November 20, 2009
New graphic novels with heart
I've been on a little graphic novel kick lately and had to share the latest ones that I've really enjoyed. They are quite different, but similar in the way that they are both thought-provoking and moving.
The first one is titled The Eternal Smile by Gene Luen Yang, illustrated by Derek Kirk Kim.
Yang is also the author of the influential and award-winning graphic novel American Born Chinese.
The Eternal Smile is actually a collection of 3 short stories, each with a fantasy-meets-reality spin. The first short story is "Duncan's Kingdom." Without giving away too much, it begins with a medieval knight named Duncan who is fighting frog creatures to woo a princess. The story in reality is so much more, and in 55 pages, you see Duncan's world unravel and learn how things are not what they seem. But in a really cool way.
"Gran'pa Greenbax and the Eternal Smile" looks at a frog with a Scrooge complex, Gran'pa Greenbax, and how far he will go to fulfil his dreams of wealth beyond belief. This story investigates evangelical hypocrisy, greed, wish fulfilment, religion and reality television by poking fun at these unlikeable characters and making us look inward as well.
"Urgent Request" was my favorite story of the three. Cubicle worker Janet Oh receives one of those awful spam e-mails asking her to send money to the prince of Nigeria. In return, she will receive a cut of his riches when he can pay her back. Common sense dictates that we deny the request, but what happens when you follow the fantasy? The simple grayscale artwork compliments the story of Janet and her prince and the passive behavior she exhibits. You will want to wring her neck at some points, but that fits with her character growing until the end. It was a charming story.
A Family Secret by Eric Heuvel.
There is a sea of Holocaust literature out there, and much of it is excellent. In order to stand out, a new work needs to have either a unique angle or excellent quality. I felt that A Family Secret had both elements. The unique angle in this case was the combination of a graphic novel format and the voice of a girl from Holland. Although Maus is known as the benchmark Holocaust graphic novel, this story is definitely more appropriate for a YA audience.
The story is told mainly as a a series of flashbacks from a grandmother to her grandson. Helena Van Dort's wartime experience is documented in her journal and left in her attic for her grandson Jeroen to discover many years later. Here Helena's family secret is more of an omission from her history rather than something she's trying to hide.
The details of her childhood in Nazi occupied Holland are emotional as she struggles with her family to do what is right and stay safe. There are strong family rifts over how to handle their loyalty to the Nazis and to their family friends who are Jewish. Her father is a policeman, forced to join the party, and later seen as a collaborator. One of her brothers joins the German army while the other joins the Dutch resistance. Helena herself ties herself to the resistance and never forgets when her Jewish best friend was taken away from her.
The story is well told and the artwork is very skillful. The Dutch view of the war is not often covered - with the exception of the famous story of Anne Frank. There are also references to Helena's relatives in Japanese-occupied Indonesia, which I found interesting. A dark time in history rediscovered and retold in an ultimately hopeful way.
Enjoy!
Sharon Long
Teen Services Librarian
Posted by egoldberg at 3:04 PM | Comments (0)
November 12, 2009
Marcelo in the Real World
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork.
Marcelo, (pronounced MarSELLo and NOT MarCHelo) is a 17-year-old boy with high-functioning Asperger's syndrome. He literally marches to the beat of his own music - that is, the music he hears in his head - and is quite comfortable with the life he is used to. He is sheltered and content in many ways by attending a special-needs school called Paterson, where he even has the opportunity to work with ponies. However, his father is less than content with coddling Marcelo and strikes up a deal: Marcelo can choose to work at Paterson with the ponies in the summer and attend regular public high school in the fall or he can work at his father's law firm in the mailroom over the summer and go back to Paterson in the fall. Marcelo bravely decides to take on the mailroom to force himself out of his comfort zone and into the "real world".
Marcelo is a likeable character, written with such care and research that his personality and heart shine through his disability. His Asperger's syndrome is, in many ways, his gift. He has a "special interest" in religion and classical music and engages in theological discussions with his friend the rabbi. He also has the ability to uncover the truth of a situation and follow his moral compass, even if there are difficult consequences.
Through his experiences at the law firm and from the friendship he develops with his co-worker Jasmine, Marcelo slowly starts to blossom. He finds a place in the real world, and as the reader, I found myself wanting to protect him. But you can't. Ultimately that is what's great about growing up: you become stronger when you force yourself to do something that scares you. Even if you fail, you have succeeded in the sense that you have put yourself out there and conquered a fear.
This book has an uplifting message but doesn't sugar coat the evil that can exist in the everyday actions of people. Overall, Marcelo in the Real World is a really well-written and highly recommended book. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up winning some awards next year.
Sharon Long
Teen Services Librarian
Posted by egoldberg at 4:42 PM | Comments (0)
November 4, 2009
Prophecy of the Sisters
There's a new book that has been haunting me lately - Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink. From the publisher's description:
"In late nineteenth-century New York state, wealthy sixteen-year-old twin sisters Lia and Alice Milthorpe find that they are on opposite sides of an ancient prophecy that has destroyed their parents and seeks to do even more harm."
This first book in a planned triilogy has all the right makings for a spooky fall tale. Let's see: a prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other since the dawn of time? Check. A chilly gothic setting with old-fashioned and formal language? Check. The fate of a legion of lost souls hanging in the balance? Check. Yes, it fulfills many spooktacular requirements.
What I really enjoyed was how well-developed the characters are and the many plot twists that kept the novel from being stale and clichéd. Even though the book centers around a battle between good vs. evil, the main characters are not so black and white. Lia has a good heart, yet was born into a role she does not wish to fulfill. Alice seems evil from the beginning, but you sympathize with the fact that she ultimately cannot help her calling. The supporting characters, such as Lia's friends Sonia and Luisa, infuse some warmth and humor into the story and are instantly likeable.
Although the first book spends a lot of time world-building to set the stage for more action to follow, it is a world I very much enjoyed visiting and hope to return. This is definitely a book to curl up with under a fluffy blanket on a cool autumn night.
Sharon Long
Posted by egoldberg at 9:50 AM | Comments (0)
October 30, 2009
This is What I Want to Tell You - Book Review
This is What I Want to Tell You by Heather Duffy Stone
Book review by: Anam Tariq
Nadio and Noelle are fraternal twins; add in Keeley, heir childhood friend and you get a perfect family. But when Keeley goes to Oxford, one summer vacation, everything changes. Noelle begins to feel lonely, afraid of being left behind, that she begins to hang out with shady characters to fill the gap in her heart. However, once Keeley arrives back from her trip, she too is different, in that she isn't open about her trip. In fact she's afraid to speak about her experience. Nadio is at a loss, as to what to do...how should he protect his sister and in the meantime protect his new found love with Keeley?
This is What I Want to Tell You, by Heather Duffy Stone, is a great teen novel portraying elements of love, loneliness, and desperation. Not to mention that High School life is always hectic. The novel is told in two points of views - Noelle and Nadio, giving an insight to Noelle's and Nadio's life and emotions. "Why don't people ever see the way other kinds of love can wreck you? What about the way being left out of love can wreck you?"
Posted by egoldberg at 8:30 AM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2009
Famous first words
"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." - Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book
Some books have an opening line that just hooks you and draws you in. In the spirit of the season, I wanted to post some creepy favorites.
1 - "3 May. Bistritz--Left Munich at 8.35 P.M. on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning; should have arrived at 6.46, but train was an hour late."
2 - "You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings."
3 - "It was a dark and stormy night."
4 - "When shall we three meet again?
In thunder, lightning or in rain?"
5 - "It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen."
6 - "Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house."
7 - "I'd never given much thought to how I would die--though I'd had reason enough in the last few months--but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this."
8 - "My name is Darren Shan. I'm a half-vampire."
9 - "My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."
10 - "Once upon a time, not so long ago a monster came to the small town of Castle Rock."
Can you guess the books?
Here are the answers:
1 - Dracula, Bram Stoker
2 - Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, Mary Shelley
3 - A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle
4 - Macbeth, William Shakespeare
5 - 1984, George Orwell
6 - Coraline, Neil Gaiman
7 - Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
8 - Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, Darren Shan
9 - The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold
10 - Cujo, Stephen King
Posted by egoldberg at 2:34 PM | Comments (0)
October 21, 2009
Spookin’ it old-school for Halloween: scares from the past
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, collected from folklore and retold by Alvin Schwartz; illustrations by Stephen Gammell.
More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, collected from folklore and retold by Alvin Schwartz; illustrations by Stephen Gammell.
These books haunted my childhood! Okay, these books are in the children’s room, but are still spooky enough for teens. C’mon, look at the cover illustrations! Spine-tingling! The illustrations throughout are enough to keep you up at night. The stories are collected from American folklore and have an urban legend feel to them. Familiar favorites that you might have heard in some form already include the Babysitter and the Hook. Definitely worth a re-read if you’re a fan of spooky stories. If you’ve never heard of this series, you need to pick up a copy ASAP.
Also worth noting, since we just celebrated Banned Books Week - this series of books has been one of the top ten most challenged books on the American Library Association’s list of banned and challenged books for being too violent, insensitive and inappropriate for its target age group. That's pretty awesome.
Another great blast from the past are the books from R. L. Stine, author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series. These fast, horror paperbacks are just the right amount of scary for a chilly fall evening. I remember reading The Stepsister and The Knife from my own teen years, but there are tons of other (humorously titled) tales such as:
The Dead Lifeguard and
Scream, Jennifer, Scream that you can pick up.
Classic horror never goes out of style, so why not take a look at the originals:
Bram Stoker’s Dracula
and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein?
You can always watch the old movies afterwards.
Old-school Halloween can be as scary or cheesy as you choose – just have fun!
Sharon Long
Teen Services Librarian
Posted by egoldberg at 3:04 PM | Comments (0)
October 13, 2009
Angels. And demons.
Not the Dan Brown book, just in general.
We all have to battle our angels and demons in some way, but here are a crop of new books that are LITERALLY about angels and demons battling each other.
Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gill
The devil is in the details. When, after a demon appears to repossess her car, she discovers that both the car and her soul were given as collateral in a deal made with the Devil by her irascible grandfather, eighteen-year-old Bug Smoot, given two-days' grace, tries to find ways to outsmart the Devil and his minions.
Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith
When Miranda's guardian angel Zachary recklessly saves her from falling into an open grave and dying, the result is that she turns into a vampire and he is left to try to reinstate his reputation by finally doing the right thing.
The Demon’s Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan
Sixteen-year-old Nick and his family have battled magicians and demons for most of his life, but when his brother, Alan, is marked for death while helping new friends Jamie and Mae, Nick's determination to save Alan leads him to uncover a devastating secret.
Once Dead, Twice Shy by Kim Harrison
Spunky teen Madison, though technically dead, uses a stolen amulet to retain the illusion of a body and help her in the struggle between Light and Dark reapers.
Enjoy!
Sharon Long
(Summaries from NovelistPlus)
Posted by egoldberg at 3:31 PM | Comments (0)
October 12, 2009
L.A. Candy Book Review
L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad
Book Review by: Hailey Geltman
Jane Roberts is a beautiful southern California girl who has just moved to Los Angeles for a big internship. She moved with her best friend Scarlett, and together they have decided to tackle the new adventure they are on. One night, Jane gets a little more then she bargained for when approached with the idea to be on her own reality show, L.A. Candy. It would star herself, Scarlett, and two other girls, but Jane would be the star. Jane has never been one for the spotlight but agrees to do it. So what happens when the glamorous life of a reality show star stops filming? Drama.
This book is a surprisingly good read from an even more surprising author, reality television star Lauren Conrad. She blends our illusions of Hollywood with reality as only someone who has lived it first-hand is able to do. At times it may get a little corny and predictable (hooking up with your best friend’s boyfriend!), but it's for those same reasons that you keep reading. The even better part is that most of the storylines are true because we have seen Lauren live them on screen. Hopefully her judgment is a little better than her protagonist’s, Jane Roberts.
I would recommend this book to girls between the ages of 12-19 because it is a little racy for young girls. Anyone who likes reality television drama would definitely enjoy this book because there is plenty of it! All teen girls will love it. At times you will wish you were Jane and at other times…not so much!
Thanks for the review, Hailey!
Posted by egoldberg at 2:37 PM | Comments (0)
October 7, 2009
Forest Born Book Review
Forest Born by Shannon Hale
VOYA Book review by: Carleen Sanchez
Forest Born is an enjoyable book because it is well written and has an interesting plot; however, sometimes it is repetitive. At times it is unrealistic and a little confusing. The author creates very unique characters that are appealing. In addition, the very descriptive language allows the reader to get a good mental picture of the setting. The book is very long because at some points the author rambles. The happy ending is excellent because it doesn’t leave the reader hanging.
VOYA rating:
3P 4Q
(This means she gave it a 3 out of 5 for Popularity – “Will appeal with pushing” and 4 out of 5 for Quality – “Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses.”)
Posted by egoldberg at 2:45 PM | Comments (0)
September 15, 2009
Zenith Book Review
Zenith by Julie Bertagna
Book review by: Sharon Lam
I’d like to recommend a book called Zenith to everyone,especially those who like books about adventures, friendship, and/or survival. Zenith is probably the best book I’ve read over the summer. It’s not only about strong bonds between people, but it’s also about survival when one knows one has a small chance to succeed.
This book alternates between three main characters: Mara, Tuck, and Fox. In addition, this book takes place in the future where all the ice caps have melted and lands have gone underwater. Mara, in the beginning, is on a boat full of refugees. These refugees believe Mara can help them find land. Mara is tracking down Greenland because she believes that Greenland has not drowned yet. Along the way, Mara meets Tuck. Tuck is a gypsy who has lived all his life in Pomperoy, a city made of boats chained together on the sea. When Mara and Tuck meet and land in Greenland along with Mara’s friends who survived, they face hardships such as finding food, and finding warmth in the middle of winter.
Meanwhile, Fox is Mara’s lover who is in a place called New World. New World is a city, built in the sky, which has a dictator. Fox refused to go north with Mara because he wanted to change New World into a better place. Hence, Mara and Fox can only communicate with a future technology, the cyberwizz.
I love this book because I feel it shows a perspective about life we don’t always look at. These teenagers have to face with life and death situations every day. In these situations, they handle them with calmness and most of all, courage. Readers would find this book fascinating and would starve for more!
Sharon Lam
Posted by egoldberg at 4:05 PM | Comments (0)
September 9, 2009
Geek Charming Book Review
Geek Charming
by Robin Palmer
Book review by: Teri Lam
Geek Charming is one of my favorite books I have read this summer. In this book it talks about changes over time in both of the main characters; one popular girl named Dylan and a film geek boy named Josh.
At the beginning of the story, they met when Dylan accidentally tossed her bag into the fountain and she needed a boy to get it for her. Josh came by and said he will pick it up for her if she would promise that he could film her for his documentary on high school popularity. Dylan had a popular boyfriend named Asher and very popular friends. Since the beginning of the first day when she and Josh started the documentary, Dylan and Asher’s relationship had gotten worse. Dylan’s friends had also told her that she did not hang out with them much and said that Josh was her closest friend. Dylan had always responded that they were doing business.
As chapters went by on this book, it shows the relationship between Dylan and Josh and how they became closer “friends.” Dylan learned more to be not self-centered and mean to other people. Josh learned not to be nervous when talking to other girls and not to use his inhaler as much. After the day Josh told Dylan that he had a crush on a girl named Amy, Dylan made a makeover on Josh. The next day, Josh got a lot of attention and girls said he was not such a geek anymore. Near the end of the book, Dylan realized that Josh was not that “geeky” and learned more to understand him better. They admitted that they were each other’s best friend at the end of the book, which I liked best in the story.
I would recommend this most to my friends and teens out there. This book switches chapters between the two main characters to talk about their opinions and thoughts about each other. To me, the disappointing part was when Dylan and Josh did not go to the Fall Fling dance together. They each got another date to go with. I was happy that they both changed, especially Dylan. Like the title of the book, Geek Charming, it shows the geek, Josh, and the Charming, Dylan, together as best friends.
Posted by egoldberg at 4:16 PM | Comments (0)
September 3, 2009
Head Case book review
I'll be featuring a number of guest book reviews written by our teens on the blog. If you are a teen interested in reading a new young adult book and writing a brief book review (for community service credit, if needed), please email me at: syoteens@syossetpubliclibrary.org
Thanks!
Sharon Long
Head Case by Sarah Aronson
The novel Head Case, by Sarah Aronson, is an extremely enlightening book. It makes people think how a disabled person feels. They are often trapped inside their own bodies, suffocating in their own skin. In Frank Marder’s case, he broke his neck and killed his girlfriend and an old man when he decided to drive while intoxicated. Though it was a terrible mistake, people believed that he should be put in jail for his crime against humanity. What they didn’t understand was that Frank was already in jail. He was kept prisoner by his body.
