Hart Teen Readers

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - The Doors Sing 'Reading Rainbow' Theme - Video - NBC.com

2011-11-17T07:07:00.000-08:00

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon - The Doors Sing 'Reading Rainbow' Theme - Video - NBC.com

'Nuf said. Thanks, JF. Enjoy!

This 'N That

2011-10-18T10:19:00.000-07:00

The rights to Patrick Ness's Chaos Walking Trilogy( The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, Monsters of Men) have been optioned by Lionsgate.

YALSA's Teen Top Ten:

New Books

2011-07-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Once you've got your summer reading assignments taken care of, sit back with a new book. Here are three new titles from the Hart YA collection:

Haven't made up your mind what you're going to be when you grow up? Do the careers you've been looking at leave you cold? Do you yearn to dig into something unique? How about becoming a grave robber? Sure, you always have dirt under your fingernails. Your body odor can kill a skunk. Living acomodations are pretty... basic. But you find some really valuable stuff, get to be part of a brotherhood, and even better: no phone, no telemarketers! Joey wasn't thinking about any of this after his mother dies. He gets sent off to live with the father he had never met, a man who lives in a smelly cabin with no food and has little in the way of people skills. His nickname is The Garbageman. Joey becomes a target for the goons at his new school. His biology teacher has it in for him. Celeste Carpenter is beyond his reach. Then Joey stumbles on the reason his father is called The Garbageman. He learns about the society of men who rob graves for a living. He learns why his parents split up, and how his mother got those nicks in her ear. He learns that there's more to fear from the living than from rotting corpses. Read this if you have a strong stomach. There are very graphic descriptions of digging up graves and bodies in varying stages of decomposition.

Saba and her twin brother Lugh live with their father and younger sister Emmi in a post apocalyptic wasteland. One terrifying day, strangers come during a dust storm, dragging Lugh away and killing their father. Saba vows to go after them and rescue Lugh. Along the way, she and Emmi are kidnapped by slavers who gather stray youth and force them to compete against each other to the death in the Cage. Saba's warrior spirit allows her to triumph, until she learns about Lugh's whereabouts and plots to escape with the help of the Free Hawks, a band of female warriors. When she does escape amidst chaos and fire, she also rescues the charming rogue Jack. They meet more friends on their way to the Palace where the maniacal Sun Prince is holding Lugh. Shades of "Road Warrior" here. The characters speak in a colloquial English much like the characters in Patrick Ness's "Chaos Walking" series. If you dig "The Hunger Games," this is the book for you.

Now for one of the horrors of the real world. Kendra was sexually abused as a child. She doesn't remember the identity of her abuser, it's locked away in her brain. But someone is following her, leaving nasty notes. To relieve the intense pressure, Kendra cuts herself. Especially now that the memories are coming back. Kendra's dad is downsized, money will be tight, and Kendra's therapy sessions will have to stop. There's talk about them having to move. Kendra's safety nets are being taken away from her. Just as she's becoming friends with Meghan, the school bad girl. This is one emotionally wrenching book. You just want to smack Kendra's parents for being so obtuse. The author supplies a list of resources to turn to for help.

There are lots more new books at the Hart Library. Come in and check them out.

2011-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Summer Reading Club has begun! Sign up at the Adult Reference Desk. Get free stuff just for reading! Enter Bruno's new contest for a chance to win a $10 gift card to Barnes & Noble. It's all free!

2011-06-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

"You Are Here" is the theme of the 2011 Summer Reading Club for kids in grades 6 and up. The Summer Reading Club begins on Monday, June 13th. All you have to do is read and record what you've read in your reading log. You can earn free stuff every week. Books, graphic novels, manga, audiobooks, and ebooks all count. Don't forget Bruno! This year, Bruno T. Gorilla has gone Hollywood. Fill out an entry form with the title of the movie you think Bruno is in and you could win a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble. Register at the Adult Reference Desk.

Teen Lit Day

2011-04-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Japan, again

2011-03-16T09:11:00.001-07:00

http://www.usaid.gov/

Computer Games at Hart

2011-03-15T08:55:00.001-07:00

We have a small collection of video games at the library. They include:

PS3
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
Spiderman: Web of Shadows
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010

WII
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (IN)
Swords (IN)
Red Steel 2

XBox360
Avatar
Jurassic: The Hunted (IN)
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (IN)
Record of Agarest War (IN)

As of 3/14/11

Not every title is available yet. Some still have to be cataloged. They can go out for one week. No renewals or reserves. They're kept behind the Adult Reference Desk. One per family. If they take off, we'll build the collection slowly but surely. The funds for the games was provided by the Friends of the Hart Library. Thanks!

Local Band!!

2011-03-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

Check out Victims of Tragedy. They're from Mohegan Lake, and one of the guys' parents works at the Hart Library: http://www.myspace.com/victimsoftragedy1

Candlewick Press - Catalog

2011-02-18T12:05:00.000-08:00

Candlewick Press - Catalog

A Shout-Out to the Yorktown Teen Center Open Mic Night

2011-02-08T10:56:00.000-08:00

Check out this video:

ATTENTION YORKTOWN YOUTH IN 6TH GRADE AND UP!

2011-01-24T06:44:00.000-08:00

2011 Next Gen Arts Festival

TEENS: Showcase Your Talents in May

Open to Artists, Musicians, Photographers, Poets, and Film Makers in the 6th to 12th Grades.

Go to http://www.yorktowntc.org/artsfest/ for details!

Entry deadline: March 25, 2011

Book Review

2011-01-18T14:19:00.000-08:00

This has got to be one of the best novels about zombies I've read so far. Ok, so it's not just about zombies. It's about brothers, right and wrong, good vs. evil, and girls. In a post-apocalyptic society, you need to get a job by the time you're fifteen or your rations get cut. So, Benny Imura and his friend Chong start looking. After failing at a bunch of things, Benny grudgingly decides to accompany his hated older brother Tom the zombie killer to see what Tom's job is all about. Boy, does he get a wakeup call. The Rot and Ruin is the great outdoors past the town's comfort zone where the zombies and the cool bounty hunters like Charlie Pink-Eye and the Motor City Hammer roam. Tom is lightning fast with a sword but he's way not cool in Benny's eyes. Until Benny's eyes are opened to the vast evil that is man-made. He grows up fast, and the simple black-n-white world suddenly takes on lots of complicated shades of gray. Maberry does a wonderful job reminding us that zombies aren't just walking piles of slimy body parts that eat the living. They are human beings, mothers, sons, grandparents. Tom treats them with a respect that's touching in its humanity. Those of you who read zombie books for the action, have no fear. There's plenty! Read this book!

New Hanover County PL, North Carolina

2010-12-15T10:44:00.000-08:00

This is a total hoot! Check out this library's videos on Youtube. Look for the videos by scooterstories.

National Coming Out Day: October 11, 2010

2010-09-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the contest posted at Candle, Inc. in Rockland County. Who is your favorite queer hero? Submit some artwork, a poem, or just sign the pledge on the left of this page:

BRAAAIIINNNSS!

2010-09-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

This is all George Romero's doing. He took a figure from folklore and turned it into a nightmare. The original zombies were people who were controlled by magic, to do the sorcerer's bidding. Not much fun, but at least they didn't go around eating people. "Night of the Living Dead" was not the first zombie movie, but it was one of the first to turn innocent zombies into walking, decaying, and ravenous monstrosities.

So now, we have an explosion of the walking, decaying dead. "28 Days Later," "Zombieland," "Shaun of the Dead," and "Resident Evil" are some of the recent movies that showcase zombies. If the observations of critics are correct, zombies stand for the materialism, uncertainty, and hopelessness that modern society is dealing with at this moment in time. A lot of the plots of recent zombie novels include the destruction of our nice, cushy lifestyle. Who cares about wearing Nike and Prada when you're trying to stay alive? What about the zombies created from a mutated virus? H1N1, AIDS anyone?

