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This book is based on the true story of the Donner Party. The library has only one copy of this book.

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In the spring of 1846, a large caravan set out from Springfield, Illinois, seeking land and fortune in California.

Some of the families knew each other; most of them did not. They traveled together for safety and tolerated each other as individual personalities and ambitions become apparent on the trip. The narrators are so numerous that it is difficult to keep track of them all; among them are three members of the Reed family-teenage Virginia, dubbed "the Princess"; young Patty, "the Angel," whose sections are addressed to God; and their father, James, who set his sights on leadership and faster travel via a shortcut. Other characters include a woman dubbed "the Scholar," who is attached to her books; an orphan teen who joins the party along the way; and a German man who loses his faculties as one of the last survivors. Another narrator who outlasts the rest is the impersonal Hunger, whose familiarity with human longing explains the extreme behavior of the travelers. This historical narrative reads like a thriller, with nature, arrogance, ignorance, and greed as the villains, and it focuses on White settlers without glorifying them. The two Miwok vaqueros who serve as guides for a portion of the journey leave readers wanting more Indigenous voices; their presence, though, adds to the title's poignancy as an exploration of the inhumanity involved in Westward expansion.

This mature corrective to cultural mythology horrifies and edifies. (maps, author's note, historical notes, glossaries, additional reading) (Verse historical fiction. 14-18)

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THE SNOW FELL THREE GRAVES DEEP | Kirkus Reviews

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In the spring of 1846, a large caravan set out from Springfield, Illinois, seeking land and fortune in California. Some of the families knew each other; most of them did not. They traveled together for safety and tolerated each other as individual personalities and ambitions become apparent on the trip.

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The library has only one copy of this book.

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A 12-year-old whose dreams of musicianship are shattered discovers a passion for code.

Emmy's lonely at her new San Francisco school. When her pianist dad got a dream job at the symphony, the family moved from Wisconsin-her mom's opera career is portable-but Emmy's miserable. Devastated she doesn't have the talent to follow in her parents' footsteps, she ends up in computer club instead of choir. And it's there, learning Java, that Emmy makes friends with Abigail-and discovers that coding gives her a joy she'd believed came only from music. Free-verse chapters are conventional at first, drawing poetic structures from musical metaphors. But as Emmy learns Java, the language and structure of programming seep into her poems. Music and code interweave (one poem presents Emmy and Abigail's pair-programming as a musical duet). Typeface changes have myriad effects: showcasing software and musical terms, mirroring the way formatting helps programmers understand software, and reflecting Emmy's emotional state. As she becomes more comfortable in her own skin, she grows aware of the many traumas that affect her family, classmates, and teachers, and readers will cheer to see them work collectively-like an orchestra or like software developers-to create something beautiful. Characters' races are unspecified, but on the cover Emmy presents white and Abigail (whose braids are referred to repeatedly) as black.

Never didactic, these poems interweave music, programming, family drama, and middle school as interconnected parts of Emmy's life. (glossary) (Verse fiction. 9-13)

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EMMY IN THE KEY OF CODE | Kirkus Reviews

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A 12-year-old whose dreams of musicianship are shattered discovers a passion for code. Emmy's lonely at her new San Francisco school. When her pianist dad got a dream job at the symphony, the family moved from Wisconsin-her mom's opera career is portable-but Emmy's miserable.

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I have only four copies of this book. The picture is for the graphic novel; we are reading novels-in-verse.

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About The Book

Five starred reviews!

Jason Reynolds's Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, and Coretta Scott King Honor-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel Long Way Down is now a gripping, galvanizing graphic novel, with haunting artwork by Danica Novgorodoff.

Will's older brother, Shawn, has been shot.
Dead.
Will feels a sadness so great, he can't explain it. But in his neighborhood, there are THE RULES:

No. 1: Crying.
Don't.
No matter what.

No. 2: Snitching
Don't.
No matter what.

No. 3: Revenge
Do.
No matter what.

But bullets miss. You can get the wrong guy. And there's always someone else who knows to follow the rules...

About The Author

Jason Reynolds is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a Carnegie Medal winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors. He's also the 2020-2022 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. His many books include All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely); When I Was the Greatest; The Boy in the Black Suit; Stamped; As Brave as You; For Every One; the Track series ( Ghost, Patina, Sunny, and Lu); Look Both Ways; Stuntboy, in the Meantime; Ain't Burned All the Bright; My Name Is Jason. Mine Too. (with Jason Griffin); and Long Way Down, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.

