A Wrinkle In Time by Madeline L'Engle

SYNOPSIS:

13 year old Meg Murry is obstinate, smart-but-seemingly dumb. She has mousy brown hair, eyeglasses and braces. Her father, a renowned physicist has been missing for years. With her precocious 5 year old brother, Charles Wallace and her new friend Calvin, Meg searches through time and space to find her father.  Will Meg find her father? What lessons will she learn along the way? Is Calvin just a friend? Or is he something more? And what is a tesseract? To find the answers to these questions, you’ll have to read this book.

MY BOOKTALK:

MADELEINE L'ENGLE ON WRITING:

OFFICIAL MOVIE TRAILER (MARCH 2018):

AWARDS:

• John Newbery Medal for A Wrinkle in Time (1963)

• Runner-Up, Hans Christian Andersen Award for A Wrinkle in

Time (1964)

• Sequoyah Children’s Book Award for A Wrinkle in Time (1965)

• Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for A Wrinkle in Time (1965)

CREDITS:

D. (2017, November 19). A Wrinkle in Time Official US Trailer. Retrieved November 30, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhZ56rcWwRQ

L'Engle, M. (1976). A wrinkle in time. New York, N.Y: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers. ©1976 ISBN:0440998050 Paperback $5.50

Madeleine L'Engle on Writing. (2013, November 23). Retrieved November 30, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxhW3-vXDsk

    COVER ART: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/117980.A_Wrinkle_in_Time

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

SYNOPSIS:

Celia and Marco are magicians at Le Cirque des Rêves, a very special circus.. It appears magically overnight, always in a different location, always unannounced. In addition to being magicians, Marco and Celia are bound by a mysterious challenge, not of their own making. As they weave their magic, creating ever more marvelous entertainments for the circus and for each other, they fall deeply on love. But the game will only end when one of them is dead.

BOOK TRAILER: KNOPF/DOUBLEDAY

READ AN EXCERPT:

AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR: 

READ A REVIEW:

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:

AWARDS: 

Locus Award for Best First Novel (2012)

Guardian First Book Award Nominee for Longlist (2011)

Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (2012)

ALA Alex Award (2012)

Lincoln Award Nominee (2014)

The Kitschies Nominee for Golden Tentacle (Debut) (2011)

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fantasy (2011)

International DUBLIN Literary Award Nominee (2013)

CREDITS: 

D. (2011, September 06). Erin Morgenstern on The Night Circus. Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY_Rh6j1WFo

Excerpt: The Night Circus. (2010, January 01). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://www.npr.org/books/titles/140320250/the-night-circus#excerpt

K. (2011, March 02). The Night Circus Trailer. Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZJiW2w1xdc

Morgenstern, E. (2011). The night circus: a novel. New York (N.Y.): Doubleday. ©2012 ISBN:978-0307744432 Paperback: $15.00

(n.d.). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://erinmorgenstern.com/

"The Night Circus": Magician vs. Magician. (2011, September 25). Retrieved November 29, 2017, from https://www.salon.com/2011/09/04/night_circus/

COVER ART: WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/title/night-circus-a-novel/oclc/783148940&referer=brief_results

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

"My favorite character was Ginny Weasley. I liked her because she showed a strong character, a lot of courage and a strong streak of independence." 
Sophie G.

SYNOPSIS:

Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, continue the adventure in the seventh and final book of this amazing series. Harry must search for Horcruxes even as he searches for the truth about Dumbledore, his beloved and mysterious mentor. There is a final showdown with Voldemort and Harry finally discovers the truth of his existence. Surprises are in store , but be sure to have tissues handy as well, for this final entry of the rollercoaster ride that is the Harry Potter series

JK ROWLING: COMMENCEMENT SPEECH: HARVARD 2008:

JK ROWLINGS WEBSITE: 

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: OFFICIAL MOVIE TRAILER:

AWARDS: 

• Newsweek Best Book of the Year 2007
• New York Times 100 Notable Books and Notable Children's Book 2007
• Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2007
• American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults 2008
• 2008 Colorado Bruce Spruce Award

CREDITS:

H. (2011, September 15). J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHGqp8lz36c

J.K. Rowling -. (n.d.). Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.jkrowling.com/

Rowling, J. K., & GrandPré, M. (2007). Harry Potter and the deathly hallows: #7. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic.ISBN:  9780545139700 Hardcover: $36.99

W. (2010, June 28). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Official HD Trailer. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hXH0Ackz6w

COVER ART: WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/title/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-7/oclc/924429363&referer=brief_results

Beauty AND Rose Daughter both books by Robin McKinley

SYNOPSIS: 

Beauty is sixteen years old. Like the original fairy tale, she agrees to live at the castle of the Beast in exchange for her father's life. In McKinley's version, Beauty is the youngest of three sisters. They are reduced to a life in a small village in the country after their father's mercantile ships go astray, leaving them penniless. How Beauty makes the transition, how she comes to know and love the Beast and what leads her to agree to marry him, despite his beastly form; to find all these answers, and to read a lovely re-telling of a familiar fairy tale, you will have to read this book.

