May the odds be EVER in your favor...

TITLE: The Hunger Games Trilogy

AUTHOR: Suzanne Collins

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. Thus begins an intense saga that leads to a stunning finale that will continue to haunt you long after you've finished reading.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: The trailer for the film (http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2402131481/) piqued my interest. By the time I was into the third chapter of the first book, I was hooked.

WHY I FINISHED IT: The story grabs hold of you and won't let go. Katniss is one of the best narrators I've come across, and even though she herself is conflicted sometimes about what's going on and who can be trusted, you won't be lost.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: People who like adventure stories, love stories, war stories -- there's a little bit for everyone.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: This series is very intense, and might not be appropriate for younger readers. When the main battle in the first book involves twenty-four teenagers in a fight to the death, this isn't a fairy tale. But if you're mature enough to handle it, you'll find yourself in for a thrilling time.

See you at the library!

Catch as "Cat" can...

TITLE: Cat Burglar Black

AUTHOR: Richard Sala

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: Trained from an early age as a cat burglar, orphaned teenager K Westree is sent to ramshackle Bellsong Academy by a group known as "The Obtainers," who need to hone her skills so that she can solve a mystery surrounding her past and that of the school.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I've read several of Richard Sala's other graphic novels and really enjoyed them.

WHY I FINISHED IT: One thing about Sala's books -- the art might not always seem terribly impressive at first glance, but the story gets you. And once the story gets you, you begin to see how the art really plays into the whole feel of it.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: People who like graphic novels, mysteries, or stories where girls are the heroes.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: This book seems unresolved -- there are several plot points that aren't cleared up. However, I believe Sala is intending for this to be the first book in a series, so hopefully they will be picked up in later books. Also, all of Sala's work is a little dark (think Charles Addams or Edward Gorey -- and if you don't know who they are, please take the time to check them out, too), so if you don't like that sort of thing, this might not be for you.

See you at the library!

Broke-down "Palace"...

TITLE: The Midnight Palace

AUTHOR: Carlos Ruiz Zafón

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: "In the heart of Calcutta lurks a dark mystery...

Set in Calcutta in the 1930s, The Midnight Palace begins on a dark night when an English lieutenant fights to save newborn twins Ben and Sheere from an unthinkable threat. Despite monsoon-force rains and terrible danger lurking around every street corner, the young lieutenant manages to get them to safety, but not without losing his own life...

Years later, on the eve of Ben and Sheere's sixteenth birthday, the mysterious threat reenters their lives. This time, it may be impossible to escape. With the help of their brave friends, the twins will have to take a stand against the terror that watches them in the shadows of the night -- and face the most frightening creature in the history of the City of Palaces." (Summary from the published book)

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I love Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Absolutely love him. This is the second book in the "Mist" series, and his fourth English language title. I had to read it.

WHY I FINISHED IT: I had to see if it ended how I thought it would.

WHO I’D GIVE IT TO: People who like supernatural thrillers, Young Adult fiction, or Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

OTHER NOTES AND CONTENT WARNINGS: I have to admit, of the four English language books by Zafón, this is my least favorite.

I don't mean that to sound harsh. This is his fourth English-language title, but it was originally published in Spain in 1994 as his second book. As such, it seems to suffer from "sophomore slump". While the characters are interesting, the mystery was easily solved and all the clues were pretty obvious.

Still, it was well-written and is a decent time-waster. But compared to his later works, it suffers greatly in comparison.

As for content, there is a bit of violence and peril. Not for young children.

See you at the Library!

This book is anything but "DUMB"...

TITLE: Five Flavors of Dumb

AUTHOR: Antony John

REVIEWED BY: JPL TeenLink

BRIEF SUMMARY: Piper is a high school senior who has spent most of her school years invisible. During an encounter with the school's resident rock band, Dumb, she has a rare moment of outspokenness, which not only gains their respect, but leads to her becoming their manager... which might be even harder than it would seem, since Piper suffers from moderate-severe hearing loss.

One thing leads to another, and suddenly Dumb goes from a three-piece mess to a hard-rocking quintet. Finally on the verge of breaking through, they're also on the verge of breaking up.

While Piper tries to keep it together, she's also dealing with her family: an unemployed father, a workaholic mother, a brother who's constantly in danger of expulsion, and a baby sister who can either bring them all together again, or tear them completely apart.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: I love books and movies about music and music groups.

WHY I FINISHED IT: It was very well-written and you come to care about the characters. Piper is an amazing character, and everything about the books rings true. Setting it in Seattle also did a lot to enhance the music aspect of the plot.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: Anyone who loves music and/or books about high school. Anyone who loved Bandslam or Lemonade Mouth.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: Moderate language warning (Two PG-13-level outbursts, occasional other milder language).

See you at the library!

Paging Sgt. Pepper...

Hi! This is Miss Jo at the Library. I just finished reading a book that I know the girls can relate to. The book is The Lonely Hearts Club, by Elizabeth Eulberg.

