Palmer's Picks: Gimmie Some Manga! Review of Dororo by Osamu Tezuka

Hi guys! My name's Palmer, and I work in the Young Adult Services department of the Charleston County Public Library. I love graphic novels, root beer floats and thunderstorms (and flip glasses). I also love finding truly awesome books and sharing them with you avid readers! Remember to click on any title to put it on



                                                                                  

                                                                                   DORORO

BY OSAMU TEZUKA

Is is cheesy for me to describe Dororo as a super-sweet story of adventure, friendship, and family that mixes in some amazing Japanese supernatural lore? What if by super sweet, I mean super awesome, super action-packed, and super funny (although Dororo does have a few tender moments)? The hero of Dororo is a young ronin (a masterless warrior) named Hyakkimaru who was born with some serious issues. Our story opens with Hyakkimaru's father, quite the power-hungry guy, offering up fourty-eight parts of his yet unborn son to fourty-eight demons in exchange for control of the region. As a result, Hyakkimaru is born without things like eyes, ears, arms, legs, a nose, and a voice. Fourty-eight missing parts in all makes Hyakkimaru quite unlike your typical infant and unlikely to survive, so his grieving mother sends him downriver in a basket to his fate. Lucky for Hyakkimaru, a kindly doctor discovers him in the river and raises the child as his own, discovering that despite his fourty-eight disadvantages, Hyakkimaru has developed senses beyond the abilities of a normal human and can function quite well without his missing parts. As Hyakkimaru grows into a boy, the doctor begins to construct prosthetics to help the lad appear a little less unusual to the outside world. The prosthetics make Hyakkimaru's life easier for a while, but the growing boy seems to be attracting some unwanted supernatural attention...

New Graphic Novels Arriving at the Main Branch!!

Good news for all readers of manga and graphic novels! The bevy of new graphic novel acquisitons that we've been anxiously awaiting has finally begun to arrive! To whet your appetites for graphic novels, I'm going to give you a little taste of our newest additions:

Salem Brownstone
by John Harris Dunning and Nikhil Singh


This creepy tale appeals with equal parts of  strangeness and loveliness. Its serpentine illustrations and odd storyline together make for a book that reads and looks like a noir detective film set in haunted circus. There is definetly a touch of genius, as well as a touch of insanity in this slim book... for truly remarkable artwork that will lurk in your brain for weeks after, give Salem Brownstone a try!

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.

 

Teens Review Books for Teens

You Review:

Welcome to the place where teens review books just for teens. Email teenunderground@ccpl.org if you want to review, too! Click on any title to put the book on hold at your favorite CCPL branch, and be sure to comment at the end.

Windblowne

Windblowne
By Stephen Messer

You Reviewed by Javari

This book has a really original story line. The main world is all based around kites. Oliver, the central character, is a boy who lives in a land where people are obsessed with flying kites. But when Oliver tries to fly them, they crash in horrible ways.

Every year, the town of Windblowne has a festival of kites. Oliver really wants to fly a kite with success, but his parents are not helpful. So, when he finds out that his great-uncle Gilbert was once a champion kite flier, Oliver gets his hopes up that he will now be able to fly a kite without being laughed at. But Oliver’s hopes are dashed when Gilbert refuses to help.

Author Interview: Jenny Hubbard of PAPER COVERS ROCK

(Updated with new pics at the bottom!)

Jenny Hubbard

AUTHOR INTERVIEW:

JENNY HUBBARD

We loved meeting Jenny Hubbard when she visited the Main library—almost as we enjoyed Paper Covers Rock, her beautiful debut novel that has won numberous national awards and an endorsement from mega-author Pat Conroy. Luckily, she answer a few questions for those who didn't get to meet her:



Paper Covers Rock is your first novel. How did you come up with the idea for it?

