ONLY THE VERY BEST

I've just put out a new display on the fiction end -- a display which should highlight the best books YA fiction has to offer -- and it will be a display that will keep changing to offer new great titles as the next couple of months float along. Be sure to take a look at the display if you're stuck for finding something great to read.

Labels: booklists, books for boys, books for girls, displays, fantasy books, good books

~emily - 3:21 PM~
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BOOKENDS
Sure Fire by Jack Higgins & Justin Richards
Rich and Jade are 15 yr-old twins whose mother just died. Their father, whom they have never met, appears at the funeral and takes them back to his apartment. Shocked at the turn of events, Rich and Jade are suspicious and distrustful of their newfound father, especially when he starts talking about splitting them up to send to boarding schools. But when they follow him out of the house one day and see him beat up and kidnapped, they know there are problems afoot. And when a man, shot and dying, shows up at the apartment to ask for a sample of liquid their father supposedly has, the mystery only increases. Approached by strangers brandishing guns and unsure of whom to trust, the twins soon find themselves in the middle of an international incident, with their father at the middle.
Adult author Higgins teams up with the author of The Death Collector to present a book of action, danger, and mystery. The story moves right along, and there's not much depth to slow it down. A good quick read for the adventuresome.
Y FICTION Higgins

Labels: book review, books for boys

~emily - 10:36 AM~
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BOOKENDS
Hacking Harvard by Robin Wasserman
It's a high rolling bet -- that Max and Eric can't hack a deadbeat high school student into Harvard admissions without getting caught. It will take all the skills of their 3-man team to beat the Harvard system -- and what they don't know is that someone is working against them -- and the stakes are higher than they know. That's the premise of the story. Max, Eric, and Schwarz are assigned to turn Clay, a bully, irresponsible and uncaring, into the perfect Harvard candidate and get him accepted to the prestigious school. They must beat the SATs, ace the application essays, excel at the personal interview with an admissions officer, and join clubs and committees galore (real and fake) all in the name of Clay. It's dangerous and illegal, but they're determined to make it work, despite the odds... and the comptetition.
A fun story that may be interesting to those planning to attend college soon, or those who are interested in pranks and hacks, or those who enjoy a tale of friends and enemies and changing relationships. There's tension in the hack, stress between the team, money and futures at stake, and a few budding relationships that prove slightly dangerous.
Y FICTION Wasserman

Labels: book review, books for boys, books for girls

~emily - 10:05 AM~
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BOOKENDS: 2 BOOKS
The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Elizabeth Holland is one of the social ruling class of Manhattan in 1899. She is well-mannered, rich, from an important family, and of course, very beautiful. Her best friend is her greatest rival, her personal maid is jealous and vindictive, her sister finds her bland and weak-willed. When her mother tells her that their family has been left with heavy debts after the death of Elizabeth's father, it becomes Elizabeth's responsibility to save the family from poverty by marrying a young man of high social status and wealth -- a cad who has his own reasons for marrying her. But Elizabeth has a secret, a dangerous secret that could turn her family to ruin and must make her decide between true love and family responsibility. As events start turning, rumours, misunderstandings, and small tragedies abound, all leading up to the fateful day that was to be her wedding day....
If you like prince-to-pauper stories of social status, gossip, passion, mystery, tragedy, love, infatuation, pettiness, and wealth, this will be just the book for you. Set in Manhattan at the turn of the last century, it blends historical fiction with the difficult life of a teen socialite with heavy responsibilities and her own dreams for happiness. Each chapter is headed with a newspaper clipping or quotation from a magazine, and each chapter is told from a different viewpoint. It's a fun read that sweeps the reader along, almost like reading a gossip column or a tabloid.
The few sexual encounters are quickly glossed over and left fairly vague.
Y FICTION Godberson


Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Terrorists have attacked San Francisco, blowing up the Bay Bridge. Marcus and his friends, skipping school in favour of playing a game, are picked up by the Department of Homeland Security and taken to a prison where they are questioned and threatened. When all but one of them are let out and they find that their hometown has turned into a police state with every move of every person monitored every day, Marcus is determined to do something -- he wants to get back at the DHS for kidnapping his friends and torturing them. He believes that the government has overstepped its bounds of authority in taking away his freedoms and the freedoms of everyone else in San Francisco. So he starts his own private war, setting up an untapped internet and starting a movement that soon builds a life of its own.
A fascinating look at terrorism, technology, government policies and practices, and the rights of American citizens. The pacing was good, the story was good, and overall, it was mostly believable -- it reads like something that could happen today, tomorrow, or next year. I found it a hard book to put down and was even interested in the short technological tangents about hacking and software and gaming and such. A great book for techno-geeks, free spirits and freedom lovers, and fans of books like 1984 and Animal Farm. Of course, others will like it a lot, too. Recommended.
Sexual scenes and conversations included.
Y FICTION Doctorow
(For more on Little Brother, or for the audio download, see previous posts.)

