Lewiston Teen Space

Elizabeth Scott's Perfect You

2008-04-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott
Reviewed by Suzanne, Teen Services Librarian

I truly enjoy Elizabeth Scott's books. The protagonists are very real and the average reader can relate to their plights. In Scott’s newest book, Perfect You, Kate has lost her best friend, is humiliated by her dad, and is perennially confused by boys. What 16 year old didn't/doesn't go through that?

The summer before her sophomore year of high school, Kate’s best friend Anna lost a lot weight and had a total makeover. But not only does she look different, Anna acts different too. She’s joined the cheerleading team and hangs out with the most popular girls in school. While Kate is being ignored by Anna at school, at home she is dealing with her dad’s mid-life crisis and a domineering grandmother. Further complicating matters is the incorrigible Will. Kate can’t stand Will, yet she can’t stop thinking about him either…

Perfect You captures the ups and downs of being a teenager, especially the (sometimes turbulent) father-daughter dynamic. When Kate’s dad picked her up from school wearing a carrot hat, I couldn't help but remember the time my dad rode his bike to my lacrosse practice wearing spandex shorts with a padded butt and aerodynamic helmet. My teammates were yelling "Tour de France! Tour de France!" until they realized "Oh... Suzanne... that's your dad..." I felt Kate’s pain.

The Lewiston Public Library owns Perfect You; it can be requested through NIOGA. Elizabeth Scott’s next book, Stealing Heaven, is due out in May 2008. To read more about author Elizabeth Scott visit her website and her MySpace.

Teen Poetry Contest!

2008-04-01T10:48:00.000-07:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn

2008-03-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

Beastly by Alex Flinn
Reviewed by Suzanne, Teen Services Librarian

Beastly is not a book I would have normally selected to read. Fantasy is not my preferred genre, but since author Alex Flinn is speaking at a conference I am attending next month, I figured I would try her twist on an old fairy tale.

This modern-day Beauty and the Beast takes place in New York City. Kyle Kingsbury, a freshman at an elite private school, plays a cruel trick on the new girl in school dismissing her as some “Goth freak.” However, the girl turns out to be a witch who casts a spell on the vain Kyle. Transformed into a disfigured beast, Kyle has two years to break the spell. Abandoned by his father and unable to show his face in public, time begins to run out and it looks like Kyle may remain a beast forever.

I really enjoyed this fresh version of Beauty and the Beast, and read it quite quickly. It was great fun and a pleasant departure from Flinn’s other books which are realistic depictions of teenage angst. The research Alex Flinn put into the creation of this book is apparent. What makes it unique is it is told from the point of view of the beast, with Kyle the story’s narrator.

The Lewiston Public Library owns one copy of Beastly; it can be reserved through NIOGA. To read more about Alex Flinn visit her website.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

2008-03-06T09:21:00.000-08:00

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney
Reviewed by Suzanne Dlugolonski, Teen Services Librarian

The sequel to last year’s smash hit Diary of a Wimpy Kid did not disappoint! In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, Greg Heffley returns with his embarrassing summer tucked safely behind him… or is it? Only Rodrick knows Greg’s secret and is using it blackmail Greg. Compounding matters at home is little brother Manny; now that he can talk, Manny’s turned into the biggest tattle-tale. And as Greg beings 7th grade he forgot one important detail–he still has the Cheese Touch! Zoo-Wee Mama.

Greg is still a jerky kid with very few redeeming qualities, but his journal (remember it is NOT a diary!) will once again keep readers in stitches. There were not as many laugh-out-loud moments as the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but Rodrick Rules is still chock-full of that dry wit and familiar middle school tragedies that charmed us the first time around.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and Diary of a Wimpy Kid command the 1 and 2 spots on the New York Times Children’s Best Sellers List. Like the original, Rodrick Rules also received a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly. The third installment, The Last Straw, is due out in the Fall. Also in the works? Two more Diary of a Wimpy Kid books and a movie! So while you’re waiting for more Greg Heffley, the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been nominated for a Nickelodeon Kid’s Choice Award. Visit here and vote for it today!

The Lewiston Public Library has one copy on order. Other copies can be requested through NIOGA. To learn more about Diary of a Wimpy Kid and it’s author visit http://www.wimpykid.com/.

The Ashleys by Melissa de la Cruz

2008-01-31T07:12:00.000-08:00

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.

Review of Stephanie Hempill's Your Own, Sylvia

2008-01-19T09:04:00.000-08:00

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 H onor 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 NIO GA.

