Teen review of "The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant" by Joanna Wiebe

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe
TEEN WIEBE (new)

*This is a review of an Advanced Readers Copy*

Based off of the summary alone, I had no idea what this book was about. It’s very jumbled and confusing. All I got was: creepy boarding school, competition, something mysterious is happening. And frankly, that was enough for me to want to read it. I have a love for stories set in creepy boarding schools… What I didn’t expect was how amazing the story was going to be.

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant is definitely one of a kind. All we really know at the beginning is that Anne has been sent to this mysterious boarding school on an isolated island. She doesn’t know why she’s there or why everyone is obsessed with competition for the “Big V,” or valedictorian. That’s when things start to get weird. We’re thrown into this mystery involving the students, the faculty, and the competition and nothing feels right. The students are graded on everything they do. I mean everything, not just academics.

I wasn’t really sure where the story was going until all these elements aligned in my brain and I figured it out. All of it. I felt pretty proud of myself since the past few books I’ve read have completely baffled me. (And I didn’t feel that the main character was stupid since she figured it out pretty much after I did.) I really liked Anne as the main character. She was smart, nosy, and was determined to see things through to the end, to find every last detail. And the rest of the characters surprised me as well. Some had outcomes that I didn’t expect to see at all.

I was surprised at how well written the novel was. Like I said before, I didn’t really know what to expect. The whole story had the creepy mystique to it, but was surprisingly hilarious at other times. And the ending… oh my, the ending had the mother of all plot twists. I really wish I could go into detail because so much of the plot was crazy and awesome, but I really don’t want to spoil anything.

Overall, I enjoyed The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant much more than I expected to. I’ve been getting into stand-alones much more lately, but I’m so glad this has a sequel. I really can’t wait to read the rest of the novels and to see what becomes of Anne Merchant. Bravo, Joanna Wiebe. Bravo.

- Caroline
Originally posted on The Attic blog.

Design a Tee program on Monday for grades 6-12

There's no school on Monday, so why not head to the library to make a fun and easy project! Design a Tee is for grades 6-12 and will be held in the downstairs Craft Room. Please register in advance!

Bring along a plain t-shirt and a design on 8 1/2 x 11 paper (or use one of the designs on hand). Choose a simple design for your shirt; silhouettes are good.

Here are the step by step instructions for designing your own t-shirt that we will use at the program. First, choose your design.

Next, trace the design onto freezer paper. Freezer paper can be found in the aisle with aluminum foil and plastic wrap at the grocery store.

 The shiny side of the freezer paper should be face down.

Once you finish tracing the design, carefully cut along the lines using an exacto knife.

Place your shirt over the ironing board and iron the shirt first to smooth any wrinkles. Be sure to center the design.

Using an iron, press down onto the paper. The heat will adhere the freezer paper to the t-shirt.

Once the design is ironed on to your shirt, move your shirt to a table. Insert a piece of cardboard inside of the shirt under the design. Make sure the cardboard is under the area where you will be painting.

Choose your color of paint. We are using Tulip Soft Matte Fabric Paint. Joann Fabrics sells small bottles or larger tubes of this paint.

Small craft foam brushes work well to apply the paint for this project.

Apply the paint from the outside of the stencil to inside. This prevents paint from leaking under the seam between the freezer paper and the shirt.

Allow the first coat to dry and apply additional coats as needed.

When you are done, simply peel back the freezer paper from the t-shirt to reveal your creation!

Allow the shirt to dry flat for 24 hours before you wear your shirt. This project was inspired by the  Tuts + craft blog.

I hope to see you at Monday's Design a Tee program!

"I want to hold your hand": Books about love and relationships

If you are in the mood for a good love story because of Valentine's Day, or just because you enjoy reading romantic books, stop by the display in the teen area for some recommendations.

Or click on one of the following lists I compiled with loads of dreamy and romantic reads!:

• Love Stories (part 1)
• Love Stories (part 2)
• Love Stories (part 3)

For more themed lists filled with reading recommendations, follow DundeeReads through your BiblioCommons account!

38 days until the Divergent movie opens!

Movie tie-in editions of Divergent are out today!

Shailene Woodley as Tris is featured on the cover....

 

...and Theo James as Four is on the back cover.

!!!

Vampire Academy movie is out today

The day is finally here! See Rose, Dimitri, and Lissa on the big screen -- the movie adaptation of Richelle Mead's book Vampire Academy is now playing.



