Teen Toy Story Movie Marathon

Yesterday, 24 teens showed up for the Teen Advisory Board's Toy Story Movie Marathon!  Some people came late or left early, but most stayed all day.  It was so much fun to see all three movies in a row!  We did trivia (with candy for right answers) during all three movies, plus coloring, a papercraft alien, a silly Mr. Potato Head contest (photos below), and games of knock-down with army men.  And, of course, there were plentiful snacks all day long.

In the spirit of all things childish, I put together a candy guessing jar for the event.  Teens often complain to me about how unfair it is that the children's summer reading program has one on their reporting table every week, so this was their chance.  The guesses ranged from 42 to 2000...some people need to work on their estimation skills.  Zaire was the winner with his guess of 585 because the the jar actually had 621 pieces of candy in it.

Huge thanks to my son Nat, who graciously lent us his Mr. Potato Heads, army men, and all three Toy Story movies.  (Although, he was a bit puzzled about why the big kids wanted them...!)

Here are our silly potato pictures:

 by Joelene

by Kathy 

 by Hannah

 by Chelsie

by Siaka 

 by Ben

 by Nikki (Our winner of a $5 gift card to DQ for her creative use of the potato and the materials!)

 by Genni (it's a hipster!)

by Nitha 

 by Owen

by Blya

What's New This Week

Look for these new additions to the teen shelves:

FICTION

• Played by Dana Davidson
• A la Carte by Tanita S. Davis
• .hack//Another Birth, volumes 1-3, by Miu Kawasaki
• Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
• Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz

NONFICTION

• Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul III edited by Jack Canfield

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Avalon High Coronation, volume 3, by Meg Cabot
• Mobile Suit Gundam:  Lost War Chronicles, volume 1, by Masato Natsumoto
• Mobile Suit Gundam Seed:  Astray, volume 3, by Kouichi Tokita
• Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: Astray R, volume 1, by Yasunari Toda
• Wicked Lovely Desert Tales, volumes 1 and 2, by Melissa Marr

Nintendo Night

Last Friday, 32 teens came to our end-of-the-school-year Nintendo Night program.  We did two tournaments, plus had out my original NES.  Thanks to the teens who participated in the Random-A-Thon fundraiser, we had great prizes for the winners and soda for everyone.  Thanks also to David J., who added his Wii and controllers to the event.  We got through the tournaments in record time and actually had time for free play on both machines.  Amazing!

This time, the Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament was with teams rather than a four-player free-for-all.  So, people picked their teammate, then I randomly pitted them against each other.  It worked very well (although I was really hoping to see more of the Gaming Club members matched up in the first round!), and I'd definitely do it that way again.  The final match was between Morgan/Le and Conor/Ranier, with Morgan and Le emerging victorious!  They each got a $20 gift card to Game Stop.  All of the top four teams got candy for their efforts, which included Morgan/Le, Conor/Ranier, Tommy/James, and John E./David J.

Also, in our continuing efforts to change things up, we tried a Naruto Shippuden III tournament on the Wii.  This game has been popular at our weekly Gaming Club meetings.  Only 11 teens entered, which made me have to mess with the brackets a little.  We ended up with a three-way round-robin final among Dennis, Khalil, and David F.  Dennis was the winner, earning a $10 gift card to Game Stop.  All three of the finalists also got candy. 

We are not doing any tournaments this summer, but look for another Nintendo Night on the fall teen program calendar!

TAB Grads

On June 5, the Teen Advisory Board (TAB) met to celebrate our graduates, meet new members, and plan stuff for summer!  The TAB is an awesome group of 15 teens in grades 8 to 12 who plan and raise money for our programs at the library.  This year's graduates are Nitha, Kaitlyn, Christine, Christa, and Judy.  It's always hard to say good-bye to our amazing seniors, so I'm glad we still have you around for the summer!

 

We welcomed new members Billy, Amie, and Kimberly to the group, as well.  We need all the help we can get over the summer!  The TAB is working on several programs for the summer, including the Childhood Toy Movie Marathon, a murder mystery, and a multicultural food event.  If you want to join the TAB, applications will be available in August/September for the 2011-2012 school year.

All of the TAB grads

The silly picture

The totem picture...?

