More Insurgent News!

You guys, the first full-length trailer for Insurgent was released! Check it out:

What do you guys think of it? Is it living up to your expectations or falling short? Comment with your opinion!

And speaking of falling, check out these new posters:

via thefashionisto.com

via popsugar.com

Exciting Adaptation News!!

Last night I had a dream that people were turning YA books into TV series and I could watch an in-depth, (hopefully) accurate adaptation of an awesome book series.

OH, WAIT! It's actually going to happen!!1!

Netflix is going to turn A Series of Unfortunate Events into an online series!! A VP at Netflix said: "The world created by Lemony Snicket is unique, darkly funny and relatable. We can't wait to bring it to life"!!! 

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!!!

Netflix is also in the works to create four Marvel series and a mini-series starring Daredevil!!
 

And Mortal Instruments is going to become a TV series, too! A producer from one of the movie adaptations for MI praised the new showrunner, saying, "We wanted someone who shares our passion and love for these characters and stories." That's an awesome sign! Hopefully they'll take a lot of care to get it right!

Speaking of movie adaptations, John Green has been posting photos, videos, and teasers for the Paper Towns movie. Can it be released already?!

#papertowns

A photo posted by John Green (@johngreenwritesbooks) on Nov 11, 2014 at 7:11am PST

Also here are some awesome trailers for YA movie adaptations. (If you're going to see THG: Mockingjay Part 1 this weekend, let us know how it is! Comment with your review.)

Insurgent News!

If you liked the movie adaptation of Divergent, you might be surprised at what changes are in store for the sequel. Although the first of the series was in 2D, they are shooting the rest of the series in 3D. That's right--Insurgent, which features scenes on a farm and in a truck and in a high-security building, will now be in eye-popping 3D. If you don't like 3D movies, don't worry--they'll still be releasing a 2D version.
They've also released some cool 3D posters for Insurgent. Check them out!

Children's/YA Movie Adaptations!! (Masterpost)

There are so many YA movie adaptations hitting screens. Before we begin, I'll just say: SPOILER ALERT. Now, let's break it up by book:

The Giver - in theaters now!

• Lois Lowry did an interview...check it out!
• This article from Slate talks about things you might have missed in The Giver book. **Spoiler alert!

If I Stay - in theaters now!

• Here are some observations about If I Stay and why it did/didn't work. **Spoiler alert!

The Maze Runner - release date: September 19, 2014

• Check out this featurette explaining "the rules."

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 - release date: November 21, 2014

• The director of Mockingjay Part 1 talked to Entertainment Weekly and spilled tons of info about the final two movies in the series. Apparently the new movies will break from literary canon and include scenes we never see in the book. The one thing that will stay the same? The love triangle between Katniss/Peeta/Gale.  **Spoiler alert!
• Lorde is in charge of the soundtrack for Mockingjay Part 1! She'll be picking songs for the album and will also be writing a single. She talks about the movies/soundtrack with Billboard.
• There are new posters, and they're fantastic. Mockingjay.net compiled a list of all the posters and where you can find them.

Movies in production:

• The 5th Wave
• A Great and Terrible Beauty
• The Alchemyst
• Aliens on Vacation: The Intergalactic Bed & Breakfast Series
• The Amulet of Samarkand: Bartimaeus Trilogy
• Anna Dressed in Blood
• Angelfall
• Artemis Fowl
• Assassin's Creed
• A Tale Dark & Grimm 
• Attack on Titan
• Before I Fall
• Blackbird
• Blood of Eden series 
• Blood Red Road
• Catherine, Called Birdy
• Children of Paranoia
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair (in the juvenile section)
• Chronicles of Nick
• Half-Blood
• Dark Hunter series
• The Darkest Minds series
• Daughter of Smoke and Bone
• DC movies, + Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice + Justice League + Suicide Squad
• Delirium
• Divergent Series (Insurgent, Allegiant - Part 1, Allegiant - Part 2)
• The Diviners 
• Down a Dark Hall
• The DUFF
• Dumplin'
• Eleanor & Park
• Elusion
• An Ember in the Ashes
• Embrace
• Endgame
• Fae
• Fallen
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (screenplay by Queen Jo!)
• The Fire Sermon
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth
• The Finisher
• Firelight
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth
• Frankenstein (starring Daniel Radcliffe!) 
• Goosebumps
• Graceling
• Grasshopper Jungle
• The Graveyard Book
• Heist Society
• The Here and Now
• Hourglass
• House of Night series
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 
• Incarceron
• The Immortal Rules
• The Iron Trail (Magisterium series)
• The Jungle Book
• The Knife of Never Letting Go (Chaos Walking trilogy)
• The Last Apprentice
• Legend
• Let It Snow
• Leven Thumps
• Lockwood and Co.
• Looking for Alaska
• Looking Glass Wars
• The Lost Books of Merlin
• Lux series
• Madman's Daughter
• Marvel movies, + Deadpool + Fantastic Four reboot
• Matched
• Maximum Ride
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
• A Monster Calls
• Monument 14
• Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes 
• Nerve
• The Night Circus
• Olivia Kidney
• On the Jellicoe Road
• Origin
• The Outliers
• The Paladin Prophecy
• Pan
• Panic
• Paper Towns
• Paranormalcy
• Peter and the Starcatchers
• Pure  
• The Queen of Tearling (with producer/star Emma Watson!)
• The Raven Boys 
• Red Rising
• The Red Queen
• The Last Apprentice series
• The Selection
• Septmius Heap: Magyk
• Shadow and Bone
• Shadow Falls series
• Shatter Me
• Significance
• Soulkeepers
• The Scorpio Races
• Shiver
• Tempest
• The Testing
• This Song Will Save Your Life - also optioned for the stage
• Tiger's Curse
• The Traveler: Fourth Realm Trilogy
• Trylle Trilogy
• Tunnels
• Uglies
• Under the Never Sky  
• Unearthly 
• Unremembered
• Unwind
• Wake
• We Were Liars
• Wicked Lovely
• Wildwood
• Wings
• Wither 
• The Scorch Trials
• If The Maze Runner does well enough, they're going to make the second book in the series into a movie, too! They want to see how much money the movie makes, then maybe start shooting this fall.
• Frostbite: A Vampire Academy Film - maybe in the works?
•  Producers started a crowdfunding campaign to get a second Vampire Academy movie made. You can pick a package and donate toward production. But the deadline is September 5, and they've only raised 15% of their goal.
• Thirteen Reasons Why - maybe in the works?

Available now:

• The Fault in Our Stars
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
• Divergent
• Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters
• How I Live Now
• THG & Catching Fire
• Beautiful Creatures
• The Book Thief
• The Spectacular Now
• Where the Red Ferns Grow
• The Golden Compass
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (in the Juvenile section)
• Old Yeller (in the Juvenile section)
• White Fang (in the Juvenile section)
• Treasure Island (in the Juvenile section)
• The Percy Jackson movies
• The Host
• Inkheart (in the Juvenile section)
• Jumanji (in the Easy section)
• The Polar Express (in the Easy section)
• Shrek (in the Easy section)
• Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (in the Easy section)
• Madeline (in the Easy section)
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower
• The Neverending Story
• How I Live Now
• Mary Poppins (in the Juvenile section)
• The Borrowers (in the Juvenile section)
• The Seeker
• Tuck Everlasting
• Matilda (in the Juvenile section)
• James and the Giant Peach (in the Juvenile section)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (in the Juvenile section)
• The Witches (in the Juvenile section)
• The Wizard of Oz (in the Juvenile section)
• The Lord of the Flies
• Tiger Eyes
• The Outsiders
• Coraline
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (in the Juvenile section)
• Around the World in 80 Days (in the Juvenile section)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (in the Juvenile section)
• I Am Number Four
• The Hobbit movies (in the Juvenile section)
• The Lord of the Rings series
  
• A Series of Unfortunate Events (in the Juvenile section)
• The Twilight series
• Youth in Revolt
• The Adventures of Tin-Tin (in the Juvenile section)
• City of Ember
• Stardust
• Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
• Bridge to Terabithia (in the Juvenile section)
• A Little Princess (in the Juvenile section)
• The Secret Garden (in the Juvenile section)
• Little Women (in the Juvenile section)
• Spiderwick
• Charlotte's Web (in the Juvenile section)
• Howl's Moving Castle
• The Indian in the Cupboard (in the Juvenile section)
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants movies
• Eragon
• The Princess Diaries movies
• I Know What You Did Last Summer
• The Neverending Story
• Marvel movies
• DC Comics movies
• The Harry Potter series (in the Juvenile section)
• Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen (in the Juvenile section)
• The Chronicles of Narnia movies (in the Juvenile section)
• ...and tons more! Check out the books, then watch the movies!

Also, check out this list of YA books that should be turned into movies! What are your thoughts? Want to see your fave YA book on the big screen? Comment with your suggestions!

Before the Summer Ends + HARRY POTTER BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!

It's the end of July! That means you've got some serious summer reading to fit into the last few weeks before school starts up again. To give you some inspiration, check out the following:

• YALSA is having a Teen Blogging Contest for Teen Read Week! If you're passionate about YA lit and love to blog, this is perfect for you. TRW isn't until October--more about that later--but you only have until August 1 (that's Friday!) to sign up for the contest! Click here for more information.
• This one isn't just for the girls! Meg Medina, author of Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass and The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind, and Gigi Amateau, author of Claiming Georgia Tate and Come August, Come Freedom, made a summer reading list of books about amazing girls. This list is awesome, and should be required reading for any kid, in my opinion. (I'm still working my way through some of them!) Fun fact: Both authors live in Richmond!
• Veronica Roth did an interview with Goodreads about her Divergent trilogy and subsequent prequel(ish) quartet of short stories about the male lead, Four. It has some major spoilers, so don't read it unless you've read at least up to Allegiant. Before you go back to school, this is a perfect time to get caught up on one of the hottest literary trends of the past few years! Then read the interview to get some questions answered for you.

The coolest and most awesome thing you can do before July ends is come to the Harry Potter birthday party we're having at the library tomorrow night! It's going to have everything: Butterbeer, Hagrid's (cup)cakes, wandmaking at Ollivander's, the Sorting Hat, and even Quidditch. That's right--the JMU Quidditch Team is going to be here to teach us the greatest wizarding sport ever and help us play a game. It's going to be amazing, so put on your best HP costume and come to the Main branch to throw Harry Potter the best birthday party he never had!

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!

7/31/2014

Teens (ages 11-17) are invited to celebrate Harry Potter's birthday by drinking butterbeer, making your own wand, and playing his favorite wizarding sport with the JMU Quidditch team. You'll even be sorted into one of the Hogwarts Houses!

Location:

Main Library-downtown Harrisonburg

April's Most Popular Books

It's that time again--were you waiting with bated breath?--time to find out what the most popular YA books of the month were.

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth
3. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
• It's no surprise that after the March release of the movie version of Divergent, people were interested in what happened next. Let's hope they weren't too disappointed. (In other news, movie execs have announced that, like THG, we can expect a 4-movie run from Divergent. Good news/bad news? Comment with your opinion!
4. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
5. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
• THG is aaaalll the way at the bottom of the list, but the rest of the trilogy is still thriving in checkouts! This is the time to make a note that sound recordings are quite popular in the YA section. In fact, we have a whole wall of books on CD at the Main branch. (It's a small wall, but still!) Also, don't forget about our downloadable media! We have a nice selection of audiobooks, ebooks, and magazines for you to enjoy on-the-go, and all you need is your library card.
6. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
• Is anyone else counting down the days 'til June 6? After the release of the extended trailer, I'm about to start a countdown clock on my phone. ...Oh, you didn't see it? Don't worry, I've got you covered. Be sure to grab some tissues first. Okay? Okay.
7. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• The Book Thief continues to be popular, too. Why? Because it's incredibly unique and unlike anything else on this list. (You can say the same for some other works on this list, but...) If you haven't picked it up yet, I suggest you try it out sometime. Plus Markus Zusak is super inspiring. You might see some more from him on this blog in the near future.
9. Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama, translated and adapted by Shelton Drzka, lettered by Steve Wands
• As the first manga we've seen on the list in a while, this must be good. It's also going to be turned into a movie (shooting begins this summer), but I'm a little skeptical as to how they're going to adapt such crazy-good illustrations onto live-action film. For the time being, just check out the book and bask in its gory glory.
10. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
• This guy never strays far from the top of the list. His books are ridiculously popular. And so is he. According to this article, someone drove her son five hours to see him (and four other extremely popular authors). Would you?

As always, let us know what you think! Comment below with your thoughts about the list. And be sure to keep checking out books!

Reading List Based on Your Faction!

The Divergent movie comes out this weekend (or tonight, if you're lucky enough to see it)! To get you ready (or to sustain you until Insurgent comes out), the Lawrence Public Library in Kansas made an AWESOME reading list for the Divergent premiere (and we couldn't help but add some of our own). Choose your faction, then read the books on the list! If you're not sure about your faction, we've got you covered. Take this quiz to find out!

Here are the books we have available for check-out:

DAUNTLESS

Never Fall Down – Patricia McCormick

Cambodian child soldier Arn Chorn-Pond defied the odds and used all of his courage and wits to survive the murderous regime of the Khmer Rouge.

Code Name Verity – Elizabeth Wein

In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must to survive while keeping secret all that she can.

Uglies – Scott Westerfeld

Just before their sixteenth birthdays, when they will be transformed into beauties whose only job is to have a great time, Tally's best friend runs away and Tally must find her and turn her in, or never become pretty at all.

AMITY

Matched – Allyson Braithwaite Condie

All her life, Cassia has never had a choice. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, whom to marry. When she is Matched with her best friend Xander, things couldn't be more perfect. But why did her neighbor Ky's face show up on her match disk as well?

Peaches – Jodi Lynn Anderson

Three teenaged girls from very different backgrounds, thrown together to pick peaches in a Georgia orchard, spend a summer in pursuit of the right boy, the truest of friends, and the perfect peach.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson – John Green

When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both.

CANDOR
Chanda’s Secrets – Allan Stratton
A girl's struggle amid the African AIDS pandemic, Chanda, is an astonishingly perceptive girl living in the small city of Bonang, a fictional city in Southern Africa. When her youngest sister dies, the first hint of HIV/AIDS emerges, Chanda must confront undercurrents of shame and stigma. Not afraid to explore the horrific realities of AIDS, Chanda's Secrets also captures the enduring strength of loyalty, friendship and family ties. Above all, it is a store about the corrosive nature of secrets and the healing power of truth.

The Truth About Forever – Sarah Dessen

The summer following her father's death, Macy plans to work at the library and wait for her brainy boyfriend to return from camp, but instead she goes to work at a catering business where she makes new friends and finally faces her grief.

The Truth-Teller's Tale – Sharon Shinn

Twins Eleda, who can tell only the truth, and Adele, who cannot reveal others' secrets, are sorely tested by a newly arrived pair of handsome dance instructors who seem to harbor a secret.

ABNEGATION

Something Like Hope - Shawn Goodman

Shavonne, a fierce, desperate seventeen year-old in juvenile lockup, wants to turn her life around before her eighteenth birthday, but corrupt guards, out-of-control girls, and shadows from her past make her task seem impossible.

Vessel - Sarah Beth Durst

When the goddess Bayla fails to take over Liyana's body, Liyana's people abandon her in the desert to find a more worthy vessel, but she soon meets Korbyn, who says the souls of seven deities have been stolen and he needs Liyana's help to find them.

Scarlet - AC Gaughen

Will Scarlet shadows Robin Hood, with an unerring eye for finding treasures to steal and throwing daggers with deadly accuracy, but when Gisbourne, a ruthless bounty hunter, is hired by the sheriff to capture Robin and his band of thieves, Robin must become Will's protector risking his own life in the process.

ERUDITE

Origin – Jessica Khoury

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life. Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Magisterium – Jeff Hirsch

In the twenty-second century, Glennora Morgan's father has been working on a project that will allow him to penetrate the rift border and retrieve Glenn's mother; but now that he has succeeded the Authority is suddenly trying to kill them both, and Glenn and her friend Kevin must flee into the Magisterium to escape them.

The Archived – Victoria Schwab

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive. Mackenzie Bishop is a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Now someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall. 

What do you think? Do you have any others you would add? And what about some good Divergent books? Comment with your suggestions!

Most Popular Check-outs for February 2014

Want to know what you guys read last month? Here is a list of the ten most popular books checked out of the MRL system in February 2014:

1. First Love by James Patterson and Emily Raymond
2. Allegiant by Veronica Roth
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
4. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
6. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
7. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
8. The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
9. Matched by Ally Condie
10. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Are you surprised? Or maybe not at all. It seems like book series have been becoming increasingly popular, especially in the young adult genre. Once you read the first one you have the read the sequel, whether you like the author or not. And to make them even more popular, studios turn them into a blockbuster movie series with some of the biggest names in the business. That's why we see the Percy Jackson, THG, and Divergent series of books in the top ten, especially when the last one is set to premiere in about two weeks (more on that next week!).

But there are other popular book-to-screen adaptations that are in the MRL top 20. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (bought by 20th Century Fox with Tim Burton to direct) is #12, The Fault in Our Stars (premiering in June) is at #15, The Book Thief (which came out last year) is #17, and Thirteen Reasons Why (which Universal Studios purchased the rights to in 2011 and cast Selena Gomez to star in) came in at #18.

Does this explain why these books are so popular? Does having a movie adaptation make a book more appealing? Do you want to see what all the buzz is about? Comment with your thoughts.

Popular YA Books soon to be made into movies!

1. Divergent by Veronica Roth
2. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
3. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
4. The Fault in Our Stars by: John Green
5. The Maze Runner by: James Dashner
6. The Book Thief  by: Markus Zusak
7. If I Stay by: Gayle Forman
8. The Spectacular Now by: Tim Tharp