What My Mother Doesn't Know

Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesn’t Know. 2001. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers, 2003. Print. ISBN: 0780689855535 Pages: 259 

Paperback US $7.99

Awards

A Booklist Editors’ Choice 2001

An ALA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults 2002

An ALA Top 100 Most Banned Books of the Decade 2000–2010

An ALA Top Ten Most Challenged Books 2004 and 2005

Iowa Teen Book Award 2005–2006

Michigan Thumbs Up Award Honor Book 2002

International Reading Association Young Adults' Choice 2003

VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers 2003

Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award: YA Recommended Title 2003–2004

New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age 2002, 2003, and 2004

Texas Lone Star State Reading List Choice 2003–2004

Junior Library Guild selection

Volunteer State Book Award (TN) Nominee2004–2005

Utah Children's Choice Beehive Award Nominee 2003–2004

Garden State Teen Book Award (NJ) Nominee 2003–2004

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee 2004

Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee 2004

South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee 2003–2004

Missouri Gateway Reader's Choice Award for Teens Nominee 2003–2004

Wyoming Library Association Soaring Eagle Book Award Nominee 2003–2004

Sophie falls in love, then out of it, then back in again in this fast-paced, novel-in-verse. She tries to juggle her boy problems, with her friend problems, and her home problems without falling apart and, in the end, succeeds.

A celebrated Banned Book...you'll have to read it to find out why!

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Snap and Read:

What My Mother Doesn't Know

by Sonya Sones

       Sophie loves, loves, loves Lou until he breaks up with her. Then she loves, loves, loves Dylan. Dylan calls her Sapphire, has smoldery dark eyes, and everything else seems to fade away when they’re together. But if things with Dylan are so perfect, why does she always find herself thinking about kissing Murphy, the super geek? And why is she so excited for her evening IM chats with Chaz? And who is the romantic masked man that swept her off her feet at the Halloween dance?!?

If I could marry a font

I’d marry his.

I just love it,

the way all of the letters lean

at those quirky little angles.

They remind me of the letters

in those thought balloons

in the Sunday funnies

like words that Snoopy

or Garfield

might be thinking

And those questions marks are-

well, they’re adorable.

They just are somehow.

If I could marry a font,

I would definitely marry his. 

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Praise for What My Mother Doesn't Know

"Winning." Entertainment Weekly

"Fast, funny, touching." Booklist

"A verse experience that will leave readers sighing with recognition and satisfaction." Kirkus Reviews

"Honest...destined to captivate." Publishers Weekly

"Brilliant." KLIATT

Arielle's Recommendation: What My Mother Doesn’t Know rings true to the female, teenage experience. I should know, I've been there and made it out alive. Humor, quick chapters, and intriguing characters make this a necessary addition to school and public library teen collections. Plus the verse style is currently very popular and a great way to encourage reluctant readers. Recommend this book to readers of Louise Rennison and Meg Cabot in 7th grade and older. There is a wonderful poem involving nipples that, while fantastically humorous and insightful, may not be appropriate for younger readers.

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Don't miss the surprise at the bottom of the pages! Click here to read about Sones' inspiration!

Hear the story from a different perspective

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know

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Sones, Sonya. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers, 2007. Print. ISBN: 9780689876028 Pages: 291 

Hardbound US $16.99

Announcement! The Army of Ten

The Army of Ten

by Gretchen McNeil

Coming Soon!

Look for it at Ericson Public Library!

Bird Lake Moon

Henkes, Kevin. Bird Lake Moon. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, 2008. Print. ISBN: 0780061470769 Pages: 179 Hardbound US $15.99

Awards/Honors

Booklist Editors’ Choice

Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best

New York Public Library’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice

Book Sense Summer Children’s Pick

Washington Post Book World Best Kids’ Books of the Year

Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award Nominee

Georgia Children’s Book Award Master List

Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award Nominee

Wisconsin Library Association’s Children’s Book Award

Annotation: Bird Lake Moon chronicles the new, summer friendship of Mitch and Spencer. Shared sorrow and secrets threaten to pull them apart but instead bind them together. They share the revelation of what it means to be a friend. 

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Wrap back to the title:
Bird Lake Moon

By Kevin Henkes

     Mitch and Spencer are visiting Bird Lake for very different reasons. Mitch should be enjoying a summer at his grandparents’ lake house. Instead he is nagged by the fact that he and his mother are only escaping the fact that his father has left them. Divorce is a terrifying word and Mitch is busy thinking of ways to fix or escape the situation. Spencer’s family is returning to their vacation home in an effort to heal after his brother’s tragic death at the lake years earlier. Neither boy shares their sorrows and instead try to enjoy their time at Bird Lake. An investigation into a haunted lake house and some major lies threatens to destroy their fragile friendship. Instead the boys grow stronger together and cherish the one another; the friend they made under the Bird Lake Moon.

