Lansing Public Library Teen News & Reviews

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2011-01-29T16:16:00.000-06:00

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Award Winners are Here!

2011-01-21T10:34:00.009-06:00

Once again, the best of the best were given their dues. The following award-winning books are available here. To learn more about them or to see if they are on the shelf, click the links.

Michael L. Printz Award
The Printz Award is presented to Teen book that possesses a great deal of literary merit and has the highest level of quality than the other books released that year.

Winner:
Ship Bre aker by Paolo Bacigalupi
In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wire from grounded oiler tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decided whether to strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.

Honors:
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Sixteen-year-old Gemma, a British city-dweller, is abducted while on vacation with her parents and taken to the Australian outback, where she soon realizes escape attempts are futile, and in time she learns that her captor is not as despicable as she first believed.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
When her best friend, who she secretly loves, betrays her and then dies under mysterious circumstances, high school senior Vera Dietz struggles with secrets that could help clear her name.

Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick
Fourteen-year-old Sig is stranded at a remote cabin in the Arctic wilderness with his father, who just died hours earlier after falling through some ice, when a terrifying man arrives, claiming Sig's father owes him a share in the horde of stolen gold and that her will kill Sig if he does get his money.

Nothing by Janne Teller
When thirteen-year-old Pierre Anthon leaves school to sit in a plum tree and train for becoming part of nothing, his seventh grade classmates set out on a desperate quest to find the meaning of life.

William C. Morris Award
The Morris Award goes to the best Teen book for a debut author.

Winner:
The Fr eak Observer by Blythe Woolston
Suffering from a crippling case of post-traumatic stress disorder, sixteen-year-old Loa Lindgren tries to use her problem-solving skills , sharpened in physics and computer programming, to cure herself.

Honors:
Hush by Eishes Chayil
After remembering the cause of her best friend Devory's suicide at age nine, Gittel is determined to raise awareness of sexual abuse in her Borough Park, NY community, despite the rules of Chassidim that require her to be silent.

Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey
Eighteen-year-old New Zealand boarding school student Ellie Spencer must use her rusty tae kwon do skills and new-found magic to try and stop a fairy-like race of creatures from Maori myth and legend that is plotting to kill millions of humans in order to regain their lost immortality.

H old Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
Sam LaCroix, a Seattle fast food worker and college drop-out, discovers that he is a necromancer, part of a world of harbingers, werewolves, satyrs, and one particular necromancer who sees Sam as a threat to his lucrative business of raising the dead.

Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber
In Missouri in 1926, fifteen-year-old Iris Baldwin discovers what family truly means when her father hires her out for the summer as a companion to a country doctor's invalid mother.

Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are a list of the best adult books for teens.

The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had to by D.C. Pierson
Fifteen-year-old Darren, a social misfit who spends his time at school trying not to be noticed while drawing characters for a planned film series and book tie-ins, befriends Eric, another outcast who reveals he never sleeps.

Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and my Journey from Homeless to Harvard by Liz Murray
The stunning memoir of a girl who at age 15 was living on the streets but survived to make it to Harvard.

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
When 11-year-old Kimberly Chang and her mother emigrate from Hong Kong to Brookly squalor, she quickly begins a secret double life: exceptional schoolgirl during the day and Chinatown sweatshop worker in the evenings. Disguising the most difficult truths of her life, like her secret love to a factory boy who shares none of her talent or ambition, Kimberly learns to translate not just her language but herself back and forth between the worlds she straddles.

The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni

Sebastian Prendergast lives in a geodesic dome with his eccentric grandmother, who homeschooled him in the teachings of futurist philosopher, R. Buckminster Fuller. But when his grandmother has a stroke, Sebastian is forced to live the dome and make his own way in town. Jacob Whitcomb is a chain-smoking, sixteen-year-old heart-transplant recipient who befriends Sebastian and begins to teach him about all the things he has been missing, including grape soda, girls, and Sid Vicious.

The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
Traumatized at the age of eight, and pushed into a life of crime by reason of his unforgivable talent - lockpicking - Michael sees his chance to escape, and with one desperate gamble, risks everything to come back home to the only person he ever loved, and unlock the secret that has kept him silent for so long.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender
Being able to taste people's emotions in food may at first be horrifying. But young, unassuming Rose Edelstein grows up learning to harness her gift as she becomes aware that there are some secrets even her taste buds can't discern.

The Radleys by Matt Haig
Struggling with overwork and parenting angst, English village doctor Peter Radley endeavors to hide his family's vampire nature until their daughter's oddly satisfying act of violence reveals the truth, an event that is complicated by the arrival of a practicing vampire family member.

The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell
Zombies have infested a fallen America. A young girl named Temple is on the run. Haunted by her past and pursued by a killer, Temple is surrounded by death and danger, hoping to be set free. For twenty-five years, civilization has survived in meager enclaves, guarded against a plague of the dead. Temple wanders this blighted landscape, keeping to herself and keeping her demons inside her heart. She can't remember a time before the zombies, but she does remember an old man who took her in and the younger brother she cared for until the tragedy that set her on a personal journey toward redemption. Moving back and forth between the insulated remnants of society and the brutal frontier beyond, Temple must decide where ultimately to make a home and find the salvation she seeks.

