Book Review: Night Road

Night Road by A. M. Jenkins
Reviewed by Alexa

Night Road is a unique take on civilized vampires. Cole, the main character, is a nomadic vampire who is called to New York by his old friend Johnny. Johnny needs a favor and Cole is the best guy for the job. Unfortunately for Cole, the favor turns out to be an out-of-control newborn vampire named Gordon. Johnny knows Cole can give Gordon the best vampire education around. Reluctantly, Cole agrees, and he, Gordon, and Sandor, the newborn's creator, set out to begin training. Author A. M. Jenkins writes from a clean, determined, and fresh perspective. Night Road is an interesting and insightful novel that is a gift to all of us vampire fiction junkies!

Book Review: Gone

Gone by Michael Grant
Review by Meg

Click on the cover to see which libraries own this book.

SUMMARY: It is just a normal day at school. That is, until everyone over the age of 14 mysteriously disappears. All of the sudden, dozens of children are left without families, without supervision, and with new, inexplicable powers that they can't quite control. Chaos ensues as everyone tries to come to terms with their sudden ability to start fires, or suspend gravity, or move from one place to another in the blink of an eye. The arrival of new children from a school for ill-behaved rich kids throws everything further into insanity, as does the strange barrier that has appeared around town, keeping them from knowing what is happening on the outside. And of course, the threat of their 14th birthday looms over everyone's heads...

OPINION: While the plot is intriguing and will keep you hooked until the last page, this book did have some problems. The one thing that kept distracting me was that the 13-year-olds act more like adults than the children they are. The budding romances seem far too adult for a group of kids, as does the sheer evil nature of some of the antogonists. Are eigth-graders really capable of blackmaing adults or attempting virtual genocide? Additionally, there is an inexplicable "dark force" that is neither properly explained nor entirely logical, once the explanation for the state of the world is given. Overall, this book is a good read, but could have used some additional answers to make it truly excellent.

Book Review: The Loser's Guide to Live and Love

The Loser's Guide to Life and Love by A. E. Cannon
Review by Koumudi

Overall this book was okay, not the best and not the worst. The plot was one large cliche, and cheesy doesn't even begin to describe the ending. Yet, the characters were dynamic and the writing was good. In fact, sporadic portions of the book were pretty funny. This is definitely a feel good book. It's an excellent choice for a light read, but it is not something that I would pursue over and over.

Teen Summer Reading Club

If you haven't turned in a slip for teen summer reading yet, why not?! It's easier than ever, with no registration and no requirement to read library materials. That's right...read whatever you've got already and still get credit! Win a prize every time you read five books, enter to win weekly prizes, and automatically get invited to our end-of-summer prize party! You can't lose!!

Visit the teen summer reading display in the

children's room to pick up your materials!

Big Bad Bug Report

Yesterday, 24 people came out to our teen summer reading kick-off event, Big Bad Bug Movies! Our screening of the 1954 cult horror classic Them! went really well. You can't beat giant mutated killer ants for hilarity. But when we got to Men in Black, the library's copy of the DVD was in terrible shape and wouldn't play. Luckily, Beth ran downstairs and got another movie. But it wasn't what we had planned! We will definitely show MIB another time. Anyway, we had air conditioning, food, and prizes, so it wasn't all bad. And everyone was very patient, so thanks for that!

Book Review: The Otherworldlies

The Otherworldlies by Jennifer Anne Kogler

Review by Meg

Fern has never been a normal kid. She's got colorless eyes, burns in the slightest bit of sunlight, has awful stomachaches for no real reason, and can get her dog to do anything (even climb a tree). But when she closes her eyes in English class and opens them on the beach, it becomes apparent that there's more to her than meets the eye. As it turns out, she's an Otherworldly--or, to use the more common term--a vampire. And not just any vampire, either. She's one of eleven extremely powerful vampires with abilities previously unheard of in vampire kind. This has made her a target for the singlemost feared vampire in the world, Vlad, aka Dracula. This was a good book with an intriguing plot, but it had its share of problems. First, the constant use of vampire slang occasionally made coversations difficult to follow. Also, there were points at which the plot seemed to drag on and on without ever really going anywhere. The ending also seemed rather abrupt, although that could be easily fixed by a sequel. On the whole, though, the plot's twists and turns kept me intrigued even through the slower bits. A solid book overall, especially from a fairly new author.

