Best Book Bets - 02/05/13

Another month has passed. The Super Bowl is in our rear view mirror, Valentine's Day and The Academy Awards loom on the horizon. Our life is made up of an endless series of events, each which we give importance and glow in the moment or dismiss with a yawn as they pass. Book releases are like that. Here's another assortment of quality releases for you to be the judge and jury; will they be on your to-read list or will they be voted off the island? Your choice, the bookie just betters the odds for a good read.

(Free Press)

The Love Song of Jonny Valentine - Teddy Wayne

(FICTION/CLOTH)  Wayne is considered a wunderkind in the world of novel writing. His first novel Kapitoil has been hailed as one of the best of  his generation. Even Jonathan Franzen bows at his alter. All the more surprising that he would now deliver a pop novel that is. well, Bieberlicious. Wayne takes his at first unassuming yet surgical sharp commentary and focuses in on our media culture, celebrity and its effect on our world. Jonny is a manufactured music icon who just wants to live his life like any other 11 year old. Jane, his mother is literally and figuratively high on fame and the plasticine life it provides her. A battle of wills ensues and between the snark and the sincerity of Jonny, the narrator we see that fame and noterity doesn't shield you from the pains of adolescence. 

(Tor)

A Natural History of Dragons - Marie Brennan

(FICTION/CLOTH) We had to present the cover art folded open just so you can see the breadth of this auspicious undertaking. A while back there was a book about Santa's reindeer written as a National Geographic book that made me smile. Brennan  goes one better by offering us the mythos of dragons in a faux academic text that follows the history of dragons through time with such slavish detail and authoritative sincerity. It truely is a marvel that will make you believe. It plays as a trascription of the memoirs of Isabella, a dragon naturalist, who has endured many an adventure as she documented dragons in our world. From the swamps of Mouleen to the peaks of Mrtyahaima she confronts the battlers of Keonga, rock-wyrms of Vystrana, and of course, dragons. It proves a great device to project you into a world of fantasy even if such writings isn't your obsession.

(William/Morrow)

The Promise of Stardust - Priscille Sibley

(FICTION/TRADE) This novel is a battle between true love and mortality that will have you question every thought you have about the two. From their earliest memories Matt and Elle have been in love, theirs was the childhood sweetheart romances that make you wonder if you could ever be that much in love. Their cross to bear was the difficulties they confronted when they attempted to conceive. Still, their love held strong. Then one fateful day Elle has an accident leaving her brain dead. In cruel irony Matt discovers that she is also pregnant. Matt decides to refute his wife's will and keeps her alive for the sake of the baby. A family battle ensues and the fate of one's will and another's love is played out in court. Sibley doesn't flinch as she tells us this heart-wrenching dilemma.

(Hatchett)

Schroder - Amity Gaige

(FICTION/CLOTH) A heated custody battle over his daughter Eric kennedy flees with her to Vermont eluding his wife Laura. It is a time of bonding, a snapshot moment for him to cherish until she learns of his past when he was an East German immigrant named Erik Schroder. We follow this and many other revelations of the life he had lived, reconstructed, and lived again all told to us in confessional detail from the confines of a prison. A moving and passionate tale of what we do for the things we love and the repercussions of our action.

(Algonquin)

All This Talk About Love - Christopher Castellani

(FICTION/CLOTH) One of the hidden jewels in the world of writing is Grubb Street in Boston, MA, an organization that tutors and promotes writers, helping each reach their potential and find their true voice. One of its vanguards is Castellani who has written a oeuvre based on the histories of his family. His latest tale of his Italian heritage is a work of passion; for family, for love, for the gritty survival instincts of the common man, and mostly for the traits past down through the blood. This novel will serve as Exhibit A next time he coaches other writer about finding one's voice.