Room by Emma Donoghue
Narrator Jack and his mother, who was kidnapped seven years earlier when she was a 19-year-old college student, celebrate his fifth birthday. They live in a tiny, 11-foot-square soundproofed cell in a converted shed in the kidnapper's yard. The sociopath, whom Jack has dubbed Old Nick, visits at night, grudgingly doling out food and supplies. But Ma, as Jack calls her, proves to be resilient and resourceful--and attempts a nail-biting escape.

The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant

January Book of the Month

2010-12-31T17:35:00.007-06:00

In The Bully by Paul Langan, freshman Darrell Mercer and his mother are moving to California against Darrell's wishes. Darrell, small and skinny for 15, expects the worst at his new school and gets it: kids act uncaring, unfriendly, and even hostile toward him. Darrell's biggest problem is Tyray, who immediately starts making Darrell's life miserable. Tyray pushes Darrell around every chance he gets, humiliating Darrell and extorting money from him.

Because of Tyray, Darrell dreads every day of school. Home life gets complicated as Darrell lies to his mom about his troubles and starts seeing himself and Tyray in his two younger cousins. Pressure builds as Darrell struggles to respect himself and not hurt the girl he likes while keeping Tyray's bullying a secret from everyone. But Darrell's anger and hurt won't stay bottled inside him forever. Darrell has to decide whether he can stop running and end Tyray's hold on him.

The Bully tells of a normal kid trying to fight his way out of helplessness. Darrell's trouble echoes the suffering too many young people have lived through both in and out of school. His story feels real, from the little tortures that Tyray carries out to the way Darrell tries to keep himself together and finally deals with his situation. Paul Langan captures the fury and shame that anyone would feel over dealing with a bully and the frustration that pushes a person into action.

New Books!

2010-10-30T12:34:00.008-05:00

Here are a few books we just got in. Check them out now before they're gone!

Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel
In 1973, when a renowned Canadian behavioral psychologist pursues his latest research project - an experiment to determine whether chimpanzees can acquire advanced language skills - he brings home a baby chimp named Zan and asks his thirteen-year-old son to treat Zan like a little brother.

Empty by Suzanne Weyn
When, just ten years in the future, oil supplies run out and global warming leads to devastating storms, senior high school classmates, Tom, Niki, Gwen, Hector, and Brock realize that the world as they know it is ending and lead the way to a more environmentally-friendly society.

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
In the spring of 1929, eighteen-year-old Cordelia Grey and her stage-struck friend Letty Larkspur run away from their small Ohio town to seek their fortunes in New York City and soon find themselves drawn into situations and relationships, particularly with the dazzling Astrid Donal, that change their lives forever.

Monster High by Lisi Harrison
Frankie Stein was created in a laboratory, and when she enters Merston High School camouflaged as a "normie," all she wants is to fit in, but it takes the help of another new student who believes that everyone should be treated equally before Frankie even has a chance.

Hush by Eishes Chayil
After remembering the cause of her best friend Devory's suicide at age nine, Gittel is determined to raise the awareness of sexual abuse in her Borough Park, New York, community, despite the rules of Chassidim that require her to be silent.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke
Jacob and Will Reckless have looked out for each other ever since their father disappeared, but when Jacob discovers a magical mirror that transports him to a warring world populated by witches, fairies, and dwarfs, he keeps it to himself until Will follows him one day, with consequences.

November Book of the Month

2010-10-28T12:28:00.010-05:00

The Clique
A Novel By Lisi Harrison

Just a quick heads up: This is a mean book!

Massie Block is the 7th grade girl that everyone wants to be. She is the ruler of the clique and the social scene at OCD, Octavian Country Day School, an exclusive private girls' school in Westchester County, New York. Her life is just perfect until Claire Lyons shows up.

Claire is the daughter of her father's old college friend. Claire's family will be living in the Block's guesthouse while her father starts work for Mr. Block and they look for a new home. It is clear from the start that Claire is not clique material with her new Keds and two year old white Gap jeans.

Massie decides to make Claire's life miserable for no other reason than that she can and that she is the "new girl". Massie enlists her clique of friends to help harass and humiliate Claire. Claire fights back and ends up getting her revenge . . . sort of.

This book sucks you into the shallowness of the has, versus the has nots. The school has a Starbucks in the cafeteria, designer clothes, cameras, phones and all of these "things" have an expiration date and before the year is out so is everything you own!

This is the first book in this series so stay tuned for more meaness. You will just love it!

The Clique . . . the only thing harder than getting in is staying in so come in and check it out!

