My Favorite Picture Books

After 12 years of assisting in story times and paging through picture books, I've listened to and read many wonderful stories. Below is a list of some of my all time favorites (based on responses from children in story time, my love of the subject, or how loud I laughed when I read them):

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Viorst, Judith
Bark, George by Feiffer, Jules
Bear Snores On by Wilson, Karma
Big Bug Ball by Lillegard, Dee
Book! Book! Book! by Bruss, Deborah
Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians by Morris, Carla
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Jr., Bill Martin
Chester by Watt, Mélanie
Clap Your Hands by Cauley, Lorinda Bryan
Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Cronin, Doreen
Clip-Clop by Smee, Nicola
Doghouse by Thomas, Jan
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Willems, Mo
Duck In The Truck by Alborough, Jez
Duck On A Bike by Shannon, David
Dumb Bunnies series by Pilkey, Dav
Five Little Ducks by Raffi
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Christelow, Eileen
Franklin in the Dark by Bourgeois, Paulette
Froggy Gets Dressed by London, Jonathan
From Head to Toe by Carle, Eric
Giraffes Can't Dance by Andreae, Giles
Girl and Her Gator by Bryan, Sean
Hooway for Wodney Wat by Lester, Helen
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Yolen, Jane
I Went Walking by Williams, Sue
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (and others in series) by Numeroff, Laura
I'm Not Cute! by Allen, Jonathan
I'm Still Here in the Bathtub: Brand New Silly Dilly Songs by Katz, Alan
I'm The Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Sherry, Kevin
Is Your Mama A Llama? by Guarino, Deborah
Librarian from the Black Lagoon by Thaler, Mike
Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Dewdney, Anna
My Lucky Day by Kasza, Keiko
No, David! by Shannon, David
Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude by O'Malley, Kevin
Once Upon a Time, the End (Asleep in 60 Seconds) by Kloske, Geoffrey
Pigeon Finds a Hotdog! by Willems, Mo
Pigeon Wants a Puppy by Willems, Mo
Punk Farm by Krosoczka, Jarrett J.
Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Shields, Carol Diggory
Saving Sweetness by Stanley, Diane
Scaredy Squirrel series by Watt, Melanie
Spider on the Floor by Raffi
Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Scieszka, Jon
Stupids series by Allard, Harry G.
Tacky the Penguin by Lester, Helen
There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Taback, Simms
Too Many Frogs by Asher, Sandy
True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Scieszka, Jon
We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Rosen, Michael
What Will Fat Cat Sit On? by Thomas, Jan
Wide-Mouthed Frog by Faulkner, Keith
Wolf's Chicken Stew by Kasza, Keiko
Wolf's Coming! by Kulka, Joe

A Bunch of New Chick Lit Series in Teen

I love the Gossip Girls, Clique, Private, It Girl, and A-list series, so I was very excited to find, when i was browsing for new books to order back in December, that a lot more authors are coming out with similar series. I added ALL of them! What I like about these newer series is that they are much more diverse- there are several Christian-themed series and several African American-centered series (and two that are Christian AND African-American and one that is Christian AND Hispanic-American!). Check'em out (literally!)

(All titles listed below can be found in the Teen section of Helen Hall Library (call numer YA-F) alphabetized by author.)

Bard Academy Series by Lockwood, Cara
Vol. 1: Wuthering High
Miranda is shipped off to Bard Academy, a boarding school, to learn how to behave, but when she begins having nightmares and the other students' lives begin to mirror the tragic classics they're reading, Miranda begins to suspect the school is haunted by famous authors who committed suicide.

The Ashleys Series by De La Cruz, Melissa
Vol. 1: The Ashleys
Lauren Page, having changed her style from discount bargain clothes to couture fashions, decides to infiltrate the most popular group of girls at Miss Gamble's Preparatory School for Girls and get revenge for how they have treated her.

The Celebutantes Series by Pagliarulo, Antonio
Vol. 1: On the Avenue
When fabulously wealthy sixteen-year-old triplets Lexington, Park, and Madison Hamilton appear to be involved in the murder of a powerful magazine editor, they decide to do some investigating of their own before the police and paparazzi completely ruin their lives.

The Good Girlz Novels (Christian Fiction) by Billingsley, ReShonda Tate
Vol. 1: Nothing But Drama
Four girls from different backgrounds--one with a police record, one with a frightening secret, one with a tough exterior, and one from high society--meet at a church youth group and learn firsthand the value of honoring their parents.

Drama High Series by Divine, L.
Vol. 1: The Fight
Having broken up with her boyfriend and his player ways, sixteen-year-old Jayd is ready for a fresh start and a new school year at South Bay High, a.k.a. Drama High, but life is not that easy at her Los Angeles high school.

