Prophecy of the Sisters

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink. (Grades 7+)
Little Brown, August 2009.
Review copy provided by publisher.

Sixteen-year-old Lia Milthorpe has just recently lost her father, leaving her parentless. But when a strange mark appears on her wrist, she realizes she is being branded with much more than her newfound title of orphan. Lia and her twin sister, Alice, are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other.

Lia hides this discovery from Alice and even from her beloved James, but to escape from the burden this secret bestows she must end the prophecy - before her sister. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the mark on her wrist, the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her, and the downfall the prophecy could bring.

Michelle Zink has created an intensely atmospheric and creepy tale. From the first page, I could feel the cold November wind and Lia's growing dread as she tries to decipher the newfound mark on her wrist. The imagery is downright creepy and teens looking for a book that'll keep them up at night need look no further. The story really reminded me of A Great and Terrible Beauty and I'd waste no time in recommending Prophecy of the Sisters to Gemma Doyle fans.

That said, I have to confess that I only made it about halfway through Prophecy. It has less to do with the quality of the book (which many, many bloggers have really enjoyed) and more that it just wasn't my thing. I think my problem was that while there were great plot twists, it seemed to take too long to get to each one. I'd be on the verge of putting the book down when another plot twist came along and I'd decide to keep going. After a few of those, I decided that it wasn't doing it for me. I hate to be one of those people who thinks no great books are longer than 250 pages, but I really think that if it was 100 pages shorter I probably would have kept going.

The reason I picked up the book is that so many people were raving about it. Presenting Lenore calls it "hauntingly lovely". Book Nerds says it's a "shockingly good debut" that really made her want the next book. Shooting Stars Mag says "this book was beyond amazing!" Oh, and there are tons of other great reviews. So if Prophecy of the Sisters sounds like it's right up your alley, go find one of those gushing reviews (or better yet, snag a copy yourself and make up your own mind!).

Waiting On Wednesday

ETA: Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine! (I knew it was hosted by someone, I just couldn't remember who. Sorry for the delay in credit!)

As I was working on my selection carts at work, I came across a bunch of books that look really awesome. So I thought I'd post about them so you can covet them, too. ;)

Eli the Good by Silas House. Random House, September 2009.

Bicentennial fireworks burn the sky. Bob Seger growls from a transistor radio. And down by the river, girls line up on lawn chairs in pursuit of the perfect tan. Yet for ten-year-old Eli Book, the summer of 1976 is the one that threatened to tear his family apart. There is his distant mother; his traumatized Vietnam vet dad; his wild sister; his former warprotester aunt; and his tough yet troubled best friend, Edie, the only person with whom he can be himself. As tempers flare and his father’s nightmares rage, Eli watches from the sidelines, but soon even he cannot escape the current of conflict.

I loved Silas House's Clay's Quilt, so I'm looking forward to reading his upcoming YA novel which comes out in just a few weeks!

The Day of the Pelican by Katherine Paterson. Clarion Books, October 2009.

Meli Lleshi is positive that her drawing of her teacher with his pelican nose started it all. The Lleshis are Albanians living in Kosovo, a country trying to fight off Serbian oppressors, and suddenly they are homeless refugees. Old and young alike, they find their courage tested by hunger, illness, the long, arduous journey, and danger on every side. Then, unexpectedly, they are brought to America by a church group and begin a new life in a small Vermont town. The events of 9/11 bring more challenges for this Muslim family--but this country is their home now and there can be no turning back.

I didn't even know Katherine Paterson had a new book coming out, but now that I know, I want it!

Hawksmaid: The Untold Story of Robin Hood and Maid Marian by Kathryn Lasky. HarperCollins, September 2009.

I can't find a picture or a plot summary of this one anywhere, but just the title and subtitle is enough to intrigue me! I do kind of wonder if this book even really exists, as I've seriously not been able to find ANYTHING about it. (Anyone know?)

Hamlet by John Marsden. Candlewick, August 2009.

This one's actually already out, I just need to get my hands on it. I saw the play Hamlet for the first time this summer (actually, I saw an abbreviated version), so I was really intrigued when I saw that John Marsden had written a novel retelling of the story. As soon as I allow myself to buy more books (or convince our YA librarian to buy this for the teen section), I'll be picking this one up.

So what books are you really looking forward to?

Now Available...

Okay, not only is today Catching Fire day, but it's pub day for Ash by Malinda Lo. Read my review and if you like detailed, atmospheric fairy tale retellings (oh, and did I mention that in this retelling, Cinderella falls in love with a girl?), you'll want to pick this one up.

Book Review: When the Whistle Blows

When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton. (Grades 6-10.)
Philomel, June 2009.
Reviewed from ARC provided by author.

(This is a 2009 Cybils nominee and this review reflects only my personal opinion of the book, not necessarily the opinion of the panel!)

Jimmy's father is a railroad man and, growing up in the small railroad town of Rowlesburg, West Virginia, Jimmy's determined to be a railroad man, too. No matter how much his father doesn't want him to.

