Library Ninja

New Blog Home!

2010-11-01T15:02:00.000-05:00

To our Super Fabulous Ninja Blog Readers

We have a fancy new home (pinkies up everyone)! The library has updated its website and with that comes a fancy new blog embedded within the website....coool! The new blog still works the same...you can still send in reviews, get free books, find information on the best YA books out there, etc. It's now just more awesome. Trust us...

If you subscribe via RSS, please change your feed! You can still contact Ninja Amy and myself. Just click the new Contact button on the left hand menu. We are continuing to explore ways to improve the new website. All suggestions are welcome. Over time Ninja Amy and I will try to find time to upload older reviews from this blog.

Thank you to everyone who made this blog so successful. Please continue with us on our journey by heading over to our new blog: http://www.arlingtonlibrary.org/library-ninja

Teen Review by Jessica. . .Gossamer by Lois Lowry

2010-10-30T08:00:00.001-05:00

The least i can say is AMAZING! Gossamer is about a little dream giver who is just now learning how to touch and bestow dreams. She goes through all these experiences and gets caught in a danger situation. She is GOSSAMER!!!! THIS IS A MUST READ!!!!!!!

Other books you might enjoy:

Teen Review by Christian. . .Unwind by Neal Shusterman

2010-10-29T09:52:00.001-05:00

There are three troubled children destined for a terrible fate.The fate of being Unwound. One of the kids is a A.W.A.L. trouble maker. The other a pianist at a state home in Ohio. The other is a young tithe. They must work together to escape the clutches of the Juvi cops to save there lives.

This book is another jaw-dropping, spine-tingling,heart-throbbing novel that Neal Shusterman has given us. This book will open your mind to a whole new world of the author's imagination. This book is full of twists and turns that will leave you breathless. Shusterman draws you in with mystery, murder, and insanity of whats going to happen next. I promise you this is one one of the most exciting books you would have ever read!!!

Other books you might enjoy:

The Ninja Reviews. . .Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin

2010-10-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Phoebe was born into the famous and influential Rothschild family but she feels like its most ordinary member. Always overshadowed by the wealth and power of her family, Phoebe feels powerless to be herself and make lasting friendships. Mallory Tolliver is the new girl at school who is in danger of becoming a laughingstock until Phoebe decides to claim the power her name gives her and befriend Mallory. Four years have passed and Phoebe and Mallory are inseparable.

Mallory was born a faerie princess and has been sent to the human realm on a mission. She must entice a female member of the Rothschild family into the faerie world or all of the faeries face extinction. What was thought to be an easy assignment turns difficult when Mallory becomes too influenced by her Earthly surroundings and Phoebe’s friendship.

Ryland is Mallory’s brother who is sent by the Faerie Queen to succeed where Mallory has failed. His mission is to seduce Phoebe with his glamour and manipulate her into cooperating with the Faerie Queen’s plans.

Is Phoebe destined to be ruled by the prophecy concerning her family? Will Mallory be able to stop her friend from making a terrible mistake? Will Ryland succeed in luring Phoebe and saving his race?

Nancy Werlin has once again created a brilliant story, which weaves together a mystical and human world. It was truly disturbing for me to read the psychological abuse and manipulation Ryland uses on Phoebe in his attempts to lure her. And I totally love the perspective Phoebe has concerning the demise of the faeries and how she relates it to her own Jewish heritage. So if you are looking for a little evil faerie mayhem for All Hallows Eve, give Extraordinary a read!

Review by Angela J.

Other books you might like:

WE'RE MOVING!!

2010-10-26T18:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, my lovely ninja minions. Library Ninja is moving to a new location. We have enjoyed our stay here at Blogger and we have been so proud of how much we have grown in content and in ninja minions over the last two years.

As of Monday, November 1, we will no longer post here on the Blogger account.

If you visit the Arlington Public Library website on a regular basis, then you know that we recently underwent a massive website re-design. Personally, I think it looks pretty magnificent compared to what we had before. With that re-design, we decided to place the Library Ninja blog directly on the website itself. It just seemed to make sense (also, it means you are more tempted to search through our awesome website and find more books, movies, music, programs, classes, and things you never even knew we had!).

