Instant ‘Love’ Display – Just Add Teens

Photo credit: Camdiluv ❤

Dream Factory by Brad Barkley

When the character actors at Disney World go on strike, the teens hired as replacements learn that it isn’t exactly the Happiest Place on Earth. Ella gets to be Cinderella, simply because the shoe fits. It should be a dream come true, but Ella no longer believes in dreams. Luke is a fur character, Dale the chipmunk. Chip is played by his girlfriend, Cassie, who is perfect in every way. Why, then, does Luke find himself more drawn to imperfect things like the theme park’s Phantom? A team-building scavenger hunt brings Luke and Ella together. As they uncover the Magic Kingdom’s treasures, they discover an undeniable magic between them.

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

While trying to score a date with her cute co-worker at the Scooper Dooper, sixteen-year-old Audrey gains unwanted fame and celebrity status when her ex-boyfriend, a rock musician, records a breakup song about her that soars to the top of the Billboard charts.

The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd

It’s Dade’s last summer at home. He has a crappy job at Food World, a “boyfriend” who won’t publicly acknowledge his existence (maybe because Pablo also has a girlfriend), and parents on the verge of a divorce. College is Dade’s shining beacon of possibility, a horizon to keep him from floating away.  Then he meets the mysterious Alex Kincaid. Falling in real love finally lets Dade come out of the closet and, ironically, ignites a ruthless passion in Pablo. But just when true happiness has set in, tragedy shatters the dreamy curtain of summer, and Dade will use every ounce of strength he’s gained to break from his past and start fresh with the future.

How to be Popular by Meg Cabot

After the Super Big Gulp incident, Steph Landry, now known as the town screw-up, discovers a little book called “How to Be Popular,” which propels her into a world of popularity with hilarious–and romantic–results.

Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

A story told in the alternating voices of Dash and Lily, two sixteen-year-olds carry on a wintry scavenger hunt at Christmastime in New York, neither knowing quite what–or who–they will find.

Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

High school student Nick O’Leary, member of a rock band, meets college-bound Norah Silverberg and asks her to be his girlfriend for five minutes in order to avoid his ex-sweetheart.

Love, Inc. by Yvonne Collins

When three fifteen-year-old Austin, Texas, girls who met in group therapy discover that they are all dating the same boy, they first get revenge and then start a wildly successful relationship consulting business.

Sixteenth Summer by Michelle Dalton

Dreading another tourist-laden summer in the Georgia beach town where she lives year round, Anna falls head over heels in love with a visitor from New York and embarks on a near-perfect summer that she fears will end in heartbreak when he returns home at the end of the season.

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Fed up with boys and the way they have treated her and her friends, high school junior Penny Lane–named after the Beatles song–forms a club whose members vow to stop dating, but the repercussions are surprising.Fed up with boys and the way they have treated her and her friends, high school junior Penny Lane–named after the Beatles song–forms a club whose members vow to stop dating, but the repercussions are surprising.

The View From The Top by Hillary Frank

Eighteen-year-old Anabelle’s last few months in her coastal hometown are bittersweet. Instead of the quiet precollege summer she expects, Anabelle makes some surprising discoveries about herself as she navigates romantic entanglements and changing friendships. Through shifting points of view in seven interconnected stories, we glimpse the limits of how well her friends really know Anabelle . . . and how little she grasps about the way they see her.

Stray by Stacey Goldblatt

Natalie’s mother, a veterinarian with a dogs-only practice, has the sixteen-year-old on such a short leash that, when the teenaged son of her old school friend comes to stay with them for the summer, Natalie is tempted to break her mother’s rules and follow her own instincts for a change.

Stay With Me by Paul Griffin

Fifteen-year-olds Mack, a high school drop-out but a genius with dogs, and Céce, who hopes to use her intelligence to avoid a life like her mother’s, meet and fall in love at the restaurant where they both work, but when Mack lands in prison he pushes Céce away and only a one-eared pit-bull can keep them together.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Belly’s never been the kind of girl that things happen to. Year after year, she’s spent her summers at the beach house with Conrad and Jeremiah. The boys never noticed Belly noticing them. And every summer she hoped it would be different. This time, it was. But the summer Belly turned pretty was the summer that changed everything. For better, and for worse.

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman

June is starting at her sixth school in four years when she meets Wes, who has just broken up with a girlfriend, and although they do not share an instant or intense connection, attraction turns to love and they wonder where it will lead.

Breathing by Cheryl Herbsman

Savannah would be happy to spend the summer in her coastal Carolina town working at the library and lying in a hammock reading her beloved romance novels. But then she meets Jackson. Once they lock eyes, she’s convinced he’s the one her true love, her soul mate, a boy different from all the rest. And at first it looks like Savannah is right. Jackson abides by her mama’s strict rules, and stays by her side during a hospitalization for severe asthma, which Savannah becomes convinced is only improving because Jackson is there. But when he’s called away to help his family and seems uncertain about returning Savannah has to learn to breathe on her own, both literally and figuratively.

 

A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner

As she tries to sort out her feelings of love, seventeen-year-old Cass, a spunky math genius with an introverted streak, finds a way to memorialize her dead best friend.

