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Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is this month's best selling kids series from The Children's Book Review's affiliate store.

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There are no changes this month to our best selling kids series list. The Marvel Heroes of Reading line of early readers remains the best selling series from our affiliate store.

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Best Selling Books for Kids: This month, our best selling kids series is The Marvel Heroes of Reading line of early readers.

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Once again, The Lets-Read-and-Find-Out Science series is our best selling kids series this month and offers wonderful selections for seasonal science and beyond.

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Enter to win a hardcover copy of They All Fall Down, by Roxanne St. Claire. Giveaway begins October 24, 2014, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends November 24, 2014, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

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The Lets-Read-and-Find-Out Science series is our best selling kids series this month and offers wonderful selections for seasonal science and beyond.

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This month we've seen some changes on the best selling middle grade books list due to the well timed releases of Jason Segel's Nightmares!—a great choice for the upcoming spooky season—and Mike Lupica's Fantasy League (Did somebody say football?).

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If you're looking for a novel that will linger with you for days, The Children's Book Review's number one best selling young adult book is Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. Our hand selected titles from the nationwide best selling young adult books, as listed by The New York Times, features titles by super-talents John Green, Ransom Riggs, and Markus Zusak.

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Old and new fans will love the new movie tie-in version of The Maze Runner, complete with full-color pictures from the upcoming film.

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The latest book from non-fiction queen Candace Fleming is The Children's Book Review's number one best selling young adult book.

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And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard. Delacorte Press, Random House. 2014. Review copy from publisher.

The Plot: January, 1995, and Emily Beam has just started at the Amherst School for Girls to finish her junior year. Before this she went to her local high school, and she isn't going to talk about why she is now in this boarding school in Massachusetts.

It was because of a boy. Not just any boy, her boyfriend. And the gun he took to school. And what happened. And why.

The Good: "Before Boston, before ASG, Emily had wanted nothing more than to be loved by a boy. When she was fourteen, sixteen, she had watched girls on the cheerleading squad sprout wings with each boyfriend. They became more beautiful, the beauty of confidence. For four months, Emily had it, too."

Emily had it with Paul, a senior. Paul, who took his grandmother's gun to school one day and killed himself.

And now Emily is at boarding school.

Why the setting of 1995? Because what happened with Paul, with Emily, at the school is Emily's secret. Or, not so much secret, as thing she cannot talk about. In today's world of social media and easy Internet access, the "why" of Paul would remain hers but the facts of it would be known.

And why Amherst? Because Emily becomes fascinated with another Emily who lived in Amherst, Emily Dickinson. Emily writes poetry, and it's in these poems that she gradually comes to terms with the boy she loved and what happened.

OK, Spoilers. Sorry, but this is one of the times when I want to talk about those secrets and yes.... for an original read of the book, it is best to discover it on your own.

Paul and Emily's relationship is what the Emily at 14, at 16, had wanted. And at first, Paul is what she wants and she loves him. But as time goes by -- and yes, it's only a handful of months but it's still time -- Emily realizes she wants more. When she gets pregnant, she tells him she's getting an abortion. The scene, later in the book, is heart breaking. At first she tells him it's because her parents say she has to, even though they haven't, until she owns that she doesn't want a baby. And she breaks up with him.

Maybe today Paul's reactions, wanting to marry Emily, being against her having an abortion, would be different than in 1995. Or, given some recent news stories, maybe not.

But And We Stay is about Emily living with, and surviving, what happened: Paul, being in love, not being in love, and how quickly it all happened: the break up, his suicide, her abortion. She is sent to boarding school in part so she doesn't have to go back to the whispers and bad memories of her old high school, but also about giving her a blank slate against which to come to terms with what happened. It is only her memories, her emotions, she has to think about.

It's told in the here and now of Emily at ASG, and so it's not just about Emily coming to terms with her past. It's also about her connecting, despite herself, with those around her. It's about finding her voice through her poetry.

My favorite line in the book is practically the last one: "It does not have to define who Emily is, was, or will be." And this is the heart of the book -- deciding what does, or does not, define us.

Other things that I like: Emily's parents. They do their best for her; she is not "sent away" to boarding school but sent to, for herself, not as punishment. That while the story is told in present tense, it still creates a distance between the reader and Emily, reflecting the distance Emily keeps between herself and the world. The friends she meets at ASG. And that there is no new boy or new romance.



