Digital Bookmobile National Tour

Mondays can be so very drab. Rainy weather. Kids not back in school just yet. On days like this does your brain scream out the eternal parental question: "What to do, what to do?!" Consider yourself saved thanks to the Cranston Public Library and the Digital Bookmobile!

LOCATION: Cranston Public Library: Upper Parking Lot
140 Sockanosset Cross Road, Cranston, RI
DATE: Monday, September 21, 2009
TIME: 10:00am - 4:00pm
PRICE: FREE

Cranston Public Library and Ocean State Libraries will host the Digital Bookmobile, an immersive download experience inside a 74-foot, high-tech tractor-trailer.

Readers of all ages are invited to engage digital downloading through interactive demonstrations and experience the library's audiobook, eBook, music, and video download service at this free event.

The Digital Bookmobile is housed inside an 18-wheel tractor-trailer. This 74-foot community outreach vehicle is a high-tech update of the traditional bookmobile that has served communities for decades. The vehicle is equipped with broadband Internet-connected PCs, high definition monitors, premium sound systems, and a variety of portable media players, all of which help visitors explore the library's download service. Interactive learning stations give visitors an opportunity to search the library’s digital media collection, use supported mobile devices, and sample eBooks, audiobooks, music, and video.

Come and learn about digital media and the latest gadgets and technology. There will be a raffle and other fun stuff!

All Ages are welcome. Registration is not required. The Digital Bookmobile is handicap accessible and will be parked in the upper parking lot of Cranston Public Library for this event.

The Digital Bookmobile is a service of Ocean State Libraries and the Cranston Public Library. The Digital Bookmobile is operated by OverDrive, Inc.

For more information call: (401) 943-9080 EXT6 or email: central@cranstonlibrary.org

"I'm BORED!"

Now that summer is finally, truly here (ignore today's weather) are you looking for some memorable activities to do with the Short People*?

The Rhode Island Family Guide is a website and FREE guide book that gives families in RI listings of resources for fun, adventure and well-being here in the Ocean State.

The site and guide books offer sections on family fun destinations, activities, health care, safety & emergency, shopping, camping and MORE!

The 2009 guide books are available at many state institutions including this awesome library. So stop by our Circulation Desk and ask for your free copy.

*Definition of Short People: The adorable, sweet faced little people who live in your house and constantly announce their boredom despite having access to a room full of toys and a backyard the size of a wildlife preservation.

YA Summer Reading: Nip It in the Bud!

Hey there all you tweens and teens! I know summer has just begun and the last word you want to hear out of anyone's mouth is "homework"...but you know you do have some summer reading to do, right?

Why not start now? It's a perfect time to get this done. It's raining cats and dogs and there's only so much Wii one can play on any given day. Plus waiting until the last second will guarantee all copies of the book are checked out. (BOO!) Then you'll have to spend that hard-earned summer-job money buying a copy of the book at B&N. (Double BOO!)

And it's so ridiculous easy to get that summer reading book. Seriously, I'm talking 4-steps easy. Just grab your library card and dial 846-1573. (That's the library's phone number so no prank calls you cheeky lads and lasses!)

1.) Tell the librarian you would like to order a book.
2.) Give the librarian the title and author.
3A.) If it's available in the library, ask that it be pulled and left at the Circulation Desk for pick-up.
3B.) If it's not available in the library, ask that a copy of the book is shipped to MPL.
4.) Thank your super-awesome and very humble librarian.

So until Mother Nature figures out RI is not WA, use these soggy days as inspiration to stay indoors and get that summer reading done!

New Arrival!

Perpetual Check by Rich Wallace

This is a gem of a book that only 3 libraries in Rhode Island own. And we've got it!

Summary
Randy is a chubby ninth grader with a Cub Scout hair cut who guesses M&M colors with his eyes closed and makes up words. He’s also a chess whiz who has defeated his older brother Zeke in nine of their last ten matches. Zeke is a high school senior, a soccer champ, and a chess natural who can beat just about anyone if he decides to really concentrate. So why is his loser little brother the better athlete, the better chess player, and the first to have a girlfriend?

