Celebrate Teen Lit Day with 10 Strong Female Leads
Today marks the very first Support Teen Literature Day, a part of YALSA/ALA’s National Library Week. So how can you support teen literature? By reading teen books, of course! Over the next few days I’ll be posting some great YA titles with appeal for teens and adults alike. To kick off, here are 10 excellent reads with strong female protagonists–some fun, some thought-provoking–released over the 2009-2010 season. Thanks to the Harvard Coop & NESCBWI list for the picks! Want...
Read MoreYA Fiction: 10 Graphic Novels You Wish You’d Read Sooner
Once upon a time, graphic novels were “those things my dorky kid brother reads”. Over the past few years, though, graphic novels have come into their own, and popular titles are being adapted to the format in an effort to reach a broader audience (or sell more books to collectors, *ahem* Twilight *ahem*). Here are a few great reads you may’ve missed the first time around. Want the whole list? Download a PDF, here; get just the titles, here. * book may be hard to find ** best for older...
Read MoreHolidays: 8 Books to Celebrate Easter
Chocolates, Easter egg hunts and new clothes, oh my! Tomorrow is Easter Sunday–here are 8 books filled with chocolaty goodness to learn about the holiday, the Easter Bunny, and the importance of family. My personal favorite? The 1939 classic, “The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes”. Want the whole list? Get a PDF here, or just the titles, here. *Book may be hard to find 1. AN EASTER CELEBRATION: TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD, Pamela Kennedy An introduction to the...
Read MoreHolidays: 8 Picture Books to Celebrate Passover
Today is the third day of the Jewish Holiday, Passover. Here are eight books – one for each night – that discuss different aspects of the holiday, from fitting everyone around the table (Only Nine Chairs) to hosting a Seder during the Holocaust (The Secret Seder). Want the whole list? Download a PDF, or just grab the titles. Come back tomorrow for my Easter picture book picks! *Book may be hard to find 1. THE FOUR QUESTIONS, Ori Sherman and Lynne Sharon Schwartz Why is this book...
Read MoreYA Fiction: 11 Novels To Get You Over St. Patrick’s Day
Still recovering from hitting the Irish coffee too hard on St. Patrick’s Day? These gems, set in Ireland, steeped in Irish folklore, or written by a few great Irish YA novelists, will help you get back on track. Download the list here; get just the titles here. 1. NOTES FROM A SPINNING PLANET–IRELAND, (series), Melody Carlson Affectionately teased as a “country bumpkin,” nineteen year-old Maddie has never been one to explore new territory. Her first trip outside of the country with...
Read MoreYA Fiction: 11 Cyberpunk Novels You Need to Read
Never heard of cyberpunk? It’s a subgenre of science fiction, a blending of “high tech” and “low life”. Although it’s not hot right now, cyberpunk and dystopias have a lot in common (think The Hunger Games, or Kaimira: Sky Village). But where dystopias are more general (what if the government took control? what if a plague wiped out half the population?), cyberpunk plays with scientific what-ifs in the context of a greater dystopic world. And although not specifically geared toward...
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