Althea & Oliver, by Christina Moracho

Althea & Oliver is a Young Adult novel about two teens who have been best friends since they were six years old. "...she's the fist-fighting instigator to his peacemaker, the artist whose vision balances his scientific bent." When Oliver comes down with a life-altering illness their relationship is thrown off-balance and they are both sent on a path to discover themselves.

Even though the book was published in 2014, it takes place in the mid 90's. I love this, since I am a child of the 90's. Moracho has created these two vibrant and unique personalities. She so accurately illustrates how there are some catalysts in life that can shake up the lives of people who truly love and care for one another. I couldn't stop reading this book, because I wanted to know what happened to Althea and Oliver. I can't say that I loved the resolution, but I don't know how I would have written the ending. I will say that because the characters and plot were so rich and quirky, I will be looking for more novels written by Christina Moracho.

The Wanderer by Sharon Creech

I read Walk Two Moons a few years ago and liked Sharon Creech's writing very much. Lately I was at the library and picked up The Wanderer. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The format of a diary fits the story. Also the viewpoint of a few different characters adds to the story. I have always been fascinated by water. I love to listen to and watch the ocean (when I'm near it) or a waterfall or river. Really any body of water. Some of my fondest memories are from the cabin. I would sit down on the dock at dusk and listen to the sound of the lake; the birds, fish, waves, and the feel of the setting sun. It was one of my favorite places to be. Of course the ocean terrifies me and a trip across it in a boat the size of the Wanderer gives me small nightmares.

Creech doesn't use a lot of words. But the ones she chooses to describe Sophie and her trip are the perfect ones. The reader can feel the boat and smell/see the ocean. They can also feel and understand the emotions Sophie experiences. This journey isn't just a physical one for her but an emotional and life changing event. The same goes for her cousins and uncles. Definitely a read for any age.

The Odditorium and The Night Gardener

My last visit to the library renewed my love of young adult literature. I picked up quite a few of them but am only going to talk about two right now. 

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier is an interesting read. It is about two Irish kids who have left Ireland for a better life. The eldest (a girl) has to take over the part of being a guardian to her younger brother. She weaves stories to make things better. This is a large part of the story. They procure employment at a household that is haunted. But how it is haunted and how they get out keeps the reader going. There are some very important themes such as loyalty, family, friendship, and sacrifice in this book.

Alistair Grim's Odditorium by Gregory Funaro deals with magic and boyhood. It is a cute quick read. Grubb, the main character, is a chimney sweep who ends up working for Alistair Grim who may or may not be a mad sorcerer. The Odditorium is full of surprises and new experiences for Grubb. Funaro takes magical creatures like fairies, sirens, dragons and more and creates a story of adventure with a twist at the end. 

March Madness: Battle of the Books

Check this out: http://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/03/15/books-bracket

Looks fun!!

Novelist Plus

There is a database I think everyone should be familiar with. I learned about it during my graduate studies and have used it off and on. Every public library website I have been on has had it. It's called Novelist Plus. There is also a Novelist K-8 version of it. All you need to access it is your library card number and pin. Very simple.

On the main page you can search for fiction or nonfiction titles on the left by genre, audiobooks, and Best of 2014. The database also singles out titles that may be of interest to a reader. If a researcher wants to be more specific they can type in an author, title, keyword, subject or narrator.

Let's say I type in Nora Roberts. I can find a list of her books, series, audiobooks, more information about her as well as lists and articles that mention her. This is great if you want to make sure you have read all the books in a series or by the author. I know it is possible to just Google the author. But this database provides much more information. If you scroll down you can select different genres and categories for different books/authors that fall under the same story lines as Roberts. Lastly, there is a list of Read-alikes for author suggestions.

There is so much a person can learn from this database.