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Whether your teens like blasting a soccer ball into the net or covering their enemies in corrosive goo, our reviewers think they’ll like the the new releases FIFA 13 and Borderlands 2. For those that want to get their feet moving instead of their thumbs, Push and Shove from No Doubt delivers a pack of dance tunes guaranteed to delight old and new fans.
In his debut novel, The Yellow Birds, Kevin Powers draws on his own experience of combat in Iraq to tell the story of Private John Bartle and his attempts to honor a promise to bring his friend Murph home safely from the war. Told in chapters which alternate between a brief two-month stretch of the war, and the much longer period of Bartle’s homecoming and adjustment to civilian life, The Yellow Birds is a rich, powerfully felt addition to the ranks of American war literature. Powers’s novel was recently named a National Book Award finalist.
If your secondary school is in the U.S., has a minimum of 40 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunches, and has at least five senior classes, you could be eligible to apply for the annual College Board Gaston Caperton Inspiration Award. This is no small prize—three winning schools each receive $25,000, and an additional five could receive $1,000 honorable mention awards.
When YA author Gina Damico set out on her Slapdash Road Trip Book Tour, she set aside time to visit our teen reviewers, Bookmarked, at Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy in Jefferson, Louisiana. What a thrill it was for Fred, pictured here with Damico, to meet a new favorite author face to face! You can read his review of her latest title, Scorch, right here.
The Future of Us (Razorbill, 2012), co-written by Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher, comes out in paperback today. Find out how to win two autographed copies, one hardcover and one paperback.
Part of the fun of opening a new library is getting to tell people about it, and seeing their reactions. Myself and some coworkers have recently attended farmer’s markets and back-to-school nights in the Gum Sping area, talking to residents about the new library and answering their questions about resources and programs. We have encountered excited citizens whose enthusiasm is palpable. But we have also met hesitant residents who have never experienced a public library who are unsure of its purpose, and fearful of its unfamiliarity. While we appreciate the former group, the latter group is what drives me to outreach events, in hopes of educating them on the benefits of the library so that when we open they are educated as to our mission and seek to learn more about us.
The American Library Association (ALA) is coordinating the annual International Games Day @ your library (IGD12) for Saturday, November 3, 2012. It is estimated that more than one thousand libraries around the world will showcase gaming programs and services in support of IGD12. This year marks the 5th annual event. In 2011, over 27,700 people played games at more than 1,400 libraries across the U.S. and in other countries.
Vampires, zombies, robot policemen—this fall’s graphic novels don’t shy away from the dark side. You’ll find plenty of humor as well, to lighten things up.
Thermodynamics leading to the creation of a rock album? That’s what our reviewer says led to Muse’s The 2nd Law! Green Day is showing some maturity with Uno, putting their “bratty” roots behind them. And it’s not football season without a new release of Madden NFL, the thirteenth edition—it sounds almost classy!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012– 1:00 PM ET Lois Lowry’s breakthrough dystopian novel, The Giver has been read by millions of people around the world. It left many with lingering questions: What happened to Jonas and Gabriel? Is a perfect society possible? What does it mean to live a complete life? With Son, Lowry continues to wrestle with the idea of human freedom while completing the story of Jonas and the baby he rescued. Archive now available!
Cartoonists Dave Roman and Jerzy Drozd always seem to have something fun going on at Kids’ Comics Revolution! blog—which features podcasts, tips on creating sound balloons, and visual storytelling. Now is an especially good time to drop in for a visit. Drozd has just launched an online book club that’s devoted to Ben Hatke’s Zita the Spacegirl (First Second, 2011), the tale of a young explorer whose best friend has been abducted by a space alien.
When it comes to changing the world, two titles—Girls Who Rocked the World and Boys Who Rocked the World—prove that it doesn’t matter how old you are. Now 20 lucky readers will have a chance to win signed hardcover copies of each title.
Though our reviewer recommends Steven Arntson’s The Wrap-up List to teenage girls, I can vouch that it will also appeal to adults—especially with its references to classic reaper stories. If you’re looking for something with zombies or aliens, or just a sharp contemporary read, Bookmarked has some recommendations here as well. Read on.
SLJTeen’s sister newsletter, Curriculum Connections, recently ran a terrific article that’s perfect for high school seniors who are thinking about college—and for those of us who work with them. “The College Maze: From Application to Admission (And Beyond)” offers a comprehensive round-up of titles that college-bound students, as well as their parents, caregivers, and counselors, won’t want to miss.
The recommended list of books—which cover everything from choosing a major to guidance for students with disabilities—is bound to spark ideas for [...]
Alyssa Sheinmel, Adele Griffin, and other young adult authors came together September 29 at the sixth annual KidLitCon in New York City to discuss social media, the obligations authors have to their fans, and the challenges of interacting with an audience.
STIEFVATER, Maggie. The Raven Boys. Bk. 1. 408p. (The Raven Cycle). Scholastic. 212. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-42492-9; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-46979-1.
Gr 8 Up–Blue was born into a psychic family with the misfortune of having no psychic ability of her own. However, her presence helps others “see” more clearly, which has led to every psychic she’s ever met predicting that if Blue were to kiss her true love, he would die. Not interested in boys yet and especially repulsed by the [...]
With the kick-off of a new school year comes the kick-off of football season. Sports activities fill our students’ days and nights with competition and energy. Thankfully, there are great new sports-themed books (football and more) to grab their attention even in the midst of strong opponents. You’ll note that all of these authors are big names in YA lit, which will help grab the attention of your tween and teen readers.
Ten teens, ages 16 to 17, dressed in tan pull-on pants and dark blue sweatshirts with “Alameda County Juvenile Hall” stamped across their chests, are in my library, crowding around me and talking all at once.
“He said he was hit with an electrical cord, but in the book he says it was a snakeskin belt,” says one boy, pouncing on a disparity between what an author told us when he recently visited and what he wrote in his memoir.
Your latest novel is a dark and disturbing story about a 16-year-old named Angel who moves in with a guy she meets at the mall and is lured into a life of drugs, violence, and prostitution. It must have been tough to write.
I tried to put it off as long as I could. I wrote Heck Superhero and Tom Finder—both about homeless boys—and I knew that someday I was going to have to write a book about a [...]
End of summer means less outside time, more indoor time, so make sure you have the latest video games on your shelves to share with your teen patrons. Our reviewers recommend Darksiders and NHL 13 as excellent distractions. And if you’ve been wondering what Pink has been up to, give a listen to The Truth About Love.
