Maurice Sendak died today.  He was a transformative author and illustrator of books for children.  Where the Wild Things Are is his best known title, which won the Caldecott Medal in 1964.  As a child, I spent many hours listening to Really Rosie - a musical based on his books with music by Carol King.   You might enjoy reading them too!

What's New in Children's and Teen Literature? I'd love to tell you, but instead I'll invite you to a program at King Library February 24th in Room 255 at 7:00 pm. Five of our great librarians will give you a peek at some of the best that we've added to the collection this year.

I know you're wondering what's good - so here's a sneak peek!

Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josee Masse is a wonderful book of poetry in picture book format. This collection of poems takes on the unique challenge of reverse verse. Each poem can be read backwards or forwards. In fact, when read backwards, the meaning changes dramatically. Each pair of poems is based on a fairy tale - so included is Beauty and the Beast, the Princess and the Frog and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The illustrations are beautiful, colorful and definitely take on the duality of the reverse verse concept. You can find this book at the library in the poetry section - J811.54

WHAT’S NEW IN CHILDREN’S AND TEEN LITERATURE
THURSDAY ~ FEBRUARY 24, 2011
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. LIBRARY

BOARD BOOKS

Diapers are Not Forever by Elizabeth Verdick

Farm Peek-a-Boo by DK

Happy Valentine’s Day Mouse! by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond

How Do I Love You by Marion Dane Bauer

EASY READERS

Aggie the Brave by Lorie Ries

I Am Going by Mo Willems

Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann

Star Wars, Death Star Battles by Simon Beecroft

Sandcastle “The Alphabet” by various authors

PICTURE BOOKS

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead

City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems

Art & Max by David Wiesner

Wanted the Perfect Pet by Fiona Roberton

Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates

There’s Going to be a Baby by John Birmingham & Helen Oxenbury

Sleepy, Oh So Sleepy by Denise Fleming

The Magic Brush by Kat Yeh

CHILDREN'S FICTION

What Happened on Fox Street by Tricia Springstubb

Reckless by Cornelia Funke

Closer by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

Beryl: a Pig’s Tale by Jane Simmons

by Adam Gidwitz

The Danger Box by Blue Balliett

A Long Walk to Water: Based on A True Story by Linda Sue Park

Museum of Thieves by Lian Tanner

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

YOUNG ADULT

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynn Rae Perkins

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Matched by Ally Condie&

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

JUVENILE NON-FICTION

Pop-Up House of Inventions: Hundreds of Fabulous Facts About Your Home by Robert Crowther (J609)

Meet the Howlers by April Pulley Sayre (J599.855)

Out of Sight by Francisco Pittau (J590)

Terrorists, Tornadoes and Tsunamis: How to Prepare for Life’s Danger Zones by Lt. Colonel John C. Orndorff & Suzanne Harper (YA613.69)

Mirror Mirror: A book of Reversible Rhyme by Marilyn Singer (J811.54)

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney (J323.1196)

Make and Do Cook: Simple Recipes for Kids to Cook by Bethany Perkins & Hermione Edwards (J641.5123)

Mac King’s Campfire Magic: 50 Amazing, Easy-to-Learn Tricks and Mind-Blowing Stunts by Mac King (J793.8)

Blockhead: The Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’Agnese (J510.92)

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by Barak Obama (J179)

Presenters:

Deborah Estreicher – Librarian

Nancy Buckles – Librarian

Sharon Fung – Librarian

Katherine Luedke – Librarian

Sandra Stewart – Senior Librarian/Manager

Well, it was another great year of excellent books for teen readers (and adults like me that enjoy reading teen books!). The Young Adult publishing industry is still going strong with an amazing array of high-quality literature, and this year did not disappoint. It can be hard to keep up, but us librarians have got your back. The Young Adult Library Services Association selects 100 books every year for their annual Best Books for Young Adults list. From these books, they create a Top Ten list with their picks for the best Young Adult books of the year. Make some time to catch up with the best of the best for 2010:

• Sarah Rees Brennan. Demon's Lexicon
• Paul Griffin. The Orange House
• M.H Herlong. The Great Wide Sea
• Catherine Jinks. The Reformed Vampire Support Group
• Donna Jo Napoli. Alligator Bayou
• David Small. Stitches: A Memoir
• Rebecca Stead. When You Reach Me
• Francisco X Stork. Marcelo in the Real World
• Laini Taylor. Lips Touch: Three Times
• Sally M Walker. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland

It's another interesting batch of fiction and nonfiction, with themes ranging from magic to immigration to survival at sea to vampire comedy to Asperger's Syndrome to colonial Jamestown and much more. (Whoa, imagine if these were all in the same book?) Happy reading and Happy New Year!