Hip Librarian's Book Blog: Reviews of Books for Youth

Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks by Ethan Gilsdorf

Beth Gallaway — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 02:41:00 GMT

**** Gilsdorf, Ethan. Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks: An Epic Quest for Reality Among Role Players, Online Gamers and Other Dwellers of Imaginary Realms. Lyons Press, September 2009. ISBN 9781599214801 $24.95 When Ethan Gilsdorf was 17, h

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Teenreads.com 2009 Reader Survey

Beth Gallaway — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:50:00 GMT

Reposted from an email from Allie Bodack, The Book Report Network, NY: "Please take a moment to complete the Teenreads.com 2009 Reader Survey. The goal of the survey is to identify trends and topics that are of interest to readers of young

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Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Liz — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 04:56:00 GMT

The Giver meets The Lord of the Flies with a dash of Romeo and Juliet thrown in for good measure. In a futuristic dystopia, 24 teenagers, one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts, must compete in a televised fight to the death in the

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Night Runner by Max Turner

linagordaneer — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:08:00 GMT

****/5 Zack Thomson isn’t like other teenage boys, and the fact the he calls the mental institution home is just the tip of the iceberg. His parents died when he was little and ever since, Zack suffers from weird, life-threatening a

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Raven by Allison van Diepen

Liz — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:21:00 GMT

Nicole is in love with Zin, the leader of her break dancing group. Everyone can see that he has feelings for her as well, but he refuses to act on them. While working with Zin at a nightclub (where her boss nicknames her Raven), Nic

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The Joy of Spooking, Book One: Fiendish Deeds By P.J. Bracegirdle

linagordaneer — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 10:48:00 GMT

***/5Joy Wells and her brother Byron live with their parents in a ramshackle old home in Spooking, a dying town on the outskirts of a booming suburb called Darlington. For Joy, a rabid fan of famous horror writer, E.A. Peugeot, Spooking is ever

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Pieces of Me by Charlotte Gingras

Beth Gallaway — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:32:00 GMT

The narrative of this lovely, lyrical novel unfolds in short vignettes, like a delicate bird skimming just over the water, dipping now and then to leave deepening ripples on the surface.

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Break on Through by Jill Murray

linagordaneer — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 17:29:00 GMT

Although I could have probably used a glossary and some visuals, Murray’s first novel, Break on Through had me at the first windmill (I don’t know exactly what that is, but I think it involves limbs whirling around in an uncanny fashion).

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The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom

Krista King — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:01:00 GMT

The Surrender Tree (Henry Holt & Company)ISBN: 9780805086744Hardcover: 169 p. List Price: $16.95**** (4 out of 5 stars: very good; without serious flaws; highly recommended)Slavery all day,and then, suddenly, by nightfall – freedom!*Can it

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Pact of Wolves by Nina Blazon

linagordaneer — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 10:01:00 GMT

**Bianca, a troubled, intelligent sixteen year old girl, has a feeling that somebody doesn't want her to continue her studies at the Europa International School, where she has landed a full scholarship. On her first night, the school's

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First Kiss (Then Tell) edited by Cylin Busby

Beth Gallaway — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:21:00 GMT

First Kiss (Then Tell) Bloomsbury Press, 2008. ISBN 978-1-59990-199-2 $15.95 212pp**** His name was Mike. I was old-- 15 and 3/4, and dreading turning sweet-sixteen-and-never-been-kissed. I agreed to play spin the bottle, hoping no one would be able

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Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Krista King — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:27:00 GMT

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor Teen, 2008).ISBN-13: 978-0765319852Hardcover: 382 p. List Price: $17.95***** (5 out of 5 stars: excellent; nearly flawless; a must-have for all libraries serving youth)“What’s the big deal? Would you r

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Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Jessica West — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:33:00 GMT

This is Marillier's only book that is written for young adults, as far as I know, but it has all of the elements of her other fantasy writing. Like her other books, it is drawn from traditional folklore and is set in our world, although magic is

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Dead is the New Black by Marlene Perez

Beth Gallaway — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:22:00 GMT

Vampires & werewolves are all the rage (blame Stephanie Meyers), and this supernatural tale about a slightly odd town named Nightshade stands out as lightweight treatment of things that go bump in the night.

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Savvy Girl by Lynn Messina

Beth Gallaway — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:47:00 GMT

A summer internship at a women’s magazine introduces Long Island ingénue Chrissy Gibbons to the glamorous world of high fashion at a fast pace.

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Waiting for Dawn to Break

Beth Gallaway — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:15:00 GMT

Thing to do while waiting the final 10 days before Breaking Dawn's release...

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Four Books for Teens that Address Multicultural Issues

jamie felton — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:35:00 GMT

**** ****

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Graceling by Kristin Cashore

Beth Gallaway — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 19:40:00 GMT

This fantasy adventure tale has a heroine, a journey, a good vs. evil battle, and heart throbbing romance. Ultimately, though, it is a story of self-discovery, and dare I say it, identity.

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Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Jessica West — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:37:00 GMT

This is a book that I read even though I knew it would make me cry. It is the story of Tessa, who is sixteen years old and dying. She has stopped going to school because of how sick she is, and now only wants to live out her remaining time like any t

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The Day-to-Day Life of Albert Hastings by KayLynn Deveney

jamie felton — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:38:00 GMT

*****On a trip to Wales to study photography and earn her graduate degree, KayLynn Deveney stumbled across Albert Hastings, and old man who lived alone in an apartment near where she was staying. In getting to know him, she realized that Albert was a

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The Wednesday Wars by Gary D Schmidt

Jessica West — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:43:00 GMT

Any teen book that includes Shakespeare's plays as essentially a main character is one that I am going to appreciate. In this coming of age story, set in 1967, Holling Hoodhood initially believes that his exposure to Shakespeare is some sort of p

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The Bottomless Bellybutton by Dash Shaw

jamie felton — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 05:46:00 GMT

*****This behemoth of a graphic novel is a new favorite of mine. I have a weakness for attractive book covers (see previous entry for example of unattractive book cover). Exhibit A: *Maps and Legends by Michael Chabon. I saw this book when it f

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Looks by Madeleine George

jamie felton — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:19:00 GMT

****First off, I admit that I did, in fact, judge this book by its cover. It has a shiny, silver cover and pink silhouettes of two girls. It kind of screamed THIS BOOKS IS PROBABLY SHALLOW (it's the shininess). However, after reading the first pa

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Paper Towns by John Green

jamie felton — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:18:00 GMT

*****Many of my co-workers will jaw your ear off about how wonderful John Green is. He is placed upon the pedestal of young adult literature far above criticism and slander. His previous books, An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska, both

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Helping Me Help Myself by Beth Lisick

jamie felton — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 03:16:00 GMT

****Beth Lisick spends a year trying to improve herself in Helping Me Help Myself. In order to achieve this goal of self-improvement, she turns to the path many people discover every day. The self-improvement section in the bookstore! While legitimat

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