Bothell Library Blog - Stuff To Read

The List

Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:29:39 -0800

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Every year, on the last Monday in September a list floods the hallways of Mount Washington High School. The List names eight girls, one prettiest and one ugliest for each grade. No one knows who writes it. The anonymity is part of the appeal.

The girls who are named become instant celebrities. Everyone watches to see how the ugliest girls will react. Will they cry? Throw a fit? Brazen it out? The prettiest girls are suddenly popular -- or more popular. They are welcome at every party and watched by every boy. It seems like they have it made, but looks can be deceiving.

This is the story of eight girls. This year's prettiest and ugliest. The only thing they have in common is the list. As the week unfolds, it becomes clear that whether they were judged prettiest or ugliest, something terrible was done to all of them.

My Name Is Not Easy

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 05:19:35 -0800

School has just started. Maybe you've looked forward to it. Maybe you dread the start of school every year. No matter which it is, My Name Is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson will give you a whole new perspective on what it's like to go to school today.

Life in rural Alaska in the 1960s is incredibly isolating. Villages could be hundreds of miles from anything with only a single telephone in the village. Many had no schools or only a one room school with whatever teacher the Bureau of Indian Affairs chose to send. Parents who wanted their children to get an education had to send their kids to boarding schools.

Luke and his brothers are leaving home for the first time to go to a Catholic boarding school. He knows he has to leave behind his Inupiaq name because it's full of sounds that white people find too hard to say. At Sacred Heart, he will have to use English; if he speaks Inupiaq, even to his own brother, he will face a beating from Father Mullen.

That's only one way that Luke will have to learn to adapt. Sacred Heart students come from all over Alaska; there are Indians, Eskimos and white students. At first it seems like nothing can bring them together, but this is the 1960s, and things are changing. These students will not be mindlessly shaped by the school. They will tell their own stories and those of their people.

Debby Dahl Edwardson's husband is a Native Alaskan who attended boarding school in the 1960s and this book is based on stories and he and his brother tell about their lives. This is a fascinating - and heartbreaking - glimpse at a unique place and time in American history. Luke's name may not be easy for an English speaker to say, but Luke's story will be hard for you to forget.

Although many Native Americans spent time at boarding schools -- often against their will -- there are relatively few novels for teens showing their experiences. For more glimpses of what that life was like and what it meant to them and their families, check out some of these:

Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
Sweetgrass Basket by Marlene Carvell
The Revenant by Sonia Gensler

Wolf Storm

Wed, 08 Aug 2012 06:46:45 -0800

After such a hot weekend, what could be better than reading about someone trapped in a blizzard?

Stefan is psyched to be starring in his first movie, a sci-fi blockbuster called Ice Planet Earth. Unfortunately, his acting skills aren't exactly up to the challenge. It seems like everything he tries to do just makes him look more like a dweeb. While on the set, he's certain he sees a wild wolf slinking through the trees, but everyone assures him that no wolves have lived in these woods for centuries.

All of that fades to insignificance, though, when the snow begins to fall, blocking roads and leaving a small group of actors to face the storm. And those wild wolves? The ones everyone said Stefan imagined? They don't look so imaginary now. In fact, they look hungry...

If you can't get enough snowbound survival stories, check out a few of these:

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Winter Road by Terry Hokenson
Snow Bound by Harry Mazer
Trapped by Michael Northrop
Whiteout by Walter Sorrels

Across the Universe

Tue, 10 Jul 2012 17:25:52 -0800

Amy was supposed to sleep another 50 years.

She was supposed to stay frozen, "sleeping", for 300 years while the Godspeed flew across the universe to Centauri-Earth. Waking was not supposed to be like drowning. It was not supposed to be painful. It was not supposed to be terrifying.

But it was.

As more sleepers are killed by the unknown saboteur, only Elder, the 16 year old apprentice to the leader of Godspeed, shares her concern. The two struggle to find a pattern to the killings before the killer targets her parents, and in doing so unwittingly tear away at the fragile web of lies that makes life aboard Godspeed possible.