Vampire Academy is the first of six books (Frostbite, Shadow Kiss, Blood Promise, Spirit Bound, and Last Sacrifice) in a series about students at St. Vladimir's Academy, a school for both vampires (Moroi) and their guardians-in-training. Guardians train in order to prepare themselves to fight Strigoi (evil vampires). The books are filled with action, humor, romance, and of course everyday high school drama. The Vampire Academy books are fun reads if you are looking for another series to start! And, it even has a spin-off series, Bloodlines!

"Cress" and more new books

Cress by Marissa Meyer	Third book in the Lunar Chronicles series, after Cinder and Scarlet. Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they're plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth. Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company.
Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi	Final book in the Under the Never Sky trilogy. In their effort to reach the fabled Still Blue, Aria and Perry will have to rescue Cinder, defeat Sable and Hess, and unite the Dwellers and the Outsiders once and for all.
A Breath of Frost by Alyxandra Harvey	When three cousins in 1814 London discover their magical powers and family lineage of witchcraft, they accidentally open the gates to the underworld allowing the spirits of dark witches known as the Greymalkin Sisters to hunt and kill young debutante witches for their powers.
Minders by Michelle Jaffe	Sadie, a wealthy, success-oriented sixteen-year-old joins the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program as an observer in the head of Ford, a troubled, possibly murderous boy, with whom Sadie falls in love.
The Scar Boys by Len Vlahos	Written as a college admission essay, eighteen-year-old Harry Jones recounts a childhood defined by the hideous scars he hid behind, and how forming a band brought self-confidence, friendship, and his first kiss.
The Social Code by Sadie Hayes	Eighteen-year-old twins Adam and Amelia Dory grew up in foster care relying on each other, but as scholarship students at Stanford University shy Amelia's ingenious computer "app" and gregarious Adam's yearning for a life of privilege lead them to start a new company--and into a world of conflict.
The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant by Joanna Wiebe	From the moment Anne Merchant arrives at Cania Christy, a boarding school for the wealthiest teens, she has questions that remain unanswered, including why everything is a competition to be valedictorian and what mysterious reward comes with that title.
No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale	As sixteen-year-old Kippy of Friendship, Wisconsin, reads her best friend Ruth's diary, she is shocked at what she learns and spurred to solve Ruth's murder, certain that the boy who was arrested is innocent.
Vitro by Jessica Khoury	A death-defying tropical adventure delivers a frightening message about dabbling with creation from the talented author of Origin . On a remote island in the Pacific, Corpus scientists have taken test tube embryos and given them life. These beings--the Vitros--have knowledge and abilities most humans can only dream of. But they also have one enormous flaw. Sophie Crue is determined to get to Skin Island and find her mother, a scientist who left Sophie behind years ago. She enlists hunky charter pilot Jim Julien to take her there. But once on the island, Sophie and Jim encounter more than they bargained for, including a charming, brilliant Vitro named Nicholas and an innocent, newly awoken one named Lux. In a race for their lives, Sophie and Jim are about to discover what happens when science stretches too far beyond its reach.
Hollow City by Ransom Riggs	Sequel to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Having escaped Miss Peregrine's island by the skin of their teeth, Jacob and his new friends must journey to London (circa 1940), the "peculiar" capital of the world.
The Offering by Kimberly Derting	Final book in The Pledge trilogy. When the negotiation of a peace agreement with the Queendom of Astonia goes awry, Charlie receives a brutal message that threatens Ludania, and it seems her only option is to sacrifice herself in exchange for Ludanian freedom. But is she walking into a trap set by Sabara, the evil former queen of Ludania?
The Unbound by Victoria Schwab	Sequel to The Archived. Starting her junior year at Hyde School, Mackenzie Bishop, a Keeper tasked with stopping violent Histories from escaping the Archive, becomes the prime suspect when several people vanish without a trace.
Her Dark Curiosity  by Megan Shepherd	Sequel to The Madman's Daughter. Back in London after escaping from her father's island and the secrets she left behind, Juliet Moreau strives to stop a killer while searching for a serum to cure her own worsening illness.
Double Digit  by Annabel Monaghan	Sequel to A Girl Named Digit. Digit attends MIT, where she hopes to lead a normal life. But Jonas Furnace, the ecoterrorist she foiled before, knows where she is, and he's gunning for her.