He's "unspeakable", all right...

It's hard to review a book where you didn't like the main character. That's the problem I'm faced with now that I've finished I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb.

Oliver Watson, true to the title, is a genius of unspeakable evil. And yes, he does want to be class president. Oliver is twelve years old, overweight, and has fooled his parents, classmates, and teachers into believing that he is a slow-witted simpleton, when in reality he is the third-richest person in the world, an evil mastermind, and head of a secret empire well on his way to global domination.

The problem is that Oliver is also tedious, annoying, self-centered, and so bent on revenge against his father that I could not warm up to him. Everytime he took revenge against a classmate, secretly blackmailed or humiliated a teacher, or otherwise manipulated the system to get his own way, I was more appalled by his actions than amused.

I know, I know. This is fiction. This is supposed to be fun. This is the ultimate revenge fantasy for all those kids out there who are picked on.

But you know what? If this book had come out when I was in school -- when I would have been, in fact, the prime audience for a revenge fantasy like this -- I'd like to think I would still have been more appalled than amused.

While Oliver is a sarcastic genius of the highest order, he is also just plain mean. Perhaps if he'd had a shred of humanity in him, I might have liked him more. As it stands, I can only feel that he didn't get what he deserved in the end, and the path getting there wasn't worth the time I spent on it.

Still, maybe you'll like it better. Give us some feedback; let us know what you think.

See you at the library!

Movie Review: Bandslam

Will Burton knows about music. A LOT about music. Will doesn't just know the Top 40 chart -- if fact, he doesn't really care much about the current Top 40. He cares about where the current Top 40 music came from; the original artists who took Reggae music and created Ska so Gwen Stefani and No Doubt can have their moment in the sun today.

But Will's a loner -- a bullied kid who spends his days writing e-mails to David Bowie. When Will's mother gets a new job in another state, it gives him the opportunity for a new beginning, a chance to become the person he's always dreamed of being but never had the chance.

At his new school, he hears about something called "Bandslam" -- a local music competition that was almost won the previous year by school band "Glory Dogs". How big is it? "Texas high school football big," says Sa5m, the girl he's been paired with for a class project (the "5", she tells him, is silent). "The winner gets a recording contract." Sa5m is also a loner, but together they form a bond of friendship that slowly brings them both out of their shells and leads to something more.

Will is also befriended by Charlotte, the former head cheerleader who is starting a band to rival the Glory Dogs. Charlotte gives Will a chance to put his vast musical knowledge into practice, offering him the chance to manage her band. Will takes to the challenge, bringing in extra musicians, changing the group's sound, focus, and even their name; giving the group a good chance at not just beating Glory Dogs, but winning the whole thing.

Just as things seem to be going perfectly, problems surface: by spending so much time on the band, Will may have ruined his burgeoning relationship with Sa5m. His past begins to catch up with him. Charlotte, too, has her own problems to deal with, and it all comes to a head at the Bandslam competition.

This is a wonderful film, filled with great music, drama, comedy, romance, and enough plot twists to keep you interested. More importantly, for me, it shows a real respect for music. You'll be heading online to Allmusic.com to find out about the groups and people mentioned by Will that you might not have heard of, but who were essential for bringing music to where it is today, and where it will head in the future.

Starring Gaelen Connell, Vanessa Ann Hudgens, Alyson Michalka, Lisa Kudrow, and Scott Porter. Rated PG for thematic elements, but certainly not a problem for most teenagers.

This movie is not currently available from the library, but is available for rental from most video stores.

EDIT: This movie is now available to check out from the library Circulation Desk. Please remember that you have to be 18 or older to check out items from the video collection.

TeenLink Returns...

Happy New YeAr!

Well, what can we say? If you ever needed proof that New Year's Resolutions are hard to keep, the past year for this blog has been a good example. Still, we are nothing if not stubborn, so we are trying again this year. We're taking a different approach, and we've asked some of our friends to contribute with book reviews and such, so hopefully we'll be able to keep this thing active.

This year has seen several Young Adult books/series get made into successful films (including New Moon, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Whip It! -- based on Shauna Cross's Derby Girl, reviewed by Miss Jo back in January of last year). The teen vampire craze has continued with the TV series The Vampire Diaries (which we don't have, but we could get for you on Interlibrary Loan if you want to read them).

Teens are continuing to break down the barriers in the music business as well, with the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and the Scene, Mitchel Musso and Emily Osment all releasing breakout CDs this past year. This year we can expect debut CDs by Nick Jonas and the Administration, Jennette McCurdy, Miranda Cosgrove, and possible follow-up albums from past favorites.