Okay, so here's the heart of the matter. There's a lot of reading to do. Fiction and nonfiction. You gotta be ready when the zombie holocaust happens.

For you literary types, there's Pride and Prejudice and Zombies originally written by Jane Austen, with some help from Seth Grahame-Smith. Poetry your thing? Take a look at Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum. (Caution: Read before you eat. Unless you have a cast-iron stomach.)

Nonfiction your choice? How about "Real Zombies, the Living Dead, and Creatures of the Apocalypse" by Brad Steiger. Or Max Brooks' Zombie Survival Guide.

Fiction has exploded with books about the undead:

Daniel Waters. Generation Dead and sequels. Just think about this premise: zombiism as an alternative lifestyle with all the problems that come with it.
Adam Selzer. I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It. Isn't school tough enough without trying to date a zombie?
Carrie Ryan. The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead-Tossed Waves After an apocalypse, the Earth plagued by zombies. People live in walled villages, afraid and confined not only by the walls but by their own society.
Charlie Higson. The Enemy This is a new one: A virus turns almost everyone over 16 into hungry zombies. Orphaned kids try to survive in a devastated London. Of course, zombies aren't their only problem...
Michael Thomas Ford. Z Josh is an expert at torching zombies - online. What if he gets the chance to play the game in real time?
Justin Richards. The Death Collector Evil guy wants to bring the dead back to life. Somebody's gotta stop him.
Cherie Priest. Boneshaker Steampunk and zombies. What's not to love?

Adult Fiction
These can be really gross. There's probably some s-e-x, too.
David Wellington. Monster Nation
Brian Keene. The Rising
Max Brooks. World War Z
Alden Bell. The Reapers are the Angels.
Alan Goldsher. Paul is Undead: the British zombie invasion
Jonathan Maberry. Patient Zero
Z. A. Recht. Plague of the Dead: the morningstar saga
If you can get your hands on J. L. Bourne's Day-By-Day Armageddon, do. I highly recommend it. It's a concise report of the zombie plague told from a military man's viewpoint. If you like your prose short and sweet, this is the book for you.
Don't forget Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead.

Year's Scariest Book?

2010-08-24T11:24:00.001-07:00

Kids, watch out! If your parents start throwing around brochures for a "gated" community called Candor, run for the hills! Candor is located in Florida. This guy, Campbell Banks bought up land for the perfect community. Families are flocking to get in. Everything is absolutely perfect. No garbage in the streets, everyone is polite and helpful. All the kids are academic overachievers headed for colleges like Yale. No sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll here. Campbell's son Oliver knows the secret. For a price he'll get you out. What do you think happens when Oliver meets a new girl who hasn't been taken in by Candor yet? Yup, and that's when Oliver's perfect scam starts to unravel. There's another side to Candor, and it isn't pretty. Even the founder's son isn't immune. Candor by Pam Bachorz is one scary read.

Scholastic Book Wizard

2010-08-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it says it's for teachers, but it's pretty good for anyone who wants to find a good read. If you like "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins, the Wizard comes up with all sorts of titles, not just read-alikes. It can handle some nonfiction, too. "The Cage" by Ruth Minsky Sender came up with other choices in fiction and nonfiction. Go ahead, check it out-the widget's on the left of this page for your convenience.

2010 Summer Reading Club

2010-08-16T07:00:00.001-07:00

The Summer Reading Club: "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Read!" has come to a close. This year 100 kids from the 6th to the 12th Grade participated, reading a total of 791 books, manga, graphic novels and magazines! Way to go! Congratulations to the "Where in Time is Bruno?" contest winners:

1. Jonathan Feldman – Civil War/Surrender at Appomattox

2. Cynthia Schmidt – The Kennedy Assassination

3. Kayla Melagrano – King Henry’s Throne

4. Briana Rosenberg – (Fall of) The Berlin Wall

5. Samantha Boffuto – Ancient Egypt

6. Cynthia Schmidt – WW II Raising the flag on Iwo Jima

7. Adrienne Lett – Apollo 11 Moon Mission

8. Maggie Ryan – King’s March to Montgomery, Alabama

9. Mike Wrubel – When Betsy Ross made the Flag

Bruno hopes that the Barnes & Noble $10 gift cards came in handy. Keep on reading!

NEW BOOKS ON ORDER:

Fiction:
Loius Sachar - The Cardturner. Real Life
Philip Reeve - Fever Crumb. Fantasy
Chris Lynch - Hothouse: a novel. Real Life
Gail Giles - Dark Song Suspense
Kody Keplinger - The Duff(Designated Ugly Fat Friend)Real Life
Cassandra Clare - The Clockwork Angel Fantasy
Richelle Mead - Spirit Bound Vampire Academy #5
S. A. Bodeen - The Gardener Science Fiction
Lisi Harrison - My Little Phony The Clique #13
Steve Auguards - X-Isle Science Fiction
Cyn Balog - Sleepless Fantasy
Tonya Hurley - Ghostgirl: Lovesick Supernatural
Neal Shusterman - Bruiser Real Life
Melissa de la Cruz - Keys to the Repository Blue Bloods series
Michael Cadnum - Flash Action/Adventure
Charlie Higson - The Enemy Zombies!
Patrick Carman - Thirteen Days to Midnight Dark Fantssy
James Dashner - The Scorch Trials Sequel to The Maze Runner
Brian Falkner - Brain Jack Science Fiction
David Levithan and Rachel Cohn - Dash & Lily's Book of Dares Real Life
Maryrose Woods - The Poison Diaries Fantasy
Elizabeth Scott - Grace Real Life
Nancy Werlin - Extraordinary Fantasy
Scott Westerfeld - Behemoth Sequel to Leviathan
Catherine Fisher - Sapphique Sequel to Incarceron
Daniel Waters - Passing Strange Generation Dead #3
Tricia Rayburn - Siren Horror
Mara Purnhagen - Tagged Real Life
Priscilla Cummings - Blindsided Real Life
Kimberly Pauley - Still Sucks to Be Me: More All-True Confessions of Mina Smith, Teen Vampire Sequel to Sucks to Be Me
Carol Plum-Ucci - Fire Will Fall Sequel to Streams of Babel
Lauren Oliver - Before I Fall Real Life
Holly Black - Black Cat Fantasy
Lesley Livingston - Darklight Sequel to Wondrous Strange
Mercedes Lackey - Legacies Fantasy
Douglas Rees - Vampire High: Sophomore Year
Jeri Smith-Ready - Shade Horror
John Green and David Levithan - Will Grayson, Will Grayson Real Life
Kathryn Lasky - Ashes Historical Fiction (Holocaust)
Elisa Carbone - Jump Real Life
Lauren Kate - Torment Sequel to Fallen
Kim Ablon Whitney - The Other Half of Life Hictorical Fiction (Holocaust)

Nonfiction:
Stephen Below - Pigskin Dreams: the people, places, and events that forged the characters of NFL's greatest players
Dalton Higgins - Hip Hop World
Russell Freedman - The War to End All Wars: World War I
Eva Mozea Kor - Surviving the Angel of Death: the story of a Mengele twin in Auschwitz
Adam Selzer - The Smart Aleck's Guide to American History

The Friends of the Hart Library provided the funds to buy these titles. Thank you!

Jane Austen's Fight Club

2010-07-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Another funny mashup: Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club and Jane Austen. Check it out!