The competition heightens when both Randy and Zeke qualify for the Northeast Regional of the Pennsylvania High School Chess Championships (Randy is seeded, Zeke is not)—and play their way right into a brother-to-brother final round. Told in alternating points of view between brothers, Rich Wallace’s new novel brings to life one of America’s favorite pastimes in a suspenseful story about competition and family loyalty.

Rich Wallace is the author of several books for young adults, including One Good Punch, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults; and Wrestling Sturbridge, an ALA Quick Pick. He lives in Pennsylvania.

Review from Booklist
Two brothers endure a weekend chess tournament in this novel told in alternating viewpoints. Zeke, a high-school senior, has an edgier personality than his brother, Randy, a freshman who takes a relaxed, humorous, and savvy approach to life. The brothers are not helped by their jerk of a father, who spouts off clichés glorifying aggression. Both brothers’ voices describe Zeke’s gradual realization that emulating his angry and shallow father will get him nowhere, in chess or in his relationships. Eventually, the brothers meet in a match and grow closer through the experience. Wallace makes a subtle connection between the ability to see potential moves on a board and the ability to see the truth of life, and he tells his story in a series of revealing details. Wisely, he doesn’t let the story go on too long and offers a short novel that presents a fascinating study of two fully formed characters.
Grades 8-11.
--Todd Morning

Young Adult Summer Pen Pal Program

A very cool thing is happening in RI thanks to the amazing Aaron C., Young Adult librarian at Greenville Public Library. Aaron is putting together a YA summer pen pal program for teens 11-18 years old. And we are talking old school pen-pal'ing. Paper and pen! (Come on, you know you want to try it. See how old people did it way back in the 1980s.)

Here's the 411:

~Fill out an introductory letter form* and turn it in to the MPL Reference Department by July 3rd. (*Forms are available in the YA section or email ChristinaWolfskehl@yahoo.com for a copy.)

~Aaron C. (the YA librarian I mentioned above) will match you with someone your age who has the same interests. Your pen pal will be from another town or city in Rhode Island.

~Check back after July 14th to find out who your pen pal partner is.

~Write letters to your pen pal and turn them in at the Reference Desk. (Don't worry! The letters are only read by your snail-mail buddy. We just save you the postage when we forward them to your pen pal.)

~I will email/call when you receive a new letter from your pen pal.

So whaddaya say? Take a break from texting and try connecting with someone the old fashion way.

Cool New Website for YAs

Are you smart with money? It can be hard to get a handle on the Benjamins when your after school job pays only a few Washingtons a week. Well fear not dear reader, I've found a way to raise your dollar IQ points without breaking the bank.

The Federal Trade Commission (or simply FTC to those hep cats out there in cyberspace) is the nation's consumer protection agency. This remarkable agency protects consumers like you and me from false advertising and unfair business practices. Basically these are the folks who keep a close eye on all those claims Billy Mays makes on 3am infomercials.

To prove that they aren't a bunch of unfun money geeks, the FTC just set up an experimental website called You Are Here. The site helps users become savvy consumers by demonstrating the benefits of competition, the influence of advertising on buying decisions, and the rules and regulations that many business people need to follow. Essentially this site makes you money smart and doesn't bore you to death in the process. (Why wasn't this available when I was in high school?!)

So what can you do on the site? (So glad you asked!) There's a ton of fun stuff: you can design and print advertisements, uncover suspicious claims in ads, and learn how prices are determined based on supply, demand and production costs.

So get money smart!

Just Arrived!

Watchmen by Alan Moore

In honor of the impending DVD release of the film, I would like to introduce all my graphic novel lovin' YA'ers to THE BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL OF ALL TIME*!

Amazon.com Review
Has any comic been as acclaimed as Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen? Possibly only Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, but Watchmen remains the critics' favorite. Why? Because Moore is a better writer, and Watchmen a more complex and dark and literate creation than Miller's fantastic, subversive take on the Batman myth. Moore, renowned for many other of the genre's finest creations (Saga of the Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta, and From Hell, with Eddie Campbell) first put out Watchmen in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.