October Book of the Month, Demon Chick

2010-10-01T09:04:00.001-05:00

So you think you have a bad relationship with your mother? Wait until you read Demon Chick by Marilyn Kaye and you will end up eternally grateful for your own mom. Sixteen year old Jessica Hunsucker should have everything to look forward to: it's her birthday, she's getting a total makeover and she's finally spending some quality time with her mom, an aspiring presidential candidate. Or so she thought. Turns out mommy dearest has other plans, like trading her daughter's soul to the devil in exchange for political power. Jessica finds herself entangled in a massive cover-up that includes her kidnapping, murder and descent into hell. We learn that there are different levels of hell and Jessica doesn't have it too bad, everything is just okay. The food is neither too hot nor too cold, the houses are not exceptionally comfortable or pretty to look at, and the selection in tv viewing is severely limited but enough to keep you tuned in. As Jessica learns of her mother's dangerous political influence over the world, she devises a plan to return to earth and save mankind.

September Book of the Month

2010-09-01T12:33:00.000-05:00

Fat Kid Rules the World
By K.L. Going

Troy Billings isn’t just a fat kid. Troy is the fat kid. He is the fat kid that huffs and puffs when he breathes. He’s the fat kid that trips over everything. He’s the fat kid that jiggles when he runs. Worst of all, Troy is the fat kids that will always make people laugh, especially when it’s at his expense and would not be funny if a skinny person was involved. One day, Troy was standing on the edge of a subway platform, carefully considering how humorous it would be if he propelled his almost 300 pounds into the subway tunnel and splattered against a speeding train. Apparently, Troy found the scenario very amusing and started laughing. Troy’s fit of giggles was interrupted by a voice crammed in a tiny corner belonging to the dirtiest, skinniest boy Troy had ever seen. This was the day Troy met the infamous high school legend, Curt MacCrae.

At first, Troy is in awe that the Curt MacCrae, the most amazing guitar player ever, is sitting in front of him. The astonishment continues as Curt demands Troy buy him dinner. He did, after all, save Troy’s life. It’s from there that Curt reveals his twisted brainchild; Curt and Troy are going to be a band. The biggest problem, other than his weight issue, is that Troy doesn’t know how to play the drums. But Curt has decreed it and now it is so. Troy takes Curt home with him where there is a run-in with Troy’s ex-military father and jock brother. Curt wiggles his way into their home and becomes a staple in the Billings home in the hopes that Troy and his family can help him get clean, while Troy is introduced firsthand to the world of underground punk rock and wonders if he could ultimately rule the world.

While the plot of Fat Kid Rules the World may be a bit slow or non-existent at times, Going thrusts the story forward purely by relationships and self-actualization. Troy and Curt are the complete opposite from one another, but are the perfect punk rock duo. Even small, supporting characters come alive, daring you to move to New York to find them and make them your own friends. Going covers many hot button issues such as drugs, obesity, music subcultures, and overall, friendship.

And the survivors are...

2010-08-10T14:12:00.005-05:00

You read and voted all summer long and now there are only three books remaining in the Book Survivor Program. If you haven't read these three books yet, be sure to pick them up. You and your fellow teens voted them the most popular books of the summer!

#1 - Air head by Meg Cabot
Sixteen-year-old Emerson Watts, an advanced placement student with a disdain for fashion, is the recipient of a "whole body transplant" and finds herself transformed into one of the world's most famous teen supermodels.

#2 - H idden Talents by David Lubar
When thirteen-year-old Martin arrives at an alternative school for misfits and problem students, he falls in with a group of boys with psychic powers and discovers something surprising about himself.

#3 - Th e Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Belly spends the summer she turns sixteen at the beach just like every other summer of her life, but this time things are different as she finds herself falling for a boy she has known since childhood.

August Book of the Month

2010-08-01T09:00:00.000-05:00

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

At first, Giannine thought the $50 gift certificate for Rasmussem Gaming Center was the greatest gift her absent father could have ever given her. Giannine started to waver a bit when she past Rasmussem and saw several people outside protesting children’s exposure to violent video games. The vocal protesters who tried to block her path into Rasmussem were unsuccessful in stopping Giannine from experiencing one of the coolest things ever, a total immersion video game in which she goes through the game as if it were really happening.

Inside, Giannine is met by a girl in medieval clothes with a tiny dragon pet. After considering a few possible game options, Giannine decides on the medieval role-playing game, Heir Apparent. In the game, Giannine is Princess Janine, a sheep farmer who has just found that that she is the illegitimate daughter of the king and the next in line for the crown. Even though Giannine was told there are many different ways to win the game, she soon finds out that one wrong step can bring her back to the game’s beginning, sleeping on a hill with her sheep dog Dusty. During one of her attempts, a voice interrupts her game play informing her that the protesters had stormed the gaming facility and have damaged the computer systems. Now Giannine is stuck in the game until she can find a way to beat it. Giannine must make alliances with wizards, soldiers, and even her half-brothers, who are also trying to claim the crown, in hopes of surviving the three days before her coronation. Every time her game starts over, Giannine changes a small detail or two, leading her to deal with barbarians, magic rings, decapitating poet statues, dragons, and more outrageous things. What Giannine doesn’t know is every attempt at defeating Heir Apparent may be her last as the machine she is hooked up to is still malfunctioning and could quite possibly leave her in a coma.

