Teens Blog : high school

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

Teen Art Show @ Central's Teen Zone

KickinLibrarian@evpl — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 01:15:00 GMT

Teen Art Show @ Central's Library Teen Zone

Monday, November 29 through Friday, December 17

Teens can turn in drawings and photographs at the PMC Information Desk between November 29 and December 17 for a chance to win the EVPL Teen Art Contest! The top three winners will be chosen the week before Christmas, and will receive a ribbon and prize. Art must be picked up by January 7, 2011.

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.

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!

College Admissions - where to start?

kiya@evpl — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:58:00 GMT

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

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