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Đang hiển thị bài đăng từ Tháng 7, 2013

Top Ten Teen Books of 2015

Now that I'm working full-time as a young adult librarian I haven't been posting nearly as much, but I wanted to at least do my end of the year lists! 1) Ms. Marvel: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson I love this comic series overall, but this one so clearly nails a lot of the things I've heard from teens recently. Their annoyance at older generations misjudging and underestimating them, their ability to come together despite differences, and their genuine desire to make their worlds a better place. Kamala Khan is just a fabulous protagonist overall, relatably trying to juggle her friends, family, faith, education, and, oh yeah, newfound superpowers. Plus, the cameos. The cameos. So many familiar faces from the Marvel universe have appeared, which is especially fun because Kamala is such an unabashed fangirl. I really can't praise this series highly enough- just go check it out for yourself. 2) Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson Sensing a theme? 2015 was a huge year for ...

The Secret

Somewhere Beneath Those Waves

Somewhere Beneath Those Waves by Sarah Monette The first non-themed collection of critically acclaimed author Sarah Monette''s best short fiction. To paraphrase Hugo-award winner Elizabeth Bear's introduction: '"onette's prose is lapidary, her ideas are fantastical and chilling. She has studied the craft of fantastic fiction from the pens of masters and mistresses of the genre. She is a poet of the awkward and the uncertain, exalter of the outcast, the outre, and the downright weird. There is nothing else quite like Sarah Monette's fiction." -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads Ok, so this isn't YA. I was getting desperate for another post, and I know there are people who may read this blog occasionally who would love this one. Before this one I had read The Bone Key , her collection of short stories about Kyle Murchison Booth, a sort of supernatural detective. She really captured the feel of Lovecraft's horror in some of those stories...

Why the lack of posts?

Poor blog, I haven't been posting much lately. I haven't been reading as many teen books as I did last year- this is partially because I've been away, or there have been adult books I've wanted to read. But, here's a bit of a confession: Sometimes I get a bit tired of reading young adult books. *cringes* Before I go any further, let me say a few things clearly and emphatically. Not all teen books are the same. It's not a genre, it's just a target age group. IT'S NOT A GENRE. SERIOUSLY. NOT A GENRE. So there aren't set guidelines as to tone, content, setting, violence, characterization, voice, perspective, length, complexity, intelligence, competence or style. There are scads of of important, meaningful, technically skilled works of literature that also happen to be aimed at a teenage audience. Are we clear? Ok, good. With that in mind .... there are certain popular trends in teen lit right now, namely dystopian novels and paranormal romances. As one...

Unnatural Creatures

Unnatural Creatures edited by Neil Gaiman Unnatural Creatures is a collection of short stories about the fantastical things that exist only in our minds—collected and introduced by beloved New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman. The sixteen stories gathered by Gaiman, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, range from the whimsical to the terrifying. The magical creatures range from werewolves to sunbirds to beings never before classified. E. Nesbit, Diana Wynne Jones, Gahan Wilson, and other literary luminaries contribute to the anthology. Sales of Unnatural Creatures benefit 826DC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students in their creative and expository writing, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads It's a good time to be a Gaiman fan. Good Omens might finally get its long awaited adaptation, and HBO is developing a multi-season American Gods Series (I'm actively restraining myself fr...

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Inside Divergent - The Initiate's World by Veronica Roth

Summary from Goodreads The #1 New York Times bestselling novel Divergent is soon to be a major motion picture in theaters March 2014! Illustrated with more than 100 photographs--many never before seen--this eye-catching volume takes you inside the film version of Divergent where you'll discover the factions, meet the initiates, and enter the thrilling dystopian world. Paperback , 144 pages Published February 11th 2014 by HarperCollinsChildren'sBooks My Review This little book is filled full of inside information for anyone looking to delve a little deeper into the Divergent world. It is brimming with photographs and you get a really great feel for who's who. Each section is dedicated to the different factions and the reader gets a great insight into what each faction stands for. Also the key players in each faction get a little highlighting. The journey from the Aptitude test, the choosing ceremony to Tris' journey into the depths of the Daun...

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci Acclaimed authors Holly Black ( Ironside ) and Cecil Castellucci ( Boy Proof ) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, John Green, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr. With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on! -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads This was a fun, fairly quick read that did touch on most aspects of fandom (cosplaying, con...

Before I Fall

Before I Fall , Lauren Oliver What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?   Samantha Kingston has it all: looks, popularity, the perfect boyfriend. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life. Instead, it turns out to be her last.   The catch: Samantha still wakes up the next morning. Living the last day of her life seven times during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing. -Plot summary borrowed from Goodreads Here are two things you should know: 1) I don't read realistic fiction. 2) I hate, hate, hate stories (in book form, TV shows, movies) that show the same events over and over from various perspectives, or in a "what if this one teensys detail had changed?" sorts of ways. Having gotten those out of the way, I can tell you that even though this book was both o...

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