Wednesday, January 27, 2016

New children's and YA e-books added to NCLS!

Anna and the Swallow Man, by Gavriel Savit.

Kraków, 1939. A million marching soldiers and a thousand barking dogs. This is no place to grow up. Anna Łania is just seven years old when the Germans take her father, a linguistics professor, during their purge of intellectuals in Poland. She's alone.

And then Anna meets the Swallow Man. He is a mystery, strange and tall, a skilled deceiver with more than a little magic up his sleeve. And when the soldiers in the streets look at him, they see what he wants them to see.

The Swallow Man is not Anna's father--she knows that very well--but she also knows that, like her father, he's in danger of being taken, and like her father, he has a gift for languages: Polish, Russian, German, Yiddish, even Bird. When he summons a bright, beautiful swallow down to his hand to stop her from crying, Anna is entranced. She follows him into the wilderness.

Over the course of their travels together, Anna and the Swallow Man will dodge bombs, tame soldiers, and even, despite their better judgment, make a friend. But in a world gone mad, everything can prove dangerous. Even the Swallow Man.

Destined to become a classic, Gavriel Savit's stunning debut reveals life's hardest lessons while celebrating its miraculous possibilities.

Front Lines, by Michael Grant.

World War II, 1942. A court decision makes women subject to the draft and eligible for service. The unproven American army is going up against the greatest fighting force ever assembled, the armed forces of Nazi Germany.

Three girls sign up to fight. Rio Richlin, Frangie Marr, and Rainy Schulterman are average girls, girls with dreams and aspirations, at the start of their lives, at the start of their loves. Each has her own reasons for volunteering: Rio fights to honor her sister; Frangie needs money for her family; Rainy wants to kill Germans. For the first time they leave behind their homes and families—to go to war.

These three daring young women will play their parts in the war to defeat evil and save the human race. As the fate of the world hangs in the balance, they will discover the roles that define them on the front lines. They will fight the greatest war the world has ever known.

It's All Your Fault, by Paul Rudnick.

My name is Caitlin and up until forty-eight hours ago I had never: Tasted alcohol, kissed a boy, sang in public at the top of my lungs, kidnapped anyone or — WHAT? STOLEN A CONVERTIBLE? Now I'm in jail and I have no idea what I'm going to tell: The police, my parents, the mayor, all of those camera crews and everyone on Twitter. I have just noticed that: My nose is pierced and I have-WAIT? IS THAT A TATTOO? I blame one person for this entire insane weekend: My famous cousin. Who is also my former best friend. Who I have HATED for the past four years. Who I miss like crazy. NO I DON'T!!!! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, HELLER HARRIGAN!!!!

The Memory of Light, by Francisco X. Stork.

When Vicky Cruz wakes up in the Lakeview Hospital Mental Disorders ward, she knows one thing: After her suicide attempt, she shouldn't be alive. But then she meets Mona, the live wire; Gabriel, the saint; E.M., always angry; and Dr. Desai, a quiet force. With stories and honesty, kindness and hard work, they push her to reconsider her life before Lakeview, and offer her an acceptance she's never had. But Vicky's newfound peace is as fragile as the roses that grow around the hospital. And when a crisis forces the group to split up, sending Vick back to the life that drove her to suicide, she must try to find her own courage and strength. She may not have them. She doesn't know.

Inspired in part by the author's own experience with depression, The Memory of Light is the rare young adult novel that focuses not on the events leading up to a suicide attempt, but the recovery from one — about living when life doesn't seem worth it, and how we go on anyway.

A Mysterious Egg (The Dino Files #1) by Stacey McAnulty. Illustrations by Mike Boldt.

Frank's grandma is a famous paleontologist (that's a dinosaur scientist). But she's also an adult who makes up rules. Rules like: no digging for dinosaur bones when you have a sunburn. That means Frank is stuck playing inside with his annoying cousin, Samantha. But then Grandma finds a fossil of an egg! And when Frank and Sam sneak into the dino lab late at night, they find something even more amazing. . . .

The hilarious Dino Files chapter book series follows a nine-year-old dinosaur expert, his paleontologist grandparents, a cat named Saurus, and fossils that might not be so extinct!

