Teens Blog

The Maze Runner

2009-11-17T18:47:00Z

Imagine waking up in pitch blackness in a moving box with no memory of how you got there. In fact you have no memory of anything at all before the box. Just your name and a few impressions of memory that you can't quite hold onto long enought to decipher their meaning.

This is exactly what happened to all of the boys living in the Glade. The Glade that happens to be located in the center of a massive Maze. The only hope is to somehow, gather enough information to solve the puzzle of the maze and be rewarded with going home. Easier said than done when the walls rearrange every night. And then there are the Grievers. Especially nasty creatures who kill when they can and inject venom when they can't. Every day the same, run the Maze looking for exits and avoiding Grievers, until one day the box arrives with a very disturbing cargo. The first and only female ever to be introduced into the Glade. Her arrival triggers a series of events that make solving the Maze more crucial than ever before. Time is running out. But the Maze seems unsolvable.

Who built the Maze and for what purpose? How do you solve the seemingly unsolvable and, if you do, what then?

If you liked Hunger Games and Catching Fire by Susanne Collins I think you will like this new trilogy of books by James Dashner starting with The Maze Runner.

You can Check out the authors blog at: http://jamesdashner.blogspot.com

Fall YA reads

2009-11-09T16:57:00Z

Being a teenager means having to deal with a lot of changes. Whether it is at home, in school, with friends, or a boyfriend/girlfriend, sometimes it is nice to come across a book that you can relate to and makes you feel like you're not alone in your problems. Recently, I have read three YA novels that would appeal to teens in that their main character is easy to relate to and you feel like you have talked to a best friend after finishing it.

Catherine Murdock published the conclusion to her trilogy focusing on DJ Schwenk in October. Front and Center was a satisfying ending to a character I have grown to love. We were first introduced to DJ in Dairy Queen, published in 2007. A high school sophomore, DJ is a phenomenal basketball player that does a lot of work on her family's farm. Over the summer, a family friend sends rival high school quarterback, Brian, over to work at the Schwenk farm. DJ begins to help Brian train for football season, and she finds herself liking the sport by the end of summer. When DJ decides to try-out for the team, the town is divided in support and resistance. DJ's story continues in The Off Season focusing on DJ adjusting to life after her brother is paralyzed in a football game. The story concludes in Front and Center, and I highly recommend your read the entire series.

Viola in Reel Life was published in September by adult author, Adriana Trigiani. Viola has grown up in Brooklyn with documentary filmmaker parents until sophomore year when her parents ship her off to boarding school...in South Bend, Indiana. Instead of adjusting to life with roommates and away from her family and friends, Viola hides behind her video camera. An opportunity to make a movie for a contest pushes Viola out from behind the camera and into the real world. Recommended.

Lastly, one of my favorite teen authors, Sara Zarr, was back last month with Once was Lost. Zarr did not let me down as she dove into Sam's life as a preacher's daughter. Sam's mom has been placed in rehab for alcoholism because she could not handle being a preacher's wife, but Sam is left to pick up the pieces. When a local girl goes missing, Sam's faith is tested even more as her tragedy and the kidnapped girl's begin to overlap. Highly recommended.

Happy Reading!

One Book Leads to Another

2009-10-18T20:23:00Z

I was intrigued by the story of Gregory William's life in Life on the Color Line, and decided to look for other books about folks who cross racial lines.

In fiction, I found 3 titles:

Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies) by Justina Chen Headley

Patty Ho (yes, she's heard all the jokes about her name) is finishing up her freshman year of high school, wondering how she will get through the summer with her demanding mother. Patty's mother was a Taiwanese student when she fell in love with an American man studying in Taiwan. They married, and had two kids, moving to the United States. And then things fell apart. Patty's dad left when she was two, and she is finding it hard to live up to her mother's expectations. Math camp at Stanford wasn't her first choice, but when she realizes it will get her 900 miles away from her mom, she thinks it may work out after all. And it does, though not the way she had imagined.

Face Relations: 11 stories about seeing beyond color edited by Marilyn Singer

Eleven stories by well-known authors, all about exploring the possibility of tearing down the walls between us. Some funny, some sad, but all are hopeful.