If you have Library Ninja bookmarked or marked as a favorite in your internet browser, please change that bookmark to http://www.arlingtonlibrary.org/library-ninja.

If you follow us via an RSS feed, please go here http://arlingtonlibrary.org/rss and find the new Library Ninja RSS feed to add to whatever you use to follow blogs. You will also find RSS feeds for New items added to our catalog, as well as a few other lovely things.

That being said, come on over to our new location, keep submitting those book reviews, and explore our new Teen Page.

WINNERS of theTeen Read Week SWAG Contest!

2010-10-25T20:29:00.000-05:00

We took the names of all our entrants, put them into a random number generator, and came up with THREE winners!

Abdullah
Caitlin
Hafsah

All three winners need to email us at libraryninja@arlingtontx.gov in order to get your swag, which will be, as Ninja Jenny describes it, a "surprise smorgasbord of stuff." Sounds pretty awesome to me!

Thank you to everyone who participated! Keep an eye out for future contests, keep on reading, and keep sending us your great book reviews!

Teen Review by Lauren. . .Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix

2010-10-25T08:00:00.024-05:00

Bethany didn't know what to think. Her parents had been acting weird for months-her dad seemed tense, and her mom made a full-time career out of crying. Then one day, they all got in the car and started driving. All day, all night, they drove, so long that Bethany wasn't even sure what state she was in. Then, in some small town, they stopped. Her dad got out of the car and walked up to a house. Bethany had never seen this town before, but her dad seems to know the lady who lived here. She hugged him like he had come back from the dead. Meanwhile, Bethany's mom was crying harder than ever. Bethany eavesdropped on her dad, and heard something about "Elizabeth." Her life was forever changed...and she still didn't know where she was or who Elizabeth was.

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix was fast-paced, unpredictable, and fascinating. I read it cover-to-cover without stopping, twice, and I still can't believe the ending. This was definitely a great read.

Other books you might like:

Teen Read Week SWAG Contest - Question Seven

2010-10-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Who is the best villain ever?

Ninja Jenny says: Um.....Volde, er, He Who Must Not Be Named :) Actually, I think the worst villain I have read would have to be the Mayor in the Chaos Walking trilogy (The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men). He was just PURE evil!

Teen Read Week Rules
1. Contest runs October 17 - October 23
2. Every day there will be a question to answer by making a comment on the blog
3. Every day you comment will be an entry into the SWAG drawing
4. Only one comment per day, per person (yes you can backtrack if you miss a day)
5. Winners will be chosen at random by a number generator after October 24
6. Anyone in the lower 48 states can participate!
7. Members of the Arlington Public Library will get an extra entry if they let us know they are library members.
8. Please remember to include your email in your comment. If you are uncomfortable with that, please email the Ninja at libraryninja@arlingtontx.gov

Teen Read Week SWAG Contest - Question Six

2010-10-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

What book do you wish you had written and why?

Ninja Jenny says: I wish I had written Harry Potter, not because of the money J.K. Rowling has made, but because of the awesome world she created. I envy her creative brain!

Teen Read Week SWAG Contest - Question Five

2010-10-21T09:00:00.002-05:00

What book character most reminds you of yourself?

Ninja Jenny says: Jo March from Little Women reminds me a lot of me! She was headstrong, took her own path, and struggled a lot between what was expected of her and what she truly wanted to do with her life. I love her character!

Teen Read Week SWAG Contest - Question Four

2010-10-20T09:06:00.001-05:00

If you could have any book be required reading at your school,

what book would you choose and why?

Ninja Jenny says: I would require everyone to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The book is a modern day Catcher in the Rye, and while I hated Catcher when I was in high school, I loved and still love Perks. The book speaks to the reader on many levels, showing the beauty of first time experiences, first love, and true friendship.

Teen Read Week SWAG Contest - Question Three

2010-10-19T11:03:00.000-05:00

What book was your favorite when you were a little kid?

Teen Read Week SWAG Contest - Question Two

2010-10-18T10:20:00.000-05:00

What is the weirdest book you've ever read and why?

