Swag Bag: Advance Copy Edition
Dodie Ownes -- School Library Journal, 1/28/2009
SLJTeen already has a huge collection of canvas bags, post-it notes, and mouse pads sporting vendor logos, so the swag bag is mostly full of advanced reading copies. YA lit is hotter than ever, and here’s a taste of what you’ll be seeing later this season.Cowan, Jennifer. Earthgirl. Groundwood Books. April 2009. ISBN: 978-0-88899-889-7. Gr 9-12.
A careless toss of litter sets off a chain of events that put sixteen year old Sabine in the ‘green’ spotlight, and she becomes an eco-activist. As she blogs about her attempts to tame her meat-eating family and shopaholic friends, a plot is unfolding that puts Sabine’s loyalties to the test. Sabine will be blogging on Groundwood’s Website when the book launches, adding a teen-friendly hook to this title.Dessen, Sarah. Along for the Ride. Viking. June 2009. ISBN: 978-0-670-01194-0. Gr 8 and up.
Auden is done with high school, and preparing for college. Unable to sleep, she discovers a totally different world in her town of Colby when she starts riding her bike through the streets at night with fellow insomniac Eli. Romance, intrique and a terrific seaside setting.
Engle, Margarita. Tropical Secrets: Holocaust Refugees in Cuba. Henry Holt. April 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8050-8936-3. Gr 7 and up.
When Daniel escapes Nazi Germany, he dreams of a new life in New York, but the ship he is on is turned away and he ends up in Cuba. Told in verse, this is Daniel’s story of accepting Cuba, understanding the Nazi threat, and discovering himself. Engle’s title The Surrender Tree picked up both a Pura Belpré Author Award and a Newbery Honor this year. For a sneak peak of this and other Holt Spring 2009 titles, check out Page One which includes first chapters and author information on forthcoming middle and young adult titles.
Harding, Robyn. My Parents Are Sex Maniacs. Annick Press. Feb. 2009. ISBN: 9781554511785. Gr 7-11.
Best friends discover their parents are having affairs – and the triangles are a bit too personal, being that Louisa’s dad and Sienna’s mom are the ones caught in the clinch. Then Louisa’s mom puts her over the edge with the announcement that she is pregnant. How mortifying is that?!
Houts, Michelle. The Beef Princess of Practical County. Random House. April 2009. ISBN: 978-0-385-73584-1. Gr 5-8.
Libby Ryan can’t wait to enter her calves into the Practical County Fair steer competition. This is the year she beats the nasty Darling sisters who seemed to always win. Full of Midwestern humor and flavor, this debut novel depicts life in rural America and affords a peak at the livestock industry and farm life. For a preview of this title and eleven others, visit Fresh Fiction from New Voices.
Malone, Michael. The Four Corners of the Sky. Sourcebooks. May 2009. ISBN: 978-1-57071-744-4. Gr 10 and up. A father-daughter story that will have young adult readers (and you) laughing and crying and rooting for Annie, now 26 years old and still stinging from her father’s abandonment of the family when she was just seven. Malone’s titles have broad adult appeal, and Four Corners has the potential for being a gateway novel for maturing fiction readers.
Myracle, Lauren. Peace, Love and Baby Ducks. Dutton Books. ISBN: 978-0-525-47743-3. Gr 7 and up.Classic Myracle, this fresh and sure to be popular title gets the voices and culture right on tune in this story of the summer when a perfect friendship falls apart, and boys just might have something to do with it. The cover kills.
Neri, G. Surf Mules. Penguin. June 2009. ISBN: 978-0-399-25086-6. Gr 7-12.
Logan’s life if unraveling – his best friend dies, his dad is a deadbeat, and his shot at college is looking bleak. Then a local dealer employs Logan and his screw-up friend Z-boy to run contraband, which pays well – but at what cost?
Shaw, Tucker. The Girls. Henry Abrams. April 2009. ISBN: 978-0-8109-8348-9. Gr 7-11.
It’s sorta weird to be sorting through ARCs, trying to figure out who gave you what, and look at the author of a title and realize it is the son of a former boss from six jobs ago … Shaw’s title centers around a retelling of Clare Booth Luce’s The Women, which mais oui, has gossip at its center.
Wilson, N.D. Dandelion Fire. Random House. December 2008. ISBN: 978-0-375-93883-2. Gr 4-7.Second in the 100 Cupboards series, this title has our young hero Henry York pursuing the truth about his magical abilities, family heritage, and other-world connections. Cool cover, great boy book with a very satisfying beginning, middle and end.
