CCLS Young Adult Spot

Book Review: Ten Miles Past Normal

2012-01-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Roark Dowell is a sweet coming-of-age story about Janie Gorman, a high school freshman who lives on a goat farm with her modern-hippie parents, and who desperately wants to fit in. It doesn't help that her home is on the outskirts of town, far away from her middle school friends and best friend Sarah. Because she and Sarah no longer have the same lunch period, Janie ends up in the school library at lunchtime, where she becomes friends with a funky chatterbox named Verbena.

High school becomes a little more bearable when Janie joins the jam band on Friday afternoons where she meets the cute Jeremy Fitch and the friendly Monster Monroe (yes, that's his real first name), and when Janie and Sarah work on a history project where they meet two elderly civil rights activists who live in their hometown.

Janie learns that, if you want to live large, you have to take a few detours off the beaten path and step in a little goat poop along the way; she also comes to realize that "normal" is vastly overrated. I listened to this audiobook with Jessica Almasy as narrator -- her various character voices are spot-on, making the characters and the story believable. I highly recommend this book!

Lisa U.
Chester County Library

The Hunger Games Parody

2011-11-23T12:48:00.001-08:00

Ah, parodies....they're so wrong and yet so right. And they're not just done on Saturday Night Live, either -- now there's one for the best-selling trilogy (and soon-to-be-movie) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins! The Hunger But Mainly Death Games: A Parody is now available from Amazon for the Kindle (Bummer....why can't they make a hardcover??). Here is the hilarious product description:

Mockstrich season has begun. Welcome to "The Hunger But Mainly Death Games," the hilarious Hunger Games parody, and the only book brave enough to suggest that Suzanne Collins' epic trilogy was way more about death than food.

Or at least this is what Bratniss Everclean discovers, when she leaves the comforts of Slum 12, Pandumb's garbage dump, to shortsightedly volunteer for a teenage death tournament. But she soon realizes there are fates worse than death...like weirdly having to date her fellow competitor, and lifelong stalker, Pita Malarkey. Okay, okay, it's not worse than DEATH, but it's still pretty annoying.

Still, with help from her agent Oofie Triptrip and her mentor, Hagridmitch, who's confident he can guide Bratniss to victory in the "Tri-Wizard Cup," maybe Bratniss will somehow survive this book she's the narrator of.

"The Hunger But Mainly Death Games" is the perfect book for anyone who's going through Hunger Games withdrawal and ready for a wonderfully twisted take on their favorite story and characters. This book is also for the unfortunate teens who are trapped in a Hunger Games at this very moment and could really benefit from some levity. We're here for you, assuming you brought your e-reader into the arena.

You can read a small sample of this twisted tale on Amazon.com. If you purchase and read this book, I would love to hear from you!

Books - Your Way

2011-10-20T13:22:00.000-07:00

Got creativity? Use it to produce a "new and improved" book title, book cover art, or book ending. Bring it to Chester County Library's Teen Event on Friday, October 28th, from 4:00-5:30 pm. This is a FREE event, and snacks will be served. A panel of librarians will judge your entries, and winners in each category will receive a gift card to Barnes & Noble. You can also participate in a Treasure Hunt in the library. You get to keep all the loot you find!

For more information, please visit http://www.ccls.org/ and click on the Find an Event button. On the drop-down menus, click on Chester County Library, Young Adult and October. Scroll down to October 28, and you'll find more details.

To register, please call 610-280-2632 or email tlc@ccls.org. Hope to see you there!

Six-Word Memoirs by Teens

2011-09-08T11:10:00.000-07:00

I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure (edited by Smith Magazine) is a collection of memoirs from 800 teens (ages 13 to 18), and each story is exactly six words long. This is a quick read that provides honest, emotional and sometimes funny insights into the lives of its authors.

Some entries express frustration ("ADD, OCD. Sucks to be me.") while others convey happiness ("I have curves! I love mirrors."). Some authors share secrets ("Called to ministry. Can't tell anyone.") and reveal painful events ("You made me stronger. Thanks, rapist.")

Many entries are funny ("Contemplated joining circus. Foolishly chose college." and "Smoke detectors taught me to cook.") and self-deprecating ("We're the family you gossip about."). Some are thought-provoking ("They say Oreo. I say raceless." and "Being scared has saved my life.") and others simply express what the author is feeling at the moment ("I seriously love school bean burritos.").

Readers will relate to many of these short memoirs -- they cover relevant topics and evoke powerful emotions. In our era of Twitter and text-messaging, this book of short snippets is worth reading, and will appeal to a broad audience of teens and adults alike.

Lisa U.
Chester County Library

Book to Movie: Fat Kid Rules the World

2011-08-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

For all of you K.L. Going fans.....good news! Fat Kid Rules the World is being made into an independent film. Shooting began in Seattle in July, but there is no release date yet. Actor Jacob Wysocki stars as Troy Billings, the 296-pound 17-year-old who almost commits suicide by jumping off a subway platform. Actor Matt O'Leary plays Curt MacCrae, the punk rock guitarist who "saved his life" and asks Troy to be the drummer in his band. [For reasons I don't understand, Curt is named Marcus in this film. What????]

Author Going didn't have any input on the screenplay or casting, but the film's producers are keeping her in the loop about its progress. The movie is being produced by Whitewater Films and directed by Matthew Lillard, who narrated the audiobook version of Fat Kid (he was excellent!) and was the first person to option the film rights. Looking forward to this one!

Lisa U.
Chester County Library

2011 Teen Summer Reading Club

2011-06-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

Summer 2011 is finally here, and this year's theme for Teen Summer Reading is You Are Here. You can sign up for the Summer Reading Club at your local library from now until August. You can win great prizes, attend cool events and check out good books all summer long! For more information, call or visit your local library.

Book Recommendation: Five Flavors of Dumb

2011-04-14T13:49:00.001-07:00

Take a self-absorbed lead singer and guitarist, his twin moody bassist brother and an angry girl rocker. Mix in a geeky drummer, a talentless pretty face, and a deaf band manager, and what you get is Antony John's Five Flavors of Dumb, set in the Seattle suburbs.

Angry over trying to drag freshman brother Finn away from schmoozing with the high school band Dumb, 18-year-old Piper snaps, rapidly signing--and Finn dutifully translating--that Dumb is a bunch of amateurs. (Their impromptu and fiery performance on the school's front steps the day before proves it.) So, narcissistic Josh challenges her: Get the band a paying gig in a month, and they'll split the money four ways. Since Piper's parents raided her college fund to buy cochlear implants for her baby sister, it's a deal. Piper gets to work pushing the band to write their own material, make the most of their prized sessions with legendary producer Baz Firkin, and get them in front of the media.

But what she's also trying to prove is that just because she's deaf, that doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to be taken seriously. Anyone who has been in a band, knows someone in a band or obsesses over the details of their favorite rock group will understand the hope and frustration as Dumb struggles to find its place in the Seattle rock scene. You'll laugh, you'll gasp, you'll do a few face-palms. I highly recommend this book.

Debra B., CC Library

Book Recommendation- Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper

2011-03-11T10:45:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of Mary Hooper’s Fallen Grace, 15-year old Grace Parkes is on the Necropolis Railway to Brookwood Cemetery, with a task just as sad as everyone else’s: to bury her stillborn child. But, being an orphan on the streets of Victorian London with barely a penny to her name, she has been advised by the midwife to find a coffin on the train, lift the lid, and lay the poor bundle inside before the lid is nailed shut. At the Cemetery, she meets two important people that could change her future: Mrs. Unwin, rich proprietress of a funeral establishment, offering employment; and Mr. James Solent, a young legal clerk, and brother to the dead woman whose coffin now holds a secret.

When Grace and her older mentally disabled sister Lily are evicted from their pathetic little room at Mrs. Macready’s boarding house (the property has been condemned), the girls have no other choice: rather than return to the training school they fled from in fear, they go to the Unwins. While it’s nice to now have a warm bed and food in their bellies, the comfort comes at a price. And unbeknownst to the Parkes sisters, something secret waits for them, something anyone would lie and scheme to possess—including the Unwins…

I tried to put myself in Grace and Lily’s worn-out shoes; tried to imagine living in a constant state of survival, every hour of every day, struggling among the ruthless and the poor, wondering if today was the day I would wind up sleeping on the streets, starving to death, with no chance of climbing back up. I was scared out of my mind. Life in Victorian England was ghastly, and Hooper depicts it in great detail.

Needless to say, you will cheer for Grace and Lily, and admire Grace’s intelligence and persistence. You will demand vengeance on those who abuse and demean them. I found it a satisfying read, and I hope you will find it the same. Enjoy!

-Reviewed by Debra B.

Book Recommendation: Across the Universe by Beth Revis

2011-02-15T08:44:00.000-08:00

Before you write off Across the Universe, by Beth Revis, due to its romantic-looking cover, read the first chapter. It describes in excruciating detail how Amy Martin’s parents, and then Amy herself, are prepared to be cryogenically frozen for their 300-year journey on the spaceship Godspeed, to a newly discovered planet, Centauri-Earth. Ask yourself: could you subject yourself to such a painful and claustrophobic experience to stay with the ones you love? I couldn’t help but stick around to see the results.

On the future Godspeed is Elder, next in line to replace the ship’s tyrannical leader, simply known as Eldest. On a learning assignment, Elder discovers old blueprints revealing a previously unknown lower level of the ship—the cryo level, where Amy and her parents, not to mention hundreds of others, reside.

Here he finds Amy’s cryogenic box, partially removed from its drawer. He is instantly drawn to her pale skin and red hair, features no one else on the ship has, not after so many generations of cross- breeding. Ordered by a superior to put her back in the freezer and put her out of his mind, he later sees her again when someone else removes the box and unplugs her life support.

Someone tried to kill her, and neither Amy—saved from drowning but bereft of her parents, having been woken up fifty years too soon—nor Elder can figure out why. But what they also need to figure out is this: what secrets is Eldest keeping from them, and from everyone else on the ship, and why? And can Elder lead one day without being exactly like Eldest?

I liked the uniqueness of this story, and how it highlighted the challenge of creating harmony within a closed environment. Even if that environment appears to be several square miles, for Amy—and once he learns the reality behind his society, for Elder—it is too small, in more ways than one.

Yes, there is romance, but it’s not overly mushy. You may think you’ve figured out some obvious plot twists early on; what’s pleasantly surprising is realizing later you didn’t even know the half of it. Towards the end, these realizations come faster and faster, like waves onto the shore. A highly enjoyable read and, in my opinion, a great debut from Beth Revis.

Reviewed by Debra B. at CCL

Michael L. Printz Award for Young Adult Literature announced

2011-01-12T10:35:00.000-08:00

The 2011 winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature was announced earlier this week , and it’s Paolo Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker. The Printz award is given annually by the American Library Association (ALA) and is selected by a committee of librarians. You may have read our review of it this past summer; if not, check it out, and check out the book! I feel it’s worthy of the honor. In case you’re wondering who Michael Printz was, read here.

And if you haven’t read the 2010 winner, Libba Bray’s Going Bovine, I suggest you grab that as well. You would think a book about a 16-year old boy, named Cameron, with mad cow disease would be all drama and sadness, but when you read the first line—“The best day of my life happened when I was five and almost died at Disney World”—you know you’re in for a treat. I’m a sucker for sarcasm, and a fair amount of moments on Cameron’s Don Quixote-like quest to be healed—with his Mexican-American dwarf classmate who’s a hypochondriac, later on adding a Viking god trapped inside a garden gnome—are (IMHO) laugh-out loud funny. Enjoy!

-Debra B.

Book Recommendation: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

2011-01-05T10:58:00.002-08:00

Readers who enjoy Rachel Cohn and David Levithan will surely enjoy this holiday story: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares.

Scrooge-like Dash has gotten out of Christmas by telling his mother he’s at his father’s house, and telling his father he’s spending Christmas at his mother’s. Perusing the shelves of used books at his favorite bookstore, the Strand, he finds a red Moleskine notebook, with “DO YOU DARE?” on the cover, and with a note on the front page:

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

Intrigued, Dash turns the page.

Christmas-loving Lily has been abandoned this season—by her parents, on a never-taken honeymoon in Fiji; by her grandfather, heading to Florida to propose to his girlfriend; and by her brother, Langston, looking to spend his every waking hour with his new boyfriend, instead of babysitting her. The clues in the book were Langston’s idea for how Lily could meet a guy; Lily doesn’t expect anyone to pick it up, or, as requested, answer in kind. What begins is a series of riddles and challenges that takes Dash and Lily back and forth across New York City, as they reveal more of themselves to each other through the notebook. The two can’t help but start falling for each other, but is it for the person on the page, or the ideal in their heads? Will they act on the ultimate dare: to meet in person? And if so, will they connect, or will it turn out to be the ultimate disaster?

I loved the wit and banter Dash and Lily have between each other, and with their family and friends, even if it doesn’t sound like a lot of the teens you might know. I felt the characters were shown to be complex and layered, with clear foibles as well as admirable strengths. Despite Dash being nicknamed “Snarly” by those he comes across, he’s never unlikeable. Lily’s sweet, but not annoying.

And some of the scenes made me laugh out loud. I wouldn’t be surprised if this book starts a trend of red notebooks on shelves in bookstores across the country.

-Debra B.

Readers who enjoyed this story might enjoy other books co-written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan including: Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist and Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List.

Book Recommendation: Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill

2011-01-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

I thought I was going to take a break from reviews for the holiday season, but then I came across Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill, set on a future terraformed Mars. First chapter: cannibals on the hunt. Second chapter: a teenage mercenary doing a ten kilometer space elevator jump down into a hostage situation.

Forget the ribbons and the wrapping paper—it was rollercoaster time.

Durango’s a Dalit (outcast) Regulator—think Jedi without the mind tricks, although he does have an AI implant named Mimi—looking for redemption, but mostly coin and food for himself and his davos (crew) of other regulators. When three miners from a remote outpost come looking for someone to teach them how to fend off the cannibalistic Dræu that keep attacking their children, Durango knows they don’t stand a chance. With his female second-in-command, Vienne, along with lugheads Fuse and Jenkins, and over-the-hill Ockham, they head out to Hell’s Cross on what could be a suicide mission. Along with all the butt-kicking and name-taking, we learn how Durango became an outcast, the reason for the AI in his head, what the miners really want, and who the Dræu—and their queen—really are.

There are some borderline-squeamish parts, but they’re few and brief. I felt for Durango as he constantly grappled with the dilemma of how to be the proper leader to his crew, all the while struggling with his feelings towards Vienne, his father, and his predicament. To anyone who’s not big on reading, get this book into their hands; they won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough.

-Debra B.

Book Recommendation: Looking for Alaska by John Green

2010-12-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite book genres is realistic fiction. This might be one of the reasons I enjoyed John Green’s Looking for Alaska so much. I think maybe I loved it because it is so well written and the dialogue and characters are very believable.

Our story begins as high school junior Miles Halter is leaving for Culver Creek Creek boarding school in Alabama. He has spent 9^th and 10^th grade at a public school in Florida where he lives but decides to go to Culver Creek for two reasons.

Reason #1: His father went there.

Reason #2: As he tells his parents the day before he leaves, “So I don’t have to wait until I die to seek the Great Perhaps.”

The tone for the book has been established. On his first day at Culver Creek Miles gets his first nickname, gets thrown into the pond, and meets Alaska, the most interesting girl he has ever met. Throughout that fall he makes good friends for the first time in his life and begins to see what it is like to really live life. He also falls in love with Alaska, despite the fact that she has a boyfriend.

Then on January 10^th tragedy strikes and changes Miles’s world forever. What happened to Alaska and how will Miles deal with it? Find out by reading Looking For Alaska.

Final Note: This book has been compared to Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I would say to readers, read them both and see what you think. I liked this book better than Thirteen Reasons Why because I thought the characters were better drawn and more likable, but I would be interested to know about what you think.

-Katie at CCL

Book Recommendation: The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

2010-11-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

I like to read about things that scare me. No, not vampires and zombies; I’m talking about futures that are disturbing but possible, like the one in Rae Mariz’s The Unidentified.

The government can no longer afford to run schools, so now corporations have taken over. Katey, nicknamed Kid, goes to a school in a former mall, called simply the Game. It’s not the type of school you and I know: grades are described as levels, and classes are played like video games. Students update their status and communicate with friends constantly via Game-supplied laptops and handhelds, all under the watchful eye of corporate sponsors. These sponsors continuously monitor everyone’s feeds, looking for the latest trends to exploit and students to “brand” with their merchandise—or spot potential trouble.

At first a dummy tossed over a fifth floor railing, with the sign “UNIDENTIFIED. CHOOSE YOUR SUICIDE” on its back, seems to everyone like another corporate marketing stunt. But Kid’s curiosity and unease cause her to investigate the prank’s origins, starting with an uploaded video she finds of the event. She starts to draw attention from sponsors, particularly the Game’s security firm, Protecht. What happens is previously-unknown Kid is now plunged into the middle of an obsessive media culture, where status and popularity fluctuate not just day-by-day, but minute-by-minute; and endless co-opting and rebranding has Kid questioning everyone else’s motives, including her own and the Unidentified’s.

This book reminded me of Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, but without the plastic surgery and a whole lot of media savvy and high-tech. If you didn’t think much about your Facebook page or Twitter feed before, or don’t pay attention to those internet banner ads that follow you everywhere you surf, you will after reading this. I give this a definite thumbs-up.

By- Debra B.

Book Recommendation- Smile by Raina Telgemeier; illustrated by Raina Telgemeier

2010-11-03T08:39:00.000-07:00

When San Francisco 6^th grader Raina Telgemeier falls while playing tag with her friends, she knocks her front teeth out. Her dentist tries to fix her teeth, first with a cast then with a root canal. It soon becomes apparent however that more extensive work will need to be done. What follows is years of braces, headgears, retainers with fake teeth in the front, and rubber bands. Her teeth problems also happen as she is going through all the usual middle school stressors. Some friends are supportive but some are downright nasty.

Smile is a true story told in the form of a graphic novel. Raina Telgemeier, its author and illustrator, is also the illustrator and adapter of The Babysitter’s Club graphic novels. One the aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the fact that it takes place in the early 1990’s when I was a junior high school student. I felt like I could relate to the time period and some of the things she was going through.

Smile is a quick read and is for readers who are looking for a relatable realistic story. Though it is a true story, it reminded me of Judy Bloom’s novels for young adults.

by- Katie G.

Book Recommendation-Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore

2010-09-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore could be labeled as another paranormal romance, but that’s a rather incomplete description. The plot sucked me right in: Nimira, a music hall dancer, is noticed by a handsome stranger during one of her performances, who then makes her a proposition: to sing and dance alongside a piano-playing automaton. The stranger is Hollin Parry, a sorcerer, and the automaton is no mere machine; previous dancers have been spooked by it, claiming it’s haunted. Nimira jumps at the chance to return to a better life, the kind she had back home in her parents’ kingdom, before her mother’s death and her father’s fall from grace. But quickly, she learns things are not as they seem. The automaton is not haunted, but contains a trapped soul, whose identity puts Nimira and Hollin in danger, and whose being captures Nimira’s heart.

At 225 pages, the plot moves along quickly enough that the romance doesn’t get the chance to be too mushy, but instead is broken up by suspense, mystery, political intrigue, and—yay!—sorcerer battles. Namira is a plucky and admirable character, and one can see the tortured emotions beneath Hollin’s upper-class exterior, as he falls in love with Namira while hiding a shameful secret. The ending is begging for a sequel, and while it’s in the works, there’s no news of a publisher’s date. I wait with bated breath to see what happens.

Review by Debra at CCL

Book Review- Worldshaker by Richard Harland

2010-09-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Richard Harland’s steampunk novel Worldshaker has a unique premise: an ever-moving city, two and a half miles long and three quarters of a mile wide, with 53 decks and a population of over 10,000 people. This doesn’t include the “Filthies”—the two thousand or so poor souls forced to live in the bowels of Worldshaker, keeping it running.

Colbert Porpentine, groomed to be the next supreme commander by his grandfather, Sir Mormus, meets Riff, a Filthy girl who has given security the slip, and is hiding under the bed in Colbert’s room. He doesn’t turn her in, and so begins his journey into discovering the real world that exists beyond his upper-class upbringing.

Col helps her find a way back to the Below, but they meet again as his curiosity gets the best of him and it gets him in trouble. This shakes his (and the Porpentine families’) standing in the community. He learns the Filthies aren’t dumb, mute animals, and that the polite façade of those around him can’t hide their planning and scheming. The constant emphasis on class and social status may seem a bit over the top, even downright offensive in this day and age. But as Col’s anger grows at the injustices of Worldshaker’s society, the action and suspense grows. I had to push myself in the beginning to keep reading, but then found myself racing to the end. It may not have the usual airships and advanced gadgets of traditional steampunk, but it’s still worth a spin.

-By Debra B. at CCL

Book Recommendation- The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

2010-08-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

In The Forest of Hands and Teeth a post-apocalyptic tale by Carrie Ryan , an unexplained contagion occurring generations before has left a village isolated and surrounded by zombie victims, called the "Unconsecrated." Mary is a teenage girl looking for true love within, and a world outside, the restrictive laws of her society. Her life changes dramatically when her mother becomes infected after leaving the village to look for Mary’s father.

Cast out by her brother, Jed, who blames her for what happened, Mary is left no choice but to live with the Sisterhood, a religious order that controls the village. Sister Tabitha runs the Sisterhood, and appears determined to “break” Mary of her curiosity. The arrival and imprisonment of a girl from outside the village shows Mary the Sisterhood’s true intentions. When the village fences are breached by Unconsecrated, Mary and those closest to her flee through a series of previously unknown gated paths, desperate to survive. Where they wind up and who makes it is anyone’s guess.

Mary's desire for self-determination comes off as selfishness, and makes her a less sympathetic character than I would like. The love quadrangle between Mary, Travis, Travis’ brother Harry, and Mary’s best friend Cass, might turn off those looking for a straight-up zombie fix. But any story whose author is willing to let bad things happen to good people provides just the suspense needed to keep a reader on his or her toes, dying (pardon the pun) to know the outcome.

The sequel to The Forest of Hands and Teeth is The Dead-Tossed Waves. The third installment, The Dark and Hollow Places, is due out Spring 2011.

-Reviewed by Debra B. at CCL

Book Review- Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

2010-08-10T12:36:00.000-07:00

Paolo Bacigalupi’s first YA novel, Ship Breaker, takes place in the Gulf Coast region of the future. Nailer, a teenage grunt on a scavenge crew, strips wiring out of oil tankers, beached due to hurricanes and no more oil available. He looks to make quota while trying to avoid his violent and drug-addicted father, Richard, and while dreaming of a better life. When a “city killer” (a previously undefined category 6 hurricane) tears through Bright Sands Beach, Nailer and a friend from the scavenge crew find in the aftermath a clipper ship dashed on the rocks. They see their chance to make enough cash to buy their freedom from the crews. The dead girl in the wreckage is draped in enough gold to last them a lifetime. When her rings won’t slide off her water-logged fingers, Nailer gets out his knife and presses it against a joint, drawing blood.

And then the girl’s eyes blink…

I don’t want to give any more away, because that would spoil the suspense. In a world where everyone has a set worth—what they own, how much quota they can make—even what their body is worth in parts—the desperation of the characters in this book means anything can happen. But it’s not as grim as you think: this desperation shows how characters stand together, and support each other if they’ve sworn to it. Nailer is a quickly likeable character that you’ll find yourself rooting for. And while the half-men—a hybrid of man, dog and tiger— that serve as loyal muscle to those who can afford it may seem far-fetched; the scenario of a New Orleans completely underwater, replaced by Orleans II further inland, is not. Early on, an incident earns Nailer the nickname “Lucky Boy.” Just how lucky he is, and where this luck takes him, will keep readers’ eyes glued to the page—I know mine were.

-Reviewed by Debra B. at CCL

Book Review- Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

2010-07-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

While reading Catherine Fisher’s Incarceron, it’s hard to imagine living in a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but cells within endless halls and caverns, nestled among cities, separated by dangerous metal forests and wilderness, under soaring but enclosed skies. Even scarier, this failed high-tech experiment in rehabilitation, whose name is the book’s title, is now self-aware and always watching. It makes sure everyone, including seventeen-year old gang member Finn, understands that they have been born here, and, with its tunnels and caverns that shift and turn at random, there is no way in and no way out.

But Finn’s flashes of memories and a tattoo on his arm convince him that he came from the world outside. When, during a raid, he comes across a crystal key that allows him to open doors to parts of the prison unseen, he’s even further convinced there’s a way out.

In a parallel story, Claudia, the daughter of the wealthy Warden of Incarceron, is in her own prison in the outside world: decreed to live under conditions of the Victorian era, despite advanced technology; and groomed from birth to wed the Queen’s son and become her formidable opponent. When Claudia discovers the other crystal key after breaking into her father’s study, she communicates with Finn and becomes convinced he was a boy she once knew a long time ago, the real heir to the throne who was presumed dead. It’s then a race against time as Claudia and Finn struggle to gain his and his companions’ freedom, before Incarceron can stop them, and before the Warden comes to march Claudia down the aisle.

Despite the 450 pages, as a big fan of dystopian fiction, I found this book hard to put down. Finn’s instant likability and sympathy did make me wonder how he could hold his own in a ruthless gang like the Scum. While Claudia does seem spoiled, I sympathized with her anger at living a life not of her choosing. The discovery of what Incarceron really was shocked me, and the ending left me begging for a sequel, which there is: “Sapphique” comes out late-December of 2010.

-Reviewed by Debra B. at CCL

Book Review- Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omolou

2010-06-29T09:51:00.000-07:00

In C.J. Omololu’s debut novel Dirty Little Secrets she takes on a topic that has been making the rounds of reality television: hoarding. Lucy, the youngest of three siblings, is the last one left behind to deal with the family secret: her mother can’t stop the piles of moldy books, dirty dishes, and crammed boxes of useless stuff that fill every square inch of their home. Lucy’s chance at a normal life is impossible, and she’s terrified that her best friend and school crush will find out how she lives.

When Lucy comes home after school and finds her mother dead under a toppled pile of magazines, the clock starts ticking as we see Lucy, hour-by-hour, give herself two days to get some of the mess under control before calling the police. Then an unexpected event makes that time frame even shorter, and makes Lucy grow desperate. A quick read, it’s tempting to skim over the details of Lucy moving piles back and forth, and her filling up bag after bag with trash. But then one would miss the memories—and her mother’s secrets—she unearths from beneath the piles and boxes. One would miss learning how Lucy’s painful existence came to be, and who her mother was before this mental disorder took over her and her children’s lives.

Some may be disturbed by Lucy’s actions, while some may see them as the actions of a girl who felt she already lost her mother a long time ago. While the ending leaves more questions about Lucy’s future than answers, the book makes you feel Lucy’s pain and fear as she deals with the consequences of her mother’s mental disorder, and struggles to have the life denied her all those years.

-Reviewed by Debra B. at CCL

Book Recommendation- Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan

2010-06-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan gives readers great pictures to look at and decipher and short vingettes to think about. Many stories, most only a few pages, make up this book that is part prose and part picture book.

My personal favorite is called Grandpa's Story. It is a story, told by a grandfather, about how "weddings were more complicated in those days". The grandfather goes on to tell how the bride and groom were sent out before the ceremony with an evelope and a compass and had to solve a number of cryptic riddles and find objects on a list. How he and "your grandma" had to work together and almost did not make it back. Like most of the stories in this book, "Granpa's Story" is meant to teach a lesson or highlight some aspect of everyday suburban life.

I liked Tan's first graphic novel The Arrival, which is wordless. It really gave me a lot to puzzle over. Tales From Outer Suburbia gave me a lot to think about too. I would recommend this book to readers who like to be visually stimulated. It reminded me of Chris Van Allsburg's books like The Widow's Broom and The Wreck of Zephyr.

-Katie at Chester County Library

Book Recommendation-Lost At Sea by Bryan Lee O’Malley

2010-05-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

Cats seem to follow Raleigh around. She sees them everywhere. If anyone asked she would tell them that she has no soul, that a cat ate her soul. But then again she does not really talk that much.

How did she end up in a car with three of her classmates in California when they are all from Vancouver? Raleigh is eighteen and has just graduated from high school. She is confused and feels like she must be insane. What is Raleigh hiding? Read Lost At Sea to find out.

Lost At Sea is a graphic novel by writer and illustrator Bryan Lee O'Malley. O'Malley also created the Scott Pilgrim series of graphic novels. I would recommend this book to readers who are searching for answers themselves.

-Recommended by Katie at the Chester County Library

Teen Summer Splash on Friday, June 25th, from 6:30-8:00 pm

2010-05-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Attention All Students Entering Grade 6 and Up!

(For 2010-11 school year)

Start Your Summer With a Splash!

Join us for Water Balloon Battles, sand art crafts, outdoor games, and rootbeer floats!

Bring your friends and come dressed for outdoor fun.

(Shorts and bathing suits are recommended)

Friday, June 25th, 2010

6:30-8:00pm

Back parking lot of Chester County Library

You must register for this event by Thursday, June 24th:

Call (610) 280-2632 or e-mail TLC@ccls.org

Book Review- Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

2010-04-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

When we first meet Steven Apler in Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie he is like any other 8th grade boy your might know. He has a crush on Renee Albert “the hottest girl in the 8th grade”, but cannot muster up the courage to talk to her. He plays drums and has even been asked to be part of All County Jazz band. He finds his parents kind of embarrassing, and considers his five year old brother Jeffrey to be the most annoying person in the world. In fact, he finds his brother so annoying that when the journal topic in English class is the “most annoying thing in the world” Steven writes his essay about Jeffrey.

Steven’s life changes drastically though one morning in October of his 8th grade year when his brother falls off of a kitchen stool, while in Steven’s care, and bleeds all over the kitchen floor. Steven’s mother rushes Jeffrey emergency room and later that week Steven learns that his brother has been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL, a form of blood cancer.

Jeffrey’s cancer means the Steven’s mom immediately takes a leave of absence from her job to care for Jeffrey. It means that Jeffrey needs to go to Philadelphia almost every week for harsh cancer treatments. It means that Steven’s father mostly does not talk to Steven when they are the only two at home because he does not know what to say about the whole situation. It means Steven stops paying attention in school and does not do any of his homework for two months. It means piling up medical bills that Steven worries his parent’s will not be able to pay.

Luckily, the people around Steven are much better people than Steven has given them credit for. Will Steven rise to the challenge of being a good big brother to Jeffrey? Will he be able to catch up on all the work he missed when he started ignoring school? Will his parents find the money to pay for the medical bills? How will Jeffrey fare with his cancer treatments? Read this book to find out.

I highly recommend Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. It is funny and believable. I found Steven to be a very compelling character because at the beginning of the story he was sort of angry and his brother’s sickness changeshim for the better. If you are looking for a story with heart and some laughs,I would recommend this title.

Jordan Sonnenblick is also the author of these young adult titles: After Ever After, Notes From the Midnight Driver, and Zen and the Art of Faking It.

-Katie at the Chester County Library

Scott Pilgrim series final installment and movie coming this summer

2010-03-24T10:41:00.000-07:00

Many readers will be thrilled to learn that the 6th and final installment of the Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series, Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour by Bryan Lee O'Malley, will be released on July 20th. Oni, the publisher of the series, announced the information on their blog. Click here to read about it.

Also a movie based on the series entitled Scott Pilgrim vs The World will be released August 12th, 2010. The movie stars Michael Cera as Scott Pigrim.

Scott Pilgrim is a loveable slacker who plays in a band and has just fallen in love with the girl of his dreams, Ramona Flowers. There is only one problem; he must first defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends in order to be her boyfriend. That should be no-problem right? Well, one of her exes has psychic powers and another has large muscles. Read the series to find out if Scott is up to the challenge.

All volumes are written and illustrated by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Volume 1: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life Book Review

Volume 2: Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Volume 3: Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness

Volume 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together

Volume 5: Scott Pilgrim vs the Universe

Katie CCL

Magazines at the library

2010-03-15T13:30:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the libraries of Chester County have magazines that you can borrow? The Chester County Library has magazines in three different areas: the children’s department, the Young adult department, and the adult department. Library users can also place holds on magazines from other libraries.

Here are some magazines that might be of interest to readers of this blog:

Entertainment Magazines
Mad: America’s longest running humor magazine
Seventeen: Fashion, entertainment, quizzes for young woman
GL (Girl’s Life): Fashion, entertainment, celebrity interviews, quizzes, advice columns and fun. For girls 10-15.
Entertainment Weekly: News and information about TV and movies, also music and book reviews
Spin: Music news, reviews, artist news, music festivals, and music fashion

Science Magazines
Popular Science
Discover:
Odyssey: Adventures in science (for grades 5-10)

Special Interest Magazines
Boys Life: Monthly magazine of boyscouts of america; targeted readership 11-18
Beckett Monthly: News and information about sports cards and memorabilia
Transworld Skateboarding: “For over 25 years . . . has showcased the best photography, creative direction, and storytelling in skateboarding” (according it is website)
Road and Track: Find of the latest automotive buzz
WWE Magazine: Official professional wrestling magazine of World Wrestling Entertainment (under Smackdown magazine in library catalog)
Sports Illustrated

Book Review Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld; Illustrated by Keith Thompson

2010-03-12T11:22:00.000-08:00

Secure your safety harness to the rigging and get ready for a raucous revisionist ride.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld starts off with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie Chotek; their only child Alek is quickly moved into hiding. Meanwhile across the continent to the west, Dervyn Sharp enlists in the military as a midshipman under the guise of Dylan Sharp. The storyline alternates between the adventure of Dylan aboard the Darwinist ship, the Leviathan, and the race to freedom using Clanker technology for Alek.

Both Darwinists and Clankers collide in neutral Switzerland along a windswept glacier. Will Alek evade pursuit? Will Dylan’s true nature be discovered? A blending of historical fact with imaginative scientific leaps and technological marvels make Leviathan a thrilling steam punk ride.

Submitted by Karen at CCL

Are you experiencing Olympic Withdraw?

2010-03-02T12:56:00.000-08:00

Are you suffering from symptoms of winter Olympic viewing withdraw? I will be the first to admit that I am. I ended up finding something to watch on TV last night, but I really did miss all those nights of watching bobsledding, luge, hockey, snowboarding, skiing, and skating.

I started thinking about my favorite winter Olympic sport themed movies. Here they are in no particular order:

Co ol Runnings (1993)- starring John Candy and Doug E. Doug
Bobsledders from a tropical country, who ever heard of such a thing? It’s too bad the Jamaican bobsledding team did not come to the Vancouver Olympics. This movie is loosely based on the true story of the first Jamaican bobsled team who competed at the 1988 Calgary, Alberta Olympics.

The Cut ting Edge (1992)- starring Moira Kelly and D.B. Sweeney
Former hockey player Doug Dorsey, played by Sweeney, loses some of his vision when a puck hits him during an Olympic hockey game. Kate, played by Kelly, is a talented but difficult pairs figure skater who has trouble keeping skating partners. What happens when they team up? Can they keep their Olympic hopes alive? This movie is not a true story.

Mir acle (2004)- starring Kurt Russell
1980 was a different time. For starters, the cold war made for icy relations between Russia and the United States. Also the United States hockey team was made up of all amateur players. They were college students who were playing against the professional teams of Europe for Olympics gold. They were long shots to win. Miracle is a true story about this hockey team who against all odds won the gold medal in hockey, and made Americans believe in miracles.

Guess what? You can borrow all these movies from the library! Later this week I will write another post that will include some books and websites where you can get your Olympics reading fix.

Katie G

Romance and Friendship Books for Valentine’s Day

2010-02-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

Check out some good books about love and friendship

Fifteen by Beverly Cleary
Jane gets asked out by Stan, the most popular boy at school. Is she ready for all this? This book may have been written in 1956 but it is still a fun read today.

Just As Long As We're Together by Judy Blume
At first Stephanie loves seventh grade. She has a new cool friend from California and things seem better than ever. Then she finds out her parents are getting divorced and she has a huge fight with her old best friend. How will she handle this?

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Leo’s world changes the day Stargirl Caraway comes into his life. Leo falls in love with this unconventional girl and she changes his life forever.

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
New Yorker Mia Thermopolis had no idea that she was a princess. With the help of her grand-mere she just might be prepared to take the throne one day.

Sev enteenth Summer by Maureen Daly
Angie Morrow and Jack Duluth date the summer after they have finished high school. Angie is scheduled to go to college in the fall and Jack back to Oklahoma. This love story is a told very honestly and though it was written over 60 years ago, the story holds up today.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Four friends spend their first summer away from each other. They keep in touch through letters and by sending a pair of magical pants between the group of friends in the mail.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause
Vivian, the teenage werewolf, is not usually attracted to human boys, but with Aiden Teague things are different. She decides to reveal her werewolf identity to Aiden. He reacts in horror. She is also expected to date Gabriel the leader of her wolf pack. Vivian is much more confident and self assured than Bella but this novel might be loved by readers of Twilight.

Book Review-What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

2010-02-01T11:30:00.000-08:00

Sophie is almost 15 and among other things is having a hard time figuring out the difference between love and lust. She thinks about Dylan, her current boyfriend and wonders how she really feels about him. She remembers the hurt she felt when her old boyfriend Lou, broke up with her at the end of 8th grade. Then there is the masked boy at the school dance who Sophie dances with until the song ends and he disappears.

“It’s like my mind and my body and my heart just don’t seem to be able to agree on anything.”

Sophie has other things on her mind too like why her father works so much and why her parents are so angry at each other. She fights with her parents too sometimes, like the evening of the dance when her mother came to pick her up and Sophie was wearing the tight dress she went behind her mother’s back and purchased.

Be careful with this book, you just might want to read it in one sitting. It’s free verse poetry style make this book a quick read. But be sure you don’t judge a book by its cover.

The book cover on the left looks like the one I read, but the What My Mother Doesn’t Know also comes in a more reader friendly cover. They are both the same book.

Katie CCL

The Catcher in the Rye Author J.D. Salinger Dies

2010-01-28T11:50:00.000-08:00

J.D. Salinger author of The Catcher in the Rye died today at the age of 91. Find out more in this article on the Today show website: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35127071/ns/today-today_books/?GT1=43001

Michael L. Printz Award Announced

2010-01-27T12:30:00.000-08:00

On Monday, January 18th, 2010 The Michael L. Printz Award for literary excellence in young adult literature was announced. See this link to find out more about this year’s winner and winners from previous years: www.ala.org/yalsa/printz!

Current Winner
Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (aka mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.

2010 Printz Honor Books

The committee also named four Printz Honor Books:

Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman

Once Charles Darwin sets his rational mind to marry the religious Emma Wedgeworth, they both must take a leap of faith in order to build a life together.

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Will Henry, orphan and assistant to a monstrumologist, races against time to save his town (and himself) from the anthropophagi, a pod of monstrous creatures who prey on humans.

Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Fourteen-year-old runaway Jamie, homeless and strung out, embarks on a harrowing journey to reach his dying brother.

Tales of the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973
by John Barnes
Karl Shoemaker wants to begin his senior year with a new identity separate from his counseling group, his alcoholic mother and the legacy of his dead father.

Book Review: Hole In My Life by Jack Gantos

2010-01-08T11:51:00.000-08:00

I am a fan big fan of true stories. I have always been a fan of non-fiction but I read fiction too, so think this is why biographies and autobiographies resonate with me so much. I am a big fan of Hole In My Life by Jack Gantos. Jack Gantos is a well known writer of children’s and young adult books including the Joey Pigza books and the Rotten Ralph books. He developed master’s degree programs in writing children’s literature. He is a very successful person. However, when he was a young man he went to jail for a year and a half for a drug trafficking related offense. This is the story of how he got into trouble, his trial and time in jail, and how he eventually got out of jail and went to college.

As the book begins, we meet Jack as a young man living in Florida who has dreams of going to college to become a writer. During his junior year of high school things go bad for his family’s business and his family moves to San Juan, Puerto Rico. He cannot attend school there because he cannot speak Spanish so he goes to work as an electrician and lives on his own in the hotel he works in. He develops a drinking problem. He moves back to Florida to finish high school. Then he joins his family who is now living in St. Croix. This is where he gets mixed up with some drug dealers who are looking to transport drugs into New York harbor.

Much of the story is centered on the time he spent on the drug boat. I was riveted by this book. I listened to the audiobook and could not stop listening. The audiobook is read by Jack Gantos himself.

Hole in My Life has received these acclamations: an American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults; American Library Association Notable Children's Books; American Library Association Popular Paperbacks for Young Readers; Michael L. Printz Award - Honor; Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year; Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library; Parents' Choice Award Winner; Booklist Editors' Choice; Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon Award; Horn Book Magazine Fanfare List; School Library Journal Best Books of the Year; Robert F. Sibert Award - Honor; Massachusetts Children's Book Award.

Book Review: It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

2009-12-31T10:46:00.000-08:00

Ninth grader Craig Gilner is at his wit’s end. It all started in eighth grade when he studied day and night working on getting accepted to Manhattan‘s Executive Pre-Professional High School. This high school was supposed to be his ticket to getting a good job and succeeding in life. Now that he is in ninth grade, he feels like his life is slipping away. He has trouble eating anything more than yogurt and mostly does not sleep. So one night he checks himself into the emergency room because he is considering committing suicide.

It is in the mental hospital that he enters after the emergency room that Craig begins to accept himself as he is. This is also where many of the funniest parts of the book happen. It’s Kind of a Funny Story is more upbeat than Julie Halpern’s Get Well Soon. And while both It’s Kind of a Funny Story and Thirteen Reason’s Why are both about teen depression, Funny Story is focused on recovery and less about the past.

I found this books to be a funny and even though it is long at 444 pages, it is a very fast read.

Book Review: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

2009-12-03T11:43:00.000-08:00

How heartbreaking it is to be Clay Jensen. Clay, a junior in high school, comes home from school one day to find a package addressed to him propped up against the front steps. Inside are 13 cassette tapes each marked with their own number. Clay cannot believe it when he pops one into the old stereo in the garage and he hears the voice of his dead classmate Hannah Baker. Hannah was his crush and his maybe first love. She also committed suicide two weeks prior to this day. The package also contains a map of the town that Clay follows as he walks around town experiencing Hannah’s story. In Hannah’s own voice she tells about the events and people that contributed to her up to her decision to end her life.

Thirteen Reasons Why captures the way people really talk, and to some extent, the way people behave in high school. While I found some parts near the end of the story to be overly dramatic, I found this to be a really thought provoking book. If you do decide to read it I highly encourage you to have a discussion with a friend or an adult you trust about suicide.

Book Review: Side Effects by Amy Goldman Koss

2009-11-25T12:47:00.000-08:00

Isabelle, or Izzy as she is know, is going about her regular high school life until in the course of a day, her life changes dramatically. This is the day that she goes to a doctor’s appointment because she has swollen glands and a cold that won’t go away. Even as she leaves the doctor’s office and the hospital, where she goes for a quick test, she and her mother are unaware that anything is wrong. But then the phone rings with news that something is very wrong and she needs to go back to the hospital right away.

What follows is Izzy’s uphill battle with stage IV Hodgkin’s Lymphona. Luckily, the preface inside the book reassures us that Izzy will make it. (I hope I am not giving too much away). Much of the story focuses on Izzy’s treatments and how she gets through them. Side Effects also let’s us see how Izzy’s family and friends are affected by her cancer, and we are treated to the beginnings of a romance between Izzy and Andy, a straight A student who helps her get back on track at school.

All and all this book is a good solid read, and at 143 pages, a fast read. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting problem novel.

Find Teen Holiday Programs at Your Library on the Event Calendar

2009-11-13T08:58:00.001-08:00

Find out what activities are going on for Teen and Tweens at the library.

Check out the Event Calendar

Teen Library Crew-Holiday Scavenger Hunt and Party

Please join us for a Scavenger Hunt and Party in the Library!

You can win great prizes then enjoy a Holiday Feast!

When: Friday, December 11th 2009

5:00-7:00pm

Grades 6+

(No Younger Siblings Please)

Drop Off- Chester County Library Front door

Pick Up- Library Back Door

Please register by Thursday, December 10th

Include the number of people coming

E-mail: TLC@ccls.org

Cirque du Freak hit the theatres October 23rd

2009-11-03T11:08:00.000-08:00

It seems like YA books are always being adapted into movies. Let’s check out the latest book at the movies : Cirque du Freak.

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan.
As the story begins Darren Shan and Steve “Leopard” Leonard are best friends who are lucky enough to get tickets to attend an illegal circus. They both love novels and comics about vampires and wolfmen. At the circus they see a show staring a large spider named Madam Octa and man Steve believes to be a vampire, Mr. Crepsley. Is Mr. Crepsley a vampire? Will Darren and Steve betray one and other? Can the spider be stolen and controlled?

This is just the beginning of the first book of a twelve book series , The Saga of Darren Shan. On October 23rd the film Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant was released in theatres. This film is based on the first three books in the seires: Cirque du Freak, The Vampire’s Assistant, and Tunnels of Blood all by Darren Shan.

Book Review- Get Well Soon by Julie Halpern

2009-10-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

Get Well Soon
Depressed and overweight, sixteen year old Anna Bloom is committed to a mental hospital by her parents after a suicide attempt. While in the teen ward Anna loses weight, develops a crush on a boy, and finds that she is not so different from the other teens on her floor. More importantly Anna learns how to talk about her feelings.

Written in the form of letters to a friend at home, Anna’s voice is both funny and real. Readers will find themselves pulling for Anna. This novel by first time author Halpern is lighter in tone than the Bell Jar but is equally as hard to put down. This book is recommended for readers age 14 and older.

Recommended by Katie CCL

Saving Money

2009-10-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Young Adult Librarian,
I just got my first job. I will be teaching soccer to small children. Do you have any books about saving money? I would like to save at least some of it.
Thanks,
Wondering in West Chester

Dear Wondering,
It is great that you got a job! Good on you! I bet you are excited that you will have extra money to spend. But it can be confusing figuring out what to do with your extra cash. The question here is: how do you figure out what to do with your money?
How much do you want to save? Do you have things in mind that you would like to buy? Do you think you will go to college someday? If so it might not hurt to have a college savings goal.
Books about money management have always been popular. However, with the state of the economy right now, these types of books are especially popular. The key is to look in the 332.024 section and you might want to take a close look at books with a call number of YA 332.024.

Here are some books about saving money written especially for teens:

Smart money : How to manage your cash by Danielle Denega.

Rich dad, poor dad for teens : The secrets about money, that you don't learn in school! by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter.

The Motley Fool investment guide for teens : Eight steps to having more money than your parents ever dreamed of. by David and Tom Gardner with Selena Maranjian.

Real world math : Money & other numbers in your life by Donna Guthrie and Jan Stiles ; illustrations by Robyn Kline.

Bone Detectives

2009-10-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Calling all Teens and Tweens

Grades 6+

Event on October 30th

Have you ever wondered how those forensic scientists on TV do their jobs?
Find out how scientists use bones to solve crimes and what is revealed by skeletal remains. This program is presented by the College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
Friday, October 30th 2009
6:30-7:45pm
Grades 6+
(No younger siblings please)
Chester County Library
Struble Room

Please Register by Thursday, October 29th in person in the Youth Services Department. You can also register by calling the youth services department at (610) 280-2632 or by e-mailing us at: tlc@ccls.org
Include the number of people coming with you in your RSVP.

Read Beyond Reality: Teen Read Week 2009

2009-09-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

Teens, help us celebrate Teen Read Week this year! Teen Read Week 2009 will be celebrated Oct. 18-24! To see what events your library has planned go to the Events link on the CCLS webpage.
Between October 19th- October 25 teens can participate in a digital scavenger hunt at the Chester County Library. To participate come to the children’s department and pick up a digital scavenger hunt sheet. Bring a digital camera or camera phone. Complete the scavenger hunt and win a prize. Also you can contribute to our Top 10 Young Adult books at Chester County list. Top participate submit your top 3 young adult book titles and win a prize. All participants will be entered in a raffle to win a gift card!

September is Library Card Sign Up Month

2009-09-02T11:12:00.001-07:00

Hey Readers,
Did you know that September is library card sign up month? If you live or work in Chester County it is free anytime to get a library card at any of the libraries in Chester County. Did you know you can use your library card at any library in Chester County? If you don't have one, sign up for one. Tell your friends about it! There are so many great things you can get at the library: books, DVDs, video games, music, audio books, and magazines are only the begining! Expand your world.

Lights, Camera, Library! Youtube Contest

2009-08-20T11:08:00.001-07:00

The Chester County Library System is sponsoring a library-themed Youtube contest. It is aimed at encouraging students to make videos that inform the public about library services and supporting library use in Chester County.

The theme of this year's contest is:

It Happened at the Library

Guidelines for this contest are as follows:

-Participants will create and submit videos to Youtube between September 1st and October 31st, 2009

-Participants will comply with all Youtube rules and regulations.

-Videos may be sumitted by individuals or groups

-Videos will be a maximum of two mintues in length

-Videos will include a scene inside or outside of a public library in Chester County and align with the selected theme

-Videos must contain appropiate content and language

-People in the video must have agreed to be filmed

-Participants can submit one video. The video should be the work of the people entereing

To see other rules and regulations and get more information please visit this website:

http://www.ccls.org/assets/pdfs/utube2009.pdf

or Contact Tony Wagner by e-mail at: twagner@ccls.org

Book Review- Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life

2009-07-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

by Bryan Lee O'Malley

Reviewed by Katie Gaffron, Chester County Library

In this graphic novel we are introduced to super-slacker Scott Pilgrim. This unemployed 23 year old thinks his life is fantastic. He plays in a band and has an uncomplicated relationship with 17 year old high school student Knives Chau. Scott is content with this existence until he meets a beautiful package courier named Ramana Flowers. Ramona is a hipster chick of legal age who keeps appearing in Scott's dreams.

Scott wants to date Ramona Flowers but before he can do that he must defeat all seven of her evil ex-boyfriends. This graphic novel is part romance and part kung-fu manga adventure story. It is also a quirky gem of a story. I would recommend it to anyone who likes offbeat stories. It is also the first volume of a multi-volume series.

Express Yourself at the Library

2009-06-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Come into your library to sign up for the Summer Reading Club. This summer’s theme is Express Yourself. If you cannot make it into the library to sign up, try signing up for our online summer reading club.
You can use this link to find your library’s name and sign up.

Also do you have tons of summer reading to do for school? Save some money and get your books at the library. If you find that the book you are looking for is always checked out, why not place a hold on an item? You can do it at home or come into the library and have a staff member help you.

Book Review- Alis

2009-05-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Alis by Naomi Rich
Reviewed by Suzanne Macaulay, Spring City

When 14-year-old Alis’ parents arrange for her to marry 40-year-old Minister Galin, Alis decides she must run away. She will not be forced into a marriage, especially with a man almost three times her age! Alis resolves to find her way to the city where her brother, Joel, who ran away seven years ago, will protect her.

An opportunity for escape presents itself when Alis accompanies a sickly woman from Alis’ Community of Freeborne to Two Rivers, another Community of the Book. Ruled by unforgiving, merciless Reformers, Alis soon finds that life in Two Rivers is no better than life in Freeborne. Her desire to find her brother in the city intensifies.

Through the help of a boy named Luke, Alis eventually finds her way to the city where life is brutal. The streets are increasingly violent, and residents must beg and steal for morsels of food. Unable to deal with the harsh conditions, Alis resigns to return to Freeborne and face her fate as Minister Galin’s wife. However, her homecoming ignites a tragic chain of events, and Alis finds herself fighting to save her own life.

Naomi Rich’s Alis is a quick read. Although it is set in an “unspecified past,” clear parallels between life in the Communities and Colonial America can be drawn. There is plenty of suspense to keep readers engaged. However, there are many unresolved issues at the end of Alis, and although this probably sets the stage for a sequel, it makes this book feel incomplete. Recommended for teens looking for something heavy but not quite as dark as The Hunger Games.

Prom Books

2009-04-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

It is prom season!!! Get in the mood by checking out some of these great prom books.

Non-fiction

Prom! : the complete guide to a truly spectacular night by Nancy Krulik

Sewing for special occasions : bridal, prom & evening dresses

Fiction
(This list contains material taken from the Prom entry of the TeenLibWiki)

21 Proms edited by David Levithan
Authors include: Libba Bray, Jacqueline Woodson, Ned Vizzini, John Green, Melissa de la Cruz, Holly Black, Brent Hartinger, Cecily von Ziegessar and David Levithan

24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley
Jack has no date to the prom so unknown to him, his friends write him a personal ad on the online school newspaper. Now he has to date them and find the right one to take to the prom.

Cindy Ella by Robin Palmer
Cindy expresses her negative feelings for prom in the newspaper - making her an overnight loser. Can she still have the fairy tale if she doesn't go to prom?

Fake Boyfriend Kate Brian
Isabelle's boyfriend is the worst, so her friends create her a new fake boyfriend.

Princess in Pink by Meg Cabot
Mia wants Michael to invite her to his prom, but he's so anti-prom that she's afraid she's never have her perfect moment with him

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson
When a teacher disappears with the prom funds eleven days before prom, friends Ashley and Nat must find other means to make their prom happen.

Book Review- Wintergirls

2009-04-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Reviewed by Suzanne Macaulay, Spring City

Laurie Halse Anderson is masterful at creating suspense in her teen novels and Wintergirls is no different. Trapped in the bleak world of anorexia, Lia spirals even further out of control after the death of her best friend, Cassie. Soon, not only are Lia’s own demons haunting her but so is Cassie. Overcome but guilt, Lia loses her grip on reality and now her family may lose Lia forever.

This book was not my favorite of Andersons’, but it was still a powerful read. Fans of Speak and Catalyst will devour this gripping novel. Perfectly timed and full of tension, Wintergirls stays with readers for a long time and will help those understand the desperate world of eating disorders.

Book Review- The Hunger Games

2009-04-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Reviewed by Suzanne Macaulay, Spring City

Science Fiction is not my favorite genre but after hearing rave reviews for Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games I decided to give it a try. It takes place in the country of Panem, the remains of what was once the United States. To prevent an uprising, the Capitol invented The Hunger Games. Each year the twelve districts send a boy and girl to compete. The 24 tributes must battle to the death with only one victor. When Katniss Everdeen’s younger sister is selected to represent District 12, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Small and poor, Katniss must devise a strategy to outlast the other 23 brutal competitors.

This book is riveting! It was very difficult to put it down. Katniss’ fears and anxiety were palpable; I often felt that I was right alongside of her during the competition. With the underlying theme of dystopia, comparisons to books like The Giver and Lord of the Flies are inevitable, but The Hunger Games offers plenty of original ideas and is one of the most exciting Young Adult books I’ve read in a long time. It is definitely not for the squeamish, but is highly recommended to grades 10 and up. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel, Catching Fire, due out in the fall. Rumors of an impending movie are all over the internet though nothing has been confirmed yet—fans will have to stay tuned!

Book Review- The Body Eclectic: An Anthology of Poems

2009-04-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

April is national poetry month, so what better way to celebrate than read a poetry book. Today I will be reviewing The Body Eclectic edited by Patrice Vecchione.

This is a wonderfully varied book of poetry about the human body. Contributors include many popular modern young adults authors like Sandra Cisneros and Gary Soto as well as some classic poems from Lord Byron, Lewis Carol, and William Shakespeare. The subject matter of these poems is varied. For example, some of subjects of the poems have had little poetic musing before. There are poems about fat and elbows. Barbara Hill contributes a short poem about being a cutter.

One added feature that actually makes the poems more meaningful are the biographic notes on the writers. I was interested to find out that Walt Whitman struggled with having little money most of his life and republished his work Leaves of Grass several times.
The value of this work is that it helps the reader to understand their feelings better.

I would recommend this book because the poetry is readable and relatable.

by Katie at CCL

Facebook at CCL and Event Calendar

2009-04-16T09:04:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the Chester County Library is now on facebook? Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Exton-PA/Ccl-Exton/73383197379?ref=mf
Many of the other libraries in the county are on it too, check for it on your library’s homepage.

Also if you are interested in finding out what cool new events are happening at the library for teens and young adult please check out the Calendar at http://www.ccls.org/calendar.php?view2=list&calendarID2=all

Use the filter for young adult to find those types of events.

New York Times Graphic Novel Best Seller List

2009-03-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the New York Times now includes a list of best selling graphic novels along with its other book lists?

Click here to read about the new list in the New York Times!

Click here to see the list for the week of March 14th.!

We have many of the titles here in our in the library system.

Book Review- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

2009-03-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by Katie, Chester County Library

Are you looking to learn more about yourself? The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho might be the book for you. It is the story of a Spanish shepherd named Santiago who decides to sell his sheep in order to get the money to travel and fulfill his Personal Legend.

Along the way he travels to Africa, learns about alchemy (turning metal into gold), falls in love, and sees the pyramids. The Alchemist is a story that entertains readers while at the same time teaching readers about following their dreams. One of the major themes in this story is finding your own Personal Legend. According to the story“It's what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is.”

If you are looking to read an adventure story and are looking for a good book to think about, this might be the book for you.

Book Review: After Tupac and D Foster

2009-03-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

After Tupac & D Foster
Reviewed by Suzanne Macaulay, Spring City

Before I read it, I wondered how relevant After Tupac & D Foster would be. Was it a book that should have been written 10 years ago? Would today’s readers appreciate a book written with the music of Tupac Shakur as the backdrop? Yet, despite my misgivings, Jacqueline Woodson tells a timeless tale of friendship and life's unexpected twists and turns. She reminds us how strongly music can shape our memories, particularly during those tumultuous adolescent years.

Every reader can relate to the emotions in this book—confusion, anger, sadness, loneliness, longing, comfort, and hope. These feelings are universal. Perhaps that is why Woodson does not give her narrator a name—because she could be any one of us. After Tupac & D Foster is interesting and thought-provoking. Jacqueline Woodson’s authentic voice will make this Newbery Honor Book a favorite among teen audiences. Recommended for grades 7 and up.

Book Review- The Skin I'm In

2009-02-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake

Reviewed by Katie G. Chester County Library

Seventh grader Maleeka Madison is picked on by the other students in her middle school for being the “darkest and worst dressed” student at school. In an effort to find some protection she latches on to Charlese, who is the leader of the pack. This does not prove to be a better situation as Charlese still bullies Maleeka. Luckily, in walks Miss Saunders into Maleeka’s life. Miss Saunders, a successful business woman who has taken a year away from her high powered job to work as a teacher, coaches Maleeka to accept who she is. Through this help Maleeka has the confidence to enter and win a poetry contest. She finds the courage and confidence to overcome the bullying of her classmates.

I liked this book because I felt like the characters and the dialogue were realistic. This is a good book to read if you are interested in finding out how one girl became comfortable and confident in her own skin.

Book Review- Envy by Anna Godbersen

2009-02-18T12:24:00.000-08:00

Envy by Anna Godbersen
Reviewed by Suzanne Macaulay, Spring City

Envy, the third Luxe novel, is full of the lavish parties and scandalous deeds that have made Anna Godbersen’s series so thrilling. The second book ended with Elizabeth’s return, Diana’s broken heart, and Carolina’s entrance into the posh world of Manhattan’s elite. But more twists and turns lie ahead. What is Elizabeth hiding? Will Penelope win Henry’s heart once and for all? Is Carolina’s new status secure? A trip to balmy Florida is ripe for more secrets and betrayals—what shocking revelations will be made upon returning to Manhattan’s wintery landscape?

Envy picks right up where Rumors left off. Godbersen did not miss a beat and has given fans another juicy read. The fourth and final book, Splendor, is currently being written, and while I cannot wait to read it, I will be very sad to see this glamorous series end. Recommended for grades 9 and up.

Book Review

2009-02-12T07:19:00.000-08:00

The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer
Reviewed by Suzanne Macaulay, Spring City

The School for Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer opens with Angela Cardenas’ first day at reform school. Hidden Oak is mysterious as are the reasons each girl is sent there. Angela vows to unearth the secrets of this ominous place including the school’s tragic history, what happened to the girls that disappeared, and the identity of the secreted headmistress. However, Angela’s detective work is being closely monitored by the sinister staff and she soon realizes that she may never leave Hidden Oak alive.

This book was fast-paced and exciting. While some parts seemed implausible, I was still on the edge of my seat the entire read and had no idea how it would end. The secrets of Hidden Oak will draw you in and leave you wanting more. Recommended for grades 9 and up.

Football compilation

2009-02-04T08:47:00.000-08:00

With the Superbowl coming up on February 1st, it is time to get ready with a football books about the Steelers and Cardinals. I have also included some Eagles books just in case you can’t get enough of the Birds.

Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers by Mark Stewart

Pittsburgh Steelers : Glory Days by Dale Grdnic.

Cardinals

The History of the Arizona Cardinals by Sara Gilbert

The Arizona Cardinals by Mark Stewart

Eagles

Game of my life. Philadelphia Eagles : memorable stories of Eagles football / Robert Gordon.

Last team standing : how the Steelers and the Eagles - "the Steagles" - saved pro football during World War II by Matthew Algeo.

Friday Night Lights

2009-02-04T08:38:00.000-08:00

Are you having a little bit of a football letdown now that the Superbowl is over? Do you want to check out a real story about a high school football team? You might enjoy the book from 1990 called Friday Night Lights : a Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger. This is the book that the NBC television show is based on.

This is the story of the Permian Panthers high school team in the town of Odessa, Texas. Every Friday night they play to win and they represent the hopes and dream of their fragile West Texas town. With the oil industry a bust and the murder and unemployment rates a concern, the town has rally’s around the players who wear the Permian uniform. This book explores the lives of the young men who wear the uniforms and the town that puts their hopes on these boys. It is not exactly like the TV show, but you might like it

Printz Award Announced

2009-01-26T12:07:00.001-08:00

This morning the 2009 Michael L. Printz Award winner and honorees were announced. Given by the Young Adult Library Services Association, YALSA, every year since the year 2000, the Printz award is awarded to the book that “exemplifies literary excellence in young adult literature.”

Here is the winner:

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (not yet available in the Chester County Library System)

It is the story of seventeen year old Taylor Markham, abandoned by her mother when she was eleven, who is trying to put together the clues about her past as she leads the other students in her dorm in a territory war.

The Honorees:

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II, The kingdom on waves by M.T. Anderson

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Nation by Terry Pratchett

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

To find out more about the Printz award and the honorees see the YALSA award webpage!

Book Recommendation

2008-12-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

Metamorphosis (Graphic Novel)

by Franz Kafka and adapted in a Graphic Novel
by Peter Kuper

This week I read the graphic novel version of Franz Kafka’s short story The Metamorphosis. Peter Kuper both adapted the story and illustrated the graphic novel. Having never read the short story myself, I cannot compare it to the original. I really did though enjoy the graphic novel.

The story is about a traveling salesman named Gregor Samsa who hates his job. He works hard and supports his parents and his sister Grete. One morning he wakes up to find himself transformed into a large insect. His family is repulsed by him, thought they still love him. As an insect his spends much of his time hiding under the furniture in his bedroom, staying out of the way of his family who do not want to see him. Will Gregor stay an insect forever? Will his family be able to support themselves now that Gregor cannot work? Find out the answers to these questions and immerse yourself in an interesting story. Read The Metamorphosis the graphic novel.

Teen Top 10 Books

2008-12-05T15:02:00.000-08:00

YALSA's 2008 Teens' Top Ten
The vote is in! More than 8,000 teens voted on this year's winners. The 2008 Teens' Top Ten is:

Ecli p se by Stephenie Meyer
Ha rry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Extras by Scott Westerfeld
Before I Die by Jenny Downham
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

About the Teens' Top Ten*

Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted in April during National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year during Teen Read Week.

*This list is taken directly from the YALSA Website (also know as Young Adult Library Services Association)

DIY-Do It Yourself

2008-11-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

The joy making something with your own hands is something everyone should experience. Sometimes we might use materials that we can find around our home, other times we have to go out and buy the materials (or search for them). Here are some books that might inspire you to make or create things. These books might even provide ideas of things you can make for other people to give as gifts. So go ahead, give it a try!

Cooking

Cooking up a storm / Sam Stern, with Susan Stern

Designing Clothing/ Jewelry

Hardwear : jewelry from a toolbox / Hannah Rogge

Rip it! : how to deconstruct and reconstruct the clothes of your dreams / Elissa Meyrich

99 ways to cut, sew, trim & tie your t-shirt into something special / Faith Blakeney

Sew subversive : down & dirty DIY for the fabulous fashionista / Melissa Rannels, Melissa Alvarado, Hope Meng

The hip handbag book : 25 easy-to-make totes, purses, and bags / by Sherri Haab

Fashion DIY : 30 ways to craft your own style / Carrie Blaydes and Nicole Smith

Second-time cool : the art of chopping up a sweater / Anna-Stina Lindén Ivarsson

Knitting

Teen knitting club : chill out and knit / Jennifer Wenger, Carol Abrams, Maureen Lasher

Knitgrrl 2 : learn to knit with 16 all-new patterns / Shannon Okey

Photography and Making Movies

My so-called digital life : 2,000 teenagers, 300 cameras, and 30 days to document their world / created by Bob Pletka

Duct Tape

The jumbo duct tape book / Jim and Tim

Ductigami : the art of the tape / Joe Wilson

Got tape? : roll out the fun with duct tape / Ellie Schiedermayer

Drawing Manga/ Creating Graphic Novels

Making comics : storytelling secrets of comics, manga and graphic novels / Scott McCloud

Fantasy! cartooning / Ben Caldwell

Manga Mania: Chibi and Furry Characters: How to Draw the Adorable Mini-Characters and Cool Cat Girls of Japanese Comics

Household Repairs

Popular mechanics when duct tape just isn't enough : quick fixes for everyday disasters / by C.J. Petersen

Technology to Try

2008-11-05T10:35:00.000-08:00

Recently, I started using the photo sharing site Flickr as part of my library work. Flickr is way to share pictures with friends and the outside public. Users can decide between making their photo’s public or just sharing their photos with friends or groups. Here is the website if you would like to see what it is all about: http://www.flickr.com/.

If you would like to learn more about Flickr check out these useful links:
Flickr Learn More tour (6 steps)
Mediamazine Flickr Tutorials
Flickr: Popular tags

Flickr Services (3rd party applications & mashups)

Or Learn More about Flickr in this book:

Flickr hacks by Paul Bausch and Jim Bumg

So go ahead, explore the site and have some Flickr photo fun.

PS: A quick word about photo posting etiquette - When posting identifiable photos of other people it is a good idea to get the person’s permission before posting their photo in a publicly accessible place like Flickr. Never upload pictures that weren’t taken by you (unless you have the photographer’s consent) and always give credit when you include photos taken by someone else if you choose to use the pictures in a blog.

I wanted to share with you a something I made using a flickr mashup. Using FD’s Flickr Toys I made this fake magazine cover using a photo of the Dragon Wagon Library van.

by Katie at the Chester County Library

Go Phillies!

2008-10-30T06:20:00.000-07:00

How About those Phillies? If you are interested in reading about the Phillies check out these titles!

Books About the Phillies

The Phillies encyclopedia by Rich Westcott (2004)

The fall of the 1977 Phillies : how a baseball team's collapse sank a city's spirit by Mitchell Nathanson

Phillies essential : everything you need to know to be a real fan by Rich Westcott (2006)

The Phillies Reader by edited by Richard Orodenker (2005)

Almost a dynasty : the rise and fall of the 1980 Phillies by William C. Kashatus

The story of the Philadelphia Phillies by Michael E. Goodman.

Movie about the Phillies

The Vet [DVD] : the complete history of Phillies baseball at Veterans Stadium / Philadelphia Phillies ; written and produced by Dan Stephenson.

Vampire Books

2008-10-21T12:37:00.000-07:00

Do you have a thirst to read about the blood thirsty?
Check out some of these books with bite:

The Last Vampire by Christopher Pike

Bloodline by Kate Cary

Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan

Dark Disciple by Margaret Weis

Glass Houses by Rachel Caine

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause

Sweetblood by Pete Hautman

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Chibi Vampire by Yuna Kagesaki

Descendents of Darkness by Yoko Matsushita

30 Days of Night by Steve Niles

Magazines at your library

2008-10-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

Did you know that your library has magazines you might enjoy. Here are some magazines that are popular with teens:

Cosmo Girl
Entertainment Weekly
Game Informer
Mad
J-14
Seventeen
Shojo Beat
Shonen Jump
Teen
Teen People
Teen Vogue
Teen Voices
Thrasher
Sports Illustrated
Guitar Player

Guys Read

2008-10-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

Hey, guys out there. Are you looking for something to read? Check out http://www.guysread.com/

This is a great website developed by Jon Scieszka author of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. The website features book suggestions for guys aged preschool through adult. One of the other nice features is with the Find a Book Link users can find book suggestions by typing in a book title author, or subject they like or are interested in finding out about.

Here are a few of the suggestions from the website for teen guys:

Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Celebrate Your Freedom to Read

2008-09-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

This year’s Banned Books week takes place September 27-October 4th 2008. This annual celebration reminds people not to take their democratic freedom to read for granted. Take some time to celebrate your freedom to read.

Here are some books that have been challenged frequently:

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Olive’s Ocean by Kevin Henkes

His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman (including The Golden Compass)

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Athletic Shorts by Chris Crutcher

What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Awesome Sports Books Part 3

2008-09-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Westling
Wrestling Sturbridge. 2001. Rich Wallace.
Ben decides to challenge a friend for his spot on the first string team during his senior year wrestling season.

Basketball
Ball Don’t Lie. 2007. Matt De La Pena
Sticky loves nothing more than playing basketball at the rec center he goes to in Los Angeles. It seems like he might be headed for the pros but first he has to get past the obstacles in his path.

Counting Coup: A True Story of Basketball and Honor on the Little Big Horn. 2001. Larry Colton
Check out this true story where the author follows the around the high school girl’s basketball team in Crow, Montana. The team’s star Sharon Laforge, who native American, is extremely talented but her hopes for a college scholarship are threatened by her homelife.

Dance
Rhysmyth. Illus. by Lincy Chan. 2007. Anthony Andora
Check out this graphic novel about the America’s newest sport Rhysmyth, one-on-one dance battles on top of a glass court. Elena gets her groove on after she joins to enhance her college applications.

Extreme Sports
Extreme Sports: In Search of the Ultimate Thrill. 2004. Joe Tomlinson and Ed Leigh
This books is a great place for information about extreme sports like base jumping, ice climbing and street luge.

Awesome Sports Books Part 2

2008-09-19T06:19:00.000-07:00

Cheerleading
I Was a Non-Blonde Cheerleader. 2007. Kiernan Scott
Annisa tries to not lose her identity after she moves to Florida school where almost all of her classmates are blonde.

NASCAR
NASCAR Now! 2006. Timothy Miller
Find out more about NASCAR racing in this book.

Baseball
Heat. 2006. Mike Lupica
Pitcher Michael Arroyo is banned from Little League because the coaches do not believe he is only twelve. He does not have parents to prove it either.

The Boyfriend League. 2007. Rachel Hawthorn
Dani hopes to find romance when her family hosts summer league baseball players.

Hockey
Open Ice. 2007. Pat Hughes
After another concussion it looks like Nick Taglio will never play high school hockey again. Will this setback sideline him from living his life or will he rise to the challenges life offers?

Surfing
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. 2006. Bethany Hamilton
Check out this true story of a surfer girl who goes back to her sport after a shark attack.

Awesome Sports Books Part 1

2008-09-13T06:19:00.000-07:00

Fall will be here on Sunday and with it the cooler weather. Fall is a great time to play sports or read books about sports. No matter your sport we have some great suggestions for you.

Soccer
Soccer Chick Rules. 2007. Dawn FitzGerald
Tess becomes involved in local politics while trying to save sports at her school.

Football
Dairy Queen. 2007. Catherine Murdock
D.J. spends the summer training the quarterback of the school’s football team then decides to try out herself.

No More Dead Dogs. 2000. Gordan Korman
Eighth grade football hero Wallace Wallace is taken off the football team when he complains about always being assigned books where the dog dies in the end. Unfortunately, he is assigned to an after school detention in the auditorium where they are producing a play about the same book that got him in trouble “Old Shep, My Pal.”

Tennis
Prince of Tennis Volume 1. 2004. Takeshi Konomi
Ryoma Echizen comes to his new school in Japan with awesome tennis skills, then challenges the rules of the school in this graphic novel.

Swimming
Head Above Water. 2003. S.L. Rottman
Sky deals with a lot in her life including competitive swimming, a brother who has Down’s Syndrome and having her first boyfriend.

Live Homework Help

2008-09-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Is everyone happy to be back in school? There are many fun things about the school year like seeing friends and hanging out but going to school in most cases also means that there is homework to do. Have you ever had a homework question but did not have someone right there you could ask for help? Well, that is why there is a service called Live Homework Help. Live homework help is available from 4-10pm seven days a week.

To use it go to the Chester County Library System webpage at http://www.ccls.org/ Click on the icon for Live Homework Help. You will be connected with a teacher who can help you. This service specializes in English, Math, Social Studies and Science as well as science and math instruction in Spanish. College and adult learners can also use this service.

Good luck!

New Books

2008-09-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

These Just In:

Masquerade- Melissa De La Cruz

Chibi Vampire v. 1-4- Yuna Kagesaki

Whistle- 17,18, 19

Bone- Ghost Circles- vol. 7
Airman- Eoin Colfer

Diabolo 1,2,3
Before I Die- Jenny Downham
Chiggers- Hope Larson (Eisner Award Winner)

Get Well Soon- Julie Halpern

November Blues- Sharon Draper

Who Are You

2008-08-21T11:24:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take some time to find out more about the people who read this blog. Today I have two questions for you. Feel free to post comments to answer the questions

1) Have you ever heard of Teen Second life? If so have you ever used it?

2) Would you use a video game to study for the SAT’s if it were designed to help you do better?

The reason I am asking question number two is because Kaplan is scheduled to release a game called FutureU for pc, Mac, and Nintendo DS platforms on October 23rd. The game would have over 1,200 questions spread out over 4 forms. I want to know if this is something you would play if it were available to borrow at the library.

Katie G, CCL