This book makes people think about how those that are paralyzed and how they must be feeling. Sarah Aronson accurately displayed a quadriplegic’s emotional hardships through a very complex character. Only one person ever fought on his side on the website www.Quadkingonthenet.com, whose name was not known at first, but is later revealed. The psychological aspect of this book is very intricate and shows how the conscience is the greatest enigma of all.
Overall, this book is a great quick-read, and also a learning experience. I would recommend Head Case to older teenagers because there are some curses and the content is meant for a more mature audience.
Review by Ashwin Kelkar
Posted by egoldberg at 2:16 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2009
I know what you read this summer…and here’s what I read
That was supposed to sound menacing, was it? Anyway, this summer I kept statistics to keep track of the most popular teen fiction books read over the summer. The top books were not too surprising, to me at least, but here they are:
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows
Twilight
Breaking Dawn
The Last Olympian
The Outsiders
Lunch Money
Rules
Tangerine
Among the Hidden
I did my own summer reading, and here were the books I found the most enjoyable:
Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
This was a breezy summer story about belonging to a family, finding oneself, summer love and enduring friendships. The main character, Auden, was initially awkward and not very likable, but grows to become someone you will want to root for as she sorts her issues out. She was invited to spend the summer at her father’s house with his new wife and baby, to serve as a babysitter and helper (at least that was her father’s view) and to relax and get away from her overbearingly intellectual and judgmental mother. Along the way she overcomes her fears about who she is meant to be, learns how to be a true friend and opens herself to life experiences – good, bad and ugly.
Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott
Imagine for a second that your parents are a Hugh Hefner wannabe and one of his ex-girlfriends. The House Bunny meets The Girls Next Door. Disturbing thought. But out of this strange union emerges Hannah – a girl trying to lead a normal life, despite the fact that both her parents are famous for their party lifestyles. She has teen angst throughout the story (and constantly worries that she might actually *shudder* BE like her parents) making funny observations about her unique circumstances and being the v oice of reason for her parents. A fun read.
Curse as Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
This story is a retelling of the fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin set in an English milling town at the brink of the industrial revolution. After the death of her father, seventeen-year-old Charlotte has to take over as the owner of the mill and finds herself meeting unusual and daunting challenges to keep her mill, her family and her very town from destruction. And of course, if you are familiar with the original story, you’ll know that Charlotte makes a pact with a strange little man that involves magical curses. This was the winner of the William C. Morris YA Debut Award for best fiction written by a first-time author, and the book lives up to the honor.
Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede
This fantasy was about eighteen-year-old Eff who was born into a very unlucky position within her family as the thirteenth child. All her life, Eff is treated with mistrust and suspicion while her twin brother Lan is the seventh son of a seventh son, bringing luck to those around him. Eff grows into a strong character and accepts her circumstances - once she gets over thinking she is bad luck. The fantastical world has three traditional magic systems (Avrupean, Hijero-Cathayan and Aphrikan) and much of the book delves into the process of learning magic to combat the magical creatures that threaten the settlements on the western frontier of the Great Barrier.
I also read the advance copy of Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (the sequel to Hunger Games). Although I can’t say much (until the book is released on September 1st) I will say that I COULDN’T PUT IT DOWN, and Katniss is still one of my favorite heroines, and fans of the first book will definitely enjoy the second one in the planned trilogy.
And some books on my “to read” shelf:
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
While in a coma following an automobile accident that killed her parents and younger brother, seventeen-year-old Mia, a gifted cellist, weights whether to live with her grief or join her family in death.
Wings by Aprilynne Pike
When a plant blooms out of fifteen-year-old Laurel's back, it leads her to discover the fact that she is a faerie and that she has a crucial role to play in keeping the world safe from the encroaching enemy trolls.
Enjoy the end of summer and try to stay cool!
Sharon Long
Teen Services Librarian
Posted by egoldberg at 4:22 PM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2009
Books That I've Started to Read...and never finished
Hi there. I'd like to confess: I have an awful habit of not finishing my books. I feel terribly guilty about this, being a librarian and all. But the truth of the matter is BECAUSE I am a librarian, I don't have a lot of extra reading time to finish books that I just. don't. like.
I was never this way in my youth, no way, no how. I finished EVERYTHING - including Gone with the Wind (1024 pages) and James Michener's The Source(at 1078 pages - a triumph!)
Nowadays, if I get to around 50 pages, and I'm not feeling it, I put it down and find something else. I was happy to learn I'm not alone in this.
Author, librarian extraordinaire and model for the awesome Librarian Action Figure (see it here: http://www.mcphee.com/items/11247.html), Nancy Pearl, has a similar theory:
"For Pearl, it seems that the most important aspect of reading a book is to enjoy it. If a reader is not enjoying a book, then she has a rule for when to stop reading that book.
Pearl's approach to enjoying reading is the Rule of 50 which states "If you still don't like a book after slogging through the first 50 pages, set it aside. If you're more than 50 years old, subtract your age from 100 and only grant it that many pages." After all, life is short - if you're 90, after 10 pages, MOVE ON!
I think that's a great way to approach non-assignment reading (see, teachers, I'm playing nice here). There is a time and a place for slogging though a classic novel for a paper. And there is a time and a place to just LOVE READING. So, in the spirit of reading books that are not on your summer reading lists, take some time before school starts and read for enjoyment. Just try 50 or so pages of something that looks good because, hey, you might like it enough to finish it.
My follow up post will have some books that I've started to read when I saw them on the shelf or in a bookstore and can't wait to finish. Grab a book and relax...
Posted by egoldberg at 5:35 PM | Comments (0)
June 11, 2009
Shelfari
You may have noticed a new addition to the TeenSpace blog - we've create a Shelfari widget with our newest teen books!
Check it out over here -------> Our virtual bookshelf will continue to be updated as we get new books in. Create your own at: http://www.shelfari.com/
Posted by egoldberg at 3:49 PM
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Whenever I am asked for my opinion about a good book to read, I always ask, "well, what are you in the mood for?" Even within certain genres, like fantasy, mystery, and realistic fiction, sometimes you are just in the mood to read something...silly. Or terribly depressing. Or romantic. You name it. The other day, I was in the mood for a real heavy-duty book, one laden with real-life problems and gripping characters. Apparently, I find it uplifting to hear about other people's problems. Anyway, I picked up the latest fabulous and troubling novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, Wintergirls. Wintergirls is the story of Lia and Cassie; two girls who used to be best friends connected by their childhood experiences and mutual struggles with eating disorders. Two girls who are now separated by life and death - as Lia lives her life fighting anorexia after Cassie dies alone in a motel room. The bleak story is written with such an intensity it instantly draws you in and makes you ache for Lia even if you can't understand her disease. The author takes you through the struggles of someone suffering with an eating disorder by how she uses Lia's voice. We bear witness to the way she incessantly counts calories in every bite of food and berates herself for not being good/smart/thin/strong enough to live. This is a book you have to commit to, because for the duration of the time you are reading this book, you will feel for Lia. It's not a pretty little story wrapped up in a tidy bow. But, if you are in the mood for something a little deep, I strongly recommend Wintergirls. On the lighter side, sometimes you want a rip-roaring good time book that doesn't take itself too seriously. In that case I'd like to introduce to you Fat Hoochie Prom Queen by Nico Medina. (Perhaps it's a wee bit sacrilegious to combine these books in the same entry? Well, here goes anyway.) Another book I picked up lately was What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell. I normally like historical fiction, and depending on the era, I might really like it. This was a good read, set in post-WWII era 1947, with a bit of a mystery. We have Evie Spooner, a fifteen year-old "good girl" with a rebellious streak, who longs to look more like her movie star gorgeous mother. Her mother's good looks tend to attract more than just the attention of her stepfather Joe, who has recently returned from the war with questionable amounts of money to spend. A family vacation down to Palm Springs, Fla, turns sour, when we are introduced to Peter Colerage - a 23-year old former member of Joe's army unit and !total!hottie! Things get complicated and there are a few plot twists and love triangles, making the overall story interesting and a pretty quick read. I liked how the author peppers the book with the slang of the times and really brings you into the time period. Evie is a well-drawn character, and at times I felt like it was a literary version of the show Mad Men. Pretty wives, handsome husbands, simpler times...but scratch below the surface and whoa! It fit my mood as I anxiously await the Mad Men season 2 DVD! So there you have it. When in doubt, listen to your mood. Just make sure it's something you'll enjoy! Sharon Long
Posted by egoldberg at 6:34 PM
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The Youth Services (YSS) and School Library Media (SLMS) Sections of the New York Library Association (NYLA) proudly announce: The 2009 3 Apples Teen Book Award goes to... You guys voted...anyone shocked? I'm not! I like how she's holding an apple on the cover, very fitting. Thank you to the students who voted and participated in the awards process through their school and public libraries.
Posted by egoldberg at 3:10 PM
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April is National Poetry Month and a good time to see what’s new in our teen poetry collection. Poetry can mean many things – from expressing anger, joy, angst, and fear, to showcasing wordplay artistry. Check out the following titles to see a wide range of styles. Angst!: teen verses from the edge, edited by Karen Tom and Kiki; illustrations by Matt Frost. The spoken word revolution: slam, hip-hop, & the poetry of a new generation, edited by Mark Eleveld. How to (un)cage a girl by Francesca Lia Block. Honeybee : poems & short prose by Naomi Shihab Nye. 82 poems and paragraphs interconnecting all of the elements of life much like a hive of busy bees. Falling hard: teenagers on love, edited by Betsy Franco. Written by teenagers, this collection covers all aspects of romantic love from desire to break-ups. Partly cloudy: poems of love and longing, by Gary Soto. Told from the point of view of both girls and boys, this collection is both humorous and poignant. Enjoy!
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I'll be honest: as hard as I try, I have yet to really get into graphic novels as a whole. I even went to ComicCon (yay for nerdy power!) HOWEVER, there have been a couple of recent ones that have caught my attention, and that I have really enjoyed. I can certainly appreciate the work that goes into the artwork, but the ones on the following list have interesting storylines as well. Emiko Superstar written by Mariko Tamaki; illustrated by Steve Rolston. “A borrowed diary, a double life and identity issues fuel a teenager's quest to find herself before she cracks and commits social suicide. Watch Emi go from dull, suburban babysitter to eclectic urban art star compliments of one crazy summer!” New York Four written by Brian Wood; illustrated by Kelly Ryan. "Just starting her freshman year at NYU, Riley is about to find out what an adventure-- and a mystery-- living in New York City can be. The ultimate insider's guide to NYC is seen through the eyes of Brooklyn-born Riley. Raised by stuffy, literati parents, Riley's a shy, straight-A student who convinces three other NYU brainiacs to join a research group for fast cash." Life sucks / text by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria; art by Warren Pleece; coloring by Hilary Sycamore. “Life sucks for Dave Marshall. The girl he’s in love with doesn’t know he exists, he hates his job, and ever since his boss turned him into a vampire, he can’t go out in daylight without starting to charbroil. Undead life in its uncoolest incarnation yet is on display in this cinematic, supernatural drama told with gallons of humor and hemoglobin. In striking, colorful, B-movie sty;e artwork and light-hearted, intelligent writing by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece, Dave Marshall’s story comes alive – in a vampiric kind of way.” Metro Survive by Yuki Fujisawai. “What happens when a giant earthquake hits the super-metropolis Tokyo? How will people survive in the catastrophic disaster? In the wake of devastation, follow the harrowing story of the survivors, now isolated from the rest of the world!” Skim by Mariko Tamaki; drawings by Jillian Tamaki. Kin (The Good Neighbors, Book 1) by Holly Black; illustrated by Ted Naifeh. 100 girls / Adam Gallardo, writer/letters ; Todd Demong, pencils/inks. “Adopted, supersmart, and bumped up two grades -- it's no wonder Sylvia's always felt different. But recently she's been going through some major physical changes, and they're not of the typical teenager kind. Sylvia has no idea why she can move like a gymnast and punch like a heavyweight, and the strange nightmares she's been having are completely freaking her out. But there are people who have the answers she's looking for, and Sylvia's determined to find them. Trouble is, they've already found her....” I hope you step outside your comfort zone and pick up a graphic novel if you haven't tried one yet! Sharon Long (Annotations taken from the publishers' descriptions)
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They've revealed the cover for the Percy Jackson book 5: The Last Olympian. I know there are many fans of this series who can't wait for the release date - May 5. What do you think? Sharon Long
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On January 26, the American Library Association announced the top books for children and young adults - including the Caldecott, King, Newbery, Schneider Family and Printz awards. The following is a list of all ALA Teen Awards for 2009: John Newbery Medal (for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature): The Graveyard Book written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Dave McKean, is the 2008 Newbery Medal winner. The Newbery Honor Books named were the books: The Underneath by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by David Small Michael L. Printz Award (for excellence in literature written for young adults): Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta is the 2008 Printz Award winner. Four Printz Honor Books were named: Coretta Scott King Book Award (recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults): Two King Honor Books were selected: Schneider Family Book Award (for books that embody the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences): Pura Belpre Award (honoring Latino authors and illustrators whose work best portrays, affirms and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in children's books): Alex Awards (for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences): Looks like some of my predictions came true! I am very excited that The Graveyard Book, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, and Nation got their dues. Sharon Long
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This year’s crop of award winners will be announced on Monday, January 26. In anticipation of the awards, I put together a brief list of my favorite books from this past year. Some of them have been featured on the blog before, and all of them are highly recommended. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson Becoming Billie Holiday by Carole Boston Weatherford The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart Graceling by Kristin Cashore The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman House of Dance by Beth Kephart The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Little Brother by Cory Doctorow Nation by Terry Prachett Paper Towns by John Green These were some of my favorites, and I hope that you give them a try as we wait to see if any awards pile up!
