am sadly lacking in so far this year), plus all 15 will find their way to my former school's library come August, so they will truly be off my shelf!

> #39

Read a Newberry Award Book sounds like a fantastic TIOLI Challenge to compliment July's Theme!

>43 jacqueline065: Ooh, that's a good idea!

There was an interesting article on the Guardian books blog about the Carnegie Award (sort of the UK equivalent to the Newbery Award I think) as the 2011 winner will be announced tomorrow.

Just in case anyone needs more children's/YA book recommendations!

#39 Linda, I love that you've given yourself this challenge and it's always interesting reading your reviews, which all too often mean a bulked-up wishlist for me.

I'm doing a credible job, but have a long way to go.
What fun is a challenge like that if it's TOO easy, right?

#43 I like that idea too... I wonder if any of the books already on my suggested reading list are eligible? I'll have to check!

Also, I say the more TIOLI challenges that allow us to fit in books for JJ&YA the better! :-)

#45 Thanks Heather for sharing the Guardian article, and yes, I've already added a few books to the WL!

Maybe a Carnegie Award TIOLI challenge to go along with the Newberry? Just a thought.

I've currently got 15 YA books off my TBR list planned for July. Somewhere in there I'll also squeeze in Emma for the Austenathon.

#47 Micky, although I've already got the print version of Emma standing by for the Austenathon, I've decided to get the audio version narrated by one of my favourite readers, Juliet Stevenson, to free me up for all the print Children's and YA books I've got on my ambitious reading list!

I read Scorpia Rising, the last in the Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. This was a fun series with some of the books better than others. The last one was the darkest and most fraught with danger for Alex and was a brilliant end for the series. He doesn't exactly walk away from spydom with a spring in his step but he does get a chance at a new life.

Another series I have been reading is the Temeraire dragon series by Naomi Novik starting with His Majesty's Dragon. While not written for teens, I have recommended it to several of my teen friends who have immediately dived into this alternate history with intelligent, sensitive, loyal dragons. I especially like the ongoing story of how Temeraire is trying to improve the lives of his fellow dragons and is always contemplating their situation in comparison to the black slaves he has seen in his travels. This series could be equally as attractive to teen girls as well as boys. One breed of dragon will only allow women to pilot them so there are women serving alongside men in the thick of battles.

#49 I'm glad to see you mention the Temeraire series mamzel. I recently came across it via Audible when I did a search for audiobooks narrated by Simon Vance, one of my favourite narrators. His Majesty's Dragon is now on my wishlist!

I've had house guests and there hasn't been a lot of time for reading but I know what the next chapter read aloud is going to be. G enjoyed listening to my friend read The Secret Garden to her 6-and-a-half-year-old even though they were in the middle of the book and was very enthusiastic about the idea of starting over at the beginning with me. So, I've mined the library for different illustrators (they had 5) and we'll decide which one we like best. Somewhere in a box is my own copy (illustrated by Tasha Tudor) but my money is on the relatively recent Inga Moore edition for G's library.

I've been concentrating more on Caldecott (and Greenaway) books since my kids are two (TODAY! Happy Birthday to T!!) and five but have been meaning to read some of the Newbery Medal winners from this list which was compiled by a group of teachers and librarians who read them all and ranked them by how much they enjoyed reading them:

http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/children/newberyranking.html

Has anyone seen Amazon's new list of Essentials in Young Adult Books? I was surprised to see how contemporary the editors' choices were:

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson; Monster by Walter Dean Myers; The Giver by Lois Lowry; The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan; The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky; Crank by Ellen Hopkins; Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher; and The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.

I've only read four of the ten, so I might try some of the others next month.

That looks like a really good list. I've only actually read two of them, but several others are on my TBR list and I've heard good things about pretty much all of them.

If they were going to choose a John Green book, I'm surprised they went with Will Grayson, Will Grayson rather than Looking for Alaska, which for me at least was much, much stronger.

#51-52 More great lists to look up, yay! I've only read The Golden Compass from the Amazon list, but several others are either on my tbr or wishlist already. But of course now I'll have to add others I've missed before...

I hadn't seen that list, thank you. They apparently have other essential book lists for children as well - everything from board books for 0-2s to chapter books and beyond...they seem to be divided up every 2 years which I appreciate because some of the stuff for 8-10 might work as read alouds.

I will be alternating between YA novels and Orange Prize nominees in July!

I will definitely be reading more Margaret Mahy having recently loved The Tricksters and Memory. After reading that Carnegie/Guardian article I think The Changeover may well be next. I will probably also read Chime by Franny Billingsley which arrived from Amazon yesterday.

I am currently reading The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean which I intended to keep for July but after picking it up and reading a few pages, I couldn't put it down. It's weird and wonderful and I have no idea where it's going!

I'm glad to see Thirteen Reasons Why on the Amazon list. It's a good one that seems to be getting better known by word of mouth. I saw a big display of it at B & N last weekend.

The local branch of the library did not have a single illustrated copy of The Secret Garden so it appears that Calamity Jack is this weekend's "chapter" book readaloud.

I just read a short... not sure if it's a novella or a short story, but it's a tiny book called The Deadly Doll by Janine Burke, illustrated by Shaun Tan, who is the brilliant artist behind The Arrival. The story is actually really terrifying and tells a story which sums up exactly why I've always been spooked by antique china dolls.

Next in the same series, and also illustrated by Shaun Tan, I'll be reading Trapped by James Moloney (can't find the right touchstone). It's another scary story, this time a boy and his skateboard as far as I can tell.

These little books are perfect for the current "read a short work" TIOLI challenge.

I've just started Neil Gaiman's Coraline. This is my first book of his and so far it has been enjoyable. :)

I love all these links that are posted! Thanks to all!

I don't tend to do scary much and definitely not when my husband is out of town but I might give those a chance once he returns. Thanks, Ilana.

ETA: Our library appears to have Trapped (Shade Books) and another book in the series (also illustrated by Shaun Tan) called The Haunted Playground but not The Deadly Doll. I might just have to work my way through their Shaun Tan collection - it's only 5 books.

Marie, I discovered this little series when I did a search in the library catalogue to find all the work by Shaun Tan I could get my hands on. I read The Haunted Playground and it's also quite good. I guess I found The Deadly Doll especially scary because it played into a particular fear of mine. It seems that the Shade Books series specializes in spooky stories for young adults. Don't know if there are more of them, but I'll keep an eye out for them and report my findings.

ARGH! I've just discovered that the audiobook that our library has of Five Children and It is abridged. Which is really too bad because I like the narrator (Anna Bentinck). Harrumph! Well, perhaps G would be interested in

I look forward to hearing about your Shaun Tan explorations. I plan to request Tales from Outer Suburbia once there is room on my queue. I'll probably wait a while longer on young adult and spooky though. I left my keytags (including all my library cards) at a friend's house while we were on vacation and she forgot them when she came down to visit me so now I am waiting for them to be mailed. In the mean time since I cannot do self check-out, I'm trying to moderate how much I annoy the circulation desk by only using one library card.

I've got Tales from Outer Suburbia and though it was very good, but you should really get your hands on Lost & Found if you haven't already, which contains three of his earlier stories, which are really marvelous.

I always dread losing my library card, because it's the only one I've got! Hope you get all that back soon!

I refuse to read anything abridged. Of which there is a lot when it comes to audiobooks, and which isn't always indicated all that clearly. Very annoying, especially when you really like the narrator, I totally agree. I just don't really see the point, unless it's something like a biography about Einstein and you, like me, aren't so much into actual physics (yes, I made an exception for that one!)

