Ridley Teen Scene

More New YA Books for March at the Ridley Library!

2010-03-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

by James Patterson

YA PAT

Being a kid with wings--constantly on the run--has never been easy, and Max and her flock are getting tenser than ever. First, on a trip to Africa, they meet a mysterious billionaire whose intense scrutiny of the flock makes her fear the worst. Then, a cryptic message from a young girl arrives, warning them "The sky will fall." And as if an impending apocalypse weren't bad enough, canny birdkid Angel makes a dire prophecy about Max's soul mate: Fang will be the first to die.

The Return/Shadow Souls

by L.J. Smith

YA SMI

Eighteen-year-old Elena Gilbert journeys to the Dark Dimension with Damon and Matt in hopes of rescuing her vampire boyfriend, Stefan Salvatore, from imprisonment, and once again they face the sinister Shinichis.

My So Called Death

by Stacey Jay

YA JAY

After dying in a cheerleading accident, high school freshman Karen turns into a zombie and enrolls at a boarding school for the undead where she uncovers a murder mystery.

Ostrich Boys

by Keith Gray

YA GRA

Ross is dead, and Blake, Sim, and Kenny are furious. To make it right, they steal Ross’s ashes and set out from their home on the English coast for the tiny village of Ross in southern Scotland, a place their friend had always wanted to go. What follows is an unforgettable journey with illegal train rides, bungee jumping, girls, and high-speed police chases—all with Ross’s ashes along for the ride. As events spin wildly out of control, the three friends must take their heads out of the sand long enough to answer the question: What really happened to Ross?

The Six Rules of Maybe

by Deb Caletti

YA CAL

Seventeen-year-old Scarlet is used to her older sister, Juliet, getting all the attention. Juliet’s the beautiful one who got off Parrish Island, Oregon, and has a job singing in Portland. Then Juliet returns with a new husband, Hayden, and a baby on the way. While Juliet is the kind of girl who’s mostly interested in herself, Scarlet finds herself becoming quite interested in Hayden, who is unrequitedly devoted to Juliet.

The Sky is Everywhere

by Jandy Nelson

YA NEL

When her older sister dies from an arrhythmia, 17-year-old Lennie finds that people are awkward around her, including her best friend. While dealing with her conflicted feelings toward her sister's boyfriend, her anguish over Bailey's unexpected death, and her sudden curiosity about sex, Lennie must also cope with her unresolved feelings about her mother, who left when Lennie was an infant.

The Agency: A Spy in the House

by Y.S. Lee

YA LEE

She was sentenced to the gallows at age 12. Pickpocket Mary Quinn doesn’t care. Her life, nasty and brutish, will also be blessedly short. Then, shockingly, she’s rescued and ensconced at Miss Scrimshaw’s Academy for Girls. When readers meet Mary after this prologue, she is 17 and bored with her teaching job at the Academy. Happily, there’s more going on there than learning. Mary is recruited into the Agency, a secret band of women investigators. Her first job is ostensibly to be a lady’s companion. Actually, she’s at the Thorold home to observe and discover what she can about the mysterious sinking of Thorold’s ships. But Mary’s not much for observing and soon finds herself in the midst of murder.

The Unwritten Rule

by Elizabeth Scott

YA SCO

Gorgeous Brianna and less-stunning Sarah have been best friends since kindergarten, but now Sarah’s got a wicked crush on Brianna’s new boyfriend, Ryan—and it’s reciprocal.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

by Seth Grahame-Smith
YA GRA

While Abraham Lincoln is widely lauded for saving a Union and freeing millions of slaves, his valiant fight against the forces of the undead has remained in the shadows for hundreds of years.

Sing Me to Sleep

by Angela Morrison

YA MOR

THE TRANSFORMATION
Beth has always been “The Beast”—that’s what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth’s only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she’s selected to be her choir’s soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever.
THE LOVE AFFAIR
When Beth’s choir travels to Switzerland, she meets Derek: pale, brooding, totally dreamy. Derek’s untethered passion—for music, and for Beth—leaves her breathless. Because in Derek’s eyes? She’s not The Beast, she’s The Beauty.
THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE
When Beth comes home, Scott, her best friend in the world, makes a confession that leaves her completely torn. Should she stand by sweet, steady Scott or follow the dangerous, intense new feelings she has for Derek?
THE HEARTBREAK
The closer Beth gets to Derek, the further away he seems. Then Beth discovers that Derek’s been hiding a dark secret from her …one that could shatter everything.

The Returners

by Gemma Malley

YA MAL

London teenager Will Hodge is miserable. His mother is dead, his father's political leanings have grown radical, and his friends barely talk to him. To top it off, he's having nightmares about things like concentration camps. Then Will notices he's being followed by a group of people who claim to know him from another time in history. It turns out they are Returners, reincarnated people who carry with them the memory of atrocities they have witnessed in the past. Will realizes that he, too, is a Returner. But something about his memories is different, and with dawning horror, Will suspects that he wasn't just a witness to the events, he was instrumental in making them happen. Set in the near future, with the world on the verge of a new wave of ethnic cleansing, Will must choose to confront the cruelty he's known in his past lives, or be doomed to repeat it…

The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories

by Holly Black

YA BLA

In her debut collection, New York Times best-selling author Holly Black returns to the world of Tithe in two darkly exquisite new tales. Then Black takes readers on a tour of a faerie market and introduces a girl poisonous to the touch and another who challenges the devil to a competitive eating match. These stories have been published in anthologies such as 21 Proms, The Faery Reel, and The Restless Dead, and have been reprinted in many “Best of” anthologies. The Poison Eaters is Holly Black’s much-anticipated first collection of stories, and her ability to stare into the void—and to find humanity and humor there—will speak to young adult and adult readers alike.

