Yesterday at the CCIRA convention in Denver, the 2017 Blue Spruce winner, Six of Crows by Leigh Barduga, and the 2018 nominees were announced. The winner focuses on six dangerous outcasts in the magic infused city of Ketterdam, who are offered vast sums of money to liberate a scientist from a maximum security prison. Kaz, who heads the crew, recruits his friends to help him with the heist. The story is told from multiple points of view and along the way readers find out each person's backstory, which leads them to Kaz's gang. This page turner ends with a cliff-hanger ending, followed by the sequel Crooked Kingdom.
The 2018 nominees include several previously reviewed in this blog, including Everything, Everything, by Nicola Yoon, The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz, Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, and The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas. In addition to these titles, the following novels are up for the 2018 award.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Two sisters leave their cruel father to attend Caraval-a faraway once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show. Along the way one is kidnapped and the other is aided by a mysterious sailor and finds herself enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak and magic.
Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller
When the pirate king discovers that a legendary treasure map can be found on an enemy ship, his daughter Alosa knows there is only one pirate for the job - herself. Leaving behind her beloved ship and crew, Alosa deliberately facilitates her own kidnapping to ensure her welcome on the ship.
The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron
Canaan is a quiet city on an idyllic world, hemmed in by high walls, but every 12 years the town breaks out in a chaos of bloody violence, after which all the people undergo the Forgetting, in which they are left without any trace of memory. But Nadia has never forgotten.
Kill All Happies by Rachel Cohn
Victoria Navarro has one night to throw the ultimate graduation party at Happies, a legendary restaurant that is closing. She hopes to say goodbye to lifelong friends and make sure her crush never forgets her, but all doesn't go as planned.
The Marvels by Brian Selznik
The author of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, once again employs pen and ink drawings, as well as text, to tell the story of the Marvels, a brilliant family of London actors.
Nyxia by Scott Reintgen
Emmet accepts an interstellar space contract, but learns en route that to win the promised fortune, he and the other recruits face a brutal competition, putting their very humanity at risk.
Refugee by Alan Gratz
Three teens separated by continents and decades embark on harrowing journeys in search of refuge. Joseph flees Nazi Germany in 1930, Isabel leaves Cuba on a raft to America in 1994 and Mahmoud begins the journey from Syria to Germany in 2015. Surprising connections tie their stories together.
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
John Green's latest novel focuses on Aza whose OCD threatens to derail her attempt to get control of her life, as she pursues the mystery of a fugitive billionaire.
Wax by Gina Damico
Poppy Palladino, with the help of a wax boy called Dud, attempts to uncover an evil plot that threatens her hometown of Paraffin, Vermont.
We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach
The lives of 4 high school seniors intersect weeks before a meteor is set to pass through Earth's orbit with a 66.6% chance of striking and destroying all life on Earth.
To read more about the award and find book talks for the new nominees go to http://www.coloradobluespruceaward.org/
Showing posts with label Six of Crows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Six of Crows. Show all posts
Friday, February 9, 2018
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
The CO Blue Spruce YA book award winner was announced at the CCIRA conference today, along with the new nominees for 2017. The 2016 winner is The Amazing Book is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester. The authors are Youtube sensations who share their awkward teenage lives on the internet. The 2017 nominees include *All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, * The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig, *I Was Here by Gayle Forman, Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, *The Smell of Other People's Houses by Bonnie Sue Hitchcock, Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King, *Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum, Thicker Than Water by Kelly Fiore, This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp, and The Treatment by Suzanne Young. Those that are starred have already been reviewed in this blog.
Carry On is a companion book to Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. In Fangirl, twins Wren and Cath write fan fiction for a fantasy book whose main character is Simon Snow, a wizard who has been compared to Harry Potter. Carry On is Simon's story. Unlike Harry, Simon is not a very good wizard. He can't get his wand to work, his roommate may be a vampire, and he has a monster running around wearing his face. This book appeared on many best books of 2015 lists, including Time magazine and School Library Journal.
Outrun the Moon is a wonderful historical fiction about 15-year-old Mercy Wong who lives through the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. She lives in Chinatown, but finagles her way into attending St. Clare's School for Girls. Mercy is an outcast at school until the earthquake forces her and her classmates into a temporary camp at the park, where she rises to the occasion and helps those around her survive. A sequel is said to be in the works.
Six of Crows is the first in a duology starring six dangerous outcasts in the magic infused city of Ketterdam, who are offered vast sums of money to liberate a scientist from a maximum security prison. Kaz, who heads the crew, recruits his friends to help him with the heist. The story is told from multiple points of view and along the way readers find out each person's backstory which leads them to Kaz's gang. This page turner ends with a cliff-hanger ending, followed by the sequel Crooked Kingdom.
