Ecoterrorism
with benign intent.
Scarily plausible.

Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar. Delacorte, 2015 192 pages.

It feels like Alaska
outside, so snuggle in
with Bo and the gang.

Bo at Iditarod Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill, illustrated by LeUyen Pham. Holt, 2015, 288 pages.

Missed appointments with
the afterlife force Emmy
to confront her grief.

The End or Something Like That by Ann Dee Ellis. Dial, 2014, 352 pages.

CREEPY AS ALL HELL,
and wonderfully rich and
compelling to boot.

Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. McElderry/S&S, 2014, 208 pages.

A different story
of internment, with
complicated characters.

Gaijin: American Prisoner of War by Matt Faulkner. Disney, 2014, 144 pages.

A story of wartime
bravery, tainted by
shameful racism.

The Harlem Hellfighters by Max Brooks. Broadway Books, 2014, 272 pages.

A turtle for our time:

Gamer girl figures
out the rules aren't always
black-and-white. Hardcore smarts.

In Real Life/IRL by Cory Doctorow, illustrated by Jen Wang. First Second, 2014, 192 pages.

Hie thee over to www.cybils.com for all the good news (especially those great-looking graphic novels, eh?)

Personal fulfillment
in the modern workaday
world. Plus stealing.

Shoplifter by Michael Cho. Pantheon, 2014, 96 pages.

Behold: your go-to
gift for the karate* kid
in your life. (*I know.)

Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny by John Himmelman. Holt, 2014, 144 pages.

Not bad, surprisingly:
real kid fears handled with
real kid solutions.

Nightmares by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller. Delacorte, 2014, 368 pages.

A fair bit of stiff
exposition, but you
can't help liking Stella.

Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper. Atheneum, 2015, 336 pages.

Briefly confused by
narration, but I loved these
guys and loved their game.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. HMH, 2014, 240 pages.

ETA: OMG I TOTALLY SCHEDULED THIS ONE PRESCIENTLY, EH?

I am not in Chicago, alas. BUT I AM WATCHING THE WEBCAST!

http://live.webcastinc.com/ala/2015/live/

To adore this book
as much as I did, turn to
page one. Keep going.

Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris. Crown, 2014, 304 pages.

Masshole makes good,
makes us all laugh, kicks some a$$
in the process. Rock on.

Yes Please by Amy Poehler. Dey Street Books, 2014, 352 pages.

I had a crush on
Ed Grimly and I'm not
ashamed to admit it.

I Must Say: My Life as a Humble Comedy Legend by Martin Short. Harper, 2014, 336 pages.

We need diverse books
because Gabi's is a
universal story.

Gabi, Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero. Cinco Puntos Press, 2014, 208 pages.

Is this pint-sized
sociopath actually growing
on me? Oh dear.

We Meet Again (Timmy Failure #3) by Stephan Patsis. Candlewick, 2014, 272 pages.

Pointless fluff in its
most charming form.
Anybody want a peanut?

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden. Touchstone, 2014, 272 pages.

Everyone's favorite
Christian next door is at it
again. Say amen.

Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lamott. Riverhead, 2014, 304 pages.

Hard conversations
that we can't seem to have well.
Alles fleisch indeed . . .

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande. Metropolitan Books, 2014, 304 pages.

P.S. Apparently I took a weeklong blog break. Oops. I'm only mortal . . .