Labels: book review, books for boys, books for girls, chick lit, friends, good books, historical teens, mysteries, new books

~emily - 9:08 AM~
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UPDATES & READING REMINDERS
I quickly wanted to mention a few things -- perhaps they are reminders, perhaps they are news....
First of all, my twitter posts have another new viewing location -- the teen page of the Framingham Public Library website. So from the website, you can now chat with me (have homework questions?) and read the twitter updates. You can do both of those things here, too, but now you have options! :-)

Secondly, this is a reminder that the fantasy wiki More Than Magic Mirrors is a good place to find fantasy books to read -- and a good place to leave your opinions about them. Grab a few friends and make a visit to the site -- there are probably even books you've read that aren't there that you could share!

Thirdly, if you're looking for something else to read, visit the tag cloud at the bottom of this blog page and click on a link you might be interested in -- we have adventure books, dragon books, love stories and more. Books bookmarked in blinklist. You can also find lots of booklists on the Teen Reads page.

Labels: booklists, books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books, library news, links

~emily - 2:27 PM~
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NEW BOOKS
It's been a while since I've made an announcement about new books, probably because there's the pictorial list in the navbar about it -- the one that links back to my LibraryThing list. But we just received a bunch of new and interesting looking titles, so I thought I'd highlight a couple of them for you.
Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion: are you a fan of space opera and BG? Here's the official companion book with exclusive interviews, unseen photos, episode guide, and more!
Smallville, Season 5: Another official companion, with excerpts from newspapers, color photos, interviews, and... more!
Game by Walter Dean Myers: another great sports book (basketball) by Myers -- need I say more?
Castaways by Vollmar and Callejo: a graphic novel recounting the story of a young boy who hops a train in order to escape the harrowing poverty of rural life during the Great Depression.
Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine: Lucas finds himself in possession of an urn -- with somebody's ashes inside! He soon becomes convinced that person belonging to the ashes is trying to tell him something about his missing father...
We also have Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor, in which all Anna wants is a normal life, but her mom makes that practically impossible;
The Declaration by Gemma Malley, where children born outside the Declaration are considered surplus and criminals -- simply for being born!
and Saturday Night Dirt by Will Weaver, about what happens at the Speedway in a small Minnesota town.

Our new book display is filled to practically overflowing -- hope you make it in this weekend to discover some of these fabulous books!

Labels: books for boys, books for girls, new books, television

~emily - 9:08 AM~
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BOOKENDS: Unwind
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
After the second Civil War, the Bill of Life was created, making it possible and legal for guardians to give up their child of 13-17 years for unwinding -- that is, the bodies of troublesome or unwanted teens could be harvested for parts, legally and lawfully. Connor, Risa, and Lev are three of these teens -- and they become unlikely companions when two of them try to escape their unwinding. Together they run from the authorities and discover the Graveyard, but not before their group is torn apart by betrayal.
The premise and plot of this book are wonderful -- gripping, thrilling, intriguing. Begs the question "How would I feel if my parents authorized my unwinding?" And I enjoyed the book -- I was definitely kept interested. The style of the telling I found a little difficult to handle -- every couple pages the point of view changes between characters, and not just the main characters, which is good and bad. Also, a number of typos distracted. Overall, however, a great futuristic thriller adventure.
Y FICTION Shusterman

Labels: book review, books for boys, books for girls, new books, teen issues

~emily - 4:33 PM~
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BOOKENDS: Standard Hero Behavior
Standard Hero Behavior by John David Anderson
The town of Darlington, long protected by Duke Darlinger from the ogres, orcs, witches, dragons, trolls, and other dangerous creatures that inhabit the woods surrounding the town, is now in very big trouble -- and the duke can't fix it this time. Unfortunately Mason, the young town bard, is the only one who knows about the real trouble. Since all of the town's heroes moved out and have been away for over 10 years, Mason and his friend Cowel head out onto the open road with a bag of gold coins in the hope that they can find a hero for hire. Along the way they run into an orange-haired witch, a bootmaker who killed off one of their heroes, a cross-dressing giant, an army of pixies, and more.
Two unlikely heroes off to save their families and the town they love and face multiple dangers along the way, eventually finding things they weren't expecting. This is quite an adventure for two friends to go on -- danger and comedy lurk together, and it has flavors of Will Allen's Swords for Hire. I enjoyed it and say it's a good middle-school book.
Y FICTION Anderson

