Underappreciated Teen Books

Reading Rants!, an awesome blog about teen books, has created a list of the most underappreciated teen books of the decade, one for each year. I will admit that I’ve only read two of the 10 books. Does that make me a bad librarian!?! Check it out! Have you read any of these? Will you?

Listen to Volume 2 of the Glee Sountrack!

Stop by AOL Music today to hear Volume 2 of the Glee soundtrack. (Plus a bunch of other new stuff you might be interested in.) I know I’ll be listening. I enjoy those kids and their singing! La, la, la, la….

Want to win a $500 Target gift card?

I thought so! All you have to do is write a letter to an author who really really touched you through their writing. Think of one book you’ve read that changed your life! Not that hard. It’s called the Letters About Literature contest.  If you win, you will also receive a grant for your public or school library. Pretty cool!! The deadline is December 12th, so if you want to do it, get on it!!!!

The third Hunger Games book…

will be published in 8 extremely long months. Ugh! The publication date was finally announced. It’s August 24, 2010. No title yet, but does that really matter!?! We’ll all be reading it no matter what it’s called. How will we ever make it til then?

New books…

Shadowland: The Immortals, Alyson Noel
Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives and fought off the world’s darkest enemies to be together forever, but just as their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse threatens them.

Pop, Gordon Korman
Lonely after a midsummer move to a new town, sixteen-year-old high-school quarterback Marcus Jordan becomes friends with a retired professional linebacker who is great at training him, but whose childish behavior keeps Marcus in hot water.

Splendor: A Luxe Novel, Anna Godbersen
In 1900 New York City, fashionable debutante Diana Holland and married soldier Henry Schoonmaker flaunt the rules of society to be with one another.

Everwild, Neal Shusterman
Nick, known as the dreaded “Chocolate Ogre,” is trying to find all the children in Everlost and release them from the limbo they are in, while Mikey and Allie have joined a band of skinjackers and are putting themselves in danger by visiting the world of the living.

Rich Girls: Confessions of a Teen Nanny, Victoria Ashton
Two teen nannies learn the dangers of losing old boyfriends and gaining new ones in the glamorous but deceptive world of the rich and powerful.

Crocodile Tears: Alex Rider, Anthony Horowitz
Targeted by a hitman and under threat of his past being exposed by the media, Alex reluctantly turns to MI6. Forced to ask MI6 for protection, Alex finds himself being manipulated in a deadly game that could lead to the destruction of an entire East African country.

Funny How Things Change, Melissa Wyatt
Remy, a talented, seventeen-year-old auto mechanic, questions his decision to join his girlfriend when she starts college in Pennsylvania after a visiting artist helps him to realize what his family’s home in a dying West Virginia mountain town means to him.

Once a Witch, Carolyn MacCullough
Born into a family of witches, seventeen-year-old Tamsin is raised believing that she alone lacks a magical “Talent,” but when her beautiful and powerful sister is taken by an age-old rival of the family in an attempt to change the balance of power, Tamsin discovers her true destiny.

Looking for new music?

If you’re looking for something new to listen to you, you might want to check out the A.V. Club. They’ve compiled a list of 50 albums they believe are the best music of the decade. You’ll probably find something new on this list that you like. And let us know if you think something is missing.

Something for the Dr. Who Fans!

There’s a trailer on YouTube for the upcoming Dr. Who special, The End of Time. Apparently, this will be the last time David Tennant plays the Doctor. I know that a bunch of you are fans, and are grieving the day Tennant leaves. So sad! In the meantime, here’s the trailer for you:

Teen Author Winter Blog Blast

So, there’s this winter blog blast going on right now. Several blogs devoted to teen literature are interviewing a different teen author each day this week. We’re on day 4 now, but you can still read Monday-Wednesday interviews at each blog. Here’s a list of the blogs and the authors they’re interviewing. A few of my favorites are represented, including Derek Landy and Beth Kephart. Check out what these authors have to say! (And if you’re not sure what books they’ve written, try searching with their name in the library catalog. Just copy, paste, and search!)

Chasing Ray – Jim Ottaviani (M), Ann Marie Fleming (Tu), and Sy Montgomery (W & Th)

Bildungsroman – Courtney Sheinmel (M), Laurie Faria Stolarz (Tu), Jacqui Robbins (W), Thomas Randall (Th), and Joan Holub

Finding Wonderland – Derek Landy (M), Sarwat Chadda (W), and Sheba Karim (F)

Miss Erin – Mary E. Pearson (M), and Patrick Carman (Tu)

HipWriterMama – Megan Whalen Turner (M), Jacqueline Kelly (Tu), Cynthia Leitich Smith (W), and Robin LaFevers (F)

A Fuse #8 Production – Frances Hardinge (M), Dan Santat (Tu), and Michael Hague (Th)

Shelf Elf – Nova Ren Suma (Tu), Beth Kephart (W), and Laini Taylor (Th)

Seven Impossible Things for Breakfast – Jim DiBartolo (Th)

Writing and Ruminating – Amanda Marrone (Th) and Lisa Schroeder (F)

Shaken & Stirred – Alan DeNiro (F)

More new stuff

Mare’s War, Tanita Davis

Teens Octavia and Tali learn about strength, independence, and courage when they are forced to take a car trip with their grandmother, who tells about growing up Black in 1940s Alabama and serving in Europe during World War II as a member of the Women’s Army Corps

Wish you were dead, Todd Strasser

Madison, a senior at a suburban New York high school, tries to uncover who is responsible for the disappearance of her friends, popular students mentioned in the posts of an anonymous blogger, while she, herself, is being stalked online and in-person.

Tempted, Kristin &P.C. Cast

In the sixth installment, stress is starting to get to Zoey as she attempts to find time for all three of her boyfriends. Meanwhile, Kalona is becoming dangerous, and Zoey is the only one who can stop him.

How to Say goodbye in Robot, Natalie Staniford

In the sixth installment, stress is starting to get to Zoey as she attempts to find time for all three of her boyfriends. Meanwhile, Kalona is becoming dangerous, and Zoey is the only one who can stop him.

Girl to the Core, Stacey Goldblatt

Fifteen-year-old Molly gains support from her extended Irish American family and enlightenment in Girl Corps philosophy and activities as she deals with a cheating boyfriend and overbearing best friend.

The Dying Breath, Alane Ferguson

When her ex-boyfriend starts stalking her, seventeen-year-old Cameryn must use her knowledge of forensic sciences to protect herself.

Dount Days, Lara Zielen

During a camp-out promoting the opening of a donut shop in a small Minnesota town, sixteen-year-old Emma, an aspiring journalist, begins to connect an ongoing pollution investigation with the turmoil in the evangelical Christian church where her parents are pastors.

Twilight Companion, Lois Gresh

The Twilight companion, completely updated : the unauthorized guide to the series

Fans of The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica

The first chapter of The Shadow Dragons, book four in the series The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James Owen, is available to read online at the Simon and Schuster website. Check it out!