Caldecott Medal

The Association for Library Service to Children has announced the annual Caldecott Medal.  The medal honors the artist of the most distinguished picture book for children.  Here's the list of current and past winners.

ALA Top Ten Young Adult Books

The American Library Association has announced their choices for the Top Ten Young Adult Books of 2012!

The Nutcracker Ballet by Vladimir Vagin

This book takes the story of the Nutcracker Ballet and makes it easier for children to understand. The story starts with Clara and her family on Christmas Eve. They all decorate a ginormous Christmas tree in honor of the night’s festivities. The children talk in hushed voices as they speculate what they will receive on Christmas Day. They eventually open presents of life-size dancing dolls and performers. Clara’s uncle, Herr Drosselmeyer, gives Clara a special gift, the Nutcracker. Jealous of the gift, Clara’s brother Fritz breaks the doll’s jaw. Heartbroken, Clara falls asleep cradling the Nutcracker in her arms. As she sleeps she is whisked away to the land of Sweets. With a timeless story and beautiful illustrations, The Nutcracker Ballet is sure to be a great read for children of all ages!

My 13th Season by Kristi Roberts

In My 13th Season, Fran Cullers has had some serious losses in the past year – her mom died in a car accident and her dad’s depression has pretty much taken him away, too. Fran does have a few things keeping her steady, though – her aunt Beth, her dad’s friend Slow, and most of all, baseball. Fran breathes baseball. She was a star on her old little league team, but this year got stuck on the Highwater Hardwares team. They are already a rough group of kids, but they are really out to get Fran. The coach is so adamant that a girl can’t play on his team that the sheriff has to come talk him into it. At first, Fran is determined to show them how good she is, but as the insults pile up, she decides to get back at them. Will her plan ruin things for the team or just ruin things for her?

The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde

I picked up The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde because I’ve read and liked the Thursday Next series and because the book got some great reviews. If you like Jasper Fforde’s oddball humor in his other books (or if you like Terry Pratchett), you’ll want to pick up The Last Dragonslayer.
Jennifer Strange is a foundling. She was abandoned on the steps of the convent of the Blessed Ladies of the Lobster as a baby and raised there. At 12, she was placed with Kazam Mystical Arts Management and is currently running the agency after the disappearance of its founder in a magic trick gone wrong.
Kazam is an employment agency for magicians that has fallen on hard times. Magic has been fading from the world and the magicians have grown less powerful as ambient magic has fallen. When magic starts to see a surge, strange events start to happen. The magicians with precognitive abilities all have a premonition that the last dragon will be slain in the next week. Jennifer sets off to find the Last Dragonslayer to see what she can do to prevent this from happening.

Barbara Kingsolver Read-Alikes

On the hold list for Barbara Kingsolver's new book Flight Behavior?  You might enjoy these while you wait. 

When Frankie Pratt graduates from high school in 1920, she receives a scrapbook and her father’s old Corona typewriter. She can’t wait to leave her small New Hampshire home town and take on the world as a writer, but of course complications ensue. Frankie’s experiences include education, heartbreak, encouragement, and decisions both misguided and brave. We get to be there every step of the way as she types up her journal entries for her scrapbook and includes letters, candy wrappers, fashion spreads, and ticket stubs for our archival pleasure. The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt is a quick and delightful read with images that bring her and her era to life.

Judgment Call by J.A. Jance

Sheriff Joanna Brady’s daughter, Jenny, stumbles across the body of her high school principal, Debra Highsmith, in the Arizona desert near their home. The Cochise County Sheriff’s personal and professional worlds collide, forcing her to tread the difficult middle ground between being an officer of the law and a mother. The search for justice leads straight to her own door and forces her to face the possibility that her beloved daughter may be less perfect than she hoped–especially when a photo from the crime scene ends up on Facebook–a photo that only one person could have taken. The gruesome picture is just the tip of the iceberg. The details build, from a hushed-up student suspension, to a group of teenagers with a grudge against the late Ms. Highsmith, to a hateful video call for the principal’s death. Judgment Call is the fifteenth entry in Jance’s Joanna Brady series. The series begins in Desert Heat when Joanna’s Sheriff husband is killed in the line of duty and Joanna takes over the job.

Edgar Awards

The Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards honor the best in mysteries.  You might take special note of Bent Road by Lori Roy, a local author. 

Tempting the Bride by David Hastings

In Tempting the Bride David Hastings, haven fallen in love with Helena Fitzhugh when he was 15 years old, does anything he can to gain her attention, including torment her and make rude comments. His pride keeps him from disclosing his true feelings, and Helena grows into a vibrant, independent, well-educated business woman who wants nothing to do with Hastings. When Helena makes a decision that could result in scandal, Hastings is there to save her reputation,and the couple is forced into marriage. Helena despises Hastings until an unfortunate accident erases her memory of the recent past. Hastings finally has his chance to make his true feelings known and to court the woman he has loved for most of his life. The characters in this romance are strong personalities–both are arrogant and obstinate but also vulnerable, dialog is witty and the love story is believable and touching–a charming and entertaining story.

