BPLD Teen Blog

2012 Printz Award Winner

2012-01-23T14:26:00.001-06:00

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.The award winner was announced today and Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley won!

Witty, sardonic Cullen Witter agonizes over the disappearance of his beloved brother, Gabriel, while everyone else in his stiflingly dull Arkansas town thrills to the apparent return of a long-extinct woodpecker. Kidnapping, arcane religious texts, and ornithology collide in this ground-breaking coming-of-age tale.

“Straightforward, yet increasingly complex, this novel masterfully weaves together themes of brotherhood, friendship, loss and religious obsession,” said Printz Award Committee Chair Erin Helmrich.

I read Where Things Come Back this past summer and it was definitely one of the best YA books I read last year. I recommend it if you enjoy quirky, introspective stories. There are also lots of indie music references. In fact, the book was inspired by the Sufjan Stevens' (who I'm in love with btw) song Lord God Bird.

And here are the Printz 2012 Honor Books:

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
In this beautiful piece of bookmaking, heartbroken movie obsessive Min Green dumps a box of relationship ephemera on ex-love Ed Slaterton’s porch, each item attached to a raging, loving, insecure and regretful letter explaining how each memento contributed to their breakup.

The Returning by Christine Hinwood
A large cast of characters from two fictional kingdoms recover from a drawn-out, brutal war in a portrait both sweeping and specific as it explores the ramifications of the conflict on Cam, the only one who lives to return to his village.

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
Spurred by the mysterious death of a schoolmate, Charlie confronts racism and his fears as he learns about family, friendship and love in the oppressive heat of small-town 1960s Australia. Silvey weaves themes of freedom and loyalty with moments of humor in this wrenching novel.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
A bloody, intoxicating horse race on the Island of Thisby is the backdrop for this atmospheric novel. The heart-pounding story pits two teens against death – to win is to survive.

Kimberly

Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II by Ron Koertge

2012-01-19T09:36:00.001-06:00

Considering that close to a decade has passed between Ron Koertge’s Stoner & Spaz and its sequel, the recently released NowPlaying: Stoner & Spaz II, I was surprised that the sequel picked up where the first book left off. I thought the novel might find the characters crossing paths again several years later, but instead the novel resumes shortly after Ben, a film junkie with cerebral palsy, shows his documentary at a Hollywood art gallery. Colleen, a different kind of junkie who wants to clean up her act, progresses from acquaintance to the status of almost girlfriend in Stoner & Spaz. However, at the end of the book she ditches Ben at the art gallery in favor of another bad seed type of guy.

While Colleen disappears, Ben meets a girl named A.J., another aspiring filmmaker who seems interested in both Ben and his filmmaking skills. She’s also a driven girl from a wealthy family, two things Ben’s controlling and occasionally judgmental grandmother approves of. Much of Koertge’s new book is taken up with Ben trying to choose between Colleen and A.J. He also struggles to figure out if either of them is interested in dating him or if they think of him as more of a friend.

Other conflicts arise. Part of the way through the book, Colleen finds out where Ben’s mom is living and the two of them take a road trip to see her. Ben also grapples with whether the documentary films he’s making are exploiting the people they are about. He considers making a film about Colleen and later in the book A.J. wants Ben to make a film about seeing his mother for the first time since he was four.

I don’t know if all the story lines come together that neatly in Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II, but since this novel and its predecessor are driven first and foremost by dynamic characters, I was okay with the story meandering at times. I just hope that if Koertge writes a third installment about Ben and Colleen that it doesn’t take as long to come out.

John

Best Adult Books for Teens

2012-01-09T18:21:00.001-06:00

All of the following books you'll find in our Adult Fiction & Sci Fi collections but they're good reads for teens too!

Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
Jaffy leaves behind his life on the streets of 19th century London for an adventure to the Pacific Islands aboard a whaling ship in search of a mythical - yet far too real - dragon in this enormously satisfying novel of friendship, survival, and redemption.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Imagine if Willie Wonka had been a video-game designer. Now imagine a world in which most people spend their time as avatars in a virtual reality. The founder of this virtual reality leaves his fortune to the first to win a contest, comprised of puzzles and tasks based on 1980s popular culture. Three teens compete to win against an evil conglomerate.

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Alternate chapters weave Victoria's past as a foster child and her present as a semi-homeless 18-year-old. Victoria finds her first job in a florist shop, putting to use the language of flowers she first learned from her only real family, the foster mother she lost 10 years earlier.

The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Fillory is a magical utopia. With little for a monarch to do, Quentin goes on a quest. Alternating chapters relate his old friend Julia's backstory. While the king enjoys life at Brakebills, Julia learns magic on the streets. Her journey is powerful and horrifying in this followup to The Magicians.

Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington
Alice's idyllic small-town life is interrupted when her father's army reserve unit is called up for active duty in Iraq. After he is declared missing in action, she turns to her best friend, the boy next door, for support.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Le Cirque des Rêves appears without warning on the outskirts of cities around the world. Only open at night, it is filled with magic and theater, each tent a sensory experience, manipulated and sustained by two young people locked in a mysterious competition.

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
Mere months after their mother dies, the Bigtree family's alligator-wrestling theme park and cafe, Swamplandia!, goes out of business, sending the abandoned siblings on individual perilous journeys away from home in this dazzling, affecting, funny novel.

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
In this artificial intelligence blockbuster, the heroic actions of a handful of characters are told in the form of briefing reports recovered after the Robot Wars that nearly exterminated humanity. This format with its emphasis on survival in battle and full-throttle action will appeal particularly to those who enjoy science-gone-wrong thrillers.

Kimberly

From School Library Journal

Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge

2012-01-02T20:19:00.000-06:00

I recently reread this book after discovering that Ron Koertge had just released a sequel called Now Playing: Stoner & Spaz II. Since Stoner & Spaz first came out in 2002, I knew I’d have to reread it before tackling the sequel.

Stoner & Spaz tells the story of sixteen-year-old Ben Bancroft, a loner with cerebral palsy who lives with his grandmother and finds solace losing himself in movies. During one of his frequent trips to a quirky movie theater that specializes in classics like Bride of Frankenstein, he runs into Colleen Minou, a beautiful and charismatic stoner. Her initial interest in Ben seems to stem from her altered state at the time, but the two soon form a friendship that, much to the surprise of everyone at their school, sometimes even seems like something more.

Yes, I know the opposites attract theme has been played to death, but Stoner & Spaz truly is worth checking out. Spurred on by Colleen and an arty neighbor named Marcie, Ben slowly comes out of his shell and progresses from watching movies incessantly to making a documentary about the students at his high school. Colleen’s progress stops and starts as she seems to know that she should ditch Ed, her drug dealer boyfriend, but seems less sure about what to do next. I enjoyed Stoner & Spaz immensely both of the times I read it and hope the sequel will be as good if not better.

John

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

2011-12-29T09:40:00.000-06:00

The first in the Chemical Garden Trilogy, Wither is the story of Rhine Ellery, a 16-year-old girl caught in a nightmare. The world is no longer as we know it due to a series of genetic mutations that took place many years ago. Now, girls only live until they are twenty and boys until they are twenty-five. Kidnappers called Gatherers force young girls into marrying rich men in order to reproduce. Ellery unwillingly marries Linden, the son of a wealthy doctor. Linden himself is caught up in his own turmoil, but his father is determined to come up with a cure for the world's problems and will stop at nothing to do so. The only bright spot in Ellery's life is Gabriel, a house servant that she befriends. Both Rhine & Gabriel suspect that bad things are happening in the mansion and that they are in great danger. But is it possible for them to escape?

Karen

Great Books for Middle Schoolers

2011-12-14T20:16:00.003-06:00

Flip by Martyn Bedford

Ever imagine waking up in someone else's body? Well, for Alex Gray this came true. Alex wakes up inside another boy’s body and faces a life-or-death quest to return to his true self or be trapped forever in the wrong existence.

The Pirate Captain’s Daughter by Eve Bunting

At age fifteen, Catherine’s life is about to abruptly change. Following the death of her mother, Catherine convinces her father to take her on board his pirate ship rather than be sent away to a boarding school. Disguised as “Charlie,” since no women or girls are allowed, her adventures begin, but there is also grave danger ahead.

Notes from a Totally Lame Vampire by Tim Collins

Nigel seems to be a typical fifteen year old boy, worrying about fitting in, getting a girlfriend, and dealing with acne. However, life is more complicated for him than it seems. Nigel is a vampire, and not a good-looking popular vampire like Edward or Emmett Cullen. Read his collection of notes.

Pies and Prejudice by Heather Vogle Frederick

Four girls, and their mothers, continue their mother-daughter book club via videoconference between Massachusetts and England, reading Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," and try to put friendship before romance. From the Mother-Daughter Book Club series.

Anne Frank: the Anne Frank House Authorized Graphic Biography by Sidney Jacobson

This full-color graphic biography of Anne Frank goes beyond her diary. Starting with her father Otto’s birth, it also recounts Anne’s birth and the Frank family’s life hiding, their betrayal and arrest. This graphic biography will give the reader a new appreciation for Anne’s short life.

Hero by Mike Lupica

Join fourteen year old Zach Harriman in this high-adventure thriller. When his father’s plane mysteriously crashes, Zach finds out that his father was living a very different life—that of a superhero. Now Zach is finding out he has the same superhero powers, and the people who wanted his father killed are now after Zach!

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick.

After Ever After is the sequel to Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie, but you don't have to read that one first to understand this one. The book is about an eighth grade boy named Jeffery Alper whose cancer is in remission. But, life doesn’t just go on perfectly, he still has to deal with the after effect. There is real humor and perspective in this book.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Did you enjoy the movie and/or book Soul Surfer? The Running Dream captures every great aspect of that story, but also takes you on an outstanding journey of a girl named Jessica that you would not expect! Jessica is a record-breaking track runner who finds herself in the hospital after losing her leg in an accident. Jessica finds the courage to defeat her obstacles while encouraging others along the way. Her story will make you cry, laugh, and cheer her on!

Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham

Max “the Wolf,” a boy with detective skills, enters an unknown land and doesn’t know how he got there. An added mystery is how he can suddenly communicate with animals. Leading a badger, black bear, and old barn cat, they travel across a strange forested world trying to escape from the Cutters, a group of hunters with their deadly hounds. This is a survival/fantasy story with a twist.

Kimberly

Alice in Time by Penelope Bush

2011-12-08T14:25:00.000-06:00

Life is not working out well for fourteen-year-old Alice. Her mum is ruining her life, her dad just got remarried, her little brother is driving her crazy, and Sasha, the most popular girl in school, hates her guts. Alice despises the house they all rent, and she has no cell phone or even a computer. Talk about a loser…
Her best friend Imogene is even starting to get on her nerves. Actually, Imogene is her only friend, but even that can stop the feelings of anger that Alice has. Especially when it comes to Seth, the first boy that has paid attention to Alice in a long time. When Alice decides to see Seth no matter what, the repercussions are severe, and Alice feels she has nowhere to turn.
Then a bizarre accident happens, and Alice finds herself re-living her life as a seven-year-old through teenage eyes –and discovering some awkward truths.

