January (3)
1. The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming (1/4)
2. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven (1/13)
3. The Eye of Minds by James Dashner (1/23)
February (4)
4. Delirium by Lauren Oliver (2/6)
5. Wild: from lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed (2/14)
6. Fairest by Marissa Meyer (2/17)
7. The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There by Catherynne Valente (2/22)
March (4)
8. Winger by Andrew Smith (3/1)*
9. Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders by Geoff Herbach (3/2)
10. The Young Elites by Marie Lu (3/7)
11. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (3/29)
April (7)
12. The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm (4/3)
13. The Candymakers by Wendy Mass (4/3)
14. The Way to Stay in Destiny by Augusta Scattergood (4/4)
15. Paper Towns by John Green (4/9)
16. The Madman of Piney Woods by Christopher Paul Curtis (4/18)
17. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (4/26)
18. Requiem by Lauren Oliver (4/30)
May (9)
19. The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going (5/2)
20. The Contract (5/4)
21. Carter's Unfocused One-track Mind by Brent Crawford (5/8)
22. Hit & Miss by Derek Jeter (5/9)
23. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (5/16)*
24. Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein (5/16)
25. The Luck of the Buttons by Anne Ylvisaker (5/19)
26. Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando (5/23)
27. Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan (5/30)*
June (5)
28. The Unstoppable Octobia May by Sharon Flake (6/8)
29. The Boneshaker by Kate Milford (6/12)*
30. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (6/17)*
31.The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente (6/1)
32. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (6/23)
July (9)
33. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce (7/3)
34. Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen (7/9)
35. Vango: Between Sky and Earth by Timothée de Fombelle (7/11)
36. I am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak (7/12)
37. The Truth about Twinkie Pie by Kat Yeh (7/13)
38. We are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen (7/16)
39. The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud (7/22)*
40. Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley (7/23)*
41. The Julian Chapter by R.J. Palacio (7/25)*
August
42. The Black Reckoning by John Stephens (8/1)*
43. X: a novel by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon (8/6)*
44. Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper (8/7)
45. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins (8/14)
46. Michael Vey: the prisoner of cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans (8/15)
47. Denton Little's Death Date by Lance Rubin (8/17)*
48. The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith (8/22)
49. The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (8/24)
50. Princess Academy #2: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale. (8/28)
51. Stealing Air by Trent Reedy (8/30)
September (6)
52. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (9/5)
53. Stonewall by Ann Bausum (9/5)*
54. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs (9/17)*
55. Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray (9/26)*
56. Space Case by Stuart Gibbs (9/26)
57. Devoted: 38 extraordinary tales of love, loyalty and life with dogs by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh (9/30)
October (7)
58. Redeployment by Phil Klay (10/8)
59. Jump into the Sky by Shelley Pearsall (10/11)
60. The Nest by Kenneth Oppel (10/22)
61. Revolution by Deborah Wiles (10/24)
62. The Port Chicago 50 by Steve Sheinkin (10/25)
63. Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the secret history of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin (10/28)*
64. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson (10/31)*
November (6)
65. Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Williams-Garcia (11/8)*
66. The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (11/13)
67. Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (11/17)*
68. The Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (11/21)*
69. When I was the Greatest by Jason Reynolds (11/22)*
70. Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman (11/29)*
December (4)
71. The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett (12/5)*
72. The Hollow Boy (Lockwood & Co. #3) (12/12)
73. The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan (12/26)
74. Pieces of Why by K. L. Going (12/28)
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley. Unabridged audiobook on 6 compact discs. Read by Bronson Pinchot. Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group, June, 2015. 9781101892312. (Purchased.)
Micah Tuttle has lived with his beloved grandfather, Ephraim ever since his parents died. The two are as thick as thieves. Ephraim taught Micah how to tie knots and Micah grew up listening to his grandpa's stories about Circus Mirandus. Now, his grandpa is ill and his odious great-aunt Gertrudis is taking over. She restricts Micah's access to his grandfather and has absolutely no tolerance for any talk of magic in general and Circus Mirandus in particular. What's more, Micah's going to disappoint Jenny Mendoza, the smartest girl in the fifth grade, because he hadn't been able to work on his part of their project on ancient Incans.
When Micah finally slips in to visit, he learns that his grandfather has sent a message to the Lightbender. You promised me a miracle. Micah knew these words to be part of the story, and while he hoped, he never truly believed that Circus Mirandus was real. Grandfather Ephraim had saved his miracle all these years and now the Lightbender would come and save him. Micah was sure of it.
