The Ashleys: There's a New Name in School by Melissa de la Cruz
Reviewed by Suzanne, Teen Services Librarian
The movie "Heathers" meets "My Super Sweet 16" in a junior high version of beautiful, rich, powerful, and deliciously mean girls. In Melissa de la Cruz's new series, appropriately named The Ashleys, Ashley Spencer, Ashley Li, and Ashley Alioto rule Miss Gamble's Preparatory School for Girls. Set in San Francisco, the girls vie over clothing, boys, and whose sprawling mansion has the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
In There's a New Name in School we meet the Ashleys on the first day of 7th grade where they soon discover that dowdy scholarship student Lauren Page has completely transformed over the summer. Lauren's family is now extremely wealthy, and Lauren has undergone a stunning makeover. Along with her new bank account and her new looks, Lauren is determined to join the Ashleys... and then destroy them.
The Ashleys promised to be a lively new series. Although not terribly original and at times blatantly over the top, it offers all the flash and fun of the Gossip Girl and It Girl series without the, ahem, questionable extracurricular activities. For those readers (like me) who got totally sucked into the glamorously spoiled and can't wait for the second installment, Jealous? due out April 2008, author de la Cruz offers a sneak peak in the back of book 1.
To learn more about author Melissa de la Cruz visite her website and MySpace page. The Lewiston Public Library owns one copy of The Ashleys; it can be reserved through NIOGA.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Review of Stephanie Hempill's Your Own, Sylvia
Your Own, Sylvia by Stephanie Hemphill
Reviewed by Suzanne, Teen Services Librarian
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath tells the tragic story of Sylvia Plath’s rise and fall through poetry. Author Stephanie Hemphill took true accounts from the life of Plath and imagined the thoughts, feelings, and exchanges that took place around those events. Hemphill included footnotes at the end of each poem that shed more light on the circumstances that inspired the preceding verse. These anecdotes revealed the more peculiar side of Plath, such as her and her husband’s reliance on a Ouija board to pick lottery numbers, and displayed Hemphill’s vast research on her subject.
I have never read Plath, knowing that works such as The Bell Jar were dark and tended toward the depressing. However, this book was a wonderful introduction to the enigmatic Plath. Additionally, Your Own, Sylvia would make a splendid companion for the seasoned Plath student. Hemphill is passionate about her subject, and this is much appreciated by the reader. I would have liked if more photographs were included, but this does detracts from neither the book’s literary merit nor the reader’s great enjoyment of it.
Your Own, Sylvia received Starred Reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Horn. On Monday, January 14 it was named a Printz Honor Book at the American Library Association’s 2008 Midwinter Conference. To read about author Stephanie Hemphill’s thoughts on Your Own, Sylvia visit Random House Authors. The Lewiston Public Library owns one copy; it can be reserved through NIOGA.
Reviewed by Suzanne, Teen Services Librarian
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath tells the tragic story of Sylvia Plath’s rise and fall through poetry. Author Stephanie Hemphill took true accounts from the life of Plath and imagined the thoughts, feelings, and exchanges that took place around those events. Hemphill included footnotes at the end of each poem that shed more light on the circumstances that inspired the preceding verse. These anecdotes revealed the more peculiar side of Plath, such as her and her husband’s reliance on a Ouija board to pick lottery numbers, and displayed Hemphill’s vast research on her subject.
I have never read Plath, knowing that works such as The Bell Jar were dark and tended toward the depressing. However, this book was a wonderful introduction to the enigmatic Plath. Additionally, Your Own, Sylvia would make a splendid companion for the seasoned Plath student. Hemphill is passionate about her subject, and this is much appreciated by the reader. I would have liked if more photographs were included, but this does detracts from neither the book’s literary merit nor the reader’s great enjoyment of it.
Your Own, Sylvia received Starred Reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, and Horn. On Monday, January 14 it was named a Printz Honor Book at the American Library Association’s 2008 Midwinter Conference. To read about author Stephanie Hemphill’s thoughts on Your Own, Sylvia visit Random House Authors. The Lewiston Public Library owns one copy; it can be reserved through NIOGA.
Monday, January 14, 2008
And the winners are...
The American Library Association announced the winner of the Michael L. Printz Award this morning at their Midwinter conference held in Philadelphia. The Printz is awarded for excellence in literature written for young adults.
Winner:
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Honors:
Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dream Hunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox
One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clark
Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill
The John Newbery Medal was also announced this morning. The winner was Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Amy Schlitz. Honors went to Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, and Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson.
For a complete list of ALA's literary winners, including the Caldecott Medal, Coretta Scott King Award, Schneider Family Award, and the Sibert Medal visit ALA's official website.
Winner:
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean
Honors:
Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dream Hunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox
One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clark
Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill
The John Newbery Medal was also announced this morning. The winner was Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Amy Schlitz. Honors went to Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis, The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, and Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson.
For a complete list of ALA's literary winners, including the Caldecott Medal, Coretta Scott King Award, Schneider Family Award, and the Sibert Medal visit ALA's official website.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
TFL
Are you looking for something to do after school? Do you need community service hours to graduate high school? Are you trying to bolster those college applications? Do you want to do volunteer work but aren't sure where or how? Or are you just looking to make new friends and have some fun? Join TFL!
The Teen Friends of the Library is an exciting new service organization for students in grades 6 and up. I am collaborating with Peggy Salada, President of our adult Friends of the Library group, to provide a wonderful volunteer opportunity for you! TFL will help plan teen programming and assist with fundraising (we really, really, really want to buy a Wii!).
As part of TFL you can volunteer as little as one hour a month or as much as a couple hours a week. Besides programming and fundraising stuff, you can help babysit during our monthly Mom's Book Chat, write book reviews, and eat as much pizza at our meetings as you can!
For more information or to join:
Call 754-4720
Email sdlug@nioga.org
Or drop by the library!
Hope to see you soon!
Suzanne
The Teen Friends of the Library is an exciting new service organization for students in grades 6 and up. I am collaborating with Peggy Salada, President of our adult Friends of the Library group, to provide a wonderful volunteer opportunity for you! TFL will help plan teen programming and assist with fundraising (we really, really, really want to buy a Wii!).
As part of TFL you can volunteer as little as one hour a month or as much as a couple hours a week. Besides programming and fundraising stuff, you can help babysit during our monthly Mom's Book Chat, write book reviews, and eat as much pizza at our meetings as you can!
For more information or to join:
Call 754-4720
Email sdlug@nioga.org
Or drop by the library!
Hope to see you soon!
Suzanne
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