Members, old and new

Some of our younger members

Arwa came to visit us!!!  :)

Craft Closet Cleanout

Last Wednesday, 11 teens stopped in for our spring craft closet cleanout.  Some had to finish their decoupage from last week, while others worked on new projects.  People made duct tape crafts, decorated giant flip-flops, did sand art keychains, and made random things from my "make stuff" box of mismatched leftovers.  Everyone left with several things.

We have six weeks of outdoor crafts scheduled this summer, plus a craft closet cleanout in August.  Check the teen summer calendar!

 Decoupage is always chaotic!

Two people making random stuff, and one making an amazing duct tape wallet.  She used my entire new roll of tie-dye duct tape and had to improvise!  The wallet turned out amazingly cool.

Newest of the New

Here are our new books this week.  Come check them out and enjoy that new book smell!  :)

FICTION

• The Bones of the Holy by Jennifer Allison (Gilda Joyce series)
• Cruel Love by Kate Brian (Privilege series)
• Bloody Valentine by Melissa de la Cruz (Bloods Bloods series)
• Dark Times by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner (Emily the Strange series)
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

PLAYAWAY AUDIO BOOKS

• Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter (Gallagher Girls series)
• City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments series)
• Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
• Bloody Jack by L. A. Meyer (Bloody Jack series)
• Curse of the Blue Tattoo by L. A. Meyer (Bloody Jack series)

Doctor Who Night!

Tonight, 12 fanatical teens showed up for our first-ever Doctor Who night!  I know literally nothing about Doctor Who, but some of our Teen Advisory Board members are devoted fans.  They planned a fun event, and all I had to do was bake cupcakes.  We had a costume contest, made papercraft TARDISes, watched clips of Doctor Who episodes old and new, had a cupcake-decorating contest, and worked on Jasmine's dishwasher-box TARDIS.   Kaitlyn won the costume contest, and Emily won the cupcake contest. They each got a $5 gift card to Dairy Queen.  Thanks to Jasmine, Emily, Maria, Kaitlyn, and Genni for their efforts to make this program happen!

There were a few things planned that we didn't get to do.  The laptop wasn't cooperating, but they wanted to show this video of all of the regenerations of Doctor Who.  I also found two fun trivia links:  Doctor Who Trivia Night and BBC's cult TV show quiz page.  And, we didn't get to discuss anything, such as favorite villains, favorite Doctors, or what people thought of the new season.  It makes me think we might have to do this again sometime!



2011 Book Grub Grads!

Today was our annual end-of-the-school-year Book Grub talkfest and graduation party!  Nearly the whole group showed up, plus Caitlin and Martha came to visit.  We have five members graduating this year:  Nitha, Jamie, Kaitlyn, Judy, and Christine.  I know I say this every year, but I can't believe they're going off to college and I will really miss them!! 

We didn't read a book this month, but did spend some time talking about the books we read this year, their sequels, books made into movies, and good stuff we've read recently.  Of course, we also heard the grads' plans for life after high school, and everyone's plans for the summer. 

 Some grads

 Nom nom nom

 What would you do for a Klondike bar?

 The semi-serious Book Grub picture

 And, of course, the silly picture

 Group hug!

 In height order...

 ...and in reverse!

Cuteness

Incarceron

The dystopian world of Incarceron is vast, frightening, and amazing. I came to this book first at my Scholastic(TM) book fair and then again in a reading group. It both intrigued and mystified me. There were so many question, so many ideas that actually made me think. Although the main plot was highly predictable, it was still an entertaining read. There were many mishaps the characters had to face, and they did with discretion. I would recommend anyone who is a fan of Twilight or Harry Potter to read this. This recommendation actually works because Incarceron is one of the many books that are being turned into movies to replace Twilight and Harry Potter. If you love a good romance that isn't mushy or girly, both a hero and an equally amazing heroine, read Incarceron, the only thing you'll possibly lose is your mind because so many questions will fill it!

Mockingjay

Do not, I repeat, do not read this review if you have not read Mockingjay yet. There are spoilers!






