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American Library Association 2012 Youth Media Awards Announced

ALA’s Youth Media Awards include the famed Newbery and Caldecott Awards, as well as numerous others. This year’s awards were announced last night at ALA’s Midwinter Meeting, and since I’m unfamiliar with a lot of the books, I now have a whole bunch of new titles to add to my (already very long) reading list.

The Newbery went to Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos. I LOVE Jack Gantos- to me it seems like he really captures the experience of being a boy, with humor. Not that I’m a boy. But a lot of his books are semi-autobiographical, and they just knock me over. Gantos has also written a YA novel, The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs, which is deeply dark and twisted, that we’ve reviewed here. He is, simply, a great writer.

The Caldecott went to A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka, who is a favorite illustrator of mine. I love his book Yo! Yes!… It is a great read aloud for any story hour!

And the Printz, for excellence in YA literature, went to Corey Whaley for Where Things Come Back, which I have been meaning to read and will now be moving to the top of my list.

 

Congratulations to them all!

Posted on January 24, 2012 by , Reply

MonsterLibrarian.com’s Top Picks for 2011- Young Adult and Children’s Books

So here we are- part two of the Top Picks list for 2011.

Each book on the list below was reviewed in the past year, although not all the books were published in 2011. If the book made a Top Picks list in the past, it won’t be on this year’s list (Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson, was first reviewed in 2009 and made the list that year, so it’s not on this year’s list).

Books that made this list were chosen by our reviewers as exceptional examples of compelling writing, creativity, and original illustration or presentation. Many of them provided considerable food for thought as well as entertainment value. The choices were made only from books reviewed for the site, so there are many fine titles that do not appear here. The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for 2011, listed below, have not been ranked in any order(although I tried to list them alphabetically). We created lists for adult books, young adult books, and kids’ books. I previously posted the Top Picks for Adult Fiction in 2011. You’ll find the Top Picks booklists for young adults and children below. Enjoy!

Note for librarians and readers: As with all recommended reading lists, not all of The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for 2011 will be appropriate for or appreciated by every reader. Please take the time to check out reviews of these titles at MonsterLibrarian.com before making a decision about reading them or recommending them to others.

 

The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for Young Adults, 2011

A special mention goes to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs, chosen as a top pick by four different reviewers independently of each other.

 

Abarat series by Clive Barker (Abarat, Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War, and  Abarat: Absolute Midnight)

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Cryer’s Cross by Lisa McMann

Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst

Ghost Town (Morganville Vampires, Book 9) by Rachel Caine

Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely) by Melissa Marr

Lockdown: Escape from Furnace 1 by Alexander Gordon Smith

Mercy by Rebecca Lim

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Nickel Plated by Aric Davis

Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore

Shiver (Wolves of Mercy Falls) by Maggie Stiefvater

Skulls by Tim Marquitz

Subject Seven by James A. Moore

Teeth: Vampire Tales edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling.

The Dead (An Enemy Novel) by Charlie Higson

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

 

 

The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for Kids, 2011

A special mention goes to Crooked Hills: Book One by Cullen Bunn, reviewed independently by two different reviewers and highly recommended by both.

 

Crooked Hills by Cullen Bunn

Dragonbreath series, books 1-3, by Ursula Vernon (Dragonbreath,

Attack of the Ninja Frogs,

Curse of the Were-wiener

)

Fear: 13 Stories of Suspense and Horror edited by R.L. Stine

Monster and Me (Monster and Me) by Robert Marsh

Scary School by Derek the Ghost

Little Goblins Ten by Pamela Jane, illustrated by Jane Manning

The Island of the Skog by Steven Kellogg

The Shadows: The Books of Elsewhere: Volume 1 by Jacqueline West

Posted on January 4, 2012 by , 1 comment

Help a Reader Out: Thirteen Dancing Princess Witches

I’m really hoping this rings a bell for someone, because it doesn’t for me, and searching online for “dancing witches” and “witch princesses” brings up, predictably, results that have nothing to do with a children’s book. Is there anyone who can help this reader find this book so she can share it with her grandchildren?

Laurie writes:

I’ve been searching the internet for a particular book that I checked out from our local library back in McKinney, Texas, in the early 1990s.  It was about 13 (I think it was that number) little witches who went to a party/ball but bad witches “witch”napped them.  It was a rhyming story and so very, very cute.  The little witches were princesses, if I recall correctly.  I read it to my two sons several Halloween’s in a row, but since moving to Colorado, have not been able to find it anywhere!!!

I know I haven’t given you much to go on, but does that ring a bell?  Thanks in advance for any help that you can give me!  I’m looking forward to grandchildren and would LOVE to find it to read to them!

Many thanks for your help!

Posted on October 26, 2011 by , Reply
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