BOOKENDS
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
Heads or tales. A simple coin toss and Naomi is off to retrieve the $3000 camera recently purchased for the yearbook staff -- and that's OK b/c she's co-editor of the yearbook this year. But on her way up the stairs of the school, she trips and falls and hits her head, clutching the camera in safety. The next thing she knows, she's being dashed off to the hospital in an ambulance with someone who says he's her boyfriend. But she doesn't remember him. She remembers her name, but she doesn't remember the year -- or her parents' divorce, or her best friend, or even why she was co-editor of the yearbook. With a simple conk of the head, Naomi has lost four years of her life; now she must set about rebuilding them, or remembering them, or reshaping them -- or whatever an amnesiac does.
What a great book. I've been wanting to pick it up since we got it, but it seems to be out all the time (which is a good thing). So I finally picked it up, on a weekend I was sick, and read through the whole thing quite quickly. Can you imagine, being an amnesiac in high school? Not remembering your classes or your friends or your clubs? School is crazy enough without all those other factors playing in. So to make it short, I really enjoyed it and definitely recommend it.
Does mention sex and birth control.
Y FICTION Zevin

Labels: book review, good books, teen issues

~emily - 5:33 PM~
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BOOK: THE HUNGER GAMES
On Monday I finished reading a preview copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (author of the Gregor the Overlander series) -- and what a read it was!
In a future North America, the Capitol rules harshly over what was once 13, now 12, outlying districts. Every year, in order to remind the citizens of its power, the Capitol requires each district to send one boy and one girl as tributes to participate in a nationally televised reality show -- the Hunger Games -- in which 24 teenagers are trapped in a remote environment and forced to fight to the death on live TV. The last one alive brings wealth and glory to their district. When her younger sister is chosen as a tribute, Katniss volunteers in her place, knowing that she will probably not survive. But once the Hunger Games begin, she becomes a real contender, struggling to survive and win while retaining her humanity and stick it to the system.
My first reaction to this book was that it's harsh! My second was that it was similar in content to many stories that I enjoy reading about the end of our world as we know it -- all those futuristic dystopia tales of hardship and struggle and a controlling centralized government. So despite the difficult premise and the hanging ending (this is the first book in a trilogy), I liked it; read it in about a day. Not for the faint-hearted, however -- there's blood and death and weapons -- but there's also love and redemption.
We don't actually own it yet -- it doesn't get published until October, but be looking for it then!
Until then, try reading the Longlight Legacy trilogy by Dennis Foon.

Labels: book news, book review, good books, new books, teen issues

~emily - 12:53 PM~
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TRANSITIONS MOVIE SERIES
I know how popular Juno has been in the theatres -- here's your chance to see it again on the big screen -- for free! The library has a movie series going on right now -- and we're showing Juno on Thursday evening! The details are listed below.

Film Series: Transitions
Main Library, Costin Room

Juno (2007) 96 min. PG (for mature themes, sexual content, language)
Thursday May 15, 7:00 pm
Oscar-nominated Juno deals with the bumps along the path to growing up. Starring Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman.

Starting Out in the Evening (2007) 111 min. PG-13 (for sexual content, language, brief nudity)
Thursday May 29, 7:00 pm
A female graduate school student convinces an aging, sickly writer that her thesis can revive his career. Starring Frank Langella and Lauren Ambrose.

After the Wedding (2006) 120 min. R (for some language and scene of sexuality)
Thursday June 12, 7:00 pm
An orphanage manager travels to Denmark to seek funding and discovers some deep family secrets. Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Rolf Lassgard.

Refreshments served.

Labels: movies, programs, teen issues

~emily - 11:43 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: The Nature of Jade
The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti
A book about fears, friends, anxiety, secrets, and... elephants. Jade has been diagnosed with panic disorder -- when she has anxiety attacks she gets dizzy and terrified and loses her breath. And so she uses the zoo webcam in the elephant exhibit to keep calm. There's something about those elephants.... One day Jade notices a guy in a red jacket with a baby stopping too look at the elephants. He returns again and again, and Jade can't help but be curious about this guy who seems to appreciate the elephants the same way she does. When she starts to volunteer at the elephant house, she gathers up the courage to meet him -- and his son. And what she discovers in them -- the secrets, the dangers, the wonder -- changes her life, but not her nature: the nature of jade.
A fantastic and realistic story about family and school troubles, layered with anxiety and fears and courage to survive another day. The characters were not stereotypes and all seem to have their troubles and their strengths. Jade's community of classmates, zoo workers, family, and neighbors could all be your own classmates, neighbors, family, and locals. A well-written book, good characters, good story that I definitely recommend -- especially to someone with family or fears or college applications or a therapist or a crush or classmates or friends or a fondness for elephants.
Y FICTION Caletti

Labels: book review, books for girls, friends, teen issues

~emily - 11:13 AM~
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TEEN HEALTH: PREGNANCY & CUTTING
I'm not sure this is a topic I've ever written about on this blog before, but after exchanging new magazines for old this morning, I came across this article in Girl's Life Magazine (Feb/Mar 2008, pg 60): When You Least Expect It. It was a good article, and I thought that with the rash of news articles on teen pregnancy (Jamie Lynn Spears, Juno, etc) and this years higher teen pregnancy rates, I'd mention it here along with some resources.
TeenPregnancy.org
Healthy Teen Network
Planned Parenthood: 1.800.230.PLAN
Library Resources on Teenage Pregnancy
Library Resources on being Teenage Parent
Short booklist on teen pregnancy and parenting
"Karen: the editor's page" (GL)also has a quick commentary on teen pregnancy

The magazine also has an article on cutting (pg 77) and teen self-abuse.
Here are resources if you or someone you know is involved in that:
1.800.DONT.CUT, sponsored by S.A.F.E.
PSYKE.org
Short short booklist on cutting

Important stuff here. Take a little time to read about it.

Labels: links, teen issues

~emily - 10:18 AM~
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