I was told that the end of the epic Hunger Games series would make me hate the entire series, but it didn't. Yes, it may have canceled out Katniss' original reason for entering the games, but it was just as thrilling as the prior two. In this end, Katniss must now be the face of the war, without actually taking part of it. When she finally has the sense to take matters into her own hands, she ends up losing the reason this whole mess started - (SPOILER ALERT!)Prim. I had found this out previous to reading the book. It seems to me though that Collins was being a bit to much like J.K. Rowling. She killed off so many characters in this book! Anyway, there are plenty of moments that will have you creeped, cheering, confused, and maybe even make you cry. The thing I didn't like was how Gale pretty much fell off the face of the earth. Also, Collins acts like another author once again. You know how in New Moon Bella goes into extreme depression when Edward leaves? Well the same thing happens to Katniss when the war is over. I mean, I get that she just lost her sister and assassinated the president, but seriously, that's how your going to end a series like the Hunger Games? Also, here she goes copying J.K.R. again! Read the epilogue. It's just like the one in Harry Potter. So I'm going to be nice and say I loved the book, which I did. It's just if I was Collins, I would have given the readers a better end to a series which I, a devout Potter fanatic, thought was better than both Harry and Twilight.

Check These Out!

Here is what's new in the teen section this week:

FICTION

• The Secrets of Boys by Hailey Abbot
• So, So Hood by L. Divine (Drama High series)
• Suddenly Last Summer by Melissa J. Morgan (Camp Confidential series)
• Speed Dating by Natalie Standiford (Dating Game series)
• Take a Chance on Me by Cecily von Ziegesar (Gossip Girl:  The Carlyles series)

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Avalon High Coronation:  The Merlin Prophecy, volume 1, by Meg Cabot
• Jing, King of Bandits:  Twilight Tales, volume 3, by Yuichi Kumakura
• Bizenghast, volume 2, by Alice LeGrow
• Mobile Suit Gundam Seed X Astray, volumes 1 and 2, by Kouichi Tokita 

NONFICTION

• Within Reach:  My Everest Story by Mark Pfetzer and Jack Galvin (three copies; summer reading title)

Book Review: Delirium

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
(Click here to find a library copy.)

In the future United States, there is a cure for love.  Everyone is operated on around the age of 18, then they proceed into a trouble-free adulthood.  The problem?  Teenagers.  Some of them can't make it to 18 without being infected.  Lena is counting down the days until she is through the danger and can be given the cure.  However, when Lena's evaluation day is pranked with a herd of stampeding cows, it starts a chain of events that opens her mind to the implications of being denied the opportunity to love.  Delirium is part of a mini-trend in dystopian literature in which romance drives the story.  Lauren Oliver's writing is excellent, which I think makes up for some of the generic dystopian plot elements.  Our recent dystopian book discussion covered a lot of ground in the genre, and I would compare this book to Matched and the Uglies series.  Check this one out if you're looking for a quick, exciting read with a swoon-worthy love interest!  Visit Lauren's website to learn more about her and her books.  I really enjoyed her previous book, Before I Fall.

Uno Tournament

Last Wednesday, 23 people showed up for our after-school Uno Tournament.  To make it more fun, everyone got to pick their group for the first rounds.  I mean, it's no fun if you can't compete with your friends, right?!  The first two winners from each table advanced to the semi-finals, and then the first two winners from the semi-finals advanced to the final round.  As people left the tournament, they could continue playing Uno or choose other board or card games.  (And, as usual, the Yu-Gi-Oh guys brought their own cards along.)  The final game was among Janae, Warren, Billy, and Zaynah. There had been much trash talking on Facebook, and Warren backed up his claims with victory!  He won candy and a $10 gift card to Wawa.  The other three finalists each got a card game, and everyone who played in the semi-finals got candy.  It was so much fun, we have to do it again sometime!

Upcoming Releases for June and July 2011

Look for these series books coming out this summer!

6/7/11--Cruel Love by Kate Brian (Privilege series)
6/9/11--The Bones of the Holy by Jennifer Allison (Gilda Joyce series)
6/21/11--Homecoming by Felicia Pride (Kimani Tru)
6/21/11--Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter (sequel to Heist Society)
6/28/11--The Secret Prince by Violet Haberdasher (Knightly Academy series)
7/5/11--Twisted by Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars series)
7/12/11--Forever by Maggie Stiefvater (Wolves of Mercy Falls series)
7/19/11--Mayhem by Artist Arthur (Kimani Tru)

Realistic Fiction Reads

I've been reading more than usual lately, but I haven't caught up on the blog!  Here are three recent reads of note, covering a wide variety of realistic fiction:

Jane by April Lindner
(Click here to find a library copy.)

