Youth Media Awards Announced ...

The ALA just announced the Youth Media Awards and the Full List is available through School Library Journal.  Firekeeper's Daughter received multiple awards and here is the list for the

Alex Awards

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

The Library of the Dead by T.L Huchu

How Lucky by Will Leitch

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Malice  by Heather Walter

Lore Olympus, Vol. 1 by Rachel Smythe

Crossing the Line: A Fearless Team of Brothers and the Sport That Changed Their Lives Forever by Kareem Rosser

Liquid Rules by Mark Miodownik

LIQUID RULES by Mark Miodownik is subtitled “The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives.”  Miodownik’s non-fiction books (he also wrote Stuff Matters) are entertaining glimpses into substances which we generally take for granted. In LIQUID RULES, this science professor at University College London explores various liquids associated with his transatlantic flight. The baker’s dozen of chapters have one word titles like Explosive (aviation fuel, kerosene, whale oil, etc.); Refreshing (tea and coffee); or Cloudy (even answering: why are clouds white?).  The latter chapter is also an example of where he talks about the benefits and potential destructive power of liquids: “as with all liquids, water is very hard to control. … Clouds know no territorial boundaries; one nation’s experiments, disasters or actions can and do affect the rest of the world…” Discussions and explanations are accompanied by photos, drawings and chemical diagrams, plus Miodownik offers an additional twelve titles for further reading. A fun book to dip in and out of, LIQUID RULES received a starred review from Booklist. Enjoy!

Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer

ECHO NORTH by Joanna Ruth Meyer is a fun, relatively quick read which initially feels like a retelling of Beauty and The Beast. Set in India, this fantasy story involves Echo, a young woman who promises to live for a year with an enchanted wolf in order that her widowed father’s life is spared. Echo and the wolf have some amazing adventures in a magical house that responds to commands and contains a library filled with books turned mirrors.  Readers merely step into each story and when Echo does so, she meets others, including Hal, a young man who seems trapped in the books. Motifs and allusions to other fairy tales involving Tam Lin or Cupid appear. And soon, the suspense and action builds as the house starts to fall apart due to another wizard’s power and Echo and the wolf are endangered. I felt like the ending was not quite the crescendo it could have been, but I enjoyed the read and will look for more from this author. ECHO NORTH was deemed “a first purchase for libraries” by School Library Journal and received starred reviews from both Kirkus (“Epic and engrossing”) and Publishers Weekly (“a compelling, satisfying romantic adventure”). When you finish enjoying our copy look for other fantasy stories like Girls Made of Snow and Glass or Gilded Wolves.

City of Ink by Elsa Hart

CITY OF INK by Elsa Hart is the third title (after Jade Dragon Mountain and The White Mirror) in her historical mystery series which is set in the early 1700s in China and features imperial court librarian Li Du. In the latest novel, Li Du has returned from exile and is striving to keep a low profile by working as a secretarial assistant in the North Borough Office of Beijing.  In that role, he and his boss are asked to investigate the murders of Pan Yongfa, a bureaucrat, and Madame Hong, wife of the owner of the Black Tile Factory. This leads Li Du and his storytelling friend, Hamza, on a series of adventures as they discover there are many secrets and much corruption which both lowly workers and influential ministers wish to keep hidden.  I have been wanting to read Elsa Hart’s often praised mysteries for quite a while. This was the first I read and since Du is simultaneously attempting to understand an old case involving his mentor, other readers may wish to start with the earlier titles. Hart builds on her time spent in Southwest China near Lijiang and displays a very creative imagination in her writing. The unusual setting is extremely well-developed with soldier, scholar and artisan characters from the time period, combined with an intertwined set of stories, filled with complexity and surprises. I have been avidly recommending CITY OF INK and Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly all gave Hart’s latest starred reviews.