Part fantasy/part realistic fiction, this is one of those novels that really makes you think!

Karen

Everything I Was by Corrine Demas

2011-10-24T09:58:00.000-05:00

This is a very timely novel considering today's economy. Thirteen-year-old Irene's father has lost his high salary job, and of course he is depressed about it. Irene's New York socialite mother is totally humiliated and can barely come to terms with what has happened. After losing their Manhattan apartment and having to sell their fancy car and most of their fancy belongings, Irene's family is forced to go live with Irene's grandfather in (gasp!) the country.

So where does Irene fit into all of this? Apparently nowhere, since no one listens. So Irene has to make some decisions on her own...

Karen

World Series!

2011-10-19T08:47:00.085-05:00

The World Series starts tonight (Let's go Cardinals!!). When you're not watching the game, enjoy some of these great baseball books:

Baseball Great by Tim Green

Josh's dad signs him up with Coach Rocky Valentine's youth baseball championship team, the Titans. He says Josh has what it takes to be a baseball great and the Titans will help him get there. Now Josh is gulping down Rocky's "Super Stax" milkshakes to build muscle and trying to fit in with his new teammates - older, tougher kids who can suddenly become violent. All Josh really wants to do is play ball, but as he gets in deeper with the Titans, there are questions he's just got to ask. As Josh and his new friend Jaden investigate their suspicions, they find themselves in a dangerous struggle with a desperate man who doesn't want them to expose the nasty secrets they uncover.

Far From Xanadu by Julie Anne Peters

Mary Elizabeth (or Mike) Szabo is the star of her school's softball team but because of problems stemming from her father's suicide, her depressed mother and her slacker brother, she has convinced herself that she can't go far. But when an exotic new girl, Xanadu, arrives in the small Kansas town, Mike's world is turned upside down. Xanadu is everything Mike is not: cool, complicated, sexy, and . . . straight. This heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful novel will speak to anyone who has ever fallen in love with someone just out of reach.

Center Field by Robert Lipsyte
Mike has his junior year well under control. Coach Cody has all but given him the starting spot as the Ridgedale Rangers' varsity center fielder. But then Oscar Ramirez shows up. Oscar is an amazing ballplayer, as talented at the plate as he is in center field, and it's not long before Mike loses control. He's on the bench, he's getting into fights, and he finds himself in weekend detention with Katherine Herold, the most mysterious, abrasive, alluring girl in school. Mike is lost, confused, and looking to Coach Cody to help him get back on track. But the coach has his own set of rules for Mike to play by, and the decisions Mike makes are going to impact more than just the starting lineup.

Heat by Mike Lupica
Michael Arroyo grows up in the shadows of hallowed Yankee Stadium, a boy forever on the outside looking in. His only chance to see his field of dreams? Pitch his Bronx all-star team to the district finals and a shot at the Little League World Series. But there is a problem. Michael is good - "too"good. Rival coaches and players can't believe a boy could be this good and be only twelve years old. And Michael has no way to prove it - no mother, no father, and a birth certificate that is stuck back home in his native Cuba. If the people from social services find out his secret, he will have an even worse problem: being separated from the only family he knows, his older brother Carlos.

The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith
The last place Ryan Walsh should be this afternoon is on a train heading to Wrigley Field. She should be in class, enduring yet another miserable day of her first year of high school. But for once, Ryan isn't thinking about what she should be doing because she's finally returning to the place that her father loved, where the two of them spent so many afternoons cheering on their team. And, on the fifth anniversary of his death, it feels like there's nowhere else in the world she should be. Good luck is often hard to come by at a place like Wrigley Field, but it's on this day that she meets Nick who seems to love the Cubs nearly as much as she does. But Nick carries with him a secret that makes Ryan wonder if anyone can ever really escape their past, or believe in the promise of those reassuring words: "Wait till next year."

Kimberly

Teens' Top Ten 2011

2011-10-17T15:28:00.001-05:00

Over 9,000 teens voted for this year's top ten YA books. Here are the winners:

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Matched by Ally Condie
Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson
Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

And it's Teen Read Week! Celebrate by participating in our photo scavenger hunt. You can pick up the clues and rules at the Information Desk.

Kimberly

Great Graphic Novels

2011-10-13T16:11:00.000-05:00

Here are some of YALSA's Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2011

Arisa Vol. 1 by Natsumi Ando
Tsubasa poses as her troubled twin sister and discovers dark secrets that may be more than she bargained for.

The Unwritten: Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity by Mike Carey & Peter Gross
What if your father wrote a best-selling fantasy series named after you… and all of it was true?

Beasts of Burden: Animal Rites by Evan Dorkin & Jill Thompson
A group of dogs and one open-minded cat join forces to protect the community of Burden Hill against a variety of supernatural forces.

Salem Brownstone by John Harris Dunning & Nikhil Singh
Salem receives an inheritance that goes beyond a gothic mansion: he must fight his father’s battle against dark forces.

Saturn Apartments V. 1 by Hisae Iwaoka
Mitsu takes on his late father's dangerous job as a window washer on the space ship Saturn Apartments.

Mercury by Hope Larson
Two girls: separated by 150 years but connected by one locket.

Kill Shakespeare V. 1: A Sea of Troubles by Conor McCreery
Shakespeare's greatest heroes clash with his most menacing villains.

The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects by Mike Mignola
The absurd adventures of a robotic Victorian super-hero and other assorted weirdness.

Not Simple by Natsume Ono
Ian is on a journey across the USA to find his sister.

Batwoman: Elegy by Greg Rucka and JH Williams
Don’t ask, don’t tell Batwoman what to do.

Superman: Earth One by J. Michael Straczynski & Shane Davis
Strange visitor, mild-mannered reporter. You know the story . . . but not quite like this.

Ghostopolis by Doug TenNapel
Garth Hale has gone to the other side, but he’s not dead yet.

Black Butler by Yana Toboso
Earl Phantomhive's butler is devilishly good.

Twin Spica by Kou Yaginmua
Asumi must pass the entrance exam for space school.

Kimberly

Banned Books Week

2011-09-24T08:38:00.001-05:00

September 24 - October 1, 2011 is Banned Books Week! BBW is held every year to remind the public about the problems of censorship by highlighting books that have been challenged or banned in libraries and schools around the country.

Celebrate your right to read this week by reading a banned book!

The Top 10 Challenged Books of last year:
1) And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
2) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
3) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
4) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
5) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
6) Lush by Natasha Friend
7) What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
8) Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
9) Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie
10) Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Kimberly

Avast! Here be books on pirates!

2011-09-19T08:57:00.022-05:00

Arrrr! Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. First, check out the official TLAPD website to learn exactly how to talk like a pirate and then check out one of these great books!

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
Steampunk Pirates! Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship. One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious. In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, this is an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer
Desperate to escape a life of poverty on the streets of London, twelve-year-old Jacky Faber joins the HMS Dolphin as a ship's boy. Looking forward to daring adventures and riches galore, Jacky soon discovers that surviving life at sea requires more than quick feet and hard work. Being shot at from all directions, taking on a fully-grown toothless pirate, or being washed up on a desert island demands courage and a lot of luck. But Jacky loves it. There is just one problem - Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every ounce of cunning she has if she is to keep the crew from discovering her secret.This is the first book in the Bloody Jack series.

Pirates! The True and Remarkable Adventures of Minerva Sharpe and Nancy Kington, Female Pirates by Celia Rees

Nancy Kington, daughter of a rich merchant, suddenly orphaned when her father dies, is sent to live on her family's plantation in Jamaica. Disgusted by the treatment of the slaves and her brother's willingness to marry her off, she and one of the slaves, Minerva, run away and join a band of pirates. For both girls the pirate life is their only chance for freedom in a society where both are treated like property, rather than individuals. Together they go in search of adventure, love, and a new life that breaks all restrictions of gender, race, and position.

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper
Twins, Connor and Grace, never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other. For Connor, who is taken aboard a pirate ship, there's the chance to learn to sword fight, but for Grace, aboard a mysterious ship of vampire pirates, the danger is great. What will it take for them to find each other? First in the Vampirates series.

Piratica by Tanith Lee
Artemesia is the daughter of a pirate queen, and she's sick of practicing deportment at the Angels Academy for Young Maidens. Escaping from the school, she hunts up her mother's crew and breezily commands them out to sea in a leaky boat. Unfortunately, Art's memories of her early life may not be accurate-her seasick crew are actors, and Art's infamous mother was the darling of the stage in a pirate drama. But fiery, pistol-proof Art soon shapes her men into the cleverest pirate crew afloat. And when they meet the dread ship Enemy and her beautiful, treacherous captain, Goldie Girl, Art is certain that her memories are real. The Seven Seas aren't large enough for two pirate queens: Art will have the battle of her life to win her mother's title--and the race for the most fabulous treasure in pirate lore.

Pirate Curse by Kai Meyer
The Pirates of the Caribbean have a name for kids who walk on water: polliwogs. Fourteen-year-old Jolly believes that she's the last polliwog still alive and this special talent makes her invaluable to the pirate captain who raised her. When someone sets a trap for Jolly's ship, she alone escapes. Washed up on a tiny island, she meets Munk, a polliwog who has been raised in hiding. Evil forces are stirring in the Caribbean, and a demon from the sea attacks and murders Munk's parents. Was the demon really after Munk? And Jolly, too? Why are the polliwogs so valuable, and who's willing to kill to possess them? Jolly and Munk must sail with a strange crew of outcasts, led by the mysterious Ghost Trader, to avenge their loved ones and try to stop an ancient, malevolent force known as the Maelstrom. First in the Wave Walkers series.

Kimberly

Divergent by Veronica Roth

2011-09-12T11:46:00.000-05:00

Imagine that you have one choice to make. When you’re 16, you must decide which group you will live among for the rest of your life. Choose correctly, or you may be shunned. This is the choice that Tris Prior must make. Does she belong with Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, or Erudite? Aptitude tests help determine which group Tris belongs in, but what if they’re inconclusive? She’s given a different label, but one she must never tell anyone.

I enjoyed this book. It was a good mix of action and adventure with just a little bit of romance mixed in. The setting is future Chicago, and I enjoyed reading about Chicago in a different light. If you like dystopian fiction, give Divergent a try. This is the first book in a trilogy, and if the other books in this trilogy are as good as Divergent, we’ll be entertained for a long time.

Carrie

Memento Nora by Angie Smibert

2011-09-02T12:21:00.000-05:00

Imagine a world where people take a pill to forget the everyday stresses in their lives. Now that may sound good, but after reading this novel you won't think so. 15-year-old Nora is a normal and happy "consumer" with a seemingly normal and happy family life. But one day while on a shopping trip with her mother, Nora witnesses a car bombing. In order to help her cope with what horrors she saw, her mother takes her to her first TFC (Therapeutic Forgetting Center). Her mother goes there all the time, so Nora feels very mature. However, while waiting her turn, she sees one of her classmates hiding the pill. This intrigues her, so she too does not take the pill.

Because of that decision, her life will never be the same...

