YA – On the Children's Shelf

I couldn’t put this down!

If I could only write one sentence about “Beth is Dead” by Katie Bernet, it would be – Get a copy of this book and clear your schedule so you can read. I could not put this book down. Seriously. I read this book over 25 hours, and it only took me that long because adult responsibilities kept me from reading it in one sitting.

“Beth is Dead” follows the March sisters (yes, the “Little Women” March sisters). The story begins with Beth dying or rather being murdered. Who would kill Beth March? While it is told in modern times, Beth March is still very much the sweet sister you cared about in the original story. Why would someone kill her? It seems everyone might have a motive. I love a good retelling of a classic story with a fun new twist, so I was sold from page one.

Amy wants to go to an expensive art program in Europe but the only way her aunt will pay for it is if Beth doesn’t attend a prestigious music program she was recently accepted in. Could she have killed her own sister? Jo was previously accused of faking a break-in to the family home to sell her stories and garner a larger following. Could she have killed her own sister? Beth discovered a complicated situation between Meg and her roommate. Could one of them have killed Beth? The list of suspects extends beyond the family. Beth’s music teacher was upset she might not attend the music program. Could he have killed her? Jo’s best friend, Laurie, snuck out the night of her death and doesn’t have an alibi. Could he have killed her? Mr. March wrote a book that put his daughters in the spotlight in a way none of them asked for. Could one of his fans have killed her?

I loved the way this story was told going back and forth between the past and now (simply “then” and “now” chapters). This gave readers more the backstory needed to understand why someone might be a suspect. The story was not predictable, and I was honestly shocked when I discovered who the murderer was. I wish I could tell give you more details, but you need to read this book and go through all the twists and turns it will take you on in the quest to find Beth’s murderer.

This YA novel is Katie Bernet’s debut novel. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I highly recommend this book for teens and older readers. Trust me, clear your schedule, get comfortable and start reading. You will not be able to put this book down.

Young World

“The School for Good and Evil” by Soman Chainani is one of my most recommended series. I could not put that series down so when I received an ARC of Chaimani’s newest book “Young World,” I couldn’t wait to start reading. I saved it for a cross-country flight, opened the book and read until I finished it. I’ll be honest I wondered, could it live up to School for Good & Evil? I was worried, especially since it was so different, but sometimes very different can be just as good and this book did not disappoint. “Young World,” was just as captivating.

Could a teenager’s rant on social media go viral and change the world? In Young World, Benton Young impulsively uploads a video to impress a girl, calling for people to disrupt the presidential election and vote for him. The video goes viral, not viral like 500K young people see it. Viral as in it starts a national movement, people want a change, and they are willing to vote for a teenager for president. Young, not old enough to vote for himself, doesn’t just disrupt the election, he wins, and sparks a change around the world. Other young people around the world, follow Young’s lead. They want to be the change for their country, and it turns out people around the world are just as unhappy with their leadership and are willing to vote for a teenager. All these young people take over the world, what could possibly go wrong?

Young leaders, a world summit, drilling in the arctic, a video game that might overlap with reality, a murder, complete mayhem, unrequited love. This book has it all. It’s a page turner and I couldn’t predict what would happen next (which I love in a book).

The book is pretty too. Chainani uses images, maps, cartoons, political posters to further tell his story. He draws from graphic novels and at times reminds me a bit of Brian Selznick’s combination of words and images to tell a story. I know it sounds strange to describe a book as pretty, but it is so much more than words on a page. It is an experience taking in this combination of images that tell the story in different ways.

The book is funny, smart, unforgettable, and one you (or your teenager) won’t be able to put down. The thought of a teenage president might sound crazy, but maybe the world needs to be turned upside down to straighten itself out sometimes. Definitely check out this book!

Library Book Sale

It’s National Library week. If you’ve read here for a long time, you know how much I love the library. I love finding new books at the library. I love getting recommendations from librarians who have literally read everything. I love seeing the list of upcoming programs and children racing to the children’s room excited for today’s book activity.

