Fever Crumb is a great character in a tough spot. In the London of the future, she’s one of the last remaining members of a sub-species of people the rest of the population had hoped they’d exterminated. An orphan with a mysterious scar on the back of her head, Fever has been raised in secret among the member of the Order of Engineers. Under their tutelage, she has learned only to think not to feel. This is a handicap that, as her once calm life begins unravel, she will need to overcome. This is a multi-layered and satisfying science fiction book for teens and adults alike. (Hardcover, $17.99) Recommended by Kelly.

Winner of the 2010 Newbery Award. The first and most important thing for me to tell you about this book is that you MUST read it.  Do not miss this book, especially if you are 9-14 years old.  It is spellbinding. It’s kind of a mystery, and it’s kind of a time travel book.  It’s very realistic, it’s funny, and all the characters, including parents and a dentist, are interesting and distinct and real. Miranda, the twelve year old protagonist who tells the story, lives with her mother in New York City and she reads and re-reads one book, WRINKLE IN TIME. She helps her mother practice for a game show she is going to be on, she wonders why her best friend and neighbor Sal has dropped her, and she tries to understand why she is getting weird, tiny notes stuck in books and her backpack telling about events ahead of time that no one could  know about.  Once you read the first page you will not put this down.  A really unusual book, a future classic.  The only thing about the book that isn’t fabulous is the title, which I can never remember.  Just remember Rebecca Stead, the author.  (Hardcover, $15.99) Recommended by Pat.

Local author John C. Ralston (and employee at The Raven) is celebrating the release of his young adult novel, THE SECRET OF INVISIBILITY.  Published by the Kansas City Star, the story takes place in Lawrence and includes illustrations.  You can pick up your copy at The Raven ($9.95).

John will be signing copies this Sunday, December 20, from 2-4PM.  Stop in and pick up a personalized copy of this book — it’s the perfect time to get a great gift for the holiday season!

THE SECRET OF INVISIBILITY:

Having just moved to Lawrence, Kansas, ten-year-old Thomas Wax finds a mysterious scroll in his new house—a house once owned by an explorer. Decoding the scroll leads to the secret of invisibility. How is that possible? It’s ridiculously easy, if you’re a reader.

Thomas and his new friend Fred Estre have a great time sneaking around invisible. They scare his sister at a slumber party, sneak into a life drawing class, and learn magic tricks from a strange magician. But who is stealing jewels all over town in broad daylight? Why is even the underworld quaking in its boots? Are Thomas and Fred the thieves? Or is it all just a big misunderstanding?

When they realize that someone’s on their trail—someone dangerous, someone invisible—can they keep themselves hidden long enough to save the town… and themselves?

CHASING VERMEER by Blue Balliet. $7.99.  This is the first of three in a series.  The book mixes mystery, puzzles, possibilities, and art as outsiders Petra and Calder become friends while trying to find a missing Vermeer painting.  Lots of excitement and challenge — really entices the reader to think about the Big Questions.  Ages 9 - 14.  Female and male protagonists.  Heidi recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

INTO THE WILD by John Krakauer. $7.99. Source of the recent movie of the same name, this account of Alexander Supertramp, the ill-fated Atlanta runaway out to seek a more purposeful life in Alaska, is at-once soulful and entertaining. A cautionary tale. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

HIS DARK MATERIALS series by Philip Pullman. $7.50. Broken into three novels beginning with THE GOLDEN COMPASS, this series delves into fantasy with a twist, showing the devolution of the Roman Catholic Church into a repressive political system. These books will keep even adults up ‘til the wee hours.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton. $9.99. This classic story about the power and loyalties of teen street gangs has held up well with the passage of time. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING series by M.T. Anderson. Winner of the National Book Award for Children, this first volume in a series of historical cliffhangers will appeal to the Gothic-loving child in your life. It’s full of creepy characters, ominous experiments, and intrigue. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

Books by David Sedaris and Sarah Vowell. You can’t go wrong giving a teen books by America’s foremost humorists. You’ll seem so cool. Kelly recommends.

