Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Fiewel and Friends, 2012

Dean didn’t say goodbye to his mom that morning.  He watched is brother Alex, in eighth grade, get on his bus and he got on the one to high school in Monument, Colorado.  It was an ordinary day for Alex – avoid the popular kids in back and try to be invisible. 

But then the hail began….

It wasn’t ordinary hail, but huge crushing hail with stones and debris caught within the ice.  It tore up cars and cracked windshields.  Dean’s ride to school is now demolished outside the Greenway superstore.  Kids are dead, and the hail is causing more injuries. Their savior is the bus driver of Alex’s bus, getting the survivors and crashing into the Greenway.

But now, the safety gates are closed, shut down and impenetrable to the outside.  Inside are six high school students, two eighth graders and over a handful of elementary school kids.  The Network is down and there is no communication to the outside world.  First hail, then an earthquake…then the terrible news of a supertsunami…then the worst news of all…

On an old television, news has reached the Dean ,Alex and the others that NORAD’s chemical storage has leaked.  And it’s turning people into monsters, building on their rage to kill.  Other are affected different ways, and all the survivors in Greenway must do everything they can to contain the catastrophe happening on the outside. 

Most of all, they wonder if their parents are still alive…and just how many survivors are left in the world that has come undone. 

This is future survival fiction at its finest!  At first, I was thinking how easy it would be to survive in a superstore, but then everyone knows about cabin fever.  Emmy Laybourne does an excellent job of making sure the reader knows each and every one of the kids in this book and their experiences throughout this disastrous time, but it’s the situation that comes alive.  The reader gets to experience how teens and children work to hold it together with the absence of all adults in a world full of danger and crazy people trying to get in.  This book just works and works well.  Look for a sequel to this incredibly fast read that will take you to the edge of your seat!

Other great fiction read pairings: Susan Pfeffer's Life As We Knew It trilogy; Michael Northrop Trapped;  Lex Thomas Quarantine

 

Common Core pairing:  Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larson

Based on the diaries of Isaac Monroe Cline and on contemporary accounts. Tells the story of Isaac Cline, a weather scientist in Galveston, Texas in 1900, discussing his belief and assertion that nothing in the way of weather could destroy the coastal city; and looks at how Cline dealt with the aftermath of the hurricane that hit Galveston on September 8, claiming the lives of thousands of people.

The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler

Razorbill, 2011.

If you had a chance to see your life in the future, would you want to?
It's 1996, and Emma and Josh are your ordinary teenagers.  They've lived by each other for years and have practically grown up together.  But now they're sophomores in high school and things are a little different.  Well, they're WAY different after Josh tried to kissed Emma six months ago - now they hardly speak to each other.  It's what Emma's father sent her that will make a huge impact in their lives...
In Emma's room is a bright shiny computer.  It probably weighs 25 pounds, but it's all hers.  She's heard about people getting emails and sending instant messages, so she's excited about this new prospect of trying it out.  Of course, there's always the problem with sharing the phone line, but she and her mother will work it out.  Josh is the one who hands her the AOL Online CD with 100 free internet hours, but when Emma finally gets online, she's shocked by what she sees.
A page begins to emerge...something called Facebook, which Emma has no idea what it is.  And there on the front page is a woman about 30 years old, who looks kind of like her.  She went to the same high school as Emma, has the same birthday...this isn't coincidence.  What Emma is looking at is her life fifteen years in the future, and she's not quite sure she likes what she sees.  But who can she tell?  The only person who comes to mind is Josh.
He also gets a look at who he is and becomes in the future, but unlike Emma, he definitely likes what he sees and who he gets married to.  His life is amazing!  And what the two quickly realize is that they can send ripples through time from now to Facebook in the future and make changes to their lives and what they see posted on their timeline, in their photos and their comments.  But are those changes dangerous?  What are the repercussions of the decisions they make, create or change not only to them, but to those around them, including their best friends? 
This book is chock full of references from the mid-nineties, but not so much as to bog down the reader that it's "old school."  Emma and Josh's relationship not only with each other but with those in their school, stands out the most and creates their unique personalities the reader can't help but want to know more of.  Teens today were born around this year, so they may not get the 90's references (Wayne's World, Boyz 2 Men, only one character has a cell phone) but the theme and situation remains a popular one.  Asher and Mackler switch voices with the characters they write about, which makes this a book you want to read through to see what happens to the other person....right....NOW!  Recommended.

Common Core Pair:  Friend Me!  600 Years of Social Networking in America by Francesca Davis DiPiazza.

Trafficked by Kim Purcell

2012, Viking.

Elena, or Hannah.  It doesn’t matter even if she is the same person.  All she knows is that she is no longer in Moldova but in America, about to live the American dream. 

She saw the poster when she left her hometown…a girl struggling in the fist of a giant hand, the words “You are not a product” written underneath.  Her friend Katya warned her about it, but her babulya told her she should go and be free, and Hannah agrees with her.  After her parents were killed in a bombing of a small café, she feels more of a nuisance to her family that took her in.  Hannah knows things are tight, and finding a job as a nanny in America can only help.  That was what she was recruited for from the beginning.

