New Books for October ~ Part 4

The ultimate guide to understanding the universe.These days, it often seems like there's nothing we can count on. Mechanical engineer and proud science geek Christine McKinley has some good advice: Trust the laws of gravity, motion, energy, and entropy. In this funny, smart, and surprisingly practical book, McKinley offers a guided tour of the physical world, explaining everything from sound and light waves to momentum, buoyancy, magnetism, and relativity - and offers advice on how to use them in our everyday lives and more glamorous pursuits. Whether you're a secret agent trying to cover your tracks, a war correspondent ducking into a bomb shelter, or simply trying to execute the perfect stage dive, understanding physics can mean the difference between life and death (or at least looking kind of silly). Part science book, part memoir, and part extreme survival handbook, Physics for Rock Stars is the amazing science class you never had (or don't remember).

Michael and his friends must rescue a child prodigy as the thrilling action continues in this electrifying fourth installment of the #1 New York Times bestselling series! Michael, Taylor, Ostin and the rest of the Electroclan head to China in search of a girl who may have discovered why Michael and his friends became electric. Her name is Lin Julung, or Jade Dragon, and she's a child prodigy with an IQ higher than Einstein's- and Ostin's. But Hatch gets to her first, and the Elgen are holding her prisoner in their Taiwan Starxource plant. Now the Voice wants Michael and the Electroclan to go to Taiwan and free her before Hatch can realize his dreams of an army of electric children. The hunt for Jade Dragon is on, and it's a race against time!

Kara, a high school junior, is popular with a great group of friends, an amazing boyfriend, and expectations of being homecoming queen until she leaves a party angry, and wakes up in a hospital bed, paralyzed from the waist down. As she is forced to adjust to her new physical reality, she also learns that her friends are not who they seemed to be.

In 1905 czarist Russia, an impoverished country girl Elena and the aristocratic Ekatrina meet and set in motion an escapade that includes mistaken identity, a monk locked in a tower, a prince traveling incognito, and the witch Baba Yaga.

Waking up after a five-year absence with no memory of what happened, softball player Kyra Agnew is astonished to realize that she did not age while she was missing and teams up with her former boyfriend's now-teenaged younger brother to figure out what happened.

13 Creepy, Crawly, or Scary YA Novels to Read on Friday the 13th

1. Absent by Katie Williams - Seventeen-year-old Paige Wheeler died in a fall off the high school roof and now her spirit seems bound to the school grounds, along with Brooke and Evan, two other teen ghosts who died there--but maybe if she can solve the mystery of her apparent suicide they will all be able to move on.

2. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - For three years, seventeen-year-old Cas Lowood has carried on his father's work of dispatching the murderous dead, traveling with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat, but everything changes when he meets Anna, a girl unlike any ghost he has faced before.

3. Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn - A year after vanishing from a party, screaming and drenched in blood, seventeen-year-old Annaliese Rose Gordon appears hundreds of miles from home with no memory, but a haunting certainty that she is actually another girl trapped in Annaliese's body.

 

4. Asylum by Madeleine Roux - Three teens at a summer program for gifted students uncover shocking secets in the sanatorium-turned-dorm where they're staying--secrets that link them all to the asylum's dark past.

 

5. Body Finder by Kimberly Derting - High school junior Violet uses her uncanny ability to sense murderers and their victims to try to stop a serial killer who is terrorizing her town, and although her best friend and would-be boyfriend Jay promises to keep her safe, she becomes a target.

 

6. Diviners by Libba Bray - Seventeen-year-old Evie O'Neill is thrilled when she is exiled from small-town Ohio to New York City in 1926, even when a rash of occult-based murders thrusts Evie and her uncle, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, into the thick of the investigation.

 

7. Frost by Marianna Baer - When Leena Thomas gets her wish to live in an old Victorian house with her two closest friends during their senior year at boarding school, the unexpected arrival of another roommate--a confrontational and eccentric classmate--seems to bring up old anxieties and fears for Leena that may or may not be in her own mind.

 

8. I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga - Seventeen-year-old Jazz learned all about being a serial killer from his notorious "Dear Old Dad," but believes he has a conscience that will help fight his own urges and right some of his father's wrongs, so he secretly helps the police apprehend the town's newest murderer, "The Impressionist."

