Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The rest of the summer reading weekly winners!

Summer reading came to a close on Saturday. At the end of weeks 3-8 we pulled winners from the Recommended Read entries that had been received up to that point. Each winner received a $10 Target gift card. Thank you to everyone who participated in summer reading, filled out reading logs, and submitted Recommended Read entries!

Week 6 winners:

Samantha, who recommended What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones:
"It's a very sweet book and I like it so much that I don't see why anybody couldn't like it. It is now my fav. book." 

Glorielly, who recommended Smile by Raina Telgemeier:
"It's REALLY REALLY funny! And it's a comic book so it's a quick read but I love it cause it's realistic. All the things are believable and real. There are twists and turns but it's all real."

Week 7 winners:

Bailey, who recommended The Serpent's Shadow by Rick Riordan:
"There was lots of action and had a good ending."


Amanda, who recommended Tall Cool One by Zoey Dean:
"It was very intriguing. It's so interesting to see how the super rich and famous live. I loved how outrageously glamorous the hotel, Las Casitas, in Mexico was."

Week 8 winners:

Jackie, who recommended New Moon by Stephenie Meyer:
"It was very exciting, you can really feel everything going on in the story. I really enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait to read the next one!"

Alexis, who recommended Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles:
"Simone Elkeles is a great author because she writes like teenagers talk. That is what catches teens' attention someone that talks how they talk especially an author so they get more interested in reading more books." 

Alyssa, who recommended The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart:
"It is an easy read for older kids, but if you're looking for adventure, it's the book for. Kids are put through a system of tests to save the world. How can you beat that?"

The next book in the Lying Game series is out today

The latest book in The Lying Game series is Hide and Seek:
This is the fourth book in the series. Catch up with previous installments: The Lying Game, Never Have I Ever, and Two Truths and a Lie.

Monday, July 30, 2012

Teens recommend books by Rick Riordan

Summer reading ended on Saturday. Teens turned in over 100 Recommended Read slips with their picks on what to read over the summer. Rick Riordan is one author whose books continued to pop up on the Recommended Read entries. He is the author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus, and Kane Chronicles series. Here teens explain why his books are so great:

The Lightning Thief:
"It puts a whole different spin on the Greek Gods and myths." -- Kenyan

"I'm sure almost everyone has read this book but this recommendation is for those who haven't! This book itself is a great book and so are the books that follow in the series. It's also historical!" -- Glorielly


The Serpent's Shadow:
"It corporates Egyptian mythology into a modern culture, which causes some very interesting scenarios. The characters are well formed, and described aptly enough so that one can feel for their trials and troubles." -- Hannah
The Battle of the Labyrinth:
"Rick Riordan does an excellent job continuing his story. He also has some very well-placed sarcasm and very 'teen' remarks." -- Kenyan


The Son of Neptune:
"Every chapter makes you want to read more and more." - Stephanie 
The Titan's Curse
"I love Greek mythology. The book includes some of the actual Greek myths and Gods and Goddesses." -- Bailey 

Friday, July 13, 2012

Summer reading weekly winners so far!

Throughout summer reading teens have been filling out Recommended Read entries about books they've read. At the end of each week I draw winners from the entries for $10 Target gift cards. Here are our winners so far, along with the books they recommend:

Week 3 winner:
Nathan, who recommended Ultimate Spider-Man: Ultimate Collection by Brian Michael Bendis:  "It was a great read and unlike most Spider-Man stories I understood the pop culture references."
Week 4 winner:
Hannah, who recommended Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas by Maya Angelou: "Maya Angelou is a fascinating person. This, her third autobiography, describes just more of her adventures. She is a fantastic author, and makes you rejoice in her triumphs and cringe over her mistakes. It is an exciting book: for how can you not be excited about someone who's lived their lives to the fullest?"

Week 5 winners:
Abigail, who recommended The Council of Mirrors by Michael Buckley: "It is full of magic and adventure. It has partial romance and partial pranks. BEST BOOK I'VE EVER READ!"

Deniz, who recommended A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies: "It's a book where nothing is obvious and predictable. You will keep reading to find out what suspenseful surprise pops up next."
Keep checking the blog for more Recommended Reads!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

More new reads in a variety of genres

From historical fiction to steampunk, here are more of the latest arrivals to the collection!
What She Left Behind
by Tracy Bilen

Sixteen-year-old Sara's mother goes missing before she and Sara can move to a new town to escape Sara's physically abusive father.


A Girl Named Digit by Annabel Monaghan

After identifying a terrorist plot, a brilliant seventeen-year-old girl from Santa Monica, California, gets involved with the young FBI agent who is trying to ensure her safety.
Wanted by Heidi Ayarbe

Seventeen-year-old Michal Garcia, a bookie at Carson City High School, raises the stakes in her illegal activities after she meets wealthy, risk-taking Josh Ellison.


Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt

With help from her best friend Ava and Ava's boyfriend Noah, Hannah is recovering from being dumped by her boyfriend Sebastian, but on the first day of their senior year in high school, Ava learns that Hannah and Noah betrayed her while she was away.
Fall from Grace by Charles Benoit

Inspired by an intriguing girl who is nothing like his shallow girlfriend, a high school senior whose life has been mapped out by his parents makes some surprising decisions that lead him to take dangerous--but exhilarating--risks.


Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must to survive while keeping secret all that she can.
Tomo: Friendship Through Fiction: An Anthology of Japan Teen Stories

One year after the tsunami, this benefit fiction anthology helps teens learn about Japan and contribute to long-term relief efforts.


Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross

#2 in the Steampunk Chronicles. Sixteen-year-old Finley Jayne and her "straynge band of mysfits" have journeyed from London to America to rescue their friend Jasper, hauled off by bounty hunters. But Jasper is in the clutches of a devious former friend demanding a trade ; the dangerous device Jasper stole from him for the life of the girl Jasper loves. One false move from Jasper and the strange clockwork collar around Mei's neck tightens. And tightens. From the rough streets of lower Manhattan to elegant Fifth Avenue, the motley crew of teens with supernatural abilities is on Jasper's elusive trail. And they're about to discover how far they'll go for friendship.
The Doomsday Vault
by Steven Harper
In a clockwork Brittania, Alice's prospects are slim. At 21, her age and her unladylike interest in automatons have sealed her fate as an undesirable marriage prospect. But a devastating plague sends Alice off in a direction beyond the pale.


Thursday, June 21, 2012

New sci fi, fantasy, & paranormal books to check out

Fated by Alyson Noel

Strange things are happening to Daire Santos. Crows mock her, glowing people stalk her, time stops without warning, and a beautiful boy with unearthly blue eyes haunts all her dreams. Fearing for her daughter's sanity, Daire's mother sends her to live with the grandmother she's never met, but who recognizes the visions for what they truly are-the call to her destiny as a Soul Seeker-one who can navigate the worlds between the living and dead. This is the first book in the new Soul Seekers series by the author of The Immortals series.


The Selection by Kiera Cass

Sixteen-year-old America Singer is living in the caste-divided nation of Illea, which formed after the war that destroyed the United States. America is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illea's prince--but all she really wants is a chance for a future with her secret love, Aspen, who is a caste below her.
The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

Tired of the royal family's relative comfort while they suffer in the wake of worldwide catastrophes in 2090, rebels kill the British king and abduct two of his children, but Princess Eliza escapes, disguises herself, and joins the rebels to seek revenge and the safe return of her siblings.


Sweel Evil by Wendy Higgins

Sweet southern girl Anna discovers at age sixteen that she is the daughter of a guardian angel and a demon, the only one of her kind. As Anna struggles to fight the dark legacy of her father, she falls for the mysterious Kaidan Row, the ultimate bad boy. Forced to face her destiny, she must decide whether to embrace her halo or her horns
Taken by Storm by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Alpha Bryn's humanity becomes a bigger problem as she takes her place in the werewolf Senate and tries to address a new threat to the pack.


The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Seventeen-year-old Gene has passed as a vampire for years, carefully following every rule, but now, just as he finds a girl worth fighting for, he is chosen to participate in the hunt for the last remaining humans among ruthless vampires who soon suspect his true nature.
Immortal City by Scott Speer

Jackson is the hottest Angel in the city, soon he'll be a full Guardian and people will pay for him to save them. Then he falls for Maddy who likes him for who he is and not for his celebrity, but a serial killer is loose.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

New mystery and suspense

Stunning by Sara Shepard

#11 in Pretty Little Liars series. Struggling to return to normalcy after surviving Alison's attempt to kill them, Spencer, Aria, Emily and Hanna endure a series of disasters before realizing that they are being stalked by a new "A" who knows all of their secrets.


The Girl in the Park by Mariah Frederiks

When a teenaged girl with a bad reputation is murdered in New York City's Central Park after a party, her childhood friend is determined to solve the mystery of who caused her death.
Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

Adopted by famous Pinkerton Agency Detective Hawking in 1895 New York, fourteen-year-old Carver Young hopes to find his birth father, but when he becomes involved in the pursuit of notorious killer Jack the Ripper, Carver discovers that finding the truth can be worse than ignorance.


Dark Eyes by William Richter

Adopted from a Russian orphanage by a wealthy New York family then growing into a rebellious street youth, fifteen year-old Wally resolves to find the birth mother who stole a fortune from her murderous, dark-eyed father.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Summer reading and more fun programs this week

Today is the first day to sign up for summer reading. The theme this year is "Reading is So Delicious" and it runs through Saturday, July 28. Teens in grades 7-12 sign up at the Information Desk. All finishers will receive a paperback book of their choice! 

Requirements:
Teens in 7-8 grade read 900 minutes (15 hours)
Teens 9-12 grade: 1500 minutes (25 hours)

Plus, we'll do weekly drawings for $10 Target gift cards throughout the summer. Just fill out Recommended Read entries (as many as you want) to be entered into the drawings. We'll start pulling names June 23.

Summer Reading Kick Off Party
Tuesday, 3-4:30 PM in the Meeting Room
Find out why “Reading is So Delicious.” Sign up for summer reading, get book recommendations, create cool food-related crafts, and win prizes! Registration is recommended.



Competitive Gaming is a new club for teens at the library. The first meeting is Wednesday at 6:30 PM in the Meeting Room. Gamers, this is your competitive play hotspot for Tekken, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros., Soul Calibur, and more. It is optional to bring your own games and controllers. Bring your friends and your fighting (game) spirit! For ages 13 and up.

At this meeting club members will decide on the game they want to play at the July 23 tournament.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

2012 Teens' Top Ten Nominations

School will be out in a couple weeks, and if you are looking for some good books to read over the summer break, check out the 2012 Teens' Top Ten Nominations. Teens ages 12-18 will be able to vote online in August and September for their favorites from this list, and the top ten books will be announced during Teen Read Week in October. A few of the titles we do not own, but you should be able to get a copy sent here from another library. Go ahead and start crossing off the titles you read so you will be ready to vote in August!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

New books out today, and a birthday!

Happy birthday to Katniss Everdeen, District 12 tribute in The Hunger Games! In the book The Hunger Games we find out that May 8 is the birthday of the girl on fire. Let's celebrate with some new books:


City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare

When Jace vanishes with Sebastian, Clary and the Shadowhunters struggle to piece together their shattered world and Clary infiltrates the group planning the world's destruction. #5 in the Mortal Instruments series.
Until I Die by Amy Plum

The sequel to Die for Me, set in Paris, where a girl and a boy with a terrifying paranormal destiny fight dangerous forces to be together. #2 in the Revenants series.


Endure by Carrie Jones

When evil pixies cause mass destruction and chaos in Bedford, Maine, sixteen-year-old Zara prepares for war, aligning her team of pixies with the humans she loves so much, a task made more difficult by her growing feelings for pixie king Astley. #4 in the Endure series.
Underworld by Meg Cabot

John Hayden, a death deity, takes seventeen-year-old Pierce Oliviera back to the Underworld against her will to keep her safe from the Furies, but her family is still at risk and she, herself, may never escape his captivity. #2 in the Abandon series.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

New release Tuesday: "Insurgent," "Bitterblue," & more!

Science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and realistic fiction-- there's something for everyone in today's new releases!
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
I have been waiting for this book for months! Insurgent is the follow up to last year's Divergent. This dystopian series is set in a future Chicago, where everyone belongs to one of five factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Erudite, or Dauntless. Author Veronica Roth will be appearing at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville this Friday at 7 PM!

Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
The next entry in the popular Seven Kingdoms fantasy series, which also includes Graceling and Fire. Author Kristin Cashore will be appearing at Anderson's Bookshop this Saturday at 2 PM!


The Drowned Cities by Paolo Bacigalupi
This is a companion novel to 2010's dystopian sci-fi thriller Ship Breaker.

Wentworth Hall by Abby Grahame
Here's something for all you fans of historical fiction: Wentworth Hall is set in 1912 England and has been described as a young adult version of the popular PBS television series Downton Abbey.

Waiting by Carol Lynch Williams
As the tragic death of her older brother devastates the family, teenaged London struggles to find redemption and finds herself torn between her brother's best friend and a handsome new boy in town.

Monday, April 30, 2012

New books in the paranormal romance genre

Check out the similar poses on the covers of The Lifeguard and A Beautiful Dark!


by Deborah Blumenthal

Spending the summer at her aunt's beach house, teenaged Sirena struggles with her parents' divorce and falls in love with a mysterious lifeguard. 
A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

When Skye, who lives with her aunt in Boulder, Colorado, turns seventeen and is suddenly pursued by two boys who are polar opposites, secrets of her true identity--and destiny--begin to emerge.


Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Regretting her decision to forfeit her life on Earth to become an immortal on Everneath, a world between Earth and Hell, teenaged Nikki is given the chance to return to the Surface for six months, in this story loosely based on the "Hades and Persephone" myth.
Die for Me by Amy Plum

After their parents are killed in a car accident, sixteen-year-old Kate Mercier and her older sister Georgia, each grieving in her own way, move to Paris to live with their grandparents and Kate finds herself powerfully drawn to the handsome but elusive Vincent who seems to harbor a mysterious and dangerous secret.This if the first book in the Revenants series and is newly released in paperback. Book #2, Until I Die, will be released May 8.