Karen

Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger

2011-08-31T14:13:00.000-05:00

Written way back in the late nineties in a time before Facebook, Ellen Wittlinger’s novel Hard Love tells the story of two teens who meet through their love of zines. (Zines are homemade magazines generally written by one author and focusing on his or her life and interests, a somewhat primitive version of Facebook and blogs.) John uses the pen name Gio when he writes a zine called Bananfish. He becomes fascinated, perhaps infatuated, with another zine writer named Marisol whose zine is called Escape Velocity. He’s so interested in seeing what Marisol is like in person that he stakes out a record store in order to meet her when she drops off her new issue. Marisol ends up being more beautiful, charming, and having more in common with John than he ever imagined. But despite them immediately hitting it off, the relationship never becomes what John would like it to be. John also clashes with Marisol regarding honesty. Marisol claims to always say exactly what she feels while John lies to Marisol right from the start by telling her his pen name Gio is his real name.

There is a lot about zines in Hard Love, including the main characters attending a zine convention toward the end of the book. There are also familiar young adult novel elements such as the prom and John/Gio’s divorced parents. However, Wittlinger’s inspired character development makes even the most familiar plot points seem as new as the latest Facebook app. This is definitely a novel worth checking out by one of the most consistently enjoyable young adult authors writing today.

John

Chime by Franny Billingsley

2011-08-26T09:23:00.000-05:00

How great is the cover of this book? This is the story of 17-year-old Briony, the daughter of the town clergyman. She has a twin sister, Rose, and right away you know something is just not quite right with Rose. (Why is it when you read a book about twins, there is usually some creepy stuff going on?) You also find out that their stepmother has recently died, and there is something not quite right about that either. This novel is part fantasy, part horror, part romance, and part historical fiction. Something for everyone!

Karen

Vote for Your Top Ten!

2011-08-23T10:47:00.006-05:00

Remember to vote for your favorite Teens' Top Ten Nominees by September 15. The winners will be announced during Teen Read Week, October 16-22!

Here are the last of this year's nominees:

Drought by Pam Bachorz
Ruby and the Congregants have been enslaved to collect water for Darwin West and his Overseers. Ruby uses her magical blood to bless the water; without her blood, the Congregants will die. She and the Congregants pray to Otto, her father, to return and save them all. One day, Ford, the new overseer, arrives, and he and Ruby fall for each other. Ruby longs to run away with him to the modern world where she can lead a normal teenage life. She is torn between two worlds. Will she choose to be free with her forbidden love, or will she choose to be enslaved with her family?

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
The final book in the Hunger Games series finds Katniss Everdeen rescued from the horrific 75th Hunger Games—but not her fellow tribute, Peeta Mallark. Now she must lead a rebellion against the evil capital with the help of District 13, which is not destroyed, but has been quietly sowing the seeds of war for years. As Katniss becomes more entangled in war and revolution, the question of who she can trust becomes ever harder, and she must fight for her life once again.

Love, Inc. by Yvonne Collins
Zahara, Kali, and Syd meet in a support group when their respective parents get divorced, but it gets so much worse when they realize they’ve all been dating the same guy: Rick, aka Rico, aka Eric! The girls are devastated...until they decide to show the cheater the error of his ways. When more and more people find out about their plots and plans, Zahara, Kali, and Syd realize that they are much more than three girls who were cheated on.

Matched by Ally Condie

In Cassia’s society, most of her choices are made for her, including the person with whom she will spend the rest of her life: her Match. At age 17, Cassia is happily surprised when her Match turns out to be her best friend Xander, but when a glitch occurs and another boy’s face appears on her screen, Cassia can’t help but wonder what would happen if she were able to choose her own Match. Now she must decide between conforming to society and pursuing a life where she can make her own choices.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
After Lennie's sister suddenly dies, she finds herself torn between two boys. One is the new boy in town, and the other is her sister’s ex-boyfriend. While she is genuinely attracted to one, the other really understands her feelings, yet she knows it is wrong. Who will she choose?

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Popular, rich, and attractive Sam Kingston never worried about how her behavior affected other people. After dying in a car crash, Sam is forced to relive the last day of her life for seven days. She progressively becomes a better person as she realizes the ripple effect of her actions and uses the second chance to fix her most dire mistakes

Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson
In book seven of the Maximum Ride series, the titular character is devastated after a fellow “bird kid” leaves to start his own flock of mutant heroes. Scientists tell her that another “bird kid”, Dylan, is her perfect mate, and that she’s been created to save the world. When the Doomsday Group starts hypnotizing children, Max heads to Paris with her flock to investigate. Unfortunately, Fang and his new flock are investigating as well.

Kimberly

More Teens' Top Ten Nominees

2011-08-18T09:37:00.067-05:00

This year's nominations are dominated by books featuring supernatural or paranormal elements. If you enjoy fantasy and the supernatural, vote for one of these titles here!

Zombies vs. Unicorns by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier
Are you Team Unicorn or Team Zombie? In this anthology of twelve fast-paced stories, popular teen authors make strong arguments for both sides in the long and gruesome debate concerning the awesomeness of zombies versus unicorns.

The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
Danny thought he was a “drekka,” one without magic, until he discovers he has magical powers as a gate mage. The only problem: all the magic families made a pact to kill any person who could make gates to transport themselves. Danny is forced to run from everything and everyone he knows in an attempt to unravel the secrets behind his powers.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
When Calla, who is a Guardian, saves a boy on her mountain from a bear attack, the consequences are farther reaching than could be imagined, especially when that boy shows up at her school and appears to be a favored companion of her masters, the Keepers.

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick
In this sequel to Hush, Hush, a few months have passed since Nora’s lab partner Patch, actually a fallen angel, saved her from his murderous vassal Nephil and became her guardian angel. She and Patch are now dating, but she is starting to doubt his love for her. Is he keeping something from her? And is she really safe now?

Lies by Michael Grant
Lies continues the story that began in Gone and Hunger. Is death the only answer? Life is getting hard for the under 15s who survived. Food is running out, the beach is burning, and things are getting tense. The situation is getting worse for the survivors and everyone has their own battles to face.

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

Sixteen-year-old Sophie is a witch sent to live at Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (witches, faeries, shape-shifters, etc.), after she bungles a spell at prom and attracts too much attention from normal humans. At her new school, Sophie must face the usual teen troubles of mean girls and crushes with the added dimension of magic and learning about her own powers.

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins
An unbelievable betrayal, an ancient spell, and a love triangle all make Rachel Hawkins’ sequel to Hex Hall impossible to put down. When Sophie goes to her father’s mansion for the summer, she thinks she knows exactly what she wants: to undergo the Removal and get rid of the demon inside of her. But when it turns out that someone else is making demons, she has to question everything and everyone—especially Archer Cross, the boy she can’t get out of her head.

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
On the eve of her 16th birthday, Meghan starts seeing dark creatures in the most unusual places and senses that everything is about to change. But she could never have imagined the truth—that she is a princess, the daughter of a mythical faery king. When she finds out her little brother has been kidnapped and replaced by a changeling, Meghan ventures in to the fey world to rescue him.

Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore
In a world dominated by vampires, half-vamp, half-wulf Danny is used to hiding his true nature. When he experiences strange changes, it appears that his wulf side has become active. In a world where wulves are not treated equally, Danny faces a difficult choice: a dreary future as an inmate once a month or life as an illegal, unregistered wulf.

Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Quincie, everyone’s favorite teen restaurateur and vampire, is back in this follow-up to Tantalize and Eternal. This time, she has even more on her plate. She just died, became a vampire, said goodbye to her true love/ werewolf boyfriend Kieren, and she has to stop the most powerful and evil vampire in centuries and find a way to save her own soul and the souls of the soon-to-be evil vampires.

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
Normal? Yeah, right! Evie's biggest dream ever was to be normal, but with a faerie ex-boyfriend and a mermaid for a best friend, she might as well just throw the word “normal” right in the trash can. Evie has the unique ability to see through paranormals’ glamours, which has made her a valued asset of the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA). When someone breaks into the Agency headquarters, Evie meets an unusual Paranormal: a boy who can shape-shift into any human. Can Evie save the lives of unarmed Paranormals from something that is after her too?

Kimberly

2011 Teen's Top Ten

2011-08-15T15:57:00.057-05:00

Vote for this year's YALSA's Teens' Top Ten! You can place your vote at the YALSA website. You have until September 15 to vote!

We'll highlight all 25 nominees this week.

I am J by Chris Beam
J (Jeni) is a boy and has always identified himself as such, but he was genetically born female. As a teen, J acts like a boy and dresses in baggy clothes to hide his feminine body. He wants to begin testosterone treatments to transfer physically to a man, but his parents and best friend do not accept him as male. J decides to run away and enroll in a school for gay and transgender students, where he is able to begin to find acceptance. More than just a story of a transgender teen, this is the story of how teenagers live and love and cope.

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin
Teenage Dalton Rev is a private eye. He is sent to a high school to find out about the death of Wesley Payne. Was it really a suicide? The school's tight cliques have gone insane and lost control. It’s up to Dalton to sort through a huge mess of betrayal in order to restore the hierarchy.

The Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
In this prequel to the Mortal Instruments series, Tessa Gray travels to England to search for her brother, her only remaining relative. She is captured by the mysterious Dark Sisters and discovers that there is a fantastical world thriving alongside her own. She finds that she must ally with the unknown shadowhunters to save her brother.

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
Number Four is one of nine aliens that escaped from the planet Lorien just ahead of the evil Mogadorians, a rival alien race bent of their destruction. He’s settling into another new town on Earth, trying to get a handle on his developing powers, when he gets the news: Number Three is dead. If Number Three is dead, that means Number Four is next.

The False Princess by Ellis O'Neal
At sixteen, Princess Nalia learns that the king and queen have used her as a false princess to protect their real daughter from an omen of death. Princess Nalia, now Sinda, is sent away from the palace to live with the one relative she has left in a world she does not know. Sinda struggles with her new life and uncovers a secret that may change her country forever. Magic runs through her veins, and theories of corruption in the royal bloodline keep her entangled in the royal family's affairs.

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Sisters Rosie and Scarlett March are left as orphans at eleven after their grandmother is killed by a Fenris, a soulless creature that takes the form of a man and can turn into a wolf. Scarlett loses an eye in the attack and decides to devote her life to hunting the Fenris. Eight years later, the sisters have vowed to protect their town from the Fenris. Silas, a young woodsman, returns to town. Rosie knows the Fenris deserve to die, but she's not ready to commit her entire life to hunting them. Can the sisters learn to live with their differences as Rosie and Silas’s friendship blossoms into something more?

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld
This sequel to Leviathan picks up where the last book left off with Alek, the lost Austro-Hungarian prince, and Deryn, a girl disguised as a boy, on the airship Leviathan heading to the Ottoman Empire. Upon arriving, Alek escapes and starts a revolution to overthrow the Sultan and try to stop a war.

