YA Spotlight: Alex Flinn

Kendra Chronicles Book 1: Beastly. "I am a beast. A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster. You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell. Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly." (from Goodreads.com)

Kendra Chronicles Book 2: A Kiss in Time. "Talia fell under a spell...Jack broke the curse. I was told to beware the accursed spindle, but it was so enchanting, so hypnotic... I was looking for a little adventure the day I ditched my tour group. But finding a comatose town, with a hot-looking chick asleep in it, was so not what I had in mind. I awakened in the same place but in another time—to a stranger's soft kiss. I couldn't help kissing her. Sometimes you just have to kiss someone. I didn't know this would happen. Now I am in dire trouble because my father, the king, says I have brought ruin upon our country. I have no choice but to run away with this commoner! Now I'm stuck with a bratty princess and a trunk full of her jewels...The good news: My parents will freak! Think you have dating issues? Try locking lips with a snoozing stunner who turns out to be 316 years old. Can a kiss transcend all—even time?" (from Goodreads.com)

Kendra Chronicles Book 3: Mirrored. "Mirror, mirror in my hand… Beauty is the key to everything. At least, that’s how it seems to Violet—ugly, bullied, and lonely. To be beautiful, in her eyes, is to have power and love. And when Kendra, the witch, teaches Violet how to use magic, she may finally get what she wants. For Celine, beautiful since birth, her looks have been a hindrance. She discovers that beauty is also a threat—especially to her stepmother, Violet, who doesn’t want anyone sharing the attention she worked so hard to get and who will do anything to be the fairest of them all. But beauty isn’t only skin deep and love isn’t based on looks alone. And though Violet and Celine may seem to be completely opposite, their lives are almost… mirrored." (from Goodreads.com)

Kendra Chronicles: Cloaked. "I’m not your average hero. I actually wasn’t your average anything. Just a poor guy working an after-school job at a South Beach shoe repair shop to help his mom make ends meet. But a little magic changed it all. It all started with the curse. And the frog-napping. And one hot-looking princess, who asked me to lead a rescue mission. There wasn’t a fairy godmother or any of that. And even though I fell in love along the way, what happened to me is unlike any fairy tale I’ve ever heard. Before I knew it, I was spying with a flock of enchanted swans, talking (yes, talking!) to a fox named Todd, and nearly trampled by giants in the Keys. Don’t believe me? I didn’t believe it either. But you’ll see. Because I knew it all was true, the second I got CLOAKED." (from Goodreads.com)

Kendra Chronicles Book 4: Beheld. "Being a powerful witch, Kendra has survived it all. Since she first beheld James over three hundred years ago, Kendra has tangled with witch hunters and wolves, helped a miller’s daughter spin straw into gold, cowered in London as German bombs fell, and lived through who knows how many shipwrecks. But her powers have limits, and immortality can be lonely. Kendra isn’t ready to stop searching for the warlock she had met centuries ago. With the help of her magic mirror, Kendra will travel the world to reconnect with her lost love—and, of course, she can’t help but play a hand in a few more stories along the way." (from Goodreads.com)

Kendra Chronicles Book 5: Towering. "At first, I merely saw his face, his hands on the window ledge. Then, his whole body as he swung himself through the window. Only I could not see what he swung on. Until, one day, I told my dream self to look down. And it was then that I saw. He had climbed on a rope. I knew without asking that the rope had been one of my own tying. Rachel is trapped in a tower, held hostage by a woman she’s always called Mama. Her golden hair is growing rapidly, and to pass the time, she watches the snow fall and sings songs from her childhood, hoping someone, anyone, will hear her. Wyatt needs time to reflect or, better yet, forget about what happened to his best friend, Tyler. That’s why he’s been shipped off to the Adirondacks in the dead of winter to live with the oldest lady in town. Either that, or no one he knows ever wants to see him again. Dani disappeared seventeen years ago without a trace, but she left behind a journal that’s never been read, not even by her overbearing mother…until now." (from Goodreads.com)

The Book Or The Movie?

While movies and television allow the beloved characters from literature to come alive and flourish if put into the hands of the right actors, writers, directors, and producers; the opposite is true if the wrong sort of people get their hands on our favorite stories. Ever since the advent of motion pictures, there has been a heated debate. Is the book or the movie better? The following books have been made into motion pictures that are currently available in theaters. I'll let you decide which is better, but you'll have to read the books to make your choice.

"Middle School: the Worst Years of My Life" is a series of juvenile books by the ever-popular James Patterson (Alex Cross novels). Rafe Katchadorian has enough problems at home without having to worry about the oppressive rules laid down by the principal of his middle school. With the help and encouragement of his best friend, Leonardo the Silent, Rafe has decided it will be his mission to break as many of the school rules as he can. The two have even made a game of it: Chewing gum in class, 5,000 points! Running in the hallway, 10,000 points! Pull the fire alarm, 50,000 points! When all of this rule-breaking begins to catch up with him, Rafe must decide whether or not he can face up to the rules, the bullies, and what is really bothering him.

"Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children" is the first book in a Young Adult series by Ransom Riggs. Haunting photographs help tell the story of sixteen-year-old Jacob who has suffered a terrible tragedy. His beloved grandfather was attacked and Jacob finds him barely alive. With his dying breath, his grandfather compels him to seek out the orphanage where he spent his childhood. Jacob manages to convince his parents to let him go, but what he finds there he doesn't fully understand. As he explores the rooms and hallways, Jacob comes to believe that these children may have been quarantined on this island because of their peculiar abilities; and even, perhaps, because they were dangerous. Local history says that the children were killed when the Nazis dropped a bomb on the house, but what Jacob finds leads him to think otherwise. Are the peculiars still alive? You'll have to read it to find out!

Finally, for the adults, we have "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins. Rachel's life now is full of monotony. She takes the same train everyday with the same people who have the same conversations. Her only bit of respite is the young couple she sees having breakfast every morning--she calls them Jess and Jason. They remind her of how her life used to be before her divorce. One morning however, she witnesses something shocking. It is only a split second before the train moves on. Rachel doesn't know what to do, but she goes to the authorities anyway. Soon, the authorities begin to question her sanity as well as her motives while Rachel becomes more and more entangled in the lives of those involved. Has she done more harm than good? You decide.

200 Suggestions for Reading

Ever want a suggestion on something good to read?  Author and librarian Gina Sheridan offers you 200 titles to choose from in her new book, Check These Out.

The book is divided into fifteen chapters that break down the types of books.  There are even chapters on audio books and young adult fiction.  Each chapter gives you a selection of books with the author, when it was written and a brief description along with why the author enjoyed it.  The audio book chapter even tells you whose voice is reading the book.

So next time you feel stumped on what you'd like to read next, pick up this book for some great ideas.

Halloween is here!

We've reached the end of October and what better way to enjoy it than a few stories to go with the season?

Here are a few suggestions :

Easy Reader

• A Ghost in the Toy Box by Fay Robinson
• The Haunted Hamburger and Other Ghostly Stories by David LaRochelle
• Pup and Hound Scare a Ghost by Susan Hood
• Spooky and the Ghost Cat by Natalie Savage Carlson
• Whooo's Haunting the Teeny Tiny Ghost? by Kay Winters

Juvenile

• The Berenstain Bears and the Galloping Ghost by Stan Berenstain
• Cowboy Ghost by Robert Newton Peck
• Jeffrey's Ghost and the Fifth-Grade Dragon by David Adler
• Never Hit a Ghost, With a Baseball Bat by Eth Clifford
• The Tightwad's Curse and Other Pleasantly Chilling Stories by Margret Rettich

Young Adult

• Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
• The Ghosts of Kerfol by Deborah Noyes
• Lights Out by R.L. Stine
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
• The Revenant by Sonia Gensler

Adult

• A Catered Halloween by Isis Crawford
• Death of a Neighborhood Witch by Laura Levine
• The Ghost and the Dead Deb by Alice Kimberly
• The Sin Eater by Sarah Rayne
• Vampires, Bones and Treacle Scones by Kaitlyn Dunnett

Inheritance

Christopher Paolini's fourth installment in the series that began with Eragon, is another example of wonderful writing.  Inheritance continues the story that evolved through Eldest and Brisingr , and is full of action-packed battles, tense moments and the evolving relationships between Eragon, Arya, Saphira the dragon and Eragon's many family and friends.  The book is a big time investment (it's 850 pages) but it is well worth it for the reader.  The reader learns a few huge secrets that change the action of the story and will definitely surprise any person who is invested in the plot.  The end of the story leaves enough tendrils hanging that there could be a fifth novel written in the series.  Christopher Paolini is a young adult author who has improved his writing as he has written each book.  Paolini draws inspiration for the world of Eragon and Saphira from the natural beauty that surrounds his home in Montana--the tumultuous weather, the Yellowstone River and the great Beartooth Mountains.  You can discover more information about Christopher Paolini and the Inheritance cyle of books at www.Alagaesia.com.  Inheritance is a great fantasy novel that will leave the reader entranced with the world of elves, dwarves, urgals and dragons. 

New YA Books Added to the Collection--Part 1

Recently Jennifer has been working on beefing up our YA collection. The YA collection sits on white shelving to the right of the elevator (if you are in front of the elevator) and contains books suitable for high school through college age. Some amazing-sounding titles have passed through my hands and I wanted to share a few.

You by Charles Benoit finds fifteen-year old Kyle Chase covered in blood with no memory of what happened and time is running out.

Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins has Sophie Mercer discovering that she is not a witch, like she thought, but a demon and one of only two in the world. She also learns that she has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. She decides to got to London for the Removal, a dangerous procedure that will destroy her powers for good--or kill her. But once she arrives she makes a shocking discovery--someone is raising demons in secret, with plans to use their powers, and probably not for good.

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher is the story of Finn and Claudia. Finn cannot remember his childhood or life before Incarceron--a prison that has been sealed for centuries, where inmates live in cells, dilapidated cities, and unbounded wilderness. No one has ever escaped, but then he finds a crystal key and a girl named Claudia. Claudia's father is the Warden of Incarceron and Claudia is about to become a kind of prisoner herself, doomed to an arranged marriage. If she helps Finn escape, she will need his help in return. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost far more than they know because Incarceron is alive.

Stayed tuned for next week's blog where we examine four more new YA books!!!

Little Brother

If you were struck by the similarity of this title to the phrase "Big Brother" from George Orwell's classic book, 1984, you would be correct! Little Brother is a book written by Cory Doctorow, who was heavily influenced by George Orwell's work. Little Brother is classified as a Juvenile book, and is set in San Francisco, in the highly-technologically-oriented, not-too-distant-future! The hero of the story is Marcus, a brilliant, seventeen-year-old who has figured out how to "outsmart" many of his school's surveillance systems (i.e., the "gait-recognition" system that supposedly can track your movements through the school by the way you normally walk), as well as systems installed througout San Francisco. Marcus is just having a normal day when he convinces his friends to slip out of their respective schools to play a round of the Alternate Reality Game, "Harajuku Fun Madness," a problem-solver game that is played on the Internet and around the streets and buildings in San Francisco. Marcus and three other friends meet up to figure out the clues when suddenly there is a tremendous explosion and Marcus and his friends are caught in the afternmath of a major terrorist attack. They are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security, detained for several days, and released to find the city has become a police state. Marcus makes the decision to fight back the only way he knows how- by taking down the Department of Homeland Security. Little Brother is an intense, action-packed book that speeds along and leaves you gasping. The story is filled with information about technology and gadgets, and is a perfect book for teens and adults who admire "gizmos." Cory Doctorow is the former European Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation who hopes that readers will "use technology to change the world." The book contains two great Afterwords (one was written by the guy who hacked the XBox) and a fabulous Bibliography for further reading. This book was truly a great and thought-provoking read!

Dive Into Jesmyn Ward's World

I picked up Where the Line Bleeds by Jesmyn Ward because I was intrigued by the setting. The story is set in the small town of Bois Sauvage, which is located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I enjoy reading books about places I know, so a story set in a rural Gulf Coast community really appealed to me! The story traces the lives of twin African-American boys, Christophe and Joshua as they graduate from high school and try to make a living in their town. Intertwined with their lives are the lives of many family members, many of whom reside on the same road where Joshua and Christophe live with their grandma, Ma-mee. The twins live with their grandmother and receive infrequent visits from both their mom (who lives in Atlanta) and their dad (who appears every now and then in Bois Sauvage). The novel is a great story about living, and making the right choices, and the consequences of your actions. Jesmyn Ward is a wonderful story-teller- her prose is lyrical and her descriptions of events such as Joshua and Christophe's Fourth of July picnic have so much detail (even down to the food) that it just makes you want to weep. The relationship between the twins is intense and it is amazing that the twins feel as deeply as they do about themselves and each other. Although Where the Line Bleeds is classified as an adult novel, it would also appeal to older teen readers. There is some drug use described in the book, as well as some profanity. This book has also been classified as a "recommended read" by the Essence Book Club. Check out other recommended reads at http://www.essence.com/.