Hannah’s excitement of leaving Moldova for America comes to a halt before she even leaves the country.  Fake passports, handlers taking her to and from places…she doesn’t even want to think about the one in the black car and what he did to her.  Now, as Hannah steps off the plane in Los Angeles, she’s more nervous than happy, and can only hope she can pass immigration without detection. 

When she does, Sergey is waiting for her, ready to take her to her new home.  But is home the right term to use for what she has to endure?  Her treatment, her lack of wages, her work hours….the Platonovs promise one thing, but do the opposite.  Hannah is trapped.  She has no friends, no one to talk to, no one who cares about her.  There is only one person she has barely spoken to and it’s a teenage boy who lives beside them.  Hannah is told she can speak to no one or the police will find out and lock her away.  Hannah feels her only protection is the prison she’s trapped in. 

The Platanovs requested her specifically for a reason.  Why would they do that and treat her the way they do?  What is the reason behind Sergey wanting Hannah?  When the truth slowly begins to leak out, Hannah realizes the connections are only too real and it’s only a matter of time before the truth could destroy  her life and the lives of those back at home.  Will she ever see home again?

Kim Purcell writes a realistic fiction book that will take readers into the dark and mortifying process of human trafficking.  Her character of Hannah takes the readers through the perspective of the victim and how they become entrapped in a country that celebrates freedom and individual rights.  Most people don’t think America could be home to such a travesty as human trafficking, but it could be happening in your own neighborhood.  This book is as much about the story as it is about bringing to the forefront this epidemic of baselessness.  Purcell derives the theme and plot of this book through personal experience and her author’s notes are a must read.   Highly recommended.

Here is the new book trailer just released:

Common Core pairing:  Five Thousand Years of Slavery by Majorie Gann

My first blog interview! Doing a happy dance (in my chair)

Texas Sweethearts and Scoundrels are a group of amazing people who live in Austin and love books, libraries, students, authors....you name it!  Every month they post a blog interview, and I (with the recommendation of amazing blogger Pamela Thompson!) am this month's sweetheart....or scoundrel?  Anyway, I thought I'd share this link to my interview :)

http://texassweethearts.blogspot.com/2012/09/featured-sweetheart-naomi-bates.html

Article 5 by Kristen Simmons

Ember lives in a new United States.  The War ended three years ago, and the government changed.  The strongest arm of the government is the Military Militia.  Their role?  Enforce compliance of the Moral Statutes.  Rumors of mass executions, people disappearing for no reason, prison, deportation….they’re everywhere.  Ember thought they were all rumors until it happened to her.

There are only five articles in the Moral Statutes that citizens need to abide by, but the laws change with the wind.  Ember and her mother live a decent life.  Their only act of defiance is hiding magazines and books from the old days; days Ember vaguely recalls.  She has friends, but the person she misses the most is Chase.  They grew up together since childhood but their friendship turned deeper.  There was no denying Chase and Ember, as teenagers, were meant to be together.  Now, Chase is gone, and Ember misses him.  She remembers those tender moments and always hopes the best for him, wondering if he still feels the same toward her that she does toward him, wherever he may be.

But a knock on her door changes Embers entire life.  The MM (Military Militia) has come to take away Ember’s mother for breaching Article 5, which meant full prosecution by the government.  What was the crime?  Ember doesn’t have a father and Article 5 stipulates that she is to be “rehabilitated.”  What is worse, is that Chase, the love of her life, is arresting her mother.  Nothing Ember does changes Chase – not the past, not their moments together, not their friendship.  He is part of the military machine, devoid of all emotions. 

With her mother gone, Ember finds herself in rehab, the worst possible place to be.  Torture, brain-washing, and hard manual labor are a common part of her day.  Escape?  Punishable by death.  But it won’t stop Ember.  She must get back with her mother.  But can she?  And who will be there to help?

Dystopia fans rejoice!  Here is another book to devour through when you’ve read all the other ones.  Simmons’ book paints the future into a very realistic and bleak novel.  Although the main characters stand out, it’s the role of government Simmons creates as a monster character, along with the men in the Militia and how they’ve evolved.  The evolution of Chase’s and Ember’s relationship takes center stage, but it’s also the minor characters and what has happened to them because of the breakdown of our future country and government that conveys the essence of this novel.   Recommended. 

Common core pair:  primary sources of the Constitution and Preamble

Sharing links to create book trailers and online projects

I guess it's been about a year and a half (maybe more) since I created the livebinders for book trailer resources.  But one thing I have found out, especially with students, is that they tend to open up the link directly within the livebinder, which gives them an incorrect URL when crediting images.  So, they have to open livebinders, open another tab, copy and paste, then go back and forth...BORING!

And so I created a Symbaloo that has most of the link I created with livebinders, but it set up so much more elegantly because of its simplicity.  So, if you'd like to share this with others, please do.  Also know that this is not only for book trailers in the library world, but also online projects for ANY class a student may take that asks them for virtual projects.  The perma link is:
http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/booktrailerresources

Book trailer for Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

I usually make trailers for those books I absolutely loved!  This is one of them.... :)
You can view it on Schooltube or Youtube and I've provided a link if you'd like to download it.

