I am happy to be able to tell you about these books that I have recently read and enjoyed:
Novels:
THE ART OF SECRETS, by James Klise, is a fun upper middle grade/young YA novel, which uses an interesting format to tell its story. Short chapters alternate between a full cast of characters, each advancing the story while giving his or her own unique spin to the action. When Saba Khan's apartment is gutted in a fire, the community rallies around her. Students at her high school organize an auction to benefit the family. Found among the donated items is a portfolio of paintings worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, prompting all kinds of questions to arise--where did it come from? whose is it now? who should benefit from its sale? and what is the truth, really? Klise weaves a satisfying mystery here and, yes, EVERYBODY has secrets!!
The YA novel PANIC, by Lauren Oliver (author of the dystopian Delerium, trilogy), showcases a dangerous, high stakes game played by graduating seniors in a dead-end town. One lucky person from Carp High will win $67,000 by completing all the challenges. But, in the seven years of playing, there have been four deaths and one person paralyzed. Heather Nill never thought she would be brave enough to play. But when her boyfriend unexpectedly dumps her for someone else, Heather finds herself joining the fray. Heather's friend Natalie plays for a chance to go to Hollywood, Dodge Mason plays for revenge, and Bishop Marks, who doesn't play, just wants them all to survive. The plot drives this story, relentlessly amping up the tension in new and unexpected ways. Told in alternating chapters by Heather and Dodge, Panic brings the intensity of The Hunger Games to this tale of contemporary upstate New York.

If you want a challenging but ultimately rewarding and offbeat older YA novel, give Printz honor book THE KINGDOM OF LITTLE WOUNDS, by Susann Cokal, a try. Ava Bingen works in the castle at Skyggehavn. Under King Christian V and Queen Isabelle, the place is seething with intrigue. And illness--all of the Lunedie children and heirs suffer from a mysterious ailment, throwing plans for the succession into disarray. This story is dark and winding, but if you stick with it, you will find that it's a rich, dense, and (somewhat strange) piece of literary fiction!
Picture Books:

OUT THE WINDOW, by Cybele Young, is a fold-out board book that (literally) expands the genre. The panels unfold to reveal a furry creature's ball bouncing out an open window and, not being tall enough to see outside, all the little creature can glimpse are snippets of what is passing by. At the end it's time to flip the whole thing over, and finally see what's been going on beyond the window. Fun and offbeat, this clever book will spark your imagination.

Marianne Dubuc wrote and illustrated the delightful ANIMAL MASQUERADE, which I talked about some months ago. In 2010, she also published IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE, another long picture book (120 pages) for kids to pore over, containing minimal text. Beginning with a little house under a tree, this cyclical tale travels inside to a bedroom, then under the bed, and into a forest and then outer space, and under the ocean, and somehow we manage to wind up back at the little house. The illustrations are playful and charming.

THE SCRAPS BOOK: NOTES FROM A COLORFUL LIFE, by Lois Ehlert, is a picture book memoir that describes Ehlert's lifelong journey to create art and books. Told in clear yet poetic language, and lushly illustrated in her own colorful style, THE SCRAPS BOOK offers advice and inspiration for all ages. It's gorgeous!
--Lynn
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