About The Illustrator

Danica Novgorodoff is an artist, writer, graphic designer, and horse wrangler who lives in Kentucky. Her books include A Late Freeze; Slow Storm; Refresh, Refresh (included in The Best American Comics 2011); and The Undertaking of Lily Chen. Her art and writing have been published in Artforum, Esquire, Virginia Quarterly Review, Slate, Orion, Seneca Review, Ecotone Literary Magazine, and many others. She was awarded a 2015 New York Foundation for the Arts fellowship in literature and was named Sarabande Books' 2016 writer-in-residence. She has been a fellow at the MacDowell Colony, Blue Mountain Center, VCCA, Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts, and Willapa Bay AiR. Visit her online at DanicaNovgorodoff.com.

Product Details

Publisher: Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books (February 1, 2022)

Length: 208 pages

ISBN13: 9781534444966

Grades: 9 and up

Ages: 14 - 99

Lexile ® HL630L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Awards and Honors

ALA Newbery Honor Book

ALA Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book

ALA Notable Children's Books

CCBC Choices (Cooperative Children's Book Council)

Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Master List

CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book

Flicker Tale Award (ND)

ILA Young Adults' Choices

Oregon Battle of the Books List

ALA Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book

Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee (AZ)

Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best

Kansas NEA Reading Circle List High School Title

NYPL Best Books for Teens

NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts

YALSA Teens Top Ten (TTT) Nominee

Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Master List (IL)

Great Lakes Great Books Master List (MI)

Blue Hen Book Award Nominee (DE)

ILA Notable Books for a Global Society

Volunteer State Book Award Nominee (TN)

Iowa High School Book Award Nominee

High School Sequoyah Book award Master List (OK)

Evergreen High School Book Award (WA)

North Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee

Edgar Allan Poe Award

Nutmeg Book Award (CT)

ALA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

Young Adult Reading Program Reading List Selection (SD)

Soaring Eagle Book Award (WY)

Truman Reader Award Final Nominee (MO)

Isinglass Award Nominee (NH)

Great Lakes Book Award

Amelia Elizabeth Walden Finalist (NCTE/ALAN)

ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens

ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults - Top Ten

Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year Selection Title

ALA Notable Children's Recording

Odyssey Honor for Audio

National Book Award Longlist

TAYSHAS Reading List Top Ten Title (TX)

Pennsylvania Reader's Choice Award Nominee

Amazing Audiobooks for YA

Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List (TX)

Wisconsin State Reading Association's Reading List

Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award Nominee

Virginia Readers' Choice Award

Louisiana Teen Readers' Choice Award Nominee

Walter Dean Myers Award

Arnold Adoff Poetry Award

Arkansas Teen Book Award

Oregon Reader's Choice Award Nominee

Intermediate Sequoyah Book Award Master List (OK)

Great Texas Mosquito List

California Young Reader Medal finalist

Milwaukee County Teen Book Award

South Carolina Book Award Nominee

Land of Enchantment Black Bear Book Award

Rhode Island Teen Book Award Honor Title

Arkansas Teen Book Award Master list

North Star YA Award Finalist (ME)

Resources and Downloads

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About The Book Five starred reviews! Jason Reynolds's Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, and Coretta Scott King Honor-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel Long Way Down is now a gripping, galvanizing graphic novel, with haunting artwork by Danica Novgorodoff. Will's older brother, Shawn, has been shot. Dead.

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I have only two copies of this book.

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Eleven-year-old Brooklynite Genie has "worry issues," so when he and his older brother, Ernie, are sent to Virginia to spend a month with their estranged grandparents while their parents "try to figure it all out," he goes into overdrive.

First, he discovers that Grandpop is blind. Next, there's no Internet, so the questions he keeps track of in his notebook (over 400 so far) will have to go un-Googled. Then, he breaks the model truck that's one of the only things Grandma still has of his deceased uncle. And he and Ernie will have to do chores, like picking peas and scooping dog poop. What's behind the " nunya bidness door"? And is that a gun sticking out from Grandpop's waistband? Reynolds' middle-grade debut meanders like the best kind of summer vacation but never loses sense of its throughline. The richly voiced third-person narrative, tightly focused through Genie's point of view, introduces both brothers and readers to this rural African-American community and allows them to relax and explore even as it delves into the many mysteries that so bedevil Genie, ranging from "Grits? What exactly are they?" to, heartbreakingly, "Why am I so stupid?" Reynolds gives his readers uncommonly well-developed, complex characters, especially the completely believable Genie and Grandpop, whose stubborn self-sufficiency belies his vulnerability and whose flawed love both Genie and readers will cherish.

This pitch-perfect contemporary novel gently explores the past's repercussions on the present . (Fiction. 9-12)

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Eleven-year-old Brooklynite Genie has "worry issues," so when he and his older brother, Ernie, are sent to Virginia to spend a month with their estranged grandparents while their parents "try to figure it all out," he goes into overdrive. First, he discovers that Grandpop is blind.