(Subterranean)

Six-Gun Snow White - Catherynne M. Valente

(FICTION/CLOTH)  Mash-ups are all the rage and when they're good, they're great, and when their not, they're odorous. As wacky as the concept seems this is definitely the former. Valente is a best-selling novelist who brings hefty writing chops to this fairy tale transported to the wild west. The Grimms Brother's tale is rewritten with Gun That Sings, a half blood crow woman of stunning beauty, as the title character. Early in her life she is married off to a Nevada silver baron. After a life lived in the shadows her evil stepmother cruelly names her Snow White and unleashes her into a world where indians are scorned. An enchanting tale that embraces the soul of the fairy tale and uses it as a stepping off point for a surprisingly original fable.

(Walker & Co)

Last Ape Standing: The Seven-Million-Year Story of How and Why We Survived - Chip Walter

(NON-FICTION/CLOTH)  Can we just end this debate already. Man comes from apes and dinosaurs come from birds and never the twain did meet. That said, we have here an entertaining presention of evolution. There have by now been 27 species of man discovered. Armed with the latest discoveries Walter tells us the rise and fall of our forefathers and how their unique surval skills and interbreeding led to modern man. It also alludes to the reason why early man became self-aware while the other animals around did not.  His oft times amusing work gives us a glimpse in why we act like we do today. (and YES, there were hobbits!)

(Morrow)

The Lady and her Monsters: A Tale of Dissections, Attempts to Reanimate Dead Tissue, and the Writing of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein - Roseanne Montillo

(NON-FICTION/CLOTH) What a great idea, to combine the study the quest for reanimation and the aspirations of a technological revolution with the works and inspirations of Shelley. Real life characters she modeled her cast on are presented as well as how fertile a time for forward-thinkers her era was. The dark arts of doctors is examined as is the writers of the day pining for simpler times. It was inevitable that the Arts would be influenced by science and visa-versa. The waning Romantic era was so warm, the Industrial era cold, her macabre masterpiece was just destined to be.

(Feiwel)

Scarlet - Marissa Meyer

(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH)  This is one of the most antisipated young adult novels of the year and it doesn't disappoint. The sequel of the cyber fable Cinder, the second in the  Lunar Chronicles takes Little Red Riding Hood as inspiration just as Cinder did Cinderella. Scarlet's granny has been living a miserable life and now is missing. Scarlet teams up with Wolf, a street fighter with a questionable past and even sketchier motivations as they search for her grandmother. All the while the evil Lunar Queen. Along the way they team up with Cinder from the first book who has a battle of her own. Together they fight for truth and love in a world possibly devoid of both.

(St Martins)

Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell

(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH)    Do you remember your first teen crush? Does it it hurt you too much to even remember or are they by your side to this very day? Probably a distant memory still raw. This novel is the perfect Valentine for a young adult. A romantic novel that is not necessarily a romance. It reminds me of the film 500 Days of Summer or the novel Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, both battles between love and alienation. The year is 1986 when they meet, two jaded souls who believe in love but know too well that every story has an ending. As the publisher states; "You’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under." Happy Valentine's kiddos!

(Bloombury)

Athlete vs. Mathlete - W.C. Mack

(INDEPENDENT READER) There are not enough independent reader titles that will appeal to the dudes out there. Most are Matt Christopher or Andrew Clement easy readers or the rare Lupica gem. Here sibling rivalry hits new height in this junior high Freaky Friday story. Owen is the star jock in the school. His brother Russell is the brainiac in the family. They couldn't be more opposite. Then Russell is put on the basketball team by the coach and finds himself pretty good at it. Owen now has to fight for some game time. Russell is also the captain of the math team. Will his new interests and his competition with his brother jeopardize his position or will the brother's make a truce to help each other? Finally a book that will get the boy's flipping pages after shooting hoops.

(HarperCollins)

My Brother’s Book - Maurice Sendak

(CHILDREN)  Sedak always credited his late brother for giving him his creative spark. This final storybook is a proper homage to both this late, great writer and illustrator of such gems as Where the Wild Things Are. He said that he had long been obsessed with death since he was a child and this obsession weaves through this tale. It also makes Shakespearean themes assessable to a young reader. Beautiful and grief-stricken, sentimental without an ounce of scmaltz, this book is a fitting finale to a body of work that has always been without compromise and who's passion for his readers is unquestioned. Even literary scholar
Stephen Greenblatt gives an introduction to confirm the status of this classic of literature.