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My mother is a french fry and further proof of my fuzzed-up life by Colleen Sydor. Skinned by Robin Wasserman. I wanna be your shoebox by Cristina García. Things that are by Andrew Clements. (Source of Annotations: NoveList Database and Publishers)
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Artichoke’s Heart by Suzanne Supplee Write Naked by Peter Gould The Viper Within by Sam Mills
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In this historically important election year, one of the hot-button issues is the war in Iraq. To be honest, it seems that for many young people, the war doesn’t necessarily resonate as strongly as other issues. Many of us are fortunate enough to be removed physically from the violence that is occurring in the Middle East, but how many more of us find ourselves removed emotionally from the war as well? How often do you think about the brave young soldiers that are only 18 or 19 years old and on their first tour of duty in Iraq? Can we ever understand what they are going though and the day-to-day horrors they have seen? Two recent works on the Iraq war, for different demographics, and in different formats, have caught my attention. First, there was the HBO miniseries event Generation Kill, http://www.hbo.com/generationkill/ Okay, disclaimer aside, why am I writing about it on a teen blog? First, the show will appeal to older teens. Plus, this war is an important topic for high school seniors considering a military career, or any students who know people who are in the armed forces. From a librarian point of view we also have the book that the series is based on in our collection - Generation kill : Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America, and the new face of American war. Another reason why I wanted to mention the series because it closely parallels Sunrise Over Fallujah, the newest book by Walter Dean Myers. By random chance, I started reading the book as Generation Kill aired, and felt like the characters were converging in this fictional Iraq, maybe sharing the same mess hall, or being sent into battle alongside each other. Generation Kill presents war as hell, with incompetent superior officers and soldiers who are decent people, but even better warriors. The mission is unclear and the enemy is often undistinguishable from the civilians they are assigned to help. So how do you proceed? The series highlights the many trials and errors of war with well-developed characters and the fast-paced, witty dialogue that HBO is known for. In contrast, the book Sunrise Over Fallujah, offers a deeper and more introspective look at war, and the issues of right vs. wrong. The narrator is Robin “Birdy” Perry, a young recruit from Harlem who is sent to Iraq in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. He’s a good guy, young, smart and patriotic. After September 11, he decided to enlist instead of pursuing college, much to his father’s dismay. He keeps correspondence with his uncle, Richie Perry, who was the main character of Myer’s book Fallen Angels, about a young soldier in Vietnam. Birdy and the other main characters (Marla, the tough-chick gunner, and Jonesy, the blues-loving kid from Georgia) interact well and add their own commentary about the war, and what it means to fight for a cause you don’t clearly understand. The characters pull you in and break your heart with their observations of a strange war in a strange land with rules of engagement that change as soon as you commit them to memory. If you get a chance to read one historical fiction novel about the war in Iraq, this one is notable, especially if later paired with the series Generation Kill. I wish you all a happy and safe Labor Day weekend,
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I enjoyed the book, mainly for the historical references to Old New York society and the fun look into the privileged world of the insanely wealthy. The characters you meet along the way are mix of spoiled, conceited, devious, and just plain nasty, but you enjoy spending time with them despite their faults. The book did have a somewhat predictable plot, but the writing was very descriptive and the pace kept me turning the pages long after I had figured out the twist. The story starts with the funeral services marking the untimely loss of Elizabeth Holland, Manhattan's lovely and gorgeous eighteen-year-old socialite. (Think Paris Hilton with brains and a heart-of-gold). The book then takes you back a few weeks to the events leading to the funeral. Along the way you are introduced to Elizabeth’s fiancé, the debonair Henry Schoonmaker, her best “frienemy” and fiercest competitor, Penelope Hayes, and Elizabeth’s younger rebellious sister, Diana. There are other sub-plots involving the servants and star-crossed lovers along the way, but the focus is always on the lifestyles of the rich and fabulous. It was a definitely a fun summer read and the ending lends itself to the sequel, Rumors, which is due out shortly. Check out the website for an interactive look into the world of The Luxe here:
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T.C. loves Alejandra (Ale) who doesn't love him back...not yet, anyway. T.C.'s father loves Lois, T.C.'s school guidance counselor. She's not sure she should reciprocate, given she's T.C.'s guidance counselor. Augie, T.C.'s friend/brother (you need to read the book to find out what this means) loves Alex, but isn't sure whether the feeling is mutual. Ale's father wants her to follow in his footsteps and become a foreign ambassador. She wants to sing and dance on Broadway. This is all such a muddle, huh? Well, it will find a way to work itself out. The premise of the book is that students are given an 11th grade homework assignment in English to describe their most excellent year. That year happens to be 9th grade. In alternating chapters, T.C., Augie and Ale describe the events that took place in the form of e-mails, chats, newspaper clippings and letters. T.C. writes to his mother who died when he was six years old. Augie writes to famous actresses/divas such as Liza Minelli. Ale beings by writing to Jackie Kennedy but changes mid-book (read the book to find out why). The variety of action in the book makes it difficult to describe but, suffice it to say, My Most Excellent Year is a fun read. You will love every character in the book. You won't be able to put it down. You will sing its praises. You'll love it. Read it. Ed Goldberg
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Ed Goldberg
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Ed Goldberg
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Hildy Biddle lives in Banesville and is a reporter on the high school newspaper, The Core. She's so brave, she's the only one the editor would think of putting on the Ludlow House story. She's not afraid of ghosts. However, she does become afraid of the scare tactics being used to force orchard owners to sell their property after two difficult years. Something is happening in Banesville that she can't explain. But it does need explaining because it is forcing a change that no one wants. As Hildy and the other Core reporters dig deeper into the Ludlow House story, they come across other malevolent occurrences. They get threatened. The school paper is forced to close for fear of a lawsuit. Should they continue their investigation. Hildy, the daughter of a well-respected local newspaper reporter who passed away recently, has a heritage to continue. They go underground and start printing an alternative newspaper, The Peel. The question is what will they find? Joan Bauer has a long string of great books and Peeled is the latest. It's got great characters, a realistic plot, suspense, romance, and intrigue. The dialogue is believable and the story is fun. Apple lover or not, Peeled is a juicy book. Ed Goldberg,
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Suite Scarlett is sweet. Spenser, the oldest sibling, wants to be an actor but his parents want him to go to culinary school. They gave him a year to get his acting career going and that year is almost up. No major acting jobs are knocking at his door. Lola, next oldest, is working in retail and dating ultra-rich Chip, who nobody likes...possibly not even Lola. Marlene is the youngest at age eleven. She is a cancer survivor and as a result rules the roost. I other words, she's a brat. And then there's Scarlett. Just turned fifteen, Scarlett is in charge of the Empire Suite (she must clean it, cater to lodgers staying in it, etc.) at the hotel. One hot June day, Ms. Amberson rents the suite for the summer. Mysterious, flamboyant, dramatic and demanding, Ms. Amberson is a force to be reckoned with. OK, in all honesty, I was expecting more. All the reviews I read gave this book 5 stars, so maybe after all the hype I was a little let down. But this is definitely a 4 star book. It is full of intrigue, pranks, actors and acting, romance, more intrigue and just plain fun. You are going to love every character. You are going to laugh. You are going to root for Scarlett and Spenser and Lola and Marlene. If you like quirky characters, you'll love Ms. Amberson. You'll want to continue reading, even when you should be going to sleep. So, hey, maybe this is a 5 star book. You tell me. Enjoy. Ed Goldberg
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You might know by now that I like Maureen Johnson (Bermudez Triangle, Girl at Sea, Devilish, 13 Little Blue Envelopes). I'm assuming you do as well. Her new book, Suite Scarlett, which has recently been published (and for which I have put in my reserve) has received great reviews. She seems to be a regular on the Trashionista Blog, from which this is copied. Hope you enjoy her musings. GUEST BLOG: Maureen Johnson I have been asked to talk a little about the books that formed me into the writer I am today - the classics I cut my teeth on. I was going to talk about my love of Fitzgerald, of Hemingway, of T.S. Eliot and Mark Twain and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle . . . all favorites of mine while growing up. I'm sure that would have been very interesting to read, but I have instead decided to talk about the more questionable books that hooked my interest for sometimes inexplicable reasons and got me into various forms of trouble. At age eight, I developed what I now think was a somewhat unhealthy obsession with the Girl Scout Handbook. The Girl Scout Handbook gets updated all the time. The version I had was just a big book full of half-witted projects, written and complied by (I assume) some maniac who lived in a shed. I guess he did it in his breaks between writing long letters to local officials about how the government was using cats and radio waves to spy on him. I mean, what other kind of person puts together a book for eight-year-old girls that explains how to make a small stove from a tuna fish can? Who else could come up with something called "Campfire Stew," which was basically just a lot of canned meats cooked over inadequate heat (because you were using a tiny stove made from a tuna fish can) in a pot that had many other purposes aside from stewing. Like washing your underwear. The book also had a List of Insane Badges, mostly for things eight-year-olds can't do . . . like win chess tournaments, compete in professional figure skating competitions, or hang glide. So after the manual turned you into a dirty hobo, it made you feel inadequate because YOU WERE NEVER, EVER GOING TO GET A BADGE, YOU NON-HANG-GLIDING LOSER. So it's difficult to explain why I couldn't get enough of this book. I read it until it fell apart. I slept with it at night and woke up with loose pages under the pillows. It wasn't even like I was into scouting. I was the worst girl scout of all time. Case in point: when given my troop numbers pinned on to a piece of ribbon, I promptly forgot them. I took the numbers off the ribbon and sewed them on to my sash in the completely wrong order. I got to my meeting and they said, "Um, Maureen, you're not in Troop 476. You're in troop 764." I think I only went to four meetings, ever. Then we went on the "field trip" to the local Burger King, and I bailed for good. But I never tired of that stupid manual. I guess it goes to prove that I'm usually more into the book than the "experience." And I still really want to make that little tuna fish can stove. I went to England for the first time when I was thirteen and blew my tiny stash of cash on albums and books. I sat in the car, praying that my father wouldn't kill us all as he barreled down the wrong side of the road and took roundabouts at two times the allowable speed, listening to music and reading. I was thrilled with the trip, but my parents didn't realize it because all I did was listen to music and read. But that was pretty much my idea of a good time. Still is. So I'm sitting in the back of the Car of Death, reading the very last pages of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. If you don't know the book, it's pretty much THE premier whodunit of ever. All of these characters are trapped on an island and get knocked off one by one, until you're down to two, and then one . . . and then the last one . . . well . . . I won't tell you but it's SPINE TINGLING. At least it was when I was thirteen. The mystery seems impossible, and I was just getting to the last five pages, where the whole thing gets explained . . . And then we pulled up in front of Stonehenge. My mom said "Get out of the car!" And I said, "In a minute! I am just getting to the part where they tell you what happens!" Because when you are in the last five pages of And Then There Were None you REALLY HAVE TO READ THEM. But then again, my parents had brought me three thousand miles over an ocean to look at these HUGE STONE THINGS, and she didn't care that I desperately, desperately needed to find out who the murderer was. I tried to sneak the book with me, but she saw it and made me leave it in the car. This is the reason I really was paying no attention at Stonehenge whatsoever. I still suspect it's just a joke some English people assembled to lure innocent American tourists, just to see how far we will go to stand in a field and look at rocks. AGE FIFTEEN Someone gave me this book called An Old Fashioned Mystery, which was supposedly written by this woman who lived on one of the Thousand Islands and who disappeared right after finishing the manuscript [the author is Runa Fairleigh]. I got it during an otherwise deadly dull summer, when my father had been transferred to Kentucky. We had to go and visit him. I didn't know anyone in Kentucky, and it was 115 degrees out, so all I did was read for weeks and weeks. I read this book, I promise you, every single day of that summer, over and over and over again. It's another classic deserted island/people being killed off story, a la And Then There Were None, except kind of weirder and funnier and much more modern. And in the end (yes, I'm going to spoil it because I don't even think you can get this book anymore) . . . all the characters get killed and you find that NONE OF THEM did it. It was the AUTHOR who killed them all. They all meet up in limbo and figure it out, and one of them (my favorite, by far the funniest, still one of my favorite characters ever) makes a really bad pun about the author's name, and as a punishment, the author sends him to HELL, where no one tells any jokes. My connection to this book was absolutely ridiculous . . . so it's kind of shocking that I actually lent to someone, a friend of our family who was in college. She had it for a few weeks, and I started to jones for it really badly, so I asked for it back. She avoided the question. Thinking back on it, it's very plain how the book met its fate. Things do not last in college. Your drunk friends come to your room and eat your stuff. But I was fifteen and I WANTED MY BOOK BACK and generally haunted her like the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. She panicked and went into hiding. I went through withdrawal. I writhed. I tried to find another copy somewhere, but it was long out of print, and there was no internet to get another. Finally, when I stopped banging my head against the wall and twitching, I transferred my obsession on to The Great Gatsby . . . and almost immediately, the book was returned. It was clearly a different copy. It had a stamp in the front cover from some used bookstore. Neither of us ever spoke of the matter again, and I have never let the book leave my possession, even though I haven't read it since then. No, you can't have it.
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Nick is new at school, having been there a month. He's popular and has lots of friends. She, on the other hand, has become more of a loner over the past few years. Her childhood friends have moved on while Ryan has stayed static, reliving the days with her father. Ryan and Nick's relationship quickly develops into more than just a friendship. It's an easy going relationship, lots of quiet times, but it is strong. So it comes as a shock when he tells her that he won't be seeing her during the summer. Avid Cubs fans have a lot of faith that next year will be different; that next year they will come back to victory. The Comeback Season is a book about faith and hope and love; family and friendship. I won't deny it. I got misty-eyed towards the end of the book, but then again, I'm a softy. I loved this debut novel and hope that Ms. Smith will be writing another book soon. Ed Goldberg,
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The story is told in both narrative and drawings, which add a whole other level of humor. So, if you want a good laugh, I highly recommend the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Stay tuned, because there are more adventures on the way. Learn all about Greg at his website: http://www.wimpykid.com/.
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This is Lockhart’s best book. It is extremely well written. There’s action, romance, humor. It tells a great story, but it also has a moral. Should a young girl be satisfied with the status quo, just because she’s a girl? Can she be taken seriously as a thinker, do-er, planner? Can she change the world? Should she want to change the world? Frankie is a character you’ll want to know, maybe even want to be. You’ll love and also hate Matthew and the other Bassets. Trust me. You won’t want to put this book down. This is a must read. And while you're at it, enjoy Lockhart's other great books: Fly on the Wall, The Boyfriend List, Dramarama and The Boy Book. Ed Goldberg
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Here are two great books, one new and one old, that tell the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon, the Scandinavian version of Beauty and the Beast--Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George and East by Edith Pattou. East has been a favorite of mine for a long time and Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow is a 2008 favorite of mine. Both books are well written, descriptive and engrossing. I highly recommend them. Let me know if you like them, after you've read them. Ed Goldberg
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Two books I recenty read have a supernatural bent to them. Here they are: Mysterious circumstances surround Jean Honeychurch's (aka Jinx) move from Iowa to Manhattan. Mysterious circumstances also meet her in New York as she reconnects with her cousin Tory, once a cute blond, now sporting black hair, black clothes and attempting black magic...in order to make Zach, the boy next door, fall in love with her. Tory and Jinx's great great great great grandmother was burned at the stake for being a witch, so there could be some truth to the girls' being witches, though Jinx denies it. When Zach falls for Jinx instead of Tory, the gloves come off and the talons come out. Better watch out. Jinx is a fun read in the Meg Cabot style. Frannie's dad died two weeks before her fifteenth birthday. In searching through his things, she finds an old, battered cardboard suitcase and inside, a box with Frances Anne 1000 carved on the front. It contained a 1,000 piece carved jigsaw puzzle and a small photograph of a seaside town. She decides to keep the puzzle a secret from her mother and stepfather. Two things occurred after her father died: Frannie became absorbed with death and she became absorbed with the puzzle. So absorbed, it seems like she was absorbed into the puzzle. But can that be? Through her journey, Frannie comes to grips with her emotions and learns much about herself and her parents. A mysterious and absorbing read. Enjoy.