Heir Apparent is an ambitious combination of science fiction and fantasy that delivers an amazing story. Giannine’s frustrations become your own as she tries repeatedly to beat the video game. Vande Velde’s novel is one that you will want to read again and again.

New Books for July

2010-07-22T12:07:00.008-05:00

Stop by and check out some of our new books this month. Here are a few to spark your interest.

Siren by Tricia Rayburn
After her sister's sudden death, seventeen-year-old Vanessa investigates a series of inexplicable drownings off the coast of Winter Harbor, Maine, and uncovers an unimaginable secret that changes everything.

Flash by Michael Cadnum
Relates one momentous day in the lives of five young people in the San Francisco Bay Area, including two teenaged bank robbers, a witness, and a wounded military policeman just back from Iraq.

Nomansland by Lesley Hauge
Living under a strict code of conduct in an all-female community sometime in the future, a teenaged girl in training for border patrol discovers forbidden relics from the Time before.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
Homecoming queen Alona Dare is killed by a bus and realizes the only person who can see her ghost is Will Killian, an outcast who does not like her, and together they must find a way how to get along to prevent Alona from fading away and an evil spirit from killing Will.

Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson
When a mermain attempts to lure her into the sea, fourteen-year-old Adrianne, who lives in a superstitious island community, must choose between the promise of an underwater paradise and those she loves.

The Wager by Donna Jo Napoli
Having lost everything in a tidal wave in 1169 Sicily, nineteen-year-old Don Giovanni makes a simple-sounding wager with a stranger he recognizes as the devil but, while desperate enough to surrender his pride and good looks for three years, he is not willing to give up his soul.

July Book of The Month

2010-06-30T15:58:00.000-05:00

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is a six year old genius. In fact, his genius has given him the opportunity to attend a special smart kid’s school, training and teaching him to become an astronaut before he can even drive a car. Not that driving cars is on anyone’s mind or to do list, with the Earth under constant attack from “buggers”, a race of aliens bent on the destruction of mankind. Ender lives in a world filled with military training and endless battle games designed to train the young genius of Earth in the art and skill of war.

It doesn’t take long for Ender to end up the head of his battle group, winning every single simulation put up against him. He may not be the teacher or his class mate’s favorite but he’d proven time and time again, that Ender could possibly be the one to end humanities struggle with their alien visitors.

But does Ender want that? Does he want to wipe out an entire civilization on his own? While from the outside “Ender’s Game” is a battle of Human vs. Alien, the real battle becomes within Ender’s own choices, to live a life of war or to find him in a life of peace. What do the people of Earth really know about their alien attackers? What could possible go wrong when you train kids to kill and destroy?

Ender’s Game by Orson Wells Scott is the start of an exciting and limitless science fiction series about the life of Andrew Wiggin and the struggles he faces on behalf of humanity. Set in a time of war and military, the novel takes a look at the sacrifices and trails we make in order to stay human and more importantly the consequences of war on the people who fight it.

July Teen Events

2010-06-29T11:06:00.007-05:00

Jr. High Book Discussion:
Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Thursday, July 1st @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-8
When thirteen-year-olds Jonah and Chip, who are both adopted, learn they were discovered on a plane that appeared out of nowhere, full of babies with no adults on board, they realize that they have uncovered a mystery involving time travel and two opposing forces, each trying to repair the fabric of time.
Sign-up is appreciated, but not required

Luau!
Tuesday, July 6th @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-12
Storms can't ruin our fun! The luau is still on, just pushed back a bit. Let our luau transport you to Hawaii. Hang ten with some rockin' tunes. Stuff your face with beach party food and make-you-own-smoothies.
Sign-up is not required

Movie Night: The Goonies
Thursday, July 8th @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6 and up
The film follows a group of misfit kids as they search for buried treasure in a subterranean cavern. Here they cross the path of lady criminal Mama Fratelli and her outlaw brood. Fortunately, the kids manage to befriend Fratelli's hideously deformed (but soft-hearted) son, who comes to their rescue. Rated PG
Sign-up is not required

Teen Game Day
Tuesday, July 13th @ 4 p.m.
Grades 6-12
Game Day is back! Stop by and play with our new Wii. If that's not your style, board games will also be available.
Sign-up is not required

Teen Craft: Marble Magnets
Thursday, July 15th @ 2 p.m.
Grades 6-12
Combine words, pictures, and marbles to make you own custom magnets. The magnets will look awesome on your fridge or in your locker.
Sign-up is appreciated, but not required

Water Fight Party
Saturday, July 17th @ 2 p.m.
Grades 6-12
If we can't go to the beach, we'll make the beach come to us! Prepare yourself for the ultimate water party complete with squirt guns, water balloons, and more! Warning: you will get wet so dress appropriately. Bring beach towels to dry off with at the end of the party.
Sign-up is not required

Jr. High Book Discussion:
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
Tuesday, July 20th @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-8
While working at pleasant but mundane summer jobs in San Francisco, fifteen-year-old twins, Sophie and Josh, suddenly find themselves caught up in the deadly, centuries-old struggle between rival alchemists, Nicholas Flamel and John Dee, over the possession of an ancient and powerful book holding the secret formulas for alchemy and everlasting life.
Sign-up is appreciated, but not required.

