Ages 11-18
Blog Post
Listen to a Great Book while you RUN
by Bertha
Might as well listen to a great story while you run and train this summer. Congrats to many high school runners who recently competed in state track meets across Michigan this past week-end. Track stats
As you continue to run this summer try taking along, Dessen's Just Listen, a bittersweet story of Annabel, self-assured and glamorous, or so it seems. Along comes Owen, music-obsessed, somewhat eccentric, and just has to tell the truth. A few others to also try are: Hip-Hop High School a companion story to Hoopster or Rash a futuristic story of Bo Marsten who is accused of causing a rash that plagues his high school.
Blog Post
GLBT Teen Top Sellers
by jillean
Here are the most popular Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgender titles over at Amazon.com. I just started Between Mom and Jo and I’ve got Keeping You A Secret in my hold queue (I dig Julie Anne Peters). For books that also discuss issues of racial identity, check out The House You Pass on the Way by Jacqueline Woodson and A Necessary Hunger by Nina Revoyr.
Top Sellers
Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies by Brent Hartinger
Totally Joe by James Howe
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez
Getting It by Alex Sanchez
Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters
Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters
Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
Boy Girl Boy by Ron Koertge
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #67
by muffy
Critics are calling Rebecca Stott’s academic thriller Ghostwalk* “hypnotic”, “intelligent”, and “stunning”, (where) “Isaac Newton joins Dracula and Leonardo da Vinci”. Curious? I was.
Elizabeth Vogelsang, a Cambridge University scholar at work on a potentially controversial biography of Isaac Newton is found drowned and clutching a prism in her hand (a clue?). Lydia Brooke, a successful screenwriter is asked by Cameron Brown, her former lover and Elizabeth’s son to ghostwrite the last chapter of Elizabeth’s manuscript.
Lydia soon finds that Elizabeth’s cottage might be haunted and she is drawn into solving two series of murders centuries apart, both connected to 17th Century alchemy and present-day animal rights.
This well-researched and intricately crafted debut novel by British historian Stott (bio.) is a clever whodunit that entertains and instructs - of such varied subjects as optics, neuroscience, and animal testing. More interesting trivia on 17th Century Cambridge could be found on her website.
* = Starred Reviews
Blog Post
Tsubasa @ Animanga Club, Tuesday, June 5th
by joy k
Join us this Tuesday @ the Northeast Branch from 7:00 to 8:30 for the June meeting of the AADL’s Animanga club. We'll be watching episodes of the newly released Tsubasa anime, courtesy of Funimation, and doing a trivia quiz and a craft. If you’ve liked any manga series by CLAMP, you won’t want to miss this event, because Tsubasa features crossovers from all of CLAMP’s other series: even its main characters, Sakura and Syaoran, are new versions of characters from Cardcaptor Sakura. Learn more about the anime at its official website.
Not familiar with the series? Come anyway! You can talk about ANYTHING relating to anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture. Snacks and drinks will also be served.
Get 2 bonus points on your trivia quiz by commenting here with your results from this quiz: Which Tsubasa character are you? Apparently I’m Kurogane; I didn’t think I was that grumpy!
Blog Post
Calling all Summer Babysitters
by lola
Summer Childcare Training for Teens - Saturday, June 9th, 10:00 - 3:00 p.m. at the Neutral Zone
Are you hiring a teen this summer to watch your kids? Or is your older child cruise director for the next three months for your younger kids? You can send them to the library for babysitting books but this might be the perfect program for your teen to get ready for their summer job.
Many teens provide childcare during the summer months, and many of them could benefit from some skill development and support. This training will be active and fun and will focus on child development, safety and positive daily activities. Teens of all ages are encouraged to attend, and they will receive gift certificate incentives for their participation. Training will be followed up with support through a website centered support program.
This program is sponsored by Washtenaw Success by Six and there is no charge. Call Beth Taylor at 994-8100, ext. 1255 or email sowencruise@wuway.org for more information and to get signed up.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #66
by muffy
If you love adventures, steamy romance, political intrigues, religious passion, a bit of history painted in vivid colors, or simply a good story well told, you wouldn’t want to miss Tim Willock’s The Religion*.
First of a planned trilogy, it is set against the backdrop of the 1565 Great Siege of Malta. Roguish and disarmingly handsome Mattias Tannhauser, kidnapped by Muslim raiders as a child and trained as a holy warrior is now a soldier of fortune. What he does not bargain for is the charming Contessa Carla La Penautier to complicate his wild and boozy ways.
