STARTED:
Marcus, Leonard S. (2012). Show me a story!:  Why picture books matter: Conversations with 21 of the world's most celebrated illustrators. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[I've gotten QUITE stalled on Redwall #18 - it's just not flying with me right now so I thought I'd move on to something that I KNEW would compel me...]

*

FINISHED:
Gantos, Jack. (2011). Dead end in Norvelt. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux. 

[.]

STARTED:
Jacques, Brian. (2005). High Rhulain. New York: Philomel/Penguin.

[I've been WAY overdue for another Redwall book (#18?)...]

*

FINISHED:
Beil, Michael D. (2012). Summer at Forsaken Lake. New York: Knopf.

Twelve-year old Nicholas, and his younger twin sisters, travel from New York City to spend the summer on a lake in rural Ohio with their Uncle Nick.  Thus begins a summer of discovery and growth for Nicholas including learning to sail, restoring an old boat, discovering the joys of reading (and classic titles, to boot!), and a mystery involving an accident that occurred while Nicholas’s father was trying to make a short film (“The Seaweed Strangler”) when he was Nicholas’s age.  Nicholas makes a friend (and more?) in Charlie, a strong girl who can strikeout any boy with her amazing pitching arm, and his uncle teaches him to ride a bike by having him ride alongside a barn with one hand brushing against the side for stability.  This, and letting Nicholas take a boat out on the lake alone, go miles in building Nicholas’s confidence and teaching him to be an independent adult – especially since Nicholas rarely sees his father, as his dad travels around the world with “Doctors Without Borders”.  Michael D. Beil, author of the Red Blazer Girls series (Knopf/Random House, 2009) (LOVE them!) has written one of those “summer coming-of-age” stories with vivid characters and setting that should appeal to BOTH boys and girls.]

STARTED:
Gantos, Jack. (2011). Dead end in Norvelt. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.

[ALA is coming up and I'm going to the Newbery/Caldecott banquet so I thought I ought to read last year's winner...]

*

FINISHED:
Durbin, Frederic S. (2012). The star shard. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

[.]

STARTED:

Beil, Michael D. (2012). Summer at Forsaken Lake. New York: Knopf.

[By the author of the Red Blazer Girls!]

*

FINISHED:
DiTerlizzi, Tony. (2012). A hero for WondLa. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[.]


STARTED:
Durbin, Frederic S. (2012). The star shard. New York: Houghton Mifflin.

[Reading for ACL Distinguished...]

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FINISHED: 

Losure, Mary. (2012). The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.
 [.]

STARTED:
DiTerlizzi, Tony. (2012). A hero for WondLa. New York: Simon & Schuster.

[The first in the series was my favorite book of 2010.  Been anticipating the followup for awhile!]

*

FINISHED:
Steward, Trenton Lee. (2012). The extraordinary education of Nicholas Benedict. New York: Little Brown.


[.]

STARTED:
Losure, Mary. (2012). The Fairy Ring: Or Elsie and Frances Fool the World. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
McMann, Lisa. (2011). The Unwanteds. New York: Aladdin.

[The society of Quill sorts 13-year olds into three categories each year:  the Wanteds (who are valued), the Necessaries (who'll be put to work), and the Unwanteds... who are punished for their creative urges by being put to death.  While Alex's twin, Aaron, is labelled a "Wanted" and goes to work for the oppressive government, Alex himself, because he once drew a house in the mud, is an Unwanted.  What Alex and the other Unwanteds don't know, however, is that being labelled an Unwanted isn't quite the sentence to death that they thought they were in for.  In fact, though the government of Quill isn't aware of this, the Unwanteds are brought to a magical, colorful place run by Mr. Today, where they will hone their creativity and learn to fight in anticipation of the day when they are discovered by Quill.  I'd say that the blurb on the cover which describes this as "Hunger Games meets Harry Potter" is actually pretty apropos.  Though hardly a substitute for either, I found this one to be SUPER compelling and quite fun.  Granted, the action moves a bit quickly and there really isn't time for much character development or relationship building (Alex does find a Hermione/Ron-ish group of pals), but the premise is intriguing and you've got me any time a major plot point revolves around a restrictive government that is called into question.  A VALUABLE lesson for the youth of today!]

STARTED:
Steward, Trenton Lee. (2012). The extraordinary education of Nicholas Benedict. New York: Little Brown.

[.]

*

FINISHED:
Dumon Tak, Bibi. [Laura Watkinson, translator] (2011). Soldier bear. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans.

[Interesting (true!) story about a group of soldiers in WWII who took in a bear as their mascot, but was then made an honorary soldier because of the theraputic nature of the bear to the soldiers.  Great story, but I found the writing (maybe it's a translation issue?) to be kind of stilted and plodding.]

STARTED:
McMann, Lisa. (2011). The Unwanteds. New York: Aladdin.

[It's touted as "Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games"...  Who WOULDN'T want to read this one?!?]

*

FINISHED:
Lawrence, Caroline. (2012). The Case of the Deadly Desperados: Western Mysteries, Book One. New York: Putnam.

[ P.K. Pinkerton, a 12-year old, half Lakota indian living out in the Wild West in 1862, comes home one afternoon to find his foster parents slain and now on the run from outlaws who are after a piece of paper that P.K.’s mother entrusted to him on her deathbed; a piece of paper that would grant the bearer land believed to contain a large natural deposit of silver.   After hopping a stagecoach, P.K. finds himself in Virginia City and continually getting side-tracked on his way to get his paper notarized by engaging in a host of adventures including spending the night in an opium den while keeping watch over a prostitute, helping a guy cheat at poker, dodging bullets while disguised as a girl, and, ultimately, deep in a mine.  The first paragraph of the book reads, “My name is P.K. Pinterton and before this day is over I will be dead,” and it’s full speed ahead from there on out, with most chapters ending in classic “How will he possibly get out of this situation?” cliffhangers.  Lawrence draws a vivid and realistic depiction of the old West by including the rampant racism against Native Americans and Chinese during that time, and not shying away from gruesome details (scalping, chopping off a finger, etc.) or the fact that “soiled doves” (prostitutes) and opium dens existed in the city.  And, P.K.’s character is kept interesting and given depth by the fact that, although it is never explicitly spelled out – likely because it was never identified at the time – he is clearly operating somewhere on the autism spectrum, having a photographic memory, an amazing talent with numbers, and constantly having to consult his mental notes on what people’s various facial expressions might indicate about their motivations.  This is an explosive, nonstop beginning to what should be a rip-roaring, fun new series.  Includes a glossary of colloquial language used at the time and places and people (including Sam Clemens [a.k.a. Mark Twain]) referenced in the novel [Review based on ARC.] .]

STARTED:
Dumon Tak, Bibi. [Laura Watkinson, translator] (2011). Soldier bear. Grand Rapids, MI.: Eerdmans.

[.]

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