Are you looking for a new Middle School/Teen read? Look no further than the Quigley Youth Room! Here are some of the books on our new shelf. Check them out the next time you're in - there's something for everyone! Science Fiction/ThrillerCharismaby Jeanne Ryan : Tacoma, Washington, high school junior Aislyn's extreme shyness has crippled her socially and cost her a college scholarship, so she jumps at the chance to try an illegal gene therapy, but although she is finally able to date her long-term crush, Jack, the therapy becomes a contagious disease that can be fatal. Sports/Realistic FictionGame Sevenby Paul Volponi : A sixteen-year-old shortstop in Cuba who dreams of playing with the pros must choose between his country and his father who defected to the U.S. Historical/ParanormalJackaby by William Ritter : Newly arrived in 1892 New England, Abigail Rook becomes assistant to R.F.Jackaby, an investigator of the unexplained with the ability to see supernatural beings, and she helps him delve into a case of serial murder which,Jackaby is convinced, is due to a nonhuman creature. Realistic FictionNot Otherwise Specifiedby Hannah Moskowitz : Auditioning for a New York City performing arts high school could help Etta escape from her Nebraska all-girl school, where she's not gay enough for her former friends, not sick enough for her eating disorders group, and not thin enough for ballet--but it may also mean real friendships. FantasyShadow Scale by Rachel Hartman : Sequal to Seraphina - Seraphina, half-dragon and half-human, searches for others like her who can make the difference in the war between dragons and humans in the kingdom of Goredd. ActionTerminal by Kathy and Brendan Reichs : Fifth book in the Virals Series- Tory and her comrades must track a new pack of rogue Virals who have brought on the attention of a shadowy government organization intent on learning the secret to their powers. MemoirTurning 15 on the road to freedom: my story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery : One of the youngest participants in the 1965 voting rights march in Alabama, Lowery provides a moving first-person account of her experience. Through this thought-provoking volume, the picture of an incredibly courageous young woman emerges. Lowery effectively conveys the enormity of the injustices in her world and the danger that those she knew encountered daily. Lowery shows what people, including children, are capable of when they stand together. Fairy TaleA Wicked Thing by Rhiannon Thomas : One hundred years after falling asleep, Aurora wakes to the kiss of a handsome prince and a kingdom that has dreamed of her return, but her happily-ever-after seems unlikely as she faces grief over the loss of everything she knew and a cruel new king.
Do you ever wonder what the WFL Children's Librarians are reading? While we can't read every Children's and Youth book out there, we try to keep up with the best of the best, the most popular books, and also those that interest us personally!
Here are some books that I've read recently (and enjoyed):
You generally can't go wrong with Rosemary Wells, creator of the beloved Max and Ruby characters. I have been reading her newest book, Sophie's Terrible Twos, with my toddler nearly every day for the last few weeks and she can't get enough. Sophie is a mouse who just turned two and "got up on the wrong side of the crib." After a grumpy morning she goes out on the town with her granny and comes home with an unexpected surprise!
This book caught my attention when it was nominated from the Massachusetts Children's Book Award last year, and I'm so glad I finally got a chance to read it! It tells the story of biracial twins who look very different: one with their father's light skin and fine hair and one with their mother's dark skin and curly hair. The girls travel from their small and very white town in Washington State to North Carolina to stay with their grandmother and participate in the Miss Black Pearl Preteen of America program. Throughout their trip and experience with the pageant/program, both girls develop new understandings of identity, prejudice, bravery, wisdom, and sisterhood. While this book could potentially read like an after-school special or a didactic tale, it does neither, instead presenting important lessons along with a rich plot and a story that is a joy to read.
I'll be honest that I had no interest in reading this book when I first heard of it. There was something about the description and the cover (and let's be honest, we do judge books by their covers at times) that seemed unappealing to me. But after the umpteenth award nomination and starred review, I felt it was my duty to give it a try. And I am so very glad I did! Although a completely bizarre premise - it is narrated by Jacob Grimm, who, as a ghost, accompanies the main character throughout his life in small-town America - the plot draws you in and then takes unexpected turn after unexpected turn. From teenage romance to fairy tales and game shows, there is nothing formulaic or predictable about Far Far Away. I can't say too much more other than that a very satisfying ending (as opposed to a cliff-hanger) is much appreciated in a YA novel these days, and this book certainly delivered.
