New Books for May 2015

The list of new books for May is now up! Check out the page above. Keep in the mind that there are some books that have not been released yet, but I do believe that they can still be ordered if that's what you would like to do. All book titles are linked to the Edgewater Books website to help make ordering easy-peasy!!

Masterminds by Gordon Korman

At A Glance - School Library Edition

Bad Magic By Pseudonymous Bosch

A magical new series from Pseudonymous Bosh, the bestselling author of the Secret Series
Magic is BAD.As in fake. Cheesy. Unreal. At least, that's what Clay, who has seen one magic show too many, thinks.

When words from his journal appear mysteriously on his school wall as graffiti, he never imagines that magic might be to blame. And when the same graffiti lands him at Earth Ranch, a camp for "troubled" kids on a remote volcanic island, magic is the last thing he expects to find there.

But at Earth Ranch, there is one strange surprise after another, until Clay no longer knows what to expect. Is he really talking to a llama? Did he really see a ghost? What is the scary secret hidden in the abandoned library? The only thing he knows for sure is that behind the clouds of vog (volcanic smog), nothing is as it seems. Can he solve the riddle of Earth Ranch before trouble erupts?

Elusive author Pseudonymous Bosch introduces an extraordinary new series that will have you believing in the unbelievable.

Echo By Pam Munoz Ryan

Music, magic, and a real-life miracle meld in this genre-defying masterpiece from storytelling maestro Pam MuNoz Ryan.
Lost and alone in a forbidden forest, Otto meets three mysterious sisters and suddenly finds himself entwined in a puzzling quest involving a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica.
Decades later, Friedrich in Germany, Mike in Pennsylvania, and Ivy in California each, in turn, become interwoven when the very same harmonica lands in their lives. All the children face daunting challenges: rescuing a father, protecting a brother, holding a family together. And ultimately, pulled by the invisible thread of destiny, their suspenseful solo stories converge in an orchestral crescendo.
Richly imagined and masterfully crafted, ECHO pushes the boundaries of genre and form, and shows us what is possible in how we tell stories. The result is an impassioned, uplifting, and virtuosic tour de force that will resound in your heart long after the last note has been struck.

The Blood of Olympus By Rick Riordan

Though the Greek and Roman crewmembers of the Argo II have made progress in their many quests, they still seem no closer to defeating the earth mother, Gaea. Her giants have risen-all of them-and they're stronger than ever. They must be stopped before the Feast of Spes, when Gaea plans to have two demigods sacrificed in Athens. She needs their blood-the blood of Olympus-in order to wake. 

The demigods are having more frequent visions of a terrible battle at Camp Half-Blood. The Roman legion from Camp Jupiter, led by Octavian, is almost within striking distance. Though it is tempting to take the Athena Parthenos to Athens to use as a secret weapon, the friends know that the huge statue belongs back on Long Island, where it mightbe able to stop a war between the two camps.

The Athena Parthenos will go west; the Argo II will go east. The gods, still suffering from multiple personality disorder, are useless. How can a handful of young demigods hope to persevere against Gaea's army of powerful giants? As dangerous as it is to head to Athens, they have no other option. They have sacrificed too much already. And if Gaea wakes, it is game over.

The Year of Billy Miller By Kevin Henkes

A 2014 Newbery Honor BookA New York Times Bestseller

Award-winning, nationally bestselling author Kevin Henkes introduces second-grader Billy Miller in this fast-paced and funny story about friendship, sibling rivalry, and elementary school. The Year of Billy Miller includes black-and-white art by Kevin Henkes and is perfect for fans of the Ramona books; Frindle, by Andrew Clements; and the Clementine series.

The New York Times declared: "Henkes's delightful story is restrained and vivid . . . forgoing the overdramatic or zany, it shows the substance, warmth and adaptability of beautifully common family love." When Billy Miller has a mishap at the statue of the Jolly Green Giant at the end of summer vacation, he ends up with a big lump on his head. What a way to start second grade, with a lump on your head As the year goes by, though, Billy figures out how to navigate elementary school, how to appreciate his little sister, and how to be a more grown up and responsible member of the family and a help to his busy working mom and stay-at-home dad. Newbery Honor author and Caldecott Medalist Kevin Henkes delivers a short, satisfying, laugh-out-loud-funny school and family story that features a diorama homework assignment, a school poetry slam, cancelled sleepovers, and epic sibling temper tantrums. This is a perfect short novel for the early elementary grades.

At A Glance - Book Fair Edition

The Aviary By Kathleen O'Dell

Twelve-year-old Clara Dooley has spent her whole life in the Glendoveer mansion, where her mother is a servant to the kind and elderly matron of the house. Clara has never known another home. In fact, she's confined to the grand estate due to a mysterious heart condition. But it's a comfortable life, and if it weren't for the creepy squawking birds in the aviary out back, a completely peaceful one too.

