Heart Transplant

This unique illustrated story just came to the library today from cataloging. I picked it up because Vachss is typically an adult author and we placed this book in teen. Heart Transplant by Andrew Vachss is a hard hitting look at bullying and how one adopted grandfather helps his grandson break out of the pattern of being bullied. Not for the faint of heart whatsoever, Sean's family life is the pits. His mom is drunk, his "daddy" is abusive, and then one day he comes home to find them murdered. Pop, his "daddy" Brian's father, comes in and takes Sean under his care. Through his guidance, Sean discovers a home that he can belong to and a Pop he loves. The oversized nature of this book allows the artwork to flow with the text. Some of art uses sequential art which is why we placed it in the graphic novel section of the library, but most are sprawling vivid images. The book ends with an essay called The Rules of Engagement by Zak Mucha that takes a nonfiction look at bullying.

So here is a book that at first glance would fit in well with the adult graphic novels. But after reading it, I think it is perfect for the teen area since it takes a look at a hard topic that effects teens too frequently.

If I Stay

This month for Shelf Discovery, we read If I Stay by Gayle Forman.
In case you don't know what this book is all about, here's a brief synopsis. Mia has a wonderful family, a love that is rocky at the moment, but strong, a best friend, and is a talented cellist who may be attending Julliard. Then the car accident occurs and she spends 24 hours in coma trying to decide to stay or to go. The story is written in first person present tense with lots of flashbacks telling the back story of the characters and the heartache she is feeling. 

The discussion was a small one, but very interesting. The paperback copy has discussion questions, but they felt very school-oriented which wasn't very satisfying. Instead we discussed how parents are portrayed in teen literature. For the most part, in teen literature, parents are non-entities. In this one and in Fault in our Stars, the parents are strong characters in their own rights. What do you think?

We also discussed the music in the book which is a character in and of itself. Finally, we talked about the upcoming movie. 

Next month we're reading The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Pick up your copy at the adult service desk if you want to join us!

Shelf Discovery

Did you know that there is a new book discussion group at the Foothills Library called Shelf Discovery? If you didn't know--now you do! It's a book group for adults (and teens) focusing on teen and new adult literature. We meet once a month on the first Tuesday evening of the month.

This month we read Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. If you haven't heard about this book, it's about a teen boy named Jacob who travels to Wales to discover the truth behind his murdered grandfather's stories of his childhood. A mystery with historical fiction, fantasy, and science fiction thrown in to make one unique tale. One of the fascinating things about the novel are the old photographs scattered throughout the pages. The author collected the photos and used them to tell the story.

The discussion of the novel had some interesting twists based on adult and teen different perspectives. Personally, I believe that this is not a typical teen novel--nor is it a typical adult novel. I think it's one of those novels that have true crossover appeal. Only in the beginning before his grandfather's death, does Jacob act like the stereotypical teen in a novel. After that, while there is a touch of relationship issues, Jacob is delved into this new world--this time loop--that takes teenagers as we know them away and just made them into people. The peculiar children Jacob meets act primarily like children with just a few exceptions.  All in all, it made for a fun book discussion to kick off the start of the new book group. If you like Miss Peregrine's, then definitely check out the sequel Hollow City and Ransom Riggs' nonfiction book Talking Pictures. And be on the lookout, Miss Peregrine is coming to a theater near you next summer.

Interested in next month's book group meeting? It's on Tuesday, July 1st at 6:30 pm. We'll be discussing If I Stay by Gayle Forman.

We've been neglectful...

Shame on us for not updating the blog in a more timely manner. We mean to, really, we do! It just seems to get swallowed up in our other job duties. I plan to try better this year. Here's to 2014!

Last night, a few former teen librarians met up and watched The Book Thief movie. I had been looking forward in a sort of excited but also melancholy way. How do you get excited to see a movie about being a regular German girl during the Nazi regime? Plus, we all had read the book so we know that the movie should be a Kleenex worthy film.

I was not disappointed. I loved the adaptation. It kept the meat of the book and more importantly, the spirit of the book. The movie does limit the narrator--Death's -- role, but I was fine with that because honestly, Death was a bit of a jerk sometimes in the book. The movie passed one final test for me--did it make me want to read the book? Yes, it did. I want to go back into that world Markus Zusak created with his wonderful array of words and re-live the heartbreak all over again.

