Isla and the Happily Ever After

Shy Isla has been crushing on quirky-artsy Josh since their freshman year at the School of America in Paris. But each time she's tried to start a conversation with him she's either gotten tongue-tied, embarrassed herself in a major way, or both. It's not that Josh could never like her anyway (not in that way), because he's a super cool guy and she's...well...she's Isla. Shy. Clumsy. Red-headed. Awkward. Isla. 

Thankfully, a trip to the dentist may have saved this (obviously) meant-to-be relationship from being doomed before it had the chance to get off the ground.

Hyped on happy pills (wisdom teeth removed--ouch!) and unable to sleep, Isla ends up at Cafe Kismet...and, who should she encounter there, but Josh. Maybe it's the pain meds talking, but Isla receives a rush of confidence (stupidity?) and she and her crush chat for hours. Of course the next day Isla barely remembers anything about the night except that she and Josh hung out and he sketched her portrait and he walked her home and...oh yeah, at some point during their not-quite-a-date she dozed off over a slice of cheesecake. Yikes!

Fall begins and the two are back in Paris to complete their senior year. There are some hilarious moments, some near-miss situations, and some awkward misunderstandings involving Isla's BFF (who's a guy). And then there's some more misunderstandings involving Josh's ex-GF, some family drama, and Isla's own insecurities that she's not good enough for Josh. There's a tearful breakup. But eventually things resolve themselves in the most romantic of ways and Isla and Josh get together for good, like you, the reader, always knew they would. YAY! Ah... L'Amour! 

Isla and the Happily Ever After (by Stephanie Perkins), the final companion to Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy Next Door is probably my favorite of the author's. But you don't have to have read the author's other books to enjoy Isla. But those who have will be happy to learn that beloved characters from previous books make cameo appearances in this one (and will be especially thrilled with what happens to Anna and St. Clair). 

The verdict: Although predictable, this sweet and delightful love story will make you 100% happy. --AJB

Island of Misfit Books

From time to time, staff from each of the three library departments must go (book by book) through their collections and "weed" out those books that are either outdated or haven't checked out in a long time (usually a couple years). This is a necessary thing so we can make room for new books & other materials.

In Teen, we just completed this task... and we have amassed a sizable stack of "weeded" books. But rather than just chuck them into the discard pile, we're giving them a second (last?) chance through our Island of Misfit Books Display, which we have set up near the Teen Desk. We hope that by singling these books out in this way they'll get noticed by YOU--those who visit our little corner of the library--and maybe, just maybe, get checked out. 

Books on the Island of Misfit Books display will be rotated weekly, and those that haven't gone out will be "weeded" and sent to that place where all unwanted and unloved books go where no one wants to read them anymore (so sad!). So would you, could you... Won't you please rescue a Misfit Book today? They're all great books--we promise!

FEATURED BOOK: Invisible I (The Amanda Project #1), by Stella Lennon

When new girl Amanda Valentino singles Callie out to show her around Endeavor High, Callie doesn't think too much of it. Then Amanda mysteriously disappears, leaving in her wake a series of cryptic clues about her whereabouts. As Callie pieces together the clues, she is joined by fellow students Hal and Nia, who Amanda also pulled into the mystery. Where is Amanda? And, more importantly, who is Amanda? Read the book to find out.

Invisible I, the first in the eight-book Amanda Project saga sets the stage for the rest of the series. Read the book and follow the clues on the accompanying website to see if you can solve the case before Nia and Hal do. 

This interactive series sounds like a lot of fun. Unfortunately, it hasn't really been checking out all that well. Invisible I is currently being featured on our Island Of Misfit Books display. So if this sounds interesting, stop by and check it out...and be sure to request the rest of the series while you're at it. If this, and the other featured books, don't get rescued, they'll lose their place in the collection.

FEATURED BOOK: Whispers from the Dead, by Joan Lowery Nixon

Today's featured book, Whispers From The Dead, by Joan Lowery Nixon, can be found on the Island of Misfit Books display.

Sarah isn't the same after her near-death experience. There seems to be a shadowy presence trailing her every step. And when her family moves into a new home, the truly creepy stuff starts: Screams and pleas for help only Sarah can hear, nightmares, grisly ghostly sightings of a young woman being dragged across the floor by a man carrying a knife... This sort of thing would send the average teen straight to a padded cell in the local asylum, but not Sarah. Instead, she investigates...and helps crack an the disappearance and unsolved murder of Rosa, a young immigrant girl who had been working at the house before she and her family moved in. Whodunit? You'll have to read the book to find out.

