Archive for the ‘Realistic Fiction’ Tag
New Books Highlight: Books You’ll Like if…
Filed under: New Books | Tags: elizabeth eulberg, ellen hopkins, Fantasy, jaclyn moriarty, john green, lisi harrison, margaux froley, meg cabot, mystery, Realistic Fiction
Leave a Comment This week I want to show you three brand new books that share some traits with books you may have already read. We all know how it feels to hunt for a book that is kinda like the last great book you read. Sometimes it is hard to pin down exactly what you liked about that last book, but sometimes you know just what you’re looking for. Here are three you might like if…
If you like the pace and subjects of books by Ellen Hopkins like Identical and Tilt, or you liked the style and setting of Looking for Alaska by John Green you should try…
Escape Theory by Margaux Froley (A Keaton School Novel)
Devon has never really fit in at her prestigious California boarding school. Because she plans to study psychology at an even more prestigious college -Stanford University – she decides to use her lack of social life and her misfit status to her advantage by becoming a peer counselor. It seems fairly straightforward until the stunning suicide of a classmate, Jason Hutchins aka Hutch, rocks the school. Devon is called upon to hear her peers’ struggle with accepting the death, all the while struggling herself to understand how and why it happened. To make things trickier for Devon, she might have loved Hutch. And she might know more about his death than what the school wants students to know.
Sneak Peek! “Devon’s eye caught the harsh glare of the setting sun. She blinked and looked down, realizing she was rubbing her right palm where Hutch had kissed her before.” (Text copyright © 2013 by Margaux Froley)
If you like books by Meg Cabot and Lisi Harrison you should try…
Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality by Elizabeth Eulberg
Lexi is popular, has lots of great friends and a nice family…oh, except for their obsession with her younger sister’s beauty pageants, as though beauty was all that mattered. Lexi has always been the girl with a “great personality,” but what does that even mean? One day she decides she’s sick of being ignored by the guys she likes, by her family, by everyone. She wrangles her confidence – luckily it’s abundant -to step up and take the world on with her great personality, letting her inner beauty outshine everyone around her.
Sneak Peek! “Applying butt glue to my sister’s backside is, without question, not the first way I’d choose to spend a weekend.” (Text copyright © 2013 by Elizabeth Eulberg)
If you liked The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarty, the quirky fantasy of books like A Wrinkle in Time and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne Valente you should try…
A Corner of White by Jaclyn Moriarty (The Colors of Madeleine Book One)
Madeleine Tully lives in rainy Cambridge, England, with her kooky mother. Meanwhile in the Kingdom of Cello – which may or may not be Fairyland – Elliot is desperately searching for his father who went missing a year ago on the same night his uncle was found dead. Things are amiss in Cello, it seems, where Dangerous Colors are raining destruction. When Elliot and Madeleine both discover a gap between their parallel worlds they begin to communicate and events in their lives begin to intertwine.
Sneak Peek! ” Madeleine Tully turned fourteen yesterday, but today she did not turn anything. Oh, wait. She turned a page.” (Text copyright © 2013 by Jaclyn Moriarty)
New Books Highlight: Romance, or not
Valentine’s Day is over, but why not look at some romances? Are you gagging right now? Okay, then I’ll throw in a totally anti-romantic one, too. This week, two love-centric books and one that is guaranteed to make you forget about romance and that stupid person you have a crush on who does not know you exist.
Kiss & Make Up by Katie D. Anderson
For Emerson and her BFF Trina, this is the Year of the Boy. They’re determined to boost their social status by finding some boyfriends. Emerson’s only got one little problem, though. She can read the minds of the guys she locks lips with. What seems like a curse (you don’t really always need to know what someone is thinking), has its perks when Emerson realizes she can steal test answers while she steals kisses. Even with her shallow nature – she’s addicted to lip gloss – Emerson is a completely endearing character who grows up a lot during this Year of the Boy.
