Lauri Ann West Teens Blog

Manga and Comics in the Library

lauriannwestteens — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 22:36:30 +0000

Did you know that here at Lauri Ann West we have a sizable graphic novel collection? Well, we do!

We have everything from marvel and DC comics, to indie titles, to shoujo manga series.

If you’re a major comics geek, or a budding otaku, you can also request new releases and old favorites from other libraries in the Allegheny County Library System and have them delivered right here to you at Lauri Ann. Just ask the friendly people at the Reference or Circulation desks.

Good reading!

Review of White Cat by Holly Black

lauriannwestteens — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:10:43 +0000

Cassel Sharp comes from a family of organized criminals. But they’re no ordinary mobsters, they’re curse workers, able to change people’s emotions, memories, luck with just a touch of their hands. Forced to keep their abilities secret because of the outlaw of magic in the 1930s, most curse-workers fall in with the six most powerful worker families and use their abilities for illegal and often nefarious purposes. All except Cassel, who can’t use magic but has commited the worst crime of all; he killed his best friend Lila three years ago, he thinks.

Now at boarding school, trying to live a straight-laced life while his mother is in jail, Cassel finds his façade of normality crumbling when he is plagued by dreams of a white cat that wants to give him a mysterious message. He’s also beginning to suspect that his family, particularly his curse-working brothers are keeping secrets from him and potentially involving him in a huge con game. Now Cassel has to out-con his friends and family as well as his enemies in order to find the truth about Lila and about himself.

Combining the heady mix of mafia stories, con games, and magic, Black creates a wholly original, realistic, and intricate world in which, if you’re not careful, your whole world can be swept out from under you, as it is for Cassel and the reader in turn. Similar in tone and candor to Black’s previous YA fiction, this books keeps the even the most discerning reader guessing and then begging for more.

A sequel, titled Red Glove, will be released later this year.

This review was written by Morgan Suity, Teen Room volunteer. If you are interested in this book check it out in the library catalog, or find it on our New Books shelf.

If you are interested in writing a review for the blog, contact Morgan on Thursday evenings in the Teen Room, or email morgan (dot) suity @ gmail.com

Review of Firelight by Sophie Jordan

lauriannwestteens — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 05:10:09 +0000

As a one of the few remaining descendants of dragons, modern day draki like Jacinda, the protagonist of Sophie Jordan’s new YA romance Firelight, live in isolated communities and hide behind human skins, only daring to fly under the cover of darkness. Draki have been hunted for centuries by men who desire their blood for magic and their skin as trophies. When Jacinda, a rare fire-breather and special hope for her village, risks everything to fly at sunrise, she comes face to face with a young hunter who mysteriously lets her go. The punishment for her reckless behavior is deemed too high by her mother and the family flees their home, escaping to the real world only to find a new challenge, high school and Will, the merciful hunter who just happens to be Jacinda’s new classmate.

Fans of the Twilight series will enjoy the “love-at-first-sight” romance between Jacinda and Will, but in Jacinda readers will find a more proactive and sympathetic heroine whose attempts to fight her feelings for Will for the sake of her and her family’s safety occasionally come off as indecisive and inconsistent. However, Jordan (also an author of adult historical romance) provides a break-neck pace that makes for a quick read and hits absolutely the right tone not only in the steamier scenes, but also in the action-packed climax that leaves readers satisfied and still ready for more from this imaginative world and its characters.

This review was written by Morgan Suity, Teen Room volunteer. If you are interested in this book check it out in the library catalog, or find it on our New Books shelf.

If you are interested in writing a review for the blog, contact Morgan on Thursday evenings in the Teen Room, or email morgan (dot) suity @ gmail.com

More New Books from December

lauriannwestteens — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 04:45:40 +0000

Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney

Sixteen-year-old Missy and her cousin Claire are best friends, with a striking physical resemblance and an even stronger emotional connection. So, when Missy’s science teacher gives the class an assignment to create a believable scientific hoax backed by evidence, Missy arranges for a filmed interview on their school’s morning TV broadcast in which she and Claire pretend they are actually identical twins, separated at birth and newly reunited. The joke’s on them, however, because Missy and Claire really are identical twins.

A Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley

Charlie is a painfully shy but talented singer-songwriter who never performs for anyone and has always wanted to be part of Rose’s circle during her frequent visits from the city. Rose longs to get away from the stifling small-town atmosphere and has won a scholarship to a prestigious high school in the city to study science. Rose sees Charlie as a ticket to a new life, while Charlie sees Rose as a friend, something she desperately needs in her dysfunctional family. Crowley’s tale of love, loss, and betrayal in small-town Australia is built around music as a means of communication. In alternating chapters,these very different girls reveal their thoughts, desires, and plans.

(Sources for summaries are the Booklist reviews for each novel.)

The 2010 Alex Award Winners

lauriannwestteens — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 23:19:48 +0000

Every year YALSA aka Young Adult Library Services Association recognizes ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults. 2010′s award winners span from heart-wrenching and awe-inspiring memoirs to vampire-staking and spell-wielding fantasies. here’s the list and short descriptions of each book. Which can also be found here, on YALSA’s website.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Young teen William, who taught himself enough physics and engineering to build a windmill and bring electricity to his drought-stricken village, discovered the magic of his Malawi homeland in the miracles of science.

The Bride’s Farewell by Meg Rosoff

Rather than marry without love, Pell Ridley absconds with a favorite horse and her brother, Bean. Both are quickly lost, and Pell’s perilous journey to find Bean leads to discovery of the things she ran away from: family, love, and herself.

Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr.

While still in the womb, voices warn Junior of his impending death by comet in this unusually structured coming-of-age story. He has 36 years. How will he spend them?

The Good Soldiers by David Finkel

This eye-opening account of “the surge” in 2007 follows the troops of Battalion 2-16, revealing the gritty reality for all those good soldiers serving in Iraq.

The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir by Diana Welch and Liz Welch with Amanda Welch and Dan Welch

This heart-wrenching memoir, collaboratively written from four different points of view, chronicles the ups and downs of the Welch siblings, who struggled to define the notion of home after their parents died.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman,

Fantasy and reality meld in unexpected and tragic ways when 17-year-old Quentin Coldwater trades his ho-hum Brooklyn existence for the magical society of Brakebills College.

My Abandonment by Peter Rock

Based on a true story, 13-year-old Caroline and her questionably sane father live in a nature preserve on the outskirts of Portland, Oregon. A haunting exploration of familial lore, survival, and hope.

Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel, by Gail Carriger

Wielding a parasol and hairpins, 25-year-old soulless spinster Alexia Tarabotti accidentally stakes a vampire lacking all common etiquette to open this delightfully dangerous romp.

Stitches: A Memoir, by David Small

Replete with themes of anger, pain, and hope, and employing classic imagery from Alice in Wonderland, renowned illustrator Small chronicles the harrowing story of his childhood and adolescence in this dark graphic novel. A 2010 Best Book for Young Adults.

Tunneling to the Center of the Earth, by Kevin Wilson

In a wholly original collection of stories, Wilson turns down the odd side streets of reality to explore rentable relatives, unscrupulous Scrabble workers, Mortal Kombat–fueled romancers, and the adventures of other wildly quirky characters.

Coming soon:

A post about 2011′s winners that were released early this week.

New Books in December

lauriannwestteens — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:10:02 +0000

Black Hole Sun by David Macinnis Gill

Durango is the 16-year-old chief of a team of mercenaries who eke out a living on Mars by earning meager commissions for their dangerous work. Their current job, and the main thrust of this high-energy, action-filled, science-fiction romp, is to protect South Pole miners from the Draeu, a cannibalistic group who are after the miners’ treasure. (From the Booklist review)

The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh

William isn’t exactly happy with his life as a servant at Crowfield Abbey, but with his family dead in a fire, he knows he is lucky to have somewhere to lay his head. One day, as he is gathering wood in the forest, he comes upon a small creature caught in a trap. It’s a hob, and being able to see it is the first indication that things are about to mystically and magically change. (From the Booklist review).

Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

On Ben’s thirteenth birthday, his parents introduce him to his new sibling: a hairy, swaddled baby chimp that will be raised as part of the family in an experiment run by Ben’s father, a behavioral psychologist. At first, Ben resists calling Zan his brother, but as he begins to communicate with Zan through sign language, he develops a true, loving connection with the little chimp, even as he realizes that his father views Zan as just a scientific specimen. What will happen to Zan when the experiment is over? (From the Booklist review)

Check out these books and more on the New Books shelf in the Teen Room!

Review of Forest of Hands and Teeth

lauriannwestteens — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:48:31 +0000

Mary’s mother tells her stories about the ocean, but all Mary has ever known is her small village, penned in not only by the rules of the Sisterhood who care for and guard the people, but also by the high fences that keep out the Unconsecrated, or walking dead that have over-run the world. When Mary’s family is torn apart by tragedy and her home destroyed, she embarks on a journey with a few other survivors. They begin a quest to try to find the other last bastions of civilization, despite the fact that their leaders have always denied the existence of anything beyond the forest of hands and teeth. The plot of this novel is tight, not lingering too long over any particular point, but thoroughly exploring each aspect of living in a world as uncertain and wrought with death and tragedy as Mary’s. Some readers may find the pacing slow at the beginning, as Mary gradually learns about the lies and hypocrisy of the Sisterhood and is romantically torn between two brothers. Yet the pay-off is worth it when the fence is broken through and the main characters are forced to flee. Reminiscent of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, solidly emerging themes of choice, the merits of knowledge versus faith, and love and commitment are strongly portrayed by Ryan’s confident and direct prose. Using a present tense and first person perspective, readers will be transported to the realities of Mary’s world even as Mary herself begins to understand them.

This review was written by Morgan Suity, Teen Room volunteer. If you are interested in this book check it out in the library catalog, or find it on our shelves.

Forest of Hands and Teeth’s sequel, The Dead-tossed Waves came out earlier this summer. Check it out here or on our new books shelf.

If you are interested in writing a review for the blog, contact Morgan on Thursdays in the Teen Room, or email morgan (dot) suity @ gmail.com

What would you like to see?

lauriannwestteens — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:42:35 +0000

The Lauri Ann West Teen Blog is for the teens of Lauri Ann West Memorial Library. If you’ve found your way here from the library’s website, what kind of stuff would you like to see up on the blog?

If you’re interested in contributing reviews or other types of content to the blog, comment below.

Some Fun Blogs

lauriannwestteens — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:26:00 +0000

Exhausted your usual supply of interesting things on the internet? Try these fun library related blogs.

Awful Library Books: This blog showcases some particularly outdated or odd library books that have made their way and somehow kept their place on library shelves. Read for a good laugh!

Tor.com: This is official blog for the publishing company, Tor. they offer writings on sci-fi and fantasy genres as well as articles by and about prominent authors, and original short stories.

Chris’s Invincible Super-blog: If you like comics, you’ll like this blog. From reviews to hilarious re-caps of golden and silver age comics, Chris Sims entertains while giving you an extra dose of crime/monster/alien-fighting action.

New Books in July

lauriannwestteens — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 23:27:55 +0000

Get ready for these new books on our shelves this month!

The Dead-tossed Waves

In this sequel to Forest of Hand and Teeth, Gabry lives a quiet life in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, hemmed in by the dead who hunger for the living, but her mother Mary’s secrets, a cult of religious zealots who worship the dead, and a stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry threaten to destroy her world.

To Come and Go Like Magic

In the 1970s, twelve-year-old Chili Sue Mahoney longs to escape her tiny Kentucky home town and see the world, but she also learns to recognize beauty in the people and places around her.

The Beastly Bride

In Datlow and Windling’s latest short-story anthology on mythic themes, celebrated contemporary authors explore shape-shifters in fantasy. The stories run the gamut from humorous to tragic and have roots in old tales from many different parts of the world.

The cover art and descriptions of these new books were taken from Novelist, the novel-finding database available through the library’s website.