10k Giveaway Winners!

Congratulations to the winners of my 10k Giveaway: Kaitlyn and John!

And to everyone: thanks for reading my blog and entering my giveaway!

Around the interwebs

I'm excited to see more of MotherReader's new feature: ABC Storytimes. I'm a big fan of sharing successful programs and these storytimes fit the bill. She kicked off last week with a really cute and creative storytime featuring the letter A and I'm eagerly anticipating the rest of the alphabet.

Don't forget to stop over at Biblio File where Jennie's giving away a copy of Vibes. It's on my TBR list for sure after reading Jennie's and Leila's reviews. You have until Wednesday to enter the contest, but don't delay!

And Lisa points us to Shannon Hale's blog for a couple of really interesting posts about how to be a reader (first post, and part 2). Whose fault is it when you don't like a book? The author or the reader? Have you ever reread a book and found that you didn't have the same reaction to it? What's changed? Certainly not the text... I have a couple of examples... I read The Catcher in the Rye in high school and really enjoyed it. Read it again for a college class and haaaated it. Conversely, when I read The Wind in the Willows in elementary school I couldn't stand it, but when I read it for a college class I absolutely loved it.

And on that note, I'm off to attack the ever-growing TBR pile. :) Happy Saturday, everyone!

Comic Books Rule

While I was on vacation last weekend, we went to a German beer garden, and this was written on one of the tables. It says "Comic Books Rule!!"

Yeah, they do! Nice to find some comic book love in random places. :)

Book Review: Band Geek Love

Band Geek Love by Josie Bloss. (Grades 7+)

This is what Ellie Snow has been waiting for. She's finally a senior. She's the trumpet section leader in marching band. Her best friend is drum major. And she's got a kick-butt solo. This is going to be awesome.

But things don't exactly turn out as Ellie has planned (which is annoying since Ellie really likes to plan things out and be in control). A distractingly cute boy shows up and joins her section. Then her friend starts trying to set the two of them up. And to complicate matters, Ellie's old crush reappears, still nonchalant about the fact that he broke her heart and ruined her life three years prior. What's a girl to do?

I really enjoyed this funny novel. True, Ellie is not always a likeable character. She's bossy and controlling and totally unable to let some things go. Even though she proclaims not to care that she's not popular, she's wrapped up in what everyone thinks about her (which is understandable, considering the complete and total humiliation she was put through her freshman year). But all of that just made her feel more real to me. I knew girls just like her in high school. And she's funny and interesting enough that I cared about her and wanted to read her story. Plus, she mellows out some by the end. ;)

Funny! There were bits that made me laugh out loud. Witty little one-liners that are just the kind of sarcastic humor I can really get on board with.

Examples:

To her drum major friend Jake after he's made a comment about her solo (which sucked):

"Stop it, Jake, you don't give yourself enough credit," I said through clenched teeth. "We would have been lost without you waving your arms around up on that ladder. We probably would have accidentally marched into the lake and drowned." (pg. 13)

In conversation with her parents who are trying to figure out why she's upset:

"Are you depressed?" asked Mom, fearfully.
"Are you doing okay in your classes?" Dad asked.
"Oh, God, you aren't addicted to crystal meth, are you?" Mom practically shrieked. "Did you know they make that with poison?" (pg. 221)

And I love her turn of phrase, too. Great descriptions like:

Upon seeing the new kid for the first time:

He stood there with his hands on his hips, showing off broad shoulders, looking as calm and confident as if someone had just put him in charge of the world and he was pretty damn sure he was going to do a fine job, thanks. (pg. 15)

And rather than saying someone's voice was cold, she says:

...his voice approximately eighty-five degrees below zero. (pg. 226)

All in all, I really liked it. I didn't want to stop reading it (even when I was on vacation). And I was never even in marching band!*

I'm already looking forward to the sequel, Band Geeked Out, which is due out in April. You will definitely want to check out Josie Bloss's website and also these other reviews: Little Willow (and her interview with Josie Bloss), The YA YA YAs, and Confessions of a Bibliovore.

*Confession: I was a music major in high school, but I went to a performing arts school and wasn't in marching band. I did have friends in marching band, though, including one good friend who was drum major!

10K Giveaway!

... Wha WHAT?!

My blog has had over 10,000 hits?! Is you crazy?

Wow. That is totally awesome. And it makes me feel like celebrating! So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna give YOU a chance to win a free book. All you have to do is comment on this post during the next three days (that is, before midnight on Saturday) and you will have a chance to win one of my favorite books from 2008. On Sunday I will draw two names at random, each of which may choose which book they would like. This is my way of giving back to the awesome people who read my blog AND to the awesome authors who write books that I enjoy.

Apologies, but the drawing's only open to those in the US and Canada (shipping costs, don'tcha know).