And the winners are...

2008-01-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

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.

TFL

2008-01-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

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

Review of Gary D. Schmidt's The Wednesday Wars

2007-12-31T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Reviewed by Suzanne, Teen Services Librarian

Seventh grade can be tough—especially if your teacher hates you. In Gary D. Schmidt’s The Wednesday Wars, Holling Hoodhood is left alone every Wednesday afternoon with the treacherous Mrs. Baker. While his Catholic and Jewish classmates leave early for religious education, Presbyterian Holling is clapping erasers, cleaning rat cages, and [gasp!] forced to read Shakespeare!

As a recent transplant from Long Island, I was immediately drawn into the world of Holling which takes place in suburban Nassau County. The chapters, broken down into the moths of the school year, chronicle the (mis)adventures of Holling and Mrs. Baker’s Wednesday afternoons.

The book starts a little slow, but if you are a persistent reader, you will be thoroughly delighted by The Wednesday Wars. It’s a feel-good read with some truly hilarious moments. However, set during the Vietnam War, The Wednesday Wars is not without its somber moments. Holling Hoodhood (my new favorite name in literature!) is a refreshing character. Although he always comes out on top, Holling is hardly flawless. Luckily his nemesis, Mrs. Baker, is always around to bail him out.

The Wednesday Wars received Starred Reviews from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and Horn, and there is both Newbery and Printz buzz surrounding it (check back January 14, 2008 to see if it won any awards). The Lewiston Public Library owns one copy; it can be reserved through NIOGA. To read more about Gary D. Schmidt and The Wednesday Wars, visit C larion Books.

Review of Anna Godbersen's The Luxe

2007-12-29T08:32:00.000-08:00

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
Reviewed by Suzanne, Teen Services Librarian

Gossip Girl meets New York City's Gilded Age in The Luxe. Author Anna Godbersen's debut is a page-turner from beginning to end. Full of romance and scandal, The Luxe is a murder-mystery rocking high society.

Elizabeth Holland, back from Paris, is betrothed to Henry Schoonmaker, the city's most eligible bachelor. Unfortunately, their union is not based on love but on convenience. Instead of planning and celebrating, there is cunning and scheming abound. Everyone has a secret and The Luxe is crammed with lust, love, envy, greed, and hate.

The packaging of this book is fabulous—from the cover photography to the carefully chosen typesets inside. Godbersen's meticulous research into this time period is obvious to and appreciated by the reader.

Between the spectacular cover, however, were some faults. The Luxe was extremely predictable. Godbersen leaks too many clues too early, and by a quarter of the way in, the reader is able to (correctly) predict the ending. Also, for a 433 page book, the characters are not deeply explored. They are familiar stereotypes which lets Godbersen off the hook from creating a back-story. The only deviation from the bland cast is Diana Holland, whose complicated spunkiness is a delight.

Nevertheless, this book is a juicy read. If you want to be entertained, The Luxe is an ideal choice. Godbersen is currently writing a sequel which I am certainly looking forward to reading.

To read more about The Luxe visit Harper Teen. The library owns one copy; it can be reserved through N IOGA.

New year, new teen page!

2007-12-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Since my arrival in late-August I have been working hard to increase the services offered to teens at LPL.

First order of business was to get us on MySpace. Our MySpace page allows you to connect with popular authors. Our MySpace friends include Meg Cabot, Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, and Chris Crutcher. Some generous authors, such as Niki Burnham and Elizabeth Scott sent us copies of their new books! If you haven't already, make sure you visit our MySpace page ASAP!

Thanks to our generous Friends of the Library, we have been adding some fantastic non-fiction titles to our teen collection. Check out Encyclopedia Horrifica, Ana's Story, and author Jack Gantos' autobiography Hole in My Life. The Friends are also going to help us host some great teen programs at the library, including a special raffle that will take place during Teen Tech Week in March (spoiler alert: it will involve iPods!). Our fiction and graphic novel collections are also growing.

With all these exciting changes, I decided that our teen page needed a make-over. After scouring the web for exciting ideas, I decided the Google's Blogger was the way to go. Using Blogger, I am not only able to give you the latest library updates, but you are able to interact with us.

So... what do you think of our new look? I want feedback! It is still a work in progress, but I can only make it better with help from you. What do you want to see on our page? What do you want to see at the library? What can your library do for you???

Keep reading,

Suzanne

Teen Services Librarian