Mock Newbery Madness

So, for the first time, I'm running a Mock Newbery group at a public library. The members of the group are 6-10 graders who volunteer for hours earned. I started with two separate groups this summer with around 8-10 teens and I'm ending the Fall with 16 teens. We voted for our short list last week and will be discussing and choosing our winners on December 13.

Here's our list! After the vote I'll post again with everyone's responses.

The Ethan I Was Before by Ali Standish
Following a tragic accident involving his best friend, Ethan and his family move from Boston to the Gulf coast of Georgia to live with a grandfather he has never met in a small town he has never visited. Through a series of mysteries, Ethan faces what happened, makes a new friend, and discovers strengths he never knew he possessed.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
When Starr's childhood friend is shot and killed by a police officer in a random stop, she must confront racism in a way she never has before, as well as deal with her own place as a minority student at a private, mostly white school 45 minutes from her neighborhood. She must decide whether she will testify, who she can trust and how she will make a difference in the community.

Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
On the island, everything is provided and the nine children live in perfect harmony. Every year the oldest one leaves and a new young one arrives in the boat. This year Jinny is the oldest and, while she misses her friend Deen, she thinks she is ready to be the Elder. But what will happen when it is her turn to leave?

Restart by Gordon Korman
When Chase falls off the roof and hits his head, he loses his memory. As he tries to return to school and life, he discovers that he wasn't a very nice person. Now he has to decide if he wants to return and remember who he was or decide to begin as a new and better person? And what if everyone else doesn't want to accept the new Chase?

See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng
Alex loves space, rockets and his dog, Carl Sagan; and he has decided to record a Golden iPod and launch it into space on a rocket for aliens to find. But his destination and purpose keep changing and what started as a simple mission changes into a discovery about himself and his family.

Spirit Hunters by Ellen Oh

Harper's family moves to a new house that seems to be haunted and she's also missing some memories after a fire at her old school. When her little brother starts acting weird and mean, she seeks help in some unlikely ways.

The Warden's Daughter by Jerry Spinelli
Cammie and her dad live in the women's prison where he works. But since her mother died when she was a baby, Cammie feels like she must find her own "mother" and her choices are among the inmates of the prison. Will she find someone by her thirteenth birthday?

What I Read in October

Surprisingly, the best of the bunch was a re-read on audiobook: The Diviners by Libba Bray. In preparation for the newest book in the series, I decided to relisten to the first two. And boy, I was not disappointed! This is a great audiobook.

I've posted about this series before, so I'll just reiterate: it is spooky, it is fun, and I highly recommend it. Now I just have to wait my turn to listen to book 2 and check out book 3. 😔

The other October read that I recommend was a complete surprise to me:

Olive and the Backstage Ghost by Michelle Schusterman


Olive loves to sing but experiences extreme stage fright when her famous and controlling mother are in the room. So when she fails another audition, she runs out and finds an old vaudeville theater called Maudeville, which just happens to be looking for a singer for their new show. As Olive sneaks out to rehearse, she quickly discovers that the theater and its performers are not quite what they appear to be and her very life may be in danger.

The cover doesn't really do it justice but I like the spiders. Beginning like a take off on Glee or Sing, Olive finds a theater tucked in a back alley and discovers a varied and exciting new family. This is especially important since her own is not doing so well.

Surprisingly the true theme of the book is recognizing and dealing with grief. Also unexpected was the truly scary and Coraline-esque ending. Give this one to your 4-6 graders who adore scary books.

Everything else I read this month:

1. The Turning by Francine Prose
2.  I Am Bat by Morag Hood
3. All's Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson
4. Thornhill by Pam Smy
5. Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Emma Garcia
6. The Darkest Part of the Woods by Ramsey Campbell
7. Jonesy vol. 2 by Sam Humphries
8. In Your Hands by Carole Boston Weatherford
9. A Different Pond by Bao Phi
10. Older Than Dirt: A Wild But True History of Earth by Don Brown
11. Life by Cynthia Rylant
12. Bunnicula by James Howe (writing about made me want to reread it)
13. Fruits in Suits by Jared Chapman
14. Ghosts of the Triangle: Historic Haunts of Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill by Richard Jackson
15. This is How We Do It: One Day in the Lives of Seven Kids from around the World by Matt LaMonthe
16. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy

'Tis the Season for Spooky Books - Comics Edition

Well, there is no way I'm going to do all these posts about horror books and not cover comics. So here are my favorites by age group.

Children's Comics

Scary Godmother and Magic Trixie by Jill Thompson
Both of these series focus on witches and magic in the best way possible. Scary Godmother came first and was highly successful, winning an Eisner and leading to a stage show and animated spin-offs. Hannah Marie's Scary (instead of Fairy) Godmother has come to convince her charge that Halloween is more fun than scary. She enlists the help of several fun friends, including Bug-A-Boo the boozle and Skully Pettibone. The full color panels make this one especially attractive to young readers.