SYNOPSIS:

20 years after her first book, Beauty, author Robin McKinley revisits the same fairy tale, yet tells a very different version of the same story. Beauty still goes to live with the Beast to save her father's life, but in this version, instead of sharing a love of books and reading,  Beauty and her Beast share a love of gardening, especially roses. Readers who enjoyed McKinley's first book will delight in finding similarities and differences in this most recent retelling. 

INTERVIEW WITH ROBIN MCKINLEY

Robin McKinley's Website:

AWARDS:

(Beauty): Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (1980)

(Rose Daughter): Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Children's Literature (1998)

CREDITS:

McKinley, R. (1997). Rose daughter. New York: Greenwillow. ©1997 ISBN13:  9780441005833 Hardcover $16.99

McKinley, R. (1978). Beauty: A retelling of the story of Beauty & the beast(YA). New York: Harper & Row. ©1978  ISBN13: 9780064404778 Paperback $6.99

Newbery winner Robin McKinley discusses her "Beauty" books with interviewer Tim Podell. (2013, February 12). Retrieved November 25, 2017, from https://youtu.be/Oh1zfm05nmo

Robin McKinley. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2017, from http://www.robinmckinley.com/

COVER ART: Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41424.Beauty

COVER ART: WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/title/rose-daughter/oclc/873293371?referer=br&ht=edition

.

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

SYNOPSIS:

     Wonderstruck tells the story of Ben and Rose, both twelve years old, living 50 years apart. Ben lives in Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977. Rose lives in Hoboken , NJ in 1927. Ben has recently lost his mother, a librarian, in a car accident. At night he has a recurring dream that he is being chased by wolves. Rose keeps a scrapbook of her favorite actress. Rose frequently makes paper sculptures out of the pages of books and newspapers. Ben decides to go to New York in search of his father. Rose runs away to New York to see her favorite actress. Besides visiting the same museum in New York, Ben and Rose have another thing in common. They are both deaf. The way these two stories are woven together into one book, the way Ben and Rose meet up and find each other and learn what connects their lives, makes for a captivating story, that you won’t be able to put down. Brian Selznick is a gifted author and illustrator. This book was recently made into a movie, it’s currently playing in theaters.

MY BOOKTALK:

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

WONDERSTRUCK (THE MOVIE) TRAILER:

WONDERSTRUCK (THE BOOK) WEBSITE:
Wonderstruck (The BOOK) Website

AWARDS:

Winner of California Young Reader Medal (Middle School) 2014 Winner of Buckeye Children's Book Award (Grades 3-5) 2012 Winner of NAPPA Gold Awards (Ages 6 & Up) 2011 Winner of Schneider Family Book Award (Teen) 2012 Winner of Midwest Booksellers' Choice Award (Children's Literature) 2012 Runner-up for West Virginia Children's Book Award 2013 Commended for Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens (Ten to Fourteen) 2012 Commended for Parents Choice Awards (Fall) (2008-Up) (Fiction) 2011

CREDITS:

E. (2011, August 12). Brian Selznick Interview - Wonderstruck. Retrieved November 24, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2f4PoZBvbBc

Selznick, B. (2011). Wonderstruck. New York: Scholastic. ©2011 ISBN13:978-0545027892 Hardcover $29.99

Wonderstruck Official Trailer [HD] | Amazon Studios. (2017, September 20). Retrieved November 24, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1vV0oorclg

    Cover Art: WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/title/wonderstruck-a-novel-in-words-and-pictures/oclc/778051101&referer=brief_results

The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

SYNOPSIS: 

Arnold Spirit, aka Junior, is a cartoonist. He is also a Spokane Indian and lives on the reservation. He was born with hydrocephalus (water on the brain). This causes him to have seizures. Growing up, Junior is regularly the target of bullies. In high school Junior decides to attend the white high school, off the reservation. Junior’s best friend, Rowdy, rejects him for this choice. They square off in a high school basketball game. After the game, Junior reflects on the outcome of the game and how it will impact the lives of the players. Over the course of this book Junior must come to terms with his identity, as well as first love and multiple deaths of people close to him. In this semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story, Sherman Alexie writes with both gut-wrenching realism and humor.

