Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label YA. Show all posts

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Epistolary Novels

Having recently read both The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Shaffer and Barrows) and 84, Charing Cross Road (Hanff)--both excellent books; I highly recommend them!--I got to thinking about books written in letters, as both of these are. It wasn't hard to think of several more, for all ages.

For teens there is Daddy Long-Legs, by Jean Webster. I reviewed this one once before, so you can read more about it here. Then there is Karen Hesse's Letters from Rifka, about a twelve-year-old girl fleeing Russia with her family in 1919. Rifka knows that her letters will never reach her cousin, whom she is writing to, so this book is more like a diary than a true epistolary novel, but I thought it worth including here anyway. And for a more modern version of the epistolary style, there is the TTYL series by Lauren Myracle. These books (TTYL, TTFN, and L8R G8R) are written entirely as a series of instant message conversations between three teen girls.

There are a few selections for middle-grade readers, as well, including P.S. Longer Letter Later and Snail Mail No More, both by Paula Danziger and Ann M. Martin; Dear Mr. Henshaw, the Newbery winner by Beverly Cleary; and the Regarding the... series by Kate Klise. The latter is a little different in that the books include things like newspaper clippings among the letters.

And lastly, I even found an epistolary picture book--two, actually: Dear Mrs. LaRue and LaRue for Mayor, by Mark Teague, which are composed of letters from a dog to his owner.

I'm sure there are more--let me know if you've read others! I love to write letters, which is probably why these books have such appeal for me; I'm dreaming of the day when I can exchange long, witty letters with anonymous Englishmen who send me books and invite me to visit their country and stay with their family or the old woman next door. A girl can dream, right?

Monday, July 6, 2009

Summer Books

What are you reading this summer? I started The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn this weekend--figured it was a good book to start on the 4th of July. Others I've enjoyed during the last couple months include The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows) and The Help (Kathryn Stockett).

Last week I finally got around to reading this year's Newbery winner, The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman). I liked it a lot--more than I thought I would, actually, given the title. (I know, I know, you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover! But really, who doesn't?) So I'd recommend that for the age 10-12 crowd--although, be warned, the first chapter is scary.

For the slightly younger set, there's a new Alvin Ho book (written by Lenore Look) called Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters. I haven't read an Alvin Ho book before, but I've heard they're good, and this one sounds like the perfect thing to read during the summer!

And for teens, The Hunger Games is exciting and action-packed, while Thirteen Reasons Why (Jay Asher) is more mysterious and pensive and reveals the impact (whether negative or positive) that people can have on others without realizing it; even what seems like the most harmless action has consequences.

Friday, April 10, 2009

What just arrived...

I just had the pleasure of checking in a few books that look really good. The first one I pulled out of the box was Nana Cracks the Case!, by Kathleen Lane. The back cover reads, "Nanas, you see, are not supposed to become backhoe operators or marine biologists or circus performers (actually Nana did not join the circus, she only substituted while the trapeze artist recovered from a broken leg), and they must never--because they are so very fragile, you see--become detectives." Tell me you don't want to read the book now! I sure do. It even has a reversible cover, "perfect for sneaky detective work!"

The next one was called Escape Under the Forever Sky, by Eve Yohalem. It's about a girl who is the daughter of the American ambassador to Ethiopia, and she gets kidnapped. It is apparently based on a true story, and looks riveting. (I read a few pages in the middle. Now I want to read the whole thing.)

Finally, for you fans of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace, a book called Little Oink. Similar to their book Little Hoot, in which an owl wishes he could go to bed earlier, Little Oink is about a piglet who wishes his parents would let him clean his room. Cute!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Kids Heart Authors

Mark your calendars--Valentine's Day, 2009 is going to be a special day at The Alphabet Garden and independent bookstores all over New England! From 10-12 on February 14, over 100 authors of children's books will be gathering at local bookstores to sign books and talk with young fans.

The Alphabet Garden is privileged to have seven authors coming that day:
Tony Abbott (Secrets of Droon)
Leslie Bulion (The Trouble With Rules)
Kate Duke (Archeologists Dig for Clues)
Kathleen Kudlinski (Boy, Were We Wrong About the Solar System!)
Donna Marie Merritt (Too-Tall Tina)
Pegi Deitz Shea (Patience Wright: America's First Sculptor & Revolutionary Spy)
And Cheshire's very own A.C.E. Bauer (No Castles Here)!