Enjoy!

Schooltube link:
http://www.schooltube.com/video/2d20f0a607a5460ab8e4/Ripper%20by%20Stefan%20Petrucha

Downloadable link:
http://www.nisdtx.org/Page/3590

Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

Ripper by Stefan Petrucha.  Penguin, 2012.

All of his life, Carver Young has only known the orphanage he lives in.  It’s there that he met Delia, his closest friend, and Finn, his worst enemy.  It’s also the place he learned skills like picking locks and not being seen or heard, perfect skills for detecting.

Carver’s life has always been a mystery, and it’s one he’d like to solve.  Who was his father?  When hacking into his file, all he stole was a piece of paper dated July 18, 1889 with words like “boss,” and “knife,” and a description of Carver as an eight year old boy, including a unique mole he has. 

But now, it’s the year 1895 and the orphanage is closing down. Fourteen-year-old Carver has two options:  become adopted immediately by the wealthy clamoring to this “Prospective Parents Day” (mostly because the young police commissioner of New York City, Theodore Roosevelt, is there) become a street rat, selling papers or cleaning offal.   And this night is where Carver meets his fate – a Pinkteron Detective by the name of Hawking….

Carver isn’t sure what to make of this mysterious and surly man who has adopted him, but the more time he spends around Hawking, the more intriguing his situation becomes and the closer Carver gets to the mystery surrounding his father.  The New Pinkertons headquarters, carved deep under bustling New York City, has all the tools and people Carver needs to find out more about his father, and when he realizes who his father is, the more horror and bloodshed arrive at his doorstep.  Jack the Ripper is looking for his long-lost son….

Petrucha knows the Gilded Age and New York City well.  Not only his is novel a compelling and interesting mystery, but the scenery he writes about as well as the characters and inventions will take the reader back to that most interesting era of the late 1800’s.  Jack the Ripper has left the foggy streets of London to go head-to-head with Theodore Roosevelt, but will macabre cunning or intelligent bravado win?  Petrucha takes the reader to the very of the novel for it all to play out.  Readers may think they’re reading steampunk, but the author bases most everything on reality, including the New Pinkertons headquarters, on fact.  Of course there are a few exaggerations, but they work well in the book.  The end of the novel has a character and gadget glossary, which gives historical accuracy on everything Petrucha refers to.  This is an excellent book that will fascinate readers of both historical fiction and mystery fiction.  Highly recommended.

Common Core/Non Fiction Pair:  Secret Subway: the fascinating tale of an amazing feat of engineering.  Martin Sandler, author.  An illustrated overview of the history of New York's first subway that discusses why it was necessary to build, Alfred Beach's vision for the system and efforts to see it through, resistance to its construction, and other related topics.

Infographics take the "hurt" out of a report!

I've seen some very VERY nice infographics, and they are coming onto the forefront of creating and disseminating information.  I tried using Visual.ly, but just couldn't make it work and then fell in love with Piktochart....

So, I decided to take my State of the Library Report, a six page document you can find at this link (if you're so inclined to read the six pages)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-wHb5Nsjhy0WjhnSG5oT3dOZmM/edit?pli=1

and transformed it into this infographic, which has all the same information but in a more visual format.  (If you want to zoom in, you'll have to save it...I'm still trying to figure that out)
Love it!! 

I"m baaaaack (thanks Jack for that incredible movie line!)

Okay, so I took the summer off from everything except a few tweets here and there. This summer was just a time-out for me so get re-focused and enjoy bliss. Don't get me wrong, I love the library, librarianship, librarians...but I wanted to enjoy other things. I painted, swam, became a master at Tiny Wings, and cooked some savory and unsavory dishes. I vacationed, I slept, and I spent time planting trees and trying to keep them alive in this hellish heat.

But now, I'm back at work and there's something to be said about going back to work and getting back that professional focus. I want to be ON FIRE this year!! So, what do I have planned? Oh, so many things! First of all, this is the year I program! I've been saving emails, listening to what others have done, and will try to replicate these in the library. Here are a few ideas (not all my own ideas, so thanks virtual friends out there!)  We'll meet once a six weeks or monthly, depending on how good my group is :)

Blind Date a Book - wrap a book in brown paper wrapping and have them be checked out by my (hopefully) book club to read and swap.

Poetry Slam - So many ideas!  I'm following a thread right now about Blackout Poetry and Susan Smith has a wonderful idea dealing with words and pages.  I'm also going to try my hand at spine poetry as well

Book Club - I've heard many people talk about how hard it is to get a high school group going, but I'm still going to try.  I'll do it during lunches where there will be incentive (think food) as well as online through bookclubit

Book Bake-Off - I saw this last semester and loved the idea!  Read a book, bake something that's thematic or relevant to the book and display (tasting later!!)

Book Art - Who doesn't like a great craft now and then?  Who doesn't have weeded books they're getting rid of?  In comes book art for the book club.  It'll be all about cutting, shredding, pasting, and redesigning for library displays!

