TeenSpace Blog

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.

I enjoyed the book, mainly for the historical references to Old New York society and the fun look into the privileged world of the insanely wealthy.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:
http://www.harperteen-theluxe.com/luxe.html
Happy reading!
Sharon Long
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 8:13 AM | Comments (0)

June 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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

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

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.

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:49 PM | Comments (0)

June 3, 2008

Breaking Dawn Cover Unveiled

Here's the Breaking Dawn cover for all you Twilight fans.

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 8:15 AM | Comments (1)

May 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.

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,
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:02 PM | Comments (0)

May 17, 2008

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Suite Scarlett is sweet.

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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 12:59 PM | Comments (0)

May 6, 2008

Musings by Maureen Johnson

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

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.

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.

AGE EIGHT

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.

AGE THIRTEEN

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.

Posted by egoldberg at 8:24 AM | Comments (0)

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.

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,
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:15 PM | Comments (0)

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.

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/.

Ed Goldberg,
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 11:45 AM | Comments (0)

April 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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 8:41 AM | Comments (0)

March 21, 2008

Beauty and the Beast - The Scandinavian Version

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.

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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 8:16 AM | Comments (0)

February 12, 2008

Supernatural Books

Two books I recenty read have a supernatural bent to them. Here they are:

Jinx by Meg Cabot

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 in Pieces: Save the Blues for Last by Delia Ephron

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.
Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:17 PM | Comments (0)

February 8, 2008

Hot Twilight News

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,
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 7:45 AM | Comments (0)

February 4, 2008

My Favorite Books of 2007 - A Dozen

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.

Freak Show by James St. James

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.

Derby Girl by Shauna Cross

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.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

“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.

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga

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.

Deadline by Chris Crutcher

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.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

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.

Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes

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.

London Calling by Edward Bloor

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 and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

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).

Rucker Park Setup by Paul Volponi

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.

The Off Season by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

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.

Traitor's Gate by Avi

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 7:36 PM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2008

Books by Gordon Korman

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:00 PM | Comments (1)

January 21, 2008

American Library Association Announces Literary Award Winners

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):
Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz, is the 2008 Newbery Medal winner.

Three Newbery Honor Books were named:
Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson.

Michael L. Printz Award (for excellence in literature written for young adults):
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean is the 2008 Printz Award winner.

Four Printz Honor Books were named:
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.

Coretta Scott King Book Award (recognizing an African American author and illustrator of outstanding books for children and young adults):
Elijah of Buxton written by Christopher Paul Curtis, is the King Author Book winner.

Two King Honor Books were selected:
November Blues by Sharon M. Draper
Twelve Rounds to Glory: The Story of Muhammad Ali by Charles R. Smith Jr., illustrated by Bryan Collier

Schneider Family Book Award (for books that embody the artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences):
Hurt Go Happy by Ginny Rorby is the winner in the teen category.

Alex Awards (for the 10 best adult books that appeal to teen audiences):
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.

An annotated booklist will be available in TeenSpace soon.

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 1:32 PM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2008

Interview with Maureen Johnson, author of Devilish and the Bermudez Triangle

BEST OF 2007 AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Maureen Johnson
(source: Trashionista Blog: (http://www.trashionista.com/2008/01/best-of-2007-au.html)

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.
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.)

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.
I know these are common pieces of advice, but they are worth repeating.

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.
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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:22 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2008

Percy Jackson & the Olympians News

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
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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 8:44 AM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2008

Kayla Chronicles

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,
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 11:09 AM | Comments (0)

January 8, 2008

Books to Begin the Year With - #2

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
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.

Notes From a Midnight Driver
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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)

January 7, 2008

Books to Begin the Year With - #1

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 12:19 PM | Comments (0)

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...

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 10:56 AM | Comments (0)

December 9, 2007

Paul Volponi--Great Sports Author

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
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?

Rooftop
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?

Rucker Park Setup
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.

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 4:36 PM | Comments (0)

November 5, 2007

Novels in Verse

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.
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."

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know

"My name is Robin.

This book is about me.
It tells the story of what happens
when after almost 15 pathetic years of loserdom,
the girl of my dreams finally falls for me.

That seems like it would be
a good thing, right?
Only it turns out to be
a lot more complicated than that

Because I'm not gonna lie to you --
there are naked women involved.
Four of them, to be exact.
Though not in the way you might think.

Don't get me wrong -- my girlfriend's amazing.
But the way things have been going lately,
I'm starting to believe that the only thing worse
than not getting what you want,

is getting it."

