Authors Sort Their Characters Into Hogwarts Houses!

At LeakyCon last weekend, BuzzFeed asked famous YA authors to sort some of their characters into Hogwarts houses, and the results are amazing. The photos are here (and the drawings are hilarious--I mean, let's just say that some of these authors should stick to writing *ahem*JohnGreenGayleForman*ahem*), but I'll type them up here:

John Green (The Fault in Our Stars)
Augustus Waters - Ravenclaw
Hazel Grace Lancaster - Gryffindor

John Green (Looking For Alaska)
Alaska - Ravenclaw
Pudge - Hufflepuff

Gayle Forman (If I Stay)
Mia - Gryffindor
Kim - Ravenclaw
Adam - Gryffindor

Rainbow Rowell (Eleanor & Park)
Eleanor - Gryffindor

Rainbow Rowell (Fangirl)
Levi - Hufflepuff

Holly Black (Magisterium: The Iron Trial)
Callum Hunt - Slytherin

Holly Black (The Coldest Girl in Coldtown)
Gavriel - Gryffindor

Holly Black (The Darkest Part of the Forest)
Hazel - Hufflepuff

Stephanie Perkins (Anna and the French Kiss)
Anna - Ravenclaw
Etienne St. Clair - Gryffindor

Stephanie Perkins (Lola and the Boy Next Door)
Lola - Gryffindor
Cricket Bell - Hufflepuff

Stephanie Perkins (Isla and the Happily Ever After)
Isla - Ravenclaw
Josh - Ravenclaw

Scott Westerfield (Uglies)
Shay - Slytherin
David - Gryffindor
Tally - Gryffindor

Lev Grossman (The Magicians)
Julia - Ravenclaw
Janet - Slytherin
Quentin - Ravenclaw
Alice - Gryffindor


So what do you think?? Are there any that you agree with? What about ones that you disagree with? Comment with your suggestions for characters they didn't sort!

TFIOS (again) + X-MEN!!

For those of you who can't wait to see X-Men: Days of Future Past this weekend, but don't know where the characters stand, don't worry! This article from the Huffington Post will catch you up.

And did you honestly think I was going to make a blog post without mentioning TFIOS? This other article from HuffPost compares The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack to The Breakfast Club, in terms of defining a generation. What do you think?? Does the newly released TFIOS soundtrack define Gen Y/Z? Comment below!

EDIT: Also, Brilliance Audio is having a great John Green sale. All books by him (+ This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Earl, the real-life inspiration for TFIOS's protagonist, Hazel Grace Lancaster) for only $9.99!

TFIOS Livestream Event TONIGHT!

You guys, so much TFIOS stuff has been happening lately. First of all, the TFIOS folks have been going on a nationwide tour screening and promoting The Fault in Our Stars movie. There have been lots of screaming fans, adorable moments, and definitely tears. My fave photo so far: Ansel Elgort and Nat Wolff recreating the poster.

From John Green's Instagram

Also,

• Some more tracks have appeared from the soundtrack. Notable music videos:
  
• People have been having #littleinfinities parties and the details are SO CUTE, you guys.



From iconosquare.com

• This happened:

• Okay, so the most squee-inducing thing was that the TFIOS movie created Instagram accounts for Gus and Hazel.
  
  I KNOW, RIGHT?! Their instagram accounts are here and here, and They're so heart-wrenching. Gah. These producers, man. Can you imagine what they're going to do for Paper Towns?? Road trip IGs for Q and Crew?
• Also, there will be a livestream concert/Q&A TONIGHT at 9 PM EST! You can submit questions via Twitter and Shailene/Ansel/Nat/John might answer them LIVE! Watch here!
  

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!

Paper Towns Movie!

Good news for John Green fans! His YA novel Paper Towns is finally being turned into a movie! I say finally because in 2008 he announced via his YouTube channel Vlogbrothers that the movie rights were bought by Mandate Pictures and Mr. Mudd (together they made Juno) and he wrote a screenplay, but then in 2010 he sounded pessimistic about the film moving forward. But on Monday he announced that the film rights were bought by 20th Century Fox and it would have the same "team" that is making The Fault in Our Stars. (That "team," by the way, consists of screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, producer Wyck Godfrey, and the same studio.) Oh, plus John Green's going to be an executive producer, too, and did I mention that Nat Wolff, who's playing Isacc in TFiOS, is playing Q in Paper Towns?!

via hypable.com

So what would the rest of your Paper Towns dreamcast look like? Would you keep it in the TFiOS family or get some new blood? Comment with your options for Margo, Ben, Radar, and Lacey!

Are Books Still Being Banned?

YA Author John Green posted on his Tumblr today about a teacher in Colorado who wants to start an elective course in YA literature for grades 10-12. The list of books on her curriculum has been challenged by a group of parents who consider the books to be "profane, pornographic, violent, criminal, crass, crude, vile, and will result in the irreparable erosion of my students’ moral character."

Here's a link to John Green's Tumblr post.

Here's the list of books:

1. Feed by M.T. Anderson
2. Thinner Than Thou by Kit Reed
3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
4. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
5. Taken by Erin Bowman
6. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
7. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
8. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
9. Will Grayson, will grayson by John Green and David Levithan
10. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
11. 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
12. Paper Towns by John Green
13. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
14. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
15. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
16. Looking for Alaska by John Green
17. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
18. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare
19. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

Have you read any of these books? Could you compare them to any other books from any other banned book lists? Do you agree with the group of parents? Discuss!

UPDATE: John Green posted on his Twitter that the School Board has voted to allow the teacher to go ahead with the proposed list of books. He adds:

A HUGE thank you to the ALA, NCTE, and the 1100+ nerdfighters who wrote letters of support for the teachers at Strasburg High School, CO.
— John Green (@realjohngreen) April 17, 2014

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.

The Fault in Our Stars Trailer

Check out the TFIOS trailer for John Green's award winning YA novel. Then see the movie, coming out June 6. Be sure to read the book first! Okay? Okay.


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