Mystery Books

Since our summer reading theme is You Never Know (YNK), I made a new teen mystery book list. Look for the list on the summer reading display, along with some of the books!

Some new ones we bought include:

• Dovey Coe by Frances O'Roark Dowell
• Samurai Mysteries (series) by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
• Diamond Brothers Mysteries (series) by Anthony Horowitz
• Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready
• Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls by Bennett Madison
• Dead Connection by Charlie Price
  

Book Review: Dead Connection

Dead Connection by Charlie Price

SUMMARY: Murray, a loner who communes with the dead in the town cemetery, hears the voice of a murdered cheerleader and tries to convince the adults that he knows what happened to her. But who believes him? He's a loser. Can he even believe in himself? Also comes Pearl, the daughter of the cemetery caretaker, who befriends Murray and tries to enter his world. Together they may prove the astonishing possibility that Nikki is closer than anyone thinks. (from the book description)

OPINION: This is a mystery told from many points of view in short chapters. The central character is Murray, whose difficult home life and social awkwardness make it all the more surprising that he can talk to the dead. But talk he does, and certain cemetary residents become his closest friends. When he starts to hear a new voice, he knows it has to be a girl that disappeared from his high school. The mystery here is not that she's dead, but how it happened. Can Murray's paranormal information help locate the body...and the killer? This is an edgy, dark mystery with intriguing twists and an unexpected conclusion. I thought I had it all figured out...and boy was I wrong! Look for this one on the summer reading display, along with a book list of more mysteries.

New Nonfic

For a change, here are some new additions to our teen nonfiction shelf!

• The History Puzzle: How We Know What We Know about the Past by Susan Provost Beller
• Cash and Credit Information for Teens: Tips for a Successful Financial Life edited by Kathryn R. Deering
• A Teen's Guide to Getting Published by Jessica Dunn and Danielle Dunn
• Book Crush: Recommended Reading for Every Mood, Moment, and Interest by Nancy Pearl
• Not Like I'm Jealous or Anything: The Jealousy Book edited by Marissa Walsh (short stories and essays, and printed in green ink!)

Murder Mystery Prep

On Sunday, June 10, and Friday, June 15, members of the TAB gathered to make props and scenery for our upcoming murder mystery, The Cracks in the Wall. Join us on Friday, June 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 for the event!

Thanks to Alexa, Arwa, Caitlin, Kara, Katie, Maria, Marissa, and Tyria for their help in preparing for the mystery!

You rock!

A purple television??!

In honor of Giselle...

Ewww!

Look for These!

New today...

• Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements
• Pigboy by Vicki Grant
• Nightrise by Anthony Horowitz (book three of The Gatekeepers series)
• Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr
• Everlost by Neal Shusterman
• Megiddo's Shadow by Arthur Slade
• Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean by Justin Somper
• The Grand Tour by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

Book Review: The Riddle

The Riddle: The Second Book of Pellinor by Alison Croggon

SUMMARY: Maerad, who was rescued from slavery and became a Bard in Croggon's The Naming, has her hands full here. Along with her tutor Cadvan, she has been charged with finding the Treesong, a source of power so ancient that nothing but the barest of rumors remain. Their journey is hounded by agents of a treacherous Bard professing to act in the name of the Light and by an enigmatic entity known as the Winterking, an ally of Maerad's adversary, the Nameless One. At the same time, the protagonist struggles to understand the light and darkness within herself. Deep currents of sorrow, loneliness, and love run through this haunting epic fantasy; Maerad's feelings of alienation and self-doubt will resonate with readers. Appendixes help to further flesh out the characters and cultures of Croggon's Edil-Amarandh, an engrossing world that fantasy aficionados will be eager to revisit. (from School Library Journal)

OPINION: After the first book, The Naming, I was eager to read the second one in the series...and now I can't wait for the third to be released this summer! How will I survive until the fourth and final volume comes out, whenever that is?! Thanks, Marissa, for getting me (and a lot of other people) to read this series. This book is another epic journey for Maerad, who is still trying to learn how to use her powers appropriately. Cadvan continues her training, and one of my favorite scenes is when she uses her powers of transformation to turn a rock into a lion! It was so unexpected, it made me laugh. Later, she uses that power to get herself and Cadvan out of a desperate situation, but I won't tell you about that because that would be a spoiler. Anyway, this book is a fantastic adventure with a bit of romance. If you have a bad boy complex, you will love the Winterking. Check out The Naming and The Riddle today!

