What you're reading and watching

I've gotten a ton more reading logs in from summer reading and thought I'd share more of what you guys said are your favorite books, tv shows, and places/ways to read. Enjoy!

What are some of your favorite books?

Canterwood Crest: City Secrets

Party Princess

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

On the Run by Gordon Korman

Kidnapped

Graphic novels

Drizzle

Twilight

What book should be made into a movie?

Chestnut Hill

Canterwood Crest

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules

Princess in the Spotlight

On the Run 1-6

Drizzle

Where and when do you usually read?

I usually read on the couch and when it's hot outside or when I don't have anything to do.

My room

My mom's room

Outside

In the car

In my room in the afternoon

Living room at night

At night in bed

At home in my room at 7 pm

I read in the morning and at night in my bed

24/7! Anywhere, but usually in my room

What's your favorite tv show?

Shake it Up!

I Love Lucy

Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

Good Luck Charlie

Dude, What Would Happen

Pair of Kings

Kicking It

Suite Life on Deck

House

WWE

Extreme Home Makeover

New Books at Aram Public Library for Teens

More new books for you to enjoy! Remember, if you want to request the book from home, all you need to do is click the link then request it with your library card number and pin. Easy!


Dark Souls by Paula Morris: Sixteen-year-old Miranda Tennant arrives in York, England, with her parents and brother, trying to recover from the terrible accident that killed her best friend, and while in the haunted city she falls in love for the first time as two boys, one also suffering from a great loss and the other a ghost, fight for her attentions.


And Then Things Fall Apart by Arlaina Tibinsky: Devastated by her parents' decision to split up, pressured by her boyfriend to have sex, and saddled with a case of chicken pox, fifteen-year-old Keek finds consolation in her beloved, well-worn copy of Sylvia Plath's "The Bell Jar."


The Blackhope Enigma by Teresa Flavin: Fourteeen-year-old Sunni, her stepbrother Dean, and an art-student friend trace the footsteps of a labyrinth built in Blackhope Tower by a mysterious and brilliant sixteenth-century artist, and suddenly find themselves trapped inside his enchanted painting, trying desperately to get out.


The Death Catchers by Jennifer Anne Kogler: Through a letter to her English teacher, fourteen-year-old Lizzy Mortimer of Crabapple, California, relates her discovery that she and her eccentric grandmother are kin to Morgan le Faye, charged with saving the last descendant of King Arthur from an untimely death that would endanger the world.


Sweetly by Jackson Pearce: When the owner of a candy shop molds magical treats that instill confidence, bravery, and passion, eighteen-year-old Gretchen's haunted childhood memories of her twin sister's abduction by a witch-like monster begin to fade until girls start vanishing at the annual chocolate festival


Death Sentence: Escape from Furnace #3 by Alexander Gordon Smith: After his failed attempt to escape from Furnace Penitentiary, Alex struggles to survive the bloodstained laboratories beneath where monsters are manufactured, with a death sentence--or worse--hanging over his head.


Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Shecter: Cleopatra Selene, the only surviving daughter of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, recalls her life of pomp and splendor in Egypt and, after her parents' deaths, capitivity and treachery in Rome.


Between by Jessica Warman: By weaving through her memories and watching the family and friends she left behind, eighteen-year-old Liz Valchar solves the mystery of how her life ended in the Long Island Sound.

This week @ APL

Join us Thursday at 3:30 pm for our teen book club! We'll be discussing Cris Beam's I am J. Here's the description:

J, who feels like a boy mistakenly born as a girl, runs away from his best friend who has rejected him and the parents he thinks do not understand him when he finally decides that it is time to be who he really is.

If you don't have a copy, there are some available at the upstairs desk to check out.

Can't make it? We'll have another book discussion September 1 @ 3:30 pm. Copies of Clarity (click the link for a description!) will be available by the end of the week at the desk upstairs.

New books at the library

Now that summer reading club is over, we're catching up on processing all of the new books that have come in lately. That means, tons of new books for you on the shelves. Here's a glimpse at some of the stuff we're putting out. Links go to the catalog record so you can place a hold on anything that looks good right from home!

Conspiricies by Mercedes Lackey: When a series of magical attacks disrupts Oakhurst Academy, a boarding school for orphaned future magicians, a suspicious alumnus is hired to secure the campus and start training the students for war.



Cryptic Cravings by Ellen Schreiber: Sixteen-year-old Raven, a vampire-obsessed goth girl, is in love with Alexander, a real vampire.

The Lucky Kind by Alyssa B Scheinmel: Having always felt secure within his small family, Manhattan high school junior Nick is unsettled to discover the existence of an older brother that his father put up for adoption many years ago.

Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L Jones: After the death of her mother in an automobile accident, seventh-grader Serena, who has gotten the lead in her middle school play, is left to handle the day-to-day challenges of caring for herself and her younger brother when their father cannot pull himself out of his depression.

Clean by Amy Reed: A group of teens in a Seattle-area rehabilitation center form an unlikely friendship as they begin to focus less on their own problems with drugs and alcohol by reaching out to help a new member, who seems to have even deeper issues to resolve. If you like Ellen Hopkins, this is a book you must pick up.

The Babysitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young: Imaginative Massachusetts seventeen-year-old Dani Solomon confesses she has been troubled by thoughts of harming Alex, the little boy she loves to babysit, triggering gossip and a media frenzy that makes "Dani Death" the target of an extremist vigilante group.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very peculiar photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Wildefire by Karsten Knight: After a killing for which she feels responsible, sixteen-year-old Ashline Wilde moves cross-country to a remote California boarding school, where she learns that she and others have special gifts that can help them save the world, but evil forces are at work to stop them.


Small Town Sinners by Melissa Walker: High school junior Lacey finds herself questioning the evangelical Christian values she has been raised with when a new boy arrives in her small town.

The grand total is...

78.5.

What does that number mean, anyway?

That is the number of days -- yes, days -- you guys spent reading this summer. Over the course of 8 weeks of summer reading club, you read over 1,885 hours, or a total of over 78.5 days. That's over two and a half straight months of reading non-stop.

You guys rock!

All-You-Can-Read Cafe chats with Nova Ren Suma (author of IMAGINARY GIRLS)

Last week, the teen book club had the chance to chat with author Nova Ren Suma about her book Imaginary Girls. She was kind enough to agree to let us post the chat for anyone who might be interested in knowing more about the book -- enjoy!


Nova Ren Suma: Hi there!

AramTeens: Hello from Wisconsin!

AramTeens: I am handing you over to Ashley, one of our teens.

Nova Ren Suma: I'm ready! Thanks for having me on today.

Nova Ren Suma: Hi, Ashley.

AramTeens: we're glad to have you.

AramTeens: 1st question- where did this strange and eerie idea come from

Nova Ren Suma: Ah! The idea first started as a short story about two sisters, Ruby and Chloe... As a sister myself with a little sister I adore, it's something I always wanted to write about. But the idea got more eerie when I began writing about the reservoir in the story (much like the reservoir in the town where I lived as a teenager). I read about the history of the reservoir, and the towns drowned and it began to inspire some very strange things in my own writing.

AramTeens: Is that how it grew into a full length novel?

Nova Ren Suma: I wrote the story first and took it to a summer workshop. There was no magical realism in it at all... and there was something missing. So when I started writing it again, it turned weirder, and became a novel. Writing workshops can be so helpful that way.

Nova Ren Suma: (Not in making your fiction weird! I mean in helping you focus your ideas.)

AramTeens: So was it a more realistily based story before you took it to the writing workshop?

Nova Ren Suma: Yes, it was entirely realistic. The story was called "Mythical Creatures" — though there were no "creatures" in it. And it was simply about Chloe moving in with her older sister's new boyfriend.

AramTeens: Is there a reason why the story was set where it was? Small town on the east coast?

Nova Ren Suma: I live in New York City and I have for over ten years, but I'm from the Hudson Valley. That's where I grew up, and the town in the novel is very much like the town where I lived when I was in high school. For some reason, even though I moved away, I find myself very inspired to write about the place where I grew up. So I write about small towns like that often.

AramTeens: As we're all small town residents we appreciate having a setting we can relate too.

AramTeens: Do you relate too or see yourself in any of the characters in the book?

Nova Ren Suma: I do relate.

Nova Ren Suma: I think I'm more like Chloe than Ruby. But in real life I'm the older sister... my baby sister is named Laurel Rose. (I call her Rose.) She and I joke about how Chloe and Ruby have traits of both of us. But they are definitely their own people.

AramTeens: I'm an older sister too- the rest of the group doesn't have sisters and think I'm the real life version of Ruby but less crazy.

Nova Ren Suma: Ha! Glad to hear less crazy

Nova Ren Suma: I love being an older sister, and it was interesting to put myself in the shoes of the little sister while writing.

AramTeens: Was it hard to write from a younger sister's perspective?

Nova Ren Suma: Sometimes it was. But Chloe really grew as a character for me... I couldn't help but see the story through her eyes. And like I said, she's a lot like me sometimes. (Except she can swim and I really can't swim that well.)

AramTeens: Is London really dead?

Nova Ren Suma: Ooh tricky question!

Nova Ren Suma: I think there are different ways to see the story at the end... and I'd never say that any one perspective is wrong.

Nova Ren Suma: But, to me, London is no longer dead at the end. I believe Chloe, and Chloe believes London has been brought back to life.

AramTeens: oooooh good answer

Nova Ren Suma: Do you think anything different?

Nova Ren Suma: I get some emails with different views on what happened, and I love that.

AramTeens: We all have a different idea on the subject

Nova Ren Suma: That's awesome.

AramTeens: What's your favorite inturptetation?

Nova Ren Suma: I don't have a favorite... but sometimes people tell me they think Chloe made it all up in her head. That the story isn't actually magical at all. And I find that fascinating.

AramTeens: We can see the logic behind that inturpretation.

Nova Ren Suma: I like that. I like that it can be read more than one way.

AramTeens: Burning question from the group- have you ever written a request on a balloon and let it go?

Nova Ren Suma: GOOD QUESTION.

Nova Ren Suma: No, I have not!

Nova Ren Suma: And now I will have to.