Can I just say--I like the German edition book cover (Amazon.com for the image) better than the US edition with the dominoes? And finally, I really want to read Zusak's next book. It looks like it may now come out in fall, 2015.

Next, team building movie outing? Fault in our stars, perhaps?

Weeding the teen collection

Every year (or two) I have to go through the teen collection and withdraw books that no longer circulate, have fallen apart, are outdated, et cetera to make room for all the new and wonderful books I have ordered for the collection. Usually, I do so with a smile on my face. Yes, I can get rid of the Buffy the Vampire Hunter movie novelization! Yea! I don't need fifteen copies of Twilight anymore! Hip Hip Hooray! Meg Cabot books fit on two shelves again! And for a while I can even face out books on the shelves to market them to teen readers browsing in the area. (Confession: While "weeding" as librarians call it, I tend to display books that are borderline titles that need pushing.)

But this year, I have come across some titles that will break my heart if I withdraw them from the collection. Robert Cormier. I'm sure I've blogged about him and his wonderfully dark tales before, but I'm doing it again. A handful of his books are on the chopping block. And I don't wanna do it. I'll probably buckle down and withdraw a second copy, but I just can't get rid of the books that made me want to be a teen librarian and made me love teen literature and what it can showcase.

To whomever is reading The Chocolate War and I am the Cheese, thank you. While those are Cormier's two most popular and well known titles, he has some other great ones if you like novels that make you think about injustices, and the gray between black and white, and are pretty unpredictable. For example, After the First Death follows the events of a school bus hijacking told through the eyes of terrorist, a hostage, a general, and the general's son who is the go-between.

So please, do me a favor. Go check out his books from the library for me. And if you don't use my library--go to your local library and check them out there.

Guilty Pleasure Reading

I've been meaning to post since I don't know... forever ago. Why has it taken me so long? Busy at work, busy at home, busy, busy, busy. That's no excuse because I've been meaning to post about my current Guilty Pleasure Reading. What, you may ask, is my definition of Guilty Pleasure Reading (yes, I think of the words in capitalized)? Simply put, it's my escapist reading. I don't care how well written the title is, I don't have to justify my reading of it as literature or I'm reviewing it. Strangely enough, my Guilty Pleasure Reading runs the gamut of types of stories. It could be my Harry Potter fanfiction I read on my phone, my manga series that I still pick up on occasion, or that Robert Cormier novel that put me on the path of my career-- The Chocolate War.

Or it could be like the book series I'm currently Guilty Pleasure Reading -- the Jasper Dent series by Barry Lyga. The first book, I Hunt Killers. Jazz knows everything there is to know about serial killers because of his Dear Old Dad. Dear Old Dad was the most notorious serial killer of today. While Dear Old Dad (D.O.D.) wastes away in prison, Jazz fights D.O.D.'s voice in his head daily, hoping, praying that his conscience will be the thing that stops him from being a killer like D.O.D.--or an even better one. Then the murders start happening in his town. Jazz knows that before long someone will start pointing their finger at him, so he tries to help the police in their investigation to stop the Impressionist.

The key to the novel for me was Jazz. What an intriguing character. How does someone who was raised to be the best serial killer not use his brainwashing? How much is nature vs. nurture and really what chance does this kid have? It reminds me of a line from the TV show Criminal Minds about those who have had the horrible scarring childhoods can become the sociopathic killers or the ones who catch them. Jazz will be the hunter to the killers. Lyga kept him interesting through his inner monologue of Dear Old Dad and his own internal battle against said training. Lyga created the right mixture of darkness with a splash of humor to make this dark time easier to swallow. The novel definitely pushes the envelope in terms of graphic violence, but older teens and adults will most likely be fine with it.

I'm one of those people who silently mocks all of you readers who read the last few pages ahead of time to see what happens. I have to admit that this book made me do it. The first time Jazz flashes to the dream/memory "cuts like chicken" I had to know if he was made to kill his mom as a kid. Of course we don't know the answer, but I still had to look.

The second book. The Game, is out and available. I'm trying to get through my pile of books I have to review for review journals before  I pick it up, but it's a tough battle. If you enjoy dark novels about serial killers, which in the teen lit world I can't really think of one, then this one will be up your alley.

