2009 Teens' Top Ten Pick

Fans of Ellen Hopkin's (Crank, Glass) will appreciate the continued use of free verse as she tells the story of two identical twins as they struggle with explosive secrets that has torn their family apart. The sixteen-year-old identical twin daughters of a district court judge and a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, Kaeleigh and Raeanne Gardella are on the track to self destruction.

While the girls do well in school and the family appears to be normal, mom is running for Congress and dad is a prominant judge and pillar of the community, everything changes after an accident. The story proceeds to uncover deep family secrets, including sexual abuse, through the use of poems that sometimes mirror the feelings of each girl laid out on facing pages.

Like a television drama, no topic is left untouched. While one teen turns to drug abuse the other struggles with binging and cutting. This shocking book will have Hopkin's fans anticipating a tidy conclusion but the climactic ending will still be a surprise.

Identical is a nominee for the Teens Top 10. To request it from the library, click here. If it’s your favorite, don’t forget to place your vote during Teen Read Week, October 18-24, 2009. Follow the Teens Top 10 link

Awfully Beastly is Right

An Awfully Beastly Business: Werewolf versus Dragon
Authors: David Sinden, Matthew Morgan, Guy Macdonald

Suggested Grades 3 - 6

Reviewed by: Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, Amherst, Ohio


The RSPCB, or the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Beasts, is the setting for this series where Ulf, a budding werewolf, is the assistant to Dr. Fielding, a cryptozoologist , who takes in and protects all sorts of beasts in a sort of “Jurassic Park” type setting. Gargoyles, jeepers creepers, electrodactyls, and a jellystoats all share this scientific protected haven until they are able to be released back into the wild.

Ulf appears to be a normal boy as he travels around the compound on his all-terrain vehicle at the bidding of the good Dr. Fielding. But one curt line, “Ulf was beast blood”, lets you know he has a darker calling as the pressure builds leading up to his rib-cracking “transformation” as predicted by the lunar calendar. He sleeps on a bed of straw and keeps friends with a tiny fairy named Tiana and a giant named Orson who help him as he tries to be a hero and do the right thing in a fantasy world where evil, and the odd, coexist.

While the format is styled similar to say the Spiderwick Chronicles or even a Snicket book the underlying theme here is presented in a way that crosses the line from fiendish fun over to the macabre. When a baby dragon is found dead Dr. Fielding performs an autopsy using a chainsaw. With blood spattering her lab coat and descriptions like “It opened like a zipper, and its guts spilled out..”, I’m wondering if the audience being targeted by the cartoon like characters and the larger print and line drawings is somehow being forgotten.

Poachers are setting up a “Ring of Horrors”, beasts fighting to the death amidst a crowd eager to place their bets is not unlike a gladiator scene. The mother dragon is lured into the fight and Ulf must work to save his friend Orson while protecting the mother dragon at the same time.

A spooky library scene offers answers in a book that might shine a light on the nature of some of the beasts involved and gives Ulf the inside information he needs to help solve the mystery behind some of the strange behaviors.

An ornate cover and lots of line illustrations will draw in even reluctant readers but better choices abound for this age group and I’m wondering if this series by three British authors plays better across the ocean. An additional purchase for most libraries, at best.

Horsing around with Doug Kane and Kedja

What a beautiful day it turned out to be as more than 150 people came to the Amherst Public Library where Doug Kane and his horse Kedja set up to promote their book, Ariel's Journey: Book 1 of the Ice Horse Adventures".

Kedja enjoyed all the attention and kids had fun feeding her bagel snacks.

Ariel's Journey follows five teenage girls as they embark on an overnight trail ride in present-day Pennsylvania and emerge in 1200 A.D. Iceland, pulled back in time by their magical Icelandic Horses.

For a moment there we could almost imagine Kedja with her magical wings.

LifeShare Blood Services was also onhand and many people stopped by to donate blood. It was a great day to be outside and many people passing by stopped to check out the activity at the library.

We're looking forward to the next book in the series. In the meantime, pick up your copy of Ariel's Journey at the library or for sale at area bookstores.

