Blog Me a Book! Teen Scene @ Mitchell Library

FEBRUARY READS - LITTLE BROTHER by Cory Doctorow

2012-02-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

Marcus, a.k.a “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.

But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.

When the DHS finally releases them, Marcus discovers that his city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself.

(taken from the website: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Brother-Cory-Doctorow/dp/0765319853)

FEBRUARY READS - THE MAZE RUNNER

2012-02-16T17:57:00.000-08:00

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his first name. His memory is blank. But he’s not alone. When the lift’s doors open, Thomas finds himself surrounded by kids who welcome him to the Glade—a large, open expanse surrounded by stone walls.

Just like Thomas, the Gladers don’t know why or how they got to the Glade. All they know is that every morning the stone doors to the maze that surrounds them have opened. Every night they’ve closed tight. And every 30 days a new boy has been delivered in the lift.

Thomas was expected. But the next day, a girl is sent up—the first girl to ever arrive in the Glade. And more surprising yet is the message she delivers.

Thomas might be more important than he could ever guess. If only he could unlock the dark secrets buried within his mind.

(from the website: http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/mazerunner/books.php)

FEBRUARY READS - DELIRIUM

2012-02-16T17:54:00.000-08:00

Before scientists found the cure, people thought love was a good thing.

They didn’t understand that once love -- the deliria -- blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

(taken from the website: http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/delirium.php)

FEBRUARY READS - THE HUNGER GAMES

2012-02-16T17:50:00.000-08:00

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone fighting against you?

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives. In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying ﬁght to the death - televised for all of Panem to see.

Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

WINNING WILL MAKE YOU FAMOUS. LOSING MEANS CERTAIN DEATH.

(taken from the Hunger Games website: http://www.thehungergames.co.uk/about_the_book)

February Reads - Dystopias

2012-02-16T17:25:00.001-08:00

Read the books and join us for discussion online

Blog Me a Book! Online Teen Book Club

This month we are reading DYSTOPIAN books to celebrate the upcoming release of the movie The Hunger Games. I will be posting about several different titles in the blog. Post in the discussion area about what you thought about the books. Or feel free to pick a title of your own to share with others.

Everyone who participates in a discussion by posting will be entered to win a pair of

Cinemark Super Saver passes.

Discussions will start February17, 2012.

If you have any questions, please contact the

YA Librarian at 936.442.7728 ext.6310 or by email at

tperry@countylibrary.org.

Teen Book Festival Author - Gayle Forman

2011-12-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

Gayle Forman is the author of If I Stay, and it's sequel that was released last spring, Where She Went.

Here is a synopsis of the two books:

If I Stay

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen-year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck... A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

Where She Went:

It's been three years since the devastating accident... three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future - and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Check out the website at THIS LINK or see the author's website at http://www.gayleforman.com/.

Teen Book Festival Author - Cinda Williams Chima

2011-12-16T14:39:00.000-08:00

Cinda Williams Chima is the author of two Young Adult Fantasy series, The Heir Chronicles and The Seven Realms.

Series Synopsis:

The Heir Chronicles
Summary of The Warrior Heir from Goodreads.com:

Before he knew about the Roses, 16-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity. Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers. Then one day Jack skips his medicine. Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before. And it feels great until he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts. Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself: He is Weirlind; part of an underground society of magical people who live among us. At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Game. A magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death, The winning house ruling the Weir. As if his bizarre magical heritage isn't enough, Jack finds out that he s not just another member of Weirlind, he's one of the last of the warriors at a time when both houses are scouting for a player. Jack's performance on the soccer field has alerted the entire magical community to the fact that he's in Trinity. And until one of the houses is declared Jack's official sponsor, they'll stop at nothing to get Jack to fight for them.