Darren Shan

So, I have a hard time reading series. I know, I know--most people love series and want to continue with the characters and all that. And bizarrely enough, I love manga series. But a novel series has to be really good for me to want to continue it. I think that's the reluctant reader in me. I'm just reluctant in a different way than other so-called "reluctant readers". So getting to the point, and yes, I have a point. Darren Shan's teen books (the Demonata series and the new book Zom-B) are exceptions for me. Pause now and re-read our posts on the first book in the Demonata series, Lord Loss.

You're back? Good! Shan's new series has the first book out now: Zom-B. Set in London, B watches on the news as reports of zombie outbreaks in Ireland hit. B laughs it because B's dad does. B's family follows his lead for everything--otherwise, you might get smacked around a bit. Following his lead means pretending to be a racist, but B struggles with the issue of when pretending becomes reality. Keeping focused on the day to day battles within the school and home, zombies are just a thing in the back of B's mind; that is until they invade the school. Then it becomes a fight for survival.

As I stated in my Goodreads review:
The ARC of book starts with a letter to the reader asking to please not give the twists away. I appreciated it. First, it prepared me to be shocked. Second, my anticipation grew as the ending got closer.


The novel starts off with a horrific bang. I'd put it on the level of Lord Loss in terms of gore. The prologue was so hardhitting and good zombie entertainment that I was disappointed that the middle section of the book was steeped in the horror of real life instead of zombies. But now I liked how Shan talked about racism and children being raised in a bigotry filled abusive life. It was uncomfortable in places and god knows you don't LIKE B the protagonist, but still it was well done in the endeavor. I wanted the action to get started though and Boy, when it got started; it really got started.

The only thing I will say about the twists is that they were great and shocking. I didn't see one coming at all. AT ALL. When it happened, I gasped and said "no way!" and promptly looked around since I read this at the car dealership waiting on the service department. When I finished the book, I also spoke aloud about wanting the next book NOW.

I can't wait to give this to my zombie lovin' teen who comes to the library. He'll love it. Kearsten--go pick it up. It's a great Shan horror novel--and it's got ZOMBIES!

Thanks to Victoria at Little Brown for my copy!!

When Parents Text...

Here is a text conversation between my dad and me not too long ago:
Dad: Looks to be flying not driving
Me: What?
Dad: In air on shelf rack
Me: Still Makes no sense to me
Dad: Ok, driving in the air.

This is what the book, When Parents Text by Lauren Kaelin and Sophia Fraioli is all about. Based on the website with the same name that was created by the authors after they moved back home after graduating from college. The humorous texts are broken down into different categories:
n00bs
Master class
When grandparents text
World Wide Web
Occasions
Happy birthday!
Mealtimes
Pets
Dreams
Pix
Wow
Entertainment (example: Me: I am currently in the presence of some of the Jersey Shore cast members. Mom: ARE YOU IN JAIL???)
Harry Potter (spoiler to the half blood prince is in this section--really how can no one not know what happens in that book by now?)
Ideas
Diss
<3 .="." emoticons="emoticons">
I'm not going to give you loads of examples, but just know that I shared bits and pieces with this book with just about everyone. It's a great browsing book that can be picked up and flipped through at any time. It was a wonderful break from the stress of this past month. It made me laugh. It made me get warm fuzzies in my heart based on the relationships being shown through the texts as well. But it really made me chuckle throughout. I highly suggest reading this one with a group of friends to share the laughs.

By the way, I eventually figured out what my dad was texting about. He was referencing a picture that I had texted him four days previously.

Attack on Titan

I should be working on something else at the moment. Something that has a crucial deadline, but I feel like my brain has fried itself out right now. So instead of working on the project I have due on Monday, I'll tell you about a new manga series I read a few weeks ago.

As I stated earlier last month, I've been reading graphic novels during my lunch hours. Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama is the horror, action manga set after humanity has been decimated by the giant humanoid Titans. One hundred years have passed since the first attack and humans have rallied together behind a walled city that has three separate walls that progressively get taller. No one knows why the Titans attack and eat humans. The few brave humans who go out scouting end up being brought back in pieces. There's only one weak spot on a Titan's body--no, not on it's Achilles heel that would be way to convenient. It's the back of its neck. In order to fight the Titans, the military fighters use air mechanical equipment that allow them to run and climb faster, and jump higher. All seems well within the walled city until a giant Titan peeks over the city's first wall and then all heck breaks loose.