The Treasure Map of Boys: Noel, Jackson, Finn, Hutch, Gideon, and me, Ruby Oliver by E. Lockhart

Ruby is back at Tate Prep, and it’s her thirty-seventh week in the state of Noboyfriend. Her panic attacks are bad, her love life is even worse, and what’s more: Noel is writing her notes, Jackson is giving her frogs, Gideon is helping her cook, and Finn is making her brownies. Rumors are flying, and Ruby’s already-sucky reputation is heading downhill. Not only that, she’s also: running a bake sale, learning the secrets of heavymetal therapy, encountering some seriously smelly feet, defending the rights of pygmy goats, and bodyguarding Noel from unwanted advances.

Seth Baumgartner’s Love Manifesto by Eric Luper

Seth Baumgartner just had the worst day of his life.  His girlfriend dumped him (at Applebee’s), he spied his father on a date with a woman who is not his mother (also at Applebee’s!), and he lost his fourth job of the year. It’s like every relationship he cares about is imploding, and he can’t figure out what’s going on.

To find answers, Seth decides to start an anonymous podcast called The Love Manifesto, exploring “what love is, why love is, and why we’re stupid enough to keep going back for more.” Things start looking up when Seth gets a job at a golf club with his hilarious and smut-minded best friend, Dimitri, and Dimitri’s sister, Audrey. With their help, Seth tracks down his father’s mystery date, hits the most infamous bogey in the history of golf, and discovers that sometimes love means eating the worst chicken-salad sandwich you can ever imagine.

The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli

Believing herself too plain to be loved, Elisabetta’s life is changed when she is noticed by the famous artist Leonardo da Vinci while on a trip to Florence, but after falling in love with a member of the Medici clan, unexpected danger and heartache soon disrupt her young life once again.

True Love, The Sphinx, and Other Unsolvable Riddles: A Comedy in Four Voices by Tyne O’Connell

Told from four different points of view, two American boys go on a field trip to Egypt where they meet two British gals who aren’t easy to please, but through a series of mistakes and miscommunication, new friendship and love finds a way of coming to the surface throughout their travels in a land of ancient culture and modern beauty.

Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler

Chelsea Keyes, a high school basketball star whose promising career has been cut short by a terrible accident on the court, and Clint Morgan, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who gave up his sport following a game-related tragedy, meet at a Minnesota lake resort and find themselves drawn together by the losses they have suffered.

 

 

This list was created by Becca Boland, Young Adult Librarian, and Laura Bos from the Hinsdale Public Library.

Opening Lines to Great Books of 2011

“It isn’t true what they say about my brother – that he ate those children. “ – from  Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett.

“We would have got away with it if it wasn’t for that drunken squirrel,” said Luke. “ – from The Project  by Brian Falkner.

“Pop’s leg was across the room when I came downstairs.  I didn’t ask him how it got there.” – from The Girl is Murder  by Kathryn Miller Haines.

“There is nothing more humiliating than being topless in the backseat of your boyfriend’s car when someone decides to throw an egg at the windshield. “ – from Shut Out  by Kody Keplinger

“Ashline Wilde was a human mood ring. “ –  from Wildfire  by Karsten Knight

“Benny Imura was appalled to learn that the apocalypse came with homework.” -from Dust and Decay  by Jonathan Maberry.

“The sun was faithful again that morning, rising above the farm with a shine so fresh it tasted like gazpacho.” – from  Straw House Wood House Brick House Blow  by Daniel Nayeri.

“I have three simple wishes. They’re really not too much to ask.  The first is to attend the winter formal dressed like Marie Antoinette.” – from  Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins.

“It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die.” – from  The Scorpio Races  by Maggie Stiefvater.

“We were watching the telly when we decided to rob the dentist.” – from Under Dogs by Markus Zusak

 

On My Own: Yes, We Really Can Cook

Cooking Outside the Pizza Box: Easy Recipes for Today’s College Student

by Jean Patterson and Danae Campbell

College kids living on their own for the first time are startled to realize that now they have to cook for themselves. Included are nutritious, appetizing, more healthful and less expensive recipes to try without relying on the local pizza parlor or the burger joint every time hunger pangs strike.

Cooking Up a Storm: The Teen Survival Cookbook

by Sam Stern and Susan Stern

A kid’s gotta eat! What better way to make sure that the food on your plate hits the spot than to make it yourself? From omelets to mouth-watering desserts and addictive but healthy snacks, try these suggestions to help keep your brain awake during that dreaded exam time.

The Healthy College Cookbook: Quick, Cheap, Easy

by Alexandra  Nimetz

In less time and for less money than it takes to order pizza, you can make it yourself! Three harried but health-conscious college students compiled and tested this collection of more than 200 tasty, hearty, inexpensive recipes anyone can cook — yes, anyone!

Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen Cookbook: 100 + Great Recipes with Foolproof Instructions.

By Nancy Mills

Compiled by a college guy and his Mom, this cookbook grades recipes on a “Very Easy,  Easy, and Not So Easy” scale. Also included are some of  Mom’s tips and warnings. A number of the recipes are vegetarian in honor of his vegetarian girlfriend.