The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore's characterization is as sophisticated as any novel's. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control--indeed it was Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making "adult" comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons (best known for 2000 AD's Rogue Trooper and DC's Green Lantern) is very fine too, echoing Moore's paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other "works" and "studies" on Moore's characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the fine pace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up--it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced. --Mark Thwaite


*Time magazine wrote "A work of ruthless psychological realism, it’s a landmark in the graphic novel medium. It would be a masterpiece in any."

Edward & Bella...& Catherine?

Are you obsessed with the film Twilight? Director Catherine Hardwicke has put together a book about the making of this popular teen horror/romance film.

Twilight Director's Notebook takes a look at the film through the eyes of it's director. The book is filled with never-before-seen pictures of the film and behind-the-scene's gossip!

Summary
In this intimate book, readers will follow visionary director Catherine Hardwicke through the creative process that went into transforming Stephenie Meyer’s breathtaking novel into box office gold. Designed to replicate the director’s own personal notebook that she kept on set, readers will discover the inside secrets on wardrobe, storyboard sketches, behind-the- scenes photographs, personal notes about Catherine’s favorite scenes, and much more.

On Order Now!

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Do you sometimes feel insecure about the way you look? Well meet Terra Cooper.

Summary
As he continued to stare, I wanted to point to my cheek and remind him, But you were the one who wanted this, remember? You're the one who asked-and I repeat-Why not fix your face?

It's hard not to notice Terra Cooper.

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

Written in lively, artful prose, award-winning author Justina Chen Headley has woven together a powerful novel about a fractured family, falling in love, travel, and the meaning of true beauty.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Sixteen-year-old Terra seems to be a typical high-achieving high-school student. Under her heavy makeup, though, she hides a port-wine colored birthmark on her cheek that makes her feel like an outsider. During yet another attempt to remove the birthmark, Terra runs into Jacob, a gorgeous Goth with a cleft-palette scar. That encounter initiates a transformation in both Terra and her subservient mother. Headley has written an exquisite book that explores the difference between physical and true beauty as Terra and her mother travel from Washington state to China, and from the home of a shame-faced, cruel cartographer into the presence of an adventurous, strong woman and her insightful teenage son. Headley uses map metaphors throughout, even in the activity, geocaching, which helps bond Terra and Jacob in both Washington and China. She also uses Terra’s artistic medium, collage, as a literary device to create layer upon layer of experiences and insights into a artfully written journey of self-discovery, self-actualization, and love. With every carefully chosen word, well-crafted sentence, and fully developed character, Headley maps out a wholly satisfying reading experience that takes readers from terra nullis to terra firma. Grades 9-12. --Frances Bradburn

Book of the Day!

The "Dead" books are a very cool and funny new series by Marlene Perez that we just got in! It's like the Twilight saga, only with a kick of sass.

Book 1: Dead is the New Black
Summary: While dealing with her first boyfriend and suddenly being pressed into service as a substitute cheerleader, seventeen-year-old Daisy Giordano, daughter and sister of psychics but herself a "normal," attempts to help her mother discover who is behind a series of bizarre attacks on teenage girls in their little town of Nightshade, California.

Book 2: Dead is a State of Mind
Summary: When a gorgeous new student's prediction that a teacher will be murdered comes true, seventeen-year-old Daisy is determined to solve the crime, but when all signs point to the killer being a werewolf, she fears she is in over her head.

Book 3: Dead is So Last Year
Summary: In the beach town of Nightshade, California, home to both human and supernatural beings, the Giordano sisters find summer employment and uncover mysteries involving doppelgangers and oversized football players.

For more information on the books and/or author, check out her website!

RI Teen Book Award Nominees for 2010

**Recommended for Middle School Students
Darkside by Thomas Becker
Jonathan’s father is in an asylum. He finds secret messages from his father that lead him to the Darkside of London that is ruled by Jack the Ripper’s children. Can he survive?