Library parody of the Old Spice ads - this is hilarious

2010-07-26T11:02:00.000-07:00

Library parody of the Old Spice ads - this is hilarious

Scrapbooking Opportunity

2010-06-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

Do you make scrapbooks? Creating Keepsakes magazine is holding a contest just for teen scrapbookers. Details are here: www.creatingkeepsakes.com/articles/CK_s_2010_Teen_Talent_Search_?utm_source=CKNF_June22_2010&utm_medium=eletter&utm_content=EditorLetter&utm_campaign=CKNF_June22_2010

Librarians Do Gaga

2010-06-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

Linger by Maggie Steifvater

2010-05-12T10:25:00.001-07:00

Try this: http://teenfire.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=4377850%3ABlogPost%3A10531

New Social Network for Teen Readers

2010-05-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

This site looks really cool. Check out the book trailer for Maggie Stefvater's next book: "Linger:" teenfire.ning.com/profiles/blogs/coming-soonlinger-by-maggie

Guys Read: Funny Business - The Joke

2010-04-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

Funny Video

2010-04-29T08:22:00.001-07:00

This is from "Guys Read": www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCd9ln6Y5Cs

Counter

2010-04-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

free search engine submission

Create Your Own Superhero!

2010-04-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few links I came across in my listserv reading:

www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Super-Hero
www.ugo.com/channels/comics/heromachine2/heromachine2.asp
www.cpbintegrated.com/theherofactory
http://marvel.com/create_your_own_superhero

These books are order as of last week:

FICTION:
The Ring - Bobbie Pyron (Mardie saves herself in a boxing ring)
Waiting for You - Susane Colasanti (Marisa wants to live a normal teen life...)
In Ecstasy - Kate McCaffrey (Just say no)
The Intruders - Olive Peart LOCAL AUTHOR!!
Sweet Little Lies - Lauren Conrad (An L.A. Candy novel)
Dead-Tossed Waves - Carrie Ryan (Sequel to Forest of Hands and Teeth)
Scarlett Fever - Maureen Johnson Seuqel to Suite Scarlett)
Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #3)
For Keeps - Natasha Friend (A mother-daughter relationship complicated by dad's reappearance)
Movers & Fakers - Lisi Harrison (An Alphas novel)
Center Field - Robert Lipsyte (Mike just wants to get to the pros)
For the Win - Cory Doctorow (The vicious future world of virtual game playing)
The Carrie Diaries - Candace Bushnell (Carrie the teen)
Lies: a Gone novel - Michael Grant
Runaway - Meg Cabot (Airhead #3)
Borderline - Allan Stratton ( a Muslim father and son)
The Last Great Getaway of the Water Balloon Boys - Scott William Carter
Nothing - Janne Teller (Horror)
Every Little Thing in the World - Nina De Gramont (Sydney goes to wilderness camp - pregnant)
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner - Stephenie Meyer
By the Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead - Julie Anne Peters (Bullied relentlessly, Daelyn decides to end it all)
Raven Rise - DJ McHale
Wizard Heir, Warrior Heir, Dragon Heir - Cinda Williams Chima

NONFICTION:
Ghosts of War: the true story of a 19-year old GI - Ryan Smithson (in Iraq)
Rough Guide to Anime - Simon Richmond
Rock 'n Roll Soldier - Dean Ellis Kohler (Starting a band in Viet Nam)
Bite of the Mango - Mariatu Kamara (A victim of Sierra Leone's civil war)
From Boneshakers to Choppers - Lisa Smedman

GRAPHIC NOVELS:
The Good Neighbors 2: Kith - Holly Black
DC vs. Marvel Comics - Ron Marz
Ultimate X-men: fire and brimstone - Mark Millar
Batman Tales of the Demon - Dennis O'Neil
Ultimate X-men: the ultimate collection
Light Brigade - Peter J. Tomasi (WW II)
Love Attack #7 - Seino Shizuru
Tyranny - Lesley Fairfield (Eating disorders)
Foiled - Jane Yolen
The Unwritten #1: Tommy Taylor and the bogis identity - Mike Carey
Batman: King Tut's Tomb - Nunzio Defillippis
Superman: Braniac - Geoff Johns

Libraries Need Your Help!

2010-04-13T09:49:00.000-07:00

Maybe you're not old enough to vote yet, but you still have a voice. Teens use the library just as much as any other group. You pay taxes if you work. Your parents pay taxes, too. The government is by the peoople for the people. Remind your congresspeople and state representatives! Tomorrow is the deadline for Congress to pass important legislation that effects libraries everywhere.

Check this out: http://capwiz.com/ala/home/ Please encourage your parents, friends, and relatives to call or write. You can get the information at this website.

New York Public Library's 2010 "Stuff for the Teen Age"

2010-04-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

Here it is: http://www.nypl.org/blog_series/teen-age It doesn't just list books, it lists dvds like "Drag Me to Hell" and cds like Justin Bieber's "My World," and XBox 360 "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2." How cool is this?

TeenSpace is now on Facebook!

2010-04-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

We're entering the 21st century! Take a look at our new Facebook page. It's only just begun, but there are events listed as well as a discussion question. We (really, I) welcome your input!

The ECLIPSE Movie Trailer

2010-03-13T07:43:00.001-08:00

The ECLIPSE Movie Trailer…

Posted using ShareThis

Bloomsbury Heard!

2010-01-22T11:08:00.001-08:00

Check this out: www.chasingray.com/archives/2010/01/magic_under_glass_update.html
Bloomsbury will release future copies with a different cover. Congratulations!

Blog Stuff and a Big Controversy

2010-01-22T06:59:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd point out a few blogs that are dedicated to teen lit. The address for the tag on the left is for Readergirlz: http://www.readergirlz.blogspot.com/

For the gents: http://www.guyslitwire.blogspot.com/

For readers of color: http://www.coloronline.blogspot.com/ You can link to the Persons of Color (POC) Reading Challenge from there. Here's a couple of titles to get you started: Linked by OlivePeart - see the review below. And,

This story is a real humdinger from Justine Larbalestier. The narrator, admits that she lies. The book is published by Bloomsbury USA, which managed to put its collective foot in its mouth by using a cover showing a white girl when the heroine is obviously not a white girl! Loads of protest got Bloomsbury to change it. There's another YA book out there called Magic Under Glass by a first-time author, Jaclyn Dolamore:

This book was published in December. I haven't read it yet, but the main character is described as having dark skin. What's up, Bloomsbury? Why are you lying to your readers? I've been in the library business long enough to know that covers count. Readers will pass up a great story if the cover sucks. They get angry if they buy a book and the cover has no relationship to the story inside.

There are loads of good books out there by authors of color featuring protagonists of color. There are the usual suspects: Walter Dean Myers, who just won the Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement, Sharon Flake, Sharon M. Draper, Mildred D. Taylor, Jacqueline Woodson, Julia Alvarez, and Sherman Alexie, The newer writers including Christopher Paul Curtis, Charles Smith, Anna Na (The Fold), Randel Addel-Fatah (Does My Head Look Big in This?), Sherri L. Smith (Flygirl), and Tanita S. Davis (Mare's War). I'm leaving out a lot here. And this is just the fiction category. Take a look at this article from Salon: www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/feature/2010/01/19/cover_whitewashing/index.html

And this blog entry: www.blackteensread2.blogspot.com/2010/01/open-letter-to-bloomsbury-kids-usa.html

Steampunk 'n Stuff

2010-01-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Steampunk is a literary genre that fuses science fiction, fantasy, and the Victorian Age to create an alternate history. Basically, technology shows up at a time when it was not possible for this stuff to exist. If you've ever read Jules Verne or watched the original "Wild, Wild West" tv series, that's steampunk. The new Sherlock Holmes movie is an example, too. Quirk Books, those fine publishers who brought us Pride and Prejudice and Zombies will publish a Anna Karenina parody, Android Karenina. Like, vampires are so done.