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Thirteen-year-old Alexis has been "banished" (her word) by her mother, who lives in San Diego, to International Falls, Minnesota, where her father is the foremost authority on the bald eagle. He heads a small team who are banding eaglets and researching the eagles' habitat. Alexis is immediately involved and learns quickly, though it's difficult work and complicated further by the swarms of mosquitoes and hot weather. She resents her father's authority and the team's respect for him. In spite of this, she becomes fascinated with the birds and rashly decides to remove a fish lure from an eagle's nest situated on a nearby island. Though successful in climbing the tree, she lifts an eaglet out of the nest and drops it. Then she loses the paddle to the canoe and finds herself stranded on an island with an injured eaglet. For two days she struggles with a storm, a visiting bear, and hunger. She manages to feed the eaglet and herself through fashioning a crude fishing rod. She finds shelter: an abandoned house on the island obviously not used for years. Surprisingly, it is a bat refuge, full of bat dung, with hundreds of bats returning in the evening. Knowing the eaglet must have assistance, in desperation, she sets the house on fire and is rescued. Throughout these difficulties, she finally allows herself to think of her little brother, who has recently died from cancer. Working through her grief, she realizes her father's actions, which she so resented at the time, were a result of a grief as deep as her own. The ending is a bit pat, with the eagle flown to a healing center and her parents beginning to talk to each other. The tale moves along well and will be enjoyed particularly by readers of survivalist stories. The author's note describes her hands-on research with eagle experts and includes several Web sites where naturalists can learn more. (Fiction. 10-12)

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Billie Jo tells of her life in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl: Her mother dies after a gruesome accident caused by her father's leaving a bucket of kerosene near the stove; Billie Jo is partially responsible-fully responsible in the eyes of the community-and sustains injuries that seem to bring to a halt her dreams of playing the piano.

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In this prequel to Newbery Award–winning The Crossover (2014), Alexander revisits previous themes and formats while exploring new ones.

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BOOKED by Kwame Alexander | Kirkus Reviews

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Nick Hall is a bright eighth-grader who would rather do anything other than pay attention in class.

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Read an Excerpt

Forget Me Not

By Ellie Terry

Feiwel and Friends

Copyright © 2017 Ellie Terry
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-250-09628-9

CHAPTER 1
PART ONE AUTUMN
Saturday Morning

I open my dresser drawers,
find them

empty
empty
empty.

What the heck? Not again.
I check the closet, the hamper,
under my bed.
"Mom?" I yell so she can hear.
"What did you do with my clothes?"

She doesn't answer me,
which means,

we're moving.

Kitchen Rags

I find her in the living room -
eyes half-closed,
lips pinched tight.
She dumps an armful of socks
into a brown moving box.

"It's over," she says.
"Let's go," she says.
"Don't forget the kitchen rags," she says.

I let out a long sigh.
I won't even get to say good-bye
to my teachers.

I sneak into the bathroom,
close the door so she can't see
me pulling out my hair.

My Hair

My hair is the only thing
I've ever liked about myself.
It's long and wavy and golden.
Dad used to call it
"amber waves of grain"
like in that song,
"America the Beautiful."

Which is why I wish
I didn't wind
strands of it around my finger -
twirl them once

twirl them twice

yank them out.
Ouch.

I flush the hair down the toilet.
Can't let Mom see.
Mom said
the next time she sees,
she's going to
cut it.

Fastball
Coach Todd (my private pitching coach) holds a baseball between his fingers as though he's showing me something breakable. "Fastballs are the most important pitches to learn," he says.

Aw, man. I was hoping we could work on my curveball this morning.

"If you can learn to throw them hard," he continues, "you'll be a step ahead of your competition by the time spring rolls around."

Spring. That means I've got five months until Little League tryouts. Five months to learn to throw faster. Harder.

My buddies - Duncan Gray and Nyle Jacques - have done club ball with me for the past four years. Now we're ready to move on to bigger things. Like getting drafted to play on the Royals. Those guys are seriously good. The best of the best. Most of them are expected to make the All-Star team next year.

It would be awesome if Duncan, Nyle, and I could all make the Royals. Problem is, there's three of us, and only one open position (and rumor has it, it's pitcher).

Don't Look Back

It would be nice
to stay in one place
long enough to make a best friend,
to keep a best friend.

But

every time Mom breaks up
with one of her crazy boyfriends,
it's

grab the keys
pack the car
hit the road
don't look back.

So here we are
driving,
again,
to who knows where,
maybe just away,
tires dizzying themselves
as they speed across the pavement
like all the times before,
the white dashes blurring together into

one
long
line.

We won't slow down until Mom's grip
loosens
and her smile returns.
Then we'll pull over,
make a new home
in whichever town we're in.

Breakfast

Mom tosses me
a bag of cheese puffs.
"Eat."

I scowl,
toss the bag
back.

Nothing,
not even cheese-covered puffs of yum,
can fill the gaping hole
inside my heart -

the gaping hole
where a friend should go.

