Banned Book Week Discussion

Yesterday, six teens showed up for our annual Banned Books Week book discussion.  This is a fun meeting because you don't have to actually read a specific book to show up!  Instead, we talk about a list of books that ranges from children's books to popular series to classics that people read for school.  Everyone has read something on that list, whether it's Junie B. Jones or Animal Farm.  It's amazing how many of our school-assigned summer reading books have been challenged or banned somewhere!  We talked about a lot of issues and had a really interesting conversation.  Celebrate your freedom to read...come check something out of the library!  :)

New Additions

Here are our latest acquisitions in the teen section!

FICTION

• Abarat:  Absolute Midnight by Clive Barker
• Reel Life Starring Us by Lisa Greenwald
• The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (additional copy)
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

GRAPHIC NOVEL

• Kitchen Princess, volume 6, by Natsumi Ando
• Cactus's Secrets, volume 4, by Nana Haruta
• Bleach, volume 27, by Tite Kubo
• Natsume's Book of Friends, volume 3, by Yuki Midorikawa
• Inubaka:  Crazy for Dogs, volumes 8, 10, 12, and 16, by Yukiya Sakuragi
• The Last Dragon by Jane Yolen
• Sgt. Frog, volumes 7, 18, and 20, by Mine Yoshizaki
• Godchild, volumes 7 and 8, by Kaori Yuki
• Angel Diary, volume 13, by Kara Lee YunHee

School Spirit Ponytail Holders

Our fall programs have started!  Last Wednesday, 11 teens showed up after school to make School Spirit Ponytail Holders and watch Tangled.  Genni suggested it because of the hair connection, and it was a great choice.  I hadn't seen it before, and I loved it, especially Maximus the horse!  Anyway, the ponytail holders are super-easy to make, but take a long time.  Cutting and tying all of that ribbon is a chore!  Everyone used their school colors, which was perfect since it's football season.  And the ponytail holders turned out wonderfully!  I hope to see some of these in pep rally pictures!!

Just Dance

Today, 13 teens showed up after school to play Just Dance.  Actually, it took a while for people to work up their nerve, so Uno became very popular!  However, once the game got started, everyone was really into it.  Things were going so well that I forgot to do the mini-tournament I had promised.  Talia reminded me at the very end.  I'm so sorry!  We'll have to save it for next time.

Book Review: Hate List

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

(Click here to find a library copy.)

Near the end of her junior year, Valerie's leg was badly injured in a school shooting.  Several students and a favorite teacher were killed; others were injured.  Valerie stopped the shooter's rampage, but she was also implicated in the crime:  the shooter, Nick, was her boyfriend, and his targets were people on a list she had started.  Can Valerie return for her senior year?  Should she even be allowed?  Is she guilty?  Is she a hero?  Tough questions face Valerie, and the reader, in this realistic look at life after a tragedy.  I appreciated how the author showed the impact of the shooting on Valerie's family through the story.  Also, the discussions Valerie has in therapy are really thought-provoking.  If you like to read seriously realistic fiction, then this one's for you.

Book Review: Forgotten

Forgotten by Cat Patrick

(Click here to find a library copy.)

If you've ever been disappointed or unhappy with a situation, someone has probably told you that "tomorrow is a new day."  You can always start over, work harder, or try to fix a problem.  But, what if tomorrow really was a new day?  What if you woke up every day with no memory of anything in your past, only things to come in your future?  That is the case for 16-year-old London Lane, who writes herself notes every night so she can lead a normal life.  Trying to stay under the radar at school works for London until she meets Luke, a handsome new boy who is very interested in her.  I kind of expected this book to turn into some kind of government dystopia, with Luke trying to gain her confidence and turn her over to the authorities.  Instead, this book took some very unexpected turns and dealt with interesting questions about family and relationships.  For me, Luke ended up being a little too perfect in his role of boyfriend.  However, he definitely deserves to be a book crush!  A realistic fantasy, Forgotten is a quick read that will make you imagine "what if..."

Newest of the New

Recent new books added to the teen section:

FICTION

• Bronxwood by Coe Booth
• The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl series; additional copy)
• The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl series; additional copy)
• Torn by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Missing series)
• Tiger's Quest by Colleen Houck (Tiger's Curse series)
• Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely series; replacement copy)
• Angel by James Patterson (Maximum Ride series)
• Divergent by Veronica Roth

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Vampire Game, volumes 7, 11, and 13, by Judal
• Rave Master, volumes 13, 20, and 24, by Hiro Mashima

Fall Schedule!

The schedule of teen programs for the fall is now available online!  Six programs are already registering, so get your name on the list.  You can call the library, stop in, or reply to event invitations from our Facebook group.

Sign up now for...

• School Spirit Ponytail Holders (9/21)
• Just Dance (9/23)
• Banned Book Week Book Discussion (9/28)
• Craft Closet Cleanout (9/30)
• Nintendo Night (9/30)
• Duct Tape Crafts (10/5)

Join Our Facebook Group...Again...

We moved to the new groups format on Facebook, so please check us out.  Go to Sellers Library Teens (the group with the robot keychain profile picture) and request to join!  The Facebook group is the fastest, easiest way to register for events and find out what is going on at the library. 

Look! New Books!

New items for you to check out:

FICTION

• Eighth Grade Bites by Heather Brewer (additional copy)
• Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer (additional copy)
• Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer (additional copy)
• Money Hungry by Sharon G. Flake (additional copy)
• How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle (replacement copy)
• Forgotten by Cat Patrick

NONFICTION

• The Simpsons:  A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family edited by Ray Richmond
• Taking Care of Your "Girls":  A Breast Health Guide for Girls, Teens, and In-Betweens by Marisa C. Weiss and Isabel Friedman

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Dawn Land by Will Davis