#66> I haven't read all the three stories in Lost & Found, but I have read The Lost Thing which is truly delightful. An adaptation also won the Best Animated Short at the Oscars this year, it's worth tracking down.

Not sure what YA I'll be reading in July! But I'll try and work one or two in. :)

#66> I'll have to get Lost & Found via interlibrary loan one of these days. Thankfully we have been going to the library once or twice a week since moving here and most of the circulation desk people know us and are very nice about it. It helps that I've got all three card numbers memorized.

There was nothing on the box that indicated that Five Children and It was abridged and I didn't initially notice that it was only 2 discs. I feel pretty strongly about reading things unabridged as well though I was not displeased with Inga Moore's very lightly abridged (and sumptuously illustrated) The Wind in the Willows and The Reluctant Dragon. In the case of tWitW, she eliminated a couple of chapters and used a very light hand retaining much of Grahame's language for the remainder. But it does make it suitable for a younger audience...and there are, in my opinion, no finer illustrations other than Arthur Rackham's. I saw no need to mess with Grahame's text for The Reluctant Dragon, but I prefer Inga Moore's drawing even above the original Shepard ones.

#67> I remember reading about that short on Betsy Bird's blog. I will have to try to track it down.

We should finish Calamity Jack tonight and might fit in a chapter of Five Children and It as well. I am enjoying both though I think that I liked Rapunzel's Revenge better.

45. The Amulet, Book Three: The Cloud Searchers by Kazu Kibuishi
Series: The Amulet, Book 3
Genre: graphic novel, fantasy
Notes: 11 in 11 #8: Potential Read Alouds for the 5-8 crowd

Summary: Emily and her brother Navin and some of their new allies search for a mysterious floating city that was the home of the Council of Stonekeepers.

Reaction: Not to sound repetitive but I eagerly away the publication of Book Four. G's best friend (9 months older) enjoyed reading it while she was visiting. Definitely on the wishlist for our own copies.

Rating: 8.5

I downloaded all twelve of Edward Lang's Fairy Books to my Kindle and I read a couple of stories to my granddaughter today. We read "The Bronze Ring" and "East of the Sun and West of the Moon". She seemed to like them very much. I was a little nervous as these are the original ones where dogs are deliberately killed and there is casual talk of killing and bloodletting. I had forgotton how bloodthirsty the original fairy stories could be. I am half expecting a phone call from her mother asking what in the world I was reading to her daughter!

#70 LOL! You're right, pre-Disneyfied fairytales certainly packed a punch! I was shocked recently when my mum sent me a link to Hans Christian Andersen's The Red Shoes. Gory sure is the word! But one thing's certain, they sure have staying power. So... what are you going to tell mum? ;-)

I just reviewed one of the little books illustrated by Shaun Tan I mentioned recently, The Deadly Doll by Janine Burke. Incidentally, this next book is most CERTAINLY NOT for children (though plenty of parents will appreciate it), I've also reviewed Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach in the same post.

eta: touchstone trouble.

On the subject of Go the F**k to Sleep - CNN's got an opinion piece on their website today that doesn't think it's funny. *sigh*

#72> I think the child development expert quoted is missing the point. It's not just kids who aren't read to that have bedtime issues and parents have the right to get frustrated, even angry when their kids are not behaving - its taking that anger out on ones kids which is not appropriate.

#72 Oh brother. I see book burnings sometime in near future.

#71 - No problem - when questioned about my reading choices for grandchildren, I just go into my vague, little old lady routine - gets me out of trouble everytime!

#75 Ha! Well I'm on to you Judy. I don't think I know of too many vague little ol' ladies who read zombie literature, but I promise I won't tell on you. ;-)

>71 Smiler69: : Years ago, when I was young...er than I am now, I was given the complete works of Hans Christian Anderson for Christmas; I must say, I found them surprisingly (given his reputation) dreary and depressing. Not one of them had a satisfactorily happy ending, for me. Think "Little Mermaid", who dies, "Little Match Girl", who dies (was that one of his?) etc

>75 DeltaQueen50: : You know, my mum does that. Very annoying!

#77 - Passive-resistance. Works every time. :)

#78 I need to start doing more of that with certain people I know. Less confrontation is a very good thing. :-)

So what are we starting with? My first book will be My sister lives on the mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher as that has been garnering really good reviews lately and it will be due back at the library soon.

I have a few YA's lined up but not sure which one I will start with - possibly World of Pies by Karen Stolz. It also fits a Reading Through Time Challenge for July. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is another that's catching my eye.

There's a TIOLI challenge up for Juvenile/Young Adult Fantasy for those who are TIOLI addicts :)

This thread has inspired me to go through my reading notes and make a list of all the 'next books' either in a series or by an author that I have not gotten to over the past 4 years. I'm looking forward to looking beyond my recent reads for July and I look forward to all the inspiration that this thread is bound to spark.

Tomorrow I begin the month of Newbery reading.
Here are the ones I hope to read
Abel's Island
Abraham Lincoln: Friend of the People
Across Five Aprils
After the Rain
Amos Fortune
The Animal Farm
Anpao
Blue Willow
Bronze Bow
The Black Pearl
Call it Courage
The Cat Who Went to Heaven
Charlotte's Web
The Corn Grows Ripe

I'm currently reading
bud, Not Buddy

>83 elfchild: I have an entire database called Authors. It has almost 50 tables - one for each authors books. This is just so I can keep track of the "next book."

No, I'm not compulsive.

*twitch twitch*

My planned juvenile and young adult reads for July:

The Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd, TIOLI Challenge #10, Edgar Nominee, Young Adult, 2009, Carnegie Medal 2009
In Darkness, Death by Dorothy Hoobler, TIOLI Challenge #10, Edgar Winner, Young Adult, 2005
The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer, TIOLI Challenge #6
Grim Tuesday by Garth Nix, TIOLI Challenge #2
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall, TIOLI Challenge #4, Caudill Young Readers Book Award 2008, National Book Award 2005
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson, TIOLI Challenge #7, Newbery Honor Book 2007
Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath, Newbery Honor Book, 2002

No, I'm not compulsive.

*twitch twitch*

LOL! :-D

As for me, well I've been listing possible reads on my thread for the past month now, but just a short while ago, posted 11 books to TIOLI challenge #17 Read a Children's/YA Fantasy book (selected from books I already have in my possession):

The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman
Charmed Life - Diana Wynne Jones
Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling - Maryrose Wood
The Jungle Books - Rudyard Kipling
Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C. S. Lewis
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - Kate DiCamillo
The Shadow in the North - Philip Pullman
The Tale of Despereaux - Kate DiCamillo
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame

As my first book, I just started on Snow White, illustrated by amazing artist Benjamin Lacombe, and so far only exists in the original edition as Blanche Neige. It's an absolutely stunning book in every way. I've posted the cover image on my thread and on the Graphic Novel thread as well, but I'm sure no one will mind if I post it here too. I made myself stop halfway through the book last night to ensure I stretch it out until the beginning of July to make it count, will have to remember to stop before the end tonight as well!

85> I believe you, Morphy. I'm not that organized, and I am a bit of a Luddite. I used to have a binder, but it disappeared into a box half a dozen moves ago so notes and lists in the comments section has been my solution. I actually like the solution quite a bit since it is searchable.

86> You have me adding books already...I've been meaning to read The Penderwicks

Through the TIOLI challenges, I have signed up for 2 books so far that fit this category. One is Serbia which fits challenge #2. Another is Far North which fits challenge #12.

>87 Smiler69: Wow, Ilana, that looks like a beautiful book! Unfortunately in the U.S. I'm only finding expensive copies.

stretch it out until the beginning of July to make it count

but, but...you told me it was OK to start in June (there being no June themed thread)....

