Teens Blog : fiction

He Says, She Says -- Getting Both Sides of the Story

kiya@evpl — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 14:46:00 GMT

It's intriguing to hear both sides of a story - especially if you aren't personally involved, or stuck in the middle.

I like books which cover the same events from two or more perspectives. There are a lot of books coming out now which show multiple viewpoints, and the ones I've found have been enjoyable:

Notes from the blender / Trish Cook and Brendan Halpin
Will Grayson, Will Grayson / John Green & David Levithan

Girl meets boy : because there are two sides to every story / edited by Kelly Milner Halls

Jenna & Jonah's fauxmance / Emily Franklin & Brendan Halpin

Boy Girl Boy / Ron Koertge

Sometimes the author will use two (or more) books to show the different sides of a story.

James Howe: The Misfits / Totally Joe / Addie on the Inside

Orson Scott Card: Ender's Game / Ender's Shadow

Stephanie Meyer had intended a fifth book in the Twilight series: Midnight Sun, which told the story of the first book again, but from Edward's point of view, rather than Bella's. When someone leaked the first part of the manuscript as she was writing it, Meyer stopped work on the project, and posted the work-in-progress on her website. As far as I know, she has no plans to go back and finish it.

If you have other titles to suggest that show two or more viewpoints, I'd like to hear them. Movies, too - I can only think of one right now.

The Hunger Games Series!

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 14:09:00 GMT

Last fall when I was preparing my presentations for Teen Read Week, I came across the book Catching Fire. I did not think much of it as I added it to the list of books to talk about in the schools I was visiting. Then Teen Read Week came and my visits started. In each classroom I showed the Catching Fire book trailer, and I began to notice that the teens sat up a little taller and I had their attention a little bit more. I didn't understand. What was the big deal about this book?

Then I finally started reading The Hunger Games. And I was hooked. For those of you new to the series, The Hunger Games is the first book in the trilogy. Katniss Everdeen lives in the 12th district of the country of Panem, and this district is located in what was once called the Appalachian Mountains. In this new nation of Panem, each district is separated by industry and importance, and the 12th district is the poorest of them all. Every year the districts draw two names- one boy and one girl- to participate in The Hunger Games, a fight to the death in which the victor is the last person standing.

I don't want to give too much away because this series is one that I think everyone should read. Similar to the Harry Potter series, The Hunger Games trilogy will catch the interest of young and old readers. To all those teens out at Thompkins and Plaza that loved this series long before I did: thank you from this librarian.

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:27:00 GMT

Junior year is drawing to a close when Valerie's boyfriend, Nick, comes to school one morning and begins to shoot people in the Commons. At the end of the shooting spree, six people are dead and many are wounded, including Valerie. Within hours the police have searched Nick and Valerie's homes and discovered a "Hate List" the two created. Many of the students targeted that morning were on this list. Valerie becomes a suspect in the investigation. Was she part of Nick's plan? Was it a double suicide that went wrong? Was Valerie really shot trying to stop Nick? All of these are questions the students, teachers, parents, community, and the nation are asking.

For Valerie, the list was a way to vent her frustrations with the bullying she endured day after day at school. She never meant anything by it, but she will be haunted by the list and by what Nick did that morning for the rest of her life. After being cleared by the police, Valerie spent summer vacation isolated from the outside world. Now that a new school year has begun, Valerie is going back to school to face her demons. HIGHLY recommended.

Similar reads: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and Undone by Brooke Taylor

Celebrate Teen Read Week Oct. 17-23

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:50:00 GMT

**The Teen Read Week Contest will end Sunday, October 31 at 5pm. Make sure you vote on the Teens' Top Ten in Central's Teen Zone.**

Books with Beat @ EVPL! October 17-23. Stop by the Teen Zone at Central Library during Teen Read Week and check out our Books with Beat! Pick up books and other materials about poetry, music, and more or listen to an audiobook. You can help pick the 2010 Teens’ Top Ten by voting at the display located in the Teen Zone. If you vote, you will be entered to win a Visa giftcard! Stop by today and find a page turner that you can read or listen to, just for the fun of it!