Still Life with Tornado, the latest by A.S. King, involves a 16-year-old artist, Sarah, who is devastated when a piece she created for a show is destroyed. She wonders if life is really worth living. She has a dysfunctional family, her brother is missing, her art teacher is dismissive and cruel, and she has lost her ability to draw. Her 10, 23 and 40-year-old selves help her navigate the waters of depression, as she wanders the city trying to find a reason to go on. This book appears on many best books of 2016 lists including The New York Times and Booklist.
Thicker Than Water is a heartbreaking story of family tragedy and drug addiction. Cecelia Price is locked up and forced into treatment, after being accused of killing her brother. After her mom dies, CeCe's brother, a star soccer player, is injured and gets addicted to painkillers. As his life spirals downward, and their father is in denial, CeCe takes matters into her own hands to try to save the family.
This Is Where It Ends is a story about 54 minutes during a school shooting. The story is told from the perspectives of four different teens, who all know the shooter and have reason to fear him. During a school assembly at Opportunity High in Alabama, the troubled teen locks the doors and begins shooting, randomly killing staff and students. Two boys who were not in the auditorium mastermind a rescue operation. This debut novel also made many best books of 2016 lists.
The Treatment is the sequel to last year's nominee, The Program, about a futuristic society, that deals with teenage depression and suicidal tendencies, by wiping the troubled teens' memories. The followup finds teens working with rebels to put an end to the program. Protagonists Sloane and James find the key to unlocking their memories, so they can take down The Program, lies with the Treatment, a pill that can bring back their memories but at a high cost.
Promotional activities, book talks and author responses are available at www.coloradobluespruceaward.org.
Carry On is a companion book to Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl. In Fangirl, twins Wren and Cath write fan fiction for a fantasy book whose main character is Simon Snow, a wizard who has been compared to Harry Potter. Carry On is Simon's story. Unlike Harry, Simon is not a very good wizard. He can't get his wand to work, his roommate may be a vampire, and he has a monster running around wearing his face. This book appeared on many best books of 2015 lists, including Time magazine and School Library Journal.
Outrun the Moon is a wonderful historical fiction about 15-year-old Mercy Wong who lives through the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. She lives in Chinatown, but finagles her way into attending St. Clare's School for Girls. Mercy is an outcast at school until the earthquake forces her and her classmates into a temporary camp at the park, where she rises to the occasion and helps those around her survive. A sequel is said to be in the works.
Six of Crows is the first in a duology starring six dangerous outcasts in the magic infused city of Ketterdam, who are offered vast sums of money to liberate a scientist from a maximum security prison. Kaz, who heads the crew, recruits his friends to help him with the heist. The story is told from multiple points of view and along the way readers find out each person's backstory which leads them to Kaz's gang. This page turner ends with a cliff-hanger ending, followed by the sequel Crooked Kingdom.
Still Life with Tornado, the latest by A.S. King, involves a 16-year-old artist, Sarah, who is devastated when a piece she created for a show is destroyed. She wonders if life is really worth living. She has a dysfunctional family, her brother is missing, her art teacher is dismissive and cruel, and she has lost her ability to draw. Her 10, 23 and 40-year-old selves help her navigate the waters of depression, as she wanders the city trying to find a reason to go on. This book appears on many best books of 2016 lists including The New York Times and Booklist.
Thicker Than Water is a heartbreaking story of family tragedy and drug addiction. Cecelia Price is locked up and forced into treatment, after being accused of killing her brother. After her mom dies, CeCe's brother, a star soccer player, is injured and gets addicted to painkillers. As his life spirals downward, and their father is in denial, CeCe takes matters into her own hands to try to save the family.
This Is Where It Ends is a story about 54 minutes during a school shooting. The story is told from the perspectives of four different teens, who all know the shooter and have reason to fear him. During a school assembly at Opportunity High in Alabama, the troubled teen locks the doors and begins shooting, randomly killing staff and students. Two boys who were not in the auditorium mastermind a rescue operation. This debut novel also made many best books of 2016 lists.
The Treatment is the sequel to last year's nominee, The Program, about a futuristic society, that deals with teenage depression and suicidal tendencies, by wiping the troubled teens' memories. The followup finds teens working with rebels to put an end to the program. Protagonists Sloane and James find the key to unlocking their memories, so they can take down The Program, lies with the Treatment, a pill that can bring back their memories but at a high cost.
Promotional activities, book talks and author responses are available at www.coloradobluespruceaward.org.
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