Blanche Neige looks gorgeous. I look forward to reading it when an english translation comes to the US.

#86: The Bog Child is a great book.

I started on my YA reads a little early and finished Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George last night. It's a really wonderful "expansion" of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale. My first YA book that will actually be finished in July is Rosebush by Michele Jaffe, which is really compelling from the opening pages.

#93 - Micky - Glad you loved Princess of the Midnight Ball as that's one I am planning to read this month, and have used it for the TIOLI Challenge about YA Fantasy. I love fantasy stories that are based on the old fairy tales. I tried to work YA reads into both my TIOLI challenges and my 11 in 11 categories, and here's what I hope to get read this month:

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
World of Pies by Karen Stolz
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Devil's Paintbox by Victoria McKernan
Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock
As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
What Janie Found by Caroline Cooney

That along with a few adult reads should keep me pretty busy this month.

I am also very fond of fairy tales and retellings of them. My reading plans are always way too ambitious, but here are my current plans for July. I actually found inspiration from some of your lists since one of the things I wanted to do this month was to try some new authors. The first three are readalouds for my daughter that I have varying degrees of interest in myself. I've read The Secret Garden before, though not in years, but we're shopping for a copy for G by sampling all the different illustrators we can dins at the library.

Five Children and It by E(dith) Nesbit - in progress
Toy Dance Party by Emily Jenkins
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
either Sandry's Book or First Test by Tamora Pierce
Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus
The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan
Greenwitch by Susan Cooper
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer - Artemis Fowl #7
Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis

My lists are always subject to change

I like reading verse novels from time to time and there have been some great ones for children and YA that I can recommend if you want to try something a little bit different.
Love that dog by Sharon Creech
Aleutian Sparrow by Karen Hesse
Stop Pretending : What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy by Sonya Sones

I've added a few titles to the TIOLI YA fantasy challenge too, and to other challenges where I find a good fit, such as Darryl's 'hot' author one! Anyway I better pick up a book and start reading.

I offered up the Newberry/Newberry Honor Award Challenge for this month. I hope that it is accepted. I would like to start a thread and link it to the American Library Association's list of winners of the award.
I might need some help starting it.

>94 DeltaQueen50: I'm a big fan of Dairy Queen and the ones that follow, Judy. I hope you enjoy D.J. and her adventures as much as I did.

Joe, I'm pretty sure that you are the one that originally recommended Dairy Queen to me! It's been on my radar for awhile now.

Hah! I can believe it, Judy. I'll be quiet now and let you read it. :-)

BOOK #1 OF THE JULY JUVENILE & YOUNG ADULT CHALLENGE


Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder
I've never read the Little House on the Prairie books. When I found three of them, including this one, at a neighborhood yard sale, I couldn't resist paying .10 for each.

While some who don't understand the appeal of YA works may scoff at this series, I found this book to be delightfully refreshing.

The beauty and charm lies in the simplicity of rural farm life in the 19th century. Written from the perspective of ten year old Almanzo Wilder, there is a rhythm and lyrical quality throughout.

Nothing earth scattering occurs, and unlike many YA books where there is a coming of age theme, this story veers off the path of that direction and instead, like a babbling brook, quietly pulls the reader into the tale of a young man with a solid, hard-working family who care about each other and do what has to be done to make a living.

Harkening back to a time when the items we now call necessities were not available, there were charming descriptions of soft candle light shining through the window on hard crusted icy snow, of sleigh rides to church, of one room school houses, of planting seeds by hand and of sheering sheep, dying wool and sewing clothes.

This week was a bear at work and each night I arrived home tired and stressed, this was exactly what I needed to read -- a wonderful tale that provided relaxation and smiles.

Recommended

(review and comments also posted on my thread)

#90 Joe, I'm not surprised. I couldn't find it via Amazon.ca, who have been posting that it hasn't yet been released for MONTHS now, when it's just not true since other merchants here have it. But because of that, other sellers are taking advantage. By the by, I just checked how much they were going for on Amazon.com, and as I had posted on my thread, it basically ended up costing me nearly that once I had to pay duty and taxes. Ouch!

#91 but, but...you told me it was OK to start in June (there being no June themed thread)....

Your message made me smile Marie. Of course it was fine to start in June! I should have specified that I wanted to make my book count toward TIOLI this month, that's all. I hope for the sake of English readers that it DOES get translated to English. Looking over Benjamin Lacombe's bibliography, I was surprised to find that several of his books are only available in one language, mostly in French or Spanish, but there is always hope.

I finished the book in the wee hours this morning (so it counts for July!) and took my sweet time poring over the illustrations of course. The large format really adds to the appeal I must say. I was disappointed that the book ended with several pencil illustrations (beautiful of course), with now final big colour illustration, which I had come to expect. But that's just me being greedy. I'm very much behind on my reviews, but when I get to this one I will post a link to it here (as will all other books relevant to this thread).

#101 Sounds lovely Linda. I'm especially glad this was such a comforting read for you.

#102> *sighs with relief* that you meant count for the TIOLI

I stopped at the library and picked up my holds after we went out to get a grill (finally! after being here almost 2 years!!). Now there is room to request July reads! I really wish my friends would get around to mailing my keytags back.

Linda, I'm so glad you enjoyed Farmer Boy. I've been meaning to reread those books for ages--maybe this will be the month!

>101 Whisper1: Linda, I loved reading about your experience with Farmer Boy and am glad to hear it's never too late to discover these books. I read them about a gazillion times as a child, and I'm four books into a re-read with my eight year old. I have loved going back to them.

I am not sure what I will be reading this month in this category but I love it, and have planty of options:

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (I am working on a complete series reread before I watch the final film)
Alanna by Tamora Pierce (responding to the repeated nagging of my daughter)
Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn (to continue the series)
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, Stuart Little, and The Wind in the Willows as bedtime read-alouds
(And all these fit the TIOLI children/YA fantasy challenge)

Thimble Summer by Elizabeth Enright
Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars
Blueberry Corners and/or Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
Sarah Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
(for various TIOLI challenges)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
(for TIOLI "reread a book you read before you were 21" challenge)

The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli
Hitty: Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor
(for the TIOLI Newbery challenge)

I will be beginning the month with Rick Riordan's Throne of Fire, the second book in the Kane Chronicles. I am hoping to finally get William Nicolson's The Wind Singer trilogy read this month as well. Not sure what else I will get to, but that is a start.

I just finished Rosebush by Michele Jaffe which was phenomenal. Beautiful prose, well-crafted and realistic characters, and a mystery that I did not figure out in advance. Will be giving it a formal review on my thread shortly, but if you don't feel like meandering that far, suffice it to say that I think everyone who likes YA should read this book.

I posted my goals for the month on my thread,

http://www.librarything.com/topic/117110

It will be 21 books, with the possibility of 10 more.

I do like seeing illustrations of book covers, so I'm starting to put them in on my thread (now that I've worked out how to get images into a post); it also helps me keep track of where I've posted my comments on a book.

>101 Whisper1: : I watched the 'Little House' series as a child, and then started borrowing the books from the library; but I didn't realise until I'd read a few of the books that the stories were based on Laura Ingalls Wilder's life. That gives it an extra dimension for me.

> 97 : To start a thread, just go to the 75 Book Challenge page (link at the top of this page) and create a new thread. Linking it to your challenge should get you off to a good start.

49. Eidi by Bodil Bredsdorff
Series: The Children of Crow Cove #2
Genre: middle grade fiction, Batchelder Award
Notes: 11 in 11 #8: Potential Read Alouds for the 5-8 crowd, 11 in 11 #7: New to Me Authors

Summary: Eidi feels somewhat displaced by her mother's new baby and decides that it is time to make her own way in the world.

