Rez Reads...

The lists are in!

2011-10-28T10:23:00.001-04:00

The Teens' Top Ten 2012 winners have been announced:

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Matched by Ally Condie

Angel: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Which books do YOU think should have been in the Top Ten? (click here for the list of 25 nominees)

Also, the 2012 White Pine nominees have been announced. The fiction titles are:

Ashes, Ashes - by Jo Treggiari

Beat the Band by Don Calame (sequel to Swim the Fly)

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Chance to Dance for You by Gail Sidonie Sobat

Death Benefits by Sarah N. Harvey

Fifth Rule by Don Aker

Gathering by Kelley Armstrong

Motorcyles & Sweetgrass by Drew Hayden Taylor

Something Wicked by Lesley Anne Cowan

Way it Is by Donelda Reid

I've ordered all of these books and they should arrive in the library very soon!

Divergent ~ by Veronica Roth

2011-10-28T10:12:00.003-04:00

If you liked The Hunger Games, and have worked your way through the series and are looking for something new, pick up Divergent by Veronica Roth. I blazed through all 45o pages in just 2 days...it's that good.

In this new dystopian thriller, at the age of 16, all citizens choose which faction they want to join. Each faction is distinguished by a particular characteristic or virtue that defines how they think people should live: Candor (honesty), Abnegation (selflessness), Dauntless (bravery), Amity (peacefulness), and Erudite (intelligence). Beatrice is torn between her family's faction, Abnegation, and her sense that she belongs somewhere else. And then, as she goes through the tests prior to making her choice, she discovers something shocking, and potentially dangerous that will alter her life forever.

Divergent is suspenseful, brutal, exciting...and has many of the characteristics that made The Hunger Games such a popular series. Don't miss this one!

The Sky is Everywhere ~ by Jandy Nelson

2011-08-19T10:57:00.004-04:00

There's something powerful about the use of words...and when an author has a gift for describing things in exactly the right way, a book can be absolutely magical. The Sky is Everywhere is one of those magical books.

Lennie's sister has just died and she's feeling completely lost. She doesn't know how to be around her best friend, Sarah ("For the first time in our lives, I'm somewhere she can't find, and I don't have the map to give her that leads to me"). She's suddenly and overwhelming confused about two boys: the new guy in town, Joe, whose musical passion and zest for life overflows, and Toby - her sister's boyfriend, who is the only person who seems to understand her grief.

The Sky is Everywhere was one of the most beautiful books I've read in quite a while. The author - Jandy Nelson - knows exactly how to combine words to perfectly capture feelings and settings....probably because she is a poet - this is her first novel. Interspersed throughout the book are poems that Lennie writes and scatters around her town...every one breaks your heart a little:

Grief is a house
where the chairs
have forgotten how to hold us
the mirrors how to reflect us
the walls how to contain us
Grief is a house that disappears
each time someone knocks at the door
or rings the bell
a house that blows into the air
at the slightest gust
that buries itself deep in the ground
while everyone is sleeping
Grief is a house where no one can protect you
where the younger sister
will grow older than the older one
where the doors
no longer let you in
or out
(Found under a stone in Gram's garden)

This is one of the Teens' Top Ten nominees...and I will be stunned if it's not in the Top Ten - or even top 3!

Cottage reading!

2011-08-16T09:26:00.003-04:00

I just got home from a friend's cottage, where I blazed through a few more titles - one from the Teens' Top Ten nominees list, one because I was looking forward to reading another book by the author, and one I'm reviewing (not yet published) for VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates):

Orson Scott Card ~ The Lost Gate: this one is on the Teens' Top Ten nominees list, but, I just don't think it's going to make the top ten. I should say, Orson Scott Card is one of my favourite authors - and I think Ender's Game is brilliant - which made The Lost Gate that much more disappointing for me. It wasn't bad - it just felt too overdone...that so much effort was put into the mythology/back story, that the actual story was a bit lost. It just didn't live up to its potential.

