Book Recommendations for June

Spent this rainy day putting up fresh book displays for a fresh month.  Because two big things happen in June.

PRIDE

This month we recognize and celebrate gay, bisexual, lesbian, queer, and transgendered people and the steps that have been made towards equality and acceptance.  The last year is marked by both the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and President Obama's public statement in support of gay marriage.  Lady Gaga came to Harvard University to launch her Born This Way Foundation.  And only days ago, Massachusetts declared the federal Defense of Marriage Act to be unconstitutional.

But the struggle isn't over.  North Carolina passed a law banning same-sex marriage.  Three gay teens -- Jay 'Corey' Jones, Jack Reese, and Kenneth Weishuhn -- have committed suicide after being bullied.  And this is only within the last two months.


So this month, and all year round, stay strong and take care of each other.

• Gemini Bites by Patrick Ryan
• Huntress by Malinda Lo
• I am J by Cris Beam
• PINK by Lili Wilkinson
• Putting Makeup on the Fat Boy by Bil Wright
• a+e 4ever by Ilike Merey 
• Money Boy by Paul Yee
• With or Without You by Brian Farrey 
• Freaks and Revelations by Davida Willis Hurwin
• Love Drugged by James Klise
• Witch Eyes by Scott Tracey

Speaking of taking care of each other...

POP

Mentor, father figure, librarian. Oh, Giles...

Father's Day is June 17th!  What are you planning to do for your dad, grandpa, brother, uncle or other awesome familymanperson?  Here are some new books and old favs!

Death Jr. by Gary Whitta
Death Jr. is just a regular-ish sort of kid starting out at a new school and hoping to make friends.  Well, except that his dad is the Grim Reaper.  But that doesn't stop him from being one of the best dads ever!

Guy Langman, Crime Scene Procrastinator by Josh Berk
Guy's dad, on the other hand, is actually dead.  But man, was he one amazing individual when he was alive: scuba diver, inventor, and all around ladies' man.  A lot to live up to.  So Guy mostly doesn't.  Until he joins his high school forensics club and starts uncovering mysteries in his father's past and his own present.

Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt
How does Peyton's dad's multiple sclerosis diagnosis lead to an obsessive crush?  A crush on the guy Peyton's sat behind in school since third grade?  Dang alphabetical seating...


Before you go, take a moment to read these incredible words from Libba Bray.  This June, don't be afraid to speak love and kindness -- to Dad, to a friend, to the world.

DIYA recap!

Part of the reason my brain is so foggy is that I am still recovering from the most excellent evening last Thursday when we hosted our six Diversity in Young Adult Fiction authors.  The discussion ranged from talking about cover art to racist vampires to disabilities in the fantasy world to BFFs in the YA writing community.

Photo credit: Diversity in YA Fiction

I had an excellent time, especially because everyone else did too!  The book signing was jubilant, with the authors and their fans talking excitedly for an hour.

Were you able to go?  What did you think?  Were there questions you felt were especially important?  I hope these conversations continue; while diverse representation in fiction for children and teens has certainly improved, there are still characters and situations I wish I was reading about more often.

Real World: Francisco

The last Diversity in YA author is also a departure from the fantasy genre -- unless you consider any work of fiction to be a fantasy, or perhaps all works of fantasy to be possible realities...?

In either case, I present to you Francisco X. Stork.

Marcelo in the Real World

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors

Marcelo: The summer he is seventeen, Marcelo's father insists that he enter the "real world" by taking a job at his law firm.  Marcelo has high-functioning autism, so the real world presents challenges in everyday behaviors most people take for granted.  A discovery about one of his father's clients puts Marcelo face to face with an even harder decision.

Death Warriors: Pancho only has one goal when he is sent to St. Anthony's Home: to find the man who caused his sister's death and kill him.  D.Q., a fellow resident of the orphanage, has terminal brain cancer and asks Pancho to go with him to Albuquerque where he will be undergoing experimental treatment.  D.Q. is working on the Death Warriors Manifesto, which he insists on sharing with Pancho.  When faced with death, can Pancho choose life?