The Mystery of Hollow Places, by Rebecca Podos.

All Imogene Scott knows of her mother is the bedtime story her father told her as a child. It's the story of how her parents met: he, a forensic pathologist; she, a mysterious woman who came to identify a body. A woman who left Imogene and her father when she was a baby, a woman who was always possessed of a powerful loneliness, a woman who many referred to as "troubled waters."

Now Imogene is seventeen, and her father, a famous author of medical mysteries, has struck out in the middle of the night and hasn't come back. Neither Imogene's stepmother nor the police know where he could've gone, but Imogene is convinced he's looking for her mother. And she decides it's up to her to put to use the skills she's gleaned from a lifetime of reading her father's books to track down a woman she's only known in stories in order to find him and, perhaps, the answer to the question she's carried with her for her entire life.

Secrets of Valhalla, by Jasmine Richards.

Two friends awaken a world of myth and magic in this clever middle grade fantasy perfect for fans of Rick Riordan and Anne Ursu.

It's not every day that you find a famous weatherwoman bound by magic to a tree deep in the woods. Or discover that the weatherwoman is in fact Sunna, the Norse Goddess of the Sun, and one of the seven day guardians who keep time in order. But that's just what happens to new friends Buzz and Mary—and it's only the start of their adventure.

Now, as the people of Earth are forced to repeat the same Saturday over and over again, Buzz and Mary must journey to collect the Runes of Valhalla and awaken the other day guardians, before vengeful god Loki can get to them first.

The Siren, by Kiera Cass. (Audio only* narrated by Arielle DeLisle.)


Kahlen is a Siren, bound to serve the Ocean by luring humans to watery graves with her voice, which is deadly to any human who hears it. Akinli is human—a kind, handsome boy who's everything Kahlen ever dreamed of. Falling in love puts them both in danger . . . but Kahlen can't bear to stay away. Will she risk everything to follow her heart?

To Catch a Cheat (Jackson Greene #2) by Varian Johnson.

When a video frames Jackson Greene and his friends for a crime they didn't commit, Gang Greene battles the blackmailers in this sequel to the acclaimed The Great Greene Heist.

Jackson Greene is riding high. He is officially retired from conning, so Principal Kelsey is (mostly) off his back. His friends have great new projects of their own. And he's been hanging out a lot with Gaby de la Cruz, so he thinks maybe, just maybe, they'll soon have their first kiss. Then Jackson receives a link to a faked security video that seems to show him and the rest of Gang Greene flooding the school gym. The jerks behind the video threaten to pass it to the principal — unless Jackson steals an advance copy of the school's toughest exam. So Gang Greene reunites for their biggest job yet. To get the test and clear their names, they'll have to outrun the school's security cameras, outwit a nosy member of the Honor Board, and outmaneuver the blackmailers while setting a trap for them in turn. And as they execute another exciting caper full of twists and turns, they'll prove that sometimes it takes a thief to catch a cheat.

(All descriptions from OverDrive.) 

*And yes, I wish I could give you the print version of this e-book on the very same day as the e-audio; I want nothing more than to simultaneously provide you both experiences, especially when NCLS can afford them and I know they'll be hugely popular, but they're not always released on the same day. Keep checking back!

Monday, January 25, 2016

Where I Was: Week of January 18

It's still January, which means my regional travel schedule is not quite as hectic as it will be in, say, May. Still, there are always places to go and people to see.

Thursday I went north to the Reading Room Association of Gouverneur, where I met with the Battle of the Books committee, nine fearless youth services staff who organize and implement our library system's annual book trivia competition for middle school students. We meet a few times a year - a book selection meeting in the late summer, a midwinter meeting to check our progress*, and a post-event debrief.

I love these meetings. I love these meetings because I rarely get another chance to meet with youth services staff as even a small group; it's just so hard to schedule, and it's hard to justify asking a director who doubles as youth services staff** to find coverage to come to yet another meeting, especially in a service area as large as ours.

Yes, that big pink one up top. That's us.

