The YA Book Log

September 1, 2009

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND by Marilyn Kaye

Amanda Beeson is the queen of the popular girls at Meadowbrook Middle School, but behind her cool exterior, she has a secret that nobody knows about. Ever since she was a little girl, she has had the ability to steal the body of another person. When she accidently enters the body of Tracy, the biggest outcast in school, she finds out she is not the only student at Meadowbrook with a special power. Attending classes as Tracy, Amanda finds out that the "gifted" class Tracy is enrolled in is not for students who are exceptionally smart, but for those with extraordinary powers like herself. Becoming invisible, telekinesis, super strength, premonition and mind control are just a few of the powers that the other students possess.

All Amanda wants to do is figure out how to get back into her own body, but after discovering the secrets of her classmates, her life will never the same.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind is the first book in the Gifted Series.

Also check out Better Late Than Never, the second book in the series.

I RECOMMEND THE GIFTED SERIES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS.

Ms. Cea
Young Adult Librarian
East Meadow Public Library

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:47 AM | Comments (0)

August 26, 2009

SENT by Margaret Peterson Haddix

For everyone who has read Margaret Peterson Haddix's book, FOUND, the first book in THE MISSING series and have waited patiently to find out what happened to Jonah, his sister, Katherine, and his friend, Chip. The answers can be found in Haddix's SENT.

We left the three young people along with a fourth, Alex, leaving the cave as time travelers. They were headed to the fifteenth century. It seems Chip and Alex were the young princes imprisoned in the Tower of London by their uncle the Duke of Gloucester or King Richard the Third of England. Eventhough Uncle Richard was third in line to be king; he wanted the throne for himself, so there was a plan to murder the young princes. This was the reason the young princes were saved and taken to the 21st Century. Was it possible Chip and Alex were being sent back to be murdered or can they be saved? What is going to happen to Jonah and Katherine, since they do not belong in the fifteenth century? The young people must rely on the Time Travelers from the future, but can these people from the future be trusted?

Since there is an element of historical accuracy, we know that no one really knows what happened to the two princes, but our author tells a pretty good tale. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYONE WHO READ THE FIRST BOOK, IS INTERESTED IN ENGLISH HISTORY, AND IS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

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August 17, 2009

DEAR JULIA by Amy Bronwen Zemser

As a long time fan of Julia Child I was excited when I saw a trailer for the new film, JULIE/JULIA. I was even more excited, when I was browsing the fiction shelves and found a book entitled DEAR JULIA by Amy Bronwen Zemser. This story is the tale of two loners.

There is Elaine Hamilton who knew at age six she wanted to be a chef and began her correspondence with her favorite chef, Julia Child, but being a loner was afraid to mail the letters. When she was eight Elaine's Dad gave her the boxed set of the MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING, Volumes one and two by Julia Child, so she the Cook for the family which included four brothers. Her father would encourage her and say, "Delicious, Elaine. Just delicious.' (page 5) Her mother was a Representative to the U.S. House of Representatives and was usually busy. This was Elaine's dream and she tried to keep it to herself.

The other was Isadora Wilhelminetta Fischburger. She hated that name, so she called herself, Lucinda Sans. If that sounds familiar, it is the name of a font on the computer. Lucinda wanted to be famous. It did not matter what; Lucinda just wanted to be famous. She tried baton twirling, ballet, singing, modern dance and always tried out for school plays. Lucinda had a style all her own, which may have been the reason for a lack of friends, but had Moms who adored her.

When the girls entered their junior year of high school, they meet at the annual New Platz (N,Y.) Festival on the Green. Elaine was representing her Mom at the Congresswoman's booth. Lucinda was preparing to do a few scenes from Romeo and Juliet with the object of her affection, the handsome Croton Harmon. Lucinda accidently sets the Festival on fire; and the girls speak to each other. Out-going Lucinda takes on shy Elaine and the adventure begins.

If you looking for two new friends, pick up DEAR JULIA. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOKS FOR GIRLS IN GRADE 7 THROUGH 10 AND FOR JULIA CHILD FANS.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
East Meadow Public Library

Posted by fjacksonem at 1:49 PM | Comments (0)

July 24, 2009

DIAL L FOR LOSER by Lisi Harrison

DIAL L FOR LOSER is the 6th book in the Clique novel series by Lisi Harrison. In this book the girls of the Pretty Committee are expelled from their school O.C.D. The girls are close to begging Principal Burns to readmit them to O.C.D. but luck strikes them. The girls are invited to Dylan’s mothers show, The Daily Grind. Before the show Massie, Kristen, Alicia, Dylan and Clair meet Abby Boyd and Hadly Durk the stars of the upcoming movie Dial L for Losers. But everything doesn't go so smoothly. Hadly found out that Abby and her boyfriend were fooling around behind her back and she starts to throw a fit. She then declares that she would not star in a movie with Abby. The director of the movie Rupert Mann started to panic and he borrowed Massie’s phone but he left without giving it back to her. A few days later Rupert announced on TV, that he wanted Massie to call him on her phone. When she called, Rupert invited only Clair, Massie, and Alicia to audition for Hadly's old part. Once they get to LA everyone was pretty sure that Alicia or Massie would get the part but Clair got the part and Alicia and Massie are green with envy. Clair starts to live the perfect life. She's "best friends" with Abby Boyd, gets her picture in a magazine, and gets a new phone from the producers of Dial L for Loser. But as famous as Clair gets the jealous Massie and Alicia become and they make her life horrible. But karma strikes them back when Conner Foley uses them to get Abby Boyd jealous. In the end Massie, Clair, and Alicia become friends again, but Clair has a decision to make. She gets a call from a producer and wants her to move to LA but she's not sure what to do.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO TEENAGE GIRLS. THEY’LL ENJOY THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT’S ABOUT 5 THIRTEEN YEAR OLD GIRLS DEALING WITH SCHOOL, BOYS, LOOKING GOOD AND LIFE IN GENERAL AND THAT’S WHAT MOST GIRLS AROUND 13 DEAL WITH. ONCE YOU START READING ONE OF THE BOOKS FROM THE SERIES YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO STOP READING!

Samiha Chaudhury
Woodland Middle School
8th Grade

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July 15, 2009

SLEEPAWAY GIRLS by Jen Calonita

It was many years ago,when I was a counselor at a sleepaway camp. There was swimming, arts and crafts, and camp fires. All of these memories were brought back to life in Jen Calonita's SLEEPAWAY GIRLS.

Starring in this book is Samantha Montgomery, student at Carle Place High School (Long Island) and star of the nationally know Dial and Dash television commerical. Sam was always doing for others, especially her BFF, Mal. Now Mal has a boyfriend and has little time for Sam, so Sam decides to apply to be a C.I.T, (Counselor in Training) at Camp Whispering Pines in New York's Catskill Mountains.

This is Sam's first time at any camp, so her inexperience makes her the fall girl for Whispering Pines' superstar, Ashley, daughter of the camp's owner. Sam looks for love in the boyfriend market, when she has a crush on Hunter, a blonde surfer-type counselor. Finally, there are her campers, each little girl with her own special needs.

Sam thought camp was singing songs and camp fires, but she is about to learn; it is more about friendship and who Samantha Montgomery really is.

IN CASE YOUR PARENTS WON'T SEND YOU TO SLEEPAWAY CAMP AND YOU LOVE CAMP FIRES AND SMORES, I RECOMMEND YOU READ SLEEPAWAY GIRLS. IT IS GOOD READ FOR GIRLS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services .

Posted by fjacksonem at 6:45 PM | Comments (0)

May 8, 2009

VOSS by David Ives

Borat of Kazakhstan move over and meet Vospop Vsklzwczdztwczky of Slobovia in David Ives' VOSS: HOW I COME TO AMERICA AND AM HERO, MOSTLY. Voss, 15, writes very funny letters to his friend, Meero back in Slobovia, about his trip to and life in America.

It all begins when Voss, his father, Bogdown, and his uncle, Shpoot, smuggle themselves onto a cargo ship bound for the good old USA in a crate of imitation Cheez Puffs. The crate is owned by Slobovia's most notorious gangster who is not happy to have crate load of crumbs and wants compensation.

In America Voss discovers the Slobovian section of the city (The author doesn't specify which city.) is poor, rundown and filled with unhappy Slobovians. Not discouraged by his surroundings Voss goes in search of job to find the American dream, and his job is to babysit a rich man's daughter and brunch.

Voss finds living in America doesn't go smoothly.When his father becomes ill, he must be taken to hospital. He learns that not all hospitals care for their patients and must find a way to rescue Bogdown. This part is the AM HERO, MOSTLY.

The letters, or as Voss writes "ladders", chronicles his misadventures and are very funny. I really enjoyed the story and found it was a very fast read. Sometimes I found myself reading the dialogue out loud, because Voss pronounciation of the English language is as funny to hear as it is to read.

But just like Borat I feel this might not be appropriate for tweens and younger teens, so I REALLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR HIGH SCHOOL JUNIORS AND SENIORS. YOU, TOO, WILL LAUGH OUT LOUD.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

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April 25, 2009

3 WILLOWS by Ann Brashares

It is here; the follow up book to the incredibly fabulous SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS series. The book is 3 WILLOWS: THE SISTERHOOD GROWS.

We met Bree, Lena, Tibby and Carman, when they were in high school, while the three willows are Polly, Jo and Ama, the summer before they enter high school. There are references to the Traveling Pants, because these young teens live in the same community. The girls have grown up under the spell of the pants and idolized the idea of the pants.

Ama is an overachiever who was born in Ghana, but has been in USA since she was six. Her summer is spent at a Wilderness Camp with hiking and camping, but she had hoped for an air-conditioned library and academic pursuits.

Jo has discovered her parents are separating. She is off with her mother to the beach house for the summer where a summer job as a bus girl introduces her to her first fling with an older boy and the ways of high school upper classmen.

Lastly there is Polly. She doesn't know her father and her mother, an artist, hasn't paid attention to her in a long time, so she decides to change herself, both inside and outside. She goes on a diet, signs up for modeling camp, and hopes for a more glamorous life.

Each girl goes it alone. But like the first SISTERHOOD friendship is most important.

I RECOMMEND THIS TITLE FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS IN GRADES 6 TO 8 BUT OLDER FANS OF THE FIRST SERIES MAY BE DISAPPOINTED.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

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April 15, 2009

THE SCHOOL FOR DANGEROUS GIRLS by Eliot Schrefer

After the unfortunate death of her grandfather and her involvement with an older guy, fifteen year old Angela is sent to Hidden Oaks, a reform school for troubled girls. For the first month she is there, Angela is allowed no contact with the outside world and cannot keep any belongings from her life on the outside.

Although the horrible treatment inflicted on the girls is designed to keep them from forming bonds with each other, Angela befriends several other “bad girls” and together they try to figure out what is really going on at Hidden Oaks. Just as they begin to figure things out, girls start disappearing from the school. It is only after Angela herself disappears that she realizes what is happening: The well behaved girls get sent to another building to attend classes and charm school while the more difficult girls remain behind.

