5/19/2008

died and gone to young adult novel heaven

Steve's brother, a school librarian, very generously brought me -- count them -- thirty books for my classroom library. And since I am not gainfully-employed, at least not in a financially-gainful way -- I've got plenty of little badass volunteer things going on -- I've been doing a lot of porch-sitting and reading.

I don't think I'm going to read all thirty of them (Well, some of them are repeats, which is sweet since students steal books.), but would appreciate any guidance my blog-reader(s) could give.

Here's what I've got:
Slam by Nick Hornby
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi (read this one already)
Bone by Bone by Tony Johnston (this one, too)
Game by Walter Dean Myers
Peak by Roland Smith
Dream Factory by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler
Red Glass by Laura Resau
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Coraline by Neil Gaiman (actually, this is the graphic novel of it, done by P. Craig Russell)
The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Blood is Thicker by Paul Langan and D.M. Blackwell (of the Bluford Series)
Search for Safety by John Langan (also Bluford Series)
Someone to Love Me by Anne Schraff (also Bluford Series)
Genius Squad by Catherine Jinks
Noman by William Nicholson
Tough Boy Sonatas by Curtis L. Chrisler (poetry about Gary, Indiana)
Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
Exodus by Julie Bertagna
Sunrise Over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers
The Viper Within by Sam Mills
The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

Completely unrelated, I've noticed that I've stopped, for the most part, actually writing on this blog. I mostly just post stuff. I mean, before, I was actually busy. Now, I'm just busying myself with things like ten mile walks to look for new jeans. Although I now have two new pairs of jeans, purchased for a total cost of twenty-five dollars, I know that jeans-buying is not a productive hobby. Especially when compared to rambling on a blog for ALL THE WORLD (i.e. Mom) to read. So expect a higher level of commitment to this-here blog from now on. It's basically all I've got going.

5 comments:

Susan said...

I love Neil Gamen and Nick Hornby. They write great stuff for adults and I like those authors who can effectively cross-over since their books tend to be at a higher level of writing since they are used to writing books for the general public. I have also heard rave reviews on Coraline from my middle school students (they also love Stargirl I think it's called?) And I've heard a lot of students who like Peak. Those are the only books on the list I'm familiar with.
That rocks though.

ellen said...

thanks, susan! (and i know -- probably one of the most sincere thank you notes i've ever written)

Susan said...

I'm impressed that the two authors I mentioned now appear on your fav book list on facebook. and I'm sad with how much I've been on facebook lately.

penthesileia said...

If this whole research thing doesn't work out, I'm becoming a YA author.

Honestly, though, I do want to write (nonfiction) books about sexual health and body image for young adults, especially young adult women, with the help of young adult women.

Anyway, this is the awesomest.

ellen said...

yes. so cool