Teen Read Week SWAG Contest - Question One

2010-10-17T22:07:00.001-05:00

What is the most disappointing teen-book-to-movie and why?

Ninja Jenny's opinion....Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison being made into Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. Why? I just don't think they got Georgia right AND the acting wasn't great AND Robbie and Tom were the same age AND Vatti just wasn't weird enough! :)

Ninja Amy's opinion...The WORST book to movie I have ever come across is my beloved Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause. The main character’s age, location, and family situation is changed drastically. She goes from being a teen in the U.S. to a 20-something living in Romania. The bad guy in the movie isn’t the same bad guy in the book. The situation with the human boy is changed COMPLETELY in the movie. And don’t even talk to me about lack of character development in the movie! Don’t waste your time or money on the movie version if you are a fan of the book.

Welcome to Teen Read Week and Giveaway Extravaganza!

2010-10-16T14:30:00.008-05:00

Ninja Minions, tomorrow is the start of Teen Read Week and we want you to, well, read! Over the next few days we will have some great book reviews and some even better book challenges that you can participate in and win SWAG! That's right, the Ninja's closet is full of crazy stuff and we want to give it away for freeeeeeeeeee! Right now we have quite a few books to give away as well as pens, bookmarks, zombies, vampire teeth, candy, even swimming caps (yes, we're serious!).

So if you want to grab a swag bag then just comment on the daily Teen Read Week question. Next week we'll choose three winners of fun swag. Think of every comment you make to be an entry into the contest.

Thanks everyone!

Teen Read Week Rules
1. Contest runs October 17 - October 23
2. Every day there will be a question to answer by making a comment on the blog
3. Every day you comment will be an entry into the SWAG drawing
4. Only one comment per day, per person
5. Winners will be chosen at random by a number generator after October 24
6. Anyone in the lower 48 states can participate!
7. Members of the Arlington Public Library will get an extra entry if they let us know they are library members.
8. Please remember to include your email in your comment. If you are uncomfortable with that, please email the Ninja at libraryninja@arlingtontx.gov

Teen Review by Asya. . .Cut by Patricia McCormick

2010-10-15T08:00:00.020-05:00

Cut is about a girl Callie that lives in a mental hospital kind of like rehab. Before she started going there she used to cut herself because of stress and other things in her life.People try to get her to talk but she doesn't want to well majority of the time. But than she realizes that there is no need for harming herself. Check it out!!!

Other books you might like:

Teen Review by Claryce. . .Thorn In My Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs

2010-10-13T12:18:00.000-05:00

If you have ever read the story of Jacob and Esau in the bible then you will think that this story is very similar to it. This book is set in the Scottish lowlands in 1788. This book is about two boys, twins, that are fighting for their father's blessing. When the younger brother steals the blessing from the older that is where the adventure begins. This book is just one in a five book series. If you love romance and adventure than you will want to check this book out.

Other books you might like:

Teen Review by Hafsah. . .The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

2010-10-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

The sound of faeries in a YA novel use to make me cringe. I have avoided all faery and magical creatures ever since Peter Pan and Harry Potter. After I started my blog, however, I thought I should give fearies a try. Now, I can't wait to pick up The Iron Daughter (book 2).
Meghan Chase lives a boring life where everyone avoids her. She was never able to fit in, and has only one friend - Robbie, who's her best friend, despite the fact that she's never been to his house or met his parents. She soon finds out that Robbie...isn't Robbie or what he seems.

When Meghan's brother, Ethan, is kidnapped, no one knows. In his place there is an exact replica of Ethan, but a more violent one. No one can really tell the difference, but Meghan knows. And Meghan will do anything to get the real Ethan back, even exchange her own life.

With her friend Robbie, now called Puck, she sets off into the land of Nevernever - through her brother's closet. Meghan is shocked by new secrets, the most shocking of all - Meghan Chase is not fully human, she's half-fey. Nevernever is full of trouble, most creatures want to eat her, kill her, or do worse things. But the faery world is eroding, losing its lands to a new and powerful element - iron.

I made a mistake of not picking up The Iron King when it first came out. I like how its serious and suspensful, but has humor in the most unexpected places! I was hooked from the very first page, and I am already on the hold list for book two - The Iron Daughter.