Angela finds that the girls are treated much better in the main building as long as they follow the strict rules, but she is not about to stop her search for the truth, especially when she hears mysterious tapping sounds behind the walls and a note from one of the missing girls appears for her through a vent in the wall. Angela will not stop until the truth is revealed even if it means putting herself in grave danger.

I recommend The School for Dangerous Girls to high school girls.

Ms. Cea
YA Librarian

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April 8, 2009

OH MY GODS! by Tera Lynn Childs

All Phoebe wants is to finish her last year of high school and earn a track scholarship to USC. Instead, her life is turned upside down when her mother marries a man who is practically a stranger and they move to the small Greek Island where he lives with his daughter.

Phoebe enrolls in the school where her stepfather is the headmaster and clearly does not fit in. Not only are the students beautiful, brilliant and even more athletic than she is, but she finds out they are all descendents of the Greek gods and have various supernatural powers. Included in this group is Phoebe’s new stepsister who, along with her clique of popular girls, is determined to make Phoebe’s life miserable. All Phoebe has to do is make it through one year and then she can return to her normal life in the US, but will she still want to leave Greece once she meets Griffin, the mysterious guy who seems too perfect, even for a Greek God?

Full of romance, humor, and tons of mythological references, Oh My Gods! is a fun and quick read.

I recommend this book to girls in grades 8-12.

Ms. Cea
YA Librarian

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March 26, 2009

TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT ME by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Author Randa Abdel-Fattah has written another terriffic tale about being a Muslim teen. In her first book, DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? her heroine must decide how to show her faith without losing her personal identity. In TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT ME Jamilah, an Lebanese-Australian Muslim, just wants to fit in, so she becomes Jamie, to hide her true identity.

Jamie has dyed her hair blonde and wears blue contact lenses to hide her Muslim looks at Guildford high where she is in tenth grade. She wants to be part of the in crowd, but this group is lead by Peter Clarkson, an Aussie who believe non-Anglos aren't real Aussies. Jamie sees Peter as her ticket to coolness.

Outside of school Jamie loves her Lebanese heritage. She attends after-school classes at a madrasa, a Muslim school. Here she learns about the Koran, the Muslim culture and history, but most important is the music. She plays a darabuka, a goblet-shaped hand drum, in a band, a band that plans to play professionally.

To confuse her life Jamilah/Jamie must obey her father's rules. She is not allowed out after dark; she can attend daytime movies with female friends only; and under no circumstances are boys allowed.

How can she deal with her two lives? Peter has asked her out. The Band will be playing at her tenth grade formal. Will her worlds collide?

I RECOMMEND THIS NOVEL FOR GIRLS GRADES 7 AND UP.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

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March 6, 2009

NEPTUNE’S CHILDREN by Bonnie Dobkin

NEPTUNE’S CHILDREN by Bonnie Dobkin is a chilling story of a society of children.

The Virus was developed, so its victims would have no time to respond. Canisters were hidden in building ventilation systems on airplanes, and inside water towers. Each one had a programmed time to open. The creators had vaccinated their own populations, but when the virus was released, it spread so quickly and mutated so frequently no one was safe, EXCEPT THE CHILDREN.

It was a magical place, Isles of Wonder. There were five islands – Atlantis is the home of King Neptune; Inspiration has everything for the creative mind; Nightmare where things are dark and scary; Timescape is an isle for all eras; and Enchanted is a fairy land. Famlies flocked to this wonderful place, as did Josh, his sisters, Maddie and Caitlyn and their parents, but it turned into a nightmare. The virus spread and Josh and Maddie lost their parents and older sister. Only children and tweens were left. What could they do? How would they live?

With no other choice the children must create their own society, which barricades them from the outside world and its possible dangers. Led my Milo, the son of an Isles of Wonder engineer, and other tweens with Isles of Wonder ties, a society is formed with a simple government. All is happy, until there is the possibility of others living beyond the Park. When some want to leave to find out what is outside, this perfect world begins to shatter. Is the danger from the outside world or from within?

I RECOMMEND NEPTUNE’S CHILDREN FOR GRADES 7 AND UP. IT MAY APPEAL TO THOSE WHO LIKE THE KINGDOM KEEPERS SERIES BY RIDLEY PEARSON, BUT THIS BOOK IS DARKER AND HAS SOME VIOLENCE.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

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March 3, 2009

ELDEST by Christopher Paolini

For those of you who loved ERAGON, here is a review of the sequel, ELDEST by Christopher Paolini.

Eragon has taken the legendary position as a Rider and has left the Varden in Surda with his companions to journey to Ellesmera in Du Weldenvarden, the homeland of the Elves. His quest there is to seek out the Elf Queen to ask for her assistance in the oncoming war against the mighty empire of the Dragon King Galbatorix and his Black Dragon Shruiken. While there he will further his studies in magic and in swordplay and learn what it means to be a Rider and somehow find a way to save all Alagaesia from the evil dragon king Galbatorix and his black dragon shruiken.

ELDEST is an action packed book with each page described in great detail making it feel as if you’re in this magical fantasy world of Dragons, Elves, Dwarfs and much more….will Eragon finally learn his linage?

Sherrod Falls
Grade 7
Woodland Middle School

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February 18, 2009

2009 PRINTZ AWARD

THE WINNER OF THE 2009 PRINTZ AWARD IS JELLICOE ROAD by Melina Marchetta. The book is set in Australia, but the story could happen anywhere.

Taylor has been living at the Jellicoe School, since her Mother abandoned her at age eleven. Everything about her is a mystery, but the mystery begins to unravel when the territory wars begins. Cadets, who camp out on Jellicoe Road, townies, who live near Jellicoe Road, and the Jellicoe School students are all vying for property and the right of way through property.

This year the war is different. Taylor is leader of the Jellicoe students and she takes an interest in Cadet Leader, Jonah. Taylor and Jonah have met before, when each tried to runaway from their groups.

As the two get closer and their negotiations become more complicated, Taylor begins to unravel her past. Who she is and why did her Mother abandoned her?

When I started the novel, I found it confusing. Just get through the first hundred pages and you will find a tale that brings tears to your eyes.

I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GRADES 10 TO 12.

2009 PRINTZ HONOR BOOKS

THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION, VOLUME II, THE KINGDOM OF THE WAVES, by M.T. Anderson. Caught in the crossfire of the American Revolution, escaped slave Octavian joins the British army in hopes of finally securing his own freedom.

THE DISREPUTABLE HISTORY OF FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS, by E. Lockhart. Can the old-boy network at her elite boarding school survive the mal-doings of Frankie Landau-Banks? (This is a favorite of the Young Adult Librarians at the East Meadow Public Library.)

NATION, by Terry Pratchett. After a devastating tsunami destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their lives.

TENDER MORSELS, by Margo Lanagan. A young woman who has endured unspeakable cruelties is magically granted a safe haven apart from the real world and allowed to raise her two daughters in this alternate reality, until the barrier between her world and the real one begins to break down.

Terry Pratchett's NATION and E. Lockhart's FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS ARE GREAT TALES FOR GRADES 7 AND UP. Avi's OCTAVAIN NOTHING and Margo Lanagan's TENDER MORSELS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

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February 9, 2009

SCIENCE FAIR by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Terrorism is not a funny subject, but Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson (Peter and the Starcatchers) have created a very funny tale of terrorism gone beserk in SCIENCE FAIR: A STORY OF MYSTERY, DANGER, INTERNATIONAL SUSPENSE AND A VERY NERVOUS FROG.

Toby Harbinger is an eighth grader at Hubble Middle School, and each year there is an annual science fair with the winner receiving a cash prize. Most, well I should say all of the time, the winner came from a group of wealthy students, who had parents willing to pay for a first place project. This year Toby planned to prove to the principal; these students cheated.

At the same time in the extremely tiny county of Krpshtskan, Grdankl the Strong, President of Krpshtskan, was planning on bringing the USA to its knees. This was very interesting, since Krpshtskan was a very poor country with only one computer that ran Windows 98.

Toby and his friends, Tamara and Micah, faced the challenges of wealthy students, nonbelieving teachers and administrators, a weird science genius, and the federal governement, while they uncover who is cheating at the science fair and the terrorist plot to bring down the country.

This is a very funny story. I RECOMMEND IT FOR ALL MIDDLE SCHOOL READERS WHO LIKE SCIENCE, STAR WARS AND JUST PLAIN SILLINESS.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

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January 19, 2009

GILDA JOYCE: THE LADIES OF THE LAKE by Jennifer Allison

GILDA JOYCE :THE LADIES OF THE LAKE by Jennifer Allison is a very good book. This book is about one investigator, Gilda Joyce, who thinks that someone drowned Dolores Lambert in the lake behind the school that is named Our Lady of Sorrows. As she writes daily to her father about what is going on, the case unfolds. Gilda first learns about this story from Mrs. Underhill, a faculty member.

Gilda joins the Petunia, the school's newspaper, and meets Danielle, a senior who is having trouble writing a college essay about herself. Gilda helped her with her essay and ends up being best friends with Danielle; along with Persila, and Nikki who think she isn't like any other freshmen at their school. Unfortunately Wendy, Gilda's friend from her old school, thinks their friendship is too good to be true and that Gilda is being used.

Gilda and Wendy go to the Halloween dance at school. Gilda made this whole plan that Wendy and her would sneak out and go to the Ruins, a building built to look like ruins, and where Gilda and Wendy found out something I myself couldn't believe. You will definitely be surprised at the ending of this book. It is like you never expected it.

I THINK THIS IS A GREAT BOOK FOR KIDS IN 6th THROUGH 7th GRADE. You should also be a avid reader and very patient because this book is 339 pages long. I think it is worth to reading the whole book because it is very exciting. Author Jennifer Allison paints a beautiful picture in all readers minds with this jaw dropping novel. Well, that is at least what I think.


Kerry Buckhaults
6th grade
Woodland Middle School

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December 16, 2008

THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX by Mary E. Pearson

Have you ever thought you could live forever? Has science created a way for ever-lasting life by creating synthetic body parts and even brains? Mary E. Pearson explores the concept of bioengineering in the book, THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX.

Jenna Fox awakes from an 18 month coma after a car accident. Her father, the owner of a medical technology company, is heart-broken and uses his resources to save her, so Jenna has neither her old body nor a complete memory. To add to the confusion her parents have moved her from Boston to California, and requested she not tell anyone the reasons for their move. What are her parents hiding from her and why is her grandmother so distant?

With the assistance of home videos about her previous life Jenna tries to piece together her past. Along the way a reclusive neighbor, new classmates at school, and a school project help her understand her present.

If you are looking for science fiction story of the 21st century kind, try THE ADORATION OF JENNA FOX. I RECOMMEND THIS TITLE FOR GRADES 8 AND UP.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services
East Meadow Public Library

Posted by fjacksonem at 4:45 PM | Comments (0)

August 20, 2008

THE A-LIST by Zoey Dean

If you are a fan of the Gossip Girl and the Cliques series you will love The A-List by Zoey Dean.

Anna Percy is a rich girl who lives in New York City with the perfect grades and a reputation of “working well with others”. She gets sick of being the “good girl”, so she goes to live with her father in Los Angeles. He is part of the rich Beverly Hills lifestyle. On the plane she meets a guy she could possibly be in love with; she goes to an Oscar winner’s wedding; and she lives in the neighborhood of the rich and snobby. She thought her life was perfect until Dad surprises her with a little someone. Things are going great until she finds out who the A-Listers are and what they want, because no one steals their spotlight.

