August Book Club Post!

Title: The Young Elites

Author: Marie Lu

Copyright: 2014

Call Number: YA Fiction LU

Adelina Amouteru has been treated poorly most of her life. After the plague left her deformed, her father abused her but worshiped her sister. Adelina escapes her hometown, but not before a terrible accident leaves her wanted for murder. She runs into The Young Elites, a group of plague survivors who also have inexplicable powers.

As Adelina discovers strength she didn't know she had, she finds herself intertwined in the complicated lives of the people around her. The other Young Elites have varied histories and powers. Adelina and other malfettos--children scarred by the plague--are treated as subhuman in the city. As if her life wasn't complicated enough already, Adelina is approached by the leader of The Dagger Society, a group of government soldiers dedicated to destroying all malfettos. What can he offer her if she betrays the Young Elites?

The characters are complex, the stakes high, and the missions dangerous. Adelina becomes the antihero you didn't know you needed. Fans of The Orphan Queen, A Game of Thrones, and Midnight Thief will love the world Lu creates. The next book in the series, The Rose Society, is due in October. A sneak peek is available from Penguin Teen. (They also made the amazing chart below.)

via Penguin Teen

The Young Elites is one of our 2015 Teens' Top Ten books. See a full list of books here.

July Book Club Post!

Title: Vivian Apple at the End of the World

Author: Katie Coyle

Copyright: 2015

Call Number: YA Fiction COY (at North River)

When Vivian Apple goes home the morning after the supposed apocalypse, she finds two holes in the ceiling of her parents' bedroom. In fact, a lot of people turn up missing. Most of them were devout believers in the Church of America. Vivian and her best friend, Harp, never believed, and now they've been left behind.

In this first book in a series (Vivian Apple Needs a Miracle is due out Fall 2015), Vivian sets out across the country to find the truth. Where did her parents go? Was Beaton Frick, founder of the Church of America, right about the Rapture? What should she do next?
What she discovers may be more than she can handle.

Katie Coyle does an amazing job with Vivian Apple at the End of the World. It's everything you want from a book: major character progression, complex themes relevant to today's society, nice mix of comedy and action. There also ISN'T a love triangle! How rare! Coyle also offers some extras to complete your VAatEofW (that's way too long, never mind)-reading experience. She posted a road trip playlist and excerpt of the book here, and here is the official book trailer:

June Book Club!!!

One of our L.O.L. volunteers received an Advanced Reader Copy of Kindle the Flame by Tamara Shoemaker. (Kindle the Flame was just released yesterday! There is a Goodreads giveaway here, if you want to enter to win!)

Our volunteer posted her thoughts on her Goodreads account. Here is her review!

via Goodreads

Sarah Deloney's review
5 of 5 stars 

Recommended to Sarah by: Anne Tjaden
Recommended for: YA Fantasy fans
Read in May, 2015, read count: 1
This book is about two countries, of magical creatures and their trainers, on the brink of war. A power-thirsty king, named Sebastian, rules over one of the countries, building an army of unwilling people and mythical beasts. Every person is assigned to a clan and given a tattoo to signify what type of dimn (trainer) they are. The king is merciless towards uprising rebels like Ayden the dragon dimn, Kinna the pixie dimn, and Cedric the mysterious boy raised by a centaur. Ayden holds a grudge against the king for the despicable curse he first bore years ago. Kinna's tattoo will not not stay and her pixie persistently loathes her, so she rides away on horseback to unveil her murky past. Cedric seeks other humans to answer questions about his centaur mother and her crime against the others.
My favorite character is an orange haired pixie called Lincoln. He is Kinna's proclaimed protector and skilled at catching fish, normal pixie tricks, and provoking giggles when Kinna needs them. I can relate to Lincoln because he wants to help his friends and cheer them up when smiles are scarce. I also felt strong pity for Ayden when I discovered his deadly curse. Consequently, my favorite part had to be when Ayden was preparing revenge on the savage king Sebastian.
I immensely enjoyed this book because it has a twisting plot and is told by four contrasting perspectives. Little do the characters know how their destinies will intertwine. When these characters met for the first time I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for reactions, realizations, and revenge. Clashing viewpoints between the trio of rebels and the dastardly upperhand make the story exciting. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends. Anyone who searches for memorable fantasy romance has found what they need! Kindle the Flame

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May Book Club Post!

Title: The Ghosts of Heaven

Author: Marcus Sedgwick

Copyright: 2015

Call Number: YA Fiction SED (at North River)

You'll notice the patterns appear in Marcus Sedgwick's The Ghosts of Heaven. The story is told in four parts, the characters strewn throughout Earth's history, but the stories are strikingly similar. 

First there is the Girl, who dreams of drawing on the cave walls like the Storyteller. Next there is Anna, whose village believes she is a witch. Then we meet Charles Dexter, a once-successful poet who now resides in a mental institution in the 1920's. Finally, we experience the life of Keir Bowman, an astronaut who wakes every 10 years to maintain the massive spaceship on which he resides, travelling to form a new habitat for the 510 Earthlings on board.

There are mixed reactions about this book. Many readers appreciate the beautiful way in which it is written. Each story is unique in its own way. They are all told from different perspectives, with different narration styles. The characters are dynamic but lonely. There is an appealing mix of introspection, madness, and danger in each of them. But the stories can be a lot to get through. This article (SPOILER ALERT!!!) defines the book as "ambitious, intriguing and frustrating." If you don't think the stories sound interesting, at least read The Ghosts of Heaven to be a part of the discussion.

April Book Club Post!

