Star Wars Sunday

Because you can never have too much Star Wars...

And Star Wars Day is getting ever closer! May 4, I will be doing a Star Wars program, and we will be able to do some...

ORIGAMI!

And just so everyone knows, this is my favorite character and I love, love, LOVE this print I found online! Who is YOUR fave character?!

Young Hoosier Book Club on Monday!

I cannot WAIT for this book club! We will be "discussing" Sure Signs of Crazy by Kim Harrington...though we will be doing more eating and gaming than chit-chatting.

 

I have a couple games prepared, and of course many many snacks! I hope to see you during lunch at NMS!

Book Review: The Scorpion Rules

Another dystopian series, but this author got original!

The Scorpion Rules

by Erin Bow

Summary from Goodreads:
​

Greta is a duchess and crown princess—and a hostage to peace. This is how the game is played: if you want to rule, you must give one of your children as a hostage. Go to war and your hostage dies.

Greta will be free if she can survive until her eighteenth birthday. Until then she lives in the Precepture school with the daughters and sons of the world’s leaders. Like them, she is taught to obey the machines that control their lives. Like them, she is prepared to die with dignity, if she must. But everything changes when a new hostage arrives. Elián is a boy who refuses to play by the rules, a boy who defies everything Greta has ever been taught. And he opens Greta’s eyes to the brutality of the system they live under—and to her own power.

As Greta and Elián watch their nations tip closer to war, Greta becomes a target in a new kind of game. A game that will end up killing them both—unless she can find a way to break all the rules.

 

I love the idea of hostage royalty--that this holds accountable the people that rule the world.  Even though it doesn't always work, this is a great new twist on dystopia.  Bow even weaves in Artificial Intelligence and other tech.  You know from the beginning that there will be romance between Greta and Elian, but Greta knows her duty, so for most of the book, she remains stoic and avoids those temptations.  

 

I highly suggest this book to fans of The Maze Runner or the Matched series!

Book Review: Galgorithm

Great chick lit. AND guy lit.! I'm not sure I've ever read a book that combines both!

Galgorithm

by Aaron Karo

What if dating came down to a purely mathematical formula? Shane Chambliss takes this idea and runs with it.  After being dumped and having his heart broken, he vows to give the guys who couldn't get a second glance from a girl, a chance to level the playing field.

But running these services isn't as easy and clean as Shane thought...and he hasn't told his best friend Jak anything about it...or that he's falling in love with her.  Shane tries to navigate high school and love...but sometimes love is a battlefield.

I absolutely devoured this book.  Karo is a hilarious author and the humor in this story is top notch.  Shane is a lovable character that only wants to help other guys at his school get girlfriends.  He doesn't lie or manipulate, he has just spent a LOT of time observing women and what they want. 

This book reminds me of the book, The D.U.F.F. but WAY more appropriate for teenagers with less language and less sex.  Readers will absolutely love the witty repartee between Shane and his bestie, Jak, and you will be rooting for him to get the girl from cover to cover!

April Teen Displays: National Poetry Month!

April showers bring May flowers! Or in our case...more snow :-(

BUT! April is National Poetry Month, and I hope some of you will try your hand at reading some poetry, reading novels in verse, or writing your own poetry in the teen section!

Post-It Poetry: 

Grab a post-it, write a short poem (doesn't have to rhyme or make sense!) then post it on the wall for all to see!

Poetry Graffiti is on the bulletin board:

I put out colored chalk--yes, you CAN have poems as pictures. Be creative and let your voice be heard!

And Magnetic Poetry:

Grab a pan and some word magnets and see what great things you can create!

Hope to see you down here!

Book Review: No Dawn Without Darkness

I finished this series! What a ride!

No Dawn Without Darkness

by Dayna Lorentz

The lights are out.  They are two weeks into the quarantine at the mall.  Shay, Marco, Lexi, and Ryan are not the same teens that walked into the building 14 days ago--and neither are the other thousands looting and killing one another around the stores.

The virus still exists, and people are still getting sick.  The government is about to step in, but not in a good way.

This book is crazy in every sense, including the good sense!  The characters are fully developed at this point in their stories and as a reader, you really feel for these characters after all they've been through.  The plot is mildly incredible--I'm not sure how realistic this could be, but it does scare the reader about the possibility of this situation and how humans can react to it.

I'm glad I was able to get all three books, because everything really comes to a close, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen when the doors opened!

Teen Crafts for Next School Year

I know it's early, but I like to plan, prepare, and evaluate! So, I will list the crafts I would LIKE to do with the teens next year.  If you particularly like or hate one of the options, let me know! Remember, all craft materials are FREE and you ALWAYS get food to snack on while you're here.

1. Spray Paint String Art:

2. Decorate Ball Jars (any which way!)

3. Sharpie Tumblers

4. Dragon Eggs (doesn't HAVE to be Game of Thrones)

5. Stringed Postcards

6. 3D Projectors

7. Book Spine Bracelet

8. Christmas Candy with Cindy

9. Harry Potter Howler

10. Rubbing Alcohol/Ink Pendants

If I get my way and you like them all, pay attention to the craft schedule for next year!