Hull Metal Girls by Emily Skrutskie follows the stories of two young people that have entered the governments elite fighting force. One joined because she saw it as the last hope for saving her family. The other does not know why she is there. Her memories have lots of holes. When a person joins the elite force, they give up their individualism as their bodies are melded together with a computerized exoskeleton. Not everyone survives the melding process, but those who do relinquish their ability to act independently from the others. This creates a very interesting story line as our protagonists begin to question whether the government truly has what is best for the people as their priority.
Well, summer is ending and school is back in session. That means our schedules start to shift to a new routine. It means less time outside, less time racing from activity to activity, and more time reading. It also means more time to write about books. So, here's the latest book that I have been reading.
Hull Metal Girls by Emily Skrutskie follows the stories of two young people that have entered the governments elite fighting force. One joined because she saw it as the last hope for saving her family. The other does not know why she is there. Her memories have lots of holes. When a person joins the elite force, they give up their individualism as their bodies are melded together with a computerized exoskeleton. Not everyone survives the melding process, but those who do relinquish their ability to act independently from the others. This creates a very interesting story line as our protagonists begin to question whether the government truly has what is best for the people as their priority.
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It has been a while since I have written. We are off and running with a very busy summer schedule and my regular time for writing has been more interrupted than not. But, I'm here to tell you that we have lots of new books on the shelf. Today, I want to tell you about a couple of books that are retellings of familiar stories, and one book that tells another story of history.
First, a retelling. You can guess what story comes with a title StepSister. StepSister by Jennifer Donnelly is a Cinderella story. But, it does not focus on the beautiful Cinderella. It focuses on the stepsister that would do anything to win the prince, including cutting off her toes so that her feet would fit into the glass slipper. Maybe this is a story of what a young person might be willing to do to be seen as more lovable, more beautiful, more worthy. Maybe it's also a story about learning to love yourself for who you are. One more retelling is Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell. This story may be less recognizable than Cinderella, but it is still timeless. This is the retelling of Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. It is the story of how three separate lives come together, and revolution takes place. Set in a world where the elite control and the poor are starving in the streets, it is a tale of rebellion, spying, control, secrets, and the power of choices. Now, a bit of history. There seems to be a whole new collection of books highlighting wars being published. These books are more than just a recounting of the battles and the generals. These books introduce the unsung heroes. Secret Soldiers: How the U.S. Twenty-Third Special Troops Fooled the Nazis is written by Paul B. Janeczko. The special troops were known as the Ghost Army. These weren't soldiers in the normal sense of the word. They were actors, camouflage experts, and set designers. Their job was to make the Nazis believe what they were being told concerning the Allied troops. That meant staging scenes with inflatable tanks and sound effects. That meant playing a dangerous game of make believe. This one will give you a whole new perspective of war. This is a busy time of year at the library as we get ready for summer activities. This year we are working with the theme, "A Universe of Stories." This theme offers us lots of options for activities and programs. It also offers us lots of options for exciting books. One of the new books in the Young Adult section is Infinite Wonder: An Astronaut's Photographs from a Year in Space by Scott Kelly. This is one of those books that you expect to see sitting on a coffee table just waiting for someone to pick it up and spend hours enjoying looking at it. Even the cover sends the message - pick me up and look at me. The book is divided into sections. The first follows the day-to-day life as astronauts prepare and then spend months in space. The second section is full of beautiful pictures of earth from space, and the third section views the earth from space as art. As we continue to plan for summer fun, you can expect other new books to be hitting the shelves. Each year we promote a program called Audiobook SYNC. This is an amazing opportunity to own audio books for free. Audiobook SYNC offers two books per week over the course of the summer that you can download and keep. The books relate to each other by theme and usually include a popular YA book and a classic. Just to give you a taste of what you can download, these are the books being offered in the first four weeks. You can sign up for email or text alerts and be first to know when new titles are available to download at www.audiobooksync.com.
We have the opportunity this year to participate in the local YMCA Healthy Kids Day. When I start to think about books to display for healthy kids, my mind immediately goes to diet, and exercise. But, there is so much more to being healthy. Healthy living includes developing interests and learning how to do things for enjoyment and relaxation. Healthy living includes learning how to manage your time and money and being able to apply that knowledge to your future interests. So, when I started to pick out books to display, I included some healthy eating and exercise, but I also included craft books and books about other young people who are making a difference in their communities.