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Here's something to look forward to: It was announced yesterday that Breaking Dawn, the working title of the fourth and final book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga will be released on Saturday, August 2nd at midnight. If you notice on the bottom right hand corner of the cover, the actual cover artwork will be released in the summer. Rest assured we will have copies in the library for Twilight fans. Meyer's first adult novel, The Host, will be released on May 6th. We will have copies of this book as well. And to complete the year, Twilight will be made into a movie and released on December 12th. More information about Stephenie and her books can be found on her website: www.stepheniemeyer.com. I'll keep you posted on further developments as I hear about them. Ed Goldberg,
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This is my second annual list of favorite books, those published in 2007. This year I've also read books published in prior years, but I want to concentrate on 2007 books. As it was last year, this is a pretty diverse list. So, here it is. I'd love to know your favorites of the past year. My favorite book of 2007 is Freak Show. It's like nothing I've read before. Billy Bloom is gay, but it’s mostly theoretical, as he hasn’t had much experience. When he has to move to Florida, he can’t believe his bad luck. His new school is a mix of Bible Belles, Aberzombies, and Football Heroes, none of whom are exactly his type. Billy’s efforts to fit in and stand out at the same time are both hilarious and heartrending. He is flamboyant..out there. Readers are in for a wild ride as Billy’s story of bravado, pain, and unexpected love is revealed. Funny and heartbreaking at the same time. A close second is Derby Girl. Meet Bliss Cavendar, a blue haired, indie-rock loving misfit stuck in the tiny town of Bodeen, Texas. Her pageant-addicted mother expects her to compete for the coveted Miss Blue Bonnet crown, but Bliss would rather die than be subjected to such rhinestone tyranny. Her escape? Roller Derby!! When she discovers a league in nearby Austin, Bliss embarks on a journey full of hilarious tattooed girls, delicious boys in bands, and a few not-so-awesome realities even the most bad-assed derby chick has to learn. A story with action and issues. A great read. “I am a beast…Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore…You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now…I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.” This updated unique retelling of Beauty and the Beast is sure to keep you reading until the end. Josh has a secret. Five years ago, his life changed. Drastically. And everyone thinks they understand. But they don't—they can't. About to graduate from high school, Josh is still trying to sort through the pieces. There's Rachel, the girl he thought he'd lost years ago, back and determined to be part of his life. There are college decisions, the toughest baseball game of his life, and a coach who won't stop pushing Josh to the brink. Finally there's Eve, whose return brings back all the memories of Josh's past. It's time for Josh to face the truth about what happened...if only he knew what the truth was. An absorbing story for older teens. Ben has big things planned for his senior year. Had big things planned. Leukemia has a way of changing things. Now he has one year left to make his mark on the world. How can a pint-sized, smart-ass seventeen-year-old do anything significant in the nowheresville of Trout, Idaho? First, Ben makes sure that no one else knows what is going on. Living with a secret isn't easy, though, and Ben's resolve begins to crumble...especially when he realizes that he isn't the only person in Trout with secrets. Chris Crutcher writes like no one else. You won't be able to put this book down. It's a new school year and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you're ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary--journal, not diary. Greg is happy to have his sidekick, Rowley. But when Rowley's star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend's newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship. The perfect combination of words and drawings. Ninth grade outcasts Wen, Olivia, Mo, Charlie and Stella are in detention together. They don't know each other. When a commercial jingle comes on the radio, each one starts doing something--Charlie starts tapping, Olivia sings softly, Mo plays a rubber band, etc. Thus, the genesis of the band Lemonade Mouth. But how did they get the name? Are they better than Mudslide Crush, Opequonsett High School's favorite band or are they horrendous? Each chapter is told by a different band member or student. This is an all around fun read. Give it a try. During the summer after 7th grade, Martin meets a boy who will change his life forever. Jimmy Harker appears one night with a deceptively simple question: Will you help? Where did this boy come from, with his strange accent and urgent request? Is he a dream? Martin follows him to a strange place--seemingly war torn London during World War II. This can't be...or can it? Great blend of history and fantasy. Naomi loves and is in love with Ely, and Ely loves Naomi, but prefers to be in love with boys. So they create their "No Kiss List" of people neither of them is allowed to kiss. And this works fine - until Bruce. Bruce is Naomi's boyfriend, so there's no reason to put him on the List. But Ely kissed Bruce. The result: a rift of universal proportions and the potential end of "Naomi and Ely: the institution." Can these best friends come back together again? A great follow up to Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (which was on my favorite list of 2006). Best friends Mackey and J.R. have waited their whole lives to win the basketball tournament at Rucker Park, where their favorite pro ballers squared off against street legends. But the day of their big game, J.R. is fatally stabbed—and it’s Mackey’s fault, even though he didn’t wield the knife. Now Mackey has a score to settle, but the killer is watching his every move. Action packed. Fast paced. For sports fans and non-fans alike. Life is looking up for D.J. In eleventh grade, after a rocky summer, she's reconnecting with her best friend, Amber. She's got kind of a thing going with Brian. And she's starting for the Red Bend High School football team—the first girl linebacker in northern Wisconsin, probably. However, as autumn progresses, D.J. struggles to understand Amber, Schwenk Farm, her relationship with Brian, and most of all her family. As a whole herd of trouble comes her way, she discovers she's a lot stronger than she—or anyone—ever thought. A super sequel to Dairy Queen (which was on my favorite list of 2006) and a must read. This is an action-packed tale of secret identities, double-dealing and betrayal, set in Charles Dickens', mid-19th-century London. John Huffam is 14 when his father is sent to debtor's prison. His mother does nothing but complain of her husband's fecklessness, and his sister's sole concern is how this family crisis impacts her marital prospects. It's left to John to unravel a mystery involving a military invention that his father, a naval clerk, has information about and a web of foreign spies willing to pay for specifics. When John meets Sary the Sneak, a girl who sells information she gleans on the street, he thinks he's found a friend at last. But is there anyone he can trust? Mystery and history. Excellent. Ed Goldberg
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I don't know if I've mentioned that Gordon Korman is one of my favorite authors. His books are humorous and his Born to Rock was on My Favorite Books of 2006 list. His most recent book, Schooled, was fun to read. So, here are a few of his books, for your reading pleasure. Schooled Cap (actual name is Capricorn) was raised by his grandmother, Rain, on a commune inhabited only by them. His contact with the outside world was minimal. When Rain breaks her hip in a fall from a ladder, Cap is forced to live with his social worker (and former child commune member) and her unfriendly daughter and attend public middle school. He has extremely long hair, wears sandals and is clueless and becomes the butt of jokes. The question is: will he ever be taken seriously? Chapters are in the first person and alternate among Cap and some of his classmates--tormenters and friends. I think you'll enjoy Schooled. Born to Rock Leo - president of the Young Republicans club, 4.0 GPA, future Harvard student - has his entire future perfectly planned out. That is, until the X factor. As in Marion X. McMurphy, aka King Maggot, the lead singer of Purge, the most popular, most destructive band punk rock has ever seen. As in the biological father Leo never knew. A great read. Son of the Mob and Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle Seventeen-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of the FBI agent investigating his father. Kidnapped (the series: The Abduction, The Search, The Rescue) As Aiden and his sister Meg are walking home from school one day, a van pulls over and Meg is kidnapped. There's no way for Aiden to stop it from happening. He's the only witness to his sister's disappearance. Why has Meg been kidnapped? Is it for ransom? As a vendetta against Meg and Aiden's parents? Or is there an even bigger conspiracy at work? While Meg fends off her kidnappers and plans an escape, Aiden must team up with the FBI to try to find her--tracking down clues only a brother could recognize. Ed Goldberg
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On January 14, the American Library Association announced the top books for children and young adults - including the Caldecott, King, Newbery, Schneider Family and Printz awards. The following is a list of all ALA Teen Awards for 2008: John Newbery Medal (for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature): Three Newbery Honor Books were named: Michael L. Printz Award (for excellence in literature written for young adults): Four Printz Honor Books were named: Coretta Scott King Book Award (recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults): Two King Honor Books were selected: Schneider Family Book Award (for books that embody the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences): Alex Awards (for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences): An annotated booklist will be available in TeenSpace soon. Ed Goldberg
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BEST OF 2007 AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Maureen Johnson Sarah chose Maureen Johnson's Devilish as one of her favourite reads of last year and I loved The Bermudez Triangle, so we had to get her to answer our questions, didn't we. And she did. In her own inimitable fashion... Please describe your latest book in 15 words or fewer: That would be Suite Scarlett, which comes out in May. Where do you like to write your books (in bed, a coffee shop, an office)? Either at my desk or at a coffee shop with other writers. Never in bed. I think it is my fake Catholic upbringing that prevents me from reclining while working. But since I'm only fake Catholic, I'm okay with slumping. Your favourite chick-lit book? Persuasion, by Jane Austen. Your favourite female heroine (if different from above!), and why? Mame Dennis. No question. What tips would you give to any of our readers who want to become writers? I think with writing, you more or less teach yourself. The first is to read a lot. The second is to write a lot. Even in big, fancy writing programs . . . this is all you really do. After that, the advice gets a little looser. Expect (and delight in!) criticism. Keep learning. Wear a fabulous scarf or hat. Keep pet bees or raccoons or something similar to scare the neighbors. Violate at least one little-known local ordinance a day. Bamboozle, generally. Be nice to your editor and your editor's assistant. What are you reading at the moment? I'm just about to start Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey, because everyone tells me it's amazing. And I believe what I'm told. What are you working on now? (If you can give us a hint!) I can give you more than a hint! I'm working on the second Scarlett book. Writing a sequel is GREAT. Aside from my overall ideas on how the series would go, I accidentally wrote seventy pages of notes (really--I have no idea how that happened) for the future books as I worked on Suite Scarlett. Now I can just go on and on and on. Do you have a theme song? YES. But it changes all the time. Today's is "National Express" by The Divine Comedy. What question have you never been asked in an interview, but think you should have been? (Tell us the question and answer it too, if you like!) Can you explain the circumstances of your most recent arrest? Thanks, Maureen! Ed Goldberg
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Hi everyone, Just some Percy Jackson news obtained from Rick Riordan's website: www.rickriordan.com: 1. As you know, the fourth book in the Percy Jackson series, The Battle of the Labyrinth, is due out on May 6, 2008. Good news! 2. Fox is planning on making The Lightning Thief into a movie. A second script has been turned in. Great news! 3. There are plans to publish The Lightning Thief as a graphic novel, some time in 2009. Fun news! 4. And finally, if you don't know what to read while waiting for The Battle of the Labyrinth to be published, here are Rick Riordan's suggestions: Rick's Reading Recommendations The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. My favorite by this author. It's a fast-paced read with a great premise and interesting characters. Grades 4th-7th. The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz. A teen thriller series very much like James Bond. Good action and no-nonsense prose. Grades 6th-8th. Airborn and Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel. Adventure novels in the tradition of Treasure Island and Jules Verne, but with a modern sense of storytelling. These take place in a world where airplanes were never invented, and dirigible airships rule the skies. Grades 6th-8th. Again, my son Haley ate these up. (I loved these books. Ed) Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. Lots of fantasy and humor, perfect for middle grade sensibilities. Grades 4th-7th. Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy. A funny fantasy/mystery featuring a detective who just happens to be a fire-throwing skeleton. Grades 4th-7th. I don't "blurb" many books, but this one I recommend without hesitation. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. The first title is The Amulet of Samarkand. A more challenging series, but brilliant stuff. A young London magician summons an ancient djinn to help him with his problems. Grades 6th-8th. (This is an amazing series. Ed) Everlost, Downsiders, Dark Fusion series by Neal Shusterman. My son loves these books -- all great adventures, very accessible. Grades 6th-8th. And for mythology: Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin. Much better storytelling than D'Aulaires, in my opinion. The Usborne Illustrated Guide to Greek Myths and Legends by Cheryl Evans. A little hard to find, but very accessible, with high-interest illustrations. And when in doubt, always ask your local librarian (I added the underlline. Ed) or independent bookseller. They are a wealth of information when it comes to kids' books! I hope you find this interesting. Ed Goldberg
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I just finished The Kayla Chronicles by Sherri Winston and if you like Dance Team/friendship novels, then this is for you. Kayla and her friend, Rosalie, are fifteen and entering high school. They want to be role models for young girls. Rosalie convinces Kayla to try out for the Lady Lions, the renowned Royal Palm Academy high school dance team. The idea being when Kayla is rejected because she "doesn't fit the Lady Lion image" (rather than on her dancing ability), the girls could write a scathing expose for the school paper. Well, Kayla does get accepted, thereby straining her friendship with Rosalie and causing her to re-evaluate who she is, who she wants to be and her relationship with her family. This book is good fun. If you want more Cheerleader/friendship novels, try the Non-Blonde Cheerleader series by Kieran Scott; I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader, Brunettes Strike Back and A Non-Blonde Cheerleader in Love. Ed Goldberg,
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Here's the second installment of books to begin the year with. This time the author is Jordan Sonnenblick. Look for my Top 10 books of 2007, coming soon. Zen and the Art of Faking It Notes From a Midnight Driver Sonnenblick has a knack for injecting humor in discussions about life. Readers enjoy a great story that will start them thinking. Let me know what you think of these books. Ed Goldberg
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Here are some books to begin the year with by E. Lockhart: by e. lockhart Dramarama-for all of you theater folks (and non-theater folks). Demi, aka Douglas Howard, is black, gay and theatrical. He lives 'under' the radar at school so he won't be picked on. Sadye, Sarah Paulson, is a dancer. She knows every song from every Broadway show. Outcasts, both, they become inseparable once they meet at auditions for the Wildewood Academy for the Performing Arts Summer Theater Institute. They get accepted and attend together, ready to conquer the theatrical world. Demi has star power, but Sadye finds the going rough. Dramarama portrays the world of performing arts camps vividly, the applause and the heartbreak, the fun and torture of continuous rehearsals. This is a must for anyone who has been to theater camp, joined school theatrical productions or just loves theater. Fly On the Wall-At the Manhattan School for Art and Music, where everyone is “different” and everyone is “special,” Gretchen Yee feels ordinary. She’s the kind of girl who sits alone at lunch, drawing pictures of Spider-Man, so she won’t have to talk to anyone; who has a crush on Titus but won’t do anything about it; who has no one to hang out with when her best (and only real) friend Katya is busy. One day, Gretchen wishes that she could be a fly on the wall in the boys’ locker room–just to learn more about guys. What are they really like? What do they really talk about? Are they really cretins most of the time? See what happens when she gets her wish. The Boyfriend List-Siegfried makes a believable 15-year-old narrator as she slips into the role of Ruby Oliver, a spirited girl struggling with identity and self-esteem after suffering the kind of social crisis that sets high schoolers reeling. Ruby's boyfriend of six months, Jackson, has dumped her in favor of her best friend, Kim. Ruby's resulting panic attacks land her in the office of a shrink, Dr. Z, and part of her therapy involves writing a complete list of the boys with whom she's ever had a crush, kiss, relationship or "little any-kind-of-anything." I think E. Lockhart is an author who understands teens and how they think, act and feel. I hope you enjoy these books. Ed Goldberg
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Nineteen Minutes may seem slow at times with regards to the book as a whole, but this is partly because all the fast-paced action occurs within the first twenty-four pages. The remainder of the novel fills in the gaps with anecdotes from characters’ pasts and builds up to the climax, the emotionally charged court trial. Picoult’s books are widely read for their depth and emotionally gripping stories. Tales about insightful topics and debatable subjects, including Nineteen Minutes, leave readers thinking with their minds racing, a feat that not many current novelists can claim to have accomplished. It is no wonder that Jodi Picoult has amassed a large fan base that looks forward to her future releases. Ed Goldberg
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I heard Paul Volponi speak the other day. He's an interesting speaker and a great sports writer. He was a teacher in Riker's Island Correctional Facility. His books typically involve inner city teens and are issue driven. For instance in Black and White, two teens, a white and a Black, rob and shoot someone and are now up against the criminal justice system. In Rucker Park Setup a teenager is killed and only his friend knows who did it. But there's more... As someone in the audience said, his descriptions of sports is real. You can imagine what it is like to play; the intensity, the concentration, the movement. Regardless of whether or not you are a sports fan (I'm not necessarily a big fan), you'll enjoy Volponi's books. Black and White Rooftop Rucker Park Setup Ed Goldberg
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Novels in Verse are exactly what it sounds like: a story told in poetry rather than prose. It may not be as formal as many of the poems you are familiar with, but it is poetry and it is very readable. One of my favorite authors of novels in verse is Sonya Sones. I just finished her latest book, What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know, and thought I'd tell you about her other books, all of which I think are great. One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies "My name is Ruby. This book is about me. It tells the deeply hideous story of what happens when my mother dies and I'm dragged three thousand miles away from my gorgeous boyfriend, Ray, to live in L.A. with my father, who I've never even met because he's such a ***** that he divorced my mom before I was born. The only way I've ever even seen him is in the movies, since he's this mega-famous actor who's been way too busy trying to win Oscars to even visit me once in fifteen years. Everyone loves my father. Everyone but me." What My Mother Doesn't Know "My name is Sophie. This book is about me. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know "My name is Robin. This book is about me. That seems like it would be Because I'm not gonna lie to you -- Don't get me wrong -- my girlfriend's amazing. is getting it." Ed Goldberg
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i think extras was the best book I've ever read! read it! trust me its awesome! It s kicking! haha. molly weston
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I just finished Prom Nights from Hell, a book of five stories about supernatural prom nights written by some of your favorite authors: Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Lauren Myracle, Michelle Jaffe and Kim Harrison. So, I thought I'd throw you a few prom books. Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson Prom Nights From Hell Prom Dates From Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore A Really Nice Prom Mess by Brian Sloan To 10 Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro I hope you enjoy these books. Ed Goldberg
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I just finished a book called "Just Listen" by sarah dessen. I really enjoyed it. It discussed different problems one girl felt throughout her life. Rebecca Klar
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Alex Bradley is the author of 24 Girls in 7 Days and the new Hot Lunch, both of which are funny, unique and enjoyable books. 24 Girls in 7 Days Hot Lunch On another note, if you're looking for books with recipes, try Flavor of the Week by Tucker Shaw. I've tried a few of them and they are really good. Flavor of the Week Cyril isn't exactly everyone's idea of a dream date: he's a little on the heavy side. It does cause him to keep one very important secret from everyone: he loves to cook. The only person who knows this secret is Cyril's best friend, Chris. Chris is just about the opposite of Cyril-a track star and really attractive in a cool, rebellious way. Cyril isn't at all jealous of Chris. . . until the day that Chris decides he is interested in Rose, Cyril's lab partner. This is a classic love triangle between three very unclassic teens, with lots of delicious food courses in between.