High School Book Discussion:
Monstrumologist by Richard Yancey
Thursday, July 22nd @ 5 p.m.
Grades 9-12
In 1888, twelve-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a scientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi.
Sign-up is appreciated, but not required.

Battle of the Books
Tuesday, July 27th @ 6 p.m.
The time has come for the battle to begin! Everyone is invited to watch the teams who have worked so hard reading books all summer compete against one another to see who knows books best. Winner receive a gift certificate and all participants receive an autographed book.

Book Survivor

2010-06-21T11:49:00.013-05:00

Every summer, ten books make it onto the coveted Book Survivor List. Every week, you have a chance to vote for your top three books on the Book Survivor list. Here are the ten books struggling to survive the summer by your votes alone.

Airhea d by Meg Cabot
Sixteen-year-old Emerson Watts, an advanced placement student with a disdain for fashion, is the recipient of a "whole body transplant" and finds herself transformed into one of the world's most famous teen supermodels.

Down river by Will Hobbs
Fifteen-year-old Jessie and the other rebellious teen members of a wilderness survival school team abandon their adult leader, hijack his boats, and try to run the dangerous white water at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Eigh th Grade Bites by Heather Brewer
For thirteen years, Vlad, aided by his aunt and his best friend, has kept secret that he is a half-vampire, but when his missing teacher is replaced by a sinister substitute, he learns that there is more to being a vampire, and to his parents' death, than he could have guessed.

Go od Neighbors Book 1: Kin by Holly Black
Sixteen-year-old Rue Silver, whose mother disappeared weeks ago, believes she is going crazy until she learns that the strange things she has been seeing are real, and that she is one of the faerie creatures, or Good Neighbors, that mortals cannot see.

Hi d den Talents by David Lubar
When thirteen-year-old Martin arrives at an alternative school for misfits and problem students, he falls in with a group of boys with psychic powers and discovers something surprising about himself.

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
In Manhattan in 1899, five teens of different social classes lead dangerously scandalous lives, despite the strict rules of society and the best-laid plans of their parents and others.

Maxi mum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the "birdkids," who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose.

Me moirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin
After a nasty fall, Naomi realizes she has no memory of the last four years and finds herself reassessing every aspect of her life.

Som ething Rotten by Alan Gratz
In a contemporary story based on Shakespeare's play "Hamlet," Horatio Wilkes seeks to solve the murder of his friend Hamilton Prince's father in Denmark, Tennessee.

The S ummer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Belly spends the summer she turns sixteen at the beach just like every other summer of her life, but this time things are very different as she finds herself falling for a boy she has known since childhood.

An Ocean of New Books

2010-06-16T11:34:00.016-05:00

We are getting some many new books this summer, it's hard to keep track of them all. Stop by and check some out. Here are a few of our new titles this June.

The Sh ort Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
Bree, a newborn vampire and part of the army preparing to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, does not recall much about her life as a human, but knows enough to realize that she is a pawn in a dangerous game that could end in her death - for the last time.

Wolves, Boys, & Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler
Two teenagers becomes close as the citizens of their town fight over the packs of wolves that have been reintroduced into the nearby Yellowstone National Park.

The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen
When high school sophomore Mason finds a beautiful but catatonic girl in the nursing home where his mother works, the discovery leads him to revelations about a series of disturbing human experiments that have a connection to his own life.

Folly by Marthe Jocelyn
In a parallel narrative set in the late nineteenth-century England, teenaged country girl Mary Finn relates the unhappy conclusion to her experiences as a young servant in an aristocratic London household while, years later, young James Nelligan describes how he comes to leave his beloved foster family to live and be educated at London's famous Foundling Hospital.

Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly
When Drea and her mother move in with her grandparents in Bellingham, Washington, the sixteen-year-old finds out that she can have real friends, in spite of her Asperger's, and that even when you love someone it doesn't make life perfect.

Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon
After fourteen-year-old Nick makes enemies of his friends for refusing to mug an innocent tourist, he takes up with Kyrian of Thrace, a vampire slayer and Dark-Hunter who introduces Nick to a dangerous world where he must find the strength within himself to survive battles with demons.