Best Book Bets 1/29/13

 ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER CHOICE SELECTION OF NEW TITLES. 

6 FICTION, 2 NON-FICTION, 2 YA NOVELS, 2 INDEPENDENT READERS.

THIS SEEMS TO BE AN  ISSUES WEEK. 

2 BOOKS TAKE THE GUN ISSUE HEAD ON (ANOTHER USES THEM AS METAPHOR). 

10 BOOKS HAVE GUNS IN THEM.

 1 BOOK DABBLES WITH BULLYING

3 BOOKS TAKE ON ABUSE. 

12 GOOD CHOICES.

(3 are actually funny though!) 

(Amazon)

Guns - Stephen King

(NON-FICTION/KINDLE) Back in the day the book and the film adaptation of A Clockwork Orange went were battled in court as to their culpability in relation to violent acts that mirrored events in the story. The result was that they may influence how a crime is perpetrated but were not the impetus for the event. King himself was confronted for his novel Rage that was written under his non de plume, Richard Bachman (a name he reserved for his lesser-than novels.) Although his agreed with the above verdict he did see that while the novel addressed the problem of troubled teens drawn to vigilante violence he felt it may be an "accelerate" and asked his publisher to pull it from distribution. King is also a gun owner (he lives in Maine for Gosh's sake.) Again he took the time to address the situation and in a meager 25 pages, 8,000 words, gets to the heart of the matter more effectively than a two week commission. He addresses the media that covers such tragic events, the legislator that protects the industry with its dysfunction, the "gun enthusiasts" who refuse to give us their toys for the safety of our society all the while supporting the essence of the 2nd amendment. Intensely personal in voice (King the father, the neighbor, the American rings in every line.) Also reiterated its the communal frustration in the dysfunctional discourse of us as a people on an issue who's need for bilateral efforts should be self-evident. He released this as a Kindle Single you can download so to get the discussion cooking with immediacy. Read it for yourself, its less than a buck. Talk about it and then DO SOMETHING!
.

(JHU Press)

Reducing Gun Violence: Informing Policy with Evidence and Analysis - edited by Daniel W. Webster and Jon S. Vernick

(NON-FICTION/CLOTH) AIf you want less personal passion influencing your decisions on this matter may I suggest this hot-off-the-presses release that covers a consensus that gun violence in the United States is an urgent public health issue. Experts discuss gun policy and violence researching the implications for policymakers and citizens. The constitutionality of recommended policies is covered. The weakness of current federal gun policies and the efficacy of various state laws designed to reduce firearms are compared. Other countries approaches and results are also considered. A scholarly compendium that will prove a valuable addition to the debate for both sides.

(Mysterious)

Daddy Love - Joyce Carol Oates

(FICTION/CLOTH) With more than 70 books under her belt Oates gives King a run for his money. She does in the horror department as well. When I say that I mean that nobody fleshes out the real life boogeymen of dysfunction we all confront in life better than her. With her unblinking style she now tackles one of our deepest fears, the abduction of a child. A mother's child is taken from her arms in a parking lot. She is then left for dead after being run over by the getaway van. Now it gets dark. The title character is a deranged preacher who abducts boys to brainwash into being his son and lover. The child's parents never give up searching, their obsession leaving their marriage in tatters. The boy grows older and fights to avenge his captor before he becomes a monster himself. The result is the most disturbing page-turner since Peter Straub's A Dark Matter. The almost detached writing style adds to the repugnant chill that permeates this study of survival.

