New books!

You're still on winter break but getting bored? Try one of these books -- each of these is brand new to our teen section. Descriptions come from our catalog.

Good Fortune by Noni Carter: Brutally kidnapped from her African village and shipped to America, a young girl struggles to come to terms with her new life as a slave, gradually rising from working in the fields to the master's house, secretly learning to read and write, until, risking everything, she escapes to seek freedom in the North.

Dust City by Robert Paul Weston: Henry Whelp, son of the Big Bad Wolf, investigates what happened to the fairies that used to protect humans and animalia, and what role the corporation that manufactures synthetic fairy dust played in his father's crime.

The Properties of Water by Hannah Roberts McKinnon: When her older sister, Marni, is paralyzed jumping off the cliffs into the lake near their house, twelve-year-old Lace feels responsible for the accident and struggles to find a way to help heal her family.

The Less-Dead by April Lurie: Sixteen-year-old Noah Nordstrom, whose father is the host of a popular evangelical Christian radio program, believes that the person who has been killing gay teenagers in the Austin, Texas, foster care system, is a regular caller on his dad's show.

The F Factor by Diane Gonzales Bertrand: Javier Ávila, a smart but clumsy sophomore at St. Peter's High School, thinks it is a mistake when he is placed in the new course, Media Broadcasting, but over the course of the year, he discovers self-confidence, the value of extracurricular activities, and a talent for broadcast journalism.

The Jumbee by Pamela Keyes: Devastated by the death of her Shakespearean-actor father, Esti Legard moves to a tropical island for her senior year in high school, where she finds herself torn between a mysterious, masked mentor and a seductive island boy, as she tries to escape the overpowering shadow of her famous father.

Half Upon a Time by James Riley: In the village of Giant's Hand Jack's grandfather has been pushing him to find a princess and get married, so when a young lady falls out of the sky wearing a shirt that says "Punk Princess," and she tells Jack that her grandmother, who looks suspiciously like the long-missing Snow White, has been kidnapped, Jack decides to help her.

Win a free ticket to a Milwaukee Bucks game

Are you in grades 3 through 10?

Want to get a free ticket to a Milwaukee Bucks game?

Come into the library starting January 3 to pick up a reading log. Read 500 pages between January 3 and February 26 then return the log to the library to pick up your free voucher.

Watch for more details in the youth services and teen departments soon!

The Monday Mashup

This week, a book for you to enjoy on break, as well as a game for you to play to kill some time.

Dirty Little Secrets by C. J. Omololu

Lucy keeps a secret, but that secret might be revealed when her mom ends up dead, buried under piles of stuff she's collected.

See, Lucy's mom's a hoarder -- someone who keeps everything -- and Lucy has never told anyone. But how can she possibly help her dead mom or herself if she doesn't finally break down and tell people what's going on?

This fast paced, realistic read will leave you wondering what you would do if someone you loved got themselves into such a situation. Would you do what Lucy decides at the end?

Are you ready for the zombie apocalypse?

No?

Well, you can get yourself prepared by playing Plants vs Zombies for free right here. A great way to kill a little time this winter break.

9th grade book talk

For those of you who heard the book talk this week in the 9th grade classes or teens looking for a good read, here's a bunch of highly recommended titles for you to check out:

December 2010 9th grade book talk

View more presentations from aramteens.

New Books!

Here's a small list of even more new books begging to be read. They're all available right now in our library. Links take you to the catalog, where you can place a hold.

Starcrossed by Elizabeth Bunce: In a kingdom dominated by religious intolerance, 16-year-old Digger, a street thief, has always avoided attention, but when she learns that her friends are plotting against the throne she must decide whether to join them or turn them in.

The Reinvention of Edison Thomas by Jacqueline Houtman: Middle school student Eddy Thomas loves science and inventing, but has trouble with people. Finally he meets some friends who appreciate his abilities and respect his unique view of the world. With their help can he rethink his definition of success?

The Best and Hardest Thing by Pat Brisson: When she is a sophomore in high school, Molly gets rid of her good-girl image but ends up becoming pregnant and having to make some difficult decisions.

Payback Time by Carl Deuker: Overweight, somewhat timid Mitch reluctantly agrees to be the sports reporter for the Lincoln High newspaper because he is determined to be a writer, but he senses a real story in Angel, a talented football player who refuses to stand out on the field--or to discuss his past.

The Enchanted Quest
by Frewin Jones: Princess Tania must travel outside of the Immortal Realm to seek a cure for the plague afflicting her people, while joined in spirit with all of the children of Aurealis to weave a web of protection over the Realm of Faerie.

The Monday Mashup

Today, we bring you a some book trailers for new titles you are bound to love. This week, you're getting your books AND your videos all at once. Each of these books is available in our library now!

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney



The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston



Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card (he wrote Ender's Game if you love that one!)



Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith

Middle School Book talk

If you're a 7th grader at Phoenix Middle School, then you'll have the chance to hear about some excellent books at the end of the week from our library. In case you forget the title of a book you like or you are interested in a good book and didn't get to hear the talks, never fear! Here's the powerpoint with all of the titles, cover images, descriptions, and book trailers just for you.

After you read any of these, share your thoughts in the comments. Let other people know why they should check 'em out.