New New New

Yup, the books keep coming in! We have been getting a lot of extra copies of the summer reading books for UD schools, as well as new teen fic and nonfic:

FICTION

• Cherry Heaven by L. J. Adlington
• The Diary of Pelly D by L. J. Adlington
• I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
• Airman by Eoin Colfer
• Night Road by A. M. Jenkins
• Cheater: A Novel by Michael Laser
• The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
• At the Sign of the Star by Katherine Sturtevant
• The Last of the High Kings by Kate Thompson
• Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen
• The Empty Kingdom by Elizabeth E. Wein (Mark of Solomon series)

NONFICTION

• Race: A History Beyond Black and White by Marc Aronson

Book Review: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert
This book will be published on July 8, 2008.

SUMMARY: Emily Black's parents blew out of their rural hometown in 1974 on a motorcycle with no thoughts of coming back. But when her mother hit the road to follow the exploding music scene, Emily's father was left to raise an infant alone. And the only place he knew how to do it was in his hometown of Carlisle, Wisconsin. It wasn't exactly the punk rock lifestyle he had intended, but he still raised Emily differently than her peers. And it showed. At first directionless and chafing against small town gossip, Emily channels her passion for music and longing for her mother into a punk band named She Laughs. If anything will bring Louisa back into Emily's life, it will be the music. With moderate local success, the band moves to Chicago hoping to hit it big. Instead, they hit personal and professional roadblocks that almost derail their dreams. Abusive relationships, drugs, poor management, alcohol, and other bad decisions bring She Laughs to the breaking point. This is a story about living hard core and living to tell about it.

OPINION: I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone is a saga of pain, loss, and music. It spans decades, telling the stories of both Emily and her mother as they each seek out a solution to their personal pain. At times, this book read like a punk chronology rather than a narrative, but the strong central characters always emerged to take back their story. The characters are flawed in such realistic ways that I cared about their struggles through problems with no easy answers. While I found many parts of this book moving, what drew me in most was the complex relationship between Emily and her father. It is rare to see such a devoted father in a teen book, especially one as alternative as Michael. He is more of a peer to Emily in some ways, yet cares for her throught challenging times as only a parent can. And I loved him for it.

MUSIC NOTE: Joey Ramone lent his name to the title, via a Sleater-Kinney quote, but the Ramones are not a real presence in this novel. It's a nice tribute to a very recognizable punk band, but doesn't contribute to the plot other than as a metaphore. Nevertheless, this book will make you want to go make a kick@$$ playlist of acts like The Clash, Dead Kennedys, Social Distortion, and Patti Smith. Or check out Stephanie's playlist on the book's MySpace page.

PERSONAL NOTE: As I was reading this book, the 90s cultural references really rang true to me. And then I realized that I am about the same age as Emily Black. That was strange...my youth as historical fiction!! Of course, I was more neo-hippie than punk back then. But I wasn't totally out of touch!

Nintendo Night

Last night, 28 teens came out for our quarterly Nintendo Night. It was crazy, so I was really glad that Beth and I were there together!!

We did two new things at this event. First, we switched our big-screen tournament from Super Smash Bros. Melee to Brawl, and we did a team battle. We randomly assigned pairs for the battle, and, as luck would have it, David and Maher were teamed up. Everyone fought valiantly, especially Martha and Mike P. in the final battle, but David and Maher were victorious. They each got a $15 gift card to GameStop. All four of the top finishers also got candy.

The other new thing we did was replace the Pokemon DS tournament with a Mario Kart DS tournament. 16 people entered the DS tournament this time, so I think the change was helpful. Connor S. beat Mike P. in the final to win a $10 GameStop gift card. The top four finishers, which included Mike R. and David, also got candy.

As usual, my old NES was popular. Everyone tried the Mario games, but for some reason people always end up playing Jeopardy. Go figure!

