Novel Notes and Teen News: Your Source for Teen Book Information and Other Teen News 12/18/09

Just an FYI: Novel Notes will return after the holidays. We wish all our teen patrons Seasons Greetings, and hope they enjoy this issue. Please feel free to comment or suggest improvements to Novel Notes, we are always looking to make this blog better.

Tell us what you are reading! What are your favorite books, and what would you recommend to others looking for a good book. Please feel free to send us your review or comment on ours. We want to hear from you!

From Page to Screen: Movie/Book Tie-ins

Sherlock Holmes movie has hit theaters with an interesting take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective. Check out the original books at the library and for more information about the movie; check this article by School Library Journal:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6711448.html?nid=4302&source=link&rid=17263441

More and more teen books are being made into movies. Check out the Trailer for the movie Beastly due out in theaters in July 2010. The movie is based on the book Beastly by Alex Flinn. It is a modern retelling of the story of “Beauty and Beast” from the viewpoint of the Beast. Find it at the library and read it before it comes to theaters!

http://beastlythemovie.com/

The movie version of the adult book, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold, is due to be released in theaters January 15th, and the theaters are targeting Twilight fans, hoping to gain big numbers at the box office. The movie is said to have toned down some of the more disturbing aspects of the book. You can find out more in the following news articles from the movie’s webpage, the LA Times, MTV, and New York Times

http://www.lovelybones.com/
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-ct-bones16-2009dec16,0,5231289.story
http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1628055/story.jhtml
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/11/movies/11lovelybones.html

News Sites for Tweens

Looking for news that is geared toward you, for kids, by kids? Check out this website: TweenTribune.com. You have to register to get the full articles, but registration is simple and free. Choose a username, password, if your teacher is registered you can select your school, if not just check the box, choose a security question and off you go—you now have access to news geared towards teens and tweens. Here is the link:

http://tweentribune.com/

Awards for Saving the Environment in Your Community

Action for Nature, a non-profit organization seeks to award kids ages 8-16 for their efforts in saving the environment. For more information, read School Library Journal’s article at:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6711450.html?nid=4302&source=link&rid=17263441

What are Teens at Other Libraries Reading for Fun?

Check out this School Library Journal Article to find out what teens in other libraries are reading for fun:

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6711512.html

Looking for Some of the Best Books of 2009?

Here are some books that School Library Journal believes should be on the list of best books in 2009. These books represent all grade levels and interest levels. See which ones you have read, and find others you might like!

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6708210.html

Looking for Some Good Nonfiction?

YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) has created a new book award for non-fiction. This is the first year and the first finalists listed by the book award committee. For more information check out this School Library Journal article or visit the YALSA webpage.

http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6711664.html
http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/nonfiction/nonfiction.cfm

Teens! Think You Know How to Avoid Scammers, Identity Theft, and Protect Your Online Privacy

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has designed and online mall called “You Are Here” to help kids protect themselves from online scammers and advertisers who target kids. Check out “You Are Here.”

http://www.ftc.gov/YouAreHere/

For more information about this website you can go to the FTC Press Release:

http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/12/youarehere.shtm

10 Days Till Christmas! Are you ready?

Tis the season for family, friends, and thank goodness Christmas Break. It is also a time for gift giving which can be hard on your wallet. Here are some ideas from the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Blog, to help you find or make great gifts despite your cash crunch:

http://yalsa.ala.org/blog/2009/12/15/dollars-sense-15-gift-giving-for-teens/

For more money saving craft ideas, baking ideas, or gift ideas, check out a book from the library!

Novel Notes: Your Source for Teen Book Info 12/11/09

I hope that this will become a regular fixture on the KHCPL Teen Scene blog. I want to use the Novel Notes to give you information in teen publishing that you might find interesting or books that you might look forward to reading. Suggestions are welcome, so please feel free to comment.

