July Accomplishments

These are a few of my favorite 'first' lines read in July 2010.

I peered into the deep-sea canyon, hoping to spot a toppled skyscraper. Maybe even the Statue of Liberty. But there was no sign of the old East Coast, just a sheer drop into darkness.

Lisabeth Lewis didn't mean to become Famine.

A definition:
A real live boyfriend does not contribute to your angst.

The movement of the train rocked me like a lullaby.

Strange things can happen at a crossroads.

I don't trust Clive Fagenbush.

July's Top Eight:

The Boneshaker. Kate Milford.
Real Live Boyfriends. E. Lockhart.
Cloaked in Red. Vivian Vande Velde.
A Long Walk to Water. Linda Sue Park
Moon Over Manifest. Clare Vanderpool.
The Daughter of Time. Josephine Tey
She Stoops to Conquer. Oliver Goldsmith.
Venetia. Georgette Heyer

Number of Board Books: 9

Welcome Summer by Jill Ackerman. Illustrated by Nancy Davis. 2010. Scholastic. 10 pages.
I Like Bugs. Lorena Siminovich. 2010. March 2010. Candlewick. 10 pages.
I Like Fruit. Lorena Siminovich. 2010. July 2010. Candlewick. 10 pages.
The Napping House. Audrey Wood. Illustrated by Don Wood. 1984/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 32 pages.
Baby at the Farm. Karen Katz. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 10 pages.
Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes. Mem Fox. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. 2008/2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 38 pages.
All About Me! A Baby's Guide to Babies by David Salariya. 2008. Random House. 16 pages.
Click, Clack, 123. Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 2006/2010. Little Simon. 22 pages.
Click, Clack, ABC. Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 2005/2010. Simon & Schuster. 24 pages.

Number of Picture Books: 15

No T. Rex in the Library. Toni Buzzeo. Illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
Swim! Swim! by Lerch (James Proimos). 2010. July 2010. Scholastic. 32 pages.
The Eensy Weensy Spider Freaks Out (Big Time) by Troy Cummings. 2010. May 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
Beaver is Lost. Elisha Cooper. 2010. June 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
Hello Baby! Mem Fox. Illustrated by Steve Jenkins. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
Kiss! Kiss! Yuck! Yuck! by Kyle Mewburn. Illustrated by Ali Teo & John O'Reilly. 2008. Peachtree. 32 pages.
My Love Will Be With You. Laura Krauss Melmed. Illustrated by Henri Sorensen. 2009. HarperCollins. 24 pages.
Please Pick Me Up, Mama! Robin Luebs. 2009. Simon & Schuster. 40 pages.
Dinosaurs Love Underpants. Claire Freedman. Illustrated by Ben Cort. 2009. December 2009. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
Night Lights. Susan Gal. 2009. November 2009. Random House. 32 pages.
Always in Trouble. Corinne Demas. Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones. 2009. Scholastic. 40 pages.
How Rocket Learned to Read. Tad Hills. 2010. July 2010. Random House. 40 pages.
Ferocious Wild Beasts! by Chris Wormell. 2009. December 2009. Random House. 32 pages
Posy. Linda Newbery. Illustrated by Catherine Rayner. 2008. Simon & Schuster. 32 pages.
When the World is Ready for Bed. Gillian Shields. Illustrated by Anna Currey. 2009. Bloomsbury. 32 pages.

Number of Children's Books: 10

No New Pets by Hans Wilhelm. 2010. Scholastic. 32 pages.
I Won't Share. Hans Wilhelm. 2010. Scholastic. 32 pages.
Jake. Audrey Couloumbis. 2010. September 2010. Random House. 176 pages.
Mo and Jo Fighting Together Forever. Dean Haspiel and Jay Lynch. 2008. Toon Books. 40 pages.
Stinky. Eleanor Davis. 2008. Toon Books 40 pages.
The Black Circle (The 39 Clues #5) Patrick Carman. 2009. Scholastic. 176 pages.
Phineas L. MacGuire...Erupts. Frances O'Roark Dowell. 2006. Simon & Schuster. 176 pages.
I Survived The Sinking of the Titanic, 1912. Lauren Tarshis. 2010. Scholastic. 112 pages.
Ling & Ting: Not Exactly the Same. Grace Lin. 2010. July 2010. Little, Brown. 43 pages.
Word After Word After Word. Patricia MacLachlan. 2010. HarperCollins. 128 pages.

Number of Middle Grade: 15

Moon Over Manifest. Clare Vanderpool. 2010. October 2010. Random House. 368 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Art of Knowing) by Alison McGhee. 2008. Scholastic. 290 pages.
Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos. 2007. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 343 pages.
Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris. R.L. LaFevers. 2008. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 400 pages.
Peter and the Sword of Mercy. Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. 2009. Hyperion. 528 pages.
A Long Walk to Water. Linda Sue Park. 2010. November 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 128 pages.
The Boneshaker. Kate Milford. 2010. May 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 372 pages.
Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman. 1997. HarperCollins. 80 pages.
Elephant Run. Roland Smith. 2007. Hyperion. 336 pages.
Bamboo People. Mitali Perkins. 2010. July 2010. Charlesbridge. 272 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Quest for Joy). Alison McGhee. 2009. Scholastic. 320 pages.
Julia Gillian (And the Dream of the Dog). Alison McGhee. Illustrated by Drazen Kozjan. 2010. July 2010. Scholastic. 336 pages.
The Everlasting Now. Sara H. Banks. 2010. Peachtree Publishers. 176 pages.
Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home. Henry Cole. 2010. HarperCollins. 342 pages.

