Summer Reading Programming starts Monday!

And now... What you've all been waiting for! Library-wide Summer Reading Programming officially begins Monday (June 17). Stop by any of OPL's reference desk for lists of department-specific programming. And we've got a lot of awesome programs this summer! Everything from blockbuster movies to frisbee-chasing stunt dogs. But register soon, because space in several of these programs is limited--and they're are filling up fast!

Haven't registered for Summer Reading yet? Sign up today and discover why everyone else digs Oxford Public Library.

Teen Reviewer:

Teen reviewer Margaret recently finished Impulse, by Ellen Hopkins. Here is her review:

Impulse is another work by Ellen Hopkins that depicts the lives of three teenagers, all of whom have very troubling lives and secrets they've never shared. I read this book in a matter of a few days, and just couldn't put it down! The ending is usually sad in most books by Ellen Hopkins, but this ending was bittersweet. 

Margaret also enjoyed A Storm of Swords, which is the third book of George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones series: 

"I love the characters and the intensely complicated storyline. The entire series is realistic and too difficult to put into a simple summary. But the author is brilliant and could never be given enough credit" 

Margaret ended up reading A Storm of Swords because a friend suggested it to her--and now she's recommending it to you! However, she does add that, because of some content, this book might be more appropriate for older teens than younger.

Stay tuned to the OPL Teen Reader blog for more reviews by area teens. And if you're interested in becoming a reviewer yourself, stop by the teen desk and talk with Alissa Bach. Or send an email to abach@oxford.lib.mi.us. 

TAB This Saturday

Teen Advisory Board
Saturday June 15 @ 1 p.m.

Programs? Books? Music? Movies? What would YOU like to see happening in the Teen Area? Stop by the meeting of the Teen Advisory Board this Saturday (June 15) and let us know what YOU think is important. Meeting begins at 1 p.m. and lasts about an hour. Bring all your great ideas!

Questions about Teen Advisory Board or other teen area programs, contact Alissa Bach: abach@oxford.lib.mi.us

Teen Reviewer:

Teen reviewer Matthew is a big fan of action stories. He just finished Game, by Barry Lyga. He enjoyed this sequel to I Hunt Killers even more than its predecessor. If this is any indication, this series will only get more exciting.

Here is what Matthew had to say about this book: "I read I Hunt Killers and it was great, but Game was better. Ten fold! It was very well-written, and I would recommend it to anyone." 

From the inner cover of Game: Hoping to prove murder doesn't run in his family, Jazz teams up with police in the small town of Lobo's Nod to solve a deadly case. And now, when a determined New York City detective comes knocking on Jazz's door asking for help, he can't say no. The Hat-Dog Killer has the Big Apple--and its police force--running scared. So Jazz and his girlfriend, Connie, hop in a plane to the big city and get swept up in the killer's murderous game.

Matthew recommends this mystery for readers age 14 and older due to violence and some mature situations. 

Great Summer Road Trip Book: The Disenchantments

School's out for Summer! And even though it's been several years (not specifying a number) since I graduated, I still experience that excitement that goes along with the first day of summer vacation. That feeling that anything could happen over the next couple months! There's so much potential!

That said, my reading tastes this time of year often gravitate toward adventure stories. Not so much the ones featuring dragons, wizards, and unicorns (oh my!), but real life-type adventures. Involving real(istic) characters. And I just finished an awesome one: The Disenchantments, by Nina LaCour. 

Colby has just graduated from high school and, rather than go to college, he plans to backpack through Europe with his best friend, Bev, with whom he's secretly madly in love. This plan is four years in the making, and, for Colby, everything hinges on it. Everything. But first things first: Colby will accompany Bev on her garage band, The Disenchantments', final tour from San Francisco to Portland. Along the way, they will play gigs at questionable places, stay in run-down motels, eat greasy food, meet interesting people, and have exciting adventures. And maybe, just maybe, Colby and Bev will finally become something more than just friends. This is Colby's fantasy. But only a few miles into the trip, Bev drops a bomb that threatens to destroy everything: She won't be accompanying Colby to Europe like they had planned. Rather, she'll be attending college on the other side of the country. This is apparently something she'd been planning for nearly a year. Colby feels angry and betrayed: Firstly, because Bev, his supposed BFF, had kept such an important secret from him and, secondly, because he'd failed to make any plans for himself other than going to Europe with Bev (she left him hanging). 