Noticing all of the attention Jane Austen's books been getting recently, April Lindner thought it was Charlotte Bronte's turn.  A passionate fan of Bronte's Jane Eyre, Lindner created an updated retelling of this classic story.  Forced to drop out of college after her parents' death, straight-laced Jane takes a nanny job at a remote estate for the daughter of Nico Rathburn, a reclusive rock star.  Of course, tortured romance ensues, as Jane falls for Nico against her better judgement.  This is an engaging and romantic read, especially if you are familiar with the original.  Curl up with it when your schedule is open, because you will want to finish it once you start!

Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell
(Click here to find a library copy.)

Going to summer camp is one thing, but what if your mom decided that the whole family should spend time together at pioneer camp?  Gen's family has packed off for a summer at Camp Frontier, where they will live, work, and eat like American pioneers.  Gen sneaks her phone in, and texts desperate messages to her friends about this "Little Hell on the Prairie."  What she doesn't know is that they are reposting her texts to a blog that is rapidly gaining popularity.  When Gen's friends show up with a TV camera crew to rescue Gen, it could be the best thing that ever happened to her--or the worst.  This is a light read that will make you laugh, especially if you were a fan of the Little House books and always wanted to live like Laura's family!  And, it will definitely make you feel better about wherever you have to go to camp this summer.

How to Steal a Car by Pete Hautman
(Click here to find a library copy.)

Everyone needs to escape from their own lives sometimes.  For some of us, it's through books, exercise, movies, or another healthy activity.  For Kelleigh, however, it's stealing cars.  She falls into it by accident, finding a set of keys on the ground and taking advantage of the opportunity.  But the thrill gets her hooked, and she spends her summer toying with increasingly dangerous car thefts.  Why does Kelleigh do this?  Even she doesn't know for sure.  However, she rationalizes each theft to herself in such a convincing manner that it all seems perfectly OK.  My favorite moment of the story is definitely when she steals the obnoxious yellow Hummer of an equally obnoxious classmate as revenge and drives it into a lake!  As a reader, I was wondering when Kelleigh would learn her lesson or get arrested.  But, the author creates a really interesting dilemma by not allowing those things to happen during the story.  This is a short read (only 170 pages and it's double-spaced), so read it and think for yourself!

Register Now

We are registering now for these programs for the end of the school year.  Sign up soon!

Decoupage a Time Capsule
Wednesday, June 1, 3:30 to 5:00
Remember this year forever! Decorate a tin with pictures and designs, fill it with memories of 2010-2011, and keep it for the future.

Dr. Who Night
Friday, June 3, 6:30 to 8:30
For students in grades 8 to 12 ONLY
Do you know what TARDIS stands for? Do you have a favorite Doctor? Planned by Dr. Who fans on the Teen Advisory Board, this event is a must for everyone who enjoys sci-fi.

Craft Closet Cleanout
Wednesday, June 8, 3:30 to 5:00
Make something you missed or create something totally new as we get rid of craft supplies from recent events. Come with your friends, eat snacks, and make stuff!

Nintendo Night
Friday, June 10, 6:30 to 8:30
Bring your DS and favorite games, enter a Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament on the big screen, play games on an original NES, and more! Permission slip required. Group size is limited.

Spring DDR Day

Yesterday, 11 people showed up after school to play Dance Dance Revolution.  I had out decks of cards and board games for when people weren't dancing, and (of course) there was food.  After some time for free play, I ran a little tournament.  Ross was victorious, and won a $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card!  We won't do DDR again until the fall (no room in the summer schedule), so look for it then. 

Stuffed Shelves

We've got more new books this week, so come in and check them out!  The shelves are getting packed again!!  Here are the newest of the new:

FICTION

• Pick-Up Game:  A Full Day of Full Court edited by Marc Aronson and Charles R. Smith Jr. (short stories)
• Complusion by Heidi Ayarbe
• Wishful Thinking by Alexandra Bullen
• Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen
• Angry Young Man by Chris Lynch
• Subject Seven by James A. Moore
• Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors
• Warlock by Michael Scott (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series)
• Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

NONFICTION

• Ana's Story:  A Journey of Hope by Jenna Bush
• Ripley's Believe It or Not!  Enter If You Dare!