If you want to get technical about it, it’s my third novel. The first two are in a drawer in a folder marked, “Burn in the event of my death.” But, yes, it is my first published novel. The germ of Paper Covers Rock began with a terrible true story I heard while I was teaching at a boys’ boarding school, one that had nothing to do with boys or schools. That terrible true story is no longer a part of the novel. Funny how that happens. I taught at the boys’ school for 10 years, and when I started there, I was the only single female teacher. I taught poetry, and I read the sometimes great and terrifying work of my students day in and day out. Although my story is not at all Miss Dovecott’s, I can relate to and empathize with her plight.

Jen's Picks: The Fault in Our Stars

Greetings! I'm Jennifer Hawes, and I work with young adult books at the Charleston County Public Library. Welcome to my random thoughts about books for teens. If a book grabs you, click on the title to reserve a copy, or search CCPL's ebooks. Happy reading!

The Fault in Our Stars

By John Green

This week, I fell in love.

I fell in love with a guy named Augustus Waters. I also became quite fond of his girlfriend, Hazel Lancaster. But mostly I fell into awe of John Green, author of my new favorite teen book of all time, The Fault in Our Stars. Anyone who uses words like “cancertastic” and who actually made me want to read a book about teens facing death by cancer surely warrants so much admiration.

Honestly, I’m not big on reading depressing books just for fun. But I am a sucker for smart sarcasm, and the book (TFiOS as fans call it) opens with Hazel at a cancer support group held in a church basement that she’s dubbed the Literal Heart of Jesus. Every week, the group leader reminds them that he's alive despite losing both testicles to cancer, which leaves Hazel musing, "AND YOU TOO MIGHT BE SO LUCKY!"

South Carolina Junior Book Awards

Awesome Books for Middle Schoolers!!

The 2012-2013 South Carolina Junior Book Award nominees are in! Check out the results. They include dangerous underwater worlds, kids forced to work in sweatshops, and a talking origami Yoda. Yes, there is a book (or two or three) for all tastes. Click on any title to reserve a copy!

Start off with:



The Strange Case of Origami Yoda
By Tom Angleberger

When Dwight, the class weirdo, shows up with a talking origami Yoda, kids tease him. But Yoda seems to know things—and his advice is oddly wise. Is the Force really with him, or has Dwight fallen off the deep end?

Sequel: Darth Paper Strikes Back

S.C. Young Adult Book Award Nominees

Great Books for S.C. High Schoolers!!

The South Carolina YA Book Award Nominees are in for 2012-2013!

Our state's students, librarians, teachers, parents, and others chose these books as the very best for high schoolers. (Heads up: Teachers like to pick summer reading requirements from these lists...so get a head start!)

Click on any title to reserve a copy:



Pathfinder
By Orson Scott Card

Rigg has a secret ability to see the paths of others' pasts. However, revelations after his father's death set him on a dangerous quest that brings new threats from those who would either control his destiny or kill him.

Jen's Pick: The Future of Us...Your Future on Facebook

Greetings! My name is Jennifer, and I work with young adult books at the Charleston County Public Library. Welcome to my random thoughts about books for teens. If a book grabs you, click on the title to reserve a copy…or click here to search CCPL's e-books. Happy reading!






The Future of Us

       The Future of Us

By Jay Asher

and

Carolyn Mackler
 

 

Imagine seeing your Facebook self 15 years in the future. Maybe you’re married to the hottest guy or girl in school, you’re making big bucks, and you have a gaggle of cute kids? Awesome!

Sure, but what if your future life really stinks?

So goes the premise of The Future of Us, the new book by Jay Asher (Thirteen Reasons Why) and Carolyn Mackler (The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things).

Books With Looks

When Words and Images Unite

Is a picture really worth a thousand words? How about a drawing? A painting? A sketch? The books below combine words with images to tell some really amazing stories! (Click on any title to reserve a copy at a CCPL branch, or click here to search our e-books.)

Wonderstruck

By Brian Selznick

Having just lost his mother and his hearing in a short time, 12-year-old Ben leaves his Minnesota home to find the father he's never known in New York City. There, he meets Rose, who is also longing for something that's missing from her life. Ben's story is told in words; Rose's is told in pictures.

