New Books - February 2012

Fiction

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
Tempest by Julie Cross
Destiny and Deception (13 to Life, #4) by Shannon Delany
Fever (Chemical Garden, #2) by Lauren DeStefano
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Hallowed (Unearthly, #2) by Cynthia Hand
Hearts at Stake (Drake Chronicles, #1) by Alyxandra Harvey
Blood Feud (Drake Chronicles, #2) by Alyxandra Harvey
Blank Confession by Pete Hautman
Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate
The Boxer and the Spy by Robert B. Parker

Seizure (Virals, #2) by Kathy Reichs

Two Truths and a Lie (The Lying Game, #3) by Sara Shepard

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston

Nonfiction
Peterson’s Teen’s Guide to College & Career Planning 11th edition
Sock and Glove by Miyako Kanamori

Graphic Novels & Manga
Ai Ore! v. 4
Bakuman v. 9
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
Blue Exorcist v. 6
Dengeki Daisy v. 1-2
Library Wars: Love and War v. 7
The Lost Books, v. 1: Chosen by Ted Dekker
Otomen v. 12
Pandora Hearts v. 6-7
Ranma ½ v. 13
Rosario+Vampire: Season II v. 7
Sakura Hime v. 6
Skip Beat v. 26

Unwritten v. 1-4 by Mike Carey

Valve Presents the Sacrifice and other Steam-Powered Stories, vol. 1

Yu-Gi-Oh GX v. 8

Yu-Gi-Oh Duelist v. 16

Up and Coming: March 2012

3/1/12
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Ripper by Stefan Petrucha
Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin
Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick
The Final Four by Paul Volponi

3/6/12
Dead Is a Battlefield by Marlene Perez
Soul Bound (A Blood Coven Vampire Novel) by Mari Mancusi
Balthazar (Evernight, #5) by Claudia Gray
Where It Began by Ann Redisch Stampler
Pandemonium (Delirium, #2) by Lauren Oliver

3/8/12
Buried (The Goth Girl Mysteries) by Linda Joy Singleton
Katana by Cole Gibsen
Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser

3/13/12
Infamous (Chronicles of Nick, #3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Spell Bound (A Hex Hall Novel) by Rachel Hawkins
*Froi of the Exiles (Lumatere Chronicles, #2) by Melina Marchetta
*The Night She Disappeared by April Henry
*Starters by Lissa Price
The Compelled (Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries, #6) by L.J. Smith
Moonsong (vampire Diaries: Hunters, #2) by L.J. Smith

3/15/12
Dark Eyes by William Richter
The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George

3/20/12
When You Open Your Eyes by Celeste Conway
A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
Out of Sight, Out of Time (Gallagher Girls, #5) by Ally Carter
Loss (Riders of the Apocalypse, #3) by Jackie Morse Kessler
*Croak by Gina Damico

3/27/12
Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom by Brendan Halpin & Emily Franklin
Invisible Sun by David MacGinnis Gill

Hunger Games district map - not official, but pretty darn close

V. Arrow, author of the upcoming The Panem Companion: The Unofficial Guide to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games, has given us her version of what Panem looks like... The author is a huge Hunger Games fan, and based her locations of the Districts on things like tectonic plates and current natural formations that would have affected the natural disasters that led to the food shortage in a distant future.

Check out a bigger version of the map - does it match up with how you imagined it?

New Books: January 2012

Fiction

Dangerous Angels: The Weetzie Bat books by Francesca Lia Block

Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

Lenobia’s Vow: A House of Night novella by P.C. Cast

Bloodrose (Nightshade, #3) by Andrea Cremer

You Against Me by Jenny Downham

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Switched (Trylle Trilogy, #1) by Amanda Hocking

Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Fracture by Megan Miranda

A Million Suns (Across the Universe, #2) by Beth Revis

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Magic of the Moonlight (Full Moon, #2) by Ellen Schreiber

Pretty Little Secrets by Sara Shepard

Asylum (Vampire Diaries: Stefan’s Diary, #5) by L.J. Smith

Angel Fire (Angel Burn, #2) by L.A. Weatherly

Graphic Novels & Manga

Amazing Agent Jennifer v. 2

Black Bird v. 12

Black Butler v. 8

Case Closed v. 41

D. Gray-Man v. 4-7

Fullmetal Alchemist v. 27

Kimi Ni Todoke v. 12

Naruto v. 54

Pandora Hearts v. 4-5

Stargazing Dog by Takashi Murakami

Twilight: The Graphic Novel v. 2

Up and Coming: February 2012

2/2/12
This One Time with Julia by David Lampson
Harbinger by Sara Etienne
Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson

2/6/12
*The Rivals by Daisy Whitney

2/7/12
*Born Wicked (Cahill Witch Chronicles, #1) by Jessica Spotswood
Dead to You by Lisa McMann
Two Truths and a Lie (The Lying Game, #3) by Sara Shepard
The One That I Want by Jennifer Echols
Somebody, Please Tell Me Who I Am by Harry Mazer and Peter Lerangis

2/8/12
The Wood Queen (The Iron Witch Series) by Karen Mahoney
In Too Deep by Amanda Grace

2/14/12
*Bewitching by Alex Flinn
Wings of the Wicked (Angelfire) by Courtney Allison Moulton
Various Positions by Martha Schabas
The Jade Notebook by Laura Resau

2/16/12
The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour
Trafficked by Kim Purcell
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare by Melissa Jensen

2/21/12
A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
*Fever (The Chemical Garden Trilogy, #2) by Lauren DeStefano
Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

2/28/12
*Fugitives (Escape from Furnace, #4) by Alexander Gordon Smith
Bad Boy by Dream Jordan
Torn (Trylle, #2) by Amanda Hocking

N.H. teen filmmakers challenged to “Own the Night” this summer!

The Young Adult Librarians of New Hampshire announce the 2012 Teen Video Challenge, part of a national competition asking teens to create 30- to 90-second public service announcements that encourage reading and using public libraries during the summer.

Using this year’s theme, “Own the Night,” teens can incorporate dreams, astronomy, supernatural stories and other nighttime motifs into their videos. 

Entries will be judged on: creativity; message clarity and relevance; motivation and inspiration; and overall impact. Participants must be 13 – 18 years old and legal residents of New Hampshire. They may work on their own or as a team. Deadline to enter is March 12, 2012.

New Hampshire’s top entry will be awarded $275, with the winner’s public library receiving $150 and a $50 gift certificate for Upstart brand library products. Each participating state’s winning video will join other state winners as official national Collaborative Summer Library Program 2012 Teen Video champions and be used to promote summer reading across the United States.

For more information about New Hampshire’s “Own the Night” 2012 Teen Video Challenge, visit www.nashualibrary.org/YALS/CSLP2012.htm. For more information about the national competition, visit http://cslpreads.org/challenge-overview.html.

Most downloaded YA library ebooks of 2011!

I haven't done the Most Popular YA Library books in a while, so here's the ebook edition.  It's pretty interesting that Stephenie Meyer still has 3 books in the top ten.  The only reason she hasn't been ousted out of there is probably because the Hunger Games series is not available as ebooks at the library!  I have to say that I'm happy to see my 2011 fave, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, right up at the top of the list...

1.	Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini	2
2.	Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs	7
3.	Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer	48
4.	Breaking Dawn, by Stephenie Meyer	35
5.	Crossed, by Ally Condie	2
6.	The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak	18
7.	Eragon, by Christopher Paolini	41
8.	The Lost Hero, by Rick Riordan	10
9.	Witch & Wizard, by James Patterson	19
10.	New Moon, by Stephenie Meyer

The links will take you to a general Overdrive search, but if you click on "Find at a Library" and enter your zip code, the link will take you right to where you can log in and download/reserve any of these titles.

Up and Coming: January 2012

1/1/12
The Storyteller by Antonia Michaelis
Irises by Francisco X. Stork

1/2/12
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
Darkness Falls (Immortal Beloved, #2) by Cate Tiernan
The Queen of Kentucky by Alecia Whitaker

1/3/12
Unraveling Isobel by Eileen Cook
Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) by Andrea Cremer
Tempest by Julie Cross
Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala
Switched (Trylle Trilogy, #1) by Amanda Hocking
Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse by Lucas Klauss
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Pretty Little Secrets (Pretty Little Liars) by Sara Shepard
Cracked by K.M. Walton
The Alchemy of Forever: An Incarnation Novel by Avery Williams

1/5/12
Run (Subject Seven) by James A. Moore
Love? Maybe. by Heather Hepler
Dragonswood by Janet Lee Carey

1/8/12
Fangtastic (Vamped) by Lucienne Diver
The Fires of New SUN: A Blending Time Novel by Michael Kinch
Shadow's Edge by Maureen Lipinski

1/10/12
*A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis
Jessica Rules the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

1/17/12
Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic
Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh
*Fracture by Magan Miranda
The Catastrophic History of You & Me by Jess Rothenberg
*Asylum (Vampire Diaries: Stefan's Diaries #5) by L.J. Smith

1/19/12
*Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer Hubbard
Truth by Julia Karr
Getting Somewhere by Beth Neff

1/24/12
Mesmerize (Kimani Tru) by Artist Arthur
Pink Smog: Becoming Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand
Fallen in Love: A Fallen Novel in Stories by Lauren Kate
Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald
There Is No Dog by Meg Rosoff
*Angel Fire (Angel Burn #2) by L.A. Weatherly

1/31/12
*Lenobia's Vow: A House of Night Novella by P. C. Cast and Kristin Cast
Destiny & Deception (13 to Life, #4) by Shannon Delany

My best of 2011!

