Upstate

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Buckhanon, Kalisha. Upstate. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 2005. Print. ISBN: 9780312332686 Pages: 247 Hardbound US $19.95

Awards:2006 American Library Association ALEX Award
2006 Audio Publishers Association Award in Literary Fiction (Audiobook)
2006 nominee for the Hurston/Wright Foundation's Debut Fiction Award
2006 Buckhanon received the inaugural Terry McMillan Young Author Award
2005 Essence Magazine named Buchanon one of America's "Three Writers To Watch."

Annotation: Antonio has gone to prison for the murder of his father in supposed self-defense; in this story he and his girlfriend exchange letters over the course of a decade discussing the hardships of life in and out of prison.

Index Card Trick
Upstate
by Kalisha Buckhanon

- Letters between Antonio and his girlfriend, Natasha
- Antonio is in prison for the murder of his father: Upstate
- Spans from 1990 to 1999, a decade’s worth of letters
- Antonio writes about the struggles of being a teenager in prison
- Natasha writes about the struggles of simply being a teenager
- They grow apart but remain in each other’s minds
- Secrets are revealed
- Story of hardship, perseverance, and redemption

Click here to see if this item is available at Ames Public Library!

Hear an excerpt from Upstate!

Video from youtube.com

Praise for Upstate:

"A realistic love story that's set against an urban backdrop as gritty as its characters are memorable."

--People magazine

"Heartbreaking and true...I'd read it again just for the power of the language."

- Dorothy Allison, National Book Award Finalist and author of Bastard Out of Carolina

"Wild and beautiful...The story is told using the epistolary form with brilliant skill not seen since The Color Purple."

- Sapphire, author of Push

"A literary gem. Upstate is a stunning debut. Completely unforgettable."

- E. Lynn Harris, author of What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

"Upstate is intimate, wrenching...a story about love, surviving love, and the forgiveness that only love brings."

- Achy Obejas, author of Memory Mambo and Days of Awe

"A gripping debut...I was thoroughly impressed."

- Mary Monroe, author of God Still Don't Like Ugly

"Kalisha Buckhanon has unleashed brilliance in this debut novel. Upstate is creative, raw, and honest."

- Darnella Ford, author of Rising and Crave

"A modern love story that is real and raw in its humor and tragedy."

- Zelda Lockhart, winner of the Hurston/Wright Award and author of Fifth Born

Hear Kalisha Buckhanon read an excerpt 

from her novel, Conception!

Video from youtube.com

Teen Review: Because of Winn-Dixie

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DiCamillo, Kate. (2000) Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. Print.

ISBN: 0763607762 Hardbound US $15.99

GUEST TEEN REVIEWER!!!!!!

Jon G. Reviews:

Because of Winn-Dixie

by Kate DiCamillo

This story starts off with a little girl (Opal) who had just moved into a new town named, Naomi, Florida. Her dad was the new preacher of the Open Arms Baptist Church of Naomi. This church is not regular looking and it used to be a Pick-It-Quick store (motto is still on the walls). It has red tiles on the floor with big letters saying PICK PICK PICK QUICK QUICK QUICK. The church does not have very many pews and the people who attend it have to bring their own folding and lawn chairs. Opal has just gone to the grocery store which is called Winn-Dixie, and she saw a dog knocking things of the shelves. The manager yelled for someone to call the police and come and get the dog. Opal instantly appeared and said that the dog was her's. She called to the dog, "Come, Winn-Dixie" and the dog came. The manager though that Opal was trying to make a joke but she said that was really his name. Opal and the dog left the store. She did not know what to do next, so she decided to take Winn-Dixie home with her to the trailer park that she lived in. the name of the trailer park is: Friendly Corners Trailer park and the manager of the park is Mr. Alfred. There was just one problem and that was that the trailer park has a NO PETS ALLOWED POLICY, but Opal convinced the manager to let her keep the dog. Now that that was accomplished, she had to get through what her father would say and do. Yes, the first thing that her said was, "you can not keep the dog," but Opal looked at her dad and said that the dog needed her and then she begged a lot. Here dad had something else very important on his mind, so the dog thing left his thoughts. Opal's dad then told Opal that he had 10 things about her mother that he had to tell her. He said she was funny; had red hair and freckles like her; she liked to plant things; she could run fast; she could cook; she knew all the constellations and every planet; she hated being a preacher's wife; she drank whiskey, beer, wine, and she drank too much and she could not be stopped and there were many fights about this. And lastly that her mom loved her very much.

This story is a classic, and I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for this super sweet review, Jon!

Click here to see if this book is available at Ericson Public Library

Click here to see if this book is available at Ames Public Library

Here's the trailer for the Because of Winn-Dixie movie from 2005!

The Frenzy

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Block, Francesca Lia. The Frenzy. 2010. New York, NY: Harper Teen. Print. ISBN: 9780061926662 258 pages Hardbound US $16.99

Awards: None yet!

Annotation: Liv is a normal teenage girl, she has boy problems, parent problems, and school problems. When she discovers that she's been a paranormal creature her problems become suddenly more pressing.

The Frenzy

by Francesca Lia Block

The terrible but wonderful thing that happened when Liv was thirteen was mysterious, terrifying, and unexplainable; it was Liv’s first experience with The Frenzy. 

“I swept my rough tongue gingerly over my arm. But it wasn’t an arm anymore. The hair tickled my mouth. I wasn’t entirely myself and yet I wasn’t all that different. I wished there was a mirror so I could see, but part of me didn’t want to.”

    Liv is dealing with the typical problems of life. She pretends to be her best friend’s girl so his parents don’t catch on that he likes boys. She’s hiding her own boyfriend, Cory, because she doesn’t think her parents will approve of him. Oh, and, when there’s a full moon The Frenzy takes over and she has an uncontrollable urge to rip off her clothes and go running savagely in the woods. Things are spinning out of control for Liv and her story will keep you riveted until the very last page.

Check out Francesca Lia Block reading the first chapter!

video from youtube.com

Praise for The Frenzy

“A passionate, dreamy, brief paranormal, with a breath-of-fresh-air monstrous heroine and enjoyably surreal set dressing.” (Kirkus )

“Block puts her own spin on werewolves in this romantic thriller.” (The Horn Book )

“A true original…[Block] has created something psychologically complex, erotically charged, and unusually poignant.” (Booklist (starred review) )

“I love the lush, melancholy world of this novel, and its heroine, with her century of secrets.” (Claudia Gray, New York Times bestselling author of Evernight )

“Will be gobbled like candy by teen readers.” (The Horn Book )

“With her characteristic flair and seductive prose, Block makes this tangled story of betrayal and love a standout. Sensuous and heartbreaking, sure to both satisfy and challenge fans of the supernatural romance.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books )