in the teen zone

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

2009-09-15T09:46:00.003-04:00

After reading a good review of this book by a fellow librarian, I decided to give it a try myself. So far I really like it and since the request for vampire-related books has not died down yet at my library, I am glad to have a new one on the shelf for the teens here. This one is a little different from some of the other titles I've read because the vampires are trying to fit into society without drinking the blood of humans which is a continuing challenge, of course. The story opens with the support group discovering the remains of a member so they are now trying to figure out who killed him!

The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell

2009-08-19T16:10:00.001-04:00

This was fascinating. I had already read an excerpt recently and anticipated the story but it was even better than I thought it would be. It's an amazing story and it lent itself very well to the graphic novel format. Sandell's story is truly a page-turner because she chronicles her childhood (with lots of saved artwork from her younger days)and segues into her adult life while reflecting on the veracity of stories her father told her over the years about his life. Only to discover that very few of them were true. How devastating this must have been for her, I can't imagine, but she channeled it into this wonderful book to her credit and got on with her life.

Prince of Persia the Graphic Novel

2009-06-15T11:10:00.003-04:00

This is another title from one of my favorite publishers of graphic novels, First Second and this time they're offering the back story to a computer game that I remember my oldest son (who is now 24) playing when he was younger. So, yes, most teens may not know about Prince of Persia but the story which delves into the mythology and history of this region. The illustrations are wonderful and I'll be curious to hear what others think of this new book.

Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger

2009-06-13T11:19:00.003-04:00

It's always exciting when I notice a new book by an author I enjoy. And so far I have to say that Brent Hartinger's newest title, "Project Sweet Life" is no exception. Hartinger's writing is always excellent and he clearly has the voice of teens in his head when he writes.

This time we've got a group of teens who are trying to avoid getting their first summer jobs. They're all 15 so they feel like it's their right to not work for one last summer. Unfortunately their parents think otherwise. This is sure to be a hit with fans of his earlier works.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

2009-05-22T12:16:00.002-04:00

This is the first historical fiction title I've read by this author. Previously the books of hers that I read and liked were "Prom," in which a high school senior gets roped into helping her friends put on their prom after their advisor takes off with their money and "Twisted," which follows a teen boy's rebellious act which has serious repercussions for him.

Since I like realistic fiction for teens, I was hesitant to read this one until I read a review by a librarian friend and now I'm really taken with this slave story set in New York City in 1776. Personally I have not read much about the Revolutionary War era in a while so I'm really intrigued with what's going on in this book.

Told through the eyes of a slave girl named Isabel, if you want to get a different perspective on this era, you should definitely read this book!

Exodus by Julie Bertagna

2009-02-25T19:01:00.004-05:00

My 12 year old patron at the library, Joe, would not even read this book once he saw that it had a global warming theme. (I've been asking him to read the nominated RITBA titles since he's homeschooled and is a voracious reader!) Maybe I should have taken Joe's advice because this book took me weeks to finish! The ending pulled things together while also leaving room for a sequel. This is definitely a book that I would not have finished reading if it hadn't been on the list. I don't know why. It's really hard to put my finger on the cause of my dismay. Maybe the reality of what's going on in the world made this title feel that much more credible and therefore disturbing.

Aya of Yop City by Marguerite Abouet & Clément Oubrerie

2009-01-15T11:32:00.003-05:00

As a friend who reads comics pointed out the other day, with a graphic novel, it can go wrong in two ways, the text and the illustrations. For me it's often very difficult to get past the illustrations if they don't interest me but that is NOT the case with these books. I love the pictures and it's just a neat slice of life story about the Ivory Coast in the 1970s. This book focuses on the paternity of Aya's friend's new baby but other secrets are revealed with the ending a bit of a cliff-hanger, believe it or not!

This is a book that may not reach a lot of readers but those who find it will certainly enjoy it.

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi

2008-12-15T10:46:00.002-05:00

This book intrigued me when I got it in and I had to put down what I was reading and start this one. I liked it because it's a totally realistic story. This is a fast-paced novel for teens written by a writer who previously had only been published in paperback. Not that there's anything wrong with that but I'm guessing it's more of a thrill to have a hardcover book published. So, the cover and title caught my eye for this book about Maddie, a 16-yr-old high school girl who loves to draw manga and when she's uprooted from the life she was used to in Boston, she finds it hard to fit in at her new school in New Hampshire. One bright spot is the online game, Fields of Fantasy that her dad gives to her as a gift hoping they can play together. In reality he blows her off and she ends up meeting SirLeo and interacts with him virtually. Lots of great realistic elements about teens and life these days (her mom works two jobs to make ends meet when they move in with their grandma)make this book a winner.

Larry and the Meaning of Life

2008-11-29T10:43:00.002-05:00

Right now I'm wrestling with the notion of whether or not I should nominate this to the RI Teen Book Award list of titles to be considered for 2010! Since it's a sequel and I don't usually like sequels on the list, I'm torn. But, on the other hand, I feel like the book can be read and appreciated even without having reading the earlier books. Why do I think that? Because it's been years since I've read "Vote for Larry," the second book about this character, and I was easily able to fol...more Right now I'm wrestling with the notion of whether or not I should nominate this to the RI Teen Book Award list of titles to be considered for 2010! Since it's a sequel and I don't usually like sequels on the list, I'm torn. But, on the other hand, I feel like the book can be read and appreciated even without having reading the earlier books. Why do I think that? Because it's been years since I've read "Vote for Larry," the second book about this character, and I was easily able to follow the action. The first book, "The Gospel According to Larry" was the first book that I clearly remember a teen telling me about and urging me to read! I was visiting at one of the high schools here in the city and I had a teen come up to me and started telling me about the book which was so neat! And I really enjoyed the story and feel as if "Larry's" message about not having a lot of stuff is still vitally important

Rules by Cynthia Lord

2008-11-15T12:28:00.002-05:00

After hearing the author of this book speak at the New England Library Association conference last month, I really wanted to read this book and I was not disappointed. Cynthia Lord draws on her life experience as the mother of two children, one of whom is autistic, to write a novel written from the point of view of the older sister with an autistic brother. And it could be any sibling with special needs and how that demands more of her parents' attention, makes her feel self-conscious but also protective of her brother. This is a very satisfying story and I look forward to suggesting it to the readers here at the library.

Heaven looks a Lot Like the Mall by Wendy Mass

2008-09-29T10:47:00.000-04:00

This novel in verse is narrated from the after life by a girl who is slammed in the head by a ball while playing dodgeball at school! IT was a fast read for me and I liked the insights that the narrator arrives at although I cringed when I read about how she was treated by her looks-obsessed mother. As a mother of sons maybe I don't know how it is but I cannot relate to a mother who criticizes her daughter's looks and only shows her affection for the girl when she finds a fabulous prom dress, fo...more This novel in verse is narrated from the after life by a girl who is slammed in the head by a ball while playing dodgeball at school! IT was a fast read for me and I liked the insights that the narrator arrives at although I cringed when I read about how she was treated by her looks-obsessed mother. As a mother of sons maybe I don't know how it is but I cannot relate to a mother who criticizes her daughter's looks and only shows her affection for the girl when she finds a fabulous prom dress, for example. This is probably not a book that will end up on the final RITBA list, in my opinion

Fables: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham

2008-07-30T20:22:00.001-04:00

These stories are so good and this was no exception. I could not put it down! The illustrations are so lush and full of beautiful images. This is a series that I only suggest to my older readers and adults in the Teen zone but I really look forward to a new trade PB when it comes out each time!

Frannie in Pieces by Delia Ephron

2008-04-01T19:08:00.002-04:00

This is a book that I received as an advance review copy a while back. I was interested in reading it because the author, Delia Ephron, also wrote one of my favorite books from my teen years: How to Eat Like a Child. When I was looking up the title of that book, I realized that she also wrote another that I owned at one point Teenage Romance, or How to Die of Embarrassment.

Frannie is recovering from her father's unexpected death. In other words, he wasn't sick, he just died. Her parents had previously divorced and her mom remarried but she misses her dad intensely. While she is cleaning out his belongings from his house, she discovers a hand-carved puzzle in a box that she thinks is her birthday gift so she sets about trying to put it together. That's when some strange things start to happen.

Without revealing the ending, I'll just say that this book is unexpected and funny. Frannie is an interesting young woman who is just trying to make sense of the world without her father in it.

Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

2008-03-17T12:34:00.002-04:00

Fortunately for my reading, I talk to a LOT of people and get reading suggestions from a lot of people. Last summer I talked to a man about my own age who works at RI School of Design. He teaches a course on graphic novels in a summer semester and I made a guest appearance there in June.

Well, anyway, he mentioned Bryan Lee O'Malley to me then and I FINALLY got some of his titles into my library's collection and even got some additional copies from a very nice publicist at Oni Press! So if you're looking to read this and you don't have a library card, I can let you borrow one of those copies.

Well, anyway, Scott Pilgrim is 23 and doesn't do a whole lot. He plays videogames and dates a high school student in the first book but he yearns for something more! They are done in a manga style of artwork and even though I do NOT read a lot of Japanese stuff, I really liked this!

Beck Mongolian Chop Squad

2008-03-10T12:17:00.001-04:00

One of the anime DVDs that I've gotten from Funimation and the group really liked is Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad which revolves around 14 yr old Koyuki who meets up with Ryosuke who is a 16 yr old guitar whiz. The two slowly form a friendship and eventually Koyuki is invited to join the band, something he has dreamed of for a long time.