Reaction: I put off reading this one because in the first book, Myna suffers so much cruelty. I need not have. Eidi experiences difficulties and overcomes them without the bleakness of the previous book. I look forward to the next one and would probably read this one aloud in a year or two.

Rating: 8

#109> I really like the book covers too and agree with you that it makes it easier to find one's notes on a book.

#108> nice list! I'm up to Battle of the Labyrinth myself in the Percy Jackson series and it's on my list for this month

I'm looking forward to reading the Little House books to my daughter in a few years. We've taken the picture books out of the library a few different times now and she likes them but does not care to have them read over and over.

#96> My daughter enjoyed listening to Love that Dog and Hate that Cat. I discovered them entirely by accident, looking for short audiobooks to play for her on a road trip, and it reminded us to pull out the poetry anthologies again and read from them.

Our family loved Love that Dog, and I didn't know about Hate that Cat.

I've started The Romeo and Juliet Code by Phoebe Stone; I'm hoping it's as good as a review I read says it is.

This morning I finished an ER called Luminous which would probably be better enjoyed by a teen than myself. I found it to be quite a mess and I felt disquieted the whole time I read it. Oh, well, can't win them all. My next read will be another ER called LIE. I hope it will be better.

I think I'm going to be re-reading a lot of Beatrix Potter's little books this month (first read around the age of 5-6, I guess). I mentioned Mrs Tiggy-Winkle on my own thread when discussing a recent visit of some hedgehogs to my garden, and having reminded myself of these delightful little books, I realised that I don't have my own copies of any of them, so I've started hunting them down on eBay.

So far I've acquired and read The Tale of Mr Tod; meanwhile The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Mrs Tiggy-Winkle and The Tailor of Gloucester are in the post on their way to me. I love both the illustrations (Potter's own watercolour paintings based on very detailed observation of real wildlife, even though they are dressed in human clothing, and her beautiful, precise prose in the telling of these short stories.

#105 That's a great list, and I see we'll have at least a couple of TIOLI matches.

#109 Aside from the fact that I'm very visual and like to see images break up all the "grey" of lots of text, I too use the cover images to signal book reviews among the rest of the chatter.

You've reminded me about the Little House on the Prairie books, which I started reading as a girl because I loved the television series so much. I'll have to add them to my collection here as I like to keep track of what I've read in the course of my life. Lots of holes to fill in!

#114 Thanks for posting these gorgeous illustrations. Beatrix Potter was such a wonderful artist.

I don't presently have any of her books, but I'll be on the lookout for a biography that features plenty of examples of her work. If anyone knows of such a book, which also happens to be well printed, I'm waiting for those book bullets!

I started listening to Black Beauty narrated by Simon Vance and am a good three quarters of the way through. I've come across various books told from a horse's point of view, mostly thanks to suggestions by Kerry (avatiakh), so I thought I'd start with that classic, and follow up with War Horse and I am the Great Horse. I'm enjoying Black Beauty for the classic that it is, but I find the extent of anthropomorphising in that story quite amazing, with Black Beauty seemingly able to understand human speech and reasoning, and have a wide range of all too human feelings. I'm fine with animals talking, as long as they do so among one another. I guess I'm still thinking too much like an adult. Give me a couple more books and I'll be much less critical no doubt! :-)

#115 I started reading a biography of her last year for my r.l. book group (by Linda Lear - Beatrix Potter: the extraordinary life of a Victorian genius, but didn't get very far with it - I can't remember if it had many illustrations, but I have a feeling if so it was mainly pictures of her and her family etc, not many reproductions of her work.

#116 Thanks for the suggestion, but yes, a good number of samples of her work is something that would be important to me. I guess what I'm looking for is a good quality art book featuring her work maybe, as those always contain biographical details as well.

#112> Hate That Cat is the sequel and is not quite as compelling as the first one but still enjoyable. We listened to both of them on audio and I was pleased that most of the poems mentioned in the text were included at the end. It's Love that Dog that she asks for again and again. I recently found a paperback copy at a library sale so she'll be able to read it herself in a year or so.

#114> Thank you for reminding me about Beatrix Potter, Genny. We've tried reading those to our daughter any number of times but many of them were too long. It's been several months since I tried though so I'll give it another shot.

G has petered out on Five Children and It. She says that it's OK but not what she wants to hear right now. When I asked her if she'd like me to try it again in a few months she agreed so I'll finish reading it myself for July. She wasn't in the mood for The Secret Garden either last night so we ended up starting Toy Dance Party. How she keeps multiple chapter books straight, I have no idea (her father started My Father's Dragon the night before last)

>115 Smiler69: : Don't forget that part of the impact of 'Black Beauty', telling the story from the viewpoint of horses, was that it was the first time that it really threw a spotlight on the appalling treatment of horses in Anna Sewell's day, and that led to greater public awareness of their plight. I suppose that humanising them was part of what created such empathy; it resulted in wide-sweeping changes such as better working conditions for horses, and possibly (but don't quote me) Acts of Parliament or the creation of the RSPCA - or at least something major along those lines.

Will be joining in, should help clear some of my TBR pile, although with some of the suggestions here already i may end up with a bigger pile. I'm starting with Harry Potter since I made a decision after watching the 1st movie not to read any of the books because I knew I'd end up being disappointed with the rest of the movies, as is usually the case. But now that the final movie is soon to be released, I can finally read the books.

I tried My Father's Dragon on my kids when they were little, and they weren't interested, unfortunately. Some old-timers worked with them, some didn't. They still give me flack about trying Beatrix Potter's Fairy Caravan on them. Of course, these were ones I got all caught up in as a kid. Oh well.

LIE by Caroline Bock is an ER I received and will be out in September. Short and fast-reading, it is about a hate crime in a Long Island town. Each chapter is told by a different character. The central character is a bright high school senior named Skylar who just recently lost her mother to cancer. This event made her even more susceptible to control by her boyfriend and her best friend's bossiness. Perfect teen drama.

My first entry for this month's Juvenile & YA reads is Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson. A very good, but short look at the Yellow Fever epidemic that struck Philadelphia in 1793.

I finished Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath which was a Newbery Honor Book in 2002. I enjoyed it a lot...a foodie book for kids! The recipes crack me up.

Sorry, no touchstones...I think it has something to do with IE9.

I finished The Lightning Thief and am starting The Sea of Monsters.

#119 I suspected there probably hadn't been many books advocating for animals before Black Beauty, but I didn't know this was the first to do so for horses. Your comment makes a lot of sense to me. Now that I'm almost finished with the book, I definitely see that cruelty to animals is a recurring theme and that the book has a strong message about the importance of humane treatment. Sometimes, I found it almost preachy (I should mention that improving lives of animals has always been important to me), but in light of what you've just said, that it was the first book to carry such a message, it makes perfect sense.

BOOK#2 for the July Juvenile and Young Adult Challenge:

Abel's Island by William Steig Review found here

Finished The Sea of Monsters and The Titan's Curse, books 2 and 3 for the challenge.

Black Beauty was one of my favourite childhood books. I haven't read it since then but came across that mention of it being the first to write about the treatment of horses when I was reading about At the back of the North Wind which features an old horse, Diamond, who the boy is named after.

I've finished my first two books: Cloaked by Alex Finn which is a mixed up retelling of several fairy tales set in the Miami and the Florida Keys and My sister lives on the mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher, quite a remarkable first novel. I have a couple to read today for the readathon: Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury and Midget by Tim Bowler. My choices are primarily governed by when the books are due back to the library.

