Eva Perry Library Reads: Outcast

*This blog post got Evelyn tickets for our Teen Summer Contest. Click here to find out how to enter!*

The book Outcast, by Rosemary Sutcliff, is full of historical adventure. The setting is near the end of the Roman empire, when barbaric hunting tribes inhabited Britain. Beric, the main character, landed as an infant on the coast of England, the sole survivor of a violent shipwreck. A kind couple took him in and raised him as their own. Fifteen years later, when the tribe’s crops failed, and sickness started spreading, the elders blamed Beric, who was of Roman descent, a nation despised by the Brits. He was thrown out of the only family and community he had ever known, never to return. The book follows the journey and engrossing adventures of Beric.  Outcast was an intriguing novel, filled with twists and turns.

Teens’ Top Ten 2011: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

*This blog post got Cheenu book bucks for our Teen Summer Contest. Click here to find out how to enter!*

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is one of the Teens’ Top Ten Nominations for 2011.

Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins, is the last book in the Hunger Games Trilogy. The background of this book is the country of Panem, the result of a devastated and ruined North America. The country of Panem is made up of the Capitol (the center of Panem) and thirteen outlying districts whose job is to supply the Capitol with various goods and products. Before the Hunger Games Trilogy began, a civil war broke out in which the districts revolted against the Capitol. The districts were eventually crushed and District 13 was supposedly demolished. As a penalty for the rebellion, the districts are forced to send one male and one female representative from each district to fight to the death on live television. Everyone is forced to watch this battle to show how weak they are.

Teen Newsletter needs you!

Did you know that West Regional Library has a teen newsletter called The Splash and they’re looking for contributors?  All content is authored by teens, and the library’s teen advisory board puts it together.  All teen, all the time.  Check out the latest issue here.  The Splash features artistic and written work by local teens. They accept:

• Poetry
• Short Stories
• Digital or Traditional Artwork
• Photography
• Book Reviews
• Riddles/Jokes
• Comics
• Questions for Ask Elizabeth, an Advice Column

There are two easy ways to submit your work. Email thesplashsubmit@gmail.com
OR
Drop off your work in person in the Teen Section of West Regional Library in Cary.  Please include your Name, Title of Work, Age and/or Grade.

West Regional Reads: Suspicion

Suspicion by Kate Brian

This is a another good book I read this week. Reed, Noelle, and their friends, the Billings Girls have a vacation on St.Barths over the winter break. Reed is poor but her friends are rich. She enjoy the vacation until on of her bff’s ex tries to kill her. The suspects narrow down to Paige  Poppy,and Daniel who left the party during the scene of the crime. These two times during the murder attempt  her friend Sawyer rescues her. It’s a really mysterious and has suprissing twist in the end. I really like this book and I want to read the next series.

Teen Reviewer: Kaviya, West Regional Library

Holly Springs Reads: Princess Diaries Extravaganza!

Curious about Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries series? Check out these mini reviews for a taste of what they’re like!

The Princess Diaries: This is one of the best dairies I’ve ever read. Its extremely cute and funny. The writing is very “authentically teenage”, and very entertaining and well written. The main character, Mia, seemed like a typical teenage girl, which makes her easy to relate to. It will leave you wishing, just a bit that you were in her “five foot nine, flat-chested, freak of the school” Doc Marten shoes. A great book!

 
Princess in the Spotlight: It’s pretty obvious that Mia doesn’t really enjoy being the princess of Genovia. I mean it’s pretty stressful for any 14-year-old. She has to take Princess lessons, have a body guard follow her around and one day she has to inherit the throne of a country she’s only visited. This book was as great as the first “diary”. Its very funny, and entertaining. Mia still has her charm and wit. She is still very realistic, and easy to relate to. An awesome book.