In the meantime there is romance and lots of laughs, many of which come from the swim coach who becomes Koyuki's mentor because he also loves playing guitar and even help Koyuki to repair a guitar that Ryosuke lets him borrow.

After bringing the first volume home last month to watch with my friend Mike, he bought me volume 2 for a birthday gift so now I've seen more of the series than the kids at my library. Also he found a CD of Beat Crusaders, the Japanese band the supplies a lot of the music for the show!

Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne

2008-02-05T20:02:00.001-05:00

One of the advance review copies that I've been trying to get through recently is Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne. And it's a long book, at 480 pages but it tells a fascinating story about a really cool kid who gets killed because he's different.

Honestly, Leonard Pelkey could be one of the teens I see weekly at my library. Leonard is outgoing and full of life. He also likes to dress in very stylish clothes that may make him stand out in Neptune, New Jersey. Fortunately he has gone to live with his aunt and her daughters who run a beauty salon which makes Leonard inordinately happy.

But, unfortunately, sometimes people like Leonard aren't accepted for who they are by certain people. And one of them has done the worst thing to snuff out this young, bright life.

Lobsterland by Susan Carlton

2008-01-06T20:46:00.000-05:00

This book intrigued me as soon as I got it because of the cover which depicts lobster claws grasping at high heels and the title is shown in Scrabble letters! So, it turns out that this book is set on an island off the coast of Maine and the main character is a senior in high school which she attends in Portland. But she wants out and off the island so she attempts to apply to a handful of boarding schools. Why would she want to do that? She wants out because she is forced to care for her younger "siblets." They are an infant named Eb and a pre-schooler named Fern. She loves them but the pressure is severe because she can't depend on her parents, her dad is constantly connected to Lola the Laptop trying to play Scrabble with people all around the globe. Meanwhile her lawyer mom had some sort of breakdown which she won't talk about. Charlotte has a cute boyfriend whom she is crazy about. But she won't tell him that she plans to leave. Sounds confusing? It is but it's also a sophisticated teen novel filled with misunderstandings and frustration.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

2007-12-30T13:25:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I finished reading Beastly by Alex Flinn
Her re-telling of the Beauty & the Beast story was mentioned earlier this month when I attended a fantastic young adult literature seminar. That day there were dozens of books mentioned but this one grabbed my attention because I've always liked the Disney version. (I know, I know...the caricatured version of men and women are just over the top!) because it features a young woman who likes to read so much that she walks through the village with her nose in a book!

Anyway, back to Alex Flinn's title. I put it on hold and the day it came in, I was able to start on it and my attention was diverted immediately. I was drawn into the story of the handsome and wealthy Kyle Kingsbury and how when he insults a Goth girl in his school, it appears he has made an egregious error when he wakes the next day as a beast!

She gives him two years to find love or he stays forever as a beast! Money certainly helps the suffering because when Kyle's dad exiles him to Brooklyn, he has every amenity including a blind tutor and a dedicated housekeeper who will keep her mouth shut about Kyle's disfigurement.

I've only read Diva by the same author but both books were pleasing...topical with a true teen voice in the narrative

Payton Skky: Staying Pure

2007-12-03T12:22:00.000-05:00

This is a first for me: reading a Christian teen novel. But it's great to read about a young woman who is very strong in her convictions and that exactly describes the character Payton Skky in Stephanie Perry Moore's Payton Skky series. The book opens with Payton having to be the one with a sound mind and remind her boyfriend that wants to remain a virgin until she marries. This is tough for him to hear because he says it's getting really difficult for him to wait.

This is one of the titles that I chose to read for a Young Adult Round Table meeting next week. Linda, from the Cranston Public Library, and I made up a list of recent urban fiction titles for teens, as an alternative to some of the more mature books that the high school girls want to read.

I really hope that Payton Skky becomes popular with teens because I know a lot of them are devout Christians, so I will be interested to see how popular this series becomes here.

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

2007-12-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

Well, I asked for and received and advance reading copy of Gym Candy by Carl Deuker which was published a few months ago. As I suspected, it was primarily a sports book. Deuker is one of the few men who write about high school guys playing sports. I have other books he has written in my collection here and I have suggested them many times to students looking for a sports novel but I had never read one myself, until now.

The young man in this story is Mick Jones and he is groomed to be a football start from a young age by a dad who got all the way to the professional football level, only to fail. So, in his son, he sees another chance.

And because of this pressure, Mick starts going to the privately owned gym his dad belongs to through his work. It's a trainer at the gym who first gives Mick steroids, also known as "gym candy." What's ironic is that Mick and his buddy both went to see the trainer together and had a bad feeling about him but it was because the boys thought he was gay and trying to touch them too much.

So, it turns out, they were correct in their suspicions, but for the wrong reason. He was as bad as a drug dealer selling marijuana when he started getting Mick to buy D-bol! And when Mick sees the awful side-effects, like the puffy nipples and the rampant acne on his chest and back, he wants to stop. And he does. For a little while.

The urge to win becomes so overwhelming that Mick returns to the trainer to get more powerful steroids which he injects and, well, I won't give away the ending but it's certainly not one of the happier books I've read lately.

If you're interested in an action-packed football story, take a look at Gym Candy or if you want to read about another sport, try something else by Carl Deuker.

Town Boy by Lat

2007-11-01T15:07:00.001-04:00

Right now I'm reading the second book published in the U.S. by Lat. This continues the author's story as his family moves to town and he progresses through school in Malaysia. It's really a neat story because it's set in a different part of the world. And the artwork is fun. The pictures seem simple but there is a lot going on in them and I like how he captures life during this time period.

I've read Lat's first book to be published here, "Kampung Boy" earlier this year when I was trying to read lots of off-beat graphic novels for a presentation. This one is different and it won't easily find an audience but those who do find it will be glad they did!

Confessions of a Blabbermouth

2007-10-31T17:42:00.000-04:00

Just finished reading Confessions of a Blabbermouth latest graphic novel from Minx.

This book is written by the father/daughter writing team of Mike and Louise Carey. It's illustrated by Aaron Alexovich.

The story revolves around Tasha, a dedicated blogger, who has issues with her mom's new boyfriend. And, as it turns out, her negative feelings about him turn out to be totally true. That's all I will reveal about the plot. Suffice it to say that Tasha, her mom, boyfriend Jed and his daughter all go to the Grand Canyon from England and Tasha ends up being an editor of her school's yearbook, against her will. So lots going on and a story that lends itself to the graphic novel format, in my opinion.

Take a look at it. I think you'll enjoy!

Reading for work and pleasure

2007-10-12T12:16:00.000-04:00

Well, as always, I have too many books that I want to read and a few that I need to read but don't want to...it's a dilemma, to be sure but I am currently trying to read "Tips of Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend" by Carrie Jones. So far it's just not pulling me in so I may try to get one of my regulars in the Teen Zone, like Chris P. to give it a go and then try again.

On my own time I am enjoying "Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict" by Laura Viera Rigler. My library didn't own this title so I borrowed it from another library and when I just checked the spelling of the author's last name, I saw that there are a bunch of holds on it right now so I better get going. This story is interesting because it takes a 21st century woman and puts her into Regency England but she doesn't know how she got there!

When she mentions that daily bathing is a sponge bath and a full tub bath is only once a week, it makes me glad that I do not live in Austen's time because I love taking showers every day!

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

2007-08-09T12:21:00.000-04:00

You know, it's strange that after being the teen librarian for nearly 4 years, there are still books that are requested and read over and over again by teens that I have not read myself. One of those is Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book is about a girl who calls the police on the other kids at a summer party thus beginning the school year as an outcast. What no one knows is that on that night she was raped and now she can barely speak to anyone.

Well, the main character in Anderson's newest novel is Tyler Miller, who decided to make his mark on his high school by spray painting graffiti on it. But, of course, he got caught and had to do community service and check in with a parole officer. As if things couldn't get worse, he is forced to attend a party at the home of his father's boss and while there, a boy who constantly picks on him, hits him on the back so hard that he knocks over a full tray of glasses, making a huge mess and injuring the jerk's beautiful sister, Bethany, whom Tyler yearns for.

Later in the story Tyler is at a party with Bethany who gets drunk and he does the right thing by not taking advantage of her. Unfortunately, someone else at the party does by taking pix of her naked and making everyone think Tyler did it!

The story could happen to anyone and it is cautionary tale for people to make better choices before their choices are made for them.

Teen Sumer Reading is great!

2007-07-28T11:15:00.000-04:00

Well, as of right now, there are 31 students who have written reviews of a book they have read this summer for school reading or pleasure. And each one has been given the choice of choosing a new book or another small prize. AND each week we've given away a gift card or two to a local store so it's a totally "win-win" situation for everyone!

Hero by Perry Moore

2007-07-26T11:20:00.000-04:00

So what I've been doing is looking at the advance review copies of books I picked up at Book Expo America and trying to read the ones that are being released soonest. So, even though the book "Hero" by Perry Moore isn't released until September 1st, I read it and finished it yesterday primarily so I could pass it on to a librarian friend.

The premise for "Hero" is that our main character, Thom Creed is a gay high school student who lives with his dad who is a fallen superhero. They are alone since the mom left and hasn't been seen in years. But Thom has powers of his own and is asked to join the League. So he tries out for the squad without his dad knowing.