Dancers Among Us by Jordan Matter

Dancers Among Us by Jordan Matter is subtitled “A Celebration of Joy in the Everyday” and it’s a very fitting subtitle. The book is a collection of photographs interspersed with just six very short illustrative stories by Matter about the subjects of dreaming, loving, playing, exploring, grieving, working, and living. The stories are just one to two pages long, leaving the emphasis on the dancers and the beautiful photographs that capture them in action.
What these dancers can do with their bodies is simply amazing. Some of them appear to be levitating. Some are perched precariously from high places. Others are jumping in the rain or snow, and still others are posed in ways that my body certainly does not bend to demonstrate extreme emotions like shame, grief, love, and joy.
The photographs in this book were taken all across the US, plus a few in Canada, in places both well-known and not. The differences in scenes and weather conditions make the photos more visually interesting and lend themselves to the different types of situations and emotions Matter set out to capture.
To learn more about the project and to see videos of how some of these images were captured, go to http://www.dancersamongus.com/.

New Movies at Manhattan Public Library

We have Drama, Adventure, Romance and everything in between.  See what's new this month.  You can even subscribe to get an updated list every month by email or RSS feed. 

When Hope Blossoms by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Amy Knackstedt moved to Weaverly, Kansas in hopes of starting anew. Her husbands death, when he fell, or did he jump, from the top of a grain elevator has been hard for her to deal with. Weaverly, based off of the actual town of Waverly, KS, promises to be a great place to raise her children.
When Hope Blossoms, is also about Tim Roper. He owns the property next to Amy’s and runs a prospering apple orchard. Tim, a former Mennonite, isn’t too happy about having a Mennonite family living next door. But circumstances, with the help of Amy’s children, bring the two together, each of them in time of need. Kim has a way of gathering you into her story. The characters come alive and you just can’t help becoming a part of their lives.

Help Thanks Wow by Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott has a beautiful way of sharing her faith in the most honest way. She writes from the heart about her personal experiences in a way that we all can identify with. Having just experienced a life crisis with my 91 year old mother, I was greatly blessed by this little jewel of a prayer book. Help prayers for when we need God to hear us in the most crucial times, thanks for the many little happenings so that hopefully we will develop a gratitude habit, and wow for the amazing world that surronds us. This tiny book, Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers is packed with a multitude of thoughts and prayers to help us release our hold and allow God to overcome all that the world throws at us.

Favorite New Young Adult Books for Adults

Young Adult books, as many people are recognizing these days, are not just for teens. In fact, adults make up the majority of young adult book purchasers. With that in mind, here are a few of my Young Adult picks from the past year that that should appeal to people of all ages.
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
In 1941, fifteen year old Lina, her mother, and younger brother are suddenly pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet soldiers and sent to work camps in Siberia, while the fate of Lina’s father is unknown. Lina, her family, and fellow Lithuanians struggle to maintain their humanity while enduring brutal cold, near starvation, disease, and cruelty from Soviet soldiers. To cope with her horrific situation, Lina, a gifted artist, draws in secret, hoping that one day someone will find her pictures and her story will be told.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
At age sixteen, Hazel is a stage IV thyroid cancer survivor. Her life is hanging by a thread, as an experimental drug temporarily keeps her alive, but no one knows how long it will be effective. At her parents’ insistence, she begins attending a weekly support group for teens living with cancer. It is here that she meets Gus, a fellow cancer survivor, and they fall in love. Green deals with the tough issues in this novel – life, death and love – with honesty and sensitivity. And, although this book tackles a serious subject, there is a good deal of wit and humor that keeps it from devolving into a cry fest. However, you may not want to completely abandon that box of Kleenex!
Bzrk by Michael Grant
Conjoined twins Charles and Benjamin Armstrong, evil and twisted owners of Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation, have a master plan to take over the world and turn it into their version of Utopia. Opposing them is a secret organization, code name BZRK, in which members take the names of the famously insane. This is no ordinary war, however. Here, the weapons of choice are nanobots the size of dust mites, and the battlefield is inside the human brain. The price of war to combatants is often insanity, loss of memory or free will, and even death. Atrocities are committed on both sides, and it is often impossible to tell the good guys from the bad. Although this book is science fiction, the ethical and philosophical issues Grant raises held my attention long after I was done reading.
I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Jazz is your average teenager growing up in the sleepy little town of Lobo’s Nod, except for one little thing. His dad is one of the most notorious serial killers in history. Before finally being captured by police, Jazz’s father murdered over 100 victims, and passed on many of his secrets to Jazz along the way, hoping that one day Jazz would follow in his footsteps. Growing up with a sociopath has left Jazz with nightmares and the constant fear that he will inevitably end up just like dear old Dad. As if life isn’t complicated enough, bodies are beginning to pile up in Lobo’s Nod again. Jazz is determined to help the sheriff with the investigation, but unbeknownst to the police, Jazz has his own secret. If you are easily spooked, you might want to read this one with the lights on.
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
This National Book Award Finalist is a fictionalized retelling of the childhood of Cambodian human rights activist, Arn Chorn-Pond. Arn is only eleven years old in 1975 when the Khmer Rouge marches into his Cambodian town and forces everyone into the country to work as slave laborers. Arn is separated from his family and is witness to atrocities that will make your stomach turn. As the Killing Fields pile up with bodies, Arn does whatever it takes to survive before he is eventually rescued and brought to America. This is not an easy book to read, but it is certainly unforgettable.
If you are looking for last minute Christmas gifts or a great book to read over Christmas break, try out one of these I’ve mentioned or check out one of the many other great reads in our Young Adult area.

