Exceptional Teen Novel

Marcelo in the Real World
by Francisco X. Stork

Marcelo is a teen who hears music that no one else can, sleeps in a tree house, has an obsession with religion, and prefers things to have an order to them. One might say he exhibits behaviors similar to individuals with Asberger's syndrome, although he's never been officially diagnosed. He attends a "special" school called the Paterson school where he takes care of the ponies in the therapeutic riding stables. His father, a high-powered lawyer, insists that he work in the mail room of his law firm for the summer. If Marcelo is able to succeed, he will be given the choice of staying in his special school for his senior year, or being mainstreamed into the "normal" high school.

While he is there, he happens across evidence which indicates the corruption in his father's practice. Once confronted with this, Marcelo must face his reservations about the real world and decide how to handle an ethical dilemma.

This is a powerful and moving novel that teens and adults will enjoy, even more than Mark Haddon's similar title The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time. The writing is beautiful. Readers of all personalities will be moved by Marcelo's struggle to relate to "normal".

Notable Teen Fantasy of the Summer

Place your hold now on these new and notable Teen Fantasy titles!

Strange Angels

Lili St. Crow

Dru Anderson has "the touch". She travels with her father from town to town hunting zombies, vampires, werewolves, you know, bad guys that haunt the earth. When her father turns into a zombie himself, she figures it's only a matter of time before she is hunted down too. But, she isn't about to let that stop her.

The Forests of Hands and Teeth

Carrie Ryan

Seven generations after The Return, and Mary lives in a city behind a chain link fence. Zombies haunt her village which is controlled by a religious order called The Sisterhood. The villagers are beginning to forget that there ever was a world before The Return. Mary and her mother believe in a world beyond the forest, where a vast body of water stretches beyond the reach of the undead.

Wings

Aprilynne Pike

Laurel is different. Very different. She realizes this when she sprouts blossom like wings on her back. And her science-minded friend David discovers that her cells are more plant than animal when he examines them under a microscope. It takes an encounter at her old home to lead her to realize who she truly is.

Finished with the Twilight Series?
NOW WHAT?!?!
There may be only one Edward, but we have more than 50 vampire tales for you to sink your teeth into!

Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Night Roads by A.M. Jenkins

Night World, No.1 and No. 2 by L.J. Smith

The Morganville Vampires Series by Rachel Caine
Glass Houses
Dead Girls’ Dance
Midnight Alley
Feast of Fools

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey

Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

The Parliament of Blood by Justin Richards

Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater Rhodes
Midnight Predator
Shattered Mirror
Demon in My View

Blue Bloods Series by Melissa de la Cruz
Blue Bloods
Masquerade
Revelations

House of Night Series by PC Cast
Marked
Betrayed
Chosen
Untamed

Sucks to Be Me: the All-True Confessions of Mina Hamilton, Teen Vampire (Maybe) by Kimberly Pauley

Vampire Kisses Series by Ellen Schreiber
Vampire Kisses
Kissing Coffins
Vampireville
Dance with a Vampire
Coffin Club

Suck it Up by Brian Meehl

Evernight by Claudia Gray

The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer
Eight Grade Bites
Ninth Grade Slays

Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith
The Awakening and the Struggle
The Fury and Dark Reunion

My Sword is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick

Vampire Academy by Richille Mead
Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Shadow Kiss

Bloodline Series by Kate Cary
Bloodline
Reckoning

Vampire Beach Series by Alex Duval
Bloodlust
Initiation

Circus of the Darned by Katie Maxwell

Got Fangs? by Katie Maxwell

Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan
Cirque du Freak
Tunnels of Blood
Vampire’s Assistant

Sweetblood by Pete Hautman

Boys that Bite by Marianne Mancusi

Vampire High by Douglas Rees

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause

Vampires: A Collection of Original Stories by Jane Yolen

--List courtesy of Megan Alabaugh

Neil Gaiman wins the Newbery!

Neil Gaiman, who is best known for his dark and hypnotic Sandman series, is having a great year. Not only is Coraline, one of his novels, debuting on the big screen on Feb. 6th, but his most recent novel, The Graveyard Book has just won the Newbery Award, and will also soon be made into a motion picture.

The Graveyard Book is the story of a young boy who winds up being raised by a group of ghosts after his parents are murdered. Gaiman has claimed that his inspiration for his novel was Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. It can be found in Teen Fiction.