How to Boil Water: Life Beyond Takeout.

By Food Network Kitchens

This book really does tell how to boil water, along with plenty of other tips and recipes just right for the beginning cook.

I Love Trader Joe’s College Cookbook

by Andrea Lynn

Looking for some relief from microwave mash-ups, fast food fiascos, and cardboard crust pizza delivery?  Whip up late-for-class breakfasts, backpack-friendly lunches, and as-hearty-as-mom-made dinners.  All the ingredients come from Trader Joe’s so they are both inexpensive and scrumptious.

Look, Dude, I Can Cook!: Four Years of College Cooking Made Easy

by Amy Madden

These recipes start from the basics, then move on up to more complex recipes. Included are tips, suggestions and techniques that will provide a solid foundation for future cooking skills.

A Man, a Can, a Microwave: 50 Tasty Meals  You Can Nuke in No Time

by David Joachim

Fifty guy-friendly, nuke-able meals using packaged ingredients that are fun to make and great to eat. Check out such tasty dishes as “Italian One-Dish Fish,” “Teriyaki Beef with Broccoli,” and “Painless Paella.”

$5 a Meal College Cookbook: Good Cheap Food for When You Need to Eat

by Rhonda  Lauret Parkinson

Need a break from the monotony of your meal plan? Can’t afford to waste money on lukewarm takeout? Well, now you can ditch the dining hall’s soggy excuse for the Monday-night special thanks to this appetite-saving book packed with cheap, easy, and delicious recipes.

The (Reluctant, Nervous, Lazy, Broke, Busy, Confused) College Student’s  Cookbook

by Joshua N. Lambert

An everything guide to a college students need to know about food, cooking, and taking care of a kitchen. From using an oven to preparing a cream sauce, included are step-by-step instructions for every situation involving food — from the all-night study session to the first date.

Starving  Students’ Cookbook

by Dede Hall

Just learning to cook?  Check out these appealing cooking how-to tips, health, nutrition information, vegetarian recipes and more.

The Teen’s Vegetarian Cookbook

by Judy Krizmanic

Recipes for all types of vegetarian dishes are accompanied by information and advice on vegetarian diet and quotes from teenage vegetarians.

Hit the Road! YA Road Trip Books

Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.

The After Life by Daniel Ehrenhaft

When Will Shephard’s estranged millionaire father dies, a bizarre clause in the will sends him on a road trip from Miami to New York with his twin half-siblings.

Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

After the death of her father, Amy, a high school student, and Roger, a college freshman, set out on a carefully planned road trip from California to Connecticut, but wind up taking many detours, forcing Amy to face her worst fears and come to terms with her grief and guilt.

Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde

A gay teenage boy and a fragile teenage girl meet while living on the streets of New York City and eventually decide to take a road trip across America to discover whether or not the world is a beautiful place.

Car Trouble by Jeanne DuPrau

Early one August morning, seventeen-year-old computer “nerd” Duff Pringle leaves Richmond, Virginia, in a newly-acquired used car and begins an unexpectedly convoluted journey to San Jose, California, and the job that awaits him there.

Crash Into Me by Albert Borris

Four suicidal teenagers go on a “celebrity suicide road trip,” visiting the graves of famous people who have killed themselves, with the intention of ending their lives in Death Valley, California.

Drive Me Crazy by Erin Downing

Rising high school senior Kate has dreamed of the road trip with best friends Alexis and Sierra from New Jersey to Love, Wisconsin, that will reunite her with the boy she kissed the previous summer, but Alexis’ irritating cousin Adam tags along, threatening to spoil everything.

Far From You by Lisa Schroeder

A novel-in-verse about sixteen-year-old Ali’s reluctant road trip with her stepmother and new baby sister, and the terror that ensues after they end up lost in the snow-covered woods.

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.

Guyaholic  by Carolyn Mackler

V, the queen of the meaningless hookup, has been with Sam for a pretty long time, but when she panics after graduation and messes everything up, it takes a solo driving trip from New York to visit her irresponsible mother in Texas before she learns enough about herself to know what she really wants.

Hit the Road by Caroline Cooney

Sixteen-year-old Brittany acts as chauffeur for her grandmother and three other eighty-plus-year-old women going to what is supposedly their college reunion, on a long drive that involves lies, theft, and kidnappings.

Homecoming by Cynthia Voight

Abandoned by their mother, four children begin a search for a home and an identity.

How to Be Bad by Lauren Myracle, E. Lockhart & Sarah Mlynowski

Told in alternating voices, Jesse, Vicks, and Mel, hoping to leave all their worries and woes behind, escape their small town by taking a road trip to Miami.

Jerk, California by Jonathan Friesen Plagued by Tourette’s syndrome and a stepfather who despises him, Sam meets an old man in his small Minnesota town who sends him on a road trip designed to help him discover the truth about his life.

The Last Great Getaway of the Water Balloon Boys by Scott William Carter

When sixteen-year-old Charlie, an excellent student, and his former best friend Jake take off on an ill-conceived trip from Oregon to Denver in their principal’s car, the results of the choices they make while on the road have profound effects on both their futures.

Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson learns he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea. His mother sends him to a summer camp for demigods where he and his new friends set out on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

Long Gone Daddy by Helen Hemphill

Young Harlan Q. Stank gets a taste of life in the fast lane when he accompanies his preacher father on a road  trip to Las Vegas to bury his grandfather and to fulfill the terms of the old man’s will.

Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis

Teens Octavia and Tali learn about strength, independence, and courage when they are forced to take a car trip with their grandmother, who tells about growing up Black in 1940s Alabama and serving in Europe during World War II as a member of the Women’s Army Corps.

The Miles Between by Mary Pearson

Seventeen-year-old Destiny keeps a painful childhood secret all to herself until she and three classmates from her exclusive boarding school take off on an unauthorized road trip in search of “one fair day.”

My Road Trip to the Pretty Girl Capital of the World by Brian Yansky

In 1979 when his life in Mansfield, Iowa, seems to fall apart, seventeen-year-old Simon takes his father’s car and sets out for Texas, looking for his birth parents and picking up a man claiming to be Elvis, two bums, and an abused young wife along the way.

Night Road by A.M. Jenkins

Battling his own memories and fears, Cole, an extraordinarily conscientious vampire, and Sandor, a more impulsive acquaintance, spend a few months on the road, trying to train a young man who recently joined their ranks.

Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray

After their best friend Ross dies, English teenagers Blake, Kenny, and Sim plan a proper memorial by taking his ashes to Ross, Scotland, an adventure-filled journey that tests their loyalty to each other and forces them to question what friendship means.

Paper Towns by John Green

One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin “Q” Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q’s neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.

Play Me by Laura Ruby

Disappointed when he does not get the MTV production deal he so wants, high school senior Eddy leaves his girlfriend to take a road trip to find the mother who has left him and his younger stepbrother and taken a bit part in a television show.

Red Glass by Laura Resau

Sixteen-year-old Sophie has been frail and delicate since her premature birth, but discovers her true strength during a journey through Mexico, where the six-year-old orphan her family hopes to adopt was born, and to Guatemala, where her would-be boyfriend hopes to find his mother and plans to remain.

Rose by Any Other Name by Maureen McCarthy

During a road trip with her mother from Melbourne to Fairy Point, Australia, to see her dying grandmother, nineteen-year-old Rose gains a new perspective on events of the previous year, when family problems, the end of a long-term friendship, and bad personal choices dramatically transformed her near-perfect life.

Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer

Sixteen-year-old Jenna gets a job driving the elderly owner of a chain of successful shoe stores from Chicago to Texas to confront the son who is trying to force her to retire, and along the way Jenna hones her talents as a saleswoman and finds the strength to face her alcoholic father.

Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip by Linda Oatman High

In this novel told in slam verse, best friends and aspiring poets Laura and Twig embark on a road trip after graduating from high school, from Pennsylvania to New York City, to compete at slam poetry events.

Stolen Car by Patrick Jones

Fifteen-year-old Danielle desperately wants to escape life with her mother and a series of “Dad-wannabes,” so when best friends Ashley and Evan help her see that bad-boy Reid is lying and using her, Danny steals Reid’s car and takes Ashley on a road trip.

Surf Mules by Greg Neri

When a tragic accident and sudden financial woes cause recent high school graduate Logan to question plans for his future, he agrees to make a road trip with his best friend and surfing buddy, Z-boy, transporting marijuana from southern California to Orlando, Florida.

Tripping by Heather Waldorf

Escaping a dull summer, Rainey Williamson joins a school-sponsored eight-week road trip across Canada. Up for the challenge, Rainey, who has worn an artificial leg since birth, discovers that her long estranged mother is alive and well in British Columbia, directly on the road trip route, and wants to see her.

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholdt

Courtney must drive across country to attend college orientation with her ex-boyfriend while still fuming that he dumped her for a girl he met online, but the two of them learn valuable lessons about themselves and each other along the way.

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

Sixteen-year-old Emma Healy has never felt that she fit in with the rest of her family, so when she discovers that she had a twin brother who died shortly after they were born, she takes off on an impulsive road trip to try to discover who she really is.

You Don’t Know About Me by Brian Meehl

Billy has spent his almost-sixteen years with four cardinal points–Mother, Christ, Bible, and Home-school–but when he sets off on a wild road trip to find the father he thought was dead, he learns much about himself and life.

Zane’s Trace by Allan Wolf

Believing he has killed his grandfather, Zane Guesswind heads for his mother’s Zanesville, Ohio, grave to kill himself, driving the 1969 Plymouth Barracuda his long-gone father left behind, and meeting along the way assorted characters who help him discover who he really is.

Zigzag by Ellen Wittlinger

A high-school junior makes a trip with her aunt and two cousins, discovering places she did not know existed and strengths she did not know she had.

Show Me the Money!!!

The days are longer, the mercury is rising (just a tad) and teens anxiously await the end of school drawn by the allure of earning cold, hard CASH!!!

                                                

Here are a few titles to help prepare your eager wage-earners for the world of time clocks and direct deposits.