Lauren Oliver ~ Delirium: I loved Lauren Oliver's Before I Fall (which should be one of this year's Top Ten!) so I couldn't wait to read Delirium...and it was every bit as good as I'd hoped. In Lena's world, "love" is considered a disease - and at the age of 18, everyone is "cured" from it. This dystopian novel was brilliant - intelligent, new ideas, fast-paced, engaging. I read all 441 pages in a single day...and as one friend commented as I finished the book, "wow, you raced through that last chunk!"

Jeyn Roberts ~ Dark Inside: I received an advanced reader's copy (i.e. the book isn't published yet) because I'm writing a review for it for VOYA. I don't want to spoil the review, but let's just say, I think this is going to be a popular book! Creepy, post-apocalyptic, horrifying - I'm sure it's going to be a teen favourite.

Drought ~ by Pam Bachorz

2011-07-13T12:16:00.002-04:00

Dystopian novels seems to be really popular right now. And there's something "safe" about reading about another society that's so messed up when it's so beautiful and sunny out (almost makes you forget about all the troubles our world suffers from!).

So, I was looking forward to reading Drought. The Congregation is under the control of Darwin West and the Overseers and spend all their time harvesting water, one drop at a time - and suffering horribly when they are unsuccessful. There's something special about one of the Congregants, Ruby: her blood has healing powers. Expectations are high for Ruby - can she save the Congregation and herself?

Sadly, Drought just doesn't seem to live up to its potential. It's like all the pieces didn't add up - it's set in current times, but also has elements that just don't fit with our world. And the unusual characteristics of the Congregants are never really explained, nor do they seem entirely necessary.

It is suspenseful, and I have to admit, I wanted to keep reading right to the end, but it left me feeling just a little disappointed. I'm curious to see what others have to say about it. My guess is that although it's on the Teens Top Ten nominations list, it won't make it into the Top Ten. What do you think?

Rez Recommends 2010-2011

2011-07-06T11:53:00.004-04:00

Here it is...your list of favourites from this school year.

Not surprisingly, The Hunger Games is on the list for the third year in a row...plus there are some brand new titles, including some literary fiction (chosen by grade 12s who really loved their ISU novels).

Click here to see the full list, with book descriptions and student comments.

Sisters Red ~ by Jackson Pearce

2011-07-03T19:49:00.003-04:00

I love a good retelling of a story; a fairy tale reimagined, a familiar story with a new twist. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede remain some of my all-time favourite books. Wicked by Gregory Maguire had me completely under its spell...and then it was made into an amazing musical - does it get any better than that? :)

Unfortunately, not all retellings are good ones. Instead they feel a bit gimicky. So, I started reading Sisters Red with a bit of hesitation.

Thankfully, my fear was unnecessary. Sisters Red puts a new spin on the Little Red Riding Hood story (which seems to be popular these days, with at least two recent movies doing the same!). Scarlett (Lett) and her sister Rosie managed to survive the wolf's attack (with Lett severely scarred as a result) and now dedicate their life to hunting down wolves, called Fenris (werewolves). The packs are getting bigger and stronger, and with the help of their woodsman friend Silas, they set out to try and prevent the Fenris from turning another Potential.

I'd say this retelling gets a 4 out of 5 on the Rez Reads chart. It wasn't "life-altering" but it was quite a good read...and the last few chapters had me holding my breath. The author, Jackson Pearce, has one other novel "As You Wish" that apparently is even better than this one...and a re-telling of Hansel and Gretel called Sweetly, that's due out this summer.

Matched ~ by Ally Condie

2011-07-01T12:44:00.006-04:00

I think I've discovered a huge contender for the Teens' Top Ten here!

Matched is another great dystopian novel. Society has been "perfected": food is allocated appropriately; jobs are decided optimally; only the 100 "best" songs, poems, and works of art have been preserved; disease has been eradicated almost entirely; and citizens are "matched" with their perfect mate. Cassie has been matched with her best friend, Xander. But, a glitch in the system reveals another potential match, Ky. As Cassie starts to question the possible mistake, it forces her to look at their whole way of life...putting herself, her friends, and family all at risk.

