The 2017 Alex Awards (Six Months Late)
Many book awards affiliated with the ALA (American Library Association) are given out in January at the organization’s Midwinter Meeting. But it’s honestly, never too late to celebrate those books that won, especially if we’re celebrating during the summer – a time when we seem to be able to do a lot more reading and potentially need more book suggestions. The Alex Awards are given out by ALA and YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) to books that are marketed towards adults but also have high appeal for teen readers. No matter your age, the 2017 Alex Award winners look pretty great, and FDL’s Out of the Box Book Club will be reading one of them in October of this year.
The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst – A young student and exiled champion join forces to save humanity from spirits bent on killing them in this first installment of what looks to be a major fantasy epic.
The Regional Office is Under Attack! by Manuel Gonzales – The Regional Office exists to protect the world from all manner of evil forces. But someone is looking to take down the Office from within, and young assassin Rose, has been enlisted to help.
In the Country We Love: My Family Divided by Diane Guerrero – This one is non-fiction. Television star Diane Guerrero recounts her life as a young person whose parents and brother were arrested and deported. While, she is allowed to remain in the U.S., she must rely on friends and extended family, while dealing with this traumatizing separation.
Buffering: Unshared Tales of a Life Fully Loaded by Hannah Hart – Another non-fiction, YouTube star and author of My Drunk Kitchen, Hannah Hart is sharing for the first time her memoir – a collection of stories and anecdotes to big to fit into the 140 characters of Twitter. (This is also the October 18th Out of the Box Book Club pick at FDL.)
Arena by Holly Jennings – Kali Ling fights in the weekly Virtual Gaming League’s RAGE tournaments. The battles are digital, but losing is very real. Kali is determined to make a name for herself as the first female RAGE captain ever, but also recognizes that the stresses of this life may be too much to bear.
Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire – This one I have read and it is so wonderful. Nancy has been enrolled by her parents at Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. She claims to have just returned from time spent in the Land of the Dead, and she must be crazy. Or is she?
Romeo and/or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure by Ryan North – North takes the Choose Your Own Adventure approach to Shakespeare and has written and illustrated (with the help of guest artists) a version of Romeo and Juliet with hundreds of different possible endings.
Die Young With Me: a Memoir by Rob Rufus – Rob and Nat Rufus are punk rockers. They start their own band and get out of rural West Virginia, experiencing real success. Until Rob is diagnosed a rare form of cancer that has already reached stage four.
The Wasp that Brainwashed the Caterpillar by Matt Simon – Wired writer Matt Simon takes readers on a tour of some of the weirdest and maybe gross ways that animals have used evolution to achieve the basics of life from food to sex. Another non-fiction book, this takes a look at how animals seem to have everything figured out.
The Invisible Life of Ivan Isaenko by Scott Stamback – Ivan is a terminal resident at Mazyr Hospital for Gravely Ill Children in Belarus. Until Polina arrives, he cares about no one and nothing. But Polina changes his life, making Ivan feel something for the first time.
Post By: Carey Gibbons, Reference Specialist
About #FDL
Welcome to #FDL! #FDL is a twice weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria. Twice a week, library staff will make posts that highlight some aspect of library life and relate it to you – our readers. Have you ever wanted to know which Dewey number represented a certain topic? Are you looking for book recommendations based on your favorite television show or television recommendations based on your favorite book? Have you ever wondered about the secret details of librarian life? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then #FDL is for you. We look forward to writing posts that are informative and entertaining and hope that you enjoy getting better acquainted with Fondulac District Library.