New Books for the Best Month ~ March 2016 (part 3)

How to Win at High School by Owen Matthews

Contemporary Fiction 

Partly for the sake of his brother Sam, who is paralyzed, Adam decides to go from high school loser to god by selling completed homework assignments, buying alcohol, and arranging for fake IDs, but before the end of junior year, he realizes his quest for popularity has gone way too far.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Nonfiction Memoir 

I Am Malala. This is my story. Malala Yousafzai was only ten years old when the Taliban took control of her region. They said music was a crime. They said women weren't allowed to go to the market. They said girls couldn't go to school. Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated. And on October 9, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause: She was shot point-blank while riding the bus on her way home from school. No one expected her to survive. Now Malala is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize nominee. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which includes exclusive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world -- and did. 

Imposter by Antony John

Contemporary Fiction 

Seth Crane has hit rock bottom. His mom recently died, his dad had a stroke and is out of work, and he just lost out on a commercial role.  So when a producer shows up at his community theater production and offers him the lead role in an Indie film with major Hollywood buzz, it seems like the answer to all Seth’s problems. Seth gets swept up in the Hollywood glamour right away, staying in a fancy hotel, going to the best parties, doing press conferences, and falling for the beautiful starlet Sabrina Layton and then his costar Annaleigh. But things suddenly start popping up in the tabloids—things Sabrina and Annaleigh told him in confidence and that no one else could know—and the line between the film and reality starts to blur. Nothing in Hollywood is what it seems, and Seth has to decide just how far he’s willing to go for fame, money, and to protect the people he loves.

The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare

Graphic Novel 

Tessa Gray has found friends among the Shadowhunters, supernatural protectors of mankind who possess angelic blood. But Tessa's new life is threatened when some members of the Clave challenge Charlotte's leadership and pressure her to resign. If Charlotte is forced out, Tessa will have to leave as well, making her easy prey for the still-at-large Magister! Will and Jem are determined not to let this happen, but sometimes danger comes from where it's least expected...

I See Reality: Twelve Short Stories About Real Life by various

Contemporary Fiction 

An anthology of twelve original short stories by top authors exploring real issues for real teens. Through prose and comics alike, these heart-pounding short stories for young adults ask hard questions about a range of topics from sexuality and addiction to violence and immigration. Here is the perfect tool for starting tough discussions or simply as an introduction to realistic literary fiction. In turns funny, thought-provoking, and heartbreaking, I See Reality will resonate with today's teens long after the last page has been turned. Contributing authors include Jay Clark , Kristin Clark , Heather Demetrios , Stephen Emond , Patrick Flores-Scott , Faith Hicks , Trisha Leaver , Kekla Magoon , Marcella Pixley , James Preller , Jason Schmidt , and Jordan Sonnenblick . 

What's New in November? (Part 6)

Really Professional Internet Person by Jenn McAllister

Nonfiction 

Jenn McAllister, better known as JennxPenn, has been obsessed with making videos since she found her parents video camera at the age of eight. A shy child, Jenn turned to film because, unlike with life, you can always have a do-over.

Really Professional Internet Person offers both an insider's guide to building a successful YouTube channel and an intimate portrait of the surreality of insta-fame and the harsh reality of high school.

Brimming with honesty, heart and Jenn's patented sense of humor, Really Professional Internet Person features top ten lists, photos, screenshots, social media posts and never-before-posted stories chronicling Jenn's journey from an anxious middle-schooler just trying to fit in, to a YouTube sensation unafraid to stand out.

The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness

Paranormal

What if you aren't the Chosen One? The one who's supposed to fight the zombies, or the soul-eating ghosts, or whatever the heck this new thing is, with the blue lights and the death? What if you're like Mikey? Who just wants to graduate and go to prom and maybe finally work up the courage to ask Henna out before someone goes and blows up the high school. Again. Because sometimes there are problems bigger than this week's end of the world, and sometimes you just have to find the extraordinary in your ordinary life. Even if your best friend is worshipped by mountain lions.