Jen's Pick: A Monster Calls

Hi there! My name is Jennifer, and I work with young adult books at the Charleston County Public Library. Welcome to my random thoughts about books for teens. If a book grabs your interest, click on the title to reserve a copy…or click here to search CCPL's e-books. Happy reading!

A Monster Calls

By Patrick Ness

To appreciate this haunting new fictional story, you must know Siobhan Dowd’s real-life story. She was a human rights worker and a popular author. A Monster Calls would have been her fifth young adult novel. She’d created the idea, the characters and the novel’s beginning.

Yet, she died of cancer in 2007 at age 47, taking her artistic energies with her.

In stepped Patrick Ness, author of The Knife of Never Letting Go series. He had never met Dowd.

But he'd heard about her monster.

Ness embraced her story, infusing his own creative vision to give it a full life, with gut-gripping results.

New Books Feature Ghosts, Insanity, and a Sunken Ship

Be First to Get These New Books!

Our new books feature ghosts, murder, cover ups, entire worlds gone bad, the Titanic, an alien abduction, and more! Click on any title to reserve a copy at your favorite CCPL branch.

Everybody Sees the Ants
By A.S. King

Fed up with his parents' fighting and a bully's attacks, 15-year-old Lucky Linderman dreams of being with his grandfather, who went missing during the Vietnam War. However, during a visit to Arizona, his aunt and uncle and their beautiful neighbor, Ginny, help him find a new perspective.

By the author of Please Ignore Vera Dietz.

Legend
By Marie Lu

A future America is at war. Born into an elite family, June is being groomed for the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, Day is the country's most wanted criminal. They have no reason to cross paths -- until June's brother is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Is Day really to blame, or was he set up to cover a darker secret?

New Books, Get Them First

We're Bursting With New Teen Titles!


Here at CCPL, we've just received a slew of fantastic new teen books from bestselling authors, including Elizabeth Scott and Susan Beth Pfeffer, along with some great debut writers. Click on titles to get your hands on them first!


As I Wake
By Elizabeth Scott

Ava wakes up in a house she doesn't know, into a life she doesn't recognize. Recently released from the hospital, she's welcomed home by family and friends. But Ava can't remember any of them -- and she can't shake the strange feeling that she's not who they say she is.

Author Interview: Michelle Hodkin

Author Interview: Michelle Hodkin

At 16, Michelle Hodkin sadly lost the rights to her soul in a poker game with pirates just south of Natchez. Shortly thereafter, she joined an acting troupe and traveled the world performing feats of wonder and mischief. (She also grew up in Florida, went to college in New York, and studied law in Michigan.)

She just released her debut novel to the applause of YA author superstar Cassandra Clare, among others who loved the book. Read it yourself and then come meet Michelle at YALLFest!


What inspired you to write The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, your debut novel?

The short answer is that it was inspired by true events, and on May 15, 2009, I had the idea to turn them into a book. The long answer will be posted on http://www.maradyer.com/.

Author Interview: Adele Griffin

Author Interview: Adele Griffin

Adele Griffin, two-time National Book Award finalist, likes writing YA stories set during summer vacation, a time (as she recalls it) of bad jobs, new friends, and sometimes an intriguing stranger. But as a kid, nothing tempted her more than ghost stories and mysteries. She also loved books about new girls — probably because her own family moved around a lot. What's that advice about writing what you know?!?

These days, Adele only writes at a certain desk! Must be a pretty charmed place because she's written many great books for teens and younger children. Check out our interview with her below and then come meet her at YALLFest!


We’re all excited that you're coming to Charleston for YALLFest! What made you decide to come?

I'm really excited, too! I'm looking forward to seeing my Picture the Dead partner in collaboration crime, Lisa Brown. And there are so many cool authors there, people I know from Goodreads or twitter or joint-promotion stuff. I'm excited to for-real meet them.
                                                                  Picture The Dead

Okay, and I'm also excited for Southern desserts. Brown-sugar walnut ice-cream! Coconut cake! Pecan pie! Bring it!


What got you into writing books for teens?

