Cynthia K. Ritter

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Cynthia K. Ritter |Shoshana Flax

These five novels, recommended for middle- and/or high-school readers, blur the lines between the ordinary and the supernatural. See also the Guide/Reviews Database subject tag Supernatural. The Corruption of Hollis Brownby K. AncrumHigh School    Harper/HarperCollins    384 pp. 4/25    9780063285835    $19.99e-book ed. 9780063285842    $10.99High school senior Hollis Brown, who is violently bullied at school, believes he will be stuck in his “podunk” rural Midwestern town for his whole adult life.

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Elissa Gershowitz |Cynthia K. Ritter |Shoshana Flax

With Mother’s Day (and my birthday!) just past and Father’s Day coming soon, this issue of Notes features books about families in various configurations and with differing experiences…some supernatural! (Librarians with Superpowers, anyone?) Find more at our Family Reading blog, where Summer Reading also lives... Illustration: Liza Woodruff.

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Shoshana Flax |Cynthia K. Ritter

Anything (Chronicle, 4–8 years) is an introspective, sensitively conveyed picture book about a dad helping a child through difficult transitions in a new apartment. The ambiguity in Rebecca Stead’s (2010 Newbery Medalist for When You Reach Me) text, accompanied by Gracey Zhang’s spare illustrations, leaves room for readers to imagine what changes the characters might be dealing with. For more books about parents, see also our list "Parents and Children" in this issue of Notes. 1.

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Cynthia K. Ritter |Shoshana Flax

In honor of Mother’s Day (May 11), Father’s Day (June 15), and parent figures every day, here are six picture books that highlight a wide range of aspects — from the silly to the serious — of children’s relationships with parents. See also our Five Questions interview with Rebecca Stead and Gracey Zhang about Anything, and the Guide/Reviews Database subject tag Family--Parent and child. Mad at Dadby Janie Hao; illus. by the authorPreschool    Kids Can    32 pp.

2 weeks ago | hbook.com | Cynthia K. Ritter |Shoshana Flax

The creators of these five books, recommended for intermediate and/or middle-school readers, turn their own memories, with varying degrees of fictionalizing, into graphic novels or graphic memoirs. See also the Graphic novels and the Memoirs tags on hbook.com and the Graphic novels and Autobiographies subject tags in the Guide/Reviews Database. How to Draw a Secretby Cindy Chang; illus. by the authorIntermediate, Middle School    Allida/HarperCollins    272 pp.