The Complete Guide to Personal Finance: for teenagers and college students by Tamsen Butler

In this book, teens will learn the ins and outs of finance from credit cards, to purchasing a car, budgeting and steps to avoid financial uh-ohs.

In Pursuit of My Success for Teens by Katherine Berntzen

Author Katherine Berntzen tackling such issues as; funding a college education, resume tips and developing a career path in this second edition of this insightful book.

What Color Is your Parachute? For Teens by Carol Christen

Diving into the real world of employment and careers can be a bit tricky. Thankfully, What Color Is Your Parachute? For Teens provides tools for self-discovery that will help teens navigate a safe landing.

Basic beginnings: a finance management handbook for teens and young adults by Carol Stokes

For teens needing to construct a solid financial foundation this handbook is a must read.

Check-out these super sites for more personal finance info. for teens.

Teen Consumer Scrapbook

Sense & Dollars

Money Talks

Quintessential Careers

Books to Pimp for Teen Tech Week

Back in the day before I earned my MLIS and before I even had a library career I had a LTA class on Readers’ Advisory.  The first day of class the instructor informed us that “when doing Readers Advisory you are not so much advising the reader as you are pimping the books”.  She went on to refer to her job as a “Book Pimp” (let the hilarious mental images ensue).  Now, many years later, using her terminology I give you: “Books to Pimp for Teen Tech Week”.  Going with their theme of “Mix & Mash” this post represents both fiction and non-fiction books that involve teens and technology.  Enjoy!

Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card

Everyone should know this book, but fortunately for us new patrons are being born everyday and they have no idea about this magnificent, thought-provoking series.

Ender Wiggin is a third born child.  This is not unusual now but in the future when population is tightly controlled Ender is special.  Also, Ender at the age of 6 is still being monitored by the government.  Then comes the day that Ender’s parent fear most.  He has been chosen for Battle School (to his older brother’s horror), he is to become a solider and protect the world from the “bugs”.  Seventy years ago the bugs attacked the humans killing us without mercy, until a battle in which the bugs retreated and were never heard from again.

Ender is the youngest and smallest at battle school but it quickly becomes apparent that he is one of the best the school has ever seen.  There is talk by those in power that Ender may be the one to save us from the bugs again, except this time we are bringing the fight to them.

This book has attained classic status in the science fiction and young adult realms due to it’s engaging story and believable characters.  Orson Scott Card has created a world around Ender’s life and the series continues with Ender’s Shadow.  Listening to the audio-book  has it’s perks also (Harlan Ellison makes a guest appearance).

O’Reilly’s Brain-Friendly Guides

Greatest. Guides. EVER! These books are excellent beginner guides to web design, HTML, App Design, Algebra, Physics, and so on.  They are written in an easily digested format and interject humor where ever possible.  They are illustrated and show easy step-by-step instructions.  A very approachable text for teens with a high interest in technology and it’s applications.

Uglies – Scott Westerfeld

Tally Youngblood is going to turn sixteen and all her ugly little problems will go away. Her ugly face, gone. Her ugly body, gone. Her ugly mind, gone especially. When Tally turns sixteen she will be able to get the operation to correct every physical flaw she has. When her best friend turns sixteen and moves to New Pretty Town she figures her life is over until she becomes pretty. That is when she meets Shay who is drastically different than anyone Tally ever met. For starters she doesn’t want to become pretty which the girls will soon find out isn’t really a choice. Follow Tally on this amazing roller coaster of a novel, great for anyone in middle school and up.

The Accidental Billionaires – Ben Mezrich

This book is not a particularly hard sell.  As the inspiration for the movie The Social Network this is the story of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg.  A billionaire before the age of 25 a concept that will not be lost on teens, “A million dollars isn’t cool, you know what’s cool?  A billion dollars”.  This book is not without controversy though, slammed critically for the authors inability to get an interview with Zuckerberg, his liberal tweaking of the dialogue, and using Zuckerberg’s enemies for his primary source material.  All that aside the book is entertaining, fast-paced, and will be gobbled up high school teens.

Spacer and Rat – Margaret Bechard

Jack (Spacer) is a teen that has spent his entire life in space.  He and the rest of the residents of the Freedom Station refer to the earth dwellers as “rats” due to their destruction of their planet.  Then Kit (Rat) is abandoned by her father on the Freedom Station with her sentient robot, Waldo.  The robot is illegal technology that leads Jack and Kit into more trouble than they bargained for.  By the end Jack and Kit come to an understanding and both have challenged their previously held beliefs.

 

Starring TAB favorites!

Every winter my TAB teens work themselves into a frenzy finding books to “star” during our annual “star” meeting.  It’s a fun activity that helps them “own” the YA collection, via special stickers, and highlight the books they think are special and wish others would read.

Setting up this meeting is easy.  I have a “star” template for stickers that I make in-house.  On the rectangular form, one side features a star and the other says “Northbrook Teen Recommended 2011.”  Each year I change the sticker’s background color (and of course the year).  Each teen gets ten stickers.  They may pick a book from anywhere in the library, but only YA and Juv books get the sticker on the spine (Adult ref and reader’s advisory prefer the sticker to go on a book’s inside cover.)

Once they’ve collected their books, they bring them back to our meeting room, put the sticker on the book, and then fill out a form listing all ten books.  I use the list later to make up teen lists or bibliographies.

The new twist this year, now that we’ve migrated to a new catalog, was inputting their number 1 favorite books onto a Bibliocommons list under Staff Picks – Teens.  Instant gratification!

As always it’s always fun to see what these 6th-12th graders pick as favorites.  Below are some of these teen faves, with their comments,  for you to peruse!

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

The characters were very realistic and I loved the history.

Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

Great sequel to Incarceron.

Wizards First Rule – Terry Goodkind

The start of an amazing series, so there’s plenty more to read if you find it interesting!

Born to Rock by Gordon Korman

The plot is very intriguing.

Green Day by Ben Myers

This was a great book about an amazing band.

Maximum Ride by James Patterson

It is a fast-paced book that is very exciting and lively.

The Last Olympian b Rick Riordan

Entertaining and suspenseful. The best of the whole series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly  Hallows by J.K. Rowling

It was a really intense book because it had a lot of drama, romance, and of course, wizardry!

Id_entity by Hee-Joon Son

It’s a good manga.

The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Suspenseful and funny – an unusual combination.

Beautiful examinations of normal life in a surreal manner.

It’s really really good. And it’s a vampire book where they don’t sparkle!

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

A very meaningful and deep book. It made me cry.

Santa Want Brains – Zombie Novels to Reanimate Your Holidays

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead by Don Borchert

A modern author takes Mark Twain’s coming-of-age classic and infuses it with a taste of the macabre, as the world of Tom Sawyer becomes overrun with zombies, chief among them being the Zombie Injun Joe.

Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

Inventor Leviticus Blue creates a machine that accidentally decimates Seattle’s banking district and uncovers a vein of Blight Gas that turns everyone who breathes it into the living dead. Sixteen years later Briar, Blue’s widow, lives in the poor neighborhood outside the wall that’s been built around the uninhabitable city. Life is tough with a ruined reputation, but she and her teenage son Ezekiel are surviving until Zeke impetuously decides that he must reclaim his father’s name from the clutches of history.

The Boy Who Couldn’t Die by William Sleator

When his best friend dies in a plane crash, sixteen-year-old Ken has a ritual performed that will make him invulnerable, but soon learns that he had good reason to be suspicious of the woman he paid to lock his soul away.

Brains for Lunch:  A Zombie Novel in Haiku?!? by K.A. Holt

At a middle school where zombies, blood-sucking chupacabras, and humans never mingle, “lifer” Siobhan and Loeb, a zombie who likes to write haiku, share an attraction. Story written entirely in haiku.

The Death Collector by Justin Richards

Three teens and a curator of unclassified artifacts at the British Museum match wits with a madman determined to use unorthodox methods to reanimate the dead, both humans and dinosaurs.

The Enemy by Charles Higson

In the wake of a devastating disease, everyone older than 16 is either dead or a decomposing, brainless creature with a ravenous appetite for flesh–teens have barricaded themselves in buildings throughout London and venture outside only when they need to scavenge for food; when a mysterious traveler offers them safe haven at Buckingham Palace, they begin a harrowing journey across London.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

When the fence that surrounds her village and protects its residents from the Forest of Hands and Teeth is breached, danger strikes the only home Mary has ever known and forces her to decide between saving everything she loves or pursuing the life she has always dreamed of having.

Generation Dead by Dan Waters

When dead teenagers who have come back to life start showing up at her high school, Phoebe, a goth girl, becomes interested in the phenomenon, and when she starts dating a “living impaired” boy, they encounter prejudice, fear, and hatred.

Gil’s All Fright Diner by A. Lee Martinez

Hired by the owner of an all-night diner to eliminate the zombie problem that is costing her customers, werewolf Duke and vampire Earl tackle an even stickier adversary who is out to take over the diner, in an adventure involving an amorous ghost, a jailbait sorceress, and a pig-latin occult.

How to be a Zombie: The Essential Guide for Anyone Who Craves Brains by Serena Valentino

Discusses various aspects of zombie lore from popular culture, covering how to identify what type of zombie one might be, how to blend in with the living, and more, with short graphic novels based on zombie themes.

I Kissed A Zombie, and I Liked It by Adam Selzer

Living in the post-human era when the undead are part of everyday life, high schooler Alley breaks her no-dating rule when Doug catches her eye, but classmate Will demands to turn her into a vampire and her zombie boyfriend may be unable to stop him.

Infinity:  The Chronicles of Nick by Sherrilyn Kenyon

A first novel in this new series introduces Nick Gautier as a teenager: at 14, Nick thinks he knows everything about the world around him, until the night his best friends try to kill him; saved by a mysterious warrior, Nick is sucked into the realm of immortal vampire slayers called the Dark-Hunters.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies : the classic Regency romance — now with ultraviolent zombie mayhem! by Seth Grahame-Smith

A mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton–and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy.