But once old Mrs. Glendoveer passes away, Clara comes to learn many dark secrets about the family. The Glendoveers suffered a horrific tragedy: their children were kidnapped, then drowned. And their father George Glendoveer, a famous magician and illusionist, stood accused until his death. As Clara digs deeper and deeper into the terrifying events, the five birds in the aviary seem to be trying to tell her something. And Clara comes to wonder: what is their true identity? Clara sets out to solve a decades-old murder mystery—and in doing so, unlocks a secret in her own life, too. Kathleen O'Dell deftly weaves magic, secret identities, evil villians, unlikely heroes, and the wonder of friendship into a mystery adventure with all the charm of an old fashioned classic. 

** Summary from Goodreads

The Humming Room By Ellen Potter

Hiding is Roo Fanshaw's special skill. Living in a frighteningly unstable family, she often needs to disappear at a moment's notice. When her parents are murdered, it's her special hiding place under the trailer that saves her life. 

As it turns out, Roo, much to her surprise, has a wealthy if eccentric uncle, who has agreed to take her into his home on Cough Rock Island. Once a tuberculosis sanitarium for children of the rich, the strange house is teeming with ghost stories and secrets. Roo doesn't believe in ghosts or fairy stories, but what are those eerie noises she keeps hearing? And who is that strange wild boy who lives on the river? People are lying to her, and Roo becomes determined to find the truth.

Despite the best efforts of her uncle's assistants, Roo discovers the house's hidden room--a garden with a tragic secret. 

Inspired by The Secret Garden, this tale full of unusual characters and mysterious secrets is a story that only Ellen Potter could write.

Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase By Jonathan Stroud

A sinister Problem has occurred in London: all nature of ghosts, haunts, spirits, and specters are appearing throughout the city, and they aren't exactly friendly. Only young people have the psychic abilities required to see-and eradicate-these supernatural foes. Many different Psychic Detection Agencies have cropped up to handle the dangerous work, and they are in fierce competition for business. 

In The Screaming Staircase, the plucky and talented Lucy Carlyle teams up with Anthony Lockwood, the charismatic leader of Lockwood & Co, a small agency that runs independent of any adult supervision. After an assignment leads to both a grisly discovery and a disastrous end, Lucy, Anthony, and their sarcastic colleague, George, are forced to take part in the perilous investigation of Combe Carey Hall, one of the most haunted houses in England. Will Lockwood & Co. survive the Hall's legendary Screaming Staircase and Red Room to see another day? 

Readers who enjoyed the action, suspense, and humor in Jonathan Stroud's internationally best-selling Bartimaeus books will be delighted to find the same ingredients, combined with deliciously creepy scares, in his thrilling and chilling Lockwood & Co. series.

The Prank List By Anna Staniszewski

Rachel Lee never thought she'd fight for the right to clean toilets. But when a rival cleaning business starts stealing her mom's clients, Rachel will do whatever it takes to save herself the horror of moving to Connecticut--which would mean giving up her almost, sort of boyfriend, her fantastic new pastry classes, and her best friend Marisol. 

Operation Save Mom's Cleaning Business is a go 

But when the series of pranks Rachel and her BFF cook up to take down the competition totally backfires, Rachel worries that her recipe for success is a dud. You know what they say--if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen...

Tell Me By Joan Bauer

The unofficial town motto is "Nothing bad ever happens in Rosemont" where  twelve-year-old Anna has come to stay with her grandmother, Mim, hoping to forget her worries about her parents' troubled marriage.  She'll be busy with the town's annual Flower Festival, a celebration with floats and bands that requires weeks of preparations.

But before long, Anna finds herself involved in a very big problem. When she observes a girl her own age who seems to be being held against her will, Anna can't forget the girl's frightened eyes and she is determined to investigate. "When you see something, say something" she's been told—but what good does it do to speak if no one will listen? Luckily, a take-charge girl like Anna is not going to give up.

Told with Joan Bauer's trademark mixture of humor and heart, Tell Me will enthrall her many fans and win her new ones.

At A Glance

Pennyroyal Academy By M. A. Larson

Pennyroyal Academy: Seeking bold, courageous youths to become tomorrow's princesses and knights….Come one, come all!

A girl from the forest arrives in a bustling kingdom with no name and no idea why she is there, only to find herself at the center of a world at war.  She enlists at Pennyroyal Academy, where princesses and knights are trained to battle the two great menaces of the day: witches and dragons. There, given the name “Evie,” she must endure a harsh training regimen under the steel glare of her Fairy Drillsergeant, while also navigating an entirely new world of friends and enemies. As Evie learns what it truly means to be a princess, she realizes surprising things about herself and her family, about human compassion and inhuman cruelty. And with the witch forces moving nearer, she discovers that the war between princesses and witches is much more personal than she could ever have imagined.