It takes a long time to find out why the dad was kicked out of the league of heroes and why the mom left. The story runs to about 423 pages which is surprising for a teen novel. But it doesn't take long to realize the author is an avid reader of comics and the story line borrows from fact and fiction.

I won't say anything else about this book but it made me think about people keeping secrets and why they need to keep them.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

2007-07-23T16:16:00.001-04:00

Wow. This was quite a story. It's an autobiographical novel. The writer, Sherman Alexie, is best known for his collection of short stories entitled The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven which I haven't read but has been on school reading lists for years. The film Smoke Signals, released in 1998, was based on one of those short stories.

So, now he comes out with a young adult novel and it's fantastic. It details one year in the life of Arnold "Junior" Spirit, a Spokane Indian, who wants to improve himself by leaving the reservation to attend an all-white high school.

This book has funny parts and some extremely sad parts too: Arnold experiences more death in a year than many of us deal with in a lifetime.

This book gives me pause and makes me think about yet another group of Americans who have been treated badly: Native Americans. It's so upsetting to think that they are mocked and treated as second class citizens in some parts of the country. This book is definitely one that I will suggest a lot once it's published in September.

The main character draws a lot and this quotation was one that I found enlightening:

"I draw because words are too unpredictable.
" I draw because words are too limited.
If you speak and write in English, or Spanish, or Chinese, or any other language, then only a certain percentage of human beings will get your meaning.
But when you draw a picture, everybody can understand it.
So I draw because I want to talk to the world. And I want the world to pay attention to me.

Makes me want to draw.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

2007-07-05T12:55:00.000-04:00

About a week ago, a teen girl asked me if there were more books by Gabrielle Zevin. Unfortunately I only had the one she had already read but I told her that I got an advance copy of her newest book which comes out in September and that if she asked me next time she was in, I would give that to her to read and she could review it for me.

Well, I started reading it and really got intrigued because it's a well-written teen novel that deals with a lot of issues: infidelity, divorce, remarriage, sex and trust. The story begins with the main character, Naomi, having slipped and fallen on the steps of her school. The result is a slight concussion and amnesia, but not of her whole life but just the past four years.

In other words, she doesn't remember why she liked her boyfriend and that her parents are divorced or why that happened. But she begins to fall for the guy who was the first person to find her when she was unconscious but he has a past that is slowly and painstakingly revealed.

Once again, this a teen novel that adults could read and relate to and I can't wait to hear what the teen readers at my library think of it. Maybe I am just a teen at heart because even though I'm 42, I agonize along with these kids and remember all too clearly what it felt like to fit in or not fit in during high school.

Teen Summer Reading 2007

2007-06-26T19:19:00.001-04:00

Once again, I've challenged teens, including those entering grades 6 through 12 to read and earn prizes! It's so simple. All you do is read a book and review it in a few sentences, give me that review form and then choose a new book from the drawer (or if you're totally not into books, go ahead and get a few gel pens, pins or other little prizes!

So far I've had a good number of kids who have been busily reading since school was dismissed a week and a half ago. Of course I've been diligently reading too. Just this evening I finished reading What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones. This one was published in 2001 and it's a novel in verse (which means it's all poems) told from the point of view of Sophie, a high school student, who confides about friends and boyfriends, even chatting with a stranger online! The reason why I read this one was that I had just last week read the follow-up book, entitled What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know which continues the story from Robin, the boy she likes, point of view.

Both stories are set in Cambridge, Massachusetts and include a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, where I went for the first time last summer and thought it was amazing. Just like both of these books. Now I can see why the first book is rarely on the shelf!

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

2007-06-22T11:19:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday night while showing Ghost Rider for Teen Movie Night, I started reading What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones and I could not put it down!

Just a really good story about what happens when a guy and a girl get together but she's popular and he's not so her reputation plummets and he keeps getting teased. The only place he finds happines is with his girlfriend or in a college art class he audits. Of course the college kids don't realize he is a high school freshman so they include him in their outings after class and for a change he doesn't feel like an outcast.

Of course he doesn't feel like an outcast with Sophie but it's difficult to have a good time knowing that she is ostracized by her friends because of him!

This book is a follow-up to What My Mother Doesn't Know which I have not read yet but I'm going to read it right now!

Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell

2007-06-12T19:33:00.000-04:00

As my librarian friend Jen and I drove to New York City for Book Expo America the weekend before last, she told me about a book she read called Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell. Even though she works in a library, as I do, she bought the book because she thought it looked so good.

Well, wouldn't you know it that we ran into the author at BEA! We went to the Scholastic area hoping to get a Harry Potter book bag but they were all out. In the meantime, Jen's eyes spot the beautiful Lisa Ann standing to the side, talking with another woman who turns out to be Aimee Friedman, another editor/writer!

We chatted with both women and we both got Lisa Ann to sign her new book. Over the weekend I started reading it and it's amazing how quickly I became immersed in the story. It's a verse novel set in the time of King Arthur told from the point of view of the Lady of Shallot.

Anyone who loves a beautifully written story, especially those who are fascinated with the Arthurian legends, should definitely take a look at Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell.

Y the Last Man: Motherland

2007-06-07T16:03:00.000-04:00

Once again, a new book saves the day for me. Earlier today I went into Tech Services and saw that the newest Brian K. Vaughan Y the Last Man book had been processed and was ready to go out. So I snagged it and immediately began reading it.

These books are engrossing and bring me into a whole 'nother world that I hope I never have to live in...one where there are no men! Haha. Well, the premise of the books is that all the men on earth have been exterminated via a plague...or have they?

If you like edgy graphic novels, take a look at this series. Let me know what you think.

Beige by Cecil Castellucci

2007-06-05T15:19:00.000-04:00

The week I was on vacation, I read Cecil Castellucci's novel, Beige.

This one was a home run with me. I could not put it down. She really drew me into Katy's world...a 15 year old who has spent her entire life with her mom and ends up spending the summer with her dad, a punk rocker who is trying to make a comeback. It's set in L.A. and there are lots of references to bands that I know so that made it fun for me as well. In fact, each chapter is the title of a different song and the band who performs it.

Even if you're not into music, you will still like this book. And if you don't like novels, check out Cecil's new graphic novel, The Plain Janes which I also just got into the Teen Zone!

Demonkeeper by Royce Buckingham

2007-05-02T19:20:00.000-04:00

Ok, this one is certainly intriguing...a boy who is in charge of a house full of various creatures including a beast in the basement who escapes! Nat is a good kid who has no friends but when the junior assistant librarian decides to be adventurous and give him her phone number, he goes on his first date...which leads to disaster!

Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman

2007-04-21T10:58:00.000-04:00

Since yesterday morning, I have been listening to the audiobook of Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman because I'll be joining Bill Clarke's class at Blackstone Academy on Monday to begin a series of discussions about the book. Last year when we discussed another book, I brought in the audiobook and it was a great way to get the class interested in the book so we decided to try that approach again.

Back to Stuck in Neutral, this book is told from the point of view of Shawn McDaniel, a 14 year old boy who has cerebral palsy which means he can't walk, talk, or communicate in any way. But we're let into his mind as he tells the story because he can hear what is being said and remember it all in vivid detail.

It's a book that is sure to give us LOTS to discuss, I predict.

As for other books by Terry Trueman, last year I picked up an advance copy of No Right Turn which was a very different story than this one. In that book the main character is a high school student dealing with his dad's suicide and the man his mom begins dating who owns a beautiful car that he covets.

Lots of students, especially boys like Trueman's books so I would definitely suggest giving them a try if you're looking for something to read.

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

2007-04-19T13:00:00.000-04:00

So I've spent my morning at my desk and there are bunches of email postings to the Graphic Novels in Libraries listserv and it made me realize that I had never blogged here about The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg. When I talk about this book I usually just mention Cecil because she is known as a teen novel writer but this time she is coming out with something new...a graphic novel! It's the first one in a new line of books called Minx put out by DC Comics.

Plain Janes comes out next month but I was lucky enough to see an advance copy at NY Comic Con so that was fun. The book is good and the kids I've shown it to in the Teen Zone have liked it as well. Check out the website and everything because it's very cool!

Jack of Fables: The (Nearly) Great Escape

2007-04-18T22:17:00.000-04:00

Because I get word of new books coming out so early, I really get excited when the books finally come into the library and among my favorites of course, are the graphic novels by Bill Willingham. He has writen a great series called "Fables" which I absolutely adore and I'm grateful that a co-worker discovered these and told me about them. Now he has spun off the character of Jack into his own series. Of course I'm not a hardcore fan who reads the comic books when they come out each week, I wait until they are collected in the graphic novel and read them from the library but he is so clever with using these commonly known fairy tale characters and giving them back stories and present day adventures in New York City.

In February when I went to NY Comic Con, I got some bookmarks at the DC booth because Willingham's books are put out by Vertigo which is part of DC Comics. So now I have a Jack of Fables bookmark which shows Jack wearing a t-shirt that says "Ensemble books are for Losers" and that pretty much sums up the character of Jack. He is the Jack who went up the beanstalk and the Jack who jumped over the candlestick too.

You really have to read these. You won't regreat it.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart

2007-04-15T21:13:00.000-04:00

One of my MySpace friends is teen novelist E. Lockhart and when I saw that a new one of hers had been published, I made sure I ordered it for the library. So when Dramarama came into the library last week, I wanted to read it, especially after I read the blurb which gives the scenario as a musical theater summer camp attended by two good high school friends. My close friends and family know that I'm crazy about musical theater and I love listening to the soundtracks of shows such as Rent, Applause, Les Miserables, and Aida. So, of course, after starting the book, I had to listen to some of my Broadway musical soundtracks on CD.

