Title: The Philosophy Book

Author: DK Publishing

Summary: Ever wanted to know more about philosophy (the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct)? Seriously…we know some of you out there do. We’ve heard you ask about it! This book is a great place to start. A subject like this can seem overwhelming, but this excellent book by the great people at DK (you might remember them from the Eyewitness book series in the Children’s library) lays out 2500 years-worth of thought in an fun-to-read fashion. See?

Over 100 thinkers are featured, with their core ideas presented in an amazingly eye-catching design. Illustrations and quotes are featured throughout and make even the most complicated philosophical theories easy to figure out. This book is also pretty well-balanced: Western and Eastern thinkers, Classical and Modern philosophers and male and female voices. Of course, they don’t all agree: There is no right answer, only which ones make the most sense to you. Give it a try…we bet you’ll be surprised at how much fun this book is!

Who will like this book?: Anyone interested in getting a general idea about philosophers. Know-it-alls. If you are planning on heading to college soon, this book is worth a look.

If you like this, try this: The Book of Dead Philosophers by Simon Critchley. Books from the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture series like Harry Potter and Philosophy, Batman and Philosophy and even Twilight and Philosophy.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Summary: Hazel is a miracle. Diagnosed with terminal cancer, she has survived longer than anyone expected. Now at 16, she spends her days watching marathons of bad reality TV, attending classes at the local community college and rereading her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. When her mom forces her to go to a support group, she meets another young survivor named Augustus Wheeler, who would take her breath away if her damaged lungs could ever take in enough oxygen. It is clear that these two are soul mates. But first love is complicated enough without the big questions that dominate the life of any cancer patient, whether they are still sick or not.

Hazel and Gus are characters you’d want to know in real life. They might remind you of your best friend – or at least the kind of person you’d want to be your best friend or significant other: Funny, honest, warm and brave. As the improbable adventure of their romance grows, deepens and changes, you’ll find yourself considering the same ideas that they do: What gives a life value? How can you get up every day not knowing if it is the last one with the people you love? What happens when you die? This is another un-put-downable story by someone who just may be the best author writing for teens right now.

Who will like this book: Readers looking for a good, non-sappy love story. Yes, it’s a book about being sick, but it is not melodramatic (ahem, Lurlene McDaniel fans). People who like Jodi Picoult stories, but think they could be a little funnier. Deep thinkers. Nerdfighters, naturally.

If you like this, try this: Anything else by John Green. For younger readers, Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie and After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Title: Bunheads

Author: Sophie Flack

Summary: Nineteen year-old Hannah is not a ballerina: That is the word used for the stars of the company, the ones who dance the best roles and live in the spotlight. She is a member of the corps, one of the many bunheads who work for the prestigious Manhattan Ballet Company, hoping to be noticed and promoted. Her life seems glamorous but it is hard work: Exhausting rehearsals, repetitive performances, keeping  a strict eye on her weight, warding off injury and coping with intense rivalries with the other dancers, even those she considers friends. Hannah left home at 14 to study in the city: This life is the only one she’s ever known or even considered.

Hannah barely has time to step outside the theatre, let alone have any kind of social life. When she meets Jacob, a cute musician who goes to NYU she begins to see that there just might be more to life than dancing. But when you are so close to achieving the dream you have dedicated your life to, how can you begin to even imagine a different path? Author Sophie Flack, a former dancer with the New York City Ballet, takes you backstage into a world very few ‘pedestrians’ get to see.

Who will like this book?: Budding dancers and other performing artists who are mature readers. Anyone who has ever dreamed of leaving home for school. Young athletes will find a lot to enjoy as well.

If you like this, read this: Various Positions by Martha Schabas. Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci. In the Wings: Behind the Scenes at the New York City Ballet by Kyle Froman. I Was a Dancer: A Memoir by Jacques D’Amboise.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

           

We read…a lot. So we know the good stuff. Here are the best books that we read in  2011, and there’s something for everyone. Looking for more? Just ask us!