For readers who would rather not stick to just one genre, Across the Universe has it all: a mysterious murderer locked aboard a ship hurtling through the darkest reaches of space, scientific progress, questions about power and how to use it wisely, and yes, just a little hint of a romance.

For more suspenseful stories of sleepers and secrets, and the perils of intergalactic space travel, check out some of these titles:

Eva by Peter Dickinson
Living Hell by Catherine Jinks
The Other Side of Dark by Joan Lowery Nixon
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
The Comet's Curse by Dom Testa

Born Wicked

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 05:10:42 -0800

Think dystopias can only be set in a dark future? Think again.

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood takes place in an alternative vision of the 1800s, New England is ruled by the Brotherhood. The Brothers rose to power by destroying witches, and nearly a century later, just a hint of an accusation of witchcraft can get a girl sent to an asylum or sentenced to a lifetime of back breaking labor. To protect them from their "feminine frailty," girls must marry or join the Sisterhood before they turn 17.

Cate Cahill is the eldest of three sisters, all witches. Since their mother's death, Cate has tried to keep them safe by staying out of society, but as her 17th birthday approaches, she is finding it increasingly difficult to keep their secret. Their predicament is made even more precarious when their father hires an observant new governess and Cate finds her mother's diary which hints that the sisters may be key to a prophecy foretelling the end of the Brotherhood's power. Throw in not one, but two handsome suitors and Cate has her work cut out for her.

Want to know more? Check out the publisher's trailer:

If you enjoy this dark, magic-packed version of history, check out some of these:

Chime by Franny Billingsly
The Iron Thorn by Caitlin Kittredge
Steampunk Poe by Edgar Allan Poe, illustrated by Zdenko
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

SAS Summer Reading Ideas

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 13:51:11 -0800

Thanks again to the students and teachers at SAS for inviting me to share some summer reading ideas! I've included the presentation I used in their classes below. Please be aware that many of these books explore mature themes that might not be appropriate for younger readers.

You can click through it one screen at a time by clicking the play button at the bottom of the Prezi window.

Roll your mouse over "More" in the bottom navigation bar of the Prezi window for the option to view it full screen.
Click on each cover for a closer view. The back arrow will take you back to the set of covers you were viewing before zooming in.
The smaller rectangles are YouTube trailers for the neighboring book.

SAS June 2012 on Prezi

Summer Reads for Teens

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 06:09:27 -0800

Push the play button at the bottom of the prezi window.
Wait for the presentation to load.
Roll your mouse over "More" in the bottom navigation bar of the prezi window.
From the drop down menu select "Autoplay". (You can also make the prezi full screen from the same menu.)

Summer Reads for Teens on Prezi

Summer Reading Rocks!

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 07:01:48 -0800

It's true! Starting June 1st, children and teens can earn prizes for reading. Check out this great video from our neighbors at Tacoma Public Library promoting summer reading.

S.H.I.F.T. Review Form

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:27:31 -0800

S.H.I.F.T members: We are trying a new online review form!

Elephant in the Garden

Tue, 08 May 2012 17:32:10 -0800

Dresden. February 1945.

Every night, when Lizzie's mom leaves her job at the zoo she brings an elephant home with her. Marlene was a baby elephant Lizzie's mom had cared for at the Dresden zoo since she was born. With the Americans and British bombing German cities, the zookeepers have planned to kill all of the large animals in case the zoo is hit by bombs. Horrified that this gentle animal would be slaughtered, Lizzie's mom convinced her boss to let Marlene live. The catch was that she agreed to always keep Marlene close, which meant every night when she went home, she brought the elephant home with her.

Just after 10 pm on February 13, 1945, hundreds of British and American planes began dropping bombs on the city of Dresden. Their goal was to completely destroy the city of Dresden. At the zoo, the keepers began to shoot the animals.

With the city in flames Lizzie and her family -- including Marlene -- flee the city, walking away from Dresden, across Germany with waves of refugees (and a baby elephant!) hoping to find safety.

An Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo is based on a true story.

