CCYAL News
Book of the Week: The Year of the Beasts
Book of the Week: The Year of the Beasts by Cecil Castellucci, illustrated by Nate Powell. Every summer the trucks roll in, bringing the carnival and its infinite possibilities to town. This year Tessa and her younger sister Lulu are unchaperoned and want to be first in line to experience the rides, the food . . . and the boys. Except this summer, jealousy will invade their relationship for the first time, setting in motion a course of events that can only end in tragedy, putting everyone's love and friendship to the test. Alternating chapters of prose and comics are interwoven in this extraordinary novel that will break your heart and crack it wide open at the same time. Recommended for Young Adult.
Book of the Week: Bitterblue
Book of the Week: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. The long-awaited companion book to Graceling and Fire is here. Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. Eighteen-year-old Bitterblue realizes her heavy responsibility and the futility of relying on advisors who surround her with lies as she tries to help her people to heal from the thirty-five-year spell cast by her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities. Recommended for Young Adult fiction readers.
Announcing Knox County Public Library's Children's Festival of Reading
Children's Festival of Reading hosts a star-studded line up of authors and illustrators
On May 19, World's Fair Park transforms into literary bonanza for kids and their families
(Knoxville, TN) The 2012 Children’s Festival of Reading will have audiences starry-eyed! Dream Big is the theme of the summer, and it is particularly fitting as the lineup of featured guests is a virtual constellation of star power. From Biscuit and Babymouse to the Backyardigans and Ella Enchanted, this year's Festival plays host to some of the most highly acclaimed legends in children's literature.
Joining us on Saturday, May 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in World's Fair Park at the 8th annual kick off celebration for the Knox County Public Library's Summer Reading Programs are authors and illustrators who dreamed big and made it: Alyssa Capucilli, Jennifer and Matthew Holm, Gail Carson Levine, Dan Yaccarino, David Ezra Stein, Dianne de Las Casas and many more.
Book of the Week: Virginia Wolf
Book of the Week: Virginia Wolf by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault. Vanessa's sister, Virginia, is in a "wolfish" mood -- growling, howling and acting very strange. It's a funk so fierce, the whole household feels topsy-turvy. Vanessa tries everything she can think of to cheer her up, but nothing seems to work. Then Virginia tells Vanessa about an imaginary, perfect place called Bloomsberry. Armed with an idea, Vanessa begins to paint Bloomsberry on the bedroom walls, transforming them into a beautiful garden complete with a ladder and swing "so that what was down could climb up." Before long, Virginia, too, has picked up a brush and undergoes a surprising transformation of her own. Loosely based on the relationship between author Virginia Woolf and her sister, painter Vanessa Bell, Virginia Wolf is an uplifting story for readers of all ages. Recommended for K-3.
Book of the Week: Snook Alone
Book of the Week: Snook Alone by Marilyn Nelson. Illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering. Abba Jacob is a monk who lives on a far, far away island with his loyal rat terrier, Snook. Every day, from the wee hours of dawn till the sun sets over the sea, Snook keeps Abba Jacob company as he prays or works, tending the gardens or fixing the plumbing of the little hermitage he calls home. But when the two are separated by a ferocious storm, Snook must learn to fend for himself in the wild, all alone in a world of fierceness and wonder. Will he ever again hear the loving voice that he waits for? Simply and lyrically told by award-winning poet Marilyn Nelson and beautifully illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering with wit, warmth, and affection for the natural world, this captivating tale of friendship lost and found conveys the power of faith against all odds. Recommended for grades K-3.
Book of the Week: Child of the Mountains
Book of the Week: Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank. Growing up poor in 1953 in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia doesn't bother Lydia Hawkins. She treasures her tight-knit family. There's her loving mama, now widowed; her whip-smart younger brother, BJ, who has cystic fibrosis, and wise old Gran. But after Gran and BJ die and mama is jailed unjustly, Lydia loses all those dearest to her and must move to a coal camp and live with her uncle William and aunt Ethel Mae. Life at home isn't what it used to be, and only makes Lydia feel more alone. She is ridiculed at her new school for her outgrown homemade clothes and the way she talks, and for what the kids believe her mama did. And to make matters worse, she discovers that her uncle has been keeping a family secret about her. If only Lydia, with her resilient spirit and determination, could find a way to clear her mother's name. Recommended 3-6
Book of the Week: Marathon
Book of the Week: Marathon by Boaz Yakin & Joe Infurnari. This graphic novel tells the great story of the Athenian messenger Eucles. A story that has been told countless times through the ages translates very well to the graphic form. In the year 490, an Athenian messenger named Eucles ran over 300 miles to turn the tides of battle, and in so doing preserved ancient Greek civilization from subjugation to the Persian Empire. It also set the foundation for one of the greatest global peace efforts of the 20th century -- the modern Olympic Games. Recommended for Young Adult readers.