LINK: Here's my review of The Naming from a few weeks ago. And here's Marissa's review that started the whole thing!

Jerry Spinelli Interview

Since Book Grub members are currently reading Love, Stargirl for the Author 411 project, I thought you might be interested in reading this interview with Jerry Spinelli from Publishers Weekly. Apparently, he didn't really want to write a sequel!

Look for These on the Shelves...

The newest fiction selections in the teen corner!

• Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
• Star-Crossed by Linda Collison
• Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher
• The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose by Mary Hooper
• Voyage of Slaves (Castaways of the Flying Dutchman series) by Brian Jacques
• Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks
• Fragments by Jeffry Johnston (2 copies--prepare for our August author visit!)
• Summer Ball by Mike Lupica
• Harlem Hustle by Janet McDonald
• Breathe: A Ghost Story by Cliff McNish
• The Wizard, The Witch, & Two Girls from Jersey by Lica Papademetriou
• Maybe by Brent Runton
• The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer

Book Review: An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

SUMMARY: When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. He’s also a washedup child prodigy with ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a passion for anagrams, and an overweight, Judge Judy-obsessed best friend. Colin’s on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which will predict the future of all relationships, transform him from a fading prodigy into a true genius, and finally win him the girl. Letting expectations go and allowing love in are at the heart of Colin’s hilarious quest to find his missing piece and avenge dumpees everywhere. (from the book description)

OPINION: It can be hard for a novelist to write a second book when the first is really successful. John Green won the Printz Award for Looking for Alaska, so that's a hard act to follow! Nonetheless, An Abundance of Katherines is an excellent book in its own right and is definitely worth reading. I loved the nerdiness of this book, from the fading genius main character and his obsession with anagrams to the bizarre random knowledge of the footnotes. I am not a math person, and I even liked Colin's theorem! (Try it out for yourself at John's website!) Also, this is one of the few recent teen books featuring a contemporary Arab-American character, Colin's best friend Hassan. Hassan is crass, hilarious, and not a terrorist. I learned from Alaska that John Green excells at writing about unique, interesting, fully-developed characters, and this book is no exception. So go read it!

ANAGRAMS: A while ago, I posted a blog entry about an online anagram maker that will figure out all the possible permutations of your word or phrase. I learned that "Gretchen Ipock" anagrams to "Peking Crochet" and that "Jason Ipock" anagrams to "Jack Poison"! Check out the old blog post to see what other people found anagrams for!

Author 411!

The high school book group (aka Book Grub) has an amazing opportunity this month! We were selected as one of five groups across the country to participate in Author 411 from Random House Children's Books. We will receive Advance Reading Copies (ARCs) of Love, Stargirl, the new sequel to Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. It will officially be released on August 14, 2007, so we get to read it before everyone else! Not only that, but at our next meeting, we will get to write questions to be submitted to Jerry Spinelli. He will answer the questions in writing, and the final Q & A will be published on the Author 411 website later in the summer. So cool!!!

Find out more about Love, Stargirl:

WEBSITE

MYSPACE

Johnny Depp Film Festival

This weekend, we gave our movie license a workout and watched three Johnny Depp films in less than 24 hours! Last night, 16 teens watched Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Today, 35 teens enjoyed a double feature of Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2. A bunch of people were even planning to see the third Pirates movie tonight!

Huge thanks to the TAB for spending their hard-earned money on pizza for everyone today during the double feature! And thanks to Genni for bringing in her Johnny Depp cardboard cutout to hang out with us. I hope everyone had fun. I thought it was great!

Pirate Duckies!

Some intrepid movie watchers and Johnny!