Jimmy's got it all figured out. His dad wants him to finish high school, but Jimmy's going to drop out as soon as possible and go to work for the railroad as a machinist. He'll follow in the footsteps of his brothers and maybe things will just stay the way they are, the way Jimmy likes them. But you can't stop change.

Told in a series of vignettes, all set on All Hallow's Eve from 1943 to 1949, When the Whistle Blows is the story of a child turning into a man. Of a small town boy coming to grips with the fact that the world is changing, that things can't stay the same.

I will tell you something. I don't often sit down and read a book from cover to cover. I may read half of a book one day and finish it the next day, but I have a hard time sitting down and actually finishing a book in one sitting*.

And to be completely honest, I wasn't sure I was going to like When the Whistle Blows that much. Sure, I was intrigued enough by the premise to accept a review copy, but when Travis compared it to Richard Peck, I had trepidation. I do not have a great track record of liking Richard Peck. Or vignettes.

Which is why it's so surprising to me that I absolutely loved this book. (Maybe I should give Richard Peck another try...) It started a little slowly. I was still unsure after the first story. But then I got into the second story where all the boys are pelting the bully's car with rotten cabbages and I really started to like it. By the time Jimmy's schoolmates are rebelling against the principal keeping the school open on the first day of hunting season, I had started it love it. And then I didn't want it to end.

The vignettes are a mix of comical and serious. Fran Cannon Slayton brings the town of Rowlesburg to life. In parts of the book I felt like I was watching a movie unfolding before my eyes, so clearly could I see the town and the people in it. The characters, too, shine through. Of course I fell in love with Jimmy, with his bright-eyed naivety at wanting to work at the railroad just as the men in his family before him, his perseverance when faced with the changes that inevitably come to us all. I equally fell in love with Jimmy's father, the man who pushes Jimmy to make a better life for himself even while Jimmy clings to the hardscrabble town because it's all he knows.

So, go and pick up When the Whistle Blows. If you don't, I fear you'll be missing something truly special. And in the immortal words of LeVar Burton (RIP Reading Rainbow!), don't take my word for it. Read reviews at Practically Paradise, Shelf Elf, Jen Robinson's Book Page, and The Reading Zone.

When the Whistle Blows is on shelves now. OH. And are you a teacher or a librarian? If you are, you can enter Fran's contest to win 30 copies of WTWB for your classroom or library! Deadline December 15.

*Special circumstances like Cybils reading and the 48-Hour Book Challenge notwithstanding.

A Week in the Life of a Children's Librarian

So, you wanna know what I'm doing this week?

Sunday & Monday - Children's and Young People's Division Conference in Indianapolis. Had a great time, saw some great speakers (including my husband John Green). Just got back. *collapse*

Tuesday - Success by Six meeting at the New Albany Schools Administrative Center, back to the library for a meeting to divide up the chunk of book money we're getting (hooray!!!), working evening shift on desk.

Wednesday - North Vernon for ILF committee meeting.

Thursday - Giving a presentation at the Board meeting in the morning, frantically trying to check things off my to-do list in the afternoon. ;)

And Friday I have off due to my hours spent at the conference. I will stay in my PJs all day long.

So, yes. That's my week. Catch me if you can!

Sneak Peak: Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

I'll be posting a review closer to the pub date, but I couldn't put Tangled down, so I just had to mention it. I'm a huge fan of Carolyn Mackler's other books and I was really excited to see that she has a new book coming out. It did not disappoint!!

Jena, Dakota, Sky, and Owen are all at Paradise - a resort in the Caribbean, that is - for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangles together in ways none of them can predict. The week might take Jena one kiss closer to having a life; set Dakota on a new path; push Skye to stop playing a role, or face the consequences; or inspire Owen to take a leap from his online life to a real one, all because of a girl he met in Paradise. Whatever happens here, it will change them all.

Put it on your TBR lists, kids, and look for it in December.

Nonfiction Monday

Peculiar Pets is a new series by Bearport Publishing. The four-title series currently covers iguanas, pot-bellied pigs, miniature horses, and ferrets. I got my hands on Green Iguanas and Potbellied Pigs, both by Natalie Lunis.

Full of color photos and interesting facts, these books will appeal to kids who have or want these unusual pets. The books give some tips about the care of these animals, though potential pet owners will want a more in-depth manual before deciding to obtain one of these pets. These books would make great companions for kids who are not confident enough at reading to make it through a pet-care manual.

Here's hoping that they add a title on sugar gliders to the series! (I seem to get asked for books on sugar gliders on a fairly regular basis and there isn't a lot out there for kids...)

Another new series by Bearport is X-Moves, books about extreme sports. Included in this series are books on BMX, surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, MotoXers, and rally cars. I read Super Surfers and Daring BMXers, both by Michael Sandler.

Again, I love the layout of these books. They're full of cool color pictures showing people doing tricks in their sports. The text is simple and with a pleasing layout that includes small fact boxes and captions for the photos. I think this series will appeal most to kids who are already interested in extreme sports and it's likely to attract sports fans who don't read much.

(Full disclosure: review copies provided by Bearport Publishing.)

Happy Nonfiction Monday! Simply Science has the roundup, so go check it out.

In My Mailbox #3

In My Mailbox is a weekly feature hosted by The Story Siren. Do head on over there and check out the roundup. I find it really interesting to see what books are floating around the blogosphere.

This was a very exciting mailbox week! Here's what showed up (all blurbs are from publisher content):

Living on Impulse by Cara Haycak. (Dutton Juvenile, August 2009.)

Mia Morrow loves that feeling. The electrical charge, the dizziness, the throbbing in her temples - they're all part of the impulse high. That's why instead of caring about grades and colleges like her friends, Mia lives for chasing boys, cliff-diving, and occasionally snatching things off department store shelves. But when Mia gets caught shoplifting a pair of designer sandals, she'll have to face the consequences of her impulses for the first time. From losing her friends to taking a job in a college lab breeding flies, Mia must abandon the girl she thought she was, in order to seek out the person she truly wants to be.

When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton. (Philomel, June 2009.)

Jimmy lives in Rowlesburg, West Virginia, during the 1940s. He does all the things boys do in the small mountain town: plays a mean game of football, pulls the unforgettable Halloween prank with his friends in “the Platoon,” and promises to head off into the woods on the first day of hunting season— no matter what. He also knows his father belongs to a secret society, and is determined to uncover the mysteries behind it! But it is a midnight encounter with a train that shows Jimmy the man his father really is.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting. (HarperTeen, March 2010.)

Violet Ambrose can find the dead. Or at least, those who have been murdered. She can sense the echoes they leave behind... and the imprints they leave on their killers. As if that weren't enough to deal with during her junior year, she also has a sudden, inexplicable , and consuming crush on her best friend since childhood, Jay Heaton. Now a serial killer has begun terrorizing Violet's small town... and she realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler. (HarperTeen, December 2009.)

Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all at Paradise - a resort in the Caribbean, that is - for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. The week might take Jena one kiss closer to have a life; set Dakota on a new path; push Skye to stop playing a role, or face the consequences; or inspire Owen to take a leap from his online life to a real one, all because of a girl he met in Paradise. Whatever happens here, it will change them all.

[I'm a huge fan of Carolyn Mackler, so I'm super excited to read this one!]

Like I said, a very exciting mailbox week for me. What was in your mailbox?

Hoosiers?

Do I have Indiana readers yet?
I'll be at the CYPD Conference in Indianapolis on Sunday and Monday. Looks like some very interesting programs. I'll have a full report, oh, some time next week (this next week is seriously crazy cakes).

ANYhoo. If you find me at CYPD, say hi!

Book Review: Shiver

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. (Grades 9+)
Scholastic, August 2009
Full disclosure: reviewed from ARC I snagged at ALA

Ever since she was a little girl, Grace has been visited by a wolf in the woods behind her house. This particular wolf seems to appear every winter and has the most amazing yellow eyes. After wolves attack one of her classmates, Grace's wolf appears to her one night... as a human. Sam. And Grace knows that she loves him. But she also knows that she's going to lose him. For as the temperature drops, Sam's days as a human are drawing to a close. And to be together, Grace and Sam have to be willing to risk everything.

Shiver was everything I wanted Twilight to be. There, I said it.

It's beautifully written. I didn't find any of the characters annoying. Both Grace and Sam narrate the story with chapters switching back and forth between their points of view. Even as Grace's obsession with Sam grows, she's still her own person.

I had one niggling complaint about the werewolf folklore, but it was answered towards the middle of the book. (I kept thinking, if you change when you get cold... move to Florida! But there's a reason they can't do that. It gets explained.)

I kept flagging passages of beautiful writing, like this one at the very beginning:

The day I nearly talked to Grace was the hottest day of my life. Even in the bookstore, which was air-conditioned, the hear crept in around the door and came in through the big picture windows in waves. Behind the counter, I slouched on my stool in the sun and sucked in the summer as if I could hold every drop of it inside me. As the hours crept by, the afternoon sunlight bleached all the books on the shelves to pale, gilded versions of themselves and warmed the paper and ink inside the covers so that the smell of unread words hung in the air.

This was what I loved, when I was human.

I knew at that point that I was in for a treat. It took me a little bit to get hooked into the story, but once I did, I didn't want to put the book down. I'm not sure what else I have to say about it. I'd promptly hand it over to Twilight fans (hi, Melody!) or fans of paranormal romance.

Check out this gorgeous book trailer created by the author:



Oh, and there's a companion novel coming out in Fall 2010, Linger.

And read more reviews at The Compulsive Reader, Presenting Lenore, The Well-Read Child, GreenBeanTeenQueen, and Shooting Stars Mag.

Plus, read a Cynsations interview with Maggie Stiefvater and Ms. Stiefvater's thoughts about the worst review she's received over at The Worst Review Ever (OMG what a cool idea for a blog!).