Anyway, back to the book, when Sadye, who loves to dance, and Demi, her closeted and talented best friend, spend the summer at theater camp, it's a summer full of first kisses and full-on frustration, including Sadye's portrayal of a tree as part of the cast in A Midsummer's Night Dream while wearing a unitard, of all things...not a good look on a tall, thin beanpole of a girl!

Books like Lockhart's always make me remember how painful growing up can be so much of the time and yet how much fun it is too.

This book also reminds me of another recent favorite, Diva by Alex Flinn which focuses on a high school girl who attends an arts high school in her pursuit of a career as an opera singer.

Alex Unlimited Vol. 1: The Vosarak Code by Dan Jolley

2007-03-25T08:39:00.000-04:00

Next month I'm speaking to a group of school librarians about graphic novels and manga so I've been trying to gather information from different publishers to share with them. One of the companies I contacted was Tokyopop. I asked for copies of the advance review copies of two new manga based on popular teen novels: Avalon High by Meg Cabot and The Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Not only did they send those to me with some flyers about the books but they sent me three novels that are part of a new line of books they're publishing.

The first one is Alex Unlimited Vol. 1: The Vosarak Code by Dan Jolley and it's a spy story revolving around a young woman. I haven't finished reading it yet but I'm anxious to finish reading it so I can pass it on to one of the teens I know from the library to get their feedback on it.

Twilight wins 2007 RITBA!

2007-03-15T21:27:00.000-04:00

No big surprise that one of the favorite books of the past year has won for the 2007 RI Teen Book Award. Yes, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was the top vote-getter and I'm excited since it's one that I've read and enjoyed. This is a book that I got as an advance reader copy in late 2005 and I wasn't planning to read it, I was about to pass it on to a student at the library when I emailed the publicist who sent it to me and she encouraged me to read it before I gave it away. As I recall, it was summer and I took the book to the beach with me and I couldn't put it down!

Today I attended the meeting where we narrow the list to 22 books from the 72 we read between September and this week. I read quite a few but not all of the nominees. Some I really liked and others were just so-so. I am pleased that two books I suggested for the list Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick and Larklight by Phillip Reeve made it to the final list today.

I offered to help out with the discussion modules for two of the titles as well so that should be interesting. I'd like to get a good start on those tomorrow. And I can finish reading a soon to be published book about the life of Helen Keller that I received via the author writing to me on MySpace!

New York Comic Con

2007-02-26T21:33:00.000-05:00

On Thursday morning I drove to New York City with a librarian friend from RI. We were on our way to the ICv2 Graphic Novel Conference at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. The city was an easy destination without much traffic on the drive.

The conference was open to anyone with a professional interest in graphic novels so the audience was filled with retailers, librarians, reporters for trade journals and publishers. It was a lively afternoon filled with discussions about manga and its impact here in the States. Manga is a way of life in Japan. It's just how books are written. According to the industry people, people in Japan read manga if they're pregnant or play mah jong or just want a good book to read.

Unfortunately manga and graphic novels aren't as readily accepted here in the U.S. But with the recent publication of the 9/11 Commission Report as a graphic novel, maybe the tide is turning. Stop by the Teen Zone to get a bookmark or poster from Comic Con.

Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready

2007-02-10T14:14:00.000-05:00

Right now I'm reading Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready for RI Teen Book Award consideration. By next month we will have the final 20 titles for students to vote on in 2008 and we will know which book won for favorite in 2007.

In the meantime I've been diligently reading during Teen Movie Night (sorry to say that Employee of the Month with the stellar acting of Dane Cook, Dax Shepard and Jessica Simpson didn't keep my attention as well as New Moon by Stephenie Meyer) and Club Anime at work as well as while waiting for my oil to be changed and during lunch and dinner breaks at work. (OK, truthfully, I did read through this month's InStyle magazine while in the staff room on Wednesday night...what can I say, celebrities, clothes, and parties are a pleasant distraction from life.)

Back to Buried, this is the second book I've read recently about a teen with an alcoholic parent. This time we meet Claudine and wonder how any parent can treat such a good kid the way her mother treats her! For starters, the mother has left town without telling Claude where she has gone and that's just wrong. Claudine is a good student who tries so hard to do the right thing for everyone she knows but it may not be enough to keep up with her lack of a positive parental role model.

I haven't finished this one yet but I'm trying to hurry so I can pass it on to my teen readers here.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

2007-02-02T10:27:00.000-05:00

Just yesterday, as I was waiting in the doctor's office, I finished reading An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Some of you may know that he won the Printz Award for excellence in young adult fiction for Looking for Alaska. Because of this and since John Green is one my MySpace author friends, I wanted to read his new one. So a few months ago I started it and I was having trouble finishing it so I gave up. Recently the title was added to the RI Teen Book Award list of titles to be considered so I got the book again and this time I finished it!

John Green's prolific use of footnotes was distracting for me but since I had just completed Drawing a Blank by Daniel Ehrenhaft, which also uses footnotes liberally, the reading went mor quickly. It may be a generational thing...kids are used to reading in a non-linear fashion, with the Japanese graphic novels, manga, which read back to front, for example.

The characters in Katherines were interesting. Two friends, Colin and Hassan, set out on a road trip from Chicago and get as far as Gutshot, Tennesee. They get offered summer jobs and decide to stay and work. Colin is a guy who has exclusively dated girls named Katherine. He inevitably gets dumped and his loyal friend Hassan is there to listen to his stories.

But as the summer progresses, the two friends start to re-examine their lives and their friendship.

Harlem Hustle by Janet McDonald

2007-01-23T19:29:00.000-05:00

Just as the nominations for the 2008 Rhode Island Teen Book Awards were closing, I picked up Harlem Hustle by Janet McDonald to add to the list. Her previous books have all been well-liked by most teens. Previously I've read Brother Hood which I liked and this one didn't disappoint.

The story of Eric Samson, a would-be rapper who just spent time in juvenile detention and doesn't plan to return has to figure out what to do with his life. His parents are long gone and he is living off the kindness of his friend's family. Clearly Hustle, as he likes to be called, is trying to do the right thing but it's so tempting to go back to stealing.

That is, until he starts to get serious about his writing. He begins working on his rhymes wherever he goes and finally things start to fall into place for him.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

2007-01-08T14:51:00.000-05:00

I started out on a road trip to New Hampshire yesterday with the audiobook of New Moon by Stephenie Meyer in the CD player. I had forgotten how strong the characters created by the author are and the romantic relationship between Bella, a high school senior who has just turned 18, and her boyfriend, Edward.

He is a bit older than her, um, maybe a hundred years older but since he's a vampire, no one can tell. Yes, falling in love with a vampire is tough on a girl. People always talk about the differences between men and women well, the Mars & Venus comparison is nothing when you think about the fact that she is human, for example, and he is immortal!

Everyone I know who read Meyer's first book Twilight absolutely fell in love with these characters so I'm guessing the sequel is just as strong. Even if you're like me and you've never been into vampire stories, all I can say is: Read this book!

To Sir, With Love by E.R. Braithwaite

2007-01-02T15:17:00.000-05:00

When my oldest son was a junior in high school taking British Literature, he had to read To Sir, With Love by E.R. Braithwaite. All I knew about this book was that a movie had been made based on, along with the film's ubiquitous title song, sung by Lulu.

The book is based on the life of the author who as an unemployed engineer takes a job at a tough school in London's East End. After losing his temper at the students one day, he returns with a different approach, he insists they treat him with respect and he will do the same for them. Although the film with its music and clothes makes the story seem very dated, it's a pretty timeless tale and one that was retold by author Frank McCourt in the third installment of his life story entitled Teacher Man. McCourt tells about teaching in a vocational high school in NY in the 1950s so it's a close parallel to Braithwaite's story.

Last night we watched the movie and were struck by the fact that the title song is used not once, not twice, but three times in the film! Seems a bit excessive but it was a different time and place, I s'pose.

Born Blue by Han Nolan

2006-12-04T14:41:00.001-05:00

I'm finally getting around to reading Born Blue by Han Nolan. Published in 2001, it's part of the Great Stories CLUB grant that I'm working on with Blackstone Academy. This Friday will be the first time I visit the class to discuss the book. Their teacher, Bill, said they are enjoying this one more than First Part Last by Angela Johnson.

This story is about Janie who is in a foster home and her best friend is another child in the house named Harmon. They share a secret love of the music of Billie Holliday, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and Robert Flack. Ultimately it's discovered that Janie can sing but when her mother insists on hearing her sing, she clams up and won't sing.

Janie is also haunted by the fact that she nearly drowned when she was a small child. This story seems very realistic and somewhat depressing but I really want to make some progress with it before Friday.

Larklight by Philip Reeve

2006-12-02T16:09:00.000-05:00

So, I just finished reading (finally!) Larklight by Phllip Reeve. This was one of those books that I got an advance review copy of plus a cool poster so I really wanted to read it. It's odd because it's a science fiction story that sets in outer space and Victorian England. Plus there's a pirate in it named Jack Havrock so that's a good thing.

Today I handed that book to a boy who was looking for something to read after he finishes The People of Sparks by Jeanne DuPrau. That one I haven't read but it's been popular. I did read a funny title by the same author, Car Trouble, which I always suggest to those who want humorous, realistic fiction.

