Banned Books Week

 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!

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

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

Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger

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

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, Chime, is part fantasy, part horror, part romance, and part historical fiction. Something for everyone!

Karen

Vote for Your Top Ten!

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

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