Kimberly

Spoiled by Heather Cocks

2011-08-15T10:47:00.000-05:00

If you enjoy reading about the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, this novel will suit you perfectly. A cross between Mean Girls and The Parent Trap, this is the story of Molly, a normal 16-year-old from Indiana. Before her mother dies, she tells Molly a secret that she has kept from her all of her life. Molly's real father is Brick Berlin, a famous movie star. Brick is thrilled witht he idea of having another daughter. Yes, another daughter. A daughter that is your typical 15-year-old Beverly Hills brat. And is certainly not happy about suddenly having to share everything with a sister from (gasp) the Midwest!

My favorite line from this book is actually right on the cover: You say spoiled like it's a bad thing."

That pretty much sums it up.

Karen

Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

2011-07-27T15:41:00.001-05:00

Ever since her mom's boyfriend kicked them out, Amber Appleton, Bobby Big Boy--her dog, and her mom are living in Hello Yellow, her mom's school bus. After her mom dies, Amber gets adopted but struggles to get back on her feet. On top of all of this, her dog needs surgery. Will Amber ever find the hope she needs? Find out in this great book!

Sorta Like a Rock Star
Teen book review by Megan Regan

Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Part 1 by Akira Himekawa

2011-07-27T13:49:00.000-05:00

In The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Part 1, Link is in Hyrule Castle with Zelda. Then Link pulls out the Fourth Sword and Dark Link appears. Link turns into four different Links: Blue Link, Red Link, Green Link, and Purple Link. They can not defeat Dark Link who captures Zelda. They must get the four gems but they become separated out at sea. Eventually, Red finds Blue and then they find Purple Link too. Blue and Red Link think that Green Link is dead. I think Green Link is headed to Death Mountain to capture the last gem. Find out what happens next in Part 2!

Teen Review by Amanda D.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King

2011-07-14T11:11:00.000-05:00

Even though Charlie, Vera’s longtime friend, is dead, he keeps appearing to her. Sometimes she sees dozens of Charlies at one time filling up the back seat of her car and forcing her to put on a local heavy metal station she hates. The last thing nearly everyone remembers about Charlie is a horrible crime he supposedly committed the night he died, but Vera can’t see how the accusation could be true. Vera’s dad wants her to forget about Charlie and focus on school and her job working as a pizza delivery driver, though she refers to herself as a pizza delivery technician. Vera’s thoughts about Charlie are further complicated by the fact that some time before he died he ditched Vera to hang out with the stoners at their school.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz was an honor book for the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. It’s one of those rare books that upon finishing I wanted to reread immediately. Despite the serious sounding subject matter, the book is really a dark comedy. Vera’s voice is distinct, funny, and believable. The novel mainly tells Vera’s side of the story, but the point of view switches at times to Charlie, who is referred to as the dead kid, or Vera’s dad, who contributes several flow charts to help illustrate his views on life. This hybrid of mystery, comedy, and the coming-of-age novel is well worth the time.

John

Die for Me by Amy Plum

2011-07-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

After her parents are killed in a car accident, Kate Mercier moves to Paris with her older sister, Georgia, to live with their grandparents. While Geogia enjoys Parisian nightlife, Kate spends her time alone in cafés and museums until she meets the handsome and mysterious Vincent. Kate and Vincent begin dating but things become difficult when Kate discovers that Vincent isn’t entirely human. When Georgia gets involved with Vincent’s sworn enemy, Kate and Vincent’s relationship takes a dangerous turn.

The most intriguing thing about this paranormal romance is the new creature the author has created: the revenants. Vincent and his friends were once human but they all risked their lives and died while saving the lives of other humans and have now become immortal beings called revenants. Revenants use their immortality to save human life wherever they can and they fight against the evil Numa--immortals who try to destroy humans.

The Parisian setting and the dashing and handsome Frenchmen add to the romance. Die for Me is the perfect book for Twilight fans.

Kimberly

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

2011-07-05T12:17:00.005-05:00

In Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens, an airplane carrying a group of teenage beauty pageant contestants crashes on a deserted island. Only about a dozen of the beauty queens survive and are subsequently forced to use their unique talents to survive on their own. They must also battle with an evil corporation that is planning an illegal arms deal with an Elvis-impersonating dictator and they must try not to get their hearts broken by a gang of hot, reality tv show pirates.

Beauty Queens is just as absurd as Bray’s Printz award-winning Going Bovine (about a boy with mad cow disease who is on a quest to save his life) but it’s also just as humorous and heartfelt. Bray satirizes everything from pageants and the cosmetics industry to consumerism, reality television, politics and religion while exploring issues of gender, race, and sexuality--and it’s all hilarious.

Kimberly

Real Japan for Anime Fans

2011-06-29T16:18:00.001-05:00

Author James Kennedy will host a special Anime & Manga Club meeting. James will be discussing life in Japan, Japanese pop culture and how it relates to your favorite anime and manga. Learn some basic Japanese phrases and how to write your name in Japanese characters too! Our next meeting is on July 6 at 7pm in the meeting room.

And be sure to check out some of our new manga series:

Arisa
Tsubasa thinks that her pretty and popular sister, Arisa, has the perfect life. Everyone at school loves Arisa, unlike the hot-tempered Tsubasa, whose nick-name is "the Demon Princess." But when Arisa attempts suicide, Tsubasa learns that her seemingly perfect sister has been keeping some dark secrets. Now Tsubasa is going undercover at school--disguised as Arisa--in search of the truth.

Genkaku Picasso
Having cheated death, Hikaru Hamura must save himself by using his artistic abilities to help others. Hikari Hamura, nicknamed Picasso because of his natural artistic abilities, survived a horrible accident, but his friend Chiaki wasn't so lucky. Suddenly, Chiaki appears in front of him and tells him in order to keep living he must help the people around him. Can Hikari save people with his sketchbook and a 2B pencil?

Gente and Ristorante Paradiso

Olga offers her daughter Nicoletta a place to live and an apprenticeship at her restaurant. Nicoletta fits in well among the vibrant personalities at Casetta Dell'Orso. She gets along particularly well with the kindly headwaiter, Claudio. As Nicoletta's feelings for Claudio become complicated, she finds a sympathetic ear in Olga, leading the estranged pair to form a friendship neither expected. But as they grow closer, the pressure exerted by the secret they share becomes too much to bear.

Kamisama Kiss
Nanami Momozono is alone and homeless after her dad skips town to evade his gambling debts and the debt collectors kick her out of her apartment. So when a man she's just saved from a dog offers her his home, she jumps at the opportunity. But it turns out that his place is a shrine, and Nanami has unwittingly taken over his job as a local deity! Nanami doesn't want to miss out on the fun
when a hot teen idol joins the student body. Tomoe reluctantly agrees to let her go, as long as she conceals her divine mark. After all, what could possibly go wrong at high school...

Ouran High School Host Club
One day, Haruhi, a scholarship student at exclusive Ouran High School, breaks an $80,000 vase that belongs to the 'Host Club', a mysterious campus group consisting of six super-rich (and gorgeous) guys. To pay back the damages, she is forced to work for the club, and it's there that she discovers just how wealthy the boys are and how different they are from everybody else.

Saturn Apartments
Far in the future, humankind has evacuated the earth in order to preserve it. Humans now reside in a gigantic structure that forms a ring around the earth. The society of the ring is highly stratified: the higher the floor, the greater the status. Mitsu, the lowly son of a window washer, has just graduated junior high. When his father disappears and is assumed dead, Mitsu must take on his father's occupation. As he struggles with the transition to working life, Mitsu's job treats him to an outsider's view into the living-room dioramas of the Saturn Apartments.

And good news! Sailor Moon is being re-released starting in September!

Kimberly

I, Emma Freke by Elizabeth Atkinson

2011-06-21T18:41:00.000-05:00

Even her name is odd. Emma Freke. She is taller than anyone in her class, her mother is a new age weirdo, and she knows nothing about her father. In other words, 12-year-old Emma is different. Her only friend is Penelope, a fourth grader that lives in her neighborhood.

However, she does have an interesting home above her mother’s bead shop, and she does like working there. Sometimes unusual people come in, like the man in the suit that clearly doesn’t want to buy anything.

Everything changes for Emma when a mysterious invitation comes in the mail asking her to attend the Freke Family Picnic. At first Emma is excited, then worried when she accepts. After all, she knows nothing about these people.

But sometimes you have to take a chance…

Karen

Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin

2011-06-17T09:04:00.000-05:00

This is a must read!!!

In the valley of Fruitless mountain, a young girl named Minli lives in a ramshackle hut with her parents. In the evenings, her father regales her with old folktales of the Jade Dragon and the Old Man of the Moon, who knows the answers to all of life's questions. Inspired by these stories, Minli sets off on an extraordinary journey to find the Old Man of the Moon to ask him how she can change her family's fortune. She encounters an assorted cast of characters and magical creatures along the way, including a dragon who accompanies her on her quest for the ultimate answer.

This is a wondrous novel with an epic journey and memorable characters in the tradition of The Wizard of Oz. From the beautiful design and the breathtaking full-color illustrations throughout, to the gentle humor and touching prose, this book is truly a gem.

MaryBeth

Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon

2011-06-06T09:38:00.001-05:00

This is a story of just how far a friendship can be tested. Ella and Z have always hung out, but as they get older, it becomes more of a necessity than anything else. This is because Z has started to act strangely, and Ella feels she must protect him. Ella, however, has her own problems. Being the only black girl girl in the whole school sets her apart, plus she has a skin disorder that makes her face all blotchy. She and Z are outcasts! But when a new boy comes to school, and he happens to be black as well, Ella has the opportunity to finally be popular. But what about Z???

Karen

A Midsummer Knight's Read

2011-06-06T09:04:00.053-05:00

Our Summer Reading Club starts today! In honor of this year's theme, A Midsummer Knight's Read, here are some medieval-themed literature:

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi
After being declared a "wolf's head" by his manor's corrupt steward for a crime he didn't commit (meaning that anyone can kill him like a common animal--and collect a reward), this timid boy has to flee a tiny village that's the only world he's ever known. "Asta's son," as he's always been known, learns from the village priest that his Christian name is Crispin, and that his parents' origins--and fates--might be more perplexing than he ever imagined.

The Book of the Maidservant by Rebecca Barnhouse

Johanna is a servant girl to Dame Margery Kempe, a renowned medieval holy woman. Dame Margery feels the suffering the Virgin Mary felt for her son but cares little for the misery she sees every day. When she announces that Johanna will accompany her on a pilgrimage to Rome, the suffering truly begins. After walking all day, Johanna must fetch water, wash clothes, and cook for the entire party of pilgrims. Then arguing breaks out between Dame Margery and the other travelers, and Johanna is caught in the middle. As the fighting escalates, Dame Margery turns her back on the whole group, including Johanna. Abandoned in a foreign land where she doesn’t even speak the language, the young maidservant must find her own way to Rome.

