New Books

Homestretch by Paul Volponi

Five months after losing his mother, seventeen-year-old Gas runs away from an abusive father and gets a job working at an Arkansas race track, surrounded by the illegal Mexican immigrants that he and his father blame for her death.

 

The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade

In a steampunk Victorian London, fourteen-year-old Modo, a shape-changing hunchback, becomes a secret agent for the Permanent Association, which strives to protect the world from the evil machinations of the Clockwork Guild.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

New Sequels

Splendor by Anna Godbersen, the fourth and last book in the Luxe series.

 

 

 

Be Strong and Curvaceous and Who Made You a Princess? by Shelley Adina, the third and fourth books in the It’s All About Us series.

 

 

Tempted by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast, the sixth book in the House of Night series.

Listen to the AMA Winners

This Sunday, the American Music Awards were given out.  Check out one of these winning artists’ CDs at the library.

Beastly Trailer

Did you see the teaser trailer for Beastly during the New Moon previews this weekend?  The movie stars Vannessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer.  In case you missed it, check out www.beastlythemovie.com/.  Don’t forget to read the book “Beastly” by Alex Flinn before the movie comes out!  It’s a modern retelling of “Beauty and the Beast,” from the POV of the Beast, a vain Manhattan private school student who is turned into a monster and must find his true love to break the curse.

I Vote Glee

Happy Anniversary!

Believe it or not, today is this blog’s third anniversary!  It’s been three years since the first post about our newly redesigned Y.A. Corner. 

Want to see who else is reading the blog?  Check out our ClustrMap on the sidebar, under “Where are you?”.  It’s so interesting!  We’ve had visitors from Djibouti, Cambodia, Nigeria, Israel, Panama and so may other places, some of which you may have never even known existed.  Check out our ClustrMap here.

How To Get What You Want

So yesterday, I mentioned the suggestion box that’s in the teen section of the library.  Yes, I do read every suggestion and I try to get the things people want.  But sometimes it’s tough because the notes are not specific. 

Here is a hint: the more specific you are in your request, the more likely I am to respond.  Instead of saying “Get more manga”  or “Get interesting books” or “More popular books” tell me specific manga titles, or what books you think are interesting, or the title of a book you saw that you want to read. 

So comment me by filling in the blanks:

“Buy more books like ___________________.”

“I saw __________________ in the bookstore and I think we should buy it for the library.”

“All my friends are reading __________________.  Get it!”

I want the library to have what you want, so comment me here, or the next time you’re in the library, drop a card in the suggestion box.

Finally!

New shelves are finally here!  Now for everyone who put a suggestion in the suggestion box that said:

“Get the old comic books like Batman, Spiderman.”

“Get more manga. Seriously.”

“Put the new Naruto and Bleach manga here.”

or anyone who just wished we could have more graphic novels and manga, your wish is granted.  The new shelving has arrived, and look!  You can actually see the green wall behind it.  So if you have a suggestion for some new graphic novels or manga series, comment me, because I finally have the space to buy more. 

And even if you’re not a graphic novel and manga fan, new shelves means more breathing room in the rest of the collection, too.  So basically, no matter what you read, feel free to let me know what you think I should buy for the library.

Katie

 

 

Aahh!

Almost forgot to post today, but this totally counts, suckers!  The new shelving has arrived and I’ll post pictures asap.   Graphic novel and manga fans, you should be especially happy, since now you’ve got your books on real shelves, not strange, makeshift ones.  Enjoy!

 

Create a Custom Journal or Scrapbook

Registration is now open for next month’s program:

Custom Journals & Scrapbooks (Grades 7 – 12)
Saturday, December 12, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Give an old book new life!  We’ll provide everything you need to rip, glue, and redesign a book to make a journal or scrapbook.  

To register, just go to December 12 on the library’s online calendar of events.  The program is listed in green, so just find it, click it, fill in your info and you’re done.  Hope to see you there!

New Shelving

Tomorrow we should be getting in a new shelving unit for YA books!  This means more room for audiobooks, graphic novels, and manga, and a little breathing room for the general collection.  Cross your fingers that everything goes smoothly, and drop by tomorrow after school to check out the YA Corner’s new look.

How Do You Listen?

I’ve blogged about Playaways before – they’re the small, portable way to listen to an entire audiobook preloaded on a device about the size of an MP3 player.  Now that I’ve gotten a few more, including “Shiver” by Maggie Stiefvater, and “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton, I want to know…

Thanks for your input!  Comment me if you have an idea for an audio book we should buy.

National Gaming Day @ Your Library

Today is, you guessed it, National Gaming Day at Your Library.  To celebrate, I’m giving away three new card games donated by Hasbro.  The first three people between grades 7 and 12 who come in to the library and mention this blog post will get to choose a game!  Find me in the library or ask for me, Katie, at the front desk.

Scrabble Slam, Pictureka and Monopoly Deal card games.

It’s first come, first served, so drop by the library today to check out your favorite books, movies and CDs and if you’re quick enough, get a free game, too. 

Happy Gaming Day!
Katie

Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood

Check out this new Robin Hood graphic novel!   The author takes what you know about this hero of the people and weaves in his own new details, while the art portrays this 12th century story with the seriousness demanded by the price on Robin’s head.  Full of adventure, romance, fights, fun and legendary heroism, it’s got something for everyone. 

Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood by Tony Lee, illustrated by Sam Hart, and colored by Artur Fujita, is now available.

Go Glee

Can’t get enough of Rachel’s insane drive to be the best, Finn’s sweet gullibility, and Mercedes and Kurt’s fab friendship?  Well, don’t worry if you can’t wait until next week’s episode for your next Glee fix -the soundtrack is at the library!

Check it out for songs including “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Gold Digger,” “Somebody to Love,” “Bust a Move,” and more of your favorites from this season.

This Post Brought to You By the Letter T

I can’t believe Sesame Street is 40 years old!    For all of you who love the Street, here are some fun facts you may not know:

 
Oscar the Grouch was originally orange!!!  Seems impossible, but the garbage-can dweller was orange for the 1969-70 season.

 

- James Earl Jones was the first celebrity guest.

- Muppet creator Jim Henson was the original voice of Kermit, Ernie, and game show host Guy Smiley (“Here is your life!”).

- The classic counting tune ”one-two-three-four-five, six-seven-eight-nine-ten, eleven, twelve” was recorded by the Pointer Sisters. 

Why not tune in to this classic show and relive your younger years or introduce a kid to the wonders of the muppets?  Come on, you know you can rock out to “Rubber Ducky!”  Who’s your favorite muppet?  Snuffleupagus was mine!

Your Top 10 or More

Every so often, I get a note in the suggestion box that I should post the most checked out YA books, so I thought it would be fun to see which books have been checked out more than ten times this year.  Drumroll, please…

37 times – “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer (3 copies)

33 times – “Eclipse” by Stephenie Meyer (2 copies)
                     “New Moon” by Stephenie Meyer (2 copies)

26 times – “P.S. I Loathe You” by Lisi Harrison (2 copies)

21 times – “Brisingr” by Christopher Paolini  (2 copies)

20 times – “Breaking Dawn” by Stephenie Meyer (2 copies)

17 times – “The Host” by Stephenie Meyer

12 times – “Shark girl by Kelly L. Bingham
                      “Watchmen” by Alan Moore
                      “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins
                      “Alicia: A Clique Novel” by Lisi Harrison

11 times – “What They Always Tell Us” by Martin Wilson
                     “The Book Thief” by Marcus Zusak
                     “Max: A Maximum Ride Novel” by James Patterson
                     ”Geek Charming” by Robin Palmer
                     “The Sorcerer of the North” by John Flanagan

Probably no big shockers for the top 3, but I was surprised that “P.S. I Loathe You” and “Brisingr” took down “Breaking Dawn” this year.  A few of those 12 and 11 timers were a little surprising, too.  Any surprises for you, or a book you think should be getting more attention?

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

This one is still on my “to be read” list, but there is tons of great buzz about “Hush, hush,” a new book by Becca Fitzpatrick. 

“Romance was not part of Nora Grey’s plan. She’s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how hard her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch comes along. With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Patch draws Nora to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora’s not sure whom to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is and seems to know more about her than her closest friends. She can’t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For she is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those who have fallen — and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost Nora her life.”

Books featuring angels, especially fallen angels, are getting more popular this year, and forbidden love never goes out of style.  Check out Simon and Schuster’s website, where you can browse around inside the book.  “Hush, hush” is now available at the library – when you read it, let me know what you think.

Katie

Bold and Pungent

Believe it or not, today is Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day!  Love garlic? Sauerkraut? Curry? Today’s the perfect day to pour it on! 

In honor of this day, here’s my own recipe for some tasty, easy taco dip:

Take 1 pkg. of cream cheese stirred together with 1 pkg. of taco seasoning and spread it on a plate.  Top it with refried black beans, chicken, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and a mixture of half salsa and half ranch dressing.   To make it extra bold and pungent, add some crushed red pepper flakes, tabasco or fiery hot salsa.  Enjoy!