Just in time for summer…new children’s and young adult books in the juvenile collection

Check out the Juvenile Location on the 5th floor for new children and young adult books! As a guide, click on the 2009 American Library Association Notable Books link. We have just about every book on this list, as this is one of my selection guides for discovering high-quality children’s books. The list is broken down into three sections; books for early readers, middle readers, and older readers. Brief reviews are provided for each of the titles.

My personal favorites this year include the Newbery Medal winner, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

The Graveyard Book

Inspired by Kipling’s The Jungle Book, in which a boy is raised by wild animals in the jungle, the main character, Bod (short for Nobody), is raised by ghosts in a graveyard. This creepy book is a fun read filled with odd humor and clever wit. To hear the author read chapters from the book, visit the Official Neil Gaiman Website for Young Readers. Eventually, the author will post a video of a reading of the entire book on this site!

Ghostgirl

 While we are on the subject of creepy books, Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley, is about a girl named Charlotte Usher, who dying to be popular, did just that…she died. Cause of Death? She choked on a gummy bear, of all things. As fate would have it she doesn’t become popular until, as her poor ghost discovers, she dies. Visit Tonya Hurley’s Ghostgirl Website to discover more about this hilariously tragic book!

Wabi Sabi

One of my favorite picture books this year is Wabi Sabi by Mark Reibstein and illustrated by Ed Young. Wabi Sabi, a cat, seeks to find the answer to one question throughout the book “What does my name, “Wabi Sabi” mean?” but the answer is a bit hard to answer- simple…yet complex. I loved this book because of the beautiful illustrations; collages made from recyled objects and natural materials.

Listen to the author and illustrator discuss the creation of this book at:

MARK WEIBSTEIN: WABI SABI