Advertisement

Megan's Way,
Melissa Foster

Downsized to Death,
Patricia Gulley

Leaving the Alamo,
Dick Stanley

Checkered Fences,

Alma Hudson


Thief,
Sarah-Jane Lehoux

Advertisement
 
    Home || About Us || Advertising || SiteMap             || Become a fan @ Facebook ||

Book
Briefs
--
Recommended
reading --


Beverly Rowe

I am married with 6 children and 14 grandchildren. I sell books online and do tax preparations during the seasonal rush. 



2010
Past Columns
 
 
 
 



Ezra Pound

Properly, we should read for power. Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one's hand.


. Low-cost Ads (Covers, Banners, Book Briefs)



This site is best viewed with a java enabled browser. For a free download click on your browser's name
- Netscape, I.E./Mac/Solaris/Linux

© 1998- 2010 MyShelf.com.
All rights reserved.

Babes To Teens
A Youth Column
By Beverly Rowe

New Books to Cure the Summertime Blues
Win a bag of books
Tips for writers

 


Never judge a book by its cover. Good advice? Of course not... who doesn't do that? We all remember some very good books that had really terrible covers, and some fantastic book covers that hid some poor writing.

I must confess that most of the books I buy are based on the covers. When I pass the book rack in the local grocery store and a cover illustration or title catches my eye, I frequently buy the book. I do notice when one of my favorite authors is on the cover and I read the blurbs by reviewers from the front and back covers. Sometimes I'm disappointed, but usually not. I would probably never have picked up The Great Gatsby, or even Moby Dick based on the title alone, but For Whom the Bell Tolls, Firestarter, and The Last of the Mohicans would have made the cut. It's interesting to think back about some of the great books I have read and try to remember why I chose them in the first place.

Summer is in full swing and beach time and camping are great for being lazy and reading a great book. Here is a selection of new books that look just right for exciting summer reading.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.
A futuristic story centered in America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a boy from an abusive home, works on a crew that scavenges for copper wiring just to make quota—and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl. Set in a post-oil, global warming world, this fast paced adventure for young adults is a keeper.

Med Head: My Knock-down, Drag-out, Drugged-up Battle with My Brain by James Patterson and Hal Friedman
Picking a book by an author that you can trust to always give you a compelling story works too. Here is a story by James Patterson and Hal Friedman that will give you a lot to think about in a can't-put-down book about a teen in peril. This deeply personal account of Cory Friedman's struggles with Tourette's Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as well as depression, anxiety and alcohol addiction, is available for teen readers. Med Head: My Knock-down, Drag-out, Drugged-up Battle with My Brain isn't light entertainment, but it's a must-have nonfiction book for teens.

These Boots Are Made for Stalking: The Clique #12 by Lisi Harrison
If you love series books, you know what to expect when you grab the next one in your favorite series. Here is a new one in the Clique series. THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR STALKING: The Clique #12 by Lisi Harrison.

THESE BOOTS ARE MADE FOR STALKING is a smart, sassy YA novel that is peppered with Lisi Harrison’s signature references to the latest trends in fashion, technology and entertainment. She realistically portrays the age when girls are becoming young women and their struggles to become self-assured and comfortable in their own skin. The Pretty Committee is back. All is forgiven, and Massie Block is firmly in control of her PC alpha status. Sensitive, ever-loyal Claire Lyons has kept secret Massie’s desperate measures to remain on top. But to what lengths will Massie go in order to keep Landon Chase's attention and make him her boyfriend?

Books recommended for younger children:

Sophie The Awesome by Lara Bergen
Sophie Miller’s life is boring. Average. Blah. She's not the oldest or the youngest, the tallest or the shortest. She’s not even the only Sophie in her third-grade class!

Sophie knows she’s special. And she’s come up with the perfect name to show it: Sophie the Awesome! But living up to her new name won’t be easy—especially if super-annoying Toby Myers has anything to say about it.

Felix Takes The Stage by Kathryn Lasky
Bestselling author Kathryn Lasky now has a series for younger readers!

Felix Takes The Stage is the newest book in the series. The Deadlies are like any other family with a loving mother and bright, rambunctious children. Except they're really, really poisonous spiders. But they are kind and cultured. In fact, the Deadlies had been happily living in a Boston symphony hall until Felix had a misunderstanding with the maestro. Now they have to outwit the overzealous arachnologists and evil exterminators as they hunt for a new home. Will they ever find a safe place to live in peace?

Humor and action aplenty as these spiders struggle for survival along with the clever supporting cast. Funny dialogue moves the story along, and Gilpin’s lively black-and-white drawings provide an animated accompaniment.

Animal Rescue Team: Gator on the Loose! by Sue Stauffacher
Ages 8-10
Meet the Carters: Mr. and Mrs. Carter, 10-year-old Keisha, five-year-old Razi, baby Paolo, and Grandma Alice. Together, they run Carters' Urban Rescue, the place you call when you have an animal where it shouldn't be. In their first adventure, there's a baby alligator at the city pool, which will seriously interfere with opening day, especially Keisha's cannonball practice. So it's up to the whole family to figure out what to do with the poor guy who has no business hanging around Michigan. Luckily for all of them, and thanks to some serious ingenuity from Keisha, the answer is closer than they ever could have imagined.


Contest

To enter, send an email to wingoodbooks@aol.com, put "Contest" in the subject line and your mailing address in the body of the email. The drawing will be July 31. The prize will be all ten books listed below!

Night Hoops by Carl Deuker Return of the Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
The Homerun Kid Races On by Matt Christopher Chanda's Wars by Allan Stratton
Goop Soup by David Lubar Super Human by Michael Carroll
Marvel the Marvelous by Laura Chester Three Across by Norman H. Finkelstein
My Big Nose by Sydney Salter Dimensions by Estee Wells

Tips for Writers

So you have your children's book manuscript ready to sell. Now What? John Bard of Children's Writer has some great ideas for you in this new video.