Like Percy Jackson? Try these!

You've read about Percy Jackson's adventures defeating the dreaded Titan Kronos (and maybe you've even seen the movie). You've devoured the first three books in the Heroes of Olympus series. Maybe you've even delved into The Kane Chronicles. And now you're anxiously awaiting Rick Riordan's upcoming book, due out in October. But considering it's only May, that's a long time to wait! And you definitely need something good to read between now and then. Fear not! We've got just what you're looking for. It may not be Percy, Annabelle, Grover, and everyone else at Camp Half-Blood, but hopefully it's close to being as good.

For the rest of this month, the Teen Department will be featuring a display of books you'll very probably enjoy if you liked the Percy Jackson series. This can be found along the top of the fiction shelf closest to the Teen Reference Desk.   And trust us...we did a lot of research to come up with this list of PJ read-alikes. There's even an "Ask the Oracle" game, where the answers to all those universal questions will be revealed to you. But be sure to concentrate on your inquiry. Otherwise, the Oracle might ask you to order her a pizza instead of answering your question (Hey, it's tough being cooped up all those years!). 

And, of course, the librarian on duty is always happy to help you if further reading is what you desire. --AJB

Fantastic First Lines: Going beyond "Once Upon a Time"

Sometimes, the first line of a book is so great, funny, curious or, yes, even disturbing, that you just HAVE to read the rest of the book to find out what happens next. Sometimes the rest of the book doesn't live up to the awesomeness promised by that first line. But other times... Other times, reading that book with that fantastic first line becomes a magical, transcendent experience from which you emerge a changed person. Or maybe that book just becomes an all-time favorite. If you read a lot, something like that's bound to have happened to you at least once.

This in mind, OPL's Teen Department is featuring some books with some great first lines. You'll find them in the display window next to the Graphic Novel shelves. Some of them are well known. Others might have gone unnoticed had we not called attention to them. All have first lines that just beg you to continue reading until the final page.

For example:

"A tooth was missing, and that was never a pleasant thing" - Scowler, by Daniel Kraus

"The best day of my life happened when I was five and almost died at Disney World" - Going Bovine, by Libba Bray

"Benny Imura couldn't hold a job, so he took to killing" - Rot & Ruin, by Jonathan Maberry 

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," - Notes from the Midnight Driver, by Jordan Sonnenblick

Curious? Check out the display for more great first lines...and great books! --AJB

A "Mysterious" find

It's the year 4022, and life as we know it is no longer life as we know it. In fact, little is known about the once-thriving land once known as Usa. Then amateur archaeologist Howard Carson (quite accidentally) makes an incredible,  first-ever discovery: Deep beneath the earth is an ancient burial chamber--still sealed! Within, Carson finds never-seen-before evidence of the primitive culture that was once a mystery to him. As Carson and his team excavate this monumental find, they make educated guesses about the people of Usa's way of life and death. And how wrong they are! 

The Motel of Mysteries is a parody of sorts about the field of archaeology--and how wrong the so-called experts can be when making snap assumptions about ancient civilizations based only on what they find buried beneath the earth. Was that small, domed object a ceremonial head-dress...or was it a cereal bowl used by the children yester-millennium to contain their Fruity Pebbles? Sure, you'll get a good chuckle at the wild assumptions Carson and his team make. And yes, this book IS good for a laugh or six. But it's deeper meaning is this: Who we truly are is not to be defined by appearances or material possessions. I mean, do you really want someone to someday define you solely based on that Gangnam Style ringtone you never got around to changing? Didn't think so. --AJB

Breaking Point

This sequel to last year's dystopian hit, Article 5, delivers just as much excitement as its predecessor. After a narrow escape from prison, fugitives Ember and Chase find themselves on the run from the Federal Bureau of Reformation (FBR). The two take refuge with The Resistance, an underground movement dedicated to overthrowing the government and building a more peaceful and tolarant society. Despite reports of an anonymous sniper picking off FBR agents, Ember still tops the government's most wanted list. The teen has an important decision to make: Continue to run or fight back.

Breaking Point is most definitely the middle book of this trilogy. Although exciting, it leaves many loose ends and unanswered questions. And it's pretty involved. So you'll need to read Article 5 first to understand all that's happening. But that's no reason to miss out on this trilogy.

And p.s.: Expect the third and final book to be released sometime next year!