Notice I haven't talked about the characters in the previous paragraph. This ensemble cast blends together with little back story given to any one character in the first volume. The military has both male and female characters and leaders which I give huge props to the author for since so many times the female characters aren't the strong ones in the military--or heaven forbid, are the ones who need protection. There is one exception to the ensemble cast, by the end of the first volume, you begin to learn more about Eren, a young fighter who wants to see the world. He is the most intriguing to me as a reader and you will definitely get a shock at the end of the first volume about him--so be sure to grab volume 2 as well!

The art is a bit odd--Sometimes it's brilliant in its showing movement; other times, it's very ordinary and rough for an action manga. The horror part of the series is when the Titans attack. Yes, it has the action scenes, but it also shows the Titans chomping off people's arms and heads or even gulping them whole.

When I got back from lunch, I immediately began gushing about it to a coworker who reads manga. Then promptly grabbed volume 2 for the next day's lunch! I thoroughly enjoy manga that manages to surprise me. This one does that and more. Take a chance and pick it up today at the library!

DC's New 52

So in case you aren't a comics nerd like me (and Merideth), DC Comics (publishers of Batman and Superman) did a big relaunch of their characters. The relaunch was supposed to open the door to new readers without having to figure out back story and such. I wasn't expecting much honestly when I heard about it, but then again, I'm much more of a manga nerd than a superhero nerd.

During lunch this month I've been catching up with graphic novels. I've read great ones and mediocre ones. Some I'll blog about later on; some I'll quietly forget that I ever read them. I picked up two graphic novels of the new 52 so far to read and one I really, really liked and want to share.

Batman Volume 1: The Court of Owls is not a graphic novel you can read without knowing who the characters are. But most likely if you don't know who Batman is, you aren't going to be picking this up to read anyway! I adore the Batman concept and movies, but I've never been a superhero graphic novel reader. Something about too much text and not very pretty artwork (for my tastes that is!). But I really wanted to read this one. Batman is dark and dreary and this one is totally the case.

The urban legend of the Court of Owls is, well, legendary in Gotham City. Batman has never placed any stock in it until now. Gruesome murders will make him question everything he knows and believes about his city. And he quickly becomes the next target as both Bruce Wayne and Batman. Dark, twisted, and mind blowing in different places. There's one page in my copy that is completely upside down. I think it may have been a publishing mistake, but I need to double check other copies because it worked sooo well with the storytelling. So if it's not a mistake I will think it's absolutely creative genius. :)

Some people may not love the blockiness of the characters, but I sort of like the chiseled designs. A great mystery (though beware it does end in a cliffhanger which will make you want to go and buy the single issues rather than wait for the graphic novel!) with very little superhero-y things to get annoyed at. I gotta tell you, I really loved the book. On my goodreads page I gave it 5 stars. That's only the 2nd book this year that has gotten 5 stars. Take a chance on this superhero if you like stories dark and gritty, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Monstrous Beauty

Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama is a beautifully told mermaid tale. It opens up in 1522 with Syrenka, the immortal mermaid, lusting after the human Pukanokick. And then she accidentally drowns him by forgetting that us silly, weak humans need air.

The novel alternates chapters between Syrenka and her love story and the current day Hester and her own love issues. Syrenka and her love from the 19th century--a man who studies marine life and falls madly in love with her. Hester and her decision to never fall in love. Every generation the women of Hester's family die in childbirth. Every generation. Is it genetics, a family curse? When Hester meets Ezra in a beach cove, everything changes for her. Everything.

This darkly gothic paranormal romance is not the typical YA paranormal romance novel. Which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. I read this a few months ago and reviewed for a book journal. Typically, that means that I will not blog about it here or on my goodreads page. But this title struck me still as one that needs to be highlighted. It has a little bit of everything in it. Mystery, ghosts, romance, horrific mermaids, murders, violence, history, and rich characters. Without the characters' depth that story would have faltered.

My only complaint about this novel is the cover art! The image on the left is the hardback version. The image on the right is the cover image from the ARC (Advanced reading copy) that I reviewed. I love that cover art. Who decided to change it to the boring one on the left?

Anyway, if you're looking for something a bit more than the typical paranormal story. Something with a bit more grit, depth, literary quality, et cetera. Look no further than Monstrous Beauty. You won't be disappointed.