Book Grub Party!

Today was a really sad Book Grub meeting. It was the first time we've ever had seniors graduate out of the group! Sadiya, Sara, Huda, Julie, Marissa, Kaoutar, and Manpreet are all heading off to college this fall. A lot of them are staying local, though, so hopefully they will hang out with us often! Also, Jaicy and Lisa are both moving away this summer. Our group is really going to miss everyone! But we will welcome incoming 9th graders to our next meeting, which should be fun.

Today, we discussed The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen. We spent most of our book group time talking about what a bad boyfriend Jason was, and not enough time discussing the glories of Wes! A lot of people made really great contributions to the conversation, especially when we were talking about parent-child relationships and family dynamics.

Special thanks to Katie for bringing chocolate covered strawberries and to Jaicy for bringing mangos mixed with ice cream. It made our party extra special!

Next month, we are reading an ARC of Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. This is a long-awaited sequel to Stargirl. Yeah Author 411 for hooking us up!!!

Five of our graduates!

Katie made chocolate covered strawberries and I made cupcakes.

Nice shirts!


A rare photo with me in it.

We'll miss you!

Book Review: The Naming

The Naming: The First Book of Pellinor by Alison Croggon

SUMMARY: In this first volume in a projected quartet, Croggon has created a world that is both authentic and exotic, welcoming and frightening. When 16-year-old Maerad meets a man named Cadvan, she is catapulted from her life as a slave to an epic destiny. Cadvan is a Bard, one of the magically gifted Starpeople, and he begins to teach her about her own gifts and abilities. He believes her to be the prophesied One who will oppose the Nameless, the dark power working toward the destruction of the Bards and the Balance of the world. As Maerad and Cadvan travel, they join forces with Hem, a mysterious orphan, and learn that the Nameless's influence reaches far into the world of the Bards. Encounters with great mythic figures of their world and threatening evil forces add to the epic flavor of their journey. Maerad seems a kindred spirit to Tamora Pierce's Alanna, and her story will find a welcoming audience among readers looking for a challenging and fully realized epic adventure. (from the School Library Journal review)

OPINION: Marissa has been convincing everyone to read this series, so I jumped on the bandwagon. I'm glad I did! The story is excellently imagined, with complex action and wonderful description. Alison Croggon's background as a poet gives her a command of the language to fully evoke the characters and surroundings of the story. I really loved some of the places Maerad and Cadvan journeyed through, and I hope that the good settings reappear in a future volume! I want to hear more about the Schools and especially Rachida, the mysterious city in the Great Forest. It reminded me of The Chanters of Tremaris series by Kate Constable, as well as books by Tamora Pierce. I can't wait to start The Riddle, the second book in the series!

An Abundance of Katherines

Yesterday's Unshelved Book Club comic featured John Green's An Abundance of Katherines. Check it out!

More New Fiction

Books are being processed fast and furiously around here for some reason! Here are new additions to the shelf:

• The Great Tree of Avalon series by T. A Barron
• Avielle of Rhia by Dia Calhoun
• A Friend at Midnight by Caroline B. Cooney
• The Faery Reel: Tales fromthe Twlight Realm edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling
• Dovey Coe by Frances O'Roark Dowell
• 1,000 Reasons Never to Kiss a Boy by Martha Freeman
• The Fighter by Jean-Jacques Greif
• The Demon in the Teahouse by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
• The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler
• Diamond Brothers Mysteries series by Anthony Horowitz
• Evil Star by Anthony Horowitz
• Point Blank by Anthony Horowitz
• Skeleton Key by Anthony Horowitz
• Kiss and Blog by Alyson Noel
• Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen
• Hell Phone by William Sleator
• Midnighters trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

The Phantom of the Opera Was Here

Last night, 19 people came out to sing along to The Phantom of the Opera. It was fun...and we learned that we are not all sopranos! I had seen the play on Broadway years ago (1992?), but I hadn't seen the movie until last night. I thought the movie portrayed the gothic horror romance very well through the costumes and scenery. I loved the underground labyrinth that the phantom inhabited. But it was totally creepy as well!