On Friday evening, I traveled down to the Annie P. Ainsworth Memorial Library in Sandy Creek to chat about their completion paperwork for their recent construction grant project. (You remember me talking about construction grants, right?) In addition to other improvements to the basement level, the library's Lincoln Room, long used for storage, was given an overhaul to become a functional meeting space for small groups.

The newly renovated Lincoln Room.

Stay tuned for adventures in Belleville, coming soon!

*Progressing nicely, thank you.

**Important to note: In our system, there are few library staffers who are dedicated to youth services alone. Many of our directors pinch hit as youth services staff in addition to their myriad other duties, and my hat is off to these. 

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

New NCLS blog!

It's an exciting morning here at NCLS, and not just because Starbucks made my iced chai very strong today. (Although everything is more exciting when you are overcaffeinated.) No, the real news is that my distinguished colleague and fellow consultant Paulette Roes has started a library blog!

It's called Sustaining Our Libraries, which makes sense, since library funding and sustainability is now Paulette's main gig here at the North Country Library System. She's been at NCLS for several years in other capacities, but since becoming a consultant, she's been helping to guide our libraries through funding options, school ballot referendums (referenda? referendae? more caffeines!) and tax cap reports, among other things.*

I have learned so much from Paulette over the last few years and am really pleased that she'll be sharing her expertise online.

Especially so I can refer to it when I have a question and she's not at her desk. :)

*She is also in charge of our graphics department, is the general consultant for a third of our libraries, and stencils a mean canvas bag. 

Where I Was: Week of January 11

New year, new blog feature! Starting right now, I'm going to document the places I visit during a given week and explain where I am and what I'm doing there.* Just a little more insight into the libraries in our region, and a way for me to find a use for the camera function on my phone that isn't taking screen shots of the overnight lows for friends who live in warmer places...

Last Tuesday, I went to Depauville Free Library, to check out their recently renovated children's space. I'm not the consultant for Depauville Free Library, but I am the youth services consultant for all the libraries in our system and am often (I will not say always, I will never say that during the month of January) up for a trip to check out a children's space I haven't seen before.

The library was able to put on addition onto their building thanks to funds from State Aid for Library Construction (or as we informally call them, construction grants), and the finished product is a warm and inviting space for families.

Yes, that is a puppet theater. Yes, that is a bench shaped like a throne.

Dawn Vincent is the State Services Coordinator at NCLS, and as such, pretty much our resident goddess on all things related to construction grants. Here's what she has to say about why construction grants are so important to North Country libraries:

"Many of our libraries are small, rural libraries operating on small budgets, and without this funding they would not be able to address the needs of their buildings - many of which are over 50 years old.  One thing I like about it, too, is that it allows libraries to put in a small match rather than have to come up with a large amount of money. The program provides funding for libraries to address aging infrastructure, energy inefficient buildings, and the evolving ways people use libraries."

The New York Library Association is working to convince the state to increase construction grant funding this year. For more information, or to contact your local officials with a handy pre-drafted letter, visit NYLA's advocacy page.

  *Of course, January is an interesting time to start this series, since we never know what those lake effects bands are going to do, but still. We do what we can with the tires we have.

New children's and YA e-books added to NCLS!

The Big Dark, by Rodman Philbrick. (Also available in audio, narrated by Michael Crouch.)

What would you do if every spark of electricity suddenly vanished, as if somebody had flipped a switch on the entire planet? Cars won't start, the heat shuts off, there's no water in your faucet, and your radio, TV, and flashlight go dark. Everyone in Charlie's small town is baffled. But as time passes, lawlessness erupts and takes an ugly turn. When the market and pharmacy are torched by an anti-Semitic arsonist, Charlie realizes his mother will die without her medicine. So he dons skis and heads off alone, seeking the nearest hospital. After traveling 50 miles through brutal ice and snow, Charlie encounters a burned-out, looted city of terrified citizens. Will he be able to save his mom? Heroic, eloquent, and unforgettable, The Big Dark raises timely questions about responsibility, tolerance, and love.

The Cat Who Came in Off the Roof, by Annie M.G. Schmidt. (Also available in audio, narrated by Katherine Kellgren.)

