The Fall catalogs from Penguin's Children's Division arrived today and here are a few that caught my eye. (Also it looks like Fantasy is very popular compared to Mystery and Science Fiction - I can't remember the last time I saw a good Sci Fi YA title...)
Bloodline by Kate Cary. It could be just a typical vampire novel, except it takes place right after WWI and involves John Shaw and his former commander, a man who still haunts his nightmares of the trenches. When the commander shows up and has an interest in John's sister, he must "confront the truth and stop Harker from continuing Dracula's bloodline." I couldn't help but notice that the vampire's last name is Harker - as in Mina Harker. A baby 35 years after the death of Dracular? Who knows, but it sounds very interesting!
Fire in the HIlls by Donna Jo Napoli. I'm a fan of Napoli's work and although I missed this book's predcessor, Stones in the Water, it sounds like this one could be read on its own. It follows Roberto after he escaped from a Nazi work camp and is now back in Italy, helping the Italian underground. Lots of war and fighting here - should be a great historical fiction, especially for boys.
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Green's first book, Looking for Alaska was all the rage among YA reviewers last year. In this outing he has a quirky protagonist who only falls for girls named Katherine - and then gets dumped. He sets out to prove "The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability" in the hopes of finally winning the girl. I got a D in Geometry, so any book that can make me love the idea of a theorem has to be read. Plus it's John Green - enough said.
Perfect Timing by Patsi Trollinger. This is a picture book about the African American jockey, Issac Murphy. When I was teaching Am Hist, one of my students wrote a paper on Murphy, who I had never heard of. He was the grandson of slaves but some of his race records still hold today. It's the kind of picture book that kids need to read because Murphy is the kind of guy that Americans need to know about. I'm looking forward to it.
Julia Morgan Built a Castle by Celeste Davison Mannis. Another picture book, this time about the young woman who became an architect in the late 19th century and ended up designing over 800 buildings. Another one of those historical figures that I really wish I had learned more about when I was younger. (Damn boring Pilgrims!)
The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. A debut novel set at Los Alamos in 1943 with an 11 year old protagonist who builds her own mechanical projects and meets an artist within the confines of the compound who also doesn't understand much about the Manhanttan Project. It's an interesting setting with lots of possibilities. I'm looking forward to seeing what Klages does with it.
Spirits that Walk in Shadow by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. I'm a fan of Hoffman's short stories so this is kind of a no-brainer for me. The premise sounds very cool though - two freshmen roommates, one from a magical family, the other trying to escape a high school reputation. But magic girl Jaimie discovers that her roommate's reputation is actually due to a soul demon who feeds on her emotions. Along with some cousinly help she sets out to capture the demon and set Kim free.
The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven. A new fantasy set in modern London with 14 yr old Charlie who has been possessed by a demon. His friend Jack and a girl raised to stop demons battle all over London and into Hell to save Charlie. It promises action, martial arts and humor which is a great boy formula (and girls will love it as well), so I hope it lives up to the promo copy.
The Flight of the Silver Turtle by John Fardell. A summer spent with "flying airplanes, scuba diving, cracking codes and even taking a spin in the world's first anti-gravity backpack" just sounds too good to be true. The heroes must battle members of "Noctarama" an international criminal organization and save the world. It sounds like a total kick and I'm looking forward to it.