This Is the Place

We roll to a stop
in St. George, Utah:

bright blue skies,
hills the color of rust
speckled by sagebrush

unlike any town I've seen,
looks like someone took a paint brush,
dipped it in a sunset

wish that pretty paintbrush
could sweep away this feeling
of hot air suffocating me.

New Neighbor
I'm sitting by the living room window when a small yellow car pulls into the parking lot of our boring apartment complex. A girl climbs out of the passenger's side, wearing cutoff jeans and a faded blue T-shirt that reads Gimme Some Space in large black letters. The afternoon sunlight bounces off her hair like a pot of sparkling gold. Wow. The only girl I've seen with hair that long is Beatriz Lopez. (And hers looks nothing like a pot of gold.)

The girl and the woman with her - I'm guessing her mother - carry boxes of stuff up the stairs. On their second trip up, the girl spots me through the window and smiles, making me forget what I was doing by the window in the first place.
After Dinner
The new girl trudges down the stairs with a basket of towels in her arms. (I happen to be sitting by the window. Again.) She makes her way over to the laundry house that all of the residents here share.

I should probably go down and meet her. After all, one of my duties as Black Ridge student body president is to assist in welcoming new students.

I run to my room, sliding down the hall in my socks, and grab some dirty clothes off the floor. "I'm going to do some laundry!" I yell, before heading out the front door. My younger brother, Chonglin, follows me, but I reach the laundry house way before he does and lock him out.
Pears
Calli looks about my age. And she smells like pears, my favorite fruit. I take a huge breath. Ahhh.

"Next door lives Jinsong," I tell her. Idiot! "I mean, I'm Jinsong. I live in fifteen. So, what grade are you?"

"Seventh. You?"

"Same."

She lifts herself onto one of the washing machines. Her hair is so long, she's sitting on it. She fans her face with a hand. "Is it always hotter than a volcano here?"

I laugh. "It's cooled down some. You should've been here in the summer. It got up to one hundred thirteen this year."

She shakes her head. "That's awful."

"You'll get used to it."

"Yeah." She smiles. "Maybe I will."

Calli keeps winking and doing this thing with her lips where she pulls them together. It looks like she's going to kiss someone. And she does it so often that I can't help thinking, she must like me or something. (Sweet.)
Monday Morning at School
I burst through the doors and head straight for the commons, where everyone hangs out until the first bell rings.

A group of girls yell my name, and then giggle to themselves as soon as I look over. (Girls are so weird.)

After stopping to give high fives to some other guys, I finally reach my group.

"Hey, Jin!" Duncan says as he and I clasp hands and bump shoulders.

I turn around and give knuckles to Nyle.

"Jinsong," he says, "what's up, bro?"

I shrug. "Not much." I want to tell them about my new neighbor, Calli, but I don't know if she's starting school today or not. I hope she is.
What in the What?
When Calli stumbles into Mr. Kahn's classroom during first period, I nearly fall out of my chair. What did she do to her hair? When I met her the other day, her hair was so long, she could sit on it. And now - I can see her ears. Which is fine. I don't care. She still looks pretty. She just looks really different. And what in the name of Little League is she wearing? And why is she clapping and tapping like that?

I don't have to wonder what Duncan and Nyle think. I hear them whisper, "Freak Girl." I see the smirks on their faces. And one thing's for sure: I am not telling them that I know her.

Calli's eyes wander around the room until they land on me. She smiles. Uh-oh.

I nudge my pencil off my desk. Take a long time picking it up. Send a silent wish to the universe (that Calli won't be in any more of my classes).
Garbage Cans
Calli tiptoes into the cafeteria and sits at the empty table next to the garbage cans. Guess she doesn't know there's a reason no one sits there. Who wants to sniff piles of putrid meatloaf while they eat? I wish she didn't have to sit alone. But it's not like she can sit at my table with Duncan and Nyle. No way.

I spot some girls I know in the lunch line and get an idea. I slide my chair from the table. "I'll be right back," I say. "I'm gonna go throw away my food." Duncan and Nyle stare at me like I've lost it. (And maybe I have.)

I make my way over to the garbage cans and slowly scrape the food off my tray, even though I haven't eaten any of it.

"Psst. Psst."

Calli looks over her shoulder at me. "Oh, hey, Jinsong!" she says too loud.

I sweep my eyes across the cafeteria to make sure no one's looking. "Hey "- I talk quickly - "you should move. Away from the garbage cans. They're ... infected."

"Infected?"

"Yeah, with, um, hand, foot, and mouth disease."

Calli makes a disgusted face. "Ew. Really?"

I sweep my eyes around the room again. "Yeah. Really. You should move over to that table." I nod to the one Ivy Andrews sits at. If Calli makes friends with the popular girls, maybe Duncan and Nyle won't think she's so weird. And I won't have to pretend that I don't know her.

