New Books

I received a list of 21 fiction and non-fiction YA books from the Middle Level Conference. I have read a few books off of the list and I have not been disappointed. I thought I would put them in this blog to share them with my friends and families. The first three are the ones I have read. I have another two sitting by my bed. I put beside them if they are fiction and non-fiction. It is because of this list that I ended up reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik. Awesome book.

1. Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin - Fabulous book! Will be reading this with my students to help them have a better grasp on what it was like for people during Stalin's reign.
2. Under the Mesquite by Guadelupe Garcia McCall - The book was written in prose and I found it an emotional read. It is semi-autobiographical.
3. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys - All I can say is WOW! This is a part of history that I sadly must say I did not know much about. That will be changing. So powerful.
4. Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos (semi autobiographical) Excited because I really like his other books.
5. Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (semi-autobiographical)
6. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (so excited to read this because I loved her other books.) (fiction)
7. Wonderstruck by Brian Selznik (fiction)
8. The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen (fiction) -this won an award for fiction that moves forward the cause for special needs teens
9. Soldier Bear by Bibi Duman Tak - Fiction, Based on a true story from WWII
10. Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck by Margarita Engle (Nonfiction in verse) She is from Cuba and all of her books are about Cuba's history
11. Heart & Soul: The Story of American and African Americans by Kadir Nelson (Non Fiction with beautiful paintings also done by the author)
12. Guyku: A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Raczka (So excited for this picture book. The pictures are adorable the the Haikus are hilarious)
13. Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Pupeteer of Macy's Parade by Melissa Sweet (Non Fiction Picture Book)
14. Black & White: The Confrontation between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene 'Bull' Connor by Lary Dane Brimmmer Excited to read this and his other "Birmingham Sunday"
15. Drawing From memory by Allen Say (Memoir/auto biographical) Picture Book
16. The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Advendture, Heroism & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin (Non Fiction written in the style of a Fiction book) The woman who recommended this book says that she and her husband couldn't put it down.
17. Energy Island: How One Community Harnessed the Wind and Changed their World by Allan Drummond (Non - Fiction Picture book)
18. Fatty Legs: A True Story by Christy Jordan-Fenton & Margaret Polikiak Fenton (Non Fiction story about Margaret Pokiak-Fenton's experience in a church run school in Aklavik, Canada)
19. Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science by Marc Aronson & Marina Budhos (Non Fiction)
20. Wheels of Change: How Women rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way) by Sue Macy (Non Fiction) SO EXCITED!
21. Ubiquitous by Joyce Sidman (Non Fiction, picture book of poems about nature, organisms, plants and animals) Perfect book for boys.

The majority of these books are at the local public library so I will be able to borrow them. The others I will track down eventually. Since the first three books I have read and the two books I have read by authors mentioned here have been awesome I am excited to make my way through this list. I will let you know how Scorpio Races goes. :) Happy Reading!