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Praise for Bird Lake Moon!

“Henkes knows children and their secrets, and readers will lean close to hear the whispers.” Booklist starred review

“Superbly crafted. . . . A ‘must have’ for every library.” 

School Library Journal starred review

“In a novel as tender as his acclaimed Olive’s Ocean, Henkes probes the psyches of two boys facing family conflicts.” Publishers Weekly starred review

“[A] quiet, beautifully told story.” KLIATT starred review

Arielle's Recommendation: 3rd-5th graders that enjoy realistic fiction.

Cinder

Meyer, Marissa. Cinder. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends, 2012. Print. ISBN: 9780312641894 Pages: 390 Hardbound US $17.99

Awards/ Honors

Goodreads & Facebook Top Summer Reads List 2012

Publisher’s Weekly Summer Reading Round-Up and Starred Review 2012

YALSA’s Top Ten List Nominee 2012

New York Times Bestseller List 2012

Examiner.com: Most-anticipated 2012 YA Dystopian Books for fans of The Hunger Games 

Annotation: A distant future where incredible technological advancements are contrasted with rampant plague. Cinder the Cyborg plays the title character in an innovative science fiction retelling of Cinderella.

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Open End:

Cinderby Marissa Meyer

     What if Prince Kai asked her to dance just to be polite? Cinder’s daydreams of romance and royalty are short lived. Cyborgs don’t attend balls and they certainly don’t get to dance with the Crown Prince of the Eastern Commonwealth. In a distant future in which cyborgs are less than second class citizens, Cinder has earned recognition as the best mechanic in New Beijing. Despite her status, Prince Kai finds his way to her repair stand. Little does he know, he needs her help with more than simple robot-repair. But the question remains, what if he asked her to dance?

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Praise for Cinder!

“Author Marissa Meyer rocks the fractured fairy tale genre with a sci-fi twist on Cinderella.” The Seattle Times

"Cinder is loads of fun—mostly due to seeing a familiar story play out in a new setting, but Cinder herself is also a tough, smart, mouthy, resourceful heroine, so spending almost 400 pages with her is completely enjoyable—and I'm totally, totally looking forward to the next one in the series." Bookshelves of Doom 

"Terrific." Los Angeles Times

"Debut author Meyer ingeniously incorporates key elements of the fairy tale into this first series entry." Horn Book Magazine 

“What they [readers] do not know until they begin turning the pages of this fable-turned-dystopian-science-fiction novel, is that Meyer’s embellishments create a spellbinding story of their own.” VOYA

"First in the Lunar Chronicles series, this futuristic twist on Cinderella retains just enough of the original that readers will enjoy spotting the subtle similarities. But debut author Meyer’s brilliance is in sending the story into an entirely new, utterly thrilling dimension. Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

Don't miss Marissa Meyer's super sweet website for tour dates, book updats, fan fiction and art and lots of other super cool stuff!

Check out the video trailer!!!!!!

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Coming February 2013!

Scarlet

the next adventure in The Lunar Chronicles!

I'm SO excited!

Love, Stargirl

Spinelli, Jerry. Love, Stargirl. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Print. ISBN: 9780375813757 Pages: 274 Hardbound US $16.99

Awards/Honors

A USA Today Bestseller
A Book Sense Children’s Pick
A Publishers Weekly Bestseller

Annotation: Stargirl is the eccentric, effervescent title character from Spinelli’s award winner book, Stargirl. Still caught up on the memories of her lost love, Leo, Stargirl writes the “world’s longest letter” to him describing her new life in Pennsylvania.

Love, Stargirl

by Jerry Spinelli

   

      Stargirl is back, and she’s better than ever! Or, at least, she’s trying to be better. Susan “Stargirl” Caraway simply cannot get over her lost love, Leo. He tried to change her; he dumped her; she left him behind when she moved to Pennsylvania; so why can’t she just move on? In this “world’s longest letter,” Stargirl describes in detail her new life in Pennsylvania to Leo. There are new friends like five-year-old, out of control, Dootsie and violent, angry, hilarious Alvina. There is even a potential new love interest. But can  Stargirl let go of the past enough to see the opportunities right in front of her?

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If you love Stargirl (like I do) you can start your own "Stargirl Society!" 

Click here for more information from Jerry Spinelli's website!

Watch the book trailer, winner of 2007 Teen Book Video Award