This weekend is one of my favorite book events….the library book sale. I look forward to this book sale for months. I’ve gone into the sale hoping to find certain books, and I have been lucky enough to find them. I’ve gone into the sale with no idea what book will find me, and somehow the great books manage to draw me to them, and I’m always thrilled to bring them home.

I’ve seen many library book sales advertised on my social media feed lately. I may be biased, but I think my library’s sale is one of the best. I think we might all say that about our town library and that’s ok. They can all be the best (but if you are in CT, check out the Friends of the Ridgefield Library Book Sale).

Many library book sales have a $5 fill a bag day. I love this day for parents looking to get their children excited about reading. There are some books I have hesitated to buy because I didn’t think it would hold my child’s interest. Library $5 fill a bag day, yes, you can get that book. Being able to have one of those yes days is amazing. Yes, you can get that book. Yes, you can get three different world record books. Yes, you can get a different version of a favorite book because this one has different illustrations. Yes, you can get 2 copies so your best friend can read it too. An hour of yeses and five dollars can make a child excited about books.

Even if your library doesn’t have a fill a bag day, there are so may great books for as little as a dollar. I saw children at the sale adding up their books asking their parents, “can I spend six dollars on all these books?” Developing a love of reading and practicing math without realizing they are doing either. That’s a pretty awesome day.

If you aren’t sure if your library has a book sale, check out their website. You will find so many incredible things there…possibly book sales, lectures, book talks, learning opportunities. Libraries are magical little places that serve as a doorway to so many different worlds.

Wolves and Brioches

Historically, wolves have gotten a bad rap in stories…. tricking that little girl in the red cape or trying to eat those three little pigs. Imagine breaking into a library to find the ancestor of those two menaces elegantly dressed reading a book. Would you befriend him or run in fear?

In Alysa Salzberg’s “Wolves and Brioches,” we meet Odette de l’Estoile who comes from one of the powerful magic families, however Odette is only half magic and forbidden from learning spells. Odette, curious about the magic books locked away in her uncle’s library, breaks into his library while he is away to read those books. She knows the house is empty, so she is startled to find someone in the library. She is even more startled to see it is an elegantly dressed wolf reading a book. Fight or flight? Neither. Odette is curious and begins to talk to the wolf, Louis. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Odette has been given a rather daunting task by her uncle and Louis is happy to help her tackle it. The two venture out into Paris and complete the tasks Odette has been given. Once that is out of the way, they find ways to explore the city without Louis’ true identity being discovered. How would Parisians in 1765 react to a young woman and a wolf walking down the street together?

Another wolf, the legendary Beast of Gévaundan has killed many innocent people, and an evil magician plans to use that wolf to threaten the world Odette and Louis have come to enjoy. While Odette’s family needs to fight this magician and save Paris, Odette and Louis are unexpectedly pulled into this battle.

I loved this book. I can’t say that enough. Salzberg’s storytelling is beautiful and captivating, and I was so engrossed in this story. The story took twists and turns I didn’t expect and I was sad when it ended. The descriptions are so well written I felt like I was walking the streets of Paris in 1765 and Salzberg managed to do this without being “world building” heavy. She balanced those descriptions beautifully while telling Odette and Louis’ story.

The book ends with a message to the readers which reminded me of William Goldman’s message to the readers in “The Princess Bride” (you all know how much I love that book). That message made me believe the story even more and made me love the book even more (just as Goldman did with his message). Pick up a copy of this beautiful book today. I am sure you will love it as much as I did.

Travelling to Ancient Greece

I haven’t read many time travel books. If I’m going to read one, I need it to feel possible, believable, and realistic (although I read fantasy so I’m not sure why these are my rules on time travel but if the book doesn’t involve fantasy, then I want the time travel to feel completely possible).

I was given a copy of Caroline Lawrence’s “The Time Travel Diaries: Adventures in Athens.” Lawrence introduces her readers to Alex and Dinu, two friends who are enjoying newfound fame and popularity in their school after appearing in a popular video game. How did they end up in a video game? Well, they traveled back through time to gather information for the video game maker who in turn added them into the game. Life post time traveling (and appearing in a popular video game) is good for the two friends but they both vow they never want to time travel again. Their time travel mentor, the video game maker, is gone so they don’t expect they will ever be asked to time travel again.