I RECOMMEND THE A-LIST FOR GIRLS IN GRADE 7 AND UP.

Pari Patel
7th Grade
Woodland Middle School

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August 4, 2008

HERE'S TO YOU RACHEL ROBINSON by Judy Blume

Ever have troubleS Judy Blume might have the answers to your problems in HERE'S TO YOU, RACHEL ROBINSON.

7th grader Rachel Robinson has much to deal with. Her troubling brother, Charles has been kicked out of boarding school and must return home. Rachel feels like her friends, Stephanie and Alison are hanging out more often without her. Her friends do not think that she is normal. Overall, she is facing what most teenagers her age must deal with, but it is still much more...

Rachel, unlike Charles, is a straight-A student who becomes a Natural Helper at her school to help students with dilemmas. She, on the other hand feels like she has enough problems of her own. She has liked Jeremy Dragon, an older boy in her school, and now she secretly likes her brother's tutor, Paul. Plus, one of Rachel's friends has a crush on Charles. Tarren, Rachel's cousin with several problems, looks up to Rachel's mother for help.

Will Rachel's brother stir up a commotion? Will she have a boyfriend? What will happen to Tarren? Read this wonderful book to find out. I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO STUDENTS IN MIDDLE SCHOOL.

Japbani Nanda
Grade 9
W.T. Clarke Middle School

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August 1, 2008

THE NANNIES by Melody Mayer

This is a novel is about Hollywood life.

Three girls with very different personalities arrive in Hollywood for different reasons, but they become really good friends anyway. They all get jobs as nannies for the children of very famous people! Esme, a beautiful but reserved-about-herself Latina comes to Hollywood to live a better life than her dangerous neighborhood. Kiley, or also known as Krazy with a "K" is definitely the opposite of her nickname. Being 17 years old, she goes to Hollywood to participate in a competition broadcasted on T.V. where she could be a nanny for Platinum! But, to win, she has to succeed in many challenges. The only reason she's doing all this is to get into a pricey school. Spending 8 years in the Amazon is not fun to Lydia. When she gets a chance to stay with her aunt in Hollywood, California, there's no way she's going to miss the opportunity.

THE NANNIES, is a great book. IT IS RECOMMENDED FOR KIDS WHO LOVE HOLLYWOOD IN 7TH GRADE AND UP!
Christina Johnson
Grade 8
W.T. Clarke Middle School

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July 18, 2008

GEEK MAGNET by Kieran Scott

KJ Miller is smart, pretty, nice, and a total Geek Magnet. No matter what she does, she can’t escape the notice of every geek in school. It’s too bad she can’t attract the attention of Cameron Richardson, the star of the basketball team instead. When she gets the opportunity to stage manage the school’s production of Grease, she meets Tama, Queen of the popular crowd and the answer to all her problems. Tama wants to help KJ shed her too nice image and lose the geeks in the process. As KJ learns to stand up for herself, she starts to wonder if Tama is really her friend and if geeks are really so bad afterall.

I recommend this fun book to girls in grades 8 and up.

Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 3:10 PM | Comments (1)

July 7, 2008

SECOND SUMMER OF THE SISTERHOOD by Ann Brashares

The Second Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares is found on this year's summer reading list for students entering 8th grade.

Lena, Carmen, Bridget, and Tibby set off for new adventures this summer, and the Pants are with them. But, this summer is a little different from the last one. Lena is falling in love with Kostos all over again when he comes to America, but might get her heart broken when she finds out a secret about him. Carmen is holding a grudge against her mother, Christina, when she gets a new boyfriend. She thinks that Christina is making a complete fool of herself. Bridget leaves last year's summer romance behind and sets off to Alabama to find out about the past of her late mother, and Tibby goes to a college film program and figures out from Brian if people are real or phony.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO GIRLS AGES 13 AND UP, BECAUSE THIS NOVEL IS VERY REALISTIC (THESE CAN BE REAL TEENAGERS), AND TEENAGERS CAN RELATE THIS BOOK TO THEIR OWN LIVES VERY EASILY.
>
> Christina Johnson entering grade 8 in Sept. 2008
> Clarke Middle School

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June 27, 2008

EVERNIGHT by Claudia Gray

Twilight fans who are anxiously awaiting Breaking Dawn (as I am), will want to check out Evernight by Claudia Gray.

When Bianca’s parents take teaching positions at the exclusive boarding school Evernight Academy, she decides she would rather run away than enroll in the creepy school where everything, including the students, is a little strange. Before she can run away, she meets Lucas, another new student and the two instantly form a strong connection. With Lucas by her side, Bianca is able to settle into her new life at school, but it is only a matter of time before the secrets of Evernight come out and Bianca and Lucas discover the secrets they are hiding from one another.

Evernight is full of plot twists and surprises that will keep you up all night reading. I recommend this book to teens in grades 8 and up.

Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 11:37 AM | Comments (1)

April 24, 2008

THE PIGMAN by Paul Zindel

Have you ever seen two high school students hanging out with an elderly man? In the book The Pigman by Paul Zindel, John Conlan, a sophomore who is not happy with his life, and Lorraine Jensen, a sophomore who receives criticism from her mother on her looks, befriend Mr. Angelo Pignati (the Pigman), a lonely elderly man.

The Pigman always has a smile on his face, but inside he is full of sadness and secrets. The Pigman loves John and Lorraine’s company, so the trio goes shopping together and go to the zoo to see Mr. Pignati’s best friend, Bobo the baboon. Mr. Pignati becomes ill and goes to the hospital, and John and Lorraine are given the responsibility to take care of the Pigman’s home. Mr. Pignati is in for a surprise when he returns from the hospital. What he finds may ruin the friendship that John, Lorraine, and the Pigman share.

I recommend this book to middle school and high school students.

Japbani Nanda
Grade 8
W.T. Clarke Middle School

Posted by fjacksonem at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)

April 9, 2008

MY MOST EXCELLENT YEAR by Steve Kluger

When high school juniors TC, Augie, and Alejandra have to write an essay entitled “My Most Excellent Year”, they all write about their freshmen year of high school. That was the year that Alejandra, the daughter of a former Mexican ambassador transferred to public school and met flamboyant, musical theater loving Augie and big hearted Red Sox fan TC. Alternating points of view, the characters communicate with each other through emails and instant messages and write letters to their dead heroes in which they reveal their often hilarious intimate feelings and dreams.

Full of unforgettable and extremely likeable characters, this book is a very entertaining read especially for fans of Broadway or baseball.

I recommend this book to teens in grades 9-12.

Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 1:22 PM | Comments (0)

March 24, 2008

THE FINAL WARNING: A MAXIMUM RIDE NOVEL by James Patterson

ATTENTION ALL MAXIMUM RIDE FANS (AS WELL AS OTHERS ) !! Even if you have not read any of the previous books, as long as you like adventure, action, humor and romance all in one book you should catch up and read this book !! Not only is this book everything you would want and more out a maximum ride book but it discusses an extremely important issue. It talks about Global Warming and raising awareness and trying to save the world from this becomes the flocks new goal. You can see how James Patterson intelligently incorporated facts about Global Warming and how to prevent it from worsening and this book is good to read because it raises awareness to this important issue, and encourages us to do something about it. Although the whole book isn't about global warming it has the whole flock back Fang , Iggy, Max, Nudge, Gasman, Angel and of course the witty and loveable Total. You will see that the flock all get new abilities or according to Jeb "are mutating on their own". Maybe a new member is added to the flock! I guess you will just have to read to find out.

I RECOMMEND MAXIMUM RIDE: THE FINAL WARNING FOR EVERYONE.

Monisha Gera
Grade 10
East Meadow High School

(NOTE: This is the fourth book in the series, MAXIMUM RIDE. To see a review of the first three books, check out Bobby Mazziotti's review on April 18, 2007.)

Posted by fjacksonem at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2008

HOW NOT TO BE POPULAR by Jennifer Ziegler

Growing up with hippie parents has not been easy for Maggie Dempsey. Every year she is forced to leave behind her friends when her parents decide to move the family to a new city.

When her parents uproot her in her senior year, Maggie decides she can’t handle any more sad goodbyes. She vows not to make a single friend at her new school so that when her parents decide they are ready to move again, she won’t have to go through the painful process of saying goodbye to people she cares about.

In her attempt to turn herself into a social outcast, she borrows the most ridiculous clothing she can find from the thrift store her father runs and she shuns all attempts at friendship. Her rule book on How Not to be Popular includes things like “You must worship all that is totally and tragically unhip” so she begins carrying a star wars lunchbox to school. While at first she is laughed at, it isn’t long before her classmates start to admire Maggie’s unique style and she becomes much more popular than she bargained for.

I recommend this very funny book for girls in grades 8-12.

Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 9:59 AM | Comments (2)

February 21, 2008

TAKEN by Edward Bloor

It is 2035 and a most profitable industry is kidnapping, because there are people with money and people without. Children of the rich and famous are the easy targets. Communities of wealthy families have sprung up; with security for the community and security for each family includes at least a butler/body guard and cook/maid. The children are always accompanied by security and most of their schooling is accomplished by satellite connections, however, Charity Meyer, our victim, is TAKEN in the Edward Bloor book.

Charity Meyer, 13, lives in secure community. She has been schooled in the rules of kidnapping including how to avoid stress. The rules are simple: the child is taken, the parents pay up within the 24 hour time period: the child is released and the victim stays cool by thinking of the good times.

Charity follows these rules. By staying cool we learn about who she is, her parents, her friends, and the servants through flashbacks. But this is not a normal kidnapping, one of the kidnapping is a young man, who life is very different from Charity. Through conversations between Charity and Dessi's life unfolds. Two teenagers with two different backgrounds meet during one kidnapping.

Once again, this is not an ordinary kidnapping. There are twists and turns that will keep the reader reading this thriller to the very end.

I RECOMMEND TAKEN FOR GUYS AND GIRLS IN GRADES 7 AND UP.

Mrs Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 1:12 PM | Comments (2)

February 13, 2008

THE WHITE DARKNESS by Geraldine McCaughrean

Imagine being in a dry desert with water everywhere but nothing to drink, because you are in Antarctica fighting for your life. This is the story of the 2008 Printz Award winner, THE WHITE DARKNESS by Geraldine McCaughren.

Antarctica was a passion for fourteen-year-old British, Symone. While her girlfriends concerned themselves with boys and dating, she reads everything about the South Pole. Her passion is so real, she had conversations with Titus Oates. Titus Oates, better known as Captain Lawrence Oates, was a member of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's expedition to be the first to plant a flag at the South Pole. The only problem with these conversations Titus and the entire expeditiion has been dead since 1911.

Sym's Uncle Victor is also obsessed with Antarctica and for Sym he is the only person who loves her. Victor believes Antarctica has an access hole to other worlds within the earth, and he has waited years to prove his theory. Victor, simply, misrepresents a weekend trip in Paris, and Sym gets to go on her dream trip to Antarctica.

