Teen recommendations from summer reading

	Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper "It is a perfect book for anyone! There's a little bit of everything, drama, sadness, happiness, betrayal, but most of all HOPE. This is such an amazing book that once you start reading you just can't stop." -- Lizet
	Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles "I recommend this book because it connects us teenagers to the book and how it really is. It's filled with excitement and wanting more." -- Brenda
	The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau "It wins for me against The Hunger Games in the category of dystopian future. Though the books were similar in many ways, The Testing had a more intriguing depiction of what the future might entail. Like The Hunger Games, you could not become attached to a character, for they might die suddenly." -- Liam
	Six Months Later by Natalie Richards "It has a lot of mystery, romance, and suspense. This book makes you not want to stop reading it. It was one of my favorite books and I highly recommend reading it." -- Jasmine
	Four by Veronica Roth "This book was exciting and kept making me want to turn the page to find out more and more about Four before he met Beatrice." -- Jenny
	Asylum by Madeleine Roux "It has many high tension moments and epic cliff hangers that just make you read more. I definitely want to read the sequel!" -- Jocelyn
	Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen "I liked the way the perspectives switched each chapter." -- Colleen
	Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon "I do recommend this book because it's a good story about friendship. It tells you that everybody is special." -- Elizabeth
	Bounce by Natasha Friend "I recommend this book to people who need to figure how to bounce back from their problems and show they can't let people get to them! They need to stand up to the 'Mean Girls' or 'Popular'!" -- Grace
	I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga "It was intriguing to see how Jaz (main character) thought after being raised by a dad who was a convicted serial killer. Lyga uses a style that always keeps the reader guessing even after the last page." -- Keri

Teen recommendations from summer reading

	The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi "It shows a very possible future of America and is very vivid." -- Kylee
	The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti "It is a fictional story about a real historical figure that most people don't know about. This book was inspirational to me." -- Abrah
	A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah "We usually do not see the horrors that go on or have gone on in third world countries or countries in war. This book educates the reader on what went on during Sierra Leone's civil war." -- Ernesto
	The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken "It provided an interesting (and more than a little horrifying) story of what could happen to our country in the future. The characters were equally likeable and distainable. This book's ending and climax provided to be more surprising than that of a mystery I recently read." -- Liam
	Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea "It is such a sweet story. This story is for everyone. I like how the class doesn't like Mr. Terupt at first but then he means the world to them. Overall I definitely recommend this AMAZING book." -- Lizet
	The Eye of Minds by James Dashner "It is what the technology can become, but with a little bit of mystery and action." -- Kylee
	Fear Itself by Matt Fraction "It had a good plot and wonderful art. I am usually a DC fan but I thoroughly enjoyed this title." -- Nathan
	Still Alice by Lisa Genova "It really opens your eyes to Alzheimer's disease, and the readers get to see it through the perspective of the actual victim rather than the caregiver's. It was emotional so if you bawl easily with books, keep a tissue at bay…" -- Deniz
	Light by Michael Grant "It's full of excitement and action. This is also the sixth and last book in the series. There were many suspenseful moments and cliffhangers that I couldn't stop reading! However, there are some gory details, in my opinion they made the story better, but if you're sensitiveto that it may not be for you." -- Jocelyn
	Whispers at Moonrise by C.C. Hunter "It is an amazing story filled with suspense, thrills, excitement, and includes more than one love story." -- Jessica
	Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas "This book is an action book written by a female that does not rely soley on love interests to carry the plot. Simply a fasinating read." -- Kate
	Unwind by Neal Shusterman "I recommend this book because it really makes you think and shows the growth and journey of three people who end up together and try to stop the government. This book is good for you if you enjoyed The Maze Runner series." -- Ellie
	Nimona by Noelle Stevenson "The plot was great. The author managed to make it begin with comedy and slowly morph it into an adventure story." -- Nathan

Read to the Rhythm: Dancers in teen literature

Click here for a printable copy of the list.

	Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina by Michaela DePrince TEEN BIOGRAPHY DEPRINCE Michaela DePrince lived the first few years of her live in war-torn Sierra Leone until she was adopted by an American Family. Now seventeen, she is one of the premiere ballerinas in the United States.
	Dancing in the Dark by Robin Bavati TEEN BAVATI RO TEEN BAVATI Passionate about ballet, Ditty Cohen signs up for dance class despite being forbidden to by her Orthodox Jewish parents, then must face the consequences when the two worlds collide after five and a half years of study.
	Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black TEEN BLACK Fifteen-year-old Vanessa follows her sister Margaret to an elite Manhattan ballet school, not only gaining admission but also earning the lead in a production of The Firebird, while trying to uncover why and how Margaret and other lead dancers have disappeared.
	Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton RO TEEN CHARAIPOTRA Three top students at an exclusive Manhattan ballet academy compete for the status of prima ballerina, with each willing to sacrifice, manipulate, and backstab to be the best of the best.
	Pointe by Brandy Colbert TEEN COLBERT Four years after Theo's best friend, Donovan, disappeared at age thirteen, he is found and brought home and Theo puts her health at risk as she decides whether to tell the truth about the abductor, knowing her revelation could end her life-long dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer.
	Panic by Sharon Draper TEEN DRAPER As rehearsals begin for the ballet version of Peter Pan, the teenaged members of an Ohio dance troupe lose their focus when one of their own goes missing.
	Bunheads by Sophie Flack TEEN FLACK Hannah Ward, nineteen, revels in the competition, intense rehearsals, and dazzling performances that come with being a member of Manhattan Ballet Company's corps de ballet, but after meeting handsome musician Jacob she begins to realize there could be more to her life.
	Before You by Amber Hart TEEN HART Faith Watters has a picture-perfect life. She's captain of the dance team, popular, happy. She even spent her junior year traveling the world before returning to Oviedo High School for senior year. But she's living a lie. Diego Alvarez hates his new life in the States, but staying in Cuba is not an option. Covered in tattoos and scars, Diego doesn't stand a chance of fitting in, and doesn't want to. His only concern is his secret past, a past, which if it were to surface, would cost him his life. Everyone knows that Faith and Diego don't belong together. But fate has its own plan. All they want is to be free. What they get is something different entirely.
	Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor RO TEEN KANTOR Zoe thought that being cut from her ballet program was the worst thing that could happen, but when her best friend Olivia is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, Zoe quickly learns that not being able to dance is the least of her problems.
	Dancer, Daughter, Traitor, Spy by Elizabeth Kiem RO TEEN KIEM After a harrowing defection to the United States in 1982, Russian teenager Marya and her father settle in Brooklyn, where Marya is drawn into a web of intrigue involving her gift of foresight, her mother's disappearance, and a boy she cannot bring herself to trust.
	Someday Dancer by Sarah Rubin RO TEEN RUBIN In South Carolina in 1959 Casey Quinn dreams of being a ballerina, and though she has never had the money for lessons, she follows her dream to New York City and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance.
	Various Positions by Martha Schabas RO TEEN SCHABAS When talented, dedicated fourteen-year-old Georgia Slade becomes a student in an elite Toronto ballet academy, her confusing feelings toward one of her teachers lead to disaster.
	The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma TEEN SUMA Orianna and Violet are ballet dancers and best friends, but when the ballerinas who have been harassing Violet are murdered, Orianna is accused of the crime and sent to a juvenile detention center where she meets Amber and they experience supernatural events linking the girls together.

Add to our sticky note lyrics wall

Add some lyrics, your favorite band name, or a musical doodle to our sticky note lyrics wall in the teen area! It will be up all summer long.

Sign up for summer reading!

Today is the first day of our summer reading program, Read to the Rhythm. This year the goal is for everyone, no matter the age, to read every day. Books, magazines, newspapers, online articles and blogs, reading out loud, listening, and downloading ebooks all count. Earn prizes for completing each week, and pick a paperback book for completing the program. Plus, you may fill out Recommended Read entries to be entered into additional drawings for $10 Target gift cards.

Sign up now at the Dundee Library or Randall Oaks Branch Library!

And don't forget to sign up for our upcoming Craft Lab projects. These projects involve reusing discarded CDs and audiocassette tapes.

Summer reading starts today!

Today is the first day to sign up for the teen summer reading program Paws to Read. This year you may set your own reading goal, or stick to the goals used in past summers (900 minutes or 15 hours for grades 6-8; 1500 minutes or 25 hours for grades 9-12). If you meet your reading goal you will receive a paperbook! Some of the titles available as prizes this year include:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Legend by Marie Lu
Ripper by Stefan Petrucha
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Across the Universe by Beth Revis
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson
Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith
Origin by Jessica Khoury
2013 Guinness World Records Gamer's Edition

... and that's just a small selection!

Plus, fill out Recommended Read entries to share books you've enjoyed reading throughout the summer. Each one you turn in will enter you in the weekly drawings for $10 Target gift cards.

Be sure to turn any Recommended Read entries you complete in by Saturday, July 26, the last day of summer reading.

Summer reading titles for Dundee Crown and Jacobs students

Summer break is just around the corner and District 300 teachers have already passed out summer reading assignments in preparation for the 2013-14 school year. At the Dundee Library students will be able to find the required reading titles on a purple cart near the Information Services desk. If all the copies of a particular title are checked out, you can always place a hold. The books will check out for three weeks.

Dundee Crown:

Freshmen (200 level): The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
Freshmen (300-400 level): The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

Sophomores: Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

Juniors: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Seniors: choose one of the following:

Food Matters by Mark Bittman
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich
Thank You For Your Service by David Finkel
The Good, the Bad, and the Barbie: A Doll's History and Her Impact on Us by Tanya Lee Stone

AP Language
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

AP Literature
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
Atonement by Ian McEwan

Jacobs

Grade 9: Legend by Marie Lu

Grade 10: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Grade 11: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Grade 12: Atonement by Ian McEwan

Book recommendations for teens, by teens

Let's start off with our two latest winners in the weekly gift card drawings:

Bailey recommends The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak: " It had lots of figurative language and was narrated in an interesting way."

Deniz recommends The Key to the Golden Firebird by Maureen Johnson: "It is a heart-warming story of how three sisters cope with the death of their father. They each handle it in different ways and separate from each other, but in the end, the love of family never ceases, and brings them back together. It's a very cherishable story."

Bailey and Deniz both win $10 Target gift cards! Get your recommendations in -- we will have one more drawing at the end of this week! 

Grace recommends Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: "It's about four sisters who are just regular girls and all the adventures they had together."

Teigan recommends The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter: "This story gives you a different look at the Greek gods and how they interact in Kate's life. You also see Hades as a different person and hear how it really went when he kidnapped Persephone."

Shane recommends City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare: "The series is about Shadowhunters who are of angel descent and they fight demons."

Jennifer recommends Tempest by Julie Cross: "It is exciting, it's a romantic book. It has to do with the CIA and about people time-traveling."

Brooke recommends 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson: "The library reading program this year is all about travel and so is the book. The main character Ginny goes on a long travel that her aunt sends her on."

Aynur recommends Bakuman by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata: "It talks about their different goals and dreams and what they do to achieve it. Also, it tells you to keep trying even if you failed or a family member failed."

Merci recommends Salvation by Anne Osterlund: "It's a romantic story between the most popular guy falling for the girl that is the walking disaster of high school."

Aiden recommends The Loners by Lex Thomas: "It has high intensity, and is very hard to put down."

Daniel recommends The Maze of Bones by Rick Riordan: "It is action-packed and makes you think. It's full of suspense and awesome to the end. I can't wait to read the next book!"