AND THERE'S MORE! You don't need to have a blog to enter this giveaway, but if you do have a blog and you post about this giveaway, I'll enter your name twice. Just put a link to your post in your comment.

Here's the list of books you may choose from (these are books published in 2008 that have gotten 5 stars from me):

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
George Washington Carver by Tanya Bolden
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by Nathan Hale
Greetings from Nowhere by Barbara O'Connor
Nate the Great Collected Stories (audio!) by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, read by John Lavelle.
Good Enough by Paula Yoo

So, thank you, thank you for reading my blog. It's turned out to be way more fun than I ever imagined it would be and I hope to continue for a long, long time.

Now, commence with the comments! Remember, you must comment before midnight (Central Daylight Time) on Saturday to be eligible for the drawing!

ETA (Sept. 7) - The contest is now closed. Thanks for entering, everyone!!

Audiobook Review: Bloody Jack

Bloody Jack: Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy by L.A. Meyer, read by Katherine Kellgren. Listen and Live Audio. (Grades 7+)

Young Mary Faber is just eight years old when both her parents die of "the pestilence" and she's left to fend for herself. She finds a place with a gang of urchins, begging and stealing to get their daily bread. But Mary wants more than this life and when her gang's leader is killed, she disguises herself as a boy and sets off to make her own way.

Her own way leads her to the British warship The Dolphin where Mary is taken on as a ship's boy. Calling herself "Jacky", she learns all about sailing and fighting, befriending the other ship's boys and trying to avoid attention. As time goes on, she knows that her secret will come out eventually, but not before she's had the chance to fight in a few battles, join a secret brotherhood, get a tattoo, and visit a brothel...

One reason I love vacations is that long car trips give me an excuse to listen to audiobooks (yeah... Abby = geek, what else is new?). Traditionally I have picked out shorter recordings (my long drives are never all that long), but I was anxious to check out Bloody Jack since it won an honor in the first ever Odyssey Awards this year. I wasn't at all disappointed!

Katherine Kellgren's narration makes this recording a joy to listen to. Her expressive reading gives Jacky a real voice and brings all the characters to life. Each character has a distinct voice, different from the narrative voice, and Kellgren's accents are a delight.

I'd hand this to fans of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle and maybe Tamora Pierce's Lioness quartet.

Celebration of YA

Woohoo! Fall is here!! Well, I suppose it's not officially fall, but SRC is over, fall storytime schedule is starting, and Labor Day is behind us. And that's good enough for me.

I am celebrating YA lit this fall because I feel like, even though I love it so, I don't make it a priority. Why is this? Well, my department serves birth through 8th grade, so when I read middle grade books or picture books or chapter books or easy readers, it's beneficial to my job. When I read adult books, I can recommend them to my mom and my aunts and I fulfill that part of me that says I'm a grown-up and I should be reading grown-up books.

And YA falls through the cracks. Or becomes a "guilty pleasure". Even though I love it so.

So this fall, I am taking back YA! I've already unofficially started, but this post marks the official kick-off of my Celebration of YA Lit, so keep your eye on this space for more reviews of great YA books this fall!!

Around the interwebs yet again

Upstart is holding an election for your favorite books and the first round of voting just opened. They have some really interesting pairings, like Where the Wild Things Are vs. The Polar Express and Twilight vs. The Lightning Thief. Go! Vote! Have your voice heard! The top four books in each category will go on to a second round (which starts September 22) and then the top two will face off starting October 13. The winners will be announced on November 5.

Did you know that the first new Madeline book in 50 years comes out this week? Madeline and the Cats of Rome is written by John Bemelmans Marciano, grandson of the original author, who apparently spent several years in Italy researching and creating illustrations for the book. I reserve judgment on resurrecting a beloved children's book character, but it will certainly be one to check out. Also interesting for those in the Chicago area is that Marciano will be at Anderson's Bookshop on Wednesday, September 24.

Speaking of Anderson's Bookshop, their fifth annual Young Adult Literature Conference will be held on Saturday, September 27 and there looks to be a great selection of authors attending. I'll be heading down there for the conference and I'm especially looking forward to seeing Suzanne Collins, Ellen Klages, and Paula Yoo. Now, if only I can get the courage to actually think of words (beyond "I LOVE YOUR BOOK!", that is) and speak to them, I'll be doing good.

(By the by, I met John Green last year and I could think of absolutely nothing to say. But I was in a Brotherhood 2.0 video!)

Last, but not least, I've been following some of the Allen County Public Library's mock awards blogs and I think it's a great way to stay on top of those award contenders. Of particular interest to me are the Mock Sibert and the Mock Geisel, but they also have a Mock Newbery and a Mock Caldecott. The official discussions for the mock awards will happen in January, but anyone can take part in the virtual discussion on the blogs.