The Seven Realms
Summary of The Demon King from her website:

When 16-year-old Han Alister and his Clan friend Dancer encounter three underage wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea, he has no idea that this event will precipitate a cascade of disasters that will threaten everything he cares about. Han takes an amulet from one of the wizards, Micah Bayar, to prevent him from using it against them. Only later does he learn that it has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. And the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Han’s life is complicated enough. He’s the former streetlord of the Raggers—a street gang in the city of Fellsmarch. His street name, Cuffs, comes from the mysterious silver bracelets he’s worn all his life—cuffs that are impossible to take off. Now Han’s working odd jobs, helping to support his family, and doing his best to leave his old life behind. Events conspire against him, however. When members of a rival gang start dying, Han naturally gets the blame.

Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna has her own battles to fight. As heir to the Gray Wolf throne of the Fells, she’s just spent three years of relative freedom with her father’s family at Demonai Camp—riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets. Now court life in Fellsmarch pinches like a pair of too-small shoes.

Wars are raging to the south, and threaten to spread into the high country. After a long period of quiet, the power of the Wizard Council is once again growing. The people of the Fells are starving and close to rebellion. Now more than ever, there’s a need for a strong queen. But Raisa’s mother Queen Marianna is weak and distracted by the handsome Gavan Bayar, High Wizard of the Fells. Raisa feels like a cage is closing around her—and an arranged marriage and eroded inheritance is the least of it. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. With the help of her friend, the cadet Amon Byrne, she navigates the treacherous Gray Wolf Court, hoping she can unravel the conspiracy coalescing around her before it’s too late.
Go to her website HERE for more information on the series and excerpts from the books.

There are some wonderful book trailers on YouTube here : http://youtu.be/QEtfteO-9dU and http://youtu.be/bXksII_uVG8.

The books in the Heir Chronicles series are, in reading order:

The Warrior Heir
The Wizard Heir
The Dragon Heir

The books in the Seven Realms Series are, in reading order:

The Demon King
The Exiled Queen
The Gray Wolf Throne
The Crimson Crown (release date in fall of 2012)

Tell us which series you have read, and what you thought of the books. Remember, others might read what you write and decide the book(s) might be of interest to them!!

Teen Book Festival Author - Kristin Cast (writes with her mother PC Cast)

2011-12-15T13:07:00.000-08:00

HOUSE OF NIGHT Series

Kristin Cast, this year's keynote speaker, writes the House of Night Series with her mother, P.C. Cast.

Series description:

House of Night is a thrillingly engaging book series that follows 16-year-old Zoey Redbird, who gets “Marked” by a vampyre tracker and begins to undergo the “Change” into an actual vampyre. She has to leave her family in Tulsa and move into the House of Night, a boarding school for other fledglings like her.

It’s within the school’s walls that the heart of the action takes place as Zoey meets new friends, finds love, comes to terms with how her life will be different now and begins to realize her awesome new powers.

Here’s the deal though: Yes, Zoey’s a vampyre now. But she’s still a teenager – with all the humor, angst and confusing feelings any other teenager has.

With the latest release, Destined, there are nine books in the series. http://www.houseofnightseries.com/books
Here are the books in order:
Marked
Betrayed
Chosen
Untamed
Hunted
Tempted
Burned
Awakened
Destined

Post about which one's you read, what you like/don't like, and where you think the series is going! News about a movie deal for the series: http://pccast.blogspot.com/2011/11/movie-news-finally.html

By the way, the series has now been adapted to Graphic Novel format. See it here: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/10/28/house-of-night-comic-video-teaser/

Find the fan page for the House of Night series on Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/houseofnight

And the You Tube channel here for book trailers: http://www.youtube.com/user/houseofnightbooks

Winter Reading: Teen Book Festival Authors

2011-12-09T13:39:00.000-08:00

This winter we are reading books that were written by the eight authors that will be at the Montgomery County Teen Book Festival in January of 2012. I will be posting titles from these authors in the blog. Post in the discussion area about what you thought about the book. Or feel free to pick a title of your own to share with others.

See the website of the book festival or find it on Facebook:

http://www.montgomerycountyteenbookfestival.com/

www.facebook.com/#!/MoCoBookFest

Everyone who participates in a discussion by posting will be entered to win a pair of

Cinemark Super Saver passes each month.

