Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet

To call this book merely a biography of E.B. White would be to do it an injustice. Each page of this visual masterpiece is a work of art that incorporates original drawings, as well as quotes, letters, and New Yorker cartoons in order to bring to life the man most famous for writing Charlotte's Web. White, who also wrote for the New Yorker and other publications for many years and co-wrote The Elements of Style, wrote copious letters in his lifetime and left behind a lot of information for author/illustrator Melissa Sweet to pull together. It's a sophisticated book that will appeal to some children, but there is much here for readers of any age to enjoy. This work of art should be given to any adult who loves the New Yorker, who has ever referred to Strunk and White's Elements of Style, or who has ever read Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl is the second book by Rainbow Rowell to come out in 2013. I am a huge fan of Eleanor & Park, so I was excited to finally read Fangirl as well. This is the story of Cathe and her first year at college. She is an introverted girl, and an identical twin. Her mother abandoned the family years ago and she has a lovely father who is a bit unstable. It's hard enough to leave him behind, but she's also facing life on her own for the first time because her twin sister, Wren, chose not to room with her at college. Cathe's passion is writing fan fiction about Simon Snow—it's what she has always done and she can't imagine life without that emotional and creative outlet. This book takes readers through Cathe's entire freshman year. She struggles with Wren, she worries about her dad, she finds a surprising friend in her surly roommate, and she meets Levi, a really nice guy who slowly wins her over. Rainbow Rowell knows how to slowly bring characters to life and she knows how they talk. You leave her books knowing exactly what these people are like and feeling like you have a new set of friends. This is a really satisfying book for readers who like to live deeply in someone else's life. Recommended for high school readers.