I landed my first job out of college working as an editorial assistant for Macmillan Children's Books. It was two blocks away from my first NYC mouse-infested apartment. Which I loved. And I was deathly afraid of the subway — I wanted to walk to work. Luckily I loved the job. So that was how I came into it.

The Spoken Word

New Teen Books on CD

We've just received a TON of new teen books on CD. So, if you'd rather listen to words, or if you're facing a long car trip, check out these titles. (Click on titles to reserve them. We'll ship the CDs to the CCPL branch closest to you!)

Mockingjay [compact disc]
By Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen has survived the fight-to-the-death Hunger Games. But now she faces her toughest challenge yet. With the Capitol and President Snow blaming her for the uprising in District 12, will she sacrifice herself to protect her loved ones?

Sequel to: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire






Fallen [compact disc]
By Lauren Kate

Suspected in the death of her boyfriend, 17-year-old Luce is sent to reform school in Savannah where she meets two intriguing boys -- and learns the truth about the frightening shadows that haunt her.

Sequel: Torment

New School Year, New You

Books For a Better You

A new school year is the perfect time for self-improvement! Whether you need to brush up on style, diet, stress management, study habits, body changes, friend drama, dating, whatever -- we have a book for you. (Click on any title to reserve a copy at a CCPL branch.)

Lauren Conrad Style
By Lauren Conrad

Hit the halls of school knowing how to get your red lips just right, when to buy cheap jewelry, and how to decode invitations so you know what to wear. This book is full of fashion and make-up tips from Lauren Conrad, star of the MTV hit The Hills and author of L.A. Candy and Sweet Little Lies.

What You (and Your Friends) Are Reading

Here's What You Have to Say....

Thanks to all who've entered our summer reading contest! So, what's everyone reading? Tons of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and the Hunger Games. But what else? Here's what you recommend -- in your own words!

(Keep the entries coming…we have lots more prizes to give away.
Click on titles below to put the books on hold.)

City of Bones
By Cassandra Clare

"Clary is thrown into a world where fairies, vampires, werewolves, and demons are real. Then she finds out that her mother is a Shadowhunter, a group of humans who have angel blood and kill demons. But her father is Valentine -- the evil Shadowhunter trying to destroy all the other Shadowhunters."

(Read City of Ashes next!)

Rating: Excellent

-- 8th grader, Laing Middle School








City of Glass
By Cassandra Clare

"Clary sneaks into the City of Glass and is immediately caught up in a life-and-death battle as the werewolves, vampires, and faerie gather for a war that will 'rend the heavens.'" (Next read the new sequel City of Fallen Angels!)

Rating: Excellent

-- 12th grader, Charleston County School of the Arts

Hottest Summer Reads

Escape the Dog Days of Summer

Summer is time for fun and adventure! Right? Unless, of course, you're facing a 14-hour drive to Aunt Nellie's. Or a flight with two layovers and a storm delay. Or maybe you get can't even get out of town because the gas funds dried up. Hey, they're all good reasons to escape into these great summer reads.

Click on titles to reserve them at your favorite CCPL branch. If it says "on order," place a hold on the book. You'll be one of the first to get it once we do!

We'll Always Have Summer
By Jenny Han

The summer after her first year of college, Isobel "Belly" Conklin is faced with a choice between Jeremiah and Conrad Fisher -- the brothers she has always loved -- when Jeremiah proposes marriage and Conrad confesses that he still loves her.

This is the brand new sequel to The Summer I Turned Pretty and It's Not Summer Without You.




 
 

Take a Trip Back in Time

Updated with new books at the top!

History's Intrigue

Clandestine meetings, killings and torture, romance, scandal, betrayal, adventures on the high seas...who says history is boring? Meet some of history's feisty women and courageous guys by taking a trip back in time. 
(Click on any title to put it on hold!)

Between Shades of Gray
By Ruta Sepetys

It's 1941 when Lina, her mother, and her  brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet secret police and sent to a freezing work camp in Siberia. Her father is taken away and sentenced to death. Lina clings to the drawings she hopes will find their way to him, if he's still alive--and if she can survive the horrors.