The Library

A number of students have been reading the Royal Diaries series (international version of Dear America, so I ordered more titles, including these:

Lady of Palenque: flower of Bacal (F KIR)
“In 749, the Maya princess Green Jay, of the Kingdom of Bacal, writes in her diary about her arduous journey to Xukpip to meet King Fire Keeper, her future husband.”

Weetamoo: heart of the Pocassets (F SMI)
“The 1653-1654 diary of a fourteen-year-old Pocasset Indian girl, destined to become a leader of her tribe, describes how her life changes with the seasons, after a ritual fast she undertakes, and with her tribe’s interaction with the English “Coat-men” of the nearby Plymouth Colony.”

Kristina: the girl king (F MEY)
“Kristina, who became king–not queen–of Sweden when she was only a little girl, confides in her diary her feelings about her awkward relationship with her mother, her royal duties and responsiblities, and the people who surround her.”
Written by Carolyn Meyer, author of the Young Royals series.

Royal Diaries already in the WMS Library include Cleopatra: daughter of the Nile (F GRE), Jahanara, princess of princesses (F LAS), Nzingha: warrior queen of Matamba (F MCK), and Sondok, princess of the moon and stars (F HOL).

It is very, very difficult not to type Royal Dairies by accident.

When C. came in and asked for the sequel to So Super Starry, I had to admit that not only did we not have the sequel, I’d never heard of the book. So I picked up SSS and its sequel, So Super Stylish, both now available in the library. SSS will definitely appeal to Princess Diaries readers, though I didn’t recommend it to my husband (a huge fan of the Princess Diaries), because it lacks the humor. Octavia is an upper-crust Londoner who feels awkward and out-of-place at her posh school where everyone, including her, is the child of celebrities. Sort of a coming-of-age story, with expensive shoes. Plus, it has a sparkly cover! It was a good spring break read.

Contemporary fiction
2004/2006
230 pages/280 pages

I just saw an ad featuring the third book in the Ember series, following The City of Ember and People of Sparks. The Prophet of Yonwood is a prequel, explaining what led to the creation of Ember. I’m looking forward to this book, coming in May. The City of Ember was a 2006 Young Readers Choice Award nominee; it’s a great sci-fi/adventure story.

Code Talker: a novel about the Navajo Marines of World War Two is an earnest, fact-filled story about the young Navajo men who used their native language to send top secret military dispatches. Their experiences are amazing and well worth reading about–Bruchac includes a bibliography of sources on Navajo and WWII history, several of which I plan to order for the library. Code Talker reads more like history than fiction–most of the time I didn’t even remember the main character’s name–and has a somewhat preachy tone. While it’s not gripping adventure, it adds a new dimension to WWII historical fiction.

Historical fiction
2005
231 pages

Thanks to H. (seventh grader) for recommending this book.