Scott Westerfeld has jumped on the boat with his latest novel Leviathan. Way back in the early 20th century, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife were assassinated. This murder helped touch off World War I. Westerfeld twists things a bit and sets the stage in an alternate world. This world is divided into the Clankers: people who rely on machinery, and the Darwinists: people who have taken Charles Darwin's theories and put them to the test by creating living creatures biologically engineered to perform certain jobs. Both sides despise each other. Prince Aleksander, heir to the Austro-H. throne and Clanker, is left orphaned by his parents' assassination. He is spirited off by his father's loyal servants to keep him safe. The second story line involves Deryn, a British Darwinist who wants to become a pilot for the British Air Service, flying the Leviathan, a biologically engineered airship. Deryn has a big secret. Of course, Aleksander and Deryn meet and "we have met the enemy, and he is us." There's lots of derring-do and edge-of-your seat suspense that makes this a great adventure story. Scott Westerfeld's website: www.scottwesterfeld.com

THE STUFF: The Maze Runner is James Dashner's first novel. Thomas finds himself on what appears to be an enormous moving freight elevator. He has no memory of how or why he got there. The elevator doors open to reveal a walled-in settlement populated solely by teen boys. As a Greenbean, Thomas is not allowed to ask questions, but he's got plenty of them. These boys have been in this place for about two years. Once a month, they're sent a new resident. They get supplies delivered on a regular basis. They have no idea why they're stuck in this place. They only know that they're safe as long as they don't venture outside the walls at night. Nasty creatures roam the woods outside the walls, and woe to the boy who is bitten by one of them. During the day, they send out runners to try and solve the puzzle of the maze that exists in the woods. Then, the day after Thomas arrives, a girl shows up in the elevator. She's not in good shape, but she manages to say "everything is going to change." Oh, boy, does it! There are plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading. The ending is a cliffhanger to set you up for Volume #2 in the trilogy. Reviews compare this to "Lord of the Flies," but it reminds me of an episode of "Lost." You can take a look at The Dashner Dude's blog at http://jamesdashner.blogspot.com

If you're intrigued by the whole steampunk thing, here are some resources:

www.steampunk.com

http://steampunkworkshop.com

www.steampunkmagazine.com

If you're into reading about kids on their own, here are some suggestions: (Besoides Stephen King's Children of the Corn):

Gone by Michael Grant

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt

Can't Get There From Here by Todd Strasser

Overdrive Audiobooks

2009-11-24T12:45:00.000-08:00

Has anyone taken advantage of the Overdrive downloadable audiobooks that the Westchester Library System offers? It's (sometimes) an alternative to waiting for the book you put on hold ages ago. You can download to your iPod. MP3 player, or just to your computer. Listening to books puts a whole new spin on the story. If you're lucky enough to get a good narrator, the story comes alive. You learn how certain names are pronounced. I grew up reading Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody books. Little did I know that Amelia's last name was not pronounced "Pea-body," but "Pibiddy." Likewise for certain vocabulary words that qualify for the verbal part of the SAT. I listened to the entire Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz on cd. As far as I was concerned, the narrator, David Alan Baker was Odd Thomas. Overdrive is cool because it also allows you to listen to a preview of the audiobook you're interested in. And some companies allow you to burn their books to a cd. There are current titles like Prism by Faye and Aliza Kellerman, The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, and I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb. You can get Night by Elie Wiesel and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. All you need is a library card, download the "console" and you're ready to go: www.westchesterlibraries.org/node/1663

For those of you who are in the midst of SAT frenzy, or you decided that college isn't your thing, try LearningExpress. It's a subscription database available through the Westchester Library Systems "Online Resources" webpage. Not only do you get to practice for the SAT and the ACT, but there's plenty of civil service tests also. There's information on job searching and skills, GED, citizenship tests, and Recursos para Hispanohablantes! Your little brothers and sisters need help with math? There are resources for elelmentary and middle school students. Hey, it's all free! You just need that library card to register to use the site: www.westchesterlibraries.org/node/297

New Books!

2009-11-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

New titles ordered:

Hate List - Jennifer Brown
Going Bovine - Libba Bray
After - Amy Efaw
Intertwined - Gena Showalter
Charmed and Dangerous: The Rise of the Pretty Committee - Lisi Harrison
Splendor - Anna Godbersen
Crocodile Tears: an Alex Rider Adventure - Anthony Horowitz
Liar - Justine Larbalestier
Leviathan - Scott Westerfeld
Riot - Walter Dean Myers
The Van Alen Legacy (Blue Bloods) - Melissa de la Cruz
Dark Visions - L. J. Smith
Take Me There - Susane Colasanti
Waiting for You - Susane Colasanti
When It Happens - Susane Colasanti
Angry Management - Chris Crutcher
No Such Thing as the Real World: stories about growing up and getting a life - An Na, et. al.
Lament: the faerie queen's deception - Maggie Stiefvater
Pop - Gordon Korman
Geektastic: stories from the nerd herd - Holly Black, ed.
After the Moment - Garret Freymann-Weyr
Purple Heart - Patricia McCormick
Shooting Star - Fredrick McKissack

LOCAL AUTHOR: Everything Sucks: losing my mind and finding myself in a high school quest for cool - Hannah Friedman

Local Author Alert!!!

2009-11-12T10:06:00.000-08:00

Greg and Steve's families are going through some tough times. Greg's dad walked out on the family, and Steve's stepfather beats his mom and slaps Steve around. Through some supernatural occurence, the teens change places. Here's the catch: Greg is black and Steve is white. This turns out to be a big eye-opener for both as they face stereotypical thinking, racism (theirs and others), and manage to help each other's situations. The story moves along at a fast "What happens next?" pace. Ms. Peart is a writer to watch out for. "Linked" is her first book for teens. According to the publisher's website, www.demarchepublishing.com Ms. Peart's next book "The Intruders" is coming out in February 2010. "The Intruders" involves teens fron The Bronx and time travel. Exciting stuff!

New Books I've Read

2009-11-09T08:33:00.000-08:00

I started listening to the audio of Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman. His first book is King Dork, which got some really good reviews. Andromeda is a less-than-perfect teen girl with bad hearing, bad hair, bad skin, and no body to speak of. Andromeda is a serious scholar of the occult. No New Age or "wicker" for her. There's lots of references to the Tarot, the Order of the Golden Dawn, and Aleister Crowley. The kind of stuff that drives well-meaning adults crazy. But Andromeda is no dilettante. She hopes to write her own multi-volume opus on magic and the occult. But first she has to deal with the death of her friend Daisy,the disappearance of her boyfriend, St. Steve, her crazy parents, her nonexistent popularity at school, and the evil plan of the Friends of the Library to weed the collection of her branch which includes an awful lot of the books Andromeda needs for her studies. It's just amazing how the author captured the essential high school girl experience. Portman is also a musician, so you can catch his work at http://www.frankportman.com/, http://www.doktorfrank.com/

Goth Girl Rising is the sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Goth Girl and Fanboy by Barry Lyga. Kyra, aka Goth Girl, is released from the local psychiatric facility for trying to commit suicide. She's seething with anger, at her father, at school, and especially at Fanboy, who's gone on to become, if not the most popular kid, at least more respected. His graphic novel is released in installments in the school newspaper. Revenge is what Goth Girl wants. As she begins her plan to get back at Fanboy, however, she realizes that she doesn't hate him. She might just -- like him a little? Kyra jumps off the page like she's right there in front of you as you're reading. Reading this book was like holding a live wire. Check out the author at www.barrylyga.com

Book Review: Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli

2009-09-30T07:07:00.001-07:00

Calogero lives with his uncles and cousins in a small town in Louisiana where they run a fruit and vegetable store and a stand. They provide a needed alternative to the company stores, but they're not totally accepted by the white townfolk because they're Sicilian. They can't interact with African-Americans either, lest they give people another reason to turn against them. Calogero is lucky enough to have a tutor who teaches him english, while he absorbs his new surroundings. He's sweet on an African-American girl, Patricia. Eventually, things come to a violent head amidst rumors of attempted murder. The author used a real incident as a basis for her novel. Sicilian immigrants were lynched in the South just for being who they were around the turn of the 20th century. This is one sad story, but I'm glad Ms. Napoli told it.

