Our Best of the Best Books Lists for 2014 is over on the new blog

If you're looking for our annual "Best of the Best Books Lists" for 2014 it is over on our new blog: http://pima.bibliocms.com/blogs/post/all-the-best-booklists-of-2014/

Run Away to the Museum

We have blogs for great teen books, and wonderful books and literacy activities for ages birth-to-five. But what about those pesky middle years, when you're too young to drive, but too old to suffer fools (like parents bossing you around) gladly? If you're a tween, or you know one, then I have the classic escapist fantasy to check out: From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, written and illustrated by E. L. Konigsburg.

So Long, See You Tomorrow

First, I want to emphatically state that I never pick reading material to complement my geographical location. Yet before heading to farmland in the Heartland, I grabbed this drama played out between tenant farmers in the 1920's and then it grabbed me while I lazed away an afternoon on the porch of a 1910 Sears Roebuck Modern Home.

So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell is a telescopic look into a tragedy that claimed the lives of two neighboring farmers. Fifty years after the incident a townie, connected to the deaths through his friendship with the killer's son, reflects on the events that unfolded to culminate in murder and the families' fragmentation.

Jack Gantos - A New Favorite

So I may be a bit late to the party...but I never read anything by Jack Gantos before. Not his popular Rotten Ralph picture books, not his Jack Henry series, not even his Joey Pigza series. Somehow, this award winning author was never on my radar. However, after reading Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos is a new favorite. Even if you don't often read children's books, I urge you to pick up a copy of this one. Read it or listen to the audiobook, read by the author himself. Either way, the voice of 12 year old Jack Gantos will stay with you long after you finish.

The town of Norvelt, Pennslyvania doesn't offer much excitement for Jack Gantos in the summer of 1962. The school holidays look bleak when Jack is grounded for accidently shooting off his father's WWII rifle. The only way Jack can escape the house is by helping his arthritic elderly neighbor, Miss Volker. What follows is a hilarious mix of mysterious events, hijinks and small town zaniness.

Death, Cataloged

I'm a big believer in judging a book by its cover! I browse the library's new arrivals all the time, looking for a catchy title, an author I've heard good things about, or a description that grabs me. The Suicide Index by Joan Wickersham was one that appealed to two very different sides of me: the one that loves catalogs (naturally, since I work at the library!), and the one that morbidly enjoys grief memoirs. In this National Book Award finalist, Wickersham crafts the stark, painful story of her father's suicide, organized in an index.

A Few Good Books

On Monday, January 10, the American Library Association announced their yearly award winners for children's and teen literature, including the most famous medals, the Newbery and the Caldecott. It's kind of like the Oscars for librarians, except that attendees tend more toward slacks and sweaters than ballgowns and diamonds.

The list is much too long to reproduce here, but check out the ALA website's press release if you're interested. I just wanted to mention a few of the winners and honor books that I've read and particularly liked.

Will Grayson Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan is about two boys, both named Will Grayson, and how their lives intersect through another boy, Tiny Cooper, who is one Will's best friend and the other one's boyfriend. Told in alternating chapters, it's funny, painful, and some of the best work of both these massively talented authors.

This won a Stonewall Honor. This award recognizes the best books relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered experience.

Ballet for Martha: The Making of Appalachian Spring by by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, illustrated by Brian Floca
The ballet "Appalachian Spring" is a 20th century classic. In this fascinating book, readers learn the story of the artistic collaboration between composer Aaron Copland, cheoreographer Martha Graham, and set designer Isamu Noguchi as they fused their tremendous talents to create a uniquely American work of art.

This won a Sibert honor, given to the best informational books for young readers.

And finally, if you have little ones in your life, or if you're just young at heart, don't miss this one.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead, illustrated by Erin Stead
Amos McGee is a zookeeper beloved by the animals for his caring and nurturing ways. When he stays home sick one day, the animals decide that it's their turn to care for him. Erin Stead's light, delicate art brings out all the charm of Philip Stead's sweet story.

This won the Caldecott Medal, which is given specifically for excellence in illustrations.

Find them at your library by clicking the titles!

--Maureen K.