Review: Alt Ed (audio)

Did you ever see the movie The Breakfast Club? Alt Ed is a lot like the movie, but even better! Alt Ed is actually the last chance counseling class before getting kicked out of school. The six students who are forced to attend the class represent all of the cliques in school. The issues of social status, homophobia, ugly rumors, sexism, and intolerance create incredible tension. You will definitely be able to identify some people you know in this story. If you like realistic fiction and want something that takes place in a high school, this might be the book for you!

2009 Teens Top Ten

You voted and the results are in!

More than 11,000 teen voters chose Paper Towns as their favorite book in the 2009 Teens’ Top Ten! The online poll took place from Aug. 24 through Sept. 18, with the winners announced during Teen Read Week by WWE Divas Brie Bella and Nikki Bella, with a special appearance by John Green. See the video.

And the winners are…with links to the authors’ blogs for your reading pleasure!

• Paper Towns by John Green
• Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
• Identical by Ellen Hopkins
• The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
• Wake by Lisa McMann
• Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast (House of Night series)
• The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
• Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Check out the cool stuff happening at readergirlz.com for Teen Read Week – live author chats with nominated authors and more!

Find out what the buzz is all about. Request a copy of the books now!

Review: Peak

After the recent mishaps of the boy in the silver balloon, you might want to give Peak a chance. Climbing tall buildings probably isn’t a good idea as 14 year old Peak quickly finds out. To keep him out of trouble, Peak ventures to Mount Everest with plans to be the youngest person to climb the top of the world.

Review: Down the Rabbit Hole (audio)

Looking for a good audio book and a suspenseful mystery too? Try out Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams. In the sleepy town of Echo Falls, Ingrid gets involved in a local theatre production of Alice in Wonderland. Well, the stories of the town’s rich history begin to emerge in some creepy ways. Ingrid is determined to uncover the truth.

Writer Alert!

Teen author Beth Kephart is the Author-in-Residence on readergirlz.com, so she is doing some cool writing exercises for teen authors. Click here to check out her writing exercise (and contest!). It’s great inspiration!

National Novel Writing Month is coming soon…write 50,000 word novel to celebrate and express your creativity! Quantity, not quality is the goal. Here’s  a little more:

“It is a fun, seat-of-your-pants novel writing event where the challenge is to write an entire novel in just 30 days. That means participants begin writing November 1 and must finish by midnight, November 30. The word-count goal for our adult program is 50,000 words, but our Young Writers Program allows participants who are 17 years old and younger to set reasonable, yet challenging, word-count goals.”

Loving Forensic Mysteries by A. Ferguson

I am on my second book by Alane Ferguson about a teen named Cammie who is a coroner’s assistant. It’s got all the good gory details of autospies, mystery to be solved, and fun/crazy life of a teenager. Plus it takes place in Colorado! (How many books take place there?)

If you are into CSI and stuff like that, you might want to give it a try. The first book is The Christopher Killer and my current selection is Angel of Death. I remember when it arrived as a new book in 2006. I was slightly interested because the cover had a photo of toe tag on the dead body – a good cover always catches my eye!

Book Review: Along for the Ride

I am loving Along for the Ride, the new book by Sarah Dessen. Her style of writing is very realistic – she take ordinary situations and really delves into the dynamics of the relationships, portraying the intimacy and intracacies of them.

Can He Read YOUR Mind?

Magician Erik Dobell visits East Regional Library

Be ready to be amazed! On Thursday, July 16 @ 7 pm, East Regional Library will host the Magic and Mentalism of Erik Dobell!

East Regional Reads: Face on the Milk Carton & Holes

Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline Cooney

I really enjoyed reading Face on the Milk Carton because it made me think about a lot of things.

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Flipped is a novel that can truly make you laugh. When free-spirited, Juli Baker first sees Bryce Loski, her life changes. All of a sudden Bryce has become her whole life. Bryce, on the other hand, has a different opinion of Juli. To him Juli is annoying and weird. As Juli and Bryce grow up, nothing much changes until the day Juli’s precious sycamore tree is torn down. After that life changes for both of them. Pick up Flipped to find out what happens! You will be pleasantly surprised.