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The following books were nominated for the National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One by Kathleen Duey Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr Touching Snow by M. Sindy Felin Ed Goldberg
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Cecily von Ziegesar, the author of the hit series Gossip Girl and It Girl will be appearing at Barnes & Noble in Carle Place on Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 7 PM. She will be reading from and signing copies of the new Gossip Girl book It Had to Be You: The Gossip Girl Prequel. The book is available in the Syosset Public Library. Ed Goldberg
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The fourth installment of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is called Battle of the Labyrinth. It will arrive in bookstores on May 6, 2008. Mr. Riordan is quoted in a Publishers Weekly article as saying "This fourth installment “really raises the stakes". It’s the beginning of a big war between the titans and the gods, and Percy must come to terms with his role in this perplexing world. There’s an invasion in the works and Percy takes his crew into the most dangerous place known in mythology—the labyrinth." Mr. Riordan intends Percy Jackson to be a five book series. “I had always envisioned it as a five-book series, and book five will really wrap up Percy’s story,” Riordan says. We will be sure to have the last two books in the library when they are published. Ed Goldberg
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Are you dying to read some fun sports books? I read two new fun and funny books recently. The first is Derby Girl by Shauna Cross and the second is Throwing Like A Girl by Weezie Kerr Mackey. Debry Girl by Shauna Cross Meet Bliss Cavendar, a blue haired, indie-rock loving misfit stuck in the tiny town of Bodeen, Texas. Her pageant-addicted mother expects her to compete for the coveted Miss Blue Bonnet crown, but Bliss would rather feast on roaches than be subjected to such rhinestone tyranny. Throwing Like a Girl by Weezie Kerr Mackey Fifteen-year-old Ella fears that her plans for her high school years are going wildly off track when her parents uproot her from a comfortable life in Chicago to move to Dallas. Uneasy in Dallas and missing her friends and social routine back home, Ella tries out for the school softball team. To her surprise, the school is so small that every girl who tries out makes the team. Through softball, she makes new friends and enemies and learns that she can bring about change in her life rather than simply let events happen to her. Empowered by her growing skills in softball as well as by directing the path of her own life, Ella learns that "throwing like a girl" can be a very positive thing. Ed Goldberg
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In response to a question regarding whether another book in the Percy Jackson series will be issued, the answer is YES! According to the author's, Rick Riordan, website (http://www.rickriordan.com/children.htm), the title of the new book will be announced on October 4. I will let you know the title and any other information he releases. Ed Goldberg
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Spells and Sleeping Bags by Sarah Mlynowski i read the book spells and sleeping bags over the summer. i really enjoyed it. it was the third in the series. it made me laugh and suprisingly cry!!! Rebecca Klar Good thing Rachel's a witch. The first two books in the Bras and Broomsticks trilogy starring Rachel are Bras and Broomsticks and Frogs and French Kisses. Ed Goldberg
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Madeline L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time passed away on September 6, 2007. Madeleine L’Engle, who in writing more than 60 books, including childhood fables, religious meditations and science fiction, weaved emotional tapestries transcending genre and generation, died Thursday (September 6, 2007) in Connecticut. She was 88 Ms. L’Engle (pronounced LENG-el) was best known for her children’s classic, “A Wrinkle in Time,” which won the John Newbery Award as the best children’s book of 1963... Her works — poetry, plays, autobiography and books on prayer — were deeply personal. But it was in her vivid children’s characters that readers most clearly glimpsed her passionate search for the questions that mattered most. She sometimes spoke of her writing as if she were taking dictation from her subconscious. “Of course I’m Meg,” Ms. L’Engle said about the beloved protagonist of “A Wrinkle in Time.” (synopsized from The New York Times) Ms. L'Engle's website, which includes a complete bibliography, is http://www.madeleinelengle.com/books/ A partial list of her books is shown below: Young Adult Fiction Children's Fiction General Fiction Ed Goldberg
Posted by egoldberg at 2:12 PM
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A great series that I just started is Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. Percy Jackson is a 12 year old boy who finds out he has certain powers and a very distinguished father (I won't tell you who). He must use his powers to save the world from the ravages of Greek Gods. This adventure series' combination of action, great characters, humor and Greek mythology results in a rivoting read. The Lightning Thief Perceus Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse -- Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- Grover, a satyr, and Annabeth, the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods. But to succeed on his quest, Percy will have to unravel a treachery more powerful than the gods themselves. Sea of Monsters Percy Jackson’s seventh-grade year has been surprisingly quiet. Not a single monster has set foot on his New York prep-school campus. But when an innocent game of dodgeball among Percy and his classmates turns into a death match against an ugly gang of cannibal giants, things really get ugly. The unexpected arrival of Annabeth brings more bad news: the magical borders that protect Camp Half-Blood have been poisoned by a mysterious enemy, and unless a cure is found, the only safe haven for demigods will be destroyed. Titan's Curse When the goddess Artemis goes missing, she is believed to have been kidnapped. And now it's up to Percy and his friends to find out what happened. Who is powerful enough to kidnap a goddess? They must find Artemis before the winter solstice, when her influence on the Olympian Council could swing an important vote on the war with the titans. Not only that! First Percy will have to solve the mystery of a rare monster that Artemis was hunting when she disappeared -- a monster rumored to be so powerful it could destroy Olympus forever. Let me know what you think about this series. Ed Goldberg,
Posted by egoldberg at 2:10 PM
I just finished Traitors' Gate by Avi. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. If you try to think of an author whose books are dramatically different from each other, then Avi is the author. Below is a sampling of his books, anyone of which is worth reading. Traitors' Gate This is an action-packed tale of secret identities, double-dealing and betrayal, set in Charles Dicken's, mid-19th-century London. John Huffam (the middle names of Charles J.H. Dickens) is 14, reluctantly attending Muldspoon's Militantly Motivated Academy, when his father (like Dickens') is sent to debtor's prison. His mother is a layabout who does nothing but complain of her husband's fecklessness, and his sister's sole concern is how this family crisis impacts her marital prospects. It's left to John to unravel a mystery involving a military invention that his father, a naval clerk, has information about and a web of foreign spies willing to pay for specifics. When John meets Sary the Sneak, a girl who sells information she gleans on the street, he thinks he's found a friend at last. But is there anyone he can trust? A Book Without Words: A Fable of Medieval Magic At the dawning of the Middle Ages, Thorston, an old alchemist, works feverishly to create gold and to dose himself with a concoction that will enable him to live forever. The key to his success lies in a mysterious book with blank pages that can only be read by desperate, green-eyed people. As he is about to complete his task, he suddenly suffers a heart attack. With a few last words to his talking raven and thirteen-year-old servant girl, Thorston attempts to complete his mission by having these two find, "the green eyed one." An evil lawmaker; a curious monk; a nosy apothecary; two green-eyed boys; Sybil, the servant and Odo, the raven, make a dynamic, disturbing group of characters. They will leave readers wondering who to trust, what is evil and what is good. Crispin: The Cross of Lead (and the sequel, Crispin: At the Edge of the World) In 1377 England, mysteries surround thirteen-year-old Crispin, a serf from a rural village who never knows his own name until his mother dies. Nor does he know just who his mother really was—why she was an outcast or how she learned to read and write. Shortly after her burial, Crispin finds himself pursued by men who mean to kill him for reasons he does not understand. He escapes, only to be captured by a huge juggler named Bear, who teaches Crispin to sing and play the recorder, and slowly they begin to get to know one another. When they perform in villages and towns, however, they discover that the hunt for Crispin is still in full swing. For Crispin, this situation makes the question of Bear's trustworthiness vital, for Bear has secrets of his own. The suspense stays taut until the very end of the book, when Crispin uncovers his identity and then must decide how to act on that information. Never Mind: A Twin Novel (written with Rachel Vail) On the surface, 12-year-old dueling fraternal twins, Edward and Meg couldn't be more different. Separately, they are struggling to figure out who they are as individuals. The story unfolds in Manhattan in just five days, shortly after they've started seventh grade-Meg at a school for highly gifted students and Edward at Charlton Street Alternative. What starts out as a way for Meg to appear cool-she reinvents her "immature, runty, underachiever" brother as a "brilliant, rock/classical bass player" in a hip band-and for Edward to embarrass his sister, escalates into screwball comedy. Surprised by what happens, they realize they have more in common than they thought, and also emerge with a stronger sense of themselves as individuals. Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel Ninth grader Philip Malloy finds himself unable to participate on the track team because of his failing grade in English. Convinced the teacher, Margaret Narwin, dislikes him, he concocts a scheme to get transferred from her homeroom: instead of standing "at respectful, silent attention'' during the national anthem, Philip hums. Throughout the ensuing disciplinary problems at school, his parents take his side, ignore the fact that he is breaking a school rule, and concentrate on issues of patriotism. The conflict between Philip and his school escalates, and he quickly finds the situation out of his control; local community leaders, as well as the national news media, become involved. Philip gains fame as a martyr for freedom; his homeroom teacher, Miss Narwin, however, faces dismissal from her job. Ed Goldberg
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I just got an advance copy of the book Extras which is the fourth "unexpected" book in what is now the Uglies series. The book will be published in October. I can't wait to read it. The first three books in the series were terrific. So, let me introduce you to the Uglies series. Uglies Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. In her futuristic world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent Ugly into a stunningly attractive Pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. Anticipating this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female ugly, who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the society and urges Tally forego the operation and defect with her to the Smoke, a distant settlement of simple-living conscientious objectors. Tally declines. But when Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the Pretty world --and it isn't very pretty. The cruel Dr. Cable offers Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find Shay and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever. Pretties Tally is enjoying her new life as a Pretty. She's with her best friends, Shay and Peris, she has a gorgeous new boyfriend, Zane, and she's about to join the most sought-after clique in New Pretty Town. But when she receives a message from her old friends in the Smoke, she's reminded of her mission: to test a cure for the brain surgery that dulls the minds of Pretties. She and Zane share the cure, which clears their minds but makes Zane dangerously ill. The couple teaches the rest of their clique how to keep their minds clear without the cure. But with her newly clear mind, Shay remembers Tally's betrayal of the Smoke and breaks off to form a violent new clique of her own. Now hiding from Shay as well as Dr. Cable and her Specials, Tally and her friends must plan a daring escape from New Pretty Town--before it's too late for Zane. Specials Tally has been surgically altered from a Pretty to a carefully engineered military Special. Now her body is weaponized, her teeth, fingernails and reflexes razor-sharp. Edges look extra sharp, the world is maniacally beautiful and Dr. Cable's pursuit of the New Smoke rebels is inherently justified, especially because the New Smoke's irresponsible medical experimentation damaged Tally's boyfriend Zane and made him repulsive. Tally and Shay are Cutters, elite Specials who slice their skin to stay hyper-focused. As they track runaways to find the hidden New Smoke, the previously two-sided fight expands into a war with multiple stances and complications, on a far broader scale than Tally could have guessed.
Posted by egoldberg at 9:35 AM
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Stephenie Meyer's third book about Edward and Bella, Eclipse, is due out in August. Find out if there are more Twilight books on the way. Learn a little about Stephenie Meyer. Cut and past the link below and read interview with Stephenie Meyer that appeared in the Phoenix New Times. http://phoenixnewtimes.com/2007-07-12/news/charmed/ Ed Goldberg
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I read two books on vacation (two very different books) and liked them both. The DIARY of a Wimpy Kid is funny and fun. The Alchemyst is full of magic and action and adventure. So, I'm recommending them both. The DIARY of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life...The records show that he died in 1418...But his tomb is empty. The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. I hope you read and enjoy them both. Ed Goldberg
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(Vampires and Werewolves) Blood and Chocolate - Annette Curtis Klause Cirque du Freak (series) - Darren Shan Dangerous Girls - R. L. Stine Dracula - Bram Stoker Midnight Predator - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Peeps - Scott Westerfeld Red Rider’s Hood - Neal Shusterman Salem's Lot - Stephen King Shattered Mirror - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes Sunshine - Robin McKinley Sweetblood - Pete Hautman Twilight - Stephenie Meyer Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean - Justin Somper Vampire High - Douglas Rees Vampires: A Collection of Original Stories - edited by Jane Yolen and Martin H. Greenberg Wounded - Stephen Cole (Source of Annotations: NoveList Database)
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More information on Lloyd Alexander can be found in several Syosset Public Library databases, including Contemporary Authors, Biography Resource Center and Literature Resource Center. A list of his books is shown below: The Chronicles of Prydain The Westmark Trilogy The Vesper Holly series Other Books Ed Goldberg
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I'm almost done with this book but I couldn't wait to tell you about it. Ninth grade outcasts Wen, Olivia, Mo, Charlie and Stella are in detention together. They don't know each other. When a commercial jingle comes on the radio, each one starts doing something--Charlie starts tapping, Olivia sings softly, Mo plays a rubberband, etc. Thus, the formation of the band Lemonade Mouth. But how did they get the name? Are they better than Mudslide Crush, Opequonsett High School's favorite band or are they horrendous? Each chapter is told by a different band member or student. This is an all around fun read. One of my 2007 favorites. Give it a try. Ed Goldberg
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In answer to a request, here are some great Historical Fiction authors and books: Authors: James Collier 1600s Witch Child by Celia Rees Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson In 1793 Philadelphia, sixteen-year-old Matilda, separated from her sick mother, learns about perseverance and self-reliance when she is forced to cope with the horrors of a yellow fever epidemic. Cast Two Shadows: The American Revolution in the South by Ann Rinaldi 1800s Trouble Don't Last by Shelley Pearsall The River Between Us by Rickard Peck Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue by Julius Lester The King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli 1900s London Calling by Edward Bloor Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez Ed Goldberg
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Secrets of My Hollywood Life: On Location by Jen Calonita Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares Bras and Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski
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Last night, nine lucky teens and I had the pleasure of talking with Jen Calonita, author of Secrets of My Hollywood Life and the newly issued Secrets of my Hollywood Life: On Location. A wonderful time was had by everyone as they listened to Jen divulge some Hollywood secrets, talk about being a writer and senior entertainment editor of Teen People, and her forthcoming projects. We also found out that Jen is a fan of Meg Cabot, Ann Brashares and Sarah Mlynowski. So, if you need some reading suggestions, look up these authors. Thank you, Jen, for visiting our library and talking about your books. We all enjoyed the evening. Ed Goldberg
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The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), a division of the American Library Association, has announced its 2007 recommended list of Best Books for Young Adults. For a complete list, go to http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/07bbya.htm The Top Ten are annotated below: American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang and Lark Pien Anahita’s Woven Riddle by Meghan Nuttall Sayres The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson The Book Thief by Markus Zusak The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin Samurai Shortstop by Alan Gratz. Sold by Patricia McCormick Surrender by Sonya Hartnett The Trap by John Smelcer Ed Goldberg
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Cyrano by Geraldine McCaughrean A beautiful retelling of Edmond Rostand's moving love story, Cyrano de Bergerac. Cyrano, a man with a facial deformity (a huge nose) is in love with the beautiful Roxane, who in turn is in love with Christian. Willing to do anything to make Roxane happy, Cyrano writes the words with which Christian wooes and wins the heart of Roxane, all the while in love with Roxane himself. Can an ugly man be loved by a beautiful woman? Discover the answer by reading Cyrano. Forever in Blue: The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood by Ann Brashares This summer Lena, Tibby, Carmen and Bee are as busy as always, so busy, they can't all get together when school ends. They are spread far and wide for the summer--Manhattan, Providence, Vermont and Turkey. What happens with Tibby and Brian, Bee and Eric, and Lena and Kostos? Does Carmen learn what friendship is all about? There is romance, heartache and more. A must for Sisterhood fans. Let me know how you liked this installment. Then I’ll tell you what I thought about it. London Calling by Edward Bloor Johnny’s grandmother calls him in the middle of the night, asking whether 'the boy' has contacted him yet. What boy? When his grandmother dies, Johnny inherits a Philco radio dating from World War II, used by his grandfather in the American Embassy in London. Asleep one night with the radio broadcasting static, Johnny dreams he is transported back to World War II London. There he meets Jimmy who begs Johnny for help. What kind of help? Is it a dream or does Johnny really time travel back 40 years? What is life like in London during the war? This is a gripping story.
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First Part Last by Angela Johnson The book is not very long but very descriptive. It described the situation of seventeen-year old Bobby whose girlfriend, Nia, just told him that she is pregnant. It describes struggles and strives made by Bobby to take care of his daughter, Feather, after something tragic happens to Nia. A MUST read!! Review by Juliet
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Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion and Betrayal by Mal Peet Tamar is: (i) the name of a 14-year-old British girl, (ii) the name of a river in England and (iii) the code name of a Dutch Special Operations Agent during World War II. Tamar, the special agent, is Tamar, the girl's, grandfather. A lover of puzzles, when he commits suicide, he leaves a puzzle for his granddaughter. Intertwining 1945 and 1995, the story alternates between Tamar's action during the war and his granddaughter's attempt to unravel the puzzle. What happened during the war? Who spied on who? Who was in love with who? And, who got betrayed? Tamar, the book, is an absorbing read, full of 'espionage, passion and betrayal'. This is definitely in my Top 5 of the year, so far. Ice Time: The Story of Hockey by Michael McKinley From the nostalgic cover photos to the colorful action shots inside, this ice hockey history is a winner. Initially limited to cold climates, the game moved indoors in 1875. With Canadian Governor-General Lord Stanley's donation of the Dominion Challenge Trophy in 1892, cross-Canada rivalries exploded. Early challenges for Stanley's Cup required skill and character. The Dawson City Nuggets walked, cycled, and journeyed by train to Ottawa. The outcome, 23-2 for Ottawa, still stands in the Stanley Cup records, and likely Albert Forrest's 300-mile walk back to Dawson City does as well. Tales of early hockey legends, such as "Cyclone" Taylor and his "backwards goal," and superb photos, some vintage, add appeal. The author highlights hockey superstars as well as the first black NHL player and the first woman to play in the NHL. Also included is coverage of international competition including the U. S. "Miracle on Ice" gold medal in 1980 and Canada's gold medal in 2002 at Salt Lake City. A must for hockey fans. Edenville Owls by Robert B. Parker Eighth grader, Bobby, sees a man slap his teacher, Ms. Delaney, outside school. Yelling out the classroom window, he scares the man away. When confronted, Ms. Delaney tells Bobby nothing is wrong. But, something is definitely wrong. Meanwhile, Bobby and his Edenville Owls basketball team are trying to gain a slot in the state championship. A ragtag team with no coach, they look to Bobby to prepare them. Lastly, Bobby is jealous when Joanie, a lifelong friend, dates his best friend and teammate. Joanie and Bobby are determined to protect Ms. Delaney. Will they discover who the mystery man is and save Ms. Delaney? Do the Edenville Owls get to the champsionship? Set in 1945, readers will learn out about life after World War II as well as enjoy a good story in this fast reading mystery by a mystery master--writer of the adult Spenser series. Ed Goldberg
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Black Cat Bone: The Life of Blues Legend Robert Johnson by J. Patrick Lewis; illustrated by Gary Kelley In a life spanning 27 years, Robert Johnson recorded only 29 songs. According to legend, Johnson, considered by many to be the Godfather of the Blues, sold his soul to the devil on a Mississippi crossroad in order to obtain musical immortality. Through syncopated poetry and illustrations in shades of blues and browns that capture the essence of the blues, learn about the composer of such standards as Come On In My Kitchen, Crossroad Blues, and Kindhearted Woman Blues and a man who influenced Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers, the Grateful Dead, Eric Clpaton and more. A must for music lovers. Jazz A B Z: An A to Z Collection of Jazz Portraits by Wynton Marsalis; illustrated by Paul Rogers The vibrance and color of jazz is conveyed to the reader by the vibrance and colors of the illustrations in this introduction to jazz greats. In a combination of prose and poetry, all the greats are mentioned: Armstrong, Basie, Coltrane, Fitzgerald, Gillespie, Monk. Reminiscent of an old 33 1/3 L.P., Jazz A B Z is a crowd pleaser. Brief bios, notes on the poetic forms used in the book and 26 jazz records you will enjoy round out this eye-catching, fun-to-read, introduction to jazz. A jazz newbie or a jazz lover, you will love this book, as did I.