Banned Books Week: Perks of Being a Wallflower

Well, Kearsten beat me to it! I had written a longish post about Perks of being a wallflower to go with my banned books posts this week but as soon as I saved it I saw that Kearsten wrote the lovely post below. So instead...

I'll just point you to Stephen Chobsky's video of his participation in the Banned Books Virtual Read-Out.

Until tomorrow!

Banned Books Week: Sidescrollers

This week is Banned Books Week. No, it doesn't mean a week to go out and ban books, but is actually an awareness campaign about the materials that have been challenged or banned in libraries--both public and school--or removed from reading lists in schools throughout the nation. for more information about Banned Books Week, check out this website on it.

Banning and challenging books happen throughout the country and teen books in particular get challenged the most. "Why?", you might ask. It's mostly about protecting young readers. At least, that's the justification that it given typically.

Take for example, Sidescrollers by Matthew Loux. This Great Graphic Novel for Teens list winner is about three teen gamers who end up in an adventure like a video game and combating a bully by the end. This title was pulled from a ninth grade summer reading list in Connecticut due to the "profanity and sexual references" contained in the graphic novel. When one parent says that they don't want their teen to read something--we call that good parenting and applaud the parent for taking an interest in their teen's reading. That's not what happened in this case. One parent complained and said that it's not appropriate for any of the teens to read it for this assignment (which, by the way, there were other titles to choose from). When this occurs, it takes away the rights of the student and the parents to choose what is appropriate for their own teen. That's what we call banned books.

Anyway, today is the first of my posts on challenged teen books in hopes that the posts may strike an interest in celebrating your own right to read which is what Banned Books Week is all about.

Break My Heart 1,000 Times

I haven't been excited about very many teen books lately. It's something to do with so many new titles sounding the same. i mean first, it was vampires, then anything paranormal, now it's dystopian and all the time it's romance. Blah! I know, I know. I should be lynched for writing that! But hey, the library still buys all those dystopian, paranormal love triangle books!

But then comes along this book, Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters. I picked it up through Net Galley--so hey, thanks to Hyperion for sharing it with me!



After the Event, there are ghosts every where. Seriously, every where. And now instead of getting lesser ghosts around, new ones are popping up like the teacher who appeared in class one day at the chalkboard. Veronica and her friend Kirk investigate and film ghosts who have died to help a teacher with his own hypotheses about the dead and their left behind images. The investigation leads them straight into a man who believes he can make his dead daughter re-appear if he takes matters into his own hands.

Wowzers, I really liked this book. I read it during my tiny breaks at work and I kept having to tell myself to get back to work. There's a great amount of suspense building throughout the book. Waters slowly unveils the different "shocks" in such a manner that because I'm reading an advanced copy, I'd pause and think "Is that a mistake or omg is he that nutty?" (In case you're curious, he's that nutty).

The characters are sooo good in this novel. The side characters aren't forgotten and actually grow throughout it. Veronica and Kirk are good together as they date and ghost hunt. The ghosts themselves are beautifully memorable as well.

I've already talked this book up to my teens at the library--well, it might have been gushing about the book.

Break My Heart 1,000 Times is hauntingly beautiful. If you're looking for something new and different to read this fall--you need to read this one. 

100 Unforgettable Dresses

Before I moved to Arizona, I did weekly movies with my sister and my mom. I watched all the awards shows with them. We enjoyed finding out who won what award, but what we loved to watch was the red carpet and the commentary on the dresses. Sometimes we agreed, sometimes we disagreed. And of course, we always voiced our own thoughts on the outfits. Remember Bjork's swan dress? Memorable, but for all the wrong reasons.

When I saw Hal Rubenstein's book, 100 Unforgettable Dresses, I was reminded of those award show days with my mom and sister. And since my mom passed away earlier this year, it was a bittersweet memory. I immediately opened the book and flipped through it. For fans of fashion, you'll want to read this book--or at least flip through it and see how many dresses you may recall. There are wedding dresses, red carpet dresses, dresses from films, and special sections on icons like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly. Rubenstein discusses each dress and style with wit and knowledge.

While this isn't a teen title, anybody who enjoys fashion and celebrities will enjoy this book. And if you watch the red carpets you definitely need to read this one. I think I may have to pick it up for my sister for her birthday.

I'm back with Scott Pilgrim

I'm finally back! I've been away from the library for a few months, so I did not post anything here. But now that I'm back, I'm ready to start writing about great teen books! To start off--Scott Pilgrim!


I originally read volume one when it came out in black and white. I was a bit hard on it because of my own snobbiness of graphic novel reading. I had a conversation with someone from the publisher about the release of it and he called it Oni’s first Manga. Now for me, the manga snob that I am, that raised my hackles. Japanese comics are manga. Everything else that plays on the manga trends are manga-style in my point of view. So I had a skewed first reading. I read it, thought “meh” and bought it for my library. It didn’t circulate that well, so I figured that my opinion was justified with my library users lack of interest.


Flash forward a few years and the movie is released. I adored the movie. Went with my husband and just really enjoyed it. Now every time it's on cable I end up watching it again. Seriously, I watched again two weeks ago. I have probably seen it somewhere in the ballpark of twenty times. I haven't even watched Harry Potter that much (and if you know me, you know how much I adore HP). I felt I needed to give the books another try, but alas, I've been a lazy reader for the past several years.


Since I was on maternity leave and had a bit of time on my hands (you know, between taking care of my two kids and re-watching all of Grey's Anatomy). Netgalley had this e-book to preview. Lo and behold, Scott Pilgrim is now in his full-color glory.


Now you know my frame of reference for when I began Scott Pilgrim once again.


This time around I could see the manga influences within the story. Not in the artwork really, but in the story sequencing. That part I still felt was “meh”—corny cheeseball since shonen action isn’t my thing. What I really enjoyed was the late nineties vibe I had while reading it. I graduated high school in ‘95. I was into the indie rock scene and poetry readings in coffeehouses, so Scott Pilgrim’s scene would have been my kind of scene.




The characters are the other reason the series works so well. Scott is the ultimate slacker but that’s okay since we adore him anyway. Wallace is my favorite character. I’ll just say that I would love to see a story all about Wallace because he’s just that awesome.


I always like to see if a graphic novel being re-released in color enhances the story for me or not.
Since I'm a manga reader at heart, I usually feel like it's not needed. There are some instances though that it made sense or added another layer to the book. Take for instance, Bone by Jeff Smith. Originally in black and white, but Graphix brought it back out in color. The symbolism in the colors added another layer of meaning to discuss. I appreciated it. Does Scott Pilgrim's color do that too? Not specifically. It becomes more fun-filled with colors and the color brings out the characters’ more indie hipness.


In addition to the color, the back twenty or so pages of the book are a real gem for fans of the series. The author’s thoughts on the character designs, history of the characters and how the story reflected the author's life, and much more are detailed in the behind the scenes section.


I'm glad I got around to re-reading the book. I'll probably be buying this version of Scott for the library to try the series again. With the influence of the movie being on cable practically every other week, I think more readers will be interested in trying it out if they see it on the shelves. Thanks to Oni Press for giving the e-book to me to preview through NetGalley.

Fault in our Stars

I have a confession to make. As a teenager in between my reading of Stephen King and Christopher Pike, I read the maudlin tales of Lurlene McDaniel. These tearjerkers all had the same thing in common--someone died--usually of some horrific cancer that the character struggles through while the supporting characters rally around her.

What does this have to do with John Green's newest book, The Fault in Our Stars, you ask? Simply that the main character, Hazel, is a cancer kid. That alone would have made me want to read it, but then add in that it's John Green (and as some may know--pretty much all teen librarians love John Green), and it's set in Indianapolis (I'm an uprooted Hoosier). I had to read it. I figured it would be a hard read for me to do right now for reasons I'm not going into, I decided to try and if it became too upsetting, I'd stop. I didn't have to stop. I read it all day yesterday.

Hazel is a sixteen year old teen who has thyroid cancer that has metastasized to her lungs. She lugs around an oxygen tank because as she puts it her lungs suck at being lungs. Her mother forces her to attend a support group for cancer kids. She's been terminal for three years and has accepted that her cancer is going to be the death of her. But then she meets Augustus at the support group. He lost part of a leg to bone cancer. He only came to support his friend Isaac who is losing his only functioning eye to cancer, but when he sees Hazel he can't look away. He calls her Hazel Grace and compares her to Natalie Portman in V for Vendetta. They begin a friendship with tentative flirting and then a full fledged romance that is doomed from the start.