Calli picks up her tray. "Okay! Thanks for the tip!"

"Yep." I rush back to Duncan and Nyle. I don't think anyone saw.

Excerpted from Forget Me Not by Ellie Terry. Copyright © 2017 Ellie Terry. Excerpted by permission of Feiwel and Friends.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Forget Me Not By Ellie Terry Feiwel and Friends Copyright © 2017 Ellie Terry All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-250-09628-9 CHAPTER 1 PART ONE AUTUMN Saturday Morning I open my dresser drawers, find them empty empty empty. What the heck? Not again. I check the closet, the hamper, under my bed.

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A kid who grew up with precarious health hungers to bust out of the protected zone that his mother and brother keep him in.

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Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw feels like he's been running ever since his dad pulled that gun on him and his mom-and used it.

His dad's been in jail three years now, but Ghost still feels the trauma, which is probably at the root of the many "altercations" he gets into at middle school. When he inserts himself into a practice for a local elite track team, the Defenders, he's fast enough that the hard-as-nails coach decides to put him on the team. Ghost is surprised to find himself caring enough about being on the team that he curbs his behavior to avoid "altercations." But Ma doesn't have money to spare on things like fancy running shoes, so Ghost shoplifts a pair that make his feet feel impossibly light-and his conscience correspondingly heavy. Ghost's narration is candid and colloquial, reminiscent of such original voices as Bud Caldwell and Joey Pigza; his level of self-understanding is both believably childlike and disarming in its perception. He is self-focused enough that secondary characters initially feel one-dimensional, Coach in particular, but as he gets to know them better, so do readers, in a way that unfolds naturally and pleasingly. His three fellow "newbies" on the Defenders await their turns to star in subsequent series outings. Characters are black by default; those few white people in Ghost's world are described as such.

An endearing protagonist runs the first, fast leg of Reynolds' promising relay. (Fiction. 10-14)

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Castle "Ghost" Cranshaw feels like he's been running ever since his dad pulled that gun on him and his mom-and used it. His dad's been in jail three years now, but Ghost still feels the trauma, which is probably at the root of the many "altercations" he gets into at middle school.

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This book is based on a true story.

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The author of the Anastasia books as well as more serious fiction ( Rabble Starkey, 1987) offers her first historical fiction-a story about the escape of the Jews from Denmark in 1943.

Five years younger than Lisa in Carol Matas' Lisa's War (1989), Annemarie Johansen has, at 10, known three years of Nazi occupation. Though ever cautious and fearful of the ubiquitous soldiers, she is largely unaware of the extent of the danger around her; the Resistance kept even its participants safer by telling them as little as possible, and Annemarie has never been told that her older sister Lise died in its service. When the Germans plan to round up the Jews, the Johansens take in Annemarie's friend, Ellen Rosen, and pretend she is their daughter; later, they travel to Uncle Hendrik's house on the coast, where the Rosens and other Jews are transported by fishing boat to Sweden. Apart from Lise's offstage death, there is little violence here; like Annemarie, the reader is protected from the full implications of events-but will be caught up in the suspense and menace of several encounters with soldiers and in Annemarie's courageous run as courier on the night of the escape. The book concludes with the Jews' return, after the war, to homes well kept for them by their neighbors.

A deftly told story that dramatizes how Danes appointed themselves bodyguards-not only for their king, who was in the habit of riding alone in Copenhagen, but for their Jews. (Historical fiction. 9-12)

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INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN | Kirkus Reviews

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An enlightening, poignant and unexpectedly funny novel in verse is rooted in the author's childhood experiences. In Saigon in 1975, 10-year-old Kim Hà celebrates Tet (New Year) with her mother and three older brothers; none of them guesses at the changes the Year of the Cat will bring.

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From the School for Good and Evil series , Vol. 3

by Soman Chainani ; illustrated by Iacopo Bruno ‧

Ultimately more than a little full of itself, but well-stocked with big themes, inventively spun fairy-tale tropes, and...

Good has won every fairy-tale contest with Evil for centuries, but a dark sorcerer's scheme to turn the tables comes to fruition in this ponderous closer.

Broadening conflict swirls around frenemies Agatha and Sophie as the latter joins rejuvenated School Master Rafal, who has dispatched an army of villains from Capt. Hook to various evil stepmothers to take stabs (literally) at changing the ends of their stories. Meanwhile, amid a general slaughter of dwarves and billy goats, Agatha and her rigid but educable true love, Tedros, flee for protection to the League of Thirteen. This turns out to be a company of geriatric versions of characters, from Hansel and Gretel (in wheelchairs) to fat and shrewish Cinderella, led by an enigmatic Merlin. As the tale moves slowly toward climactic battles and choices, Chainani further lightens the load by stuffing it with memes ranging from a magic ring that must be destroyed and a "maleficent" gown for Sophie to this oddly familiar line: "Of all the tales in all the kingdoms in all the Woods, you had to walk into mine." Rafal's plan turns out to be an attempt to prove that love can be twisted into an instrument of Evil. Though the proposition eventually founders on the twin rocks of true friendship and family ties, talk of "balance" in the aftermath at least promises to give Evil a fighting chance in future fairy tales. Bruno's polished vignettes at each chapter's head and elsewhere add sophisticated visual notes.

