Midwinter Galley Wrap-Up part 1

Sometime I come back from conferences loaded down with a back-breaking weight of books that turn out to be duds. At Midwinter '08 I was more successful than ever at limiting myself to a manageable quantity. (I still walked away with a backpack and tote bag full.) So far, it has been quite an exciting crop of books.

1. The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
What an excellent companion to Life As We Knew It. I would have thought NYC was a goner, since it tends to be one of the first places to go in disaster movies, also it is an island. But what do I know? This heart wrenching tale of a boy trying to survive catastrophe while looking after two younger sisters is as hard to read (emotionally) as it is to put down.

Look for it in June.

2. The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry
Having heard about this book at NYPL Bookfest '07 I was very excited to get my hands on this title. It did not disappoint. One of Lowry's strengths is that she tells many different kinds of stories in many different styles. This book is an "old-fashioned" one with tongue planted very firmly in cheek. A tale of a family of six (parents and children all trying to do away with each other) is entwined with the tale of an old hermit who lives down the street and that of a woman and her son who were trapped abroad for an impossibly long time. Surpassed all expectations, hilariously. Check your public library in March or April.