Book Review: Crazy Beautiful by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

2009-09-25T08:08:00.000-07:00

Think being the new kid in school is tough? Imagine being Lucius Wolfe, the kid who blew his own hands off in a misguided home chemistry experiment. Now you have hooks instead of hands. They remind you of what you did - not only did you lose your hands, you destroyed your family's home. Your family reminds you about what you did CONSTANTLY. Your peers look at you real funny and talk about how weird you are right in your face. The only saving grace is Aurora. She's new, too. And gorgeous. She's the only one, besides the school guard who treats you like a human being. Then you get on the wrong side of Jessup Tristan. He wants Aurora for himself. Can life suck any more than it already does? A modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" with a modern twist. It's a good, quick read, too.

Graphic Novel Info

2009-09-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Publishers are going out of their way to make assigned reading titles accessible. Take a look at Classical Comics: www.classicalcomics.com They've taken some of the Shakespeare plays and turned them into graphic novels. The difference here is that they have three versions: the original text, plain, or modern English, and quick text, which gets right to the point without a lot of words. They've done the same for titles like Jane Eyre and Frankenstein. We own Frankenstein in the original text at Hart - with the quick text versions of Frankenstein and Great Expectations, the original text version of Great Expectations, and Romeo and Juliet in all three versions on order. The website also offers free downloads for teachers and students.

BTW, the Friends of the Hart Library were really generous and agreed to all the items on my wish list. That's how I was able to buy the Classical Comics and much more:

Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? - Neil Gaiman
Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? - Alan Moore
Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451: the authorized adaptation - Tim Hamilton
Fruits Basket Vols. 22 & 23 - Natsuki Takaya
Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns - Geoff Johns
Naruto Vols. 45, 56 & 47 - Masashi Kishimoto
Tales of the Sinestro Corps - Goeff Johns
Garage Band - Gipi
Afro Samurai 1 & 2 - Takashi Okazaki
Cirque Du Freak: the manga, Vols. 1, 2, & 3 - Darren Shan
D. N. Angel Vols. 12 &13 - Yukiru Sugisaki
Escape From Bizarro World - Geoff Johns
Wolverine 1: Prodigal Son - Anthony Johnston
The Flash: Emergency Stop - Grant Morrison
The Color of Earth and The Color of Water - Kim Dong Hwa
Dungeon Monstres 1: The Crying Giant - Lewis Trondheim
Future Diary Vols. 1 - 5 - Esuno Sakae
Luuna Vols. 1 & 2 - Keramidas Nicolas
Bizenghast Vols. 3, 4, 5 & 6 - M. Alice LeGrow
Mugen Spiral Vols. 1 & 2 - Kusanagi Mizuho
All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder - Frank Miller
Amefurashi 1: The Rain Goddess and Amefurashi 2 - Atsushi Suzumi
Sanctuary - Melissa Marr
Bart Simpson: Son of Homer - Matt Groening
Simpsons Comics Hit the Road!
Simpsons Comics Wingding
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya Vols. 1 - 4 - Nagaru Tanigawa
Wolverine: Worst Day Ever - Barry Lyga
Ender's Game: Battle School - Christopher Yost
Black Bird Vols. 1 & 2 - Kanoko Sakurakoji
Waiting Place - Sean McKeever
Cleburne: A Graphic Novel - Justin S. Murphy
Gettysburg: the Grraphic Novel - C. M. Butzer
Pride of Baghdad - Brian K. Vaughan
Kane De Manga: a fun, easy way to learn the ABCs of Japanese - Glenn Kardy
Kanji De Manga: the comic book that teaches you how to read and write Japanese - Glenn Kardy
Kanji De Manga 4 - Glenn Kardy
Kanji De Manga: YojiJukugo - Glenn Kardy
Manga University Presents...Kanji De Manga: the Comic that teaches you how to read and write Japanese! - Glenn Kardy
Manga University Presents Kanji de Manga 3
Shoulder-a-Coffin - Satoko Kiyuduki
Shoulder-a-Coffin Kuro 2 - Satoko Kiyuduki

Some of these have come in already. If you have any suggestions for individual titles and sereies, bring 'em on!

A Book Review and More

2009-09-21T07:47:00.001-07:00

If you like "Twilight" and other supernatural romances, give "Lament: the Faerie Queen's Deception" by Maggie Stiefvater a look. Yeah, the same author who wrote "Shiver," which is currently on the NY Times Children's Best Seller list (Forgive them, they're adults). The Basics: Deirdre Monaghan is a talented harpist. She meets hottie Luke Dillon at a music competition and they literally make beautiful music together. There's something about Luke that's different, never mind the perfect four leaf clovers that litter Deirdre's path, and the mysterious red-haired guy who shows up every so often. Someone or something is after Deirdre, but for what purpose? Lots of thrills and chills, and faerie folklore. The sequel is "Ballad: a Gathering of Faerie," coming out in October.

Melissa Marr's "Wicked Lovely," another beware the faeries story has been optioned for the big screen. No dates or further info. yet.

October 21st at 6:30, we're having a special program for Teen Read Week. This year's theme is "Read Beyond Reality @ Your Library." The program is a Japanese writing workshop, with worksheets you can use to practice. There will be Japanese treats provided. The worksheets are provided courtesy of Japanime, publishers of the Manga University series, Kana de Manga series and "The Manga Cookbook." If you want to visit their site, the address is: www.howtodrawmanga.com

Become a Superhero!

2009-08-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

Design a superhero of your very own:
http://www.cpbintegrated.com/theherofactory/

Lovely Bones

2009-08-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

If you read "Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold, you may have heard that there's a movie version in the works, directed by Peter Jackson. Here's a link to the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWyNYxGZonI

Embedding Fun

2009-08-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Sorry if the link didn't work directly. I'm playing with embedding.

Try this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTHduQqfqUo

Cirque Du Freak movie trailer

2009-08-06T13:20:00.000-07:00

This looks like a really cool movie:
http://video.aol.com/aolvideo/AOL Movies/the-vampires-assistant-trailer-no-1/31864063001

Check This Out!

2009-07-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

If "City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare is on your summer reading list, and you can't get a copy of it, type in www.promo.simonandschuster.com/mortalinstruments

The book is available for free online until August 10th.

Here's something else to think about: http://www.twilightthevideogame.com/

Dig Jay Asher's "Thirteen Reasons Why?" His blog has all the international covers for his book. The covers for the UK and Italy are much cooler than the US cover. http://www.jayasher.blogspot.com/

HarperTeen Summer

2009-05-21T09:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=714E95F7B085BED1

These are book trailers for HarperTeen's Supernatural Summer. Unfortunately, the authors, who include Melissa Marr, aren't headed for the East Coast. Enjoy 'em anyway.

YA Authors Who Twitter

2009-05-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the April 26, 2009 entry on this blog: readergirlz.blogspot.com If you Twitter, so do these writers.

2009-05-14T12:39:00.000-07:00

The 2009 Summer Reading Club for tween and teens:

Catch the Title Wave
@ Your Library!

