Katie Bartlett, Author

Solidarity

Looking for a great curl up on the couch book?  A book to read while the sleet freezes your car doors shut?  I’ve read some tasty ones recently.  Check out these titles on your next trip to the library:

Books I Like a Lot:

Wake by Lisa McMann.  Young Adult.  Wow.  Not expected.  Really a great recommendation from another avid reader / friend.  How did I miss this one?

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr.  Young Adult.  Well, it’s obvious why she’s a goddess among young adult fantasy writers.  Her alternative reality with fairies, yes fairies, is totally dark, twisted, and believable.  Don’t believe me?  Try one.  Just one.  Do it.  You won’t regret it.

Ink Exchange and Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr.  Young Adult.  Sequels to Wicked Lovely.  Read them all…

Matched by Allie Condie.  Young Adult. This book came up at a recent conference and it was a great surprise to me.  Something about it resonated long after I’d finished it.  I can’t wait to read the sequel, just released.

Snap by Alison McGhee.  Middle Grade.  I liked this book so much better than Alison’s Julia Gillian series.  Although, it’s not a fair comparison.  They are two different beasts.  My only comment: the subject matter here is mature, beyond what I would expect for middle grade.  The voice, however, is spot on.  I would only recommend it for the mature middle grade reader.

True (… Sort of) by Katherine Hannigan.  Middle Grade.  My comments on this book mirror the ones for Snap. Is it any wonder these two writers are friends?  Excellent book, well written, not content for the average middle grade reader.  (Am I putting down the middle grade reader when I say this?  I’m thinking of my own ten year old daughter…)

Ida B by Katherine Hannigan.  Middle Grade.  Mature content again but executed with a much younger voice than Snap.  (See comments, above.) I could see suggesting this to my ten year old…

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.  Middle Grade.  Still timeless.  Reread this one along with my fourth grader.  I’d forgotten the ending…the turtle…classic.

The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling.  Middle Grade.  Also timeless.  Loved the writing, loved the story.  After fifty years, nothing dated about it.