Sneak Peek! “It’s important that you know: my obsession with lip gloss has officially ruined my life.” (Text copyright © 2012 by Katie D. Anderson)
Miss Fortune Cooke by Lauren Bjorkman
Erin, unbeknownst to her friends and family, is the genius behind the popular advice blog Miss Fortune Cookie. When her ex-friend sends a letter, Erin dishes out advice as usual. But then she sees her advice acted upon and is not exactly thrilled with the results. In her efforts to clean up the mess she caused, keep her blogging identity secret, and not drive the rest of her friends away, Erin finds her own path to love, not through fortune cookies.
Sneak Peek! “My friends and I were riding home from school on Muni, clinging to an assortment of slippery handholds, when Linny almost blew my secret identity. Intentionally.” (Text copyright © 2012 by Lauren Bjorkman)
And now for the utterly unromantic choice:
Another in Doctorow’s line of awesomely dark and cool high tech dystopian novels. Marcus Yallow’s past as a “hacktivist” means he’s well-regarded amongst plugged in teens in futuristic California. Despite being locked up for his hacking work, he lands a great job putting his tech skills to work for a politician he can believe in. When hacker friend Masha gives him a flash drive loaded with seriously bad news, he is torn between feeling the need to leak it to further undermine the corrupt government, and knowing that he risks his life, job, and more if he does so.
Sneak Peek! “Attending Burning Man made me simultaneously one of the most photographed people on the planet and one of the least surveilled humans in the modern world.” (Text copyright © 2013 by Cory Doctorow)
MCTBA 2013 nominees announced!
The list of 15 nominees for the 2013 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award is here! Nominees include some books that have been popular here in Shorewood, such as The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Be sure to vote for your favorite before March 1, 2013. Remember, you don’t have to read all of them to be able to vote. If you read one and you liked it, why not make it your choice for the award!
Alex is hiking in the woods when an electromagnetic pulse flashes across the sky, destroying every electronic device and killing billions. Alex must survive in this new world, learning who can be trusted and who is no longer human. For all of you post-apocalyptic fans!
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Diagnosed with stage IV thyroid cancer, Hazel has always known her fate. But when she meets Augustus Waters at a cancer support group, Hazel struggles to change her outlook on life and love. This is a laugh-out-loud funny read, true to John Green’s style, yet also a deeply sad book.
In a tale full of dragons and royal scandal, Seraphina is a strong willed young lady who uses her musical talents as a distraction for her own dark secret. Sure to become a new fantasy favorite!
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
The day that Rory Deveaux arrives in London is also the day a series of brutal murders breaks out over the city. Rory is the only one who saw the prime suspect – and now Rory has become his next target. This play on the Jack the Ripper story is as thrilling as it is magical.
Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindl
17-year-old Althea must marry well in order to support her family and maintain their ancient castle. When the perfect bachelor arrives in her tiny town she thinks they may finally be saved, except that his annoying business partner keeps getting in the way!
Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
Tired of his parents’ fighting and being bullied at school, Lucky Linderman begins dreaming of being with his grandfather, who went missing during the Vietnam War, but a summer in Arizona with his aunt and uncle and their beautiful neighbor, Ginny, help him find a new perspective.
In the 15th-century kingdom of Brittany, Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts – and a violent destiny.
Day is the most wanted criminal in the Republic. June is its most valuable asset. When Day is accused of killing June’s brother, she will stop at nothing to hunt him down – but what if everything she thought she knew was a lie? Bonus: the sequel, Prodigy, is coming soon!
Finley’s life is basketball, so when he’s asked to befriend a nationally ranked player at the same position, he’s unsure of what to do. Events from both boys past start to surface and shape their uncertain futures.
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick
Peter’s life as a baseball star is over, and now he needs to find something else to do. Of course, he can’t tell his best friend he’ll never play again, just like he can’t tell his parents about his grandfather’s forgetfulness.
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
EPIC ALERT! Puck Connolly is the first girl to ever attempt the race. Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. But can they control the deadly water horses long enough to survive? Check out Stiefvater’s other 2012 release, The Raven Boys: Book 1.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
Karou was raised by monsters. Her life as an art student in Prague is constantly disrupted by horned chimaera Brimstone’s mysterious errands to foreign cities. But when black handprints appear burnt into Brimstone’s doorways, coinciding with mysterious sightings of fiery angels, Karou is about to lose everything – and gain a whole new world. The sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight, is now out!
Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
A wireless operator during WWII, Verity is a spy and master of deception – and a Nazi prisoner. In exchange for Allied wireless codes, she is allowed to live one day for each new piece of the truth. But as Verity’s story, and the story of her friendship with pilot Maddie, is slowly revealed, the truth is not always what it seems.
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
In and out of hospitals for a life-threatening illness, sixteen-year-old Cam spends the summer with her family in Promise, Maine where her mother hopes the town’s mystical healing qualities will save her.
How to Save a Life by Sarah Zarr
Jill’s mother is adopting a child from a pregnant teen after the death of her father. Mandy is 19 and running away from the life she knows to give her unborn child a better life than she had. Both girls will need to face their pasts to find the family they need now.
New Books Highlight: Really Real
Are you a fan of realistic books? Books that tell it like it is? Books that show you people just like yourself and those that are startlingly different? Books that explore huge problems that anyone could encounter (but hopefully won’t!), and small problems that plague every average human? Then check out these new gritty, realistic new reads that will have you pondering life’s deeper questions…
(P.S. New to the New Books Highlight: First lines (or first few lines) to get you hooked! For every title I recommend here, I’ll include the first line to give you a little sneak peek!)
Saving June by Hannah Harrington
Harper Scott’s sister June died right before her high school graduation. And now their parents are splitting up. They also insist on splitting June’s ashes in half, and there Harper draws the line. She and her best friend Laney steal June’s ashes and set off for California to set things right and offer one last tribute to June. Shady Jake Tolan comes on the scene, offering Harper solace – yet also the possibility of another devastating revelation about June’s death, through his mysterious connection to her.
Sneak Peek! “According to the puppy-of-the-month calendar hanging next to the phone in the kitchen, my sister June died on a Thursday, exactly nine days before her high school graduation.” (Copyright Hannah Harrington, 2011)
All You Never Wanted by Adele Griffin
Alex and Thea Parrot are rich, privileged, loyal and jealous sisters throwing the party of the year when their parents go out of town. The story that unfolds is full of the grit of friend, family and romantic relationships stretched to the max and possibly torn apart as Thea tries to take what Alex has (popularity, looks, and more). Narrated from the alternating perspectives of the sisters, this is a delve into a psychological reality you will be both startled and drawn in by.
Sneak Peek! “She gets into the car and then she can’t drive it. Can’t even start the engine for the gift of the air conditioner. She is a living corpse roasting in sun-warmed leather.” (Copyright Adele Griffin, 2012)
Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield
Becca longs to break free from her suffocatingly small town. When she discovers a corpse on the day after her high school graduation – the day the freedom she has longer for is finally within reach – she retreats into herself, afraid of the horror that has come so close to home. Becca’s summer is spent in near-madness as her story becomes intertwined with that of the corpse, Amelia Anne. A little horrifying, totally gritty and raw.
Sneak Peek! “They found her just after dawn on June 24th, crumpled awkwardly by the side of the road with a rust-colored blossom drying in the dirt beneath her.” (Copyright Kat Rosenfield, 2012)
TAB Book Review: I am the Messenger
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
How many times have you looked away when you passed that kid in the hallway at school who doesn’t have many friends, is teased and gossiped about? Nineteen-year-old Ed Kennedy hasn’t accomplished much in life other than a lot of card games. He’s a cab driver who lives with his dog, the Doorman. He has three good friends: easy-going Ritchie, outspoken Marv, and Audrey, whom Ed is hopelessly in love with. 
When Ed gets the Ace of Diamonds in the mail with three addresses written on them his life changes. At each address something happens. A lonely old women waits for her husband , who died 60 years ago, to come home. A teenage boy is a bully at school and is repeatedly beat up by his brother at home. Ed’s job is to help each of these people.
Ed doesn’t know who sent him the playing card but he’s determined to continue his life changing tasks. This touching story will convince you to smile at that kid next time you see him in the hallway.
-Written by TAB member Sabine P.
New Books Highlight: Short Reads
How many of you are insanely busy right now? *Surveys sea of hands indicating everyone*
Let this week’s new books highlight show you some reads you can pick up, put down, come back to later, or just finish in one quick sitting. Short stories and short books are as refreshing as newly fallen snow…
The Magician’s Apprentice by Kate Banks
This short read clocks in at just over 200 pages. Along with being a quick read, it is lyrical, poetic, and philosophical. 16-year-old Baz’s life changes when his cruel former master trades him to the mysterious Tadis, who turns out to be a magician. Tadis’s craft and wisdom show Baz the way through his geographical and emotional journey.
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kristin Cronn-Mills
Gabe is Elizabeth, and Elizabeth is Gabe. And Gabe hosts a radio show on his local community radio station, called Beautiful Music for Ugly Children, that pulls him into a spotlight he might not be ready for. This is an incredibly unique book featuring a transsexual protagonist trying to make his way in a world that doesn’t totally understand his choice to be a him.
Diverse Energies edited by Tobias S. Buckell and Joe Monti
This is a brand new short story collection featuring tales from many of your favorite authors like Paolo Bacigalupi, Ursula K. LeGuin, and Malinda Lo. The stories are all “speculative fiction,” that large genre that encompasses dystopian and apocalyptic fiction. Each story features a diverse perspective: that of the author, most of whom have very diverse backgrounds from multiple cultures, and that of the protagonist or culture they write about.
New Books Highlight: An Out of YA Experience
There are still plenty of new books in the YA section, but this week I want to take a little walk over to a different New Books bookshelf in the library, the one for general fiction (or “Adult Fiction”). Many of you are reading books for adults anyway, so why not get a sense of some extra-specially awesome ones that have come out recently?! Here they are:
Yes, I know, Alexie is also a YA author. But his latest offering was published for a general/adult audience, and is shelved over with the adult fiction. These are short stories by the author famous for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. And they are just as awesome as that book.
For those of you who like a thriller, check out this one about a high school cheerleading squad who find themselves at the center of a suspicious tale. Mysterious deaths, a little in-fighting, and you’ve got yourself a great read. You’ll find it in the adult mystery section.
Science fiction to the max, 2312 takes place on Mercury at a time when disagreement in the solar system threatens its population and that of other near-Earth colonies. This book is a must for sci-fi fans!
Remember, all of these books are found in the adult fiction, mystery or sci-fi sections of Shorewood Library, but all of them are highly recommended for teens!
New Books Highlight: Beautifunusual
Beautifunusual = Beatiful + Unusual. So many books can be described this way! Books that are beautifunusual fall into many genres: fantasy, realistic fiction, sci fi, romance, and the list goes on until you have listed all genres of books because ANY book can be so beautiful and so unusual – so out of the ordinary and unlike anything else you’ve read – that you can only describe it with this word: beautifunusual.
Today’s New Books Highlight celebrates a couple of brand spanking new and shiny books that are beautifunusual, and therefore absolute must-reads.
Ask the Passengers by A. S. King
This is an easy one because you already love A. S. King, right? King is the author of 2012 YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults title Everybody Sees the Ants, Edgar Award-nominated and 2011 Printz Honor Book Please Ignore Vera Dietz, and the Generally Awesome The Dust of 100 Dogs. So this book should be high on your “read soon” list. The book follows main character Astrid Jones, who – for lack of a better outlet due to ignorant parents, a backwards town, and falling-apart friendships – confides her secrets and shares her love with the passengers in the airplanes she loves to watch fly over her backyard. Astrid is possible falling in love with another girl, and this she can share with no one but the passengers, even when her friends demand answers. In an unusual and beautiful (hey, the theme of the day!) twist, all the love she sends to these people she doesn’t know, has actual consequences in their lives.
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh
Jepp of Astraveld, a teenage dwarf in 16th century Spain, decides to do what many great heroes have done throughout history and defy his destiny. After he leaves behind his country home for the promise of grandeur, he finds himself imprisoned as a court dwarf, forced to endure humiliation and heartbreak. When he and a fellow court prisoner Lia make a run for it, Jepp gets kidnapped and fears the worst. Yet he actually finds what may be the best: a caring master who teaches him the secrets of the stars. This story is based on real people and real history, which makes it all the more beautifunusual. Jepp escapes time and again what has been fated for him, finding along the way what is true for all of us: that fate is what you make of it.
