Life: the final frontier...

When I was growing up, one of my favorite books was Jerry Spinelli's Space Station Seventh Grade. This book follows a year in the life of Jason Herkimer, who has just dropped from being top of the heap to low man on the totem pole.

Let me explain. Jason has just left elementary school -- where, as a sixth grader, he was in the group all the little kids looked up to -- for seventh grade and junior high. Now instead of being looked up to, he's being looked down on.

Add to this his home life (where he lives with his mom, stepfather, sister and half-brother) and the fact that he's entering puberty. He'd talk to his father, but dad lives in the big city, too far away to be there when Jason needs someone to talk to. He'd talk to his friends Richie, Calvin, Peter, or Dugan, but they'd just make jokes. And he'd talk to his stepfather Ham, but...

Well, no. On second thought, he probably wouldn't talk to Ham.

Jason has a lot to learn about adolescence, girls, growing up, and life in general. And before all is said and done, he just might learn a little bit about himself, too.

And yes, there's a space station in there somewhere. But not in the way you'd expect.

As I said, this was one of my favorite books when I was growing up (yeah, it's about twenty years old -- but Judy Blume's books are even older than that). I highly recommend it.

A warning to sensitive readers: the book contains a bit of language, and some of the subject matter is...well...just what you'd expect from a teenage boy. Be warned, but don't let it put you off.

Check it out and let me know what you thought!

Here comes the bride(smaid)...

Hi! This is Miss Jo. I wanted to let you know about another neat book I just read.

Spring is in the air and I'm sure there are going to be some weddings in your neighborhood before too long. You might even be in the wedding as a bridesmaid. If so, you might want to check out The Bridesmaid by Hailey Abbott.

Abby Beaumont knows all about weddings and how ordinary women turn into "Bridezillas." Abby's parents own a catering hall and every week there is a wedding. Abby and her older sister Carol (who is off at college) help with these events. One day Carol comes home from college and tells her family that she is getting married.


How could she do this to Abby?

Everyone in the family is excited with all the wedding plans -- except Abby. Abby's mother turns into the evil mother of the bride. How could this happen? Her father is ignored when he offers his opinions. And Carol -- Abby doesn't even know who she is anymore. She goes crazy with the planning. She wants ugly bridesmaid dresses, and carrot cake for the reception.

Abby can't take it any longer. She has problems of her own: she has school to think about. Maybe a new boyfriend. Plus, she wants to study abroad her senior year. And to top it all off, her best friend -- her sister Carol -- will be moving to Colorado after the wedding.

Will the wedding go off without a hitch? Will Abby survive the madness?

This is a fun book with a twist. Check it out and enjoy.

See you at the wedding!

(HA!)

Dairy Queen

Hi! This is Miss Jo coming to you from the Jacksonville Public Library. I just finished another great book and I thought you might like to check it out.

So grab a DQ cone, sit back, and enjoy Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock.
You would think this book has something do with your local Dairy Queen right here in Jacksonville, Texas. Guess again. Nothing to do with Dairy Queen.

This book is about D.J., a young girl in high school who lives on a dairy farm. The Schwenk Dairy. D.J. lives there with her family of three boys (2 are off at college, 1 who is a couple of years younger than she is) and her mom and dad. Her mom is the principal at the high school. The boys in the family are very athletic and were some of the greatest football players while they were at school.

D.J. has to run the farm all summer because her dad hurt his hip. Milking twice a day is hard work; not to mention cutting, baling, and putting the hay in the barn; but D.J. and her younger brother do it all without complaining.

The coach of the rival football team is a friend of the Schwenks and he asks D.J. to train their quarterback (Brian) over the summer. D.J. decides to help, hoping no one from school finds out that she is really helping the rival team. by training the quarterback. D.J. finds that she really enjoys training Brian, and she decides to try out for the football team at her school. This will be a first for her school: a girl on the team. Will they go along with this?

The trouble with all of this is that D.J. has fallen in love with Brian and they will be on rival football teams once school starts. (D.J. never got around to telling Brian that she is going out for football.) How will Brian take the news that the girl who has been training him all summer is now going to be playing football against him? How will D.J.'s family take the news that she will be playing football like her brothers? Will D.J. and Brian ever be friends again?

There is a lot of family drama in this book! Check it out and enjoy.

See you at the library!

The earth, my butt, and other round objects

I finally finished listening to The earth, my butt, and other round objects by Carolyn Mackler. I promised you my response, but first a short synopsis.

So, it’s all about this girl named Virginia, or Gin, and her coming to terms with her identity. She lives in NYC, which sounds like a dream, right?, but attends a snotty school and her best friend, and life support, moves to Walla Walla, Washington. What, doesn’t she have other friends or a family? No, she doesn’t have any other friends and Gin’s family is not the most supportive. You see, her mother is a well-known shrink for teens, but she barely talks to her own teenager daughter. She is also obsessed with not only her weight, but with Gin’s, making Gin uncomfortable with her own body. Her father is always on business trips and likes to make comments about other women, causing Gin further discomfort with her own body. And her parents go off nearly every weekend to Connecticut, leaving Gin alone. What, no siblings? No, she has two, but her sister is off in Africa and her brother, who attends Columbia University, turns out not to the ideal man Gin always assumed—he does something to get kicked out of Columbia.