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Catherine feels trapped. Her father is determined to marry her off to a rich man--any rich man, no mater how awful. But by wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. Then a shaggy-bearded suitor from the north comes to call--by far the oldest, ugliest, most revolting suitor of them all.
Unfortunately, he is also the richest. Can a sharp-tongued, high-spirited, clever young maiden with a mind of her own actually lose the battle against an ill-mannared, piglike lord and an unimaginative, greedy toad of a father? Not if Catherine has anything to say about it! Also by Cushman: Matilda Bone about an apprentice bonesetter

The Legend of Lady Ilena by Patricia Malone
Ilena, daughter of Moren and Grenna, has lived in the Vale of Enfert for all of her 15 years, but it is not her true home. Her parents refused to speak about the place they came from or their lineage. After the deaths of both of her parents, her questions remain unanswered. Her father’s final words to her provide the single clue: “Go to Dun Alyn. Find Ryamen.” Ilena sets out alone on the dangerous trip across Britain, certain only that Dun Alyn is a fortress somewhere in the East. Her skills as a warrior are tested against raiders from the West and Painted Ones from the Far North, but her most formidable challenge awaits her at Dun Alyn. Will she be able to accept her true identity and fulfill her destiny?

The Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris

Growing up an orphan in an isolated cottage in the woods, young Terence never expected much adventure. But upon the arrival of Gawain, his life takes a surprising turn. Gawain is destined to become one of the most famous knights of the Round Table. Terence becomes Gawain's squire and leaves his secluded life for one of adventure in King Arthur's court. In no time Terence is plunged into the exciting world of kings, wizards, knights, wars, magic spells, dwarfs, damsels in distress, and enchanters. As he adjusts to his new life, he proves to be not only an able squire but also a keen observer of the absurdities around him. His duties take him on a quest with Gawain and on a journey of his own, to solve the mystery of his parentage.

Viking Warrior by Judson Roberts

Despite being the son of a chieftain and a princess, fourteen-year-old Halfdan lives as a slave in Denmark in A.D. 845 but through a tragic bargain he gains his freedom and sets out to claim his birthright. Halfdan must suffer a grave loss in order to grasp what he most desires: to be a great warrior. Bloody, furiously paced, heart-wrenching, and unflinching, this is a story of a land where the destinies of boys and men are forged in the heat of battle. Young Halfdan shall come to know the glories of true brotherhood and the unspeakable horrors of true evil.

Edge on the Sword by Rebecca Tingle
AEthelflaed is King Alfred's eldest daughter and her royal blood makes her a target and vulnerable to those who would wish to hurt the king. Suddenly betrothed to the king's ally, AEthelflaed finds herself constrained by the presence of Red, a gruff new bodyguard assigned to protect her and deliver her to her new home. Soon she learns that Red has much more than protection to offer her. He begins teaching her how to battle like a man. And when enemies threaten the borderlands, Flaed turns first to her guardian, and at last to her own inner resources and battle skills to save her life and protect the lives of her men. AEthelflaed was an actual noblewoman who seized power in central England a thousand years ago and became the greatest heroine in Old English medieval history.

The Royal Wedding

2011-04-26T11:42:00.001-05:00

Excited about Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding? Here's some royal romantic and historical fiction to set the mood for this weekend.

Prince William, Maximilian Minsky and Me by Holly-Jane Rahlens
Nelly Sue Edelmeister knows exactly who she is: a skinny, nerdy thirteen-year-old Berlin schoolgirl with thick glasses but that's before she develops a hopeless crush on the handsome and newly bereaved Prince William. And it's definitely before she meets the odd but oddly attractive Maximilian Minsky who is klutzy Nelly's last hope for making the school team before it heads off to Eton, England, and virtually into Prince William's arms.

Calypso Chronicles by Tyne O'Connell
When Calypso returns from Los Angeles to her English boarding school for the summer term, she is determined to fit in with the popular crowd. She makes a whole batch of new friends, and even finds herself winning the unwritten contest to woo the prince at the boys' school next door. But when Calypso and Prince Freddy end up in the tabloids, everything seems set to go down the drain. A humorous series about life in an English boarding school and the ups-and-downs of dating a prince.

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
Having recently discovered she is the sole heir to the throne of the tiny European principality of Genovia, Mia Thermopolis tries to live a normal teenaged life and finish high school while coming to terms with her new role and preparing to become a proper princess. This series follows Mia's misadventures on her way to claim her throne.

Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl
Recently orphaned and destitute, seventeen-year-old Liza Hastings earns a position as a lady's maid to sixteen-year-old Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace in 1836, the year before Victoria becomes Queen of England. Liza steps unwittingly into the gossipy intrigue of the servant's world below-stairs as well as the trickery above. Is it possible that her changing circumstances may offer Liza the chance to determine her own fate, find true love, and secure the throne for her future queen?

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In this continuation of the Cinderella story, Ella finds that accepting Prince Charming's proposal ensnares her in royal genealogy lessons, needlepoint, and acting like "a proper lady." Worst of all, Prince Charming is not the least bit interesting and certainly not charming. But breaking off a royal engagement is no easy feat. For Ella to escape, it will take intelligence, determination, and spunk -- and no ladylike behavior allowed. By the same author: Palace of Mirrors.

Carolyn Meyer writes historical fiction focusing on the turbulent lives of young queens and princesses such as Marie Antoinette, Anne Boleyn, and Queen Elizabeth I.

Kimberly

The Water Wars and The Carbon Diaries

2011-04-13T19:04:00.044-05:00

In The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher, fifteen year-old Vera and her older brother Will live in the Republic of Illinowa in what used to be the Midwestern United States. After an environmental catastrophe damages the earth's fresh water supply, drinkable water is distilled from the ocean and water is tightly rationed and very expensive. Life is difficult for the pair until Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to fresh water. Kai is a water-diviner. He can tell where fresh water exists under the earth’s surface. When Kai suddenly disappears, Vera convinces her brother Will that they need to rescue him. The two embark on a dangerous journey in search of Kai-pursued by pirates, a paramilitary group, and greedy corporations.

The Water Wars illustrates the environmental consequences of wasting water through a fast-paced action-adventure story. If Earth Day has put you in the mood for other books about environmental issues, check out The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd. In The Carbon Diaries 2015, global warning has begun to ravage the environment. In response, the United Kingdom becomes the first country to mandate carbon rationing--a well-intentioned plan that goes tragically awry. This story of one girl's attempt to stay grounded in a world where disaster has become the norm is told in short diary entries. There is even a sequel: The Carbon Diaries 2017.

Kimberly

Three Black Swans by Caroline Cooney

2011-04-11T09:13:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting story about long-lost twins, and what happens when the truth comes out. Missy and Claire are cousins that are very close, mostly due to the fact that they were born just a few weeks apart and only live 20 minutes away from each other. They have similar tastes in clothes, books, games; even boys. They even look a little bit alike! When Missy is given an assignment to pull off a hoax of some kind, she thinks she has the perfect idea. Why not pretend that Claire is her long lost twin? It's just for fun, right? Well...maybe not! Then Missy receives a call from Genevieve, and things really get bizarre.

Karen

Maze Runner & Scorch Trials book discussion

2011-04-09T14:15:00.000-05:00

We'll be having a book discussion on The Maze Runner & The Scorch Trials on April 14 at 7pm. We'll speculate about what's going to happen to Thomas and the rest of the Gladers in the last book of the Maze Runner Trilogy, The Death Cure, which does not come out until October!

If you cannot wait until October for your next Maze Runner fix, try your hand at Maze Running with this game from author James Dashner's website.

Bloody Horowitz by Anthony Horowitz

2011-03-17T10:49:00.001-05:00

Although by the same author, this is not for the typical Alex Rider fans! These 13 tales (yes, 13) of bloody mayhem are written for hard core horror fans only. And what a variety…

The Man Who Killed Darren Shan. Yes, the author of the Cirque du Freak novels is in big trouble in this story.

The Cobra. This will teach you to never make fun of the locals while on vacation.

sheBay. Please don’t make your parents mad, and pray that they always have enough money to support you.

And the final story, Seven Cuts, shows that you should not mess with Anthony Horowitz.

Feel like being scared? Then this is for you. But don’t say we didn’t warn you…

Karen

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

2011-03-17T10:41:00.001-05:00

Valerie is happy to find her first real boyfriend in Nick, a loner she starts the hate list with. The hate list is therapeutic for Valerie, just a way for her to vent about people who bother or harass her. She is shocked when Nick, after being bullied one too many times, comes to their high school with a gun and starts shooting teachers and students on the list. Nick even ends up shooting her in the leg when she tries to get in front of him to stop the carnage. He then turns the gun on himself.

After the incident, Valerie wonders if she should have known what Nick was capable of. She ends up becoming a suspect in the shootings due in large part to the hate list. Hate List shifts back and forth in time between when Nick was still alive and Valerie’s current struggles to have a normal life. While in some ways Hate List is Valerie’s story, its true power comes from the fact that it goes far beyond the day of the shooting to show how the horrible event impacted everyone from the shooter to the community as a whole.

John

March Madness

2011-03-15T16:00:00.003-05:00

Watching a lot of college basketball this month? Why not read some good basketball books too!

Box Out by John Coy
Sophomore Liam Bergstrom just joined the varsity basketball team. His teammates made varsity because they're good. Liam's here because he's tall and Coach needs a guy who can grab rebounds. It's the chance Liam's been waiting for, but already he's playing catch-up. The other guys know what Coach expects, and they're willing to do things Coach's way, no matter what. So when Liam questions the team's practice of praying together before games, he's suddenly the odd man out. Now Liam has to find the guts to stand up for what he believes in--and take his game to a whole new level.

Travel Team by Mike Lupica
Twelve-year-old Danny Walker may be the smallest kid on the basketball court--but don't tell him that. Because no one plays with more heart or court sense. But none of that matters when he is cut from his local travel team, the very same team his father led to national prominence as a boy. Danny's father, still smarting from his own troubles, knows Danny isn't the only kid who was cut for the wrong reason, and together, this washed-up former player and a bunch of never-say-die kids prove that the heart simply cannot be measured. Travel Team is an inspirational tale in the tradition of The Bad News Bears and Hoosiers. And check out these other basketball-related novels by Mike Lupica.

Boost by Kathy Mackel
Thirteen-year-old Savvy’s three-point shot is deadly. But she gets pushed around on the basketball court. Her older sister, Callie, is on varsity cheerleading, but she’s not light enough to be a flier—her coveted position. Both girls need to boost their level of competition to get into the action. How far are they willing to go to be the best?

Game by Walter Dean Myers
Drew Lawson knows basketball is taking him places. It has to, because his grades certainly aren't. But lately his plan has run squarely into a pick. Coach's new offense has made another player a star, and Drew won't let anyone disrespect his game. Just as his team makes the playoffs, Drew must come up with something big to save his fading college prospects. It's all up to Drew to find out just how deep his game really is.

Ball Don't Lie by Matt de la Peña
Sticky is a beat-around-the-head foster kid with nowhere to call home but the street, and an outer shell so tough that no one will take him in. He started out life so far behind the pack that the finish line seems nearly unreachable. He’s a white boy living and playing in a world where he doesn’t seem to belong. But Sticky can ball. And basketball might just be his ticket out . . . if he can only realize that he doesn’t have to be the person everyone else expects him to be.

Black and White by Paul Volponi
Marcus and Eddie are best friends who found the strength to break through the racial barrier. Marcus is black; Eddie is white. Stars of their school basketball team, they are true leaders who look past the stereotypes and come out on top. They are inseparable, watching each other’s backs, both on and off the basketball court. But one night—and one wrong decision—will change their lives forever. Will their mistake cost them their friendship . . . and their future?

