Posted by liz on July 7, 2010
Two new graphic novels arrived today.
One by Christopher Yost, Pasqual Ferry and Frank D’Armata, is an adaptation of ENDER’S GAME by Orson Scott Card.
Ender has been sent to battle school by his parents. Fighting in real and simulated practice fights reveals his leadership potential when other students start to follow him and take lessons from him. He might even be ready to lead his own army in combat. Oh, and did I mention? Ender is six years old.
Runaways “Pride and Joy” by Brian K. Vaughan is about a group of six teens who eavesdrop on their parents’ annual fund-raising event when they discover that their parents aren’t actually the charitable people they pretend to be. In fact, they’re super villains with major secrets to hide. As it says on the cover, “Together, [the teens] run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives – vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy”.
Posted by liz on August 7, 2009
If you’ve been reading the Cirque du Freak series, or Darren Shan’s other super-popular series, you won’t want to miss this!
http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=57754
The Cirque du Freak movie trailer is available online! Read the books if you haven’t yet – they’re a little creepy, sorta scary and all-around exciting! The first book tells the story of a guy who gets tickets to a “Cirque du Freak” (basically, a freakshow) with all kinds of gross, scary, and weird acts – and before he knows it, he’s more…well, involved than he ever intended.
Posted by liz on April 11, 2008
Will is in grade nine, and he’s planning to go to his father’s office for “Take Our Kids to Work Day” on September 11, 2001.
His father works in the World Trade Center.
Walters tackles a difficult story here – but it’s worth reading!
Posted by liz on February 23, 2008
Well. Where to start?
I picked up this book on a whim, and I sat down to read it on a Saturday night. And I read, and I read, and I finished it in about two hours. What I’m trying to say is that this book is fascinating. I simply couldn’t put it down!
Nick is a straight guy in a queer-core band. After being dumped by the girl he loves, Nick needs to find a way to either win her back or move on. When he sees his ex, with another guy, Nick makes a decision and asks a near-by girl to be his girlfriend for 5 minutes.
Norah, the daughter of a big-name music producer, hesitantly accepts Nick’s proposal, and the two find themselves embarking on a journey of discovery, to use a cliche term. As the night progresses, Nick and Norah learn more about one another, and most importantly about themselves. Their journey though New York City in the wee hours of the morning leads to tears, lust, confusion, and maybe even love.
What I liked the most about this book was the energy. Because the story only takes place over a few hours, there is no opportunity for dragging. The switch between Nick’s and Norah’s perspective keeps the story fresh, and you can’t get bored.
There’s a little something for everyone in this book.
On a scale from 1-5, I think I would give this book a 5, because it’s one of the best teen books I’ve read in a very long time. Read it!
If you have read something interesting lately, send an email to ebolton@peclibrary.org!
You might see your review here!
Posted by liz on January 17, 2008
Craig Gilner really wants to get into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School. He knows it’s the only way for him to succeed – to get in to a good college and then get a good job so he can have a good life as an adult. Pretty big pressure for an 9th grader. He finds himself slipping, then getting more and more depressed as life becomes too much to handle – even eating is a challenge. Before he knows it, he’s planning his suicide and finds himself in the psychiatric floor at his neighboorhood hospital. And this is where his story really begins.
The author, Ned Vizzini (we’ve got his other books in the Teen Room, too) has spent time in a psychiatric hospital and writes from his own experience.
Posted by liz on November 23, 2007
I’d read that The Blue Helmet was quite good – this blurb here made it sound like a worthwhile read:
Lee wants to be a Tarantula – a member of the biggest, most powerful gang in his neighbourhood. But when his initiation goes wrong and the police catch him robbing an auto supply store, Lee’s father sends him to live with his aunt in New Toronto.
Lee feels more lost than ever. His mother’s death from cancer, and his father’s constant absence working two jobs mean he has practically had to raise himself. But though he initially resists his Aunt Reena and the customers of Reena’s Unique Café – a ragtag collection of the unusual, the unkempt and the deeply eccentric – Lee gradually learns to open himself up to his new surroundings. When Lee strikes up an unlikely friendship he is suddenly confronted by the ravages of violence, and is forced to face the consequences of his own aggression.
now, I’ve read a LOT of books meant for teens. more than your average joe, anyway. and i thought to myself, “self… are you going to be reading yet ANOTHER book about a troubled teen who makes friends with an older, respectable character and learns to be a valuable member of society?” and at first read this book, that’s what I thought I was in for. But, on finishing the book, I can tell you that this is a much more nuanced and interesting story than even I expected. Read it!
Posted by liz on December 30, 2006
Tease! 50 Inspired T-Shirt Transformations
Inexpensive. Indispensable. Iconic. A basic t-shirt is the perfect blank canvas-ready for a creative crafter to cut, stitch, bedazzle, bleach, deconstruct, and personalize. Everyone has a drawerful just waiting for the creative touch. What could be a better way to broadcast an artistic manifesto?
Pick Me Up
Jeremy Leslie
This inventive compendium of interesting facts combines elements of an almanac, a trivia book, and the Internet with playful touches of humor. The table of contents, index, and a simple color-coding scheme provide subject access, but the book is not intended to be read from front to back. Each page includes a wide range of information, much of it connected in unexpected ways. Cross-references, which appear in bold with page numbers within the text, approximate the role of hyperlinks and allow readers to follow related topics of interest. A page on the Mona Lisa, for instance, has obvious cross-references to Leonardo da Vinci and the Italian Renaissance, but also leads to mass media and supermodels. A spread that starts with national economies also includes features on online shopping, obesity, and gospel music. The graphic design of each page is impressively diverse, utilizing charts, photographs, cartoons, and diagrams in a variety of colors and styles. Some illustrations convey most of the information, such as a clever flow chart that shows how the book works.
Megiddo’s Shadow – Arthur Slade From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 7 Up–An engrossing and thought-provoking story of a young man fighting in World War I. Upon learning of his brother’s death at the German front, 16-year-old Edward Bathe lies about his age and enlists, leaving Canada and his father’s farm for England. When he injures himself training a horse, he meets Emily Waters, an army nurse. Their relationship progresses through letters when Emily transfers to the front. A move from the infantry to the yeomanry starts Edward’s war in earnest, but his plans to avenge his brother’s death are altered when he is sent to Palestine to fight the Turks. Soldiers die from the heat and disease, horses fall in action, and friends die in battle. The young man’s faith in God and in humanity are shaken, and he returns to Canada injured in body and spirit.