Spring Pokemon Night

Last Friday, 26 teens showed up for Pokemon Night.  We showed the first Pokemon movie, hooked up the Nintendo64 to the TV to play Pokemon Snap, and used the Wii to play old GameCube Pokemon games.  Almost everyone brought their DS and Pokemon game (Black or White) for our tournament.  Because we had uneven brackets, we ended up with a three-way final.  John, Joseph, and Le all battled each other, and Le won two of the games.  Le earned a $25 gift card to Game Stop, while John (who won one game) got the second-place prize of a $10 gift card to Game Stop. 

Thanks to the participants in the Random-A-Thon Fundraiser this winter for providing the money to purchase prizes!  Additional thanks to David J., Le, and Sara for the use of their equipment and games at the event.  I appreciate your help!  We will probably try another Pokemon event in the fall, so keep it in mind.

It's the End of the World As We Know It: Dystopian Fiction Book Discussion

Last Wednesday, 10 teens showed up for the dystopian book discussion.  I pulled our library's books in that genre from the teen section, and they covered almost the whole table.  Dystopia really is the hot genre right now.  (Good-bye supernatural romance!)  We talked about what defines a dystopia, how it fits in with other genres, and the different kinds of dytopian books.  People talked about their favorite dystopian novels, which included Uglies, The Hunger Games, Unwind, and Gone.  We also discussed the issue of how much romance is appropriate in a dystopian novel.  We read this recent New York Times article, which raises some interesting thoughts about new books like Matched and Delirium, where romance drives the dystopian plot.  It was a great discussion, and a lot of people checked out books at the end. 

You can continue the discussion on The New York Times' website.  In their Room for Debate category, there is a whole section about dystopian teen books called The Dark Side of Young Adult Fiction.  It has short articles (including ones by Scott Westerfeld and Maggie Stiefvater) from different viewpoints, plus you can add your comments!

Here's a list I put together of books for fans of The Hunger Games, which is mostly dystopian teen novels.  Want to read more?  Check out these lists from Wikipedia:

• Dystopian literature
• Dystopian comics
• Dystopian films

Shiny & Bright

Get these new books fresh from processing!

FICTION

• Love, Inc. by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
• What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
• Alicia by Lisi Harrison (Clique Summer Collection)
• Claire by Lisi Harrison (Clique Summer Collection)
• Cliquetionary:  The Wit and Wisdom of the Clique by Lisi Harrison (Clique series)
• Dylan by Lisi Harrison (Clique Summer Collection)
• Massie by Lisi Harrison (Clique Summer Collection)
• The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
• Everfound by Neal Shusterman (Skinjacker trilogy)

NONFICTION

• The Book of Potentially Catastrophic Science:  50 Experiments for Daring Young Scientists by Sean Connolly
• Going Blue:  A Teen Guide to Saving Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, and Wetlands by Cathryn Berger Daye and Phillppe Cousteau

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Shonen Jump magazine back issues from 2007 and 2008 (donation)

Urban Legends

On Wednesday, 10 people showed up for our after-school urban legends day.  Urban legends are stories that get passed around by people that are false or only partially true.  Sometimes a person will tell a story that happened to "a friend of my mom's" or "a girl down the street."  Other times, you hear a story in an email or text, or read something in a Facebook or Twitter post.  You should always be sceptical, because they're often urban legends!  If you want to know if a story you heard is real or fake, check out http://www.snopes.com/.  Another great way to tell is to try to find newspaper articles or news stories that back up the claim. 

At the program, we talked about urban legends we had heard, took a quiz, watched a few segments from Mythbusters, and wrote our own urban legends.  Each urban legend was created by randomly drawing a perpitrator, a victim, a location, and an object and weaving them into a story.  Here are a few of our own urban legends:

Urban Legend #1 by Kaitlyn and Alyssa
OK, oh my God, I read this crazy story in Seventeen magazine.  There was this really nice teacher/professor lady walking around the mall with her two-year-old toddler, shopping for a Christmas outfit.  And they were all minding their own business and stuff, right?  And then some crazy dangerous escaped criminal came up behind them, pointed a gun at the lady's head, and stole her kid's lollipop!  Then he, like, ran away!  The store clerk call the cops and they arrested him in the next town.  Turns out he was a serial lollipop stealer!  Insane, right?  But totally true.

Urban Legend #2 by Billy and Ashton
A pizza delivery guy stopped by a store to deliver a pizza and soda to Mark, a store clerk.  Mark went out to pay the pizza guy.  As the pizza guy drove away, Mark dropped the can of soda in the road.  The wheel of the pizza van drove right over the soda and the pressure made the can shoot right into Mark's head!  He was in a coma for six months and has a permanent indentation of a soda can on his forhead.  True story!