Cloaked

Best known for her literary hit Beastly (which inspired a movie a few years ago), Alex Flinn continues her streak of fairy tale re-mixes with Cloaked, a mash-up of The Frog Prince, The Elves and the Shoemaker, and a handfull of random obscurities originally penned by Grimm and Anderson. Unfortunately, this book boasts too many bits and pieces of interwoven fairy tale plots and not enough originality. And the story suffers for it: Characters (even main ones) are never fully fleshed out, bad guys don't feel threatening, romance lacks chemistry, and the ending wraps up too neatly--even for a fairy tale. The concept for the story is a good one. Unfortunately, the execution falls flat. Fans of Beastly will be disappointed, and fairy tale connoisseurs will feel short-changed. 

In Cloaked, we meet Johnny, a teenage shoe repairman (and closet shoe designer) who works at a fancy Florida hotel. When a visiting princess recruits him to go on a mission to rescue her brother, who has been transformed into a frog, Johnny accepts. Armed with a magic cloak that transports its wearer anywhere they desire, an earpiece that allows communication with transformed animals, and a magic ring, Johnny, accompanied by his friend Meg, go in search of said frog. They encounter a tedious amount of fairy tale and magical creatures and situations before finally rescuing the prince and returning him to the safety of his family. In the end, Johnny (rather predictably) gets the girl, convinces the thuggish bad guy to do the right thing, finds his missing father, and lands a $$$ contract to sell his shoe designs. And they all live happily ever after.  

Alex Flinn has a new book coming out later this month. A retelling of Rapunzel. I liked what Disney did with this particular tale, so have high hopes for Flinn's interpretation. Hopefully, she'll go back to what she did with Beastly and focus on modernizing a single tale. --AJB 

Notes from the Psych Ward

How can a story about a suicide attempt and time spent in the psychiatric for said suicide attempt be funny? Easy--if that story is told by Ned Vizzini. It's Kind of a Funny Story details what happens to perfectionist teen Craig Gilner after he is accepted into the (ultra-prestigious and very challenging) school of his dreams, the Executive Pre-Professional High School. At first, life is just peachy. Then Craig finds out the hard way he just can't keep up with the demands of school and life in general. Thus, Craig begins a downward spiral of depression and self-destructive behavior. After a near suicide attempt, Craig finds himself in the mental hospital. And it ends up being the best thing that ever happened to him. How can this be? Well...you've got to read the book to find out.

Inspired in part by the author's time in the psych ward in 2004, It's Kind of a Funny Story is just that, albeit not in the obvious, in-your-face way The Three Stooges or flatulence jokes are funny. There's dark humor here. And entertaining, often awkward situations. And a cast of characters so unique they couldn't be found anywhere BUT the psych ward. This book has definitely found its way onto the short list of "The Most Unique Books I've Ever Read...and Am So Glad I Did!" --AJB

A.I.: Artificial Intelligence

In the maybe not-too-distant future, ocean levels have risen and swallowed the entire East Coast as well as miles of land around the world. With the decrease in habitable land and, in turn, natural resources, the government has placed restrictions on the number of children families may have, among other things. Highly advanced robots are now commonplace. This is how a certain family was chosen to host a very unique and top-secret prototype: a robot child that, supposedly, has been programmed to love. Unfortunately, would-be foster "parents" Henry and Monica didn't realize the level of commitment required of them when they agreed to this task. David, the child robot, becomes unnaturally obsessed with his new mommy. This is taken too far when David nearly kills the couple's natural human child. Fearing danger to her family, Monica drives David deep into the woods and abandons him. Here, David begins a long and frustrating quest to find the fabled Blue Fairy so he can ask her to change him into a real boy. If he is real, he reasons, Monica will love him as her son. His wish is eventually granted. Sort of. Like any decent movie of this genre, there's an unexpected twist at the end.

Artificial Intelligence was directed by Stephen Spielberg and stars Jude Law and Haley Joel Osment (the "I see dead people" kid). I remembered seeing this film in the theaters when it first came out, but didn't remember much about it other than the scene near the end where David first encounters the Blue Fairy miles beneath the ocean (curious? rent it). Wanting for a good Sci-fi movie along the lines of Super 8 or Inception, I rented it.There were many things I had forgotten: Like the circus-like robot demo derby. Or the creepy teddy bear. Or how dark the movie is (it's not Disney, that's for sure). In the end, I'm not sure how to feel about Artificial Intelligence. Parts of it genuinely disturbed me. But it was definitely something that kept me glued to the screen the entire 2+ hours. --AJB