If you have ever dated a boy before, you know how they are. Sometimes they can really hurt you by breaking up with you. Penny Lane, a young high school student, has had one too many dates, and been hurt by one too many bad boys. Declaring "No more," she starts a club with two of her friends -- the "Lonely Hearts Club."

Before she knows it, the club has grown to thirty members, and more want to join. Upon joining the club, the girls make a pact not to date.

You can imagine what the boys think.

Eventually, though, Penny finds herself in a predicament. Her friend, Ryan, wants to be more than friends. And so does Penny. But how can the founder of the Lonely Hearts Club break her oath?

Check this book out and see what happens.

This is a young adult book. It's a quick read. If you like the Beatles, or if you've ever had a broken heart, you will definitely like this book. Enjoy!

See you at the Library!

Please help me, I'm "Fall"-ing...

Hi! This is Miss Jo at the Library. I just finished reading a book that I think you will enjoy. It is called Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver.

What if you were one of the popular kids in high school? You know, the ones who don't care how you acted or treated others if they weren't part of your little group.

This story is about Samantha Kingston, who was one of those cool kids. She's at a party where there's drinking, and gets a ride home with her friend -- who swears that no matter how much she drinks, she can't get drunk. So it's safe, right?

Wrong.

There is an accident, and Samantha dies. But death isn't what she expects -- it's more like she's asleep, and she keeps re-living that same day over and over, for seven days. She sees all the changes she should have made in both her behavior and the choices she made. Over the course of seven days, she finally gets it right. But by then, it's too late.

This book should make you stop and think. About drinking, about drunk driving, and about the way you treat others. Because in real life, you don't get seven chances to get it right.

This book is in our young adult section.

See you at the Library!

A will of IRON...

An unnamed mother of some of our young adult readers left us a review of Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series.

TITLE: The Iron Fey series (Iron King, Iron Daughter, Iron Queen)

AUTHOR: Julie Kagawa

REVIEWED BY: [a mother]

BRIEF SUMMARY: Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school... or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

WHY I PICKED IT UP: It looked like something my girls already read and enjoy

WHY I FINISHED IT: It was a good and interesting book.

WHO I'D GIVE IT TO: My daughters. They have read books similar to these.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: It was a very enjoyable book to read. Interesting as well as kept you wanting to read more.

Thank you so much for your review. See you at the library!

Jennifer Lawrence cast as Katniss in HUNGER GAMES...

After much speculation on the 'Net, Jennifer Lawrence has officially been cast as Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming film based on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series.

An MTV article covering the story can be found here: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1660152/jennifer-lawrence-hunger-games.jhtml

So, what's your opinion? If Jennifer hadn't gotten the part, who would you have picked? What about the other characters? Peeta? Rue?

See you at the library!

A kind of "Hush"...

Hi! This is Miss Jo at the Library. I have just finished reading a book titled Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick.

All I can say is my years in high school were nothing like Nora's.

Nora Grey is a sophomore in high school. She likes school. She has her best friend, Vee. She has high hopes for college and her future. But like everyone else, she also has the regular, everyday high school drama to deal with.

One day, her life is changed forever. A seating change in biology class introduces her to Patch. Patch (we later find out) is a fallen angel.

What does he have to do with Nora? Nora is drawn to him and she doesn't want to be. Vee mistrusts him and her mother is leery of him, but he seems to be everywhere she is. Why? And how does he keep getting into her head? Who is he? What does he want with her? Is she in grave danger? And is she falling in love with him?

The Bible records that there were angels who were cast out of heaven. Could Nora's father be a fallen angel, too? Could there be fallen angels around you?

Check this book out. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Note: The second book in this series is called Crescendo.

See you at the library!

Poignant and moving...

Hi! This is Miss Jo at the Library. I just finished reading a book titled God is in the Pancakes, by Robin Epstein.

Grace Manning, a 15-year-old student, is working in a retirement home. She has become close friends with a patient, Mr. Sands, and eventually becomes friends with his wife who also lives there. Grace looks up to Mr. Sands as if he was her father. Grace's parents are separated and she looks forward to seeing Mr. Sands every time she works. He helps her work out her problems. But Mr. Sands has Lou Gehrig's disease, and one day he asks her to help him die. He even gives her the pills to do it.

This book will definitely leave you with many questions. Would you do the same thing if you were in her shoes? Would you help knowing the person was not going to get better? Could you make this kind of decision on your own? What would you do if this happened to you?

Pick up this book and find out what Grace does.

(This book is in our Young Adult section.)

See you at the Library!

The Hunger Games cometh...

From today's Shelf Awareness:

Lionsgate has set a March 23, 2012 release date for The Hunger Games, director Gary Ross's adaptation of the first novel in the trilogy by Suzanne Collins. A cast has not yet been named. Variety reported that Lionsgate "acquired the feature rights in 2009 and set the project up with Nina Jacobson at her Color Force banner with Collins adapting her own novel."

The Library owns the entire Hunger Games series. You can find them or place reserves here: The Hunger Games series in the JPL online catalog.

To find out more about the series and author Suzanne Collins, visit The Official Hunger Games Website at Scholastic.com.

See you at the Library!