Peak by Roland Smith

Posted on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 by Melissa in Three Star Rating

Peak has just been caught scaling a skyscraper, and faces criminal charges. Instead of a trial and a serious punishment, the judge agrees to release Peak into his absentee father’s care with the promise that Peak will be out of the country and therefore out of the newspapers. Peak soon realizes that his father’s motives might not be with his best interests in mind. His father owns and operates a mountain climbing excursion company, and he wants Peak to make history for him by being the youngest climber to summit Everest—a dangerous and sometimes deadly climb for an experienced adult climber. Will Peak make it to the top? And does he really want to?

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Stitches by David Small

Posted on Tuesday, March 2, 2010 by Melissa in Cat's Books

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

David Small was just a boy when he woke up from a seemingly harmless operation to find he could no longer talk. The lump on his neck that he thought was a cyst was actually a tumor, though he didn’t find this out for two weeks after he had his surgery. Stitches tells the story of this boy. His life has many morbid facets, and each facet is shown in clarity. This autobiographical work seems to be a story from made up in a dark world, but this really is David Small’s life, and he manages to come out of this life brilliantly.

I loved this book. It had a relatively happy ending which is always a plus, and it’s a graphic novel, which I really liked. It is a tiny bit graphic, so be prepared if you want to read it.

--Cat

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How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

Posted on Monday, February 22, 2010 by Melissa in Four Star Rating

Daisy no longer feels like she fits in her father’s home, with his new wife and a baby on the way, so she travels to England to live with her mom’s sister and her four cousins whom she has never met. Upon arrival, Daisy feels an almost immediate connection with this family, and can’t explain why. Shortly after her arrival though, the world decides to intervene on her new found happiness. London is attacked and the world is suddenly at war. The five kids are left on their own in the English countryside. At first the kids don’t feel the effects of the war, but soon their tranquil atmosphere is disrupted by soldiers who take over their home and separate the kids into foster homes across the country. Daisy and her younger cousin end up working on a farm, helping soldiers care for the cows that desperately need milking. With the help of some of the soldiers, will Daisy be able to plot their escape and return to the family’s farm house?

2005 Printz Award Winner

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Pssssst!

Posted on Tuesday, February 16, 2010 by Melissa in Author Visit, Cool Stuff
Guess what! The Waupaca Area Public Library is hard at work organizing the first annual Waupaca Book Festival! The festival will be October 1st and 2nd, 2010. I'm so excited to tell you that we have confirmation from JOHN GREEN and PATRICK JONES. They will be here!

John Green is the author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and Let it Snow (with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle). He has just finished writing another book, with David Levithan, which will be available in April. Keep your eyes open for Will Grayson, Will Grayson. You can find John online in many different places. He and his brother Hank Green have been communicating by video for the past three years, and you can watch their interactions on YouTube--they even have their own channel (VLOGBROTHERS). They also have an online community, called Nerdfighters, a worldwide group that works towards both having fun and eliminating worldsuck. Anyone can create an account on Nerdfighters to follow along.

Nerdfighters (John and Hank Green's online community): http://nerdfighters.ning.com/

John's Website: www.sparksflyup.com

John's Blog: www.sparksflyup.com/weblog.php

John and Hank Green's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/vlogbrothers




Patrick Jones is a former librarian for teenagers who now concentrates on writing fiction for teens. His books include: Nailed, Chasing Tail Lights, Cheated, Stolen Car, The Tear Collector, and Things Change. You can find Patrick on Facebook, Myspace, and Wikipedia!

Patrick's Website: http://www.connectingya.com/




Stay tuned to the blog for more details!

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Hunger Games Trilogy News

Posted on Friday, February 12, 2010 by Melissa in Cool Stuff, Five Star Rating

Check out the cover image I found online! The third Hunger Games book finally has a title! Now doesn't that make waiting until August 24 so much harder?

Keep watching the blog for news about our Hunger Games events this summer!

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Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd

Posted on Thursday, February 4, 2010 by Melissa in Cat's Books

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Cat!

Geektastic is a collection of stories all about geeks. They are written by all your favorite authors, Holly Black, M.T. Anderson, Garth Nix, and John Green, among others. Every author covers a different spectrum of geekdom, from a Star Wars convention, to a viewing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, quiz bowl preparations and more. Some are funny. Some are serious. All are worth the read.

--Cat

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