Labels: book review, books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books, friends

~emily - 9:38 AM~
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TAG CLOUD
For the next few days (or weeks!), you may see a few changes and messes at the bottom of this blog page -- I'm working on a tag cloud for books I've either bookended on this blog, or books in lists posted on the FPL Teen Reading Page, or just random books I want to add to the list. The tag cloud will help you find books that I've talked about that may be of interest to you, based on keywords from the book description. (The tag cloud isn't for blog posts in general.) The disarray comes from my not being sure of which bookmarking tool I want to use -- there are lots of great ones out there with different functionalities, appearances, and alliances. I'm currently looking at del.icio.us, Blinklist, and Furl, but there may be others as well. Eventually I'll just pick one and deal with the quirks, but in the meantime, have patience -- and give the tag cloud a try! Let me know what you think!

Labels: book news, booklists, books for boys, books for girls, graphic novels, links

~emily - 10:22 AM~
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POST-APOCALYPTIC
Periodically I do a list of books about the end of the world or about dystopic societies -- and these often are stories about the world post-apocalypse -- what happens to our world when everything we know is destroyed? Who seeks to control the people who are left? What is the government like? What do people eat? What kinds of technology exist? Have the people and animals mutated? How do they communicate? Is it safe to live above ground, or is there disease and pollution in the air?
Depending on how the world ended (nuclear disaster, war, disease, flood, etc.) will determine the answers to most of these questions, and I usually enjoy well-written fiction books that speculate on such a world.
I just recently finished Shadow Speaker, one such book set in Africa just a generation after a nuclear & environmentalist war that has destroyed continents, changed technology, and given some people new abilities. It's a coming of age adventure, with magic, technology, and different worlds. A great story with good action and odd little pieces of imagination.

Now that I've finished that one, I'm working on the Longlight Legacy Trilogy -- I'm almost finished with the second book. Good good stuff. I had read the first book some years ago and quite liked it, but I realized when I read it again this past weekend, that I had forgotten most of it. A few generations after much of the earth has been destroy, Roan and his sister are the only survivors of an attack on their peaceful village. His sister is taken, and Roan is left on his own to discover why the two of them are so important to The City and to other gatherings of people outside The City. What he finds out on his quest -- his abilities to travel into the Dreamworld, strange creatures that inhabit the world outside his village, children being taken from their parents to be sold for parts, and so much more -- leaves him with more questions and responsibilities, and turns him into a guy with a mission.
We have all three books at the library -- I suggest you check them out if you've read and enjoyed things like the Uglies series by Westerfeld or the Hungry City Chronicles by Reeves. Check out a few more options here.
Enjoy the end of the world!

Labels: book review, booklists, books for boys, books for girls, green, science fiction

~emily - 2:56 PM~
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COLD TIMES
There's been a bit of synchronicity in my life lately -- about (of all things) Antarctica. So I thought I'd share a little, in case you're a fan of the cold continent, adventure exploration, "greening" to reduce greenhouse, or award winning fiction.

How to Survive in Antarctica by Lucy Jane Bledsoe
This is a book I purchased for the YA collection, partly because of the fascinating title -- have you ever wondered what it would take to survive in Antarctica?
During her exploratory sojourns to Antarctica, Bledsoe witnessed many amazing sights (mummified seals) and picked up even more survival tactics (if you should find yourself in danger of falling into a crevasse, stretch out your body to avoid dropping farther). Part memoir, part survival tips, part curiosities, Lucy Jane Bledsoe's book lets readers vicariously experience the author's adventures while on exploration to the cold continent.

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition by Caroline Alexander (DVD)
My run-ins with South Pole topics began with someone telling me about this book -- in complete wonder and awe. A truly amazing tale.
In August 1914 Sir Ernest Shackleton, a renowned explorer, set sail with 27 men on his ship, the Endurance. His plan was to be the first expedition to cross the Antarctic continent -- racing against other teams, including those of Amundsen and Scott. Marooned on four feet of ice, in over 8,000 feet deep water, Shackleton and his crew survived some 635 days and nights, without decent shelter or enough food, enduring the harshest conditions imaginable.(Sounds like they could have used Bledsoe's book -- or written it!)