Over the next few days and several hundred miles, Colby is forced to ponder a future without Bev constantly by his side. Painful secrets are revealed, old wounds are reopened, and drama is stirred up. There's also healing. And dreams realized. And the mystery involving the origin of a tattoo that was created before any of them were born. Everything works out in the end, but not in a way any of the characters could have expected.  

The Disenchantments is one of those ultimate summer road trip books that you're glad to have read. I highly recommend it! --AJB

Teen Reviewer:

Teen reviewer Annie just finished Pandemonium, by Lauren Oliver (the sequel to Delirium), and she enjoyed it--although perhaps not as much as she might have. Here is her review:

In Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver, Lena Haloway is forced to deal with many things at once: Facing the supposed death of Alex, the many troubles living in the Wilds causes, and the possibility she's falling in love with someone else. Overall, the book was very enticing and easy to read.

The book was told in a very simple and unique style, with the chapters alternating between "then" and "now," meaning the period of time right after Lena makes it to the Wilds and the period of time months after in which she's living in Brooklyn. It was very entertaining to keep up with two stories happening simultaneously. Both were captivating in the sense that I was eager to turn the page. Watching Lena's transformation and living it with her afterwards at the same time was intriguing.

However, I did miss a little of what happened in the middle. I wanted to know how Lena made it into the city. We're told throughout the series that there are many invalids living undercover in different cities. They get supplies from the Wilds and other invalids and, due to recent events, they spy. Lena's mission was to watch the DFA (Deliria-Free America) meeting. But who gave her this mission? How did Lena, Raven, and Tack all make it to Brooklyn? I wanted Lena's perspective on the difficulties of doing just that.

The book itself was not my favorite of the series, mainly because I feel that Lena turned into too much of a harder version of herself. She didn't even seem like the same person from the first book, Delirium. There were barely traces of that Lena. Raven told her she had to erase her past, but if Lena really did care for Alex and her cousin Grace, why was that so easy for her to do? Why was it so easy for her to begin to love the son of the founder of the DFA, Julian? Regardless of whether Alex was dead or not, her memories of him didn't seem like ones that could be easily forgotten. And as for Grace, she was the one who helped Lena escape in the first place. Lena literally left her behind when she took off. How could all of that just be wiped from her memory? Was it even important to her in the first place?

I do believe the book was very well written, because the way Oliver can pull you into a world is incredible. In every chapter of Pandemonium I felt like I was being coaxed further and further into Lena's position and her world. Lena had to be reborn into the Wilds. I felt like I was being reborn too. Pandemonium is a thrilling and magnetic sequel to Delirium, and fans of the series will not be disappointed. 

Summer Reading Registration: This Friday

Just a reminder, registration for Teen Summer Reading 2013 begins this Friday (June 7) as soon as we open our doors for the day. To be eligible for TSRP, you only need to be entering 6th Grade in the fall. And, if you register between June 7-June 16, you'll get an extra entry into our end-of-summer prize drawing (last year we raffled off an iPod). So sign up early!

Programming officially starts June 17. And we've got lots of cool activities planned for you, like: Craft projects, double feature movies, Henna (always popular), and more. Plus there are a ton of great prizes and there will be lots of chances to win. For a complete list of TSRP activities, stop by the Teen Department and pick up a program flyer--or just ask the librarian on desk. These next couple months are going to be lots of fun!

Are you going into 9th grade? Consider signing up to be a volunteer. For this, you'll be helping staff with lots of fun stuff, including: Working in the Youth Department Bookstore, assisting with art projects, helping with Youth's science program, and more. You'll have fun while earning community service hours for NHS or anything else you need it for.