Kimberly

Matched by Allie Condie

2011-03-09T16:12:00.000-06:00

If you enjoyed the romantic triangle and dystopian future of The Hunger Games, you'll love Matched by Ally Condie. In the world of Matched, the Society has perfected humanity and Officials use personal statistics to choose what food you eat, your future profession and who you marry--or "match" with. On her 17th birthday, Cassia is matched with her best friend: the handsome and perfect Xander. She couldn't be happier about her match until a "glitch" in the system shows that she is also matched with her childhood friend Ky. As Cassia learns more about Ky and prepares to enter her profession, she begins to uncover more of the darker secrets of the Society. Cassia no longer wants Society to make her life decisions for her; she wants to choose her own destiny but not following the Society's chosen path proves to be dangerous to Cassia, her family, and her friends.

Kimberly

2011 Alex Awards

2011-02-25T15:14:00.000-06:00

The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18. The winning titles are selected from the previous year's publishing. The Alex Awards were first given annually beginning in 1998 and became an official ALA award in 2002. Link to this page using its short URL, www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/alex.

2011 Winners

The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To by DC Pierson
Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni
The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake: A Novel by Aimee Bender
The Radleys by Matt Haig
The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel by Alden Bell
Room: A Novel by Emma Donoghue
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden: A Novel by Helen Grant

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

2011-02-17T16:49:00.002-06:00

Nailer lives in a world where oil is scarce and melting ice caps have submerged coastal cities. His father is an unreliable alcoholic so Nailer must earn a living by scavenging grounded oil tankers for copper wiring and scrap metal. After a hurricane sweeps the coastal region, Nailer and his crewmate Pima discover a beached but luxurious clipper ship as well as the ship’s lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl called Nita. Now Nailer must make a choice: strip the ship’s resources to become rich and please his father or rescue the girl and perhaps find a way out of the world of ship-breaking.

Ship Breaker recently won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in Young Adult Literature.

Kimberly

Izzy, Willy-Nilly by Cynthia Voigt

2011-02-17T10:23:00.001-06:00

Although this book is a bit dated (no cell phones, no Internet) it is still an amazing story of friendship and loss. 15-year-old Isobel Lingard (AKA Izzy) had the perfect life. She was pretty, popular, a cheerleader...and a senior had just asked her out to a party. But that date changes her life forever. At the party, her date has too much to drink but insists on driving Izzy home anyway. The result of that incredibly stupid and dangerous move changes Izzy's life forever.

Karen

Anti-Valentine's Day Books

2011-02-09T20:03:00.001-06:00

Feeling unromantic or cynical this time of year? Check out some of these great titles about the not-so-glamorous side of love:

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
Burger Wuss by MT Anderson
Thwonk by Joan Bauer
Storky: How I Lost My Nickname and Won the Girl by DL Garfinkle
Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude and Other Commandments I Have Broken by Rosemary Graham
Paper Towns by John Green
Thirty Days to Getting Over the Dork You Used to Call Your Boyfriend by Clea Hantman
The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart
Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
Crushed by Laura & Tom McNeal
Dumping Princes by Tyne O'Connell
Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

From YALSA

Kimberly

Exit Strategy by Ryan Potter

2011-02-03T11:26:00.001-06:00

Seventeen year old Zach Ramsey has a plan to escape Blaine, Michigan, the factory town where he has spent his whole life. He hopes to attend college after his senior year, but his summer activities end up getting him very far off track. Among other bad decisions, Zach takes money from his boss at the liquor store to spy on his best friend Tank’s dad, develops an uncontrollable crush on Tank’s sister, figures out a way to steal liquor from the store and sell it to his underage friends, and decides to start an investigation into a local steroid ring that Tank and Blaine’s much heralded football coach just might be a part of. Exit Strategy is a harsh, edgy novel filled with risky and questionable behavior, but the book is also filled with darkly comic, suspenseful scenes. Zach might not learn typical lessons by novel’s end, but he survives his summer of poor thinking and lives to tell about it.

John

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

2010-12-29T14:36:00.002-06:00

In this apocalyptic world where zombies inhabit most of the area, Benny, who lives in a protected area, approaches his 15th birthday when he must find a job or forfeit half of his food rations. After losing half a dozen jobs, he reluctantly agrees to work as his brother’s apprentice in the “Family Business.” When the brothers travel beyond the fences into the Rot and Ruin, he witnesses things that change his opinion of his brother and forever alter his perception of the world.

Hold on tight! Rot & Ruin is a thriller with lots of action, zombies, and food for thought.
http://books.simonandschuster.com/Rot-Ruin/Jonathan-Maberry/9781442402324

Leona

Lockdown by Walter Dean Myers

2010-12-29T10:41:00.001-06:00

Walter Dean Myers’ Lockdown is an edgy, realistic story about Reese, a young man serving time at a juvenile detention facility for stealing prescription drug pads and selling them to a drug dealer. Reese tries to serve his time and stay out of trouble, but his inability to control his temper and his fights with other inmates keep making things worse for him. Despite these problems, Reese is allowed to participate in a work program at a nursing home where he meets an elderly resident named Mr. Hooft. Their relationship starts off on shaky ground but they eventually realize they have things to learn from each other. Lockdown is another gritty and engaging novel from the author of Monster and Fallen Angels.

John

Steampunk Favorites

2010-12-10T15:43:00.001-06:00

Steampunk is a dark genre typically set in Victorian England with anachronistic machines that are not within historical or chronological order. The punk side of all of us rejects the Victorain straight-laced attitudes. See if you are part of the growing Steampunk generation.

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Airman by Eoin Colfer

Foundling by D. M. Cornish

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Clockwork: Or all Wound Up by Philip Pullman

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve

The Death Collector by Justin Richards

The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

Leviathan and also Behemouth by Scott Westerfeld

Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding

For more about the Steampunk genre go to : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

2010-12-10T14:01:00.001-06:00

Ten years ago, nine children fled the war-torn planet Lorien and landed on Earth along with their adult teachers. The plan is to raise each child on earth until they develop their special powers called Legacies which help them fight the evil Mogadarians. The Nine children, protected and living on different continents can only be killed in order—and Number Three has just been murdered. That leaves Number Four: John Smith. At least, that's his latest alias, as he and his guardian, Henri, flee to another new town. John tries to lead a quiet life, but encounters bullies, falls in love, and begins to mature into his special powers.

If you like SciFi with an earthly spin, you'll like I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore.
http://iamnumberfourfans.com/

Leona

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

2010-12-04T16:07:00.000-06:00

The near future looks pretty grim in Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. Nailer, a teen who salvages scrap metal from shipwrecks along the Gulf of Mexico, finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage. He has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.

Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill

2010-12-02T16:25:00.002-06:00

If you like classic Sci-fi, complete with life in space and fantastic machines, this book will intrigue you. Durango is sixteen and lives on the planet Mars where he is hired by the settlers of a mining community to protect their most valuable resource from marauders. What I didn't expect and was delighted to find was the quirky, sarcastic humor. Read Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill for a good laugh. Don't take the voices in your head too seriously!

Leona

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

2010-11-18T15:53:00.002-06:00

Love realistic fiction? Try It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han. Belly, now 16, loves spending summer at Cousins Beach. This year a family friend dies and spending the summer at the beach house may not be possible. Find out how Belly helps Jeremiah find Conrad and comes to terms with old relationships forged at Cousins Beach.

This is a sequel to The Summer I Turned Pretty where the boys Belly has hung out with every summer since forever realize that she is a girl.

http://www.dearjennyhan.com/

Hope you enjoy these!
Leona

For the Win by Cory Doctorow

2010-11-10T16:09:00.003-06:00

Virtual games gone global! The best-selling author, Cory Doctorow, describes a futuristic experience for readers as opposing forces protect their virtual power through blackmail, extortion and worse. Out-smarting the system, Big Sister's followers formulate a plan to crash the economy of the virtual world and their "brilliant hack" becomes the best part of the game.

Sci-Fi Lovers - This one's for you!
For the Win by Cory Doctorow
http://craphound.com/ftw/
Leona

Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick

2010-10-27T12:19:00.003-05:00

Matt Duffy wakes up in a military hospital in Iraq after suffering a traumatic brain injury while he was on patrol. The brain injury has caused him to suffer from memory loss, particularly of the moments leading up to the blast. Matt can recall seeing Ali, a young Iraqi boy he befriended while with his unit, just before everything went blank. While in the hospital, he discovers that Ali has died. The tension tightens and Matt’s guilt increases as he tries to discover if he was responsible for Ali’s death. Purple Heart is another edgy and gripping book from the author of Cut and Sold.

Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick

John

Looking for Websites for Free Books for Your E-reader?

2010-10-25T14:18:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple of locations where you can download pdf’s for the e-readers.
http://www.planetpdf.com/free_pdf_ebooks.asp

http://www.pdf-search-engine.com/

Good luck,

Al Ramirez
Information Technology Manager

As Simple as it Seems by Sarah Weeks

2010-10-25T13:51:00.001-05:00

Verbena Ellen Colter is eleven years old the summer she finds out that her parents aren’t the people she thought they were—and it sure explains a lot. Her mean streak, for one thing, makes a lot more sense. When Pooch, a boy from the city, moves in next door for the summer, Verbie accidentally convinces him that she’s a ghost—and suddenly she has an opportunity to be someone else entirely. Verbie reinvents herself and discovers what it’s like to be the mischievous, brave, generous girl her mother has always loved. But is this the real Verbena? Find out in “As Simple as it Seems” by Sarah Weeks, author of So B. It and other popular novels.

As Simple as it Seems by Sarah Weeks

Karen

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

2010-10-05T13:18:00.008-05:00

What if love refused to die?

Having experienced visions of past lives, Haven seeks the help of a mysterious society to help her unlock the mysteries of reincarnation and the secrets of her past lives.

Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller

Book_Buddy

Top Romance Fiction for Teens

2010-09-23T19:31:00.006-05:00

We're always looking for good romance in books. Here is a list from Booklist, September 15, 2010.

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper
Crossing Stones by Helen Frost
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Flash Burnout by L. K. Madigan
Illyria by Elizabeth Hand
The Lighter Side of Life and Death by C.K. Kelly Martin
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Rosie and Skate by Beth Ann Bauman
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Gotta love these!
Book_Buddy

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen

2010-09-18T12:43:00.005-05:00

Auden spends the summer before going to college with her father, stepmother and new baby sister. She makes new friends and learns new skills like dating and riding a bike while she revisits and works through the trauma of her parents divorce.

Also by Sarah Dessen: Along for the Ride, Lock and Key, Just Listen, This Lullaby, Dreamland,and The Truth about Forever.

