New Blog!!

Hi everyone,

My blog has moved!!

As much as I’ve enjoyed my time here, I’ve out grown wordpress, so I’ve moved my blog to a blogger domain. All the information is the same including all my old reviews, they just might be in a little different order.

 Please check out my new blog at http://thecrescivelibrary.blogspot.com/

 I’m so sorry for the inconvenience,

 Katie

Hunger Games Trailer

I’m so thrilled with all the positive feedback I’ve been hearing from family and friends who have read and LOVED Hunger Games. I’m especially excited for the movie!

So, for those who are not yet swayed (ie James) check out this awesome Hunger Games Book Trailer!

Coming Soon to a Library Near You

Coming Soon to a Library Near You is a weekly feature inspired by Jill at Breaking the Spine that looks at upcoming books.

This week’s Book: Tutored

Author: Allison Whittenberg

Release Date: December 14 2010

Summary:

 Wendy Anderson and Hakiam Powell are at opposite ends of the spectrum—the social spectrum, the financial spectrum, the opportunity spectrum, you name it. Wendy lives in an all-white suburb of Philadelphia, where she’s always felt like the only chip in the cookie. Her dad, who fought his way out of the ghetto, doesn’t want her mingling with “those people.” In fact, all Wendy’s life, her father has told her how terrible “those people” are. He even objects to Wendy’s plan to attend a historically black college. But Wendy feels that her race is more than just the color of her skin, and she takes a job tutoring at an inner-city community center to get a more diverse perspective on life.
 
Hakiam has never lived in one place for more than a couple of years. When he aged out of foster care in Ohio, he hopped a bus to Philly to start over, but now he’s broke, stuck taking care of his cousin’s premature baby for no pay, and finding it harder than ever to stay out of trouble. When he meets Wendy at the tutoring center, he thinks she’s an uppity snob—she can’t possibly understand his life. But as he gets to know her better, he sees a softer side. And eventually—much to the chagrin of Wendy’s father and Hakiam’s cousin—they begin a rocky, but ultimately enlightening, romance.
 
This edgy story about a star-crossed couple features strong African American characters and sparkles with smart, quirky dialogue and fresh observations on social pressures and black-on-black prejudice.

Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance and Cookery by Susan Juby

Sherman Mack, well he’s kind of a nobody, but he knows what he likes: cooking classes, detective stories and girls, well one girl in particular…Dini Trioli. When Dini starts dating a popular lacrosse player Sherman’s afraid she is in danger of being defiled. No one knows who starts it or why, but once a girl’s picture appears on the bathroom mirrors in the school with a big D written on it, she’s as good as invisible, a social lepper, and Sherman thinks Dini’s next. In order to save her reputation, win the girl and be the inevitable hero, Sherman goes undercover.

Getting the Girl is a wryly observant look at high school and the social and physical awkwardness of grade 9 boys. The narrative is sincere and unapologetic in its frankness and it makes for quite an enjoyable read. Sherman is one of the best male main characters I’ve read in a while. I thoroughly enjoyed all his embarrassing moments and naive reflections, he was very lovable. The supporting characters were quirky and equally as fun to read about.  Judy also did a wonderful job at addressing social hierarchy and bullying in a way that was humorous and unobtrusive. The thing I enjoyed most about this novel was the flow and Juby’s writing style – I can’t wait to read more of her books. YA boys might also really enjoy this novel.

You might enjoy Getting the Girl if you like books with: male main characters, quirky and hilarious storylines, high school settings, a good mixture of likable characters and fast moving plots

Also by Susan Juby: Alice I think, Alice Macleod Realist at Last, Another Kind of Cowboy, Miss Smithers

If you liked Getting the Girl, you might also enjoy: Boy’s Girls and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman, The Dark Days of Hamburger Haplin by Josh Berk, Will Grayson; Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Author website: http://www.susanjuby.com/

Rating: W4/4   C4/4   P3.5/4   O3/4   PP3/4   CR3.5/4

Grade Level Interest: JS

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

“The day I broke up with my boyfriend Evan was the day he wrote the song. You know, the song.”