We have added a good number series to our Young Adult section in the past year. They've been pretty popular, so you might want to get on the waiting list now for anything that looks interesting. We'll highlight a few of them here:

• Carter House Girls by Melody Carlson.
  
  What's it about? Mix six teenage girls and one ‘60’s fashion icon (retired, of course) in an old Victorian-era boarding home. Add boys and dating, a little high school angst, throw in a Kate Spade bag or two…and you’ve got the Carter House Girls!
  
  
• The Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter.
  
  What's it about? The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women is a fairly typical all-girls school -- that is, it would be if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but it’s really a school for spies.
  
  
• House of Night by P.C. and Kristin Cast.
  
  What's it about? HOUSE OF NIGHT is a thrilling, New York Times bestselling book series that follows 16-year-old Zoey Redbird as she is “Marked” by a vampyre tracker and begins to undergo the “Change” into an actual vampyre. She has to leave her family in Broken Arrow, OK, and move into the House of Night, a boarding school for other fledgling vampyres like her.
  
  It’s tough to begin a new life, away from her parents and friends, and on top of that, Zoey finds she is no average fledgling. She has been Marked as special by the vampyre Goddess, Nyx. Although Zoey has awesome new powers, it’s hard to fit in when everyone knows you’re “special.” As Zoey tries to make new friends and maybe find a hot boyfriend (or two), she comes up against all kinds of evil, from the perfect-looking, super-popular girl with not-so-faultless plans, to the mysterious deaths happening at the House of Night and all over Tulsa. Things at the House of Night are not always what they seem. Can Zoey find the courage deep within herself to find the truth and embrace her destiny?
  
  
• Maximum Ride by James Patterson.
  
  What's it about? Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel. Six kids who are pretty normal in most ways -— except that they're 98 percent human, 2 percent bird. They grew up in a lab, living like rats in cages, but now they're free. Aside, of course, from the fact that they're prime prey for Erasers -- wicked wolflike creatures with a taste for flying humans.
  
  
• Cirque du Freak (The Saga of Darren Shan) by Darren Shan.
  
  What's it about? Darren Shan's an ordinary schoolboy, until he and his best friend Steve get tickets to the Cirque Du Freak, a bizarre freak show featuring such arcane performers as Hans Hands, Gertha Teeth, the Wolf Man and Rhamus Twobellies. In the midst of the ghoulish excitement, true terror raises its head when Steve recognises that one of the performers -- Mr. Crepsley -- is in fact a vampire!
  
  
• Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody.
  
  What's it about? In a world struggling back from the brink of apocalypse, life is harsh. But for Elspeth Gordie, born with enhanced mental abilities that would see her sterilised or burned if discovered, it is also dangerous. There is only survival by secrecy, and so she determines never to use her forbidden Talent. But it is as if they have their own imperative, and their use inevitably brings her to the attention of the totalitarian Council that rules the Land. Sent to the remote mountain institution of Obernewtyn where escape is impossible, she must throw off her cloak of concealment and pit herself against those who would resurrect the terrible forces of the apocalypse. Only then will she learn most truly who and what she is...
  
  
• The Companion Quartet by Julia Golding.
  
  What's it about? When Connie is sent to live with her aunt by the sea, she’s not expecting anything much -- not to make friends with Col, the coolest boy in town, and certainly not to discover that mythical creatures still exist, that an ancient society has protected them for centuries and that a dark and powerful force is now trying to destroy it. Above all, she doesn’t expect to discover that she has a special talent -- greater even than her secret ability to talk to animals -- which with Col’s help, could give her unimaginable power...
  
  (NOTE: This series is actually in our Juvenile Fiction section.)
  

Of course, we've added the newest additions to some older series, finished up a few others, and added some great stand-alone novels, too. We're sure you'll find something you'd enjoy -- just come by and take a look!

You can also download a list of some of our great Young Adult series to research before you come visit us! Click here to download the list.

See you at the library!

BONE Update...

Remember our review of Bone? No? Well, go read it and we'll wait.

Seriously, go ahead. No hurry.

Dum-de-dum-de-dum...

(Hums. Twiddles thumbs. Cleans fingernails.)

Okay? Back? Read it? Good. We'll continue.

You'll notice that the review said:

Due to its size (1300 pages! -- but believe me, they go fast) and some content that might frighten the younger kids, this book is currently located on the adult side of the library...

Well, things have changed a little. In addition to the original 1300 page one-volume edition, we've been able to buy the the much more manageable 9-volume series, and we've placed these in the Young Adult section. So now you can take the series a piece at a time and enjoy it in all its full-color glory. (That's right, the individual volumes have color illustrations instead of the black and white ones in the one-volume edition.)