Looking for a great book that other teens have loved? Look no further than YALSA's 2014 Teens Top Ten list, a list of the 10 best books written in 2013, nominated and voted for by Teens! Most of these books are available in the Youth Room at the Wellesley Free Library, and many are available as downloadable ebooks.
This is a graphic novel about a bone who finds a baby monster and names him Bartleby. Bone's brother doesn't like Bartleby and wants him to leave. Bartleby eventually goes on his own to live with his own kind.
This is an awesome short graphic novel. It's about a girl named Aleira who likes fencing. She has a fencing rod that has a jewel at the end. She soon finds out about its magical powers.
This is a graphic novel about the lives of mice. They have formed a mouse guard to protect them from the dangers outside. The story is about a plot to overthrow the guard. I thought that this book was not very original. It followed the common story plot just with mice. It was mostly predictable but the story was good.
This book is a graphic novel about a girl who moves to New York City with her family, and the new friends she makes. The book has really good pictures and a good story line.
This book is a graphic novel about a young teenage girl who has teeth problems. She knocks out a few of her grown-up teeth and has to deal with painful consequences for years afterward. she has other problems too, like growing up, friends, boys, and entering high school. This is a funny read.
Put your party hats on– it’s Celebrate Teen Literature Day!
This is a great day for YA lit fans, because not only is it an
opportunity for us to spread the word about how much much we love books
for teens, it also brings the announcement of this year’s Teens’ Top Ten nominations!
The Teens’ Top Ten is a “teen choice” list where every title is
nominated and voted on by teens. Voting will start on August 15 and run
until Teen Read Week, during which the winners will be announced. For YA lit gifs, info, and fun all year long, be sure to follow the Teens’ Top Ten tumblr.
And now… the nominated titles for the 2014 Teens’ Top Ten list!
Arnett, Mindee.The Nightmare Affair. Tor Teen. (9780765333339). Dusty Everhart a Nightmare, (literally!), has been trying to escape
the shadow of her mother’s reputation, and one night, while
dream-feeding, she sees the crime scene of a murder victim who attends
her high school, a school for supernatural children. When she arrives
back on campus, she finds, to her horror, that the dream had come true.
Now she must use dreams to find the killer and save victims-to-be in
order to stop an ancient darkness from returning.
Banks, Anna.Of Triton. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends. (9781250003331). After Emma’s mother, the long lost Poseidon princess returns to the
sea, the Syrena begin to bring her identity into question. When all hope
seems lost, and appears the Royals have a revolution on their hands,
Emma has the opportunity to use her Gift to save those that she loves.
But at what cost will her choices bring to not only her, but also to
those she considers her family.
Bardugo, Leigh.Siege and Storm. Macmillan/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. (9780805094602).
Alina, a sun summoner on the run from the evil Darkling, is searching
for a way to increase her power and save the ones she loves. But as her
power grows she falls deeper in the Darkling’s grasp and farther away
from her best friend and love, Mal. When the time comes Alina must
choose between her love, her power, or her lust for the Darkling and all
of his power.
Block, Francesca Lia.Love In The Time Of Global Warming. Macmillan/Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. (9780805096279). Penelope believes she is the last person alive in the city of Los
Angeles after a massive earthquake destroyed the majority of the earth.
After encountering a group of survivors, however, she begins to have
hope in whatever may be left of the world, whether it be love, trust,
and, just maybe, her family. Modeled after Homer’s Odyssey, Pen goes on a
post-apocalyptic journey filled with Giants and butterflies in an
attempt to find her way home.
Charbonneau, Joelle.The Testing. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ( 9780547959108).
Cia is chosen to participate in The Testing, a government program that
will select the brightest graduates who show potential for becoming
future leaders in this post-apocalyptic world. Cia’s excitement of being
chosen soon dies when her father warns her of the experiences he faced
when he was chosen. Cia must trust no one if she hopes to come back
alive. However, will she be able to face the dark, unholy truth about
the testing? One kept whether you leave… Or don’t?
Dashner, James. The Eye of Minds. Random House/Delacorte Press. (9780385741392).
