Fiction Archive - Teen Blog

Teen Blog

This Week’s Book Trailer of the Week– Reboot by Amy Tintera

This week’s book trailer of the week is for Reboot by Amy Tintera. Wren has died. She was dead for 178 minutes before she came back to life. The longer someone is dead, the better the hunter they become because they are stronger and return devoid of emotion. Wren knows that she is one of the few who are considered emotionless because she was dead for so long. As a result, she is one of the strongest hunters and she trains the new reboots. Callum was only dead for 22 minutes. His human-ness if off putting to Wren, but for some reason she is drawn to him. When Wren learns that Callum and other reboots may be in danger from experimental procedures, she uses her unique abilities to fight back against the government who made her. Click here to find Reboot in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on May 18, 2013 Categories: Action/Adventure, Book Trailer, Dystopian, Fiction

Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson

Ultraviolet

by R.J. Anderson

What would you do if you woke up in a psychiatric ward, with no memory of how you got there? That is what happens to Allison at the beginning of Ultraviolet. We meet Allison when she awakes, restrained in a bed in a psych ward. As she remembers more and more about what happened to her, the mystery is revealed as to the strange and unexplainable event that occurred that landed her in that bed. Allison witnessed her classmate Tori’s death. However, this was a death that was like no other because Tori literally unravelled before Allison’s eyes. Allison does not know if what she saw was real, she thinks it is, but is too scared to tell anyone. Even worse, the police suspect that Allison may be guilty of Tori’s murder since she was the last one to see her alive.

Ultraviolet is an exciting read! It is one part mystery and one part science fiction, and I guarantee you will never guess the truth of what Allison saw. This novel definitely kept me guess up until the end of the book. One cool thing about this novel is that you never really know if Allison can be trusted, but the story is from her point of view so you wonder if you are getting the true story. I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who likes a good mystery, and also to those who like sci-fi, action and adventure reads. Click here to find Ultraviolet in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on May 16, 2013 Categories: Action/Adventure, Fiction, Science Fiction, Staff Pics

Book Trailer of the Week– Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

This week’s book trailer of the week is for Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. This trailer is really amazing, and captures the essence of this equally amazing novel. Set in 1943, it tells the story of two young women. Both girls are breaking the boundaries of their gender during the war. Queenie is an expert wireless operator, and Maddie’s talent for flying planes finds her on some dangerous runs. At the beginning of the novel, we find that Queenie has been captured by the Nazis and accused of being a spy. She is forced to write about how she came to be captured, as a confession for the Nazis. What Queenie reveals, however, is the friendship that developed between her and Maddie, in some of the most difficult and trying times of the war. Later in the novel, perspectives change and Maddie tells the rest of the story and reveals what really happened when Queenie was captured. Click here to find Code Name Verity in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on May 11, 2013 Categories: Action/Adventure, Award Winning, Book Trailer, Fiction, Historical Fiction

Book Trailer of the Week– Icons by Margaret Stohl

This week’s book trailer of the week is for Icons by Margaret Stohl. Margaret Stohl is famous for being one half of the writing duo who brought you the Beautiful Creatures series. Icons is her first solo novel since writing the series and will be published and on bookshelves this Tuesday, May 7. Icons is set in a dystopian future where Lords rule the world. The Lords are alien life forms that came to earth in the 21st century. They destroyed the environment with their weaponry and have power over the human race due to their ability to kill with electric pulses. Dol and Ro are two teen survivors of the first wave of attacks by the Lords. They have been raised in the Grass and untouched by the Lords’ rule. However, when their caregiver is murdered the teens have to struggle to survive on their own. Click here to find Icons in our catalog and look for it on our shelves on Tuesday!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on May 4, 2013 Categories: Book Trailer, Fiction

Book Trailer of the Week–When We Wake by Karen Healey

This week’s book trailer of the week is for When We Wake by Karen Healey. Tegan has woken up from a cryogenic freeze 100 years after she was shot by a sniper at a protest. In this future dystopian world, Tegan has to figure out why she has awoken and to navigate the new ways of life in this world. As this fast-paced mystery unfolds, the truth comes out as to why the government woke Tegan up and what they have planned for her. Click here to find When We Wake in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on April 26, 2013 Categories: Action/Adventure, Book Trailer, Dystopian, Fiction, Mystery, Science Fiction

Inifinite Kung Fu by Kagan McLeod

Infinite Kung Fu

by Kagan McLeod

If you are a fan of martial arts or kung fu movies, then you should read Infinite Kung Fu by Kagan McLeod. Infinite Kung Fu is a collection of McLeod’s self published comics. What McLeod has put together is a story that centers on main character, Lei Kung, who is the chosen one to defeat the evil emperor. Lei Kung’s journey to attaining the skills to defeat the emperor is set against the backdrop of a world where technology is gone, people have returned back to the old ways, and zombies ravage the land. Along the way he finds help and guidance from many, but the one who helps him the most is the Moog Joogular. He is a smooth talking, butt kicking, super cool dude, and a great throw back character that is reminiscent of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other African American martial artists that became popular in the 1960′s and 1970′s. The Moog Joogular character is one of the biggest reasons you should read this book. He is awesome!

