Staff Pick: Butter by Erin Jade Lange

From goodreads:
A lonely obese boy everyone calls "Butter" is about to make history. He is going to eat himself to death -- live on the Internet -- and everyone is invited to watch. When he first makes the announcement online to his classmates, Butter expects pity, insults, and possibly sheer indifference. What he gets are morbid cheerleaders rallying around his deadly plan. Yet as their dark encouragement grows, it begins to feel a lot like popularity. And that feels good. But what happens when Butter reaches his suicide deadline? Can he live with the fallout if he doesn't go through with his plans?

Pick it: if you’re looking for an emotional, fast-paced read. Once this book got going I couldn’t put it down.

Skip it: if you’re squeamish! Let’s just say the author pulls no punches while describing Butter’s binges.

Pair with: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher, another intense read with a less-than-svelte narrator.

Reviewed by: Melissa

Love is in the Air: Our Romance Recommendations

 We've got the perfect list for all you hopeless romantics! These sigh-worthy reads will put you in the Valentine's mood, whether you like your love stories straight up or with a twist!

Classically Romantic

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
When Anna's romance-novelist father sends her to an elite American boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school, she reluctantly goes, and meets an amazing boy who becomes her best friend, in spite of the fact that they both want something more.

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Fifteen-year-old Scarlett Marvin is stuck in New York City for the summer working at her quirky family's historic hotel, but her out-of-work actor brother's attractive new friend and a seasonal guest who offers her an intriguing and challenging writing project improve her outlook.

Pants on Fire by Meg Cabot
Having become a proficient liar in order to keep everyone happy, rising high school senior Katie Ellison is stunned when her old middle school friend and local pariah Tommy Sullivan returns to town, and suddenly things start looking a lot different to her.

 

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Raised by a mother who has had five husbands, eighteen-year-old Remy believes in short-term, no-commitment relationships until she meets Dexter, a rock band musician.

Boy Gets The Girl (or Boy)

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both.

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford
Awkward freshman Will Carter endures many painful moments during his first year of high school before realizing that nothing good comes easily, focus is everything, and the payoff is usually incredible.

Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas
In hopes of graduating, Steve York agrees to complete a hundred-page writing assignment which helps him to sort out his relationship with his famous astronaut father and the events that changed him from promising student to
troubled teen.

Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Paranormal Romance

Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with a unique and sometimes uncanny gift, Katsa was certainly no exception. At an early age, she demonstrated an uncomfortable gift for killing. This makes her the perfect tool for her uncle, King Randa. But Katsa detests being used and decides to stand against the injustice surrounding her.

 Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
In all the years she has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house, Grace has been particularly drawn to an unusual yellow-eyed wolf who, in his turn, has been watching her with increasing intensity.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

Cupid by Julius Lester
Cupid, the spoiled and mischievous god of love, is attracted to and marries the beautiful mortal, Psyche, and both learn many lessons about the nature of love.

Offbeat Couples

How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford
After moving to Baltimore and enrolling in a private school, high school senior Beatrice befriends a quiet loner
with a troubled family history.

 

Charles & Emma by Deborah Heligman
 Even today, Darwin's theory of evolution creates tension between the scientific and religious communities. This same debate raged within Darwin himself and played an important part in his marriage: Emma's faith gave Charles a lot to think about as he worked on his controversial theory. His wife's religious convictions made him rethink how the world would receive his ideas.

Staff Pick: The Diviners by Libba Bray

From goodreads:

Evie O'Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City--and she is pos-i-tute-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult--also known as "The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies."

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer--if he doesn't catch her first.

Pick it: if you love a good mystery with plenty of spooky-ghosty overtones.

Skip it: if you're quick to blush. Evie is a wild child to say the least!

Pair with: a nonfiction title about the Roaring 20s. We recommend Flapper: A madcap story of sex, style, celebrity, and the women who made American modern by Joshua Zeitz. That's Evie to a tee!

Reviewed by: Melissa

Printz Honor Book and Medalists

Each year, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) awards The Michael Printz Award to the best book written for young adults. In addition, the organization names up to four honor books. The books are judged entirely on literary merit rather than popularity and are thus a great place to start if you're looking for something new and different to read!

Honor Books:

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alide Sáenz

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

The White Bicycle by Beverley Brenna

And the Printz Award medalist is:

In Darkness by Nick Lake

You can see all the Youth Media Award winners, including the YALSA Nonfiction Award, the Morris Award for Best YA Debut, and the Caldecott and Newbery Medalists right here.

Meet Your Librarians!

Name: Melissa Brinn
Title: Youth Services Librarian - Young Adult
Education: Cherry Hill East (!), then The College of New Jersey, then Rutgers for grad school.
Favorite books:  Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll, Coraline by Neil Gaiman, Paper Towns by John Green,The Arrival by Shaun Tan
Most likely to: Have a figurine of Harry Styles on her desk
Programs I run: Middle School TAB, Writers Block
Ask me about: Graphic novels, video games, and sci-fi & fantasy titles. Also, Bridges! Ask me about Bridges!

Name: Michelle Yeager
Title: Youth Services Supervisor - Young Adult
Education: Rowan University followed by Rutgers New Brunswick for a master’s degree in Library Science (YES, it’s a real thing!)
Favorite books:  Recent faves include Hush by Eishes Chayil, The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams, A Stolen Life by Jaycee Duggard, Everybody See the Ants by A.S. King, Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whales
Most likely to: Perform two jobs at once (She's currently the acting Director of the library!)
Programs I run: High School TAB, Table Top Trials, Anime Day, and more….
Ask me about: Realistic Fiction, True Crime & Biographies. Also, fiction about teens facing crazy-tough issues: think religion, kidnappings, drugs, pregnancy…you know, the stuff you’d see on Dateline. 

CHPL's Picks for the Printz

Well, last year we were only 1 for 5 with our Printz predictions, but that's not going to stop us from doing it again! (Hey, at least we got the medalist right -- that's got to count for something.) 

I'm feeling really good about this list. I guess we'll just have to see what goes down on January 28th!

Our picks/predictions for Printz honor books:

Our pick/prediction for the Printz Award winner:

And the rest of the books on our short list:

Me, Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick

Did you read any books this year that were award-worthy?

Staff Pick: Graphic Novelist Rick Geary

Looking for the ultimate 90's throwback? I recently rediscovered Rick Geary's Treasury of Victorian Murder and Treasury of 20th Century Murder (originally published in the mid-to-late 90's) and I'm officially obsessed. Each book details the events of an unsolved murder or mystery -- from the famous Borden tragedy to the disappearance of the Lindbergh baby -- presenting just as many questions as it does answers. The black-and-white illustrations keep the books from being gratuitously gory... but make no mistake, this is some brutal stuff. Geary's style draws you in from the first panel, blending historical fiction, investigative journalism, and just a bit of comic book pulp.

The bottom line?

Pick it: if you like some veracity to your tales of true crime. Geary presents only the facts and refrains from exaggeration and unnecessary speculation.

Skip it: if you're looking for twist endings, ultra-violence, or sensationalism. The measured, almost clinical tone may be less compelling to some than others.

Pair with: The True Crime nonfiction series by Brenda Haugen, which picks up in the 20th century where Geary leaves off!

Reviewed by: Melissa