ETA (Sept. 5, 2008): Ohhh yes, and don't forget ACPL's Mock Printz! Thanks for reminding me, Heather!

In completely unrelated news, I am back from my vacation (it was awesome, but I have a lot of bug bites [which are not awesome]). Look for some audiobook reviews, the Official start of my Celebration of YA, and a special surprise when this blog reaches 10,000 hits (some time this week!).

Book Review: The Declaration

The Declaration by Gemma Malley. (Grades 7+)

It's the year 2140 and scientists have discovered the secret to everlasting life. Yes, you can now get Longevity drugs, a fabulous concoction that prevents disease and renews the body so that you can live forever! There's one catch. Of course the earth's resources are not unlimited. So in order to get Longevity drugs, you must sign the Declaration. And the Declaration says that you may not have children.

But some people do have children.

Anna is one of these children. They are considered Surplus, a drain on the limited resources of the planet. They are contained in dormitories where they are trained to be servants and menial laborers. To be absolutely obedient and to follow the orders of Legals. To hate their parents, the selfish people who created them.

Anna is nearly fifteen, the age at which she will go out into the world as a housekeeper for a Legal. She's a fast learner, a good cook, obedient, observant, and quite ready to start making up for her parents' sins by being a Valuable Asset. But then a new Surplus arrives. It's strange because he's Anna's age and usually Surplus children are caught much earlier. And he says strange things... that he knows Anna's parents, that they love her and want her back...

And suddenly Anna has a choice where she never had one before... Can she trust Peter? Could there really be a life for her on the outside?

Why did I like this book? Let me count the ways...

1. The premise is really interesting and the more you read, the more Gemma Malley fleshes everything out. Questions are answered along the way and everything fits together really tightly. And c'mon... who doesn't like dystopian worlds where children are illegal??

2. The characters... Near the beginning of the book, the Main Bad Lady hints that she is evil for a Reason. And it stayed with me as I read the book. And then everything was explained near the end. (And BOY HOWDY was it explained!)

3. The cover. Well... no, not the American cover which I actually don't like at all (hey, is that the same girl who's on the cover of Boy Proof? What do you think?). But the British cover is awesome and it actually incorporates information from the book. First is the hardcover and second is the paperback. Waaay better than the American cover, in my opinion.

4. Recommendability. Okay, so I made that word up. But still. I can think of a lot of popular books that would make great readalikes. Particularly Among the Hidden because it deals with very similar subject matter, but also Uglies (teens figuring out that their supposedly perfect world is, well, not quite) or The Adoration of Jenna Fox (just how far would you go to save a life [your own life?]).

5. The ending. This book has quite a powerful ending. I totally didn't expect what happened, even though it made perfect sense. And when I was finished, I was so keyed up that I stayed up way past my bedtime and was really tired at work the next day. (So worth it.)

So. Yes. I liked it quite a bit. In fact, I am quite anxious to read the sequel (The Resistance... due out next week).

Read more reviews at Semicolon, Curled Up With a Good Kids' Book, Jen Robinson's Book Page, and Becky's Book Reviews.

Book Review: The Mysterious Universe

The Mysterious Universe: Supernovae, Dark Energy, and Black Holes by Ellen Jackson, photos & illustrations by Nic Bishop. (Grades 5-8.)

A supernova is a star that's ending its life in a fantastic explosion. They are so far away that light from a supernova can take billions of years to reach human eyes. Looking at a supernova is like looking back in time, seeing it how it was many, many years ago. Alex Filippenko studies supernovae. He also studies black holes.

Why study supernovae and black holes? Scientists have determined that most of the universe is made up of things called dark matter and dark energy... and no one is sure exactly what those are. The more we study them, the closer we come to knowing what makes up our universe and possibly how it started and what will happen to it in the future.

I found this book really fascinating and the more I think about it, the more fascinating it seems. It's such a hard topic to wrap your head around... The origins of the universe, stars that are billions of light years away, dark matter that no one really knows about... I closed the book and was kind of overwhelmed by things I didn't know. But it's a book that really made me think and it made me curious. And I think those are the best kind of nonfiction books.

With brilliant* photographs and informative sidebars, this is a great entry in the Scientists in the Field series. A bibliography, list of resources for students and teachers, and an index round out the book. Hand this one to budding astronomers. Also of interest are Team Moon and When is a Planet Not a Planet?

I hope everyone (everyone in the States, at least) is enjoying your Labor Day Weekend! It's Non-Fiction Monday and if there's a roundup to be had, it'll be at Anastasia's blog.

*I'm serious when I say brilliant. The first thing I did when I finished reading this book was go on a hunt for supernova desktop wallpaper for my computer. And I still say "Wow!" every time I turn my computer on. No joke. (I found my favorites on National Geographic.)