We at CCPL Teen Underground like to introduce a new series of posts called "You Review." You may be thinking, What could that be? I don't get it. Or you may be thinking, Ah, I've been waiting for my chance to share what I thought about the latest YA book I read, and this is my space to do it! Well, the latter thinker is correct--this is YOUR space to tell us (and the People of the Internet) what you think about books you've read.
Our first edition will be poetry-themed in honor of National Poetry Month. Some of our favorite teen readers have submitted a few of their own Haiku Reviews (click here to see staffer Sarah's attempts...). Click on the title to go straight to that book in our online catalog.
Feel free to leave comments, including your own Haiku Reviews (after all, this is YOU Review)!
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!
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.)
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.
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.
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!
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!"
Hey there, techie teens! Looking to upgrade your gear? Enter our contest and you could WIN $50 to Best Buy or Amazon.com.
For this year’s Teen Tech Week, we’ve come up with a heap of challenges that will take you to the outer edges of the internet and back. As you complete the challenges, record your completion of each task on this online form.
For every four challenges you complete, you will be entered once to win our grand prize (a $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com or Best Buy—your choice). Complete ALL the challenges, and you’ll get three chances to win the grand prize!
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!
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?
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!)
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.
We hereby summon you to Tribute Training Camp to be held under cover of darkness after the Main library closes at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 9. Ages 10 to 18 shall attend. Arrive in comfortable attire or costume.
You will demonstrate: Nerf sharpshooting, costume preparation, game strategy, knot tying, Tracker Jacker evasion, and specific knowledge of The Games.
You will attempt to win prizes (including movie tickets, posters, and books) by gaining the favor of our elite Gamemakers.
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 click here to search CCPL's e-books. Happy reading!
Elise is a 16-year-old princess about to marry a king she’s never met – and she actually hopes he’s old or ugly or fat or smells or something, anything, that will keep him from being disappointed with her.
You see, Elise loves to eat. She eats when she’s stressed out, bummed out, or just plain bored. The result: She’s overweight and insecure.
But Elise has this to offer: She is God’s chosen one, according to the magical stone she was born with in her belly button. Trouble is, she has no clue why God would choose her to do anything.
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.
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!
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!
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.)
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.
We have just received a brand new set of the Conspiracy 365 series by Gabrielle Lord. There are 12 books in the action-packed series, one for each month of the year, conveniently named things like January, February, March...you get the idea. Now, we challenge you: Read all 12 books in 60 days!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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?
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!
One more reason to hit YALLFest on Saturday (drum roll): the YA Smackdown!!! Featuring zombies, vampires, witches, evil unicorns, werewolves and bullies (not really...just the people who create them, yikes!).
Which authors will be crowned the inaugural YALLFestKudzu Queens and Kings?
Just who has the guts, the talent, the sheer hilarity or freakishness to win this unparalleled competition?
Kaleb Nation
The YALLFest authors will be divided into viciously competitive teams: Team Supernatural, Team Dystopia, Team Reality and so on. Then, we here at CCPL and you, the pumped up audience and fans, will attempt to stump, dismay and otherwise rattle these superstars of the YA writing world.
Just who are the most clever, most creative, most deserving storytellers? You and our specially chosen judge will bestow the prestigious KUDZU CROWNS of 2011!!
Kaleb Nation will moderate -- yes, he of You Tube fame, author of YA books and launcher of a new reality TV show that will be filming during YALLFest. The show, Kaleb's Nation, will follow him as he concocts the parodies and pop culture commentaries that have lured 28 million views to his YouTube channel. So, wipe that barbecue off your face after dinner and keep an eye out for the cameras as you race down King Street for the YA Smackdown.
Who knows what calamities might ensue with Kaleb at the mic and 30 or so of the nation's top YA writers on one stage...and, of course with you in the audience cheering for your all-time favorites!!
Hilarity will ensue. Tickets cost $5. Be there.
PS: This event comes to you from the young adult department of the Charleston County Public Library because we love these authors, and we love that you love them, too!
Melissa de la Cruz writes the bestselling teen vampire series, the Blue Bloods, as well as The Ashleys and The Au Pairs series. On top of all that, she has worked as a fashion and beauty editor and has appeared on TV shows as a trend expert. Whew! She even writes great adult fiction, including the Witches of East End.
Victoria Schwab is the product of a British mother and a Beverly Hills father. She grew up on the west coast but went to high school in the South at a girls' prep school, complete with plaid skirts that she used to doodle on during math. Talk about contrasts!
Today, she loves fairy tales, folklore and books that make her wonder if the world is really as it seems. Which might be why her debut novel, The Near Witch, is so creepily beautiful. It's about Lexi, a girl who lives on an enchanted moor and gets stuck solving a big mystery when, the day after an intriguing boy appears in town, children start disappearing. Ooohhh!
Read our interview with Victoria below before meeting her at YALLFest!
We’re all excited that you’ll be at YALLFest! What made you decide to come?
How could I resist? I’m a transplant in the South (originally from California), but I’ve lived here long enough for it to feel like home. Also, being a new author, I’m still adjusting to the idea that I get to see some of my favorite writers, not only as a fan, but as a colleague! That blows my mind.
