5.31.2006

Wonders from Down Under

G'day Mates! OK, that was lame. Want to get beyond the stereotypes we have about Australians? Look for some Aussie authors on the shelves!

  • Andy Griffiths (not really YA, but I have to include him because we have his books The Day My Butt Went Psycho and Zombie Butts from Uranus in the J section and I think they are hilarious)
  • Justine Larbalestier (Magic or Madness; Magic Lessons; she is married to Scott Westerfeld!!)
  • Jaclyn Moriarty (Feeling Sorry for Celia; The Year of Secret Assignments)
  • Garth Nix (Abhorsen trilogy; Shade's Children; Keys to the Kingdom series)
  • Markus Zusak (I Am the Messenger; The Book Thief)

5.28.2006

Chucks

Do you love your Chucks? I do, and apparently so do many book publishers. Recently, some librarians noted several teen books that feature Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars on the cover:

PS--Right now my only pair of Chucks is a pair of purple flowered ones that my 11-year-old mentor kid picked out. She convinced me that we needed to buy matching shoes...

Shameless Commerce Plug

OK, so I just visited the Converse website and found out that you can design your own pair of Chucks online. So cool!

5.25.2006

Unshelved + Gregor

Last Sunday's Unshelved book club cartoon featured Gregor the Overlander as its subject. This is a great underground adventure story that reminds me of The City of Ember. Plus, it features giant rats, spiders, and cockroaches! You can find it in our J section at the library.

5.23.2006

Teen Nonfiction Craziness

I saw today that the teen nonfiction section has grown beyond one shelf! That's amazing because the section isn't even a year old yet. Here are the newest titles:

  • Gunstories: Life-Changing Experiences with Guns by S. Beth Atkin
  • Mirrormask by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
  • Where We Are, What We See: Poems, Stories, Essays, and Art from the Best Young Writers and Artists in America by David Levithan
  • Fortune's Bones: The Manumission Requiem by Marilyn Nelson
  • Big Book Unplugged: A Young Person's Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous by John R.
  • Open the Unusual Door: True Life Stories of Challenge, Adventure, and Success by Black Americans by Barbara Summer
  • A Teen's Guide to Living Drug Free by Bettie B. Youngs, Jennifer Leigh Youngs, and Tina Moreno

These books cover everything from art to self-help, from history to guns. Teen nonfic has something for everyone!

5.22.2006

Book Review: Specials

Specials by Scott Westerfeld (*NEW!*)

SUMMARY: "Special Circumstances": The words have sent chills down Tally's spine since her days as a repellent, rebellious ugly. Back then ordinary pretties might live their whole lives without meeting a Special. But Tally's never been ordinary. And now she's been turned into one of them: a superamped fighting machine, engineered to keep the uglies down and the pretties stupid. The strength, the speed, and the clarity and focus of her thinking feel better than anything Tally can remember. Most of the time. One tiny corner of her heart still remembers something more. Still, it's easy to tune that out--until Tally's offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently. It all comes down to one last choice: listen to that tiny, faint heartbeat, or carry out the mission she's programmed to complete. Either way, Tally's world will never be the same. (adapted from the back cover)

OPINION: If you are a fan of Uglies and Pretties, you will definitely want to read this conclusion to the trilogy. And if you haven't read them, start reading now! Even though Westerfeld tries to clue you in with some background at the beginning of Specials, you will be lost. That said, as a fan of the series, I wish he'd spent less time explaining things at the start of the book and more time getting to the actual plot. But once things started to happen, I couldn't put the book down. It is just as full of danger, intrigue, and passion as the first two books, and it will keep you guessing until the very end. You can't predict what will happen to Tally, so enjoy the ride!

5.10.2006

Books about Moms

Since Mother's Day is approaching on Sunday, May 14, why not read a book about relationships between teens and their mothers? These books cover the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Look for these books on our shelves, or ask the desk staff to get them from another library for you:

  • The Black Book: Diary of a Teenage Stud series by Jonah Black
  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, and Girls in Pants by Ann Brashares
  • Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
  • Gingerbread by Rachel Cohn
  • Bucking the Sarge by Christopher Paul Curtis
  • Someone Like You and The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen
  • Nothing to Lose by Alex Flinn
  • Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier
  • The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
  • Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta
  • Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
  • The His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
  • What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones
  • Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind by Suzanne Fisher Staples
  • Fault Line by Janet Tashjian
  • A Solitary Blue by Cynthia Voigt
  • So B. It by Sarah Weeks
  • Make Lemonade and True Believer by Virgina Euwer Wolff

5.02.2006

Stoner and Spaz Cartoon

Last Sunday's Unshelved book club comic features Ron Koertge's YA book Stoner and Spaz. Woohoo! I love when they make comics about our books. We have this one, so look for it in the Teen Corner!