Other reviews: Wondrous Reads; Kirkus; Finding Bliss in Books; Stacked.




Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart has been added to our best selling young adult books for this month. The rest of the titles have remained the same, proving just how these titles truly are popular books for teens (and many adults, too).

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Lauren Miller is the author of Parallel and FREE TO FALL, both published by HarperTeen. She is an entertainment lawyer and television writer. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.

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The Maze Runner author James Dashner has signed a 3-book deal with Random House Children’s Books’  Delacorte Press imprint. Executive Editor Krista Marino negotiated the deal with Dystel & Goderich Literary Management vice president Michael Bourret.

Starting in fall 2013, Delacorte will publish the titles of The Mortality Doctrine series for North American readers. Book one, The Eye of Minds, will come out in both print and eBook format simultaneously. Dashner (pictured, via) has also written original short stories to accompany this series; these shorts will be released in eBook format.

Here’s more from the release: “The series is set in an exciting — and frightening—world of hyper-advanced technology, cyber terrorists, and gaming…The VirtNet is total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Recent reports claim that there’s a gamer going beyond what any gamer has ever done before. He’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet, and the side–effects are horrific. His hostages have all been diagnosed as brain dead—and no one knows what his goal is. The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker. And they’ve been watching Michael.”

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

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Title: Orchards Author:  Holly Thompson Publisher:  Delacorte Press ISBN: 978-0385739771

 

May Contain Spoilers

From Amazon:

Review:

When I ordered this book, I did not realize that it was written in verse, so when I received it from Amazon, I was more than  a little disappointed.  Then I told myself that I wasn’t being fair to myself; how could I possibly know if I would enjoy a book written in verse if I had never given one a chance?  Orchards was the perfect book for my first experiment into a story told in a writing style that I wasn’t certain of.  It takes place in Japan, and it is about a girl who must come to terms with choices that she made – and didn’t make – so I was very interested in the setting and the premise.  So I sat down, put my bias against verse aside, and started to read.  Guess what?  I loved this book!

Kana is sent to spend the summer helping her mother’s family tend their orange groves in a rural farming community in Japan.  Her mother and father send her there so she can reflect on her actions and come to terms with the suicide of her classmate.  Kana’s group of friends bullied the girl, and as the suicide is investigated, blame is cast on them.  All of her friends are split up for the summer, and they are expected to come to terms with their behavior, and the role they each played in the death of their classmate.

I loved the steady pacing of the story.  Kana starts out petulant and defensive, and she doesn’t accept that she had anything to do with Ruth’s death.  As one hot summer day in the orange groves revolves into another, she slowly begins to understand that she is not entirely guiltless.  Playing out alongside her changing opinions of Ruth, she must also make peace with her Japanese family.  Her grandmother still hasn’t forgiven her American father for taking Kana’s mother away from their village to live in the States.  Toss in some cultural conflicts to add depth to the story, and I literally could not put the book down.

Orchards is a beautiful book about a girl who learns to think about someone other than herself.  Every action has an reaction for the other people in her life, and she begins to realize that there are consequences for her words and deeds. Some of them are tragic, some of them bridge the gap between her and her family and friends.  I am so glad that I didn’t know this was a book written in verse, because I would have missed out on one of the best reads of the year. 

Grade: A

Review copy purcha

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The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan. Delacorte Books, an imprint of Random House. 2010. Review copy supplied by publisher. Companion to The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Carrie Ryan's book tour.

The Plot: Gabry has been raised behind the safe walls of Vista. She lives in a lighthouse with her mother, Mary, gazing beyond the boundaries of her town, looking out to sea, but never wanting more than the safety she has. Beyond those safe borders are the Mudo. The border walls are secure against the Mudo and their bites that infect, kill, leaving the bitten to return as one of the Mudo.

One night, Gabry and a group of her friends slip over the protective wall to go to the abandoned amusement park. Whether its because the Mudo have always been so far away, or because they have never breached the wall, or because as teens they believe nothing can ever happen to them, they leave Vista for a few hours one night.

The Good: Do I really have to tell you that it does not end well? And this is only the first few chapters. It just gets worse from there... (or, actually, better, because this book is awesome and it is one of my favorite books of 2010).