Michael is an average kid who plays video games, but this video game,
the Virtnet, is different than others. You can die in it physically and
mentally, and that happens to a girl named Tanya who rips out her core
and commits suicide. Suddenly, Michael is whisked away by the designers
of the VirtNet and is given a mission by them to find a cyber terrorist,
named Kaine, who is suspected of killing gamers.
Edwards, Janet .Earth Girl. Prometheus Books /Pyr . (9780007443499).
In 2788 humanity has developed technology that allows them to portal
between many habitable worlds except for those are deemed “the
handicapped”, those who are born with a one in a thousand chance of
having an immune system that cannot tolerate other planets. Jarra, a
handicapped 18-year old student with a passion for history, creates a
false identity for herself and enrolls in a college course for students
from other planets in an attempt to get revenge for the way the
handicapped are looked down upon.
Gleason, Colleen.The Clockwork Scarab. Chronicle Books. (9781452134680).
The niece of Sherlock Holmes, the world’s first consulting detective,
and the half-sister of Bram, the vampire slayer, are thrown together to
find out why high society girls are being murdered and what a mechanical
scarab beetle has to do with it.
Gray, Laurie.Maybe I Will. Luminis Books. (9781935462712).
One life-altering, life-changing event which dramatically effected
Sandy, and not in the good sort of life-changing events like winning the
lottery or having a kid, will leave you thinking. Finding true friends
and activities that allow Sandy to really be free and let off steam is
all that keeps Sandy sane and is an important factor in putting Sandy’s
life back together once again.
Henry, April.The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die. Henry Holt Books for Young Readers. (9780805095418).
Cady wakes up in a up in a dark, torn apart cottage hearing someone tell
another man to “finish her off.” To make things worse, not only does
she not know why she’s in the cabin or why the men are trying to kill
her, she also doesn’t remember who she is. Eventually, she escapes and
meets up with Ty, a boy who is willing to help her even at the risk of
losing his own life. Together they attempt to figure out what happened
to make her lose her memory.
Howard, A. G. Splintered. ABRAMS/Amulet Books. (9781419704284).
Alyssa, a girl already struggling with life in general, is pulled into
something dark and mysterious. She follows in the footsteps of her
ancestor, Alice, and goes down the rabbit hole to right the wrongs that
Alice caused to cure her family of their “curse”. Instead of finding
Lewis Carroll’s Beautiful wonderland she finds a dark and twisted
version with monstrous creatures that aren’t as nice as the ones in the
novel or as pretty.
Kate, Lauren.Teardrop. Random House. (9780375990694).
Eureka has only ever cried once in her life and the one time she did,
her mother told her to never cry again. Ever since then, she has never
shed a tear; not even when her mother was killed in a tragic freak
accident. Unbeknownst to Eureka, she was also supposed to die, but Ander
couldn’t bring himself to let her die despite the threats that Eureka
possesses because of her tears.
Konigsberg, Bill .Openly Straight. Scholastic. (9780545509893).
Rafe has been out of the closet for years. After transferring to an
all-boys boarding school, however, he decides to keep his sexual
orientation to himself. But when he meets Ben, a teammate on his soccer
team, he wonders if their friendship-turned-more is worth outing
himself for.
Laybourne, Emmy.Monument 14: Sky On Fire. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends. (9780312569044).
When disaster strikes in the city of Monument, 14 kids are huddled in a
Greenway store for shelter and survival. They decide their only chance
of living through this nationwide disaster is to make their way to
Denver International Airport where the military is evacuating people to
safety. Will they make it alive or will they meet their doom like others
have?
Richards, Natalie D.Six Months Later. Sourcebooks/Fire. (9781402285516).
Chloe Spinnaker is an average student just barely making the grade. But
one day spring day, after falling asleep in study hall, she wakes up to
snow and an empty classroom. Six months of her life has passed and she
has no clue what happened except that now she is popular and has lots of
friends that is, except Maggie, the one true friend she had before
everything changed. Bewildered by the sudden time lapse in her life,
Chloe decides to embark on a mission where she stops at nothing to
figure out what happened to her and to get her memories back.
Rowell, Rainbow.Eleanor & Park. Macmillan/St. Martin’s Griffin. (9781250031211).
