New Books for your Dog Days of August (part 3)

Money Run by Jack Heath

Action/Adventure

Fifteen-year-olds Ashley and Benjamin are planning the heist of a lifetime, but they are not counting on a hit man who has plans of his own.

Crushed by Sara Shepard

Mystery 

It's springtime in suburban Rosewood, which means iced soy lattes, fresh manicures in shimmering pastels--and prom. But while everyone else is flipping through the racks at Saks in search of the perfect dress, Hanna, Spencer, Emily, and Aria are on a different kind of hunt: They're looking for A. . . . Hanna puts her campaign for prom queen on the back burner to volunteer at the burn clinic, where one of A's victims is recovering. Emily digs into Ali's past at the mental hospital with some very crazy consequences. Spencer contacts a private eye to help her stalk her stalker. But when their sessions get a little too private, they may forget to keep their eyes on A. . . . And Aria's worried that A is even closer than she thought. When her dark secret from Iceland finally comes to light, she discovers that maybe, just maybe, the one person she's been trying to hide the truth from has known all along. The liars are finally taking the fight to A. But no matter what they do, A's always one step ahead, ready to crush the girls completely.

 Shadow on the Sun by David MacInnis Gill

Science Fiction/Fantasy 

Everything Durango has ever valued, from Mimi, the sarcastic artificial intelligence implanted in his brain, to his beloved lieutenant, Vienne, to his own life may be at risk when his father, Lyme, tries to force him to become the Prince of Mars.

 Sweet Peril by Wendy Higgins

Paranormal 

An unexpected lost message from the angels surfaces, and sweet Southern girl Anna, daughter of a guardian angel and a fallen one, finds herself traveling the globe in an attempt to gain support for her cause from fellow Nephilim. Meanwhile, her true love, Kaiden Rowe, the son of the Duke of Lust, is plaguing her heart and mind.

The Wells Bequest by Polly Shulman

Science Fiction/Fantasy 

Leo never imagined that time travel might really be possible, or that the objects in H. G. Wells' science fiction novels might actually exist. And when a miniature time machine appears in Leo's bedroom, he has no idea who the tiny, beautiful girl is riding it. But in the few moments before it vanishes, returning to wherever--and whenever--it came from, he recognizes the other tiny rider: himself! His search for the time machine, the girl, and his fate leads him to the New-York Circulating Material Repository, a magical library that lends out objects instead of books. Hidden away in the Repository basement is the Wells Bequest, a secret collection of powerful objects straight out of classic science fiction novels:nbsp;robots, rockets, submarines, a shrink ray--and one very famous time machine.

Teen Book Club - August - Black Hole Sun

Hey YAs.  We had a very special Teen Book Club last night.  Not only did we talk about a fantastic book, we got to Skype with the author!  It was very cool and we were all very impressed.

We started out discussing the book itself:

On the planet Mars, sixteen-year-old Durango and his crew of mercenaries are hired by the settlers of a mining community to protect their most valuable resource from a feral band of marauders.

I found a really great discussion guide online from HarperTeen and we used it to frame our discussion.  You can see it HERE. 

After discussing the book, we had our Skype video call with David Macinnis Gill and the members of the teen book club had some really great questions for him including: how do you pronounce draeu (dray - oo or dr-ow are both fine!), how does he decide the names for characters, how does he decides if and when a character will die, if he thinks that Ockham got his beautiful death, what its like to get published, and more!  It was such a fantastic experience we are very grateful to DMG for sharing his time with us!

After our video chat, we decided on our rating and final thoughts:

Clare gave it a 7.9, she liked the ending especially.  It left if open for a sequel but still finished itself off so you were satisfied and not left hanging.
Catherine gave it an 8, she really liked Durango and Mimi and said that there is a fine line between annoying and funny and Mimi was most definitely funny!  She also thought the book had a great balance of action and relationship building.
Melanie gave it an 8, she thought it was a good science fiction book and she had never read a book set on Mars before, this was a great first Mars book for her!
Jill gave it an 8, she really loved the characters, especially Mimi!
Miss G gave it an 8.5, she loved the sci-fi story, great characters (some of her faves were Mimi, the Queen, and Jenkins), and the grungy dystopian like setting.

Average for Black Hole Sun - 8.1!  Obviously we all enjoyed it...I expect for our copy of Invisible Sun to be missing for the next several weeks! ;)

For September we are reading Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt:

While Doug struggles to be more than the thug that his teachers and the police think him to be, he finds and unlikely ally in Lil Spicer, as they explore Audubon's art.

So grab a copy of the book from the front desk and join us on Tuesday, September 25th at 6:30 for a discussion, snack, and a preview of October's new books!  Hope to see you then~

NO BOOKS FOR APRIL! (part 3)

:)

50 Things Every Young Lady Should Know by Kay West

Check the Catalog

You've got good friends, your grades are solid, and you're always on time for soccer practice.  Everything's perfect, right?  Almost.  Poise and maturity don't just arrive at a certain age.  A young lady understands how to interact in the world around her and knows how to respond in any situation life may throw her way.  Somewhere in the shuffle of school dances, texting, and gift-giving, certain details are timeless.  Thank you notes, hostess gifts, and gracious apologies are never outdated, and today's young lady has more social outlets than ever to navigate.  This book takes you everywhere from the dinner table to the internet, from the softball field to the birthday party, and everywhere in between.

Perception by Kim Harrington

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Trying to decide between her old boyfriend, who betrayed her but wants her back, and the new boy with whom there are definite sparks, Cape Cod high school junior and psychic Clare is puzzled by a secret admirer even as she tries to solve the mystery of a classmate who has suddenly disappeared.

 Invisible Sun by David MacInnis Gill

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You don't want to mess with Durango.  He left his crew behind.  His father is dead.  And he's going to prove himself to Vienne, even if he dies trying.  As he races through flood and fire and across a violent and terrifying planet, there's a 97% chance he's going to die trying.
But who's counting. 

LIE by Caroline Bock

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Told in several voices, a group of Long Island high school seniors conspire to protect eighteen-year-old Jimmy after he brutally assaults two Salvadoran immigrants, until they begin to see the moral implications of Jimmy's actions and the consequences of being loyal to a violent bully.

Balthazar by Claudia Gray

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Vampire Balthazar More emerges from his centuries-long isolation to help Skye Tierney, a psychic girl who once attended Evernight Academy, when she catches the attention of the cruel master vampire responsible for murdering Balthazar and his family four centuries earlier.

 Starters by Lissa Price

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To support herself and her younger brother in a future Beverly Hills, sixteen-year-old Callie hires her body out to seniors who want to experience being young again, and she lives a fairy-tale life until she learns that her body will commit murder, unless her mind can stop it.