MORE 'BEST-BOOKS-OF-2014' POSTS
The Mermaid and the Shoe By K.G. Campbell Kids Can Press $16.95 ISBN: 978-1554537716 Ages 3-7 On shelves now Why are magical creatures so hard to write? I’m a children’s librarian. That means that a goodly portion of my day can consist of small starry-eyed children asking for an array of otherworldly cuties. “Do you […]
The Dumbest Idea Ever By Jimmy Gownley GRAPHIX (an imprint of Scholastic) $12.00 ISBN: 9780545453479 Ages 9 and up On shelves now. Is it or is it not a good idea to tell young people that they are special and unique? It’s a legitimate question. When I was growing up the emphasis in school was […]
Greenglass House By Kate Milford Clarion Books (an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-544-05270-3 Ages 9-12 On shelves August 26th When I was a kid I had a real and abiding love of Agatha Christie. This would be around the time when I was ten or eleven. It wasn’t that I was rejecting […]
Sloooooowly the predictions begin. As I post this I’m hitting the sweet spot right between Book Expo and the annual American Library Association conference. Which is to say, this is the moment in time when some folks have seen the fall galleys from BEA while other folks are about to see them at ALA. On […]
Hug Machine By Scott Campbell Atheneum (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4424-593509 Ages 3-7 On shelves August 26th Do you remember that old Shel Silverstein poem “Hug O’ War”? This may be considered sacrilege but did you ever notice how the guy could do something brilliant one moment, like “Sister For Sale” […]
Roller Derby Rivals By Sue Macy Illustrated by Matt Collins Holiday House $16.95 ISBN: 978-0-8234-2923-3 Ages 5 and up On shelves July 1st In my next life I will come back as a roller derby queen. Since the majority of my adult life has come and gone in complete and utter ignorance of this sport, […]
brown girl dreaming By Jacqueline Woodson Nancy Paulsen Books (an imprint of Penguin) $16.99 ISBN: 978- 0399252518 Ages 9-12 On shelves August 28th What does a memoir owe its readers? For that matter, what does a fictionalized memoir written with a child audience in mind owe its readers? Kids come into public libraries every day […]
West of the Moon By Margi Preus Amulet Books (an imprint of Abrams) $16.95 ISBN: 978-1-4197-0896-1 Ages 10 and up On shelves now. These are dark times for children’s literature. Pick up a book for the 9-12 year-old set and you just don’t know what you’re going to find. Whether it’s the murderous foliage of […]
My Country, ‘Tis of Thee: How One Song Reveals the History of Civil Rights By Claire Rudolf Murphy Illustrated by Bryan Collier Henry Holt and Company (an imprint of Macmillan) $17.99 ISBN: 978-0-8050-8226-5 Ages 7 and up On shelves June 3rd It doesn’t matter how long you’ve worked as a children’s librarian. It doesn’t matter […]
The Great Greene Heist By Varian Johnson Arthur A. Levine Books (an imprint of Scholastic) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-545-52552-7 Ages 10 and up On shelves May 27th What is the ultimate child fantasy? I’m not talking bubble gum sheets or wizards that tell you you’re “the chosen one”. Let’s think a little more realistically here. When […]