Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Staff Pick Snack Pack

Here's another round of our favorites from the chapter book room, spanning, but not limited to: kick-butt heroines, rock revolutions, lemonade slush, monologues, men trapped in the figurehead of a ship, and fabbity-fab-fab snogging...


The Merchant of Venice (Graphic Shakespeare) by William Shakespeare
adapted and illustrated by Gareth Hinds
Bookseller: Rachel
Genre: graphic novel, classic drama
Suggested
reading level: ages 13 and up

Shakespeare's story of trickery, love, racism, and disguise comes vibrantly to life in this graphic adaptation. Any teen reluctant to read Shakespeare will be relieved by this version, as Gareth Hinds makes Merchant's inherent drama and wit immediately accessible.



Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison
Bookseller: Bindy
Genre: realistic fiction

Suggested reading level: ages 11 and up

Bridget-Jones-esque diary of Brit teen Georgia Nicholson. Laugh-out-loud funny, Georgia insists on sympathy from her readers as she navigates life with her demonic cat, infantile sister, intolerable parents, and questionable friends and snoggers.



Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
Bookseller: Michelle
Genre: school
story, humor, for rock fans
Suggested reading level: ages 12 up


This spunky faux-"anthology" of a freshman band combines Konigsburg's The View from Saturday's kind of quirky interchanging cast of voices with Spinelli's Stargirl's noncomformity to champion high school underdogs, lemonade slush, and plain great rock'n'roll. Warning: may make you want to learn to play the ukulele.



Sabriel, sequels Lirael and Abhorsen by Garth Nix
Bookseller: Katie
Genre: dark high fantasy

Suggested reading level: ages 12 and up


Necromancer Sabriel sets out to find her missing father in the magical Old Kingdom. Lirael's longing to be special leads her to attempt magic far beyond her ability and discover an unexpected destiny. Together, the two women fight a danger greater than either has known before.
Look here for Katie's love of the Abhorsen trilogy omnibus!

(And since I couldn't decide which cover to go with, the classic, with the bells I loved to examine as a kid, or the new, minimalist, edition, you have both!).

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