Later on, Thompson gave us Magic Trixie, a young witch just learning about her powers and the spooky world around her. But even though she lives in a magical world, Trixie faces many of the same problems as her readers--baby sisters, not-so-favorite foods, friend issues, and show-and-tell anxiety. Just with dragons, werewolves, and other supernatural things. Again the colorful illustrations will quickly pull in even the pickiest kids.

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brogol
Not only is she upset about her family, her changing body and her lack of friends at school, but now Anya has fallen down a well. Strangely enough, that is where she finally finds a friend-in the form of Emily, a ghost. And life is now great...until it isn't. Because Emily is not telling Anya the whole truth and bad things could come from her lies.

The art style is clean and inviting, using muted purples and blacks as the main colors. It makes the story appropriately spooky without going too far. I am especially fond of how body image is handled in this book, since Anya is not your stereotypical slim, blonde heroine, but is very pretty in her own form.

The Dreadful Fate of Jonathan York: A Yarn for the Strange of Heart by Kory Merritt
In classic folktale style, Jonathan York sets out on a journey through the woods and meets several strange adventures along the way. After all the dangerous and creepy things that befall him, he defeats a monster and finds his way home. This book is more like an older picture book than a comic but it definitely borrows from a comic style. Characters are exaggerated and almost goofy-looking while still be a bit creepy. The setting stylized and often in silhouette. Oh, and it is poetic and funny, too.


Teen Comics
The Faceless Ghost and Other Macabre Tales from Ancient Japan by Lafcadio Hearn and Sean Michael Wilson; illustrated by Michiru Morikawa
This book features a collection of the stories originally collected by folklorist Lafcadio Hearn during his time in Japan in the 19th century. Each story is illustrated in classic Japanese styles and Wilson does his best to keep Hearn's writing style throughout. It is well-paced and beautifully balances "telling and showing" as is best in comics, in my opinion. "Hoichi" and the title story are especially chilling.


Tokyo Ghoul by Sui Ishida
In an alternate universe, ghouls live alongside regular humans, some preying upon them and some finding alternative sources of food. After a ghoul attack, our hero Ken "accidentally" receives an organ transplant from his assailant and becomes a half-ghoul. Luckily he finds a coffee house run by ghouls who wish humans no harm and take him in to teach him how to deal with his affliction. But when the human ghoul-hunters and other, less friendly ghouls close in, how will he survive?

Now also an anime and live action version.

The Woods by James Tynion V; illustrated by Michael Dialynas
What would you do if your high school was suddenly relocated to a harsh planet (or possibly a moon) full of monsters? In the middle of a deep, dark forest? When even the teachers are panicking? Well, that is what happens to the teens in this series and it is not pretty. Although, I must say, you do find out who your friends are when the monsters are also human--and some of them came with you.

Ghost Hunt series by Shiho Inada and Fuyumi Ono
Once again an adaptation, this time of a "light novel," the term for young adult books in Japan. In this series, a group of paranormal investigators take on cases that may or may not be actual hauntings (they usually are). The team includes a telepath, a Shinto priestess, a Buddhist Monk, an Onmyoji (Taoist sorcerer), a Catholic priest, a medium and a teenage girl who may have psychic gifts of her own. The cases are often very disturbing and creepy, especially "The Blood-stained Labyrinth" story arc. And of course, there is some hints of romance and humor throughout.

Adult Comics


The Clean Room by Gail Simone; illustrated by John Davis-Hunt
Okay, so if you like your horror seriously psychological, along the lines of Lovecraft or Hellraiser, here is your book. Chloe Pierce is investigating an apparent cult after her fiance kills himself after reading their book and joining their group. It has something to do with a "clean room" and the things it shows you when you are in it. And possibly the things that follow you out.





Harrow County by Cullen Bunn; illustrated by Tyler Crook
Emmy knows that the woods contain monsters and ghosts; and she's heard the witch story...or has she? At first this seems like you run-of-the-mill evil witch story. Then she seems very innocent and you think that is the twist. And then it keeps changing and you are left not know what story you are reading or who to trust. Messes with you in the very best way.

Monstress by Marjorie M. Liu; illustrated by Sana Takeda
Now this one you will want to pour over for hours, both the story and the gorgeous artwork. In an alternate version of early 20th century Asia, society is controlled by a matriarchal cult of witch-like women and anyone monstrous is either a slave or killed. Enter Maika, a teen who is traumatized by the recent war and the pact she has made with a monster, now living inside her body. BTW, this is a steampunk world and the scholars are multi-tailed cats, so there is also that to recommend it. And it does not shy away from nudity, violence or language in furtherance of the plot. Come for the art, stay for the complex world-building and nuanced characters.




Locke & Key by Joe Hill; illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez
Finally, a return to Lovecraft and haunted houses, as well as the son of a horror icon as the writer. Joe Hill outdoes himself in this story of a strange house with an even stranger guest, a family struggling with dark secrets of their own and the keys, which can lead to so many great and horrible things. And that is all Imma going to tell you. Read it!



And that's the lists. Any horror comics you want to add? Next time, I'll tell you about the great (and not so great) horror books I read in the month of October. And then we are in award list season, so we'll talk over best books for 2017 for a while.