Showing posts with label young adult literature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label young adult literature. Show all posts

Friday, February 05, 2016

YA Reads for 2016

A Big Dose of Lucky by Marthe Jocelyn 
Malou is a sixteen-year-old mixed race girl who has no family and has been living in an orphanage all her life. She has the desire to search for her family and find her roots. After her orphanage burns down, Malou receives some hints that she may have been born in Ontario’s cottage country and goes on a mission to find out where she comes from. This novel is set around the time of John F. Kennedy's assassination, continuous racial tension, social and sexual inequalities. A Big Dose of Lucky is part of a seven book series, but the series can be read in any order.

Juba! A Novel by Walter Dean Myers 
William Henry Labe, also known and Master Jubba, was a free slave and a dancer who danced in America and England in the 1840s. In his final novel, Walter Dean Myers captures the light of a person who helped influenced today’s tap, jazz, and step dancing.  


Not If I See You First by Eric Lindstrom 


Parker Grant does not allow her vision disability to define her while balancing her life as a normal teen. In her short life, Parker already dealt with a lot of tragedy. She lost her mother and sight at an early age and her father died when she started her junior year of high school. To add to all the problems weighing on Parker’s shoulders, her ex boyfriend, Scott Kilpatrick, resurfaced after breaking her heart when she was thirteen. Parker is a strong individual who has set a ground rule for no one to treat her any differently just because she's blind, and never take advantage. There will be no second chances. But when her ex tries to reach out to her, she tries hard to stick to her rules, which makes her second guess them.

Yo, Miss A Graphic Look at High School by Lisa Wilde 
This graphic memoir is told from the point of view of the author, who is also a teacher at John V. Lindsay Wildcat Academy. Wildcat Academy is a school in New York City to give teens who have been suspended, had issues with the law, and even teen parents, a second chance at an education.Wilde's graphic novel was inspired by portraits she created during her lunch break as well as poetry created by some of her students.  

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Get Excited--It's time for YAVA 2015!

On Wednesday, October 21st the Richmond Public Library will be host to a celebration of best-selling, award-winning Virginia authors of books for middle school age and young adults. Now in its third year, YAVA, which stands for Young Adult Virginia Authors, is more than an event—it is also an award.

The Richmond Public Library YAVA Award will be presented to the winner and two honorable mentions during the 2015 YAVA Book and Author Party. The selection process included open reader’s choice voting and final selection from the top 3 winners, is made possible with support from the Richmond Public Library Foundation. The selected list of 14 titles was narrowed down to three by popular vote. From those three the winner will be decided by this year’s judge, Secretary of Education Anne Holton, life-long advocate for children and families and former first lady of Virginia.

YAVA attendees will be able to meet and mingle with 14 celebrated Virginia authors: Gigi Amateau, Tom Angleberger, Anne Blankman, Bill Blume, Martina Boone, Lana Krumwiede, Sara McGuire, Jodi Meadows, Sara Raasch, Madelyn Rosenberg, Wendy Shang, Steve Watkins, Kat Spears, winner of the 2015 YALSA award for Best Fiction, and this year’s Newbery Honor recipient Cece Bell.

The event is free and the public is invited to enjoy an evening of music, refreshments, lively discussion, book sales and signings, prize raffles, and more.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015
6 – 8:30 pm
Richmond Public Main Library
101 East Franklin Street


Breakaway by Kat Spears 
Conspiracy of Blood and Smoke by Anne Blankman
Dante of the Maury River by Gigi Amateau

El Deafo by Cece Bell
Gidion's Blood by Bill Blume
Ice Like Fire by Sara Raasch

Ghosts of War: Lost at Khe Sanh by Steve Watkins
Nanny X Returns by Madelyn Rosenberg
The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows

Persuasion by Martina Boone
Star Wars. Beware the power of the dark side!: an original retelling of Star wars: Return of the Jedi by Tom Angleberger
The Way Home Looks Now by Wendy Wan-Long Shang

True Son by Lana Krumwiede
Valiant by Sarah McGuire

Friday, December 12, 2014

What did the Readers of Richmond read this year? Check out the Most Circulated Books of 2014!

I'm sure you're the curious sort of blog reader who wonders what constitutes a "best seller" list at the public library. I mean, what do readers read? I was curious too, so I got to asking*. Well look no further! The RPL blog proudly presents the Top Ten Most Circulated Books in 2014 in Adults, Children, and Young Adults categories!

#1 #2 #3 #4
#5 #6 #7 #8
#9 #10

Adults

#1: Gone girl : a novel / Gillian Flynn

#2: The goldfinch / Donna Tartt

#3: The invention of wings : a novel / Sue Monk Kidd

#4: Sycamore Row / John Grisham

#5: To Paris with love : a family business novel / Carl Weber with Eric Pete

#6: The Target / David Baldacci

#7: Ericka Kane : never trust a bitch with power / Kiki Swinson

#8: Still the baddest bitch / Joy Deja King

#9: And the mountains echoed / Khaled Hosseini

#10: Who asked you? / Terry McMillan

This list should come as no surprise. Most of these titles were so buzzed about they buzzed right off the shelves (nobody was injured but several were startled). Quite different from the young adult list at the bottom, only one of these titles was adapted into a film this year. I am also a little shamed to admit that I have only read one of the top ten books. What did you read this year? See any favorites in the top 10? Answer in the comments!

#1 #2 #3 #4
#5 #6 #7 #8
#9 #10

Children

#1: Tales from a not-so-glam TV star / Rachel Renee Russell

#2: Pete the cat : Pete at the beach / James Dean

#3: One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish /  Dr. Seuss

#4: Wonder / R.J. Palacio

#5: The cat in the hat / Dr. Seuss

#6: We are in a book! /  Mo Willems

#7: Dork diaries : tales from a not-so-fabulous life / Rachel Renee Russell

#8: Captain Underpants and the attack of the talking toilets / Dav Pilkey

#9: Hop on Pop /  Dr. Seuss

#10: I spy Fly Guy! / Tedd Arnold

This list just goes to show you that there's nobody quite like Dr. Seuss. The Cat in the Hat was originally published in 1957, One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish in 1960 and Hop on Pop in 1963. Talk about enduring!

#1 #2 #3 #4
#5 #6 #7 #8
#9 #10

Young Adults

#1: Mockingjay / Suzanne Collins

#2: Diary of a wimpy kid: Hard luck / Jeff Kinney

#3: Divergent / Veronica Roth

#4: Catching fire / Suzanne Collins

#5: The book thief / Markus Zusak

#6: Diary of a wimpy kid: Cabin fever / Jeff Kinney

#7: The fault in our stars / John Green

#8: Diary of a wimpy kid: Dog days /  Jeff Kinney

#9: Allegiant / Veronica Roth

#10: Diary of a wimpy kid: The ugly truth / Jeff Kinney

The Wimpy Kid is the clear winner in the YA category with four titles but the ceaselessly popular Divergent and Hunger Games series are still in the top three. Movie adaptations certainly do a lot to increase or renew interest in a book; the majority of the top ten have been made into films fairly recently. The YA literature market looks to be lucrative for Hollywood for a long time yet.

Don't forget! You can get everything you need for your "nice" list at the Teen Advisory Group's Craft Sale going on TODAY (Friday, December 12th) from 3:30-5 and Saturday, December 13th from 1-4. Proceeds support cool stuff for teens at RPL. Buy handmade!
(*Thanks Donna and Melissa for the lists!)