An act of kindness brings shy reporter Mr. Tibble into contact with the unusual Miss Minou. Tibble is close to losing his job because he only writes stories about cats. Fortunately, Minou provides him with real news. She gets the juicy inside information from her local feline friends, who are the eyes and ears of the neighborhood. Tibble is appreciative, but he wonders how she does it. He has noticed that Minou is terrified of dogs and can climb trees and rooftops with elegance and ease. . . . It's almost as if she's a cat herself. But how can that be?

The Heir and the Spare, by Emily Albright.

Going all the way to England for college—to Oxford, no less—for college would be exciting enough. But no sooner does Evie set foot on English soil than she falls for a boy who turns out to be a real prince—in fact, second in line to the throne of England. Edmund is wonderful, even though loving him can be a royal pain, from the demands of his family to the stuck-up aristocrat who thinks she should be the one to win Edmund's heart. All that is swept aside, however, when the riddle of Evie's past surfaces, and the new couple becomes obsessed with figuring out who the real Evie is, with the growing suspicion that the truth will be a shocker.

Sword and Verse, by Kathy MacMillan.

In a sweeping fantasy that award-winning author Franny Billingsley called "fascinating and unique," debut author Kathy MacMillan weaves palace intrigue and epic world building to craft a tale for fans of Rae Carson and Megan Whalen Turner.

Raisa was just a child when she was sold into slavery in the kingdom of Qilara. Before she was taken away, her father had been adamant that she learn to read and write. But where she now lives, literacy is a capital offense for all but the nobility. The written language is closely protected, and only the King, Prince, Tutor, and Tutor-in-training are allowed to learn its very highest form. So when she is plucked from her menial labor and selected to replace the last Tutor-in-training, who was executed, Raisa knows that betraying any hint of her past could mean death.

Keeping her secret guarded is hard enough, but the romance that's been blossoming between her and Prince Mati isn't helping matters. Then Raisa is approached by the Resistance—an underground rebel army—to help liberate the city's slaves. She wants to free her people, but that would mean aiding a war against Mati. As Raisa struggles with what to do, she discovers a secret that the Qilarites have been hiding for centuries—one that, if uncovered, could bring the kingdom to its knees.

Up to This Pointe, by Jennifer Longo.

Harper Scott is a dancer. She and her best friend, Kate, have one goal: becoming professional ballerinas. And Harper won't let anything--or anyone--get in the way of The Plan, not even the boy she and Kate are both drawn to.

Harper is a Scott. She's related to Robert Falcon Scott, the explorer who died racing Amundsen and Shackleton to the South Pole. Amundsen won because he had a plan, and Harper has always followed his model. So when Harper's life takes an unexpected turn, she finagles (read: lies) her way to the icy dark of McMurdo Station . . . in Antarctica. Extreme, but somehow fitting--apparently she has always been in the dark, dancing on ice this whole time. And no one warned her. Not her family, not her best friend, not even the boy who has somehow found a way into her heart. It will take a visit from Shackleton's ghost--the explorer who didn't make it to the South Pole, but who got all of his men out alive--to teach Harper that success isn't always what's important, sometimes it's more important to learn how to fail successfully.

We Are the Ants, by Shaun David Hutchinson.

Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button.

Only he isn't sure he wants to.

After all, life hasn't been great for Henry. His mom is a struggling waitress held together by a thin layer of cigarette smoke. His brother is a jobless dropout who just knocked someone up. His grandmother is slowly losing herself to Alzheimer's. And Henry is still dealing with the grief of his boyfriend's suicide last year.

Wiping the slate clean sounds like a pretty good choice to him.

But Henry is a scientist first, and facing the question thoroughly and logically, he begins to look for pros and cons: in the bully who is his perpetual one-night stand, in the best friend who betrayed him, in the brilliant and mysterious boy who walked into the wrong class. Weighing the pain and the joy that surrounds him, Henry is left with the ultimate choice: push the button and save the planet and everyone on it...or let the world—and his pain—be destroyed forever.

(All descriptions from OverDrive.)

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

New children's and YA e-books added to NCLS!