Reading everything I can find by...

kiya@evpl — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:38:00 GMT

S. L. Rottman!

A book review caught my interest a few weeks ago, and I found that EVPL did own the book, and it was on the shelf! I checked it out, took it home, and really enjoyed Out of the Blue, the latest from S. L. Rottman. The story opens with Stu and his mom arriving at the Air Force Base in Minot, ND. Stu was born there nearly 16 years ago, when his mom and dad were both stationed there. Now his mom is returning as base commander. They are also returning without Stu's brother, starting his freshman year at college, and without Stu's dad, who is officially "taking care of his ill mother in Nevada" and unofficially on a trial separation from Stu's mom. The author, who has lived on many Air Force bases over the years, gives what feels like a realistic depiction of life on base - both the good and the bad.

Stu struggles with the changes in his family, and also with finding the line between keeping his nose out of other folks' business and stepping in when someone needs helps. I enjoyed the story, and really cared about several of the characters. In fact, I liked it so much, I wanted to read more by this author. I looked, and the library owns all of the author's titles. It turned out I had read one several years ago, have now read three more since Out of the Blue, and have two left to go. Here they are, most recent first, with summaries provided by the publisher.

Out of the Blue (Oct 2009) -

After moving to Minot, North Dakota, with his mother, the new female base commander, Air Force dependent Stu Ballentyne gradually becomes aware that something terrible is going on in his neighbor's house

Slalom (2004) -

Seventeen-year-old Sandro, having always lived in poverty with his mother in a wealthy ski resort town, finds his life transformed when the father he has never met suddenly returns and wants to be part of the family.

Shadow of a Doubt (2003) -

As his sophomore year in high school begins, fifteen-year-old Shadow joins the forensics team, makes new friends, and struggles to cope with the return of his older brother, who ran away seven years earlier and now faces a murder trial

Stetson (2002) -

Seventeen-year-old Stetson meets the sister he never knew he had, and together they try to make sense of their pasts

Hero (2000) -

After years of abuse from his mother and neglect from his father, ninth-grader Sean Parker is headed for trouble until he is sent to do community service at a farm owned by an old man who teaches Sean that he can take control of his own life

Head Above Water (1999) -

Skye, a high school junior, tries to find the time for both family obligations and personal interests, which include caring for her brother who has Down syndrome, dating her first boyfriend, and swimming competitively.

Rough Waters (1997) -

After their parents' death in an automobile accident, two teenage brothers are sent to Colorado to live with an estranged uncle, owner of a white water rafting outfit

I've liked all the titles I've read so far, but my favorite would have to be Shadow of a Doubt or Hero. Have you found an author that you really enjoy? Enough to read all his/her titles, and recommend them to others? I'm nearly out of S. L. Rottman books, and always enjoy finding a new author.

Religion and Fiction

kiya@evpl — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:59:00 GMT

I'm teaching World Religions to Middle-schoolers at church this year, and as I plan out the year, I'm looking for novels dealing with the religions we are studying. I find that a story helps the kids be more interested in the religion, and to process and remember the information better.

I've found a few, but thought I would ask for suggestions from all of you for other titles I might suggest to the kids. What have you read that deals with kids/teens and religion? Was it any good? Did it present information about the religion along with the story? I enjoyed all of these books, but some were better than others at giving information about the religion, and some are more appropriate for 5th to 8th graders than others.

Looking for Bapu by Anjali Banerjee

When his beloved grandfather dies, eight-year-old Anu feels that his spirit is near and will stop at nothing to bring him back, including trying to become a Hindu holy man

Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Littman

To be more like her best friend, eleven-year-old Justine decides to give up Judaism to become Catholic, but after her beloved, religious grandmother dies, she realizes that she needs to seek her own way of being Jewish

The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

Hannah resents the traditions of her Jewish heritage until time travel places her in the middle of a small Jewish village in Nazi-occupied Poland

Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick

When thirteen-year-old San Lee moves to a new town and school for the umpteenth time, he is looking for a way to stand out when his knowledge of Zen Buddhism, gained in his previous school, provides the answer--and the need to quickly become a convincing Zen master

