P.S. I Like You, by Kasie West

P.S. I Like You by Kasie West is ridiculously adorable. I'm a huge fan of modern settings/real world and I was very impressed with this story which had solid plots and strong characters.

Basically, Lily is an aspiring songwriter in an endearingly chaotic family. She sees a note on her chemistry desk from another student who shares her taste in music, so they leave notes for each other and build a strong connection throughout the semester. There are a few possible guys who could be it. So the first third of the story is trying to figure out his identity. The rest of the story is her trying to reconcile the guy she knows in the notes with the version she knows in real life. It's a total Darcy/Elizabeth relationship of Pride and Prejudice.

The way everything unfolded was the best part --the pacing and execution were perfect. The characters felt like totally believable, realistically flawed teens. Even the secondary characters were well done! I loved how important Lily's home life was and how kind she was to her brothers. Lily herself was hilariously awkward, stubborn, and probably my favorite main character.

I don't want to say who the guy is (even though it's really easy to guess!), so I'll just say that whole relationship built up perfectly. They go from hating each other to slowly getting to know each other to being in love. It's a hate to love romance that actually works and doesn't feel at all forced.

Kasie West is such a talented writer. Everything is so real and just pulls you in. It's one of the most adorable, feel-good books I've read in a long time. If you like her story, I also recommend you to read The Fill-In Boyfriend which is also my favorite! *JK*

Still Life With Tornado, by A.S. King

Sarah used to be a normal, well-adjusted kid. She loved art, idolized her older brother, and lived in the shelter of the blissful ignorance that is common to very young children (even when everything is everything but ok). Then came the family vacation to Mexico when Sarah was 10. The one that changed everything. This is when her parents stopped speaking to each other. When her older brother vanished and never came back. 

Flash-forward to when Sarah is 16 and a complete hot mess. She stops going to school and stops anything to do with art. She can't tell you why she does what she does. Just that she simply can't continue. Instead, she spends her days wandering around the city, speculating about a homeless man (called Earl) and conversing with 10-year-old, 23-year-old, and 40-year-old versions of herself. Readers can only guess that Sarah has some serious baggage to work out, baggage that has everything to do with the events of that fateful family trip when she was 10. Despite her behavior, she actually DOES want to work things out. But first she has to remember what happened to make her the way she is.

If the plot snyposis of A.S. King's latest novel Still Life With Tornado sounds exceptionally convoluted, you're absolutely right. It does. This amazing book is one of those that can only be properly experienced in the actual reading. You can't figure thing out by skimming reviews. Any spoilers I could give you would make no sense (and I wouldn't give spoilers for a story like this anyway). You just have to read it for yourself.

And you absolutely should! --AJB

Great New Halloween Movies in Teen

There's no doubting that Halloween Movies are awesome (especially this time of year). To get your fix, look no further than the "New" section of the Teen DVD shelf. Just in are these Spooky favorites:

Hocus Pocus: How much trouble can three ancient witches cause in modern times? A whole lot, apparently! And this is the plot of this classic film: When the Sanderson sisters were hanged for practicing witchcraft 300 years ago, the residents of Salem thought they'd seen the last of the crafty trio. But they were wrong! Flash forward to modern day (well, 1993, anyway) when Max, the new kid in town, accidently resurrects the witches. On Halloween, of all days. Oops! The witches have until sunrise to capture a child, the final ingredient to complete their immortality spell. And they've got their sights on Max's little sister. With the help of his crush and a very unusual cat, Max must stop the sisters before they can put their plan into action!

The Watcher in the Woods: When Jan and Ellie's family begins renting the old English mannor house, the sisters instantly sense that something strange about their new home and the surrounding woods. Jan begins seeing the ghostly image of a blindfolded girl, and Ellie hears voices singing and calling to her. What could all this mean? And what does it have to do with the creepy old woman who is their landlord? One thing is certain: Something out there in the woods wants the girls for some strange, and possibly sinister, purpose. Can the sisters solve the mystery before it's too late?

Lady in White: Another creepy classic. When Young Frankie gets locked in his school one Halloween, he sees something terrifying: The ghost of Melissa, a young girl who was murdered several years earlier. Melissa wants Frankie's help in bringing her killer to justice before another child dies (because the guy is still out there), but can Frankie solve this crime before he, himself, becomes the killer's next victim? 


--AJB

p.s. Check out this great article from School Library Journal for more movies.

Romeo And/Or Juliet: A Chooseable-Path Adventure, by Ryan North (and that Shakespeare dude)

So you think you know the story of Romeo and Juliet? I mean...of course you do! You likely had to read it for some English Lit class. Or you've seen the movie starring that one dude from Titanic. But quick wrap-up: It's a classic tragedy about two hormonal teenagers who disobey their parents to be together...and end up killing each other in the process. Like, literally. 

But what if you DON'T know the whole story? What if Juliet had run away from that fateful party to instead go to the pub (and wrestle lions)? What if Romeo had just talked to Juliet's parents like a civil, sane person instead of sneaking around behind their backs? Or had just gone out to breakfast with his cousin, Benvolio (because HELLO! breakfast is awesome)? What if these two "star-crossed lovers" never even met?

Or what if there was time travel involved? Or ninjas? Or laser-eyed robots? Or zombies? Vampires? Werewolves? Well-meaning parents who want to have "The Talk" (OMG, the horror!)?

Or *GASP* a Happily Ever After?

Seriously, the possibilities are endless. It's like one of those Alternate Universes thingies that make even the most uber-intelligent physicists say, "Woah..." and stare blankly off into space.

This is what you'll get with Ryan North's extremely entertaining book, Romeo and/or Juliet: A Choosable-Path Adventure. That's right. A Choose Your Own Adventure Shakespeare. This exceptional book takes the classic tragedy and turns it on its ear, drop-kicks it out the window of a speeding car, and then tosses it into a blender along with a pound of mutton and a few dozen eggs to make a protein shake (which Juliet then drinks). And the result is awesome!

Romeo and/or Juliet is just as awesome as William Shakespeare's Star Wars, if not better. Because YOU, the reader, get to decide the course of the story. And if you still don't like the (new) ending... Well, begin anew with different choices. 

But your first choice (and it's a good choice) is to pick this book up and read it. Because NOT doing so is the only tragic choice.--AJB

The Female of the Species, by Mindy McGinnis

You don't always know who the truly crazy ones are. Not really. Sure, movies and media portray them as chainsaw-toting, metal finger nail-wearing, machette-wielding characters. Almost always they're physically scarred in some way. So they can easily be identified, I suppose. 

Oh yeah... These characters are always male.

Always.

But what if that portrayal isn't entirely accurate. This is the question posed by Mindy McGinnis' new novel, The Female of the Species.

So what if? What if the truly bonkers one was the Girl Next Door? The Head Cheerleader? Someone so seemingly innocent you wouldn't ever suspect them. Someone who wore her scars (yes, HER) on the inside. Somehow that thought is even more terrifying than all the Freddies and Jasons put together.

So...it all began a couple years back, when Alex Craft was just a freshman. One day her older sister Anna was taken. The authorities later found the missing girl in the nearby woods. What was left of her, anyway. And the guy who did it? He was one of the residents of the small town. Someone Alex and Anna probably saw dozens of times in passing: Driving by, in line at the grocery store, two rows back at the Cinneplex... Someone neither girl gave a second thought to. Until that fateful day. 

Anna's killer must have had a good lawyer, because he got off on a technicality. Walked free. And this was the last straw for Alex. Because something dangerous sleeping inside this seemingly sweet, quiet girl woke up. The thirst for vengence took over. And she began planning...

You don't need to know the details. Just know that Alex took matters into her own hands. Anna's killer may have escaped the law, but he didn't escape Alex. He became an urban legend. And Alex eventually faded into the background. She didn't talk to/interact with anyone. And no one talked to/interacted with her. It was better this way. For everyone.

Then Peekay and Jack enter Alex's life. They offer acceptance, friendship, love. And Alex begins to feel normal for the first time since before Anna's death. 

If only the normal could last. 

If only...

One night at a party, someone tries to hurt Peekay. But Alex sees. Alex saves her friend, but there is a price to pay. Because from there on out, it's a downward spiral that cumulates, inevitablly, in tragedy. 

Want to know the rest? Read the book!!! It's pretty awesome! Scary (really scary), but awesome!--AJB

Teen Read Week 2016: October 11-15

Stop by the Teen Department the week of October 11-15 and take part in a variety of Teen Read Week activities. 

• Re-design a book cover (yes, any book!) and sumit it for the chance to win a prize (re-designs will be judged by library staff).
• Make a bookmark out of craft paper, duct tape, and other art supplies. The sky's the limit.
• Take part in a scavenger hunt. How well do you know the Teen Area? Find out!

Three Dark Crowns, by Kendare Blake

I didn't realize author Kendare Blake's new novel Three Dark Crowns was the first in a trilogy (duology?) when I picked it up. And I'm not sure I'd have read it had I known. As of late, I typically avoid anything that's not a stand-alone for the simple fact that I prefer books that have definite beginnings and definite endings. I'm glad I read it, though. Of course I AM chomping at the bit to find out what happens next (because what a cliffhanger!!), but there's no denying that this book was amazing!

Three Dark Crowns is The Hunger Games meets The Selection meets The Parent Trap...with some serious Awesome mixed in. It centers around royal triplets Katehrine, Arsinoe, and Maribella, each supposedly born with a special magical power. The girls have been raised separately, and for good reason. Upon their sixteenth birthday, they must battle each other (as in fight to the death) for the Crown. This has been how the people of Finnbirn have chosen their ruler since the dawn of time.

But this year's battle is different: Katherine, a Poisoner, and Arsione, a Naturalist, have yet to come into their powers. Katherine cannot endure even the most mild of poisons without becoming violently ill. And Arsinoe couldn't even grow a dandelion in the height of summer. The only sister with any real power is Maribella, and she is the strongest Elemental anyone has seen in generations. Of course Maribella is the obvious choice. Anyone can see that.

But wait...

There's a twist! (isn't there always?) But I won't spoil it here, even though you may guess just from reading this review.

Three Dark Crowns is a fantastic start to this story arc, and I highly recommend you read it before Hollywood acquires the rights and does it's (accidental?) best to ruin yet another amazing YA book. --AJB