Diva Delight: Hideous Love and Wicked Girls

Did you get a chance to read these two beauties from Stephanie Hemphill, readergirlz? From Mary Shelley to the girls involved in the Salem witch trials, you'll be in the thick of characters longing to be esteemed and loved.

Both are novels-in-verse, with delicious poetic language. Get ready to sink into the settings and hold your breath at the turning points.

Here is what Booklist said about Hideous Love:

Few stories-behind-the-story get retold as much as the writing of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but the ever-reliable free-verse poet Hemphill, author of the Printz Honor Book Your Own, Sylvia (2007), manages to plumb from it her own vein of riches. For starters, Hemphill does not obsess upon the novel, instead letting it rest as a distant metaphor. Instead, she tracks Mary’s young life—and a tumultuous life it is, as she suffers multiple dead children, affairs, suicides, and deaths. First and foremost, this is a chronicle of Mary’s stormy long affair with the married poet Percy Shelley as they, often with the infamous Lord Byron and Mary’s jealous stepsister Claire in tow, outrun scandal across Europe. The girlish accessibility of the prose subtly transforms to something darker and more mature, with Hemphill’s restraint her finest quality, whether speaking about art or sex or death: “We both know / that sorrow cannot be measured / by the size of a little one’s shoe.” This is, as intended, an ideal companion piece for teens studying the original classic. Grades 7-12. --Daniel Kraus

Booklist also gave Wicked Girls a Starred Review. You don't want to miss any works from this Printz Honor Winner. Finish up your vacation with a novel-in-verse from Stephanie Hemphill!

Hideous Love
Wicked Girls
by Stephanie Hemphill
Balzer & Bray

Holiday Fun: Guilty as Charged!

Here's a step away from the usual at rgz for the holiday season. Guilty as Charged! the Party Game of Pointing Fingers offers fun exchanges for friend and family gatherings. After reading a topic card asking such as, Who's most likely to:
,
Compliment a complete stranger on their moustache
Alphabetize their book collection
Take the last piece of pizza,

everyone in the group uses a pointer to reveal their answer. When we played, there was laughter, denial, and groans of agreement in our family. If you are looking for that last minute gift or searching for the perfect party spice, add this from Chronicle Books. You'll be amazed how others perceive you. It may be something to write about...

Guilty as Charged!
Chronicle Books

Celtic Tales: Kate Forrester

Everything about Celtic Tales, Fairy Tales and Stories of Enchantment from Ireland, Scotland, Brittany, and Wales calls to be held, read, and visually absorbed. The design is simple but beautiful. Kate Forrester's imagery is beguiling. I've awaited this release with images from the catalog taped to my wall. In the sophisticated art, there's a refined simplicity. The Celtic tales themselves are fresh and surprising.

This is a beautiful pick to gift someone for the holidays. Just be aware:

"Do not think the fairies are always little.

Everything is capricious about them, even their size...

Their chief occupations are feasting, fighting, and making

love, and playing the most beautiful music."

~William Butler Yeats, Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry.

Celtic Tales
illustrated by Kate Forrester
Chronicle Books, 2016

Famous Friends: Jennifer Castle and Bill Spring

In the spirit of celebrating friendship, check out Famous Friends by Jennifer Castle and Bill Spring. The cover doesn't do justice to the breadth of the text. From John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, and John Lennon to Paul McCartney, the little features and anecdotes are delicious. I found myself smiling over the bromance between Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. So fun and dear. Kindred spirits finding each other on our planet should be treasured. Go through a trove in Famous Friends. Too much fun. Yay for Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald. I mean, seriously! #beautyallaround

Famous Friends
by Jennifer Castle and Bill Spring
Scholastic, 2014