Missed this event? Our next sing-along movie will be Grease in August.

Summer Schedule!

The teen summer schedule is done, and it's huge! In fact, there are still more events that aren't even on the flyer yet!! Come and get one when you have a chance. The theme this summer is You Never Know @ Your Library, so we have a lot of mysterious events planned.

If you can't wait to see the list, here's a preview. All events are for students entering grades 6 to 12, unless noted.

Get Your Game On!
Trading card and hand-held video games welcome.
Mondays, 3:30 to 5:00 (except holidays)
Permission slip required.

Movie: National Treasure (PG)
Wednesday, June 20, 2:00 to 4:00

Mystery Night: The Cracks in the Wall
Friday, June 22, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Sponsored by the Teen Advisory Board.

Real Life Mysteries (Teen Summer Reading Kick-Off)
Presented by Kristin Pedemonti
Thursday, June 28, 7:00 to 8:00 pm

Zine Workshop
Fridays, 1:30 to 3:00
July 13, 20, 27, and August 3
Grades 8 to 12 only.

Movie: Mystery Men (PG-13)
Wednesday, July 11, 6:30 to 8:30 pm

Nintendo Night
Friday, July 13, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Permission slip required.

Drop-In Craft: DIY Tie Dye (outside)
Bring your own pre-washed 100% cotton items.
Wednesday, July 18, 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Harry Potter Midnight Madness
Friday, July 20, 8:00 pm to 12:30 am
Permission slip required.

Clue Tournament
Wednesday, July 25, 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Special Book Discussion: Twilight and New Moon
Friday, July 27, 3:30 to 5:00

Drop-In Craft: DIY Soap
Wednesday, August 1, 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Eclipse Prom
Friday, August 3, 6:30 to 8:30
Sponsored by the Teen Advisory Board.

Movie: Grease Sing Along (PG)
Wednesday, August 8, 2:00 to 4:00 pm

Author Visit: Jeffry Johnston, author of Fragments
Friday, August 10, 7:00 to 8:30 pm

Drop-In Craft: DIY Magnets
Wednesday, August 15, 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Yu-Gi-Oh Tournament
Friday, August 17, 6:00 to 8:30
Permission slip required.

Dance Dance Revolution
Wednesday, August 22, 2:00 to 4:00
Permission slip required.

Newest of the New

New fiction for our teen shelves:

• The New and Improved Vivien Leigh Reid: Diva in Control by Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout
• Eva by Peter Dickinson
• Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready
• Lulu Dark Can See Through Walls by Bennett Madison
• Dead Connection by Charlie Price
• The Innocent's Story by Nicky Singer
• Club Dread by Walter Sorrells

Also, we got several books in the Gossip Girl and Clique series, thanks to the TAB!

Book Characters Unite!

Last Friday night, 14 people came to the Teen Advisory Board's book character potluck party. It was great to see everyon'e costumes! We did literary Mad-Libs, a classic children's literature trivia race, and heard readings about several people's characters. We watched movie clips from The Princess Bride (yes, it was a book first) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

We also ate great food provided by you! Thanks to everyone who brought something to represent their character. We had red juice (Katie), hoagies (Maria), "rat" (Kara), veggies (Gretchen), a lemon meringue pie (Caitlin), duplex cookies (Genni), garlic pasta (Marissa), and fruit salad (Micah). It was hilarious!

Can you figure out who came as a character from...

• Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
• The Blue Avenger by Norma Howe
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares
• Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
• Bunnicula by James Howe
• A Great and Terrible Beauty series by Libba Bray
• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
• Vampire Kisses series by Ellen Schreiber
• Midnight Cowboy by James Leo Herlihy
  

New Lobby Display!

Last week, I put up a new lobby display featuring new books our library received as part of the We the People Bookshelf on the Pursuit of Happiness. There are 15 books in English and 4 in Spanish, at a variety of levels. Both the middle and high school book groups will be reading and discussing one of these books this year. Look for them on the shelves this summer!