Book Techie - Let's get these kids involved!  I'll be setting up GoodReads and Shelfari with the students as well as getting each one to read an e-book from the collection.  I'll also try my hand at book trailers (of course!!)

I Dont Wanna Read Non-Fiction! - Get the club to choose and read non-fiction and create a web-based project about the book to be displayed on the library webpage

Booktalking by Genre - pick a favorite genre, read a book, booktalk it!

And so that's what I want to do this year besides the co-teaching with teachers, doing booktalks, helping with technology and databases and being involved on the state level.  You know, it may sound like a lot, but for high school librarians, it's something we can all handle and do, especially with capable help. 
Wish me luck in this endeavor!!!!!

Are you Web Literate? 21 slides to 21st century learning

Web Literacy: 21 Navigation Tools for 21st Century Learners on Prezi

Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Alex couldn't wait for his parents and bratty little sister to leave.  This would be the first time he'd be spending summer at home alone.  It was all about World of Warcraft and whatever he wanted to do.  No more nagging from his mom.  No more disinterested looks from his dad.  He couldn't wait....

But that was yesterday.  Today, all he can think about is his family.  His house burned down to the ground.  His eardrums are near to bursting with the sound filling the air for hours on end.  The unending ash from the sky.  No phones, no electricity....this is the new life he'll need to get used to.  A super volcano in Yellowstone erupted, and Alex is now in the red zone.

After seeing the horror of his neighbor defending his home from thugs, Alex has a target in mind.  He's decided to go from Iowa to Illinois to get to his Uncle Warren's home where the rest of the family is.  He has no idea who he'll meet, or what his obstacles are, but he's determined to do this.

Dangers await him at every turn, but the biggest danger of all is the threat of no water or food.  Ash has covered and killed everything, and armed only with a backpack of supplies, Alex knows what starvation feels like.  He also knows the dangers of people now desperate for any food, water or supplies - even if it means killing for it. 

Mike Mullin, welcome to the world of YA!!  For a first novel, this natural disaster adventure book will fill the spot of anyone looking for a thrilling read.  Although at times predictable, it nonetheless has the qualities of a thriller to keep the reader wondering what will happen to the main character.  Very much along the lines of Susn Pfeffer's trilogy, the first book of Mullin's series ends perfectly, without that
cliff-hanger ending that precludes to another book.  It is satisfying and stands on its own easily.  The plot as well as the science behind the super volcano is very well thought out and Mullin's imagination depicts the levels humanity will go to in order to survive.  Recommended

New book trailer: Blood Red Road by Moira Young

I can't believe I haven't picked up this book yet!  Those of you who are thirsty for more Hunger Games type books will love this one!  The characters are vivid, the setting dynamic, the plot runs smooth. 

The only difference I could find is that this dystopian book is void of technology - the Wreckers, those humans who lived in the past, completely decimated society and their environments.  The characters in this one have to start over from the start.

If you've ever read a book with dialect (think Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain) you'll also find it in this book, but it isn't so difficult to read that you'd put it down.  It only adds to the layer of a future society trying to turn itself around from the ruins of nothing.

Saba is a strong female character who has prowess, cunning and talent she didn't know she possesses.  The people she meets are vile, evil, insane as well as those who are survivors, fighters, and thinkers. 

In this future where the rulers want to make the general population subservient through chaal, a plant with drug-inducing power, it takes a handful of people like Saba to begin the destruction of this corrupt part of civilation. 

Part of this novel reminded me so much of dystopian fiction, but another part of me recognized the hero's journey and instantly thought of fantasy.  There are no mythological beasts, but Saba's crow Nero does play into the story. 
LOVED IT!!  Here's a trailer I created for the book.  It'll be on Youtube shortly....was taking a long time to process.  So here's the link to the one on the NHS Library webpage:
 
http://www.nisdtx.org/Page/3590
It can be downloaded as well

Schooltube:
http://www.schooltube.com/video/7ebdb745ceda47a19d29/

Youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQ9h9AM5KJA&list=UU5vb6h910saxkfKMDnrOaNw&index=1&feature=plcp

BTW, there are currently two covers that I know of for this first book.  The top is the original one - I like it better than the revamped version, personally.  Colors seem to work better for me.


  

The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll & Mademoiselle Odile

by James Reese, Roaring Brook Press 2012

The year is 1876, a bloody and bad time for Paris.  First the Prussians invade, causing mass starvation in the city.  Then the Communards fight back, starting a civil war, killing tens of thousands of people.  But it's the first invasion that created a monster... or two, quite by accident.

Odile and her little brother, Grulechon, had sought the refuge of Paris after their parents were murdered for being Cagot witches.  With little else to survive on, a kind woman took in the two orphans.  The only things Odile had of her mother's was a waistlet containing her mother's precious books, and some vials of herbs and other assorted things Odile has no knowledge of. 

Now, years later, Odile is selling rats as food, and running from her latest experiment, which has turned a chimpanzee into a murderous feral animal.  And as she's running away, she runs right into a very young Henry Jekyll, lately of London...