Coraline is the story of a young girl who finds a secret door in her house that leads her into an altered universe. It has been compared to Alice in Wonderland, and can be found in Children's Fiction.

Both novels are sure to delight lovers of dark, mysterious, fantastical fiction. Get your copies now and beat the rush!

Titles that celebrate a time of change

This week the first African-American will take the oath to serve at the President of the United States. This is surely a time of change when the entire country will be reflecting on decades of sacrifice and civil rights struggles that led up to this moment. Here are some well-written teen novels that celebrate African-American identity and history.

The Glory Field

Walter Dean Myers

This moving story follows one African-American family as they struggle through 241 years, from the Sierra Leone to South Carolina. Teen Historical Fiction

Day of Tears

Julius Lester

On one day in 1859, the largest slave auction took place on a plantation in Georgia. Emma is a house slave who, although promised otherwise, is sold impulsively to a woman in Kentucky, and must then deal with the resentment and betrayal that follows. Teen Historical Fiction

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation: The Pox Party

M. T. Anderson

Sixteen-year-old Octavian is the son of an African princess who is now living with a group of philosophers in pre-Revolutionary Boston. He is treated to a life of privilege and education, but eventually realizes that he is the subject of their scientific experiments to study the nature of Africans. Realizing the hypocrisy of his benefactors, he uses his education to his advantage, and joins the Patriots to fight the British army. Teen Fiction

Fire From the Rock
Sharon Draper

Sylvia Patterson is a typical teenager who finds herself in the eye of a storm when she is selected as the first African-American student to attend Little Rock Central High. Teen Historical Fiction

Trouble Don't Last
Shelley Pearsall
An eleven-year-old Kentucky slave attempts to escape to Canada with the elderly slave who raised him through the Underground Railroad. J Paperback Fiction

Bud, Not Buddy
Christopher Paul Curtis
Ten-year-old Bud leaves his foster family in 1936 Flint, Michigan and sets out on his own to find his father who he believes to be the famous jazz composer H. E. Calloway.

A Tribute to Madeleine L'Engle

2009 has been designated The International Year of Astronomy by the International Astronomical Union and UNESCO. You can read all about it here.



http://www.astronomy2009.org/general/



This got me to remembering the very first YA novel I ever loved, A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle.





Published in 1962, this science-fiction masterpiece tells the story of Meg and Charles Wallace Murry who travel with their friend Calvin through a wormhole in order to find their missing physicist father. It is truly an intriguing story, and one that is difficult to put down. For those who have not read it, I strongly recommend it. It is the first in a series of Time Quartet novels by L'Engle. The rest are A Wind in the Door, Many Waters, and A Swiftly Tilting Planet.

Read it on a cold winter's night when you don't have a ton of homework. You're sure to love it.

Gift suggestions for that book loving teen

Looking for the perfect gift for a teen who has everything, and has read everything? Well, here are a few suggestions for the gift book that keeps on giving.

Monsterology

Sir Ernest Drake

This interesting pictorial book is a lovely compendium of monsters and beings of all kinds. It contains samples of their hair, pictures, and suggestions for how to act if confronted. Fantasy lovers will delight in the life like illustrations

The Twilight Saga: Slipcased

Stephenie Meyer

Yes, they may have already torn through this popular series, but who couldn't resist having all four books in one attractive case? It also contains four collectible prints to add to its appeal. If the 83 dollar price tag seems a bit steep, try The Twilight Saga: The Official Guide by Stephenie Meyer. It reads like an encyclopedia to all things Twilight.

Madapple

Christina Meldrum

This mesmerizing first title from this author tells the story of a young girl names Aslaug who was raised pretty much in a cult. She has spent her whole life living off the land in rural Maine, not knowing who her father is, and never experiencing the outside world. Suddenly her mother dies mysteriously and Aslaug is a suspect. Her spirituality is questioned, and Aslaung must grapple with the role of God in everyday life. This one makes a great gift for that teen who likes to question all things supernatural. It also makes a great gift for any teen interested in all things botanical, given its detailed discussion of the nourishing properties of certain plants.