 

9. In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters - In San Diego in 1918, as deadly influenza and World War I take their toll, sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches desperate mourners flock to séances and spirit photographers for comfort and, despite her scientific leanings, must consider if ghosts are real when her first love, killed in battle, returns.

10. Murmurings by Carly Anne West - After her older sister dies from an apparent suicide and her body is found hanging upside down by one toe from a tree, sixteen-year-old Sophie starts to hear the same voices that drove her sister to a psychotic break.

11. Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson – Rory, of Boueuxlieu, Louisiana, is spending a year at a London boarding school when she witnesses a murder by a Jack the Ripper copycat and becomes involved with the very unusual investigation.

12. Shadowlands by Kate Brian - Rory, a girl in witness protection, thinks the serial killer she turned in has found her and is killing people around her. But as she investigates, she discovers a dark, disturbing truth about her new hometown.

13. Ten by Gretchen McNeil - Ten teens head to a house party at a remote island mansion off the Washington coast . . . only for them to picked off by a killer one by one

New Books for May (part 5)

Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting

When Violet, a high school senior, learns that an underground group has been carrying out murders on the order of their Charles Manson-like leader, she is pulled into a deadly hunt, where even her ability may not save her.

 The Believing Game by Eireann Corrigan

After Greer Cannon discovers that shoplifting can be a sport and sex can be a superpower, her parents pack her up and send her off to McCracken Hill-a cloistered academy for troubled teens. At McCracken, Greer chafes under the elaborate systems and self-help lingo of therapeutic education. Then Greer meets Addison Bradley. A handsome, charismatic local, Addison seems almost as devoted to Greer as he is to the 12 steps. When he introduces Greer to his mentor Joshua, she finds herself captivated by the older man's calm wisdom. Finally, Greer feels understood.

But Greer starts to question: Where has Joshua come from? What does he want in return for his guidance? The more she digs, the more his lies are exposed. When Joshua's influence over Addison edges them all closer to danger, Greer decides to confront them both. Suddenly, she finds herself on the outside of Joshua's circle. And swiftly, she discovers it's not safe there.

 Shadowhunters and Downworlders: A Mortal Instruments Reader by Cassandra Clare

Shadowhunters and Downworlders, edited by Clare (who provides an introduction to the book and to each piece), is a collection of YA authors writing about the series and its world.
Authors Who Contributed:
Holly Black / Kendare Blake / Gwenda Bond / Sarah Rees Brennan / Rachel Caine / Sarah Cross / Kami Garcia / Michelle Hodkin / Kelly Link / Kate Milford / Diana Peterfreund / Sara Ryan / Scott Tracey / Robin Wasserman

New Books for May (part 2)

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa

"In Allison Sekemotos world, there is one rule left: Blood calls to blood." She has done the unthinkable: died so that might continue to live. Cast out of Eden and separated from the boy she dared to love, Allie will follow the call of blood to save her creator, Kanin, from the psychotic vampire Sarren. But when the trail leads to Allies birthplace in New Covington, what Allie finds there will change the world forever--and possibly end human and vampire existence. Theres a new plague on the rise, a strain of the Red Lung virus that wiped out most of humanity generations ago--and this strain is deadly to humans and vampires alike. The only hope for a cure lies in the secrets Kanin carries, if Allie can get to him in time. Allison thought that immortality was forever. But now, with eternity itself hanging in the balance, the lines between human and monster will blur even further, and Allie must face another choice she could never have imagined having to make.

 The Elite by Kiera Cass

Sixteen-year-old America Singer is one of only six girls still competing in the Selection--but before she can fight to win Prince Maxon and the Illean crown, she must decide where her own heart truly lies.

In Darkness by Nick Lake

In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, fifteen-year-old Shorty, a poor gang member from the slums of Site Soleil, is trapped in the rubble of a ruined hospital, and as he grows weaker he has visions and memories of his life of violence, his lost twin sister, and of Toussaint L'Ouverture, who liberated Haiti from French rule in the 1804.

The Essence by Kimberly Derting

Seventeen-year-old Charlaina "Charlie" Hart has defeated the tyrant Queen Sabara and taken control of Ludania, only to have Sabara's soul fuse itself with her own.

Thank You Notes by Jimmy Fallon with the writers of Late Night

The late-night show host and former cast member of "Saturday Night Live" addresses more than subjects in need of his undying "gratitude," including the Taco Bell chihuahua, Pez dispensers, and fake drawers. 