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The Invention of Hugo Cabret written and illustrated by Brian Selznick What a great book!!!! The perfect, and I mean perfect, combination of illustrations and words. The story revolves around 12-year-old Hugo and his efforts to fix an old automaton that his father found. (automaton: A machine or robot that is programmed to perform specific actions in a human-like manner, used primarily as a toy.) This automaton is seated at a desk, pen in hand as if ready to deliver a message; a message that Hugo thinks will save his life. The story opens in a Paris train station in 1931 as Hugo is running to his hiding place. An orphan, he maintains the clocks in the train station for his uncle who disappeared. He steals mechanical toys to use as parts for the automaton. When the toymaker catches him, a series of events unfolds that sheds light on the toymaker and his goddaughter, Hugo, his father and uncle and early movie makers and magicians. I have no doubt this will be in my top 10 for 2007. A must read!!!!!!
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There have been lots of books published in 2006, some good and some not so good. Here are my baker's dozen list of favorites. I hope you like them. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak This is, by far, my favorite book of the year. Narrated by Death, this is the story of a young German girl, Liesel, during World War II. Liesel is enamored by books, stealing them when the opportunity arises. But she is also attached to the Jewish man that her accordian playing father is hiding in their basement. The two form a strong bond as they tell each other stories, draw on the basement wall and try to live while death surrounds them. The book is much better than any annotation I can write to describe it. Give it a try. (It is a Printz Award honorable mention book.) Incantation by Alice Hoffman Estrella, whose secret name is Esther, is a converso, a Jew during the Spanish Inquisition living outwardly as a Catholic but practicing the Jewish faith in secret. When her next door neighbor and best friend learns that the man she hopes to marry is in love with Estrella, she 'outs' Estrella's family. Estrella must now confront a world she's never imagined for herself, only seen from afar, in which Jews are tortured and their possessions confiscated. She also encounters the love of a boy who will stay with her despite the danger. Incantation is a lyrically written book that I could not put down. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield Margaret Lea, the daughter of a rare-books dealer, lives a quiet life helping her father and occasionally writing short pieces on obscure literary figures. She is summoned by the famously mysterious writer Vida Winter, who proposes that Margaret be her biographer. Flattered, Margaret agrees, enticed by the writer's desire to lay bare the truth of her past. But as Margaret churns up the ghosts of Miss Winter's past, she will end up confronting her own ghosts as well. A gothic tale of the highest caliber, The Thirteenth Tale will draw you in and keep you going until the very end. A must for any fan of the gothic genre. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan So you're a guy at a band show and your ex, the girl who dumped you, walks in with the new guy. Looking for a safe exit, you ask the girl sitting next to you to be your girlfriend for five minutes…. You're a girl at a get-together and your least favorite female strolls in. The stranger sitting next to you asks you to be his five-minute date. So what do you? You lock lips…. Nick and Norah's instant connection begins a roller-coaster "first date" that takes them through Manhattan and into themselves. A novel concept that works and a totally fun read. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga Fanboy has never had it good, but his sophomore year is turning out to be its own special hell. The bullies have made him their favorite target, his best (and only) friend seems headed for the dark side (sports and popularity), and his pregnant mother and the step-fascist (his step father) are eagerly awaiting the birth of the alien life form known as Fanboy's new little brother or sister. Fanboy, though, has a secret: a graphic novel he's been working on without telling anyone. When Fanboy meets Kyra, a.k.a. Goth Girl, he finds an outrageous, cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. Fanboy can't resist someone who actually seems to understand him and soon he finds himself willing to heed her advice-to ignore or crush anyone who stands in his way. Born to Rock by Gordon Korman Leo - president of the Young Republicans club, 4.0 GPA, future Harvard student - has his entire future perfectly planned out. That is, until the X factor. As in Marion X. McMurphy, aka King Maggot, the lead singer of Purge, the most popular, most destructive band punk rock has ever seen. As in the biological father Leo never knew. A great read. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen Last year, Annabel was the girl who has everything. This year, she’s the girl who has nothing: no best friend because mean-but-exciting Sophie dropped her, no peace at home since her older sister became anorexic, and no one to sit with at lunch. Until she meets Owen Armstrong. Tall, dark, and music-obsessed, Owen is a reformed bad boy with a commitment to truth-telling. With Owen’s help, maybe Annabel can face what happened the night she and Sophie stopped being friends. As a Sarah Dessen fan, I loved the book. Her best. Give it a read. (Do you recognize references to her previous books?) Notes from a Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick Alex decides to get even. His parents are separated, his father is dating his former third-grade teacher, and being 16 isn't easy, especially when it comes to girls. Instead of revenge though, Alex ends up in trouble with the law and is ordered to do community service at a senior center where he is assigned to Solomon Lewis, a "difficult" senior with a lot of gusto, advice for Alex, and a puzzling (yet colorful) Yiddish vocabulary. Eventually, the pair learn to deal with their past and each other in ways that are humorous, entertaining, and life changing. Ptolemy's Gate by Jonathan Stroud In this final volume of the Bartimaeus trilogy, three years have passed since the magician Nathaniel helped prevent a cataclysmic attack on London. Now an established member of the British Government, he faces unprecedented local and foreign problems. Nathaniel is treating Bartimaeus worse than ever and the djinni is growing weak and vulnerable from too much time in this world. Nathaniel’s longtime rival Kitty has been completing her research on magic, demons, and Bartimaeus’s past. She has a daring plan to break the endless cycle of conflict between djinn and humans. But will anyone listen to what she has to say? A great ending to a great trilogy. Under the Baseball Moon by John H. Ritter Andy, a free-style skateboarding trumpeter, has dreams as big as a baseball moon. Born into a family of musicians, Andy wants to take his unique fusion of Latin jazz, rock, and hip-hop straight to the top. But when he crosses paths with Glory, a softball pitcher who has Olympian dreams of her own, the mysterious fusion of their athletic and musical skills changes everything. Or is that due to the elegant, but eerie man in black? A great fusion of sports and music. A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt Simone's starting her junior year in high school. Her mom's a lawyer for the ACLU, her dad's a political cartoonist. She's got a terrific younger brother and amazing friends. And she's got a secret crush on a really smart and funny guy--who spends all of his time with another girl. Then her birth mother contacts her. Simone's always known she was adopted, but she never wanted to know anything about her. She's happy with her family just as it is, thank you. Why has she contacted Simone? Why now? A must read. Dairy Queen by Catherin Gilbert Murdock D. J. Schwenk is a football-loving 15-year-old who takes over the chores on her family's small Wisconsin dairy farm when her dad is sidelined by an injury. Like the rest of the tongue-tied Schwenks, D.J. is not much of a talker. Then she meets Brian, a snooty quarterback from a rival team who she agreed to train, and she finally learns who she is and what she wants. A unique look at girls who like 'guy' sports. In the Belly of the Bloodhound: Being an Account of a Particularly Peculiar Adventure in the life of Jacky Faber by L.A. Meyer In this fourth installment of Jacky Faber's adventures, the British crown has placed a price on thirteen-year-old Jacky's head, so she returns to the Lawson Peabody School for Young Girls in Boston to lay low. But laying low isn't in the cards for a spunky lass who finds trouble even when she's not looking for it. A school outing goes awry as Jacky and her classmates are abducted and forced into the hold of the Bloodhound, a ship bound for the slave markets on the Barbary Coast. All of Jacky's ingenuity, determination, and plain old good luck will be put to the test as she rallies her classmates to fight together to avoid being sold on the auction block.
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Sharon Long
Teen Services LibrarianMay 14, 2009
Whatever your mood, it has to be good
Polar opposite in almost every way, meet Madge Diaz. She is large and in charge and just wants to have fun. She has self-confidence to boot and has never met a donut she didn't like. She decides to take on her nemesis (the skinny, blond and equally popular Bridget Benson) to battle for prom queen. Along the way, there are many party scenes, laugh out loud dialogue, and good music you'll want to download. This is not a book for the faint-of-heart. Be forewarned that there is some underage drinking and language to raise some eyebrows. It reminded me of Freak Show by James St. James with a little Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist thrown in. A good time read.
Teen Services Librarian
May 11, 2009
3 Apples Book Award Winner
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.
Sharon Long
Teen Services LibrarianApril 3, 2009
Poetry for April
Over 60 angst-ridden poems with great tiles such as "The Whinings of a Middle-Class White Girl" to "Ode to Narcissus." Although the angry poems make up most of the collection, there are some sweet love poems here as well.
This book is accompanied by a CD of a mix of poetry with a hip-hop edge. A stand out on the audio CD is “Television” with a refrain of “look at me! Look at me! LOOK AT ME!”
An interesting mix of characters from fairy tales and mythology combine to create street poetry using Los Angeles as a backdrop. There is a combination of poetry depicting female suffering tempered with female empowerment to create a unique and ultimately, hopeful, voice.
March 5, 2009
New Graphic Novels in TeenSpace
“’Skim’ (Kimberly Keiko Cameron) is a not-slim would-be Wiccan goth who goes to a private girls' school. When her classmate Katie is dumped by her boyfriend, who then kills himself, the entire school goes into mourning overdrive. The popular clique stars a club to boost school spirit, but Skim sinks into an ever-deepening depression.”
“Sixteen-year-old Rue Silver, whose mother disappeared weeks ago, believes she is going crazy until she learns that the strange things she has been seeing are real, and that she is one of the faerie creatures, or Good Neighbors, that mortals cannot see.”
Teen Services LibrarianFebruary 19, 2009
Percy Jackson Book 5 Cover revealed
Here's the cover:
Check our author Rick Riordan's blog for more updates and an "interview" with Blackjack the Pegasus!
http://rickriordan.blogspot.com/
Teen LibrarianJanuary 26, 2009
American Library Association's 2009 Awards
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
Savvy by Ingrid Law
After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, The Kingdom on the Waves by M. T. Anderson
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is the King Author Book winner.
The Blacker the Berry by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Floyd Cooper
Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith, illustrated by E.B. Lewis
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor is the winner in the middle school category
Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen is the winner in the teen category.
The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle, is the winner of the 2009 Belpre Author Award.
City of Thieves by David Benioff
The Dragons of Babel by Michael Swanwick
Finding Nouf by Zoë Ferraris
The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
Just After Sunset: Stories by Stephen King
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
Over and Underby Todd Tucker
The Oxford Project by Stephen G. Bloom, photographed by Peter Feldstein
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow
Three Girls and Their Brother by Theresa Rebeck
An annotated booklist will be available in TeenSpace shortly.
Teen Services Librarian
January 22, 2009
Best fiction books of 2008
Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox is just a name when she wakes up from a coma after a terrible accident. She remembers nothing at first, and when her memories do slowly trickle back, she finds much has changed. Jenna begins questioning her identity and starts distrusting her family as larger issues of medical ethics and humanity come to light. This book was a mix of science fiction and medical thriller with many surprise twists that kept me hanging onto every word until the end.
Best classified as a"fictional verse memoir," it tells the story of little Eleanora with a big voice. Taking us through the painful details, it is a lyrical journey of how a rough childhood created one of the greatest jazz vocalists from the era of the Harlem Renaissance and beyond. 
There are a few books on this list that feature strong female characters and a theme of “grrl power.” This is the first of that group. Frankie is a clever, cute, highly intelligent and inquisitive sophomore at Alabaster Preparatory Academy – an “old boys club” if there ever was one. She desperately wants to be involved in her boyfriend's all-male secret society, the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. Denied entry into their world, she schemes up ways to prove to herself that she’s capable of more than just being her father’s “bunny rabbit”. Needless to say, hilarity ensues as the hijinks commence. 
The second book about a strong female character on this list, Graceling is a fantasy for non-fantasy lovers. That’s me – I’ll admit that it’s not my favorite genre. However, I was completely drawn into the world of the Seven Kingdoms and the warrior-girl Graceling Katsa, whose her particular Grace is her unrivaled ability to fight and kill. The story introduces memorable characters, and exciting plot twists that take you on a wild adventure as you watch Katsa transform from a wild girl into a powerful woman in control of her own destiny.
This charming book has already been reviewed on this blog, but everyone I know who had read it has been moved in some way by this latest offering from Neil Gaiman.
Rosie is slowly losing her grandfather to cancer and learns that you cannot buy a dying man a single meaningful thing. You can only give him back the life he loved and awaken the memories. Over the summer, Rosie finds several ways to help him keep his memories alive. She helps him organize his possessions worth keeping In Trust and discovers the House of Dance, where she takes ballroom dance lessons. As his condition worsens, she works very hard to bring back a part of his life that he loved dearly though her dancing. A moving and sentimental tale.
Now THIS is a riveting read. A future dystopian world has destroyed the United States and left behind the North American state of Panem and its 12 impoverished districts. Katniss from the poorest part of District 12, finds herself in the unfortunate position of being a contestant in the annual horror show/reality TV nightmare known as the Hunger Games. 24 contestants (2 from each district; one boy, one girl) must fight to the death on live television as the nation watches them , places bets on their lives and treat them as gladiators fighting in a Roman arena. The non-stop action and clever social commentary (are we so really consumed by vanity that we’d hire stylists to decorate the fighters prior to a death match?) kept me turning page after page. I predict this one will be winning some awards.
After a terrorist plot bombs San Francisco, Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is detained and questioned by the Department of Homeland Security. Feeling dejected and abused by the system (and being a whiz kid possessing more computer savvy than just about anyone), Marcus begins to lead the ultimate techno-geek rebellion. It’s a very interesting premise which asks questions of ethics and national rights that have been echoed in our headlines ever since the controversial Patriot Act was passed.
Mau is the only one left on his island after the tsunami wipes the Nation away. He has to cope with his grief and learn how to survive without anyone left to show him how. He finds another survivor in Daphne, a British “royal in waiting” who has survived a shipwreck and finds herself on the island. Together they discover a few more survivors and have to piece together a new world and answer questions of creating a common religion, culture and nationalism where nothing exists. Along all these heavy concepts, Sir Terry Prachett brings the funny in his inimitable way.
Nobody writes a better road trip than John Green. His dialogue is spot-on to the degree that if I haven’t said something similar to my friends at some point in time, well, I’ve wanted to, but couldn’t find the right words. In his latest offering, we meet the wild and unpredictable Margo Roth Spiegelman and her childhood friend Quentin. After a bad break-up, Margo enlists Quentin for some late-night pranks. Even though she hasn’t spoken to him in years, Quentin is willing and eager to find a way into her world. After she disappears shortly thereafter, Quentin tries to unravel the mysteries of Margo that culminate in a road trip on graduation day from Orlando to NY.
Sharon Long
Teen Librarian
October 17, 2008
New books 10/17/08
As fifteen-year-old Eli begins to feel that she's losing hold of everything, her pent-up anxiety and anger begin to unfurl, revealing a heartbreaking vulnerability beneath her tough exterior.
Lia Kahn was perfect: rich, beautiful, popular -- until the accident that nearly killed her. Now she has been downloaded into a new body that only looks human. Lia will never feel pain again, she will never age, and she can't ever truly die. But she is also rejected by her friends, betrayed by her boyfriend, and alienated from her old life. Forced to the fringes of society, Lia joins others like her. But they are looked at as freaks. They are hated...and feared. They are everything but human, and according to most people, this is the ultimate crime -- for which they must pay the ultimate price.
Thirteen-year-old, clarinet-playing, Southern California surfer, Yumi Ruiz-Hirsch, comes from a complex family--her father is Jewish-Japanese, her mother is Cuban, and her parents are divorced--and when her grandfather Saul is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Yumi asks him to tell her his life story, which helps her to understand her own history and identity.
Still adjusting to being blind, Alicia must outwit an invisible man who is putting her family and her boyfriend, who was once invisible himself, in danger.
Out of the pocket by Bill Konigsberg.
As Bobby Framingham, quarterback of his high school football team, finally acknowledges to himself that he is gay, events start to spin out of control when his sexual orientation is revealed in the student newspaper and then in the local press, and he learns that his father has cancer.
September 5, 2008
New books this week
Love and other uses for duct tape by Carrie Jones
Belle is a high school senior with questions about growing up. She doesn’t understand why her friends need to label everyone, herself included. Belle is dealing with her new boyfriend, Tom, and her friend Emily’s crisis situation in the best way she knows how: by making tons of lists and playing folk music on her guitar. The likeable characters have a lot of big issues throughout (teen pregnancy and drug abuse to name a few), but the depictions of small-town high school life are very spot-on and filled with humor.
Rosemary Goode is an overweight girl from Spring Hill, Tennessee, who has lots of great qualities. She’s smart, funny and an all-around great girl. The only problem is that nobody can see past her weight to get to know the real Rosemary. Her mother runs the most successful beauty parlor in town, where everyone likes to stop by and gossip, making it hard for her to fade away into the background. When her scale reaches a new high, she finally resolves to lose the weight. Along the way, she deals with her mother’s sudden illness, loses the extra pounds and gains self acceptance and a new appreciation for her zany life.
Victor and Rose Anna are two aspiring writers abiding by the rule “You have to be naked to write”. But what does that truly mean? Taking the literal interpretation, Victor: a quirky sixteen-year-old with an antique typewriter and a penchant for anonymity and Rose Anna: a home-schooled free spirit who prefers to use a vintage fountain pen, come together to do just that. They uncover more than their stories as they meet in the log cabin in the Vermont woods to write and nurture a true friendship.
“In two hours’ time I will kidnap a terrorist.” The opening line sets up the action as the codenamed terrorist, Snake, is kidnapped by the youth cult the Brotherhood of the Religion of Hebetheus to prevent a bomb from going off at St. Sebastian’s Secondary School. The cult’s leader, Jeremiah, manages to convince new recruit Jon and the other cult members that their Muslim classmate, Padma, (Snake) is a terrorist who needs to hang for her sins. As part of the narrator Jon’s initiation into the cult, he finds himself at the forefront of the action and torn between what’s right and wrong.
August 29, 2008
Sunrise Over Fallujah and Generation Kill
based on a true story of a Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright, who rode with the Marines of First Recon Battalion during the first 40 days of the Iraq war. The exceptionally well-executed series is not, I repeat - NOT - for children, as it is rated R, and the viewing audience should really be mature 17 year olds and older. It is very violent and has suggestive adult content.
Sharon
July 29, 2008
The Luxe
Readers who have enjoyed the Gossip Girl series might be interested in a new series by Anna Godbersen called The Luxe. It has many of the same elements that resonated with fans of Gossip Girl. There are the catty city girls with big attitudes (and bank accounts to match) who compete for handsome and aloof men with hidden agendas. The A-list attends lavish and elegant all-night parties wearing custom couture. The twist here is the setting: New York in the year 1899 during the late-Victorian era. Yes, the ladies shop at Lord & Taylor, but imagine working with a personal dressmaker to create a dress of wedding-gown proportions for a simple evening affair. Not too shabby.
http://www.harperteen-theluxe.com/luxe.html
Happy reading!
Sharon Long
Teen Services LibrarianJune 10, 2008
My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins & Fenway Park
My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger is definitely one of my top ten favorite books of 2008. It is a story about love and growing up and commitment and fun. It's got all of the elements that make a good story: adventure, romance, theater, sports, dogs, cute six year olds and more.
Teen Services Librarian
June 9, 2008
For Erin Hunter Fans
Erin Hunter, author of the Warriors series, will be at the Carle Place Barnes & Noble on Sunday, June 14 at 11 AM. This is your chance to get autographed copies of her books.
Teen Services LibrarianJune 3, 2008
Breaking Dawn Cover Unveiled
Here's the Breaking Dawn cover for all you Twilight fans.
Teen Services LibrarianMay 18, 2008
Peeled by Joan Bauer
First it was the man caught breaking into the old Ludlow House. Then it was the body found in the grove of trees on the property. The scary signs appearing on the door of the house added to the mystery. Finally, it was the headlines in the local newspaper, The Bee, which led to the hysteria in rural Banesville, New York, the heart of apple country. These headlines recalled ghosts sitings and mysterious occurrences at the house many years ago.
Teen Services LibrarianMay 17, 2008
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
This is the story of Scarlett, Spenser, Lola and Marlene Martin. They live in a small, old hotel on the east side of Manhattan which is owned by their parents. Each of them has their own story which unfolds over the course of a summer.
Teen Services LibrarianMay 6, 2008
Musings by Maureen Johnson
How we love Maureen Johnson. Her new, fabulous, book Suite Scarlett is out now. It's one of my favourites and so I asked Maureen to tell Trashionista readers about *her* favourite books.
AGE EIGHT 
AGE THIRTEEN
May 2, 2008
The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith
Well, here's another book that I expect will be included in my Top 10 favorites of 2008. In The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith, we are introduced to fifteen year old Ryan Walsh. It's been five years since her father died in a white water rafting accident. It's been five years that she's been remembering him and idolizing him; his jokes, his words of wisdom, his optimism. They were avid Chicago Cubs fans, the team that hasn't won a World Series in 100 years. So, it's appropriate that she should meet Nick on an April day she's cutting class to go to a game.
Teen Services Librarian
April 13, 2008
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Back in July 2007, I told you about Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the embarrassing tales of middle-schooler Greg Heffley. Well, he's back in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. As you may recall, Rodrick is his older brother who always, always gets the better of Greg. But, let's be real, Greg brings a lot of grief on himself. For instance, when Greg dog sits his neighbor’s dog while they are on vacation--the dog would never do his stuff while he was being walked, but then proceeds to poop in the house after the walk. After a few days of cleaning up the mess, Greg decides to let it pile up and clean it the day the neighbors are due home. But…they come home a day early. You get the picture, and it’s not pretty.
Ed Goldberg,
Teen Services LibrarianApril 4, 2008
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Frankie Landau-Banks is not satisfied being the cute high school sophomore who needs protecting by her boyfriend. She’s not satisfied that she’s not taken seriously by her family or friends. She’s not satisfied that she’s excluded from Alabaster Prep School’s all male Loyal Order of the Bassets, even though her father was a member. Even her boyfriend, Matthew, is a member, but he won’t admit or discuss it because it’s that secret. He’s even co-king, along with Alpha.
Frankie never gets alone time with Matthew because he’s always either with all his Bassett friends or on call—every time Alpha calls, Matthew runs off with some feeble excuse, leaving her high and dry. Matthew’s correcting her grammar rather than listening to what she has to say, is the last straw. It’s time for revenge—or to prove a point.
Teen Services LibrarianMarch 21, 2008
Beauty and the Beast - The Scandinavian Version
In summary, a great white bear appears at the home of a poor Scandinavian family. In return for a promise of family wealth, the bear asks that the young girl of the family come away and stay with him for a year in a palace. Unbeknownst to the young girl, the palace is an ice palace in the far, far north. The bear is a prince under an enchantment from an evil troll princess. As in Beauty and the Beast, they fall in love. However, the young girl must battle the troll princess in order to keep her prince.
Teen Services LibrarianFebruary 12, 2008
Supernatural Books
Jinx by Meg Cabot
Frannie in Pieces: Save the Blues for Last by Delia Ephron
Ed Goldberg
Teen Services LibrarianFebruary 8, 2008
Hot Twilight News
Teen Services Librarian
February 4, 2008
My Favorite Books of 2007 - A Dozen
Freak Show by James St. James
Derby Girl by Shauna Cross
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
London Calling by Edward Bloor Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Rucker Park Setup by Paul Volponi
The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Traitor's Gate by Avi
Teen Services Librarian
January 25, 2008
Books by Gordon Korman
Teen Services LibrarianJanuary 21, 2008
American Library Association Announces Literary Award Winners
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz, is the 2008 Newbery Medal winner.
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson.
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean is the 2008 Printz Award winner.
Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox
One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke
Repossessed by A. M. Jenkins
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill.
Elijah of Buxton written by Christopher Paul Curtis, is the King Author Book winner.
November Blues by Sharon M. Draper
Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Bryan Collier
Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby is the winner in the teen category.
American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China by Matthew Polly
Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff
Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm by Jeff Lemire
Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden
The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The Night Birds by Thomas Maltman
The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz.
Teen Services LibrarianJanuary 17, 2008
Interview with Maureen Johnson, author of Devilish and the Bermudez Triangle
(source: Trashionista Blog: (http://www.trashionista.com/2008/01/best-of-2007-au.html)
1 broke NYC hotel,
4 siblings,
2 boys on unicycles,
1 perma-guest,
15 actors,
1 ex-ferret,
1 con,
1 theft
1 suite,
and Scarlett
(Numbers don't count, obviously!)
(Neither do things in parenthesis.)
I know these are common pieces of advice, but they are worth repeating.
Since you haven't read the first book, though . . . there isn't a lot of point in me giving hints about what happens in this one. Which is annoying.
Teen Services Librarian
January 16, 2008
Percy Jackson & the Olympians News
I frequently get asked to recommend other books for kids to read while waiting for the next Percy Jackson. Below are some ideas. This is by no means a comprehensive list, but these all are books that I have enjoyed, and that have been "vetted" by my sons, who are reluctant readers, or other young readers I've worked with. The grade levels are simply my own rough estimates. They are not set in stone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins. The first in the series is Gregor the Overlander. A boy falls into a fantastical world under New York. For grades 4th-6th, roughly. My son devoured these.
Teen Services LibrarianJanuary 15, 2008
Kayla Chronicles
Teen Services Librarian
January 8, 2008
Books to Begin the Year With - #2
Fourteen-year-old San, an ethnic Chinese adopted by an Anglo-American couple as an infant, is as culturally American as apple pie, but he reinvents himself as a mysterious Zen Buddhist when "the thing" with his dad gets "ugly," and he and his mom leave Houston for a new life in Pennsylvania. San elects the exotic identity partly to spite his father, who extolled blending in, but also to impress his new classmates, especially a pretty girl clearly attracted to his aesthetic persona. And just when he thinks everyone (including the cute girl he can't stop thinking about) is on to him, everyone believes him . . . in a major Zen way.
Having seriously messed himself up by getting drunk and decapitating a garden gnome with his mom's car, sixteen-year-old Alex is assigned to a nursing home for his community service sentence: one hundred hours with Sol Lewis, the crankiest, most unapproachable member of the old folks' community. At first, Alex balks about being assigned to such a cranky and seemingly obnoxious person, but soon he discovers the man's secret past, the true meaning of friendship, and what is really important in life.
Teen Services Librarian
January 7, 2008
Books to Begin the Year With - #1
Teen Services Librarian
December 12, 2007
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
review by Trisha Sanghavi
“What’s the difference between spending your life trying to be invisible, or pretending to be the person you think everyone wants you to be? Either way, you’re faking.” Jodi Picoult thoroughly examines the issues of fitting in and defining oneself in her novel, Nineteen Minutes. March 6th, 2007 begins like any other day for the residents of a small suburban New Hampshire town. However, on this day, the quaint, sleepy town of Sterling is abruptly awoken when a high school misfit embarks on a killing rampage. The shock and grief the small community is forced to cope with is one of the many focuses of the novel, which is told from the eyes of various characters, including a survivor of the attack, her mother who also happens to be the judge sitting on the case, the parents of the shooter, and the killer himself...
Teen Services Librarian
December 9, 2007
Paul Volponi--Great Sports Author
Marcus and Eddie are best friends who found the strength to break through the racial barrier. Marcus is black; Eddie is white. Stars of their school basketball team, they are true leaders who look past the stereotypes and come out on top. They are inseparable, watching each other's backs, both on and off the basketball court. But one night--and one wrong decision--will change their lives forever. Will their mistake cost them their friendship . . . and their future?
Cousins Clay and Addison were like brothers, growing up together in the projects, until they were ripped apart by a family argument. When they are reunited in a drug-treatment program, they try to work out their issues like a family. But one night, one wrong decision, leaves Clay shaken and Addison dead. And in the rash of events that follow, the truth of what actually happened on the rooftop of the apartment building is caught up in a clash of politics and racial issues. Will Clay be able to rise above the lies and face the truth?
Best friends Mackey and J.R. have waited their whole lives to win the basketball tournament at Rucker Park, where their favorite pro ballers squared off against street legends. But the day of their big game, J.R. is fatally stabbed—and it’s Mackey’s fault, even though he didn’t wield the knife. Now Mackey has a score to settle, but the killer is watching his every move.
Teen Services LibrarianNovember 5, 2007
Novels in Verse
It tells
the heart-stoppingly riveting story
of my first love.
And also of my second.
And, okay, my third love, too.
It's not that I'm boy crazy.
It's just that even though
I'm almost fifteen
I've been having sort of a hard time
trying to figure out the difference
between love and lust.
It's like
my mind
and my body
and my heart
just don't seem to be able to agree
on anything."
It tells the story of what happens
when after almost 15 pathetic years of loserdom,
the girl of my dreams finally falls for me.
a good thing, right?
Only it turns out to be
a lot more complicated than that
there are naked women involved.
Four of them, to be exact.
Though not in the way you might think.
But the way things have been going lately,
I'm starting to believe that the only thing worse
than not getting what you want,
Teen Services LibrarianNovember 4, 2007
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
November 1, 2007
Prom in November?
Eighteen-year-old Ash wants nothing to do with senior prom, but when disaster strikes and her desperate friend, Nat, needs her help to get it back on track, Ash's involvement transforms her life.
Five bestselling authors take bad prom nights to a whole new level—a paranormally bad level. Wardrobe malfunctions and two left feet don't hold a candle to discovering your date is the Grim Reaper—and he isn't here to tell you how hot you look. From angels fighting demons to a creepy take on getting what you wish for, these five stories will entertain better than any DJ in a bad tux. No corsage or limo rental necessary. Just good, scary fun.
Maggie has a very bad case of senioritis. She wants nothing to do with the upcoming prom, especially the class song, the theme, and the fact that there is no voting for royalty. She just wants to be left alone. Unfortunately that is not going to happen because she has premonitions about the near future that spell disaster.
Gay high school senior Cameron endures a disastrous prom night when forced to take a girl as his date, and after fleeing the dance in disguise, he finds himself involved in a surprising on-stage performance, a high-speed police chase, and unexpected revelations.
Sophomore year, Nicolette was dumped two days before prom by the hottest guy at school. As a result, she became the proud owner of one unworn, perfectly magical pink vintage dress. But Nic is determined to put that night behind her for good. She's a junior now— older, wiser, and completely overwhelmed by a new set of problems, amongst which is what in the world do you do with an unworn prom dress? Strangely, it's getting to the bottom of this dilemma that just might hold the answer to all Nic's problems.
Teen Services LibrarianOctober 29, 2007
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
October 19, 2007
Alex Bradley and Tucker Shaw
Jack, average American senior, has no prom date. Percy and Natalie, Jack's "so-called best friends", post an ad in the classified section of the online school newspaper. They figured it couldn't hurt-after all, there's not much in this world sadder than Jack's love life. Soon Percy and Natalie have assembled a list of girls eager to go to the prom with Jack, including one mysterious girl known only as FancyPants. He has just seven days to meet and date them before asking one special girl to the prom.
Molly, a sarcastic loner, can't stand perky Cassie. When a joint school project fails, their bickering escalates into a food fight in the cafeteria. But because Sunshine Day School isn't your average high school, their punishment isn't detention—it's working in the cafeteria as lunch ladies. Ewww. They'll have to cook up a way to get along in order to get themselves out of the kitchen. The book contains a few recipes as well.
Ed Goldberg
Teen Services LibrarianOctober 17, 2007
National Book Award Nominees
In this semi-autobiographical book, Arnold Spirit spends his time lamenting life on the "poor-ass" Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons and, along with his pal, Rowdy, laughing over anything and nothing, as best friends so often do. When a teacher pleads with Arnold to want more, to escape the hopelessness of the reservation, Arnold switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own community as he is a curiosity in his new one.
The perfect combination of illustrations and words. The story revolves around 12-year-old Hugo and his efforts to fix an old automaton (a machine or robot that is programmed to perform specific actions in a human-like manner, used primarily as a toy) that his father found. The story opens in a Paris train station in 1931 as Hugo is running to his hiding place. An orphan, he maintains the clocks in the train station for his uncle who disappeared. He steals mechanical toys to use as parts for the automaton. When the toymaker catches him, a series of events unfolds that sheds light on the toymaker and his goddaughter, Hugo, his father and uncle and early movie makers and magicians.