My choices are primarily governed by when the books are due back to the library.

This sounds very familiar, though at the moment my library card is full of picture books and I'm actually running low on things to read. With luck there will be some interesting stuff to pick up on Tuesday.

BOOK #3 of the July Juvenile & Young Adult Challenge
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis



What a wonderful, wonderful book!

Went on a daytrip today and got two books read. Fire by Kristin Cashore, an excellent fantasy novel (and prequel to Graceling which is also good but not required reading to appreciate Fire) and That Summer by Sarah Dessen, which is very typical YA realistic fiction and Dessen's first novel.

I am plugging away at Drama High: Second Chance. I found it abandoned in a student's locker, so I brought it home to join the TBR Pile! What can I say, I am a sucker for a homeless book!

Highly recommended. Review found here

> Whisper1

Was Bud, Not Buddy for the Newbery Challenge? :)

Well, thanks to the 24 hour Readathon that ended an hour and a half ago, I have now finished the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series. I re-read book 1 on Sunday, books 2 and 3 yesterday, and then did my first time reads of books 4 and 5 today. I'm impressed!--Oh, at the series, not at my reading of them. I liked the first books better on the re-read and loved the way the series came together as a whole. That's five books down on my reading list (posted on my thread) and 2 books off the shelf!

The Maze Runner & The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

I would highly recommend these books to fans of the Hunger Games trilogy. Teens in trials even more devious than in that series but for reasons that are slow in being revealed to the participants as well as the reader. The second book continues seamlessly from the first. Unfortunately the third book isn't due out until October.

#136 Looks like you did very well with the readathon Roni! I just participated for a few hours, but it did help me cover some ground. I just added The Lightning Thief the first book of the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series to my WL based on your recommendation.

#137 The Maze Runner is already on my WL, I think it made it on there just before I decided to put a restriction on MORE series to tempt me since I've already got so many of them started or still waiting on my TBR.

***

Well, I just abandoned The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe today three quarters of the way through. I had the audiobook narrated by Michael York, and I don't know if it was his particular style that bugged me or what, but I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters and even though I had just one hour left to go (which is easily filled when much-needed tidying up the house) it just seemed like too much of a long slog to go through for me. I'm sorry about this, because I know this is a very popular book, but there you have it. Couldn't be bothered to finish it, even though it counted toward TIOLI, which is saying a lot.

On the other hand, I just took advantage of the latest Audible sale and got a couple of books that had been on my wishlist for quite some time: Watership Down and The Adventures of Huckelberry Finn, the former read by a narrator I already know and like (Ralph Cosham) and the latter performed by Elija Wood, which seems very promising. Both of which are eligible for TIOLI in more than one category and are re-reads from childhood.

Smiler, I wonder if you can resist my next offering.

The Hunchback Assignments has been on my library shelf for a while and I brought it home this summer since it really intrigued me. This is steampunk at its best. Taking place in Victorian London, the hero is a young hunchback named Modo (think Quasimodo) who has an amazing ability to change his features at will. I loved this book and have started its squel, The Dark Deeps.

Oooh, this is a great idea. I read varying amounts of YA throughout the year, but not as much as I used to, unfortunately, so this is a great incentive for me. I have a couple books I'm currently reading that I want to finish up, but after that I will try and focus on some YA books. Here's a few I want to read this month if I can (some are part of series or sequels):

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
I'd Tell You I'd Love You. But Then I'd Have To Kill You by Ally Carter
A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
Paper Towns by John Green
Need by Carrie Jones
Plague by Michael Grant
The Body Finder by Kimberly Detring

Usually when I make a list like this I don't stick to it, so I will probably end up reading hardly any of those and a bunch of others not on the list. I'm definitely going to do some YA reading no matter what though!

#139 Nice try! But I'm still holding my ground. ;-)

#140 Whatever you happen to read, we'll be happy to hear about it.

Book Four of the July YA challenge

Mountain Born by Elizabeth Yates
Review found here

Finished Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia by Brandon Sanderson yesterday. The third book in the Alcatraz series, there is yet more humour and adventure. And many references to librarians, as they're the villains. Those pesky Evil Librarians. :D

Another list for those looking for help picking books. The Young Reader's Choice Awards is organized by the Pacific Northwest Library Association. Kids, parents, librarians, and teachers submit recommendations for nominations to the committee. The committee comes up with a list of books for three age divisions and then kids read a minimum of three books from the list and vote for their favourite. This year I'm trying to read all the intermediate and advanced books. Here's the full list.

#139: I loved that first Hunchback Assignments book, I've got book 2 here at the moment and need to get to it. I also enjoyed The Death Collector by Justin Richards and have book 2 of that on hand as well....sigh...so many books.

I've finished Witch Hill by Marcus Sedgwick which was an Edgar Award nominee and suitably spooky, also finished Tim Bowler's Midget which was a terrific suspense filled read. I'm now being wowed by A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness and am making my way through Aidan Chambers' short story collection The Kissing Game.

I just finished The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness. Well-written and believable, but the content was just too horrible and depressing for me--a constant stream of bad things happening to good people who are helpless to do anything about it. I'm glad it's over.

Zoe

I'll skip that one.

I hope you won't regret it, Linda! Most people seem to love the series.

I loved The Ask and the Answer, Zoe, but I definitely know what you mean about it being too bleak and depressing. I've been waiting to finish the second book in the series for that same reason.

I finished Rick Riordan's The Throne of Fire, the second book in the Kane Chronicles and have now moved on to Kelley Armstrong's The Summoning.

I finished Elijah of Buxton, a Newbery Honor book, and am now reading the 4th book in the Ranger's Apprentice series, The Battle for Skandia.

I plan to read the YA bookNumber the Stars by Lois Lowry. It is Newberry Award Winner thatI"ve been curious to read. Right now I am reading a book for Orange July. I'll read Number the Stars next.

#131/134> Bud, Not Buddy is not one of the Newbery's that I have read. Adding it to the TBR list.

#136> I'm mildly jealous of your readathon ( I seldom get to read before the kids are in bed) but glad to know that the Percy Jackson series held up to re-reading and that you liked the way the series came together. Book 4 is on my list for this month and I've actually requested both a paper copy and the audiobook from the library as I suspect my kids might let me play it during the day.

#137> I haven't read those, but a few years ago I received an ER copy of The Journal of Curious Letters and I enjoyed it. He has apparently come out with 2 sequels since then and The Hunt for Dark Infinity is on my nightstand for reading this month

#138>I'm sorry that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was not to your taste, Ilana. I've never listened to it on audio but I read it as a child and reread it a few years ago when the movie came out. You remind me that I need to reread Voyage of the Dawn Treader and then re-watch the film.

#139> I'm not a particular fan of steampunk but I really loved The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Hunchback Assignments sounds interesting. OK...is anyone else disturbed that touchstones don't bring up the unabridged edition of Hugo's Hunchback even as a possibility and that Disney's version is the first one on the list?!

#140> My actual reading list often looks nothing like my planned reading list. Enjoy whatever you do read and do share what you think!

#144> In addition to the Readers Choice Awards, many states do some sort of young reader choice awards. Here is a list of many of those awards.

#146, 147> I'll be skipping that one too. I don't need my recreational reading to be depressing.

I've completed my second YA book for this month, Catherine Murdock's Dairy Queen was a well-written and realistic look at a fifteen year old's summer on a Wisconsin Dairy Farm. The very likeable heroine made this book an enjoyable read. (Thanks for the recommendation, Joe)

Finished Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver today. Although the protagonist was unsympathetic for roughly the first half of the novel, the concept kept me hanging in there and the novel as a whole was totally worth it. The main character, Sam, is killed in a car accident, and spends the next seven days reliving the day of her death over again. An excellent exploration of life, death, and the effect decisions have on ourselves and others.