The Extra Yard (Home Team #2), by Mike Lupica.

Teddy, a young football player, learns that sometimes bridging the distance in your family can be harder than stretching for an extra yard on the field in the second book of the Home Team series from New York Times bestselling author and sportswriting legend Mike Lupica.

Last spring Teddy's life changed for the better. He started working out, shaping up, and even earned a spot on the Walton baseball team, and with the team he went all the way to the Little League World Series. But the best things to come out of that season were his friendships with Jack, Cassie, and Gus, and the confidence to finally try out for the sport he really loves—football. So when eighth grade begins, Teddy couldn't be more psyched.
Until his mom drops a bomb: his father—who left them a long time ago—is back in Walton and back in their lives. And Teddy isn't happy about it. As a former star football player at the school, Teddy's dad is thrilled to find out his son is going out for the team, but Teddy begins to wonder if his father only cares about him now because he's putting on the helmet. Can Teddy find a way to go the extra yard for the team and for himself, or is the distance between him and his father too much to overcome?

Here Comes Valentine Cat, by Deborah Underwood. Illustrated by Claudia Rueda.

Cat does NOT like Valentine's Day. It's much too mushy, and no way is he making anyone a valentine - especially not his new neighbor, Dog. Dog refuses to respect the fence: He keeps tossing over old bones and hitting Cat in the head! But just as Cat's about to send Dog an angry "valentine" telling him exactly what he can do with his bones, Dog throws a ball over the fence. What is Dog playing at? Cat is in for a hilarious—and heartwarming—surprise in this story about being perhaps too quick to judge.

Once Upon a Kiss, by Robin Palmer.

 It's 1986 and sixteen-year-old Zoe Brenner's world revolves around Depeche Mode, Judd Nelson, exercise-obsessed parents, and her best friend Jonah. Then one day, in a freak Fun-Dip choking accident, Zoe falls unconscious, and awakes in the year 2016. So much has changed, and Zoe needs Jonah to help her make sense of it all.

But in this life, Zoe is the most popular girl in school, and she soon realizes this Zoe doesn't associate with nerds like Jonah. As Zoe juggles new technology, attempts to hide her enthusiasm for poet blouses, and manages to keep her super jock boyfriend at bay, she tries to rekindle her friendship with Jonah and use her popularity for a good cause. Will she ever get back to 1986? And more importantly, does she want to?

The Terrible Two Get Worse, by Mac Barnett and Jory John.

On their own, pranksters Miles and Niles were pretty devious. Now that they've formed a pranking duo, they're terrible! But their powers will be tested when their favorite nemesis, Principal Barkin, is replaced by his stern and cunning father, Former Principal Barkin. Now Miles and Niles will do just about anything to get their old antagonist back—including pranking alongside him.

Authors and friends Mac Barnett and Jory John "are in perfect comic harmony" (Publishers Weekly) in this series that celebrates inventiveness, friendship, and the power of teamwork—for good, or for terrible.

Thicker Than Water, by Kelly Fiore.

Perfect for fans of Ellen Hopkins—a heartbreaking tale of family tragedy and drug addiction where sometimes the best intentions lead to the worst possible outcomes.

Cecelia Price killed her brother. At least, that's what the police and the district attorney are saying. Although CeCe is now locked up and forced into treatment, she knows the story is much more complicated. Cyrus wasn't always a drug-addled monster. He used to be a successful athlete, but when an injury forced Cyrus off the soccer field and onto pain medication, his life became a blur of anger, addiction, and violence.

All CeCe could do was stand by and watch, until she realized an effective way to take away her brother's drugs while earning the money she needed for college: selling the pills. Only she never expected what happened next.

Underwater: A Novel, by Marisa Reichardt.

Morgan didn't mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive-first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then, herself. But Morgan can't move on. She can't even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she's underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school. When it seems Morgan can't hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside. Underwater is a powerful, hopeful debut novel about redemption, recovery, and finding the strength it takes to face your past and move on.

(All descriptions from OverDrive.)

Thursday, January 7, 2016

Book Club in a Bag

Are you part of a book club? Looking to start one? Let the North Country Library System provide you with everything your book club needs for your next discussion!