The Rose Society by Marie Lu

Science Fiction 

Once upon a time, a girl had a father, a prince, a society of friends. Then they betrayed her, and she destroyed them all. Adelina Amouteru's heart has suffered at the hands of both family and friends, turning her down the bitter path of revenge. Now known and feared as the White Wolf, she and her sister flee Kenettra to find other Young Elites in the hopes of building her own army of allies. Her goal: to strike down the Inquisition Axis, the white-cloaked soldiers who nearly killed her. But Adelina is no heroine. Her powers, fed only by fear and hate, have started to grow beyond her control. She does not trust her newfound Elite friends. Teren Santoro, leader of the Inquisition, wants her dead. And her former friends, Raffaele and the Dagger Society, want to stop her thirst for vengeance. Adelina struggles to cling to the good within her. But how can someone be good, when her very existence depends on darkness? 

The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett

Fantasy 

Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength.

This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad.

As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land.

There will be a reckoning…

The Survival Guide to Bullying: Written by a Teen by Aija Mayrock

Nonfiction 

NEW, updated edition! Written by a teenager who was bullied throughout middle school and high school, this kid-friendly book offers a fresh and relatable perspective on bullying. Along the way, the author offers guidance as well as different strategies that helped her get through even the toughest of days. The Survival Guide to Bullying covers everything from cyber bullying to how to deal with fear and how to create the life you dream of having. From inspiring "roems" (rap poems), survival tips, personal stories, and quick quizzes, this book will light the way to a brighter future. This updated edition also features new, never-before-seen content including a chapter about how to talk to parents, an epilogue, and an exclusive Q&A with the author.

Happy birthday to me! ~ New Books for March (part 7)

Tomboy: A Graphic Memoir by Liz Prince

Graphic Novel

Eschewing female stereotypes throughout her early years and failing to gain acceptance on the boys' baseball team, Liz learns to embrace her own views on gender as she comes of age, in an anecdotal graphic novel memoir.

Top Ten Clues You're Clueless by Liz Czukas

Mystery 

The day before Christmas, money goes missing from a donation box at GoodFoods Market and Chloe and five of her teenage co-workers are being held in the break room until the police arrive, try to identify the real thief.

The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu

Contemporary Fiction 

When ugly rumors and lies about Alice Franklin start after one of the guys she allegedly slept with at a party dies in a car accident, questions about truth arise in her small town.

Trust Me, I'm Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer

Action/Adventure 

Having learned to be a master con artist from her father, Julep Dupree pays expenses at her exclusive high school by fixing things for fellow students, but she will need their help when her father disappears.

Unhinged by A. G. Howard

Paranormal 

Life gets complicated once again for teenaged Alyssa when her mother returns home from an asylum and the mysterious Morpheus tempts Alyssa with another dangerous quest in the dark, challenging Wonderland.

First Books of Summer ~ June New Books part 6

This Star Won't Go Out: The Life & Words of Esther Grace Earl by Esther Earl

A memoir told through the journals, letters, and stories of young cancer patient Esther Earl.

Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

From the streets of Rome to the caves of the Kirin and beyond, humans, chimaera, and seraphim will fight, strive, love, and die in an epic theater that transcends good and evil, right and wrong, friend and enemy.

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson

Quiet Emily's sociable and daring best friend, Sloane, has disappeared leaving nothing but a random list of bizarre tasks for her to complete, but with unexpected help from popular classmate Frank Porter, Emily gives them a try.