Drawing dates will be December 29th and January 30th.

If you have any questions, please contact the YA Librarian at 936.442.7728 ext.6310 or by email at tperry@countylibrary.org.

Winner of the November Blog Contest!

2011-12-05T10:02:00.001-08:00

Congratulations Lizzie! Email me at tperry@countylibrary.org to arrange to pick up your movie ticket passes!!!

October Reads and Drawing!

2011-11-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

Drawing extended until November 30th!!

I still have 2 movie passes to give away! Just post a comment to one of the discussions and your name will be entered in the drawing!!

October Reads! Creepers and Thrillers!

2011-10-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Have you read any other scary/creepy/horrifying/thrilling (enough adjectives yet?) books lately?

Share yours here with all of us! Just make sure you post the title of the book and the author's name so others can go get the book to read too!!

October Reads! Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper

2011-10-26T09:46:00.000-07:00

WRONGED. HANGED. ALIVE? (AND TRUE!)

Anne can't move a muscle, can't open her eyes, can't scream. She lies immobile in the darkness, unsure if she'd dead, terrified she's buried alive, haunted by her final memory—of being hanged. A maidservant falsely accused of infanticide in 1650 England and sent to the scaffold, Anne Green is trapped with her racing thoughts, her burning need to revisit the events—and the man—that led her to the gallows.

Meanwhile, a shy 18-year-old medical student attends his first dissection and notices something strange as the doctors prepare their tools . . . Did her eyelids just flutter? Could this corpse be alive?

Beautifully written, impossible to put down, and meticulously researched, Newes from the Dead is based on the true story of the real Anne Green, a servant who survived a hanging to awaken on the dissection table. Newes from the Dead concludes with scans of the original 1651 document that recounts this chilling medical phenomenon.

(from Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Newes-Dead-Mary-Hooper/dp/B003NHR9GK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319647267&sr=8-1)

October Reads! Breathe by Cliff McNish

2011-10-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

Jack is not a normal boy. He can talk to ghosts. In his new home, an aging farmhouse, he meets the Ghost Mother, a grief-stricken spirit who becomes very attached to him...too attached. He learns that the Ghost Mother is preying in the cruelest imaginable way on four child ghosts who are trapped in the house, stealing their energy to sustain her own. Before Jack can figure out how to help them, the Ghost Mother takes possession of his real mother's body. Jack wants to fight back, but he has severe asthma and risks fatal attacks with any physical exertion. It will take all his resources, and his mother's as well, to fight off the Ghost Mother and save the ghost children from a horrible fate.

October Reads! The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

2011-10-26T09:29:00.000-07:00

Mackie Doyle is not one of us. Though he lives in the small town of Gentry, he comes from a world of tunnels and black murky water, a world of living dead girls ruled by a little tattooed princess. He is a Replacement, left in the crib of a human baby sixteen years ago. Now, because of fatal allergies to iron, blood, and consecrated ground, Mackie is fighting to survive in the human world.

Mackie would give anything to live among us, to practice on his bass or spend time with his crush, Tate. But when Tate's baby sister goes missing, Mackie is drawn irrevocably into the underworld of Gentry, known as Mayhem. He must face the dark creatures of the Slag Heaps and find his rightful place, in our world, or theirs.
(from Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Brenna-Yovanoff/dp/1595143378)

October Reads! Bonechiller by Graham McNamee

2011-10-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO NOWHERE.
Danny’s dad takes a job as caretaker at a marina on the shore of a vast, frozen lake in Harvest Cove, a tiny town tucked away in Canada’s Big Empty. If you’re looking for somewhere to hide, this is it.

It’s the worst winter in years. One night, running in the dark, Danny is attacked by a creature so strange and terrifying he tries to convince himself he was hallucinating. Then he learns about Native American legends of a monster that’s haunted the lake for a thousand years. And that every generation, in the coldest winters, kids have disappeared into the night. People think they ran away.

Danny knows better. Because now the beast is after him.
(from Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Bonechiller-Graham-McNamee/dp/038574658X)

OCTOBER READING - CREEPERS & THRILLERS and PRIZE DRAWING

2011-10-15T12:08:00.000-07:00

This month we are reading books that are normally found on the "Horror" or "Thriller" lists. Read whatever you want in this genre, and then post a little review about it. I will be posting 5 titles that we are reading at The Woodlands High School 9th Grade Campus Book Club. Read one of these titles, and post in the discussion area about what you thought about the book. Or feel free to pick a title of your own to share with others.

Everyone who participates will be entered to win a pair of Cinemark Supersaver passes to be awarded on November 18th!!!

So post away!

Discussion Starter: Incarceron

2011-03-29T09:31:00.000-07:00

So I hope all of you enjoyed Incarceron as much as I did! Let's get our discussion started by just giving your thoughts on the book. What did you like? Dislike? Was there any part that really surprised you or made you think?

Let's get the ball rolling!

Our Next Book!! Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

2011-02-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

"Imagine a living prison so vast that it contains corridors and forests, cities and seas. Imagine a prisoner with no memory, who is sure he came from Outside, even though the prison has been sealed for centuries and only one man, half real, half legend, has ever escaped.
Imagine a girl in a manor house in a society where time has been forbidden, where everyone is held in a seventeenth century world run by computers, doomed to an arranged marriage that appals her, tangled in an assassination plot she both dreads and desires.
One inside, one outside, But both imprisoned.
Imagine a war that has hollowed the moon, seven skullrings that contain souls, a flying ship and a wall at the world's end.
Imagine the unimaginable. Imagine Incarceron."

Synopsis taken from Catherine Fisher's website at
http://www.catherine-fisher.com/pages/books/incarceron/synopsis.asp.

Read the book and join us for discussion online here at Blog Me a Book! Teen Scene @ Mitchell Library!

The FIVE teens (ages 13-18) to sign up at http://www.countylibrary.org/ will receive a free copy of the book!

Discussions will start March 14, 2011.

If you have any questions, please contact the YA Librarian at 936.442.7728 ext.310.

First Discussion: Fallen by Thomas Sniegoski

2010-11-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you that signed up for the new online book club! I'm so excited to get our very first discussion started. Let me start by saying that there are a few copies of the book left if you know anyone else that might enjoy reading and discussing it. Please send them this link and my email so we can hook them up! Next, I want to make sure we are all on board here so, if you haven't done it yet, become a follower of this blog over on the right side of the screen. You don't have to use your real name if you don't want. Just create a profile and then you can begin commenting on the discussion points!

So....let's get started!!!

First, let's just start by giving our general opinion of the book. Did you like it? Or not? Would you suggest this book to other people? BTW, Mr. Sniegoski will be one of our author/speakers at the Montgomery County Teen Book Festival coming up on January 22, 2011! I'm sooooo excited!

POST AWAY!!!..................

Fallen by Thomas Sniegoski - OUR FIRST BOOK!!

2010-10-13T10:11:00.001-07:00

"It's the eve of his eighteenth birthday and Aaron is experiencing dreams of a disturbing nature. In the darkly violent and chaotic dreamscape, Aaron is an armor-clad warrior in the midst of a bloody conflict. He can hear the sounds of weapons clanging, the screams of the stricken, the pathetic moans of the dying, and another sound he cannot quite discern. But as he gazes upward, he suddenly understands, watching as hundreds of armored warriors descend on the battlefield from the sky above. It is the sound of wings beating the air unmercifully. The flapping of angels' wings."

From Thomas Sniegoski's website at http://www.sniegoski.com/fallen/books.html.

Read the book and join us for discussion online here at Blog Me a Book! Teen Scene @ Mitchell Library!

The first TEN teens (ages 13-18) to sign up at http://www.countylibrary.org/ will receive a free copy of the book!

Discussions will start November 22, 2010.

If you have any questions, please contact the YA Librarian at 936.442.7728 ext.310.