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

During the 1967 school year, on Wednesday afternoons when all his classmates go to either Catechism or Hebrew school, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood stays in Mrs. Baker's classroom where they read the plays of William Shakespeare and Holling learns much of value about the world he lives in

Roots and Wings by Many Ly

While in St. Petersburg, Florida, to give her grandmother a Cambodian funeral, fourteen-year-old Grace, who was raised in Pennsylvania, finally gets some answers about the father she never met, her mother's and grandmother's youth, and her Asian-American heritage

Myrtle of Willendorf by Rebecca O'Connell

A bright and artistic young woman with a fondness for junk food experiences a kooky modern-day coming of age by way of the Goddess within

Fall YA reads

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:57:00 GMT

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!

Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 19:30:00 GMT

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

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:28:00 GMT

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.

High School Chick Lit

kiya@evpl — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 22:03:00 GMT

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

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

myzticrhythmz@evpl — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:23:00 GMT

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.

Hoops are Here!

kiya@evpl — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 19:43:00 GMT

It won't be long before March Madness is here, and even folks who don't usually watch basketball are cheering for teams. I've never been much of a basketball player, but enjoy reading stories about the sport and its players. In some books, the game is central to the story, in others, it serves as the stage for a story about other issues.

Some of the best basketball books I've read this year:

Travel Team Summer Ball

both by Mike Lupica

Lupica creates great characters that the reader soon cares about a great deal. Travel Team and Summer Ball are both about Danny Walker, who loves basketball and is lucky enough to be really good at the game, too. Travel Team opens just after Danny learns he didn't make the travel team because the coach thought he was too short. Some long odds bring a new chance on an unlikely team. Danny works hard to play beyond his height, and to hold his team together through some hard times. Summer Ball brings further adventures and more to learn about basketball and teamwork.

Boost by Kathy Mackel

The characters in this book grabbed me right away. The pressures these two sisters feel in their sports to be "the right size" and the temptation of steroids as an easy path to that size are quite clear.

Night Hoops by Carl Deuker

What happens -

when a parent needs more from a child-athlete than the child wants to give?
when different priorities about sports come between parents and split up a home?
when the neighbor kid you aren't allowed to play with is on your team?
when the younger sibling outshines the older sibling on the court?

This book kept me involved from the start, seeing how Nick and Trent and Scott would work it all out.

Other suggested titles:

Black and White by Paul Volponi
Danger Zone by David Klass
Game by Walter Dean Myers
Hoops of Steel by John Foley
The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
The Last Shot by John Feinstein
The Perfect Shot by Elaine Alphin
Rebound by Bob Krech
Rebound by Yuriko Nishiyama (graphic novel series)
The Rebounder by Thomas J Dygard
The Rhyming Season by Edward Averett
Throwing Stones by Kristi Collier

Twilight Series not part of my Highlights

E-Ville Librarian@evpl — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:03:00 GMT

I have to say up front I listened to these books on audiobook, so no skipping the repetition. I wanted to like this book for being a huge success for the publishing world and furthering the public's interest in such fantastical goings on, but couldn't get past the juvenile nature of our protagonist Bella. I gotta say it is a good thing Edward can't read her mind, because he may be bored by her unoriginal shallowness. Aside from the fact this young lady can easily accustom herself to mythical realities, she isn't a very bright character. Let's keep it real, it took her half of book one to even come to the realization that the love of her life is a vampire, even after he stops a truck with his bare hands, never comes out on sunny days, has hypnotic eyes, has a clan of "siblings" that are extraordinarily beautiful, and can read other people's minds. In fact, it took the other man in her life, werewolf Jake, to tell her what they are before she even realizes it. Is there anyone in the United States who has never seen a vampire movie or read an occult book? As soon as someone stops a truck barehanded, I know something is afoot. When I find out the local hotties are Nosferatu, you better believe I'm gonna believe in every fairytale I've ever heard. The naive nature of Bella does not jive with what I believe would be nearly everyone on Earth's response to nightmares walking into their life. But I guess that is why the story is about her.