Adeem, 15, Knightdale

*This blog post got Adeem a ticket in the prize drawing for our Teen Summer Contest. Click here to find out how to enter!*

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

It starts with the three witches. They prophesy to a war hero named Macbeth, saying he will be the Lord of Cawdor and King over everything. The reigning king, Duncan, appoints him Thane of Cawdor. So that part of the phrophecy comes true. How far will Macbeth go in his endeavor to become King?

Emily, 14, Knightdale

*This blog post got Emily a ticket in the prize drawing for our Teen Summer Contest. Click here to find out how to enter!*

Sweethearts by Sarah Zarr

A touching story about love and friendship. Sweethearts is very realistic and definitely a novel that teens can relate to. I had a hard time putting it down.

Jennifer Harris, who had a difficult childhood has left her past behind and created a new and better life. But when her childhood friend suddenly shows up, the new Jenna Vaughn must decide whether or not she’ll let Jennifer take over.

Vivien, 15, Knightdale

*This blog post got Vivien a ticket in the prize drawing for our Teen Summer Contest. Click here to find out how to enter!*

Summer I Turned Pretty

by Jenny Han

Need a good summer read? Want to escape into a great summer story? Give The Summer I Turned Pretty a try. Belly has spent every summer visiting family friends. Always the youngest and always the girl, the boys never seemed to think much of her. But this summer, Belly has changed and so have the boys in her life. Her brother starts a summer job and her family friends, Jeremiah and Conrad are dating. Other things have changed too… When guys are interested in Belly, she isn’t sure how to handle it. During the summer Belly turned pretty, she tries to juggle her mother’s wishes, dating and her emotional ties to Jeremiah and Conrad.

Save a Library!

What an awesome idea! Ray Bradbury, famous author, is upset that the libraries are closing in his home state of California. To raise awareness and money, he is holding discussions and screenings of a movie based on a short story.

LearningExpress

FREE Online Test Prep from Wake County Public Libraries

What is Learning Express?
Learning Express is the place to go for practice tests, skill-building courses, study guides and other resources to help you achieve your academic and career goals.

Where do I start?
If you’re looking for something specific, try using the search box. For example, you might search for GED, SAT, or cititzenship.

Another option is to browse the resources. Learning Express is divided into Learning Centers. Choose the one that matches your needs and click to explore the available resources: Elementary School, Middle School, High School, College Preparation, College Students, GED Preparation, Job Search & Workplace Skills, Jobs & Careers, Skill Building for Adults, U.S. Citizenship, Recursos para Hispanohablantes

Tips
• You must create an account to access the resources, but you won’t have to enter any personal information. You will only have to choose a user name and password.
• Don’t have enough time to finish a practice test in one sitting? There’s a “Finish Later” option that lets you save your test and come back to it at a later time.
• LearningExpress Library includes many study guides in pdf versions but they are not included in the learning centers. Look for a link to eBooks on the right part of the main page.

Available 24/7 with your library card and PIN
www.wakegov.com/l ibraries/research

Don’t have a library card? Stop by your library today and get one!

Volunteer this summer!

Looking for experience in a workplace or want to contribute to your community? Check out www.serve.gov for listings of volunteer opportunities around the country!

Book Review: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Now is the perfect time to read this series! Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares chronicles the summers of four best friends. They share a pair of jeans through the summer and it gives them the strength to face their fears and move forward with their lives.

Teen Summer Fun!

Want to win prizes for doing fun things on your summer vacation?

Here’s what you have to do:

Starting June 1*, go to your local library and pick up a Teen Summer Contest kit and register. Then, start earning tickets that will go into drawings for prizes. The more tickets you earn, the better your chances are of winning something!

1. Instructions
2. A calendar to keep track of how much time you spend reading
3. A booklist to get you started
4. A fun origami game
5. Candy!