What a world debut author, Cassie Beasley has created! Step right up, folks! There's something here for everyone - young readers or old, voracious readers and, quite possibly reluctant readers. The beautifully designed cover will lure readers with the promise of magic. Who doesn't love a circus? Micah is instantly likable. His relationship with his grandfather is achingly palpable. His budding friendship with Jenny Mendoza is authentic. The flashbacks to grandpa Ephraim's childhood are seamlessly woven and perfectly paced - inducing and enticing the reader to turn the page, if reading with eyes or continue, if reading with ears.
The world Beasley builds is intricate, fascinating and wholly believable and the language is absolutely lovely. There's suspense and adventure but there's a subtle underpinning of sadness, of yearning, of disappointment and dashed dreams. The narration by Bronson Pinchot is beautifully understated. His voice choices for a myriad of characters are fitting and consistent. He imbues Micah with such a sense of longing and hope even as he is grieving. The narration is perfectly paced. As much as I couldn't stand to stop for want of knowing what would happen next, I was sad to leave the world of Micah and miracles. While the ending was satisfying, there are some loose ends that might warrant a sequel, which would be welcome.
It is because of the audiobook that I would recommend Circus Mirandus to struggling or reluctant readers. Stories told through flashbacks can be a challenge for even the best of young readers. Reluctant readers may not have the patience or stamina and struggling readers may not have the ability. Pinchot's performance makes the story accessible to everyone.
I received an arc of Circus Mirandus back at ALA Midwinter. The rep said, "This lives up to the hype," as she handed me my copy. I am happy to report that it does. Do not miss this one. Read it and share it with your patrons/ students.
Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Unabridged audiobook on one self-contained MP-3 player. 10 hours, 37 minutes. Narrated by Mark Bramhall, David deVries, MacCleod Andrews, and Rebecca Soler. Go-Reader/ Scholastic Inc., April, 2015. 9781936129423. (Audio Purchased. Hardcover courtesy of Scholastic.)
Echo is an epic tale. It starts as a story-within-a-story, then braids three additional stories before coming full circle. It is just lovely.
Otto gets lost in the woods near his home in Germany at an unspecified time. He was playing hide and seek. So determined was he to win the game that he went deeper into the woods than was prudent. While waiting, for the call to come home free, he pulls out the book that he bought from a gypsy caravan and gets lost in the story of three hidden princesses and a curse. Once he emerges from the tale, he finds himself well and truly lost. He panics and hits his head. The three princesses from the story rescue him. They beg him to tell them the ending of their story. Alas, there is no ending - just blank pages. So they send him on his way with a harmonica unusual for its sound and the request to pass it on to one who is in need.
In 1933 Nazi Germany, Friedrich has facial birthmark that has made him the target of bullies his whole life. Now, he faces being stamped as an undesirable by the Nazis and sent to an asylum. It doesn't help that his father is an outspoken critic of the regime. He finds solace playing his harmonica, among other instruments but it is conducting that is his passion.
Later, in America, Mike and Frankie, two orphan brothers, vow to stay together no matter what when they realize that the nefarious director of the orphanage plans on illegally hiring Mike out and sending Frankie to a state home. Their musical talent draws the attention of a visiting lawyer but something about the adoption doesn't sit well with Mike.
Still later, the harmonica travels across the USA to California, where Ivy learns to play it thanks to her favorite teacher. She is eagerly looking forward to playing a recital on the radio. Instead, she finds herself moving yet again with her Mexican-American parents to find farm work.
Each tale gently draws the reader into the sad worlds of Friedrich, Mike, Frankie and Ivy. Each tale ends with an infuriating cliff-hanger. There are plenty of tears along the way. Ryan has created memorable characters that the reader quickly grows to care about. All the pieces fit together in a wholly satisfying ending. I sat in that blissful daze that comes when one is totally immersed in a story. Gosh, I wish I could bottle that. I read a lot. I like a lot of what I read but it is the rare book that sends me. This one did.
Between it's length and the complexity of the writing, I know I will have to hand sell this gem one reader at a time. Just the other day, I showed it to one of my vociferous (but picky) and brilliant readers. She backed away from me when I said it was historical fiction. She shook her head when I told her it was written like a fairy tale (which she loves). My shoulders slumped in defeat and I acquiesced; but when I hugged the book into my chest and sighed that, "It is such a beautiful story!," it was her turn to acquiesce. I'm eager to hear what she thinks.
I'm also eager to reread it with my eyes just to enjoy the gorgeous writing and strong sense of setting. When reading with my eyes, I have the luxury of stopping, rolling the phrase around, rereading the last paragraph just to savor the writing. Not so with listening. I'm usually driving or choring as I read with my ears and never have a notebook nearby to jot thoughts down.
Just today, a sixth grader came in wanting a "hard book on a playaway." I handed her Echo.