 A Stranger Thing by Martin Leicht & Isla Neal

Pregnancy was pretty rough for sixteen-year-old Elvie Nara, what with the morning sickness, constant food cravings, and the alien race war she found herself in the middle of. But if she thought giving birth to an extraterrestrial’s baby would be the hard part, she was sorely mistaken.  After Elvie somehow has a baby girl, the always-male Almiri completely wig out. Suddenly Elvie’s supposed allies have shipped her—along with her father, her best friend, Ducky, and her maybe-boyfriend, boneheaded Almiri commando Cole Archer—off to a remote “retention facility” (aka alien jail) in Antarctica. Talk about cold. But things really get complicated when a new group of hybrid aliens arrive with information that sends Elvie’s world spinning. Before long, Elvie is trekking across the bottom of the Earth with a band of friends and frenemies to uncover the secrets of her own origin. Will Elvie ever be able to convince the Almiri that a conspiracy to conquer the planet is a greater threat than a sixteen-year-old girl and a newborn who won’t stop crying?

Teen Book Club - February

The TBC met tonight to discuss Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah.

A riveting memoir of a girl's painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s. A Chinese proverb says, "Falling leaves return to their roots." In Chinese Cinderella , Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair. Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck after her mother dies giving birth to her. Life does not get any easier when her father remarries. She and her siblings are subjected to the disdain of her stepmother, while her stepbrother and stepsister are spoiled. Although Adeline wins prizes at school, they are not enough to compensate for what she really yearns for -- the love and understanding of her family.

 Here are the discussion questions we used:

1. What did you think of the book in general?
2. Why did Adeline's family have some negative feelings about her?  How do her siblings act toward her?
3. What was Niang/Jean (Adeline's stepmother) like?  Why do you think she acts the way she does?
4. How does Adeline feel about school throughout the book?  What does going to school mean for her?
5. Who was PLT?  What happened with PLT and why did it upset Adeline so much?
6. How does Adeline's father feel about her?  Why do you think he feels this way?
7. Who are the people who support Adeline at different times throughout her childhood?
8. What did you learn about Chinese history from reading this book?
9. Did you enjoy reading nonfiction?  Would you want to read more nonfiction like this?  (memoirs/biographies)
10. Ratings and final thoughts!

 Melanie gave it an 8/10 and said "It really opened my eyes to what sad things happen in the world, and it was amazing to see this girl still had hope."
MissG gave it an 8/10 and said "A totally riveting story of an unhappy childhood, but so inspiring to see this girl still work hard and never give up."

For March we are reading a graphic novel!

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki

Nausicaä , a gentle but strong-willed, young princess, has an empathic bond with the giant insects that evolved as a result of the ecosystem's destruction. Growing up in the Valley of the Wind, she learned to read the soul of the wind and navigates the skies in her glider. Nausicaä and her allies struggle to create peace between kingdoms torn apart by war, battling over the last of the world's precious natural resources.

Our meeting will be on Wednesday, March 19th at 6:00pm.

Teen Book Club ~ January ~ Steampunk!

The Teen Book Club met last night to discuss a short story collection, Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories by various authors.

Here are the discussion questions we used:

1.  How many of the stories did you read, and which ones?
2.  Which was your favorite?
3.  Least favorite?
5.  What about the graphic novel type stories?  Did you enjoy these?
6.  What common elements tie all of these stories together and make them "steampunk?"  Do you have a better understanding of what steampunk is now?
7.  We have novels by many of the authors who wrote the stories for this collection.  Did reading these stories make you more likely to check out novels by these authors?
8.  Did all of the stories have similar settings?
9.  What did you think of reading a short story collection instead of a novel?
10.  Ratings and final thoughts!


Melanie gave it an 8/10 and said ~ It was really cool that all these authors wrote stories to make a good steampunk book!
Catherine gave it an 8/10 and said ~ I had never read steampunk before, but now I know that I love it!
MissG gave it a 9/10 and said ~ A varied and imaginative collection of stories all with a really neat steampunk twist.  Makes me want to read more steampunk!

Our book for February is a biography/memoir...

Chinese Cinderella: The True Story of an Unwanted Daughter by Adeline Yen Mah

The daughter of a wealthy Hong Kong businessman describes her very difficult childhood and the psychological abuse she suffered at the hands of her stepmother.

Copies of the book are available at the front desk.  Our discussion will be Wednesday, February 26th 6:00-7:00pm.