(Viking)

White Dog Fell from the Sky - Eleanor Morse

(FICTION/CLOTH)   The in the trenches immersion into the political unrest of Africa that Verghese's Cutting for Stone offered its readers is shared by this special novel. Its South Africa in '76, apartheid in full effect. Isaac, a medial student, flees his country after his friend is murdered by members of the Defense Force and is smuggled into Botswana in a hearse. then dumped by the side of the road to fend for himself. He saves a thin white dog that is being abused and they bound one with the other. Together they search for a new beginning. Isaac soon finds himself taken on as a gardener by an American couple. The wife grows fond of him and when he is compelled to leave to fight the injustices all around him the wife follows opening herself up to the beautiful and dangerous world outside her safe confines. It is a tale of perseverance and loyalty, the best qualities of dogs and people treated like one.

(Putnam)

Insane City - Dave Barry

(FICTION/CLOTH)  I know, when I think of Barry lately I think of his antidotal tales of being a parent that are amusing at best. Now a decade since his last adult novel he reassures that not only can he bring the funny but he can weave quite the thriller. In a style reminisant to Hiaasson, or better, Elmore Leonard. This rollicking novel outdoes the movie The Hangover with its absurd confrontations. Seth the groom-to-be is the brunt of pranksters,The Groom Posse who's antics soon hat soon land them in some very deep doo-doo. Gangsters, strippers, pimps, pythons and some very bad men stand between Seth and the alter. The threats are real not just farce and Barry delivers crackerjack timing that builds the tension as well as the absurd humor. 

(Fantagraphics)

Delphine - Richard Sala

(FICTION/CLOTH)   This is an old school chiller that plays like Snow White redux. A man searches for the Delphine who had just disappeared without a trace save for a cryptic piece of paper. Think Prince Charming in search of his true love. This is as dark as the original tale told by the Brother Grimm, Sneewittchen, and is complimented by grey illustrations that further evoke the classic storytelling. And grim it is. I know this sounds like kid's fare but the tale is far more mature due to its violent nature. Trust me, there are no blue bird's a' chirping and pumpkins drawn by mice in this rendition, just a solid tale of love in the face of diabolical adversity.

(Little/Brown)

Gun Machine - Warren Ellis

(FICTION/CLOTH)   A big argument in the gun debate is if you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns. Case in point, NYC's underworld is rife of them. Following the trail of the man who killed his partner, John Tallow stumbles upon an arsenal of illegal guns stashed in an apartment. Each weapon was pulled from a dead person's hands and Tallow had discovered a monument built by a mass murderer. What if the hundreds of death were politically motivated as opposed to the illogical work of a madman? Tallow is about to find out as he digs deeper into the stories of the guns' owners. Over the top yet believable, this novel  set up for a big finish and it delivers in spades, maybe not Sam Spade, but something more current and far edgier.

(Putnam)

Rage Is Back - Adam Mansbach

(FICTION/CLOTH) Its a common marketing tool in bookselling; "If you liked... then..." Well here you go, If you Liked The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, then dash to your bookstore and grab this powder keg of a novel. Believe it or not this is the same novelist who penned the bedtime book parody Go the F*** to Sleep that Samuel L. Jackson made famous by narrating . Well his threatening bass tones would be great to narrate the trailer for this urban epic. Brooklyn born Kilroy goes to prep school and deals drugs. His dad, Rage, a legendary graffiti writer is not in the picture as he grew up until now, 15 years later. To thwart a long time enemies majoial race Rage plots the ultimate tagging event of all time. He searches the underworld of New York City to assemble a who's-who of graffitti artists for his plan and the reader and his boy go along for the ride. The writing is sharp and at both times funny and tragic as we see witness his passion for the city in all its ugly glory. 
 

(Putnam)

Prodigy - Marie Lu

(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH)  A fierce combination of Hunger Games and Maze Runner, Legend, the first of the series, burst into the YA market. Now its followup is now available and does not disappoint. The American west is now a warring nation called the Republic, Well to do June and slum-raised Day, the boy June once thought killed her brother, bond together with the Patriots to defend the people. In this new chapter they team together to kill the evil new Elector. Day wants the new leader's blood spilt but June questions if the leader, Anden, is the problem or the promise of the future. Classic themes of epic struggle played in a distopian world with enough action to keep the most jaded teen reader flipping pages.