Nicholas Sparks Read-Alikes

Nicholas Sparks is holding onto his traditional spot on the Best Seller's List.  If you've read all of his and are looking for something similar, check out our Read-Alikes list. 

A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry

Bronte Talbot is an ad agency executive, working in New York City and living a fast-paced life. Having had a failed romance, she is not interested in developing a relationship with a new man. When Max Heyworth, a graduate student, comes into her life, she views him as an ideal man to have a fling with, as he is returning to Britain in a few weeks. Max, however, is interested in a long-term relationship and falls for Bronte in a big way. Due to her insecurities, Bronte is reluctant to commit to Max, and is surprised to discover that he is the future Duke of Northrop. Can they overcome their differences and find love? A Royal Pain is a charming love story–with smart, likeable main characters who change and grow emotionally. There are many humorous moments and colorful supporting characters that make this an amusing contemporary romance.

The Forgotten by David Baldacci

Special Agent John Puller, Army CID, uses his R and R time to travel to Paradise, Florida after receiving a letter from his elderly aunt, in which she hints of mysterious happenings at night and people not being what they seem. He arrives to find her deceased–is it murder? The local police believe it is an accident, but Puller begins his own investigation. As the story unfolds, Puller uncovers layers of crime, deception and murder beneath the beautiful surface of the tourist town. Discovering a conspiracy that involves human trafficking and slavery, Puller races to save the prisoners as well as himself. Puller is a strong character–brave, smart and brash–the ideal hero who has a strong sense of right and wrong. The Forgotten is a fast-paced, intense, exciting thriller that keeps the reader guessing–characters are not what they appear and plot twists and turns add to the suspense. Baldacci has written another riveting action-filled novel! The first novel by Baldacci featuring the character John Puller is Zero Day.

Romance Award Winners

Rita Awards
Drum roll, please!  The outstanding romance novels of the year have been announced by the Romance Writers of America.  Enjoy!

National Geographic National Parks Collection

The weather outside is frightful, so it’s a good time to travel vicariously with our DVD collection. My entire family has recently been obsessed with National Geographic’s National Parks Collection. Each episode covers a different park with commentary on geology, wildlife, and history. So far we have enjoyed rock climbing in Yosemite, hiking the Appalacian trail, and discovering cowboy hideouts in Canyonlands. An adventure around every bend!

I Want to Be Left Behind by Brenda Peterson

Brenda Peterson tells her story of her love of this earth and all nature. She sat by the ocean and watched over seal pups. She went down the Colorado River in the depths of the Grand Canyon. She tells of many of her adventures in nature. She loved the earth and all it’s pleasure. She tells of her family of Southern Baptists and there ideas, which were ideas she had rather leave behind. Even her nieces and nephews called her Aunt Wuu Wuu, because of her strange ideas. I Want to Be Left Behind is told with much humor and you’ll grow to care about Brenda and her family.

The Newest in Women's Fiction at Your Library

New Women's Fiction at Manhattan Public Library
Whether you like chick lit or stories about families we have some new recommendations for you.

Samantha Jones is a young single mother struggling to make a life for herself and her young son. Taking EMT courses when she is able, she earns a living as a repo truck driver–going out in the night to repossess automobiles. As she is loading a BMW onto her truck, the trunk pops open and inside is a badly beaten man. Sam believes that the man in the trunk, Marco, is an informant waiting to testify against the cartel, whose safe house was found by the ruthless drug dealers and the federal agents guarding him were killed. As  Sam, her son and Marco run for their lives, Sam must place her trust in Marco, not knowing if he is someone she can trust with her life and that of her son. Shiver is a fast-paced romantic suspense, filled with action, thrills and, of course, romance.