Forget Her Nots
by Amy Brecount White
YA WHI
While researching the Victorian language of flowers for a project at boarding school, 14-year-old Laurel discovers that her bouquets (or tussie-mussies) have peculiar effects on whomever she gives them to: a spinster teacher finds love, a classmate aces a test, and another attracts boys like flies. Luckily, Ms. Suarez, the head of the conservatory, is there to explain Laurel’s gifts—she is a Flowerspeaker, one of an ancient line of people who can use flowers to influence feelings. Unfortunately, Laurel ignores her advice not to meddle, and a string of misused flowers create friction with Laurel’s father and friends, culminating in a memorably chaotic prom.

The Mark

by Jenny Nadol

YA NAD

While in Kansas living with an aunt she never knew existed and taking a course in philosophy, sixteen-year-old Cass struggles to learn what, if anything, she should do with her ability to see people marked to die within a day's time.

Before I Fall

by Lauren Oliver

YA OLI

After she dies in a car crash, teenage Samantha relives the day of her death over and over again until, on the seventh day, she finally discovers a way to save herself.

New YA books for March at the Ridley Library!

2010-03-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

Broadway Lights: Secrets of My Hollywood Life 5

by Jen Calonita

YA CAL

Her star power in demand on a hit Broadway play, Hollywood teen starlet Kaitlin Burke packs up her entourage (ok, her showbiz family, friends, assistant, and publicist, but not the dreamy boyfriend) and moves to the Big Apple for the summer. Kaitlin is the toast of the town and she hits the most exclusive New York nightspots, enjoys the best food (Hello, Magnolia Bakery), and even guests as a celebrity host on Saturday Night Live! But New York isn't all cupcakes and virgin daiquiris. Long distance and a handsome new costar put a huge strain on her relationship with Austin, and it turns out Broadway divas are a whole different breed of neuroses and competition from Hollywood starlets.

Borderline

by Allan Stratton

YA STR

The truth is closing in.
Life's not easy for Sami Sabiri since his dad stuck him at a private school where he's the only Muslim kid. But it's about to get a lot worse.
When Sami catches his father in a lie, he gets suspicious. . . . He's not the only one. In a whirlwind, the FBI descends on his home, and Sami's family becomes the center of an international terrorist investigation. Now Sami must fight to keep his world from unraveling

Little Miss Red

by Robin Palmer

YA PAL

Sophie Greene gets good grades, does the right thing, and has a boyfriend that her parents - and her younger brother - just love. (Too bad she doesn't love him.) Sophie dreams of being more like Devon Deveraux, star of her favorite romance novels, but, in reality, Sophie isn't even daring enough to change her nail polish. All of that changes when Sophie goes to Florida to visit her grandma Roz, and she finds herself seated next to a wolfishly goodlooking guy on the plane. The two hit it off, and before she knows it, Sophie's living on the edge. But is the drama all it's cracked up to be?

The River

by Mary Jane Beaufrand

YA BEA

Veronica Severance feels cut off from the world. Forced to move from the city to rural Oregon with her parents, she is haunted by loneliness and by the chilling sounds of the Santiam, the river that runs through her backyard.Through the fog of isolation, Ronnie finds herself becoming close with Karen, a young girl who she babysits. But when she discovers Karen's body on the banks of the Santiam, the victim of a supposed accident, Ronnie feels compelled to uncover the truth.As she becomes increasingly obsessed with solving Karen's death, Ronnie is led deeper and deeper into the woods surrounding the river and to the dark secret hidden within its midst.

The Naughty List

by Suzanne Young

YA YOU

Junior class president Tessa Crimson is the captain of the Smitten Kittens—the Wildcats cheerleading squad. But when Washington High experiences a break-out of make-outs, Tessa and her girls create a secret snooping society to catch the cheaters in the act.The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

Heist Society

by Ally Carter

YA CAR

Kat was born into a family of professional thieves, but after spending her first 15 years learning the tricks of the trade, she decides to leave it all behind to try to lead a normal life. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy to walk away from the family business…

Token of Darkness

by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

YA ATW

Cooper Blake has everything going for him—until he wakes from a car accident with his football career in ruins and a mysterious, attractive girl by his side. Cooper doesn’t know how Samantha got there or why he can see her; all he knows is that she’s a ghost, and the shadows that surround her seem intent on destroying her.

Eleventh Grade Burns

by Heather Brewer
YA BRE

As Vlad enters his junior year of high school, he has much more than the regular teenage angst to contend with, in this fourth installment of Brewer's bestselling series.

Scarlett Fever

by Maureen Johnson

YA JOH

Ever since Mrs. Amberson, the former-aspiring-actress-turned-agent, entered Scarlett Martin's life, nothing has been the same. She's still in charge of the Empire Suite in her family's hotel, but she's now also Mrs. Amberson's assistant, running around town for her star client, Chelsea - a Broadway star Scarlett's age with a knack for making her feel insignificant. Scarlett's also trying to juggle sophomore year classes, her lab partner who is being just a little TOO nice, and getting over the boy who broke her heart. In the midst of all this, her parents drop a bombshell that threatens to change her New York life forever...

Gone

by Lisa McMann
Book 3 of the Wake Trilogy

YA MCM

Things should be great for Janie--she has graduated from high school and is spending her summer with Cabel, the guy she's totally in love with. But deep down she's panicking about how she's going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people's dreams is really starting to take its toll. Things get even more complicated when she meets her father for the very first time--and he's in a coma. As Janie uncovers his secret past, she begins to realize that the choice thought she had has more dire consequences than she ever knew...