The entertaining aspects of this series are the new legends Meyer creates through the frame of this strange romance. Indian werewolves, the vampire equivalent of the Cosa Nostra and vampire wars in Mexico are all just side notes to a 100-year-old man (albeit a vampire) making the moves on an 18 year-old. Where's Nabokov when you need him? Keepin it real, there are a few well-crafted characters who are interesting enough to warrant continuing with this series. Still keepin it real, I'd be very surprised if Stephenie Meyer had the skill to create another world that could pull as many readers as this one has, if not for her new-found fame. I haven't seen the movie, but I have to wonder how entertaining it could have been. With near-to-nil action and gloomy scenery, a truely forbidden (by the law) romance is all we're left with. How long can chaste kisses keep the attention ofthe 21st Century set? Is Chivalry cool again?

Bottom line, this could have been way better. Interesting tidbits aside, this is a creepy May/December whose only horror lies in the amount of rehashing of everyone's feelings.

Think Things Are Tough? Try Being in Gettysburg During the Civil War.

UndergroundLibrarian@evpl — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 19:26:00 GMT

LIzzie is very excited when her cousin Rosanna, a year older than her, moves to Gettysburg to live with Rosanna's sister. Lizzie's father and her twin brother have enlisted in the Union army, even though her twin, Luke, is only old enough to be a drummer. The two girls become best friends, and then Virginia-born Rosanna goes back to Richmond and her parents. It's almost impossible for the girls to keep in touch, since only smuggled messages can travel between the two sides during the Civil War. But news of Rosanna 's marriage to a man who joined the Confederate army does reach Gettysburg. When Rosanna learns that her husband has been injured in battle, she travels to the Confederate army to nurse him. Both girls get swept up in the affairs of the times, as Lizzie must quit school to manage her father's butcher shop, and Rosanna learns to treat all sorts of battle - related ailments of the men of the Confederate army.

In Two Girls of Gettysburg, Lisa Klein has included much that is historically accurate, including details of the Battle of Gettysburg and Lincoln's trip to deliver his now-famous speech. But what she also does very well is make the reader feel right there in the thick of things, experiencing the hopes and fears of any kid growing up at that time, along with the life-and-death situation of being in the midle of a battleground where people know and love participants on both sides.

Time to Vote!

kiya@evpl — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:29:00 GMT

Several fiction books about Elections and the Presidency:

Vote for Larry by Janet Tashjian

Josh Swensen made national news as Larry, an anti-consumerist blogger, in The Gospel According to Larry. He's back, and running for President in Vote for Larry. He knows he's too young to serve, but wants to use his near-celebrity status to raise issues important to young people that aren't being addressed by the major party candidates. Very thought-provoking, and a good follow up to the first book. Rumors are that a third book, Larry and the Meaning of Life, has just been published. Maybe you'll see it on our shelves soon!

First Boy by Gary Schmidt

Cooper Jewett lives with his grandfather on their dairy farm in New Hampshire. He's a pretty ordinary high school freshman, but one day notices that men in suits driving black sedans start showing up around his hometown, and they seem to be watching him. What he doesn't know is why, and how much trouble he might be in, and how on earth he might get out of it. This was pretty interesting - even when I thought I had things figured out, there was a twist or two at the end waiting to surprise me.

Ellen Emerson White's series about The President's Daughter

I've only read the last book in the series, which was published recently. The first three books have been ordered, though, and will be here soon. Meg, who is sixteen in the first book, has just moved to Washington DC after her mother was elected President. Suddenly, Meg and her family have many adjustments to make. Meg has a wicked sense of humor, a complicated life, and a love for the Boston Red Sox. The other titles in the series are: White House Autumn, Long Live the Queen, and Long May She Reign.

Wide Awake by David Levithan

Set in the future, the candidate running for President in this book will be the first gay, Jewish president if he is elected. It's fun to figure out what must have happened between NOW and the time this book takes place by putting together all the clues and bits of information dropped as Levithan tells his story.

What books and novels about politics and elections have you read and enjoyed?

Links of Interest: