February means Valentine’s Day (among other things, granted….) and here at the Butler Center, we’ll be celebrating by reading and discussing some love stories for young adults. Here are our picks for the upcoming Butler Book Banter on February 10 (6-7 p.m., room 214 in the Rebecca Crown Library):
Barzak, Christopher. Wonders of the Invisible World (Knopf, 2015).
Seventeen-year-old Aidan Lockwood lives in the sleepy farming community of Temperance, Ohio—known for its cattle ranches and not much else. That is, until Jarrod, a friend he hasn’t seen in five years, moves back to town and opens Aidan’s eyes in startling ways: to Aidan’s ability to see the spirit world; to the red-bearded specter of Death; to a family curse that has claimed the lives of the Lockwood men one by one . . . and to the new feelings he has developed for Jarrod.
2016 Rainbow List; 2016 Stonewall Honor Book
McLemore, Anna-Marie. The Weight of Feathers. (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2015).
For twenty years, the Palomas and the Corbeaus have been rivals and enemies, locked in an escalating feud for over a generation. Both families make their living as traveling performers in competing shows-the Palomas swimming in mermaid exhibitions, the Corbeaus, former tightrope walkers, performing in the tallest trees they can find. Lace Paloma may be new to her family’s show, but she knows as well as anyone that the Corbeaus are pure magia negra, black magic from the devil himself. Simply touching one could mean death, and she’s been taught from birth to keep away. But when disaster strikes the small town where both families are performing, it’s a Corbeau boy, Cluck, who saves Lace’s life. And his touch immerses her in the world of the Corbeaus, where falling for him could turn his own family against him, and one misstep can be just as dangerous on the ground as it is in the trees. Beautifully written, and richly imaginative, Anna-Marie McLemore’s The Weight of Feathers is an utterly captivating young adult novel by a talented new voice.
2016 Morris Award Finalist
The 2016 GSLIS Mock Caldecott Medal for the most distinguished picture book is awarded to Kadir Nelson for If You Plant a Seed, published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. If You Plant a Seed is an uplifting tale of a rabbit and mouse. When their garden becomes threatened by ravenous birds, rabbit and mouse learn to sow the seeds of kindness.
Bird & Diz, written by Gary Golio and illustrated by Ed Young, published by Candlewick. Pastels, gouache, and sumi ink in an accordion frieze format capture the essence of the improvisational style of jazz through Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker’s “Salt Peanuts” performance. Using abstraction and vibrant colors, Young presents a visual experience readers can see, hear and feel.
Float, written and illustrated by Daniel Miyares, published by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. Venturing outdoors on a rainy day, a young boy with his newspaper boat experiences the wonder of play. Pops of bright color contrasted against a monochromatic gray background effectively direct readers’ attention to the movement of the boy, the boat, and the water. Panoramic views and distinctive, digitally rendered images successfully convey the meaning of the story without the use of words.
Night Animals, written and illustrated by Gianna Marino, published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA). While hiding from scary night-time sounds, possum and skunk encounter other frightened “night animals.” Rendered in gouache and ink, Marino’s illustrations capture a humorous nighttime escapade. On an ink-black background, the night animals’ realistic fur and cartoon eyes combine with speech bubble narration to provide an unexpectedly hilarious adventure.
The 35th Annual Northern Illinois University Children’s Literature Conference: A Celebration of Picture Books takes place on Friday, March 13, 2015 at the Holmes Student Center on the NIU campus in DeKalb. A truly illustrious group of illustrators, including Peter Brown, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, Melissa Sweet, and Gene Luen Yang will speak about their process and product, Alice McGinty, Barb Rosenstock and Suzanne Slade will talk about ways to incorporate nonfiction picture books into school and library settings, and Laura Montenegro, Patricia Hruby Powell and Ruth Spiro will address using picture books to explore cultural diversity and the arts. Oh, and I’ll be booktalking my list of the best books you don’t want to miss (some of them, no doubt, picture books). This will be my fourth time presenting, and I don’t mind telling you that the energy at this conference is tremendous. I’d sure love to see you there!