The Clique Summer Collection by Harrison, Lisi
(No particular series order) Sample description from volume: Massie
Back in Orlando for the summer, twelve-year-old Claire has difficulty connecting with her former best friends and decides to prove her loyalty by helping them prepare for the Kissimmee's teen beauty pageant, but when Massie shows up with aims to win the crown, Claire finds herself torn.

The Summer Boys Novels by Abbott, Hailey
Vol. 2: Next Summer
On vacation again together, three cousins share their family's beach house and find a whole new selection of boys-- and the problems that go along with dating them.

The Principles of Love Series by Franklin, Emily
Vol. 1: Love From London
Love Bukowski is living the life of her dreams in London, where she parties with the hottest rock stars, legendary royals, and all-time bad boys while attending the London Academy of Drama and Music with her best friend, Arabella, but when the life of her dreams takes a turn for the worse, Love must decide whether to follow her heart or her head.

Chalet Girls Series by Franklin, Emily
Vol. 1: Balancing Acts
Three teenaged girls try to prevent their secrets from interfering with their love lives and their goals as they work at Les Trois, an exclusive Alpine ski resort, over the winter.

The All About Us Novels (Christian Fiction) by Adina, Shelley
Vol. 1: Be Strong and Curvaceous
Carly, a Mexican American scholarship student at exclusive Spencer Academy in San Francisco, hides her status from her wealthy school friends until her new roommate, a Scottish aristocrat, is threatened by an angry young man and needs Carly's--and God's--help.

The Beta Gamma Pi Novels (Christian Fiction) by Moore, Stephanie Perry
Vol. 1: Work What You Got
Hayden, who starts her sophomore year at college, pledges to Beta Gamma Pi and participates in dangerous hazing events while dealing with challenges to her Christian faith and questioning her relationship with Creed, the campus hunk.

Just in time for Valentine's Day- books about Forbidden Love

Aidinoff, Elsie The garden YA-F AIDINOFF
Bennett, Cherie A heart divided YA-F BENNETT
Black, Holly Tithe YAF-BLACK
Blackman, Marjorie Naughts and Crosses YA-F BLACKMAN
Block, Francesca Lia Wasteland YA-F BLOCK
Clare, Cassandra City of Bones YA-F CLARE
Dole, Mayra Lazare Down to the Bone YA-F DOLE
Draper, Sharon Romiette and Julio YA-F DRAPER
Freyman-Weyr, Garret Stay With Me YA-F FREYMAN-WEYR
Gallagher, Liz Opposite of Invisible YA-F GALLAGHER
Glenn , Mel Foreign Exchange: a Mystery in Poems YA-F GLENN
Gray, Claudia Evernight YA-F GRAY
Green, John Paper Towns YA-F GREEN
Hurley, Tonya Ghostgirl YA-F HURLEY
Jenkins, A.M. Beating Heart YA-F JENKINS
Klause, Annette Curtis Blood and Chocolate YA-F KLAUSE
Koja, Kathe Kissing the Bee YA-F KOJA
Korman, Gordon Son of the Mob YA-F KORMAN
Lyga, Barry Boy Toy YA-F LYGA
McCarthy, Maureen Rose by Any Other Name YA-F MCCARTHY
Mead, Rachel Vampire Academy Series YA-F MEAD
Meyer, Stephenie Twilight series YA-F MEYER
Mori, Kaoru Emma series YAGN MORI
Newman, Leslea Jailbait YA-F NEWMAN
Rosoff, Meg How I Live Now YA-F ROSOFF
Ryan, Amy Kathleen Vibes YA-F RYAN
Shakespeare, William Romeo and Juliet 822.33 U3gi
Shmidt, Gary D. Trouble YA-F SCHMIDT
Strasser, Todd Boot Camp YA-F STRASSER
Vaught, Susan Big Fat Manifesto YA-F VAUGHT
Waite, Judy Forbidden YA-F WAITE
Weyn, Suzanne Reincarnation YA-F WEYN
Whitcomb, Laura A Certain Slant of Light YA-F WHITCOMB
Woodson, Jacqueline Behind You YA-F WOODSON
Woodson, Jacqueline If You Come Softly YA-F WOODSON
Zarr, Sara Sweethearts YA-F ZARR

If You Liked Erin Hunter’s Warriors Series….