Starting June 1st, dudes and dudettes, start your reading! Record what you read (books on tape and CD count!),
Earn free stuff, and enter the “Where in the world is Bruno?” contest to win weekly prizes.

There are plenty of things to do at the Hart Library – crafts and game nights included. Check it out!

The end of the summer reading club party is on Thursday, August 13th at 7:00 p.m. Win prizes, books, and enjoy a cool, refreshing ice cream sundae!

Don’t forget to check out the teenspace page at www.yorktownlibrary.org/teenspace

John C. Hart Memorial Library
“Yorktown’s Community Library”
1130 East Main Street
Shrub Oak, NY 10588
(914)245-5262

Stuff for the Teen Age

2009-04-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

The New York Public Library publishes a yearly list of Young Adult books. It used to be called "Books for the Teen Age." This year they're doing something different. Besides changing the name of the list to "Stuff for the Teen Age," they've pared the list down to 100 items including video games and cds. The website's pretty cool, too: www.nypl.org/books/sta2009. There are videos of teens reviewing some of the titles. If you like what you see, then join the Hart Library's Teen Advisory Group and we'll start plannning a more interactive TeenSpace page.

P.S. There's a Twilight convention closer than Georgia: Parsippany, New Jersey. www.creationent.com/cal/twilight_nj.htm

News! News! News!

2009-03-19T07:15:00.001-07:00

I just found out that there's going to be a "Salute to Twilight" convention in Atlanta, Georgia in July. The link for more info is www.creationent.com/cal/twilight_ga.htm Some of the cast will be there (not the actors in leading roles).

Liionsgate just bought the rights to film Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games.

College Info. Stuff and Pseudoscience

2009-02-17T10:55:00.001-08:00

CollegeWise does free presentations at the library a couple of times a year. Take a look at their website, especially their latest newsletter about being a "joiner." http://www.collegewise.com/

I was passing by the new nonfiction shelves and this title caught my eye: Death From the Skies! These are the ways the world will end by Philip Plait, PhD. If you're into The Earth's Final Days this is a book for you. It explains scientific concepts and debunks information that's just plain wrong. Dr. Plait has another book called Bad Astronomy: misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing "hoax." He has a column/blog in Discovery: www.badastronomy.com

If you like reading about hoaxes, or just getting the 411 on science and the occult check out these webpages:
www.skeptic.com
www.csicop.org
www.randi.org James Randi is a debunker extraordinaire. His website posts a $1 million reward to anyone who can prove occult powers/events. I don't believe anyone has won yet.
www.quackwatch.org
www.snopes.com Great for getting the facts on urban myths and those irritating stories in your e-mail.

For actual books:
James Randi. Flim Flam! the truth about unicorns, parapsychology and other delusions.
Carl Sagan. The Demon-Haunted World: science as a candle in the dark.
Michael Shermer. Why People Believe Weird Things: pseudoscience, superstition and other confusions of our time.
Martin Gardner. Did Adam and Eve Have Navels? Discourses on reflexology, numerology, urine therapy and other dubious subjects. Gardner's book Fads and Fallacies in the name of science opened my eyes when I was in college.

This is just to get you started. There's loads more info out there.

CoolTunes

2009-02-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

I found this through Blogger, so I decided to play with it. As you can tell, I'm not really into the current music scene. Got any opinions on the addition? Too distracting or just plain unnecessary?

www.libsuccess.org/index.php?title=Blogs_for_Teens a wiki devoted to...public library blogs for teens. See what other libraries are doing. Got any ideas about what Hart Teen readers want on your blog?

Neil Gaiman's "The Graveyard Book" wins the Newbery!!! Rock on, Neil! Hart Library owns copies, ordered it on Playaway and on cd. You can check it out at Neil Gaiman's site: www.neilgaiman.com There's a link to a video tour to get a taste if you havent read it yet. If you like books on cd, listen to the author read his own works. He's a great narrator.

The movie version of "Coraline" is out. Take a look at the official webpage: coraline.com

MORE NEW BOOKS!

2008-12-09T11:52:00.000-08:00

This is the last YA order for 2008. Check it out!

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: traitor to the nation, Vol. 2:the kingdom on the waves - M. T. Anderson (fantasy)
Love & Lies: Marisol's Story - Ellen Wittlinger
Identical - Ellen Hopkins (realistic fiction)
Crank - Ellen Hopkins (realistic fiction)
Chains - Laurie Halse Anderson (historical fiction)
The Crimson Thread: a retelling of 'Rupelstiltskin' - Suzanne Weyn
Graceling - Kristin Cashore (fantasy)
Sure Fire - Jack Higgins (action/adventure)
100 Girls - Adam Gallardo (graphic novel)
Ironside: a modern faery's tale - Holly Black
Sara's Face - Melvin Burgess (realistic fiction)
Death By Latte - Linda Gerber (mystery)
Shock Point - April Henry (realistic fiction)
Possession - Chris Humphreys (Runestone Saga #3) (fantasy)
Boost - Kathy Mackel (realistic fiction)
Dear Julia - Amy Bronwen Zemser (realistic fiction)
Untamed: a House of Night novel - P. C. Cast
Tender Morsels - Margo Langan
Pretty Monsters: stories - Kelly Link
Gothic Lolita - Dakota Lane (realistic fiction)
Suck It Up - Brian Meehl (horror)
Eighth Grade Bites - Heather Brewer (horror)
Ninth Grade Slays - Heather Brewer
Death's Shadow - Darren Shan (horror)
Blood Beast - Darren Shan
Demon Apocalypse - Darren Shan
Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne (historical fiction)

Nonfiction:
Piracy: The Complete History - Angus Konstam
Generation Green: the ultimate teen guide to living an eco-friendly life - Linda Silvertsen
In Defiance of Hitler: the secret mission of varian fry - Carla Killough McClafferty
War Is...: soldiers, survivors and storytellers talk about war - Marc Aronson, ed.

Teen Author Webpages continued

2008-11-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

www.memoirsofa.com/ Gabrielle Zevin, author of "Memoirs of an Amnesiac" and "Elsewhere."

www.randomhouse.com/features/atwaterrhodes.about.htm

Amelia Atwater Rhodes

www.randomhouse.com/teens/sisterhoodcentral/home.html Ann Brashares' "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series

www.lurlenemcdaniel.net Lurlene McDaniel

http://www.tamora-pierce.com/ Tamora Pierce, fantasy writer

http://www.francescaliablock.com/ Francesca Lia Block, author of "Dangerous Angels" and "Blood Roses"

http://www.neilgaiman.com/ Neil Gaiman's official site

http://www.chloesaunders.com/ Kelley Armstrong's heroine from "The Summoning"

http://www.gailgiles.com/ Alaskan author of "Right Behind You," a dynamite read

http://www.craphound.com/ Cory Doctorow, author of "Little Brother"

http://www.evanovich.com/ Janet E.'s official site

www.natashafriend.com/tools/blog.dwp Natasha Friend, author of "Bounce" and "Lush"

http://www.sparksflyup.com/ John Green, author of "Looking for Alaska," "An Abundance of Katherines," and "Paper Towns"

http://www.lisiharrison.net/ The Clique author

http://www.brenthartinger.com/ Brent Hartinger, author of "Geography Club"

ALERT!! Comic Con is coming February 2009: http://www.nycomiccon.com/

Publisher Websites for Teens

2008-10-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Some of these webpages have extra stuff like author interviews, quizes, games, bookmarks, and screensavers.