Ghost Girl

Tonya Hurley

Charlotte Usher has spent her life utterly invisible to the teens at her high school. When she dies in a freak accident, she refuses to accept an eternity of invisibility and vows to go to the Fall Ball with the boy of her dreams. She soon finds out that there are other dead teens who have mastered death among the living. This one is cute, but not too cute. It contains just enough death and drama for that emo teen in your life. Check out the book's web site for a selection of eccentric animated illustrations to go along with the novel.

City of Bones

Cassandra Clare

This is the first title in the Mortal Instruments trilogy. This urban fantasy is filled with demons, murder, and all sorts of fantastical creatures. Clary realizes that she can see the world of the Shadowhunters, teens who hunt demons and supernatural creatures, and realizes that her mother is somehow connected to this world. Give this one to that emo teen who is into gothic fantasy and likes blood and gore.

Holiday Princess

Meg Cabot

Sugary sweet and perfect for the holidays. This special holiday issue of the Princess Diaries will delight that tween fan.

Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances

John Green/Lauren Myracle/Maureen Johnson

Three well acclaimed YA authors have written the best holiday-themed short stories you've ever read.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal

Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley is an undersized sixth grader trying to cope with a friend who is becoming more popular than him. Older teens might have a nostalgic appreciation for this graphic novel.

"Mean girl" books that stand on their own..

The Clique is on the big screen!

Some of you may or may not have heard that the wildly popular tween series The Clique by Lisi Harrison was recently released on DVD. Tyra Banks has produced the movie version of the first title in this popular series, and it promises to have as many disses and fashion flubs as the printed version. For those unaware, it is basically about rich mean girls in middle school. The book series currently contains nine titles so far: The Clique, Best Friends for Never, Revenge of the Wannabes, Invasion of the Boy Snatchers, The Pretty Committee Strikes Back, Dial L for Loser, It's Not Easy Being Mean, Sealed With a Diss, and Bratfest at Tiffany's. A supplemental collection of books about each Clique main character (Massie, Claire, Dylan, Kristen, and Alicia) was also released this past summer.


In case you have already read all of the Clique titles, loved them, and are craving more, here are some stand alone and series titles that you might enjoy.

Private
Kate Brian
Teen Pb

Airhead
Meg Cabot
Teen Fiction

Secrets of My Hollywood Life
Jen Calonita
Teen Fiction

I'd Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You
Ally Carter
Teen Fiction

I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader
Kieran Scott
Teen Fiction

Pretty Little Liars
Sara Shepard
Teen Pb

The Secret Rites of Social Butterflies
Lizabeth Zindel
Teen Fiction

Twilight on the big screen!

So, the Twilight movie was released this weekend, and is promising record box office earnings. Have you seen it? Please share your opinions and comments. Reviews, so far, have been mixed. For those of you who have not read the book, you can download it from our digital library service, Overdrive.

Simply go to www.digiload.org and search for the title. You will need to download the latest version of Adobe Acrobat to read it. It's free (with your library card)!

Teen novels soon to be made into movies!

There is a growing trend of teen novels being made into movies. This year there were three major ones. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist (by David Levithan), Twilight (by Stephenie Meyer), and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (by John Boyne).

Here is a list of all of the soon to be released movies from teen novels (that we know of).

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (2009)

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (2010)

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel (2008?)

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud (2009)

Airman by Eoin Colfer (2011)

Flyy Girl by Omar Tyree (2008)

The Giver by Lois Lowry (2011)

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (2010)

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke (2008)

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (2009)

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (2010)

Skellig by David Almond (2008)

Teen Idol by Meg Cabot (2008)

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (2011)

Must Read of the Weekend!

Graceling by Kristin Cashore is an amazing read. Fans of Twilight just might enjoy this one.

Katsa was born in a land where a select few called Gracelings are born with supernatural talents. This is indicated by their different colored eyes. She is 18 when she discovers that her Grace empowers her to kill a man with her bare hands.

This terrifying skill causes her to be feared by everyone. However, Katsa does not relish her ability, and wants to use it for good. She forms The Council, an underground group who serve to right the wrongs of the oppressed. In a rescue mission she encounters Po, another Graced fighter who dares to stand up to her. Soon they fall in love, and are united in their desire to save their land from corruption.

The romance between Po and Katsa is similarly palpable to the romance between Bella and Edward. The intrigue and dangerous attraction between these two lovers will have you drooling for more. And there will be more. The prequel, Fire is set to be released in October 2009.