Adams, Richard. Watership Down F ADAMS
Shardis,
Plague Dogs
Traveller
Appelt, Kathi . The Underneath J-F APPELT
Avi. Poppy series, The good dog J-F AVI
Bakker, Robert. Raptor Red F BAKKER
Beagle, Peter S. The last unicorn SF BEAGLE
Bell, Clare. Ratha's creature (and series) YA-F BELL
Clement-Davies, David. Fire Bringer, The Sight YA-F CLEMENT-DAVIES
Graham, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows J-F GRAHAME
Hobbs, Valerie. Sheep J-F HOBBS
Hoeye, Michael. Time Stops for No Mouse J-F HOEYE
Jacques, Brian. Redwall J-F JACQUES
Jarvis, Robin. The Deptford Histories YA-F JARVIS
The Hagwood trilogy
Koertge, Ron. Strays YA-F KOERTGE
Koja, Kathe. Straydog YA-F KOJA
Lasky, Kathryn. Guardians of Ga'Hoole YA-F LASKY
Lowry, Lois. Stay: Keeper's story J-F LOWRY
Martin, Ann. A dog's life J-F MARTIN
Oppel, Kenneth. Silverwing J-F OPPEL
Orwell, George. Animal Farm F ORWELL
Paver, Michelle. Chronicles of Ancient Darkness YA-F PAVER
series
Pierce, Meredith Ann. Firebringer trilogy YA-F PIERCE
Said, S.F. Varjak Paw J-F SAID
The outlaw Varjak Paw
Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty J-F SEWELL
Stein, Garth. The art of racing in the rain F STEIN
Vaughan, Brian K. Pride of Baghdad YAGN VAUGHAN
Williams, Tad. Tailchaser's song YA-F WILLIAMS

Not New but Still Noteworthy

I decided some time ago that I do not know my collection as well as I should and that I should remedy that by going through the whole thing and making sure that I'd read at least one book off each shelf (not very scientific, I know, but a good start). Here are three books that I read while we were closed for Christmas that I was sorry to see end (descriptions taken from our online catalog):

The Hollow Kingdom by Clare Dunkle
In nineteenth-century England, a powerful sorcerer and King of the Goblins chooses Kate, the elder of two orphan girls recently arrived at their ancestral home, Hallow Hill, to be his bride and queen.

The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn
In 1645 in England, the daughters of the town minister successfully accuse a local healer and her granddaughter of witchcraft to conceal an out-of-wedlock pregnancy, but years later during the 1692 Salem trials their lie has unexpected repercussions.

The Queen's Soprano by Carol Dines
Seventeen year-old Angelica Voglia lives in seventeenth-century Rome and has the voice of an angel, but because the pope forbids women to sing in public, she must escape to Queen Christina's palace to become a court singer.

What to Read While You Wait for Twilight!

Miss Jenny recommends:
The House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
The Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead
The Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith
The Den of Shadows series by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

For guys who are not caught up in the Twilight phenomenon: A Couple of Not-Necessarily-New-but-New-to-Miss-Jenny-Teen-Series

I read the first novels in each of these series recently and loved them! I get a lot of requests for recommendations of books that fans of such series as Artemis Fowl, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and The Ranger's Apprentice might like, and I think both of these series really fit that particular bill...


The Lost Journals of Ven Polypheme, Book 1: The Floating Island, by Elizabeth Haydon

Charles Magnus Ven Polypheme—known as Ven—is the youngest son of a long line of famous shipwrights. He dreams not of building ships, but of sailing them to far-off lands where magic thrives. Ven gets his chance when he is chosen to direct the Inspection of his family’s latest ship—and sets sail on the journey of a lifetime.

Attacked by fire pirates, lost at sea and near death, Ven is rescued by a passing ship on its way to the Island of Serendair. Thankful to be alive, little does Ven know that the pirate attack—and his subsequent rescue—may not have been an accident. Shadowy figures are hunting for the famed Floating Island, the only source of the mystical Water of Life. They think Ven can lead them to this treasure and will stop at nothing to get it—even murder….



Monster Blood Tattoo, Book 1: Foundling, by D.M. Cornish

Set in the world of the Half-Continent-a land of tri-corner hats and flintlock pistols-the Monster Blood Tattoo trilogy is a world of predatory monsters, chemical potions and surgically altered people. Foundling begins the journey of Rossamund, a boy with a girl's name, who is just about to begin a dangerous life in the service of the Emperor. What starts as a simple journey is threatened by encounters with monsters-and people, who may be worse. Learning who to trust and who to fear is neither easy nor without its perils, and Rossamund must choose his path carefully.

Complete with appendices, maps, illustrations, and a glossary, Monster Blood Tattoo grabs readers from the first sentence and immerses them in an entirely original fantasy world with its own language and lore.