www.randomhouse.com/teens/

www.simonsays.com/content/ene/search.cfm?PID=523108&Nr=AND(Subsite:Teen)&Ns=P_FORMATSORTGROUP0CP_PUBDATEGAP0&N=0&tab=23

us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/yr/teens.html

www.harpercollins.com/harperteen/index.html

www.hachettebookgroup.com/teens_index.aspx

Want more fun? Try these author websites:

www.alagaesia.com The official site for Christopher Paolini's trilogy
www.megcabot.com
www.georgianicolson.com/index.html Louise Rennison's page
www.houseofnightseries.com P. C. Cast's page
www.melissa-delacruz.com

New YA Books

2008-10-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the list of new YA books on order:
Cathy's Key - Sean Stewart
City of Ashes and City of Bones - Cassandra Clare
Claire and Kristen - Lisi Harrison
Talent and Almost Famous - Zoey Dean
Rumors - Anna Godbersen
Stop in the Name of Pants - Louise Rennison
You Just Can't Get Enough - Cecily von Ziegesar
The Summoning - Kelley Armstrong
Mind the Gap: a novel of the hidden cities - Tim Lebbon and Christopher Golden
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks - E. Lockhart
Saga - Conor Kostick
Feathered - Laura Kasischke
The Day I Killed James - Catherine Ryan Hyde
Newes From the Dead - Mary Hooper
Tweaked - Katherine Holubitsky
Thou Shalt Not Dump the Skater Dude: and other commandments I have broken - Rosemary Graham
Girlwood - Claire Dean
Crazy Hot and Revelations - Melissa de la Cruz
Twisted - Laurie Halse Anderson
Cyble's Secret - Juliet Marillier
Vampire Academy and Frostbite - Richelle Mead
The Boxer and the Spy - Robert B. Parker
Pirates of the Retail Wasteland - Adam Selzer
Secret Rites of Social Butterflies - Lizabeth Zindel
Paper Towns - John Green
Unraveling - Michelle Baldini
Blood Roses - Francesca Lia Block
Shift - Jennifer Bradbury
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X - James Patterson
Mexican WhiteBoy - Matt de la Pena
Jerk, California - Jonathan Friesen
Gone - Michael Grant
Evernight - Claudia Gray
Poison Ink - Christopher Golden
Night Road - A. M. Jenkins
Playing with Matches - Brian Katcher
All We Know of Heaven and The Midnight Twins - Jacquelyn Mitchard
Bliss - Lauren Myracle
Hurricane Song - Paul Volponi
Impossible - Nancy Werlin
Ink Exchange - Melissa Mahr
Jemma 7729 - Phoebe Wray
The Seal of Solomon - Rick Yancey
King Dork - Frank Portman
Good Girls - Laura Ruby
Hell Week - Rosemary Clement-Moore
Ivy - Julie Hearn
Mara's Stories: glimmers in the darkness - Gary D. Schmidt
Ten Mile River - Paul Griffin
Almost Alice - Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
Too Many Curses - A. Lee Martinez
Falling Hard - Betsy Franco, ed.
In the Belly of the Bloodhound: being an account of a particularly peculiar adventure in the life of Jacky Faber and Under the Jollly Roger: being an account of the further nautical adventures of Jacky Faber - L. A. Meyer
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
Sucks to Be Me: the all-true confessions of Mina Hamilton, teen vampire(maybe) - Kimberly Pauley
Suite Scarlett - Maureen Johnson
Charity Girl - Michael Lowenthal

NONFICTION:
Gay America: struggle for equality - Linas Alsenas
The Betrayal of Africa - Gerald Caplan
Elvis Presley - Wilborn Hampton

Election fun

2008-10-06T13:28:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this website from the Museum of the Moving Image on presidential candidates' commercials from 1952 - present: www.livingroomcandidate.org/

There's a social networking website called YA for Obama: http://www.yaforobama.ning.com/ It was started by YA author Maureen Johnson (Key to the Golden Firebird, Devilish) and a bunch of other YA authors contribute to it. That's where I found the above mentioned site. The site for John McCain is organized by a teen named Jessica: http://www.yaformccain.ning.com/

Cool voter websites:

www.declareyourself.com/index.php

www.rockthevote.com/home.html

Smackdown Your Vote: vote.wwe.com/

www.vote-smart.org/

Election 2008

2008-09-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

Things are getting down and dirty in the last phase of the campaign to elect a new president. Mudlsinging, lies, half-truths, comments taken out of context. What's a voter to do? Bill Moyers had a segment on his show last night about the role of journalism and media bias. Voters can and should check ads, news items, and such for accuracy. Don't just rely on MSNBC, CNN, Fox, etc. There are plenty of fact checking websites that will give you the basic information you need to make an informed decision:

http://www.factcheck.org/

blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/

www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

While you're surfing the net check out these voter webpages:

vote.wwe.com/ WWE Smackdown Your Vote

www.dosomething.org/votinggclid=CKrCnZKW45UCFQyfnAod1QVGeg This page covers more than just voting and the election. It covers all sorts of issues for local and internatiional community action

www.projectvote.org/index.php?id=684

www.votolatino.org Primarily for Latino voters, but anyone can register to vote on this site.

www.rockthevote.com/ You can register to vote here. In Spanish too.

GRAPHIC NOVEL ALERT!!!

2008-08-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

New graphic novels and manga have been ordered:

Manga:
Bleach 20 - 21
Naruto 21 - 30
Runaways 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Fruits Basket 18 - 21
New Avengers 4, 7
Beauty Pop 1, 2, 3
Haridama: Magic Cram School - Atsushi Suzumi
Papillon 1 - Miwa Ueda

Graphic Novels:
Criminal Macabre: Two Red Eyes - Steve Niles
The Creeper: Welcome to Creepville - Steve Niles
The Arrival - Shaun Tan
Sparknotes: Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth
Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream
Zombies Calling! - Faith Erins Hicks
Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow - James Sturm
Woolvs in the Sitee - Margaret Wild
Secret Invasion: The Infiltration - Stan Lee
Watchmen - Alan Moore (The movie's coming!)
Janes in Love - Cecil Castellucci
Burnout - Rebecca Donner
Kin - Holly Black
In Odd We Trust - Dean Koontz
Life Sucks - Jessica Abel
Coraline - Neil Gaiman
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens and Rick Geary
Superman: Camelot Falls 1 - Kurt Busiek

Nonfiction:

Mad Monster Mash: The Art of David Hartman
The Essential Batman Encyclopedia - Robert Greenberger

Teen Trends

2008-08-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.ypulse.com/ Check this website out if you want to know what's up in marketing to teens. Loads of interesting stories, links to articles and websites...and book reviews!

Ain't No Rocket Scientist

2008-07-28T05:18:00.000-07:00

It ocurred to me that I should be providing a little extra by way of the Summer Reading Club. Here are links to some really cool pages that have to do with horror, dark fantasy, whatever they're calling scary stuff these days.

Monster Librarian: monsterlibrarian.com/main_page.htm Yup. A librarian who reviews horror for all age levels. There's your warning if you're squeamish, or your parents don't want you reading books with "adult" content.

LocusMagazine online: http://www.locusmag.com Lots of reviews and interviews with authors.

Have you read Melissa Marr's "Wicked Lovely" or "Ink Exchange?" This is her website: http://www.melissa-marr.com She has lots 'o links to diverse things like fantasy, publishing and tattooing. There's even a video with a British tattoo artist.

Stephenie Meyer(need I say more?) http://www.stepheniemeyer.com
Check out this article from Salon about the popularity of the Twilight series: http://www.salon.com/books/review/2008/07/30/Twilight/index.html

Neil Gaiman: http://www.neilgaiman.com This totally cool slinkster dude is releasing a new book, "The Graveyard Book" really soon. This is his blog - check it out.