World War Z by Max Brooks

An account of the decade-long conflict between humankind and hordes of the predatory undead is told from the perspective of dozens of survivors–soldiers, politicians, civilians, and others–who describe in their own words the epic human battle for survival.

You Are So Undead To Me by Stacey Jay

Megan Berry, a Carol, Arkansas, high school student who can communicate with the Undead, must team up with her childhood friend Ethan to save homecoming from an army of flesh-hungry zombies.

Zombie Blondes by Brian James

Each time fifteen-year-old Hannah and her out-of-work father move she has some fears about making friends, but a classmate warns her that in Maplecrest, Vermont, the cheerleaders really are monsters.

Zombies Calling by Faith Erin Hicks

Joss’s life sucks. She’s in the middle of university exams, up to her neck in student loans, and when she’s attacked by zombies, her roommates have the nerve to think she’s making it up. But when the zombies turn out to be terrifyingly real, only Joss knows how to survive the undead invasion: by following the Rules of Zombie Movies.

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks

A guide to surviving an attack by hordes of the predatory undead explains zombie physiology and behavior, the most effective weaponry and defense strategies, how to outfit one’s home for a long siege, and how to survive in any terrain.

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Justine Larbalestier & Holly Black

Twelve short stories by a variety of authors seek to answer the question of whether zombies are better than unicorns.

Young Adult Action/Adventure Booklist

Remote Control

Heath, Jack.

In the sequel to The Lab, teenage agent Six of Hearts is suspected of being a double agent, which has him on the run from his fellow agents at the Deck while also trying to track down his brother’s kidnappers.

A Conspiracy of Kings

Turner, Megan Whelan.

In this historical fiction/Adventure story Sophos, an unwilling prince, is kidnapped and sold into slavery while trying to save his country from being destroyed by rebellion and exploited by the conniving Mede Empire.

 

Ship Breaker

Bacigalupi, Paolo.

In a futuristic world, Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.

 

Smells Like Dog

Selfors, Suzanne.

When Homer’s explorer-uncle dies he leaves him a droopy dog with a mysterious coin hidden on its collar, it leads him to The City, where they meet Madame, head of the Museum of Natural History, who is trying to steal the coin and take Homer’s place in a secret society of adventurers.

 

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth

Perkins, Lynne Rae.

Journeying by train to summer camp only to find that the camp program has been cancelled, Ry finds himself stranded without resources in the wilderness and invents a new definition of summer vacation.

 

The Grimm Legacy

Shulman, Polly.

After high school student Elizabeth, working as a page, gains access to the Grimm Collection of magical objects, she and the other pages are drawn into a series of frightening adventures involving mythical creatures and stolen goods.

 

Young Smaurai: The Way of the Warrior

Bradford, Chris.

After he is orphaned by a ninja pirate attack off the coast of Japan in 1611, English lad Jack Fletcher is determined to prove himself when the legendary sword master who rescued him begins training him as a samurai warrior.

 

Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow

Rollins, James.

Middle-schooler Jake and his sister Kady are transported by a Mayan artifact to a strange world inhabited by a mix of people from long-lost civilizations who are threatened by prehistoric creatures and an evil alchemist, the Skull King.

New and Noteworthy YA Titles

I’ve been keeping track of the best of the best YA fiction of 2010 – noting stars, nominations from the BFYA and Quick Picks lists, and more.  The following books all garnered at least three stars and/or nominations. Herewith, some quick summaries of my favorites.

A Conspiracy of Kings – Megan Whalen Turner

The world of  the thief, now the King of Attolia (from the books of the same names), is vaguely classical and very political.  If you like fantasy rich with intriguing young, intelligent characters who, sometimes blindly, sometimes slyly, try to manipulate the fate of their homelands, you’ll eat the fourth book in this series up.  Oh – and the action is nonstop as Sophos, a character from the first book,  is kidnapped, taken into slavery, makes his escape, and then journeys to confront his royal friend, Gen.  (Stars from Booklist, Hornbook, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal; nomination from BFYA)

As Easy As Falling Off the Face of the Earth – Lynne Rae Perkins

I’m a huge fan of Perkins’ Criss Cross. This novel is just as quirky and endearing. Ry, off to camp, leaves a stalled train to use his cell phone and gets left behind in the middle of the Great Plains.  The point of the book is the coincidences leaving him and his family unable to contact each other, even in our interconnected world.   Kind strangers operate to bring people back together.  How refreshing!  A truly nice book that pulls you into the adventure.  Will Ry reunite with his mom and dad, or will he end up stranded in the middle of the Caribbean? Yup, that’s right. He winds up overboard in the Caribbean. (Stars from Booklist, Hornbook, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly; nominations from BFYA and Children’s Notables)

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors – by Francisco X. Stork

Set in New Mexico, Stork’s latest book features his usual complex characters dealing with complex problems.  DQ, a relentlessly upbeat boy considering he has cancer, lives in an orphanage where he befriends new resident Pancho, and tries to recruit him to join a philosophy group who fight for life.  Pancho is reluctant to get involved.  He has his own agenda, which includes killing the man he believes is responsible for his mentally handicapped sister’s death. A trip to  Albuquerque for DQ’s cancer treatment doesn’t totally pan out as either boy plans.   Stork has a way of surprising his readers as he lets his characters mature.   If you like novels with stunning depth, this one’s for you. (Stars from Booklist, Hornbook, and Publishers Weekly; nomination from BFYA)