Dutton Children's Books Believes they have Signed the Next Stephenie Meyer

A Publisher's Weekly article announces the signing of a new author Ally Condie. Dutton believes that Condie's three book series will appeal to fans of Meyer's Twilight series. These books aren't published yet, and there is no release date, but this author may be something to look out for. Her first book is currently titled Matched. Read more about this new author and her 7 figure book deal on PW's site:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6711080.html?nid=2788&source=title&rid=17263441

Scholastic Announces Release of Hunger Games book 3

In another PW article, Scholastic announces exciting news for fans of Suzanne Collins's Hunger Games series. The thrid book in this exciting series featuring the character Katnis is due to be released August 24, 2010. After Catching Fire left us all hanging on the edges of our seats, we anxiously await August and the third book in this exciting series. Read more at:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6709728.html?q=Hunger+Games

HarperTeen.com Announces the Purchase of Movie Rights for Popular YA Titles

In HarperTeen.com's "In the News" section on 12/11/09 they announce popular YA books that have been optioned for movies.

• Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr optioned by Universal Studios.
• L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad screen wrights aquired by Temple Hill Entertainment.
• Wings by Aprilynne Pike is being made into a movie by Disney. It will star Miley Cyrus as Laurel.
• Beastly by Alex Flinn is being made into a movie by CBS Films. It will star Mary-Kate Olsen and Alex Prettyfer.

For more information check out HarperTeen.com's In the News Column at:

http://www.harperteen.com/index.aspx

Hope you enjoyed this first edition of Novel Notes. I hope to have more exciting information about teen lit and movies next week. If you are interested in reading any of the above titles, please feel free to contact the library. (Matched by Ally Condie is still in the works, and will not be available for some time, but don't worry we will keep an eye out for it.) Happy Reading!

Book Review: Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Unwind by Neal Shusterman


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Connor Lassiter is an AWOL Unwind. In a society that has eliminated abortion, they have a new solution to the problem of unwanted children. At the age of thirteen a child’s parents have the option of having their teen unwound. With unwinding, a child doesn’t die because all of the parts of him or her are harvested and used in other people. Connor wanted to keep his parts to himself, and decided the best way to do that was to escape.

Risa Ward grew up in Ohio State Home 23. As a ward of the state she knew she had to be exceptional in her chosen vocation. Who knew five small mistakes in a musical recital would have her on a bus to Harvest camp where she would be unwound.

Lev always knew his purpose. He was one of God’s chosen, and was willingly giving himself to God. Lev is his parent’s tithe of 1/10. They have 10 children and Lev is going to be their tithe to God. He planned to fulfill his role dutifully, until the freeway accident that killed a State Home bus driver led an AWOL unwind and a crazy state home girl to kidnap him for their escape. Who knew that those grand plans could change in an instant?

They are three teens on the run to keep themselves whole in a world that only wants them for their parts.

Unwind by Shusterman was an interesting read. As a parent myself, I can’t believe that parents would willingly unwind their children, so the concept of unwinding is difficult for me. Once I got past that aspect of the story, it is interesting to see the society that Conner, Risa, and Lev live in. In the beginning, you have difficulty liking Connor. You can understand his reasoning for getting away, but you can’t understand why he did the things he did that got his parents to sign the unwind order. Risa is a more sympathetic narrator. Nothing she did has gotten her into this situation—she tried to be perfect, but perfection isn’t something that comes easily to humans. Lev’s ideas were the most foreign to me, I had difficulty understanding why a child would willingly become an unwind, but Lev has had his whole life to prepare. He knows his purpose in life.

This novel is shocking, violent, alarming, and thought provoking. You keep wondering throughout the novel, how did this world get so messed up that something like unwinding would become an acceptable solution? These characters and their stories are well developed. You can’t help feeling the urgency they feel and the betrayal.

Cautions for sensitive readers: There is quite a bit of violence in this book and what might be considered a graphic surgical scene. There is mild language, but no sex.

View all my reviews >>

Can't Get Enough Vampires? We're Here to Help!

You've read them all, Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn and now you are looking for something new. Here is a taste of some vampire favorites you might want to check out at KHCPL.

Have you seen the show Vampire Diaries on TV? It all started with a book, The Awakening by L. J. Smith. Sample the book here:

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

Looking for another book with bite? You might try Ellen Schreiber's series Vampire Kisses. Here's a taste:

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

You can also try the series Vamps by Nancy Collins.

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

Looking for something with more of a love story? Try Evernight by Claudia Gray. Here's a sample:

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

There are many more out there, see a librarian for help finding books you are interested in reading.