Keeping Corner by Kashmira Sheth
When Leela is unexpectedly widowed at age 12, her carefree life ends. But with India changing, can Leela learn what she needs to change her circumstances, too?

Schooled by Gordon Korman
When Capricorn’s hippie grandmother falls ill and she can no longer continue to homeschool him, he must attend public school and experience life with his peers for the first time.

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Addie lives in a small trailer with her neglectful mother, but she longs for a normal family and to live with her step-father and half-sisters.

**Recommended for All Students
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Jenna is a 17 year old who awakens from a coma after a serious accident only to learn a startling truth about herself in this novel where technology knows no bounds.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Frankie Landau-Banks turns her boarding school's secret society traditions upside down in this fun, feminist, and highly disreputable romp!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Welcome to the Hunger Games, a Capitol-endorsed reality TV show in which Katniss can only prevail by killing the other players … even Peeta, who once saved her from starvation.

The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Celia Galante
When her grandmother takes Agnes, her brother, and her friend Honey from a religious commune, Agnes clings to faith as Honey looks toward a future free of control and cruelty.

Pemba’s Song: A Ghost Story by Tonya C. Hegamin & Marilyn Nelson
As Pemba adjusts to leaving Brooklyn for a small town, a black history specialist helps her research the ghostly images pulling her into the life of a slave who lived in her new house.

Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
When best friends Chris and Win go on a cross-country bicycle trek the summer after graduating and only one of them returns, the FBI wants to know what happened.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman
An orphan, a rebel, and a Chosen One join forces while trying to escape being unwound, a process in which a person is harvested for parts. Will Risa, Conor, and Lev escape the insanity of their society?

**Recommended for High School Students
Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway
Audrey's ex-boyfriend has written a hit song about their break-up, and now she has become an unwilling paparazzi magnet.

Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
At the height of Northern Ireland ’s “troubles,” Fergus is distracted by his imprisoned brother's hunger strike, being a courier for terrorists, and the body he discovered in a bog.

Child of Dandelions by Shenaaz Nanki
In 1972, the Ugandan president gives 90 days for all Indians to exit the country. Sabine and her family try to preserve a normal life as soldiers terrorize them and people disappear.

Freeze Frame by Heidi Ayarbe
Kyle must re-examine his own memory through the eyes of famous movie directors to solve the mystery of whether he killed his best friend on purpose.

My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park by Steve Kluger
Follow T.C., Augie and Alejandra for a year as they find their places in the world while navigating through new friendships and first loves.

Newes from the Dead: Being a True Story of Anne Green, Hanged for Infanticide at Oxford Assizes in 1650, Restored to the World and Died Again in 1665 by Mary Hooper
After being convicted, Anne is executed, sealed in a coffin, and awaits autopsy and dissection, but she can't awaken from a coma to stop the doctors from cutting her up alive.

Paper Towns by John Green
Quentin goes on an all-night romp with Margo, on whom he has a crush, before she disappears, leaving Q to spend his final of weeks of high school hunting down obscure clues to find her.

Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci
Six teens face a bioterrorist attack as four are infected with a mysterious disease and two computer techies assist the US Intelligence Coalition in tracking the perpetrators.

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher
When her family's rent needs to be paid, Ruby drops out of school to be a taxi hall dancer in 1940s Chicago , where the jazz is hot and the boys are bad.

Three Little Words: A Memoir by Ashley Rhodes-CourterNine years of being tossed around in a terribly flawed foster care system could have ruined Ashley’s life forever, but three little words changed her fate.

Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film about the Grapes of Wrath by Steven Goldman
Mitch, a shy and awkward junior, negotiates the difficult social situations he encounters, both with girls and with his best friend David, after David reveals to him that he is gay.

And the Winner Is...

Young adults from across Rhode Island chose Michael Scott’s The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel as their favorite book for the past year in a statewide election. As a result, Scott’s book was awarded the 2009 Rhode Island Teen Book Award. The award is sponsored by the Rhode Island Educational Media Association and the Rhode Island Library Association. Runners up for the award include Devilish by Maureen Johnson and Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.