Check out Kids Heart Authors for more information--and if you're reading this, but don't live near us, check out the listing of participating indies to find a store near you!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

A Murder for Her Majesty

We all have them. Those books we love, but no one else seems to have heard of. A Murder for Her Majesty is one of mine. I read this book every year, preferably all in one sitting so as to be fully immersed, and practically have it memorized by now. I think it's a perfect comfort read--set in London, starring an orphan girl, full of mystery and choir music and Latin homework (Latin homework is much more fun in books than in real life)... What could be better?

What are your favorite lesser-known books?

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Puffin Classics

Looking for a classic? Puffin has just released new paperback editions of several children's classics. Buy two and get a free tote bag!

Titles include:

Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, by Roger Lancelyn Green
The Secret Garden, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Journey to the Centre of the Earth, by Jules Verne
A Little Princess, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum
Call of the Wild, by Jack London
Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell
Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Wind in the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame

Each book has a nicely illustrated cover and an introduction by a current children's/YA author.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

What Are You Reading?

I am not reading this year with nearly the momentum I had last year (college seems to have cut down a bit on my perceived reading time), but Daddy-Long-Legs, by Jean Webster, only took me a day to finish. The whole book is written in the form of letters from an orphan girl to her anonymous benefactor, the man who is paying her way to college. She only caught a brief glimpse of him once, so all she knows of him is that he is tall. And rich. And she has been told he doesn't like girls. As her repayment for his generosity, she is ordered to write him a letter every month, to which she should not expect a response. Knowing so little of him, least of all his name, she has some trouble coming up with a name to address her letters to:
I suppose I might call you Dear Mr. Girl-Hater. Only that's sort of insulting to me. Or Dear Mr. Rich-Man, but that's insulting to you, as though money were the only important thing about you. Besides, being rich is such a very external quality. Maybe you won't stay rich all your life; lots of very clever men get smashed up in Wall Street. But at least you will stay tall all your life! So I've decided to call you Dear Daddy-Long-Legs.
It is a very enjoyable book, witty and sweet. We don't currently have it in stock here at The Alphabet Garden, but we can order it and have it in a few days if anyone is interested.

What are you reading these days? Anything good? Feel free to share in the comments section.

Monday, December 31, 2007

Happy New Year!

Here we are at the end of 2007 already. One of my goals for the year was to read 100 books (grades 4 and up--i.e. not picture books). I met that goal yesterday after reading all afternoon to finish book #100, The God of Animals, by Aryn Kyle. My favorites of the year:

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo. I know, I just posted about this one, but to reiterate: I find this reminiscent of The Velveteen Rabbit, but less abstract. A fairy doesn't appear to make Edward real, but he does realize that even after having lost everyone he loved, it is still worth it to love again. (OK, that sounds cliché, but really. It's a lovely book.) Edward Tulane is aimed at grades 4-6.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, tells the story of a German girl during World War II. The book is written from the perspective of Death, which sounds weird, but works well. Zusak writes with powerful descriptions: "A single hour can consist of thousands of different colors. Waxy yellows, cloud-spat blues. Murky darknesses." (and that's only the 4th page.) As he writes, "It's just a small story really, about, among other things: *A girl *Some words *An accordionist *Some fanatical Germans *A Jewish fist fighter *And quite a lot of thievery." The Book Thief has been marketed to teens, but it was one of my mom's favorite books of 2007, as well.

While we're on the subject, Tamar, by Mal Peet, is another good World War II book for teens. The story alternates between the 1940's and the present day as a girl uncovers the mystery of her grandfather's past.


The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart, is a bit hard to describe. Four children, some very tricky tests, a villain bent on taking over the world, plot twists and dry humor add up to an eminently enjoyable tale. (Grades 7-9, give or take.)


Edward's Eyes, by Patricia MacLachlan. It's a tear-jerker, I admit. But first it's a story of family and summer sun and neighborhood baseball and old family friends, with a little James Taylor thrown in. (Grades 4-6.)


Solomon Snow and the Silver Spoon, by Kaye Umansky. The first word that comes to mind to describe this book is "Dickensian," as it is set in turn-of-the-century London, with orphans and a chimney sweep and names that betray their characters' personalities (who else could Miss Starch be but a prim schoolteacher?). However, I don't think I've ever laughed out loud at a Dickens novel. I did at Solomon Snow. (Grades 4-6.)

So there you have it. (A select few of) my favorites of the grades 4-and-up books I read in 2007. What were your favorites this year?