This dark fantasy, the first in a planned trilogy, weaves together the stories of two teens who live in a world in which magic has a turbulent history. When her father dies, Sadima, a young woman who can communicate with animals, keeps house for two renegade magicians at a time when magic has been outlawed. Her experiences alternate with those of Hahp, born generations later. Exiled by his wealthy, disapproving father, he attends a school of wizardry where, among other unpleasantness, students are starved to death if they can't conjure up food. Sadima's and Hahp's worlds are separated by generations, but their lives are connected in surprising and powerful ways.
Deanna was 13 when her father caught her and 17-year-old Tommy having sex. Three years later, she is still struggling with the repercussions: how Tommy jokingly made her into the school slut; how the story became legend in her small town; how her father can't look at her. Meanwhile, in a misguided search for love brought on by the confusion of seeing Tommy again, Deanna intentionally hurts her two closest friends. She struggles to gain insight into herself, her family, and her friends. When she finally does, she's able to create small but positive changes in her relationships with them all.
To those back in Haiti, "touching snow" means living in America. For seventh-grader Karina, however, life in suburban Chestnut Valley, NY, is far from easy. Her extended family struggles to survive in a world in which they are social and cultural outsiders, where food and shelter are still uncertain, and where a visit from the authorities can mean deportation to a desperate homeland. For Karina, though, the biggest threat is within her family--her stepfather, who uses brutal force to dominate his wife and stepdaughters.
Teen Services LibrarianOctober 12, 2007
Gossip Girl and It Girl Author Appearance
Teen Services LibrarianOctober 4, 2007
Battle of the Labyrinth-Percy Jackson Book 4
Teen Services LibrarianOctober 1, 2007
Fun New Sports Books for Girls
Bliss’ escape? Take up Roller Derby.
When she discovers a league in nearby Austin, Bliss embarks on an epic journey full of hilarious tattooed girls, delicious boys in bands, and a few not-so-awesome realities even the most bad-assed derby chick has to learn.
Teen Services LibrarianPercy Jackson Series
Teen Services LibrarianSeptember 18, 2007
Spells and Sleeping Bags
At long last, Rachel's powers have arrived and she's a bona fide get-your-broom-ready witch! And it's happened just in time. No Manhattan for her this summer—she's spending her vacation at Camp Wood Lake.
But she's having some serious issues:
*Mosquitoes in the Adirondacks are incredibly thirsty.
*Her stepmom keeps sending embarrassing feminine hygiene care packages.
*She accidentally zapped away all her clothes.
*And there's a backstabber in her cabin intent on making life miserable.
Teen Services Librarian
September 7, 2007
Madeleine L'Engle - 1918-2007 In Memoriam
Biographical information on Ms. L'Engle as well as critical analyses of her works can be obtained from the The Scribner Writers Series. Literature Resource Center and Novelist databases. These databases can be accessed directly from the Syosset Public Library webpage, http://www.nassaulibrary.org/syosset/online/librarydatabases.php.
And Both Were Young, 1949
Meet the Austins, 1960
A Wrinkle in Time, 1962
The Moon By Night, 1963
Camilla Dickinson, 1951; reissued as Camilla, 1965
The Arm of the Starfish, 1965
The Young Unicorns, 1968
A Wind in the Door, 1973
Dragons in the Waters, 1976
A Swiftly Tilting Planet, 1978
A Ring of Endless Light, 1980
A House Like a Lotus, 1984
Many Waters, 1986
An Acceptable Time, 1989
Troubling a Star, 1994
A Full House, 1999
The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas, 1964
The Anti-Muffins, 1980
Miracle on 10th Street,
The Other Dog, 2001
The Small Rain, 1945; reissued as Prelude, 1968
Ilsa, 1946
A Winter's Love, 1957; reissued 1999
The Love Letters, 1966
The Other Side of the Sun, 1971
A Severed Wasp, 1982
Certain Women, 1992
A Live Coal in the Sea, 1996
Teen Services LibrarianSeptember 4, 2007
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan
Teen Services LibrarianAugust 30, 2007
Traitors Gate and Other Books by Avi
Teen Services LibrarianAugust 27, 2007
Eclipse--What Did You Think?
Now that you've read the much anticipated Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer, what did you think? Which book in the trilogy did you like the best? Send me a review and let me and other readers know your opinion
August 3, 2007
The Uglies Trilogy (?) by Scott Westerfeld
July 16, 2007
Interview with Stephenie Meyer
Teen Services LibrarianBooks I Read (and liked) on Vacation
It's a new school year and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you're ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary--journal, not diary. Greg is happy to have Rowley as his sidekick. But when Rowley's star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend's newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.
Teen Services Librarian
May 31, 2007
Books That Bite
BOOKS THAT BITE
Having fallen for a human boy, a beautiful teenage werewolf must battle both her packmates and the fear of the townspeople to decide where she belongs and with whom.
Blue Bloods - Melissa de la Cruz
Select teenagers from some of New York City's wealthiest and most socially prominent families learn a startling secret about their bloodlines.
Two boys who are best friends visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices.
After sixteen-year-old Destiny and her twin sister Livvy are turned into partial vampires at a summer camp, they try to find the "Restorer," someone who can return them to normal. (Sequel: The Taste of Night)
The predecessor to all other vampire books.
In the Forests of the Night - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Risika, a teenage vampire, wanders back in time to the year 1684 when, as a human, she died and was transformed against her will.
Turqoise Draka, a vampire hunter, is hired to kill the evil vampire Jeshikah. To enter their realm she must disguise herself as the human slave of Jaguar, a vampire and slave owner who is tormented by his own past. Will Jaguar release the humanity Turqoise long ago locked away?
Cal Thompson is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism and must hunt down all of the girlfriends he has unknowingly infected. (Sequel: The Last Days)Prom Nights from Hell - Meg Cabot, Stephenie Meyer, Kim Harrison, Lauren Myracle, Michele Jaffe
From angels fighting demons to a creepy take on getting what you wish for, these five stories will entertain better than any DJ in a bad tux. No corsage or limo rental necessary. Just good, scary fun.
After learning that there are werewolves in his city, a sixteen-year-old is even more surprised to discover the identities of the hunters who drove them out decades earlier, but he soon infiltrates the Wolves gang to help destroy them for good.
Something strange is going on in Jerusalem's Lot...but no one dares to talk about it. By day, Salem's Lot is a typical modest, New England town; but when the sun goes down, evil roams the earth.
As seventeen-year-old Sarah, daughter of a powerful line of vampire-hunting witches, continues to pursue the ancient bloodsucker Nikolas, she finds herself in a dangerous friendship with two vampire siblings in her high school.
The Silver Kiss - Annette Curtis Klause
A mysterious teenage boy harboring a dark secret helps Zoe come to terms with her mother's terminal illness.
There hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years and Sunshine just needed a spot where she could be alone with her thoughts. Vampires never entered her mind. Until they found her.
After a lifetime of being a model student, sixteen-year-old Lucy Szabo is suddenly in trouble at school, at home, with the "proto-vampires" she has met online and in person, and most of all with her uncontrolled diabetes.
Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith
When multiple murders in Austin, Texas, threaten the grand re-opening of her family's vampire-themed restaurant, seventeen-year-old, orphaned Quincie worries that her best friend-turned-love interest, Keiren, a werewolf-in-training, may be the prime suspect.
When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human. (Sequels: New Moon and Eclipse)
Twins, Connor and Grace, never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other.
When his family moves from California to New Sodom, Massachusetts and Cody enters Vlad Dracul Magnet School, many things seem strange, from the dark-haired, pale-skinned, supernaturally strong students to Charon, the wolf who guides him around campus on the first day.
A collection of thirteen original stories about vampires by a variety of authors.
Werewolves: A Collection of Original Stories - edited by Jane Yolen and Martin H. Greenberg
A collection of fifteen stories by a variety of authors about the sometimes frightening, sometimes humorous, phenomena of werewolves.
Sixteen-year-old Tom Anderson and seventeen-year-old Kate Folan try to escape Kate's werewolf family--and fight becoming werewolves themselves--by making a cross-country journey in search of a mysterious man who might have a cure. Compiled by:
Ed Goldberg, Teen Services Librarian
Jennifer Marino, Children's LibrarianMay 21, 2007
Lloyd Alexander - 1924-2007 - In Memorium
Lloyd Alexander, widely regarded as a master of twentieth-century children's literature, passed away on May 17, 2007. He is best-known for his fantasy fiction and modern fables: imaginative and adventurous stories, often rooted in historical fact and legend, which explore universal themes such as good versus evil and the quest of individuals for self-identity. Among Alexander's best-known works are the five novels that comprise his "Prydain Chronicles"--culminating with The High King, which in 1969 received the prestigious Newbery Medal for children's literature. Among Alexander's numerous other awards are the National Book Award in 1971 for The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian: A Grand Extravaganza, including a Performance by the Entire Cast of the Gallimaufry-Theatricus and the National Book Award in 1982 for his imaginative 1981 novel, Westmark. "At heart, the issues raised in a work of fantasy are those we face in real life," Alexander states in his Newbery Award acceptance speech printed in Horn Book. "In whatever guise--our own daily nightmares of war, intolerance, inhumanity; or the struggles of an Assistant Pig-Keeper against the Lord of Death--the problems are agonizingly familiar. And an openness to compassion, love, and mercy is as essential to us here and now as it is to any inhabitant of an imaginary kingdom." (Source: Contemporary Authors database.)
The Book of Three (1964)
The Black Cauldron (1965) - Winner of the 1966 Newbery Honor
The Castle of Llyr (1966)
Taran Wanderer (1967)
The High King (1968) - Winner of the 1969 Newbery Medal
The Foundling and Other Tales from Prydain (1970)
Westmark (1981)
The Kestrel (1982)
The Beggar Queen (1984)
The Illyrian Adventure
The El Dorado Adventure
The Drackenberg Adventure (1988)
The Jedera Adventure
The Philadelphia Adventure
The Xanadu Adventure (2005)
And Let the Credit Go (1955) (first published book)
My Five Tigers (1956)
August Bondi: Border Hawk (1958)
Aaron Lopez: The Flagship Hope (1960)
Fifty Years in the Doghouse (1963)
Time Cat: The Remarkable Journeys of Jason And Gareth (1963)
The Truthful Harp (1967)
The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian (1970)
The King's Fountain (1971)
The Four Donkeys (1972)
The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man (1973)
The Wizard in the Tree (1974)
The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha (1978)
The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen (1991)
The Fortune-Tellers (1992)
The Arkadians (1995)
The House Gobbaleen (1995)
The Iron Ring (1997)
Gypsy Rizka (1999)
How the Cat Swallowed Thunder (2000)
The Gawgon and the Boy (2001) [released in the UK as "The Fantastical Adventures of the Invisible Boy"]
The Rope Trick (2002)
Dream-of-Jade: The Emperor's Cat (2005)
The Golden Dream of Carlo Chuchio (2007, forthcoming)
Teen Services Librarian
May 20, 2007
Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
Teen Services LibrarianApril 26, 2007
Great Historical Fiction Books
Karen Hesse
Kathryn Lasky
Sonia Levitin
Donna Jo Napoli
Richard Peck
Ann Rinaldi
Books:
Beyond the Burning Time by Kathryn Lasky
When, in the winter of 1691, accusations of witchcraft surface in her small New England village, twelve-year-old Mary fights to save her mother from execution.
In 1659, fourteen-year-old Mary keeps a journal of her voyage from England to the New World and her experiences living as a witch in a community of Puritans near Salem, MA.
1700s
A young girl living in South Carolina during the American Revolution discovers the duplicity within herself and others.
Samuel, an eleven-year-old Kentucky slave, and Harrison, the elderly slave who helped raise him, attempt to escape to Canada via the Underground Railroad. I enjoyed this book a lot. E.G.
During the early days of the Civil War, the Pruitt family takes in two mysterious young ladies who have fled New Orleans to come north to Illinois. This is a great book. E.G.
When gambling debts and greed enter the Butler household, Pierce Butler decides to host the biggest slave auction in American history and breaks a promise by selling Emma, his most valued slave and caretaker of his children--a decision that brings about unthinkable consequences.
In 1892, Dom, a nine-year old stowaway from Naples, Italy, arrives in New York and must learn to survive the perils of street life in the big city.
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
From 1939, when Syvia is four and a half years old, to 1945 when she has just turned ten, a Jewish girl and her family struggle to survive in Poland's Lodz ghetto during the Nazi occupation. A wonderful, moving book. E.G.
Seventh-grader Martin Conway believes that his life is monotonous and dull until the night the antique radio he uses as a night-light transports him to the bombing of London in 1940. This is a fun book. E.G.
In a series of poems, fourteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression. One of my favorites. E.G.
In the early 1960s in the Dominican Republic, twelve-year-old Anita learns that her family is involved in the underground movement to end the bloody rule of the dictator, General Trujillo. A moving story. E.G.
Teen Services LibrarianApril 17, 2007
Jen Calonita's Favorites
Everyone is back in this sequel to the fun Secrets of My Hollywood Life-Kaitlin, Austin, Trevor, Skye, Lori. It seems like the summer of dreams come true for Hollywood celebrity princess Kaitlin: the media loves her (again), super-cute Austin is finally her boyfriend, and she's starring in a blockbuster movie by her all-time favorite director, Hutch Adams. What could be sweeter? But life on set is not nearly perfect. And with a slimy ex-boyfriend and a scheming new publicist, it's about to get a whole lot messier.
"So, what I want to know is, if my dad's an actual prince, how come I have to learn algebra?" Mia ponders this, and much more, when she finds out that her father is prince of Genovia. Living with her cool artist mom in New York City, Mia can't imagine leaving to become princess in Genovia. But she is heir to the throne. Accepting her title means getting lessons on being a perfect princess and leaving Manhattan. Will Mia eventually give in to her father and become Princess Amelia Mignonette Grimaldi Thermopolis Renaldo? (first of 8 books in the Princess Diaries series; also by Meg Cabot: All American Girl, Avalon High, The Mediator Series, various Avon True Romances).
In this first of four books, Carmen buys a pair jeans at a thrift shop. They don't look all that great, being worn, dirty, and speckled with bleach. On the night before she and her friends part for the summer, Carmen decides to toss them. But Tibby says they're great. Lena and Bridget also think they're fabulous. Lena decides that they should all try them on. Whoever they fit best will get them. Nobody knows why, but the pants fit everyone perfectly. Over a few bags of cheese puffs, they decide to form a sisterhood and take the vow of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants . . . the next morning, they say good-bye. And the journey of the pants — and the most memorable summer of their lives — begins.
Everyone needs a little magic. Especially 14-year-old Rachel. Not only did her younger sister, Miri, inherit her mother's ample bosom (so not fair), it turns out that her little sis is also a witch! Of course, there's a chance that Rachel is a witch too--maybe her powers just haven't kicked in yet. If only they would . . . in the meantime she's got to suffer being a B-lister with a crush on an A-list guy, watch her best friend and social schemer, Rosie, desert her, and be an unwilling participant in her hapless father's remarriage to STBSM (soon-to-be-stepmonster). Retch!! (aso by Sarah Mlynowski: Frogs and French Kisses and Spells and Sleeping Bags, due out in June 2007.)Thank You to Jen Calonita
Teen Services Librarian
P.S. Don't break up Kaitlin and Austin. They make a great couple. E.G.April 11, 2007
2007 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
Combining three different stories, one drawn from Chinese mythology, this graphic novel explores racism and self-hatred as a young boy struggles to come to terms with his heritage.
In early twentieth century Iran, a headstrong girl convinces her father that she will marry the suitor who can guess the riddle woven into her wedding carpet.
He was raised as an experiment and considered a piece of property. Now that revolution has come to America, will Octavian find freedom?
Death colors (and narrates) Liesel Meminger's attempt to survive Hitler in a small German town. Orphaned and devastated, Liesel finds salvation through stolen books. This is my personal favorite. EG.
Eugenides must convince his new queen, his court, and his subjects of his ability to rule, despite his disreputable past as a liar and a thief.
When Matthew and his younger sisters witness a man confronting an abusive parent, they think they may have found a hero who will save them from their vicious mother.
In 1890 Tokyo, 16-year-old Toyo uses traditional bushido training to improve his baseball game and comes to understand the place of Samurai values in Japanese culture.
In this startling, frank novel in free verse, a 13-year-old Nepalese girl is sold into prostitution by her stepfather after a monsoon leaves her family destitute. This is an amazing book. EG.
As 20-year-old Gabriel lies dying, he remembers his miserable childhood and the influence of his mysterious companion, Finnigan.
In the Alaskan wilderness, Grandfather Albert attempts to escape one of his own steel-jawed traps; back in their village, Johnny worries about his grandfather's safety while pondering his own future.
Teen Services Librarian
April 9, 2007
Cyrano, The Fourth Summer of the Sisterhood, London Calling
March 29, 2007
Teen Book Review - First Part Last
March 22, 2007
Espionage, Mystery and Sports
Teen Services LibrarianMarch 9, 2007
Blues and Jazz
February 26, 2007
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
February 19, 2007
My Favorite Books of 2006 - A Baker's Dozen