This trip offers Sym the oppportunity to meet people unlike she has ever known, some rich Americans, a Norwegian filmmaker and the filmmaker's son. It is an adventure, until everyone gets sick and the trip is cancelled, but there is no way off the continent for her. Uncle Victor's obsession is about to become a life or death experience. Setting off in stolen vehicles Sym, Uncle Victor, the filmmaker and his son look for a way into the center of the earth.

You get to experience the cold and harsh life traveling across this barren ice continent. Each page uncovers the mad man in Uncle Victor, while Symone must accept the truth about him and the real people who love her.

This is a terrific adventure story of survival and deception. I RECOMMEND THE WHITE DARKNESS FOR ANYONE IN GRADES 8 AND UP.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)

February 7, 2008

BREAKING NEWS ON BREAKING DAWN

TWILIGHT fans won't have to wait much longer for the next book in Stephenie Meyer's bestselling series. Little, Brown announced the official publication date of BREAKING DAWN will be 12:01AM on Saturday, August 2, 2008. The cover of the book will be revealed this summer. Only 6 months to go!

Don't forget to sign up for the Twilight book discussion taking place on February 19 at 2 pm.

Posted by fjacksonem at 1:03 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2008

THE KINGDOM KEEPERS by Ridley Pearson

Visiting Disney World is one of the best places to have fun at in the whole world, but when you read THE KINGDOM KEEPERS by Ridley Pearson, you may never look at Disney World the same way.

Middle school student Finn Whitman has been chosen as one of five young teens to become “hologram hosts” at Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Florida. Finn will be on the cutting edge of technogy which is cool. It also means money for college is no longer a problem and his family has lifetime free admission to Disney World, but for Finn it means only entering the Park with permission from the company and meeting Wayne, an original Imagineer, who asks Finn and the other hologram hosts to stop the evil forces from taking over the Park.

Finn and the other hosts meet with Wayne as holograms during the teen's real time sleep. Wayne explains these forces are called the Overtakers, Disney creations including the Pirates of the Carribean and Maleficent, the evil witch from Snow White. So far these characters have terrorized the Park but could they reach out into the real world community?

Oh what fun it is to read about Disney rides that bear the clues to answer Walt Disney’s last puzzle and how dangerous these rides can be. Through the Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the underground passages below Disney World our hologram teens and sometimes their human selves run for their lives.

THIS BOOK IS RECOMMENDED FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLS GIRLS AND BOYS WHO LOVE DISNEY WORLD AND ADVENTURES STORIES. JUST REMEMBER TO WATCH OUT FOR PIRATES AND SMALL DOLLS.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 9:21 AM | Comments (4)

January 8, 2008

THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt

I like this book, I really like this book because it reminds me of being in school, it has got an unbelievable great adult character, it set on Long Island and it is a good story. This is THE WEDNESDAY WARS by Gary D. Schmidt.

Holling Hoodhood, yes that is his name not a spelling error is the only Presbyterian in his class. Now this is 1967 and on Wednesday afternoons all the Catholics go to catechism and all the Jews go to Hebrew class, which leave very few students in their regular classrooms. (By the way when I went to school that is exactly what happened.) In Holling’s class the only one left is Holling, who stays in school with Mrs. Baker. Holling is certain Mrs. Baker hates him.

After a few Wednesdays of house cleaning, the chalk boards, erasers, and the coat room, Mrs. Baker decides to introduce Holling to the plays of Shakespeare. Of course Holling views this extra work as a punishment, but as the school progresses he learns a lot from the plays about himself, his family, his friends and the world around him. Holling even learns to curse in old English.

Since it is set in 1967 there are historical references including the Vietnam War, and the assassination of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, and there is a lot of baseball, the Yankees and Mickey Mantle.

Holling is a seventh grader, but I RECOMMEND THIS TITLE FOR BOYS AND GIRLS IN ALL THE MIDDLE SCHOOL GRADES AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE A GOOD LAUGH ANYONE WHO LOVES SHAKESPEARE.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 9:12 AM | Comments (0)

January 2, 2008

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie

Anyone who has ever felt like they don’t fit in will relate to Arnold Spirit, the main character in Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Arnold is a Native American teenager living on a reservation with his extremely poor family. Though he suffers from physical limitations, such as feet that are too big and very bad eyesight, he is the smartest kid at the reservation school. When a teacher encourages him to enroll in a public school off of the reservation, Arnold decides to go for it. He transfers to the rich white school where he is the only Indian besides the school mascot. Not only is he bullied at the new school, but he is bullied at home on the reservation by those who feel that he has betrayed them by leaving. As the year goes on, Arnold must try to find his place in between two completely different worlds.

A National Book Award Winner, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian will have you laughing one minute and crying the next.

I recommend this book to teens in grades 9-12.

Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 3:27 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2007

LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Can you imagine a catastrophic disaster, meteors, tsunamis, earthquakes, disease, here on Planet Earth? Well, Susan Beth Pfeffer has thought about the possibility and written the book LIFE AS WE KNEW IT.

Life was pretty uneventful for Miranda, high school sophomore; she has her friends, the prom and looking forward to her driver's license. Then the newscasts begin, a meteor is going to hit the moon. How can that affect her life, until the meteor throws the moon off its axis hurling the orb closer to Earth.

Miranda's diary reflects all the changes in her life, like her Mom going into survival mode by buying everything available, her older brother, Matt, taking on adult responsibiltiy for survival, her younger brother, Jonny, losing his childhood, neighbors keeping to themselves, and law and order appears to have disappeared. The planet is changing too, hugh tidal waves, volcanic eruptions and a killer flu. Miranda sees her life slipping away and her only purpose becomes to survive. As the summer days turn to winter, will the world survive?

This is a really powerful book, and definitely in my top five to recommend. You will be thinking about the story long after you finish the book. You might even find yourself buying a few extra things just in case.

I RECOMMEND THIS TITLE FOR GRADES 7 TO 10.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:41 AM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2007

THE POISON APPLES by Lily Archer

Alice, Reena, and Molly all come from different backgrounds, but they share one thing in common: they all have a wicked stepmother. Like the wicked stepmothers in fairy tales, the women have managed to keep their evil nature a secret from everyone but their new stepdaughters. When it seems that things can't get any worse for Alice, Reena, and Molly, they are shipped off to boarding school in Massachusetts. It is there that the 3 girls meet and bond over their shared bad luck. They form a secret club called “The Poison Apples” and plan to exact revenge on their stepmothers for ruining their lives.

Alternating from each girl’s perspective, The Poison Apples is a fun story about friendship, family and fitting in.

I recommend this book to girls in grades 7 and up.

Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 9:28 AM | Comments (0)

November 9, 2007

The Inheritance Trilogy

Eragon fans will be happy to hear that Random House has announced that there will be a 4th book in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Trilogy. The third book, which is still untitled, will be published on September 23, 2008.

In a news release, the author had this to say:

"I plotted out the Inheritance series as a trilogy nine years ago, when I was fifteen. At that time, I never imagined I'd write all three books, much less that they would be published. When I finally delved into Book Three, it soon became obvious that the remainder of the story was far too big to fit in one volume. Having spent so long thinking about the series as a trilogy, it was difficult for me to realize that, in order to be true to my characters and to address all of the plot points and unanswered questions Eragon and Eldest raised, I needed to split the series into two books."

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:43 AM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2007

TWILIGHT by Stephenie Meyer

One of the books nominated for the 3 Apples Book Award (see May 16th entry), is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Published in 2005, it has spawned 2 sequels so far (New Moon and Eclipse) with another one scheduled to be published next fall. I finally got around to reading Twilight this week and I absolutely loved it.

Just in case you’ve missed this great series, Twilight tells the story of Bella, a seventeen year old who moves from Arizona to a small town in Seattle to live with her father. Being the new girl in school is hard enough, but her life gets even more complicated when she meets and falls in love with Edward Cullen, an extremely handsome senior who also happens to be a vampire. Edward lives with a small clan of other vampires who refer to themselves as vegetarians, meaning they don’t kill humans. Seeing how much Edward loves Bella, the kindhearted Cullens welcome Bella into their lives, but soon find themselves fighting to save her life when a vampire from another clan arrives in town with intent to kill her.

If you like fantasy mixed with romance and suspense, you will love Twilight and its two sequels.

I highly recommend this series to girls in grades 9-12.

Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:09 AM | Comments (1)

October 10, 2007

KISS AND BLOG by Allison Noel

Best friends Sloane and Winter have a deal: If either of them ever becomes popular, they will take the other one with them. When Sloane is finally accepted into the A-list crowd, she dumps Winter without a second thought. Devastated at being cast off by her best friend, Winter gets her revenge in the form of a blog. Blogging under the pseudonym “Elinor Rigby”, she exposes personal and embarrassing secrets about Sloane dating back to their childhood. She is careful never to reveal Sloane’s name, instead referring to her as the “Pink Princess”.

What started out as a way for Winter to express her anger and sadness soon becomes more than she bargained for when the blog is discovered by her classmates. Soon, everyone at school is wondering who the "Pink Princess" is and who is behind the mysterious blog.

Kiss and Blog is a fast moving and entertaining novel that fans of the Gossip Girl and The Clique Series will enjoy.

I recommend this book for girls in grades 8-12.

Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 8:56 AM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2007

A FIELD GUIDE TO HIGH SCHOOL by Marissa Walsh

Are you entering high school? Are you unsure what it will be like? Are you just plain scared? Meet Andie she will be entering Plumstead Country Day high school and must follow in the footsteps of Claire, her older sister. Claire was a straight A student, popular and athletic, and this very morning is off to Yale with Mom and Dad to begin her freshman year in college. Andie is left home, because there was no room in the car. Then she finds a book, a book, especially written for her by Claire, entitled A FIELD GUIDE TO HIGH SCHOOL. Andie is ready to read every word, but not alone. She call her BBF, Bess, and together they hope to find the do's and don'ts of high school.

Claire explains what it is like to go to a private school, where money may not be a problem for most, but Claire was and Andie will be on scholarship. If learning about the school, the teens and the teachers was not enough, Claire begins with how to go to school. This includes mode of transportation, and who is in your carpool. Maybe, this is not the right school for Andie; she would prefer to attend Catholic high school with Bess.

Claire really gets down with who's who and what's what with reference from current television shows, movies, and our most photographed celebrities. It is also an opportunity for Andie to learn, her perfect older sister is not perfect.

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny and at the same time it shows how really caring older siblings can be. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TITLE TO GIRLS IN GRADE 8 AND UP.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2007

NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER by Jordan Sonnenblick

Upset about his parents divorce, fifteen year old Alex decides to get drunk and take his mother’s car out for a spin. When he drives onto his neighbor’s lawn and decapitates her lawn gnome, he finds himself in jail for driving under the influence and driving without a license. The judge lets him off easy by assigning him to 100 hours of community service to be done at a local nursing home.

Alex is assigned to a cranky old man named Sol who is known for being the most difficult resident of the home. Sol lives up to his reputation by teasing and mocking Alex at every opportunity and generally making his life miserable. Alex and Sol finally discover they have something in common when Alex brings his guitar to the home and plays for Sol. When Sol reveals his own musical past, the two develop an unlikely friendship that will change both of their lives.

