Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope the spirits are kind to you!

Help! I need Spanish titles

Recently, I had a girl ask me if we had any Spanish books in the library. We have one. I asked her if she had any suggestions. She couldn't give me any titles.

So I decided to head to the web and do a search. I am finding nothing. I am looking for contemporary teen titles. I know B&N has a few titles such as Harry Potter and Twilight but I need something else.

I feel like I am neglecting my Spanish speaking patrons.

Can anyone help me?

GN: Pride of Baghdad

Pride of Baghdad is one of those unusual comics because it has nothing to do with superheros. I know that not all comics have people running around in spandex, but a lot do.

This graphic novel takes place during the Iraqi War. The main characters are a pride of lions who were in the Baghdad Zoo. But when the bombing begins the lions and the rest of the animals are set free into a strange, lawless land they do not understand. The fight for survival begins.

The reader is taken on an interesting journey seen through the eyes of these lions. We see strong family ties, love, hatred and anger. In their travels they meet an old tortoise that survived Word War I.

The colors are good, and the art is nice. At times the story can get a little graphic, but it is depicting war. For instance, there is one panel where a giraffe has its head blown off. While not super gory, it might be a little much for younger readers. Rape is also depicted in this book.

Overall, I enjoyed this graphic novel. It is something different than the usual stories(spandex) that most Americans are familiar with. The story makes the reader think without being preachy.

Students who are interested in comics should give this one a go. I think they would enjoy it. For those who cannot break out of traditional American comics they may not like the story.

Historical Fiction Friday: The White Queen

Some maybe saying..wait this isn't a teen book. Well, you caught me. However I have found that my teens love Philippa Gregory; so I decided to review her latest book The White Queen.

Elizabeth Woodville Grey is a very attractive young widow who needs to find a rich(but handsome would help) man in order to support herself and her two sons. So, Elizabeth sets out to catch the attention of the most powerful man she knows...the King of England. It works, he is taken by her beauty and they marry in secret.

The book explores Elizabeth's life as queen during the War of the Roses. This was a troubling time in English history when two families were fighting for the throne.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this novel given that the previous one The Other Queen was a horrible mistake and should never have been printed.

The historical details were good, although one should note that Ms. Gregory likes to stretch the truth a bit. Sometimes the author repeats herself. If I had to read that Elizabeth was the decendent of a sea witch one more time I was going to hurl the book across the room.

That being said I enjoyed the novel. It was a good historical read, not the best one ever, but a good one. I think students who enjoy history, politics, family infighting(there is a lot of backstabbing) and who would like something more mature will enjoy this novel. For those looking for a fun, easy read, you may want to look elsewhere.

This just in: Karma for Beginners

In the mail today I received Karma for beginners by Jessica Blank. I am looking forward to this book. A review will be on the horizon. Here is a description from Amazon:

Fourteen-year-old Tessa has never had a normal life. Her mother, a frustrated hippie with awful taste in men, has seen to that. But when her mom pulls her out of school to live at an ashram in the Catskills, Tessa goes from being a freak among normal people to being an outcast among freaks. Freaks who worship an orange robe-wearing guru. And while her mom is buzzing with spiritual energy, and finding a little too much favor with the guru, all Tessa feels are weird vibes.

Unless she's with Colin, the gorgeous boy who fixes trucks for the ashram. The connection they share is the most spiritual thing Tessa has ever felt. But he's older-like illegally older-and Tessa's taking dangerous risks to spend time with him. Soon her life is blooming into a psychedelic web of secrets and lies and it's clear that something's about to give way. When it does, will she have anyone to hold on to? Will she even know herself?

Beware of the hype

There has been some hype for this book. I was excited to read it when I learned it took place in the Victorian Era and was also about Upstate New York.

At first Lia doesn't understand why she had a tattoo on her arm, or why she has strange dreams or hears voices. As time goes by she learns that all the strange experiences she encounters has to do with an ancient prophecy.

Lia and her sister Alice are part of the prophecy. One sister is evil, the other is good. The bad sister will release the Devil into the world and it is the good sister's job to keep that from happening. Lia must find out which role she has in this prophecy. As she is doing this Lia is mourning her father's death, trying not to be distracted by her budding romance with James and caring for her sick brother Henry.

The book sounds cool, and that's the problem. It sounds better than it actually is.

The historical detail in this book is nonexistent unless you count the mention of servants and carriages as historical detail. There is no description of dresses, traditions, manners, mourning customs etc. etc. The reader doesn't get a sense of the time period. In fact, this book could easily take place during 2009. I think that's a huge injustice and makes me wonder why I have spent four years researching my historical fiction novel. Maybe I am just a HF purists? Maybe teens don't care about getting a feel for the time period, but that can't possibly be true. Is it?

The evil sister was hardly in the book. I was expecting more sinister behavior, more backstabbing more...something. If you are expecting a battle royal, be prepared to be disappointing. Most of the time Alice is busy telling her sister to go to the dark side. I found it very dull. Where's the action? Where is the sense of danger? I felt cheated.

The book is good, but not great. I think I was expecting more from the glowing reviews and the hype.

I think students who are enjoying the urban fantasy crazy and those who like the Gemma Doyle series will enjoy this one.

Bad Librarian!

I was at my local library yesterday and I was a bad librarian. I walked by the YA section and realized they had a nice, yet small, display of new books. I snagged three of them. Three, out of the ten that were there. I couldn't help myself. I am dying to read them. One should have been enough, but I am greedy. I am a bad Librarian.

Here is what I got

• Positively by Courtney Steinmel
• Josephine by Beverly Jenkins
• The Plague by Joanne Dahme

Has anyone read these books? Did you enjoy them? Hate them?

Free books Oh My!

I have not been on the ball when it comes to the blog. I'm sorry about that. I am settling into a new job as head librarian. I have been dealing with a lot of management issues, but I hope things will settle down soon. Now, for the news...

Paul Volponi was kind enough to give me an ARC copy of Rikers High. I can't wait to read it. This book will be released on February 4, 2010.

Amber Kizer sent a signed copy of her book Meridian along with signed bookmarks for my students. Thanks so much!

I received three copies of the series Louder than Words which includes Emily, Marni and Chelsey. The publisher also said I could give these away to my readers. That rocks.

In a few days I will be reviewing Sisters of the Prophecy.

Upcoming October Releases

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have been down and out with a cold.

Here is a partial list of the upcoming releases for the month of October. There are a lot of good books this month. I am very interested in Hush Hush.

• Ballad: A Gathering of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater
• City of Screams by John Brindley
• The High Road: Elf Realm by Daniel Kirk
• Fire by Kristin Cashore
• Bad Apple by Laura Ruby
• Beautiful by Amy Reed
• Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
• Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher
• Lily Dale: Discovering by Wendy Corsi Staub
• Exposure by Mal Peet
• Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
• Lady MacBeath's Daughter by Lisa Klein
• Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen
• Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga
• Haven by Beverly Patt
• Girl on the other side by Deborah Kerbel