The Librarian Writer

Title: The Lost Planet Author: Rachel Searles Publisher: Feiwel & Friends Publication Date: January 28, 2014 ISBN- 13: 978-1250038791 384 pp. ARC provided by publisher The Lost Planet by Rachel Searles is a rollicking sci-fi adventure for middle grade readers. A boy wakes up with a blaster wound to the back of his head and no memory except the phrase, "Guide the star." He's told that his name is Chase and he's on the planet Trucon. Chase begins a search for who he is and what "Guide the star" means. Helping him are an orphan named Parker and his caretaker, Mina, who have secrets of their own. The action is virtually non-stop as the trio make their way across space, making friends and enemies along the way as an interstellar war looms. The stakes are high and the pacing keeps the reader turner pages. However, there is a lack of character development, especially in Chase. A lack of memory also makes him without much of personality.

Title: Pretty Deadly Volume 1 Author: Kelly Sue DeConnick Illustrated by: Emma Rios Publisher: Image Comics Publication Date: May 13, 2014 ISBN-13: 978-1607069621 120 pp. ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley Pretty Deadly Volume 1 collects the first five issues of the Pretty Deadly comic, which is an Eisner Award nominee. Kudos to Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios for creating such a complex series with intriguing, badass female characters. The framing device is a butterfly telling a story to a skeleton bunny (and we see the bunny getting killed very graphically) about a little girl named Sissy, who has two different colored eyes and wears a vulture costume. She and her guardian, a man named Fox, are being hunted by Death's handmaiden, Alice. So they end up joining forces with Death's daughter, Ginny, to try to conquer Death himself. To be honest, I found the beginning very confusing. But the mythology of this world is slowly teased out throughout the

I was fortunate enough to go to the ALA Annual Conference in Las Vegas this year. Loved the Printz Awards where Marcus Sedgwick became my new author crush. Loved the sessions, especially this one on reinventing summer reading programs. And, of course, loved the ARCs that publishers so willingly hand out to eager librarians. I have some of the bounty to share with you! I am giving away Advance Reading Copies to three lucky readers. The titles available are: A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally Hider, Seeker, Secret Keeper by Elizabeth Kiem If You're Reading This by Trent Reedy The Fire Artist by Daisy Whitney I'm trying out Rafflecopter, and it looks pretty simple. You can enter simply by telling me your first and second choice in the comments, and don't forget to leave your email. If you want additional entries, you can follow me on Twitter (3 entries), tweet about the contest (3 entries), and subscr