NOTES FROM THE MIDNIGHT DRIVER is a hilarious and touching novel that deals with friendship, forgiveness, and learning to take responsibility for ones actions

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 8-12.

Paula Cea
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 2:12 PM | Comments (1)

September 6, 2007

BILLIE STANDISH WAS HERE by Nancy Crocker

All of us have friends. Most of them are about the same age as ourselves, but sometimes you meet someone wonderful, a person with a zest for life and has the wisdom of the ages. Lydia Jenkins was that kind of individual, and William "aka Billie" Marie Standish was lucky to find her in the novel, BILLIE STANDISH WAS HERE.

With the possibility of flooding, most of the town of Cumberland moved out leaving a few brave souls behind. Two of the houses still occupied were the Standishes and the Jenkins. Billie, eleven, was forced to entertain herself, because she had no friends. The two girls in her grade ignored her; her parents were too busy working to save the levee and wished Billie was a boy; and the rest of the community was gone. A chance walk through the empty town and this unique friendship would begin.

Mrs. Jenkins did not live alone; her adult son, Curtis, lives with her. Billie is uncertain about Curtis, and her feelings are not wrong. Curtis attacks Billie, so Miss Lydia and Billie share a secret that bonds them for life.

Miss Lydia is Billie's teacher on home economics, world events, life and love. It is a beautiful relationship between a child and a woman and then two women. I wish everyone could have a friend, a confidant, and teacher, like Miss Lydia.

I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, GRADE 9 AND UP.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:51 AM | Comments (0)

August 30, 2007

HARMLESS by Dana Reinhardt

High School freshmen Annie and Emma have been best friends since they were little. When the new girl at school, Mariah, befriends them, they see it as opportunity to become more popular and less invisible. Before the year is up, Annie and Emma will wish they had never met Mariah.

One night the girls go to a party at Mariah’s boyfriend’s house, but lie to their parents and say they are going to the movies. When their parents show up at the movies looking for them, the girls decide to concoct a story rather than tell the truth and get in trouble. They decide to tell their parents that they were attacked by a man on the way to the movies. They don’t expect their parents to involve the police, but that is exactly what happens. As the girls are questioned by the police and applauded as local heroes for resisting the fictional attacker, they are forced to continue lying until the story is out of control. When an innocent man is arrested, they must decide if they want to live with the guilt of what they’ve done or finally tell the truth.

HARMLESS gives a realistic portrayal of how a simple lie can take on a life of it’s own.

I recommend this book for students in grade 9-12.

Paula Cea
Reference Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 2:07 PM | Comments (0)

August 16, 2007

DREAM FACTORY by Brad Barkley and Heather Hepler

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be Cinderella? When the character actors at Disney World go on strike, seventeen year old Ella gets a chance to find out. Hired as the replacement Cinderella simply because the costume fit, Ella spends the summer hosting tea parties for little girls and marrying Prince Charming every day at noon. Yet despite being in the happiest place on earth, Ella finds it hard to believe in the magic of Disney and is consumed with grief over her brother’s recent death.

Also among the cast of characters is Luke who plays Dale (of Chip and Dale). Luke has the perfect girlfriend, Cassie who plays Chip, and a lucrative job in the family business waiting for him back home, but he too is struggling to decide what he really wants out of life.

When a Disney Scavenger hunt is planned to promote teamwork among the actors, Ella and Luke team up to compete for the prize. While they compete against the other teams, they learn about each other and about themselves, and they find out that real magic cannot be packaged and labeled by Disney.

Disney fans will enjoy the behind the scenes look that DREAM FACTORY provides.

I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR TEENS 13-17.

Paula Cea
Reference Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 5:13 PM | Comments (3)

August 10, 2007

THE BLACK SHEEP by Yvonne Collins and Sand Rideout

Television is filled with reality shows like American Idol and Survivor, but what if there was a television show where a teen could switch families. Kendra Bishop, 15, would love to leave her money obsessed parents with all their rules, which are kept in a binder, and find new parents. When her parents fire Rosa, her beloved Nanny, Kendra sends off a letter of application to a new reality show call The Black Sheep.

Within the month producer, Judy, is banging down the Bishop's front door in New York City to take Kendra to her new family, the Mulligans, in Monterey, California. Say goodbye to being an only, overprotected child of bankers and hello to a large family with environmentally concerned parents. Now Kendra must learn to share a room with a younger sister and a ferret, accept cameras on her all the time, learn to love otters, and accept the fact she is falling for her new older brother.

This new family, new star power, new cause and new love may be more problematic for Kendra, than the home she left behind. Along with Kendra learn about reality TV in THE BLACK SHEEP.

I RECOMMEND THIS TITLE FOR TEENS 13 TO 17.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 4:16 PM | Comments (0)

August 6, 2007

HARRY POTTER BOOKS AND MOVIES

SO YOU HAVE READ IT, SEEN ALMOST ALL OF IT AND NOW IT IS TIME TO DISCUSS IT,
THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS DISCUSSION on Monday August 20, 2007 at 7 pm. From the Sorcerer's Stone to the Deathly Hallows here is your chance to discuss the series of the decade. Meet with other Potter fans and talk about the books, the movies and what you would like to see in the Harry Potter future.

There will be refreshments. Registration for young people in grades 6 to 12 begins today. Seating is limited.

Posted by fjacksonem at 7:25 PM | Comments (1)

July 19, 2007

IN SEARCH OF MOCKINGBIRD by Loretta Ellsworth

In April I listed the nominations of the 2007 Teen Top Ten. You can vote on your favorites during Teen Read Week in October. One title, IN SEARCH OF MOCKINGBIRD by Loretta Ellsworth, sounded interesting, so I immediately ordered it for the Young Adult collection. It arrived a few weeks ago, and I read it last night and was not disappointed in its selection.

The day before her sixteenth birthday, Erin gets her mother's diary from her Dad. Erin's Mom died, when she was an infant, and for many years Erin has read and reread her mother's copy of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. In the diary Erin discovers her mother had written to Harper Lee, Mockingbird's author about being an author, so Erin decides to begin a pilgrimage to Monroeville, Alabama, home of Harper Lee.

In the two and one-half day time frame Erin learns more from the trip to Alabama than her arrival in Monroeville. Erin explores her relationships with her dead mother, her father, his fiancee and the fabulous people she meets along the way.

I RECOMMEND THIS TITLE FOR ANY TEEN ENTERING NINTH GRADE UP. IT WAS SUCH A WONDERFUL READ.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 2:11 PM | Comments (1)

July 6, 2007

SEQUELS

I usually only read the first of many series, but the two books reviewed here were kind of special. Jen Calonita is a local writer and I must admit I wondered what happened to STARGIRL. Just to let you know LOVE, STARGIRL will not be published until August, so it is not available at this writing.

Kaitlin Burke is back in SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE:ON LOCATION by Jen Caloita. In the first book readers experienced how a Hollywood teen star tried to attend public high school.

Now Kaitlin is on vacation from school and her popular TV show, but vacation means making a movie with her all-time favorite director. It also means juggling --

Austin, her current boyfriend who is not in show business and she adores;
Drew, her exboyfriend who is her co-star and love interest in the movie and wants Kaitlin back;
Sky, her co-star from her hit TV series and currently her nemesis in the movie, who is jealous of Kaitlin's success and will do anything to destroy Kaitlyn;
Liz, her best friend, needs a job, because her Dad said so, but wants to hang out with Kaitlyn;
And all the adults in her life, Mom, Dad, her publicist, her assistant, the Director, and the studio publicist, who want to control Kaitlyn's life.

Chaos can and will happen, and you, the reader, will laugh and cry with Kaitlyn through the entire movie experience. Kaitlyn also give readers insight into the Hollywood movie making experience with 19 Hollywood secrets.

IF YOU ARE FAN OF KAITLYN,YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. FOR ANY GIRL IN GRADE 7 AND UP TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT.

In 2000 Jerry Spinelli wrote STARGIRL. It was Leo's story about the most unusual student ever to attend Mica High School. He loved her, but did not understand her, so he lost her. At the end of STARGIRL Leo wonders what happened to her.

It is a year later and Stargirl begins a letter to Leo. This is her story, LOVE STARGIRL.

She tells him where she is, Pennsylvania, and how much she still cares about him and wonders does he still care about her. Along the way she describes how she is home schooled and all the interesting people in her small town. There is Dootsie, 5 years old and a human bean (I think she is the next generation Stargirl.), Old Charlie who sits in the cemetery, Alvina who sweeps up at the donut shop, and Perry, the boy who just might steal Stargirl's heart from Leo.

She studies time as she explore her new surroundings and learns of people in this new town. She also goes through the healing process of loss (Leo) and hopefully will come out whole once again.

At first I was disappointed in the story, but I continued on. I am glad I did, because Stargirl voice was a beautiful song to listen to.

I RECOMMEND IT FOR ANYONE, AGE 12 AND UP, INTERESTED IN WHAT HAPPENED TO STARGIRL. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST BOOK, DO READ IT FIRST. IT WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND HER PAIN.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 3:21 PM | Comments (2)

June 25, 2007

EDENVILLE OWLS by Robert B. Parker

Robert B. Parker is an award winning New York Times bestselling author, who has just written his first young adult novel, EDENVILLE OWLS. Set immediately after World War II we meet Bobby Murphy, a fourteen-year-old eighth grader. The school year has just begun and Bobby and his friends, Russell, Manny, Billy and Nick, have formed a basketball team. Their dream is to play in the Massachusetts Junior Varsity State Basketball Tournament. With only five players, no coach and only an outdoor court to practice on is it the impossible dream?

Besides basketball Bobby, a budding writing, finds himself in a 1940's kind of detention. Looking out of the window he notices his teacher, Miss Delaney, being pushed around by a strange man. Could she be in real danger, Bobby thinks so.

Finally Bobby is looking at Joanie, a friend from grade school. She is dating his friend, Nick, but for Bobby it just doesn't seem right.

Basketball, teachers in trouble and first love make up an interesting coming of age novel. I also wonder if it isn't autobiographical.

RECOMMENDED FOR TEEN IN GRADES 8 TO 11.

Mrs Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

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June 6, 2007

CONFESSIONS FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S CHAIR by Anna Myers

If you ever thought running a school would be fun, read Anna Myers' CONFESSIONS FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S CHAIR. It is the story of Robin (a.k.a. Bird) Miller.

Bird, standing 67 inches tall and wearing a navy suit, is mistaken for the new interim school principal, when she goes to register at her new middle school. She is attending a new school, because she and her clique played a cruel prank against a less popular girl in her previous school. Bird's mom would not tolerate such behavior and has moved both of them to Prairie Dog, Oklahoma.

Prairie Dog is a remote town, nothing like Denver, Colorado and Bird is furious, so furious only revenge keeps her going. Her life in Prairie Dog begins with her mother being arrested for kidnapping, when the local sheriff finds a notepad on the ground next to the Miller's car.

The opportunity to be the middle school principal what could not be better; this is real payback, and Bird is determined to make her mark on the school. This will be some prank, but life in the principal's chair is more than even she expected.

RECOMMENDED FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL READERS.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 3:36 PM | Comments (2)

May 22, 2007

THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET: A NOVEL IN WORDS AND PICTURES

In THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station. He is an orphan, clock keeper, and thief. In the train station his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. The old man who runs the toy booth and a young girl who loves books enters Hugo's life, and everything is at risk including Hugo's most precious secret. The secret includes a notebook, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father. This is a mystery you can not put down. Although the book appears very big, 526 pages big; wonderful illustrations replace words to move the story along.

I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR YOUNG TEENS IN GRADES 6 TO 8.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 9:35 AM | Comments (6)

May 15, 2007

SEMIPRECIOUS

SEMIPRECIOUS by D. Anne Love was a very touching book. In the book, Garnet’s mother decides to pursue her dream of becoming famous, but ends up dumping her two children, Opal and Garnet, with her sister. At first, the sister’s are very upset about leaving Mirabeau, Texas, and going to Willow Flat’s, Texas. Their mother’s sister is poor, and the lifestyle is very different then they are used to. Garnet’s sister instantly becomes popular, but it’s harder for Garnet. During her time in Willow Flats, she discovers that her mother isn’t really cut out for being a mother, and that she can find family in the most unexpected places. By the end of the book, Garnet and Opal are going to return with their father to Mirabeau, and Garnet is finally accepting on who she is, and who has made her that way.

I RECOMMEND IT FOR ANYONE IN GRADES 6 TO 8.

Alison Verderber
Grade 8
Kellenberg Memorial Latin School

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April 25, 2007

HARRY POTTER: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Mrs. Steuer gave me the article, "Fans Debate Potter's Fate in Final Book" from USA TODAY (April 17, 2007) about what may happen in HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS. Three titles were listed, unfortunately only two are available, so I purchased several copies for the collection.

THE END OF HARRY POTTER?: An Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries That Remain by David Langford, a Hugo Award winner is quite comprehensive and maybe a little scholarly. Spells, names, muggles, pure bloods, horcruxes, nothing escaped the author. What impressed me the most; the author referred to other books, authors, and even transcripts of Rowling's interviews. This is something like reading a book of criticism you need for a term paper.

My favorite parts of this book were Langford's interpretations of various character interactions. There was a Darth Vader aka Voldemort with Harry. The final scene of the Wizard Civil War has a girl with scarlet hair talking to Harry in Lord Voldemort has gone with the wind.

The second book is MUGGLENET.COM'S WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN HARRY POTTER 7 by Ben Schoen and Emerson Spartz. This is written by the fans from mugglenet.com. This is an unofficial Harry Potter site, but they say they are the number one source for everything Harry Potter. Mr. Spartz, founder of mugglenet.com, tells the reader there is no Top Secret information in this book, but it does try to guess the outcome.

Mugglenet.com believes Harry, Ron and Hermione will survive, but will be in the line of fire most of the battle. They give a good arguments for both sides of the Dumbledore's fate. Is he dead or alive? You really must consider a lot of what is written, since Mugglenet.com predicted Book 7 would be called Harry Potter and the Hallows of Hogwarts two months before the official announcement of the title. That is a pretty good guess. This book covers much more material and also refers to Jo Rowling comments at various interviews.

No matter which book you read or don't read, I must agree with David Langford, "J. K. Rowling is still going to surprise us all."

THIS IS RECOMMENDED FOR ALL HARRY POTTER FANS WAITING IMPATIENTLY FOR THE LAST HARRY POTTER TALE.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

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April 19, 2007

TWELVE

TWELVE by Lauren Myracle is about a girl who is going into 7th grade. She deals with problems like going through puberty, boys, embarrassing family moments, starting junior high, and friendship. She has to deal with her mother trying to bring her bra shopping, getting her period before a pool party, and crushing on a guy in the grade above her.

For me, it was hard to relate to this book. I’m going into 9th grade next year, and I have already experienced the things that she goes through. But, I can remember certain things happening when I was going into middle school.

I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK FOR GIRLS GOING INTO MIDDLE SCHOOL IN GRADES 6 OR 7.

Alison Verderber
Grade 8
Kellenberg Memorial Latin School

NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON: I asked Alison to review this title. If anyone would like to review a book, but are unsure what to pick, please do not hesitate to talk with me. I am certain there is a book in need of a review. Please email me at fjacksonem@eastmeadow.info or call me at 516 794-2570 extension 237.

Posted by fjacksonem at 1:48 PM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2007

MAXIMUM RIDE 3: SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS

This is the 3rd book in the very awesome series, MAXIMUM RIDE, written by James Patterson , who has just become my favorite author. After reading this book I finally figured out why Patterson has become the #1 selling adult author. The series is about a “family” of human avians AKA birdkids. The flock, which includes Max, Fang, Gasman, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, and her trusty companion Total (who is a talking dog) Throughout the series Max and the rest of the flock must fight Erasers (which are wolf + human mutants) daily, avoid being captured the scientist who created them, and save the world, all while trying to find their real parents. Sounds like fun doesn’t it ! Even though I thought that the 3rd book was the best I suggest you read the books in order because the second book reveals things about the first and the third about both of the first 2. Also Patterson promised that if 1 million kids went on the maximum ride website he would write a 4th book to the series . so go to MAXIMUM RIDE and click on the “million clicks for Max” button and help keep these books coming.

I RECOMMEND THESE BOOKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENJOYS A GOOD ADVENTURE STORY.

Bobby Mazziotti
7th Grade
Bro. Joseph Fox Latin School

NOTE FROM MRS. JACKSON: MAXIMUM RIDE 3: SAVING THE WORLD AND OTHER EXTREME SPORTS has not been published at this blogging. Bobby read the book as an Advanced Reader's Copy, because he loves the series. Take Bobby's suggestion read MAXIMUM RIDE: THE ANGEL EXPERIMENT first and then MAXIMUM RIDE: SCHOOL'S OUT--FOREVER.

If you are interested in reviewing books, please email Mrs. Jackson at fjackson@eastmeadow.info.

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April 11, 2007

HOW TO GET SUSPENDED AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE

They say never judge a book by its cover, but how about by its title. HOW TO GET SUSPENDED AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE really made me think of all those things in junior high I would have loved to do but didn't.

Leon, 14 and entering eighth grade, begins the school year in the "gifted and talented" class. The first assignment is to make a educational video for sixth and seventh grade students. The list of topics include things like smoking, but it also includes sex education. Sex education sets Leon's creative side spinning. He will make an avant garde film and he will tell kids it is okay to masturbate. Using photographs of great works of art, a CPR dummy and poems written by a friend, he makes his movie, but an innocent preview of the unfinished work gets Leon suspended. Before long people are taking sides and this homework assignment is now a censorship issue.

The author, Adam Selzer, is making fun of censorship and prudish people with his very funny book, but censorship is a serious topic. It is a good book to discuss with others. This is Selzer's first novel, so more information on him, check out his webpage at www.adamselzer.com

RECOMMENDED FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GRADES 6 TO 8.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 11:13 AM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2007

LILY B ON THE BRINK OF PARIS by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel

As I was sitting on my couch this past weekend looking at the snow and ice with spring only a few days away, I thought about traveling somewhere else. However, the airports were cleaning up from Friday, March 16th storm, so I picked up LILY B. ON THE BRINK OF PARIS by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel and read it.

Lily B. (aka Lily Blennerhassett, writer extraordinaire) was about to embark with her two best friends on the 8th grade French class trip to Paris. Armed with everything she needed to know or thought she needed to know from the MADELINE picture books by Ludwig Bemelmans Lily begins her new adventure. She was also armed with the words of her parents, "Stay with the group."

First airplane, first foreign destination and first realization you need more than Madeline as a guidebook to write the great Parisian novel. Follow Lily and her friends through Notre Dame Cathedral, the Lourve and the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. Sometimes you might even giggle out loud at their antics.

This was my first Lily B. book, although it is the third one written by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. You might want to check out LILY B ON THE BRINK OF COOL and LILY B ON THE BRINK OF LOVE.

I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND PROBABLY THE ENTIRE SERIES FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL (GRADES 6 TO 8) GIRLS AND THIS BOOK FOR ANYONE WHO WANTS TO TRAVEL TO PARIS.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 2:45 PM | Comments (0)

March 19, 2007

LAUGH TILL YOU CRY by Joan Lowery Nixon

Do you have a class clown in your class? Or at least someone in your class that can make you laugh a lot. LAUGH TILL YOU CRY is the story of a boy named Cody who likes to make jokes. Cody moves next-door to his cousin to help his sick grandmother. When his cousin and his cousin’s friends decide to pick on Cody. Cody’s life turns into a living nightmare. But one day after running away from his cousin and his friends he runs into a police officer who doesn’t mind his jokes and is willing to pay money for them.

His life begins to brighten up. But things begin to turn ugly when Cody is blamed and framed for a prank call about a bomb to his school. Fellow classmates begin to look at him suspiciously. After he is framed with another call to the school. Life keeps getting worse. I mean how couldn’t it. He has a report on Shakespeare’s Hamlet due when he can barely understand it and people look at him like he’s a troublemaker when he’s really not. And to top it off he has to deal with his cousin and his friends. Who’s been setting him up? And why does his cousin have baking flour in his closet? Find out by reading LAUGH TILL YOU CRY by Joan Lowery Nixon.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THE BOOK TO ANYONE IN 6TH GRADE AND UP AND ANYONE WHO HAS READ ANY OF JOAN LOWERY NIXON'S OTHER BOOKS.

Camille Deytiquez
Grade 7
W. T. Clarke Middle School

Posted by fjacksonem at 1:59 PM | Comments (2)

March 15, 2007

HARMLESS by Dana Reinhardt

Best friends Emma, Anna, and Mariah lied to their parents. Instead of going to the movies like they said they were, they went to a party that included boys and alcohol. Things were going great until Emma gets a phone call, her parents went to the movie and did not see them anywhere; she wants to know where they are. The girl’s panic, afraid of how angry their parents will be when they find out the girls were really at a party. To escape punishment the girls come up with a harmless story, or so they thought. Before they know it the whole community has become involved and the girls find themselves lost in their web of lies.

Dana Reinhardt's book, HARMLESS is FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 9 AND UP.

Miss. Samuel
Young Adult Services
East Meadow Public Library

Posted by fjacksonem at 11:56 AM | Comments (1)

SCARLETT by Cathy Cassidy

SCARLETT by Cathy Cassidy

Scarlett is a twelve year old trouble maker. She has been kicked out of four schools in two years. But with her ketchup dyed hair and black fingernails, and tongue piercing, its what’s expected from her. Finally, as a last resort, her mother sends her to Ireland to live with her father. At first, Scarlett aches for London, but with the help of a mysterious boy, Kian, his horse, and her new family, Scarlett will finally find who she really is and where she belongs.

When Scarlett arrives at her father’s house in Ireland, she thinks that it’s the worst place ever. All country, a little step-sister, and another on the way, courtesy of Clare, the woman who stole her father away. After a few (hilarious) incidents, Scarlett realizes that she loves these people, and that she needs to try harder, for everyone’s sake. She learns what a family truly is, and once she puts aside her own anger, more importantly, she finds out who her family truly is.

RECOMMENDED FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 6 TO 8.