Title: The Boy in the Black Suit

Author: Jason Reynolds

Copyright: 2015

Call Number: YA Fiction REYNO

It's the beginning of senior year, and Matt has already missed the first few weeks. His mom was sick--cancer--and passed away. And now Matt has to go back to school. Classes aren't bothering him--he's done well in high school, so he only has to go half a day--it's the other kids. They're looking at him like he's broken or different. And he is different; he's had to grow up fast, and now he's changed, probably for forever. His boy Chris is still trying to treat him normal, but his dad is getting lost in a bottle. Matt doesn't even want to cook anymore, since that was something his mom did with him.

To fill his time, Matt decides to get a part-time job. He expected to walk out of the Cluck Bucket with a job on the fryer, but he ends up leaving with an offer to work at Mr. Ray's funeral home. He's always known Mr. Ray as the guy who survived cancer twice and is now trying to inform others of the disease. Now Mr. Ray is looking out for him: paying him to help set up for funerals, picking him up from school, and helping when Matt's dad goes off the deep end. 

The one thing Matt loves about his new job is going to funerals. He wants to see someone go through what he went through with his mom. It makes him feel better, as strange as it sounds. One of those people is Lovey. She'll be the first one to roll her eyes at any joke you have about her name. She just lost her grandma--Matt was at her funeral--and as they help each other through that pain, they realize they have more in common than they thought.

Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month! What does that mean? All month long, organizations across the nation will be advocating and celebrating people with developmental disabilities. There is a local organization--The Arc of Harrisonburg-Rockingham County--that offers support, help, and programs for people with disabilities. You can even visit their website and volunteer!

They're holding two events this month for DD Awareness Month:

• Dance/Luau - for ages 14+!
• The Great Arc Event - for all ages!

A book that was on a lot of best-of lists for 2014 features two girls with different types of "dys." Quincy and Biddy graduate from high school and are put together in a home with 61-year old Elizabeth. She needs help getting around and fixing meals, so Quincy cooks and works at a grocery store while Biddy cleans the house from top to bottom. As the three women learn more about each other, they realize they're not as different as they seem. If you can't make it to the HR-Arc's events this month, celebrate DD Awareness Month by checking out Girls Like Us.

You could also go to DisabilityinKidLit.com! Read reviews and articles for books about people with disabilities of all types.

February Book Club Post!

Title: This Song Will Save Your Life

Author: Leila Sales

Copyright: 2013

Call Number: YA Fiction SALES

Everyone hates Elise Dembowski. After her failed suicide attempt, she's a complete loner in school. Her dad doesn't know what to do with her. Her mom and step-dad are afraid of her. The only person she feels comfortable with is her younger sister. So Elise relaxes the best way she knows how--through music. At night, she sneaks out of her dad's house and wanders the streets with her trusty iPod. One night, two girls wave her down and tell her she's going the wrong way. How can she be going the wrong way when she has nowhere to go? Like Alice, she tumbles into a hidden, underground world and ends up in the middle of a warehouse party. There she falls in love with the idea of becoming a DJ. 

In This Song Will Save Your Life, follow Elise through the ups and downs of becoming a DJ. She meets an interesting group of people from the club: Char, the mysterious DJ who teaches her the ropes; Pippa, the Char-obsessed British drama magnet; Mel, the bouncer who looks out for Elise; and Vicky, the confident band member who takes Elise under her wing. While her social life gets undoubtedly more active, her family life starts to suffer. She also has to deal with bullies from school when her secret life as a DJ is discovered. How will Elise juggle high school, friends, drama, family, and everything else? 

Great musical references allow you to see (and hear) Elise in her world. Check out our literary playlist for TSWSYL:



This Song Will Save Your Life has also been optioned for the stage and screen, so we may see a Glee-style revolution in the coming years.

Random News!

Ready for a bunch of cool news and links? Here we go:

via ScreenRant.com

• In case you haven't already seen them, here are some amazing new pictures from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. How awesome does Cressida look? And Katniss looks completely different from Catching Fire, doesn't she?
• CNN made a list of 40 new YA books released this fall that you should read! The list includes Rick Yancey's The Infinite Sea (sequel to The 5th Wave), Afterworlds by Scott Westerfield (author of the Uglies series), and On A Clear Day by the late Walter Dean Myers.
  
  [Is there anything on the list that you want to read but we don't have? You can request a book purchase! Pick up a form at the Circulation Desk or in the Children's Section.]
• Are you excited for JK Rowling's Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them movie? CinemaBlend came up with some possible spoilers and theories related to the characters. News also broke that Fantastic Beasts is going to be a trilogy! The three films are set to be released in 2016, 2018, and 2020. And HP director David Yates is back for Fantastic Beasts!
  
  [If you like this, be sure to see our post about Queen Jo's Fantastic Beasts Twitter hint! (Small spoiler alert for the link.)]
• In other JK Rowling news, she's planning on building Hagrid's hut on her property! Here are the plans and more information. I mean, come on--who wouldn't love a perfect replica of Hagrid's hut in their backyard?
• Want to read awesome YA book reviews? Check out Reading Rants! It includes reviews of awesome new books, book trailers, movie adaptation trailers, interviews, and more.
  
  [If you want to write a review for this blog, email it to ecorrea@mrlib.org]
• Do you need Halloween costume ideas? Check out these YA costume ideas from BuzzFeed, Teen.com, Read Breathe Relax, and Forever Young Adult.
• And finally, have you been looking forward to The Office writer BJ Novak's new children's book, The Book With No Pictures? Well, here's your chance to see him read it to an enthusiastic group of kids! It's definitely a use-your-imagination-and-a-silly-voice kind of book.