Possible Newbery Medal Winners?

Librarians from around the area have chosen these 30 books as the top contenders to win the 2013 Newbery Medal for best in children's literature. Read and decide yourself!

The One and Only Ivan
by Katherine Applegate
Here Come the Girl Scouts!: the Amazing All-True Story of Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low and Her Great Adventure
by Shana Corey

Dumpling Days
by Grace Lin

Jake & Lily
by Jerry Spinelli

No Crystal Stair
by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Mighty Miss Malone
by Christopher Paul Curtis

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: the Story Behind an American Friendship
by Russell Freedman

Kindred Souls
by Patricia MacLachlan

Liar & Spy
by Rebecca Stead

The Brixen Witch
by Stacy DeKeyser

Olivia Bean, Trivia Queen
by Donna Gephart

Moonbird: A Year on the Wind with the Great Survivor B95
by Phillip Hoose

Twelve Kinds of Ice
by Ellen Bryan Obed

The Boy on Cinnamon Street
by Phoebe Stone

Remarkable
by Lizzie Foley

Letters to Leo by Amy Hest

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster

by Deborah Hopkinson

Wonder
by R.J. Palacio

Three Times Lucky
by Sheila Turnage

The Great Unexpected
by Sharon Creech


Mr. and Mrs. Bunny—Detectives Extraordinaire
by Polly Horvath

We’ve Got a Job: the 1963 Birmingham Children’s March
by Cynthia Levinson

Summer of the Gypsy Moths
by Sara Pennypacker

Crow
by Barbara Wright

Year of the Book
by Andrea Cheng

The Amazing Adventures of John Smith, Jr., aka Houdini
by Peter Johnson

Stay: the True Story of Ten Dogs
by Michaela Muntean

Splendors and Glooms
by Laura Amy Schlitz

May B
by Caroline Starr Rose

Who Could That Be At This Hour?
by Lemony Snicket

New Series by Erin Hunter! Love the Warriors Series?

The time has come for dogs to rule the wild!

Here is a review from Kirkus Reviews:
In this dog-themed series opener from the team behind the Warriors franchise, dogs must learn to face not only the results of the devastating earthquake that has turned their world upside down, but their own feelings of loyalty and independence.
With the earth swelling beneath them and their cages twisting around them, the dogs in the shelter are trapped and frightened. Familiar with the legend of the "Big Growl," Lucky is able to quickly piece together what has happened. He and another dog, Sweet, manage to escape, only to find themselves in the middle of a city in ruin. With the humans ("longpaws") gone, it is up to Lucky to try to find food and shelter. He is quickly joined by other dogs who are desperately hungry and unprepared for their new world. Lucky is a reluctant leader, eager for a life of solitude, but he feels a kinship and responsibility for this new pack. Weaving together the horrific yet all-too-familiar scenes of natural disaster with the mythical legends of the dogs, Hunter expertly explores the tensions between responsibility and freedom; risk and safety; and loyalty and acceptance. Viewing the unfolding adventure through Lucky’s eyes makes even the most mundane or familiar seem alive with magic.

So, I haven't read this one, but I know how wildy popular the Warriors books are for boys and girls. So, I wanted to point out the new series available!

Here is a link to the website where there is so much information and fun stuff about the author, books and more!

http://survivors.warriorcats.com/survivors/

Guy Reads

As I was cataloging new books, I noticed this one. This is the third book in the Guys Read series.

Jon Scieszka is a well known author and he founded Guys Read to encourage a passion for reading among young boys, with the philosophy that boys love to read most when they are reading things they love. (Well, actually everyone feels that way, really :)

It is tough to keep boys reading through middle school and high school. There are a lot of books and studies devoted to this issue. At public libraries, we see a significant drop in the number of boys attending programs or participating in summer reading after about 5th grade. Connecting boys with books seems to be a challenge. So, I understand his motivation. I have not read one of these yet, but they are written by some of the best known "boy" authors. Hopefully, they will have a magic formula! Put one of these in your son's hands today!

Grave Mercy: His Fair Assassin Book 1 by Robin LaFevers -YA

I loved this book! What a fantastic read! I read it straight through one night and I was terribly tired the next day for work! It had everything I love- action and adventure, battle with horses, swords, arrows and a little bit of intrigue and suspense. Yes, there is a little bit of romance too.


Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.
Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make.

Can't wait for the next one!

Crown of Embers by Rae Carson- YA

This is the second book in the Girl of Fire and Thorns series. I really enjoyed it. I think I liked it better than the first one. Here's a summary:Elisa is a hero. She led her people to victory over a terrifying, sorcerous army.

Her place as the country's ruler should be secure. But it isn't.
Her enemies come at her like ghosts in a dream, from both foreign realms and within her own court. And her destiny as the chosen one has not yet been fulfilled.
To conquer the power she bears once and for all, Elisa must follow the trail of long-forgotten--and forbidden--clues from the deep, undiscovered catacombs of her own city to the treacherous seas. With her goes a one-eyed spy, a traitor, and the man who--despite everything--she is falling in love with.

So, in the first book, at sixteen, she was married off to a stranger from a strange land to fulfill her duty. She was full of doubt about her looks, her life, her husband, her duty, etc. But because of a special power she possesses, she was able to save her newly adopted county. This book picks up where the other one ended. Now, she is queen at seventeen and needs to rule this new country still under threat.

 

There's a lot of intrigue and action and just the right amount of romance. Great read!