And do I really have to tell you the Mudo are zombies? But, like Ryan's first book which told a teenage Mary's story (The Forest of Hands and Teeth), the "z" word is never mentioned. I wonder if, in a world where the unthinkable happened -- zombies are real -- to use that word would just be unbearable.

Gabry joins her friends in the ill-fated forbidden trip to the amusement park because of her crush on Catcher, her best friend Cira's older brother. This one action causes unforeseen consequences (and because they are unforeseen I don't want to give too much away here!). Those consequences include meeting Elias, a stranger who becomes a friend; Gabry fleeing into the Forest; and a love triangle between Gabry, Elias, and Catcher.

Zombies are fun because it can be such a great metaphor when done well. As in The Forest of Hands and Teeth, they reflect fear, of choices and life. Zombies are also the greater world; sometimes scary, sometimes threatening, but they should never be an obstacle to friendship, to family, to love, to happiness.

I love that this is not a straight sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth. They are set in the same world, yes, but the story lines and character arcs are independent of each other. While The Forest of Hands and Teeth showed the zombie world from an isolated village, The Dead-Tossed Waves reveals a greater world, with remnants of government, of trade, of organized fighting forces and different religious reactions to the walking dead.


Amazon Affiliate. If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.

© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

7 Comments on Fallen, last added: 1/16/2010

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Hands down, the most fetching cover of the year. Look at this house. Absolutely beautiful. This is kind of the house of my dreams, and the minute that I saw the cover I yearned to live inside.

Until I read the book.

Miranda is a little girl who often gets caught by the wind. She is diminutive in size, and can easily wind up tossed about like a kite without a string. One day she is taken by the wind and lands in some brambles where she is discovered by Wysteria's hounds. Wysteria Barrows is the mistress of this house which is called Bourne Manor. Wysteria takes Miranda in, and sets her to work mending the fishing nets that pay the bills. Wysteria is a bit odd, but Miranda is thankful to have a home. So she overlooks the fact that Wysteria locks her in her room every night and makes her wear heavy iron boots so that the wind no longer takes her.

But Miranda is a child, after all, and she is curious. Over time, she discovers the entry to Wysteria's late husband's study. He was a sea captain, and among all of the expected treasures in the study, Miranda finds a secret room that is filled with kites. Miranda is soon up on the widow's walk flying the kites unbeknownst to Wysteria. When her beloved kite is stolen by the wind and found by a young boy named Farley, Miranda feels a stirring in her soul that she cannot name.

Soon, Miranda finds herself on her own, and is discovering the secrets of the Manor. Chilling secrets. Should she stay with Wysteria who has helped her all of this time, or should she escape and see where her future takes her?

Now, I should preface this by saying that I am very susceptible to books about houses that seem somewhat possessed. I went and read Amityville Horror at the tender age of 9 (which I DON'T recommend!!!) so houses with personalities scare me more than your average reader. I do not want to imply that this is a horror story, but there are ghost story elements to it. Along with a fairytale like atmosphere complete with an otherworldly lead character, and an Irish boy filled with fairy lore.

Rita Murphy has written an interesting and ethereal story about friendship, family, loyalty and first love. It is an odd story. There is no other way to say it. But it is magical and compelling as well. Bird is for the older tween who is a deep reader and will not be put off by something completely different.

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It's the summer of 1963, and all is not well. Medgar Evans has just been shot, four little girls have been firebombed while at Sunday School, and who knows what else is going on that is not making the news.

Addie Ann Pickett lives in Kuckachoo Mississippi with her mama, her Uncle Bump (on account of his muscles), and her brother Elias. Her biggest concerns of the summer are working with her Uncle at Old Man Adams' place, trying to convince her best friend Delilah that jumping double dutch isn't baby stuff, and worrying about
7th grade next year with Mrs. Jacks over at Country Colored (West Thunder Creek Junior High School, if you please!)

Things start changing when Old Man Adams up and dies. No one is more surprised than Addie Ann when she, her Uncle and Elmira the cook, are summoned up to the house for the reading of the will. Mr. Adams left a little something for each of them. Elmira gets his dutch oven, Addie Ann gets the television (that she used to secretly watch sometimes), and Uncle Bump gets a beautiful gold pocket watch. Everyone there is most interested in what will become of the house and grounds. After all, Old Man Adams has the best garden around.