June Book of the Month

2010-06-01T10:12:00.003-05:00

"'If you can name something, it's not so scary," my dad always said." In Carrie Jones's Need, Zara White tries to go by what her dad used to say; it's why she names her fears and knows the names of many others. Naming her fears is one way Zara can handle being shipped off to snowy, unfamiliar Maine after her stepdad dies. Numb from grief, freezing in the eastern cold, Zara can't believe that the stranger who kept watching her back in Charleston has followed her to her stepdad's hometown, but he has, leaving a trail of gold dust in his wake. Though grandma Betty is tough and protective, Zara doesn't feel safe; she knows she's got trouble. At her new school, she makes an enemy before making any friends and isn't sure that the few friends she makes are truly friendly. All the while, the stranger gets closer and closer to Zara, forcing secrets into the open, bringing danger to Zara and to everyone around her.

Need brings surprising twists to old folktales and digs in hard during the scarier parts. Zara's frustration with Maine gets forgotten as the threat against Zara and her stepdad's hometown looms closer. The action intensifies as the source of the threat is revealed--and reaches Zara herself. Zara tries to evade and fight back, which pushes the conflict to a series of turns as exciting as they are unexpected.

It's Summer!

2010-05-28T11:12:00.004-05:00

Summer is right around the corner and so is our Teen Summer Reading Program. Our theme this year is Make Waves @ your Library so prepare for some beach and water fun. Sign-up for the reading program begins at our Block Party on Friday, June 4th @ 6:00 p.m. Once you sign-up, you will receive the guidelines of the program, a list of the prizes, and a list of the programs. Remember, for every book you read, every 10 pages is 1 Book Buck and every program you attend is 30 Book Bucks. In case you wanted to get a head start, here is a list of the programs we have in store for you for the month of June.

Battle of the Books Meeting
Tuesday, June 15th @ 1 p.m.
Grades 6-8
Do you love reading? Now is your chance to compete against others to find out if you know more about books. Participants are required to read the 2011 Rebecca Caudill nominees and should be prepared to answer questions for each book at our annual Battle of the Books on July 27th. You may enter with a pre-made team of four or just come to the meeting and we will place you on a team.

Teen Craft: Paper Leis & Flowers
Thursday, June 17th @ 1 p.m.
Grades 6-12
Get ready for our luau by helping us make leis and flowers out of tissue paper. There will be plenty to take home but all extras go toward our luau on June 24th.
Sign-up is appreciated, but not required

Movie Day: 50 First Dates
Saturday, June 19th @ 2 p.m.
Grades 6 and up
Henry Roth lives an enviable life in a Hawaiian paradise, spending every night with a different beautiful tourist in search of an island fling. it's a great life, no strings attached...until he meets Lucy. He and Lucy hit it off right from the start, but the next day she acts like she doesn't know him. Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss, so every night all memory of her day is erased. But a man in love will go to great lengths to win the girl of his dreams.
Rated PG-13

Teen Game Day
Tuesday, June 22nd @ 4 p.m.
Grades 6-12
Game Day is back! Stop by and play with our new Nintendo Wii. If that's not your style, board games will also be available.
Sign-up is not required

Luau!
Thursday, June 24th @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-12
Let us transport you to Hawaii at our Luau! Hang ten with some rockin' tunes. Stuff your face with beach party food and make-your-own smoothies.
Sign-up is not required.

High School Book Discussion:
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Tuesday, June 29th @ 5 p.m.
Grades 9-12
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace of killing and teams up with another your fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.
Sign-up is appreciated, but not required

May Events!

2010-04-28T11:07:00.006-05:00

"Blast from the Past" Book Discussion
A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
Thursday, May 6 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-12

Sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and her boyfriend, takes a job at a hotel in 1906 where the death of a guest renews her determination to live her own life.

Sign-up is appreciated, but not required.

Movie Night:
Eagle Eye
Thursday, May 20 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6 and up

Jerry and Rachel are two strangers who are thrown together by a mysterious phone call from a woman they have never met. Threatening their lives and family, she pushes Jerry and Rachel into a series of increasingly dangerous situations, using technology of everyday life to track and control their every move. Now they must carry out a high-tech assassination plot of an unscrupulous artificial intelligence system.

Rated PG

"Off the Shelf" Book Discussion
Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci
Thursday, May 27 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-12

Six teens face a bio-terrorist attack on American soil as four are infected with a mysterious disease affecting their small New Jersey neighborhood and two others, both brilliant computer hackers, assist the United States Intelligence Coalition in tracking the perpetrators.

Sign-up is appreciated, but not required.

May Book of the Month

2010-04-28T10:19:00.010-05:00

The Plain Janes: By Cecil Castellucci

Jane is caught in a bomb attack outside of a cafe in Metro City where she lives with her parents. After the attack Jane's parents decide to relocate to the "safe" suburb of Kent Waters. Jane finds a lone dandelion and an artist's sketchbook titled Art Saves after the bombing. Jane changes her image as a long-haired, frivolous blond to a much more serious girl with short black hair. Fueled by an urge not to be terrified of the world as a result of the attack, Jane gathers a group of three misfit girls from school, all whose names are Jane. Jane and her friends form a secret club called P.L.A.I.N. for "People Loving Art In Neighborhoods." The local police call the Plain Jane's work "art attacks" The art attacks include putting bubbles in the city fountain and wrapping objects on the street as Christmas packages. Their activities end up rallying the local teenagers and some adults to their cause.
I have to confess this is the first graphic novel that I've read from cover to cover. I even went on to read the sequel Janes in Love, and I liked that equally as well. Come in and check these out. You won't be disappointed!