Num8ers

by Rachel Ward
YA WAR

Jem is a 15 year-old girl who can see a set of numbers every time she locks eyes with someone, no matter how brief that moment is. When she was younger, she kept telling her mom her number without the slightest clue of it's significance, that is until her mother died. At that point, she understood what these numbers she kept seeing meant: it's the date when that person would die.

My Boyfriends' Dogs

by Dandi Daley Mackall
YA MAC

If only boys were more like dogs. On a stormy night in St. Louis, Bailey Daley finds refuge in an after-hours diner. Bailey, a girl with three dogs in tow, wearing a soaking-wet prom dress, obviously has a story to tell. See, she wants what every girl wants from her boyfriend: enthusiasm, loyalty, and unconditional love. And Bailey is always falling in love—with boys, and with their dogs. And each of her dogs came from a relationship that didn’t quite work out. But don’t worry: in this fun, clean romance, true love is never far away—it just waits until you stop looking for it.

New YA Book Review!

2010-02-17T08:03:00.000-08:00

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Recommended for Twilight Lovers!

There’s something achingly familiar about Daniel Grigori.
Mysterious and aloof, he captures Luce Price’s attention from the moment she sees him on her first day at the Sword & Cross boarding school in sultry Savannah, Georgia. He’s the one bright spot in a place where cell phones are forbidden, the other students are all screw-ups, and security cameras watch every move.
Even though Daniel wants nothing to do with Luce–and goes out of his way to make that very clear–she can’t let it go. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame, she has to find out what Daniel is so desperate to keep secret . . . even if it kills her.

I’m still not totally sure about Fallen, especially the ending. It’s hard to go into any detail without giving anything away, but I was hoping for more explanations to many of the character’s behaviors and actions. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed reading this book, but for me there were just so many unanswered questions. Maybe they will be answered in the next book in the series, Torment, due out in September.
Lauren Kate has a beautiful fluid writing style that made all of her descriptions just jump off the page.
I liked Luce as a main character. She was just troubled enough to be interesting and mysterious, particularly about her issues with the shadows that haunted her for her entire life. I also liked the other characters especially Luce’s new found friends Arianne and Penn. Daniel made Edward Cullen look and seem like a bore and Cam seemed just too good to be true. (in a good way!)
I loved the mysterious school and cemetery, but it was hard to see why Luce belonged in a reform school in the first place. It was close to home and housed “troubled” teens, but it just seemed so hard to believe that her parents would dump her someplace that only allowed yearly visits and once per week phone calls. I thought maybe she should have been placed in a psychiatric ward in some hospital instead. I’m sure the old scary school setting was much more attractive!
Fallen is an effortless engrossing read. It starts out a little slow but it does pull you in and at some points you just don’t want to put it down. I recommend this book to paranormal or fantasy romance lovers. Let’s just say that if you loved Twilight, you’ll love Fallen!

New YA Books for February at the Ridley Township Library

2010-02-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

Dirty Little Secrets

by C.J. Omololu

Everyone has a secret. But Lucy’s is bigger and dirtier than most. It’s one she’s been hiding for years—that her mom’s out-of-control hoarding has turned their lives into a world of garbage and shame. She’s managed to keep her home life hidden from her best friend and her crush, knowing they’d be disgusted by the truth. So, when her mom dies suddenly in their home, Lucy hesitates to call 911 because revealing their way of life would make her future unbearable—and she begins her two-day plan to set her life right.

In a Heartbeat

by Loretta Ellsworth

When a small mistake costs sixteen-year-old Eagan her life during a figure-skating competition, she leaves many things unreconciled, including her troubled relationship with her mother. From her vantage point in the afterlife, Eagan reflects back on her memories, and what she could have done differently, through her still-beating heart.

When fourteen-year-old Amelia learns she will be getting a heart transplant, her fear and guilt battle with her joy at this new chance at life. And afterwards when she starts to feel different—dreaming about figure skating, craving grape candy—her need to learn about her donor leads her to discover and explore Eagan’s life, meeting her grieving loved ones and trying to bring the closure they all need to move on.

Told in alternating viewpoints, In a Heartbeat tells the emotional and compelling story of two girls sharing one heart.

You Are So Undead to Me

by Stacey Jay

Megan Berry, a Carol, Arkansas, high school student who can communicate with the Undead, must team up with her childhood friend Ethan to save homecoming from an army of flesh-hungry zombies.

I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It

by Adam Selzer

Algonquin “Ali” Rhodes, the high school newspaper’s music critic, meets an intriguing singer, Doug, while reviewing a gig. He’s a weird-looking guy—goth, but he seems sincere about it, like maybe he was into it back before it was cool. She introduces herself after the set, asking if he lives in Cornersville, and he replies, in his slow, quiet murmur, “Well, I don’t really live there, exactly. . . .”When Ali and Doug start dating, Ali is falling so hard she doesn’t notice a few odd signs: he never changes clothes, his head is a funny shape, and he says practically nothing out loud. Finally Marie, the school paper’s fashion editor, points out the obvious: Doug isn’t just a really sincere goth. He’s a zombie. Horrified that her feelings could have allowed her to overlook such a flaw, Ali breaks up with Doug, but learns that zombies are awfully hard to get rid of—at the same time she learns that vampires, a group as tightly-knit as the mafia, don’t think much of music critics who make fun of vampires in reviews. . . .

Lockdown

by Walter Dean Myers

It seems as if the only progress that's going on at Progress juvenile facility is moving from juvy jail to real jail. Reese wants out early, but is he supposed to just sit back and let his friend Toon get jumped? Then Reese gets a second chance when he's picked for the work program at a senior citizens' home. He doesn't mean to keep messing up, but it's not so easy, at Progress or in life. One of the residents, Mr. Hooft, gives him a particularly hard time. If he can convince Mr. Hooft that he's a decent person, not a criminal, maybe he'll be able to convince himself.

Sweet Little Lies: An L.A. Candy Novel

by LaurenConrad

Now a reality show celebrity, nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts learns that not all of her new friends are trustworthy.

Heartless

by Sara Shepard

In picturesque Rosewood, Pennsylvania, neighbors gossip over picket fences, and gleaming SUVs sit in every crushed-granite driveway. But recently, friendly smiles have been replaced with suspicious glares and accusatory whispers—and it's all because Hanna, Aria, Emily, and Spencer just can't keep their mouths shut. . . .
First they claimed they found a dead body in the woods behind Spencer's house, only to have it vanish without a trace. Then when the same woods went up in flames, they swore they saw someone who's supposed to be dead rise from the ashes. And even after all that, the pretty little liars are still playing with fire.
Hanna's trading in her Dior trench for a straitjacket. Aria's trying to contact the dead. Emily's dumped her boyfriend and is skipping town . . . again. And Spencer thinks someone in her family has gotten away with murder.
The friends insist they're telling the truth about what they saw, but all of Rosewood thinks they're simply out for attention—and nobody likes a girl who cries wolf. So when the big bad killer comes after the girls, will anyone believe them . . . or will they be the next to disappear?

Incarceron

by Catherine Fisher

Incarceron -- a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology -- a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber -- chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison -- a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device -- a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn's escape is born ...

How to Be a Vampire

by Amy Gray

For those who join the decadent realm of the vampire, eternal life holds juicy perks — charm and strength, shape-shifting and flying, telepathy and super-powered senses. But then again, one becomes . . . so terribly hungry. Is there an etiquette for feeding without causing a scene? How do you set up your crypt? What supernatural foes will make your blood run co lder? In this elegant, edgy resource, the newly immortal will find everything they need to know.

Monday New Book Review!

2010-02-09T18:57:00.000-08:00

I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It

by Adam Selzer

Highly Recommended!

Alley Rhodes has it all. She’s part of a group of friends known as the Vicious Circle, she writes the music column for her high school paper, and she graduates soon and will be going to college in Seattle, far, far away from boring Des Moines. All she needs is a boyfriend even though she doesn’t think she does. When she goes to a local club to review a band she meets the man of her dreams. He’s hot, goth, and sings Cole Porter like a dream. Unfortunately he’s dead. The living dead to be exact. Welcome to a world where “Post-Humans” like vampires, werewolves and zombies have all “come out”. Thanks to a horrible scheme to bring back the dead and make them slave employees, the Megamart store chain forces vampires to tell the world they are real.
Alley loves Doug and has even gotten used to the formaldehyde taste, but can true love survive friends, vampire guidance counselors, and parents who just aren’t ready to have their daughter date a dead guy.
I really liked this book. I Kissed a Zombie and I Liked It is a fun, crazy, parody. It's a great blend of comedy, romance, and paranormal! Selzer integrates real-life issues into the world of paranormal parody so smoothly and at the same time, makes readers laugh out loud.

Winter Escapes Widget

2010-02-04T11:37:00.001-08:00

Movie Tie-In Tuesday!

2010-02-02T15:16:00.000-08:00

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
Dear John is a romantic drama starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried.

John Tyree (Channing Tatum) meets UNC student Savannah Lynn Curtis (Amanda Seyfried) while he is home on leave from the army. They share two fleeting summer weeks together before he returns to active duty. John can't wait to come home for good, but then September 11th happens and he reenlists. Will Savannah wait for John, or will the tragedy lead to a change in her relationship with her close friend Tim (Henry Thomas), who pines for her?

Monday New Book Review!

2010-02-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

Highly Recomended Especially for Music Lovers!

16 year old Allie works in a record store in Berkeley California which is a dream job for her because she is a self proclaimed music geek and vinyl princess. She is totally obsessed with vinyl LP records as shown by her personal collection, her blog, and her zine.

She spends plenty of time hanging out at the bohemian eateries and coffee houses populating downtown San Francisco with her best friend and vintage fashion store employee Kit, and keeping an eye on her intellectual mother as she reenters the dating scene.

A string of robberies in the neighborhood ends up having a notable impact on her lovelife, the mysterious “M” keeps her up at night and is it possible to meet your soul mate at a flea market?

I really enjoyed this book. Prinz makes all of the characters so entertaining and the descriptions of the neighborhood businesses especially the restaurants are so vivid that they almost become supporting characters as well! I do enjoy my ipod, but I’m old enough to remember when vinyl was king and I’ll be interested to see how many other teens will be drawn to Allie’s preaching!

Movie Tie-In Tuesday!

2010-01-26T10:36:00.000-08:00

This article originally appeared in SLJ's Extra Helping.

Joy Fleishhacker -- School Library Journal, 1/25/2010 8:28:00 AM

A New Film Hero: Percy Jackson
Devotees of Rick Riordan’s “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” books (Disney/Hyperion) are gearing up to see their beloved hero and his escapades re-imagined as a feature film. Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (PG), a live-action adventure/fantasy adapted from the first novel (2005), premieres in theaters on February 12, 2010. Director Chris Columbus is no stranger to bringing blockbuster books for young people to the big screen, having overseen the first two installments of the “Harry Potter” series for Warner Bros. (2001’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets). Presented by 20th Century Fox, The Lightning Thief looks to be packed with fast-paced suspense and thrilling visual effects.
Logan Lerman stars as Percy Jackson, here a high school student (in the book he’s 12 years old), who discovers that the gods of Mount Olympus are alive and well in 21st-century America, and that he is—amazingly—the demigod son (half mortal, half god) of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd). Not only are assorted mythological monsters popping up everywhere, but Zeus’s (Sean Bean) lightning bolt has been stolen, and Percy is the number-one suspect in the crime. He’s also worried about his mother (Catherine Keener), who has suddenly disappeared. Caught between squabbling divinities, Percy and his teenage friends—Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario), the demigod daughter of Athena, and Grover Underwood (Brandon T. Jackson), a satyr—embark on an exciting quest to track down the lightning bolt, save Percy’s mother, and unravel a far-reaching mystery to prevent a war between the gods.
The cast also includes Pierce Brosnan as the hero-training Chiron, Uma Thurman as a sultry Medusa, and Melina Kanakaredes as Athena. Impatient fans can catch movie previews at the official Web site or hook into the hype (articles, blogs, links, and more) at the unofficial “Percy Jackson Movies” fansite or the “Percy Jackson & the Olympians” wikia. A film adaptation of Riordan’s second novel, The Sea of Monsters (Disney/Hyperion, 2006), is in the works for a 2012 release.
Book Tie-ins
The movie is guaranteed to stir up interest in and win new enthusiasts for Riordan’s book series, so be sure that you have plenty of copies of all five installments. Disney/Hyperion has recently released a media tie-in paperback edition of The Lightning Thief (2010) with a movie-poster cover. Aglow in steely grays and washed-out shadows, the photographic image depicts a water-bound Percy (Lerman), confidently hefting a sizzling lightning bolt, with the nighttime New York City skyline twinkling in the distance. Filled with a sense of power as yet unleashed, this dramatic cover will grab the eye of film fans and invite them into the rest of the series. Librarians and teachers may be interested in the discussion guide available at the Hyperion Web site.
Pub Info
RIORDAN, Rick. The Lightning Thief. Film tie-in ed. pap. $7.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-3494-7.

Monday New Book Review!

2010-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

Very LeFreak

by Rachel Cohn

Recommended for Cohn fans

Very (Veronica) is a techno wild child with a complicated past. It's easy to fall for lively Very: she plans flash mobs using a social network she programmed at college, makes play-lists for every situation (even to apologize to her roommate after hooking up with a mutual friend), and has an intense fantasy life with El Virus, a stranger she meets online. She loves to throw killer parties and manages to get her entire circle of friends and Columbia University educators to throw her an “intervention”. This intervention is not for drugs and alcohol though; it’s for her dependency on technology. With the threat of expulsion and scholarship loss Very heads to a tech-detox center in the Vermont woods.
Cohn’s mix of fun, and far-out characters sits uncomfortably with the somber subject matter, including Very's bad first sexual experience at age 12 and the death of her mother. As I read this I would feel increasingly impatient with Very’s behavior and then feel sympathetic when another life tragedy was introduced. Her story never feels entirely cohesive and the ending was disappointing, but readers will have fun watching Very in action. Ages 14–up.

Movie Tie-In Tuesday!

2010-01-19T15:40:00.000-08:00

The Lovely Bones

by Alice Sebold

Highly Recommended!

The movie version of The Lovely Bones opened in theaters on Friday, January 15th. Ridley residents may be interested to know that a heavily reconfigured MacDade Mall features largely in the beginning of the movie!

"My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her - her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling. Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously, in building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

The name The Lovely Bones comes from an ending line in the book;

“These were the lovely bones that had grown around my absence: the connections — sometimes tenuous, sometimes made at great cost, but often magnificent — that happened after I was gone. And I began to see things in a way that let me hold the world without me in it. The events my death brought were merely the bones of a body that would become whole at some unpredictable time in the future. The price of what I came to see as this miraculous lifeless body had been my life.”

Monday New Book Review!

2010-01-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

The Secret Year

by Jennifer Hubbard

Highly Recommended!

Colten (Colt) Morrissey lives in the Flats. Julia is a year older, popular, and from Black Mountain where the “rich kids” live. They meet one night down by the river and start a yearlong romance that no one ever knows about. Not their friends or Julia’s boyfriend. Then Julia dies in a car accident during Labor Day Weekend and Colt has to find a way to mourn her without letting their secret get out. When Julia’s journal ends up in his hands he relives their year together while trying to move on with the year ahead.

I really enjoyed this book. It seemed at first to be a typical star crossed lover kind of story but it developed into a really great narrative. As the story unfolded I really wanted Colt to find peace and happiness since he was such a nice guy! The supporting characters are all interesting and well written especially Colt’s brother Tom whose own secrets help Colt realize that he is not the only one in the world with things to hide.

The war between social classes in a high school setting is by no means a new idea, but Hubbard does an excellent job at making it relevant in her novel by drawing the reader into the drama and showing how it relates to Colt's past, present, and even future.

It was refreshing to read a relationship book from a boy’s point of view and Colt’s character will really draw sympathy and compassion from most female readers while Julia’s character will probably anger you! Hubbard did a great job with this one!

New YA Books for January at the Ridley Library!

2010-01-12T14:58:00.000-08:00

Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn

Consumed with emailing, online video games, and the many distractions of her electronic gadgets, hyper-frenetic Columbia University freshman Veronica, known as Very LeFreak, enters a rehab facility for the technology-addicted after her professors and classmates stage an intervention.

Dream Life by Lauren Mechling

Claire Voyante's first semester at Henry Hudson High School was eventful, to say the least. As she heads into her second semester, things are calming down a bit. But Claire has a few secrets that are getting harder to keep. Her biggest secret of all? The onyx and ivory cameo necklace her grandmother gave her for her 15th birthday. Ever since she started wearing it, her dreams have been coming to her in black and white and turning out to be oddly prophetic.

Wanderlust by Lucy Silag

Will they save their lost friend before it’s too late?
Angst and betrayal abound as teens search the French countryside for their missing classmate in this exciting sequel to Beautiful Americans.

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia’s boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can’t mourn Julia openly, and he’s tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia’s journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he’s desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

Darklight by Lesley Livingston

Faerie can't lie . . . or can they?
Much has changed since autumn, when Kelley Winslow learned she was a Faerie princess, fell in love with changeling guard Sonny Flannery, and saved the mortal realm from the ravages of the Wild Hunt. Now Kelley is stuck in New York City, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet and missing Sonny more with every stage kiss, while Sonny has been forced back to the Otherworld and into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the remaining Hunters and Queen Mabh herself.

Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Last fall, sixteen-year-old Camelia fell for Ben, the mysterious new boy at school who turned out to have a very mysterious gift--pyschometry, the ability to sense the future through touch. But just as Camelia and Ben's romance began to heat up, he abruptly left town. Brokenhearted, Camelia has spent the last few months studying everything she can about psychometry, and experiencing her own strange brushes with premonition. Camelia wonders if Ben's abilities have somehow rubbed off on her. Can the power of psychometry be transferred?

By the Time You Read This I'll Be Dead by Julie Ann Peters

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she's determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for "completers"- www.through-the-light .com. While she's on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she's not on the Web, Daelyn's at her private school, where she's known as the freak who doesn't talk.Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she's waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she's made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won't give up. And it's too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life.isn't it?

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Suspected in the death of her boyfriend, seventeen-year-old Luce is sent to a Savannah, Georgia, reform school where she meets two intriguing boys and learns the truth about the strange shadows that have always haunted her.

The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz

Summer is here, and 16-year-old Allie, a self-professed music geek, is exactly where she wants to be: working full-time at Berkeley’s ultra-cool Bob and Bob Records. There, Allie can spend her days bantering with the street people, talking the talk with the staff, shepherding the uncool bridge-and-tunnel shoppers, all the while blissfully surrounded by music, music, music. It’s the perfect setup for her to develop her secret identity as The Vinyl Princess, author of both a brand-new zine and blog. From the safety of her favourite place on earth, Allie is poised to have it all: love, music and blogging.

Captivate by Carrie Jones
Zara and her friends knew they hadn't solved the pixie problem for good. Far from it. The king's needs grow deeper every day he's stuck in captivity, while his control over his people gets weaker. It's made him vulnerable. And now there's a new king in town.

Hazel by Julie Hearn

Thirteen-year-old Hazel leaves her comfortable, if somewhat unconventional, London home in 1913 after her father has a breakdown, and goes to live in the Caribbean on her grandparents' sugar plantation where she discovers some shocking family secrets.

Wish by Alexandra Bullen

For broken-hearted Olivia Larsen, nothing can change the fact that her twin sister, Violet, is gone... until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn't just look magical; it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

Paradise wasn't supposed to suck.
Not the state of being, but a resort in the Caribbean.
Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all there for different reasons, but at Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Paradise will change them all.

My Soul to Save by Rachel Vincent
When Kaylee Cavanaugh screams, someone dies. So when teen pop star Eden croaks onstage and Kaylee doesn't wail, she knows something is dead wrong. She can't cry for someone who has no soul. The last thing Kaylee needs right now is to be skipping school, breaking her dad's ironclad curfew and putting her too-hot-to-be-real boyfriend's loyalty to the test. But starry-eyed teens are trading their souls: a flickering lifetime of fame and fortune in exchange for eternity in the Netherworld—a consequence they can't possibly understand. Kaylee can't let that happen, even if trying to save their souls means putting her own at risk….

Witch and Wizard by James Patterson
A sister and brother, along with thousands of young people, have been kidnapped and either thrown in prison or turned up missing after accusations of witchcraft are made against them, and the ruling regime will do anything in order to suppress life and liberty, music and books.

More December New Books!

2009-12-16T14:21:00.000-08:00

Homestretch by Paul Volponi

YA VOL

A runaway boy with nothing finds everything he needs, including a family, in the most unlikely of places--at a racetrack.

Devious: An It Girl Novel

by Cecily Von Ziegesar

YA VON

Everyone at elite Waverly Academy actually looks forward to the freezing month of January: it's Jan Plan, four blissful weeks when cool independent projects replace hectic schedules and boring classes. Wild weeknight parties, late-night trips to the crater, and plenty of time to gossip about it all? Yes, please!

Betrayals by Lili St. Crow

YA STC

For her own protection, sixteen-year-old Dru is taken to a secret training facility that feels more like a prison, but she faces great danger there and learns that a traitor who was involved in her mother's death now wants Dru dead.

Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock

YA MUR

Other folks have big plans for D.J. Like her coach. College scouts. All the town hoops fans. A certain Red Bend High School junior who?s keen for romance and karaoke. Not to mention Brian Nelson, who she should not be thinking about! Who she is done with, thank you very much. But who keeps showing up anyway.

An Off Year by Claire Zulkey

YA ZUL

Upon arriving at her dorm room, eighteen-year-old Cecily decides to postpone her freshman year of college and return to her Chicago home, where she spends a year pondering what went wrong while forging new relationships with family and friends.

Everwild by Neal Shusterman

YA SHU

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.

The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire

Various Authors

YA ETE

Falling to ash / by Karen Mahoney -- Shelter Island / by Melissa de la Cruz -- Sword point / by Maria V. Snyder -- The coldest girl in Coldtown / by Holly Black -- Undead is very hot right now / by Sarah Rees Brennan -- Kat / by Kelley Armstrong -- The thirteenth step / by Libba Bray -- All hallows / by Rachel Caine -- Wet teeth / by Cecil Castellucci -- Other boys / by Cassandra Clare -- Passing / by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguié -- Ambition / by Lili St. Crow -- All wounds / by Dina James. Blood Ninja by Nick Lake

YA LAK

In the course of a day, Taro's entire life changes: His father is murdered before his eyes, and Taro is taken by a mysterious ninja on a perilous journey toward safety. Someone wants Taro dead, but who -- and why? With his best friend, Hiro, and their ninja guide Shusaku, Taro gets caught in the crossfire of a bitter conflict between rival lords for control of imperial Japan. As Taro trains to become a ninja himself, he's less and less sure that he wants to be one. But when his real identity is revealed, it becomes impossible for Taro to turn his back on his fate.

Killer: Pretty Little Liars #6 by Sara Shepard

YA SHE

Former best friends Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Spencer continue to live in fear as they struggle to keep hidden even more secrets and someone new begins stalking them via their cell phones.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

YA GAR

In a small South Carolina town, where it seems little has changed since the Civil War, sixteen-year-old Ethan is powerfully drawn to Lena, a new classmate with whom he shares a psychic connection and whose family hides a dark secret that may be revealed on her sixteenth birthday.

New YA Books for December!

2009-12-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

Crashed
by Robin Wasserman
YA WAS

Living with other "mechs" since her wealthy parents transplanted her brain into a mechanical body to prevent her from dying in a horrible accident, Lia becomes a pawn in a religious leader's movement to outlaw "mech" technology and eradicate machines such as Lia. Sequel to Skinned.

Shadowland
by Alyson Noel
YA NOE

Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world’s darkest enemies—so they could be together forever. But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen…one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into the Shadowland. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She’s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever’s connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before…

Possessions

by Nancy Holder

YA HOL

When Lindsay Cavanaugh transfers to the prestigious Marlwood Academy after recovering from a breakdown at her previous high school, she discovers that there's something strange going on involving a clique and some unsavory activities from the school's little-known past.

The Magician of Hoad

by Margaret Mahy

YA MAH
A young farm boy who possesses mysterious powers is chosen by the king to be the court's royal magician.

Liar

by Justine Larbalestier

YA LAR

Compulsive liar Micah promises to tell the truth after revealing that her boyfriend has been murdered.

Hate List

by Jennifer Brown

YA BRO

Sixteen-year-old Valerie, whose boyfriend Nick committed a school shooting at the end of their junior year, struggles to cope with integrating herself back into high school life, unsure herself whether she was a hero or a villain.

Cliquetionary: The Wit and Wisdom of The Clique

by Lisi Harrison

YA HAR

Dying to know the Pretty Committee's juiciest gossip? Curious what people mean when they call you an LBR? (Hint: it's nawt a compliment.) Want tips on how to go from a 6-point-ew to a ten? Ah-bviously! This cute-times-a-million gift book contains a word wheel of Cliquisms, the Clique's best comebacks, favorite expressions, and silliest secrets. 100 Gossip Points if you can guess Massie's first lip-kiss...

It's All Good
by Nikki Carter

YA CAR

It’s almost the middle of Junior Year and sixteen-year-old Gia Stokes is pumped. She finally made co-captain of the Hi-Steppers Dance Squad at school and the squad is on their way to the state’s biggest game, where the Spartans are going to be champions. And one of those champions is Gia’s BFF, Ricky, who might be more than a friend. Could the year get any better? Don't be so quick to judge!

Slendor: A Luxe Novel

by Anna Godbersen
YA GOD

After moving to Baltimore and enrolling in a private school, high school senior Beatrice befriends a quiet loner with a troubled family history.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot

by Natalie Standiford

YA STA

After moving to Baltimore and enrolling in a private school, high school senior Beatrice befriends a quiet loner with a troubled family history.

Never Slow Dance With a Zombie

by E. Van Lowe

YA VAN

When most of their high school classmates turn into flesh-eating zombies, Margot and best friend Sybil see an opportunity to finally become popular and find boyfriends--if they can just stay alive.

Teen Library Council Book Review

2009-11-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

Vampire Diaries

by L. J. Smith

Reviewed by Sam Clifton
Ridley High School

These books inspired the hit TV show, Vampire Diaries. Written in third person point of view, this focuses mainly on two teenagers, Elena and Stephan. It is a fantasy version of Romeo and Juliet, where the couple should not be together due to Stephan's problem. He is a vampire. He is from Italy and was born during the Renaissance. This book may sound like Twilight, but it is far from it. Stephan has a brother named Damon, and they hate each other. They both fought over a girl named Katherine many years ago, and Stephan worries it may happen again... This novel has many unexpected twists and is expertly crafted to create a beautiful story of love and deception. I would give this 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend to anyone who can sit still long enough to devour this book. The beginning is a little slow, but it is worth waiting for.

Librarian Book Review!

2009-11-18T15:06:00.000-08:00

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder
By Julie Halpern

Highly Reccomended

Fifteen-year-old Jessie always knew that she was a nerd at heart. She always seemed happy enough though to be the friend since grade school of the “wonderful” Bizza and Char, and the sister of a punk rock band member. At the beginning of the girls’ sophomore year, however, things change. Bizza and Char decide to “go punk,” adopting that style of dress and inviting themselves to hang out with Jessie’s brother’s band. When Bizza hooks up with Jessie’s longtime crush, however, it’s the last straw, and Jessie attempts to find herself in a social world without Bizza and Char.
I thought this book was surprisingly quirky and cute. Instead of focusing on what lifestyle is cooler or “normal” the plot centered on Jessie’s growing disillusionment with her friends and her growing friendship with a group of Dungeons and Dragons players.
I’ve never played D and D (although after reading this I might try!) so I’m not sure how really nerdy it is, but Halpern is able to comically make it cool while not putting down the punk lifestyle. This is a great read for teens who are struggling to “find themselves” or figure out where they fit in among all those school cliques.

Check it Out Today!!

New YA Books at the Ridley Library in November!

2009-11-09T18:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a list of the great new books available at the Ridley library! List is updated monthly as of November 2009. Check them out or reserve them today by clicking on the link.

DupliKate by Cherry Cheva

When she wakes up one morning to find her double in her room, seventeen-year-old Kate, already at wit's end with college applications, finals, and extracurricular activities, decides to put her to work.

Rapture of the Deep by L.A. Meyer

In 1806, star-crossed lovers Jacky Faber and Jaimy Fletcher are kidnapped by British Naval Intelligence and forced to embark on yet another daring mission--this time to search for sunken Spanish gold off the Florida coast.

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

High school sophomore Nora has always been very cautious in her relationships, but when Patch, who has a dark side she can sense, enrolls at her school, she is mysteriously and strongly drawn to him, despite warnings from her best friend, the school counselor, and her own instincts.

Legacy by Tom Sniegoski

Eighteen-year-old Lucas is reluctant to take on his father's superhero mantle, but changes his mind as he comes face-to-face with evil after his mother is killed.

Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor

Three short stories about kissing, featuring elements of the supernatural.

Charmed and Dangerous by Lisi Harrison

Four betas and their alpha--Massie Block, Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons--"clique" at the New Year's Yves party.

Fade Out by Rachael Caine

Without the evil vampire Bishop ruling over the town of Morganville, the resident vampires have made major concessions to the human population. With their newfound freedoms, Claire Danvers and her friends are almost starting to feel comfortable again... Now Claire can actually concentrate on her studies, and her friend Eve joins the local theatre company. But when one of Eve's castmates goes missing after starting work on a short documentary, Eve suspects the worst. Claire and Eve soon realize that this film project, whose subject is the vampires themselves, is a whole lot bigger-and way more dangerous-than anyone suspected.

How to Ruin Your Boyfriend's Reputation by Simone Elkeles

Yes, it’s me—Amy Nelson-Barak. I’ve volunteered for ten days of military training in Israel with my friends. The Sababa brochure said it would be a “fun” summer experience. Okay, so I didn’t sign up to prove I’m not a princess…I did it to surprise my hot Israeli boyfriend stationed at the same base.

Tempted by P.C. and Kristin Cast

Zoey Redbird, High Priestess-in-training, finds herself juggling three guys--one of which is so into protecting her that he can sense her emotions. Meanwhile the dark force lurking in the tunnels under the Tulsa Depot is spreading, and only Zoey has the power to stop the evil immortal Kalona who is behind it. Will Zoey have the courage to chance losing her life, her heart, and her soul.

The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliot

In early 1790s' Paris, as the Revolution gains momentum, young and sheltered Eugenie de Boncoeur finds it difficult to tell friend from foe as she and the royalist brother she relies on become the focus of "le Fantome," the sinister spymaster with a long-held grudge against their family.

2009-09-09T15:01:00.000-07:00

Librarian's Review

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

(Grades 9+)Scholastic, August 2009

Ever since Grace survived a horrific attack as a little girl, a wolf in the woods behind her house has visited her. This particular wolf appears every winter and has the most amazing yellow eyes. When a boy in her class is attacked, Grace's wolf appears to her... as a human boy named Sam. And Grace knows somehow that she loves him and is meant to be with him. But she also knows that she's going to lose him. For as the temperature drops, Sam's days as a human are drawing to a close. And to be together, Grace and Sam have to be willing to risk everything.

This is a beautifully written story. There were many passages that I re-read many times because the imagery was so intense. The characterization was well done and there wasn’t one person in the story who I wished would have been left out. Both Grace and Sam narrate the story with chapters switching back and forth between their points of view. Each chapter title is the name of the person relating the events, plus the temperature since it is such a pivotal part of the story.
It was interesting to read Stiefvater’s take on werewolf folklore and I was pretty satisfied with the way that she fit in common lore with some spins of her own. The story is a little slow at first, but once it gets going you won’t want to put it down. I would definitely recommend it to Twilight fans or paranormal romance lovers! The next installment, Linger, comes out in 2010. I’m totally looking forward to it!

Let me know what you think!!

Welcome!

2009-01-11T18:46:00.000-08:00

Ridley Teens Unite! Here's where you can talk about anything that you'd like! Is there a book you just read that you think everyone else should know about? What about a great new video game or CD?

Maybe you can gab about Twilight (the book and the movie!)! Whatever you'd like to say, here is the place!

Check out all of our great programs at www.ridleylibrary.org! You'll have a great time at the library! (Yes, the LIBRARY!)