Urban Legend #3 by Taliah, Janae, and Blya
This really happened to my friend's cousin!  One day this innocent child was in a pet store and a nerdy computer whiz came in.  Since he was a nerd, he had a mini-stapler in his pocket.  It fell out of his pocket just as a dog escaped from its cage.  The dog thought it was a bone and picked it up with its mouth!  It ran over to the child while biting the stapler, and the dog accidentally stapled the child's ankle!! 

Check Out Something New

Here are the new books you can look for in the teen section this week.  There's a lot to choose from, so come in and borrow something.  Relieve your stress from AP exams, school projects, tests, and life in general with a good book!!

FICTION

• I Am J by Cris Beam
• Rival by Sara Bennett-Wealer
• Chime by Franny Billingsley
• Abandon by Meg Cabot
• Subway Girl by P. J. Converse
• Flirt Club by Cathleen Daly
• Entwined by Heather Dixon
• Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey (replacement copy)
• Gool by Maurice Gee (Salt trilogy)
• Gone by Michael Grant (Gone series; replacement copy)
• Nocturne by L. D. Harkrader (Dungeons and Dragons)
• The Rogue Crew by Brian Jacques (Redwall series)
• Invincible by Sherrilyn Kenyon (Chronicles of Nick series)
• Death Cloud by Andrew Lane (Sherlock Holmes:  The Legend Begins)
• Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga; additional copy)
• A World Without Heroes by Brandon Mull (Beyonders series)
• All You Get Is Me by Yvonne Prinz
• Virals by Kathy Reichs
• Illegal by Bettina Restrepo
• Across the Universe by Beth Revis
• The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan (Kane Chronicles)
• The Break-Up Diaries by Ni-Ni Simone and Kelli London
• The Return:  Midnight by L. J. Smith (Vampire Diaries series)
• Tutored by Allison Whittenberg
• Steel by Carrie Vaughn

NONFICTION

• Yes You Can!  Your Guide to Becoming an Activist by Jane Drake and Ann Love

New Teen Room Policy

Starting April 29, no bags, backpacks, or large purses will be allowed in the teen section at Sellers.  I am sorry to have to make this rule, but too many of our materials are being stolen.  We have lost all kinds of things, from manga to vampire books to series fiction, so it's a big problem.  If your bag contains valuables, you may leave it at the desk while you browse for books. 

I apologize to everyone in advance for having to make this change, because I know the large majority of you would never even think about taking a book from our shelves without checking it out.  Thanks for your cooperation!  Hopefully, this will mean that good materials stay on the shelves for everyone to enjoy.

Book Review: Exodus

First of all, may I say that this book is flat out weird. It was chosen as the Read and Rant Book Group's book of the month for March. Sadly, I was unable to make it. (Sorry again Gretchen!) Anyway, this book is about a future where all the polar ice caps are melting and there is no where left to go. It's sort of like the movie The Day After Tomorrow with Jake Gylennhal and Dennis Quaid. Only in this movie, the only place to go is these New World Cities in the sky. And if you ask me, those residents are kind of like the people who live in the Capitol in The Hunger Games. The whole premise is just abnormal. And on top of that, this book is written in present tense, which I absolutely DETEST! If you like funky futuristic books, be my guest and read this book! For me though, it was not one of my favorites.

Join the TAB!

The Teen Advisory Board (TAB) is a creative group of 15 students in grades 8 to 12 who plan programs, raise money for teen projects, make displays, and review books.  The TAB meets one Sunday afternoon a month from 2:00 to 4:00, and other days as needed for specific projects. 

The group is now accepting a limited number of new members.  Pick up an application at the children's circulation desk from now until May 13.  Fill it out thoughtfully; selection is based on the quality of your answers.  You can be an active part of what happens at the library if you join the TAB!  (And, it looks good on your college applications.)

