Fresh Picks!

Here are the new books in the teen section this week:

• Lie by Caroline Bock
• Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs
• The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
• Steampunk!:  An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Kelly Link and Calvin J. Grant
• Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan
• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
• How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
• Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick

Potter vs. Twilight

This just shows how severe Potter fans feel about Twilight. Enjoy!

Book Review: Fallen by Lauren Kate

The last book I read before this was Beautiful Creatures. After the somewhat horrible ending to that, I was ready for something else. But when I read the back of Fallen, I thought I would be reading the same thing. I, as I often am, was wrong.
Fallen tells the dystopian (why is everything dystopian nowadays?) tale of Lucinda Price who has (possibly) been the reason for the death of her friend, Trevor. She has been sent to Sword & Cross, a reformatory school for teens. There, the live triangles (SHOCKER!) start. Luce must choose between cute, smooth Cam (who sounds like he's the beachy blonde type but he isn't) and Daniel (who sounds tall, dark and handsome but is only the former and the latter) who flips her off on their first encounter.
On top of her brewing love triangle, Luce must worry about the shadows that cause so much trouble in her life. When they take the life of the new kid Todd, things start to get crazy at Sword & Cross. Cam and Daniel get in fights (sound like Twilight much?) that are pretty violent and Luce decisions are much more difficult. She begins to sway toward Daniel though when she has dreams of him in an angelic state.
Can Luce discover things about the twisted and mysterious past of Daniel? Does it involve her? Will Cam turn out to be sweet like he came on or turn into something worse? Will Luce EVER get out of Sword & Cross? Don't expect me to tell you! Go get Fallen today!

Stamped Wrapping Paper

Last Wednesday, 16 teens came out to make stamped wrapping paper.  We made worked in groups to make giant rolling stampers using mailing tubes and self-sticking foam shapes.  (Tip:  Double up the foam shapes to make a sharper impression on the paper.)  Then, the groups quickly painted the foam shapes and rolled out their designs on Kraft paper.  Yes, it was messy, but at least I had the forethought to cover the carpet with roofing tarps!  The finished products turned out nicely.  The wrapping paper did require some drying time, though, so I just hope everyone comes back to pick up their papers if they are planning to use them for Christmas.  Here are some (slightly blurry because I took them with my phone) action shots:

Gift Card Donations

The Teen Advisory Board is collecting partially used and unwanted gift cards from library patrons until January 15.  Make space for new cards in your wallet and help us fund teen programs in 2012!  We combine the amounts left on the cards to purchase supplies, snacks, and prizes. 

So far, we've collected $74.72 for stores like Wawa, Old Navy, Target, Kohl's, CVS, and Barnes & Noble.  Thanks to everyone who has donated this month!  We still have a month to go, and all contributions are tax deductible.  No amount is too small.  :)

2011 Barnes & Noble Bookfair!

Saturday was the library's bookfair at the Barnes & Noble in Broomall, and it was a success!  Thanks to all of our library patrons who came to do personal shopping, plus some purchases we made for the library, we are on track to make the most money ever!  We are taking our fundraising money in books again this year, which will be awesome for our teen section.

If you missed the day, don't worry.  You can shop in any Barnes & Noble store or online until December 17.  Just give them our bookfair ID number (10554343) when you check out.

Here's what I bought with my library budget at the fundraiser:

FICTION

• The Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (Infernal Devices series)
• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games trilogy; additional copy)
• L. A. Candy by Lauren Conrad (replacement copy)
• The Fight by L. Divine (replacement copy)
• Frenemies by L. Divine  (replacement copy)
• The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore (Lorien Legacies series)
• l8r, g8r by Lauren Myracle  (replacement copy)
• Heartless by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars series)
• Ruthless by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars series)

NONFICTION

• Guinness World Records 2012
• It Gets Better:  Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living edited by Dan Savage and Terry Miller
• Seventeen Ultimate Guide to Style by Ann Shoket and the Editors of Seventeen

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Yotsuba&!, volumes 1-3, by Kiyohiko Azuma
• Naruto, volumes 51-53, by Masashi Kishimoto
• Bleach, volumes 36 and 37, by Tite Kubo
• Pandora Hearts, volumes 3-5, by Jun Mochizuki

Three Reviews

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
In The Red Pyramid, Riordan faces the challenge of introducing us to new characters and a whole new mythology!  He is famous for writing the Percy Jackson series, which is based on Greek mythology.  The Kane Chronicles series focuses on a brother and sister, whose Egyptologist father endangers all of their lives during a research experiment gone wrong.  Soon, Carter and Sadie realize that the gods of Egypt are real, and that saving their father means trying to stop the most evil among them.  I had to read this for middle school book group, and I was actually surprised to find myself liking it.  Of course, there was a lot of action and some great battle scenes, but my favorite part of the book was actually learning about Egyptian mythology.  The second book in this series, The Throne of Fire, is already available, and the third (unnamed) book will be out on May 1, 2012.

Heist Society by Ally Carter
Ally Carter is known as the author of the Gallagher Girls spy series, starting with I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You.  But, in this book, she goes in a different direction, featuring Kat Bishop, who has been raised as a thief since birth.  Kat attempts to escape into a "normal" life, but is sucked back into the family business when her dad is implicated in a major heist that she knows he didn't commit.  This book reminded me of a cross between Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman and a heist movie (like Ocean's Eleven or Tower Heist).  It was an easy and fun read, with plenty of action, cliffhangers, and plot twists to make it interesting.  There's also a sequel, Uncommon Criminals, so look for that as well!

Birth Marked by Caragh M. O'Brien
16-year-old Gaia is a midwife-in-training who hands over a quota of babies to the Enclave every month, even though she's never been allowed inside. But when Gaia returns home and finds her parents have been arrested by the very people they serve, she starts a dangerous journey into the city to find them.  This dystopian fantasy's strengths are the character of Gaia and the medical problems caused by the small gene pool in the Enclave.  Several of the plot elements are a bit too convenient, but a disturbing twist at the end made the reading worthwhile.  This book is a good choice if you are a fan of the genre, or particularly interested in science or in childbirth.  And, if you like this book, the second book in the trilogy, called Prized, was released last month.

Newest of the New

Here's what you can look for in the teen section this week:

FICTION

• The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson
• Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore
• So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti
• Caleb's Wars by David L. Dudley
• Lies by Michael Grant (replacement copy)
• Stay with Me by Paul Griffin
• The Girl Is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines
• Addie on the Inside by James Howe
• Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones
• Passion by Lauren Kate (Fallen series)
• The Other Girl by Sarah Miller
• The Vampire Diaries:  Stefan's Diary, Volume 3:  The Craving by L. J. Smith
• Deadly Little Voices by Laurie Faria Stolarz (Touch series)
• A Need So Beautiful by Suzanne Young

NONFICTION

• How to Survive Anything by Rachel Buchholz
• Dear Bully:  70 Authors Tell Their Stories edited by Megan Kelley Hall and Carrie Jones

Fall DDR Day

Yesterday, 15 teens came after school to play Dance Dance Revolution.  We had free play for a while, then 14 people entered a tournament.  Everyone played cards and games between dancing, and, of course, there were snacks.  There were four really good players in the tournament, but Jennifer surpassed them all to win!  She earned two five-dollar gift cards, one to Burger King and one to Five Below.  (I usually do a $10 to one store, but I had to use up some leftover gift cards from summer reading.)  We'll do some more DDR over the winter, so look for it on the schedule!