Through as series of coincidences, Odile once again is forced into Dr. Jekyll's path, the latest being an eye infection that is causing her little brother blindness and pain.  Henry offers Odile into his home so he can treat her little brother, Grulechon, and slowly a companionship builds up.  But this companionship quickly turns into the twists and turns of spying and sabotage as Henry sees what happens to Grulechon when Odile takes matters....and witchery....into her own hands. 

Dr. Jekyll very much wants those transforming salts, and when he gets them, and Mr. Hyde comes out, the war in Paris goes from outside to inside the mansion Odile is part prisoner to.  But the salts are running out...what is the secret Odile is hiding, and can she keep Mr. Hyde at bay?  How far will Jekyll/Hyde go to get what they want, and how far is Odile willing to go to keep that secret?

What an excellent mixture of historical fact with historical fiction!  Akin to Oppel's This Last Endeavor, a tweak on a classic becomes a brand new YA fiction book that will lure readers to the classic tale. James Reese relies on all of  to create a newly formed Henry Jekyll in his younger years, and the recounting of what happened before the famous Robert Louis Stevenson classic, where Dr. Jekyll is an older man in England.  With a small cast of characters in a rich background of Paris in turmoil, those YA readers of historical fiction and fantasy will enjoy losing themselves in this book.   Inset of a map of Paris is especially helpful.  Recommended. 

Twitter or Blogging? What a beautiful mess....

I'm not new to the whole social media network.  It's just that I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the redundancy that can potentially happen when you have so many different networks you're using.  Of course, Youtube and Schooltube hold exclusively video, so it just makes sense that's where I put my book trailers.  But then there's the ubiquitous task of what I put on my blog versus what I post on Twitter.  Right now all of my book reviews are on my blog, but should I also post links to my Twitter account?  And technology...most of the cool things I find online and share are found on my Twitter account, but do I post them on my blog?

This is the conundrum.  Finding two very distinct platforms, I feel like I should treat them like sisters - give each of them loving attention while understanding the different personalities they are.  They both have some of the same friends, but they also have different friends they play with (friends = followers).  I ask myself, "If I find the same information on Twitter, why should I follow on Blogger...or vice versa.  It's that ugly redundant head poking it's way into the twisted wires of technology.

 So, for now, I have decided to keep them separated.  I know how cramped it can be when sisters begin to share a room.  Believe me, I had to share with TWO! : )

So, if you want to follow my posts on  Twitter, please do!  I just posted two fabulously amazing sites a few minutes ago on twitter (@yabooksandmore).  And if you like what I post on Blogger, I sure do appreciate ya'll!!  Any every now and again, I'll have to just post the same thing on both.  I already do this in tandem with my book trailers.  So check it out and follow if you'd like.

 It could be too much YABAM (YABooksAndMore)  ....WOW!!  That sounds like a PERFECT onomatopoeia word!!  ie, I need a trailer/book review to put in a booktalk...YABAM!!!  hahahaha!!  Testing days make me giddy at the end of the day, forgive my punchiness :)
See you online!

Genre displays - Part tres

here are the rest of my genres I have in the library:
  link:  http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5187533/Novels_in_Verse



 link:  http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5187661/Real_Life_Reads


link:  http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/5187705/Classic_and_Adult_Fiction

The List by Siobhan Vivian

Scholastic 2012
When eight girls woke up the week before homecoming they didn't know how much their lives would be altered.  Oh, most of them knew about the tradition, but didn't think it would happen to them.  There were too many to choose from.  But when they walked into school that morning, they found the list plastered everywhere with their names on it.
What is the List?  Two names from each class - the prettiest and the ugliest posted for everyone to see.  It's a make or break situation for the girls all for different reasons.  People think the prettiest have it the easiest and no one wants to be the ugliest, but there it is in black and white for all the world to see.

Freshmen:
Abby Warner (who has to compete with her lackluster scholarly sister...she's only too happy to be voted prettiest)
Danielle Demarco (swimmer extraordinaire who's hurt by the nickname the list gives her, but knows she has the support of her boyfriend...)

Sophomores:
Lauren Finn (her first year in school after being home-schooled.  She may look and act awkward but being the prettiest will definitely help her fit in)
Candace Kinkaid (upset with the fact that she's the ugliest, she can't believe people would think that of her since she actually is the prettiest - and loves to let people know it)

Juniors:
Sarah Singer (she's the emo girl who likes to be left alone, proving her tough image by smoking and dressing radically)
Bridget Honeycutt (she has tried all summer to be perfect because of one little comment, but the weight is coming off and it feels good.  Only two more sizes and she'll be perfect...)

Seniors:
Jennifer Briggis (the only person in the entire history of the List to make it four times in a row as the ugliest!)
Margo Gable (the senior who has it all - the friends, the looks, the parties...a shoo-in for homecoming queen)

Slowly but surely, the metamorphosis begins in all of these girls' lives, both good and bad.  Little do they know they've been specifically chosen this year to make or break them.  But why? Who is behind the List?