New on the Shelves

Look for these next time you're at Sellers:

• Stay by Deb Caletti
• Warped by Marurissa Guibord
• Prisoners in the Palace:  A Novel of Intrigue and Romance by Michaela MacColl
• Another Pan by Daniel and Dina Nayeri
• Recovery Road by Blake Nelson

Upcoming Releases for May and June 2011

Look for these:

5/3/11--The Rogue Crew by Brian Jacques (Redwall series)
5/3/11--Everfound by Neal Shusterman (Skinjacker trilogy)
5/10/11--What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
5/17/11--Cryptic Cravings by Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses series)
5/24/11--Warlock by Michael Scott (Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel series)
5/31/11--So, So Hood by L. Divine (Drama High series)
6/7/11--Cruel Love by Kate Brian (Privilege series)
6/9/11--The Bones of the Holy by Jennifer Allison (Gilda Joyce series)
6/21/11--Homecoming by Felicia Pride (Kimani Tru)
6/21/11--Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter (sequel to Heist Society)
6/28/11--The Secret Prince by Violet Haberdasher (Knightly Academy series)

Book Swap and Inception

Apparently, I planted the idea of book swap deep enough into the minds of 27 teens that they all showed up last Wednesday, thinking it was their own idea.  OK, that's really just the plot of Inception, which is what we were watching while swapping.  Everyone was riveted, whether they had seen it before or not.  People even clapped at the end!  And, they managed to eat an entire six-pound bag of gummy bears, plus tons of pretzels and cheeseballs.  During the event, 39 books got swapped.  Deisy and Jhoanna brought in 12 books together, so they really benefited.  We'll do another book swap and movie this summer, so look for it on the schedule!

Exciting and New

Here are the latest purchases for the teen section at Sellers! A few of these are things I ordered, but most of them were chosen by teens who designated their Random-A-Thon fundraising money to purchase new books.  Special thanks to Teferi, Christelle, and Nikki for their suggestions!

FICTION

• Eleventh Grade Burns by Heather Brewer (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series)
• Ninth Grade Slays by Heather Brewer (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series)
• Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series)
• Twelfth Grade Kills by Heather Brewer (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod series)
• Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
• How to Deal by Sarah Dessen
• Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
• That Summer by Sarah Dessen
• This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
• The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen
• Cloaked by Alex Flinn
• Shine by Lauren Myracle
• Evermore by Alyson Noel (The Immortals series)
• Night Star by Alyson Noel (The Immortals series)
• Shadowland by Alyson Noel (The Immortals series)
• Vampire Kisses:  The Beginning by Ellen Schreiber 
• The Last Days by Scott Westerfeld

NONFICTION

• Kawaii Bento Boxes:  Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go
• The Twilight Saga:  The Official Illustrated Guide by Stephenie Meyer

Three Fantasy Suggestions

Here are some fantasy suggestions for your reading enjoyment!  They are all very different, but will probably appeal more to female readers.  Already read these?  All of them have sequels available now or later this year.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
(Click here to find a library copy.)

This moving story takes place in the space of one day, as Mia is laying in a coma after a tragic accident.  What does Mia have to live for?  Is it worth the struggle of recovery?  It sounds like the set-up for a melodrama, but you'll be surprised at how realistically Forman portrays the situation.  Mia is a full-realized character, even though the reader is not experiencing her life directly, but rather through her memories.  One thing I enjoyed about this book was the centrality of very different kinds of music in the lives of Mia and her boyfriend.  And of course, this book made me cry.  A new sequel to this book, called Where She Went, was just released earlier this month.  Find out more at Gayle Forman's website.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
(Click here to find a library copy.)

If you are a fan of big, fat fantasy novels, this one's for you!  Beautiful Creatures takes its cue from the supernatural romance genre that has been popular recently, but definitely has its own personality.  There are no vampires, werewolves, or zombies here!  Instead, this gothic-inspired fantasy creates its own mythology, with some characters using Southern folk magic and other belonging to a whole new supernatural category, the Casters.  There is also some interesting integration of Southern Civil War history and events that sets Beautiful Creatures apart from the crowd.  This book already has one sequel, Beautiful Darkness.  There is also a third book, Beautiful Chaos, coming out in October, and a fourth scheduled for 2012.  Want to know more?  Check out the website for the Caster Chronicles series.

Matched by Ally Condie
(Click here to find a library copy.) 