Imagine the looks on the sheriff's and mayor's faces when the lawyer announces that the garden is to be a shared community garden for whites and colored folks alike! But when most people in power are racist from there toes on up, this seems like a piece of Old Man Adams will that won't be honoured.

Then something even worse happens. One day when Addie Ann's brother brings here to the general store, two bully white boys take her cat from her. All because she raised her eyes, and doesn't know her place. One boy is about to drop kick poor Flapjack when Elias comes to the rescue, lobs a honeypot at the boys head, knocks him out and breaks his leg. Elias takes off swimming for his life in the Bayou. Addie Ann knows the sheriff and his hounds, along with the Klan will be after Elias.

What follows is Addie Ann's struggle to get through. Her struggle to come to grips with what has happened to her family. And her realization that now is her time. The reverend always said that she would know when her time to the movement would come. When the hounds come for her Uncle, she knows it's her time, and Addie Ann rises to the occasion.

Brilliantly written, A Thousand Never Evers should have a place in every public and school library. Addie Ann and her family come alive off the page, as does the town of Kuckachoo itself. Equally heartbreaking and inspiring, Shana Burg has taken her own family's calling to the civil rights movement and made it into a work of art.

This is one of the rare times that I put a recommendation here and at Welcome to My Tweendom. I do think that this book really does span from tween to young adult. The issues that arise can be discussed in various manners, and the summer of 1963 is one that we all need to know and think about!

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It's the summer of 1963, and all is not well. Medgar Evans has just been shot, four little girls have been firebombed while at Sunday School, and who knows what else is going on that is not making the news.

Addie Ann Pickett lives in Kuckachoo Mississippi with her mama, her Uncle Bump (on account of his muscles), and her brother Elias. Her biggest concerns of the summer are working with her Uncle at Old Man Adams' place, trying to convince her best friend Delilah that jumping double dutch isn't baby stuff, and worrying about
7th grade next year with Mrs. Jacks over at Country Colored (West Thunder Creek Junior High School, if you please!)

Things start changing when Old Man Adams up and dies. No one is more surprised than Addie Ann when she, her Uncle and Elmira the cook, are summoned up to the house for the reading of the will. Mr. Adams left a little something for each of them. Elmira gets his dutch oven, Addie Ann gets the television (that she used to secretly watch sometimes), and Uncle Bump gets a beautiful gold pocket watch. Everyone there is most interested in what will become of the house and grounds. After all, Old Man Adams has the best garden around.

Imagine the looks on the sheriff's and mayor's faces when the lawyer announces that the garden is to be a shared community garden for whites and colored folks alike! But when most people in power are racist from there toes on up, this seems like a piece of Old Man Adams will that won't be honoured.

Then something even worse happens. One day when Addie Ann's brother brings here to the general store, two bully white boys take her cat from her. All because she raised her eyes, and doesn't know her place. One boy is about to drop kick poor Flapjack when Elias comes to the rescue, lobs a honeypot at the boys head, knocks him out and breaks his leg. Elias takes off swimming for his life in the Bayou. Addie Ann knows the sheriff and his hounds, along with the Klan will be after Elias.

What follows is Addie Ann's struggle to get through. Her struggle to come to grips with what has happened to her family. And her realization that now is her time. The reverend always said that she would know when her time to the movement would come. When the hounds come for her Uncle, she knows it's her time, and Addie Ann rises to the occasion.

Brilliantly written, A Thousand Never Evers should have a place in every public and school library. Addie Ann and her family come alive off the page, as does the town of Kuckachoo itself. Equally heartbreaking and inspiring, Shana Burg has taken her own family's calling to the civil rights movement and made it into a work of art.

This is one of the rare times that I put a recommendation here and at Booktopia. I do think that this book really does span from tween to young adult. The issues that arise can be discussed in various manners, and the summer of 1963 is one that we all need to know and think about!

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Indian writer Swapna Dutta has contributed some great articles to PaperTigers over the past few years, so we are delighted now to publish an interview with her as an added extra to our January/February update.

In it, she talks about her own stories and the challenges of retelling classic tales. She also makes some interesting observations about the languages of books published in India…

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