August Author of the Month: John Green

Hiya, readers! This month we're kicking off a new series of posts and displays at the Main Library: Author of the Month. YA regular and devoted nerdfighter Chloe W. got first pick, so August's author is the extra-fantabulous John Green. Check out what Chloe has to say about Monsieur Green below. All of the books will be on display in the teen space at the Main Library for the month of August, so come on by to check them out!

Also, if you've got a favorite author you'd like to see featured, shoot us an email, comment on this post, or give us a call at (843) 805-6903.

--Staffer Sarah

Why John Green is My Favorite Author

By Chloe W.

There is a difference between merely liking an author’s book a great deal and calling him or her your favorite author. When someone is your favorite author, you don’t only like his books, but you like him as person, you’re interested in his life, and you really care about him (or her). That is why John Green is my favorite.

I first found out about who John Green was last year when I started watching the vlogbrothers videos. John and his brother Hank have a hugely successful YouTube channel where they have been making vlogs since 2007. Watching the videos and seeing how awesome they are caused me to go get his books from the library as fast as I could.

The style of John Green’s writing is very realistic according to a teenager’s perspective--so incredibly smart and thoughtful yet humorous and filled with adolescent shenanigans.

It’s difficult to choose which of his books I like best. From Looking for Alaska--the story of Miles, the boy obsessed with people’s last words who goes to boarding school where he meets Alaska (which manages to be both filled with pranks and heartbreak)--to An Abundance of Katherines (the story of Colin the child prodigy who has dated 19 girls named Katherine), John Green’s writing never fails to be enjoyable.

The Fault in Our Stars is my personal favorite of his books. This book means a great deal to me not just because I love the story of Hazel and Augustus so much, but also because the experience of seeing an idea become an actual book is a beautiful thing. I was there with all the other nerdfighters (a community dedicated to “decreasing world suck” that was started by the Green brothers) watching when the title was announced, when the cover was released, when the vast amount of pre-orders was so great that the publisher agreed to move the release date up three months. I understood the little things in the novel you can only get when you know a lot about an author, such as the goat soap references, because any well-versed nerdfighter knows that John and Hank’s parents make goat soap. And I was lucky enough to attend the Tour de Nerdfighting, where I met John and Hank and got my book signed and inscribed. All these things are a part of my love for The Fault in Our Stars, or TFiOS, as it’s commonly called.

But it isn’t only John Green’s books I like. John Green is someone I look up to. I’m interested in his opinions and what he has to say. I love watching his vlogbrothers videos as well as his video series The Miracle of Swindon Town, which can be seen in the YouTube channel HankGames, where John plays FIFA 11 as Swindon Town F.C. and discusses a different topic or shares a story in each match. His videos on the YouTube channel crashcourse, where John teaches World History, are informative but still manage to be funny and so distinctly John-esque that they’re always a joy to watch.

Whether I’m reading his books or watching him play video games, John Green is someone I find interesting, someone I can really look up to, and someone I would call not just an author but a friend.

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.

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!"

Nerdfighters, Unite!



Me, Chloe the Nerdfighter





Meet the Nerdfighters

This year, when asked the momentous question, “What do you want for Christmas?” I asked not for a fancy new gadget, nor a car, but for an experience. Namely, the nearest Tour de Nerdfighting event.

Confused?