I thought the multiple narrators and the addition of the music that each character played in the story enhanced the story. I was familiar with all of the songs already, so I would have had context were I reading with my eyes. I wonder if young readers will seek out recordings of unfamiliar pieces. Perhaps I will make a playlist bookmark to leave in the book.
The Newbery buzz that's been generated seconds after the 2015 Newbery was announced in January is so well-deserved. Echo is distinguished. Echo will stay with every reader.
Carter's Unfocused One-Track Mind by Brent Crawford. Unabridged audiobook on one MP3-CD. Performed by Nick Podehl. Brilliance Audio, August, 2013. 9781480543409. (Purchased)
Will Carter and his boys are now sophomores in this third book featuring the hilarious, horny and clueless crew. Abby is angsting over whether she should attend drama school in New York. She thinks Carter should come with her. Carter would love to, especially since it increases his chances of getting in her pants. Only, he doesn't really want to leave his boys. His appreciation for the "drama geeks" is growing as are his friendships with several, especially Jeremy. Rumor has it that Scary Terry is out of juvie and gunning for Carter and E.J. This has the boys practically wetting their pants with anxiety; so they start a fight club. They only have one pair of boxing gloves so they split the pair with a pair of ski gloves and take turns whaling on each other. Yeah. Good times.
These books are not everyone's cup of tea. There's something to offend just about everyone here- profanity, bodily fluids of all sorts, unfiltered, impolitic opinions, fighting, drinking, the unbridled desire to get laid crippled by the sheer terror of talking to and getting rejected by a girl, teenage pregnancy and vandalism. We can't forget the vandalism, nor the acts of mass stupidity that usually elicits the question, "If they jumped off of the bridge, would you follow?" by exasperated adults.
It is also the perfect boy book. No, I don't mean this is just a book for boys or reluctant reader boys. It is a book for all boys and ex-boys and the girls and ex-girls who love them, teach them, mother them, are maddened by them or are stuck with them. Carter is so endearing. His voice is honest and yearning and hopeful. He's so lovably insecure, intuitive and courageous. He's a football jock who is also a drama geek. He befriends fellow drama geek, Jeremy, who is gay and doesn't hesitate to defend him when Jeremy is confronted by homophobic bullies. (Unnecessary help, by the way, since Jeremy was perfectly able to defend himself but sweet of Carter, nonetheless.) His perpetual tardiness and inattention earn him suicides in football and Saturday morning detention where, he hilariously finds he can actually get some work done!
Carter's world is magnificently brought to life in Nick Podehl's hands. Podehl is a gifted performer with all sorts of material (Chaos Walking Trilogy, Personal Effects, Boundless, Everlost, anything!), but he consistently and perfectly nails the comedy of male adolescence. His timing is impeccable. Carter's interior monologues are especially appealing. While his female voices are not the best, his stable full of male voices are distinct and fitting.
Teens who enjoy the Carter trilogy will love Don Calame's Swim the Fly books (which Podehl also nimbly narrated) and Geoff Herbach's Felton Reinstein trilogy.
While this is billed as the conclusion of a trilogy and does end quite nicely, I, for one, would not mind an installment featuring Carter and Abby at drama school.
The Contract by Derek Jeter, with Paul Mantel. Jeter Publishing Series. Unabridged audiobook on 4 compact discs. Read by Jesse Williams. Simon & Schuster Audio, September, 2014. 97811442375437. (Purchased)
"Earnest with a side of syrup," is what I posted to my Goodreads page. Had anyone other than Derek Jeter written this, eyes would've been rolling. But the legendary Yankee shortstop lived/ lives the life he wrote about in this semi-autobiographical series beginner. Jeter is one of the few sports celebrities who is a true role model. He seems like a genuinely nice person. If young Jeter seems a bit too perfect, if the baseball action a bit too advanced, a sibling relationship without conflict and endlessly patient parents, I'm willing to give the twee a pass. The Contract is a perfect middle grade novel. There's decent baseball action, good depiction of friendship, and plenty of positive messages. Sometimes I forget that not all middle grade readers are ready for or want angst and issues.
The novel incorporates several themes of diversity. Jeter is bi-racial and problems his parents had to deal with are referred to. He also has a close friend who is from India - the first family from India to move to the neighborhood. The issues are stated rather matter-of-factly and are not the center of attention; but they certainly inform Derek's empathy.
The new-to-me narrator read with understated cool and obvious affection for the material. The pace is leisurely and occasionally slow. He doesn't change voice for the characters though and occasionally it's hard to tell who's speaking. Jesse Williams' voice was vaguely familiar, but not his name. The thumbnail photo of the bespectacled narrator did nothing to jog my memory. A bell started ringing yesterday afternoon and, when I had the chance, I checked the name in IMDB. Sure enough, Williams portrays Jackson Avery on Grey's Anatomy. In a weirdly funny coincidence, the last two audiobooks I read were narrated by April and Jackson!