Hot, Sour, Salty, Sweet by Sherri L. Smith

Ana Shen is about to graduate from eighth grade, which would be a good thing if it didn't mean that both sides of her family were there to celebrate. Ana loves her parents, and her grandparents, but there is discomfort and competition between her Chinese grandparents and her African-American grandparents. Not to mention the Japanese-American parents of the guy she's crushing on. There is much to think about, as well as lots to laugh at, in this tale of Ana's graduation day.

In non-fiction, I found One drop : my father's hidden life--a story of race and family secrets, written by Bliss Broyard after her father disclosed to her and her brother, that both his parents were mixed race, and that he had been "passing" for white most of his adult life. Bliss began her own search to understand her father, meeting relatives she had never known, visiting New Orleans, where her father was born, and coming to grips with what race does and doesn't mean to her.

Previously, I had read Shirley Taylor Haizlip's memoir: The Sweeter the Juice: a family memoir in black and white and Loving Across the Color Line: a white adoptive mother learns about race by Sharon E. Rush.

What have you read on the subject? Anything you recommend?

College Admissions - where to start?

2009-09-30T20:58:00Z

First, take a look at these programs coming up (FREE - at Red Bank Branch Library), and bring a friend or parent and come listen to professionals explain Choosing a College, Applying and Interviewing, and Financial Aid. You'll be glad you did!

You can also find lots of books on the subject in the Career section at your library - ask someone at the reference desk if you don't know where that is.

You can work on improving your test scores with the free online test prep available through the library.

Or if you are tired of learning the facts and procedures, you can read fiction about teens in the midst of choosing a college and the Admissions process.

Hacking Harvard by Robin Wasserman - Friends attempt to game the system and get an "unworthy" candidate admitted
Getting In: a novel by James Finney Boylan - Four high school seniors and their three chaperones take to the road in a Winnebago to interview at nine prestigious New England colleges
Better Than Yesterday by Robyn Schneider - Three seniors from an exclusive Connecticut prep school go to New York City to find their runaway friend, and in the process discover themselves and the true value of their friendship
Finding My Voice by Marie G. Lee - As she tries to enjoy her senior year and choose which college she will attend, Korean American Ellen Sung must deal with the prejudice of some of her classmates and pressure from her parents to get good grades
Very Far Away from Anywhere Else by Ursula LeGuin - Owen Griffiths, a seventeen-year-old outsider, learns to find his own way to a future in science through a friendship with a girl whose life is dedicated to music

Fake Boyfriend

2009-09-16T14:51:00Z

What is the right thing to do when your best friend is hung up on a jerk who keeps breaking her heart over and over again?

Lane and Vivi decide they need to protect Isabelle from her own tender heart, and hatch a plot to prove to her that there are other wonderful guys out there in the world. Unfortunately, the plot includes making up a guy on MySpace to chat with her. Of course it doesn't take long before things escalate, and more conspirators are brought in, and the plot gets wilder and more impossible. Kate Brian, who writes creepy YA fiction for the series Private and Privilege, also does humor well. Pick up Fake Boyfriend, and give yourself a laugh or two. Be prepared to be a little exasperated, as well. My daughter kept saying, "If everyone would only tell the truth, it would all be okay."

Other romantic comedies from Brian:

The Lucky T

The Princess and the Pauper

The V Club

Kate Brian's MySpace page

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

2009-07-31T19:30:00Z

How would you feel if your life was defined by a mistake you made over three years ago? Especially when three years ago, you did not fully comprehend the consequences of what you were doing or realize how long that mistake would follow you. Deanna's father caught her in the backseat of seventeen-year-old Tommy's car when she was just thirteen. Three years later, Deanna's life is still be defined by that moment in time. Her father won't look her in the eyes, the kids at school call her names, and Deanna tries to pretend that it doesn't matter.

It does matter, however, and trying to be tough is taking its toll on Deanna. Her brother and his girlfriend are living in the basement with their baby, Deanna's mom is always tired from working so hard, her best friends are now dating, and Deanna's summer job forces her to work with Tommy. The only time Deanna can express how she really feels is through her writing, which we catch glimpses of throughout Sara Zarr's Story of a Girl

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

2009-07-24T14:28:00Z

I was almost late coming back from my break yesterday to finish if I stay by Gayle Forman. The story stayed with me long after I returned it. Even when I went home last night, I was still thinking about this exceptional book.