Barack Obama wins the 2008 Presidential Election!

Today is a historic day in American history. The first African-American was elected president of the United States of America. Some of you may have been old enough to vote in this election. Most of you weren't. But, perhaps you will be old enough to vote in the next election.

Whether or not you voted, or were happy with the outcome, the significance of yesterday's election had to affect you. The enthusiasm of voters was contagious. For the first time in a long time, people were flocking to the polls in record numbers, bringing their children, and smiling throughout, even if they had to wait in long lines. It made you really love the United States of America.

Perhaps you will be old enough to vote in the next general election (2012). If so, or whenever you have that privilege, remember how wonderful it is to have it, and make the most of it!

Please feel free to offer your comments on the election and your hopes for the next four years.

The Next Anime Club screening is Nov. 11th!

The Rocky River Public Library Anime Club will be screening

Noir: Shades of Darkness, Vol. 1

on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Purple Room on the library's Mezzanine level.

Noir is the story of two professional assassins, Mireille Bouquet and Kirika Yumura. Neither one can remember their past, but both of them are very good at what they do. They team up to form "Noir", but soon realize that someone is out to kill them.

The anime club is open to teens ages 12-18. All those who are under 18 are required to have a signed permission form to participate. Please stop in at the Adult Reference desk to pick up a form prior to the screening.

Teens Top Ten!!!!!

Announcing the Top Ten Teen Titles of 2008! Click here to vote for your own!

(as voted on by over 8000 teens)


1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
10. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Do you agree? Feel free to comment and add your own!

Psst....Hey You! This just in! Eva Longoria is fat! Give me a break.

Recently speculations have been surfacing about Eva Longoria's weight gain. Apparently, she has gained so much weight, she can no longer be mistaken for a twelve-year-old boy. Could she be pregnant? No, she insists she is just getting "fat" for her role as a frumpier Gabby on Desperate Housewives.

Imagine if every time you stepped out of your door, went to the beach, bought a coffee, went grocery shopping, everyone scrutinized your body. Did you gain a pound? Perhaps your T-shirt clings unflatteringly to your belly as you step out of Subway. Oh, you must be pregnant. Does this happen to men? Of course not. Why does it happen so much to young women and girls? Because we let it.

Well, it's making me angrier and angrier every time I see this. Especially this particular story. Eva Longoria is too thin, as are most of the actresses in Hollywood. She is too small. Perhaps she is gaining weight, not for a role, as she claims, but because she wants to GET pregnant and can't because she is too thin.

If you are a teenage girl, and you are reading this, please know that this is not an image or ideal to aspire to. Here's why. IT'S NOT REAL! Oh, and I forgot to mention one other little reason. For most young girls, trying to look this way can do serious damage to your body.

You may not think dieting or exercising to an extreme to slim down is doing you any harm. And, it may not be noticeable. Now. But, I assure you, it will do damage that will come back to haunt you as you age. Bone loss, infertility, gastrointestinal disorders, bad skin, and many many other ailments plague women who just didn't take care of themselves in their teens and twenties.

And, here's another thing that makes me mad..fashion designer Rachel Zoe's new reality show, The Rachel Zoe Project. This walking skeleton of a woman creates bohemian fashion for overly skinny celebrities like Lindsey Lohan, Nicole Richie, The Olsen twins, and others. It was rumored that she pressured Lohan to "slim down" to portray the image that her clothes aspire to. Who knows if that is true, but I can almost guarantee that if a normal sized woman like Queen Latifah asked her to dress her for an awards show, not that she ever would want to, Ms. Zoe would probably politely decline. Why does she deserve her own stupid show?

Now, if you are a teenage girl and reading this, you are also probably saying something like "I know all of this already. My mom, my teachers, everyone harps on having a better body image." Well, they should. And, you probably don't. More and more teenage girls are emerging with low self-esteem and poor body image. This can really make it difficult to survive in the real world. How can you change that? Read everything you can get your hands on and tell yourself every day that you are beautiful and awesome. Because, even though it sounds corny, repeating this will eventually help you believe it.