Larklight by Philip Reeve

2006-11-18T11:39:00.000-05:00

It's always great fun for me to receive advance review copies of books. I'm always telling people this, of course, but I don't always read all of them. Sometimes I give them away to teen readers and ask them to report back to me about the book. Their feedback will often be the decision maker as to whether or not I read it.

Right now I'm reading Larklight by Phillip Reeve. He has also written Mortal Engines, Predator's Gold and Infernal Devices. Those three were all about the same characters who exist in an alternate reality where it's the world as we know it but the polar ice caps have melted and therefore some areas of the world aren't accesible the way they are presently.

Anyway, his new one is a science fiction fantasy that takes places in outer space and right now the two main characters, a brother and sister, have fled their home, Larklight, which is floating in space and after crash landing on Mars, have been taken in by a pirate named Jack Havrock. Oh, and I forgot to mention that it's Victorian England in outerspace! Interesting and enjoyable so far!

The Boy Book (a study of habits and behaviors, plus techniques for taming them)

2006-11-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

Well, it's always fun to read another book by an author you like and so I was excited to see The Boy Book (a study of habits and behaviors plus techniques for taming them) by e. lockhart had come out recently.

In the interest of full discloure, I should say that I listened to The Boyfriend List as an audiobook but, it doesn't really matter. I liked hearing the tale of woe that Ruby Oliver ended up sharing with a therapist after suffering from anxiety attacks. Her life in Seattle much different from my own since she lived on a houseboat with her performance artist mom and horticulturist dad.

And I was excited to read this book after adding e. lockhart to my friends list on MySpace. Certainly enjoyable and a great way to pass the time!

Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery

2006-11-04T16:13:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite phrases as a librarian is, You can't always judge a book by its cover. Why do I like saying that? Well, many times, you can decide to read a book or not a read a book based on what the cover looks like but even I am deceived from time to time.

Take for example, the book I'm listening to right now. It's a title to be considered for the Rhode Island Teen Book Award called Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams. I knew this book was a mystery but for some reason I thought the book featured a boy main character but it's actually a soccer-playing middle school girl who gets involved in a mystery in her Connecticut town.

Once I'm done listening to this, I can read the advance review copy I have of its sequel. I have a LOT of reading to do. Lately I've been getting behind in my reading and I have to pick up the pace. But I am definitely enjoying Abrahams' book since it's such a pleasant surprise!

Chew on This

2006-10-26T11:04:00.000-04:00

One of the books on the list of titles to be considered for the 2008 Rhode Island Teen Book Award is Chew on This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson. Schlosser wrote Fast Food Nation and adapted that book about the fast food industry in the U.S. for younger readers. When I started reading it on Tuesday night, I flew through the first 50 pages. That doesn't usually happen with non-fiction books so I was pleasantly surprised.

Anyone who has ever been inside a fast food restaurant needs to read this book and find out what really goes on behind the scenes. It's fascinating and I'm glad that I decided to read it even though I already read his other book a few years ago. Oddly enough, they're coming out with a film version of the book Fast Food Nation so that's interesting to think about too.

Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days)

2006-10-21T14:49:00.000-04:00

Just went downstairs to Tech Services and there was a bag of newly processed graphic novels and manga awaiting my arrival. One title that I've been looking forward to reading is Bill Willingham's Fables: Arabian Nights (and Days). Just published in 2006 by Vertigo, the edgier part of DC Comics, this book brings together issues 42 through 47 of the comic book series.

Since I haven't read it yet, I'll use the description in the library's catalog: Now that they know the identity of the Adversary, Fabletown prepares to defend itself. That means forming alliances with others who are unconquered by the Adversary's legions, but the arrival of a delegations from the Arabian Homelands shows them how tricky this can prove to be.

If you've never read Fables, now's your chance. Bill Willingham and the rest of the folks who put this book together are tremendous and really creative. Let me know what you think once you get a chance to read it, ok?

Hoot (the movie)

2006-10-19T14:54:00.000-04:00

When I first heard there was a movie coming out based on Carl Hiaasen's "Hoot," I was intrigued and even though it didn't do really well on the big screen, I wanted to say it so I brought it home from the library with me the other night.

One thing I liked about it was that musician Jimmy Buffett is featured as the science teacher of the main character. He also contributes music to the soundtrack which makes perfect sense since he the book and film are based in Florida. So the Carribean sound that he is known for, works really well in this setting.

If you need to read a mystery and/or you like reading about kids who want to save the environment, you should read Hoot and when you're done, read his other novel for young people, Flush, which just came out last year!

Preacher by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon

2006-08-12T12:34:00.000-04:00

It's always great when I get a good book suggestion from a friend and recently I had one friend suggest the graphic novels of Garth Ennis and fortunately a co-worker had a few of Ennnis's titles in his own collection and brought them in for me to read.

So far I've read 3 books of "Preacher" and it's just an amazingly complex storyline with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Of course this story is not for the faint of heart because there is senseless violence and bloodshed which fits in with the story, believe it or not.

The story centers around a young minister named Jesse Custer who has some amazing powers, his gun-toting girlfriend Tulip and their vampire friend Cassidy. Add to that a Holy Grail storyline and it's a page-turner that I couldn't put down!

Ya Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells

2006-07-24T11:24:00.000-04:00

Well, a few months back I received a box containing 10 copies of Ya Yas in Bloom by Rebecca Wells. So I thought about having a book discussion group for the book. Well, the discussion part never really happened but I've given out copies of the book to a bunch of girls. Maybe we'll end up talking about it someday when they each come into the library again.

In the meantime I started reading it and I enjoy it because each chapter can stand on its own when it tells a different event in the lives of the Ya Yas, four women who are close friends, and their children.

It's set in the south in the 1950s and 60s so it's a different time and place which is a nice change of pace from the fantasy and realistic fiction I've been reading.

Hard Hit by Ann Turner

2006-07-20T16:12:00.000-04:00

Last week at the meeting with other teen/young adult librarians, I heard about this book, Hard Hit by Ann Turner. The cover shows a boy lying on his back under the stars with a baseball glove on his hand. He looks sad or intent.

The story is about Mark Warren and how his family copes and responds when his dad is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. If you're looking for a funny story, this is not the one to pick up, but if you aren't afraid to read about a tough subject, go ahead and grab this one off the shelf.

You will really like it if you are a fan of poetry because each page is a poem. In libraryland we call this a novel in verse. I like them. Not everyone does. If you don't that's cool. Just stop in and I'll find something else for you instead!

Playing it Cool

2006-07-17T17:49:00.000-04:00

The book I just finished that I offered to review for a meeting is "Playing it Cool" by Joaquin Dorfman. It's a bit of a mystery but the teen characters are great and I kept reading mainly to see what would happen.

Of course, on the other hand, it's a bit confusing when you try to figure out who or what motivates the main character. His name is Sebastian but some people call him Seba and some Bastian! He goes for a week to Wilmington, North Carolina with a high school buddy who is meeting his biological father for the first time. He's there to support his friend, you might say, but he's also there to pretend to be his friend. They reverse roles for the week, for some odd reason, which only adds to the confusion and mystery of the story.

I'm waiting to hear from a teen reader who has read this one who can tell me if they liked it or not. As for me, I wanted to finish it, not just for the meeting but so I could figure out what the heck was going on!

The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud

2006-05-16T20:39:00.000-04:00

OK, this isn't a new book and I'm not actually reading it either, I'm listening to it on CD but it's great. Read by Simon Jones, The Golem's Eye, the 2nd book in the Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud is so full of complicated plot lines and weird twists that it's excellent for listening. And, I must confess, that it was a librarian friend who suggested listening to these so I did and I'm glad!

All the teens I know who read fantasy have really liked his first book, The Amulet of Samarkand, which I also listened to on CD so I knew I wouldn't be disappointed!

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

2006-05-15T12:43:00.000-04:00

Its cover shows a young girl in a fancy dress with a mirror up to her face. The title, Fairest echoes the line heard in Snow White, "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest one of all?" Well in Gail Carson Levine's (Ella Enchanted) latest book, we meet Aza who is described as being very unattractive yet has a wonderful singing voice, an attribute highly prized in her land. Well, her good nature and terrific voice get her into the King's castle where she befriends his young queen.

There are no dwarves but there are gnomes and yes, Aza does meet her charming prince but not until she realizes that looks may not be all they are cracked up to be! If you like fairy tales, you will like reading Fairest.

Born to Rock by Gordon Korman

2006-05-02T20:20:00.000-04:00

You know it's a good book when you can't put it down and you read half of it in one day, right? Well that's what reading Born to Rock by Gordon Korman is like...I picked up the advance reading copy of this book at the Public Libraries Association conference in March. I was drawn to it by the cover which shows a baby with its hair in a mohawk!

The premise is that Leo Caraway doesn't find out until he is 17 that his biological dad is a famous punk rock musician from the 80s. He wouldn't even care about finding out about him because he loves his dad and doesn't want to upset his mom but he needs money to finance his college education at Harvard!

So he gets to know his "bio dad" by going on tour with him over the summer as a roadie! Read this book, you won't be disappointed!

Flush by Carl Hiaasen

2006-04-19T18:06:00.000-04:00

Well, the audiobook I just finished today was very different from the previous one. Flush by Carl Hiaasen is about a Florida fisherman who sinks a gambling boat which has been dumping raw sewage into the water. Unfortunately he can't prove anything about the waste being flushed into the water so he takes matters into his own hands which means he ends up in jail!