West Regional Library Reads: The Lightning Thief

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

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

I read THE LIGHTNING THIEF this week. This is the first [in the] series. This book is about a normal kid Percy Jackson, who attends school but gets in trouble by getting in fights to defend his friend Grover. Grover is a satyr and Mrs. Dodds is Percy’s teacher who is really a monster from underworld whos is sent to kill Percy. Mr.Brunnan, a half human son of a Greek God and a mortal human protects Percy by handing him a sword called the Riptide to defend himself with. After that Percy ‘s life is in danger. His mom and Grover must get Percy in Camp Half-Blood. In this camp he meets the camp director Mr.Brunnan and the helper Mr.Dionysas. He meets a lot of new people and Annabeth who helps him to recover from his fight against the Minotaur.  Mr. Brunnan sends [him] on a quest to find the thief who stole Zeus’s Lightning Bolt before a war breaks out between  Zeus and Poseidon, Percy’s dad. Percy is given ten days to find the thief. The main suspect from Zeus’s point of view is Percy Jackson. I really read this book, it’s so awesome.

~Teen Reviewer: Kaviya, West Regional Library

West Regional Library Reads: more Maximum Ride

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

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson

This book is the third installment in the Maximum Ride books (make sure to read from the first and second books, you’ll understand this one a LOT better by doing that). In my personal view, this is the best in the series. It is full of twists and turns that make the Batman roller coaster in Six Flags look puny. I had to put effort to take my eyes off of the pages once the first twist started. The book is definitely an 11 out of 10 (yes, I mean what I say).

West Regional Reads: The Last Olympian

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

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

I thought The Last Olympian was the best of The Lighting Thief series. My favorite part was when Luke realized he does not have to be Kronos. Then he finds his Achilles heal and stabs it with a celestial bronze knife and

Cameron Village Library Reads: Marked

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

Marked by P.C. Cast

Marked is the first book in the House of Night book series. It is about a girl named Zoey who lives in a world where vampyres (yes, they spell it with a “y” instead of an “i”) have always existed.  One day while Zoey is at school with her best friend Kayla after-hours when a mysterious man walks up and bonks Zoey on the head. When she awakens she has a blue outline of a crescent moon on her forehead. The mark of a vampyre fledgling. Now she must pack up everything and move

Southeast Regional Reads: Light Years

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

Light Years by Tammar Stein

This novel is about a young Israeli woman named Maya. She left Israel and went to a university in America in order to escape her tragic past in Israel where she was trained as a soldier in order to protect her country against the Palestinians. She ended up losing her boyfriend to a suicide bomber and that was the catalyst to wanting to start fresh in a new place. When she becomes acquainted with her new friends she struggles with her old life and judges Americans since they never had to experience what she did in Israel. This novel offers a fresh insight to the lives of soldiers that live in hostile nations.

~Teen Reviewer: Jasmine, Southeast Regional Library

Southeast Regional Reads: Redeeming Love

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

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

This novel tells of a young woman who was human trafficked as a child. While doing her job a young man by the name of Michael Hosea asks her to be his wife. She believes its a joke and constantly refuses, but he continues to seek her hand despite being a prostitute. When one night she’s badly injured he comes to her rescued and they are married. In the beginning of their marriage she continues to resist his love, but the walls she’s built throughout her life come tumbling down. Set during the gold-rush times of America, this novel is a retelling of the book of Hosea in the Bible. It offers a great insight on the world of human trafficking.

~Teen Reviewer: Jasmine, Southeast Regional Library

Southeast Regional Reads: The Princess Bride

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

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

A fairy tale about Princess Buttercup and Wesley’s love for each other. Torn apart due to a rumor about Wesley’s sudden death by pirates Buttercup swears to never love again, but is asked to marry Prince Humperdinck since he seeks a queen. She agrees to, but as she’s kidnapped by thieves seeking to start a war between her country and a neighboring one she finds that her true love is still alive. They both embark on a journey to stop the evil prince who is behind the plan of starting a war and they eventually escape him. If you’re in to fairy tales, this is a book I’d recommend.