THE EAR, THE EYE, AND THE ARM by Nancy Farmer. $6.99. This Newberry Honor Book is set in Zimbabwe in the year 2194. The military ruler’s 13-year-old son and his younger brother and sister leave their technologically over-controlled home and find themselves on a series of perilous adventures. 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

 

 
For the teen boy, you might try the edgy mystery novels of Jim Thomspon, Dashell Hammett and even the Sherlock Holmes stories of Arthur Conan Doyle. Kelly recommends

WHERE THE LILIES BLOOM by Vera and Bill Cleaver. $5.99 Strong and wise beyond her years, fourteen-year-old Mary Call Luther must prevent her recently fatherless family from being shipped off to the country orphanage, all while going to school and keeping the family’s wild crafting operation afloat. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

A MEMBER OF THE WEDDING by Carson McCullers. $7.95. A bittersweet coming-of-age tale by one of America’s best-known Southern writers. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER by Bette Greene. $6.99 A sweet romance where a young Jewish girl shelters an escaped Nazi POW. Kelly recommends.

Anything by Daniel Pinkwater. Lisa recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

Madeleine L’Engle’s AUSTIN series. $6.99 Starting with MEET THE AUSTINS, this series makes you wish you had grown up in a large family. The focus is on the issues of people living in community and how to practice compassion and yet do your own growing. They offer wonderful role modeling. Julie recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                           

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY by Roald Dahl. $6.99. As creepy and delightful as the movie. This is a great chapter book to read aloud. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                      

CHARLOTTE’S WEB by E.B. White. $8.99. Some of the most beautiful writing out there, and a sure cure for a fear of spiders. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

CHRISTOPHER MOUSE: THE TALE OF A SMALL TRAVELER by William Wise. $5.95. With shades of Stuart Little, this book will have readers rooting for Christopher through perils of life in a pet shop to being trapped in a sink at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This hero will not disappoint. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                   

Cornelia Funke titles INKHEART, INKSPELL, INKDEATH, DRAGON RIDER, and THIEF LORD are all favorites of 11-year-old Raven customer Eli Jost.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

THE CHRONICLES OF PRYDAIN by Lloyd Alexander. This five-book series is a fantasy tale based on Welsh mythology with room for a young hero to help save a country, and meanwhile encounter evil and good in manageable amounts. Julie recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

THE CRICKET IN TIMES SQUARE by George Selden. $6.99 This Newberry Award winner tells the story of an unlikely friendship between a boy, a cricket, a mouse, and a cat in a New York city newsstand. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

THE DARK IS RISING, GREENWITCH, OVER SEA, UNDER STONE by Susan Cooper. $5.99. In these classics, a little evil and goodness go head-to-head while kids take part. Lisa and Julie recommend.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

The DRAW 50 books by Lee J. Ames. $.8.95. Ames teaches you that everything you see is made up of shapes and that drawing things is just a matter of attaching shapes to each other. John recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                   

Eva Ibottson’s WHICH WITCH, THE SECRET OF PLATFORM 13, and ISLAND OF THE AUNTS. Eli Jost (11-year-old Raven Customer) recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER by E. L. Konigsberg. $9.99. Frustrated by struggles at home, 11-year-old Claudia and her little brother take refuge in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

THE HEADLESS CUPID by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. $6.99. A very scary, very rewarding and spooky story about two families coming together to live in a new house. John recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

The HENRY Series by Beverly Cleary (HENRY AND THE PAPER ROUTE, HENRY AND RIBSY, etc.). $5.99. All written before the brat and usurper Ramona came along. They’re as wholesome as homemade bread.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

JUST SO STORIES by Rudyard Kipling. $5.99. These classic, fanciful stories of how the things in the world came to be will never go out of style. Make sure you buy a copy with Kipling’s original woodcuts. Ages 5 - 10. A great read-aloud book. Heidi recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                               