Then his son and daughter concoct their own scheme to try and prove to the Coast Guard that the Coral Queen is really dumping into the water. Along the way the two run into a cast of characters who are very amusing and offer up a great twist in the story as well.

Although I listened to this story, I'm sure reading it would be great too because I liked his previous book written for kids your age, Hoot which will be released as a movie this month!

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life

2006-04-17T09:54:00.000-04:00

This audiobook looked intriguing at the PLA Conference last month so I picked it up and brought it home. How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life by Kaavya Viswanathan is the story of a girl who has worked hard all her life in order to attend Harvard University after she graduates high school. And all things point in that direction, she's smart, gets good grades and has gotten involved in plenty of academically connected activities like the Physics Club. But the dean at Harvard who interviews her thinks she needs to add something to her life...like a life where she has friends and hangs out and does fun things.

Listening to this story was fun even if it's a little predictable. Opal changes her images (like in the movie "Mean Girls") and begins to have a lot more fun than she ever did but also questions why she is doing that! The narrator is Indian so all of the names and the voices of Opal's parents are done in a distinctive Indian accent which is fun.

Definitely take a look at this if you have a chance!

Bras & Broomsticks

2006-04-05T15:18:00.000-04:00

Lately I've been getting through some of the teen fiction titles I want to read by listening to audiobooks and I just finished Bras & Broomsticks by Sarah Mlynowski. This is the very funny story of a high school girl who longs to be popular and thinks she can accomplish that goal with the help of her younger sister who just discovered she is a witch!

This was fun listening and heartbreaking when the magic wears off and Rachel has to figure out what to do to make things right!

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer

2006-03-18T14:46:00.000-05:00

Every now and then I listen to audiobooks in my car. It's very relaxing and I'm sure my driving is better than when I listen to "Sugar We're Going Down" by Fallout Boy. Anyway, my most recent audiobook was Stand Tall by Joan Bauer. This is the story of a very tall 7th grader who is nicknamed "Tree" by a classmate, the name sticks so everyone including his mom and dad call him that!

Well, Tree is dealing with helping his grandfather recover and learn to function with only half a leg after his leg needs to be amputated from an old war injury. At the same time he copes with his parents' divorce and spending time with both parents.

Great story and if you like this one, there are plenty more by this author!

Fables: Homelands

2006-03-13T11:55:00.000-05:00

This graphic novel series by Bill Willingham is my favorite. Luckily a co-worker told me about this adventurous, outrageous look at the lives of "fables" or all the fairy tale characters we ever encountered as kids. This book has a lengthy story line with Little Boy Blue ("come blow your horn...") and toward the end we meet Gepetto and boy, is he one messed up dude! Great illustrations, fun to read, what more can I say?

Go ahead and read anything you can get your hands on by Willingham!

Inexcusable

2006-01-26T10:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon I went to the RI Teen Book Award committee meeting and we narrowed that list to about 17 but we still need to eliminate a few before the final vote in March. In the meantime I 'm encouraging kids who come into my library to vote on this year's nominees. There are so many good books out there right now that it's hard to get around to reading them all which is why I love it when kids tell me what they're reading and what the like!

Right now I'm reading Inexcusable (2005) by Chris Lynch. In the opening paragraphs we learn that something has gone badly wrong between Keir and a girl named Gigi. It appears that something happened between them that he thought was mutual but she is now describing as rape. They know each other and are good friends, so why would this happen? Well the rest of the book, so far, describes what life is like for Keir. He plays football, he lives with his widower father while his two older sisters are away at college and he is a well-liked guy at high school. Until this...

The Schwa Was Here

2006-01-14T11:54:00.000-05:00

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman was another on the list of books under consideration for the 2006 RI Teen Book Award. Another librarian talked about this title at a meeting and said it was very funny but I didn't pick it up until earlier this month. Fortunately the book is funny and very offbeat. The premise is that a Brooklyn teen named Anthony, nickname: Antsy, becomes friends with a boy whom no one notices. He's been in their school but people just don't see him when he's there.

The boys try all sorts of things to test their theory that he isn't noticed by most people but one prank gets them caught by the meanest and richest man in town who, instead of turning them into the police, makes them work for him walking his dogs and later spending time with his blind grand-daughter.

The teen characters face issues lots of kids encounter. Parents who argue and friends who turn on you when you make new friends. The neat thing about this book is that nothing really bad happens to anyone and it has an interesting twist towards the end.

Y the Last Man: Vol 6

2006-01-12T15:17:00.000-05:00

Although I don't pick up and read comic books all the time, I do read graphic novels, many of which are the monthly issues compiled in book form. So anyone who buys the issues and reads them will be way ahead of me but I still like keeping up with the storyline. So, one story I started reading, at the suggestion of a graphic novel reading co-worker is Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn The premise is that all of the men on the planet have been wiped out by a plague except for one guy, Yorick and his pet monkey. And in each issue, Yorick is trying to get somewhere to help figure out how to repopulate the planet, essentially. He is being protected by a secret agent named 355 and accompanied by a doctor with expertise in cloning.

There's lots of action in this volume, entitled Girl on Girl so it's definitely worth reading!

Perfect by Natasha Friend

2006-01-08T12:18:00.000-05:00

The book I'm reading now is Perfect by Natasha Friend. It's the story of Isabelle, a young girl struggling with bulimia. When her mom learns that she is throwing up after meals, she sends her to a therapy group to help her battle the disorder.

This book doesn't skimp on the details of binge eating and the subsequent purging that Isabelle goes through in order to not gain weight. She tells about how her cousin made a comment about her weight which set in motion her bulimia. Of course Isabelle is also still hurting from the unexpected death of her dad almost two years earlier. Clearly she's in a vulnerable spot and feels the only thing she can control is her eating!

With the pressure society places on girls and women to look a certain way, I'm sure many readers will relate to this book. This is a RI Teen Book Award title under consideration for the 2006 list!

Tommysaurus Rex

2005-12-22T15:17:00.000-05:00

Just got in some new graphic novels and started reading this one right away: Tommysaurus Rex by Doug TenNapel. This is the story of Ely, a boy who's dog gets killed by a car. To make up for it , his folks let him live on the farm with his grandpa for the summer. While there he finds a Tyrannosaurus Rex hidden in a cave. The dinosaur becomes his new pet. He's particualarly handy at defending Ely against the neighborhood bully!

Black and white illustrations tell this fun story. It's definitely worth a read!

Nobody Particular

2005-12-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

Well, lately I've ordered quite a few non-fiction graphic novels. The one I read most recently is Nobody Particular: One Woman's Fight to Save the Bays by Molly Bang. Although this looks like a children's picture book in a lot of ways, it's a very serious topic. When Texas shrimper Diane Wilson discovers she lives in on of the most polluted counties in the U.S., she goes on a crusade against one of the largest chemical companies in the world. Her goal is to save the Texas bays she, her father and grandfather had shrimped and fished on their whole lives.

Another recent addition to the collection is Fallout: J. Robert Oppenheimer, Leo Szilard, and the Political Science of the Atomic Bomb by Jim Ottaviani. In a unique way, the writer tells the story of the Manhattan Project, the group of scientists who created the atomic bomb later used to end World War II through its decimation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan.

Both books cover serious topics and are definitely worth taking a look at!

Heavy Metal & You by Christopher Krovatin

2005-11-10T15:40:00.000-05:00

Just finished a great book called Heavy Metal and You by Christopher Krovatin. The first thing that caught my eye on this book is the cover because it's black with a red flaming heart. But really it's the story of Sam, a music obsessed teen with a tendency toward partying who falls for a sweet girl who's straightedge. Their differences don't show up until they are with their groups of friends. She is really disgusted by the crude, gross behavior of his friends while he thinks her group is fake.

If you're into music at all, you will enjoy hearing the references to the different bands that Sam is putting onto his CD player throughout the book. He makes a mix CD for his new girlfriend and that is also an adventure in music. The author of this book is 20 and he really captures the way kids talk and act. This book is definitely worth reading plus it's only 186 pages so it's a pretty fast read!

Usagi Yojimbo: Fathers and Sons

2005-11-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

Last month I heard about this graphic novel series Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai. It was funny because the description reminded me of a Japanese film & TV series called Zatoichi, the Blind Swordsman that someone recently told me about. As it turns out there is a character in Sakai's books named Zato-Ino who is a blind swordspig. Oh, I forgot to say that all the characters are animals so although there is a fighting, it doesn't seem too bad.

The other new graphic novels I ordered are Conan the Barbarian. Many people may know the character Conan from the movies with Arnold Schwarenegger but the character was written about in pulp magazines of the 1930s first by an obscure American Writer named Robert E. Howard. So the graphic novels take the stories as a beginning and add to them in full color. So they are fun to read.

Lots of new graphic novels come into the Teen Zone every week!

Zero Girl & Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards

2005-10-31T15:41:00.000-05:00

I'm still reading all sorts of graphic novels. One offbeat title I read recently is Zero Girl (2001) by Sam Kieth. In this strange but captivating story of a girl who doesn't quiet fit in ... when she gets nervous she gives off a powerful liquid that incapacitates her enemies, which in her case, are the girls who tease her. Her only friend at school is the counselor who tries to help her! Although someone else I know didn't like the ending, it's a different kind of graphic novel story and fun to read.