Imagine if you had to choose between living the rest of your life without your family and joining them in death? Seventeen-year-old Mia last remembers driving down the road with her parents and little brother listening to the radio. Her head was rested against the window in the backseat as she sat back enjoying the sound of the music and her family's voices. In one short moment, Mia is now standing on the side of the road and sees her family's car smashed, her parents lying dead on the road, and paramedics rushing to save her and her younger brother. She wonders "Am I dead?" as she watches her body being rushed to the hospital.

Thus begins the toughest decision Mia will ever have to make. As she hovers over her body as it struggles to heal, Mia has to decide if she wants to wake up and join her grandparents, best friend, and boyfriend or if she wants to join her parents and brother wherever they are now. One-by-one Mia's friends and family come to her bedside. Some ask her to stay; others tell her that it is her decision. Mia watches as her grandpa sobs at her bedside and her boyfriend struggles with the nurse to be admitted to the ICU.

As I read through the pages of Mia's story and her decision to whether stay or to go, it made me wonder what in my life is worth living for. I highly recommend you check this book out.

Express Yourself Party & Auction

2009-07-17T16:52:00Z

Saturday, July 25, 2009

West Branch Library

2000 W. Franklin Street

11:00am - 7:00pm

The beat of Boom Squad, Inc. will be the start of an amazing finale to the 2009 Teen Summer Reading Program. Join us for a free concert in the park at West Branch Library. Rain or shine, the show will go on. We have a great musical line up you don't want to miss. Special guests include Wise Logic, a special dance routine by The Glitteretts of Boom Squad, Inc, Daq - The Human Beat Box, DJ StompySan, DJ Trevor, Hues and Harmonies, S.O.L., Scandal Mongers, Peggy Roedel, Chiffrvon Sivils, Night is Falling, and Upside Out.

The auction, led by D.J. Nevil of Ralph Smith Auction Service, will begin promptly at 2:00pm in the West Branch Library Auditorium. We encourage you to come early to redeem your $Artbucks. $Artbuck exchange will begin at 12pm.

If you have any additional questions please call Charles Sutton @ 812-428-8217. For more information about many of our special guests please go to http://www.evpl.org/teens/srp/auction.aspx.

Record an audio book for LibriVox

2009-06-23T17:11:00Z

June is National Audiobook Month and teens at Central Library Teen Zone celebrated by learning how to read and record audiobooks for LibriVox.

The program opened with the sound of an accordion and the voice of Death, the narrator of Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. A fine introduction and an example of a well read, expertly produced audiobook.

"Does this worry you?

I urge you -- don't be afraid. I'm nothing if not fair.

-- Of course an introduction. A beginning. Where are my manners?"

The sound fades and I bound onto the scene.

"You just heard a portion of the The Book Thief by Markus Zusak read by Allan Cordune, I say."

In The Book Thief, Liesel steals her first book, The Gravedigger's Handbook, which her foster father uses to lull her to sleep and teach her how to read. When Liesel learns how to read she steals books for fun. Liesel is a book thief. She liberates books from Nazi book burnings and shares them with others enthralling even a Nazi woman with her captivating reading.

We didn't learn how to steal books, but liberate and record books in the public domain. We learned how to read, record, and share our voices with others. It's all very easy, sometimes challenging, but rewarding and fun. You too can volunteer. It's not too late. The volunteers over at the LibriVox forum are anxiously waiting to see what the first book "Evansvillains " (particularly teens) will liberate from the public domain.

The program was eye opening. Teens had an opportunity to practice reading and recording their voice, experiencing the thrill, frustration, and fun. John Martin of the Courier & Press wrote an excellent article - Library session gives teens lessons in creating audiobooks for web.

LibriVox is looking for volunteers to record chapters of books in the public domain and release those audio files back onto the net making them available for free. Yes, free audiobooks. For more information visit LibriVox - http://librivox.org/. Browse the catalog and learn more about volunteer opportunities.

Also, check out YALSA's (Young Adult Library Services Association) Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults for some good books to listen too while travelling, lounging, or simply making moves this summer.

The Book Thief surely won't disappoint. I've also enjoyed on Playaway, Paper Towns by John Green read by Dan John Miller and The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin Narrated by Jesse L. Martin. On CD Hero-Type by Barry Lyga read by Jonathan Todd Ross. What's in your CD player or blaring through your earbuds?