There are a number of different ways to earn tickets:

1. Read! Every 2 hours you read = 1 ticket. And don’t limit your reading to books; try magazines, newspapers, blogs, fan fiction, whatever.
2. Go! Have fun at a library event. See what your library has planned for you this summer. 1 event = 1 ticket
3. Write! Compose book reviews or blog posts for the library’s teen blog, Flip the Switch: Teens Awake. Take a look at the blog and see what kinds of posts others have written. Send your reviews and blog posts to teenlibrarian@co.wake.nc.us. Don’t forget to include your name, age, and which library branch you go to most often. 1 entry = 1 ticket
4. Talk! Ask your local librarian for more ways to earn tickets at your local library!

Of course you want to know what you’re competing for, right? Prizes include:

1. Books! Some are autographed by the author!
2. Coupons to local eateries such as Chick-Fil-A and Goodberry’s
3. Art supplies from Jerry’s Artarama
4. Flash drives
5. Tickets to see the Carolina Rollergirls
6. Games, keychains, bookmarks, buttons and random trinkets
7. Check with your library branch for other prizes they may have for the prize pack

1. The contest is open to Wake County teens ages 12-18. If you are under 12, check out our kids’ summer reading program.
2. Register for the contest at your local library branch.
3. Once you’re ready, get tickets at the library.  Fill it out there and give it to a staff member.
4. There is no limit on the number of tickets you can earn.
5. Each library may be doing their prize drawings at different times of the summer. Check with your local library to see when they will be doing theirs.

*Most library branches are starting their contest on June 1, but call your branch for exact contest dates.

Head on down to your local library and pick up a starter kit for our Teen Summer Contest!  If you have any questions, either call your local library or e-mail teenlibrarian@co.wake.nc.us.

Fantasy Road Trip Contest

Listening Library is sponsoring the Fantasy Road Trip Contest! Create videos based on an imaginary road trip with characters from one of three great fantasy series by Libba Bray, Tamora Pierce, and Rick Riordan! (Note: this is not a Wake County sponsored contest)

#1. Have fun and be creative!

The more you use your imagination, the better—songs, animation, sock puppets, whatever inspires you!

#2. Take on the challenge.

For your video to be eligible, you must find a way to include these things:

• a reference to Florida
• a reference to audiobooks
• a clip of dialogue from the audio you’ve chosen (we’ve made these clips for you, you can download them below to use in your video)

Try to stump us—find an inventive way to use these elements in your entries (it doesn’t have to be a literal translation). The contest video has them too, did you find them?

#3. Post your entry on YouTube.

The contest will open for entries on June 1st. Please check back here for details on how to post your video so that it will be considered. Videos submitted incorrectly or before 6/1/2009 will not be considered.

#4. The fine print…

Ok, everyone, here’s the 411: to enter you must be between the ages of 13-18 and a legal resident of the United States. The contest will open for entries June 1-August 17, 2009.. Winners will be selected and notified by August 31, 2009 by YouTube message. One winner will be chosen for each author category (the participating authors will choose the winning video for their category) and will receive: 1 8GB iPod touch and a collection of audiobooks signed by the author. Videos less than 30 seconds or greater than 5 minutes in length or containing profanity or inappropriate content will be disqualified.

WINNERS: Authors will judge the videos, each picking a winner (for a total of three), who will receive an 8GB iPod Touch and a collection of signed audiobooks.

DATES: The contest will be open from June 1-August 17

Book Review: Magic or Madness

Just finished reading Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier and can’t wait to read the next one in the trilogy!  Fifteen year old Reason was on the run with her mother Sarafina, when her mother went insane. Reason is suddenly forced to meet her grandmother, Esmerelda, who she had been warned was a witch. Sarafina gave Reason strict instructions of how to protect herself from the witch’s evil. Reason find her grandmother’s house quite comfortable and meets a teen neighbor Tom who is a student of Esmerelda. Reason isn’t quite sure if her mother’s madness is based on experience or made of her own mind.

The story quickly picks up when Reason opens the door and find herself in a city across the world! She begins to understand her mother’s madness, magic and who she can trust.

If you are into vampires, magic, and a fun adventure that spans 2 continents, give this one a try! I don’t think you will be disappointed.

BTW, her husband is author Scott Westerfeld of the fabulous Uglies series.