The book version of The Contract hasn't spent much time on the shelf at my school. I'm eager to see if the audio circulates when I donate my copy. Both would be fine additions to school, classroom and public libraries.
It has been awhile since I've reviewed an audiobook. Since I read all three book in the Delirium Trilogy recently, I thought I'd do a combo-review.
When Delirium first hit the shelves in 2011, I was taking a hiatus from dystopian despite the fact that I really enjoyed Oliver's first book, Before I Fall (not dystopian). None of my students asked for it so I never put it on the shelf. Someone must've discovered it recently, because I started getting requests for it, so I put it on the shelf and borrowed the audiobook from the public library and started listening.
The story is narrated by Lena Haloway. She's ninety-five days away from her cure and she cannot wait. Love, aka deliria nervosa, has been outlawed. When children hit eighteen, they undergo a procedure that removes those foolish, impure and distracting impulses. Lena lives in Portland, Maine, which is surrounded by an electric fence that separates the population from "the Wilds." The government is brutally suppressive and Lena lives in constant fear of interrogation. Not so her best friend, Hana. She is wealthy and fearless, constantly breaking curfew and daring Lena to do the same. But Lena is damaged goods. Her mother's cure didn't work, requiring multiple procedures. She died during her last one.
Sarah Drew's performance made Delirium a better book than it was. She was fantastic; although I didn't love her male voices, especially Alex's. I was able to appreciate why my girls love this book. I did like Lena's voice and her awakening and I thought Hana was a hoot. Then, there were inconsistencies that brought me out of the story. I just couldn't buy into this regime that was supposedly so repressive, yet teens were constantly breaking curfew and holding illegal parties.
Still, the cliffhanger ending kept me interested enough to continue reading with my ears.
In Pandemonium, Drew changes the pronunciation of Hana's name from Han-na, in book one to Ho-nah. Again, the ease with which Lena and her cohort are able to elude the regime continued to be unbelievable. Also, Julian came off as way young. Not sure if it was the voice that Drew chose or the way he was written. Possibly a combination of both but enough interest remained to plow on to the conclusion.
Requiem was underwhelming. Here, the first-person narrative switches between Hana and Lena. There are some surprises. There is some suspense. The coincidence of them ending up in the same place at the end was a bit much to swallow. The love triangle? Meh. Can we please put a moratorium on heroines who might be kick-ass but whose naivté, denseness, cluelessness, thickness, or whatever makes them assume, "I'm ugly," or, "He doesn't love me," or, "He hates me!"? Enough!
And, what's with the chick on the covers surrounded by flowers? Lena's on the run and filthy for most of the second two books. Flowers and make up?
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. Unabridged audiobook on 7 compact discs, 8 hours, 15 minutes. Read by Laura Knight Keating. Recorded Books, 2014. 9781490619385. (Borrowed from the public library)
Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song Covey is determined to step up once her sister Margot leaves to attend college in Scotland. Ever since their mother died, Margot has organized the family and has been the perfect daughter. Baby sister, Kitty is the spunky one, leaving Lara Jean kind of lost in the middle.
Lara's entire family adores Josh, the boy next door who is also Margot's boyfriend. Lara actually crushed on him first, but stepped aside when Margot started liking him. Ever practical Margot breaks up with Josh days before leaving for Scotland, leaving him crushed. Lara Jean wonders how she, Kitty and Daddy will continue their friendship with him.
To get over her crushes, Lara Jean writes letters, brutally honest letters explaining why she fell in and out of love. She puts the letter in an envelop, addresses it and stores it in a hat box that was a present from her mother. There are five of them and one was addressed to Josh.
The letters are mysteriously mailed, as Lara Jean learns when she is confronted by a seriously confused Josh. She's understandably mortified; but even more so when Alpha male, Peter Kavinsky receives his and confronts her as well. But Peter has a plan. He and his girlfriend recently broke up and Lara Jean doesn't want Josh to think she still likes him. She and Peter decide to pretend that they are going out.
Lara Jean seems way younger than her sixteen years. At first, I found her naiveté kind of charming. Then it became grating and annoying. What sixteen-year-old still refers to her parents as "Daddy or Mommy?" The performance by Laura Knight Keating reflected this very well. Her voice had a playful, young, musical quality to it.
One thing Jenny Han does very well is dialogue and angst. Teens are all about drama. My teens eat up her Summer I Turned Pretty series. Belly drove me absolutely berserk, but then, I'm old as dirt. There was a time, for like, five minutes, in my teens when I lived for this kind of drama. My teens will adore this one too and line up for the sequel, P.S. I Still Love You, which is due out May 29th.
