Books Like The Hunger Games? Try Divergent by Veronica Roth
If you liked The Hunger Games, try Divergent by Veronica Roth. Another dystopian YA novel, Divergent is set in Chicago during a time when society has divided itself into five factions: Abnegation,...
View ArticleWhy is kidlit amazing? These are Your Kids on Books!
Love, love, love this poster I got from Burning Through Pages! Iconic poster + worthy cause=awesome. More about Burning Through Pages (from their website): “Burning Through Pages is a Denver-based...
View ArticleSouthern Charm for Middle Grade: Lula Bell on Geekdom, Freakdom + the...
C.C. Payne’s novel Lula Bell on Geekdom, Freakdom + the Challenges of Bad Hair is a bit like a middle grade version of The Help. The content is totally different, but Lula Bell has that same folksy,...
View ArticleHow to Write a Story: Ralph Tells a Story by Abby Hanlon
Ralph Tells a Story written and illustrated by Abby Hanlon (Amazon Children’s Publishing, 2012). It doesn’t matter if you are five or twenty-five—if you’re in school, you’re gonna have to write. And...
View ArticleOld MacDonald Had a What? New Picture Book by Author Ken Baker
Every kid I know can sing ”Old MacDonald Had a Farm.” But a farm can get kind of boring, what with the same old cows, pigs, sheep, and dogs time after time. Enter kidlit author Ken Baker who thought...
View ArticleIt’s Election Day: Presidential Picture Books
Grace for President (Disney Hyperion, 2012), written by Kelly DiPucchio and illustrated by LeUyen Pham offers a great look into the political process. When Grace’s teacher shows a poster of the U.S....
View ArticleChasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett (Brett Helquist, illustrator)
If you like The Westing Game, you’re sure to like Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett and illustrated by Brett Helquist (illustrator of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events). The book jacket...
View ArticleMona Lisa Smile – Donna Jo Napoli
If you’re a fan of historical fiction blended with romance, then Donna Jo Napoli‘s YA novel The Smile is for you. It tells the story of fifteen-year-old Elisabetta, the girl later immortalized as...
View ArticleBomb by Steve Sheinkin – Fabulous Non-fiction
There is a reason Steve Sheinkin‘s non-fiction book Bomb: The Race to Build–and Steal–the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon (Roaring Brook, 2012) has won the 2013 Newbery Honor Award, the 2013 Sibert...
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