All are invited to attend a talk by E.Lockhart at the Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd., Bethesda, MD 20814 on Thursday Feb. 16, 5pm. Copies of her books will be for sale through an arrangement with Politics and Prose Bookstore. She will sign books after her talk.
The Washington Children's Book Guild is hosting author Ruta Sepetys, author of the book Between Shades of Gray, a popular book among our group, at a luncheon at the Channel Inn in Washington D.C. on Thursday January 19. The meeting begins at noon and ends at 2 p.m. For details about Ruta's talk, luncheon options and the work of the Guild check out the guild's blog, www.childrensbookguildblog.blogspot.com
If you would like to attend contact member Edie Ching, edie.ching@verizon.net
After her father's death, Liesl is determined to bury his ashes next to her mother's. With the help of Po, a ghost from the Other Side, she escapes her step-mother's attic, steals the box of ashes and sneaks aboard a train. Only, the box doesn't actually contain ashes. Will, an alchemist's apprentice, has bungled his deliveries. Liesl is actually carrying terrifically powerful magic. Narrator Jim Dale shines as the characters and storylines come together for a rather satisfying conclusion. (Appears to be available for download only. Both Fairfax and Arlington have copies via Overdrive). Audiobook. Colleen Beaupre
Briony fears being found out as a witch. She believes she killed her stepmother and is responsible for her twin sister's mental handicap. But when handsome Eldric returns to Swampsea, her troubles really start as she begins to untangle the past and her feelings of guilt. Though the plot is slow to start, Billingsly's evocative language and Duerden's adept narration is enough to draw the listeners into the tale. Audio. Colleen Beaupre.
Hazel’s father has left, creating emotional and financial hardships which force Hazel to leave her creativity-fostering school for one of multiple-choice tests and straight rows of desks. Here, though, she has her best friend and companion in magic and fantasy super-hero baseball games, Jack. But taunting classmates, Jack’s own family troubles and a mysterious shard of glass in the eye pull them apart. When Jack disappears, Hazel sets off on a journey through frozen woods populated with the Snow Queen and other characters from Andersen’s fairy tales to save him. Spell-inducing prose convincingly interweaves a harsh reality with perilous fantasy to evoke the power of love and friendship. Ten to Fourteen. Kathleen Neil
Second in the series, but standing alone, this is the story of engineer Fever Crumb and her friendship with Arlo, an inventor who is obsessed with the desire to fly. They live in a time and place where change is not appreciated and various political groups want to control inventions for their own devious purposes. Ten to Fourteen.
Lucky is 15 and surrounded by adults who are busy making a mess out of own their lives. Lucky watches all this with humor and patience. He even has a bully on his tail. His preferred escape route from all this is imaginary conversations with his grandfather who has long been listed as MIA in Vietnam. The reader will be brought along on this journey, alternating between laughing out loud and cringing at the reality of Lucky's life. This book is a wonderful reminder that it is hard growing up. Fourteen and Up. Kathie Weinberg
Part mystery, part non-scary ghost story, part quest to belong, all fun and wonderfully imaginative. Liesl and her new friends, Po, Bundle, and Will, set off on an adventure to give her late father the closure he needs to move on in the Other Side. The many characters are delightfully intertwined. The careful reader may pick up on the clues about the relationships between the characters and all is revealed in the last few paragraphs. Even non-characters affect each other such as magic and the weather. A tidy and satisfying ending completes the package. Ten to Fourteen. Julie Dietzel-Glair
Karou is an art student in Prague, with a mysterious origin. Her "guardian" is some kind of demon, and Karou is uniquely available to run errands for him, errands that require returning with teeth, often human. Suddenly, the passageway to her home is shut down, and a gorgeous warrior angel named Akiva enters her life. But just when I thought a good gory urban fantasy was going to turn into a star-crossed romance, Akiva and Karou's pasts are made known. This first in a series paints an elaborate and literary urban fantasy. Fourteen and Up Jamie Watson
Molly and her sister Hannah are reluctantly living with their Grandparents after the sudden death of their mother because their father is unable to care for them. Molly encounters the Green man, the god of spring, who becomes her object of care and concern and as she deals with her loneliness, her sister’s anger and her father’s “inability to cope”.
The omniscient narrator clues us in to what will happen as well as reminding us of other publications that could give us additional background as he tells the story of a poor boy who triumphs over the hard heartedness of his ultimate superiors (the lady and son of the manor) as well as some of his fellow servants. There is wry humor that adds a level of sophistication to the story.
Fearful and superstitious townsfolk drive orphaned Kate from her home. Alone except for Taggle, her cat, she joins the Roamers in a desperate quest to reclaim her shadow, having traded it to the dangerous witch, Linay, in exchange for the unspoken desire of her heart.