Cards for Soldiers

2008-05-23T11:57:00.000-07:00

Not only can you send cards to members of the military stationed overseas, you can make them throughout the year. There are plenty of places to look online, especially scrapbooker and cardmaker blogs. Local scrapbooking and craft stores also organize card-making events. There are even specific sites dedicated to this idea. The idea is to make handmade blank cards in batches so soldiers can send greetings to their families.

Here's an official site to check out: http://www.angelstampersforsoldiers.com/as4s/

Bloggers:

http://123-scrap.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=5499

They're Here!

2008-05-19T08:19:00.000-07:00

All those lovely books I ordered are in! So, come on down and get your leisure reading picks for Memorial Day!

Here's another way to organize your reading and share with your friends: http://www.librarything.com/ It's free, and you can do all sorts of things.

Which reminds me: a plug for Library Elf, an online service that helps keep your library materials in order. Elf will alert you when your library books are due, when your requests are in, and will even post your due dates on a calendar. Tell your folks: if you have lots of siblings with their own library cards, mom and dad can use Library Elf to keep everybody's stuff separate. No more losing it under the bed! Here's the address: www.libraryelf.com

Ever been a Reading Buddy? The Hart Library has a Reading Buddies program during the summer. Read to kids up to 7 years old and earn Community Service credit. Sign up at the library now!

NEW BOOKS!

2008-04-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

I just put in an order for new books for the Young Adult collection. It's a biggie, but here goes:

Latest Clique titles

Latest It Girl

Latest Gossip Girls

Latest A-List

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy - Ally Carter

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak (paperback)

Keeping Corner - Kashmira Sheth

Guitars - David Schiller (nonfiction)

Eagle Blue: a team, a tribe and a high school basketball team in arctic Alaska - Michael D'Orso (nonfiction)

Game - Walter Dean Myers

Sunrise Over Fallujah- Walter Dean Myers

Conception - Kalisha Buckhanon

How to Survive a Horror Movie: all the skills to dodge the kills - Seth Grahame-Smith (nonfiction)

The Final Warning (A Maximum Ride Novel) - James Patterson

The Never War: journal of an adventure through time and space(Pendragon) - D. J. McHale

Lock and Key - Sarah Dessen

Useful Fools - C. A. Schmidt

Safe - Susan Shaw

Little (Grrl) Lost - Charles De Lint

Rucker Park Setup - Paul Volponi

Self-Advocacy: the ultimate teen guide (It Happened to Me) - Cheryl Gerson Tuttle (nonfiction)

Physical Disabilities: the ultimate teen guide (It Happened to Me) - Denise Thornton (nonfiction)

Little Brother - Cory Doctorow

How They Met, and Other Stories - David Levithan

The Fold - An Na

Parade of Shadows - Gloria Whelan

Leftovers - Laura Weiss

The Missing Girl - Norma Fox Mazer

Prey- Lurlene McDaniels

Streams of Babel - Carol Plum-Ucci

The Black Tattoo - Sam Enthoven (paperback)

Spud - John Van De Ruit

Peeled - Joan Bauer

The Boy Who Dared - Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Jump the Cracks - Stacy De Keyser

The Circle of Blood: a forensic mystery - Alane Ferguson

The Winter War - William Durbin

The Game of My Life: a true story of challenge, triumph, and growing up autistic - Jason McElwain (nonfiction)

How I live Now - Meg Rosoff (paperback)

The Dead and the Gone - Susan Beth Pfeffer (the sequel to...)

Life as We Knew It - Susan Beth Pfeffer (paperback)

After Tupac and D Foster - Jacqueline Woodson

Big Fat Manifesto - Susan Vaught

The Diary of Pelly D. - L. J. Adlington (paperback)

Walk of the Spirits - Richie Tankersley Cusick (paperback)

Nobody's Prize - Esther Friedman (sequel to Nobody's Princess)

Tunnels - Roderick Gordon

Search and Destroy - Dean Hughes (paperback)

A Really Nice Prom Mess - Brian Sloan (paperback)

L8r, G8r - Lauren Myracle (paperback)

The Presidential Election Process - Tom Lansford, ed. (nonfiction)

The Key to the Golden Firebird - Maureen Johnson (paperback)

How to Hook a Hottie - Tina Ferraro (paperback)

Hit the Road - Caroline B. Cooney (paperback)

The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing Traitor to the Nation - M. T. Anderson (paperback)

Saturday Night Dirt - Will Weaver

The Adoration of Jenna Fox - Mary E. Pearson

The House of Djinn - Suzanne Fisher Staples

Whirlwind (Caretaker Trilogy, Book 2) - David Klass

Truancy - Isamu Fukui

Once Upon a Time in the North - Philip Pullman

Airhead - Meg Cabot

It's a big list, but the summer's coming!

BTW, there's a web site to check out called Shelfari. You can share books you're reading, the books you want to read, and keep track of everything. The address is http://www.shelfari.com/. It's a social networking site for readers. You can also link to reviews and discuss your reads with your friends.

ATTENTION TEEN WRITERS!!!!

2008-03-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

Did you know that there are publishing companies who have writing contests just for teens. Check these out:

HarperCollins:

www.myspace.com/harperteen

Scholastic, Inc.

www.artandwriting.org/enter.htm

http://www.thisispush.com/write/index.asp

How 'bout helping publishers give you what you want to read:

Free Spirit Press

www.freespirit.com/teens/teens.cfm

Henry Holt

http://www.henryholtchildrensbooks.com/ingroup.htm

Sharyn November, Editor Extraordinaire

http://www.sharyn.org/survey.html

Read and Review

http://www.flamingnet.com/

Fun Stuff and Updates:

http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/

Scholarships, anyone?

us.penguingroup.com/static/html/services-academic/essayhome.html

Here's a plug for a semi-new database made available by the Westchester Library System: the LearningExpress link is: http://www.westchesterlibraries.org/node/297

There are loads of practice tests available oline, including the SAT, ACT, PSAT, civil service exams, TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language), GED, and even citizenship tests. And it's all free!

OMG! It's been a long time since...

2008-01-11T07:57:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how long it's been since my last post! My intention is to blog as often as I can get to a computer. Well, this is one of my New Year's resolutions.

Interesting things are happening at the Hart Library. We started a Teen Advisory Group in October. I've gotten some good suggestions from the attendees. How about game board nights and Guitar Hero contests? They're in the works. Who would be interested in an anime club? Tell me!

The 2008 Summer Reading Club theme is "Scare Up a Good Read @ Your Library." Bruno the Gorilla (remember him from last summer?) is itching to help out. I'm busy trying to come up with ideas. If you have any, please share!

As for "printed media," I'd like to focus your attention on graphic novels and manga. We have a good selection of both. Have you seen ads for the movie version of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi? We have the graphic novel and its sequel. We also have 300 by Frank Miller and a version of Beowulf by Gareth Hinds. Those great illustrators Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore and Frank Miller rule! we're continuing the run of Naruto, Hellsing, Fruits Basket, and Teen Titans. We've added new series like R. O. D. by Hideyuki Kurata, Scrapped Princess by Ichiro Sakaki, and Miki Falls by Mark Crilley. The library also has plenty of books on how to draw manga, and cartooning.

Snow in August in February?

2007-02-26T13:22:00.000-08:00

One of the best books I've ever read is Snow in August by Pete Hamill. It's the story of a young, baseball-obsessed Irish kid in the 40s who accidentally befriends a rabbi. He teaches the rabbi not only how to speak English but how to play baseball as well. One thing they have in common is harassment from the neighborhood bully and his gang. The best part of this story is how two people who come from very different cultures learn about each other and develop a wonderful friendship. There's also a great subplot about the Golem, a fantastic creature from Jewish folklore.