A Year Without Autumn

Candlewick, October 11, 2011

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and hand books to my nine year-old self. From the first chapter of A Year Without Autumn I wished I could do this. It seems that there are relatively few books these days that start with loving, supportive families. Jenni's parents are in-love and expecting their third child, and while her little brother can be annoying, Jenni loves him nevertheless. They are looking forward to being a family of five and enjoying their yearly one-week family vacation. Like every year, Jenni's best friend Autumn will be having vacation the same week, in the same time-share community as Jenni. As is often the case with best friends, Jenni and Autumn are very different. Autumn is out-going, adventurous,and daring- the daughter of artists. Jenni is sensible, intelligent, and cautious...a trait few young protagonists are applauded for.

The first day of vacation, Jenni goes to meet Autumn, taking the old elevator up to her condo when the new one doesn't arrive. But Autumn isn't in her condo, someone else is. Autumn's parents' car is gone, and things look slightly different. When Jenni returns to her parents' condo, she's met with a messy living room, a baby sister, and an overly anxious mother. These are only the beginning of the changes, the biggest of which is that Autumn's little brother is in a coma, thrown from a horse one year ago. This pivotal event has completely altered both families, and wrecked Jenni and Autumn's relationship.

Liz Kessler carefully handles the issues faced by both Jenni and Autumn in their possible future. As Jenni doesn't get mentally older when she time travels, the snippets she sees, though difficult, are entirely age appropriate. In presenting only snippets of Autumn & Jenni's future, Kessler has allowed readers to view the situations through their personal experience, meaning the extent of difficultly will reflect what they are ready to handle.

Emotionally wrenching, slightingly magical, and with a happy ending that fits perfectly, A Year Without Autumn impossible to put down. If my nine year-old self had been handed this, I would have hidden under the covers until I finished reading (despite school in the morning) and then immediately passed the book on to a friend.

A Year Without Autumn is a coming of age story that acknowledges the difficult realities and unexpected joys of growing up and assures readers that despite how things seem, they can always change.

Ages 9-12

A Stellar Team...

Extra Yarn
by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen
In a cold, dark town, Annabelle discovers a box brightly colored yarn. She knits herself a sweater, but still has yarn left over. So she knits her dog a sweater, her classmates, the people of the town...but there always seems to be extra yarn! Word of the endless yarn spreads, bringing tourists and a greedy archduke to the island. Whatever is the secret of Annabelle's yarn? And when it's stolen, will she ever get it back?

Jon Klassen's stark umber and gray-scale landscapes are slowly, beautifully altered by the variegated colors of Annabelle's yarn. Savvy knitters will notice an hommage to yarn-bombing, while sharp-eyed readers will spot a familiar bear, now sporting a sweater instead of a hat. Klassen's illustrations and Barnett's text seamlessly knit themselves together in true picturebook fashion, crafting what is sure to be a new classic.

A simple new fable from a stellar team that will find a home on high-end coffee tables and toy-strewn floors alike.

More Comics from First Second!

Nursery Rhyme Comics: 50 Timeless Rhymes from 50 Celebrated Cartoonists!
First Second, October 11, 2011
Ages: 5 through Adult

Take fifty of incredible artists, give them a classic nursery rhyme, and let them run! Lucy Knisley turns the "Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe" into a Rock & Roll baby sitter whose charges form the band "The Whips." Raina Telgemeier sets "Georgie Porgie" at a birthday party- one that ends with a cupcake fight. Dave Roman depicts a surreal, sci-fi "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" that is completely different from Patrick McDonnell's sweet "Donkey." Readers will find more than a few comics to adore in this compilation and maybe even discover a new graphic artist to love.

A fabulous introduction to comics format for the young and old alike. I can't wait to see a seven year-old share this with his grandparents.

Dead End in Norvelt

by Jack Gantos
MacMillian, September 13, 2011
Ages: 10-14
When Jack is grounded for the entire summer, it seems as though life is entirely ruined. His mother will only let him out of the house to help old Miss Volker, who writes the obituaries of original Norvelters and the "This Day in History" column for the local paper. This means no baseball, no rides in the plane his dad is fixing up, and no drive-in movies. But something fishy is going on in Norvelt; there's a surprising number of deaths (even for old ladies), someone is moving the houses to another town, and the Hells Angels have been spotted. History and mystery combine in this funny, sharp, narrative. Jack Gantos himself reads the audio and his Pennsylvania accent transports the listener directly to Norvelt. With it's historical content and perfect wit, Dead End in Norvelt would be a wonderful choice for classrooms and bookclubs, or a surprising and enjoyable read.

Diana Wynne Jones' Last Book

Earwig and the Witch
by Diana Wynne Jones, Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky
Greenwillow, Harper, February 2012
Ages 7-11

Earwig loves living at St. Morwald's Home for Children because everyone there does exactly what she wants, even her best friend Custard. So why would she ever want to be adopted and leave? Luckily, Earwig is able to deflect any attempts at adoption- that is until a strange couple comes one visiting day and adopts her. Something must be up. Sure enough, the woman is a witch and the man, well, he has horns and demons do his bidding. Most importantly, they don't do what Earwig wants them to. Well, that's fine with her. Magic can't be too difficult to learn, can it?

Earwig and the Witch has all the staples of a good fantasy- magic, orphans, & a plucky young heroine- but Jones has made something completely new and earwig does not feel just like that girl we've read about a thousand times. Zelinsky's energetic ink illustrations bring the story to life and will help keep the attention of young readers who still need visuals during storytime. Though the story ties up a bit abruptly, this is a much-needed fantasy for the Clementine crowd.

Every You Every Me

by David Levithan, photographs by Jonathan Farmer
Random House, September 13, 2011

Evan is haunted by his best friend Ariel. Ariel is gone. Her boyfriend has moved on, but Evan cannot- especially when someone begins planting photos of her. But who could have taken these photos? Is Ariel haunting Evan? Evan knew she was sick. He knew, that day in the clearing, that getting help was the right thing to do, yet he can't forgive himself for not stopping her. And he will not move on, especially when there's someone who knows things about Ariel that he doesn't.

Farmer's photos are included in the book, the reader coming across them as Evan does. They're arresting images that pull the characters into the real world, giving them more emotional power and heightening the mystery. Yet again, Levithan has created flawed yet beautiful characters who reach out from the pages and pull you in.

Why We Broke Up

By Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman

Little Brown Hachette, December 27th, 2011

Min has broken up with Ed Slaterton, and is writing him a letter chronicling their relationship and all the reasons she's breaking up with him. Min loves old films, her best friend, and coffee. According to Ed, Min was "arty" and "different." But despite Ed's role as captain of the basketball team and his popularity, Min thought she loved him. That's over now and to prove it to herself and her friends she's put together all the items, tokens, and objects she accumulated during the brief relationship. The box, and the letter, are Min's goodbye present for Ed.

Each chapter begins with an illustration of an item in the box, followed by the chapter of the relationship associated with it. A concept that could just as easily have been executed by David Levithan, Why We Broke up is a surprise from Handler. However, geeky film details and sincere teenage love- and ex-love- stories will find fans. What better way to get over your high school relationship than reading Min's story and adding your own?

Age range: 14-18 (note that there is consensual sex).