Ultimately more than a little full of itself, but well-stocked with big themes, inventively spun fairy-tale tropes, and flashes of hilarity. (Fantasy. 11-13)

Review Posted Online: June 25, 2015

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A story about war and displacement, resilience and adjustment.

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"In her debut novel, Starfish, Lisa Fipps confronts diet culture and fat phobia head-on. . . . The book reads as if Ellie herself is writing these poems, which are accessible and engaging." -The New York Times Book Review "Fipps bursts onto the middle-grade scene with her debut, a verse novel that shines because of Ellie's keen and emotionally striking observations. As she draws readers in with her smart and succinct voice, Ellie navigates the difficult map of knowing she deserves better treatment while struggling with the conflict that's necessary to achieve it. Fipps hands her young narrator several difficult life lessons, including how to self-advocate, how not to internalization of the words of others, and what it means to defend yourself. Ellie's story will delight readers who long to see an impassioned young woman seize an unapologetic victory."- Booklist, starred review

* "Fipps' verse is skillful and rooted in emotional reality. The text places readers in Ellie's shoes, showing how she is attacked in many spaces-including by strangers on public transit-while clearly asserting that it's other people who need to change. . . . Make room in your heart for this cathartic novel"- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "Affirming representation of fatness. . . . Fipps's use of verse is as effective as it is fitting; Ellie dreams of becoming a storyteller and poet 'to help people feel what it's like/ to live in/ someone else's skin.' A triumphant and poignantly drawn journey toward self-acceptance and self-advocacy."- Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "A charming novel in verse about a girl struggling with self-worth. . . . Once readers start, it will be difficult for them to put this book down. Ellie's story is heartbreaking and raw at times, and Fipps paints a realistic picture of bullying in a world that equates thinness with beauty. . . . True joy comes in watching Ellie gain confidence in herself and standing up to the bullies, even when they're family. . . . A must-have for libraries serving teens and tweens."-School Library Journal, starred review

"In this free-verse novel, Fipps is laceratingly authentic about the kind of 'teasing' and 'help' that Ellie is constantly subject to, and the family dynamic, wherein her father dislikes her mother's treatment but rarely intervenes, is sadly believable. . . The intense focus mirrors a lot of experience, and readers will be glad to see Ellie eventually 'starfishing-starting to claim my right to take up space.'"- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"This beautiful, heartbreaking, and powerful novel-in-verse would pair well with media literacy lessons on body imagery, bullying, and victim shaming. The story is very engaging and readers will not want to put it down. School guidance counselors, school psychologists, and social workers will appreciate the realistic portrayal of Ellie's therapist and the benefits of therapy for children and adults."- School Library Connection

"Ellie's simple and powerful free-verse poems intensify her emotional turmoil and smoothly destroy stereotypes ('They think I'm unhappy / because I'm fat. / The truth is, / I'm unhappy because / they bully me / about being fat'). Her strength in accepting herself and learning to defy her Fat Girl Rules is an inspiring reminder to all readers that they deserve to 'take up space.'"- Horn Book

"Readers will rejoice as Ellie gains the strength to confront bullies with intelligence and honesty, and refuses to allow other people's cruelty to shape her life."- Padma Venkatraman, award-winning author of The Bridge Home

"This is a big beautiful book about a big beautiful girl. Meet Ellie, who looks in the mirror and sees someone lovable. Now, if only the rest of the world (and especially her own mother and brother) could see what Ellie sees. This is a story about the colossal cruelty that's hurled at her because of her weight, and how, with colossal strength, Ellie manages to triumph. An honest, heartbreaking, hilarious novel-in-verse from a debut author with a delicious voice."- Sonya Sones, author of What My Mother Doesn't Know

"Lisa Fipps's spot-on verse gives Ellie a wrenchingly real voice that sings with humor, pain, and hope. Prepare yourself: Once you read this book, your heart will never be the same." - K. A. Holt, author of House Arrest

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Starfish by Lisa Fipps: 9781984814524 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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A Printz Honor Winner! Ellie is tired of being fat-shamed and does something about it in this highly acclaimed debut novel-in-verse. Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her...

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by Annie Matthew ; developed by Kobe Bryant ‧

A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge.