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:03 PM | Comments (1)

November 4, 2007

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

i think extras was the best book I've ever read! read it! trust me its awesome! It s kicking! haha. molly weston

Posted by egoldberg at 2:54 PM | Comments (1)

November 1, 2007

Prom in November?

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
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.

Prom Nights From Hell
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.

Prom Dates From Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore
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.

A Really Nice Prom Mess by Brian Sloan
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.

To 10 Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro
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.

I hope you enjoy these books.

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 5:27 PM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2007

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

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

Posted by egoldberg at 4:05 PM | Comments (1)

October 19, 2007

Alex Bradley and Tucker Shaw

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
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.

Hot Lunch
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.

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.

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

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

October 17, 2007

National Book Award Nominees

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
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 Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
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.

Skin Hunger: A Resurrection of Magic, Book One by Kathleen Duey
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.

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
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.

Touching Snow by M. Sindy Felin
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.

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 9:18 AM | Comments (0)

October 12, 2007

Gossip Girl and It Girl Author Appearance

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 1:06 PM | Comments (0)

October 4, 2007

Battle of the Labyrinth-Percy Jackson Book 4

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 6:37 PM | Comments (107)

October 1, 2007

Fun New Sports Books for Girls

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.
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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 6:04 PM | Comments (0)

Percy Jackson Series

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:44 PM | Comments (1)

September 18, 2007

Spells and Sleeping Bags

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

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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 1:36 PM | Comments (1)

September 7, 2007

Madeleine L'Engle - 1918-2007 In Memoriam

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)

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.

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
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

Children's Fiction
The Twenty-Four Days Before Christmas, 1964
The Anti-Muffins, 1980
Miracle on 10th Street,
The Other Dog, 2001

General Fiction
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

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:12 PM | Comments (2)

September 4, 2007

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

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,
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:10 PM | Comments (50)

August 30, 2007

Traitors Gate and Other Books by Avi

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
Teen Services Librarian

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August 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

Posted by egoldberg at 5:26 PM | Comments (0)

August 3, 2007

The Uglies Trilogy (?) by Scott Westerfeld

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 | Comments (4)

July 16, 2007

Interview with Stephenie Meyer

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 5:19 PM | Comments (4)

Books I Read (and liked) on Vacation

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

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.

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 4:53 PM | Comments (0)

May 31, 2007

Books That Bite

BOOKS THAT BITE

(Vampires and Werewolves)

Blood and Chocolate - Annette Curtis Klause
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.

Cirque du Freak (series) - Darren Shan
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.

Dangerous Girls - R. L. Stine
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)

Dracula - Bram Stoker
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.

Midnight Predator - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
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?

Peeps - Scott Westerfeld
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.

Red Rider’s Hood - Neal Shusterman
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.

Salem's Lot - Stephen King
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.

Shattered Mirror - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
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.

Sunshine - Robin McKinley
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.

Sweetblood - Pete Hautman
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.

Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
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)

Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean - Justin Somper
Twins, Connor and Grace, never dreamed that there was any truth to the Vampirate shanty their father sang to them before he died, but that was before the two were shipwrecked and separated from each other.

Vampire High - Douglas Rees
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.

Vampires: A Collection of Original Stories - edited by Jane Yolen and Martin H. Greenberg
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.

Wounded - Stephen Cole
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.

(Source of Annotations: NoveList Database)

Compiled by:
Ed Goldberg, Teen Services Librarian
Jennifer Marino, Children's Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 12:49 PM | Comments (0)

May 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.)

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 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)

The Westmark Trilogy
Westmark (1981)
The Kestrel (1982)
The Beggar Queen (1984)

The Vesper Holly series
The Illyrian Adventure
The El Dorado Adventure
The Drackenberg Adventure (1988)
The Jedera Adventure
The Philadelphia Adventure
The Xanadu Adventure (2005)

Other Books
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)

Ed Goldberg
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 2:02 PM | Comments (0)

May 20, 2007

Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes

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
Teen Services Librarian

Posted by egoldberg at 11:58 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2007

Great Historical Fiction Books

In answer to a request, here are some great Historical Fiction authors and books:

Authors:

James Collier
Karen Hesse
Kathryn Lasky
Sonia Levitin
Donna Jo Napoli
Richard Peck
Ann Rinaldi

Books:

1600s

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.

Witch Child by Celia Rees
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

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
A young girl living in South Carolina during the American Revolution discovers the duplicity within herself and others.

1800s

Trouble Don't Last by Shelley Pearsall
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.

The River Between Us by Rickard Peck
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.

Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue by Julius Lester
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.

The King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli
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.

1900s

Yellow Star by Jennifer Ro