Color pictures or not, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Read it now, before Hollywood tries to make a movie out of it.

See you at the library!

Book Bites

Hi! It's Miss Jo. I've just finished three books that I thought you might like to check out. Here's a little bit about each one:

• The first one is The Hand You're Dealt by Paul Volponi. It's amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it. After Huck's father dies, his world starts to come apart. His best friend isn't there for him, the girl he likes won't talk to him, and his mother is working extra shifts to make ends meet. The only thing that makes sense is poker -- Texas Hold 'Em, the game his father taught him to play. This book deals with grief, family, school, and poker -- all mixed together, and keeps you hooked until the very last page.
  
  
  
  
• The second book is Palace of Mirrors by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This book is about a young girl who, thought to be a princess, was raised in hiding to be kept out of harm's way. Was she really a princess? Or just a young woman taken from an orphanage and trained as a princess? Pick the book up and follow the twists and turns to find out! This book was very entertaining and I never expected the ending to turn out the way it did. (Don't have time to read? This title is also available as an eAudio book.)
  
  
  
• The last book is A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg. The setting of this book is in Mississippi in 1963, during the Civil Rights Movement. This book takes you through the good and bad times in the life of Addie Ann Pickett, a young black girl who lives with her mother, brother, and uncle in Kuckachoo, Mississippi, until things turn terribly wrong. How can something good that has happened to the people of this town turn into something bad for the black citizens, especially for Addie's uncle and brother? Check out this book to see how Addie's family and the black citizens of Kuckachoo fared through this difficult time. This book made me angry, and it made me cry. It will certainly make you stop and think. Remember, we're all in this world together.
  

All in all, these were great books. See you at the library!

A "Star" is born...

Hola! It's Miss Jo (or Josefína, in this case). I just finished a book that I really enjoyed, called Estrella's Quinceañera, by Malín Alegría.

You may be wondering what a Quinceañera is? A Quinceañera is a traditional party for a young Mexican girl when she turns 15. It signifies that the young girl is becoming a woman.

Back to the book. Estrella Alvarez is a young, smart girl who is raised in the barrio with her mom, dad, and two brothers. Estrella has won a scholarship to Sacred Heart, an upscale high school in the wealthiest part of San Jose.

Estrella's life has changed. She has dropped all of her old friends for new ones at her new school. She is basically embarassed about her home life -- her life in the barrio. She tries to fit in with her new rich friends, but it's not working out. Her mom wants to give her a big Quinceañera, but Estrella is against it. She thinks it is lame and embarassing. What if her new friends found out?

The preparations for the Quinceañera are driving the whole family crazy. Her mom and her aunt are going completely overboard, making huge plans and spending too much money that the family does not have. It seems like Estrella's parents are always fighting. Finally, Estrella decides she wants out and yells at her mom and dad -- the party is off.

It takes a boy from the barrio and her old friends to make her see that she is the one who has changed -- and not for the best.

Will Estrella wise up? Will she make amends, and let her new friends into her real life? And what about the Quinceañera?

This book has taught me a lot about Mexican culture and the closeness of family. While I would recommend this book, please be aware that it is a young adult book due to some language.

Adios!

Miss Josefína

Living like there's no tomorrow...

Hi! It's Miss Jo. I just finished a book that got me to thinking about what I would do if I found out I had less than a year to live. The book is Deadline by Chris Crutcher.

Ben Wolf is a senior in high school and runs cross-country for his small high school in Trout, Indiana, population 943. Ben goes in for his school physical and finds out he has a terminal illness -- and less than a year to live.

What would you do in this case? I'm sure it's different than what Ben decided to do. Ben decided to not tell anyone -- to keep this information to himself and not pursue treatment. The doctor wanted to tell his parents, but Ben told him NO. He told the doctor that he was eighteen and an adult, and that it was his own personal business. Since Ben was legally an adult, the doctor had to abide by his wishes.

Ben decided to live life to the fullest and even go out for football even though he only weighed 123 pounds. He gets a girlfriend for the first time in his life. He speaks up in class about things he is passionate about, knowing he will cause trouble and that he might not even graduate. (He even tries to get the name of "Main Street" changed to "Malcolm X".) Knowing you are going to die changes how you live your life.

This young man is very likable and is loved by all who know him. While I felt he was brave, I also feel that we need others to help us through difficult and trying times. After the disease starts to affect his life, Ben finally realizes this and tells his family and friends the truth.

This is a very good book and the characters are just like the people we knew in high school. Check it out -- I don't think you will be disappointed.

See you at the library!