In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy's home province and the orphanage run by her father. With her friends' help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. She is so convincing that the real Legacy is accused of being an imitation. False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla's hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. If Legacy is to win again, she must play her imposter while disguised as someone else. Winning at tennis is not just about money and fame, but resisting Silla's plans to send more young people into brutal mines with little hope of better lives. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. This story, with its elements of sports, fantasy, and social consciousness that highlight tensions between the powerful and those they prey upon, successfully continues the series conceived by late basketball superstar Bryant. As before, the tennis matches are depicted with pace and spirit. Legacy and Javi have brown skin; most other characters default to White.

A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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by Annie Matthew ; developed by Kobe Bryant ‧ A young tennis champion becomes the target of revenge. In this sequel to Legacy and the Queen (2019), Legacy Petrin and her friends Javi and Pippa have returned to Legacy's home province and the orphanage run by her father.

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Koertge's pleasing variety of verse - a villanelle here, a sestina there - is a seamless fit for his story and characters.
-The Horn Book (starred review)

The well-crafted poetry is firmly rooted in the experiences of regular teens and addresses subjects that range from breakups to baseball. Koertge works in some unobtrusive poetry instruction, and poems like Amy's funny Transylvanian limericks and Kevin's poignant reflections on "moving on" will inspire teens to try writing their own. Appealing and accessible.
-Booklist

Whether readers are meeting Kevin for the first time or have already read the first book, they are likely to enjoy both the accessible story and Kevin's struggles with some demanding poetic structures.
-School Library Journal

Koertge masterfully leads readers to accept that people-yes, even teenagers-can be individuals, and that baseball and poetry are not necessarily at opposite ends of the spectrum. Well done.
-Kirkus Reviews

The strength of both books is the seamless way Koertge shows how Kevin processes guilt, excitement, and uncertainty: with his pen.
-Publishers Weekly

Definitely a book to read, at least once, if not more.
-YA Books Central blog

Cuts against the stereotypes of dumb jocks and Goth poets to create a smart, every-guy protagonist whose down-to-earth voice and contemporary concerns refresh centuries-old poetic. . . . With this book, Koertge steps up to the plate - two outs, bases loaded - and stylistically knocks it out of the park.
-The Washington post

Heartfelt, funny, and brilliant in every way. . . a must-read.
-Kendal Rautzan's Books to Borrow, Books to Buy (syndicated column)

Wow - if you are celebrating April as poetry month, you need this book. If you are teaching middle-schoolers about poetry, you need this book. If you like a clever read about a boy who needs to break up with a girl who isn't right for him, then you will love this book.
-Winston-Salem Journal

If you're looking for a way to get a sports-obsessed kid into poetry, this may be it.
-Hippo

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Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs by Ron Koertge: 9780763658526 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books

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Koertge's pleasing variety of verse - a villanelle here, a sestina there - is a seamless fit for his story and characters.-The Horn Book (starred review) The well-crafted poetry is firmly rooted in the experiences of regular teens and addresses subjects that range from breakups to baseball.

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A 14-year-old baseball star temporarily sidelined by a case of mono narrates Koertge's ( The Brimstone Journals; Stoner & Spaz) affecting novel told in verse. After Kevin's writer father gives him a journal, the bored boy sneaks a book about poetry out of his father's den and decides, "I'm just going to fool around a little,/ see what's what poetry-wise." Though he dabbles in several poetic forms, including haiku, sonnet, ballad and rhymed couplets, Kevin writes primarily in free verse. He candidly and sometimes comically muses on his baseball ambitions, former girlfriends, teammates, his rapport with his supportive, sympathetic father and his budding romance with a bright, caring young woman. Several heart-wrenching poems describe his and his father's pain-and gradual healing-following the recent death of Kevin's mother. Some of the entries are more effective than others, yet the teen's newly discovered poetic voice evolves believably and winningly. Kevin's numerous perceptive observations (e.g., "The rules of the game/ [of] baseball and poetry aren't that different"; "When I got sick I missed baseball./ When I got well I missed writing./ Amazing") may well inspire readers to reflect on their own feelings and aspirations-and to express themselves more creatively. This novel scores points for both style and substance. Ages 12-up. (Mar.)

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A 14-year-old baseball star temporarily sidelined by a case of mono narrates Koertge's ( The Brimstone Journals; Stoner & Spaz) affecting novel told in verse. After Kevin's writer father gives him a journal, the bored boy sneaks a book about poetry out of his father's den and decides, "I'm just going to fool around a little,/ see what's what poetry-wise."

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Two bestselling authors imagine the boyhood of the man who became the legendary boxing icon Muhammad Ali.

