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[CCBC-Net] Favorites of the Year
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From: Nancy Silverrod <nsilverrod>
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:49:44 -0800
I read so many books that I can't remember them all, but here are some recent ones I've liked a lot:
Picture Book:
The Only Boy in Ballet Class by Denise Gruska. Tucker loves to dance, and doesn't mind being the only boy in ballet class: after all, it guarantees a good role in recitals. However, he does mind being harassed by the other boys at school, and by his Uncle Frank who keeps insisting that he should go out for football. During a championship football game, the team is short one person, and rather than forfeit the game, the other boys recruit Tucker, who proves that ballet can come in handy on the football field.
For Teens:
Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion and Betrayal by Mal Peet. This is both a mystery featuring a young woman and her beloved grandfather who has committed suicide in England in 1995; and a powerful holocaust story featuring three members of the resistance during WWII in the Netherlands: two men, and the woman they both loved.
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger. Angela Katz-McNair has decided to change gender, and this well-written and sensitive book explores the issues she faces at home, among friends, and at school, as she starts dressing, and living her life as Grady.
Grl2Grl by Julie Anne Peters is a good collection of short stories focusing on the teen lesbian and FTM experience, a welcome addition to LGBT literature for teens since most of the more recent books have featured male protagonists.
And along the same lines, is another LGBT title featuring a male protagonist that does deserve special mention: The God Box by Alex Sanchez. Within the context of a high school bible club, the religious objections to homosexuality are explored as a new (gay) teen wants to join the club. Able to quote chapter and verse as quickly and aptly as anyone else, Manuel intelligently challenges club members' interpretations of the bible, as well as the idea that being gay and being religious are antithetical.
For older teens, I especially liked:
The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani, about a fourteen year old girl in 17th century Iran who faces poverty and servitude along with her mother after her father dies. The story of how she escapes poverty as a carpet designer, and gains dignity for herself and a small group of other women is fascinating.
Nancy Silverrod, Librarian
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin St.
San Francisco, CA 94102-4733
415-557-4417
nsilverrod at sfpl.org
Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind. -James Russell Lowell, poet, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891)
A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese Proverb
Received on Tue 11 Dec 2007 12:49:44 PM CST
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2007 10:49:44 -0800
I read so many books that I can't remember them all, but here are some recent ones I've liked a lot:
Picture Book:
The Only Boy in Ballet Class by Denise Gruska. Tucker loves to dance, and doesn't mind being the only boy in ballet class: after all, it guarantees a good role in recitals. However, he does mind being harassed by the other boys at school, and by his Uncle Frank who keeps insisting that he should go out for football. During a championship football game, the team is short one person, and rather than forfeit the game, the other boys recruit Tucker, who proves that ballet can come in handy on the football field.
For Teens:
Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion and Betrayal by Mal Peet. This is both a mystery featuring a young woman and her beloved grandfather who has committed suicide in England in 1995; and a powerful holocaust story featuring three members of the resistance during WWII in the Netherlands: two men, and the woman they both loved.
Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger. Angela Katz-McNair has decided to change gender, and this well-written and sensitive book explores the issues she faces at home, among friends, and at school, as she starts dressing, and living her life as Grady.
Grl2Grl by Julie Anne Peters is a good collection of short stories focusing on the teen lesbian and FTM experience, a welcome addition to LGBT literature for teens since most of the more recent books have featured male protagonists.
And along the same lines, is another LGBT title featuring a male protagonist that does deserve special mention: The God Box by Alex Sanchez. Within the context of a high school bible club, the religious objections to homosexuality are explored as a new (gay) teen wants to join the club. Able to quote chapter and verse as quickly and aptly as anyone else, Manuel intelligently challenges club members' interpretations of the bible, as well as the idea that being gay and being religious are antithetical.
For older teens, I especially liked:
The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani, about a fourteen year old girl in 17th century Iran who faces poverty and servitude along with her mother after her father dies. The story of how she escapes poverty as a carpet designer, and gains dignity for herself and a small group of other women is fascinating.
Nancy Silverrod, Librarian
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin St.
San Francisco, CA 94102-4733
415-557-4417
nsilverrod at sfpl.org
Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind. -James Russell Lowell, poet, editor, and diplomat (1819-1891)
A closed mind is like a closed book: just a block of wood. -Chinese Proverb
Received on Tue 11 Dec 2007 12:49:44 PM CST