MEET M & M and M & M AND THE HAUNTED GRAVE by Pat Ross. $4.99. Two girls living on different floors in an apartment building have fun suing their imagination. John recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN by Jean Craighead George. $6.99. This novel follows a precocious runaway in his nearly successful attempt to survive a year in the wilds of the Catskills on little more than wits alone. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

NARNIA Series by C.S. Lewis. Take the next generation of readers through the wardrobe into the world of Aslan. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

Nature books by Thornton W. Burgess. In these ageless books, children can follow the lives of the creatures of the Smiling Pool, the Green Meadow and the Briar Patch and realize their lives are much like ours. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

THE RETIRED KID by John Agee. $16.99. A funny and absurd story about a kid who’s tired of school and chores, so he retires. It’s expertly and amusingly drawn, like everything by Agee is. John recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

REDWALL series by Brian Jacques. $8.99. A substantial series of historical fantasy novels sure to please a voracious reader. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

STARGIRL by Jerry Spinelli. $8.95. Eli Jost (11-year-old Raven customer) recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

STUART LITTLE by E.B. White. $5.99. Stuart isn’t like his other family members; no one, including him, seems to understand he’s a mouse. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

TRUMPET OF THE SWAN by E.B. White. $6.50. Louis the mute goose compensates by excelling at reading and writing. Another White classic. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                    

A WRINKLE IN TIME and others in the TIME series by Madeline L’Engle. $6.99. These fabulous science fiction books follow self-assured Meg Murray and her siblings into other worlds full of both danger and wonder. Kelly, Julie, and Eli Jost recommend.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

WINTER HOLIDAY series by Arthur Ransome. $14.95. This delightful series of novels is set mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broad of England. Many of the books involve sailing, fishing and camping. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS by Wilson Rawls. $6.99. This novel tells the rich and heartbreaking story of a boy and the two redbone coon dogs he saves to buy. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

THE YEARLING by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. $6.99. Set in the backwoods of central Florida, this Pulitzer Prize winner is a beautiful story of love and loss between a boy and a deer that should never have become his pet. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

YOUNG PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES by Howard Zinn. $17.95. This is a book parents and especially teachers will want to share with their middle school or junior high school children. It retells our history from the point of view of the people who lost. For example, it describes how the Indians on the shore of the Caribbean Islands or Florida might have felt upon seeing the first armed Europeans. Pat recommends.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES series by L.M. Montgomery. This series of novels set in turn-of-the-century Canada follows the joys and misadventures of indomitable orphan Anne Shirley. Kelly recommends.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

HARRIET THE SPY by Louise Fitzhugh. $6.50. The classic tale of the loner artistic child who spies on everyone and ultimately has to live with the consequences. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                           

JULIE OF THE WOLVES by Jean Craighead George. $5.99. The young protagonist, a native of Alaska, is befriended and eventually accepted into the life of a wolf pack, who she is later able to help save from poaching. This Newberry Award winner is exquisitely written. Kelly recommends.

 

                                                                                                                                                                 

LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott. Far and above the best of Alcott’s semi-autobiographical childhood novels. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                   

LITTLE HOUSE series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Like no other novelist, Wilder captures America’s pioneer experience in a way children can taste, see hear, and feel. Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

NANCY DREW series by Carolyn Keene. Need I say more? Kelly recommends.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                  

RAMONA series by Beverly Cleary. $5.99 Revel in the misadventures of Ramona Quimby, neighborhood mischief-maker. Kelly recommends.

THE WITCHES by Roald Dahl

The story is great, but it’s the writing and imagery that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Dahl’s depiction of the thoughts, actions, and appearance of the witches is chilling! It’s tricky how he does it, too, since the book is also really, really funny.  Recommended by John.  Softcover, $11.95.

FIVE NOVELS, by Daniel M. Pinkwater

There are five novels in here, and each of them is ten times funnier than the funniest thing you’ve ever read. If you read all of them, you’ll discover why it’s sometimes a good idea to serve an ice-cream-based dessert in a backpack. Also note that one of these novels is the sequel to the amazing Fat Men from Space, which you didn’t even know existed!  Recommended by John.  Softcover, $6.99.