Staff picks are selected each month and archived here. Check back often to find more suggestions for great reading.
To view previous staff picks, please click on the dates below:
February 2006
Vampires
I realize this is a rather dark subject and probably more suited to October than January, but so many vampire novels were published in the past few months that I wanted to give them some notice. -Emma Casale
Vampire Plagues series (Scholastic, $5.99 each)
The paperback series Vampire Plagues by Sebastian Rook is a good 5th grade and middle school read, suitably scary but not terrifying and full of adventure. Benedict Colen barely escapes with his life when a research party in Mexico releases an ancient evil,the vampire lord Camazotz. Ben stows away on a ship bound for England only to discover that Camazotz too is heading for London. Back in London, Benedict (Ben) is befriended by two wealthy children, Jack and Emily Harkett. With the help of Professor Adensnap, the three children set out to save London from Camazotz and his vampiric plague. In the second and third books, the children chase Camazotz first to Paris and then to Mexico.
Bloodline (Penguin, $16.99)
Kate Cary's Bloodline finds Dracula's bloodline in the trenches of World War I. John Shaw is haunted by the terrible things he witnessed during his time in the trenches under the command of Quincy Harker. As he begins to recover, with the help of Mary Seward, he is forced to face Harker again, this time as his sister, Lily's, suitor. When Harker takes Lily with him to Transylvania, John and Mary set out after him, determined to save Lily. You will not expect their revelations in Transylvania, nor the final outcome of the story. Although one doesn't need to read Dracula to enjoy the novel, I think the story is even better if one has.
Peeps (Penguin, $16.99)
For older readers (12+) there is Scott Westerfeld's vampire novel, Peeps. In Westerfeld's novel, vampirism is a sort of parasite (like tapeworm). NAME is inflicted with the parasite, but doesn't suffer the insanity the parasite inflicts on some of its victims. He is tracking down the trail of infection, first seeking out those whom he infected, and then trying to find the girl who infected him. While on her trail, he meets a normal girl, an aspiring journalist, with a journalist's inquisitiveness. The story has a really surprising twist that I don't want to even hint at, but which is definitely worth finding out. The story is fast-paced and interesting, told in first person point of view from NAME's perspective. The narrative chapters are separated by descriptions of real parasites, some even creepier than a vampire parasite.
Twilight (Little, Brown, $17.99)
Another for older readers (12+) is Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. The vampires of this novel are of the more traditional sort, but that doesn't subtract from the story. Isabella Swan has moved to Washington state to live with her father after her mother's remarriage. She knows she's going to hate it, but when school begins, she finds herself drawn to the mysterious Edward Cullen. Even after she knows what he is, she can't help being interested in him, in spite of the risk. Twilight is satisfyingly romantic without compromising the suspense of the story.
The Historian (Little, Brown, $25.95)
Even though it is an adult novel, I find it necessary to mention Elizabeth Kostova's vampire novel The Historian. A hefty novel, and much more literary than most vampire novels, The Historian is a compelling read. Following the stories of two sets of characters, both tracking Dracula: NAME and NAME during time period, and NAME (Name's daughter) and NAME in the present time. Although it takes awhile to read this one, it is worth the time.
Dracula (Penguin, $4.99)
Having reviewed so many vampire novels, it would be wrong of me to neglect the original vampire story, Bram Stoker's Dracula. I hadn't read Dracula when I began reading all of the above listed vampire novels, but once I had finished them, I felt a need to go back to the source. There is a reason this novel is a classic and any 12+ reader who enjoys fantasy and horror will love it. (Just be patient with Van Helsing, his speech is a little difficult to understand)
Otto Undercover #2: Canyon Catastrophe (HarperCollins, $3.99)
Otto has burst onto the scene for emerging readers. These books are silly fun–filled adventures featuring secret agents, race car drivers, and bumbling criminals. Readers are introduced to anagrams and palindromes in a playful format. Captain Underpants fans will find another goofy hero to love in the pages of Rhea Perlman's new books. --Frosty Davis
Awards!
Newbery Award
Winner: Criss Cross by Lynne Rae Perkins (HarperCollins)
Honors:
Whittington by Alan Armstrong (illustrated by S.D. Schindler) (Random House)
Hitler Youth: Growing Up In Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campbell Bartoletti (Scholastic)
Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (Bloomsbury)
Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson (illustrated by Hudson Talbott) (Penguin Putnam)
Caldecott Award
Winner: The Hello, Goodbye Window illustrated by Chris Raschka by Norton Juster (Hyperion)
Honors:
Rosa illustrared by Bryan Collier by Nikki Giovanni (Henry Holt)
Zen Shorts written and illustrated by John Muth (Scholastic)
Hot Air: The Mostly True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride
written &
illustrated by Marjorie Priceman (Simon & Schuster)
Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems illustrated
by Beckie Prange &
written by Joyce Sidman (Houghton Mifflin)
Michael L. Printz Award
Winner: Looking For Alaska by John Green (Penguin Putnam)
Honors:
Black Juice by Margo Lanagan (HarperCollins)
I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (Knopf)
John Lennon: All I Want Is the Truth, A Photographic Biography by Elizabeth Partridge (Viking)
A Wreath For Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson (illustrated by Philippe Lardy) (Houghton Mifflin)
Coretta Scott King Book Award
Author Award
Author Winner: Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue by Julius Lester (Hyperion)
Author Honors:
Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl by Tonya Bolden (Abrams)
Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes (Hyperion)
A Wreath For Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson (illustrated by Philippe Lardy) (Houghton Mifflin)
Illustrator Award
Illustrator Winner: Rosa illustrated by Bryan Collier (written by Nikki Giovanni) (Henry Holt)
Illustrator Honor: Brothers In Hope: The Story of the Lost Boys of Sudan
written & illustrated by R.Gregory Christie (Lee & Low)
Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award: Jimi and Me by Jaime Adoff (Hyperion)
Theodor Seuss Geisel Award
(for most distinguished beginning reader book)
Winner: Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas by Cynthia Rylant
illustrated by Sucie Stevenson (Simon and Schuster)
Honors:
Hi! Fly Guy by Tedd Arnold (Scholastic)
A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom (Boyds Mill)
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa by Erica Silverman illustrated by Betsy Lewin (Harcourt)
Amanda Pig and the Really Hot Day by Jean Van Leeuwen illustrated by Ann Schweninger (Dial)