What Are Teens Reading This Summer?

HERE'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY...

What are your fellow teens reading this summer? Dystopias, romance, you name it. Here are recommendations straight from our summer reading contest entries! (Click on any title to put the book on hold at your favorite CCPL branch. Or, click here to search our eBooks.)



Divergent
By Veronica Roth

Rate it! Excellent (9th grader)

What's it about? Beatrice Prior lives in post-apocalyptic Chicago where people are locked in by a metal fence surrounding the city. On kids' 16th birthdays, they must choose a faction. When you choose a faction, you must remain in that faction or you will become faction-less, homeless, and destitute. The factions are: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).
(Sequel: Insurgent)

Cinder
By Marissa Meyer

Rate it! Excellent (8th grader)

What's it about? It is a retelling of Cinderella with a big twist: The girl, Cinder, is a great mechanic and also a cyborg. She lives in China, and when it gets infected with a disease, she is immune—and the only ones immune to the disease are Lunars, who are from the moon.

 

Sarah's Picks: It's Time for Haiku Reviews!

Hey readers! My name is Sarah, and I work in the Young Adult department at the Charleston County Public Library. Some of my favorite things are: the first day in spring when it's warmer outside than inside, my dogs, Wallace and Izzy, and (naturally) a good book.

This month, I thought I’d do a quick-and-dirty series of reviews. Inspired in part by the book There is No Long Distance Now: Very Short Stories by poet Naomi Shihab Nye (on my reading list), National Poetry Month, and the popularity of novels in verse, I am going to limit myself to the 17 syllables of haiku…Oh, and don't forget to click on any of the titles to reserve a copy of the book through our online catalog!

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

This book with pictures

Tells a deeply sad story--

Keep tissues handy.

Novels in Verse: Drugs, Sex, Death, and Heaven

NOVELS IN VERSE

It's National Poetry Month! Time to study sonnets written by men in white wigs, right? Not necessarily. Edgy teen books written in verse is a hot area of publishing today, one that drags stanzas and meter into the realms of drugs, sex, war, murder, pregnancy, and suicide. You won't be bored! (Click on the titles to place holds, or go to our eBooks.) 

Tricks
By Ellen Hopkins

Five troubled teenagers fall into prostitution as they search for freedom, safety, community, family, and love. Other novels by Ellen Hopkins, queen of edgy books in verse, include Perfect, Glass, Fallout, Identical, Impulse, Burned, and Crank.

YALLFest Read-Alikes

Y'all Loved YALLFest!

Judging by the crowds and lines of book-wielding fans, YALLFest was a huge success. Now that you've met the authors you love, try these read-alikes -- and don't forget to click on the titles to reserve them!

If you like this YALLFest book:                                                                                                  Then try:

Every You, Every Me
By David Levithan

Evan is haunted by the loss of his best friend, so when mysterious photos appear, he begins to fall apart.


As Simple As Snow
By Gregory Galloway

The narrator is left with unanswered questions after goth girl Anastasia disappears.

YALLFest brings top YA authors to town

Updated with YALLFest schedule and YA Smackdown info! 

YA Superstars Descend on Charleston

Here at the library, our hearts are beating super fast. Why? We've learned which bestselling YA authors are coming to Charleston in November for YALLFest 2011! Thanks to Beautiful Creatures authors Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, the list includes such megastars as Ellen Hopkins, David Levithan, Heather Brewer, and Melissa de la Cruz.

Major thanks to Jonathan Sanchez of Blue Bicycle Books, who is hosting the event!

CCPL is thrilled to be a partner...check out the FULL SCHEDULE HERE!

Hot Books For Cold Days

CHILL YOUR TOES, WARM YOUR HEART!

Raise a hand if you're ready for winter break. It's almost time to hit the road (or maybe just the couch!). Here are books to help you brave the winter chill and savor the season of giving. Click on any title to reserve it at your favorite CCPL branch!

Trapped
By Michael Northrop

Seven high school students are stranded at their New England high school when a massive week-long blizzard chokes the roads, kills the heat and electricity, blocks the phones, freezes the pipes, and leaves them fearing for their lives. Grab some hot chocolate before you curl up with this chilling nightmare!