Teen Reviewer: Jasmine, Southeast Regional Library

Southeast Regional Reads: Climbing the Stairs

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

Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

This novel is a retelling of Cinderella, except its set in India. Vadya is a young girl growing up during WWII in India. As India is seeking to gain Independence from Great Britain riots break out as the civilians rebel. Vadya’s father is a victim during one of those attacks and he suffers a brain injury that leaves him disabled. Forced to leave their home and

Southeast Regional Reads: The Girl Who Could Fly

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

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

According to Twilight’s author Stephenie Meyer, this book is a cross from Little House on the Prairie and X-Men. Piper McCloud is a girl who has the ability to fly and she’s sent to a government base where she can be supposedly trained to use her powers for good. However that’s a cover-up to get them to forget how to use their powers and become like normal human beings. Piper is a young heroine who meets other kids who are different like her and she begins to feel like she finally belongs.

~Teen Reviewer: Jasmine, Southeast Regional Library

Eva Perry Library Reads: Sanctuary

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

Sanctuary by Beverly Lewis

If you’re looking for a suspenseful, exciting, and tenderhearted book, you must read Sanctuary by Beverly and David Lewis. It is the story of a young newlywed lady named Melissa James living peacefully in Connecticut. Soon she has to leave her home when a dark secret emerges from her past. Even most of her closest friends, including her husband, are clearly baffled at her disappearance. Who or what could be the reason for her flight?
In the story, Melissa stays at a kind Mennonite woman’s house and finds safety–until she discovers a shocking revelation. (The book does, however, have a happy ending.) The themes of love, redemption, and peace that is found only in God’s grace are expertly tied together in this extraordinary novel. Read it today– you really won’t be able to put it down!

Teen Reviewer: Greta, Eva Perry Library

Southeast Regional Reads: Kiss in Time

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

Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

This story is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty with a twist. Tania, sleeping beauty’s name is this novel, awakens in the 21st century by a teenage boy and he’s not what she’s always expected her prince charming to be. She has a hard time adjusting to our world, but with the help of her so called prince charming she begins the process of the major adjustment. A great read and you should check out Beastly written by this author which is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.

~Teen Reviewer: Jasmine, Southeast Regional Library

West Regional Reads: Airhead

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

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Airhead is the 1st book in the Airhead series.  It’s a fantastic book!  It is about a 17 year old girl named Emerson who goes by Em.  Em is tomboy unlike her younger sister Frida who is always spotted in the latest trends.  Frida is ashamed to even be seen with her. Em has huge crush on her best friend Christopher who doesnt even seem to realize she’s a girl.  Then one day, Frida goes with Em and Christopher to a Stark MegaStore opening.  Supermodel Nikki Howard and singer/songwriter Gabriel Luna are spotted there.  Then something tragic happens. 

West Regional Reads: Nobody Comes Back

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

Nobody Comes Back: A Novel of the Battle of the Bulge by Donn Pearce

The story takes place during World War II. A young teenager named Tobias Parker has signed up for the war and is stationed in the Ardennes sector. The Germans attack and take him Prisoner of War twice, but both times he escapes. He becomes leader of a group of other Missing in Actions, and they all try to escape back to Bastogne and out of German territory. Will Parker make it back? Or will he get captured and sent to a concentration camp?

West Regional reads: Witch and Wizard

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

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

This book was so amazing, I would rate this as a five star book. If you love action, suspense, and fantasy, you have to read this book! Like many of James Patterson’s books such as the Maximum Ride series, this book kept me reading until the last page. The two main characters Wisteria and Whitney Allgood are in the modern world, and suddenly they are taken away from their parents because they were accused as a witch and a wizard. Soon they realize that they do have magical powers, and have to survive in the world of the New Order.

Teen Reviewer: Ashwin, Cary

West Regional Reads: Fang

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

Fang: a Maximum Ride novel by James Patterson

Fang is another of one James Patterson’s awesome adventure packed books. It’s part of the Maximum Ride Series, and I finished the series in like 2 days! The series has 6 books, and the story began like this. Max the main character and her flock ( literally a flock since they’re avian humans, genetically engineered ) have to survive with erasers and flybots attacking them. I can’t tell you anymore, you find out for yourselves! Happy Reading!

Teen Reviewer: Ashwin, Cary