The Alchemyst kick’s off a series, which is scheduled to have six volumes, filled with magic, mythology, and vampires, readers are introduced to Sophie and Josh Newman, the 15-year-old twin children of archeologists. They have taken summer jobs across the street from one another, Josh in a bookstore and Sophie in a coffee shop. When a sinister man in a sleek, dark car arrives to change their lives, he turns the bookstore to rubble using powerful magic. The bookstore owner turns out to be Nicholas Flamel, a 14th century alchemist, who, with his wife Perenelle, guards the secret to immortal life ... and the sinister man is Dr. John Dee, a magician/astrologer from the court of Queen Elizabeth I, who has been chasing the Flamels across time and space, determined to steal the book that gives them their powers. Josh and Sophie are immediately caught up in an epic battle between these powerful magicians and the ancient beings of myth and legend that they call upon. With Perenelle held captive and Flamel’s powers waning, the safety of the entire human race may depend on Josh and Sophie learning to use their own latent powers, but can they survive their “awakening?”

Check It Out!

Easily one of the best websites about graphic novels on the Internet is No Flying, No Tights. This website reviews graphic novels for teens. You can browse by genre (superheroes, fantasy, historical fiction, nonfiction, crime and suspense, science fiction, and "realism") or skim the "new sensation" section. Resources particularly appropriate for younger teens are starred. Updates are also available through a free email subscription service.

Read an article that was published (by one my of favorite geek magazines) about this site School Library Journal! (In the article creator Robin Brenner explains where the wacky name of the site came from.)

COMING SOON!

Forever Princess by Meg Cabot

Are you a big fan of the Princess Diaries movies (you know The Princess Diaries and The Princess Diaries 2)? As you probably know, these popular movies are based on a wonderful series of books by noted young adult author Meg Cabot. Ms. Cabot just released the latest Princess book and it's a great read!

Summary
Although she has recently completed a 400-page romance novel, Princess Mia, in her last month of high school, has yet to pick a college, find a prom dress, or decide if her boyfriend J. P. is really The One.

And for more on the author and her inspiration for this enchanting series go to her website!

COMING SOON! (On Order Now!)

P.S. I Loathe You: A Clique Novel by Lisi Harrison

Are you a big fan of the Gossip Girl series and looking for something new? Why not try the Clique novels. The Clique novels are a series of books that follow the adventures of Massie, Alicia, Dylan, Kristen and Claire as they try to navigate/dominate themselves through their trendy high school. This group makes the antic of Blair, Serena and Chuck look like child's play. You've been warned!

Product Description
Massie Block: When the Pretty Committee deems its boy-fast null and void, boy fever sweeps through BOCD. What better way to backhandspring into new crush Dempsey's heart-and make old crush Derrington jealous-than cheer for him on the soccer field? And just like that, Massie forms BOCD's first-ever cheerleading squad. But will Massie still have something to cheer about when Dempsey starts spending ah lot of time with LBR Layne Abeley? Give me an "E" for Ehmagawd!

Kristen Gregory: With Massie and her SBFF (secret best friend forever) Layne vying for the same boy, Kristen has to make a choice: A) the Pretty Committee, or B) the Witty Committee. And if she doesn't choose fast, she'll end up C) Committeeless.

Dylan Marvil: Is hiding something, and it's not just those peanut butter Luna bars stashed under her mattress. She's got a secret crush on Derrington-and it's no secret that he likes burpilicious redheads. . . .

Alicia Rivera: Prefers pliés to pom-poms, especially when Massie orders her to the bottom of the cheer-pyramid. Can Alicia accept her beta status, or is it time to become alpha of her own squad?

Claire Lyons: Now that she's back with Cam, Claire finally has her love life in order. But her friends are trading crushes like styling tips. Will the Pretty Committee survive the boy-swap intact, or is the Clique about to come apart at the seams?

RI Teen Book Awards: Your Vote COUNTS!

Hey there my teenage readers! (I do have some teens reading this blog, right?) Looking for some great winter reads? Well the Rhode Island Teen Book Award Committee has just posted it's list of the 20 best teen titles published between 2006-2008, and now they are looking to you to vote on which book is truly deserving of the title Best Book!

Wait a second...who are these people? The Rhode Island Teen Book Award is a collaborative project of the Rhode Island Education Media Association (RIEMA) and the Rhode Island Library Association (RILA). The goal of the Rhode Island Teen Book Award is to promote quality literature for teens by highlighting well-written books that will be of interest to those between the ages of 12 and 18 years of age.

To vote simply come to the Library, pick up a form, fill it out and hand it to one of the Reference Librarians (that would be either Heather or yours truly, Christina). All votes must be in before February 13th.

AND THE NOMINEES ARE...

*Recommended for Middle School Students*

Darkwing by Kenneth Oppel
Set during a dynamic era of earth’s history and changing species, Dusk, the world's first bat, must lead his colony to safety and a new home after a massacre from carnivores.

The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages
In 1943, Dewey moves to Los Alamos to live with her father, a scientist working on "the gadget"- the first atomic bomb.

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate
Kek survives a war in the Sudan that claims the lives of both his father and brother but can he adapt to a new life in the US and still remain true to his own beliefs?

Runaway by Wendelin Van Draanen
This is a touching and uplifting portrait of a young girl's struggle for survival on the streets and within herself, told through the words in her diary ... a diary she never wanted to use.

*Recommended for All Teens*

The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
Twins Sophie and Josh are caught in a battle between two alchemists over an ancient book containing the secret of eternal life.

The Arrival by Shaun Tan
This wordless graphic novel blends historical imagery with science-fiction elements to depict the journey of an immigrant from his terror-beset homeland to a new, more peaceful home.

Carpe Diem by Autumn Cornwell
With the help of a big secret, overachiever Vassar finds herself traipsing through the wilds of Southeast Asia with her free-living grandmother. How will it change her view of the world?

Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock
Meet DJ, a genuine home-grown cow-girl who wants not only to escape the drudgery of her farm but also to play football. Has she got what it takes to make it in the “real” world?

Devilish by Maureen Johnson
Jane Jarvis, a senior at a Catholic girls’ school in Providence, tries to save her best friend by making a pact with a demon in the form of a cupcake-eating, very friendly teenage girl.

Epic by Conor Kostick
On New Earth, a world based on a virtual role-playing game, Erik persuades his friends to help in order to save his father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families.

Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
A group of unpopular students thrown together in detention form a band to play at a local school talent show and become a wildly popular local rock band.

Song of the Sparrow by Lisa Ann Sandell
After her home on the island of Shalott is destroyed forcing her to live in Arthur's army encampments, can Elaine, and the world she has always known, survive the birth of a kingdom?

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
Five sisters who live with their merchant father in Transylvania use a hidden portal in their home to cross over into a magical world, the Wildwood.

*Recommended for High School Students*

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
After being bullied at his school on the reservation, Junior Spirit decides to attend an all-white school where he struggles with his identity and feelings about leaving the “rez".

Beige by Cecil Castelucci
Staying in Los Angeles for the summer with your punk rock legend father should be exciting. However, Katy and her estranged dad couldn't be more opposite.

Boot Camp by Todd Strasser
How bad can a boot camp really be? For Garrett, it's his worst nightmare come to life. Will he escape the never-ending behavior modifications of Lake Harmony.

Buried by Robin Merrow MacCready
When her alcoholic mother is missing, Claudine begins to spin out of control despite her attempts to impose order on every aspect of her life.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
Annabelle plays the girl who has everything in a local TV ad, but nothing could be further from the truth. Could her unlikely friendship with outsider Owen help her to mend her life?

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
After a severe blow to the head, amnesiac Naomi faces startling and puzzling consequences while unraveling her past life.