I finished up The Summoning and am now moving on to The Wind Singer.

I thought Patrick Ness's A Monster Calls was totally terrific. I'm still mulling my reaction to it, it's about a boy coping with the encroaching death of his mother from cancer. Ness was asked to write this from the outline that Siobhan Dowd did before she died from cancer a few years ago. The mix of myth and illustration with the unfolding story makes this a sensational read.

I've also read a forgettable series book by Todd Strasser Mob Princess#1 as I'm looking for books on entrepreneurial children/teens. Also finished When the cat's away by Jackie Rutherford about teen siblings whose aunt fails to turn up to look after them when their parents take off for a month in Europe. This ended up being quite entertaining.

There is an online literature festival on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure this weekend with lots of YA and children's writers blogging every 30 minutes with tips, insights, book news and giveaways.

I finished books 4 and 5 of the Ranger's Apprentice series. Good, solid adventure fantasy series, but book 5 ended in the middle of the story, so I've had to order book 6 from the library. My next two books, books 8 and 9 of Diane Duane's So You Want to be a Wizard series, are real chunksters. Wizards at War weighs in at 552 pages and A Wizard of Mars at 549 pages.

So far in July I've read Behemoth, the second in Scott Westerfeld's steampunk series. I actually enjoyed it a lot more than the first one, probably because my expectations were lower this time. I also read The Real Thief by William Steig, one of my favorite ever children's authors. His stories are always delightfully told and the illustrations make them even better. This one was no exception.

I'm helping with children's camps this summer and this week was a Willy Wonka drama workshop - so, of course, what else could I do but dig out my copy of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? I'm nearly done with it now. Roald Dahl is just as good as ever.

I finished reading The Sleeping Beauty last night which I enjoyed though I think of it as straight fantasy rather than YA, then I read Tales from Outer Suburbia. I thought it was quirky and fun though not as stunning as The Arrival. Then I fell asleep reading Princess of the Midnight Ball. I hadn't planned to read another fairy tale retelling immediately, but that is what called out from the stack so...

#160 I agree that Tales from Outer Suburbia doesn't come close to The Arrival (but then, what does?) though I did find that Lost & Found, with it's three strong short stories held it's own.

I reviewed Blanche Neige (with more gorgeous images from the book), Black Beauty and The Tale of Despereaux on my thread yesterday, if anyone's interested.

Also finished The Hundred Dresses, a Newbery Honour book suggested by Linda (Whisper1) last night, and thought it was really great.

I will probably interlibrary loan Lost & Found at some point, but I have plenty to read right now. Off to go see what you thought of The Tale of Despereaux. My experiences with DiCamillo are a little like my experiences with Cornelia Funke - I like the concept and I like the books, but not as much as I hope I will. The Hundred Dresses gets suggested as a K/1st grade readaloud so I really must get around to pre-reading it.

Tale of Despereaux was the second DiCamillo book for me, the first being The Magician's Elephant and while I liked that one (even loved it, judging by my 4 star rating), I thought I'd enjoy it even more, just as you say.

***
Here's a Public Announcement: 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'll pass. Watership Down is NOT a children's book, imo, despite its animal population. It's been a long time since I read it, but it was a little too violent for me. I'll be really interested in seeing everyone's comments on it, though, to see if it was just me.

Roni, several of us were having a discussion about Watership Down over on my thread, which is how Jim ended up suggesting a group read. I saw the movie version as a child and was shocked by the violence, but I think it carried a message that spoke to me too (though I can't remember what that was more than 30 years later). On the group read thread, I just learned that Richard Adams apparently wrote the book after making up that story and telling it to his two daughters on a long car trip, and his girls then insisted he put it in writing, which he did in 18 months!

Everyone has different opinions about it and some people said they thought it was too violent for them too, so you are definitely not alone.

Message #155. This book sounds similiar to one I read a few months ago. The title of that one is If I stay

BOOK#5 of the July Juvenile and Young Adult Challenge

The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss

I started reading War Horse maybe 90 minutes ago and had to force myself to put it down just now as I need to take out Coco before getting to bed. It's absolutely gripping, and I'm glad I read Black Beauty first, because it gave me some background as well as something to compare it to. Not that that is necessary, but just the same.

I started Magyk last night. So far so good!

I also do not consider Watership Down to be a children's book, though I was in middle school when I first read it. It remains one of my all time favorite books, however.

Yesterday was good for reading. I finished Princess of the Midnight Ball (review to follows). This morning I started listening to Out of the Dust which is #2 on the ranked Newbery list as well as #76 on Betsy Bird's Top 100 Children's Novels Poll. It moved up my TBR list after reading Matt Phelan's stunning graphic novel The Storm in the Barn. Unfortunately when my daughter (age 5) got up she asked me to turn it off because it was 'disturbing her reading Owly: A Time to be Brave.

52. Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George
Genre: fantasy, fairy tale retellings
Notes: 11 in 11 #7: New to Me Authors

Summary: Retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale set in a fictional Germanic country.

Reaction: A relatively straightforward retelling of the tale. I wish it had been a little longer with more character exploration. At one point the eldest daughter comments on how suitors never bother getting the younger princesses straight, but the author herself does not spend enough time for the reader to get to know them. Still, I will probably read the sequel, Princess of Glass at some point.

Rating: 7

War Horse looks intersting, Ilana. Onto the TBR list it goes!

I have a serious book crush on my last YA read! World of Pies by Karen Stolz was (pardon the pun) delicious! A coming-of-age story set in the 1960's, I felt such a personal connection to the main character, Roxanne as these were my coming-of-age years as well. A really good read.

Out of the Dust is one of my favorite Newbery books!

#172 I just couldn't resist, and HAD to finish War Horse last night. Shed tears towards the end too because it was so touching. Great story and characters that are very easy to get attached to. I'm keeping this one, as I'm sure I'll want to read it again at least once more in future.

adding War Horse to the tbr pile!

#176 Then my job is done. :-)

Now, what am I going to have left to say about it in my review?!

There are such great recommendations for YA books. Cannot wait to get to the Library.

Finished Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr today. Zarr is one of my favourite YA authors and I was once again thoroughly blown away by her writing. The main character of the novel is a pastor's kid dealing with issues of doubt, faith, and the personal and town dramas that ensue over the course of the book. Not Christian fiction, but issues of faith are a major theme. Beautifully written and highly recommended.

I started listening to Out of the Dust yesterday morning, but small children are distracting so I ended up starting over last night and reading the paper copy. Wow. I can see why Whisper1 says it is a favorite Newbery book - it's certainly one of the best books I have read this year.

Interesting re whether or not Watership Down is a children's book. I certainly first read it when I was about 10, and was gripped by it. I lent my copy of Watership down to someone a few years later, and never got it back, so I have not re-read it. I'm going to check out the group discussion, though I don't know if I'll have time to re-read it. (Adam's other novels Shardik and The Girl in a Swing are definitely not written for children.)

#174 & 180 I've added Out of the Dust to the wishlist since I'm pretty sure I'd enjoy that one too.

Linda, have you read The Music of Dolphins too by any chance? I read the book description and the story quite appeals to me.

I also want to read Out of the Dust. Not sure if I can get to it this month, though. I did finish Everything on a Waffle, my second children's book by Polly Horvath, and I thought it was rather enjoyable with an interesting, main character with an affinity for dry humor.