For more stories of human-animal relationships during war, try some of these:

Blood Red Horse by K. M. Grant
Cracker: the best dog in Vietnam by Cynthia Kadohata
A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata
War Horse by Michael Morpurgo
Elephant Run by Roland Smith

The Ship Who Sang

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:11:19 -0800

The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey

Helva was born human.

Severe birth defects meant that she would likely die in infancy or be a prisoner in her body. Tests showed that her mind was receptive and alert. Her parents chose to allow her brain to be extracted from her infant body and be trained into a profession. She would literally become the brains of a machine.

Helva thrived in her metal shell and was chosen to become a brain ship. She'll be paired with a mortal "brawn" -- a scout who will be her partner and constant companion. Together they will be one one of the elite teams chosen for the most challenging missions in the Central Worlds.

Born with a love of music.

Built with the voice of an angel.

She became known as The Ship Who Sang .

For more thought provoking science fiction explorations of human frailty and limitations, check out some of these titles:

Girl, Stolen

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:27:57 -0800

Girl Stolen by April Henry

It was cold and snowy, and Cheyenne had pneumonia. Her stepmother stopped on the way home from the doctor's office just to get a prescription filled. Cheyenne stayed in the car, snuggled under a blanket in the back seat, napping.

Griffin only wanted to steal a car. He was trying to impress his low-life father. It was supposed to be easy money. He didn't mean to kidnap anyone. He didn't see Cheyenne in the back seat. He didn't realize she was there until the car was well and truly stolen.

Even then, it would have been fine. Cheyenne is blind. She hasn't seen him. She couldn't identify him. He could just let her go...but Griffin's father has different plans. He's greedy, and he's brutal, and he thinks ransom would be even better than the little bit of money he might get from a stolen car. It doesn't take long for Cheyenne to realize that it is up to her -- using her wits and her four senses -- if she has any hope to survive.

Looking for more kidnapping? More suspense? Another book that will make you look twice at that person you see at the bus stop every day? Check out some of these:

Christopher, Lucy. Stolen
Frost, Helen. Hidden
Kephart, Beth. You Are My Only
Mazer, Norma Fox. The Missing Girl
McMann, Lisa. Dead to You

The Elements

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:11:56 -0800

The Elements: a Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe by Theodore Gray

The periodic table of the elements is a remarkably compact and concise summary of information about the building blocks that make up every physical object in our world. In other words, if you can drop it on your foot, it's in the periodic table of the elements. In The Elements, Theodore Gray has compiled photographs of almost every element both in its pure form and in the compounds in which you would normally see it in your daily life. If you are taking chemistry or plan to take it, this is a must read, but it is more than that. It's a big, glossy, full-color examination of the building blocks of the world around us.

Chemistry: Getting a Big Reaction by Dan Green
The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry by Larry Gonick
The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements by Sam Kean, also available as a book on CD
Napoleon's Buttons: 17 Molecules That Changed History by Penny Le Couteur, also available as a book on CD
The Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments by Robert Bruce Thompson

The Piper's Son

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 17:15:07 -0800

Happy Australia Day! January 26th is Australia's national holiday, commemorating the arrival of the First Fleet at Sydney Cove in 1788. In the last few years, a number of incredible Australian authors have been introduced to the American teen market. If you still think Australia is all about the kangaroos, think again.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
Thomas Mackee wants nothing more than oblivion. He wants to forget his friends, his family, and he especially wants to forget that his favorite uncle was blown to bits in a subway in London two years ago. This is the year his so-called friends lock him out of his apartment. It's the year he starts working at the pub in the neighborhood where he grew up. It's the year when he learns that he needs his friends and his family. More importantly, he learns that they need him.

This is not an easy book. It's grief captured between covers and pressed into pages, but it's also a tiny glimpse into how family and friends can help each other heal.

The Piper's Son is a story unto itself, and can be read alone, but is a sequel to Saving Francesca, another beautifully written story about families, friends and broken hearts. Also available as an audio download and book on CD.

Check out some of these other great reads from "Down Under."

Black Juice by Margo Lanagan
Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden
Sabriel by Garth Nix
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak