April Recommendations--Lynn Becker's Book Picks

What have you been reading lately? Here's my list:

 

Novels:

 

2015 SCBWI Sid Fleischman Humor Award winner, EVIL LIBRARIAN, by Michelle Knudson, is funny! Also a bit creepy, with plenty of high school romance thrown in to make a thoroughly enjoyable read. Cyn's best friend, Annie, falls in love with the new librarian at school, but he turns out to be a demon. Luckily Cyn's crush, Ryan, is on board with trying to rid the school of anything not entirely human. Warning: there may be sequels. (YA)

 

THE TAPPER TWINS GO TO WAR (with each other), by Geoff Rodkey, is a good example of an engaging story told through interviews, text messages, photos, and screenshots. It describes a war between twins Claudia and Reese that begins with a misunderstanding (who really ate that last toaster pastry??) and escalates into a series of embarrassing pranks (cyber and otherwise) played out in front of their Upper West Side prep school's sixth grade class. The characters are well-defined and the format makes this a light, enjoyable read with heart. First in a series. (MG)

 

SHADOW SCALE, by Rachel Hartman, is a worthy follow up to her Morris Award-winnning debut, Seraphina, This sequel continues the exploration of a fantastic world where dragons, saints, and humans collide. The book picks up just as an uneasy peace existing between dragons and humans for the last 40 years is broken. Rebel dragons have poisoned the Queen, and Seraphina must hit the road to find the handful of other half-dragons who may be able to put things right. Brilliant world-building, epic plot. (YA)

 

 

 

Picture Books:

 

Caldecott honor book NANA IN THE CITY, by Lauren Castillo, tells how one little boy, initially afraid of the city, overcomes his fear with the help of his nana and her gift. The story is simply and effectively written, and the illustrations incorporate strong elements of color and layout.

 

THE PROMISE, by Nicola Davies, illustrated by Laura Carlin, was a recent New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Book. In a hard world, a young girl lives by stealing from all the other hard people, until she tries to take a bag from an old lady who insists on a promise. And then everything changes. Like Nana in the City, the gorgeous illustrations use color to bring the story into focus. Beginning with greyed-out blues and browns, the world slowly bursts into color as the girl fulfills her promise. With its thick matte paper, this is a beautiful product from Candlewick Press.

 

DRAW! by Raul Colon, may be wordless, but there is plenty of story here. A boy is home in bed, reading about Africa, until he draws himself on safari there. The ochre and blue illustrations have Colon's signature texture, and the dynamic layouts and strong technique add to this distinctive and imaginative picture book.

 

--Lynn