Much to their surprise, their mentor shows up and makes them an offer they can’t refuse…. but it involves one more trip through time. The mission sounds simple enough, find one specific person. Who did they need to find and observer? Socrates. Like last time, they just need to follow 3 “simple” rules: 1. go naked, return naked 2. no eating, only drinking and 3. interact as little as possible (as it might change the course of history).

How bad could one more quick trip through time be? Could they find the one person they needed to and make it back without interacting with too many people? Could they handle a surprise person following them through the portal through time? I want to tell you what happens, but I want you to read this book.

Lawrence writes in a way that traveling back through time to find Socrates felt completely possible. I didn’t doubt any aspect of the time travel. I was invested in this trip, the possibility of finding Socrates, the wonder of seeing the streets Alex and Dinu had just walked in modern times as they were originally built. I loved this trip through time. My only disappointment was that I could only travel through time to search for Socrates in the pages of the book because after reading it, I wanted to go too.

Definitely check out this book! Join Alex and Dinu on this epic adventure through time. I highly recommend it.

“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” continues through “The Hollow Trilogy”

Last year, at the Ridgefield Library book sale, I picked up a YA book that takes place in Sleepy Hollow and the author weaves “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” through the story. The book was part of “The Hollow Trilogy” by Jessica Verday (and actually was book 2 but I’m ok with starting in the middle and going back to book 1 later).

The trilogy takes place in the town of Sleepy Hollow. Abbey’s best friend, Kristen, disappears near the Headless Horseman Bridge near the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. While everyone believes Kristen is dead, Abbey believes there is something they don’t know about what happened to Kristen. A mysterious young man, Caspian, shows up at Kristen’s funeral. Caspian has secrets but despite those secrets, he makes Abbey feel somewhat normal, until she finds out all that he is hiding. Caspian, along with other characters we meet, has ties to “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”…close ties, really close ties.

The book has a bit of a “Twilight” meets “Legend of Sleepy Hollow” feel to it (minus vampires). What I loved about this YA series is how well Verday incorporated Sleepy Hollow into the book. Having visited the cemetery and the Old Dutch Church, I wanted accuracy in the setting and she achieved that. Abbey would often visit Washington Irving’s grave. I appreciated how well those scenes were written.

I love books that have local landmarks in them. I love seeing the story take place someplace I can literally picture in my mind, and I really love when the author does a great job using those actual locations. This trilogy is a great October read for YA readers. Read the book and visit Sleepy Hollow. Walk the paths behind the Old Dutch Church through Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and feel the book come alive around you. Any time we can experience books in multiple ways, it makes the readers more excited about reading. Check back in next week and I’ll discuss more ways we can have a multi-sensory approach to experiencing great books!

I’m back with a Halloween read

It’s been a while and I’ve missed sharing children’s books with all of you. For those new here, I write about favorite children’s and YA books (and why I think adults should read them too!). You may wonder why children’s and YA books. I have so many good memories of being read to as a child, reading books myself, and visiting my favorite characters in books. I love revisiting favorite childhood books and finding new amazing books to share.

Now that we are close to Halloween (my favorite holiday), I’m enjoying Halloween books. One book I love to reread this time of year is Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” It’s just scary enough without bringing on nightmares for a chicken like me.

I especially love that the story is local. I always enjoy when we can share books with children and bring them to life. The legend takes place in Sleepy Hollow, NY, a short drive from here. After reading the book with your child, visit Washington Irving’s home, Sunnyside or stop by the Old Dutch Church (yes, it is still standing) and while there you can visit Washington Irving’s grave out back. While there, cross the headless horseman’s bridge. To walk the steps of the story brings it to life in a whole new way. I have such great memories of my mom taking me to Sleepy Hollow and walking the same path Ichabod Crane walked in the legend.

I found an old copy of the legend on vinyl which is equally amazing. If you want more ways to bring it to life after reading, the old Disney cartoon is available on Disney+. For older readers, also check out Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow.”

Check back in next week when I share my favorite YA book that builds off of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”