Creative Authors to Watch (and Read)

Trish Hull, Library Manager for Salt Lake County Libraries has picked out a list of ten of the most creative authors of the year.

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	Fairies and Magical Creatures By Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda If you have never looked at a Robert Sabuda or Matthew Reinhart pop up book you are missing out on one of the most amazing artistic and engineering creations ever! It isn’t art per se it is “paper engineering” The work involved in creating one of these books is astounding and reading one is a thrill. They are unbelievable- almost magic.
	Life As We Knew It By Susan Beth Pfefferr Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family’s struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. This amazing story shows how quickly normal can change. It made me reevaluate how I look at myself and wonder how I would act in a similar situation. Maybe not the way I would like to? Could this happen? Maybe, but lets hope not.
	The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society By Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows In 1946, writer Juliet Ashton finds inspiration for her next book in her correspondence with a native of Guernsey, who tells her about the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a book club born as an alibi during German occupation. A marvelous book written in letter format which little by little reveals the story of the channel Islands occupation for 5 years by the Germans. Wonderful and amazing. I couldn’t put it down!
	The Graveyard Book By Neil Gaiman Nobody Owens is a normal boy, except that he has been raised by ghosts and other denizens of the graveyard. This is a “luminous” book. I was captured from the first horrifying yet compelling moments. The sweetness of a ghostly mother, the teamwork of the graveyard inhabitants and my favorite line referring to raising the child…”it will take a graveyard”. This is the 2009 Newberry Award Winner.
	State of the Onion By Julie A Hyzy While going up against her nemesis for the executive chef position, White House Assistand Chef Olivia Paras Finds her goose cooked when she becomes the target of a world-class assassin, after withnessing a murder. THis clever and very entertaining mystery begins With Olivia Hitting a supposed assassin in the head with a frying pan. Great story, insider insights to the White House and terrific recipes.
	The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins Its the reality TV show of your worst nightmares: in a future North America, children from each district in the country of Panem are required to enter a lottery to participate in the Hunger Games. If your name is chosen, you’re forced to enter a twisted survival competition broadcast throughout the entire country. How does one win the Hunger Games, you ask? By being the only one of the 24 participants to survive them! Wow a powerful book that will make you think twice watching a reality TV show.
	Heart Shaped Box By Joe Hill Stephen King’s Son is doing a masterful job in his own right. This story tells how maybe you can buy anything on Ebay. A collector of obscure and macabre artifacts, unscrupulous metal band musician Judas Coyne is unable to resist purchasing a ghost over the Internet, which turns out to be the vengeful spirit of his late girlfriend’s stepfather.
	Zorgamazoo By Robert Paul Weston ImagInative and adventurous Katrina eludes her maniacal guardian to help Morty, a member of a vanishing breed of zorgles, with his quest to uncover the fate of the fabled zorgles of Zorgmazoo as well as the other creatures that seem to have disappeared from the earth.
	The Art of Racing in the Rain By Garth Stein Nearing the end of his life, Enzo, a dog with a philosophers sould, tries to bring together the family, pulled apart by a three year custody battle between daughter Zoe’s maternal granparents and her father Denny, a race car driver. This dog really knows his stuff, we all should have a dog like this.
	ABC3D By Marion Bataille Each Letter of the alphabet is introduced in the style of three dimensional pop-up designs. Amazing and fun with a surprise on every page.