Originally published in the early 1990s, Whispers From The Dead is, if anything, a bit dated. For example, Sarah doesn't just open her laptop and jump on the internet to look for clues to Rosa's murder. There are no smart phones or MP3 players. And any pop culture references would likely be unrecognizable to teens of today. That said, today's teens might find it difficult to relate to Sarah. 

Aside from that, Whispers From The Dead is a solid murder mystery with a strong female lead. There's a bit of light romance, but for the most part situations remain pretty innocent and appropriate for younger teen readers. 

And the big reveal will give you chills. --AJB

Bar Code Tattoo, by Suzanne Weyn

"There's an app for that..."

Well, pretty much.

In the not-so-distant future (2025 to be exact), everyone is getting it: A Bar Code Tattoo that contains ALL one's personal information. To be able to shop, drive, or do anything, you must get one. Rebellious Kayla, 17, hates the idea of being labeled and plans to resist getting the tattoo. Then people with the tattoos begin dying in mysterious ways, and Kayla is sure there is a link between the two. 

When the government agency distributing the tattoos makes the marking mandatory for everyone, Kayla runs away and joins a group of other young rebels. Together, they plan to fight and take down those responsible for the tattoos and their tragic/creepy side effects. Of course there's a romance, plenty of drama, and some seriously sci-fi worthy stuff that, in today's age of apps and smart phones and other micro-technology, isn't really that far off base. 

Suzanne Weyn's 2004 dystopian is a great, if undiscovered, read. 

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel adaption)

I've been waiting for the release of the graphic novel adaption of Neil Gaiman's award-winning The Graveyard Book for the better part of 2014, and it finally arrived in my hands. YAY! I'd read the actual book a few years back when it was a selection for our annual Middle School Battle of the Books competition. It was quirky, creepy (ish), weird (in a good way), 100% creative, and unlike anything I'd encountered in the past. It had a certain Tim Burtonesque quality about it..and I loved it!

So of course I was excited to hear there would be a graphic novel adaption!

I hoped it would do the story justice. 

For the most part, the graphic adaption was true to the book. Bonus points. Unfortunately, though, it only covers the first half of the book (unlike the graphic adaptions of Gaiman's Coraline and Stardust, both of which contained the complete story). This has become an unfortunate and annoying trend with book-to-movie adaptions, and book-to-graphic adaptions are no less annoying. It's the main reason I refused to read the graphic adaption of the Twilight series, which, I hear, is still in the works. 

Back to The Graveyard Book adaption. Each of the six chapters is illustrated by a different artist. While it is interesting to see how each interprets the characters and settings, it breaks up the continuity and distracts from the story. This is especially jarring when a particular artist's (or artists') style differs drastically from that of the others. Or when an artist's take on a character (or setting) wasn't what I imagined when I read the book. For example, I didn't like how Silas was portrayed. The artists made him way, way too Count Dracula-ish. This was not at all how I imagined him to be when I read the book. Also, I pictured Eliza (the witch from Chapter 4) as being much older (in her 20s), and in the graphic she didn't look much older than Bod. ...but I'm aware that this is a risk the reader takes when reading a graphic adaption of a beloved book (or seeing the film adaption, for that matter).

Fortunately, neither quirk ruined my enjoyment of the book. 

The verdict: A solid effort by the artists to rework this new classic. After all, they had a huge task to tackle. I'll probably end up reading #2 when it crosses my desk. --AJB

FEATURED BOOK: Karma Club, by Jessica Brody

What goes around comes around...right?

That's how Madison feels after her longtime boyfriend, Mason, dumps her for uber-popular Heather. But when the Universe doesn't poop on either Mason or Heather (as Madison feels it totally should have done), Madison decides to tap into some of her mother's New Age-y wisdom and take matters into her own hands. Before long, she and a few trusted friends form The Karma Club, a super secret organization whose mission statement is To Clean Up The Messes The Universe Has Been Leaving Behind. In other words, they are in the revenge business, dispensing punishments to those they feel deserve it most. Unfortunately for Madison and the Karma girls, what goes around really does come around (or in their case, back around), and before long they find themselves in a whole mess of trouble. However, when they decide use their powers for good, they are pleasantly surprised by the results.

Jessica Brody's Karma Club is this week's Featured Misfit Book and can be found on our Island of Misfit Books Display. This book is hilarious, entertaining, and thought-provoking, and really deserves a second chance.

Check it out today!