It's the end of the year, which means I'm going to compile a list of my top 10 favorite YA books published in 2011!  In reverse order, so there is suspense about which is my favorite!!

10. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
I have loved everything Sarah Dessen has written and this was no exception. You've got the girl not looking for a commitment, the famous parent, the boy next door, the quirky and memorable friends (including a cameo from Jason from The Truth about Forever, as well as a few other characters you may remember from books past). It's a romance without being a romance. 

9. A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
In this sci-fi take on Sleeping Beauty, Rose is the daughter of rich corporate CEOs, and has just been awoken from her stasis tube by a kiss. The "prince" is Bren, who is fairly shocked and freaked out when Rose awakens... especially after she tells him her name. Turns out Rose has been in stasis for 62 years. Her parents and boyfriend are long gone, and since her parents never left a will, their company, UniCorp, has suddenly returned to her ownership. 

8. Every You, Every Me by David Levithan
This was definitely psychologically thrilling. I wanted to find out what had happened to Ariel. The whole novel was somewhat vague, and the crossed out writing might annoy some readers, but I loved the way the story was built around these mysterious photographs (like another novel later on my list...). I liked that everything was not spelled out in a crystal clear way, the photographs were often blurry, double-exposed, or just really tiny. The title (taken from a song) rang true to me: you can never really know someone, and everyone has different selves depending on who they're with. 

7. Hex Hall & Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
I had been hesitant to read this series before I won a copy of Demonglass, but once I'd read Hex Hall I realized that this wasn't some cheesy witch series - it was actually good!  What I loved most about this series is Sophie's sarcasm. She was hilarious even as she gets into some crazy situations and tries to use her magic powers. I also loved the catty way a lot of the secondary characters behaved. This was very light reading and a lot of fun!

6. Shine by Lauren Myracle
This is a very different book for Lauren Myracle. I've only read Bliss, which was dark but in a horror movie kind of way, and seen the TTYL series which look like lighthearted relationship books. The atmosphere in Shine was small town deep South, hot and sweaty and lonely, dark not in a "horror" kind of way but instead a "small town secrets" kind of way. The reveal at the end was surprising, and I liked that every character had good and bad traits, so I got to care about them even if they weren't perfect. When I heard that this book was nominated for the National Book Award, I was not surprised - I was more surprised to find that the nomination had been a mistake!

5. Plague (Gone, #4) by Michael Grant
This series continues to gain steam, weaving storylines together and exploring implications of the kids' situation from every angle. Characters die, some are resurrected, new characters arrive. The end of this volume implies something very serious for upcoming books. Even now I'm wondering how it would be possible for these kids to conquer their situation. I am eagerly looking forward to the final 2 volumes in the series!

4. The Chronicles of Harris Burdick by Chris van Allsburg
One of my favorite children's books of all time is The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg, and finally here is a whole book of short stories based on the illustrations!  These are stories that would appeal to a wide range of children and teens, and probably many adults as well, just like the original book. The stories are filled with magic and creepy twists. One of my favorite stories in the collection was "Just Deserts" by M.T. Anderson, I think because I had always thought this was a typo - shouldn't it be "just desserts"? The variation in spelling is explained in the story, and I did not see the twist coming. "The House on Maple Street" by Stephen King was another of my favorites. I was very intrigued by the "Oscar and Alphonse" story by Chris van Allsburg himself - did he write other stories based on The Mysteries of Harris Burdick, and where are they? Though I've read many of his books, this short story seemed a departure from the children's stories.

3. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
After loving the Chaos Walking trilogy, I was raring to read a new book from Patrick Ness. This story was told beautifully - I had no idea where it was going. The illustrations were an interesting touch and definitely integral to the story. I like how the tone sounded almost like a fairy tale (albeit a very dark one).  I am sure this one will be winning awards in the coming year!

2. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Maggie Stiefvater wrote in the introduction that she was always told to write the book she wanted to see on the shelves of a bookstore. I didn't know it before, but I guess I always wanted to see a book like this on the shelves, too - I'm always looking for more young adult horse books. It's a horse book that is definitely young adult and not really meant for younger readers, and there is a romance driving the story and a lot of interesting family storylines as well. And there's a little bit of horror, too, which makes me the most happy. 

1. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
I loved the idea of creating a story around these strange (and real!) photographs, which have continued to haunt me. The story was fast paced and thoroughly interesting, and will appeal to a wide audience - from ages 10 or so up to adults - it's one of those books that I've been recommending like crazy!

So that's my top 10 - comment with your favorites!

New Books - December 2011

Fiction

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Little Women and Me by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
The White Fox by James Bartholomeusz
LIE by Caroline Bock

Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

In the Forests of the Night by Kersten Hamilton

Kiss Me Kill Me by Lauren Henderson

Every You, Every Me by David Levithan

Legend by Marie Lu

13 Gifts by Wendy Mass

Planesrunner by Ian McDonald

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Return to Exile (Hunter Chronicles #1) by E.J. Patten

The Fire (Witch & Wizard #3) by James Patterson

The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson

She Loves You, She Loves You Not by Julie Anne Peters

The Evolution of Ethan Poe by Robin Reardon

The Family Greene by Ann Rinaldi

Boyfriends With Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez

Bluefish by Pat Schmatz

Ruthless (Pretty Little Liars) by Sara Shepard

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

Phantom (Vampire Diaries: The Hunters, #1) by L.J. Smith

The Ripper (Vampire Diaries: Stefan’s Diaries, #4) by L.J. Smith

Deadly Little Voices (Touch, #4) by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Wired (Skinned, #3) by Robin Wasserman

Nonfiction

The Girl Who Was on Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy edited by Leah Wilson

Graphic Novels & Manga

Ai Ore! v. 3

Arata: the Legend v. 8

Astonishing X-Men v. 2: Dangerous by Joss Whedon

Astonishing X-Men v. 3: Torn by Joss Whedon
Bakuman v. 8
Bleach v. 37
Blue Exorcist v. 5
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo v. 1, 3-5
Cardcaptor Sakura: Master of the Clow v. 1-3
Cirque du Freak: The Manga v. 11
Claymore v. 19
Gunslinger Girl v. 7-8
Itsuwaribito v. 1
Kimi Ni Todoke v. 11
Kobato v. 5

Maximum Ride v. 5

Naruto v. 53

Ouran High School Host Club v. 17

Sakura Hime v. 5

Soul Eater v. 7

Tsubasa v. 24-26

xxxHolic v. 18

Yu-Gi-Oh GX v. 1-7

2012 Morris Award nominees announced

The nominees for the 2012 William C. Morris Award, which honors a book written for young adults by a previously unpublished author, have been announced:

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

The winner will be announced on January 23, 2012.  Previous winners include The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston (2011), Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan (2010), and A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce (2009).

Flume 2012 nominees!

Check out this year's crop of Flume: NH Teen Reader's Choice Award nominees!  Voting will start in the spring of 2012.

Anna and the French Kiss By Stephanie Perkins

Clockwork Angel By Cassandra Clare

Dark Water By Laura McNeal

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares By Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

The Demon’s Lexicon By Sarah Rees Brennan

Eon: Dragoneye Reborn By Alison Goodman

Impossible By Nancy Werlin

Marcelo in the Real World By Francisco X. Stork

Nightshade By Andrea Cremer

Revolution By Jennifer Donnelly

Ship Breaker By Paolo Bacigalupi

When the Game Was Ours By Larry Bird & Earvin Magic Johnson

Will Grayson, Will Grayson By John Green & David Levithan

You can also nominate a book for the 2013 Flume Awards!

Up and Coming - December 2011

12/5/11
Winter Town by Stephen Emond

12/6/11
Surrender (Haunting Emma) by Lee Nichols
Deadly Little Voices (A Touch Novel) by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Ruthless (Pretty Little Liars, #10) by Sara Shepard
Clockwork Prince (Infernal Devices, #2) by Cassandra Clare
The Fire (Witch & Wizard, #3) by James Patterson

12/8/11
Illuminated by Erica Orloff
The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey

12/13/11
The Crazy Things Girls Do for Love by Dyan Sheldon

12/20/11
Flyaway by Helen Landalf
Download Drama (Kimani Tru) by Celeste O. Norfleet

12/27/11
Living Violet by Jaime Reed
*Magic of the Moonlight: A Full Moon Novel by Ellen Schreiber
Blood Sun (Danger Zone) by David Gilman
Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler