Monday, October 31, 2011

Just in Time for Halloween - Interview with Anne Rice


"Just in time for Halloween, queen of vampire fiction Anne Rice has provoked the outrage of thousands of lovelorn teenage girls by dissing Stephenie Meyer's sparkly bloodsuckers." quotes Alison Flood of  The Guardian.  Read the whole article at The Guardian to see how this facebook battle ended.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Top Ten Teen Books

Teens from around the United States were invited to vote on their top ten books of 2011.  10,000 votes were cast during the months of August and September.  YALSA, Young Adult Library Services Association, reported these as the teen's top ten:

  1. Clockwork Angel” by Cassandra Clare
  2. Mockingjay” by Suzanne Collins
  3. Crescendo” by Becca Fitzpatrick
  4. I Am Number Four” by Pittacus Lore
  5. The Iron King” by Julie Kagawa
  6. Matched” by Ally Condie
  7. Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel” by James Patterson
  8. Paranormalcy” by Kiersten White
  9. Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver
  10. Nightshade” by Andrea Cremer
To learn more about the teen book groups and participating in the Teens’ Top Ten program, visit www.ala.org/teenstopten.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Goodbye Emily!

Emily Scherrer, Teen Advisor and Young Adult Program Planner, has accepted a new job in Arizona.  She'll be driving down to the sand  and sun next week.  Her last day is Saturday, October 22.  Come join us at the "Meet the Ghostbusters" program on Saturday from 1 -3 to wish her well.  Thanks for everything, Emily!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Emily Reviews: Ashes by Ilsa Black



Alex wouldn't do this. Because she's a nice person. The kind who helps small children, dogs, grandpa figures, and LOVERS (well, at some point, anyway)from the ZOMBIE HORDES and post-apocalyptic REBELS who are willing to KILL and EAT you for the taste of some used chewing gum you had in your mouth. Or an old boot. Or a paperback book from the local library. WHAT HAVE YOU. Doesn't take much when an EMP bomb explodes and everyone is fighting for survival in the barren wilderness that we like to call "Michigan."
So, yes, Alex is a good person, who has a special power--(not telling, nope), and is on her own, trying to navigate the wasteland we like to call the "Midwest."

I didn't want to like this book. The budding adult inside of me resisted---(Really?? Another zombie book with a love tie-in and creepy swarms of religious fanatics...really Emily, do need MORE OF THAT)??? But apparently, yes, YES, I did, because I really loved this book--despite the fact that I now feel like painting my nails glittery purple and putting glow-in-the-dark stars and planets on my bedroom ceiling. It was a good thriller, and I didn't mind the about face in the middle of the book-- because it seemed, at least to me, realistic and added further SUSPENSE to an already creepy and ZOMBIE INFESTED novel. He, he, he, he:




And the protagonist, Alex, wasn't some whiny over-the-top teen queen who felt sorry for herself in the least, althgouht given her personal situation, she had every reason to be. I liked her; I liked the premise. She made me think about starting to gather up a fanny pack consisting of: wire, matches, ammo, some animal fat, and jello shots (yes, yes it's true), so that if I EVER feel like I JUST CAN'T TAKE IT, I will also go out into the wilderness and be one with nature and hopefully encounter some ZOMBIES that I CAN KILL.

So, the whole zombie/forest hiking/love triangle/forced into motherhood at a young age/crazy nut resembling that bad dude in "Apocalypse Now", or that guy in "Blood Meridian" (even better), really worked for me. And I dug it. And so I guess I'm not totally grown up yet. And...that's okay. Because I'll need that when the brain eating machines get here.

Ouch.



Friday, October 14, 2011

Justin Bieber Party!

We had over 20 kids, tweens and teenagers attend our Justin Bieber party on October 8th!  We watched "Never Say Never" (some people even came in their homemade t-shirts!), painted our nails using his "official" nailpolish by OPI, and endeavored to answer some pretty tough Bieber trivia.  Everyone walked away with glittery hands and awesome prizes!!

Thanks to everyone who came out!