April Events

2010-03-30T10:22:00.009-05:00

YA Craft: Pop Tab Bracelets
Saturday, April 3 @ 2 p.m.
Thursday, April 15 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-12
Learn how to make bracelets with just ribbon and pop can tabs.
Sign-up is appreciated but not required.

Movie Night: Beetlejuice
Monday, April 5 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6 and up
After Barbara and Adam Maitland are killed in a car crash, they find themselves trapped as ghosts in their beautiful New England farmhouse. Their peaceful 'existence' is disrupted when a yuppie family, the Deetz's, buy their house. The Maitlands are too nice and all their efforts to scare the Deetz's away are unsuccessful. They decide to call Beetlejuice, a people exorcising ghost, for help.

"Spine-Tingling Stories" Book Discussion
The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint
Tuesday, April 6 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-12
New at her high school, Imogene enlists the help of her introverted friend Maxine and the ghost of a boy who haunts the school after receiving warnings through her dreams that soul-eaters are threatening their lives.
Sign-up is appreciated but not required.

"Off the Shelf" Book Discussion
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
Monday, April 26 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-12
In the not-too-distant future, where biotechnological advances have made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory lapses, learn a startling secret about her existence.
Sign-up is appreciated but not required.

Book of the Month - April

2010-03-30T10:18:00.007-05:00

Dragonfly by Julia Golding

A princess is betrothed to a prince to unite their nations . . . except that she can't stand the idea, and neither can he. Taoshira, the newest of four elected princesses, comes from the Blue Crescent Islands, where discipline, formality, and the Goddess rule. Ramil's princely upbringing revolves around riding horses and doing what he likes while worshipping a fighting God. Their meeting sparks misunderstanding and instant dislike, to the point that Taoshira wants to call off the marriage.

What starts badly gets worse when prince and princess are ambushed and kidnapped by a group of circus folk. Taoshira and Ramil are brought before Fergox, a vicious warlord scheming for world domination. Fergox plans to humiliate and torment Taoshira into renouncing her faith before marrying her, while Fergox's sister, the Inkar Yellowtooth, has her eye on Ramil. Taoshira and Ramil reject those marriage plans even harder than they rejected their own.

Princess and prince make a desperate bid to escape Fergox and his bloodthirsty sister. Seeking help along the way, Taoshira and Ramil attempt to deliver word of Fergox's upcoming siege to Ramil's father, King Lagan, and to Taoshira's island people to prevent Fergox from taking over their lands and their lives.

Filled with surprising turns and powerful characters, Dragonfly satisfies with its fast-paced action, touches of humor, and deeper themes of faith, devotion, and understanding.

March Book of the Month

2010-03-08T17:59:00.001-06:00

From School Library Journal, 10-1-2008:

According to tradition, when the Martin children turn 15, they inherit a suite in the family's small Manhattan hotel and a job: to take care of the rooms and their occupant. On Scarlett's 15th birthday, Amy Amberson sweeps into the suite that Scarlett has just inherited. The woman is demanding and brash, but she does have her charms (and large amounts of cash). In the beginning, Scarlett is overwhelmed, but then her role becomes that of Mrs. Amberson's assistant for her projects, which change on a whim. When Amy decides to help the theater troupe that Scarlett's brother is involved in put on Hamlet, the teen begins a romance with one of the actors. Then everything starts to go awry, and when things get tough, Amy abandons ship, and plucky Scarlett is left to step in and save what needs saving, something that she does with flair. Scarlett's brand of humor is particularly dry and well articulated. This novel blends sibling rivalry and the importance of family, friendship, and romance into a plot that is charming and well delivered.

Emily Garrett Cassady, North Garland High School, Garland, TX

March Events

2010-03-03T16:18:00.003-06:00

Teen Tech Week: Learn, Create, Share @ Your Library: March 7-13
Stop by the Teen Desk throughout the month of March to get your internet scavenger hunt. Those who complete their scavenger hunt may be eligible for a prize.

Movie Night: National Treasure
Wednesday, March 10 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6 and up
Since his childhood, Benjamin Franklin Gates has known that his is a descendant of a long line of people whose job it has been to guard a treasure hidden by the Founding Fathers. They hid clues to its where-abouts in the country's currency and on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Now, Ben has learned of a plot to steal the Declaration, and has only one option: he has to steal it himself. Even if he pulls off this monumental task, keeping the treasure safe is still going to be incredibly hard, especially since the FBI now knows of his plans. Rated PG

CD Craft
Thursday, March 11 @ 5 p.m.
Saturday, March 20 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-12
Celebrate technology by transforming it into something new. Use pieces of CDs to create picture frames, disco balls, or your own artistic mosaic.
Sign-up is appreciated but not required.