Other books you might like:

Teen Review by Abdullah. . .I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

2010-10-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

They might be the the person you are walking past right now as you go to school in your ordinary and peaceful lives. They could be your next door neighbors who act very strange and keep to themselves, and who you think very peculiar. If only you knew how important they are to the survival Earth and that if they get beaten by the Mogadorians, the evil and sinister race from the planet Mogadore, then all is lost.

They are the Loriens, the last of their kind who have powers you dream of having. Who can do things you only do in your dreams. There were originally nine that came to Earth after their planet was destroyed by the Mogadorians, but three were killed and now they are hunting down Number Four.

John Smith, aka, Number Four can't remember a single moment in his life when he and his Cepan, Henri have lived without having to leave at a moments notice, so just as soon as he is allowed to to make friends in the current state that he is living in, the scar that he fears seeing every day appears on his ankle. The scar only meant one thing Number Three was dead, killed by the vicious Mogadorians who were bent on destroying all life in the universe and, it also that meant that they had to leave right away. This time, leaving seemed worst then last time for him and Henry, because he had been staying here for a while. Little does he know that his new home would bring him loyal friends, enemies, and a much more intresting life that includes the girl he just met, the Legacy (special power) he just discovered, and a lot of death.

Author Pittacus Lore weaves a tale of danger and mystery in I Am Number Four and as he tells the story of John. He also throws himself in the story as one of Loriens ruling elders and writes one of the greatest scence fiction stories of all time. Pittacus Lore will probably write a sequel to I Am Number Four and I can't wait for it to come out.

Other books you might like:

We have a spankin' new website

2010-10-04T14:22:00.001-05:00

Go and check out it (especially the teen part!). Really, it's pretty sweet! Click on the image to see a larger size.

www.arlingtonlibrary.org/teens

You know you want to check it out...and read Ninja Jenny and Ninja Amy's profiles! ;)

The Ninja Reviews. . .Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

2010-10-01T08:00:00.003-05:00

Matt, his sister Frankie, and Anna have been best friends all of their lives. They live next door to each other in upstate New York and tell each other everything…well, almost. Anna has never admitted out loud that she is in love with Matt. On her fifteenth birthday, Anna discovers that Matt is in love with her as well and wants to begin a romantic relationship with her. The only problem is how to tell Frankie. Before this question can be answered, Matt dies and leaves a huge hole in all of their lives.

The year after Matt’s death has been fraught with grief—Frankie’s parents become absent from her life while coming to terms with the loss of their son, Frankie acts out in shocking ways in an attempt to get her parents attention, and Anna is trying to hold everyone together while silently suffering her own grief over the death of the boy who was but was not her boyfriend. In an attempt to get back to “normal”, Frankie’s parents plan a trip to their favorite family vacation spot on the West Coast and insist that Anna accompany them. Frankie comes up with the perfect plan to combat their grief—meet twenty new boys while vacationing in California. Anna reluctantly goes along with the plan while attempting to remain the voice of reason to her self-destructive friend. The plan to have the “Best Summer Ever” brings boys, lying, surfing, lying, parties, and more lying. Will the girls overcome their grief or destroy their friendship?

Twenty Boy Summer is so much deeper and thought provoking than its catchy and cute title lets on. I really enjoyed this book and found it an extremely realistic and heart felt story of families and grief. The reason I chose to read this book is much deeper than its title, as well. I chose it because Twenty Boy Summer has been challenged. An attempt to have the book removed from the curriculum and libraries in the Republic, Missouri school system happened in September 2010 NOT thirty years ago and reminds us that attempts at censorship are alive and well in modern society. Each year, the American Library Association celebrates Banned Books Week in an attempt to bring the topic of censorship and intellectual freedom to the forefront. So check out the Banned Book Lists compiled by ALA—you just might be surprised at some of the titles that have sparked controversy.

Review by Angela J.