Set in Grimm’s fairytale world, M.A. Larson’s Pennyroyal Academy masterfully combines adventure, humor, and magical mischief.

The Cavendish Home For Boys and Girls By Claire Legrand

At the Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls, you will definitely learn your lesson. An atmospheric, heartfelt, and delightfully spooky novel for fans of Coraline, Splendors and Glooms, and The Mysterious Benedict Society.

Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does, too.)

But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out…different. Or they don’t come out at all.

If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria—even if it means getting a little messy.

Embrace By Jessica Shirvington

It starts with a whisper: "It's time for you to know who you are..." 

On her 17th birthday, everything will change for Violet Eden. The boy she loves will betray her. Her enemy will save her. She will have to decide just how much she's willing to sacrifice.
Dangerously exciting and darkly romantic, EMBRACE is a compelling novel of good and evil, seductive desires and impossible choices. A centuries old war between fallen angels and the protectors of humanity chooses a new fighter. It's a battle Violet doesn't want, but she lives her life by two rules: don't run and don't quit. If angels seek vengeance and humans are the warriors, you could do a lot worse than betting on Violet Eden.
LINCOLN: He's been Violet's one anchor, her running partner and kickboxing trainer. Only he never told her he's Grigori--part human, part angel--and that he was training her for an ancient battle between Angels and Exiles.
PHOENIX: No one knows where his loyalties lie, yet he's the only one there to pick up the pieces and protect her after Lincoln's lies. In a world of dark and light, he is all shades of gray.
Two sides: Angel or Exile.
Two guys: Lincoln or Phoenix.
The wrong choice could cost not only her life, but her eternity...
"In her YA paranormal romance debut, Jessica Shirvington combines "the badass-action of Vampire Academy, the complex love triangles of Twilight, and the angel mythology of Fallen, taken one step further." --Book Couture
"Shirvington's debut is smart, edgy and addictive--and sure to leave readers clamoring for the rest of the series."-- Kirkus Reviews, STARRED
"One of the best YA novels we've seen in a while. Get ready for a confident, kick-butt, well-defined heroine." -- RT Book Reviews

MD Black-Eyed Susans Winners

Congrats to this year's MD Black-Eyed Susan winners that were voted on by the students of the state of Maryland!! Even though I didn't vote (I'm too old!), a few of my favorites won. "The Day the Crayons Quit" By Drew Daywalt was a really fun book about a few complaints from the crayons of a schoolboy. "Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library" By Chris Grabenstein was also another one of my favorites. Since I work in a library I'm a little bias, but it was a great story and some really funny parts in there too. If you haven't read these books, then I encourage you to do so!

• The Day The Crayons Quit By Drew Daywalt (Picture Book)
• Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library By Chris Grabenstein (Grades 4-6)
• Astronaut Academy: Zero Gravity By Dave Roman (Graphic Novels)
• On The Day I Died: Stories From The Grave By Candace Fleming (Grades 6-9)
• Eleanor and Park By Rainbow Rowell (High School)

Looking forward to next year...we have the 2015-2016 MD Black-Eyed Susan Nominees! This list is also copied on a page above.

Picture Books
Peanut Butter and Cupcake!
By Terry Border
What's Your Favorite Animal?
By Eric Carle
The Tooth Fairy Wars
By Kate Coombs
Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas
By Lynne Cox
Dog vs Cat
By Chris Gall
Lost and Found
By Bill Harley
Julia's House for Lost Creatures
By Ben Hatke
Brush of the Gods
By Lenore Look
At the Same Moment, Around the World
By Clotilde Perrin
Joy in Mudville
Bob Raczka
Carnivores
By Aaron Reynolds
Jimmy the Joey: the Ture Story of an Amazing Koala Rescue
By Deborah Lee Rose
The Noisy Paint Box: the Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art
By Barb Rosenstock
The Most Magnificent Thing
By Ashley Spires
Feathers: Not Just for Flying
By Melissa Stewart

Grades 4-6
The Qwikpick Papers: Poop Fountain
By Tom Angleberger
Absolutely Almost
By Lisa Graff
Words with Wings
By Nikki Grimes
Gabriel Finley and the Raven's Riddle
By George Hagen
The Fourteenth Goldfish
By Jennifer Holm
Odd, Weird and Little
By Patrick Jennings
Half a World Away
By CynthiaKadohata
Half a Chance
By Cynthia Lord
Brown Girl Dreaming
By Jacqueline Woodson
Centaur Rising
By Jane Yolen