Trigger by Susan Vaught
Jersey is released from rehab after suffering a gunshot wound to the head only to learn the injury was self-inflicted. Now, he must overcome his extensive brain damage to find out why.

COMING SOON!

Thaw by Monica M. Roe

Summary

Dane is a thousand miles south of his home in northern New York. It's not the warm winter that keeps him off his skis, though. Not even creepy Isaac, who wanders by in Mardi Gras beads and a top hat, could block Dane from a Nordic race. Guillain-Barre Syndrome is the culprit, a paralyzing disease that has committed the high-school senior to a hospital bed indefinitely. Days in bed pass and Dane recalls both his former prowess and his disdain for the people in his life. Physical recovery is painfullu slow, though, and it becomes clear that Dane may not fully regain the use of his body, that he may become one of the losers he abhors. As this threat grows more immediate, either Dane's icy mind will crack, or the young man will learn to thaw.

RESERVE YOUR COPY TODAY!

Recommendation from the Librarian

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg

This is a little gem of a book I stumbled upon recently. It's a graphic novel, meaning it's "a kind of comic book, usually with long and fairly complex storylines and often aimed at more mature audiences" (definition from the Comics: Encyclopedia)

From Booklist
*Starred Review* For the first book in a new series aimed at teenage girls, DC comics recruited novelist Castellucci (Boy Proof, 2004, and The Queen of Cool, 2005) to write this story about outsiders who come together, calling up themes from the author's popular YA novels. Relocated to suburbia after a brush with disaster in the big city (and fueled by an urge not to be terrified of the world as a result), Jane rallies a small group of outcasts into a team of "art terrorists," shaking the town from its conservative complacency by putting bubbles in the city fountain and wrapping objects on the street as Christmas packages. Their activities end up rallying the local teenagers to their cause and working the adults into a dither. The book has its share of stereotypes--the science geek, the psychotically overprotective mother, the irrepressible gay teen--but this is thought-provoking stuff. The art, inspired by Dan Clowes' work, is absolutely engaging. Packaged like manga this is a fresh, exciting use of the graphic-novel format.

Jesse Karp
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Pearl One, Knit Two

There is a new after school fad that teens are doing, and it involves needles. Breathe Mom and Dad...I'm talking about knitting needles. It seems among certain social circles knitting is the cool thing to do! So does your teen want to know more? Here are a few websites s/he might like!

Craft Yarn Council of America: Learn the basics of knitting and crocheting, find free patterns, participate in a discussion group, or investigate one of the council's special programs at this site. One of the programs is this trade association's Warm Up America program of donating afghans to people in need.

FreePatterns.com Over 1500 free craft patterns for crochet, cross-stitch, quilting, crafts, plastic canvas, and knitting. Free registration required. Images and diagrams may be available. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF).

Knit Net: An online magazine for knitters. Free content includes articles, patterns, a list of knitting blogs, and video demonstrations. (More content is available with a paid subscription.) The magazine is published six times a year.

Knitting Charities: Knitting for a Better World: Annotated list of organizations and projects focused on knitting and crocheting for charitable causes. Includes knitting for premature infants, children in hospitals, domestic violence victims, chemotherapy patients, U.S. armed forces, humanitarian projects in other countries, and more. From a publisher of craft books.

Knitty: Little Purls of Wisdom: "The web-only knitting magazine for knitters with a fresh attitude." Offers a collection of free patterns for sweaters, socks, hats, and other clothing and gifts. Patterns are rated for difficulty, and include recommendations for materials, needle sizes, and gauge. Also include articles about knitting techniques and the knitting community.

Funny Bunny Versions of Your Favorite Movies

Looking for a little silliness to go along with all that yummy Halloween candy? Angry Alien Productions presents several well-known movies re-enacted by animated bunnies. This site features the bunny versions of "The Shining," "The Exorcist," "Jaws," "Titanic," and "Alien." The website also includes a FAQ and other animations. Pay close attention. You might recognize some of the skits as they have appeared on TV shows and at film festivals.

Funny site for teens and adults!