White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughreanThis book was announced as this year's winner of the Michael L Printz Award for outstanding literature for young adults.
Taken to Antarctica by the man she thinks of as her uncle for what she believes to be a vacation, Symone--a troubled fourteen year old with a mad crush on Titus Oakes, a captain in Scott's South Pole team some 90 years ago -- discovers that he is dangerously obsessed with seeking Symme's Hole, an opening that supposedly leads into the center of a hollow Earth. Suddenly, she's caught in a struggle for her life.

Cruising to Otherworldly Antarctica by Gwen Thompkins, NPR
Would you prefer to watch and listen to an account of a protected visit to Antarctica? NPR ran a story about climate change and Antarctica, making a visit on a cruise ship. Fantastic tale.

Want more? Check out the online articles that World Book has (you'll need your library card) -- there are articles, maps, pictures, tables, and more -- tons of fascinating information!

And just now (2 hours my original posting of this) I read an article in the NYTimes about a Harlem Middle School teacher taking a trip to Antarctica with a professor from Queens College to research. "Harlem to Antarctica for Science, and Pupils"

Labels: awards, books for boys, books for girls, green, links

~emily - 12:06 PM~
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BOOK OF THE DAY
I thought I'd share a few of the recent Books of the Day that I have posted on my Facebook and my MySpace bulletins:

Here Lies the Librarian
Mortal Engines
Elantris
On Fortune's Wheel
Troy
The Language of Goldfish
Click
Confessions of a High School Word Nerd

When you get the Facebook notices, you can also read the description and get a picture of the book cover (both of which you can also see by clicking on the links above).

Labels: booklists, books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books, good books, science fiction

~emily - 12:29 PM~
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BOOKENDS
Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
Georyn is a woodcutter's son on Andrecia, determined to kill the evil dragon plaguing their forest and be rewarded with knowledge from the king. Jarel is a medical officer with a crew set out to colonize Andrecia -- and to force the natives onto reservations. Elana is a member of an advanced civilization from another planet, on her way to Andrecia to save the primitive people from losing their land and their culture to colonization. Through a series of encounters and misadventures, the story is created of how the Enchantress from the Stars helped a woodcutter's son free his people from a powerful magical dragon and his minions.
Part interplanetary adventure, part fairy tale, this story is full of magic, science, misunderstandings, humanity, moral issues, romance -- and a wonderful prose that weaves it all together flawlessly in three voices. And I quite enjoyed it -- it was thought-provoking and engaging. I'll definitely recommend it to those not afraid of mixed genres or of a little substance in their books.
Y PB Science Fiction E

Labels: book review, books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books, science fiction

~emily - 10:26 AM~
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NOT QUITE BOOKENDS
I've read a few books lately that I should be reviewing for this site. They're pretty good books for guys. Namely, they are:
Repossessed by AM Jenkins
Teen, Inc by Stefan Petrucha
MacGregor Tells the World by Elizabeth McKenzie

Let me discuss them in 35 words each or less.

Repossessed -- about a fallen angel who takes possession of a boy's body for the experience of having a body. It was OK. Definitely a guy's book. Some sexual content. Award runner-up.

Teen, Inc. -- adopted by a corporation, Jaiden's life has been different than anyone else's, but when he learns of dangerous practices, he has to determine whose side he's on. Enjoyable with themes of green.

MacGregor Tells the World -- MacGregor's mom left him and now he's on the search for his father. What he discovers along the way helps him and bothers him. Good adult-teen crossover. Lags a bit in the middle.

Labels: awards, book review, books for boys

~emily - 4:03 PM~
0 comments

LOVE STORIES
Get in the Mood













Less then two weeks before Valentine's Day -- and we have love stories -- a whole display of them! Come check them out and get in the mood (or not, as the case may be).

These and many many more~!

Labels: booklists, books for boys, books for girls, displays, good books

~emily - 9:37 AM~
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READING JUST BECAUSE
I just wanted to mention a few things about stuff I'm reading (or have read). Sometime in the recent past I mentioned the first book of the Books of Pellinor quartet by Alison Croggon -- that series of wonderful epic fantasy that reminds me of Tamora Pierce, Robin McKinley, and JRR Tolkien. I read the second, and found it almost as good as the first, and now I'm looking forward to reading the third over vacation. Wheee -- now, if she would only get the fourth out within the next couple of weeks.... I highly recommend this fantasy set!

My in-between reading this week has been Territory by Emma Bull. We don't own it yet, but I hope to get it when it goes to paperback. This was an intriguing take on the Wild West and the city of Tombstone, complete with Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, and other famous names. But it's not just a western -- it's also a fantasy! Deep-seated magic, powerful and consuming, yet somehow understated meets the wild wild west....

Labels: books for boys, books for girls, fantasy books

~emily - 9:24 AM~
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BOOKENDS: DRAGONHAVEN
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley
When Jake goes out on his first solo overnight in Smokehill National Park, he hopes to find some trace of dragons. What he doesn't expect is to find a dying mother dragon and dead dragonlets -- and one lone live dragonlet in need of a mother. Jake picks up the dragonlet, hides it in his shirt, and gets it back to his camp, exhausting himself in the process. But in a country where killing a dragon is illegal, keeping one alive is also illegal, so despite the fact that he and his father live on a dragon preserve, the secret of the little dragon must be kept from as many people as possible. Recounting his own experiences of finding and raising a baby dragon (dragonlet) on the preserve where his father works, Jake shares a story of loneliness, intelligence, and dedication.

I'm a huge fan of Robin McKinley, and I was completely excited to read her newest book, but I admittedly had a difficult time getting through this one -- it's completely different than her retellings and high fantasies and anything else she's written. So it's a complete turn from what she's written in the past, but it's a worthwhile read -- especially if you're not expecting one of her classics. Dragonhaven has an environmental twist to it -- the preservation of animals and land and how easily humans destroy the natural wonders of the earth -- and will be good for dragon lovers and environmentalists and realistic fiction readers alike.
Y SCIENCE FICTION McKinley

Labels: book review, books for boys, books for girls, green, new books, science fiction

~emily - 10:15 AM~
0 comments

TEEN READ WEEK!
It's Teen Read Week this week -- and the theme is LOL @ Your Library -- and there are lots of things to do this week!

First of all, be sure to vote for the Teen Top Teen books this week -- join with thousands of teens across the country to choose this year's best, and then tune in in November to see the results.

Second, come to the library to check out one of the many FUNNY books we have on display! (Yes, believe it or not -- some books in the library will make you LOL!)

Third, participate in the WrestleMania Reading Challenge -- or at least pick up a WWE poster (there are a few available on display).

Fourth, join us for our manga club on Tuesday afternoon.

Fifth, win a Nintendo Wii™ for your classroom or library or an iPod just for you! Visit Mirrorstone for details!

And, voice your opinions in the SmartGirl Teen Read Week survey!

There's so much to do and so much going on -- hope to see you this week!

Labels: books for boys, books for girls, calendar, friends, manga, poll

~emily - 11:02 AM~
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BOOKENDS: Nick & Norah
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
"I know this is going to sound strange, but would you mind being my girlfriend for the next five minutes?" That's Nick's question to Norah when he sees his ex-girlfriend approaching him in the club where his band just played with her new guy. Norah's response? The best kiss either one of them has ever experienced though they don't necessarily realize it at the moment. Thus begins their long night together, a first date in and out of music clubs, trains, hotels, restaurants, and bathrooms; a first date of love and hate, confusion, certainty, laughter, tears, anger, fun, and more. Told by Nick *and* Norah.
So, I admit I loved this book, despite myself and my regular reading tastes. Nick and Norah were fabulous, so real that I continued thinking about their frenetic, confused plights even when I didn't have the book in hand; and the supporting cast was great. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read -- fast-paced and totally engaging. But, for those of you who need to know, be aware of the swearing (the f-bomb goes off every couple of words) and the sexuality in this book.
Visit the website.
Be sure to catch Cohn's and Levithan's newest collaboration Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List.
Y FICTION Cohn

Labels: book news, book review, books for boys, books for girls, links

~emily - 10:53 AM~
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THE PUBLIC LIBRARY AND THE HIGH SCHOOL
As seen above, the public library and the high school (Framingham, both) will be teaming up on Thursdays throughout the school year to bring you thoroughly exciting afternoons in the high school library! Our first group will be October 4 after school -- the topic is Banned Books -- do you have any idea how many books are banned? It's amazing! Come find out which of your favourite titles have been banned and challenged and find another to read.
And Biblionix folk -- don't worry -- we'll still be holding our readers group!

Labels: books for boys, books for girls, calendar, school

~emily - 10:22 AM~
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