Out of the Dust is a very fast read. Since it is free verse poetry, it's actually not very text dense despite the page count. I will definitely look for more Hesse though she seems to have a penchant for tackling heart wrenching topics and I'll probably need space between her books.

Message #180

I highly recommend Letters from Rifka.

#185> Recommendation noted. Thank you.

BOOK #6 of the Juvenile & Young Adult challenge

After The Rain by Norma Fox Mazer

#182: Ilana - I've read and enjoyed The Music of Dolphins and recommend her Aleutian Sparrow and Stowaway. Like Morpurgo, most of her work is worth reading at some stage.
I'm currently reading Marcus Sedgwick's White Crow, I have him listed in Darryl's 'hot' writer TIOLI challenge and I'm also reading No and Me.

Just blitzed my way through the fourth book in the Alcatraz series by Brandon Sanderson, Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens. Still amusing although this one was bit darker as Alcatraz matures and deals with some more serious repercussions to his actions. My favourite aspects of these books continue to be the jokes about librarians. I am always excited by any reference to librarians. Professional hazard I guess.

Avatiakh - You might also read Sedgewick's Revolver. It took place during the Alaska gold rush. I found it riveting.

I am reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, would you believe it, for the first time ever. I like it so far.

BOOK #7 of the July challenge

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

Kerri.

I loved No and Me!!!

#190: mamzel - I read Revolver when it first came out - I agree, it's very good. I'm looking forward to his next book Midwinter Blood.
#193: Linda - I'm at the halfway point and really enjoying No and Me. Have you read Kate Seredy's books which are set in Hungary yet?

The Wind in the Willows really took a most unexpected turn for me today. I thought I was familiar with this story, and that it was a quiet pastoral affair with lovely little animals cavorting about and then WHAM! It was quite a shock I must say. I never thought this innocent book would shake me up so much...

I started The Hunchback Assignments last night.

I am reading Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd right. It is set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

I just finished The Devil's Paintbox by Victoria McKernan. I loved the first half of this book, but then the story abruptly changed and I wasn't so taken with the second half of the book. There was such a dark tone to the story that I had a hard time seeing it as a YA read.

Kerry
I haven't read the Kate Seredy books set in Hungary. Thanks for pointing me in this direction. My TBR pile is filled with your recommendations.

Well, I have now finished both Wizards at War and The Wizard of Mars, the latest in the So You Want to Be a Wizard series, at over 500 pages each. I think I'll read my library book next.

Finished The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks today. A really fun and different take on vampire mythology, set in Australia. Recommended for those who do and those who don't like typical vampire fare. :)

I finished The Wind in the Willows last night and moved on to The Amber Spy Glass, both for TIOLI challenge #17: Read a fantasy book for Juvenile and Young Adult month. They are also both taken from my own TBR pile, to which I'm trying to give priority, even though I have a huge and ever-growing pile of great loaners from the library.

Have a bunch more waiting for me there now, several of which are illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe.

I am reading The Mysterious Benedict Society at present. I also have a couple of the follow up books home from the library and will be reading them shortly.

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing arrived today, I have started it and was able to read the first 50 pages. I am reading 2 other books so I should finished by Sunday.

#199: Linda - I've read The Good Master and am fairly sure I read the sequel. I have The White Stag on my tbr but buried under a pile of other worthy children's books. They provided a great introduction to rural life in early 20th century Hungary.

While I'm fully immersed in Juvenile July, I'm also wondering what our next themed month is, do we have a list of upcoming themes anywhere?

Currently reading The Dark Deeps Hunchback Assignments bk 2 as it was due back to the library a couple of days ago, at least children's books don't attract a fine.

BOOK #8 of the July Juvenile & Young Adult Challenge

The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox


Review found here

Highly recommended!

Book #11 of the July Juvenile and Young Adult Challenge

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

#192 Whisper I read My Side of the Mountain several times when I was in intermediate (about 11 - 12 years old) the survival skills fascinated me and a loved the idea of being independent of adults. I also read the Hatchet series by Gary Paulsen which has the same theme. Did you like it?

I finished Le petit chaperon rouge, which is based on the 17th century Charles Perrault version of Little Red Riding Hood (as opposed to the Brothers Grimm, which came in the 19th century), as told and illustrated by Benjamin Lacombe for the Children's/YA fantasy challenge. As Lacombe books go, I can't say it's my favourite as the illustration style is very good (of course), but not in the same league as his approach in Blanche Neige, from which I had posted several images on my previous thread, as some of you have seen.

Now I'm off to take in more Lacombe books from my recent sweep at the library!

#205 While I'm fully immersed in Juvenile July, I'm also wondering what our next themed month is, do we have a list of upcoming themes anywhere?

Kerry, if there is a list, or suggestions for upcoming themes, I'm not aware of any. Mostly I think the themes have just come up organically with someone suggesting something (often on the current theme's thread) and then if there is enough interest, then someone starts up a thread for the next month's theme... and that's it!

I know I will continue on with Children's/YA in July if only because I've borrowed so many awesome books in those genres from the library, that I can't possibly get through them all in the next couple of weeks and there is no way I'm returning them unread.

If anyone has suggestions, then by all means post them here! (polls are helpful)

I thought possibly of "Art in August" as a general theme, since I have so many books related to that theme that I could spend at least a month on.

The question has also come up about whether it might be a good idea to have a "Monthly Themes Main Thread".Here is the thread by popular demand: http://www.librarything.com/topic/120644

I'm reading Graceling and really enjoying it. It might have ranked alongside my favorite YA fantasy books - Tamora Pierce's Tortall books, and of course Harry Potter - had I read it when I was thirteen.

#211: I was thinking of doing a 'Nonfiction November' myself :)

scifi september?

Detective December?

Diary December?

Deadline December - in which we all read the shortest books possible in order to reach the 75 book mark for the year :)

LOL, yep!

Finished The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes. What a lovely little book. Should be required reading to prevent bullying.

I finished The Astonishing Life Of Octavian Nothing moments ago. It was a pleasant surprise, well befitting my 75th book of the year. I am ready to order Volume 2.

>216 alcottacre: That Deadline December will fit a lot of Christmas books for those who enjoy reading those around the holidays.

Stasia - you are so sweet! And funny!

I finished The Dark Deeps which is the second book in the Hunchback Assignments series. More characters are introduced and it is starting to look almost like a junior League of Extraordinary Gentlemen forming. Modo is still an interesting character and this book takes us out on the ocean and at the bottom of the ocean. Fun! I will definitely be looking for more of this series.

I will be taking up The Throne of Fire and picking up where I left off a couple of months ago. I'm a little annoyed by the 'conversation' style between the siblings, a convention that must appeal more to the target audience than it does to me. I do love the Egyptian mythology, though.

I am going to dedicate my September to Series and Sequels. This can be any genre from mystery to fantasy or whatever, anyone who wants to catch up or even start on a series. I have talked to a few people about it and at this point will be posting a thread for it in late August. Anyone interested - let me know and I will get back to you with a link.

I really like the idea of Non-fiction November and Dead-line December.

#221: I am reading The Hunchback Assignments now and enjoying it. Good to hear that the second book is a good one too!

#222: I am interesting in joining in, Judy.

I ditched The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Although I've heard tons of raves for it, the style didn't really suit my tastes and knowing that the series as a whole is quite dark I'm just going to skip it. For those who are curious, the phonetic spelling of some words was one of the major factors in my decision to drop it. Too irritating for me.

#221: mamzel, I also just finished The Dark Deeps and thought it was good.

I'm reading from several books, mostly library books, at present for this theme. Ursula Dubosarsky's The Game of the Goose, The Bad Karma Diaries, The Tygrine Cat, and Naomi Mitchison's Travel Light.

