Wednesday, August 26, 2009

NEXT BIG THING?

Twilight spawned a whole slew of authors trying their hand at writing the "next big thing." So what series or book will be the next 'Twilight?'

The Hunger Games from Suzanne Collins has gotten a lot of buzz and the second book in the trilogy, Catching Fire, comes out September 1st. The trilogy is set in the future and the United States is divided into 12 districts with an oppressive government and shortage of food. Each year, group of kids are selected by lottery to compete in this massive reality show/game to win food for their district. Suddenly it's kill or be killed, all while the citizens of the district watch and hope for their competitor to survive and win them food.


The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (author of Coraline) is another hit for the popular writer. I could see this one being a Tim Burton movie someday. It is similar to the Jungle Book, but the young baby escapes a murderer and ends up in a graveyard. The ghouls and spooks of the graves raise him (they call him "Nobody") from infant to teenager, much like the animals of the jungle raised Mowgli. This recently won the Newbery Medal.






Wings by Aprilynne Pike is set to become a movie. It is the first of four books about a girl who suddenly sprouts wings on her back. She then discovers that her parents found her on their doorstep when she was a baby, so she goes about to uncover her past and who her real parents are.

Monday, August 24, 2009

BRUTAL by MICHAEL HARMON

Brutal is a cute book about Poe, who is sent to live with her absentee father after her mother deserts her to provide aid in South America. The story follows Poe as she tries to get to know her dad and figure out why he left their family in the first place. She has always been a free thinker and a bit of a trouble maker so, at her new school, she tries to stir things up by pointing out all the unfairness to school administrators. This causes some trouble as her dad is the school counselor. However, Poe thinks it is necessary as she is trying to protect her sort-of-friend Velveeta after he becomes the target of some vicious bullies.
The story was interesting, but I would have liked a little more character development with Velveeta and Theo. It was a fast read and will appeal to boys and girls age 13+

Friday, August 14, 2009

SO PUNK ROCK by MICOL & DAVID OSTOW

So Punk Rock (and other ways to disappoint your mother) follows 4 friends from a conservative jewish school who form a punk band. The band was the brain child of Ari Abramson, who just wanted to play good music. He recruited his best friend Jonas, who is in it for the "fame" and girls, the only drummer he knows- social outcast Yossi, and Yossi's sister Reena, who has to be in it because their parents insist.
Their band, The Tribe, is the first and only band to come from their school, so they quickly find themselves the talk of the town. This creates some trouble for Ari, who keeps the band a secret from his parents. Soon, they find themselves bigger than they can handle as egos inflate and Ari struggles to keep his secret.
This is a fun read and I learned a lot about Jewish culture as well. For fans of music books and humor.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

ANIME CLUB

Plans have begun for our 2nd annual Anime Fest to be held at the Figge Art Museum. It will be Sunday October 18th from 12-4 p.m. We have a lot of cool stuff lined up, so start planning your cosplay now! Also, those interested in joining the Anime Club should email me and I'll let you know when our get togethers will be during the school yr.
scarlin@scottcountylibrary.org

Thursday, August 6, 2009

CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER by JAMES SWANSON

Another great read about our famous 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. Well, it's less about Lincoln, and more about his killer, the infamous John Wilkes Booth. Booth was a star in his day, having been in many big stage productions. He was a name well known throughout the east coast and especially in Washington D.C. So him murdering Lincoln would be like Brad Pitt murdering the President.

The book reads a lot like a mystery/thriller. It explains why Booth did it, and follows him and his co-conspirators as they try to escape the lawmen and army hunting them. You will also learn about the other attempted assassinations that night and how they were able to fight off or avoid the murderers.
Very compelling true story for fans of action, mystery, and drama

HIGHWAY TO HELL by ROSEMARY CLEMENT-MOORE

I am a big fan of the Maggie Quinn: Girl vs. Evil series because it's fast fun reading that will appeal to a wide variety of teens.
Maggie Quinn has psychic abilities, but she is still just learning how to use them. She often encounters demons and other supernatural beings and she tries to figure out how to banish them from earth. In the previous books, the demons showed up at the prom and in a sorority house. This time, they show up in a small ranch town in Texas in the form of demon chupacabras.
It's up to Maggie and her best friend Lisa-(who does wiccan-like spells) to help this town. There is a lot of action and many encounters with the demons. Also, it's a mystery in which the reader learns a lot about folk lore and the supernatural while Maggie tries to figure out what the demon is, why it's there, and how to fight it. Another great entry into this fabulous series. CLICK HERE to see all the books in the series

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Nightschool: The Weirn Books


We just got this first book to a new graphic novel series last month. It's called Nightschool and though it's drawn in manga style, it's not originally from Japan. It was written by Svetlana Chmakova for Hachette Books new imprint, Yen Press. Unlike mangas, it is read like an english novel, left to right, front to back.
Nightschool is what takes place after hours in a normal school. That's when all the demons, vampires, witches, etc. go to class. The first book centers around a young girl, Alex who seems to be a witch of some sort. She does not attend night school, she is homeschooled by her older sister Sarah. Sarah is also the new Night Keeper at Nightschool.
One night while working at the school, Sarah goes to check out a disturbance in the west wing hall. She disappears and no one at the Nightschool has any recollection of her. Only her sister Alex remembers her. In the following books, we will find out how Alex goes about finding her sister.
There are also some subplots involving Alex and some vampire hunters.
This was a fast read and I'm eagerly awaiting the next book to find out what happened to Sarah. It will be released later this year.

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