An interview with Mike San Giacomo

Local author, Mike San Giacomo, stopped by the other day and spoke with us about his graphic novel “Tales of the Starlight Drive-in”. Of course we always talk to authors who bring us free books.

Mike: I’m very excited that my book was nominated for the Best Graphic Novel of 2008 by the Comic Buyer’s Guide.

Book Blogger: For those who have never read your book, can you tell us something about “Tales of the Starlight Drive-in”?

Mike: I wrote all 31 stories in Starlight, all set in a mythical drive-in theater. The stories take place over 50 years and can be read separately, but when read together form a giant novel. It's a giant novel of life, love, failure and redemption.

Book Blogger: Can you tell us about the Comic Buyer’s Guide so we get an idea just how big an honor this is.

Mike: Comic Buyers’s Guide is the second longest-running periodical that reports on the comic book industry and the only one based in the United States. If you’re a writer or illustrator in the comic industry you follow Comic Buyer’s Guide.

Book Blogger: Sort of the Academy Awards of the Comic Book Industry.

Mike: Yep, and here I am shamelessly begging for votes.

Book Blogger: Wow, it’s quite an honor to even be nominated.

Mike: It is very cool to be nominated. Winning would be even cooler.

Book Blogger: So how can we help.

Mike: Anyone can vote in the contest and votes from you and your friends would be nice. I’ve included the link here to the site where you can sign up to vote.

Book Blogger: Wait a minute. I don’t want to have someone calling me or putting me on a mailing list of some sort just because I registered on their web site.

Mike: You won’t be put on a mailing list or anything. It’s a very straightforward contest.

Book Blogger: So why do they need my address?

Mike: You have to submit your name and address because you can only vote once, but husband and/or wife/ mom and or/ dad can also vote if they care to. A win would be great, and you all can help. Voting only takes a minute

Book Blogger: So everyone can vote once and voting continues through May 31.

Mike: Thanks for your help.

Click here to vote

Click here for more info on the book

Check your friendly library shelf

Voting is now open

Vote now for your choice for Teen Book of the Year. Up for the 2008 award are Breaking Dawn (Stephenie Meyer), The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins), Lock and Key (Sarah Dessen), Paper Towns (John Green), and Airhead (Meg Cabot).

Voting is easy, just click and submit. What, you haven't read one of these? Then get to the library and pick up a copy.

VOTE HERE

Earthworm farming!

So mom won't let you have a pet? Start a worm farm and convince her that this is a hands-on ecology lesson. Use a 2-liter plastic bottle with the top cut off, or maybe you have an old aquarium or clear plastic box. A few drain holes in the bottom, sand, dirt, shredded newspaper that you've soaked in water and squeezed out the excess, and PRESTO! You're a worm farmer.

I used worms that I picked up after a recent rain but some websites suggest red wigglers. Whatever worms you use, keep them fed, moist but not wet, and most important - they love to be in the dark. Simply wrap a piece of construction paper around the outside and tape. Mine slides off for easy viewing. After a few days you'll be able to see the worm tracks and castings as they work the soil and recycle their lunch.

For more info check out a book at the library.

Deadline to Read

Imagine what you would do if you found out you had only one year to live? For Ben Wolf, a high school senior, this was reality and what he chose to do changed the way he saw his family, his friends, and even uncovered some secrets about his small hometown of Trout, Idaho.

Ben chose to keep his eminent death a secret from his friends and even from his brother, Cody. The fear of our personal mortality keeps us all on a sort of moral leash, but undone from this boundry of fear of the unknown, Ben was able to question everything from his history teacher's blessed text book to understanding how his own death would impact those he loved.

Chris Crutcher’s books always take readers on an emotional journey, and DEADLINE is no exception.

The goal of "Choose to Read Ohio", sponsored by the State Library of Ohio, is to encourage the reading of books written by Ohio authors together across Ohio communities. The Amherst Public Library encourages Ohioans to Read Together, Read Ohio, and Read for Life.

For more information on "Choose to Read Ohio" visit their website for a full list of titles for children, teens, and adults. Find Deadline by Chris Crutcher (2007, Harper) at the Amherst Public Library in our Young Adult section (call number YA CRU).