Paper Towns by John Green

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

From the #1 bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars

Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery
New York Times bestseller
USA Today bestseller
Publishers Weekly bestseller

   When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night—dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows her. Margo’s always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she’s always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they’re for Q.

Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.

My thoughts:
After reading The Fault in Our Stars I wondered if I would enjoy other books by Green or if he would turn out to be formulaic.  I have to say that I enjoyed this one and it does not follow any formula.  This is a whole new cast of high school students with their cliques and standing in the social order.  While Fault's protagonists spent very little time in school due to their illnesses, these students spend a lot of time in school, around school and with people from school.  Everyone has their place in the hierarchy and Margo is the head of it all, so when she disappears one day, as she has done many times before, the high school kingdom is a bit bereft.  Why would she leave just a few weeks from graduation and before the prom?  Will she be back in time to walk with her classmates?  Is she coming back?

Margo has left Quentin, her one time childhood friend and next door neighbor, both his memory of the night they spent completing numbered pranks and a few clues.  Q feels he needs to follow them to find her, that she left them for him because she wants him to come to her rescue, but his friends and parents are a bit skeptical.  At one point in the story four of the character, three boys and one girl, go on a road trip to follow a clue.  I found the trip to be hilarious.  Perhaps I was just in the right mood for it, but I couldn't stop laughing about the antics.  The trip was broken down by hours and between  what they were wearing when they started the trip, the boy who had to pee every five minutes, the math calculations they made to get there by the dead line and the choreographed gas station stops it was like a well played out comedy act!

Among other funny random things from the book, one of the characters parents own one of the largest collections of Black Santas in the country and they keep them displayed year round.  Also, Margo has a penchant for random capitalization because she feels bad for the words in the middle of sentences.  The book made high school life come to life, but made the characters less than perfect to show the flaws we all have, but how some people ignore them and some people are crippled by them.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780142414934
• Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
• Publication date: 9/22/2009
• Edition description: Reprint
• Pages: 320

Meet the Author

John Green is the award-winning, #1 bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson (with David Levithan), and The Fault in Our Stars. His many accolades include the Printz Medal, a Printz Honor, and the Edgar Award. He has twice been a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize. John was selected by TIME magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. With his brother, Hank, John is one half of the Vlogbrothers (youtube.com/vlogbrothers), one of the most popular online video projects in the world. You can join the millions who follow John on Twitter (@realjohngreen) and tumblr (fishingboatproceeds.tumblr.com) or visit him online at johngreenbooks.com.

The Artful Alphabet by Martina Jirankova-Linbrick

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Sure to charm children and collectors alike, this artful alphabet book promises a new discovery each time one opens its whimsy-filled pages.

 

"A" is for the amazing abundance of art in this addictive alphabet book! Fine artist Martina Jirankova-Limbrick fills each page with a playful profusion of objects, characters, shapes, and scenes, each one standing for, starting with, or formed by a featured letter (don’t miss the swarm of "b"s flying by a hot-air balloon). An appealing, harlequin-like girl and an acrobatic dog lead a lighthearted journey from A to Z, while a final spread lists words to be found in the artwork, luring readers to return on a search for more hidden surprises.

 

Illustrations representing each letter of the alphabet reveal a variety of objects for the reader to identify.

 

My thoughts:

Another library find, this was a fun book to read and look for all the labeled items for each letter of the alphabet.  Sometimes the letter was the actual item, being drawn into it or sometimes it was and illustration with tiny lettering, but there were so many things to see and find on each page.  I love setting my children free at the library to pick out their own items, as they pick up things I might have overlooked or missed.  Every time we go we discover some new gems!

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780763621872
• Publisher: Candlewick Press
• Publication date: 10/28/2003
• Pages: 72

Meet the Author

Martina Jirankova-Limbrick was born in the Czech Republic and emigrated to England to study illustration in 1997. She says that her artwork, which has appeared in many exhibitions, galleries, and magazines, is inspired by poetry as well as traditional and modern fairy tales. Of THE ARTFUL ALPHABET, her first children’s book, she says, "I imagined a magic hat discovered by a little girl and her dog, from which letters of the alphabet emerged to create scenes of words. I wanted to be as playful as possible, to show letters not only as flat shapes but as characters."

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. One of the local teens - just a couple of years older than Rose and Windy - is caught up in something bad... Something life threatening.

It's a summer of secrets, and sorrow, and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.

This One Summer is a tremendously exciting new teen graphic novel from two creators with true literary clout. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim, have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of childhood - a story of renewal and revelation.

My thoughts:
This was a nice change of pace, a graphic novel about two girls who are growing up, but are still kids. They like to swim and play on the beach, but try to show how fearless they are by renting horror movies from the corner store.  While there they overhear the gossip and worries the older teens are going through and make up their own story about what is really happening with the group of locals at Awago Beach.  Sometimes kids don't have all the pieces of the story, either at home or out in public, and to see what they come up with in place of the facts is interesting and compelling.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9781596437746
• Publisher: First Second
• Publication date: 5/6/2014
• Pages: 320

Meet the Author

Mariko Tamaki is a Canadian writer and performer. In addition to her celebrated graphic novel Skim, co-created with Jillian Tamaki, she has also published several works of prose fiction and nonfiction, including the young adult novel (You) Set Me on Fire. Mariko's short film Happy 16th birthday Kevin premiered at the Inside Out Festival in Toronto in May 2013. Her most recent graphic novel is This One Summer, with Jillian Tamaki.

Jillian Tamaki is a Canadian illustrator and comics artist living in Brooklyn, New York. She is the creator of two books of personal works (including Skim, with Mariko Tamaki), and the ongoing webcomic, Super Mutant Magic Academy. Her most recent graphic novel is This One Summer, with Mariko Tamaki.

Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

A brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide.
After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

 

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

 

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.

Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

 

Winner of the 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller

 

My thoughts:

I wasn't sure if I wanted to read another book by J.K. Rowling under the pen name Robert Galbratih because I really did not care for The Casual Vacancy.  When I read it I didn't find any characters to be the least bit likeable or redeemable, but I am happy to say that this time around I enjoyed the book much more.

 

I enjoyed the mystery and the behind the scenes distractions for Cormoran, living in his office because he broke up with his girlfriend, having a temporary secretary who is excellent, but that he is unsure he will be able to pay or keep on, a cast of witnesses and family that alternate between helpful and obstructive and doubts about the past and the future and what really happened.  It all comes together, slowly and surely to reveal the truth about the night that a famous and troubled model fell to her death from the balcony at her home.  This is one of my favorite kinds of mysteries, with clues and ideas that lead towards the big reveal, but that also sidetrack into other revealings of their own.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780316206853
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
• Publication date: 4/29/2014
• Series: Cormoran Strike Series , #1
• Pages: 464

Leo Geo and His Miraculous Journey Through the Center of the Earth by Jon Chad

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

An intrepid explorer climbs down, down, down the page as he voyages through the center of the earth in this unusually inventive comic adventure.

 

Intrepid explorer Leo Geo is heading off on a mission into the unknown. With science as his sidekick, he intends to tunnel his way to the center of the earth. Of course, things never turn out quite the way you expect when you're burrowing your way through the earth's layers. Before long, Leo is forced to leave his tunneling machine behind, and  he climbs, crawls, and falls to his destination while dodging giant centipedes, man-eating quadclops, and an evil army of subterranean malvisors bent on invading the surface. Kids will be drawn in by the unusual format of this inventive comic, following Leo as he climbs deeper  and deeper into a very long and skinny book—and they may just learn a few things about geology as they go.

My thoughts:
One of our library finds from last week.  This black and white cartoon book is read on it's side as you follow Leo on his journey to and through the center of the earth.  The long, skinny pages follow him as he goes through the layers of the earth.  Part of the book is factual about the layers and the temperatures and how deep they are, parts of it are a fantasy of evil armies and giants and going through a digestive system of a giant (yuck!).  I think this could be a good introduction to geology and the earth's layers, while still being fun and engaging.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9781596436619
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Publication date: 3/13/2012
• Pages: 36

Treehouses of the World by Pete Nelson

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

Treehouses have become a worldwide phenomenon, enjoyed by “kids” young and old. In Treehouses of the World, Pete Nelson presents the latest technology on designing and construction environmentally respectful treehouses while at the same time taking the reader on a fascinating around-the-world journey to discover how treehouses are designed, built, and enjoyed all over the globe. 

More than thirty-five treehouses are shown in beautiful color photography— from locations in China, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Italy, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom, France, and beyond—all photographed specifically for this book. Also unique to this volume is a section that looks at the entire process of creating a treehouse, from materials selection to design and construction, with photographs and drawings to demonstrate the key stages.

My thoughts:
As a kid, I always wanted a treehouse.  We were lucky enough to have two very climbable trees in the backyard and we spent quite a bit of time up in both of them.  The apple tree had very smooth bark while the pear tree had rougher bark.  We made up rooms in the tree and played there for hours.  Looking at this book was like looking at fantasies come to life.  Some of these houses are actually lived in or used as guest cottages, some as hideouts and others are homes for whole villages.  Even if you never considered a desire for a treehouse, it is fun to flip through and look at the creations that others have come up with and built, using trees as the base.

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780810949522
• Publisher: Abrams, Harry N., Inc.
• Publication date: 9/1/2004
• Pages: 224

Brunette Ambition by Lea Michele

Overview from Barnes and Noble:

The star of the hit show Glee shares her experiences and insider tips on beauty, fashion, inner strength, and more in an illustrated book that’s part memoir, part how-to, and part style guide.

Lea Michele is one of the hardest working performers in show business.  Whether she’s starring as Rachel Berry on Glee, rocking a glamorous look on the red carpet, recording her solo album, or acting as the spokesperson for L’Oreal, Lea is the ultimate multi-tasker.  She knows better than anyone that it is difficult to be your best self and keep things in perspective when your to-do list is overflowing and you are faced with challenges, so she’s developed a foolproof system for remaining healthy and centered.  In Brunette Ambition , she reveals the lessons and advice that have worked for her—from beauty and fashion secrets to fitness tips, and career insights.  Supplemented with never-before-seen photos and revealing anecdotes, it’s the book Lea wishes she’d had in her teens and early twenties: A practical and inspirational guide to harnessing tenacity and passion and living the fullest life, no matter what obstacles life puts in your way.

My thoughts:
I listened to this book while walking and running and it flowed easily.  A lot of urging to be true to yourself and believe in yourself, to value your difference and not try to look like everyone else, taking care of yourself and getting enough sleep, healthy food and exercise. 

The funny thing is that I never really thought about Lea looking different than your average actor, perhaps because in recent years a lot of different types of beauty have been recognized and shown in movies and on TV, but she spent a lot of time getting feedback that she wasn't the right look to make it away from Broadway, that she should consider having work done which she never did. 

I doubt that I was really the intended audience for this book (I've never even watched Glee), but I like the idea of her telling girls in their teens to believe in themselves, to take care of themselves and to be themselves. 

Product Details

• ISBN-13: 9780804139076
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
• Publication date: 5/20/2014
• Pages: 208