YA Book of the Day: Inspire Your Heart With Art Day

Yet another awesome graphic novel involving creative teens and their love for street art.  Jane and her friends   (all named Jane) spread their art around town in the dark of the night.

 

YA Book of the Day: The Plain Janes by Cecil Castelluci

YA Book of the Day: A week of celebrations

Here’s a week’s worth of YA picks and random holidays to celebrate.  Because sometimes we need a little time to plan ahead.

February 1st – Imbolc – Enna Burning by Shannon Hale – Celebrate a fire festival by reading about a girl with the strange ability to control fire.

February 2nd – Crepe Day – Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins – It’s time for some delicious crepes and a trip to Paris.  Even if we can’t all hop on a plane we can live vicariously through Anna.

February 3rd – Dump Your Significant Jerk Day – Love, Inc by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideou – When three girls discover that they’re all dating the same guy it’s time for a little payback.  And if they manage to help some other people with awkward breakups, so much the better.

February 4th – World Cancer Day – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green – Be sure to get on the list for this one.  It was recently named Time’s #1 fiction book of 2012.  The list is only going to get longer.

February 5th – Weatherperson’s Day – Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes – A twelve-year-old’s point of view of Katrina’s aftermath in New Orleans.

February 6th – National Girls and Women in Sports Day – My 13th Season by Kristi Roberts – Fran had no problems playing baseball with the boys in her old town.  The guys on the team in her new town aren’t nearly as receptive.  There is no ways she’s going to take that laying down.

February 7th – Ballet Day – Amiri and Odette: A Dance for Two by Walter Dean Myers – An updated version of the classic ballet Swan Lake set in the projects.  Only Myers could make such a concept work.

YA Book of the Day: Inane Answering Message Day

Nick wishes he had to deal with inane answering messages.  Who ever set up the voicemail on the used phone he just purchased must have left a doozy because he’s getting calls from strangers begging for help and making demands.  The situation quickly goes from bad to disturbing.

YA Book of the Day: Hell Phone by William Sleator

YA Book of the Day: Freethinker’s Day

Is there such a thing as thinking too freely?  I certainly don’t think so.  And I’m pretty sure that Shaun Tan agrees with me.  His short stories wander from whimsy to melancholy and back again, but each is an amazing experience.  His illustrations only add to the feeling that you are wandering through another person’s dreams.  A dream where a whole other impossible world exists, with it’s own rules and customs.

YA Book of the Day: Tales from Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

YA Book of the Day: Data Privacy Day

Seventh grader Erin Swift has plenty of problems.  The boy she likes doesn’t like her back.  Her archenemy is giving her a hard time.  She’s not even sure where she stands with her best friend.  Then her private digital diary is accidentally uploaded to the school intranet.  There are certain things that shouldn’t be shared.

YA Book of the Day: Click Here by Denise Vega

YA Book of the Day: Holocaust Memorial Day

There are so many stories written about the Holocaust, it’s almost hard to believe that anyone would ever forget.  Or deny it ever happened.  This story shows a child’s point of view as a young boy forms a friendship with another boy who happens to live on the other side of a large fence.

YA Book of the Day: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

YA Book of the Day: National Seed Swap Day

Apples are everyone’s business in Banesville, New York.  Literally.  Most of the town makes their living from the orchards in one way or another.  When rumors of ghosts start to spook the locals, high-school reporter Hildy decides it’s time for some sleuthing.  Plenty of apple-talk will leave the reader craving their own bite of fruit.  This one is a fun take on small town living.

YA Book of the Day: Peeled by Joan Bauer

YA Book of the Day: Fun at Work Day

This is not a job for an average teen.  Fourteen-year-old Alex Rider takes over for his recently deceased uncle with Britain’s MI6.  There are gadgets and Bond-type villains galore in this page turner.  It may be dangerous but Alex sure seems to be having a good time with his first job.  It should look pretty interesting on his college applications, too.

YA Book of the Day: Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz

YA Book of the Day: Belly Laugh Day

This is the kind of holiday I can really get behind.  There has to be a good way to celebrate this.  Dramatic readings of LOLcats.  Bad joke contests.  Palm trees decorated with whoopie cushions and rubber chickens.  This year I was caught unprepared so I’ll have to be satisfied with re-reading today’s pick.  It’s the first in a ridiculous series.  Be sure to get the edition with the glossary in the back.  It’s full of hilarious definitions for Britishisms and for terms made up by the glorious Georgia Nicolson.