As a kid I wanted to be an archaeologist and I loved dinosaurs so this book was interesting to me: Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards: A tale of Edward Drinker Cope, Othniel Charles Marsh and the Gilded Age of Paleontology (2005) by Jim Ottaviani. This strange but true story tells about two men competing with each other to unearth dinosaur bones in the western U.S. at the turn of the century. The book is a combination of fact and fiction with a long section at the back of the book detailing what's real and what's not.

Thessaly: witch for hire (2005) by Bill Willingham. From the author of Fables, comes a very different offering about a witch who must kill a lot of monsters. She is aided in her quest by Fetch, a ghost who has made a deal where Thessaly must vanquish a demon that can’t be killed!

Tales of H.P. Lovecraft

2005-10-14T14:33:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month I read through a biography of H.P. Lovecraft, a well-known horror writer. Well, after reading about his life I wanted to read one of his stories so I picked up Tales of H.P. Lovecraft Major works selected and introduction by Joyce Carol Oates. I picked up this volume because it contained a story an avid reader made reference to earlier today, "The Rats in the Walls."

This reader also acquainted me with the writing of Robert E. Howard, a little known writer from the 1930s who corresponded with Lovecraft for years and was influenced by him quite a bit. Both wrote some stories that can be described as supernatural horror. So if you like to scare yourself while reading, you may want to give Lovecraft a try.

This story was more suspenseful than gory although the ending was a bit of a surprise. If you're looking for Lovecraft, most of his works are in the Rhode Island collection at our library because Lovecraft lived in Providence for many years.

Kurt Busiek's Astro City

2005-10-11T23:40:00.000-04:00

Kurt Busiek's Astro City: Life in the Big City by Kurt Busiek & Brent E. Anderson is the graphic novel I'm currently reading. This superhero story features a new group of do-gooders trying to save the world. The first one we meet is Samaritan. He lives a normal life except that he spends most of his day racing from city to city saving people. No one at work is suspicious because he can automatically do his job without really being there.

It's definitely in the tradition of Marvel and DC Comics but with a whole new cast of characters. If you're into super-heroes, I think you'll like it!

Astonishing X-Men: Gifted

2005-10-09T12:45:00.000-04:00

Truthfully, my only interaction with the X-Men characters was through the movies until yesterday. I keep asking a co-worker to suggest graphic novels to read and Astonishing X-Men: Gifted was one from yesterday. One of the reasons he thought I would like it is that it's written by Buffy and Firefly creator Joss Whedon. The artist is John Cassaday. Together they create another story of mutants trying to fit into a society afraid of anyone who is different. It kept my interest and I'm sure I'll read another one soon.

Speaking of Joss Whedon, I'm also reading a non-fiction book called Finding Serenity: Anti-heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's Firefly. The book is a series of essays edited by Jane Espenson with Glenn Yaffeth. So far I've read the first few essays and they all comment on the show and what made it so unique. If you're a fan of Firefly or you've seen the new movie Serenity this is a must read!

Y the Last Man: Unmanned

2005-10-06T19:14:00.000-04:00

Whenever I get reading suggestions, I usually enjoy what has been recommended. Recently I had a suggestion for the graphic novel collection. The Vertigo series someone told me about is Y the Last Man by Brian K. Vaughn. The idea is that one day all the men in the world are dead. This leaves the planet in chaos with half its population gone. What's going to happen next? Well, there is one man left. His name is Yorick. He and his pet monkey were not harmed by whatever killed all the other men.

But now the question is, can he survive a planet of hostile women? All he really wants is to get to his girlfriend who is traveling in Australia while he's in Washington, DC. This is a 5 volume set. I read through the first one today and I am ready to read book 2.

H.P. Lovecraft: Master of Weird Fiction

2005-10-03T15:14:00.000-04:00

As I've mentioned, when new books are ready to be put on the shelves, I take a look at them first. Sometimes I put them on a new book list, sometimes I just skim them and others I read. Last week I was curious enough about his life to read H.P. Lovecraft: Master of Weird Fiction by William Schoell. Lovecraft lived in Providence for a while so people are always talking about him here in RI.

He lived a strange life. His mother was very overprotective of him, especially after his father died at a young age. Although he wanted to study at Brown University, he was unable to further his education after a nervous breakdown. It was something he would always regret.

Very similar in tone to Edgar Allan Poe, Lovecraft crafted bizarre stories which appealed to readers of weird fiction being published at the time. If you need to read about an author sometime, this book will certainly draw you in from the start. Some say he has influenced a lot of today's writers including Stephen King.

13 Little Blue Envelopes

2005-10-01T11:05:00.000-04:00

Just checking email and saw that another member of the RI Teen Book Award committee posted a score for this book 13 Little Blue Envelopes (2005) by Maureen Johnson. This was a recent favorite of mine which I neglected to mention here! This was a good change from some of the other books I've read recently because it was light and fun to read. The only slightly sad part of the story is the main character's favorite aunt has died and she now follows directions left in 13 letters from her dead aunt which lead her on an interesting adventure to England and Europe. So the travel part of it was different for a teen novel and the romance that develops is very sweet.

This weekend I didn't bring home any graphic novels to read. But I do have a few books that I should be getting started on soon. Last night I was in Borders looking over the graphic novels they have. It was interesting to see Maus I shelved with the other Holocaust books rather than with graphic novels. It makes sense but it was coincidental that I had just blogged on and it and I had gotten a comment from someone on my posting which is always great to see. I went to Borders after watching the movie Serenity which was great. Joss Whedon's graphic novel Fray is popular with kids in the library and of course Buffy and Angel continue to be favorites for many but I really loved the TV series Firefly which I viewed on DVD last month in preparation for the movie's release. It sounds so strange but a sci-fi western really works and the cast of characters are very engaging!

Maus I: A Survivor's Tale

2005-09-29T14:08:00.000-04:00

For years I've looked over at the book Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman. Just a glance at the cover reveals that this is a book about the Nazis. There is actual another subtitle on the cover "My father bleeds history," which must refer to the author's father who lived this story and told it to his son in installments over a period of time. All this was after Spiegelman's mother died so he was only able to get his father's part of the story.

This is a powerful story because it's written in the voice of a survivor. He describes the horrors of family members going to camps for extermination by the Nazis. Friends trying to hide Jews in the cellars, attics and sheds. He lives through having little food while in hiding but ultimately ends up in the camps which is where the story ends. The rest of the story continues in Maus II.

still reading graphic novels

2005-09-26T14:40:00.000-04:00

So, instead of reading the suggested titles for the RI Teen Book Award committee meeting I'm going to on Wednesday afternoon, I spent the weekend reading graphic novels! Both books were suggested by a someone who reads a lot of these so I figured they would be worth my time and they were.

First I read The Tale of One Bad Rat by Bryan Talbot. This one has been on the shelf for a few years. It was first published in 1995 and it remains a good read. In this book we meet a girl who has run away from home and is living on the streets of London. Through a series of flashbacks we find out she was sexually abused by her father and that was why she fled. She loves Beatrix Potter books (The Tale of Peter Rabbit) and eventually makes her way to the Lake Country in England where Potter lived and wrote.

The other title I read was Sojourn: From the Ashes by Ron Marz. It's very much a fantasy tale like Lord of the Rings but with a strong woman empowered with saving the kingdom. Unfortunately the library doesn't own the sequels to this one but it was very good. Amazing illustrations too.

Next up: Meridian,Fray and The Escapist.

Strangers in Paradise

2005-09-24T14:28:00.000-04:00

Just finished reading Strangers in Paradise by Terry Moore. I picked up Pocket Book 1 at the ALA conference last January, added the book to the graphic novel collection but never read it. Recently I had someone tell me the series is good so I went ahead and took it home with me to read. The story of two friends, Katchoo and Francine, and all the troubles in their lives quickly drew me into the book. The artwork is very good. This one is more traditional, not Japanese style at all.

Now I've ordered a few more titles for the collection and I'm looking forward to reading more. I want to know what happens to these girls and their friends.

Ai Yori Aoshi

2005-09-19T17:30:00.000-04:00

After having kids come in nearly everyday asking for a variety of manga titles, I finally took the time to read one the other day. Ai Yori Aoshi by Ko Fumizuki was a request by one of the regular teen patrons who comes into the library. So, while it was sitting on my desk, I read it.

First it took me a while to get the hang of reading right to left. I'm not a big fan of comic books although I do read the comic strips in the newspaper each day. As I got into the book, I liked it. I'm waiting for another suggestion for a title to read, so if you have one, let me know!

Shackleton's Stowaway

2005-09-16T22:05:00.000-04:00

I've just started reading Shackleton's Stowaway by Victoria McKernan because it's a title to be considered for the 2007 RI Teen Book Award list. I've been reading a lot of teen fiction lately but this one is really different because it's historical fiction. Using real accounts of Ernest Shackleton's trip to the South Pole, the story is told about a young, inexperienced sailor who ends up stowing away on this fateful trip.

I've read another book geared for kids about Shackleton. It's called Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World by Jennifer Armstrong which was also really good. I've talked about that book to kids because it's so fascinating to me that although these men were shipwrecked, they all lived.

A few days ago I finished reading Invisible by Pete Hautman, another considered title for RITBA 2007. It was very creepy because during the whole story, it appears that this geeky boy has a best friend who is very popular and the two talk out their bedroom windows at night. The boy is obsessed with building an elaborate model railroad. He doesn't fit in at school and problems occur. It's an interesting story and one that I'm sure most teens will like.