MY BOOKTALK:

SHERMAN ALEXIE READS AN EXCERPT:

Sherman Alexie Reads at the National Book Awards Ceremony

SHERMAN ALEXIE ON BOOK BANNING AND CENSORSHIP:

AWARDS:

• 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
  
• 2008 American Indian Youth Literature Awards. American Indian Library Association Best Young Adult Book.
  
• 2008 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Fiction and Poetry.
  
• 2009 Odyssey Award as the year's "best audiobook for children or young adults", read by Alexie (Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, LLC, 2008, ISBN 1-4361-2490-5).
  
• 2010 California Young Reader Medal, Young Adult Book  

CREDITS:

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2009). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York [u.a.: Little, Brown. ©2009 ISBN13:978-0316013680 Hardcover $16.99

Kulman, L. (2007, November 20). Hear the National Book Award Winners. Retrieved November 24, 2017, from https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16358692

O. (2014, September 10). Sherman Alexie on Book Banning and Censorship. Retrieved November 24, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkU13p9mHGI

Cover Art: WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/title/absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indianya/oclc/975938015&referer=brief_results

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King

SYNOPSIS: 

What if you were the king’s firstborn son? And what if the king’s evil advisor framed you for your father’s death? This is Peter’s story. Flagg, the evil advisor has framed him and placed him in a tower under heavy guard, so that Flagg can be the power behind the throne of Peter’s younger, weaker brother, Thomas. How does Peter escape? How does he clear his name? What is Flagg’s dark, terrible secret? If you want to find out, read this book.

MY BOOKTALK:

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW: 

What the Wicked Magician Did by Barbara Tritel

STEPHEN KING'S WEBSITE:

WRITING TIPS FROM STEPHEN KING:

AWARDS:

N/A

CREDITS: 

King, S. (1988). The eyes of the dragon: A story. New York: Signet. ©1987 ISBN13: 0451151259. Paperback $6.95

Tritel, B. (n.d.). What the Wicked Magician Did. Retrieved November 23, 2017, from http://www.nytimes.com/books/97/03/09/lifetimes/kin-r-dragoneye.html

(n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2017, from http://stephenking.com/library/novel/eyes_of_the_dragon_the_inspiration.html

Writing Tips From Stephen King. (2015, September 12). Retrieved November 23, 2017, from https://youtu.be/xwTNBW_X_Xo

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

  

  Cover Art: Amzon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Dragon-Signet-Stephen-King/dp/0451151259/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1511417921&sr=1-1&keywords=0451151259

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

SYNOPSIS: 

How much would you be willing to risk for love? What if you were crazy about a guy but it might cost you your life? That is the dilemma Bella Swan faces when she meets and falls in love with Edward Cullen. He tries to hide his true nature from Bella, but she discovers that Edward is a vampire. He is dark and brooding and mysterious and Bella is “unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.” This is the first book in the very popular Twilight saga. This is the one that started it all. If you like your romance on the blood-thirsty side, you will enjoy this book. Or will twinkly bad boy vampires and emo teen romance make your blood run cold? 

BOOKTALK:

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: STEPHENIE MEYER:

MOVIE TRAILER: TWILIGHT:

AWARDS: 

Georgia Peach Book Award (2007)
Buxtehuder Bulle (2006)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award for 9-12 (2007)
Prijs van de Kinder- en Jeugdjury Vlaanderen (2008)
Books I Loved Best Yearly (BILBY) Awards for Older Readers (2009)

West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Older Readers (2008)

Garden State Book Award for Fiction (Grades 9-12) (2008)

South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult Book Award (2008)

Grand Canyon Reader Award for Teen Book (2008)

Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award for High School (2008)

Golden Sower Award for Young Adult (2009)

Nevada Young Readers' Award for Young Adult Category (2007)

The Flume: New Hampshire Teen Reader's Choice Award (2007)

Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Young Adult (2009)

Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2007)

Evergreen Teen Book Award (2008)

Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2006)

Teen Read Award Nominee for Best All-Time-Fave (2010)

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis Nominee for Preis der Jugendjury (2007)

Iowa High School Book Award (2008)

Lincoln Award (2008)

Literaturpreis der Jury der jungen Leser for Cover (2007)