(Scholastic)

Fire Horse Girl - Kay Honetman

(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH)    Some of the magic of reading is its ability to transport you into foreign lands and to see the culture through their eyes. He we have a passionate tale of Jade Moon, a stubborn and spiritually liberated girl in a land that forbids it. She emulates her zodiac sign, the fire horse with her unbridled imagination and stubbornness. Her spirit is more suited for America and when she gets the opportunity to go there, escorted by the debonaire young man Sterling Chance (I know "sic" but he is) she jumps at the chance. A romance is kindled on the ship. Once at Angel Island she is detained. Seems see is as unwanted in the States as she was at home. She will have to summon the traits of her zodiac avatar to find the courage to claim her dream. The book is Lisa See lite for the teen crowd, you grasp the struggle and root for Jade to live up to her legacy.

(Viking Juvenile)

The Tell-Tale Start  - Gordon McAlpine, illus. by Sam Zuppardi

(INDEPENDENT READER) (Viking Juvenile)) Edgar and Allan, brothers, brothers, they dress alike, scheme alike... you get the picture. They are also Edgar Allan Poe's grandnephews and share his dark side. They also own a, natch, black cat, Roderick Usher who is cat-knapped. They convince their folks to a road trip to find him. Along the way they discover creepy twin powers, a mad scientist stalker and their connection to the great writer of the macabre. A smart combination of literary wordplay akin to Lemony Snicket, a touch of Goosebumps and little science thrown in the mix akin to John Connelly's The Gates, this is the start of what should turn into an enjoyable early reader series.

(HarperCollins)

The Bully Book - Eric Kahn Gale

(INDEPENDENT READER)   Each day 160,000 fear being bullied*. This tale is about just one. Middle school stinks especially if you're Eric Haskins. He's a grunt, this year's whipping boy. Jason is king bully. One of his henchmen is even Eric's former best friend Donovan. What went wrong? Why? Eric finds the answer when he discovers The Bully Book, the manual and rulebook for bullies. Within its covers are tricks on how to "make trouble" without getting in trouble, rule the school and, yes, grunt selection. This could be Eric's way out but how does he do it without becoming a bully himself? The book will make to mad, sad and then glad and is an easy read book that addresses issues. For a girl's perspective but just as easy a read seek out Poison Ivy by Amy Goldman Koss If you want a YA equivalent seek out The Revealers by Doug Wilhelm

*An estimated 160,000 students in the US refuse to go to school because they dread the physical and verbal aggression of their peers a day. 6 out of 10 American youth witness bullying at least once a day. - American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children

Best Book Bets - 1/22/2013

Winter is my favorite time to read, curled up in front of a fire, warmed by a much-loved comforter. Except for Summertime under an umbrella, a sea breeze cooling the shade as I sip a beverage. Fall though, now that's a time I love to read, the woody fragrance of the falling leaves and the bite of the breeze as they eddy at my feet as I turn a page. Then of course there's Spring with its promise of new beginnings and satisfying novel endings. O.K. my favorite time is anytime I can squirrel away to read and if you are reading this I'm sure you are with me. So hears another week of the Bookie's best; another list of winners.This week we have the scary, the thrilling, the heart wrenching, and yes, the funny.Read & enjoy!

(Bloomsbury)

The Uninvited - Liz Jensen

(FICTION/CLOTH) This reads like payback for all the atrocities plaguing our children as of late.A friend mentioned reading an essay explained using children as villains worked so well because of the mating of good and evil as an effective tool for jarring our senses because children are the embodiment of all things good and kind in the world.  There is a world-wide epidemic where children are killing their families. Anthropologist Hesketh Lock uses the observational advantages of his Asperger's Syndrome to discover the cause in hopes of a cure. His stepson Freddy begins to act erratically and he fears he may be coming down with the disease. As Freddy appears to be implicated in a murder Lock has to come to terms with a future where nurturing and parenting becomes a thing of the past. This distopian thriller will make you flinch when you see a young one for days on end.