Mockingbird – by Kathryn Erskine

A book to appeal to the Middle School set.  This follows Caitlin, an autistic girl whose brother was killed in a school shooting incident.  I was skeptical of yet another book featuring an autistic protagonist, but Erskine pulls it off, and makes her heroine unique.  Caitlin (whom her brother called Scout, in reference to the character in To Kill a Mockingbird) is searching for “closure,” an idea she heard a TV news person mention.  Can completing her brother’s Eagle Scout project help her father, and perhaps her home town as well? Caitlin is endearing because of her earnest effort to get past the literalness that often makes her unendearing.  Her persistence truly makes her live up to her fictional namesake.  (Stars from Kirkus and Publishers Weekly; nominations from BFYA and Children’s Notables)

Nothing by Janne Teller

This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I was blown away.  It’s a book ripe for discussions, even arguments.  A class of Jr. High-age kids is disturbed when their classmate Pierre takes the position that nothing is worth anything  – therefore nothing is worth doing, believing, or taking part in.  The teens decide to prove Pierre wrong by gathering a pile of meaning.  But the pile will only be worthy if they put vital things on it – a favorite pair of shoes, a prayer rug, a pet, a flag…a dead baby brother.  The fall out isn’t pretty. You’ll be dying to talk about it with someone. (Stars from The Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books, Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Voya; nominations from BFYA and Quick Picks)

Revolver – by Marcus Sedgwick

Longing for an icy mystery during the steamy dog days of summer?  This should cool you off.  As Sig sits alone with his father’s frozen corpse in a Swedish cabin, a menacing stranger shows up at his door demanding treasure. Seems he knew Sig’s family during the Nome, Alaska gold rush.  Trouble is, Sig has no idea what the man is talking about.  There’s a revolver in the pantry though.  One with a long, troubled history.  Can, and should, Sig use it? The back story reveals itself as the novel flips back and forth between Sweden and Nome.  The tension stretches further when Sig’s sister, back from town to report their father’s death, interrupts the stand-off, and causes disturbing memories to rise to the surface. (Stars from Hornbook, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal; nominations from BFYA and Quick Picks)

Ship Breaker – by Paolo Bacigalupi

The latest in a spurt of dystopian fiction.  This first novel, though, stands out because of its incredible atmospheric descriptions of a world where the leftovers of our current civilization are cannibalized by the working poor.  Nailer is a ship breaker on the Gulf Coast, pulling apart old tankers and ocean vessels for salvage.  When the latest hurricane deposits a sleek sailboat on an off-shore island, he feels he’s been handed a lucky break.  But there’s a girl – a rich girl – still alive on the boat, and he needs to decide if he should help her or not.  His decisions lead him on a long journey, chased by people good and bad, across the remains of bayous and submerged cityscapes. (Stars from Booklist, Hornbook, and Publishers Weekly; nomination from BFYA)

The Sky is Everywhere – by Jandy Nelson

Death and sex – it’s a classic pair. And I don’t believe I’ve ever read a better YA book about the way tragedy revs up hormones. Lennie’s sister dies unexpectedly, leaving the teen’s unconventional Northern California family devastated.  Lennie, once bookish and quiet, scatters poems about her loss around town, and finds herself overwhelmingly drawn to two boys – one, a new musician in her high school class; the other, her dead  sister’s boyfriend.  Her steamy confusion and passion are heartbreakingly portrayed.  Follow her as she slowly, painfully, figures out what she needs to do. I found this believable and tender – like a deep muscle bruise. (Stars from The Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books and Publishers Weekly; nomination from BFYA)

Wicked Girls – by Stephanie Hemphill

Mean and manipulative girl cliques are nothing new.  At least according to Hemphill.   The clique she writes about here is the ultimate.  They’re the girls from Salem who started the witch scare of the 1690’s.  Hemphill gets into the dynamics of how some simple foolishness led to hangings.  She’s wickedly good at sifting through the multiple motives driving the girls and how they played each other.  While I enjoyed this book, written in blank verse, it raised questions for me.  I’m not sure Hemphill is handing her historicial characters sensibilities that are too modern. Let me know what you think.  (Stars from Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal)

Will Grayson, Will Grayson – by John Green and David Leviathan

Two boys, same name.  Both are ironic outsiders, yet different.  One’s a North Shore resident dreaming of a cool girl.  The other’s from the western burbs and is hiding that he’s gay.  They meet one night at a porn shop in Chicago… Um, yeah.  Suffice to say it’s a hilarious scene.  The other point of connection between the teens is the straight Will’s best friend, Tiny, a gay football player of enormous proportions and ego, who gay Will falls for.  But complications arise – most of them having to do with an outrageous musical Tiny’s writing and producing.  Give this one to Glee geeks – they’ll eat it up.  (Stars from Booklist, Kirkus, and School Library Journal; nomination from BFYA)