And be sure to add your own favorites in the comments below…

*Please note: Some books may contain mature language or content*

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham

Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

I am J by Cris Beam

Rage and Hunger by Jackie Morse Kessler

The Babysitter Murders by Jane Ruth Young

The Outcasts by John Flanagan

The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Wildwood by Colin Meloy

Winter Town by Stephen Emond

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Title: The Watch that Ends the Night: Voices from the Titanic

Author: Allan Wolf

Summary: It is April 15, 1912. Undertaker John Snow is on a cable boat, heading towards the site of one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century: The sinking of the RMS Titanic. He thinks he sees birds floating on the surface of the water but as he gets closer, he sees what they really are: Frozen bodies. From this intense and gripping opening scene we are sent back in time to the beginning of the Titanic’s maiden voyage. Through the voices of over 20 actual people who were on board the ship, from the Captain and Shipbuilder, to famous travelers like John Jacob Astor and Margaret “The Unsinkable Molly” Brown, to unknown passengers from third class, we follow the Titanic from the excitement before its maiden voyage to its launch to its destruction in the frigid North Atlantic by iceberg.

You may be familiar with the Titanic from that famous movie. But author and poet Wolf presents the story in such a complete and thorough way that both readers who know nothing and who know it all will be entranced. Written in verse, it is a quick and compelling read. Even the iceberg and the ship’s rat get to share their story. Sure, you know how it ends, but this is a book about the journey, not the destination. The final section of the book is devoted to facts about the ship and those who sailed on it, giving a grim description of the grandeur of the Titanic and the scope of its legendary tragedy.

Who will like this book?: This is the official One Book One Town 2012 selection for Fairfield, so…everybody! The 100-year anniversary of the Titanic’s voyage is on it’s way so this is a book for anyone interested in this famous disaster story. Fans of adventure and historical fiction. People who like hearing a story from more than one point of view. Fans of Ellen Hopkins, Sonia Sones, and other verse novelists.

If you like this, try this: A classic, A Night to Remember by Walter Lord. Distant Waves by Suzanne Weyn. Iceberg Right Ahead by Stephanie Sammartino McPherson.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Find this book and more at the Fairfield Public Library.

              

Stories about food and the people who make and serve it

*Please note: Some books may contain mature language or content*

A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts by Ying Chang Compestine

Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre World of Food: Brains, Bugs and Blood Sausage by Andrew Zimmern

Burger Wuss by M.T. Anderson

Cake Wrecks: When Professional Cakes Go Hilariously Wrong by Jen Yates

Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

Eat Fresh Food: Awesome Recipes for Teen Chefs by Roxanne Gold

Getting the Girl by Susan Juby

Gil’s All-Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

Hot Lunch by Alex Bradley

How to Cook: Delicious Recipes Perfect for Teen Cooks by Maggie Mayhew

Power Lunch by J. Torres

The Cupcake Queen by Heather Hepler

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Calletti

The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender

What the World Eats by Peter Menzel

Title: Daughter of Smoke & Bone

Author: Laini Taylor

Summary:  Karou lives in two worlds.  In one, she is a multi-lingual, blue-haired art student living in Prague who fills her sketchbooks with beautiful monsters known as Chimaera.  In the other, she is the ward of one of those Chimaera slipping through magical portals throughout the world collecting teeth for his devilish creations.  Karou loves the Chimaera who have raised her, but she can’t help wonder “Who is she?”  While her guardian provides much, his demands are great and he leaves so many of her questions unanswered.

Then black handprints begin to appear on the doorways of the portals used by Karou.   Her secret world and beloved Chimaera family are threatened by Seraphim or angels, creatures unlike any found in biblical writings.  Further complicating Karou’s life are the confusing feelings she has developed for the creature who attempted to kill her. Soon, Karou discovers that she is at the center of an otherworldly war.  She may finally find out who she is, but at what cost?

Who will like this book:  Those who have long since graduated from Twilight and its countless read-a-likes will be enthralled by this original fantasy.  Laini Taylor has vividly created a new world populated with unique characters and combined it with traditional themes of  forbidden love and epic war.