(St Martins)

Snow White Must Die - Nele Nehaus

(FICTION/CLOTH)  There seems to be a growing facination with mystery writers from other countries (Larsson, Nesbo). Well this novel should make these people very happy. It was an international bestseller (3.5 million copies to date) and its english translation is accessible although possesses that different point of view that makes these foreign entries so compelling. Detectives Kirchhoff and Bodenstein investigate a body that has apparently fallen from a bridge down into a car below. The case brings them to a village of secrets involving the disappearance of a pair of teens years before. The convicted "killer" is released, the accident tied to him and then, another teen goes missing. Its the classic case of community hiding their dirty laundery and the reveals are delicious.

(St Martins)

The Good House - Ann Leary

(FICTION/CLOTH) Here is a more lighthearted story about small towns and the secrets they keep. Hildy Good is a success at everyt role she takes on, real estate agent, motherhood, neighbor, alcoholic. Her family and friends hold an intervention, much to her dismay, but Hildy just feels persecuted and continues living her life on her terms battling the bottle and reality. In her town there is much to drive Hildy to drink and as she is dragged into one of its scandals the book becomes a tug of war between Hildy's desire to drink and the tragic yet at times hysterical events that happen around her that prompt her to tipple. The novel doesn't come off like a Lifetime Movie of the Week, instead its a thoughtful and amusing meditation on why we do what we do and how we choose to live our lives.

(Viking)

Me Before You - Jojo Moyes

(FICTION/CLOTH)  Louisa (Lou) Clark likes her life just as it is but when her job at the tea shop disappears as does her love for her boyfriend she finds herself a care assistant for someone else who has lost the value to there life. Her client Will is a quadriplegic due to a motorcycle accident. His life is as joyless as Lou's. Their oil and vinegar relationship tests each of them but after a few verbal shake-ups they begin to fill the darkness in each others lives. This has already been a big success in England where they call such stories "weepies." What makes this novel rise above the lot is how real all the characters are on the page (even the acerbic mother of Will.) Bring out the Kleenex and turn the page, this story gives Segal's Love Story a run for its money.

(Free Press)

Y: A Novel - Marjorie Celona

(FICTION/CLOTH)  A remarkable debut novel about unbreakable spirit.Talk about someone born down on their luck, Shannon is dumped at a "Y"MCA in a dirty sweatshirt, armed with a Swiss Army knife. She is also armed with an old soul that takes the foster system head on. She revives abuse and neglect while in the system until she finds a foster parent with as resilient a spirit as hers, Miranda. The novel weaves the similar tales of the two with Miranda's mother, Yula, and celebrates what a brave act being a family can be. “Y. That perfect letter. The wishbone, fork in the road, empty wineglass. The question we ask over and over. Why? . . . My life begins at the Y.”Seriously, how cool is that?

(Doubleday/Talese)

The Drowning House - Elizabeth Black

(FICTION/CLOTH)  Here is another notable debut author. Black presents to us Clare Porterfield, a successful photographer who impending divorce overshadows a death in her family. To avoid the inevitable in her personal life she jumps at the chance to escape back to her hometown,Galveston, Texas, to participate in an exhibition and tend to family affairs.  Her story parallels the tale of Stella Carraday who, legend has it drown in her family house during the hurricane of 1900 when her hair got tangled in a chandelier as the water rose. The truths behind both there fates turn dark and interwoven as Clare comes to terms with her family secrets and her life going forwards. A powerful talent that weaves a tone of Southern Gothic to the tale-telling.

