LitBit Speaks

Travis plans to spend the summer as follows: Working on his basketball game with his friend, Creature.  Reading excerpts from Creature's novel-in-progress: The Pervert's Guide to Russian Princesses.  Canoeing around the lake, trying to catch a glimpse of the beautiful girl who just moved in.  Not getting into trouble, not going back to juvie...  Searching the homeless camps for his mother, with a jar full of cash to help her get back on her feet.  From a powerful new voice in YA literature comes an unforgettable account of growing up, making mistakes, and growing out of the shadow of drug abuse. I recently got back home from the American Library Association's Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. While there, I had the privilege of meeting an author new to YA literature. Peter Brown Hoffmeister's first YA novel, This is the Part Where You Laugh, is gritty, heartbreaking, and a testament to close bonds of friendship. Travis is the main focus of the no...

Every morning is beautiful when Noah visits his Grandparents. When Grandpa and Noah wake up, they take off singing and hardly stop: walking the dog, splashing through puddles, and eating French toast with cinnamon.  But one summer Grandpa seems to have forgotten how to do the things they love. Does he even know who Noah is?  Grandma steps in energetically, filling in as best she can. But it is Noah who finds the way back to something he can share with Grandpa. Something musical. Something that makes the morning beautiful again.  This is a story about how love helps us  find even what we think is lost. It isn't often that something as complex and emotionally nuanced as alzheimer's is explored in a picturebook. Arthur Levine has written a story that is incredibly sensitive and insightful, filled with descriptive and imaginative language. The book is an emotional rollercoaster, moments of happiness contrasted with moments of heartbreak, confusion, and frustration....