Graphic Novels
El Deafo
By Cece Bell
Lowriders in Space, Book 1
By Cathy Camper
Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust
By Loic Dauvillier
Dogs of War
By Sheila Keenan
The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Macbeth
By Ian Lendler
The Silver Six
By AJ Lieberman
Bravoman. Volume I: Super-Unequaled Hero of Excellence!
By Matt Moylan
Finding Gossamyr. Volume I
By David A. Rodriquez
Phoebe and her Unicorn: a Heavenly Nostrils Chronicle
By Dana Simpson
Cardboard
By Doug TenNapel

Grades 6-9
I Kill The Mockingbird
By Paul Acampora
The Crossover
By Kwame Alexander
The Night Gardner
By Jonathan Auxier
The Great Trouble: a Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel
By Deborah Hopkinson
Ice Dogs
By Terry Lynn Johnson
The Boy on the Wooden Box: How the Impossible Became Possible
By Leon Leyson
Greenglass House
By Kate Milford
The Boundless
By Kenneth Oppel
Screaming at the Ump
By Audrey Veronica
I am Malala: (young reader edition)
By Malala Yousafzai

High School
The Impossible Knife of Memory
By Laurie Halse Anderson
The Naturals
By Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Nearly Gone
By Elle Cosimano
The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone
By Adele Griffin
Open Road Summer
By Emery Lord
Steelheart
By Brandon Sanderson
The Scar Boys: a Novel
By Len Vlahos
Rose Under Fire
By Elizabeth Wein
Noggin
By John Corey Whaley
The Shadow Hero
By Gene Luen Yang

Kate Milford

I was lucky enough to meet Kate Milford on the afternoon of Wednesday, 6 May 2015 at the Edgewater Community Library. She took some time out to visit with the fans of her newest book "Greenglass House". This is Kate's 5th book and it's getting a lot of recognition. I posted about the book when it was first published because the cover really caught my attention. As I always say, you really do judge a book by it's cover and this one is beautiful! I was pleasantly surprised when it was on the middle school list for next year's MD Black-Eyed Susans! Kate is also the recipient of the 2014 National Book Award Longlist and is a recent nominee for the Edgar Award for Juvenile Mystery. 

Kate Milford is a local to our area! She calls Riva home and attended Central Elementary, Central Middle and South River High. She now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and 2 year old and is looking forward to an upcoming adoption. She does come home to visit though. A few of Kate's favorite books growing up were "The Phantom Tollbooth", "The Westing Game",  "Dark is Rising" series as well as Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew books. 

Kate has tried many types of writing throughout her life from poetry to playwrights to screenplays before arriving at fiction. With a little one underfoot, it's hard to find the time to sit down and write lately, but she does make some time and also spends time at a local diner where she can get uninterrupted time. Kate enjoys writing and says "Half the fun of writing a story is seeing where it's gonna go." 

I can't wait to read "Greenglass House"! How about you?

Couple New Trailers!

I just finished the trailers for "Bruised" and "This Journal Belongs To Ratchet"!! Check them out AND, if you haven't already, subscribe to the Edgewater Books YouTube channel!!!

This Journal Belongs To Ratchet Trailer

Bruised by Sarah Skilton

Black Beauty

Black Beauty

By Anna Sewell

This is my ALL TIME favorite book and I think that it is perfect for the end of National ASPCA month. Black Beauty is set in Victorian London when folks got around in horse and buggy. Horses weren't really considered pets, but creatures of necessity. Anna Sewell documents the life of one of these horses from a kind and gentle masters to harsh and cruel masters. It is told in Beauty's own words, thoughts and feelings. The book was instrumental in creating animal cruelty laws and continues to do so to this day. What I didn't know, was that Black Beauty was the only novel Anna Sewell ever wrote. She wrote it in 1877 during the last years of her life and it was published five months before she died. She was able to see, briefly, how so many people fell in love with the story. I think this is a must read for everyone and especially those with animals...horses or otherwise. 

May Reading Challenge

May Challenge Examples

Pulitzer Prize Winners

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Beloved by Toni Morrison

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Based On A True Story

Phenomena: The Lost and Forgotten Children by Susan Tarr

Charlie's Pond by C. L. Heckman

Spilled Milk: Based On A True Story by K. L. Rands

Detour From Normal by Ken Dickson

 A Book At The Bottom of Your List

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

The Storyspinner (The Keepers' Chronicles #1) by Becky Wallace

Crux by Julie Reece

A Book Your Mom Likes

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (celebrated mom - Marmee)

Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling (celebrated mom - Molly Weasley)

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (celebrated mom - Angela McCourt)

Divergent by Veronica Roth (celebrated mom - Natalie Prior)