Teen Book Review - The Pledge

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting - YA SFF DER

This review is from Lilian, age 13.  Lilian says that this book is fiction, fantasy, action/adventure, and romance.  She gave it an 10/10.  (Nice!)  Her favorite character was Charlie. She said "I liked this book because I thought that it was really unique.  I liked how there was a monarchy and the segregation by languages.  It was really interesting.  I also like how the characters learn more and more about who they are as the book progresses.  It was suspenseful and the setting and government was described really well."  (Ohmygosh, I wanted to read this book before when I bought it for the library, but now I REALLY want to read it!  You make it sound so cool!)  About the cover of the book she had this to say, "I thought that the girl on the cover was a good image of Charlaina.  I also liked how the background was plain and black.  It made it look dark and suspenseful." Lilian said that she would read more from this author and her last words were "I hope that the author writes another book and makes it a series." (don't worry Lilian, book 2 The Essence will be out next year for you!)


Lilian received an extra raffle ticket in this week's Teen Summer Reading Raffle.  If you would like to get an extra ticket this week too, come by and fill out a book review form!

New Book Time - June Post 4

This Dark Endeavor by Kenneth Oppel

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When his twin brother falls ill in the family's chateau in the independent republic of Geneva in the eighteenth century, sixteen-year-old Victor Frankenstein embarks on a dangerous and uncertain quest to create the forbidden Elixir of Life described in an ancient text in the family's secret Biblioteka Obscura.

Endure by Carrie Jones

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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.

Scandalous!: 50 Shocking Events You Should Know About by Hallie Fryd

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Do you love a good scandal? This book includes 50 juicy pop culture, political, and entertainment-related scandals complete with photos, event synopses, and a look at why it went down in history and how it continues to influence us today. Other features include famous quotes and a section on where the players are now. 

 Guy Langman: Crime Scene Procrastinator by Josh Berk

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Sixteen-year-old Guy Langman, his best friend Anoop, and other members of the school Forensics Club investigate a break-in and a possible murder, which could be connected to the mysterious past of Guy's recently-deceased father.

 The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

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In a dystopian kingdom where the classes are separated by the languages they speak, Charlaina "Charlie" Hart has a secret gift that is revealed when she meets a mysterious young man named Max.

April showers bring May...books :) (Part 3)

Immortal City by Scott Speer

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Jackson Godspeed is the hottest young Angel in a city filled with them. He's days away from becoming a full Guardian, and people around the world are already competing for the chance to be watched over by him. Everyone's obsessed with the Angels and the lucky people they protect - everyone except for Madison Montgomery. Maddy's the one girl in Angel City who doesn't breathlessly follow the Angels on TV and gossip blogs. When she meets Jackson, she doesn't recognize him. But Jackson is instantly captivated by her, and against all odds the two fall in love. Maddy is swiftly caught up in Jackson's scene, a world of glamour, paparazzi - and murder. A serial killer is on the loose, leaving dead Angels' wings for the police to find on the Walk of Fame. Even the Guardians are powerless to protect themselves in the face of this threat ... and this time it's up to Maddy to save Jackson.

 Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

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In the fifteenth-century kingdom of Brittany, seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where she learns that the god of Death has blessed her with dangerous gifts--and a violent destiny.

 Last Echo by Kimberly Derting

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Violet, a high school junior, discovers the body of a teen killed by "the girlfriend collector" and is determined to solve the case, but the serial killer is on the lookout for a new "relationship" and Violet may have caught his eye.

 The Project by Brian Falkner

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After discovering a terrible secret hidden in the most boring book in the world, Iowa fifteen-year-olds Luke and Tommy find out that members of a secret Nazi organization intend to use this information to rewrite history.    

The Power of a Praying Teen by Stormie Omartian

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Along with Scripture verses and true stories of teens in action, The Power of a Praying Teen addresses key issues young people face, including purity, peer pressure, insecurity, body/self image, and friendships. Each segment of the book concludes with a prayer teens can follow or use as a model for their own prayers. Easy to access chapters focus on what it means to be maturing in all areas of life, including talking to God in prayer. Young men and women just on the cusp of growing up will find the compassion, help, direction, strength, and stability that comes with knowing and hearing from God in The Power of a Praying Teen.