Bellwood Public Library

Librarian Picks, Award Winners, New Books & More 

Absolutely True Diary of a Part time Indian by Sherman Alexie - YA/SHE Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

 Try the entire series by Stephanie Myers - YA/MYE   

 Bella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn.  

  The First Part Last by Angela Johnson - YA/JOH  

Bobby is your classic urban teenaged boy -- impulsive, eager, restless. On his sixteenth birthday
he gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that changes his life forever. She's pregnant.  

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott - YA/SCO

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared.
Once upon a time, my name was not Alice.
Once upon a time, I didn't know how lucky I was.
When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends -- her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.  

Inside Out by Terry Trueman - YA/TRU

Zach Wahhsted is used to hearing these brutal words. But today he isn't the only one in danger of dying.
A busy coffee shop -- a robbery gone wrong. Two gunmen, nine hostages, flash-ing lights, itchy trigger fingers.
And Zach, a seemingly ordinary teenager, is caught in the middle of the mayhem.But nobody realizes that Zach --
who has no gun and no knife -- has a mind more dangerous than any weapon. 

 What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell - YA/BLU

When Evie's father returned home from World War II, the family fell back into its normal life pretty quickly. But Joe Spooner brought more back with him than just good war stories. When movie-star handsome Peter Coleridge, a young ex-GI who served in Joe's company in postwar Austria, shows up, Evie is suddenly caught in a complicated web of lies that she only slowly recognizes. She finds herself falling for Peter, ignoring the secrets that surround him . . . until a tragedy occurs that shatters her family and breaks her life in two.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel keyes - YA/KEY

 A mentally disabled man whose experimental quest for intelligence mirrors that of Algernon, an extraordinary lab mouse. In poignant diary entries, Charlie tells how a brain operation increases his IQ and changes his life. As the experimental procedure takes effect, Charlie's intelligence expands until it surpasses that of the doctors who engineered his metamorphosis, until Algernon begins his sudden, unexpected deterioration. Will the same happen to Charlie?

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson  - YA/AND  High school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded into the background. But since he got busted for doing graffiti on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister of his biggest enemy— and Tyler’s secret crush. And that sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning his place in school, in his family, and in the world.

Autobiography of my Dead Brother by Walter Dean Myers - YA/MYE

The thing was that me and Rise were blood brothers, but sometimes I really didn't know him. . . .
As Jesse fills his sketchbook with drawings and portraits of Rise, he tries to make sense of the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and loss in a neighborhood plagued by drive-bys, vicious gangs, and abusive cops.

 Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi - YA/BAC

In America's Gulf Coast region, grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts by crews of young people. Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota-and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or by chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life....

 Sippi Summer Blues by Sophie B. - YA/B

Millie Annabelle Picket is being molested by her own Uncle Diddy. For that reason she believes that growing up in Mississippi has been nothing more for her than a curse. The only refuge that she finds is in an old cotton field that grows behind her house. For years she believed that it was only there to separate the good houses from the bad, the rich from the poor, the whites from the blacks, but after meeting and befriending Mockingbird, a young white boy, she discovers that trouble finds you no matter what color you are. When Mockinbird confides in her that his baby sister is being beaten by his mother, they try to find away to escape Mississippi and head up North to Chicago. As the summer unfolds, murder is committed, families are torn apart and Millie wonders if she would ever mend relationship with the ones she thought that she could love and trust.

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper - YA/DRA

 Andy Jackson was driving the car that crashed one night after a game, killing Robert Washington, his best friend and the captain of the Hazelwood High Tigers. It was late, and they'd been drinking, and now, months later, Andy can't stop blaming himself. As he turns away from family, friends, and even his girlfriend, he finds he's losing the most precious thing of all -- his ability to face the future.

    Reading gives you wings to fly!

Click on the butterfly and select an Award Winning Book to Read!

Alex Award -
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/alex 
Each year ten books that are published for
adults but are great for teens are honored. 

Coretta Scott King Awards -
http://www.ala.org/emiert/cskbookawards/recipients -
These awards honor the best works by African-American
authors and illustrators.

Eisner Awards -
http://www.comic-con.org/cci/cci_eisners_main.php -
Get graphic! These annual awards honor comic books and graphic novels.

 
Printz Award -  
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz -
The Michael L. Printz Award is given each year to the best
 work of literature published for young adults.

William C. Morris Award -
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/morris -
A new award that honors the best book by a first-time author for teens.

YALSA Selected Booklists -

http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook

These booklists, selected annually, recognize great works for teens in a variety of categories, including paperbacks; graphic novels; and best booksYALSA Selected Booklists - http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklistsawards/booklistsbook
These booklist are selected annually, recognizing
great works for teens in a variety of categories,
including paperbacks, graphic novels, and best books!.