Even if you don't get a chance to read these books, take a visit over to Mr. Stork's blog.  He only posts every month or two, but his entries have great thoughtfulness and candor.

The DIYA event is only 10 days away!

Cindy Pon & Sleeves of Fury!

Today's Diversity in Young Adult Fiction featured author is (drumroll): Cindy Pon!

Silver Phoenix.

and the sequel, Fury of the Phoenix.

When her father vanishes on a visit to the emperor's palace, Ai Ling goes in search of him. Her journey reveals not only her own destiny, but a terrible evil within the palace.

Personally I think nothing helps rock a fantasy novel like an interweaving of actual history. Pon's books incorporate Chinese mythology, folklore and history to deliver a vivid, action-filled story.

Ash, Huntress and Malinda Lo

Today's featured DIYA author is one of the founders of Diversity in YA, Malinda Lo.


Ash

&

Huntress

(Can I have just one moment of girlitude where I gush about the dress on the cover of Ash? Everyone wants that dress, right? Right.)

The title is an allusion to the famous fairy tale about an orphan girl who toils for a harsh stepmother until the appearance of a fairy godmother and a handsome prince. This tale presents a more complex choice between being saved by magic and saved by love. In place of a fairy godmother there is a ominous fey suitor; instead of falling in love with a king, Ash is drawn to the royal Huntress.

Huntress is NEW, y'all! Really new, it just came out last week, and I have copies available in the Teen Room. In this romantic adventure (set in the same world as Ash but many years prior) two young women set out on a quest to save their people, facing the dark magic of the Fairy Queen.

Are you amped for this May 12th event yet guys? I made a display of all the books by these six authors, so start reading!

Folly and Misadventure with Deva Fagan

Moving right along with our DIYA authors, today's post is for Deva Fagan.


Fortune's Folly takes the seeds of fairy tales and grows them into full-blown adventure. Fortunata has turned to fortunetelling after her father's shoemaking business hits the skids. So what if she only tells people what makes them happy? But after making a complicated prophecy to the Prince of Doma, Fortunata is compelled to join him on a perilous quest to make the false prophecy come true.


Prunella Bogthistle is another girl on a mission to prove herself. A less-than-successful bog witch, Prunella is wartless and curse-defective. Banished by her witchy grandmother, Prunella joins up with a young thief to steal a spell book and show the world who's really bad. Sort of.

Demons, Pointy Swords, and Sarah Rees Brennan

To continue with the roundup of our fantastic Diversity in YA authors, today I am presenting the books of Sarah Rees Brennan, The Demon's Lexicon and The Demon's Covenant. Let's use the UK jacket art for the second one, because the American version is kinda ridiculous. Who fights demons in her nightgown?

I mean, unless you have no other choice.

More urban fantasy (woo hoo!) this time set in London, where Nick lives life on the run with his older brother, Alex, and their traumatized mom. Why the fugitive lifestyle? Maybe....DEMONS?

But no sweat, right, because Nick and Alex are sword-swinging, demon-slaying pros. Or is there more to their dangerous life than Nick has been told?

Ms. Brennan's third book in the series, The Demon's Surrender, comes out in June, and you can meet her live and in person on May 12th!

White Cat, Red Glove, Holly Black

Ms. Black posted this on her blog this morning -- check it out:

http://masonwilsonandblack.com/

So, now that I've posted a zillion videos, let's talk books! Specifically the fine fine volumes in Ms. Black's Curseworkers series,

White Cat

and

Red Glove.

Here's what you need to know. Curses, and the power to inflict them, are real. Requiring hand-to-skin contact, curseworking is ruled illegal by the United States government leading to 1) gloves as everyone's favorite fashion accessory and 2) the rise of curseworking Mob families!

Cassel is the black sheep in such a family: he has no curseworking abilities at all, just a whole load of horrible nightmares about killing his best friend three years earlier. But are those dreams trying to tell him something?

If you've already read Holly Black's other books then you know she brings original and gorgeous ideas to urban fantasy. Also, she's funny.

ALSO she's coming HERE to the library on May 12th as part of the Diversity in YA Fiction event (*swoon!*). Starting today, I'll be telling you about each of the authors who will be speaking at this event and their books.