Book_Buddy

House of Night by P.C. Cast

2010-09-14T14:46:00.003-05:00

Books are often like food; you either love it or hate it. That includes the junk food we all love now and then. The House of Night Series is wonderful junk food if you like paranormal romance. Burned is the seventh book from the House of Night Series and look for Awakened to come out early in 2011.
1. Marked
2. Betrayed
3. Chosen
4. Untamed
5. Hunted
6. Tempted
7. Burned
8. Awakened

Book_Buddy

Max: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson

2010-09-14T14:44:00.005-05:00

Max is the fifth book in the Maximum Ride fantasy/thriller series by James Patterson. Fast-paced thrills await Max and her flock of genetically engineered human/bird hybrids as they help the Navy find out why fish are dying off in large numbers off the coast of Hawaii.

Maximum Ride fans will be happy to know that Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) says there is a movie in development for possible release in 2013.

Book_Buddy

Looking for a Great Read?

2010-09-14T08:47:00.004-05:00

Try one of these!
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Truth avbout Forever by Sarah Dessen

Happy Reading!
Leona

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

2010-09-13T15:28:00.004-05:00

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare, the first book in the Mortal Instrument prequels called Infernal Devices, just came out recently.

Basic premise of book: Tessa's brother disappears, and she is kidnapped by the Dark Sisters. The Dark Sisters try to get her to use a power that she did not know she possessed. When the sisters' home is raided by shadowhunters, Tessa learns about a world she did not know existed. The shadowhunters take her in and promise to help her find her brother. There are two possible love interests Will and Jem
- both harbor secrets.

The book is set in the Victorian era and is more steampunk than the other series. I enjoyed the story overall although the some of the characters were too much like characters from Mortal Instruments.
Will is very much like Jace.

Natalie

Mockingjay the third Hunger Games book by Collins

2010-09-13T13:56:00.007-05:00

This is a must have book this fall. The long-awaited end of the Hunger Games Trilogy will not disappoint teens! Whether you are cheering for Peeta or Gayle, you will be satisfied with Katniss' final choice.

Suzanne Collins addresses the proliferation of nuclear arms in Mockingjay giving teen readers an opportunity to develop their own opinions about the cost to our global society. Wouldn't a prequel be interesting to see how the Dark Days produced the dreaded Hunger Games?

The only negative comment I have is that the ending was told to us rather than showing us as it unfolded for Katniss, but it was very satisfying none-the-less.

Let us know what you thought about Mockingjay or any of the Hunger Games!
Leona

Fallen by Lauren Kate

2010-09-13T10:30:00.005-05:00

Suspected in the death of her boyfriend, 17-year-old Luce is sent to a reform school where she meets two intriguing boys and learns the truth about the strange shadows that have always haunted her. Readers will feel for Luce's frustration in the last chapters, when she discovers the answers to some secrets, but is still left largely in the dark by those seeking to protect her. The long-awaited sequel, Torment, will be released the end of September 2010.
KC

The Devouring by Simon Holt

2010-08-19T14:36:00.004-05:00

The existence of Vours, supernatural creatures who feast on fear and attack on the eve of the winter solstice, becomes a terrifying reality for fifteen-year-old Reggie when she begins to suspect that her timid younger brother might be one of their victims. The Devouring is packed with all your most disturbing nightmares come to life. Find more of the Vours in the sequel Soulstice.
KC

Evernight Series by Claudia Gray

2010-08-16T10:57:00.007-05:00

Sixteen-year-old Bianca, a new girl at the sinister Evernight boarding school, finds herself drawn to another outsider, Lucas, but dark forces threaten to tear them apart and destroy Bianca's entire world. The vampire-human war and Bianca and Lucas' romance only heat up in the novel's sequels, Stargazer and Hourglass.

Heroes of the Valley by Jonathan Stroud

2010-08-06T14:18:00.004-05:00

Echoing Norse folktales, this humor-filled tale follows prankster Halli Sveinsson who longs to be a hero like his forefathers. To prove himself, he vows to avenge the murder of his uncle. Readers will not want for monsters and heroic challenges - there are plenty here!

KC

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

2010-08-03T15:51:00.006-05:00

Those of you who have read Shiver by Stiefvater will want to read the continuing story of Grace and Sam. Many unanswered questions are addressed in Linger. Can Grace finally let the world know about her love for Sam? Will Sam be able to maintain his human form? See how Isabelle continues to influence future of the pack. Reserve a copy of Linger today!

Book_Buddy

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

2010-08-03T15:45:00.003-05:00

Whether you are remembering your high school years or in the midst of them, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a classic. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are unique, hilarious and devastating. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory.
Book_Buddy

Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow

2010-07-26T10:45:00.005-05:00

Dru's psychic abilities helped her father battle zombies and other creatures, but now she must rely on herself, a werewolf-bitten friend, and a half-human vampire hunter to learn who murdered her parents, and why. This action-packed title has a butt-kicking yet relatable heroine in Dru. Sequels, Betrayals and Jealousy, can be reserved now.
KC

Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb

2010-07-22T20:16:00.005-05:00

As she navigates adolescence, ninth-grader Mia must deal with her mother's recent death and her father's illness while she searches for friendship and love in the world around her. Cures for Heartbreak explores everyday life in the face of family tragedy, offering hope, humor and a light touch of romance along with sorrow and loss.
KC

Gone by Michael Grant

2010-07-22T16:41:00.005-05:00

Reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, Gone, by Michael Grant, shows a small town on the coast of California where everyone over the age of 14 suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have "The Power" and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who do not. Also in the series are Hunger and Lies.

Book_Buddy

House of Night Series by P.C. Cast

2010-07-18T13:19:00.005-05:00

Sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird is Marked as a fledgling vampyre and joins the House of Night, where she will train to become an adult vampyre. This mixture of fantasy, horror and romance will leave readers with enough unanswered questions to keep them hungry for the next book in the series, Book seven, Burned, is now available.
KC

Book 1 Marked
Book 2 Betrayed
Book 3 Chosen
Book 4 Untamed
Book 5 Tempted
Book 6 Hunted
Book 7 Burned

Sweethearts by Sarah Zarr

2010-07-15T20:24:00.004-05:00

After losing her soul mate, Cameron, when they were nine, Jennifer, now seventeen, transformed herself from the unpopular fat girl into the beautiful and popular Jenna. Cameron's unexpected return dredges up memories that cause both social and emotional turmoil. Sweethearts is a bittersweet story driven by Jenna's quests to reconcile past trauma, find self-acceptance, and rediscover a once-powerful relationship.
KC

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

2010-07-12T16:58:00.003-05:00

Whether you are remembering your high school years or in the midst of them, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a classic. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are unique, hilarious and devastating. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts Charlie on a strange course through uncharted territory.

Black Duck by Janet Taylor Lisle

2010-07-09T12:04:00.005-05:00

There are two parallel stories in this book. The modern story serves as a segway for the legendary story of the rum running ship called the Black Duck. The story begins with David Peterson, a boy who wants to be a reporter; however he will be unsuccessful unless he can report on a good story. Determined, David sets off to find and interview, Ruben Hart, an elder man rumored to have been a rumrunner. This interview takes the reader back to Ruben’s youth when Ruben and his best friend Jeddy find a dead body on the Rhode Island shore. They are certain it has something to do with smuggling liquor. The timeline is set in the 1920s and Prohibition is in full swing, and almost everyone in the shore community is involved. The dead body turns out to be an important gang member, and as Reuben and Jeddy pursue answers, they are trapped in a web of deceitful activities, ending in a Coast Guard shooting. The author explores the historical subject of Prohibition as well as various underlying social themes. She shows the difficulty of staying honest when everyone else is breaking the law including the local authorities. The framing device of having the modern day boy listening to the story provides a surprise twist at the end. The characterization and suspenseful plot make this an entertaining, accessible historical mystery for middle school teens.

Recommended for Grades 6-8

Mary Beth

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

2010-07-08T19:56:00.005-05:00

Teen books are traditionally angst-ridden, but Sherman Alexie combines it with humor in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. As an author of adult books, this fiction book for teens is semi autobiographical about a budding cartoonist who leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot. This book is a great example of humorous fiction that both teens and adults would enjoy reading.
Book_Buddy

Bonechiller by Graham McNamee

2010-07-08T13:21:00.003-05:00

Four high school students face off against a soul-stealing beast that has been making young people disappear in their small Ontario Canada town for centuries. A creature feature with breakneck pacing, chilling atmosphere and an action-packed ending.
KC

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

2010-07-08T13:14:00.004-05:00

Val created the Hate List with her boyfriend, Nick, who used it as a hit list in a school shooting. Though Val had a hand in creating the list, she tried to stop Nick and was wounded in the process. This gut-wrenching, powerful novel explores Val's guilt and recovery from this horrific incident.
MA

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve

2010-05-14T15:56:00.001-05:00

Fever Crumb is a most unusual member of the Order of Engineers. That her eyes are different colors is one thing, but the fact that she is female is exceptionally strange. In fact Fever is the only female member of the Order. When Kit Solent, an ex-Engineer, asks for help with his newest archeological find, the Order sends Fever, both because of her unusual nature and her promise as an excellent Engineer. But is it coincidence that she’s mistaken for a Scriven, one of London’s former mutant overlords, the first time she goes out into town? And what of the strange memories that surface once Fever begins working with Kit?
Whether you’ve already read the Hungry City Chronicles and want to know more of the history, or if you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel, Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve is a great choice.

Jason

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

2010-05-10T20:39:00.003-05:00

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott
Everyone knows the unwritten rule: You don’t like your best friend’s boyfriend. Sarah knows that and she doesn’t want to like Ryan but she just can’t help it. She’s liked him forever. Except now Ryan is dating Sarah’s beautiful best friend Brianna and Sarah must accept their relationship and forget about him. But something happens one night that makes Sarah question everything from her loyalty and friendship with Brianna to the depths of her feelings for Ryan.

Kimberly

Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

2010-05-10T20:33:00.002-05:00

15-year-old Sam has always been defined as the pastor’s daughter. But not all is well behind closed doors. Under the pressure of being a pastor’s wife, Sam’s mother is an alcoholic who after one too many DUI’s is now in treatment. But it’s not a fact that Sam wants her friends (who often don’t invite her along to less questionable activities – you know – the whole being the pastor’s daughter thing) to know about nor is it something that Sam and her father openly talk about with each other.
It is during this crisis in her family that her community faces a crisis of its own. A young girl in the church has mysteriously gone missing and no one is free from suspicion including her own father and the girl’s older brother, whom Sam has always crushed on. This family and community crisis shakes Sam to her inner-core where she also experiences her own personal crisis – one that questions her faith, hope, and belief in something that is bigger than she is.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

2010-03-24T14:30:00.003-05:00

No one from the Outside enters and no one from the Inside escapes. Incarceron is a living prison that controls the fate of its prisoners and, for the past three years, it is the only world Finn has known. With no recollection of his life before prison, Finn must rely on Claudia, a girl from the outside, to help him escape and discover his past, but Claudia has perils of her own to face, namely her father, the Warden of Incarceron, and an arranged marriage to the future king of the realms. Will Incarceron allow them to escape their destinies or will the mysteries of Incarceron destroy them both?

Kimberly

Printz Award Winners for 2010

2010-01-18T13:37:00.004-06:00

2010 Printz Award winners 2010

The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature. It is named for a Topeka, Kansas school librarian who was a long-time active member of the Young Adult Library Services Association. The award is sponsored by Booklist, a publication of the American Library Association.