Alison Verderber
Grade 8
Kellenberg Memorial Latin School

Posted by fjacksonem at 8:01 AM | Comments (5)

February 20, 2007

THE BRAID by Helen Frost

As you are taught in school, people came to North America for various reasons and both the journey and starting anew was hard. In THE BRAID you meet the MacKinnons, who have just been evicted from the Western Isles of Scotland. Two teenage sisters, Jeannie and Sarah, are separated, when Jeannie joins the family to go to family in Nova Scotia and Sarah stays in Scotland with their grandmother. Both girls are lonely for each other but are connected by a braid of their intertwined hair. The book is told alternately by both girls in prose and poetry. The reader learns of the hardships of migrating from the ocean voyage to finding a home, and the loneliness of losing one's family, when she chooses to stay behind.

This wonderful short book, only 88 pages, introduces to a group of amazing young heroines by Helen Frost, the author of KEESHA'S HOUSE. This book is RECOMMENDED FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 8 TO 10.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

February 16, 2007

THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE by Philip Pullman

A few weeks ago I was kind of watching television and an advertisement for Masterpiece Theatre began. It immediately drew me in, because the story dramatized was THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE.
This title may be unfamiliar to you, but if you loved THE GOLDEN COMPASS and its sequels in HIS DARK MATERIALS; you will be pleased to learn this book is written by Philip Pullman.

Mr. Pullman has created Sally Lockhart, a Nancy Drew like heroine who lives in Victorian England. After the death of her father, Sally, alone and friendless, is drawn into a mystery that could cause her death. She is following the trail of a mysterious ruby; it may have caused the death of her father, the death of a stranger who summoned her; and an opium loving sailor. There is also a evil old woman shadowing everything Sally does. Along the way Sally makes some new friends, begins a new career, and of course, solves the mystery.

For a good old-fashion mystery with a great female character, try the Sally Lockhart mysteries, THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE, THE SHADOW IN THE NORTH, and THE TIGER IN THE WELL.
This series is RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 AND UP.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 2:09 PM | Comments (0)

February 9, 2007

MARIE, DANCING by Carolyn Meyer

Have you ever seen a ballerina dance? If you have, you would most likely think at the time: “Wow, isn’t she talented!” or “ What he just did was amazing”. People usually don’t think about the hard work dancers have to do to be able to do what you see. The book MARIE, DANCING by: Carolyn Meyer portrays the historical fiction story of Marie Van Goethem who modeled for Edgar Degas’s sculpture, “The Little Dancer”.

In the book, Marie is a student at the Paris Opéra ballet school struggling in poverty. To Marie, dancing is the only joy in her life. Before her father dies, he makes her promise to keep the family together. Without a father Marie finds life a lot harder than before. Her mother is an alcoholic, her older sister is selfish and she has a younger sister that she has to take care of. Follow the story of a young dancer struggling poverty and life through Marie.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THE BOOK FOR GRADES 7-10 and anyone who has read some of Carolyn Meyer’s other books such as DOOMED, QUEEN ANNE, LOVING WILL SHAKESPEARE, and PATIENCE, PRINCESS CATHERINE.

Camille Deytiquez
Grade: 7
School: W.T. Clarke Middle School

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:01 AM | Comments (3)

January 29, 2007

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS by Sara Shepard

As we closed the SISTERHOOD series, a new group of high school teens are introduced in PRETTY LITTLE LIARS by Sara Shepard. Meet Aria, Emily, Hanna, Spencer and Alison, AKA Ali, five friends joined at the hip having sleepovers, sharing secrets and being there for each other. Everything sixth and seventh grade girls do in an exclusive suburb of Philadelphia.

Together always, until the last day of seventh grade at the end of school sleepover, an argument breaks out and Ali leaves Spencer's barn never to be seen again.

Fast forward to the beginning of their junior year at an exclusive private school. Aria, Emily, Hanna and Spencer, no longer friends, finds someone is sending them messages about their personal secrets from the past and the present. The sender signs his/her work with letter A.

Could Ali be back? She is the only one who knows Aria's father had an affair and Aria is sleeping with her teacher; Emily prefers girls; Hanna's father may prefer his pretty stepdaughter; and Spencer is known for stealing her older sister's boyfriends. Then there is a secret they all keep.

This book is a page-turner. It is filled with all the angst you find on 90210 or the OC. Unfortunately nothing is resolved only introduced, so look for a sequel or I should say many sequels. I must admit I looking forward to the sequel due out in a few months.

I RECOMMEND THIS TITLE FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 9 TO 12.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 2:38 PM | Comments (16)

January 24, 2007

FOREVER IN BLUE: THE FOURTH SUMMER OF THE SISTERHOOD by Ann Brashares

Sometimes we must say goodbye to friends and Ann Brashares has decided to say goodbye to Bee, Carman, Lina and Tibby in the last SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS books. As the book begins the girls have already finished their freshman year at college and find it is getting harder and harder to meet for the annual traveling pants ceremony. With no ceremony to begin the summer each girl struggles fo discover who she is and what is her relationship to the SISTERHOOD.

Old characters are revisited, new ones are introduced to interact with our girls. It was nice to see them grow into young women, but as with any good book or friend I was sad to see it end.

THIS BOOK IS RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 8 AND UP.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 2:11 PM | Comments (6)

January 22, 2007

2007 PRINTZ AWARD

Just eleven days ago I wrote the winners of the Nassau/Suffolk Young Adult Librarians choice for the 2007 Printz Award. Well, they were not even close. The winner is AMERICAN BORN CHINESE by Gene Luen Yang. This is the first graphic novel to honor. I reviewed this title for the YA BOOK LOG on November 11, 2006. (You might want to check it out.)

Yang's publisher, FirstSecond, tells about the author on their webpage. Gene Yang began drawing comic books in the fifth grade. In 1997, he received the Xeric Grant, a prestigious comics industry grant, for Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks, his first comics work as an adult. He has since written and drawn a number of titles, including Duncan’s Kingdom (with art by Derek Kirk Kim) and The Rosary Comic Book.
He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his lovely wife, Theresa, and son, Kolbe, and teaches computer science at a Roman Catholic high school.

Four more books were honored in the 2007 selection.
THE ASTONISHING LIFE OF OCTAVIAN NOTHING, TRAITOR TO THE NATION; v.1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson. With 18th century language this book tells the story of Octavian, the subject of a horritying Enlightenment experiment, who escapes slavery and fights in the American Revolution.

AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES by John Green, last year's Printz winner. A road trip to the town of Gutshot, Tennessee, offers Colin Singleton, a child prodigy and compulsive boyfriend of girls named Katherine, the opportunity to face his past and find his future.

SURRENDER by Sonya Hartnett. This is a psychological thriller. A troubled young man relives the horrifying events that land him on his deathbed.

THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak This was the local librarians favorite. Death recounts the journey of Liesel Meminger, a young girl who witnesses the destructive and healing power of words in Nazi Germany.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 1:24 PM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2007

THE NOTEBOOK GIRLS: FOUR FRIENDS, ONE DIARY, REAL LIFE by Julia Baskin,Lindsey Newman, Sophie Politt-Cohen and Courtney Toombs

The Notebook Girls is the real life diary of four friends who attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. Jula, Lindsey, Sophie, and Courtney became close friends their freshmen year and decided to start the notebook as a way to stay in touch. The girls write about the pressures of school, boys, family, and friends. In addition to sharing their thoughts and experiences the girls put pictures and drawings into the notebook. Readers will laugh and sometimes relate to the experiences the girls write about in this black marble notebook.

RECOMMENDED FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GRADES 10-12.
Miss Samuel
Young Adult Librarian

Posted by fjacksonem at 2:11 PM | Comments (2)

January 11, 2007

LONG ISLAND YOUNG ADULT LIBRARIANS PICK THEIR FAVORITE FOR THE PRINTZ AWARD

On January 4, 2007 the Nassau and Suffolk County Young Adult Librarians met and selected their favorites to win the Printz Award for 2007.The Michael L. Printz Award is an award for a book that exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.

This year's selection is THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak. In this story Death tries to make sense of the horrors of World War II. Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors. Hazel Rochman of the publication, BOOKLIST(January 1, 2006), wrote " More than the overt message about the power of words, it's Liesl's confrontation with horrifying cruelty and her discovery of kindness in unexpected places that tell the heartbreaking truth."
Not an easy book to get into it is a powerful story and recommended for HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GRADES 10 TO 12.

The librarians selected two Honor Books for this year's Printz.
SOLD by Patricia McCormick and RULES OF SURVIVAL by Nancy Werlin.

SOLD was prevously review on the YA BOOK LOG on December 21, 2006 and was recommended for TEENS IN GRADES 10 TO 12.

RULES OF SURVIVAL by Nancy Werlin tells the story of seventeen-year-old Matthew and his attempts to free himself and his sisters from the grip of their emotionally and physically abusive mother. This book is recommended for TEENS IN GRADES 7 TO 10.

Within the next two weeks we will know, if these selections turn out to be the winners. I will keep you posted.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:05 AM | Comments (0)

December 29, 2006

CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSET CATHOLIC by Sara Darer Littman

Now that the Christmas season is almost over the next big religious holiday has to be EASTER with its prerequisite Lent. Justine's best friend, Mary Catherine, has given up chocolate for Lent, but Justine feels God wants something more of her. She gives up being Jewish, uses her closet for confessiion, and drinks grape juice and eats matzo for Communion, but when her Grandmother suffers a stroke, Justine blames her personal conversion. Now she must decide who she is?

CONFESSIONS OF A CLOSET CATHOLIC by Sarah Darer Littman is a hilarious tale of a young girl trying to fit in. It won the 2006 Sydney Taylor Book Award for older readers. This award recognizes the best in Jewish children's literature. THIS BOOK IS RECOMMENDED FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 5 TO 8.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 12:48 PM | Comments (1)

December 21, 2006

SOLD by Patricia McCormick

Patricia McCormick wrote SOLD, as a tribute to a young girl who not only survives but triumphs. Thirteen year old Lakshmi lives in the mountains of Nepal with mother, baby brother and step-father. Her family is so poor they cannot afford a tin roof like the other families in the village. Lakshmi wants to go to the city to work so that she can send money back to her family but her mother wants her to stay in school. After a horrible monsoon that washes away the crops and destroys the already tattered roof, Lakshmi's step-father says that she is to go to the city to work. Lakshmi is happy, proud that she will be able to help her family. She soon learns that her job in the city is not the maid job she thought it would be. Lakshmi's step-father has sold her into prostitution and now she is stuck in India forced to pay off the price that was paid for her. Lakshmi struggles to make it through the nightmare her life has become and dreams of the day she will be free again.

THIS BOOK IS RECOMMENDED FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN GRADES 10-12.

Miss Samuel
Young Adult Librarian
East Meadow Public Library

Posted by fjacksonem at 11:10 AM | Comments (1)

December 14, 2006

NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Another possible PRINTZ contender is NICK AND NORAH'S INFINITE PLAYLIST by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Cohn and Levithan write alternating chapters, so the readers hears both Norah's and Nick's wise and witty views of this new relationship. It starts off simple enough; Nick, the straight member of a gay band, is trying to avoid his ex-girlfriend, so he asks Norah, who happens to go to school with the ex-girlfriend, to be his new girlfriend for just five minutes. Norah, in need of a ride back to New Jersey, agrees to the five minutes romance, and thus, begins the courtship during a single night in Manhattan.