The Hunger Games

2009-06-17T00:28:00Z

The words I would use to describe The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins are all good. It is fast paced, easy to read, intriguing, action packed, imaginative, suspenseful, and futuristic. The story reminds the reader of "Survivor" on TV with alliances, challenges, and eliminations. However, the goal is not monetary, but real survival. It's a page turner with only one slow part, and seems to have room for a sequel. True, the idea of young adults being chosen as a human sacrifice seems barbaric and might turn readers away. However, the intrigue and mystery grab you early. Plot, setting, character development, conflict and resolution are all here making it well written and a good read for young adults to adult.

Seriously, now...

2009-06-03T22:11:00Z

Some teen books are of a more serious nature: more emotionally charged, and sometimes gut-wrenching in subject.

A few titles I've recently read, good for older teens:

Things Change by Patrick Jones

Johanna wants nothing more than to be Paul's girlfriend, even defying her overly controlling parents to spend time with him. Now if only he'd stop hurting her...

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

I picked this book up because the author's name is very similar to my niece's name. Once I started reading, I couldn't put down this story of Deanna, who made a bad choice as an eighth grader, and 3 years later is still trying to cope with everyone knowing what happened, and having their own idea of who Deanna is.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jenson receives a package in the mail, and is distressed to discover it is 13 cassette tapes from former classmate Hannah Baker, explaining why she killed herself, and how the twelve folks she has sent the tapes to have factored in her decision to end her life.

Just Like That by Marsha Qualey

Hannah is 18, and one winter night has a brief encounter with 2 teens who die in an accident soon after. Struggling to deal with her sense of guilt and responsibility, Hannah tries to lose herself in her art.

Cathy's Book: if found call... by Sean Stewart

Cathy has stumbled into a mess she doesn't understand, and the only thing she can think to do is disappear. She leaves her sketchpad and notes for a friend, so that someone will know what's going on. That sketchpad IS this book, so the reader puts the puzzle together from Cathy's journal and drawings.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Naomi, a high school junior, suffers a head injury that wipes out her memory of the last five years. She has lots of clues to the woman she is becoming, but is somewhat bewildered by her life. Zevin, who wrote Elsewhere, again gives readers a beautifully written, engaging story.

High School Chick Lit

2009-04-23T22:03:00Z

I went looking for some lighter, romantic comedy sorts of books this week - here's what I found:

It's A Mall World After All by Janette Rallison

Charlotte is working at the mall when she sees her best friend's boyfriend with another girl. She tells her friend, only to later be accused of trying to break up the couple. And it is true she pretty much despises the guy. There are plenty of laughs as Charlotte tries to sort out how to be a good friend in an impossible situation.

Learning to Swim by Cheryl Klam

Steffie's mom has a bad habit of falling for the wrong (married) guy, getting her heart broken, and moving herself and Steffie to a new place to start over. No wonder Steffie is a bit leery of falling in love. Now she's working for the summer as a maid at the Country Club, and trying to pretend she doesn't have a crush on Keith...

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot

The last in the Princess Mia series, we follow Mia through the last of her senior year. She's coping with her senior project, choosing a college, her father's upcoming election, her new boyfriend, and the return of her old boyfriend. As always, Mia will keep you smiling!

Fame, Glory and other things on my to do list by Janette Rallison

This story starts out with Jessica nearly getting carjacked after her shift at WalMart, and then realizing that the guy is trying to get her out of the car because it's his car - her silver Honda is a few spaces over. [It sounds absurd, but when I was in high school, there were two of us who worked at the library who got picked up by men (my father, her husband) in little red Vegas, and more than once I climbed in the wrong car.] Jessica is a junior, and dreams of being an actress. Right now that means a small part in the school production of West Side Story, which the director wants to do without any violence. There are lots of giggles in this book, as in every book by Rallison I've read.

When You Wish by Kristin Harmel

Star's story is a little more serious, though still with plenty of amusing parts. Star (born Amanda) is the hottest pop star around at the age of sixteen. She's really frustrated though, at how little say she has in her own life. After getting really angry with her mom, Star runs away to find the father who left when she was three. She enjoys a chance to be "normal" even when it involves learning to be a waitress.