There's *something* for everybody here, from true tales of scientists in the field to a graphic novel about getting braces. All are perfect for 6-9th graders (and even older people, too!).

Phoenixtalk dec2010

View more presentations from aramteens.

New books!

Here are a handful of new titles on shelves for you to check out. Descriptions are from our catalog:

Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap

As world war and the looming Russian Revolution threaten all they hold dear, Anastasia, the youngest daughter of Czar Nicholas II, and her family are being held in captivity, where she falls in love with one of their captors, a young man who has espoused the ideals of Lenin.

Invisible Things by Jenny Davidson

In an alternate 1930s Europe, sixteen-year-old Sophie and Mikael, now more than a friend, investigate her parents' death, setting off a chain of events that unravels everything she thought she knew about her family, and involving them in international intrigue and the development of the atomic bomb.

The Dark Deeps by Arthur Slade

Fourteen-year-old Modo, a shape-changing hunchback, and Octavia take on another mission as secret agents for the Permanent Association in Victorian London, investigating the cause behind the sinking of several ships in the same place.

iDrakula by Bekka Black

An updated version of Dracula told through a series of text messages, instant messages, e-mails, and Web browser images. Eighteen-year-old Jonathan Harker comes down with a rare blood disorder after meeting mysterious Count in Romania. His girlfriend Mina and pre-med student Abraham Van Helsing investigate the source of the disease, learning that the Count is a vampire.

The Princess Trap by Kirsten Boie

Palace rules, boarding school, and paparazzi have Jenna, princess of the newly unified kingdom of Scandia, longing for her former anonymity, but when she runs away she finds herself in grave danger--and in a position to prevent the outbreak of civil war.

@LT 4Mats: Books told through letters, diaries, texts, emails, and more!

Looking for something different to read? If you like stories that are told through letters, diaries, text messages, instant messages, or even poetry, try one of these books out.

If you don't see it on shelf, ask at the reference desk. Links go to our catalog record so you can place a hold on it with your library card number from home.

These books are most appropriate for high school students.


Stolen by Lucy Christopher (Letter)

Scrawl by Mark Shulman (Journal)

Tweet Heart by Elizabeth Rudnick (Tweets and journal entries)

Top 8 by Katie Finn (Facebook, instant messaging, texts, and emails)

TTYL and TTFN by Lauren Myracle (instant messaging)

Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie (Diary and drawings)

Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (Diaries)

Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (Diaries)

Impulse, Tricks, or any other title by Ellen Hopkins (told in poetry)

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Diary)

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (Diary)

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin (Diary/letter)

24 Girls in 7 Days by Alex Bradley (instant messages)

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (letters)

Terrier and Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce (Diary)

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Diary)

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (Diary)

The Monday Mashup

Welcome to another installment of the Monday Mashup. Today we bring you a book to check out and a video perfect for this time of year!


Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff:

If you like your fiction gritty and real, you don't want to miss this story. Lily, Noah, and Simon have been good friends for a long time, and all of their lives are defined by some sort of tragedy. Simon's dealing with a family member's illness; Noah's got an abusive parent; and Lily's folks are not going to be keeping their marriage together for anything. Oh, and both Noah and Simon have the hots for Lily, even though she only has eyes for one of them.

This is a story told through three voices and all are very beliable and realistic. You won't soon forget it.

And if you dig it, check our book mark holder since Steve was kind enough to send our library a ton of bookmarks about this book, too.


And for this week's video...check out how to wrap your cat (it's totally harmless). Can you believe a cat would sit that still and let someone do that?

The Monday Mashup

Welcome to the first installment of the Monday Mashup. We'll give you a book review or two and a video or link to enjoy for the week.

This week, two books you should check out:

Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick

Amber Appleton's got it rough, living out of a bus since she and her mom get kicked out of the place they were staying. But Amber's positive things will get better. . . until her mom ends up way worse than where they already are. This one's a weeper but Amber is one heck of a rock star character.

When I Was Joe by Keren Davis

Imagine if you were witness to a horrible crime, and because you don't want to say anything, you have to change everything about you? That's life for Ty - now Joe. He can't stay in London anymore, and he's starting over with a new life, new friends, a new name, and maybe new romance. But will his past come back to haunt him? A gripping, past-paced thriller.

This week, take a peek at the website I Heart Daily. If you're interested in style, entertainment, beauty, or love a good story about teen girls doing awesome things, this is a must read site.

I Heart Daily is run by Melissa Walker and Anne Icikawa. It's about stuff - cool stuff you'll love to see or want to know more about (maybe even score yourself a deal or two).

One of the best parts of the website is their Red Hearts feature, where teens get chance to post on what makes them excited. You can even take part!

November Book Talk

Listened to a book talk lately? If you have or haven't, here's a slide show of some recent teen fiction, perfect for high schoolers.

Read one of these and have something to share? Add your comment to be automatically entered into our monthly drawing for a free book! If you want to know more about these titles, stop by the library and talk to Kelly.

Nov2010 booktalk

View more presentations from aramteens.

Welcome to Youth Services @ Aram Public Library

Welcome to ALLY, the new youth services blog for the Aram Public Library. We'll tell you about our upcoming programs, share fun links, highlight new additions to the collection, post teen book reviews, and much, much more. Hop into the conversation and learn about everything your library has to offer you!