Audrey thought she was just breaking up with her boyfriend; she didn’t know she was inspiring a billboard top song. Everything changes when Evan’s, her boyfriend, song “Audrey, Wait!” starts getting played on the radio. Everyone recognizes Audrey from the song and she becomes an instant celebrity, adored and hated. Musicians try to date her to get inspiration and teen girls sneak into her school to get her autograph. Things are getting complicated and a little scary as Audrey tries to shed the limelight, especially because it’s interfering with her ability to date this really cute guy at her work.

Will Audrey ever be able to have a normal life again? Get ready to find out, because it’s time for Audrey to tell her side of the story. (from jacket cover)

I thought Audrey, Wait! was a complete breath of fresh air. Robin Benway knows how to write for teens and I thoroughly enjoyed Audrey’s whit, dry humour and brilliant sarcasm. She is a very well written character, both loveable and enviable. She is also very relatable, especially to those for whom music plays a heavy role in their lives. I thought the idea was very original and I enjoyed watching the story un-fold. I also loved all the musical elements that were interwoven, including the quotes at the top of each chapter, it added considerable depth to the story. Overall, it was an awesome book and I think it has wide appeal.

You might enjoy Audrey, Wait! If you like books with: laugh out loud moments, sarcasm and whit, focus on main character rather than fast paced plot, quirky side characters and books about music

Also by Robin Benway: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June

If you liked Audrey, Wait! You might also enjoy: Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, How to be Popular by Meg Cabot, Boys, Girls and other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman

Additional Info: Check out the Audrey, Wait website to read an excerpt, see the official soundtrack for the book(which you can download from itunes) and upload your photo to see yourself in the tabloids.

 Author website: http://www.robinbenway.com/

Rating: W4/4 CP3.5/4 P4/4 O4/4 PP3/4 CR3/4

Grade Level Interest: JS

Covers

Coming Soon to a Library Near You

Coming Soon to a Library Near You is a weekly feature inspired by Jill at Breaking the Spine that looks at upcoming books.

This week’s Book: Take me There

Author: Carolee Dean

Release Date: July 20 2010

Summary

 Sometimes sexy, sometimes sad, and always intense, Take Me There is a dark and surprising novel about a boy on the run who’s headed nowhere fast.

Dylan has a bad-boy past and a criminal record. He knows that rich, beautiful Jess is way too good for him—but she has always been the one person who sees through his tough exterior and straight to his heart, and he has been hopelessly in love with her from the first time they met. He would change his life for a chance with her.
But trouble follows Dylan wherever he goes, and a deadly mistake soon forces him to hit the road and leave his dreams behind. He’s on the run and in search of answers—answers to questions he wishes he’d never asked. (GoodReads)

Evermore by Alyson Noel

After a horrible accident that kills her parents and her little sister, Ever Bloom is left alive and able to see people’s auras, hear their thoughts and know someone’s entire life story simply by touching them. Needless to say, she’s altered.  She’s learnt to deal with it by using music to drown out the voices and avoiding touching people at all cost; that is until she meets Damen and everything changes. He is gorgeous and mysterious, but he doesn’t have an aura and he can shut out all the voices simply by touching Ever. She’s drawn to him, even though she feels she might be in danger. As everything around her starts to fall apart Ever will have to decide whether or not she wants to be different and how important Damen is in her life.

Evermore fits very well into the genre of paranormal romance. I really enjoyed the novelty of some of Ever’s power, especially her ability to see auras and speak to her dead sister. So much of this genre is similar, so I was thankful that Noel had this unique aspect. The story is fast-paced and there is a lot of action and suspense that kept me very engaged. However, there were a few problems that left me slightly disappointed. I felt at times there was too much going on, Ever’s powers and the Immortals storyline compete for space. I almost wish it had of been one or the other. I also stumbled over the relationship between Damen and Ever, feeling that it was a tad too much Edward/Bella for my liking. I can definitely see the appeal that this book would have to readers and I would still recommend it to a specific audience. However, I don’t think I will be finishing the series.

You might enjoy Evermore if you like books with: romance, otherworldly men, main characters with their own powers, suspense

Also by Alyson Noel: Cruel Summer

Evermore is part of the Immortal Series, also in the series are: Blue Moon, Shadowland and Dark Flame.

Alyson Noel also has a book called Radiance coming out in August 2010 about Ever’s sister Riley after she leaves Ever.