Other suggestions for high school chick lit

Chick Lit for Teens from InfoSoup

The Sledding Hill by Chris Crutcher, with a cameo appearance by ... Chris Crutcher?

2009-04-21T20:58:00Z

Chris Crutcher writes controversial books. Some folks don't like the language he uses, though he will argue that he only uses language that teens themselves use. Some folks don't like the issues he addresses, and he will respond that the issues he addresses are issues that teens face, and that they need ways to explore those issues.

There are similarities to many of Crutcher's books. Most take place in small towns in the Northwestern part of the US. Many of his characters use sports to cope with some aspect of their lives. Most of the issues Crutcher talks about don't have clear-cut right or wrong answers, which is often the source of the conflict in the books.

Crutcher's characters always seem real to me, and Eddie from The Sledding Hill enchanted me from the start. His friend Billy explains:

In fifth grade, when my dad discovered Eddie scored sixty-five on his IQ test, he asked Eddie what happened, because Dad knew that couldn't be right. "I was answering the questions," Eddie said, "and then I started seeing what a neat pattern I was making filling in those little ovals, and before I knew it I was making neater and neater patterns."

The Sledding Hill is about Eddie, and his learning to cope after suffering two great losses in a short period of time. One of the things he finds that helps him is the book Warren Peece that his English class is reading. The book (which doesn't really exist) is written by Chris Crutcher, the controversial author. Surprise - some folks object to the book, and Eddie's minister tries to get it removed from the curriculum. Suddenly, Eddie is in the middle of another mess, and trying to find his way out. Crutcher even makes a guest appearance at the school board hearing.

This wasn't my favorite book by Crutcher, but I laughed out loud at parts of it, and enjoyed meeting Eddie and his friends. If my kids weren't so busy with schoolwork right now, I'd make them read it, but it will have to wait for summer vacation. Oh, what IS my favorite Crutcher book? Ummm, Whale Talk. No, The Crazy Horse Electric Game. Or maybe Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes... It's hard to pick just one...

Books at EVPL by Chris Crutcher
Books about Chris Crutcher at EVPL
Chris Crutcher's website
Purchase The Sledding Hill at Amazon and benefit the Public Library Friends

Finding Your First Job or Your Next Job

2009-04-10T16:23:00Z

Finding your first job or your next job this summer may be a challenge, especially in this economy. To be successful, you must skillfully represent yourself.

On Tuesday, April 14 at 6:00pm, Central Library Browning Events Room there will be a program called Finding Your First Job. Two human resources professionals - Michelle Land Harris and Gene Wisheit will share over 40 years of combined knowledge about finding, getting, and being successful on the job. They will also share some good information about applications, resumes, interviews, how to dress. Want to learn and polish those soft or transferable skills needed to be successful in life? Don't miss this program.

Take this opportunity to learn what it takes to be successful in today's job market and how to use your first job as a stepping stone toward your dream job.

Finding Your First Job for teens ages 12-18

Tuesday, April 14

Central Library Browning Events Room

6:00-7:30pm

For more information please contact Charles Sutton 428-8217

"If you could do it all over again and change something, what would it be?"

2009-03-06T21:23:00Z

This is the big question for Jeremy Dance, aka Lil J, in Walter Dean Myers' Dope Sick. Lil J is a 17-year-old on the run, part of a drug deal gone wrong in which an undercover cop's been shot. He finds himself hiding out in an abandoned building in the company of Kelly, a weird vagrant with a television that can show Lil J's past, present, and maybe his future. It's Kelly who asks Lil J the question about what he would change in his life if he could, and much of the book covers Lil J revisiting his downward spiral: a painful home life, drugs, jail time, fathering a child.

This is a fascinating book where a kid from the streets is compelled to stop at a pivotal point in his life and consider that he may actually have options. He wasn't a bad student, has a gift for the rhythm of rap, and seems to care for his son and the child's mother.

Walter Dean Myers has taken a very contemporary, real-life situation and infused it with a bit of mysticism and fantasy. He also leaves the reader with some questions: Who was Kelly?A real, "spooky" guy? A ghost? A drug-induced hallucination? Will Lil J be able to turn his life around?

And by all means, stick around for the ending. It's not what you'd expect.