Twilight

2005-09-06T14:38:00.000-04:00

Well, I never thought I would read a vampire story but I did! Twilight by Stephenie Meyer was so different from anything else I've read lately. Who knew falling in love with a vampire could be so difficult? Not only does Edward Cullen have to control his blood thirst for Isabella, just his association with her puts another vampire on her trail!

After finishing Twilight, over the weekend, watching Good Will Hunting, again, and some Red Sox, I did find time to begin and get about halfway into Rebel Angels by Libba Bray. There are many more mysteries being uncovered in this sequel to 2003's A Great and Terrible Beauty.

Just had a girl ask me about the next Harry Potter movie. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will open Friday, November 18th. It will certainly be interesting to see how they handle the Quidditch Cup and the Triwizard Tournament!

Rebel Angels

2005-09-02T13:19:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday I really wanted to start reading the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray but I held off so I could finish my other book, the previously mentioned Twilight by Stepehenie Meyer. Rebel Angels is longer than the first one but I'm guessing it will be a page-turner as Gemma Doyle and her friends try and figure out where the power of The Order comes from and who will find help them solve this mystery.

Set in the year 1896 at a girls boarding school in England, the sequel appears to pick up exactly where the other left off. The first one had something happen at the end that I couldn't have predicted. Well, actually two things. As I was listening, I had to turn it off for a while so I could figure out where I was going since I was trying to follow directions and I didn't want to miss any of the story!

Of course I switched from Victorian England to present day Oregon where a teen girl has gone to live with her father for the first time in many years. It is there she meets the mysterious Edward Cullen. He captivates her but the question is, does he want to suck her blood because it's clear that Edward is a vampire.

Twilight

2005-08-31T16:14:00.000-04:00

Earlier this summer, I received a copy of a soon to be published book called Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. This book will be published in October by Little Brown & Co. My friend at LB, Jennifer, sent me a copy. When I emailed thanking her for it, I mentioned that I would give it to a teen girl I know who likes vampire stories. Jennifer encouraged me to read it myself so luckily I got another copy and I've been reading like a mad woman since Monday!

The setting is the present-day and the only twist is that the girl falls in love with a vampire! I'm about halfway into it now and I can't wait to get back to reading!

Adam Canfield of the Slash

2005-08-25T15:59:00.000-04:00

As if I wasn't doing enough reading, I picked up a new book called Adam Canfield of the Slash. It's written by Michael Winerip, who generally writes non-fiction for adults. In fact the adult book group I belong to read one of his books a few years ago.

This story revolves around a boy who is co-editor of his middle school newspaper echoing the author's experience as a reporter for the New York Times! I'm only up to chapter 3 but so far it's a good read!

A Great and Terrible Beauty

2005-08-23T15:28:00.000-04:00

Today I started listening to A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. This book has been out for a whle but I really wanted to read it so I could read the sequel I picked up at BEA in June! I had it on my desk last week and had started reading it when I decided to switch to the audiobook. For the last few weeks I've been listening to books on CD in my car and it only takes me about a week to get through an average length book.

I started with Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer. I read the first three so I knew all the characters and the background so it was fun hearing it read aloud, especially since some of those names can be tricky to pronounce. It was a lot of fun.

Then I decided to catch up on the 2005 Newbery Award winner Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata. This was a serious and very sad, at times, story of an American family but the mom and dad were born in Japan and moved here as young people. They are trying to build a life for their two daughters and later a son in the 1950s and 60s in the South. It was strange to think Japanese people were treated poorly because of the color of their skin. The parents both work many, many hours a week just so they can get by so it was a lot different from other books I've read.

After that I decided to switch over to a fun, chick lit-type book called The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart. It's about a girl named Ruby who starts having panic attacks and begins going to a psychiatrist to figure out what's going on with her life. She attends a private high school, has a group of friends both guys and girls plus she has a boyfriend. Or she thought she had a boyfriend until Jackson breaks up with her and begins dating her friend Kim! Published in 2005, this book is sure to be popular with girls.

Boy Girl Boy by Ron Koertge

2005-08-11T14:59:00.000-04:00

Just started an advance reading copy of Boy Girl Boy by Ron Koertge. The last book I read by the same author was Shakespeare Bats Cleanup which was a novel in verse that I liked. I think it was a potential nominee for the RI Teen Book Award.

This story begins with the friendship among Teresa, Larry and Elliot and what their lives will be like after high school graduation. This novel will be published in September and if it's good I'll nominate it for the 2007 RITBA list.

Confessions of a Closet Catholic

2005-08-04T17:08:00.000-04:00

It's always good getting book suggestions from a friend. A few months ago, I heard about this book Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Littman. Well, I finished reading it yesterday during my lunch break and it was a great book. Trying to be more like her Catholic friend, Justine, decides to give up being Jewish for Lent! Then when her gradnmother gets sick, she thinks it's her fault because she questioned her faith.

Justine confesses to her stuffed bear, gives herself Communion with matzoh and grape juice, attends Mass with her friend's family and finally tries to pass herself off as Catholic at Confession. This was an interesting story to read because if you're not Jewish, you can learn something more about that faith and if you're not Catholic, you may pick up some of the things Justine learned.

Although Justine is only 11, I think teens would relate to how she questions her faith but at the same time, has a crush on her new best friend's brother!

Cutting Edge Readers

2005-08-02T18:17:00.000-04:00

After not getting any Cutting Edge Reader book reviews back for a while, I finally got one in today.

The Crying Rocks Janet Taylor Lisle
I think this book is very captivating and very detailed. It is smartly written and it gives me very good images almost as if I am actually there in the room with Joelle. This book was very surprising at the end; then again, most books are; what Joelle found out was that the man she thought was her foster father was actually her real father.

-- Vanessa, 15-year-old entering 11th grade

Changing the Rules

2005-07-16T15:53:00.000-04:00

Just got a "Rate that Book" review for Changing the Rules by Niqui Stanhope. The girl who read this is entering 10th grade and is 15 years old.

She writes: This book I think is really for anyone who's into Romance novels that aren't too cheesy. I think it's for someone who likes drama mixed with the love and action.

Crank and Honey, Baby, Sweetheart

2005-07-14T16:09:00.000-04:00

Right now I have a stack of 5 books I want to read on my desk! Every time new ones come in, I want to read them all. When I hear a good recommendation, it also makes me want to read the book. Check these out:

Crank by Ellen Hopkins "It was very interesting and had a very surprising ending. I never knew it come to that although the author really foreshadowed the point it was very tricky and unique." -- 14 year old girl, entering 10th grade in September.

Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti "The book was awesome! I love the 'Gilmore Girls' feel of it. The ending was perfect: "I want to fly," I said." -- 12 year old girl, entering 8th grade in September.

Stained

2005-07-12T21:41:00.000-04:00

This evening I finished Stained by Jennifer Richard Jacobson. Published in 2005, this 200 page story shifts back and forth from the main character's childhood and the setting of the novel, New Hampshire in 1975. The narrator has a boyfriend who isn't sure about whether their relationship is a good thing or not. She also has an old friend, her neighbor Gabe who has disappeared and the whole community comes out to look for him.

This book just came in last week so I haven't talked to anyone else who has read it but it was interesting and fast. I think anyone who likes realistic fiction, especially where there is a lot of conflict for the teens in the story, will like this book.

Eragon

2005-07-09T19:37:00.000-04:00

Well, I finished reading Eragon by Christopher Paolini, the book chosen for 2005 RI Teen Book Award. Teens around the state loved this 500 page book about an orphaned boy who is destined to be a dragon rider.

When this book was published, the interesting story about it was that it was written by a 16-year-old boy who lives in Montana and was homeschooled by his parents. One friend who read this one felt that it borrowed too much from other fantasy writers. It does remind me of Middle Earth in a lot of ways even though it's been a long time since I've read Tolkien.

It took me a while to read this book so, it wasn't my favorite. Lately I like the realistic fiction books I've read more. Thursday I finished Rewind by Jan Page which was about a teen who starts a rock band without knowing his own parents were in a band like his 17 years ago, something they've never talked about with him. When a speaker falls on his head during a gig, he travels back in time and meets his parents learning a lot about them and their lives before he was born. The book won't be published until September but teens who want to read it now can stop by the Teen Zone and borrow my advance copy.

Art Geeks and Prom Queens

2005-06-30T15:57:00.000-04:00

Today I had my first "Cutting Edge Reader" review handed in and I'm really excited. This program offers newly published or soon to be published books to any students in grades 6 through 12. Once a book is read and reviewed, the reviewer receives a brand new book! (They get to choose the title.)

Art Geeks and Prom Queens by Alyson Noel
This book was great! I loved how it was so real and completely believable. The characters are wonderful and it's cool how Alyson Noel really got in tune with them. Some books you have to read things over and over because don't know how to intepret them. But this book was different. A lot of books I read have similar story lines, this book didn't. It was unique and I really liked it!

-- Angelique, soon to be in 7th grade

I am the wallpaper

2005-06-27T15:22:00.000-04:00

The heroine of I am the Wallpaper by Mark Peter Hughes is 13-year-old Floey Packer. She is always hoping for something exciting to happen to her but usually winds up embarrassed. First she trips and falls on top of a cute guy she's dancing with at her sister's wedding. Then her cousin puts her diary on a website. Finally she dyes her hair violet in order to get noticed but people keep saying she looks like an eggplant or a blueberry!

This book has a lot of references to Rhode Island in it. The author grew up in Barrington so he talks about different places in the state. Tell me what you think when you have a chance to read it!