What does Gin do? How can she survive such a life? Well, I’ll tell you that it takes a whole lot of time, effort, and honesty to turn her life from something she and others thought was abhorrent into something she accepts as precious—and it doesn’t include losing weight or being someone other than Gin.
------------------------------------------
Like most stories, I am glad I finished it. I always recommend finishing what you start; it is worth it. The earth, my butt, and other round objects definitely empowers you to not only accept who you are, but to love who you are, regardless of who, what, where, when, and why.

Double Take

It's Miss Jo again, and have I got a book for you!

If you are looking for a thriller, check out Margaret Peterson Haddix's book Double Identity.

This book is about a young girl named Bethany who finds out that she is not unique -- she's been cloned from a sister she didn't even know she had.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book. Why are her parents acting strange? Why did they drop her off in the middle of the night and leave her with an aunt she didn't even know? What happened to Bethany's sister, and why does she look identical to her?

I enjoyed this book very much. Let me know what you think of it.

See you at the library!

Coming soon ... to a bookshelf near you!

According to the Internet Movie Database, there are a lot of movies in production or scheduled for release based on books you might already be familiar with. Many of them can be found in our collection, and quite a few are in our Young Adult section.

Note that not all of these movies are scheduled for release soon (some are almost two years away, and others have just been announced). Also, don't take this list as an endorsement of these movies; this is just to let you know what's on the way.

Everyone always says "the book is better than the movie", so take the opportunity to read these books now before the movie comes out!

Click the links for more details...

• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• Inkheart by Cornelia Funke [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 by Ann Brashares [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• The Giver by Lois Lowry [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• Septimus Heap: Magyk by Angie Sage [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• Maximum Ride by James Patterson [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien [book] ... [movie]
  
  
• Marley and Me by John Grogan [book] ... [movie]
  

Wow. That's a lot to look forward to! And that's not counting the upcoming movies based on comics/graphic novels (such as Iron Man, the new Incredible Hulk movie, or Batman: The Dark Knight), or the hundreds of other movies already released based on books (like The Golden Compass, The Lord of the Rings and the other Harry Potters).

So if you want to read the book before you see the movie, give the library a chance. If we don't have it, we can usually get it for you in a week or so through Interlibrary Loan.

We'll be happy to do all we can to make sure you get to read the books you want!

Teen Ink

Hi! This is Miss Jo again. I just wanted to let you know about a neat magazine you can find here at the library. It is just for teens and it's called Teen Ink. You might have heard of it.

It is full of great information, plus some great fiction, art, and photography submitted by teens just like you.

Are you looking to go to theater camp this summer? Check out some of the summer programs listed in the magazine. Looking for an art camp? There are plenty of those here, too!

There's also a great college directory to help you choose the school that's just right for you.

Do you like to write? Teen Ink is offering online creative writing classes! Check them out here: http://www.teenink.com.

If you have any fiction, art, or photography you'd like to submit for inclusion in the magazine, you can e-mail the editor at editor@teenink.com.

See you at the library!

A "Haunting" Tale of New York

This is Miss Jo again! I wanted to share with you a book that is really pretty good.

The title is The Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh. You would think by the title that this book is about some people traveling at night to reach their destination. Well, the tourists are the dead who have died and are still hanging around.

The story starts with a boy named Jack. He lives alone with his dad, a professor at Yale University. Jack is hit by a car one day and he starts to see ghostly beings. Jack's dad sends him to New York City to see a doctor. In Grand Central Station, Jack meets a young girl named Euri. It turns out that Euri is a ghost and she introduces Jack to New York's ghostly underworld. While Jack is there, he has a hope of seeing his mother again, who died eight years ago. If he finds her, he might be able to bring her back; then he and his dad would be happy again. And maybe he can bring is new friend Euri back so she can be with her family again, too.

Will Jack get to see his mother again and find out why she left him and his dad? Will his new friend Euri get out of the underworld and get to be with her family again? Who will make it out? Will Jack be at peace once he gets out? Will Jack make it out before his time is up?

I think you will appreciate this magical adventure. It is a quick read and keeps you turning pages to the very end to see what happens to Jack, Euri and their families.

Let me know what you think.

See you at the library!

Homework Help

It's 9:00 on a Sunday night.

You're working on your math homework and you're stuck. You're learning something new in class -- trigonometry, calculus, algebra, whatever -- and you just don't get it.

What can you do?

Thanks to your Library and Tutor.com, the help you need is just a mouse click or two away. Just come to this blog and click on the Tutor.com link on the right. Enter the barcode number off the back of your library card and you'll be connected with a certified instructor who can help you.

This service is offered free of charge to all cardholders grades 4-12, seven days a week from 3:00 pm to 10:00 pm. Subjects covered are math, science, social studies or English. (Spanish-speaking tutors are available for math and science questions Sunday through Thursday from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm.)