Prix Et-lisez-moi (2008)

Missouri Gateway Readers Award (2008)
YALSA: Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults 2012 

CREDITS: 

Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight #1: Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Co. ©2005 ISBN13: 9780316160179. Hardcover $19.99

Stephenie Meyer | TIME Magazine Interviews | TIME. (2008, August 22). Retrieved November 23, 2017, from https://youtu.be/_17kgVcHzy8

Twilight - Final Trailer. (2008, October 13). Retrieved November 23, 2017, from https://youtu.be/uxjNDE2fMjI

COVER ART: WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/title/twilight-1-twilight/oclc/731332819&referer=brief_results

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

SYNOPSIS:

Sixty seconds. Seven Floors. Three Rules. One Gun. Will’s brother, Shawn, has been shot. In his grief, Will reverts to the rules:

The Rules

No. 1: Crying

Don’t.

No Matter What.

Don’t.

No. 2 Snitching

Don’t.

No matter what.

Don’t.

No. 3: Revenge

If someone you love

Gets killed

Find the person

Who killed

Them and

Kill them.

But what happens to Will on the ride down, in the space of a short elevator ride, will blow you away.

NPR: Jason Reynolds/Long Way Down:  

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR:

AWARDS:

National Book Award Nominee for Young People's Literature (2017)
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Poetry (2017)

AUTHOR WEBSITE: 

Jason Writes Books (website)

CREDITS:

Reynolds, J. (2017). Long way down. New York: Atheneum. ©2017 ISBN13: 9781481438254. Hardcover  $17.99

Greene, D. (2017, October 30). In 'Long Way Down,' The Ghosts Of Gun Violence Chill A Plan For Revenge. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://www.npr.org/2017/10/30/560286304/in-long-way-down-the-ghosts-of-gun-violence-chill-a-plan-for-revenge

Author Jason Reynolds talks new book, gets a call from Queen Latifah. (2017, October 24). Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://youtu.be/lC6W88wgYDY

COVER ART: WorldCat: http://www.worldcat.org/title/long-way-down/oclc/972216719&referer=brief_results

Teen Idol by Meg Cabot

SYNOPSIS:

Jenny Greenley is a junior in high school and she is a whiz at solving problems. Other people’s problems that is. That’s why she is “Ask Annie”, the anonymous advice columnist for the school paper.  Here’s one of her columns:

Dear Annie,

          I tell my best friend everything. I even tell her about the dreams I have at night. But she never seems to open up to me – even about important things, like who she likes and stuff like that. I don’t feel like we really have the open, engaging relationship that I’d like. What can I do to let her know it’s safe to confide in me?

          Feeling Unloved

Dear Unloved,

          Your friend may have nothing to confide. Not everyone finds her own dreams as gripping as you evidently find yours. Maybe she’s just trying not to bore everyone. Why don’t you return the favor?

                   Annie

Jenny gets along with everyone. Until she is assigned to show teen idol Luke Striker around school, as he researches a role. Luke throws a monkey wrench in Jenny’s well-ordered life. Do Jenny and Luke become a couple? Will Luke as Jenny to the prom? Does Jenny’s alias as school advice columnist get uncovered? For the answer to these questions and for a light-hearted read from the author of Princess Diaries, you’ll just have to pick up this book.

BOOKTALK

AN INTERVIEW WITH MEG CABOT:

AWARDS:

• A #1 New York Times Best Seller on its Children's Chapter Book List; 6-week run on list
• A Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and BookSense Best Seller
• 3-week run on the New York Times Children's Paperback Best Sellers List
• A Publishers Weekly Paperback Best Seller
• Placed #5 on the 2004 Top 10 Teen Amazon Customer Picks
• Chosen by the New York Public Library as a 2005 "Book for the Teen Age"
• Voted #8 on the annual 2005 Teens' Top Ten favorite young adult novels, sponsored by The Young Adult Library Services Association
• Nominated by YALSA for 2009 Popular Paperbacks in "Fame and Fortune" category
• A Children's Book-of-the-Month Club and Bookspan Selection
• New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age (WINNER)

CREDITS: 

Cabot, M. (2004). Teen idol. New York: HarperCollins. ©2004 ISBN13: 0060096160. Hardcover $15.99

Awards. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2017, from http://www.megcabot.com/teenidol/teenidol.php

B. (2009, March 10). Meet the Writers - Meg Cabot. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uHUKhND8hA

Bookcover: Worldcat: http://www.worldcat.org/title/teen-dolya/oclc/975838611&referer=brief_results