Yes Virginia, There is a Literary Bookie!
Alas! Best Bets for the young'uns on your list.
SERIOUS YOUNG ADULTS, YOUNG ADULT READERS WHO LOVE THE PARANORMAL, INDEPENDENT READERS, STORYBOOK LOVERS, AND EVEN SOME CHILDREN'S HOLIDAY PICKS TO READ BY CANDLE LIGHT.
Books: one size fits all and you don't need batteries.
NEXT WEEK: New Best Bests for the month
12/25- Literary Bookie's Best of 2012
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| (Random House) |
The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
CLOTH. 11 year old Julia discovers that the
earth rotation is slowing. Her family life and her first love as the world dies
around her proves just as disrupting.
Dare Me by Megan Abbott
CLOTH. Attack of the Killer
Cheerleaders? Really Mean Girls? Teen Girl Fight Club? Friendships are
tested by an new edgy cheerleader coach. Riveting, real, and written with the
urgency of adolescence.
After Eli by Rebecca Ruff
CLOTH. An older brother dies at war and a younger brother builds a Book of the Dead to deal with the emotional damage of his loss and in turn finds the value in his own life.
Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller and Zach Stentz
CLOTH. Our autistic narrator uses his unique gifts to unravel clues to a crime and partners with the school bully who has been wrongly accused.
Four Secrets by Margaret Willey
CLOTH. Four girls make a pact to take revenge on king bully at their school but Secrets are fragile things, hard to keep and promises even easier to break.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
CLOTH. Two late teens, both doomed to the ravenges of advanced cancer strike up a relationship and learn the importance of living the lives they have.
Burning Blue by Paul Griffin
CLOTH. A tale of love, beauty and obsession; a wealthy and beautiful girl is deformed by acid thrown by an unknown assailant. A school geek who sees himself as a freak himself, decides to use his geekish prowess to avenge her.
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
CLOTH. An older brother dies at war and a younger brother builds a Book of the Dead to deal with the emotional damage of his loss and in turn finds the value in his own life.
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| (Reagan Arthur) |
CLOTH. Our autistic narrator uses his unique gifts to unravel clues to a crime and partners with the school bully who has been wrongly accused.
Four Secrets by Margaret Willey
CLOTH. Four girls make a pact to take revenge on king bully at their school but Secrets are fragile things, hard to keep and promises even easier to break.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
CLOTH. Two late teens, both doomed to the ravenges of advanced cancer strike up a relationship and learn the importance of living the lives they have.
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| (Candlewick) |
CLOTH. A tale of love, beauty and obsession; a wealthy and beautiful girl is deformed by acid thrown by an unknown assailant. A school geek who sees himself as a freak himself, decides to use his geekish prowess to avenge her.
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
CLOTH. Jamie's sister died five
years ago in a terrorist bombing. With quirky humor and brutal honesty he
fights to come out from the shadow of the vase of remains.
The End of Everything by Megan Abbott
TRADE PAPER. Megan Abbott again (what a year!) A haunting tale of innocence
lost, 13 year old Lizzie’s suburban life is shattered when her BFF goes missing
and she discovers dark secrets never shared.
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| (Little/Brown) |
Son by Lois Lowry
CLOTH. The finale of The Giver series does not disappoint. In a land devoid of emotion pregnant women are vessels not mothers, and offspring, product, not children. Still, the government can't refuse what the heart wants.
This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers
CLOTH. Teen angst is far scarier
than a Zombie apocalypse. One girl who welcomes the end of the world fights
alongside her peers who embrace to life. Together they discover that some
monsters aren’t the undead.
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
CLOTH. Jam-packed with enough punk mythos it will make your mind, the tale of Karou, the Daughter of Smoke and Bone continues. Doomed to make monsters and collecting teeth for Brimstone, she breaks free fight for love and freedom from darkness.
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
CLOTH. A refreshing take on the romance; whomever she falls in love with will die, but Gansey can’t help falling for a bad boy on an otherworldly quest.
Break My Heart a 1000 Times by Daniel Water
CLOTH. Ghosts in the new millennium are real and all around us but not everyone comes back. This inventive variation on haunting will creep you out.
Ashen Winter by Mike Mullen
CLOTH. A boy and girl go it alone through the Distopian landscape that was once Iowa battling a dying earth and the deadliest monster in the desolation, man.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
CLOTH. Jam-packed with enough punk mythos it will make your mind, the tale of Karou, the Daughter of Smoke and Bone continues. Doomed to make monsters and collecting teeth for Brimstone, she breaks free fight for love and freedom from darkness.