Going Bovine

by Libba Bray

YA BRAY

2010 Printz Honor Books
The committee also named four Printz Honor Books:

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith
by Deborah Heiligman
Biog. DARWIN
Once Charles Darwin sets his rational mind to marry the religious Emma Wedgeworth, they both must take a leap of faith in order to build a life together.

The Monstrumologist
by Rick Yancey

YA YANCEY
Will Henry, orphan and assistant to a monstrumologist, races against time to save his town (and himself) from the anthropophagi, a pod of monstrous creatures who prey on humans.

Punkzilla
by Adam Rapp

YA RAPP
Fourteen-year-old runaway Jamie, homeless and strung out, embarks on a harrowing journey to reach his dying brother.

Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973
by John Barnes
Karl Shoemaker wants to begin his senior year with a new identity separate from his counseling group, his alcoholic mother and the legacy of his dead father.

http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/Printz.cfm

Sometimes the truth is a long way down.

2010-01-11T16:11:00.003-06:00

As the book jacket states, "What really happened on the cliff that night? Three students went up to the cliff -- but only two came back alive." Find out what really happened to Russell and why Luke and Hayden have to come to terms with the decisions they made and the following consequences.
Freefall by Ariella Anhalt. 9th-12th grades. YA ANHALT

Most Popular Reads for Teens from 2009

2009-12-23T16:44:00.007-06:00

The following is a list of the most popular teen reads in Bartlett.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Thirteen Reasons Why: A Novel by Jay Asher

Good-by 2009. Hello 2010! Happy Reading

I am a GENIUS!

2009-12-11T10:49:00.006-06:00

Do you know someone just like this character? Oliver Watson has everyone convinced that he is extremely stupid and lazy, but he is actually a very wealthy, evil genius. When he decides to run for seventh-grade class president, nothing will stand in his way.

Jon Stewart from the Daily Show on television describes the story of Oliver this way: "If War and Peace had a baby with the Breakfast Club an then left the baby to be raised by wolves, this book would be the result. I loved it."

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I want to be your Class President by Josh Lieb

Angry Management by Chris Crutcher

2009-11-08T12:14:00.004-06:00

Mr. Nak's Angry Management group is a place for misfits and their stories. Three characters from Crutcher’s novels tell their stories with raw emotion as they face insecurity, anger, and prejudice as well as love, freedom, power and surviving. Fans of edgy realistic fiction will want to read this Angry Management!

Leona

If you liked Hunger Games . . .

2009-10-30T14:45:00.003-05:00

You're going to love Catching Fire,the second in the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins.

We all have a pretty good idea that the title, Catching Fire, has to do with radical ideas that ignite into revolution in this futuristic dystopia, but without spoiling the story, wait till you see what the title also means! The pin Katniss wears to her first hunger game symbolizes many things as well. Adventure, survival, political suspense, and conflicted romance are what binds this story to our hearts. There are many rewards for the reader in this sequel that imaginatively recaps the first book without weighing down the sequel. Be sure to put your name on the reserve list for this popular book. Now we can't wait for the third and final page-turner in this series.
Leona

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Do identical twins really share something special?

2009-08-26T16:38:00.004-05:00

Do identical twins really share something special?

Meredith and Mallory Brynn are mirror twins born on either side of midnight one New Year's Eve. They have always been inseparable. However, in many ways they are very different. One is shy and the other outgoing. One is athletic and the other is delicate. It is as if they are each half of a perfect whole. And they share everything…

But just before the girls’ 13th birthdays, Mallory dreams about dying in a house fire—a vision her sister doesn’t share. After they are nearly killed in this mysterious fire, the bond that has always joined them unravels. They begin to have visions and dreams that reveal the deep secrets kept by the people around them.

Meredith and Mallory realize they have each been given a gift: Mallory can see deep into the past, Meredith can see the future. But when they discover that one boy is not what they imagined, they know their lives will be changed forever. If they survive...

Find out what happens to the twins in the first of a new series, The Midnight Twins, by Jacquelyn Mitchard.

Karen

Midnight Twins by Jacquelyn Mitchard Young Adult MIT

Found a new book by Margaret Haddix

2009-08-20T13:35:00.004-05:00

Thirteen years ago a very mysterious event occurred at an airport. Suddenly, a jet plane materialized at a gateway. Aboard the plane there were thirty-six babies. No crew. No adults. This bizarre occurence was covered-up by the government, which secretly placed the babies in adoptive homes. Their new parents did not know that there was anything unusual about their children.

Jonah was one of these adopted children. Now a seventh grader, Jonah began receiving strange messages in the mail. The first one read, "You are one of the missing." The second message was more threatening, "Beware! They're coming back to get you." Jonah's friend Chip who didn't know he was adopted until now, also receives the messages. Chip, Jonah, and Jonah's sister Katherine decide to investigate and they locate more thirteen-year-old adopted children right in their area. Events soon turn terrifying.

This is a great beginning to a new series by Margaret Peterson Haddix, author of Among the Hidden and many other popular novels.

Found by Margaret Haddix - J HADDIX

Karen

Punkzilla

2009-07-28T13:32:00.003-05:00

Told in a series of letters, Punkzilla follows the exploits of fourteen-year-old Jamie, who is taking buses and hitchhiking from Portland, Oregon to Memphis, Tennessee to visit his terminally ill brother. Along the way he meets a series of bizarre characters, some of whom want to help him and some who would rather take advantage of Jamie’s youth and vulnerability out on the road. He even ends up taking a trip to Santa’s Village in nearby East Dundee with a troubled woman. Jamie also recounts the unpleasant experiences he was subjected to at a military academy and how he went AWOL from there. This edgy novel is not for the faint of heart but is sure to keep adventurous readers turning pages. John...
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Gr. 10-12 Young Adult Rapp

Looking for a good mystery? Peeled!

2009-07-07T12:45:00.004-05:00

Hildy is looking for a chance to prove herself and finds her opportunity as a reporter for the high school newspaper. She is drawn to the town’s biggest story surrounding the haunting of the old Ludlow house. The mystery unfolds as Hildy takes a deeper look into eerie happenings and ghostly sightings to find the truth.

Bauer, Joan. Peeled. Gr. 6-10 Young Adult BAU

Ghost of Spirit Bear

2009-06-30T16:00:00.002-05:00

After a year in exile on an Alaskan island as punishment for severely beating a fellow student, Cole Matthews returns to school in Minneapolis having made peace with himself and his victim--but he finds that surviving the violence and hatred of high school is even harder than surviving in the wilderness.

Mikaelsen, Ben. Ghost of Spirit Bear. Gr. 5-8 Young Adult MIK

Sunrise over Fallujah

2009-06-09T16:23:00.001-05:00

Robin's parents aspire for him to go to college, but following September 11, he feels compelled to join the Army instead. By early 2003, Robin has completed Basic Training and is deployed to Iraq where he becomes part of a Civil Affairs Unit charged with building the trust of the Iraqi people to minimize fighting. Civil Affairs soldiers are often put into deadly situations to test the waters, and Robin finds that the people in his unit, who nickname him "Birdy," are the only ones he can trust. Robin quickly learns that the situation in Iraq will not be resolved easily and that much of what is happening there will never make the news. Facing the horrors of war, Robin tries to remain hopeful and comforting in his letters to his family, never showing his fear or the danger he actually faces.

Myers, Walter Dean. Sunrise over Fallujah. Gr. 7-up Young Adult MYE

The Hand You're Dealt by Paul Volponi

2009-06-08T09:44:00.002-05:00

When Huck Porter's dad suddenly dies, it feels like nothing will ever make sense again. Huck's "best friend" thinks that Huck should just get over it, the girl he likes won't give him the time of day, and his mom now works all hours at a roadside diner to make ends meet. The only thing that still makes sense for Huck is the game his dad taught him, the game they spent hours playing together: Texas hold'em.
Worse than all of that, though, is Huck's math teacher, Mr. Abbott -- a hungry card shark with an ego to match his appetite. He now wears the local poker tournament's first prize, a silver watch that Huck's dad wore proudly for three years. So Huck hatches a plan to knock Abbott off his throne and win back the watch. Only, bluffing his way into the tournament will mean lying to everyone Huck knows. But as Huck gets deeper in the tournament and starts to lose himself in the cards, he begins to wonder who he'll be when the last hand is played.

Volponi, Paul. The Hand You’re Dealt. Gr. 7-up Young Adult VOL

The Big Game of Everything

2009-06-04T19:37:00.002-05:00

“You have to love your family. You do, even if you don't, right? You don't have to understand them or play tennis with them, but you have to love them. It's a rule, and it's the kind of rule you don't break unless you're some kind of animal.
My brother happens to be some kind of animal. My sister rides this sweet gold Honda scooter and has amazing hair. You'd hate her. My parents are vegetarian let-the-sunshine-in freaks. Lovable freaks but freaks all the same. My grand¬father possesses a shocking comb-over, a kilt, about half of his original marbles, and his own golf complex. This summer, we are all working for him. It is going to be two hot, lucrative, carefree months of paradise.
Or, possibly something else.”
They end up learning the rules of "The Big Game of Everything."

Lynch, Chris. The Big Game of Everything. Gr.7-up Young Adult LYN

Join Now!

2009-05-27T14:39:00.004-05:00

Teen Summer Reading Club
Bartlett Public Library District

☺To join Read on the Wild Side! reading program, read a book and then register at the Reference Desk starting June 8 through Aug. 1, 2009.
☺You will receive a prize after reading five, ten, fifteen, and twenty books.
☺Enter the weekly drawings for more prizes.
☺For every five books read, you will also receive a coupon for the final prize drawing.
☺First prize will be a $75 gift certificate to a shopping mall.

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley

2009-05-27T14:37:00.002-05:00

“Charlotte was never really sure who she was, not before and certainly not now. But she was always sure who she wanted to be.” Charlotte Usher has taken great care to reinvent herself between 8th grade and high school. Tired of feeling invisible, she signs up for cheerleading tryouts, talks to a popular boy, and even lies about loving physics. Incredibly, on the first day of school she chokes to death while eating a gummy bear. In death, Charlotte is sent to Deadiquette school along with other teen spirits, but skips class in order to follow her long time heartthrob even though “he doesn’t even know [she’s] alive.” Ghostgirl is laugh out loud funny and filled with puns that may make you want to scream!

Hurley, Tonya. Ghostgirl. Gr. 7-up Young Adult HUR

Fantasy

2009-05-20T16:50:00.003-05:00

If you had the power to kill with your bare hands, what would you do with it?
Graceling takes readers inside the world of Katsa, a warrior-girl in her late teens with one blue eye and one green eye. This gives her haunting beauty, but also marks her as a Graceling. Gracelings are beings with special talents—swimming, storytelling, dancing. Katsa's Grace is considered more useful: her ability to fight (and kill, if she wanted to) is unequaled in the seven kingdoms. Forced to act as a henchman for a manipulative king, Katsa looks for the moral courage to stand up to evil rulers and fight for what is right.

Cashore, Kristin. Graceling. Gr 7-up Young Adult CAS