AramTeens: We just did it, with red ribbons, it was fun!

Nova Ren Suma: Seriously??? That is so amazing!

Nova Ren Suma: I hope all the requests come true for you.

AramTeens: Why was Ruby obsessed with sunglasses?

Nova Ren Suma: Heh. That's taken from my sister. She is OBSESSED with sunglasses.

Nova Ren Suma: She always gets very fancy movie-star sunglasses...

AramTeens: There's no deeper meaning?

Nova Ren Suma: ...and I guess as I was writing Ruby it slipped in, and I couldn't take it back out.
Nova Ren Suma: I didn't write it originally with that intention, but I do see so much symbolism for it now. It's one of those perfect little details that were meant to be, I think.

AramTeens: Last question...

Nova Ren Suma: Ready

AramTeens: Who would you cast to play the characters in the movie adaption of the book?

Nova Ren Suma: Aha! The question I've been mulling over...

Nova Ren Suma: I hope this doesn't disappoint, but this thing happens when I write. The characters have very clear faces in my mind. I know exactly what Chloe and Ruby and Owen and Pete and Jonah and London look like, so I have a hard time picking an actor to play them.

Nova Ren Suma: But someone suggested Megan Fox as Ruby, and I can see that.

Nova Ren Suma: If you can recommend a movie cast for me, I'd love it.

AramTeens: We agree with the Megan Fox suggestion.

Nova Ren Suma: I've heard it more than once. So maybe the part is meant for her... who knows.

AramTeens: Dakota Fanning is our suggestion for London.

Nova Ren Suma: Oh, that is perfect.

AramTeens: Kelly suggests we resurrect devin sawa from his 90s hey day and make him Owen

AramTeens: A younger Luke Wilson would be good for Jonah

AramTeens: (if he could be serious )

Nova Ren Suma: Ha! Could work. He'd have to dye his hair.

Nova Ren Suma: I love these casting suggestions!

AramTeens: (we're glad you got that reference)

AramTeens: There's also a crowd suggestion for R Pattz to play EVERYONE

AramTeens: We aren't sure on Chloe

Nova Ren Suma: Hahaha. Amused.

Nova Ren Suma: Chloe would be hard to cast. If there ever is an IMAGINARY GIRLS movie, I wonder who they'd pick.

AramTeens: Selena Gomez, maybe. But we dont like her being with Justin Bieber.

Nova Ren Suma: Hahaha. Laughing again.

Nova Ren Suma: Agreed on Justin Bieber.

AramTeens: Miranda Cosgrove!

AramTeens: From iCarly (I didnt know that reference)

Nova Ren Suma: I just Googled! She looks the part.

AramTeens: Thanks so much for chatting with us! We appreciate your time.

Nova Ren Suma: Thanks so much for having me on! And for reading IMAGINARY GIRLS.

Teen Book Reviews

Ashley turned in a few book reviews for summer reading club, and they were all so thoughtful and worth sharing. If you're looking for a good book to sink into, try one of these out. All links go to our catalog, so you can request the book from home.

Early to Death, Early to Rise by Kim Harrison: This was a fun read, especially if you liked the first book in the trilogy. It picks up right where the previous book left off and builds on the world Harrison crafted. My one criticism was the way too obvious red herring. You know from the start that it's a red herring, but the main characters fail to realize this until the end.

It still had the charm of the first book and Marison's quest to change the world one innocent at a time is admirable. It saddens me that there's only one book left in this series, as I adore both Harrison's writing style and the way she crafts her main characters.

This book's writing style reminded me how Kim writes her other series, as she did some of the same central themes of right/wrong. I would recommend this books to fans of urban fantasy, angels, and the war between good and evil or fate vs choice.

The Anti-Prom by Abby McDonald: All three of the main characters were different from each other, but I never felt connected or like I could relate to any of them. I did enjoy their whack predictable story, though. Having alternating points of view was a little confusing, especially when you stop reading in the middle of a chapter. But all in all, it was a cute read. Nothing serious, just pure fun.

This book's plot was like a plot from a summer chick flick, but I can't think of a specific example. I would recommend to this book to impatient prom goers and lovers of chick flicks.

White Cat by Holly Black: Once you get a feel for the characters and what kind of a world they live in, I thought it was a really good mystery/fantasy book. The story was fast paced but we got to get into Cassel's head and see what kind of person he was, even thought he didn't know what kind of a person he was, which I liked. I also liked that there were some good plot twists worked in with the occasional predictability and that it ended with most of its strings wrapped up so you could stop reading the series if you wanted to (which I don't). But the loose ends don't give away too much plot for the sequel. I'm certainly interested in seeing how this series plays out.

This book reminded me of books that involve witch craft but nothing specific. Maybe a little bit like The Demon's Lexicon. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes magic, mystery, and complicated main characters.

This week @ APL

Check out the awesome penguin the kids at Newark Library made! Can you and your friends build something as big or creative? Come on out for a special Lego Club for TEENS ONLY on Thursday at 3 pm. We'll dump out buckets of Legos, and you'll be able to build any and everything you want to. If you like what you made and want to show it off to others, we'll let you display it upstairs in the teen area.