NCLS now loans books exclusively for local book clubs to use for their discussions. Books are checked out in a sturdy canvas bag containing 12 paperback copies of each title and a printed list of discussion questions. (We do not provide tea, wine, or chocolate. You’re on your own there.)

We'll do the books, you do the snacks.

Book-Club-In-A-Bag kits can be checked out to NCLS patrons for six weeks, and they can be picked up and returned at any NCLS member library. Just keyword search our catalog for "book club in a bag" and place your hold just as you would a single title.

We've started the program with ten titles, but we'll be adding to our collection throughout the year. Contact me with questions or recommendations for future titles!

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

New children's and YA e-books added to NCLS!

Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics, by Chris Grabenstein. (Also available in audio, narrated by Jesse Bernstein.)

Welcome, boys and girls, readers of all ages, to the first-ever Library Olympiad! Kyle and his teammates are back, and the world-famous game maker, Luigi Lemoncello, is at it again!

This time Mr. Lemoncello has invited teams from all across America to compete in the first ever LIBRARY OLYMPICS. Will it be fun? Like the commercials say. . . HELLO? It's a Lemoncello! But something suspicious is going on . . . books are missing from Mr. Lemoncello's library. Is someone trying to CENSOR what the kids are reading?! In between figuring out mind-boggling challenges, the kids will have to band together to get to the bottom of this mystery.

Now it's not just a game--can Mr. Lemoncello find the real defenders of books and champions of libraries? Packed with puzzles, clues, and thrilling surprises, this is a deliciously fun, action-packed sequel to the New York Times bestselling Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. Let the games begin!

My Name is Not Friday, by Jon Walter.

Well-mannered Samuel and his mischievous younger brother Joshua are free black boys living in an orphanage during the end of the Civil War. Samuel takes the blame for Joshua's latest prank, and the consequence is worse than he could ever imagine. He's taken from the orphanage to the South, given a new name — Friday — and sold into slavery. What follows is a heartbreaking but hopeful account of Samuel's journey from freedom, to captivity, and back again.

The Skeleton Tree, by Iain Lawrence.

Less than forty-eight hours after twelve-year-old Chris sets off on a sailing trip down the Alaskan coast with his uncle, their boat sinks. The only survivors are Chris and a boy named Frank, who hates Chris immediately. Chris and Frank have no radio, no flares, no food. Suddenly, they've got to forage, fish, and scavenge the shore for supplies. Chris likes the company of a curious, friendly raven more than he likes the prickly Frank. But the boys have to get along if they want to survive.

Because as the days get colder and the salmon migration ends, survival will take more than sheer force of will. Eventually, in the wilderness of Alaska, the boys discover an improbable bond--and the compassion that might truly be the path to rescue.   

Steel Scars (Red Queen Novella #2) by Victoria Aveyard.

In this digital prequel novella set in the Red Queen world, Captain Farley exchanges coded transmissions with the resistance as she travels the land recruiting black market traders, smugglers, and extremists for her first attempt at an attack on the capital. She was raised to be strong, but planting the seeds of rebellion in Norta is a tougher job than expected—until she stumbles upon a connection that may prove to be the key to the entire operation: Mare Barrow.

Truthwitch, by Susan Dennard.

On a continent ruled by three empires, everyone is born with a "witchery," a magical skill that sets them apart from others. Now, as the Twenty Year Truce in a centuries long war is about to end, the balance of power-and the failing health of all magic-will fall on the shoulders of a mythical pair called the Cahr Awen.

The biggest thing on Safi and Noelle's minds is saving money for their planned future in the Hundred Isles. Noelle, a Threadwitch, can see the emotional Threads binding the world. Safi, on the other hand, is a Truthwitch-she always knows when a person is telling a lie. A powerful magic like that is something people would kill to have on their side-or to keep off their enemy's side-and so Safi cannot even admit what she truly is.

With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and privateer) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must rise above their doubts and fight to learn who they are and what they are made of, if they are going to stay alive and preserve the balance of their world.

(All descriptions from OverDrive.)