New Leaf Nominations for September 2018 • The Shortest, Gladdest Years of Life: School

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I don't know why there are discrepancies in pricing between Amazon and Kobo. This is an Open Road title, so it may go on sale; unfortunately, it's not in KU.

I haven't checked, but I think Freading has all the Open Road titles, for those who have access to Freading through an elibrary which includes FLP.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by issybird

I haven't checked, but I think Freading has all the Open Road titles, for those who have access to Freading through an elibrary which includes FLP.

Thanks, I forgot about that--yes, it's in Freading.

[Bookworm_Girl]

I nominate The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, a US National Book Award winner for Young People’s Literature in 2007. It has illlustrations too! Here’s a summary from Goodreads. It was reasonably priced ($9.99 US, CDN$12.99, $7.99 AU, £4.99 UK) and globally available. Also on Overdrive.

Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.

Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, which is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.

With a forward by Markus Zusak, interviews with Sherman Alexie and Ellen Forney, and four-color interior art throughout, this edition is perfect for fans and collectors alike.

[gmw]

I second The Blackboard Jungle (1954) by Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain).

[gmw]

I second The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

(I'd really like to add my voice to A Separate Peace too, but I'm out of votes so it will just have to go on my private list.)

[fantasyfan]

Excuse me folks, but what is “freading”?

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by fantasyfan

Excuse me folks, but what is “freading”?

A library lending service that’s another alternative to Overdrive. Similar to Hoopla or Axis 360. I’m not sure how popular it is. None of my libraries use it.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

A library lending service that’s another alternative to Overdrive. Similar to Hoopla or Axis 360. I’m not sure how popular it is. None of my libraries use it.

The nice thing about Freading is that you can download the books as with OverDrive and hence read them on your eink readers, but there's no waiting as with Hoopla. There's a rolling limit on how many checkouts you can have, but it's not seriously restrictive. It helps to like Open Road books, though!

[fantasyfan]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

A library lending service that’s another alternative to Overdrive. Similar to Hoopla or Axis 360. I’m not sure how popular it is. None of my libraries use it.

Thanks.

Yes, I have access to BorrowBox which seems to be the Irish equivalent. One can reserve or download up to five ebooks or audiobooks (or a combination of the two) for a fortnight with the option of renewal.

[astrangerhere]

I would like to nominate Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go. For those who have not read or heard about it, I don't want to say too terribly much save that a good portion of the book is set in a school. Here is the description from Amazon:

As children Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were. Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special—and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together.

Amazon: $9.99
Kobo: Unavailable in the US
Google Play: $9.99

The book was published in 2005, so I am hoping that the age would make library availability feasible for many of us.

[issybird]

Heads up, folks. Right now (since Catlady posted her links, obviously), The Blackboard Jungle is only $1.99 at Amazon & Kobo US. I haven't checked other vendors.

Originally Posted by astrangerhere

I would like to nominate Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go.

<SNIP>

Kobo: Unavailable in the US

Kobo's got it: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/search?Query=never+let+me+go

[issybird]

I've got several contenders for my support (more than I've got nominations ), so I'll start with a third for The Blackboard Jungle.

[Bookworm_Girl]

Good choices so far! Only one that I've read before (in high school), but I almost nominated it too since I don't remember much and would like to read it again.

I find it interesting that the nominations are all for shorter books.

[Bookworm_Girl]

I will third Holes.

EDIT:

Originally Posted by gmw

At the risk of nominating a book everyone has read already (and touching on the literary club's current theme), I nominate the award winning Holes by Louis Sachar.

By the way, gmw, I haven't read this! I didn't know the movie was based on a book.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

Good choices so far! Only one that I've read before (in high school), but I almost nominated it too since I don't remember much and would like to read it again.

I find it interesting that the nominations are all for shorter books.

I've read four of them, one of which I absolutely loved. Generally I prefer not to reread, but we'll see.

I think the shorter books reflect in part the strong YA presence among the nominations.