In addition to some great characters, McLeod also really hit on some good points of martial arts and what practicing should mean to someone, through the character of Lei Kung. My favorite scene is when he is talking with Li Zhao over a meal. Lei Kung says, “With a basic knowledge and respect for all styles, one can always hope to counter any technique!” and “A kung fu instructor’s greatest accomplishment is to have his student surpass him. It’s a pity for some students their teachers keep their best techniques to themselves.” Check out what that scene looks like (obviously Li Zhao does not like what Lei Kung has to say):

I think this is a great message to send to those who love martial arts: patience and dedication pay off and martial art forms should be shared and not hidden away as some unattainable knowledge. Infinite Kung Fu is an excellent read for any age. Click here to find it in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on April 23, 2013 Categories: Action/Adventure, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Guys Reads

Book Trailer of the Week– When We Wuz Famous by Greg Takoudes

This week’s book trailer of the week is for When We Wuz Famous by Greg Takoudes. This novel follows Francisco and the opportunity he has been given with a scholarship to attend a prestigious boarding school for his senior year. This opportunity can change his life, but Francisco is not sure if he wants to have his life changed. His relationship with Reignbow suffers and his best friend ends up getting into more trouble without Francisco there to help him out. What is more important to Francisco: his friends or getting out of Harlem? Click here to find When We Wuz Famous in the Library, and read it to find out!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on April 19, 2013 Categories: Book Trailer, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Book Trailer of the Week–Light by Michael Grant

This week’s book trailer of the week is for Light by Michael Grant. Light is the final book in Grant’s Gone series. At the series opener all the adults within a 20 mile radius of Perdido Beach, CA, disappeared. The remaining kids and teens under the age of fourteen began developing strange abilities and mutations. As the Gone series progressed, the young survivors are trapped within this 20 mile radius and and are in a fight to survive, more often it is a fight to the death. In Light, the veil that previously hid the what was happening to these kids inside the “dome” has lifted. Now all of the world can see the carnage, and the gruesome and creepy ways these kids have changed. Click here to find Light in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on April 13, 2013 Categories: Action/Adventure, Book Trailer, Fiction, Horror, Supernatural/Paranormal

The Blessed by Tonya Hurley

OK, I admit it: I picked this book up purely because of its cover. The girl is so creepy and there is something not quite right about her–I think it is the eyes… Anyways, I am glad that I judged a book by its cover, because The Blessed turned out to be a really good read!

This novel starts out as we are introduced to three different teenage girls. Each of these girls finds themselves in the same emergency room on the same night. Agnes is the kind of girl who tries to do everything right, but ends up feeling miserable. She tries to kill herself after her most recent breakup with a boy who she was head over heels in love with. Cecilia is a very talented musician, but she is heading down the wrong path. After a gig, she parties a little too hard and is rushed to the ER when she almost drowns in a puddle. Then there’s Lucy. She is a famous socialite who has everything anyone could want. Unfortunately, that comes with a price, as she is surrounded by people who are a bad influence. She is brought into the ER because of an accidental overdose. After each of these girls are treated and released from the ER, they are visited by an enigmatic stranger. The young man says his name is Sebastian and he gives each girl a bracelet. What follows is a strange story that connects the three girls’ fates together as they mirror the saints they are named for. Sebastian holds the key, however, to the truth about why these girls’ lives mirror the saints’ lives.

The Blessed is good pick for anyone who likes realistic fiction, with a mysterious air about it. While reading this novel I was never really sure if there was something supernatural going on or not. Plus, all three of the main characters (Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy) were very interesting and you really wanted to get to the bottom of what was happening to them. The Blessed is also pretty suspenseful. I would definitely call it a page turner and it will leave you guessing all the way to the last page. Click here to find The Blessed in the Library!

By Colleen, Teen Services Librarian on April 11, 2013 Categories: Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Staff Pics, Supernatural/Paranormal