Here are some suggestions for reading material on this topic that doesn't suck and doesn't preach to you:

Body Drama

Nancy Amanda Redd

Teen Nonfiction

Life Doesn't Begin 5 Pounds From Now

Jennifer Weiner

Adult Nonfiction

All made up : a girl's guide to seeing through celebrity hype and celebrating real beauty

Brashich, Audrey D.

Teen Nonfiction

Gossip Girl the series....

The further adventures of Gossip Girl continues to be very popular on the WB. Did you know that it was first a series of popular teen pbks by Cecily Von Ziegesar?

Ms. Von Ziegesar is an actual person, unlike Lisi Harrison and Zoey Dean, the credited authors of The Clique series and the A-List series respectively. She is from a wealthy Connecticut family, and actually went to a boarding school in upper East side New York, the Nightingale-Bamford School. So, I guess she knows what she is writing about. However, I doubt much of what she writes is based on reality, but who knows.

In case you have been living under a rock for the past few months, Gossip Girl is basically the story of a few super rich socialites living in Manhattan's upper East side. No one knows who Gossip Girl is, except GG herself. She is the anonymous writer of an online blog in which sex, relationships, scandal, and much more is shared among its readers. For those of you who care to read the popular series, here is the order:

Gossip Girl
You Know You Love Me
All I Want Is Everything
Because I'm Worth It
I Like It Like That
You're the One That I Want
Nobody Does It Better
Nothing Can Keep Us Together
Only in Your Dreams
Would I Lie to You?
Don't You Forget About Me
Prequel
It Had To Be You
The series also has two spinoffs, The It Girl and Gossip Girl: The Carlyles.

Do You Wanna Be a Rock Star?...and the further adventures of XBox 360

Well, now's your chance to be a rock star in the library! Rocky River Public Library now has three, yes, THREE gaming systems which will be available for open play on Tuesday, Sept. 23 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the library's Auditorium.

Our newest purchase is the XBox 360 Arcade, which joins a PS2 and Nintendo Wii. The XBox 360 game Rock Band 2 has been preordered, and should arrive shortly, hopefully by the 23rd.

Now this leads me to my latest teen fiction recommendation for the aspiring punk rock goddess.

I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone

by Stephanie Kuehnert

Teen Paperback

It's the story of a teenage girl named Emily Black who is growing up in a small town stuck in the mid-70's. Her mother left her when she was just a baby to track down the Ramones and live the fast life in the punk rock scene, or at least that's what her father tells her. In case you are wondering, Joey Ramone was the eccentric front singer for the rock band the Ramones. The Ramones were trailblazers, to say the least, in the punk rock scene.

Emily is in love with punk rock music and thinks if she starts her own punk rock band, and it's successful, maybe, just maybe, her mother will show up at one of her concerts. So she does. It's a moving story about mothers, daughters and a rock bond that cannot be broken. This is Kuehnert's first novel, but if it is any indication of her writing talent, there will be more.

Rock On!

Interested in trying out this new equipment? All you have to do is be a teen and show up. Oh, and it's also a good idea to try to act reasonably normal if you can. Rowdy behavior and a refusal to play nice is annoying to everyone.

Preview of John Green's Latest: Paper Towns

Paper Towns

John Green

John Green's latest offering to his scores of young adult fans lives up to the hype. It's a moving story about a boy named Quentin. It's a month before his high school graduation, and his friend (and object of affection) Margo Roth Spiegelman goes missing. They've been friends their whole lives, but he knows something has been wrong with her lately. Something he is not quite sure of. Did she run away? Commit suicide? Who knows. The mystery is not revealed until the very end, and you will not want to stop reading until it is.

Green keeps up his reputation of writing philosophical teen fiction that does more than entertain. It makes you think. You fall in love with the eccentricity and thoughtfulness of the characters, and identify with their mental struggles.

It will be released at the start of October. If you are a fan of Green, he will be speaking at the Worthington Public Library on September 8th. I have heard him speak before, and can honestly say that he is not to be missed!

Watch the Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist trailer!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
starring Michael Cera as Nick and Kat Dennings as Norah

Hits theaters October 3, 2008!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=39684534

These kidz are more than all right!

So, what's your street look? Is it something like this?

Let me just say, if you have a look, you will find everything or nothing in common with the people in the New York Look Book: A Gallery of Street Fashion. It's a pictorial for the designer wannabes.

Quite impressive. Especially if you are studying up for back to school looks.