Cassius was a spirited child growing up in segregated Louisville, Kentucky. He had a loving home with his parents and younger brother, Rudy. Granddaddy Herman also was an important figure, imparting life lessons. His parents wanted him to succeed in school, but Cassius had difficulty reading and found more pleasure in playing and exploring outdoors. Early on, he and Rudy knew the restrictions of being African American, for example, encountering "Whites Only" signs at parks, but the brothers dreamed of fame like that enjoyed by Black boxer Joe Louis. Popular Cassius was especially close to Lucius "Lucky" Wakely; despite their academic differences, their deep connection remained after Lucky received a scholarship to a Catholic school. When Cassius wandered into the Columbia Boxing Gym, it seemed to be destiny, and he developed into a successful youth boxer. Told in two voices, with prose for the voice of Lucky and free verse for Cassius, the narrative provides readers with a multidimensional view of the early life of and influences on an important figure in sports and social change. Lucky's observations give context while Cassius' poetry encapsulates his drive, energy, and gift with words. Combined with dynamic illustrations by Anyabwile, the book captures the historical and social environment that produced Muhammad Ali.

A stellar collaboration that introduces an important and intriguing individual to today's readers. (bibliography) (Biographical novel. 8-12)

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Two bestselling authors imagine the boyhood of the man who became the legendary boxing icon Muhammad Ali. Cassius was a spirited child growing up in segregated Louisville, Kentucky. He had a loving home with his parents and younger brother, Rudy. Granddaddy Herman also was an important figure, imparting life lessons.

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I have only one copy of this book. This book is based on a true story.

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After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.

Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her-who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves-Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.

This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author's note) (Fiction. 14 & up)

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After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself. Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street.

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I have only one copy of this amazing book.

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This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression.

44

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After surviving a suicide attempt, a fragile teen isn't sure she can endure without cutting herself.

Seventeen-year-old Charlie Davis, a white girl living on the margins, thinks she has little reason to live: her father drowned himself; her bereft and abusive mother kicked her out; her best friend, Ellis, is nearly brain dead after cutting too deeply; and she's gone through unspeakable experiences living on the street. After spending time in treatment with other young women like her-who cut, burn, poke, and otherwise hurt themselves-Charlie is released and takes a bus from the Twin Cities to Tucson to be closer to Mikey, a boy she "like-likes" but who had pined for Ellis instead. But things don't go as planned in the Arizona desert, because sweet Mikey just wants to be friends. Feeling rejected, Charlie, an artist, is drawn into a destructive new relationship with her sexy older co-worker, a "semifamous" local musician who's obviously a junkie alcoholic. Through intense, diarylike chapters chronicling Charlie's journey, the author captures the brutal and heartbreaking way "girls who write their pain on their bodies" scar and mar themselves, either succumbing or surviving. Like most issue books, this is not an easy read, but it's poignant and transcendent as Charlie breaks more and more before piecing herself back together.

This grittily provocative debut explores the horrors of self-harm and the healing power of artistic expression. (author's note) (Fiction. 14 & up)

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Poetry helps first-generation Dominican-American teen Xiomara Batista come into her own.

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I have only one copy of this book. It is based on a true story.

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In first-person free verse, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, residents comment on their lives and dreams before and after the catastrophic flood of 1889.

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Sixth grade cousins learn to navigate complicated family dynamics.

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Two young people of different generations get profound lessons in the tragic, enduring legacy of war.

Raised on the thrilling yarns of his great-grandpa Jacob and obsessed with both World War II and first-person-shooter video games, Trevor is eager to join the 93-year-old vet when he is invited to revisit the French town his unit had helped to liberate. In alternating chapters, the overseas trip retraces the parallel journeys of two young people-Trevor, 12, and Jacob, in 1944, just five years older-with similarly idealized visions of what war is like as they travel both then and now from Fort Benning to Omaha Beach and then through Normandy. Jacob's wartime experiences are an absorbing whirl of hard fighting, sudden death, and courageous acts spurred by necessity...but the modern trip turns suspenseful too, as mysterious stalkers leave unsettling tokens and a series of hostile online posts that hint that Jacob doesn't have just German blood on his hands. Korman acknowledges the widely held view of World War II as a just war but makes his own sympathies plain by repeatedly pointing to the unavoidable price of conflict: "Wars may have winning sides, but everybody loses." Readers anticipating a heavy-handed moral will appreciate that Trevor arrives at a refreshingly realistic appreciation of video games' pleasures and limitations. As his dad puts it: "War makes a better video game....But if you're looking for a way to live, I'll take peace every time."

This weave of perceptive, well-told tales wears its agenda with unusual grace. (Fiction/historical fiction. 11-13)

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Two young people of different generations get profound lessons in the tragic, enduring legacy of war. Raised on the thrilling yarns of his great-grandpa Jacob and obsessed with both World War II and first-person-shooter video games, Trevor is eager to join the 93-year-old vet when he is invited to revisit the French town his unit had helped to liberate.