On the eve of the Turkish blockage of the island - the last strong hold of The Knight of St. John (a.k.a. The Religion), Carla agrees to marry Tannhauser (thus making him a Lord) if he would travel to Malta with her to rescue her son abandoned at birth. With the largest ever Ottoman armada on their tail and a vicious battle imminent, their quest is made even more overwhelming when the Pope’s brutal inquisitor with a secret agenda is working against them.
The story moves at a break-necked pace with non-stop action, without sacrificing good character development, historical details and a complex plot. Remarkable. Sure to become this summer’s blockbuster.
* = Starred Reviews
Blog Post
Be careful what you wish for
by joy k
xxxHolic by CLAMP, the all-female manga artist group, is the story of Watanuki Kimihiro, a high school student who has always been able to see spirits. When spirits chase him into the shop of a mysterious witch, Yuuko, she offers to grant his wish to never see spirits again. There's just one catch: Watanuki has to work in Yuuko's shop until he pays off the price of his wish.
CLAMP likes to include many crossovers between its series, and xxxHolic is no exception. The first volume of xxxHolic features a major crossover with Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, vol. 1; you don't have to read both for the story to make sense, but it's certainly more fun if you do. (Props to the first person who identifies the other crossover in xxxHolic, vol. 1 in the comments!) If you're a fan of either series, or just of anime and manga in general, be sure to come to the June 5 meeting of the teen Animanga Club: we're going to be screening episodes of the brand new Tsubasa anime.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #65
by muffy
Successful teen author Shannon Hale is breaking into the adult market with Austenland. Unabashedly chicklit, it is an engaging read you won’t want to put down.
Jane Hayes – pretty, clever, a 30something with a thriving career (graphic artist) and even better hair, has one embarrassing secret obsession. Despite a stream of promising boyfriends (numbered but not named), her heart belongs to Mr. Darcy (as in Jane Austen’s), in the form of Colin Firth.
When Great Aunt Carolyn leaves her a legacy of a three-week, all-expense-paid holiday to a Jane Austen fantasy camp, her bags are packed. At Pembrook Park, Jane swaps her 21st century persona for a 19th century sensibility, complete with wardrobe, country dances, walks in the park and a supply of gentlemen as romantic interest. But when Jane falls for the gardener, breaks the rules and is expelled, an unexpected “Mr. Darcy” (Colin Firth in a wet shirt) comes through with the goods.
The plot is fresh though the ending is predictable. The language is snappy and humorous. The characters are well observed. Although the heroine is not without fault – she is dreamy and vulnerable, she is also smart, resourceful, and endearingly hopeful. I hope we'll meet again.
Blog Post
teenreads.com
by K.C.
teenreads.com is a great source for ideas of something to read. Teen and adult reviewers express their views on the latest books. Here’s a review for Twisted, a book you don’t want to miss.
In TWISTED, Laurie Halse Anderson presents readers with Tyler Miller, whose transformation from a meek, social Mr. Cellophane to a chiseled, admired "tough guy" sets his world on end. As someone who spends his days unnoticed, Tyler finds himself with more attention than he wanted after he vandalizes school property and, to pay for his crime, takes a summer job doing landscaping. The unforeseen side effect is that he returns the next school year with a brand new bod that's turning heads, most notably the head of Bethany Milbury.
But not everything --- even Bethany's advances --- works out well for Tyler. As he struggles to contend with his angry father, a mistrustful faculty and the aftermath of a drunken party, Tyler comes to the painful realization that there's a substantial price tag for his newfound popularity, and juggling the consequences lead him to thoughts of suicide.
While the overall story tackles weighty issues such as identity, family and suicide, Anderson masterfully interjects wry humor that always seems to find its mark. There's something very genuine in the portrayal of Tyler's struggle, both as he seeks attention and as he seeks to banish it. His volatile family situation --- especially his relationship with his father --- is familiar without bowing to a stereotypical, dysfunctional family. Despite times when Chip Milbury (Bethany's brother and the bane of Tyler's rebirth) comes across a little cartoonish in his machinations, the characterizations ring true.
TWISTED, with its tip of the hat to black comedy, does what all good cautionary tales should do: leaves the reader with the certainty that something would be missing in their life without it. Don't miss out on this.
--- Reviewed by Brian Farrey
Blog Post
The Truth About Stacey
by anned
Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia, and Stacey are back in book number 2 of Raina Telgemeier’s graphic novel adaptation of Ann M. Martin’s series, The Baby-sitters Club. The club is faced with a competing “agency” and Stacey is trying to deal with how her parents are handling her diabetes. As always, Raina’s art is amazing. Fans of Lynn Johnston’s For Better or For Worse will see some similarities in style. Raina is great at showing the characters’ emotion with just a few lines and her interpretation is truly timeless.