YA Book of the Day: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison

YA Book of the Day: National Pie Day

Time to grab a slice of pie and pick up what is sure to become a classic novel.  Seriously.  Laughter and tears are such a perfect combination.  It’s the story of a normal young man and his little brother’s battle with leukemia.  They’ll be reading this one for years to come.

YA Book of the Day: Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

YA Book of the Day: 45th Anniversary of Apollo 5

Less than fifty years ago we were still shooting unmanned pods into space.  Today, even though NASA has taken huge cuts, there are people working toward commercial space flights.  Barnes dreams of a future where people live on Mars but getting there still isn’t easy.  Especially if you’re trying to get famous on the way.  I had to read this one because of the title and I’m so glad I did.  For those that are interested, Barnes maps out the science of space travel.  For those that are not, he clearly separates the technical talk from the rest of the novel.

YA Book of the Day: Losers in Space by John Barnes

YA Book of the Day: Martin Luther King Day

 

Today’s book involves a young man looking to find his place during the Civil Rights Movement in Chicago.  Influenced by both his father, a proponent of Dr. King’s nonviolent approach, and his brother, a young Black Panther, Sam views several sides of the movement.

 

YA Book of the Day: The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon.

 

YA Book of the Day: St. Sebastian’s Day

Did you know that St. Sebastian is the patron saint of archers?  I didn’t either.  This one was kind of a no-brainer.  If you haven’t read it yet, be sure to pick up a copy soon.  The next movie will be coming out this fall and the wait list is going to be huge.

YA Book of the Day: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

YA Book of the Day: Janis Joplin’s Birthday

Celebrate the life a great talent who left the world too soon.  Janis Joplin would have been seventy years old today.  She may be a cautionary tale of the dangers of living fast and hard, but she also gave the world some truly amazing music.

YA Book of the Day: Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel

YA Book of the Day: Winnie the Pooh Day

There’s a big difference between bears in teen literature and bears in children’s literature.  While the younger crowd is enjoying their tubby little cubby all stuffed with fluff, Cole Matthews is getting mauled by a giant white bear in Alaska.  Of course you’re still welcome to enjoy A.A. Milne’s silly old bear.  You’re never too old for Winnie the Pooh.

YA Book of the Day: Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

YA Book of the Day: Kid Inventors’ Day

Most of us have dreamed of being a great inventor.  Creating new technology.  Hanging out in a giant workshop.  Surrounded by robots.  Living it up in Tony Stark’s lab.  Cinder fixes robots and cyborgs for a living in a dirty little shop.  She’s one of the best mechanics around.  She might get more respect for this if she wasn’t her own biggest project.

YA Book of the Day: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

YA Book of the Day: Appreciate a Dragon Day

Time to give that special dragon in your life a great big hug.  If you don’t have your own special dragon be sure to pick up today’s selection.  It’s a hilarious fractured fairy tale in which a princess decides she would rather live in a cave with a dragon than marry a prince.  It actually turns out to be a pretty good deal.

YA Book of the Day: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia Wrede

YA Book of the Day: Humanitarian Day

When there are problems in the galaxy a mediator is called in.  One such mediator is Ketchvar III.  A slug-like Sandovininan, Ketchvar must take over the body of an adolescent boy to evaluate the human race.  He alone will decide if humans are worthy to continue their existence or if they should be exterminated to make way for another species.  Do you think humans are worth keeping around?  Today’s the day to prove it.

YA Book of the Day: Stuck on Earth by David Klass

YA Book of the Day: Coming of Age Day

Nothing says “Congratulations! You’re an adult.” like a naming ceremony.  Personally, I would prefer one with less blood and scarring.  Deuce takes the whole thing in stride and is more than happy to earn her name and move into the ranks of the hunters.  This is the exciting first installment in a new dystopian series.  Not for the faint of heart.  Adventure seekers welcome.

YA Book of the Day: Enclave by Ann Aguirre

YA Book of the Day: Make Your Dream Come True Day

Young adult literature is full of tales of the underdog overcoming adversity.  There are also plenty of stories about young people pursuing their dreams.  One of the most enduring in the genre is this story of a young woman determined to become a knight.  It’s the first in the classic Protector of the Small series.

YA Book of the Day: First Test by Tamora Pierce