Note that there are some basic system requirements to use this service (you can see those here: http://www.jacksonvillelibrary.com/tutor.htm); but most newer computers (those running Windows XP or above, or Mac OSX) will already have what you need.

The library offers a lot of free services to help you with your homework and general study needs. If you have any questions about the services listed under "Homework Helpers", feel free to leave us a comment, drop us an e-mail, or give us a call. We're happy to set you up with the help you need to succeed.

See you at the library!

Semi-reviews

Hey, guys! David shared with you all about our new eAudio books. I am extremely pleased with this new format because (1) we, i.e., JPL, do not have many YA audio books from which to choose and (2) those we do have are not in the formats I or yourself may need. I can now log into http://www.netlibrary.com/ with my login name and password, download some title, and listen to it in a matter of minutes (and of course it will depend on connection speeds as to how MANY MINUTES).

I am listening to The earth, my butt, and other big, round objects by the ever clever Carolyn Mackler. It’s basically about that… well it’s really about the protagonist’s weight issues thanks to her family, her peers, and her own views (the discussion on how big her butt is absence, if you are wondering!). I ain’t done with it yet and my opinion of the book is a bit wishy-washy. Mostly, it makes me start to get paranoid about my own weight and makes me uncomfortable every once in awhile. While librarians are defenders of the freedom to read, please note that this book has been banned by entities. I’ll just go out on a limb and suggest it’s due to sexual content.

I’ll give you my complete verdict after another 2:45:20 of listening time elapses.

Another good Mackler book, Vegan virgin valentine, is also available via eAudio books. This book is less explicit and is about—you got it! wow aren’t titles great!?—a vegan, virgin gal with the last name of Valentine. It’s all about her senior year of high school and romance and family. It leaves you hanging with a mysterious dreamy feeling, or it did me.

'late,

C.

On the go...

Miss Jo brought up a valid point when she mentioned that she "doesn't have time to read." True, in her case (and in mine, and in many people's), it was just a matter of setting priorities -- taking time to read vs. taking time to watch TV, watch a movie, etc.

But it often seems that even if we have time to read, we don't have enough time to finish what we start reading. And when you have to read something for school, or if you just want to read a particular book your friends have read to find out what all the fuss is about, that can be frustrating.

That's one of the reasons why the library has partnered with netLibrary and Recorded Books to offer you downloadable eAudiobooks. These are the same books on tape/CD that you've seen or listened to for years, but with a difference: you can download these at home.

Once downloaded, you can either listen to them on your computer, or transfer them to a portable media player to take with you. Just as easy as downloading music from the 'net, and more convenient than trying to squeeze in time to read -- you can just listen to the book in the car on the way to school, to practice, or whenever.

There are over 1800 titles to choose from, including many particularly aimed at Young Adults. Several hundred more are aimed at "Children", but don't let the tag fool you -- these aren't easy readers. A lot of these are just as challenging as the Young Adult titles, but the subject matter may not be "mature" enough to place it in the Young Adult category.

In addition, there are classics, the Pimsleur language series (in case you need some extra help or just want to learn a new language), the Contemporary English Version of the Holy Bible, and popular adult fiction and nonfiction (which could come in handy when you have that history report on the life of Abraham Lincoln staring you in the face...).

For more information about the program, how it works and which devices are compatible (sorry, no iPods or Zunes at the moment -- complain to Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, respectively), you can visit the library's Web site at: http://www.jacksonvillelibrary.com/eaudio.htm

As always, please leave any questions or comments and we'll be happy to help.

Let's Dance!

Hello! My name is Miss Jo, and I work at the Jacksonville Public Library. Welcome to our new Teen Site! I hope I will be hearing from you.

I was sitting around the house the other day, watching TV and thinking that I don't have much time to read. Is that stupid or what? I could just get up and turn the TV off, grab one of my books and just read and enjoy.

Actually, I just finished reading Dancing with Elvis by Lynda Stephenson. Would you believe this book has nothing to do with Elvis, or dancing with him?

The setting is a small Texas town about the size of Jacksonville. The story is about a rich family who has a high school-aged daughter named Frankilee. This family takes in a girl named Angel who is supposed to have been beaten by her mother. Frankilee feels sort of left out while her mother takes Angel under her wing. As time goes on, Frankilee starts to get suspicious: is Angel really an abused child, or is this just a way for her to get to live in a nice house and get to have special lessons like dance, piano, and singing?

The conflict between Frankilee and Angel makes the story intriguing. Frankilee thinks Angel is up to no good -- you'll need to read the book to find out if her instincts are true.

This is a quick, very entertaining read, and one that will leave you feeling good.

Well, that's just one of the good books I've read lately. If you have read it, leave a comment and let me know what you think.

See you at the library!

Welcome to JPL TeenLink!

Attention : Teens of Jacksonville and Cherokee County —

Your place is here. Your time is now.

Your online connection to the Jacksonville Public Library is now available.

Find out about the latest young adult novels. Cool Websites. The newest movies and music. Information you can use.

Read. Comment. Question. Interact.

Tell us what you like. Tell us what you don’t. Tell us what you’d like to see.

Help us plan the library’s future.

We’re here. And we’re listening.