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STORY BY CINDY SKALSKY • PHOTO BY MARK LEVY /HERALD/REVIEW
SIERRA VISTA — For the little ones, the array of colorful pop-up books, activity books, waterproof books, and picture books with baby bunnies, baby rattlesnakes or baby-anythings will do just fine.
But when they’re no longer small enough to cuddle in your lap and turn the pages — and you wouldn’t know a Wii from a Zune if either one were ahead of you in the gift-wrap line — how do well-meaning adults cultivate old-fashioned literacy?
Parents and grandparents take heart.
 Mark Levy Herald/Review Carol Denton, from Willcox, browses through the children's book section of Hastings last week to search for a Christmas gift for her 4-year-old granddaughter. |
There is life after Nintendo and help is at hand.
Senior bookseller Tracy McFarland at B. Dalton in the Mall at Sierra Vista and book department leader Karin O’Brien at Hastings on Fry Blvd., have a handle on what’s “in” with young readers and both stores are open Christmas Eve — Dalton’s until 6 p.m., Hastings until 8 p.m.
Both stores have a kids’ department, divided into sections for different age groups and reading levels, and there’s likely a book about any subject your young person is interested in, and any genre that might start a young imagination soaring.
There are books about pirates, ancient Egypt, cowboys, hippopotami, warrior cats, javalinas and vampires. There are nature books, regional books, history books, sports books, romance books and classics from Rudyard Kipling and Robert Louis Stevenson.
And yes, The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew are still in print.
The Herald/Review asked local librarians to contribute their thoughts, ideas and suggestions for giving books to kids this season, and Mary Kohn and Heidi Kirchmeyer generously and graciously obliged.
Enjoy their recommendations on what books to give those tweens and teens and why.
Kirchmeyer recommends:
• “Stormbreaker” by Anthony Horowitz (ages 10-15); First book in a series of seven. Alex Rider, 14, ends up working as a spy for MI-6. Great for reluctant boy readers; lots of action and gadgets.
• “Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two” by Joseph Bruchac (ages 10 and up); In the oral tradition of the Navajo, a grandfather tells his grandchildren about his experiences in World War II as a code talker. Good detail and description of the battles the grandfather fought in, and an interesting look into Navajo culture.
• “Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare” by Darren Shan (ages 9-12); First book in a series of 12. Darren Shan is the narrator and he writes about his encounter with a traveling illegal freak show and how he ends up being assistant to a vampire. Great for horror fans.
• “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (ages 14 and up); Each chapter is told in an alternate voice, either Nick or Norah, and explores how the two meet and fall for each other in the space of one music-filled night.
• “Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson” by Louise Rennison (ages 12 and up); It is the “Bridget Jones’ Diary” for the younger set. Fourteen-year-old Georgia records in her diary her experiences with family, friends and boys. A great, funny read.
Other suggestions:
• “This is Just to Say: Poems of Apology and Forgiveness” by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski (ages 8-12)
• “Beyond the Deepwoods” by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell (ages 10-12); Fantasy. First in a series of nine.
• “Red Moon at Sharpsburg,” by Rosemary Wells (ages 12 and up); Historical.
• “Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery” by Peter Abrahams (ages 12-14); Mystery. First in a series of three.
• “Evil Genius” by Catherine Jinks (ages 12-15); Science fiction.
• “The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler (ages 14 and up); Realistic discovering-yourself story.
For ages 14 and up, Kohn recommends:
• “Tears of a Tiger” by Susan Draper. Favorites with both guys and girls, the trilogy continues with “Forged by Fire” and “Darkness Before Dawn.” They are about a group of high school friends who experience some of life’s saddest moments, but with each other’s support they make it through.
• “Fallen Angels” by Walter Dean Myers. It tells of Richie Perry, a 1967 high school grad who enlists and spends a year in Vietnam.
• “The Uglies” by Scott Westerfeld. Science fiction is always a favorite with teens. This series is in a futuristic time when everyone looks forward to their 16th birthday not for their driver’s license but for the operation that will make them “pretty.” There is a group out in the “Ruins” who want to stay just the way they are but the government won’t let them. The series continues with “The Pretties,” “The Specials” and “The Extras.”
• “Crank” by Ellen Hopkins. A novel about how Kristen, an honor student, struggles to get her life back from the “monster” — crystal meth. It’s told in verse that grips you from beginning to end. This semi-autobiographical novel is part of a trilogy concluding with “Glass” and “Smack.”
• “Twilight” by Stephanie Meyers begins a vampire series that has hooked both male and female readers. It tells the story of Isabella who moves to rainy Oregon to live with her dad after mom gets a new husband in sunny Phoenix. The students at Forks High all seem the same as at her old school until she meets Edward, a gorgeous guy with a long and secret history. The next two books, “New Moon” and “Eclipse” follow Isabella and Edward through their dangerous relationship.
Still popular:
• “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlein
• “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe” and “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe” by Douglas Adams
• “Go Ask Alice,” disputed authorship
Kohn adds that graphic novels are another hot genre and that they shouldn’t be mistaken for comic books. “This is literature with the illustrations delivering the message. There are examples from many cultures,” Kohn writes.
“Maus: A Survivor’s Tale” by Art Speigelman is re-emerging as a favorite and “The Illustrator’s Notebook” by Mohieddine Ellabbad comes highly recommended for any aspiring artist. A favorite of Kohn’s is “The Tenth Circle” by Jode Picoult. In it the protangonist is writing a graphic novel version of Dante’s “Inferno” while his own family is going through their own inferno.