(Palgrave/Macmillan)

The Forgotten Writings of Bram Stoker - edited by John Edgar Browning

(NON-FICTION/CLOTH)  Granted this collection is probably more exciting for us literature nerds out there than for the casual reader, these previously unpublished works shed new light on the man who combined horror, romance and the fear of foreign influence into the classic Dracula. There is fiction, an assortment of poems, journal writings, even a listing of the contents of his personal library. A little more dry but just as enlightening are some pieces done on Stoker from back in the day. As a whole they reveal his interests and influences, the underpinning to his classic work and further advocate his importance as an architect of Gothic literature.

(Atria)

For the Love of Letters: The Joy of Slow Communication - John O'Connell

(NON-FICTION/CLOTH) I'm getting on my soap box for a moment. Letterwriting and the practice of cursive writing has been the key to civilization's soul. Has anyone anywhere, paused before their keyboard or mobile device, to construct the words that would describe the beatings of one's heart as you would when composing a letter? If you say yes then sorry, you're lying. Keyboards are cold and thumbs texting as knumb as the calluses such practice creates. That said, here's a fine book that celebrates letter writing. It is a collection of writings from Churchill to Austen to Dunne; all fine examples of the many values of what was once the only mode of communication, now an art form. To quote Natalie Goldberg from her book Writing Down the Bones "Handwriting is closest to the beat of the heart." Amen, sister!

(Amulet)

Splintered - A.G. Howard

(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH)  Re-imagings are all the rage, especially with young adult titles and their subsequent film adaptations. Most are dreck but every once in a while an author takes the term to heart. Howard rebuilds the legend of Alice in Wonderland from the ground up with such attention to detail and pathos it would make Rick Burton blush. Alyssa hears the thoughts of bugs and flowers but don't tell anyone, it landed her Mom in an institution years before. She is an ancestor of Alice Liddell, the girl Lewis Carroll based his novel on. What Alyssa learns is that the tale wasn't woven of fantasy and whimsy but facts. Yes there will be a tea party and a bandersnatch but this psychedelic grotesque is now your mother's wonderland. 

(St. Martin’s/Griffin)

Uses For Boys - Erica Lorraine Scheidt

(YOUNG ADULT/CLOTH)   Growing up and becoming sexually aware can be such a drag. On the surface not so for Anna who uses her relationships with the boys in her life as a substitute for the lack of family in her life. Her Mom is busy dealing with her life in a similar fashion, man to man. The girls in school consider Anna the school slut. Her routine of using boys by being used herself changes when she meets Sam, who has a well-grounded family who enjoys each others company. She learns what is missing in her life and what it will take to fill it. Tough, gritty and as real as the sexually changed world teens live in. Its really about breaking through all that noise and finding what counts in life.

(Philomel)

This Moose Belongs to Me - Oliver Jeffers

(INDEPENDENT READER) (Philomel) The classic tale of boy meets moose that has taken the NY Times bestseller list by storm!. Wait a second isn't that usually a dog? Jeffers is no slouch when it comes to children's literature and his chops are well used here. Confession, I love moose (mooses? moseses?) so I was smitten by this tale immediately. Wilfred, probably a little OCD, loves order in his young life. Rules are rules, dot the "i"s. Moose is the perfect companion for young Wilfred. He never barks for example. What Wilfred doesn't realize is that a moose can be very obstinent, especially one that doesn't know that it is owned by a little boy. Still the two strike a bound that works for both of them, for Wilfred companionship and for moose, apples (O.K. a little companionship as well to be truthful.)

(Harper)

Jinx - Sage Blackwood

(INDEPENDENT READER)  Witches, werewolves and trolls, oh my! Welcome to Urwald, the world of Jinx. It is a magical world where wizards are not to be trusted. Jinx knows that but against everything he had been told he takes the advise of crotchety wizard Simon Magnus and ventures off the safe path in search of magical powers. There lies the aforementioned monsters and more in every shadow. His worldly experiences build his knowledge in magic and the more he delves into the unknown the more good looks evil and evil, well, evil still looks even but maybe not so much. In the end Jinx must rely on the magic within. Beautifully rendered world with classic overtones makes this journey a treat.