Teen Review by Hafsah. . .Nomansland by Lesley Hauge

2010-09-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading Nomansland, by Lesley Hauge. It was incredible. It was unlike anything I've read before. No Vampires, Fairies, Magic -- Nomansland is unique. The story takes place in the future, on a wind-swept island called Foundland, where there are no men. In fact, the women in Foundland are taught that men are the enemy. Women run the island, grow the crops, tend the animals, and defend the island from an enemy that never shows up.

As I read this book, I kept waiting for action, maybe an attack, but about 3/4 of the way through, I realized that Nomansland was not meant to have action. It was meant for us to think, to contemplate, to ponder over what we call normal and common in our lives.

The main character, Keller, follows all the rules, whatever they may be. She accepts her way of life, even if she's not satisfied in it. When a group of girls, including Keller, finds an underground cavern filled with "smooth glossy, bound books" (magazines), colored paints (make-up), and "shoes that were probably used as weapons" (high-heels) - all things forbidden to them, Keller wonders what made the Old People from the Time Before so... bad. And why do the women and girls of Foundland have to live this way, forbidden from many things that will make them happy? Why live such a dull and colorless life in isolation?

Overall, I really liked this book. It wasn't full of action or suspense, but I felt the need to turn the page to find out what happens to Keller, if her questions will be answered, and by whom. I enjoyed the ending as well, which gives new hope to the island of Nomansland, but most of all, to Keller.

Hafsah recently started her own blog called Icey Books. Check out her interview with author Lesley Hauge!

If you like dystopian novels that make you think, try one of these:

Banned Books Week

2010-09-28T10:08:00.029-05:00

This week is Banned Books Week and that means we have a display of books at the library that you won't believe anyone has attempted to ban or challenge in a school or public library. Follow this link here and scroll to the very bottom for a list of the most challenged and banned books in the past 5 years.

Here's a little taste of books that have been frequently challenged. Come to the library and check one out!

Teen Review by Lauren B. . . .Halo Alexandra Adornetto

2010-09-21T08:00:00.004-05:00

Bethany, a young angel, is on her first assignment with her siblings Gabriel and Ivy to bring good to a little town called Venus Cove. Sounds simple, right? Until she meets Xavier, and realizes that her human emotions are a bit deeper and more directed than her siblings'. After all, angels love humanity, not individuals. But Bethany is different. Can she keep her wings hidden and her focus on her mission?

Relationships aside, Bethany is adjusting well to life on earth. But just as she's getting settled, things get interesting. Jake Thorn transfers to the Bryce Hamilton School, and suddenly a student is involved in a car crash and a cook is burned by spilled fryer grease. Even worse, a girl soon commits suicide, and no one knows why. But worse than all this, Jake Thorn has his sights set on Bethany. It's a race against the clock to stop the Dark Forces, and the biggest question is: is Bethany strong enough to fight them? Does love conquer all?

Books about angels are big right now. Can't get enough? Try one of these:

Teen Review by Hafsah. . .The Enemy by Charlie Higson

2010-09-16T08:00:00.038-05:00

Normally, the word "grown-ups" bring moans and groans to misbehaving kids. In The Enemy, by renown author Charlie Higson, however, "grown-ups" mean "Run, or you'll get eaten"! All adults over the age of sixteen have either died or turned into hideous decomposing, brainless, flesh-eating monsters. The children of Holloway have divided themselves into two groups, some living in Waitrose, the others in the Morrisons supermarket, each with their own leaders.

Life is tough, and only getting worse, with one kid getting eaten or killed almost everyday. Food is scarce, the kids are so desperate, they've started eating dead dogs. When a stranger arrives in the most unusual outfit saying he can take them to a safe place, it seems to good to be true for the Holloway kids. When they ask him where that safe place is, the answer is even more suspicious - The Buckingham Palace. After some debate, the kids decide they'll go, since they've got nothing to lose.

As I read this book, it reminded me a lot of Gone by Michael Grant, and I kept expecting the kids in this book to develop super-powers just like the ones in Gone. There's a lot of blood and gore, and the loss of lives is painful at times. But its very face-paced, so readers won't feel as emotional as with some other books. Overall, I am pretty satisfied with it, and I am giving it 4 out of 5 ninja kicks because I think it could have had a little more substance to it.