I've put up a Monthly Themes Main Thread http://www.librarything.com/topic/120644

I'm happy to go withe Series & Sequels; I'm sure I'll have several reads that will fit in. And I'm sure I'll need Deadline December; 'nuff said (sorry Micky).

Just finished The Castle of Llyr by Lloyd Alexander, and will review it soon.

>224 MickyFine: I'm sorry you didn't like The Knife of Never Letting Go, although in a way I'm also glad to hear that I wasn't alone (but it was the dark sequel that was more of an issue for me; I did manage to get used to the spellings eventually).

So far I've read the following young adult/children's books this month:

My Swordhand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick
Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
The Blue Hawk by Peter Dickinson
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum by Mary Hooper
Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

Hopefully I will get through a few more in the next two weeks.

I've really been enjoying Juvenile and Young Adult July! What a great excuse to revisit some of my very favorite books.

So far I've read out loud to my daughter:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Stuart Little by E.B. White

We will be moving on to either The Wind and the Willows or The Wind Boy tonight.

and to myself (I admit these are all rereads)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
The Door in the Wall by Madeleine L'Engle
Blueberry Corners by Lois Lenski
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Look Through My Window by Jean Little

I'm currently rereading Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell and hope to start Alanna by Tamora Pierce (which would be the first new-to-me book in this category).

Other books I still hope to get to are: River Secrets by Shannon Hale, Grass for his Pillow by Lian Hearn, and rereads of Little Women and The Dark is Rising

(I love the idea of Series and Sequels month!)

I started listening to the absolutely delightful The Cat in the Hat and Other Dr. Seuss Favorites audiobook. It's narrated by a bevy of wonderful actors. Dr. Seuss definitely knew how to write for children big and small and hearing him now as an adult, I can recognize where some of my deepest held beliefs about right and wrong, fairness and equality, animal advocacy and even democracy were first put into words. If anyone has ever come across interesting articles about Dr. Seuss' writing on the net, I'd be interest to read them.

I just wrapped up Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson. It was amusing and a light read. Now what challenge shouild I put it? It could go in either the New Release Challenge or the Directions Challenge.

I'm stopping by to say how very much I enjoy this thread.

I just completed a YA puzzler called As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway, I had high hopes for this one, and it started off well, but it descended into a well of teenage angst that I just couldn't relate to. I also found the characters to be rather flat.

Read the children's classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the first time. My review is here,

http://www.librarything.com/review/74281858

Next stop another children's classic, Anne of the Green Gables.

I've finished Andre Norton's delightful Octagon Magic and a lightweight YA, Will work for prom dress, and have now picked up Eleanor Updale's Johnny Swanson.

I finished the melancholy Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd which is a coming of age story about a boy in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. And I am about halfway through The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall, an upbeat, fun story about a family with four girls vacationing at a cottage located on the grounds of a large estate.

I just reviewed another stunning Benjamin Lacombe project called Le carnet rouge (The Red Notebook). This time he is the story writer and the magnificent illustrations are by Agata Kawa. It's a speculative (though well-researched) story about William Morris's experiences as a young man when he discovered his passion for drawing and writing poetry.

This one is also in French, but I've just sent Lacombe an email telling him he's got many English-speaking fans who would like nothing better than to see his books published in English!

Oh, I LOVE Octagon Magic, Kerry. It's my favorite of all her "Magic" books, with Dragon Magic right behind.

Finished books 12 and 13 for the challenge, Willie Bea and the Time the Martians Landed by Virginia Hamilton and the 6th book in the Ranger's Apprentice series, The Siege of Macindaw. Now I have to read a non-YA book for my book group tomorrow night, Except the Queen. And I just got back from seeing the Harry Potter movie, so all I really want to do is pull out HP & the Deathly Hallows and gobble it down again.

Roni - I don't think I've read any of Norton's other books but this made me an instant fan and I just have to read some more "Magic" books. Her Witch Word books look interesting too.

I grew up on Norton, Kerry--well, from adolescence on, when I had access to the high school library that had some of her books along with Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, and Heinlein. The Magic books are different from most of her books--they are deliberately aimed at children and have children learning about themselves in a quest type of situation. They were hard to find for quite a while, but were reprinted not too long ago. Check my library for Andre Norton titles--I only have about 120 of them. Some of her oldest stuff is somewhat dated (cold war themes and mentality) and don't necessarily hold up today, but her stories always had the underdog striving for recognition and a focus on human worth that wasn't always there back in that time.

I thought I'd stick with her fantasy stuff to start with and, wow, 120 titles in your library! I don't think I even come close to that with my Margaret Mahy collection.

I finished listening to the Roald Dahl Audio CD Collection, performed by the author. There was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Enormous Crocodile and The Magic Finger. The stories were all abridged, which is something I usually avoid like the plague, but I made an exception since Dahl himself edited the stories to the abridged versions, so I thought that might be acceptable.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was most satisfying, since I clearly remembered how much I enjoyed reading it for the first time when I was maybe 9 or so and the magic was not lost this time either. For some reason, the movie with Depp completely failed to captivate me. The part about the golden ticket has always been one of my favourites for some reason. No wonder I keep playing the lottery!

The movie with Johnny Depp was downright creepy and weird.

I thought so too Linda. It's been a long time since I saw it so I've mostly forgotten it. I might have even gone to the cinema to see it, but all I know is I was NOT impressed.

You might want to swing by to have a look at my latest review Linda, it's another Lacombe project, about... William Morris!

eta: and did I mention I wrote him an email today telling him he's got MANY English-speaking fans and he MUST publish his books in English? I did, I did!

I finished up Arthur Slade's The Hunchback Assignments earlier today.

I admire Tim Barton's works. His collaborations with Johnny Depp always entertain me (Corpse Bride being my favourite). I like Burton's vision.

Dahl, on the other hand, I find had quite a disturbing way of looking at things. Has anyone here read his short story The Way Up to Heaven? Pretty disturbing, if you ask me. Also, there is apparently a lost chapter of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in which a child gets ground to a powder. It was later excised from the book for being too gruesome for young children.

Finished Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock. What a nice summer read.

Started Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan.

Eleanor Updale's Johnny Swanson was a surprisingly good read, a historical mystery set in 1929. I read it straight through and finished the last few pages this morning. Since then, a visit to the library, saw me picking up a verse novel by Margarita Engle, The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba. I read and enjoyed her Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba last year.
I'm also reading The Travelling Restaurant: Jasper's voyage in three parts by Barbara Else, it's a magical adventure in a land where magic has been banned since 'The Great Accident'. I've also picked up The Mitochondrial Curiosities of Marcels 0-19 a YA novel by Jocelyn Brown that appears to be about a treasure hunt in Edmonton and crafty sock puppets.

Read so far:
Everlasting -Alyson Noel
Radiant Shadows -Melissa Marr
Darkest Mercy -Melissa Marr
Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone

Enjoyed all 4 books, esp the Harry Potter and also finished 2 series in the process.
Next up is Passion -Lauren Kate and the next Harry Potter

Finished The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade today. Found it to be a bit of a mediocre read in need of either greater character depth or a tighter plot to make it more suspenseful. Probably won't be picking up the other books in the series.

I've been reading through Neil Gaiman books this month. American Gods was certainly NOT juvenile, but Coraline was a great story of a girl's exploration of her mixed feelings about her family, and Stardust was lovely (and a little deeper and less shiny than the movie, which I found satisfying). I read The Graveyard Book last year, too, and in my opinion it deserved every award it got.

One of my favorite poems, about children and fairy tales, is by Neil Gaiman, too: originally published in Black Heart, Ivory Bones.