Vivian takes a slice of life of high school girls, along with their drama, personal demons, and relationships to create eight unique characters that the reader will identify with.  That is what makes this a beauty of a girl read book.  The central plot is separated between all eight, with their own voices and stories told in alternating chapters, which will make readers polish this off quickly if only to find out what happens next and how ultimately, the girls lives being to intertwine.

Why Does the World Need Librarians?

Dead to You by Lisa McMann

New York:  Simon Pulse, 2012

It's been nine long years since it happened, but he came back.  Ethan remembers the bits and pieces about the abduction, but what he's most concerned about is that his "mother" abandoned him.  Not that it matters anymore...he found his way back to his real home, with Mama, Dad, Blake and the newbie, little Gracie. 

It's been a tough road though.  Ethan is still caught up with his other world and with Ellen, who abducted him when he was seven years old.  Why did she do it?  Why did she abandon him later?  It didn't matter how he was raised, where he lived.  He knew his belonged.  He's not so sure with his now family.  The new parents, his true parents, are taking their time to let him sort it all out, but Ethan still wants to protect Ellen.  Protect the bad, distrust the good...he doesn't understand it himself.

Slowly and with time, he begins to breathe easier.  He doesn't remember much, but he feels the love his parents and little sister show him.  And the one person who helps him through it the most?  His old childhood friend, Cami.  It certainly isn't Blake, his brother.  Blake truly believes Ethan isn't his real brother. Their relationship isn't peanut butter and jelly.  It's more like pushes, shoves, and avoidance. 

But then the revelation of Ethan's past comes back full force...

This is one of those kinds of books that someone will pick up and want to read all in one sitting.  The short chapters help with the fluidity of the plot itself, but McMann continues to tease the reader about Ethan's past, just enough so that the pages continue to turn.  The reader sees Ethan's character develop from the shy, unsure kid who isn't used to normality slowly blossom into the realization that he's now part of that culture, but it's his dark side that continues to plague him in his relationships, his anxiety, and his present and future.  If you're a savvy reader, look for the placement of the denouement....a hint to what happens with this book.  My parting words after finishing this book?  "Oh, man!!  That did NOT just happen!"  Recommended. 

Beneath a Meth Moon by Jacqueline Woodson

Laurel remembers the past...the day the hurricane came in and took her mom and grandmother.  After two years of deciding what to do with their lives, Laurel's father has moved them far away.  Now she's land-bound by green fields instead of the green of the water, and Laurel doesn't think she'll ever by happy. That quickly changes.

In fact, she makes friends right off the bat (easy to do in a small town)and becomes involved in cheerleading in her new hometown.  It's small, but life seems to be taking a turn for the better.  Laurel still sees water waves and her mother in her dreams, but her days are getting better.  In fact, one night they get infinitely better when she meets T-Boom, captain of the basketball team.

He told her he had dreams for their future.  He told her he'd be wealthy and independent.  He told her she was the most beautiful girl in the world.  He told her she should try chasing the moon.  And she believed everything he told her.

Now, she's sitting on a cold street in pain.  Her bones hurt, her teeth hurt, her skin itches.  She needs another hit.  Nothing else matters.  Her life took another turn....is it too late?

Woodson takes a tale of emotional pain, misplaced trust, and methanphetamines and weaves a tale of hope, loss, love, and survival with near poetic quality.  The reader watches Laurel's descent and can only hope she sees the salvation the other characters see within her reach.  There is a distinct undertone of faith and religion, woven throughout the novel but without overpowering the storyline itself.  In fact, it adds to the unique culture of small towns and they way the people in small towns react to adversity when it comes to their children and safety.  It was refreshing to read about the subject of drug abuse and the worlds teens live in without the underlying grittiness seen in other novels with the same plot.  This is one that can be placed at junior high or high school and is a fast read.  Very Recommended.

Creative Signage

First of all, I have to say that librarians are creative, forward-thinking, and imaginative.  This is the case for Sofia D'Arcy, a middle school librarian from  Houston ISD.  She created signage from old weeded books...so for those of us wanting signage but not wanting to spend a lot of cash, there is a solution thanks to brilliant minds in the library world!

And she also provided instructions as well:
• I traced the letters on the back of the book (hint: be sure to keep at least part of the binding intact as in the “o” and the “c”)


• I cut them out using a jigsaw, but I’ve since added a scroll saw to the mix. I used a drill to get to the middle sections. I sanded the rough edges. If you decide to use a Dremel or other rotary device be aware that since it spins really fast you can burn the edges if you aren’t careful. I used a Black and Decker Mouse.

• After I made the shelf from two pieces of pine, I placed the letters and marked where I wanted the braces to go. I screwed those in and glued the letters to the braces. I screwed three picture hanger things to it to hang. If you are interested in seeing the back, just let me know and I’ll take a picture to send to you.

• Two things to consider: thinner books are easier to cut and take a look at the book without the cover.

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

And here's my latest book trailer for an AMAZING read!!!!

You can also watch it on Schooltube:  http://www.schooltube.com/video/4718ba7004194427be5a/I%20Hunt%20Killers%20by%20Barry%20Lyga

Download it from the NHS Library website:  http://www.nisdtx.org/Page/3587 

Click on the "Digital Book Trailer" link under the Mighty Red N!  

The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Charlaina lives in a world ruled by royalty.  She's part of the working class, far removed from the court.  In her world, societies are broken down by languages, with Englaise being the common language.  For her part, she and her parents, who own a restaurant, speak Parshon.  As long as she's been alive, it's always been accepted that you don't make any type of contact with those that speak another language on a higher social order, but that's hard for Charlie.  She has a special gift - she can understand all languages....

Sabara, the queen knows she's losing her grip on her world.  She has to fight the Resistance, who wants to overthrow her, but more than that, her body is giving out on her.  She needs a replacement, a royal whom she can transfer into.  There's rumor of one, and she's put her grandson, Max, in charge of finding this rumor.  He can't let her down...she needs this one. 

Soon the city Charlaina lives in and Sabara rules become chaotic, with the underground Resistance bombing buildings and destroying lives.  Charlie, along with her best friend Brooklynn and Aron, watch as their lives are ripped apart.  But is this being done for the right reasons?  When Charlie is in the crosshairs of both factions, which will she trust? 

Derting's first dystopia novel blends in fantasy in a society struggling to stay alive.  Charlie is a strong female character whose responsibilities far surpass those of a typical teenager but her emotional struggles are all too real.  Seen from different viewpoints, with most of those being Charlie, helps the reader understand the full spectrum of the world Charlie lives in without being lost in the plot.  This mixed genre will please readers of both fantasy and dystopia and is pitched well on both sides.  Derting makes an excellent transistion from her mystery novels into dystopia.  Fans familiar with her Body Finder series will find her newest novel equally enthralling! 

Dark Inside by Jeyn Roberts

2012, Simon & Schuster

It was just the beginning of an ordinary day for four teens in different cities, in different states and provinces.  But it wouldn't take long for their lives, and the lives of everyone they know, to change.  What started as violent earthquakes that began to shake their lives turned into a living nightmare they escaped from.

Aries, Mason, Clementine, and Michael don't know each other.  There's no communication, no electricity, so they have no way of knowing how extensive the catastrophe is.  All they know are the horrors that are lurking out there, waiting for them.  They know it's a killer's spree that dominates the real world now.  Something happened when the earthquakes started, and people who were good and decent are now psychotic killers, participating and enjoying the thrill of the hunt and kill.  They're called Baggers, and their prey are other humans.  You can tell a Bagger because of their eyes...the veins are black and what's hiding behind them is even darker. Baggers aren't monsters physically, but they are psychologically, creating, without prejudice, acts of violence against anyone from lynching to stabbing to shooting...the list goes on.

Now all four are on the run trying to save their lives.  They hide from the Baggers and try to find others who haven't been "touched" by this virus (or is it?) and continue to fight another day.  All around these teens is chaos - fires burning, bodies laying wasted on the ground, scavengers looking for a place to stay, terror.  It will take fortitude to propel them further, if they can make it.  What they don't know is that this dark nothing, this evil that has invaded humanity, may be lurking within the circle of trust they've relied on in order to survive.  Can someone repel this evil Nothing, or will it eventually take over and create a Judas in Aries, Mason's, Michael's and Clementine's groups?  Is it safer to work together or be alone?

Reading this novel is like watching it become a movie.  Roberts writes with gritty realism and leaves very little to the imagination of the horror these teens are battling against.  All four main characters each have unique personalities that make them strong but may also make the reader wonder if that character can be trusted.  The whole theme of good vs. evil permeates throughout the book with a strong overlay of trust vs. distrust.  Dystopia readers take heart, this is one teens will enjoy.  It's quite different from other dystopias I've read currently simply because there are no monsters, zombies, or futuristic details.  This story could take place now or in ten years, so it has no time stamp.  Readers will gasp in horror as well as surprise while quickly reading through this novel told in four different viewpoints and hurriedly read through one teen's experience only to see what's happening to the other three.  A very thrilling read!  Recommended for high school.  Excellent trailer on this one:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLMh_xIhiDc

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Penguin, 2012.

This isn't going to be the typical book review like I've written.  This one is different, because this book is different.  I told myself I wouldn't cry but damn it, when I hit page 246 it was all over for me....

Hazel and Augustus have cancer, which is sad enough in and of itself, but not when they are together.  Separately, these characters live in their oblivion and inevitable death, but together, they sparkle.  Try as they might, cancer beat them in the footrace of their lives...

Green's writing is STELLAR (and this is not a pun on his book title either) and truly flows.  It's not only his style of writing, but the words he chooses, the characters he introduces as satellites around Hazel and Augustus, and the glimpses he gives to the readers about the life of these particular teens living with cancer.  Green writes with wit and humor hand-in-hand with all seriousness.  It's an oxymoron he creates with balance.  I don't think I ever laughed out loud, but I did find an plethora of emotion...love, hate, anger, happiness, pain,bliss, to name a few...

Green even created a book-within-a-book so well, you'd have to do a Google search on the book referred to in The Fault in Our Stars to realize how many times people (including myself, I admit) did a search for it.

This is one truly talented author.  One of the best books I've read bar none.  Recommended for...well for anyone who wants to take on the "I dare you not to cry before finishing this book" dare.  I can't WAIT to give it someone else RIGHT NOW!!!

Book trailer: In Too Deep by Amanda Grace

I've always enjoyed realistic fiction....I could definitely see this as a big draw for YA girls.  Enjoy!

U.S. Map of YA Books (including trailers, but not the 18 wheeler kind)

So, I've been digging around, looking here and there and made a cool map of the newest (at least 3 years or younger) YA novels I believe are phenomenal.  I ordered them by state (some states I couldn't find any for!) and added some "stuff."  So, as the Edgar Winter Group sang back in the day:

The mountain is high, the valley is low

And you're confused 'bout which way to go
So I flew here to give you a hand
And lead you into the promised land

So, come on and take a free ride (free ride)
Come on and take it by my side
Come on and take a free ride
                (Free Ride, 1973.  Written by Dan Harman)

here's the link!  http://www.tripline.net/trip/No_Boundaries_-_A_YA_Novel_Roadtrip_-66465743657210048DC2DF678D2D50F6






 

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

HarperCollins, 2011
Will Besting has a secret terror.  He's been in therapy for a few years, but he has yet to tell his therapist what it is.  He doesn't quite trust her.  Will has even gone so far as to "steal" audio sessions not only of his, but of other patients as well.  He doesn't think he has a problem with his fear, but his parents nor Dr. Stevens, his counselor agree.
So when Dr. Stevens offers Will the chance to completely eradicate his fear at a compound called Fort Eden, Will still isn't on board.  The only person he slightly trusts is his younger brother, Keith.  They're as different as brothers could be - Keith, the athlete; Will the techno-geek. It's when Keith announces, "you're going," that Will knows Dark Eden can't be avoided. 
Along with six other teens, Will starts his journey toward recovery with one exception.  While the others tentatively step into Fort Eden, Will dodges the group and decides he won't be a part of it.  He finds himself on the inside, hiding the basement, and more surprisingly, he finds the monitors.  It's from there that he watches and see what happens to the other six, including the procedure for the cure they endure.  Will knows it's only a matter of time until he goes through the procedure as well...but can he endure it or not?

Patrick Carman has yet again reached a wide audience with this thrilling book about teens and technology.  What makes this book so intriguing is the not so obvious plot that is thinly drawn in and displayed in full at the end of the book.  Part realistic fiction, part fantasy, Carman weaves a quick read that will be hard to put down.  And what Carman is best known for, his book has a technological side - an app readers can download onto their iPads or iPhones.  Appropriate for junior high and high school, this thriller adventure is the perfect book for guy readers but equally placed for girl readers as well.  The publisher produced book trailer only heightens the drama that unfolds (Youtube:  Dark Eden trailer).  Highly recommended. 

Audition by Stacia Ward Kehoe

Sara was a small town girl, going to dance classes since she was small.  But at sixteen her life is dramatically changing.  After auditioning for a New Jersey ballet company, Sara receives news of a scholarship and her excitement builds.  It doesn't matter that she lives three states away in Vermont or that her parents won't accompany her.  It's about her dreams coming to life.  And she's ready.....

Until her new life takes over.  Sara has lost her cocoon of normality.  In her ballet company, she's not like the other big city girls, her training has been different, and her host family and their home isn't what she expected.  Pile on schoolwork from an elite private school, and Sara begins to feel the pressure of living a completely different life without her parents, her friends, her small town.

But with time, things slowly begin to change, especially when she catches the attention of another dancer/choreographer, Remington, who is much older than she is.  She becomes his muse, making his dance come to life as well as Sara's heart, but is Sara truly loved or being used?  Sara tries to balance it all, but it just may be too much.  And where exactly does she fall in Remington's life?

Newcomer Stacia Kehoe writes a novel-in-verse about the trials of a sixteen-year-old in the midst of her triumphs and tragedies.  Kehoe creates that on-the-edge of adulthood situation teens find themselves in control of while outsider's see innocence being played out.  Paired together with the tough and arduous part of a newcomer to the ballet world, this book rings true about the hard work and ethics dancers put upon themselves.  It also does an excellent job of depicting a small town teen and the responsibilities and slip-ups that come along with wanting to deal with life on her own.  Teens who love reading about interpersonal relationships will grativate toward this book.  Recommended for high school.

February booklist - the month of emotions

You either love Valentine's Day or don't like it - depends on your current relationship status.  So here's a link to a booklist I entitled, "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not."  http://www.22books.com/lists/show/1241/He+Loves+Me%2C+He+Loves+Me+Not+-+YA+Romance

But I haven't added to it since I created it, so here's an addendum to the list:

Stay by Deb Caletti

So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti

Audition by Stasia Kehoe

So, that would make nearly 50 books and a great display!