We will do this again in the fall, so stay tuned. Meanwhile, join our Monday afternoon Gaming Club. Summer membership is open until June 16.

Book Review: Gem X

Gem X by Nicky Singer

SUMMARY: 16-year-old Maxo is accustomed to perfection. He is a GemX genotype--preposterously intelligent and physically exquisite. He and his parents have an ultracomfortable apartment in the Polis, where only flawless, enhanced humans are allowed to live. But something goes very wrong. A small but noticable indentation appears on Maxo's perfect face. He knows he must find a cure immediately. As his search takes him into the violent and ugly world of the Dreggies--unenhanced humans who are not allowed to live in the Polis--he meets Gala and Stretch. Although he should be repulsed, Maxo is powerfully drawn to Gala. On a quest of their own, the siblings believe Maxo could be useful. What none of the teens understand is that they are pawns in a much bigger game--one that could have dire consequences for them all.

OPINION: This story follows a typical dystopian structure. On one side, enhanced humans with beauty, brains, and power. On the other, oppressed average humans who struggle for their day-to-day existence. While this story had some potentially interesting elements, such as its exploration of genetic enhancement and parent-child relationships, it ultimately failed to capture my attention. Singer's imagining of the future was fairly uninspired and involved a lot of capital letters. Better examples of this genre include The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick and the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld.

Brawl Battle Results

For the past eight Saturdays, David has been running a Super Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament at the library for his senior project. It was a lot of gaming, but yesterday the winners were announced! Maher came in first with a KO to KO'd ratio of 2.138, and won a $50 GameStop gift card. So, he is officially our Ultimate Brawl Battler! Connor and Mike virtually tied, with ratios of 1.570 and 1.569 respectively. But, Connor was officially second and got a $25 gift card, while Mike had to settle for third with a $10 gift card. Other people with great KO to KO'd ratios included Rachel (1.472), John (1.302), and Evan (1.299). Thanks to everyone who stuck with it and attended throughout April and May, including Kevin, Tyler, Martha, Avis, Katie, Mohammed, Andrew, and Sarah. See you all at Gaming Club this summer!

Cleaning the Craft Closet

Last night, 9 teens came to our first-ever Craft Closet Cleanout program. There were a lot of leftovers from previous DIY craft programs, including this year's Toolbox Jewelry, Pimp My Phone, and Crafts for Your Hair events. I even managed to help one guy make a duct tape holder for his DS without any actual directions. He didn't even have the DS with him, but the case turned out really well! Everyone went home with several new crafts and I got rid of leftover stuff. So everybody got something out of this event!! We will do this again at the end of July.

Anime Club

Today, 9 members of the Anime Club showed up for our May meeting. It was a small group, but we had a great time. Tim planned a special Azu Manga Daioh event, complete with voting for favorite characters, copies of the manga, and prizes from Japan. Tim is seriously dedicated to anime, and we are really lucky to have him!

The Anime Club will continue to meet this summer on the final Fridays of June and July. We will also have two manga drawing classes in July, run by artistic library grads. Check out the summer schedule for more details!

I made fake chicken stirfry for our snack. It's really just pineapple

chunks, cashews, and colored fruit roll ups!

Checking out Tim's display

Looking at artwork

Eating with chopsticks

Book Review: The Last of the High Kings

The Last of the High Kings by Kate Thompson
Click on the book cover to see which libraries own it.

SUMMARY: A generation after The New Policeman, J.J. Liddy's daughter Jenny is running wild. She disappears into the countryside for hours on end, constantly inconveniencing her family and refusing to go to school. Jenny's mental stability is also questionable, as she claims to converse with a ghost and a goat. But as J.J. discovers that Jenny is speaking the truth, and that she is involved in something potentially sinster, he is forced to reveal family secrets that have long been hidden.