The year is 1986 when Eleanor arrives in town to live with her family
and abusive step-father. It’s been a year since the last time she lived
with them, and she doesn’t expect life to be any better. Park’s life, on
the other hand, is going steady. He’s got a spot in the popular crowd
and he’s about to get his driver’s license. But when the two meet on the
bus, things change drastically. Even though they both know high school
romances never last, they’re going to try everything they’ve got to make
it work. But in end, will everything they have be enough?
Sales, Leila. This Song Will Save Your Life. Macmillan/Farrar, Straus and Giroux. (9780374351380).
Elise Dembowski is a high school loser. After reaching the tip of the
iceberg and facing suicidal thoughts just months before, Elise is
searching desperately for a way out of her nearly friendless life. When
she accidentally finds a dance club called Start, Elise’s life finally
takes off as she meets new people, makes new memories, finds a new
passion, and discovers herself.
Sanderson, Brandon.Steelheart. Random House/Delacorte Press. (9780385743563).
Ten years ago, Calamity came; a light in the sky that appeared one day
and many believe that somehow it was connected to the rise of the Epics.
These beings, once human, now have all kinds of amazing and dangerous
powers that have enabled them to take over the world, and one could
argue the most dangerous one is Steelheart. Able to bend the elements to
his will and turn any non-living substance to steel, many say he’s
invincible because they’ve never seen him bleed — except for David, who
will stop at nothing to get his vengeance and see Steelheart bleed
again.
Sanderson, Brandon.The Rithmatist. Tor Teen. (9780765320322).
Joel wants to be a Rithmatist more than anything. Rithmatists have the
power to bring two dimensional beings called Chalklings to life and
defend against the wild chalkings that threaten to overcome the
Rithmatists. Joel is student at Armedius Academy, a prestigious school
where Rithmatists and wealthy children go to learn. When a string of
kidnappings begin to occur Joel must gain assistance from the
Rithmatists at Armedius Academy in order to bring order back to the
academy.
Smith, Jennifer E.This is What Happy Looks Like. Little, Brown & Company. (9780316212823).
Ellie is the girl from Middle-of-Nowhere, Maine, and Graham Larkin is
the hot superstar sensation from Middle-of-Everything, California. While
Ellie hides from the media, Graham is constantly being watched by the
paparazzi. However, an email mistake from Graham to Ellie starts an
online relationship between these two teens, marking the start of a
friendship and something more. Can Ellie accept Graham despite all the
publicity? Or will the media be the demise of this couple’s happiness?
Smith, Andrew. Winger. Simon and Schuster. (9781442444928).
Ryan Dean West is a fourteen year old junior trying to make everyone
else blind to the one thing that makes him different than everyone else,
his young age. This is not easy though, as he must prove himself to
everyone – the girl of his dreams, his scary roommate, his friends, and
the rugby team. As Ryan Dean tries to survive his junior year, he
encounters horrifying injuries, moments of ecstasy, and shattering
heartbreak.
Stine, R.L.A Midsummer Night’s Scream. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends. (9781250024343).
Claire, a girl with a dream to become an actress, finally gets her
chance when her parents decide to remake Mayhem Manor, a movie that was
never finished because of 3 real deaths. As the camera starts rolling on
the remake, strange things begin to happen. Like the little hairy man
Claire meets by the makeup trailer one day. Who or what could be the
cause of these actors’ deaths?
Tucholke, April.Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Penguin/Dial. (9780803738898).
Violet, a sassy, independent, and sharp-tongued young lady, rents out
the side cottage on her parent’s estate in the hopes of making a little
extra money to pay the bills. Her easygoing customer is as dangerous as
he is mysterious, and murders and madness soon sweep her little home
town. She takes it upon herself to understand him and the events, but
only finds a darkness she can only hope to escape with her sanity and
safety.
Winters, Cat.In The Shadow of Blackbirds. ABRAMS/Amulet Books. (9781419705304).
It’s the fall of 1918: The Spanish Influenza and the horrors of World
War I grip the world with terror, and spiritualist photography, as the
face of death seems to greet every household in America, has become
increasingly popular. After her father is arrested as a suspected
traitor, Mary Shelley Black travels to San Diego, hoping to escape the
flu while living with her Aunt Eva. Only a few days after arriving,
Mary Shelley is told that Stephen, her sweetheart who recently became a
soldier, has been killed in France. But Stephen’s spirit hasn’t left
yet, and he desperately needs Mary Shelley’s help.
Yancey, Rick.The 5th Wave. Penguin/Putnam Juvenile. (9780399162411).
Present day – the aliens have invaded the planet, or as Cassie likes to
call them, the Others.Almost everyone has been killed off by the 4th
Wave, and now, Cassie one of the few survivors living now during the 5th
wave, roams the country while trying to stay alive to find her brother –
that is, if he’s still alive. When she’s taken in by a boy named Evan,
she realizes that he’s different. He’s not like her, but he’s all she’s
got. Cassie has to overcome her doubts and trust issues if she wishes to
survive the 5th wave.
Very good book. It had good connections between the action, instead of just action all the time or being boring in between. I liked the characters and it had good character development but with the characters still likable at the beginning. Also I liked how things that that you thought were a fake turned out to be real.
These stories are so fun to read. I read this for summer reading, and I loved it. I don't know how the authors came up with all these funny ideas. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
Mike Lupica is one of my favorite authors; I love all of his books. True Legend is definitely up there as one of my favorite novels by him. First, I liked it because it is a story about basketball, which I play, and is my favorite sport. Secondly, I liked it because I got really into it, thinking about Drew, the main character, and how he was changing for the worst. I also liked it because it celebrated unsung heroes, and all the pro athletes who never get credit for their talent. This truly is one of my favorite books I've read this summer.
Check out these reviews of books that are the first in a series!
The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch Reviewed by E.W., a rising 6th grader When survivalist Cass, and logical Max-Ernest find out about the symphony of smells, they get caught up in a mystery about a dead magician, and two creepily pretty adults trying to figure out the secret to living forever.
I.Q Book 1: Independence Hall by Roland Smith Reviewed by L.C., a rising 7th grader I loved this book! It was the perfect blend of suspense and action. I also like how it has lots of cliff hangers.
Reviewed by S.S., a rising 8th grader This book is the first book of the Uglies Series. In a perfect society of beautiful people called pretties, one that is too fat or skinny or too tall or short is considered an ugly. But great luck to uglies like Tally Youngblood, turning sixteen will bring an operation for prettiness, and you'll be sent down the river to New Pretty Town, a place where all pretties live. But when Tally befriends Shay, an ugly that runs away from being pretty, Tally will need to find Shay to turn her in, in order to become pretty. Or else, she'll be an ugly for a lifetime... I liked this book because of the internal and external conflicts of Tally are perfectly set. And how Tally takes risks are refuses to take "no" for an answer.
Judy Blume tells behind-the-scenes stories of making 'Tiger Eyes' into a movie
June 9, 2013
By: Carla Hay
Judy Blume, Lawrence Blume and Amy Jo Johnson at the "Tiger Eyes" Q&A in New York City, on June 7, 2013
Credits:
Carla Hay
Judy Blume has been a best-selling author since the 1970s, but it wasn't until 2013 that a movie based on one of her novels was finally released. "Tiger Eyes," the movie based on Blume's 1981 book of the same title, tells a poignant coming-of-age story of high schooler Davey Wexler (played by Willa Holland), a sensitive teenager who is grieving over the sudden death of her father. Davey and her mother, Gwen Wexler (played by Amy Jo Johnson), and Davey's younger brother, Jason (played by Lucien Dale), move from New Jersey to New Mexico to start a new life.
While in New Mexico, Davey meets a mysterious young man nicknamed Wolf (played by Tatanka Means), who will change Davey's life forever. On June 7, 2013 (the same day that "Tiger Eyes" opened in limited U.S. release and premiered on demand), Judy Blume, her son Lawrence Blume (who directed and co-wrote the "Tiger Eyes" screenplay) and Johnson did a Q&A after a "Tiger Eyes" screening at the AMC Empire 25 multiplex in New York City. Here is what they said when they took questions from the audience.
Amy, what was your favorite part of filming “Tiger Eyes”? Johnson: First of all, working with Judy Blume. Lawrence was amazing. It was awesome. This was my first time seeing [“Tiger Eyes”]. And also, I loved New Mexico, and I loved Santa Fe. It was such a treat to be there. It was a magical place. Judy Blume: I have to tell a story. Amy Jo got to the set … and had never met any of us and had never met Willa, who played Davey. And there at the top of the mountain mesa canyon, way up high, 50-mile-an-hour winds blowing, the light is dying, it’s freezing and cold, and the rest of us are huddled around heaters. And they [Amy Jo Johnson and Willa Holland] had to play the last scene that you just saw them in, mother and daughter, coming together on a beautiful spring day, never having met. Johnson: In, like, 15 minutes. Judy Blume: Before the light was gone. Not only that, but that was the one day on the set when the money people were there. It was like, “Oh my God, if we don’t get this scene, we’re dead.” We only had three days to shoot all the scenes that happen in the canyon. And it was tough. Considering all the books that you’ve written, why did you choose “Tiger Eyes” when you got a chance to make one of your books into a movie? Judy Blume: There was never any question. Larry and I had talked for years about making “Tiger Eyes.” I think it’s the most cinematic of all of my books. I think the beautiful landscape of New Mexico was an important character in the story.
We lived there. I lived there when I wrote the book. I didn’t know until I saw it finished how much feelings came from the loss of my own father and learning that what he would want most foe me is to go on and to enjoy life to the fullest. Lawrence Blume: Well, I had read the book when Judy had finished it. I was 18 and going off to college … And it sort of knocked my socks off. I didn’t really know this at the time, but I was just very moved by it. It felt like a reflection of my own life because we were living in New Jersey, and then abruptly went to live in Los Alamos, N.M.
So the story of losing your place, your friends, everything, and going a new place and having to start again, I guess it resonated with me. And I thought, “Oh, I’m going to catch it as a movie someday.” And 30 years later, here we are, What was it like to adapt the “Tiger Eyes” book into a screenplay? Judy Blume: When we were talking about doing it, Larry said, “I want it to be as intimate as a first-person book, as one of your first-person books.” I write all these inner monologues because that’s what I like to write. And how do you do that in a movie? And we are very thankful that we have Willa Holland and that expressive face to help tell the story and save pages and pages of inner monologue.
I still heard the gasps when Walter slapped Davey. I’ve probably seen the movie a hundred or 50 times … And let me not leave out my fabulous husband, George Cooper, who came in and saved us and became an executive producer, when we were all out in the canyons and people were yelling and screaming in the office, George did it in his quiet way, and he’s problem solver and solved the problems — we did it together. Lawrence Blume: I try and think a little bit structurally. I tried to pull scenes and pages out of the book. Primarily, my objective was to be as faithful to the book as possible, because I was living in terror that all of Judy’s fans who love the book would say horrible, horrible things and hate me forever. So we tried to be as faithful as possible to try and turn a book into a movie. It’s obviously not the same medium. We tried to everything we could use from the book, every piece of dialogue, every scene. Some of the scenes are verbatim right out of the book. Judy Blume: Which you know. Lawrence Blume: And some things we had to invent or bridge. It was just a process of trying to be as faithful as possible. Judy Blume: To the spirit. Not faithful to every page of the book, but to the spirit of the book and the emotionality of the characters. And let me tell you something: If I were writing this book today, there’s no way in the world I would get rid of Wolf three-quarters of the way into the book. I don’t know what I was thinking, because when I see it now, Wolf, their connection makes the story. Of course, [Davey] kept writing letters to him [in the book], but that’s not visual. So we knew from the start.
And when Larry says a little bit of structure, he’s a lot of structure. He knows structure and I don’t. And I write — well, I don’t know how I write — on instinct. Whatever happens happens. And you can’t do that as much in the movie with a lot of people and relationships and dialogue. And so we worked well together. We don’t work as mother and son. We work as Judy and Larry. Amy Jo, how do you create a level of mother/daughter intimacy with someone you’ve just literally met? Johnson: I don’t know. Maybe it’s from doing years and years of television, which is just so fast-paced. Watching [“Tiger Eyes”], I’m really happy … Maybe it worked because it happened so fast. I don’t know. It worked though. Lawrence Blume: This is a little technical, so I won’t waste a lot of time on it, but that scene, I had this idea to use a crane so we could kind of come down and see the landscape, but then we couldn’t afford a crane. This was a really low-budget movie. So we built a ramp and got a Steadicam, which is a rig that the cameraman holds, and we would walk at the top of the ramp and would walk down as they did their scene. I had to do the whole thing in one take because the sun was going down.
And we only had light for two takes. And you wouldn’t think that in any movies like this that there are any effects shots, but there are actually 20 effects shots in this movie. And that one, we used computer technology to stabilize it. It was a mess ... because of the wind. And for digital technology to turn that into a smooth, beautiful shot, and let the actors shine was kind of incredible. For more info: "Tiger Eyes" movie
Our new favorite YA graphic novel is Peanut, by Ayun Halliday. "…the hardest thing about a peanut allergy is remembering to stay vigilant, especially if you don’t actually have one."
From School Library Journal
Gr 7 Up-Worried about transferring to a new school, Sadie comes
up with the idea of faking a peanut allergy. She thinks that pretending
to have a life-threatening condition will draw attention to her and
generate sympathy. Her predictions come true, and she makes several new
friends and even attracts a boyfriend. But as time passes, Sadie finds
it harder and harder to keep up with her lies, and her story begins to
unravel. The girl who became best known for having a peanut allergy is
heading toward a future in which she will become best known for being a
liar, and she will have to deal with the backlash from people who knew
her under false pretenses. Sadie is an empathetic character, and readers
will relate to her nervousness about fitting in, her emotional
tug-of-war with her mother, and the ups and downs of her friendships.
Hoppe's cartoon illustrations are primarily in grayscale but he also
uses one color (red) to highlight Sadie's character or objects like a
flower from her boyfriend. Librarians, teachers, and parents should
definitely share this book with teens looking for realistic graphic
novels about schools, friendship, peer pressure, or moral
choices.--Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Libraryα(c) Copyright 2011.
Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.
The Middle School Madness crew kicked it old school recently with a "get your game on" event in the Quigley Youth Room. Teens enjoyed free pizza and refreshments as they challenged each other to Simpsons Clue, Fact or Crap, Star Wars Monopoly and more. Check out the photos below and let us know what your favorite board game is in the comments!
Be sure to join us for our next Middle School Madness event on Friday, December 21st in the Wakelin Room at 3:00 where we'll be screening The Hunger Games movie! And as always, free
food and refreshments will be provided. See you there!
We recently celebrated Teen Read week at the WFL with an "...It Came From the Library!" themed Middle School Madness event! Free pizza, Halloween candy and refreshments were enjoyed as zombie and monster themed games dominated the afternoon. Prizes were handed out for the best attempt to pin the body part on the zombie, the teens who knew the most monster trivia in our BINGO games, the team "most likely to survive a zombie apocalypse", and finally, to the team who made the best toilet paper mummy! Entries for that last game were too tough to judge so we called it a draw. Check out the photos below of those epic mummies and let us know who you think had the best creation!
Be sure to join us for our next Middle School Madness event on Friday, November 30th in the Quigley Youth Room at 3:30 where we'll be breaking out the board games! We'll be kicking it old school with card games and classic board games, including: Set, Simpsons Clue, Pictureka, and more! If you have a favorite game, feel free to bring it! And as always, free pizza and refreshments will be provided. See you there!
Children's librarian Rebecca Kinney, who is also a middle school librarian at Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart during the academic year, created this amazing clickable globe that gives lists of middle-school-appropriate books set in different regions around the world. Be an armchair traveller this summer and explore a few titles!
At 13, you crave the adult stuff — the drama, therelationships, the mind-blowing ideas — even if you're not ready for adulthood. "PG-13" presents authors discussing the books that transformed and matured their teenage minds.
May 25, 2012 Growing up in the '80s, author Myla Goldberg crafted a survival plan in the event of a nuclear war. But all that changed when she read On the Beach by Nevil Shute. Have you ever read a book that gave you a sobering picture of the world? Tell us in the comments. Summary
May 25, 2012 Coming out as a teenager can be difficult. That's why finding Rubyfruit Jungle was important for author Emily Danforth. The book's lesbian narrator helped her figure out who she wanted to be. Have you ever found a book that helped you understand yourself better? Tell us about it in the comments. Summary
May 25, 2012 Something about Robert Cormier's I Am the Cheese, made author Ben Marcus worry. It was the first time he had encountered an unreliable narrator — and he found it disconcerting. Do you have a favorite narrator who doesn't quite tell the truth? Tell us who in the comments. Summary
Her dad’s got the mentality of a Teletubby (only not so developed). Her cat,
Angus, is trying to eat the poodle next door. And her best friend thinks she
looks like an alien – just because she accidentally shaved off her eyebrows.
Ergghhhlack. Still, add a little boy-stalking, teacher-baiting, and full-frontal
snogging with a Sex God, and Georgia’s year just might turn out to be the most
fabbitty fab fab ever!
“Hysterically funny. You might want to refrain from reading this one in
public.” – Seventeen
CELINE
By Brock Cole.
216 pp. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux.
$13.95. (Ages 12 and up)
Here's a rare pleasure: Brock Cole's ''Celine'' is a novel that doesn't set out deliberately to instruct, uplift, comfort, amuse or expand the horizons of those readers known, perhaps condescendingly, as ''young adults.'' Yet it manages to accomplish all this and much more simply by telling a fine story about an unforgettable character.
Celine Morienval is a 16-year-old artist living in a Chicago loft with her 22-year-old stepmother, Catherine. Her own mother lives on a yacht in Antigua. And her father, in the blithe, masculine hope that his new wife and his daughter will grow to love each other, has gone off on an extended lecture tour of Europe, leaving Celine with an injunction to ''show a little maturity.''
''Really,'' Celine says, ''it's hard not to be offended. If I was any more mature, I'd have Alzheimer's disease.''
We get her point. From the start, she finds herself both player and observer in all sorts of dramas and intrigues. As such, she provides not only a sort of wacky foil to the goings-on around her but also a straight eye and a clear voice in the face of a whole gamut of contemporary issues, problems and shibboleths.
There's Jake Barker, for instance, her neighbor's child, who, despite his mother's claim that there isn't anyone she'd rather spend time with, winds up on Celine's hands for most of the novel. Jake's parents are splitting up. He visits a counselor once a week. ''I've never actually been to a psychologist myself,'' Celine muses, ''but I've heard it all somewhere or another. All about how much his parents both love him, and how they weren't separating from him but just from each other. They would always love him and the important thing is that it isn't his fault. . . . But that isn't the way it is at all. His parents don't like their lives anymore, and they're willing to chop the kid up a bit to change things. That's the truth, isn't it? If they really loved him so much, they wouldn't get a divorce.''
At school, Celine is trying to graduate a year early. One can't blame her; she clearly doesn't fit in. But she has to pass swimming first, and she has a phobia about water. And there's a paper on Holden Caulfield to rewrite, with Jake landed on her for the weekend. Then there's Catherine, from Paterson, N.J., who talks in an English accent and goes on about Derr-i-da, watching Celine hopefully for signs of deconstruction. No such luck.
Science Fiction/Thriller Charisma by Jeanne Ryan : Tacoma, Washington, high school junior Aislyn's extreme shyness has crippled her socially and cost her a college scholarship, so she jumps at the chance to try an illegal gene therapy, but although she is finally able to date her long-term crush, Jack, the therapy becomes a contagious disease that can be fatal.
Realistic Fiction Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz : Auditioning for a New York City performing arts high school could help Etta escape from her Nebraska all-girl school, where she's not gay enough for her former friends, not sick enough for her eating disorders group, and not thin enough for ballet--but it may also mean real friendships.
Action Terminal by Kathy and Brendan Reichs : Fifth book in the Virals Series- Tory and her comrades must track a new pack of rogue Virals who have brought on the attention of a shadowy government organization intent on learning the secret to their powers.
![Judy Blume, Lawrence Blume and Amy Jo Johnson at the "Tiger Eyes" Q&A in New York City, on June 7, 2013](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/c3/e2/c3e271993f4561a0d496fcd0cc60b43a.jpg?itok=7Zgb-zR4 "Judy Blume, Lawrence Blume and Amy Jo Johnson at the "Tiger Eyes" Q&A in New York City, on June 7, 2013")