Not trying to sound prudish, I should warn readers there are a lot of four letter words. In this book they're necessary, since the tale begins in a punk rock night club. This heart tingling and kind of sexy romance is recommended for teens in grades 10 to 12.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 12:01 PM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2006

FANS OF THE SISTERHOOD BOOKS

In my email this morning was the news of a contest for fans of Ann Barshares and her SISTERHOOD BOOKS.

ENTER the SISTERHOOD AND THE CITY CONTEST.

One grand-prize winner will win a trip to New York City to meet Ann Brashares!

The Sisterhood has undergone countless changes since the fateful day when the girls first found the Pants. Now, in Forever in Blue, the girls have finished their freshman year in college and are ready for a summer that will change them forever. One thing remains the same: no matter what happens, Carmen, Lena, Bridget, and Tibby will always have each other to lean on.

How will your group of friends remain close even as everyone faces her own experiences? In 250 words or less, tell us and you and your friends could start packing your pants!

All entries must be received by March 12, 2007

For those young girls who have never heard of the SISTERHOOD, it is a series of books written by Ann Barshares about four friends, Tibby, Bridget, Carmen and Lena and the magical jeans that makes life a little more bearable. href="http://sun.nls.lib.ny.us/search/tsisterhood+of+the+traveling+pants/tsisterhood+of+the+traveling+pants/1%2C3%2C8%2CB/exact&FF=tsisterhood+of+the+traveling+pants&1%2C6%2C/indexsort=-">THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS, THE SECOND SUMMER OF THE SISTERHOOD, and GIRLS IN PANTS:THE THIRD SUMMER OF THE SISTERHOOD.

Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:43 AM | Comments (2)

November 3, 2006

TEENS COOK DESSERT by Megan and Jill Carle

With their Mom, a cookbook editor, and their Dad, a true lover of desserts, two teen sisters created a dessert cookbook for teens. It is a step-by-step guide to baking covering cookies, cakes, pies, puddings and other stuff, from quick and fun to more involved and dazzling.

There are more than 75 recipes including 120 photos showing step-by-step procedures and finished desserts. All the recipes are real teen favorites like peanut butter and jelly cookies and banana splits. There is a wonderful section called Things you should know about ingredients. It is things they don't say in the recipes like wash all fruit before using them. Simple, yes, but some people don't know this.

My favorite section is the Holiday Stuff, because some of the recipes could make really terrific holiday gifts. How about some Chocolate-Dipped Shortbread or Snowflake Cookies wrapped in a box with a fabulous bow or what about Gingersnaps with Pumpkin Dip for Thanksgiving. According to the Carle sisters, "This is a required snack in our house on Thanksgiving. I think everyone wants a little pumpkin fix without waiting until after dinner for the pie."

Anyone who love to cook should check out TEENS COOK DESSERT.

Submitted by Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 10:16 AM | Comments (1)

November 2, 2006

FAIREST by Gail Carson Levine

Another great tale by Gail Carson Levine is loosely based on a elements from the fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. You may remember Lucinda from ELLA ENCHANTED, well in FAIREST, Lucinda's magic mirror is creating havoc in the Kingdom of Ayortha; where singing and beauty are prized above all. There is a girl, Aza,with the most beautiful singing voice who wants nothing more than to be pretty, and there is the new queen of Ayortha who is beautiful but can not sing. When their paths cross, all things good and bad happen.

This is a terrific tale for girls in grades 6 to 9 or anyone who is a Gail Carson Levine fan.

Submitted by Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 1:20 PM | Comments (17)

October 16, 2006

PARENT SWAP by Terence Blacker

With Alex Rider's STORMBREAKER, the movie, opening this weekend (I have not seen it yet), I began to wonder what other Young Adult titles should be made into movies. I really did not have to go far the book I was reading would make a great movie.

Is your"... Mum and Dad driving your crazy? Call ParentSwap today!" that is exactly what Danny Bell, 13, is going to do. Danny's home life is not exactly ideal; his Dad, an ex-rocker, never leaves the house or the couch; his sister is always fighting with him; his younger brother spends all his time with video games; and his Mum, she has left home for a career in real estate.

ParentSwap is a secret London agency to help kids find the parents they deserve. Danny's life is transformed. Out are the misfits, In are the perfect parents or are they? There are cameras in all the rooms of his new home and ParentSwap know everything he is doing. Danny begins to wonder if there is something fishy about this whole service.

IF YOU ARE IN GRADES 6 TO 9, PICK UP PARENT SWAP.

Do you have any books that should be a movie?

Submitted by Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 3:11 PM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2006

DEFINE NORMAL by Julie Ann Peters

How do you define normal? Is having purple hair and pierced eyebrows normal? Or maybe being a member of the math team and wearing pleated skirts is more normal. The two main characters of Define Normal by Julie Anne Peters both consider themselves normal, despite the fact that they seem to be complete opposites.

Antonia is a straight A student who is eager to join the peer counseling program at her school, that is until she walks into her first session to find out she's been paired with Jasmine Luther. Jasmine, who goes by the name Jazz, has purple hair and is known throughout the school as a punk and a druggie. As the two girls get to know each other through their sessions, they find they have more in common than they thought. Antonia learns that Jazz has a rocky relationship with her parents while Jazz learns that Antonia's mother suffers from severe depression leaving Antonia with the responsibility of caring for her two younger brothers. When things get worse for Antonia and her family, Jazz shows what a true friend she is, and Antonia learns never again to judge a book by its cover.

Girls, ages 13 up should read DEFINE NORMAL.

Submitted by Paula Cea
Librarian Trainee - Reference Department
East Meadow Public Library

Posted by fjacksonem at 2:36 PM | Comments (3)

October 5, 2006

BIG SNACKS, LITTLE MEALS

As the days grow shorter and darker, you may be spending more time at home and that might mean more trips to the refrigerator for a snack.

A cookbook has just arrived in the library called BIG SNACKS, LITTLE MEALS: AFTER SCHOOL, DINNERTIME, ANYTIME by Rose Dunnington. This book tells you everything you need to know to make a sensational snack, from measuring ingredients to mastering basic cooking techniques. According to the author, "This is a book about real cooking, not some little kids' book about making PB & J sandwiches that look like bunnies."

If you are into salsas, burritos, trail mixes, pancakes, chowder and all other kinds of foods, there are 50 tasty recipes any teen would love.

Submitted by Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 6:58 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2006

MEG CABOT FANS

Once again something wonderful crossed my desk; it is from Meg Cabot. For years I have been on Meg Cabot's mailing list and today I received a wonderful opportunity for all Meg Cabot fans extraordinaire.

Ms. Cabot has the Meg-A-Reader program. You could become an official member of the exclusive Meg-A-Reader program. Those fans selected can get advance copies of her new books and special e-mails from Meg. Visit the Meg Cabot web page and click on Meg-A-Reader.

Just fill out the registration form(Name, Date of Birth, E-Mail Address and Mailing Address) and in 50 words tell us “Why I Would Be a Fabulous Meg-A-Reader”! Only one entry per person will be allowed. All multiple entries will be rejected. All entries must be received by October 31, 2006. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE IN THE EAST MEADOW COMMUNITY and should you become a Meg-A-Reader. let me know by e-mail.

Submitted by Mrs Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 9:47 AM | Comments (4)

September 11, 2006

LONG ISLAND SPORTS

When I thought about a blog, I thought about books, however, teens read more than books. So when Newsday wrote me about publishing their high school sports pages on the web (we distribute NEWSDAY HI FIVE in the Library), I thought you might be interested. On the web version find up to the minute information about high school sports on Long Island; see the best feats of the week; check out the photo archives; and Look at the HI FIVE HONOR ROLL of Awards, History, Records and All-Stars.

So for all you sports fans add this to your favorites websites, high school sports.

Submitted by Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 1:29 PM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2006

I'D TELL YOU I LOVE YOU, BUT THEN I'D HAVE TO KILL YOU by Ally Carter

Move over Alex Rider(see STORMBREAKER), meet Cameron, Cammie, Morgan, daughter of two professional spies. Since it is in her blood, Cammie attends the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school to the rest of the world, but behind its gates it is a school for spies. The students are taught the martial arts in physical education, study chemical warfare in chemistry and everyone is fluent in many, many languages. Cammie is fluent in fourteen, and her martial art training has enabled her to kill in seven different ways.

The students, for the most part, are geniuses or unusually smart, but they are also teenage girls. So an accidental meeting with a cute boy from the local town sends Cammie and her friends on a covert mission. They manage to tap his phone, hack into his email and examine the family’s garbage. Cammie has never had a boyfriend; she doesn’t even know how to talk to them. Is it possible that a genius studying to be a spy, fall a regular boy?

This is a fun read to a rainy Saturday afternoon for girls in grades 7 to 10. According to the jacket cover Ally Carter is hard at work on her next Gallagher Academy Girls adventure.

Submitted by Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 6:43 PM | Comments (3)

August 18, 2006

13 LITTLE BLUE ENVELOPES by Maureen Johnson

Here is an adventure every girl would love to take. Ginny, 17, receives a letter instructing her to visit a favorite restaurant in New York City.The unusual thing about the letter it's from her favorite Aunt Peg who died three months earlier. At the restaurant she receives llittle blue envelope 1 with $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket. In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat. The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist. Each envelope gives Ginny a new opportunity to learn about the world and this European adventure eventually helps Ginny piece together family mysteries and discovers herself.

THIS IS A REALLY FUN READ FOR GIRLS IN GRADES 8 AND UP. Maureen Johnson has also written THE KEY TO THE GOLDEN FIREBIRD.

Submitted byMrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

Posted by fjacksonem at 9:19 AM | Comments (2)

August 9, 2006

SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE by Jen Calonita

Kaitlin Burke has been on a blockbuster night-time soap opera since she could walk. Now she's 15 and she needs a break from all the hangers-on, and the bad behavior of Hollywood. All she wants to be is normal. She wants to go to high school. But how does the most popular teen star around hit class without causing a major commotion and a rush of paparazzi?

This is the life we all dream about, but is it worth it?

This is the first book written by Jen Calonita and is RECOMMENDED FOR GRADES 7 TO 12. It is available at the East Meadow Public Library.

Submitted by Mrs. Jackson
Head of Young Adult Services

MEET THE AUTHOR ON THURSDAY OCTOBER 19, 2006
JEN CALONITA WILL CELEBRATE TEEN READ WEEK AT THE EAST MEADOW PUBLIC LIBRARY

Come and decorate a pair of glasses with gems for that Hollywood glamour look, then listen to Jen Calonita, author of SECRETS OF MY HOLLYWOOD LIFE. Ms. Calonita is a former Senior Entertainment Editor at Teen People; Jennifer has interviewed everyone from Reese Witherspoon and Lindsay Lohan to Ashton Kutcher. She lives on Long Island and loves writing, reading, taking pictures and watching Way too much TV. Her favorites include The OC, Gilmore Girls and Everwood. There will be a $2.00 non-refundable material fee. Registration begins Thursday, October 5.

Posted by fjacksonem at 9:59 AM | Comments (13)