OPINION: Despite being labeled as a sequel to The New Policeman, this book stands alone as a wonderfully atmospheric tale of fairy and other legendary folk. The infusion of Irish lore into a contemporary setting made it feel entirely possible for the fairy realm to actually exist alongside our own. It started out slowly, but all the parts of the story came together into an exciting climax. I began it while eating a plate of nachos, kept reading after they were gone, and ended up finishing the entire book while sitting at my table! Even if you usually prefer your fairies to be more urban punk than Irish pranksters, you will not be disappointed by The Last of the High Kings.

Book Review: The Dead and the Gone

The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Reviews by Gretchen, Meg, and Debbie (Meg's mom!)

Click on the book cover to see which libraries own it.

GRETCHEN SAYS: The Dead and the Gone is a companion to Life As We Knew It, and it is even more chilling. It made me change my Facebook status to "Gretchen just finished The Dead and the Gone and feels the urge to stock up on canned goods." In this book, the disaster and survival scenario is replayed in New York City rather than rural Pennsylvania. On the day of the disaster, siblings Alex, Brianna, and Julie find out their parents are among the gone. As they try to survive on their own, they face all kinds of struggles in their once-familiar neighborhood. Although the references to their Puerto Rican heritage sometimes feel like a plot device, the reactions and interactions among the three siblings are totally believable. Despite echoes of 9-11, the author thoroughly portrays the new horrors that tidal waves and tsunamis bring to this city of islands. The urban enviornment also adds new levels of chaos with food shortages, death in the streets, an active black market for all kinds of goods, and major illness epidemics. If you have not read these books before, start with Life As We Knew It. Even though The Dead and the Gone an incredible page-turner, I still want to know what happens next! There is a sequel in the works, known as P3B (for Possible Third Book), which you can read about on Susan Beth Pfeffer's blog.

MEG SAYS: What would happen to the world if an asteroid pushed the moon closer in orbit to the earth? Like Susan Beth Pfeffer's earlier novel Life as We Knew It, this is the question that is explored in The Dead and the Gone. Rather than continuing the story of a rural Pennsylvania family from Life, the author instead focuses on the same events from a different perspective. This book is about 17-year-old Luis, who lives with his sisters in New York City. The book follows his struggles to survive after his parents die in the initial distruction the asteroid causes, and later as the city descends further and further into chaos. I loved Life as We Knew It, and this companion piece lived up to my expectations. I enjoy fairly realistic sci-fi novels, and this was no exception. The book remains realistic in its portrayals of a world gone crazy, from stampedes in food lines to Luis' increasingly desperate search for a way to get his sisters out of the city. I also liked that, while Luis and his family were devoutly religious, the various priests and nuns were characters rather than stereotypes, and the book rarely got preachy. I would highly recommend both his book and the original to anyone looking for a fast-paced, realistic dystopian novel.

DEBBIE SAYS: The Dead and the Gone retells the story of Life as We Knew It, detailing the impact to life on Earth when an asteroid hits the moon, knocking it closer to Earth. The perspective of this version is of a teenage boy whose parents die in the initial impact, and who now must care for his two younger sisters. This family lives in an apartment building in NYC. The original version is about a teenage girl living with her mother and brother in rural Pennsylvania. The author paints a vivid, realistic picture of life in the post-impact world with none of the utilities and resouces that we take for granted today. My only disappointment was with the depth of the character description. I felt I knew and understood the characters in the original version much more and found them to be more believable.

Summer Teen Schedule!

Even though I won't be here for a lot of the summer, we are still having programs! Beth Hallowell will be "me" for the summer, and she is awesome. Check out the list of great events below. (I didn't include our two book groups because they are not accepting new members. But they will meet all summer as well!)

TEEN SUMMER READING CLUB
June 9 through August 15
Read for school, read for fun, read whatever! Fill out a sheet for every five age-appropriate fiction or nonfiction books, magazines, audiobooks, or graphic novels you read. They can be from the library or from your own collection. Turn in the sheet at the children’s desk, get a small prize, and be automatically entered to win our weekly book prizes, including some signed by the author. Big end-of-summer prizes can also be yours at our Prize Party!

SPECIAL EVENTS

Nintendo Night
Friday, June 6, from 6:30 to 8:30
Race head-to-head in a Mario Kart DS tournament, enter a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament on the big screen, play games on an original NES, and more! Permission slip required. Registration begins May 19.

Big Bad Bug Movies
Tuesday, June 17, from 1:00 to 4:00
Come enjoy two great bug movies at our teen summer reading kick-off event! First, we’ll watch the cheesy horror movie Them (NR). Giant mutant killer ants run rampant in this 1954 classic! Then, we’ll enjoy Men in Black (PG-13), a 1997 sci-fi action thriller starring Will Smith. Creepy snacks will be provided. Registration begins May 19.

Book Swap & Disney
Saturday, June 28, from 1:00 to 4:00
Trade in your old books for new reads, enjoy Enchanted (PG) and Disney Scene It? on the big screen, and eat food! Sponsored by the Teen Advisory Board. Registration begins May 19.

Breaking Dawn Bridal Shower
Friday, August 1, from 6:30 to 8:30
Get ready for the August 2 release of Breaking Dawn at our bridal shower. We hope that Bella and Edward tie the knot, but who knows what Jacob will do! Celebrate Stephenie Meyer’s popular vampire series at this event sponsored by the Teen Advisory Board. Registration begins July 7.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Celebration
Tuesday, August 5, from 1:00 to 4:00
Get ready for the release of the movie Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 on August 8! We will watch the first Sisterhood movie (PG), make denim crafts, eat snacks, and enjoy activities related to the movies and books. Registration begins July 7.

Dance Dance Revolution
Tuesday, August 12, 2:00 to 4:00
Show your moves at our Xbox DDR program! We will project the game onto the wall so four people can dance at a time. Dance for fun, or enter our dance contest! Permission slip required. Registration begins July 7.

Teen Summer Reading Prize Party
Friday, August 15, from 7:00 to 8:30
If you participated in the teen summer reading club, you are invited to this event! (Not sure? Ask a librarian.) Every slip turned in over the summer will be put in a drawing for great prizes. The more you read, the more you can win! Everyone will go home with something. Can’t make it? If your name is drawn, you will still get the prize. No registration.

PROGRAMS CREATED BY TEENS

Manga Drawing Classes
Fridays, July 11 and July 25, 6:30 to 8:30
Library grads Marissa, Kara, and Caitlin will teach you skills to improve your manga drawing. Basic materials will be provided, but you are welcome to bring your own supplies and artwork. Sign up for one program or both! Registration begins June 16.

Summer Knits
Thursdays, June 19 to August 14 (No meeting June 26)
2:30 to 4:30
Join our summer knitting group open ages 10 to adult at any experience level! If you are a beginner, Meg will teach you the basics and get you started on your first project. If you are an experienced knitter, bring your own project or work on a charity project with the group. Some materials provided. Drop in anytime and stay as long as you would like! No registration.

DROP-IN CRAFTS
Come by the library between 2:00 and 4:00 any Tuesday in July to make a craft! No registration. The projects will be available until supplies run out.

Flower Power
Tuesday, July 1, 2:00 to 4:00
Make a vase of colorful paper flowers to keep or give away.

Robot Uprising
Tuesday, July 8, 2:00 to 4:00
Make a funky robot or two to hang on your key chain, zipper, phone, or anywhere!

Beaded Bracelets
Tuesday, July 15, 2:00 to 4:00
Make a cute beaded bracelet on memory wire.

Dog Days of Summer
Tuesday, July 22, 2:00 to 4:00
Make a toy and a treat for your favorite dog.

Craft Closet Cleanout
Tuesday, July 29, 2:00 to 4:00
Materials and instructions for a variety of projects will be available. Surprise yourself with a random craft!

CLUBS

Gaming Club
Mondays, June 2 to August 11 (no meeting June 23)
3:30 to 5:00
Bring your Yu-Gi-Oh! deck, Game Boy, Magic: The Gathering deck, PSP, or any other game stuff you’re into. We'll also hook up the Wii or Xbox for multiplayer gaming. Hang out, relax, and play whatever you want! Players provide their own gaming materials. Permission slip required. Must register by June 16 to participate for the summer.

Anime Club
Fourth Fridays from 3:30 to 5:00 pm
June 27, July 25, no August meeting
Join our anime club! We meet once per month to watch and discuss great shows, as well as do anime-related activities. If you like to watch or create Japanese-style animation, this club is for you! Permission slip required. Registration is ongoing.

Primos Branch Young Adult Book Group
Third Mondays, 7:00 to 8:00
June 16, July 21, August 18
Open to students entering grades 6 to 12, this group meets at the Primos Library at 409 Ashland Ave. in Primos, PA, 19018. Call them to register: 610-622-8091.

Library Teen Podcasts

Today was the first meeting of our podcasting program. Hopefully by next week, we will have a completed podcast to post on this blog. Meanwhile, we are not exactly on the cutting edge of technology...other library teen groups have been podcasting for a while. Check out these podcasts from all over the country!

Cheshire Public Library Podcast (CT)
"a teen-driven cultural magazine"

Hennepin County Library (MN)
teens present reviews of books, movies, and more

Bluford Library (MO)
the Teen Library Club (TLC) podcasts about their lives, issues, and the library

If you would like to create your own podcasts, here is a helpful article published by YALSA for Teen Tech Week 2008. It is written for librarians, but it walks you through the process in a way that is easy to understand. Also, check out Podcasting News, a one-stop info website for podcasters of all levels. Too complicated? OurMedia lets you create your own audio and video podcasts right on their site!

To make our library podcast, we are using free Audacity software. We will upload our finished product to the Internet Archive and link it to this blog. We might use copyright free music from Creative Commons to keep it interesting...and legal!

Book Review: Night Road

Night Road by A. M. Jenkins
Review by Kaitlyn B.

Night Road was absolutely amazing! I have read a lot of vampire books, and I have to say that this book is almost at the top of my list. I think that it was pure genius the way A. M. Jenkins came up with a story with two extremely pessimistic main characters and then threw an extremely lighthearted and optimistic main character into the mix. The optimistic character brought a twist of comedy into this genre, making it a completely original novel that anyone would enjoy. I would definitely recommend Night Road to any vampire novel fan. With all the comedy, suspense, and action packed into this book, it is impossible for any reader not to fall in love with it!

Philadelphia Night

Last Friday, 20 teens came out for our first-ever Philadelphia Night! As people came in, they wore a nametag of a famous Philadelphian for a tic-tac-toe style icebreaker. There are lots of people who are linked with Philly besides historical figures like Ben Franklin! We did several activities related to our city, like a Tastykake spelling test (brought to you by the letter K) and a cheesesteak trivia quiz. We watched movie clips from Rocky and National Treasure, showing great Philadelphia landmarks. For a craft, everyone made three marble magnets of Philadelphia symbols. Sports team logos, college seals, and public art were some of the items people put on their magnets. Our snacks included cheesesteaks, and Herr's Potato Chips (not strictly from the city, but at least regional!). It seemed like everyone enjoyed themselves, so maybe we can do this again sometime!

More Philly stuff we didn't even get to do...

1. We tried to watch some YouTube videos, including American Bandstand and the mummers, but I had a setting wrong on the computer and couldn't get the screen to come up on the projector. So, watch them now!

2. Philly has been a backdrop for many movies and TV shows, so check out this Wikipedia article to find out what to watch.

3. We didn't even talk about public art in Philly, like our murals or our giant clothespin. Maybe next time we can do a clothespin craft!

4. Philadelphia Soul, popularlized in the 1970s, is an actual genre of music named for our city. At the next Philly Night, we'll have to listen to some of the famous songs.

5. We also didn't talk about our pretzels, sports teams, radio stations, and public transit system...all things that make us unique!

Rings-N-Things

On Wednesday, 7 teens showed up after school to make rings for their fingers and toes! It was a lot of fun, and I wish more people had been there. As it was, everyone went home with bunches of rings. We made stretchy rings with beads and buttons, memory wire thumb rings, and even rings out of paper clips. If you couldn't be there, look for some of these projects at the Craft Closet Cleanout on Friday, May 30, from 6:30 to 8:30.

Hard at work!

Modeling the creations.