YA Books this week:
Of the three, THE ONE THAT I WANT by Jennifer Echols was my favorite. Echols is a master at creating characters that stick with you. Characters that you feel like you’ve met. Characters that keep you reading into the wee hours of the night. This book is currently available as an e-book, but will be out in paperback on February 7.
Books worth checking out…
I love anything and everything by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, and AL PHA’S BET is no exception. The story of the order of the alphabet is whimsical and will have children reciting the order of the alphabet with each flip of the page.
Oh my goodness! I hope you can get your hands on a copy of JUST AS GOOD by Chris Crowe and Mike Benny. It is the story of Larry Doby, the first African American in the American League. The story is good for your soul, which is enough of a reason to read it. However, I’d love to put this into play in writing workshop. The way the action of the baseball game is interspersed with the narrative of the story is exquisite. I always meet with young writers who are trying to write the story of a baseball game, but it ends up as a very long (and often confusing) play-by-play of the game. Instead, in JUST AS GOOD, Crowe weaves the play-by-play along with the actions of the father, mother, and boy who are listening to the game on the radio. He selects details to move the baseball game along, while at the same time connecting the reader to the characters in the story. The craft is beautiful, leaving the story lingering with me.
JUST AS GOOD is on sale on January 24, 2012.
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I’ll share your YA books with my daughter. She’ll love them. I love the baseball book. I picked up a copy for myself at NCTE. Brilliant! The illustrations have fantastic action. You will feel like you are there following the story, watching the game. Historical fiction is my favorite and baseball, well that goes without saying. 🙂
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Just read Divergent by Veronica roth and LOVED it. Also finished Delirium by lauren Oliver. It was great in parts but just ok in others. Both are set in future, controlling societies with strong female leads.
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I was thinking what Christy was thinking! That you were totally on a love-story girly kick! I’m kind of in the mood for that myself lately. I read Lola and the Boy Next Door and Let It Snow over break. Plus, Valentine’s Day is coming. I’m excited about these books! Thanks for joining us!
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Those look like great books. Your synopsis of Just As Good makes it sound like a very enjoyable read. 🙂
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Okay, now I really feel guilty for passing up Chris Crowe at the NCTE conference when he was signing copies of this book. I was really trying to budget my time and focus on YA lit. Plus, I had already met Chris Crowe. It sounds like a book I could find useful in my middle school world, though.
Hmm… looks like you were on a love story kick. I love a story with good characters. Maybe I will add that one to my “someday” list.
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I’ve seen others discuss the Alpha’s Bet & it looks wonderful, as do the others recommended. The baseball book seems to be a good addition to any collection. Thanks for the ideas for workshop!
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