Lots of dystopian teen novels have been cominng out recently, but this one has a romantic twist that makes it more of a fun read than some.  In a future society in which everything is managed by probability and statistics, older teens are matched for marriage because of their genes and compatibility.  Cassia is excited to find that she has been matched with someone from her own town, until she finds out that there has been an unusual mistake.  Cassia's carefully-controlled life seems to be unravelling in many places, even as the government is interfering more than usual in her family and community.  It is not the most original dystopian novel I have ever read, but I found it convincing enough that I cared about the characters.  I read it in one sitting, and definitely plan to read the sequel.  The next book in the trilogy, Crossed, will be released November 1, 2011.  Take a look at Ally Condie's website for details.

Geek Squad

Get in touch with your inner nerd, or celebrate the one that you are!  Check out my new Geek Squad display in the teen section.  (And, yes, I know there's a distinction between geeks and nerds, but I am combining them for the purposes of this display.  Forgive me.)

FICTION

• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
• Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
• Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci
• Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
• Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern
• The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga
• King Dork by Frank Portman
• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

SHORT STORIES

• Geektastic:  Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci
• Confessions of a High School Word Nerd edited by Arianne Choen and Colleen Kinder
• Zombies Vs. Unicorns edited by Justine Larbalestier and Holly Black

NONFICTION

• When Ninjas Attack:  A Survival Guide for Defending Yourself Against the Silent Assassins by Sam Kaplan, Phoebe Bronstein, and Keith Riegert
• Ask a Ninja Presents the Ninja Handbook:  From Nothing to Ninja in 5,127 Deathly Steps by Douglas Sabine
• How to Build a Robot Army:  Tips on Defending Planet Earth Against Alien Invaders, Ninjas, and Zombies by Daniel H. Wilson
• How to Survive a Robot Uprising:  Tips on Defending Yourself Against the Coming Rebellion by Daniel H. Wilson

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament

Last Friday, 14 teens came out for a Yu-Gi-Oh! tournament at the library.  Most of them were from our Monday gaming club.  They were looking forward to it because they have been asking me to do a tournament all winter!  We did single elimination, with the earliest two losers making up a pair to give us an even 16 in the tournament.  Three older members of the gaming club (David, Tim, and Alex) acted as judges, which was really helpful to me since I don't play the game.  I kept track of the brackets while they solved disputes and monitored the times on the various matches.  Amazingly, we managed to get done by 8:30 (this is not always the case at our Yu-Gi-Oh! tournaments).

This program was funded with money from our teen Random-A-Thon, so we had a $25 gift card to Target for the winner.  Plus, Le (a generous gaming club member) donated two rare cards, and each of the two top finishers got one.  The top four were Joseph, Mark, Nicholas, and Dave M., and they each got candy.  Joseph and Dave made it to the finals, and Dave was the overall winner.

Get These!

Lots of new materials are available in the teen section, so come and check them out!  All of these, plus all of the books I just bought at Barnes & Noble are coming through this week.

FICTION

• Vanished by Meg Cabot
• Awakened by P. C. and Kristin Cast (House of Night series)
• City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare (Mortal Instruments series)
• Plague by Michael Grant (Gone series)
• The Game by Monica Hughes
• Losing Faith by Denise Jaden
• Picture Perfect by D. Anne Love
• Dark Reflections by Kai Meyer
• Getting Played by Celeste O. Norfleet (Kimani Tru)
• Freefall by Mindi Scott

GRAPHIC NOVELS

• Bleach, volumes 1-21, by Tite Kubo (donation)

PLAYAWAY AUDIOBOOKS

• Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
• The Compound by S. A. Bodeen
• I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore
• Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Big Spenders

I was looking over the children's books that sold the most copies in 2010, and the top ten were entirely teen and middle grade books.  Here's what people were buying:

1. The Ugly Truth (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5) by Jeff Kinney--3,316,509 copies
2. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer--2,284,066 copies
3. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary by Jeff Kinney--1,656,631 copies
4. Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins--1,493,654 copies
5. The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus #1) by Rick Riordan--1,315,637 copies
6. The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles #1) by Rick Riordan--1,075,749 copies
7. Burned (House of Night #7) by PC and Kristin Cast--1,020,279 copies
8. The Gift (Witch & Wizard #2) by James Patterson and Ned Rust--579,001 copies
9. Justin Bieber: First Step 2 Forever by Justin Bieber--503,447 copies
10. Last Sacrifice (Vampire Academy #6) by Richelle Mead--484,849 copies

Did you read any of these? Apparently people love to buy the new books in a series!  I personally purchased and read The Ugly Truth and Mockingjay, and the library bought eight of the ten books listed.