One book that celebrates teens is Teens Who Make a Difference in Rural Communities: Youth Outreach Organizations and Community Action by Jean Ford. This book highlights teens who are choosing to work in their own communities to make a difference. They are an inspiration and an encouragement when we are always bombarded with negative news. Another inspiring book is Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back from the Dead by Brian Boyle. This young man should have died when he was hit by a semi. His insides were completely moved out of their normal position. But, he survived and he came back to run an Iron Man competition. A great book about how a choice to succeed can make a difference. These are just a couple of books among many that feature young people who are touching the lives around them and the communities that they live in. I recently started reading a series because I wanted to know what a series contained before my 13 year old read it. Well, I didn't expect that the book would be keeping up at night, but it is. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas has taken me to a world where magic has been destroyed and portals to other worlds are sealed shut, unless you know the key. The King is hungry for power to rule the world and a young girl must fight for her life as she competes to serve as his assassin. But, there are so many plot turns as lost heritage and lost magic are revealed and restored. I highly recommend this series for readers of adventure, romance, and fantasy.
Another book that is new on the shelf also promises a world of fantasy and discovery. Everless is the palatial estate of the Gerlings. The Gerlings were driven away from the estate and they are trying to regain time and position. Alchemy and sorcery have caused time to be controlled by the rich, while the commoners suffer. But one young girl may hold the key to release time back to the people. Everless is written by Sara Holland. Over the years that I have been reading Young Adult literature, I see different themes come and go. I have seen a period of time where vampires and werewolves were the main characters. I have seen young people take the lead in causing revolution. I have seen worlds where day-to-day survival was the goal. I have also seen stories of history that need to be remembered. That's the topic that I see coming up in new books right now.
Two books that tell the story of history are The War Outside by Monica Hesse and Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill. Both of these books tell the stories of young people who lived through the internment camps in America during WWII. It's hard to understand how fear could cause you to turn on your friends, but just as fear ruled Germany, fear took hold in America. The Japanese living in America in the 1940s may have been just as American as their neighbor, but when fear takes hold, rational thinking does not always win. The War Outside by Monica Hesse follows the story of two young girls who befriend each other in an internment camp. Their lives are totally different, but they have a common need for love, understanding, and stability. Within These Lines by Stephanie Morrill deals with interracial relationships as well as the fear of Japanese-Americans after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 1941 does not seem that long ago, but when you think about relationships and attitudes, our country is not the same place. But, history has a way of repeating itself. The third book that I want to mention is not based on history, but it could be. It tells the story of what can happen if we let fear control us. Internment by Samira Ahmed is set in the future. It speculates about a world where a group is moved into encampments just because of who they are. It seems like a far-fetched story line, but we know that it can happen, because history can repeat itself. March is Women's History Month, so I thought I would kick off the month by highlighting some of our books about women.
The first book on my list takes an interesting approach because it is in graphic novel form. The book Brazen by Penelope Bagieu tells the stories of dozens of women through the use of pictures. These are the stories of strong women who changed their worlds. This book is full of stories of interesting women. An example is the story of Annette Kellerman who suffered from Polio as a child and was encouraged to learn to swim. Her accomplishments with swimming changed the design of swimming suits and liberated women and society's ideas of public dress, athletics, and the movies. The second book is A World of Her Own by Michael Elsohn Ross. This book follows the lives of Women Explorers and Adventurers. We often hear about the explorations of Lewis and Clark and other famous men, but this book highlights 24 women who are famous for their own adventures. From climbing mountains to exploring the world's waters this will give you lots of interesting stories. Finally, Rad Girls Can by Kate Schatz and Miriam Klein Stahl. These are stories of girls born in the 80's and 90's and 2000's. These are stories of young girls standing up for what they believe in and making a change and affecting the world that they live in. These are stories that are meant to inspire and encourage other young women to be brave and accomplish great things. Over the years I have read a lot of YA books. There have been times when the genres and the story lines have started to build around the same themes and you start to wonder when will there be something new and fresh. There have also been times when I've read a book and then a few years later a similar story line will appear and I am reminded of the first book and I anticipate that the new book will be fun to read. That's where I am with the books I will mention today.
How to Ruin a Summer Vacation by Simone Elkeles has been on the shelf for ten years. I enjoyed it when I first read it, and I still think about the story and the lessons learned about family. Well, zoom forward to today, and there's a new twist on an old story with My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn. Elle's father, who has never been a part of her life, whisks her away from her American life to live in Tokyo with him. What she doesn't know about her father is that he is a part of the elite. He is a Japanese hotel mogul and she is being submersed in the culture of the Tokyo rich. What will this teach her about herself and about her family? This book leaves lots of room for life lessons. Sometimes life is not easy. We all have things that have shaped who we are, and it's not always the fun things that stand out. Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak tells the story of five brothers and how life and loss have shaped them. The book tells the story of Clay as written by his older brother; but it is really two stories in one, as we read the history of Michael and Penelope Dunbar and how love and death and survival touched the lives of their five sons. As the father deals with loss in his way, the sons are left to deal with the loss of both the living and the dead. Can healing be found and bridges be built that can fill the sense of loss? This book has sophisticated writing and will touch the emotions as estranged relationships are repaired. |
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AuthorHi! I'm Sonya, the Young Adult Librarian at Algona Public Library. I'll be sharing about YA books - old and new. Archives
June 2022
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