Number of YA: 19

Don't Judge A Girl By Her Cover. Ally Carter. 2009. Hyperion. 272 pages.
The Treasure Map of Boys. E. Lockhart. 2009. Random House. 256 pages.
Scars. Cheryl Rainfield. 2010. WestSide Books. 250 pages.
Real Live Boyfriends. E. Lockhart. 2010. December 2010. Random House. 240 pages.
Wildthorn. Jane Eagland. 2010. September 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 352 pages.
Jumpstart the World. Catherine Ryan Hyde. 2010. October 2010. Random House. 192 pages.
Hunger. Jackie Morse Kessler. 2010. October 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 180 pages.
In a Heartbeat. Loretta Ellsworth. 2010. February 2010. Walker & Company. 216 pages.
Only The Good Spy Young. Ally Carter. 2010. Hyperion. 272 pages.
Amy & Roger's Epic Detour. Morgan Matson. 2010. Simon & Schuster. 343 pages.
The First Part Last. Angela Johnson. 2003. Simon & Schuster. 144 pages.
Finding My Place. Traci L. Jones. 2010. May 2010. FSG. 192 pages.
Stolen. Lucy Christopher. 2010. Scholastic. 304 pages.
The Gardener. S.A. Bodeen. 2010. May 2010. Feiwel & Friends. 240 pages.
I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It. Adam Selzer. 2010. Random House. 192 pages.
Dark Life. Kat Falls. 2010. Scholastic. 304 pages.
Everlasting. Angie Frazier. 2010. June 2010. Scholastic. 336 pages.
Leviathan. Scott Westerfeld. 2009. October 2009. Simon & Schuster. 448 pages.
Fire. Kristin Cashore. 2009. Penguin. 480 pages.

Number of Adult: 15

The Man in the Queue. Josephine Tey. 1929/1995. Simon & Schuster. 256 pages.
Bath Tangle. Georgette Heyer. 1955. Harlequin. 336 pages.
The Daughter of Time. Josephine Tey. 1951/1995. Simon & Schuster. 208 pages.
Star Begotten: A Biological Fantasia by H.G. Wells. 1937/2006. Wesleyan University Press. 172 pages.
The Pirates! In An Adventure with Ahab. Gideon Defoe. 2005. Knopf Doubleday. 160 pages.
The Lost Duke of Wyndham. Julia Quinn. 2008. HarperCollins. 384 pages.
Mr. Cavendish, I Presume. Julia Quinn. 2008. HarperCollins. 384 pages.
An Apology for the Life of Mrs. Shamela Andrews. (Shamela) Henry Fielding. 1741. 40 pages.
Uncommon Reader. Alan Bennett. 2007. FSG. 128 pages.
First Comes Marriage. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages
Then Comes Seduction. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 448 pages.
At Last Comes Love. Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages.
Seducing an Angel by Mary Balogh. 2009. Random House. 416 pages.
She Stoops to Conquer. Oliver Goldsmith. 1773. 80 pages.
Venetia. Georgette Heyer. 1958/2009. Harlequin. 368 pages.

Number of Christian: 9

Magdalene. Angela Hunt. 2006. Tyndale. 448 pages.
A Morning Like This. Deborah Bedford. 2002/2009. Faith Words. 336 pages.
When You Believe. Deborah Bedford. 2003/2009. Faith Words. 288 pages.
Perfectly Dateless: A Universally Misunderstood Novel. Kristin Billerbeck. 2010. July 2010. Revell. 256 pages.
Touching the Clouds. Bonnie Leon. 2010. July 2010. Revell. 320 pages.
The Sister Wife. Diane Noble. 2010. HarperCollins. 343 pages.
The Church History ABCs: Augustine and Twenty-Five Other Heroes of the Faith. Stephen J. Nichols. Illustrated by Ned Bustard. 2010. June 2010. Crossway. 32 pages.
Courting Morrow Little by Laura Frantz. 2010. Revell. 368 pages.
Fancy Pants. Cathy Marie Hake. 2007. Bethany House. 384 pages.


Number of Nonfiction: 7

Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom and Science. Marc Aronson and Marina Budhos. 2010. November 2010. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 176 pages.
Oscar and the Bat: A Book About Sound. Geoff Waring. 2008. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Snail: A Book About Things We Use. Geoff Waring. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Cricket: A Book About Moving and Rolling. Geoff Waring. 2008. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Bird: A Book About Electricity. Geoff Waring. 2009. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Frog: A Book About Growing. 2007. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Oscar and the Moth: A Book About Light and Dark. Geoff Waring. 2007. Candlewick. 32 pages.

Number of Graphic Novels:

Number of Poetry:

Number of Short Story Collections/Anthologies: 2

The Storyteller's Secrets. Tony Mitton. Illustrated by Peter Bailey. Random House. 128 pages.
Cloaked in Red. Vivian Vande Velde. 2010. October 2010. Marshall Cavendish. 128 pages.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews