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Monday, December 14, 2009

The End of the Year is For Countdowns

After everyone has opened their presents and overeaten, a new countdown will begin: the countdown to January 1st. My favorite part about the end of the year is all the year end lists which highlight the best of the best . . .

The best movies:
Stark Trek - Seriously, it was awesome.
The Vampire's Assistant - I loved how campy fun this movie was
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs - Appealed to this Sci Fi fan girl

New Moon does not make my list . . . but it was an improvement over Twilight. Sorry Twihards.

The best books:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- What would you do if you were forced to compete in a competition where you must quite literally take out your opponent?

Fallen by Kate Lauren - Suspected in the death of her boyfriend, seventeen-year-old Luce is sent to a Savannah, Georgia, reform school where she meets two intriguing boys and learns the truth about the strange shadows that have always haunted her.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia - Ethan Wate meets the girls of his dreams, literally - she has been haunting his nightmares for months.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Kind of like The Lovely Bones, Mia finds herself outside of her body after a terrible car accident where she must examine her life and decide if she is going to fight to live.

Shiver by Maggie Steifvater - Twilight brought us vampires, and shiver bring us werewolves. Grace is fascinated by a wolf that has saved her from being attacked by his pack. Sam is that wolf. Soon Sam may lose the ability to turn human again, just as Grace is falling in love.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld - First off, Westerfeld is one of my favorite authors. If you are not reading his stuff, you should start. ASAP. This is the story of World War I, but re-imagined by this great sci fi/fantasy author. Enemy lines become blurred, teens are involved in epic conflict, a war machine that walks on two legs and a girl who is hoping it is not discovered that she is, in fact, a girl.

Other books to look into . . .
The Ask and the Answer by Patrick Ness
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X

Here are some links to other Best of 2009 Teen Fiction Lists:
NPR http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121173632
Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&plgroup=1&docId=1000446581

Tell me, what are your picks for the best teen books of 2009?

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Book Buzz: When You Reach Me

Have you ever read the book The Time Traveler's Wife? Or maybe you
saw the ads for the movie? When You Reach Me may remind you of this. It is the story of Miranda - named after the Miranda rights by her mom who wanted to be a lawyer. One day Miranda mysteriously gets a note - which turns out to be the first of four - that asks her to write a letter giving specific information. As the story progresses, Miranda loses a friend, gains some friends, gets a job . . . and learns that the future can affect the present and the present can affect the future. In the end, she will discover what the mysterious notes mean and help save a friend's life.

I loved loved loved this book. (Thanks Kim for recommending it). This is a great read for Middle School students.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Teen Scene on Facebook


The Teen Scene @ Marion Public Library now has a Facebook page and you can become a FAN!! Get the latest news on upcoming programs, contests, books and more. You can also participate in discussions. This month's discussion: What do you think of the Twilight series?
In other news, there are only 3 more Teen CoffeeHOuses left in 2009 - we'll see you on December 1, 8 and 15 from 3:00-4:30 PM.