A Beautiful Lie by Irfan Master
This book takes you back to an India torn apart during the year 1947 when British colonial rule was coming to a violent end. Bilal is watching his father die and wishes only for his peace so he decides to tell a little lie about what’s really going on in their country – just so his dad doesn’t have to worry about his beloved country being torn asunder. But the well-intentioned lie rapidly spirals out of his control. The lie is intricate and beautiful, becoming a wish and an almost-reality, more than just an untruth. Bilal’s unfailing optimism in the face of the violence in his town, and the lack of resources he has to keep his little story alive, is beautiful. And just a little unusual, too.
What’s your favorite beautifunusual book?
Perks of Being a Wallflower
Another in what seems like a recent obsession with books turned into movies, The Perks of Being a Wallflower – based on the book of the same name by Stephen Chbosky - is finally in theaters! If you’re a remotely bookish/artistic/subculture/interesting/geeky/cool sort of person, I highly recommend you check it out NOW at Landmark Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee. Unlike many books turned movies, this one promises to rock pretty hard.
Besides the fact that this flick features everyone’s favorite Muggle, Emma Watson, it’s based on a really awesome book and truly captures the feel of its era – the late 90s. Haven’t read Perks of Being a Wallflower yet? Do so as soon as you can get your hands on it, and then delve into some other classics of YA lit from the 1990s.
Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
One of those “coming of age” novels that everyone talks about, which basically means it’s about being a teenager and trying to make sense of this thing called life. Charlie, the titular wallflower, is a loner who is used to watching the action happen rather than being part of it. That passive stance, however, doesn’t always satisfy. You’ll fall in love with his perspective on how much life in high school can suck, and how much it sometimes doesn’t.
Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block
Reality meets fairy tale and everyday magic in punk-music-filled, neon-lit 1990s Southern California. The series follows Weetzie Bat and her family through decades of love, passion, heartbreak, magic accidents and tragic falls. Block takes on some very big issues, such as drug use and homophobia, in a beautiful way. Her writing captures the time period, yet her insight into love and family makes the tales timeless.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The book that put Laurie Halse Anderson on the map as a YA author. Melinda begins her freshman year of high school with a devastating secret: at an end-of-summer party, a popular senior raped her. Her status as a social outcast does nothing to help her recover from the trauma. Eventually she is able to come to terms with what happened to her and learn to deal with, if not totally conquer, the social pressure of high school.
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Written in the style of a film script, this amped up drama about 16-year-old Steve, on trial for his involvement in a robbery that went wrong, is unbelievably real. Rife with questions of right versus wrong and guilt versus innocence, you’ll never forget Steve’s story.
Check these all out at Shorewood Libary (and/or other Milwaukee County Libraries) and start figuring out the perks of being from the 90s.
New books with a serious side
Bruiser by Neal Shusterman
When Tennyson’s sister, Bronte, begins dating Brewster, aka the Bruiser, he’s immediately concerned for her safety. But as both Bronte and Tennyson get to know Brewster they discover his nickname hides a dark secret that impacts their entire family.
Told from multiple perspectives, you get a deep sense of the trouble Brewster faces while discovering his secret along with Tennyson and Bronte. Bruiser is a nominee for the 2011 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award.
You by Charles Benoit
What decision brought you to this point? There’s so much blood…how did this happen? You are Kyle Chase, a hoodie, a boy coasting along in life. Somehow you find yourself in a terrible situation brought about by a series of decisions (or lack thereof) that will forever change your life.
This unique and gripping story will drag you in and make you think about how one decision can dramatically impact your life. Also a 2011 MCTBA nominee.
Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
Is it ok to hate a your dead best friend? When Vera’s former best friend Charlie dies, she’s the only one who knows a terrible secret that could clear his name. But Charlie ditched Vera long before he died, so does she owe him anything? Feeling haunted by Charlie, Vera struggles to take action in her life.
Told in flashbacks that slowly reveal the entire story of Vera and Charlie’s friendship and the events leading up to Charlie’s death, this compelling story was selected as a 2011 Printz Honor book.
