This week, most (if not all) schools in China are on break for the National Golden Week Holiday and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is officially October 4th (tomorrow). This is a time where families get together, fireworks are set off, and mooncakes exchanged. I have eaten so many mooncakes in the past two weeks! Mooncakes are small, dense circular or square-shaped cakes. They are very sweet and come in lots of different flavors. My favorite mooncake this year has been an orange-flavored mooncake with a sweet orange filling. YUM! I've heard you can also get savory mooncakes with meat or veggies inside, but I have not tried those. More about Chinese mooncakes...
So far, I have spent my break reading, writing blog posts, and taking naps. I've finished two books so far and will probably finish a third one today. The first two, The Border by Steve Schafer and Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart are September 2017 releases. Both were five-star reads for me. I am currently reading Flawed by Cecelia Ahern, and it is also fabulous. I started it yesterday and will definitely finish today. Next up will be Perfect, the sequel to Flawed, which I just now checked out on my OverDrive account.
Enjoy this week's list!
YOUNG ADULT (GRADES 7+):
  | That Inevitable Victorian Thing (E.K. Johnston) Crown princess Victoria-Margaret is genetically-matched in a politically advantageous marriage. But first, she'll have one summer incognito in a far corner of empire. In Toronto, she meets Helena Marcus, daughter of one of the empire's greatest placement geneticists, and August Callaghan, the heir apparent to a powerful shipping firm currently besieged by American pirates. In a summer of high-society debutante balls, politically charged tea parties, and romantic country dances, Margaret, Helena, and August discover they share an unusual bond. Multiple starred reviews, but early Goodreads reviews are mixed. Historical fiction, science fiction. |
  | The Last Namsara (Kirsten Ciccarelli) Debut author and a GORGEOUS front cover! Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, is the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land. Because she is so fierce, Asha takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl. Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. No starred reviews on this one, but early Goodreads ratings are positive. Fantasy. |
  | Wild Beauty (Anna-Marie McLemore) Another gorgeous front cover! For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens. The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. Fantasy. |
  | Far From the Tree (Robin Benway) Grace is an only child who was adopted at birth. She discovers that she has an older brother and younger sister. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family. Her search takes her to Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. Grace also finds Joaquin, her stoic older bio brother. Joaquin has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes. Kirkus and Publisher's Weekly starred. Realistic fiction, adoption. |
  | 13 Minutes (Sarah Pinborough) I was dead for 13 minutes. I don't remember how I ended up in the icy water but I do know this - it wasn't an accident and I wasn't suicidal. They say you should keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but when you're a teenage girl, it's hard to tell them apart. My friends love me, I'm sure of it. But that doesn't mean they didn't try to kill me. Does it? Mystery, thriller. |
  | Strange Fire (Tommy Wallach) Clive and Clover Hamill, sons of a well-respected Descendant minister, discover a community intent on rediscovering the blasphemous technologies of the past, setting into motion a holy war that will endanger their relationship and humanity itself. Pair with City of Ender. Science fiction. |
  | Devils & Thieves (Jennifer Rush) Magic and motorcycles! Eighteen-year old Jemmie Carmichael would count herself among "the kindled" if only she could cast a simple spell without completely falling apart. It doesn't help that she was also recently snubbed by Crowe, the dangerous and enigmatic leader of the Black Devils kindled motorcycle gang. When the entire kindled community rolls into Hawthorne for an annual festival, a rumor begins spreading that someone is practicing forbidden magic. Then people start to go missing. With threats closing in from every side, no one can be trusted. Fantasy. |
  | Satellite (Nick Lake) Moon 2 is a space station that orbits approximately 250 miles above Earth. It travels 17,500 miles an hour, making one full orbit every ninety minutes. It's also the only home that fifteen-year-old Leo and two other teens have ever known. Born and raised on Moon 2, Leo and the twins, Orion and Libra, are finally old enough and strong enough to endure the dangerous trip to Earth. They've been "parented" by teams of astronauts since birth and have run countless drills to ready themselves for every conceivable difficulty they might face on the flight. Kirkus starred. Sci-fi. |
  | Kiss Me In New York (Catherine Rider) This was originally published through a small publisher last October, but I am always, always looking for more YA Christmas novels for the library. And that cover is really cute! It's Christmas Eve at JFK in NYC. Charlotte's flight is cancelled when a blizzard blows in, and Anthony can't bear to go home and face his break-up. So, they set out into the city together, focused on fixing their broken hearts. They start to fall for each other, but are split up by a subway ride mistake. Give this to fans of Jennifer E. Smith. Romance, Christmas. |
  | Because I Was A Girl (Melissa de la Cruz) A collection of anecdotes from girls and women, ages 10 to 80, about the barriers they've faced—and the dreams they've made come true. This book features a who's who of successful women in the arts, finance, and politics. Includes more than thirty stories by Victoria Aveyard, Libba Bray, Margaret Stohl, Stacey Snider (co-chairman of 20th Century Fox), Quvenzhane Wallis, and many more. Kirkus starred. Nonfiction, collected memoir. |
  | Everything Must Go (Jenny Fran Davis) Told through a series of emails, journal entries, and letters. Flora Goldwasser has fallen in love with Elijah Huck. When he tells her about the hippie Quaker school he attended in the Hudson Valley called Quare Academy, where he'll be teaching next year, Flora gives up her tony upper east side prep school for a life on a farm, hoping to woo him. A fish out of water, Flora stands out like a sore thumb in her vintage suits among the tattered tunics and ripped jeans of the rest of the student body. When Elijah doesn't show up, Flora must make the most of the situation and will ultimately learn more about herself than she ever thought possible. Publisher's Weekly starred. Romance. |
THIS WEEK'S SEQUELS (YA):
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MIDDLE GRADES (GRADES 4-7):
  | The War I Finally Won (Kimberly Brubaker Bradley) Normally, I leave sequels to the sequel section, but this sequel to The War That Saved My Life is definitely worth a mention on its own. World War II continues, and Ada and her brother, Jamie, are living with their loving legal guardian, Susan, in a borrowed cottage on the estate of the formidable Lady Thorton—along with Lady Thorton herself and her daughter, Maggie. Life in the crowded cottage is tense enough, and then, quite suddenly, Ruth, a Jewish girl from Germany, moves in. A German? The occupants of the house are horrified. Multiple starred reviews. Historical fiction, WWII. |
  | Touchdown Kid (Tim Green) Cory has always been passionate about football. But life for him and his single mom has been hard, making it difficult for Cory to play. And though Cory is a good kid, he’s constantly surrounded by negative influences. But when the coach from an elite private school with one of the best football programs in the country recognizes his talents on the field, Cory is presented with an unbelievable opportunity. Cory knows that football could be his ticket out, but leaving to attend private school also means struggling to fit into a world where he is very different from his peers. Sports, football. |
THIS WEEK'S SEQUELS (MIDDLE GRADES):
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PICTURE BOOKS (ALL AGES):
  | La La La: A Story of Hope (Kate DiCamillo) Almost-wordless. A little girl stands alone and sings, but hears no response. Gathering her courage and her curiosity, she skips farther out into the world, singing away to the trees and the pond and the reeds -- but no song comes back to her. Day passes into night, and the girl dares to venture into the darkness toward the light of the moon, becoming more insistent in her singing, climbing as high as she can, but still there is silence in return. Dejected, she falls asleep on the ground, only to be awakened by an amazing sound...She has been heard. At last. Publisher's Weekly starred. |
  | Remembering Vera (Patricia Polacco) Based on a true story. In 1962 a stray dog was found under a pile of boxes in a Coast Guard warehouse in what used to be called Government Island, the Coast Guard Base in San Francisco Bay, when a seaman named Dave Bunch was mopping the floor. It was love at first sight. At first the men decided to hide the pup from the Commander, thinking she wouldn’t be allowed. But soon enough all of the men in the barracks fell hard for the little dog. Then one day when high waves challenged another vessel at sea, it was Vera’s fierce determination and natural swimming ability that brought the life preserver and safety line to the sinking boat. |
  | After the Fall (Dan Santat) Everyone knows that when Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. But what happened after? Humpty Dumpty was an avid bird watcher whose favorite place to be was high up on the city wall. But since his famous fall, Humpty is terrified of heights and can no longer do many of the things he loves most. Will he summon the courage to face his fear? Multiple starred reviews. |