I figured that I would know how the story ends before it even began, but I was pleasantly wrong. Hazel and Augustus are the type of intellectual teens that banter back and forth about book quotes or philosophical issues that only facing death truly brings up in conversation. They poke fun at the maudlin cancer kid problem novels. And yes, this is a cancer kid problem novel at the heart of it, but it's hilariously funny and bitterly sad at the same time. Only a truly talented author can balance that fine line. As someone from Indy, I have to say that I knew exactly where they were throughout the book, which tickled me to death. The side storyline trip to Amsterdam to meet a reclusive author as their Wish was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed all of it, but it felt like it was tacked on because the author got a grant of some sort to write about it. It wasn't necessary to the story for me, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy it because I did.

And for those people who are wondering if this is a massive tearjerker--it wasn't for me. I choked up when Hazel compares herself to a grenade and that she wanted to save others from the collateral damage of knowing her. I choked up when her father spoke to her about his love for her (FYI--awesome parents in this book all around. I love that the parents were real!!). But for the rest of the sad parts, I didn't really get upset as a reader. That says a lot for me since I tear up at the mention of anything sad usually. Now that I said that--I hope the other teen librarians who have read this book will chime in with their take on the book. I know that there are at least two or three in our libraries that have read it too, so I'll see if they'll post their thoughts here as well!

Some reviews are saying that this is John Green's best yet, but I still favor Looking for Alaska over this one. It's a second place for me. Still fabulous and highly recommended--I just wanted a little more. This book is for those realistic fiction readers looking for some fun dialogue, great characters, and a bit of sadness thrown in.

Great Graphic Novels for Teens

This past weekend and early this week, librarians from across the country met in Dallas to talk books and libraries. YALSA (the Young Adult Library Association) releases committee created lists on materials published in the past year that are for teens. There's the Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers List, the Best Fiction for Young Adults List, and the Great Graphic Novels for Teens list that I use every year to pick up the handful of titles that I may have missed while ordering.


This year's Great Graphic Novels list left me feeling rather blah about the list. It's not that it's a bad list, because it is a good list of quality graphic novels. It just isn't a list people should order willy nilly from since it doesn't feel it took popularity into consideration at all which teen appeal is part of the criteria for the inclusion on the list. Maybe I'm being too hard on the list--maybe the most popular graphic novels of 2011 weren't nominated. Maybe the committee decided not to consider books from the middle of a series. I don't know. I wasn't on the committee. All I know is that if I ordered the vast majority of these titles, I'd be weeding them out of my library system in two years with very little if any circulations.



Now that I've vented--I thought I'd share the titles from the list we do own and think will have appeal--as well as gave you some of the comments that my teens in the Ani-Manga Club made about the titles in general.


First up--Gandhi: A Manga Biography by Kazuki Ebine. When I mentioned this title--the comments were: Who is he? Is he Indian? Was he Buddha? Weirdly enough they were flummoxed by the idea of nonfiction manga.


Feynman by Jim Ottaviani. The synopsis provided by YALSA reads "The life and times of the world's smartest man." One teen's response was "I thought Sheldon Cooper was the smartest man alive." (FYI--Sheldon Cooper is a character on the Big Bang Theory)


Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol. All about a girl who befriends a ghost at her school. This was one of the titles picked up and browsed through by a teen at yesterday's meeting.


Laddertop by Orson Scott Card and Emily Janice Card. A manga style space school story. I thought it might have some appeal to the teens in the program, but not really. I don't think it was the artwork, but more my teens weren't into the whole space school idea.


Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge. New girl in town Paige uses her sketchbook to make sense of her new life. This one was also picked up at the program to take home.


Blue Exorcist by Kazue Kato. Finally a manga that actually is popular on this list!!! Uber popular, this is a great action shonen title.


Mangaman by Barry Lyga and Colleen Doran. Basic premise: manga character falls into the real world and tries to survive the typical American high school life. I wanted to like it, but as one teen told me, "The artwork is really busy."


Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori. I love this one, but the teen appeal is lacking in it. Seriously how many teens do you know really want to read a book about a 19th century arranged marriage?