"Off the Shelf" Book Discussion:
Lemonade Mouth by Mark Peter Hughes
Monday, March 22 @ 5 p.m.
Grades 6-12
A disparate group of high school students thrown together in detention form a band to play at the school talent show and end up competing with a wildly popular local rock band.
Sign-up is appreciated but not required.

Reminder!
The Read for a Lifetime program ends March 31st. Stop by the library once you've read four books from the list in order to get your Certificate from the State of Illinois and your chance to win a gift card.

February Book of the Month

2010-02-01T15:22:00.004-06:00

Holes by Louis Sachar

Stanley Yelnats has lived a life full of bad luck and it's all because of his "no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather." Now his bad luck has reached an all-time low. After being wrongly accused of stealing a pair of sneaker belonging to baseball legend Clyde "Sweet Feet" Livingston, Stanley is shipped off to Camp Green Lake.

At first the thought of Camp Green Lake didn't scare Stanley in the slightest. How bad could a summer camp be? It was when he began to approach the camp did Stanley realize the truth. There was no lake and nothing here was even slightly green. Every day Stanley had to carry out his sentence by digging a hole. The hole must be five feet deep and five feet wide on both sides. If the burning desert sun or the digging itself didn't kill him, Stanley was certain the rumored deadly yellow spotted lizards would finish him off.

Stanley becomes friends with his fellow prisoners, all of whom go by nicknames like Zero, Armpit, and X-Ray and soon he is known as Caveman. Every day they dig their holes in hopes of discovering something that might interest the Warden and result in the rest of the day off. When Stanley discovers a fossilized fish in one of his holes and gets no reward for it, Stanley begins to wonder just what the Warden is looking for.

As far as dark comedies go, Holes is top-notch. Intertwining the history of Green Lake, Stanley's relatives, and the horrible truth behind the Warden's ulterior motives of the camp, Sachar creates a story of self-realization, friendship, and coincidences destined to be a favorite for years to come.

2010 Award winners

2010-01-20T12:10:00.017-06:00

The literary award winners were released this past weekend.

Michael L. Printz Award - excellence is literature for young adults.
Winner:Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen-year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob's (aka mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in a hospital in an attempt to find a cure.

Honors go to:

Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Tales of a Madman Underground: A Historical Romance by John Barnes

William C. Morris Award - best book written by a first-time author for young adults.
Winner: Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

Fifteen-year-old amateur photographer Blake gains self-awareness through his relationships with a girlfriend and a friend who he helps come to terms with her feelings about her homeless, methamphetamine-addicted mother.

Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award - recognizes an African-American first-time author.
Winner: The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

In 1968 Chicago, fourteen-year-old Sam Childs is caught in a conflict between his father's nonviolent approach to seeking civil rights for African-Americans and his older brother, who has joined the Black Panther Party.

Coretta Scott King - Victoria Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement
Winner: Walter Dean Myers
Books byMyers:
Fallen Angels
Monster Street Lo ve
Dope Sick
Slam!
Sunrise Over Fallujah
Somewhere in the Darkness
Riot
and more

Alex Awards - 10 best adult books that appeal to teens
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer
The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff
Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr.
The Good Soldiers by David Finkel
The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir by Diana Welch & Liz Welch
The Magici ans b y Lev Grossman
My Abandonment by Peter Rock
Soulless by Gail Carriger
Stitches: A Memoir by David Small
Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson

If a title you are interested in is not available at the Lansing Library, ask your librarian to order it for you via Interlibrary Loan.

January's Book of the Month

2010-01-06T10:24:00.002-06:00

Paper Towns
By John Green

Q has always had a thing for the girl-next-door, Margo Roth Spiegelman. When they were kids, Q and Margo always played together. When they reached high school, Margo turned into one of the most popular and mysterious teens in the school. Q did not. One night during their senior year of high school, Margo shows up at Q’s window and insists he drive her around town. Little does Q know what Margo has planned, but he is soon faced with smelly fish, blue paint, and paper towns. Q heads to school the next day, expecting his bizarre adventure with Margo to continue, but soon finds out that Margo has vanished.

Disappearing is not a new trick for Margo, but Q senses something is wrong. Margo has left various clues which seem to just lead to more clues and more dead ends. Q finally decides the only way to find Margo is to take on the difficult task of tracking her down across various states in time for their graduation ceremony. Q is faced with the realization that maybe Margo doesn’t want to be found. Maybe she wants to live the rest of her life in a paper town, a town that only exists on maps.

Paper Towns is quirky and original. Green spares no expense in creating an elusive, unattainable character like Margo. Margo is barely present in the book, but is almost more developed than Q, the narrator. Once again, Green packs his novel with a humor all of its own. Paper Towns is a coming of age story with a twist of unpredictability and full of emotion.

Feel free to comment on this month's selection or tell us what book you believe should be the next book of the month.