ZEBRA FOREST

ZEBRA FOREST by Adina Rishe Gewirtz. Candlewick Press, 2013.

Annie and her brother Rew live with their grandmother. Their mother left them years ago. They have been told that their father is dead. Gran has her good days when she cooks pancakes and tells stories to Rew and annie. But more and more, those good days as=re few and far between. When the social worker comes by, it is Annie who steers her back to the car with assurances that all is well (even when it is not). And then one night, a man enters the house, a man Annie knows to be her father, not dead, but in prison for a long time. He has escaped and plans to hold the family hostage until he can make his way further to freedom. The truths that Annie now has to face are almost unbearable, How can she come to terms with this man, long believed dead, whom Annie has made into some sort of hero? What of the mother who did not want her own children? How can Annie handle these harsh realities?

Rock on

HOW TO ROCK BRACES AND GLASSES by Meg Haston. Little Brown, 2011.

Kacey loses her title as queen of cool when she falls at a friend's birthday party. Now, she is consigned to braces and glasses while she recovers from the accident. Add in a lisp caused by the braces, and Kacey's life is pretty much ruined. How can she claw her way back to the top? Haston explores the mean girl jungle of school in her debut novel. <495?

Morris shortlist announced

Paper Covers Rock written by Jenny Hubbard, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Publishers. ISBN 978-0-385-74055-5.

Alex, a junior at an exclusive boarding school, uses his journal (neatly hidden inside a copy of Moby Dick) to relate the disturbing events that led to the drowning of a classmate. Hubbard’s literary references, her creation of Alex’s poems and journal entries, and her storytelling skills combine in a story about the code of silence that often compromises the code of honor.



Under the Mesquite written by Guadalupe Garcia McCall, published by Lee and Low Books. ISBN 978-1-60060-429-4.

This novel in verse tells the story of Lupita, the oldest of eight children. When Lupita’s mother is diagnosed with cancer, it is up to Lupita to step into a role she never considered taking in her drama class: surrogate parent. McCall’s chapters are exquisite poems with language that sings and stings. Finding hope amidst despair, finding the chance to laugh, and finding the incredible power of family make this a memorable reading experience.





Girl of Fire and Thorns written by Rae Carson, published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-06-202648-4.

Elisa bears the Godstone. She is a chosen one. What she is chosen to do is unclear, but perhaps her journey to marry the king of a neighboring country in the midst of war will provide some of the answers. Carson weaves together religion, politics, prophecy, and more in this fast-paced fantasy that brings Elisa to a destiny no one could have anticipated.





Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley, published by Atheneum, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing. ISBN 978-0-4424-1333-7.

Lily, Arkansas, seems like a sleepy town where it would be unlikely for anything of note to the outside world to happen. But Cullen’s seventeenth summer is marked by the overdose death of a relative, his brother’s disappearance, and the discovery of a woodpecker thought to be extinct. These seemingly disconnected events collide in this novel which demonstrates that nothing is random. Whaley’s story will absorb readers as they follow Cullen on his journey through an unforgettable summer.




Between Shades of Gray written by Ruta Sepetys, published by Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Group USA. ISBN 978-0-399-25412-3.

In lyrical prose, Sepetys introduces readers to 15 year old Lina and her family as they are evicted from their home in Lithuania and transported to Siberia as prisoners during Stalin’s reign of terror in the 1940s. The journey is perilous; not all will survive. Lina is determined to document it all in her art and her journal. Sepetys shines a light on a corner of history not often seen in YA literature. The juxtaposition of lyricism in the midst of the horror underscores Lina’s indomitable spirit.