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| (St. Martins/Griffin) |
CLOTH. A refreshing take on the romance; whomever she falls in love with will die, but Gansey can’t help falling for a bad boy on an otherworldly quest.
Break My Heart a 1000 Times by Daniel Water
CLOTH. Ghosts in the new millennium are real and all around us but not everyone comes back. This inventive variation on haunting will creep you out.
Ashen Winter by Mike Mullen
CLOTH. A boy and girl go it alone through the Distopian landscape that was once Iowa battling a dying earth and the deadliest monster in the desolation, man.
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| (Feiwel & Friends) |
CLOTH. Mash-ups are dead, long
live a creative reboot! Cinder is a cyborg that falls for a human prince only
to find that she aspires to break taboos, dismantling is sure to follow.
Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama
CLOTH. Two spooky & heartfelt stories tell of the ancestral curse of the mermaid, if you fall in love, you die. One girl in Plymouth, MA was confront her destiny.
The Turning by Francine Prose
CLOTH. Haunted house, ghostly kiddos; the line between reality and madness grows thin in Jack the babysitter’s mind. This revamped Turning of the Screw that maintains the unsettling timbre of the original.
Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama
CLOTH. Two spooky & heartfelt stories tell of the ancestral curse of the mermaid, if you fall in love, you die. One girl in Plymouth, MA was confront her destiny.
The Turning by Francine Prose
CLOTH. Haunted house, ghostly kiddos; the line between reality and madness grows thin in Jack the babysitter’s mind. This revamped Turning of the Screw that maintains the unsettling timbre of the original.
BEST BETS FOR THE INDEPENDENT READERS
Railsea by China Mieville
CLOTH. We follow a blood-stained boy in a land where oceans are now desert wastelands in this steampunk re-imagining of Melville's Moby Dick.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
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| (Del Ray) |
CLOTH. We follow a blood-stained boy in a land where oceans are now desert wastelands in this steampunk re-imagining of Melville's Moby Dick.
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine
Marsh
CLOTH. The existential
fairy tale of consummate underdog, Jepp, a dwarf, who battles who the Spanish
Infanta fueled by the magic of the limitless potential in life.
Goblin Secrets by William Alexander
CLOTH. The surreal National Book winner with
a witch who collects stray children and a boy who hides among goblins to find
his brother is as much about family as it is about monsters that populate his world.
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH. You will root for August, born with a facial deformity, as he faces the fifth grade from the very first line, "I won't describe what I
look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse."
Who Could That Be At This Hour? by
Lemony Snicket
CLOTH. He's back!!! Read at your own peril the first of Snicket's All The Wrong Questions quasi-autobiography is another feat of subversive children's storytelling. Truths best untold, secrets of secret societies best kept on the hush-hush!The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente, illus. by Ana Juan
CLOTH. The line between right and wrong blurs in the darkly magical world of the complex heroine September as she continues her journey through the nether world of Fairyland to free her shadow. Cool and creepy illustrations help tell the tale.
 |
| (Feiwel & Friends) |
CLOTH. He's back!!! Read at your own peril the first of Snicket's All The Wrong Questions quasi-autobiography is another feat of subversive children's storytelling. Truths best untold, secrets of secret societies best kept on the hush-hush!The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne M. Valente, illus. by Ana Juan
CLOTH. The line between right and wrong blurs in the darkly magical world of the complex heroine September as she continues her journey through the nether world of Fairyland to free her shadow. Cool and creepy illustrations help tell the tale.
BEST BETS FOR THE STORYBOOK LOVERS
A is For Musk Ox by Erin Cabatingan
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| (Houghton/Mifflin) |
CLOTH. Musk Ox claims every letter his as he and a zebra gnaw their way through this hilarious take on alphabet books.
Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue illus. by Pamela Zagarenski
CLOTH. A not-so-sleepy child embraces her wild side in this flight through the jungle of the imagination.Zagarenski is a Caldecott Award winner as well.
Jangles, a Big Fish Story by David Shannon
Jangles, a Big Fish Story by David Shannon
CLOTH. The biggest fish in Big Lake befriends the small boy at the other side of the fishing line. You will be hooked by the lavish pictures and inventive plot twist.
This is Not my Hat by Jon Klassen
CLOTH. Another fish tale by a storybook big wig. This time with a minnow of a fish wearing a snazzy hat leads us through clever drawings and word play.Ralph Tell a Story by Abby Hanlon
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| (Scholastic/Blue Sky) |
CLOTH. Another fish tale by a storybook big wig. This time with a minnow of a fish wearing a snazzy hat leads us through clever drawings and word play.Ralph Tell a Story by Abby Hanlon
CLOTH. With a little help from his friends, a boy with writers block finds the narrative of his life is in the little things.
Potterwookie by Obert Skye
CLOTH. Take the worlds of Harry Potter and Star Wars, put them in a blender and you get a silly book about a boy who's monster in his closet turns out to big, well, kind of a Hogwort's wookie.
A Flower in the Snow by Tracey Corderoy, illus. Sophie Alsopp
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| (Jabberwocky) |
CLOTH. Stephen Colbert who definitely not recommend this delicate and beautiful tale of the friendship between a girl and her best friend who happens to be a polar bear.
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
CLOTH. It looks like the little girl from Knuffle Bunny takes on the leading role in this storybook that turns the fairy tale on its head.
Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack
CLOTH. Akin to Willems Elephant and Piggie rabbit and mouse are polar opposites of disposition but share one thing in common, each other. Funny phrases will become a new favorite.
Cat Tale by Michael Hall
CLOTH. Lovely play on words as we follow three cats during an afternoon of snacking and reading. To these cats, words are catnip.
Return To The Willows by Jacqueline Kelly, illus. by Clint Young
CLOTH. Wind in the Willows is re-booted in this long overdue sequel reverently written and accompanied by breathtaking illustrations that have an almost CGI clarity.
Read-Aloud Classics: 24 Ten-Minute Selections from the World's Best-Loved Children's Books edited by Pamela Horn
CLOTH. Great to read, great introduction to children's classics, stoke that reading fire!
BEST BETS FOR KIDDOS - HOLIDAYS FAVORITES
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| (Chronicle) |
CLOTH. Akin to Willems Elephant and Piggie rabbit and mouse are polar opposites of disposition but share one thing in common, each other. Funny phrases will become a new favorite.
Cat Tale by Michael Hall
CLOTH. Lovely play on words as we follow three cats during an afternoon of snacking and reading. To these cats, words are catnip.
Return To The Willows by Jacqueline Kelly, illus. by Clint Young
CLOTH. Wind in the Willows is re-booted in this long overdue sequel reverently written and accompanied by breathtaking illustrations that have an almost CGI clarity.
Read-Aloud Classics: 24 Ten-Minute Selections from the World's Best-Loved Children's Books edited by Pamela Horn
CLOTH. Great to read, great introduction to children's classics, stoke that reading fire!
BEST BETS FOR KIDDOS - HOLIDAYS FAVORITES
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| (Disney/Hyperion) |
TRADE PAPER. When I think Yuletide I think... dinosaurs? Jurrasic Park isn't exactly the North Pole but you and I know, kids love Christmas, kids love dinosaurs.. Yahtzee!
How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah?
by Jane Yolan, illus. Mark Teague
CLOTH. If it works for Christmas...The dynamic duo of storybooks take on the Festival of Lights. Yolan writing is touching and you just marvel at the detail and the emotions conveyed by Teague's scale-covered children.
The Night Before Christmas, Deep Under The Sea by Kathie Kelleher, illus. Dan Andreasen
by Jane Yolan, illus. Mark Teague
CLOTH. If it works for Christmas...The dynamic duo of storybooks take on the Festival of Lights. Yolan writing is touching and you just marvel at the detail and the emotions conveyed by Teague's scale-covered children.
The Night Before Christmas, Deep Under The Sea by Kathie Kelleher, illus. Dan Andreasen
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| (Sterling) |
A Pirate's Twelve Days of Christmas
by Phillip Yates, illus. Sebastia Serra
CLOTH. If its not dinosaurs, it's pirates, am I right? Staring with a pirate in a palm tree, the classic song gets the scallwah treatment. The Bookie says Arrrg!
The Iciest, Diciest, Scariest Sled Ride Ever!
by Rebecca Rule, illus. by Jennifer Thermes
by Rebecca Rule, illus. by Jennifer Thermes
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| (Islandport) |
Fisher-Price Lift-the-Flap Christmastime is Here! edited by Ellen Weiss, illust. bySI Artists
CLOTH. Its a flap book! Its an Advent calendat! Its an activity book! Its a lot of fun!
Twas the Night Before Christmas or Account of A Visit From St. Nicholas, illust. by Matt Tavare
CLOTH. Candlewick Press gives us this gift edition of Clement C. Moore's classic attributing the poem to anonymous (as it was when originally published in a newspaper in 1823.) The black and white illustrations are equally as reverent, and, yes Virginia, smoke does circle his head like a wreath! This book is intimate in size and has all the makings of a heirloom that will be passed from generation to generation.
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