Teen Craft Night!

Last night we had our March craft night.  We used Altoid tins to make lip balm, candles, Lego travel kits, and plant holders. I had 10 teens show up and they did an AMAZING job! Craft night is one of my favorite programs--especially because the teens usually show me up and do a WAY better job than me at every craft.  Enjoy the photos!

Book Review: A Separate Peace

For the High School book club, the girls have decided to read A Separate Peace...it's an oldie but a goodie.  Usually Northridge makes students read this book one year...so I am especially happy that the teens CHOSE to read this book, some of them for the second time.

A Separate Peace

John Knowles

Set in the 1940s, A Separate Peace takes place at a boys' boarding school on the east coast.  There, Gene and Finny, best friends, must grow up and accept the changes that await them.  When Finny suffers an accident, the boys are left wondering if it truly was an accident or if Gene may have been involved.  What would be his motive? They are best friends?

When the war begins, the lives of the boys dramatically changes...school is no longer as important to some of the teens, enlistment sounds appealing, and now that Finny is back, nearly healed, he must face the changes in his physical ability.

This book deals a TON with the innocence and coming of age of these teenage boys. Set in a time when things were so unknown, the war that never seemed to end, and at a place for the elite where life should be perfect, we find out there may not be truth to that stereotype.  

Gene and Finny's friendship is an odd one, not one you'd expect to come about, and when their friendship struggles, it's up to the boys to solve the truth and realize their differences.

Knowles is an intelligent author and is a master of weaving themes of loss, innocence, betrayal, and PTSD that will keep you quite satisfied.  

Hungry for a story that is NOT cookie cutter YA, rather a real, gritty, down to Earth novel? Get this one. Now.

Only because I love Beauty and the Beast AND the Nobel Prize AND literacy :D

Book Review: Icons

Beautiful Creatures was on okay series...but now Margaret Stohl has come out with her OWN series, called Idols, about alien invasions!

Icons

Margaret Stohl

On "The Day," all electronics stopped. Billions of people died.  Now there are only a handful of major cities around the entire world where everyone must crowd in order to survive.  An alien "Icon" has settled in each city, and anything using power or electricity can get near it.  Earth Ambassadors work with the Icons to ensure the Earth does exactly as the aliens request.

Dol and Ro, hiding out in the Grasslands, realize they have some sort of power.  They can't explain it, but when they are kidnapped and taken to Catalina Island off the coast of California, they find out they may be the only people that can bring down the Icons.  Unfortunately, the Embassy doesn't want that.  They want the Icons to stay.  When Dol and Ro meet Tima and Lucas, the fact that there are four different kinds of powers come to light, and they team up to try to bring an end to the alien invasion.

Whew! There is a lot of new stuff in this alien invasion book.  I am kind of perturbed that, once again, an alien book where we see NO aliens.  We only see their transportation.  This is frustrating...I want to see meetings between the Earthlings and aliens, or fighting, or betrayal, something that combines the two species.

With that being said, Stohl's writing is just as engaging as it ever was.  The idea of a love story, which most of you know I hate the presence of in EVERY YA book, is minimal.  The only reason, so it seems, that there is a love story is due to Lucas's powers...however, love may be blooming regardless.  I will be interested to see what the next book is like...

Librarians

I found this great graphic of what Librarians (and School Librarians) do for YOU and what our goals are as librarians.  Take a look...do you see any that I, personally, exemplify? Do you see any that I need to get more practice with? I want to serve teens; help them with research, literacy, crafts, and anything having to do with the library.

Book Review: Fairest

Marissa Meyer has come out with a new Cinder book! YAY!!! SQUEE!

Fairest

Marissa Meyer

Three books later, and we finally find out the story behind the story of Queen Levana from Luna.  Meyer takes us back to when Levana was only 13 years old, the things she went through, losing her parents, watching her self-centered sister become queen, and the only man she loves married to another.  We come to understand a little more about Levana and why she may be the way she is.

Meyer is a master.  This series is one of my favorites, and this quick bridge book for her Cinder series is such a great historical account of Levana that I read it nonstop...this IS a shorter story (about 200 pages), because this is a reflection of Levana's life--get it? reflection? she hates mirrors! I crack myself up.

At any rate, our wish is FINALLY fulfilled! We find out what Levana looks like and why she looks the way she does.  It is a killer reason!  We watch as Levana comes into her glamour powers and manipulation causing everyone to do exactly what she says.  You just want to scream at her and tell her all the ways she could make better choices, but, left to her own devices, she makes mistakes that end up costing millions dearly.

This haunting tale is not technically part of the series, but is absolutely necessary to read! I JUST put it on the shelves last week. Come and get it!

And the LAST book of the series comes out this fall!!!!!

Cat Lady

Some of you already know that I have a cat...in fact I posted about Draco a few weeks ago.  Some of you also might know that I am a cat-fanatic...swiftly on my way to becoming a cat lady.  I found some great memes that tend to describe my life with my cat, and how much my world revolves around them.

I will take this. right now.

My cat does, in fact, sneak into the bathroom to watch me go...

Because everyone wants to see old gothic paintings of cats!

Yes.