If you liked Evermore, you might also enjoy: Fallen by Lauren Kate, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, Evernight series by Claudia Gray and Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Additional Info: dramatic rights have been sold, so something similar might appear as a TV show in the future

Rating: W2.5/4   C2.5/4   P2.5/4   O1.5/4 PP3/4   CR3/4

Grade Level: JS

Author Spotlight – Susan Juby

This is a monthly feature that will highlight and introduce the works of Canadian YA authors.  I’m doing this mostly for self-education because unfortunately I’m not all that aware of the amazing talent that exists in my own country.  (I might shake it up from time to time and include an American author)

This month’s author:  Susan Juby

Author Blurb: Susan Juby lives in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island with her husband, their dog Frank and their horse Tango. She has a degree in English Literature, but she initially thought she wanted to be in fashion design.  She was surprised to find her first novel Alice I Think was for teens, as she had initially written it to give her 30 year old best friend and 50 year old godfather a laugh. She is inspired by writers like Sue Townsend, J.D Salinger, Gerald Durrell, Stella Gibbons and David Sedaris. She also loves horse books and is obsessed with equestrian dressage.  She has also written a compelling memoir called Nice Recovery about her problems with alcohol when she was a teenager and what it’s like to be a sober and recovering teen.

Author website: http://www.susanjuby.com/index.htm

Books:

Nice Recovery, Alice I think, Another Kind of Cowboy

 

Getting the Girl, Miss Smithers, Alice MacLeod: Realist at Last

By the Time You Read This, I’ll be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

Daelyn doesn’t want to live. After a string of botched suicide attempts she is determined to get it right and starts looking at a website for “completers.” She’s tired of the bullying and the loneliness and she is determined to end it all. Then some boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school and he just won’t leave her alone. She doesn’t want to make any connections because she doesn’t plan on staying around but Santana won’t let up and she starts to have doubts.

Julie Anne Peters is one of my favourite authors but for me this wasn’t one of her greatest books. I really struggled connecting to Daelyn as a character and I had a difficult time feeling anything for her. It might have just been that I have a problem with the topic, but I just couldn’t get past it. There were a few things I did really enjoy that I thought made this book stand out that I think will appeal to many readers. First, the main character is silent. Daelyn cannot talk and that made for a very unique reading experience that I really enjoyed. Also, Peters leaves the ending very vague, so the reader can decide what happens, which is rather creative. Also, I think those who like to read issue fiction will find a lot of the elements they are generally pulled to in this book. So while I didn’t necessarily love this book, I still encourage you to read it and make your own decision.

You might enjoy By the Time You Read This, if you like books with:  real life serious issues, not a lot of focus on romance, sensitive and emotionally evocative storylines, quick and fast paced plots

Also by Julie Anne Peters: Luna, Between Mom and Jo, Far From Xanadu, How to do you Spell G-E-E-K?

If you liked By the Time You Read This, you might also enjoy: Willow by Julia Hoban, Crash into me by Albert Borris, Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Additional Info:

www.through-the-light.com

Ontario Association for Suicide Prevention. This is a list of Crisis and Contact numbers throughout Ontario

 gURL – great website just for teens, has information and resources on suicide, bullying and other difficult issues teen face.

Rating: W4/4   C2/4   P2.5/4   O3/4   PP2/4   CR3.5/4

Grade Level: JS

Coming Soon to a Library Near You

Coming Soon to a Library Near You is a weekly feature inspired by Jill at Breaking the Spine that looks at upcoming books.

This week’s Book: Infinite Days

Author: Rebecca Maizel

Release Date: August 3 2010

Summary:

She longs to be like everybody else. But her history is written in blood…

Lenah Beaudonte is in many ways your average sixteen-year-old: the “new girl,” she struggles to fit in enough to survive at school, and stand out enough to catch the eye of the golden-boy captain of the lacrosse team. But her challenges are beyond what anyone could have expected. Lenah just happens to be a recovering five-hundred-year-old vampire turned human…

She’s just awakened from a century-long hibernation and each passing hour hears another tick of the time-bomb, counting down to the moment when her abandoned vampire coven will open the crypt where she should be sleeping, and find her gone. As her borrowed days slip by, Lenah resolves to live her newfound life as fully as the passing moments allow. But, to do so, she must first answer the ominous questions at hand: Can an ex-vampire survive in a time and place so alien to her? What can Lenah do to protect her new friends from the bloodthirsty menace about to descend upon them? And how is she ever going to pass her biology midterm?