Librarian Jen's Teen & Tween Reads

Recently Finished

I did get to read City of Ember, which was very fun to read. I can see why it won the Mark Twain Award. I can't wait to read the sequel, People of Sparks.

Last week, I finished how i live now by Meg Rosoff, so I owe you guys a review. I know I'm a little late reading it, but better late than never.

I'm going to a big library conference tomorrow and I'm bringing along some books from work for the authors to autograph. I will be bringing Looking for Alaska by John Greene and Black Juice. I will also bring my own copy of Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys. So, I will read these books and I promise to post reviews if I get the books read during the conference!

Spring Break Reading

My spring break reading list includes The Ravenmaster's Secret by Elvira Woodruff, The Gorillas of Gill Park by Amy Gordon, and Crandall's Castle by Betty Ren Wright. My boss was not very interested in that last book. I also hope to get to City of Ember by Jeanne du Prau.

I Haven't Forgotten!

I haven't forgotten about this site! My teachers are keeping me so busy with required reading that I haven't had a chance to read for fun! I'll be reading Life is Funny for one of my classes, so I'll post my review here after I read it.

Not Review: To Take a Dare

I tried to read Crescent Dragonwagon's To Take a Dare over the summer, but it was a non-starter. The storyline was interesting-- I've always liked books about road trips-- but it was like she was describing the book she planned to write, rather than showing what the character was doing. I ended up abandoning it a few chapters in.

Review: A Time for Dancing

A Time for Dancing, by Davida Wills Hurwin, is the story of best friends Jules and Sam, who are dealing with Jules' diagnosis of cancer. This book alternates chapters in each girl's voice to look at how Jules' cancer affects everyone around her.

This book has a five-star average rating on Amazon, with 168 reviews. I would have loved this book when I was about 15. I loved it now, but we all know how sometimes adults pick books teenagers would find extremely boring. This one is especially good if you like to read about best friends, death, or cancer.

Review: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

This book wasn't nearly as wonderful and hilarious as I was led to believe. Since I'm probably the last person to read this book, I won't spend a lot of time talking about the plot. It was an interesting look at four girls' friendships and what they go through during their first summer apart.

Carmen was my favorite character. I thought what her dad did to her was inexcusable and she had the right to be furious. He totally betrayed her. I can't even remember the other characters' names.

Gossip Girls Article

Gossip Girl: The New Young Adult Novel - Adolescence Plus Wealth Equals Big Sales. I hate to say it, but the Gossip Girls series doesn't appeal to me at all, even a little bit. I've never been interested in the glossy , glamourous lives of people with tons of money and no responsibility-- and besides, I read these books when they were called Sweet Valley High. I guess there are a lot of people who are interested in the teen Paris Hilton lifestyle, but the books I like are the antithesis. I'm curious about the people who do like the Gossip Girls types of books. Do you like them? What do you like about them?

Review: The Ear, The Eye, and the Arm

Nancy Farmer's The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm is a thriller set in Zimbabwe in 2194. A high-powered government official's over-protected children go on an adventure and end up deeper than they thought. When they disappear, their parents hire a misfit detective agency that always seems to be about half a step behind the kids. This is an interesting look at a potential future where plastic is a highly-prized commodity, but old spirits still do battle. It's a very exciting book, but at some points, I started to get tired of all the scrapes the kids got into. However, the end was worth every minute.

The readers of this book might skew a bit young, but this book definitely tackles issues that are interesting to older readers. I especially love the juxtaposition of futuristic worries with spirit myths of the past.

A review by a New York 6th Grader
A review by another novelist
A review by a Washington girl
St. Charles (IL) public library says if you like this book, you'll love the books on their list.

KFL's Book Covers

kfl book covers is the Kennebunk Free Library's site for readers in grades nine through 12. The blog covers topics similar to this one, but for a geographically specific audience.

Fabulous Fiction

Fabulous Fiction is a site by two 13-year-old boys, one of whom hates to read. They include bios of various authors and information about their books. The boys won an award from a British television station for their work on the site. Here's a list of some of the other winners of the competition.

Via Kennebunk Free Library Book Covers (Teen site)

Chasing Vermeer

After three people receive mysterious letters and a famous painting is stolen, sixth-graders Calder and Petra work together to solve the crime and save the painting.

Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliet is aimed to younger readers, but don't let the young characters and big print fool you. It's a fun puzzle to solve, especially if you're interested in mysteries, codes, and art. If your younger brother or sister leaves it lying around, sneak it away for a few hours.

The illustrations were done by Brett Helquist, who also does the illustrations for the Lemony Snicket books.

Scholastic page about Chasing Vermeer
A review from Kidsreads.com
Chasing Vermeer to become a movie (warning, if you're on a slow connection or not using Firefox, it's an about.com page= lots of popups!)
A gifted education teacher's page of games based on Chasing Vermeer. (This one's targeted more to teachers.)
See who else is reading this on All Consuming

Upcoming Reads

I am immersed in finals right now, but I have quite a reading list for my three-week break. I will be reading and reviewing a few books:

Brashares, Ann-- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Crutcher, Chris-- Athletic Shorts
Curtis, Christopher-- Bud Not Buddy
Johnson, Angela-- The First Part Last
Strasser, Todd-- Give a Boy a Gun

I will also read something by Sarah Dessen.

I will also reread Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and post a review of that.

There are a few other books I want to read, but these are the priorities. If you have any suggestions, add a comment! Reviews will begin after May 12!

Teen Reads

Teen Reads is a group site with reviews, news about books for teens, interviews, author bios, and other fun stuff. Check it out!

Surviving the Applewhites

What happens when the bad kid from the city moves in with a homeschooling North Carolina family of artists? Jake starts to find out he's not who he thought he was, and non-artistic E.D. finds out her talents are just as valuable as those of her family. A cute, funny novel that kids under the age of about 13 will love.

I am the Cheese

Robert Cormier's masterpiece about a boy on a desperate journey to find his father and unlock his past. Things are not what they seem in this novel.