Axe Cop by Malachai Nicolle and Ethan Nicolle. This is what happens when an artist asks his young brother what the story should be--an axe wielding cop with a dinosaur sidekick. This one was passed around by several of the guys in the ani-manga club yesterday.


Wandering Son by Takako Shimura. This gentle story is about a boy who wants to be a girl and a girl who wants to be a boy. Personally, I haven't read another book that is so well done in it's depiction. But the teens in my group called it "Boring!" :(




Bad Island by Doug TenNapel. Family vacation becomes a shipwreck survival story. Bold colorful artwork stood out to the teens yesterday.

Bake Sale by Sara Varon. Cupcake and his best friend Eggplant run a bakery together. This is a fun title, but feels young to me.

Ruse: The Victorian Guide to Murder by Mark Waid. This is a reissue of a long out of print detective story that I adored when it first came out. Think Sherlock Holmes with a female assistant who's smart and hiding special powers. I think more teens will find this one since the Sherlock Holmes films have been popular.

So that's just a handful of the titles. Next up the Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers. I always end up having issues with them too! :)

School Library Journal's Best of 2011

Today, I'm taking parts of the School Library Journal's best of 2011 list. For the complete list, which includes picture books, middle grade fiction and nonfiction. and teen books you can find it here. Like the Kirkus Review post earlier this month, this list is culled from a journal librarians use to read reviews of books for purchasing. Unlike Kirkus, this journal focuses only on children and teen material. It's emphasis is on school libraries, not public libraries, but it is still a valuable source for teen librarians like myself!

Without further ado, here are the teen books they felt were the BEST!

Flip by Martyn Bedford

Chime by Franny Billingsley

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brogsol

Outlaw by Stephen Davies

My Name is Not Easy by Debby Dahl Edwardson

Stay with Me by Paul Griffin

Why We Broke up by Daniel Handler

Paper Covers Rock by Jennifer Hubbard

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

The Queen of Water by Laura Resau

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Glow by Amy Kathleen Ryan

White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

Between the Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Blink & Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

There's only a couple more lists to go until the big booklists that are released from YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) in mid-January. FYI: the YALSA ones are my favorite lists of all.

Are you making your reading list for winter break? Try one of the above books and let us know what you think! Also, stop in one of the library branches and pick up your "What's on Your Reading Playlist" teen reading program log to win some great prizes just for reading!

Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2011

In case you don't know how libraries order their books, we read reviews. A lot of them. If a book gets good reviews then we try to purchase it for the library. Kirkus Reviews is one of the journals that publishes reviews. Personally, I really like to read Kirkus because their reviewers can write great commentary on a book-- if they love a book and if they hate a book. Now for my collection if one journal gives an absolutely glowing review, I look for another one to see if someone else had a different opinion. It always amazes me when one journal gives a book a starred review and another one gives it a negative review.


Okay enough with my rambling on collection ordering! On to the top teen books of 2011 according to the Vicky Smith, an editor at Kirkus Reviews--and it's a long list!


Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Between Shades of Gray by Sepetys Ruta

Black and White by Larry Dane Brimner

Blink and Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

Bootleg by Karen Blumenthal

Brooklyn Burning by Steve Brezenoff

Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Chime by Franny Billingsley


Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando

Finding Somewhere by Joseph Monninger

The Fitzosbornes in Exile by Michelle Cooper

The Girl who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

I am J by Cris Beam

If I Could Fly by Judith Ortiz Colfer

I.M. Pei: Architect of Time, Place, and Purpose by Jill Rubalcaba

Island's End by Padma Venkatraman

The Isle of Blood by Rick Yancey

Life: an Exploded Diagram by Mal Peet

MangaMan by Barry Lyga and Colleen Doran

Misfit by Jon Skovron

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams

Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace

Queen of Hearts by Martha Brooks

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

The Secret Sisterhood of Heartbreakers by Lynn Weingarten

Stay with Me by Paul Griffin

Strings Attached by Judy Blundell

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

This Thing Called the Future by J.L. Powers

Tighter by Adele Griffin

Tilt by Alan Cumyn

Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

White Crow by Marcus Sedgwick

Why We Broke up by Daniel Handler

Winter Town by Stephen Emond

Have you noticed the duplication of the past three lists? I'll give you a hint--there are 4 books that have made it onto two of the lists. It'll be interesting to see which titles end up on the most best of lists! Until the next list which should be up tomorrow!