If you like this, try this:  Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Recommended by: Jen, Fairfield Woods Branch Teen Librarian

Title: A Monster Calls

Author: Patrick Ness, inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd

Illustrator: Jim Kay

Summary: When the giant yew tree from Conor’s backyard comes to life it doesn’t really scare  him. Because it’s not the monster he’d been expecting. Not the one from the nightmares he’s been having ever since his mom got sick. This monster is different: He is ancient, wise and a little snarky. As we follow Conor through his days being picked on at school, reuniting with his visiting Dad who has moved to America to start a new family and battling with his grandmother who insists he start planning for a future without his mom, the monster visits at night and tells Conor three stories. They are not what Conor expects them to be, but they force him to confront both the demonic monster of his nightmares and the reasons for its existence.

Like the monster’s stories themselves, this book is not what you expect it to be. It might sound like a typical kid-with-sick-mom story with a monster thrown in for good measure. But just when you think you know how the story will go, it will take another surprising turn. Patrick Ness, author of the terrific Chaos Walking trilogy and talented illustrator Jim Kay, who provides dynamic and just-plain-creepy images throughout, completed this book after Siobhan Dowd’s untimely death. Like her stories, this tale is so much more than the sum of its parts. This short book tells a story about growing up that you will never forget.

Who will like this book?: Readers of all ages who like a lot of heart and soul with their thrills and chills. Fans of fractured fairy tales and illustrated novels.

If you like this, try this: M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman. Harvey: How I Became Invisible by Herve Bouchard.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Title: This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein

Author:  Kenneth Oppel

Summary:  Written as a prequel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this story introduces us to a young Victor Frankenstein and his twin brother, Konrad. They are as close as two people can be, yet in some ways their personalities are in direct odds with each other.  Konrad is the one everyone loves and respects.  He is smarter, more athletic, and kinder and it all seems to come so easily for him. Victor knows Konrad is the better of the pair and deep in his heart he is starting to resent his brother’s goodness.   

Then Konrad becomes deathly ill. Doctors can’t seem to cure him, but Victor believes he has found a way. Hidden in a secret underground dark library Victor finds a book on potions that contains an entry for the forbidden Elixir of Life. Victor enlists the help of his cousin Elizabeth and friend Henry to embark on a dangerous mission to collect the ingredients for this lifesaving draught.  Victor knows he can save his brother if only he is willing to go against everything he was raised to believe, forgo the love of which he dreams, and sacrifice a part of himself.    

Who will like this?: Oppel’s tale of gothic horror holds appeal to fans of adventure, alchemy, heart-wrenching emotions, love, and mystery.

If you like this, try this: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.  The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey.

Recommended by: Jen, Branch Teen Librarian

Find this book at the Fairfield Public Library or Fairfield Woods Branch Library.

Title: Wonderstruck

Author and Illustrator: Brian Selznick

Summary: It is 1977. Ben likes to collect things. Some are treasures his mom has given to him. Others are things he has found growing up in Gunflint, Michigan. But Ben just lost his mom in a car accident and is living with his aunt and uncle. When he returns to his old home, he discovers in his mother’s things a book about the American Museum of Natural History called Wonderstruck, inscribed to someone David. Could this be the father he has never met? Ben decides to find out.

It is 1927. Rose lives a lonely, isolated life in Hoboken, New Jersey. She longs to cross the river into bustling New York City. She, like Ben, is missing something in her life and she is determined to find it. The way these two stories interweave, one in words, the other in pictures, will suprise and delight you.

I’ll admit it: I love The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It was Fairfield’s One Book One Town book a few years ago and it’s creator, Brian Selznick, might be the most charming author around. So I picked up Wonderstruck with a mixture of excitment and nervous anticipation. Would it be as good as Hugo? The answer is clear: Yes. Yes, yes, yes! Read this book right now.

Who will like this book?: Everybody. Seriously.

If you like this, try this: The Invention of Hugo Cabret, also by Selznick. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian