Last blog post of 2009!

"Snow Magic" by katmere

Dear 'beyond readers,

It's official--the 00's are out and the 10's are in! I'm not sure how we'll refer to the decade of the 00's (The naughts? The zero's? The Oh Oh's?), but a whole lot happened. To take a trip down memory lane, click here to view an interactive photo timeline from The New York Times newspaper. From 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina to Obama's election, you'll see it all captured from the perspective of regular readers who submitted their photos to the newspaper.

Up next, the author of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl (great title!), Barry Lyga, offers writing advice to aspiring young writers on his blog. Click here to read his latest post about how to write the perfect ending to your book. Feeling ambitious? (Or maybe suffering from writer's block?) Check out the archive of all his writing advice to date, from building characters to the process of publication. You can also follow him, and many of your favorite authors, on twitter! Click here to see a comprehensive list of YA authors on twitter. They include Meg Cabot, John Green, Barry Lyga, Neil Gaiman, Melissa Marr, Robin Wasserman, Sarah Dessen... and so many others.

New to twitter? The Library is holding a Twitter 101 Lab just for teens on January 5 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Join us and learn about setting up an account, online safety, tweeting and retweeting, shrinking URLs, hashmarking, and other fun, crazy sounding stuff. Then you'll be ready to participate in our month-long Twitterature Fest for teens in January. What is Twitterature? You'll follow the Teen Librarian (palateenbrary) on Twitter and respond to daily questions, interact with other participants, plus follow your favorite authors. It's the equivalent of a winter reading program, but just online. That way, bad weather won't get in the way of your participation, since it's easy, convenient and fast! Want to participate? Email teens@palatinelibrary.org beginning January 4 to receive your Twitterature guidelines. You can join any time during the month of January.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

--Megan

Teen Review of New Moon

Remember our Twilight poster contest, wayyy back in November? Well, the results are in! Congratulations to Nimra, Katie Rose, Lawson, and Lizzy for participating and submitting reviews to the blog.

Below is Lizzy's review of the movie New Moon:

"I, for one, loved the New Moon movie. It was hands down better than the first. They improved so many things that the first director messed up on. Like their eyes. In the first movie, you couldn't tell about the eye color. In this movie, you totally could tell. And the whole sparkle thing? That was better too. They didn't look like they were just some sweating undead people. It was soo much better. I really loved it."

Click here to read staff member Michelle's review of the movie, too.

So, if you saw the movie, what did you think? Was it better than the first one?

Teen Review of The Shifter

With stories like Harry Potter, Twilight, and the Percy Jackson series, fantasy fiction has become extremely popular over the past decade. If you're looking to fulfill your fantasy fix, read this review by 9th grader Katie Rose H., one of our Teen Advisory Board members.
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Have you ever been hurt so badly that all you wish is that the pain will go away, no matter what? In the world of The Shifter by Janice Hardy, some people can do just that. Called Healers, they take away pain, and transfer it into a special metal called pynvium. Except one Healer can do more than just that. Her name is Nya. She is unable to put the pain that she draws into pynvium, but she can put it into people. This talent comes in handy when her sister, Tali, disappears and Nya panics. Her sister is the only family that she has left, and she needs her. So she decides to use her talent in... less than moral ways. Inside her is a raging battle between how far she will go for her sister, and how much of herself she wants to hold onto. However, for her and, well, the whole city, a much more terrifying threat looms. The Duke, the power-hungry, amoral, heartless, tyrant of a man, returns his attentions to the city of Geveg. You just know that it's not good when one girl and her friends decide that he is their next target.
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Many fantasy books have the potential to turn into series. Katie Rose says, "No names yet, but by the ending of the book, I have a big hunch that there will be a sequel." And her hunch is correct--check out Janice Hardy's blog, The Other Side of the Story, for the latest news and updates about the process of writing her Healing Wars trilogy. She's currently hard at work editing Book 2, which has yet to be titled.

If you like the sound of this book, you might also like Graceling by Kristin Cashore. In Graceling, some people are gifted with an innate special skill or power called a Grace, and Katsa struggles to come to terms with hers, which is the power to kill.

Best new series: Percy Jackson & The Olympians

OK, so I have to admit I was a little hesitant to read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. I had a couple of friends telling me how great it was and then I saw the movie trailer and I thought to myself, "Just another Hollywood craze." When I actually started reading I thought for a moment my initial predictions were true; a young boy discovers he isn't some nobody, but actually an important "magical" being. He befriends two other magical beings and they retreat to a safe haven, "Camp Half-Blood", where Percy feels for the first time like he's home. "Where have I heard this before?", I asked myself. "Oh yes, Harry Potter." Fortunately, I had to bite my tongue because with the turn of a single page I was suddenly sucked into the world of Percy Jackson.

The story follows hero Perseus Jackson, a dyslexic and ADHD twelve year old in Manhatten, right as mythological monsters start popping up in his life. Percy is at another boarding school, trying his best not to get kicked out like all the others and of course, stay alive. Upon further adventure into his new Olympian lifestyle, Percy discovers that everything he's been taught about Ancient Greece is actually true! Mount Olympus hovers over Manhatten, Gods and monsters are alive and thriving, and he's also been singled out as the thief of Zeus' ultimate weapon: his Lightning Bolt! With the help of his friends, Percy sets off on a quest to prove his innocence and return Zeus' bolt before an all out battle between the Gods unleashes WWIII.

I have to give credit where credit is due, and Rick Riordan did an absolute amazing job of weaving the magical world of Greek mythology with our own. He truly did his homework because he created mythological, yet modern and original characters. Riordan led me to believe I had the plot all figured out and by the time I finished the book, I realized I had been wrong from the very start. It's easy now to see why Percy Jackson & The Olmpians books are such a hit. I urge anyone who has not read them yet to pick up book one because you will be drawn in just as I was. I'm nearly finished with book two, The Sea of Monsters, and I have book three tucked away at home, just in case anybody has any wise ideas of snatching it from me.

Happy reading (as long as it's not my copy),

--Sean

Teen Review of The Secret Project Notebook

Excuse the recent inactivity of this blog--teen books (and beyond!) got snowed in and went into hibernation mode! After shoveling and scraping off the cyber-ice, we're ready to offer our readers a new teen book review. One of our Teen Advisory Board members, 7th grader Lawson K., is making his debut book review with a write-up about The Secret Project Notebook by Carolyn Reeder. Shhh! It's a secret! Pass it on...
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This book is written especially for people who like historical fiction, such as books related to World War II, or for those who are looking for a good book to read straight through to the end.

If you have ever been so curious about something that you broke rules to find out about what you were looking for, then you are just like Fritz (also known as Franklin until he comes to a military lab where his Dad is working). Fritz tells his story of adventure and curiosity as he experiences it.

After spending his elementary school years without friends, Fritz comes to a military lab in 1944 where his Dad is going to be a scientist. At first Fritz finds that he is just being bullied around by two guys named Lonny and Red. Then things begin to shape up as he starts to make some friends. Fritz spends time with his friends every day, and he tutors, hikes, or plays ping-pong with them. Things are looking up until he gets in trouble with a few of his friends and has to figure things out. The whole time he is trying to document the facts in his notebook and dispel rumors floating around about the secret project that his Dad is working on. Read the book to see what happens in this journey and to find out what’s happening in the lab.

I really like how this book is written. It’s fast-paced and never slows down from the beginning. It’s not a tricky book, and it’s written with the grammar and vocabulary appropriate for the mood of the book. I would recommend this book to anyone, even if they don’t seem like the type of person who would typically read this genre. I would rate this book 5 out of 5.

If this is a book that you are interested in you might also like The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages. If you read this book and like it, you should also check out Shades of Gray that is also by Carolyn Reeder.
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Right now, the Library is ordering a copy of The Secret Project Notebook to add to the collection. It should be here within a few weeks! Until then, try one of Lawson’s other recommondations above or check out another title by Carolyn Reeder. Also, we have a fresh batch of new books in the Teen Lounge waiting to be picked up by eager readers. You can browse the new collection by clicking on our Goodreads palateenbrary account on the right-hand menu bar. ------>

Third book in The Hunger Games Trilogy

Guess what happened today?! Big news! Scholastic announced the publication date for the third book in the bestselling Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The third book is still untitled, but start your countdown now to August 24, 2010. That's right--we knew it would be a long wait, but hopefully it will be worth it. Click here for more information.
Also, on December 18, the library will host a book discussion for teens about The Hunger Games. There are limited spaces, so register here as soon as possible!

We support mockingjays.

Teen Review of Evermore

Read TAB member Nimra B.’s review of Evermore!
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Evermore by Alyson Noel is the book for you if you love to read books that are romantic or books that deal with supernatural things. When you read the summary to this book, it seems like it would be just like Twilight, but don’t let that stop you from picking it up. As soon as you start reading the book, it is nothing like Twilight. This book is full of romance. The love that Damen gives Ever is adoring and everlasting. After the disastrous accident that took away the lives of Ever’s family, Ever has been going through some pretty strange changes. She can see people’s auras, hear people’s thoughts, and know a person’s whole life story just by a touch. Ever is a 16-year -old girl who just moved to a new high school, is really anti-social, always has a hooded sweater on and cranks her iPod up in every class! She is technically known as a freak at her new school. Everything changes when Damen Auguste enters her world. He is gorgeous, wealthy, and really nice. Something Ever doesn’t know is that he has a lot of secrets that he hasn’t told anybody. In my opinion, this book is an easy read, but really awesome. Evermore is a book that people can enjoy. Evermore is full of bad and good sides, characters that people actually like, excellent plot line, and vivid descriptions. This novel is really magical. I think it’s also Alyson Noel’s first book, and she had it hands on. She did a really good job. If you have nothing to read, definitely check this book out!

Stay tuned for Nimra’s review of the sequel, Blue Moon. Also, click here to read a previous review of Evermore by Iulia.