So well written, the relationships jump off the page and the tension is palpable. I raced through Matched...and now can't wait until the sequel, Crossed, is released (not until November!!). If you liked The Hunger Games, you'll love Matched.

I'm back!

2011-06-25T17:18:00.004-04:00

After a LONG hiatus from this blog - including a semester-long sabbatical - I'm back, and going to try my best to get some recent posts up here. I didn't read as much as I thought I would on my break, but a few of my recent favourites are:

The Maze Runner (bk 1) and The Scorch Trials (bk 2) by James Dasher...I am SO looking forward to book 3, The Death Cure - due out October 11th...and I promise I'll have a copy for Rez right away. SO, if you haven't read book 1 or 2 yet, you've got all summer! The series is right up there with the Hunger Games trilogy...awesome!
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins ~ okay, so the title sounds a bit corny, but I loved this book. For her last year of high school, Anna gets sent to a boarding school in Paris for American students. Yes, it's a romance story...but so much more. I almost didn't read it, but I'd seen so many great reviews by other bloggers, librarians, and teens that I decided to give it a chance...and I'm so glad I did...you should too!
Pink by Lili Wilkinson ~ I've started reviewing books for VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates) and this was one of the recent titles I reviewed...and I LOVED it. It reminds me a bit of John Green books (he's one of my all-time favourite authors) - honest, really smart, funny, real. Here's part of what I wrote: "Australian author Lili Wilkinson takes a witty, refreshing look at high school and adolescence that obliterates stereotypes along the way. The novel is in turn laugh-out-loud funny, endearing, and heartbreaking as Ava repeatedly steps into teenage social landmines - with unexpected results."
The Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi ~ this year's Printz award winning book (the award for best YA novel of the year)...for good reason. It's going on my list of favourite dystopian novels (Maze Runner, Hunger Games, City of Ember, The Giver, Gone, Unwind...just to name a few!). I read this one in a day!
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver ~ I JUST finished this one...about half an hour ago. Needed some time to recover from reading it...but this is the book that inspired me to put up a post, it was THAT good. Before chapter one even starts, you know Samantha dies. She and her friends are in a car crash and she doesn't make it. Then Chapter 1 begins with a description of her day, leading up to the crash. I'm not going to lie - she's not a very likeable person. In fact, she's the kind of teenager that makes other teenagers' (and adults') lives miserable. But then the book gets interesting...because Samantha re-lives that same day over and over again...and piece by piece, she (and you) get a better sense of the big picture as she's forced to take another look at her life and the lives around her. Honestly, one of the best books I've read in a long while. It's on the Teens' Top Ten nominees list for this year, and I'll be shocked if it doesn't make it up in the top 5.

So, there you go...some reading ideas to get you started for the summer. I'm going to start working my way through the Teens Top Ten nominees...and I'll let you know what I think. Happy reading!

Mockingjay ~ by Suzanne Collins

2010-09-16T15:57:00.002-04:00

Dark...brutal...violent......

AWESOME!

The third installment in the Hunger Games trilogy is not for the faint of heart. But, if you're willing to dive into some pretty heavy, dark stuff, you won't be disappointed...other than in the fact that the series is done!

I don't want to give anything away, but I will say that this triliogy now tops my list of favourites...and the fact that all TEN copies of The Hunger Games are signed out right now is not at all suprising to me. And, if you haven't yet added your name to our hold list for Mockingjay, you'd better hurry...the list is getting longer by the minute.

Heist Society ~ Ally Carter

2010-08-24T08:22:00.003-04:00

What a fun book - I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! If I were a movie producer, I'd snap up the rights to Heist Society immediately (what a cool job THAT would be!).

I was hooked from the beginning...where the author, Ally Carter, gives you just enough descriptive clues that you know Katarina Bishop (Kat) is no ordinary student: she's always scoping out the situation ("Kat was used to looking at a room and seeing all the angles"); you glimpse inklings of her past ("Every nerve in her body seemed to stand on end as she realized that somehow, in the last three months, she had become someone who wore squeaky shoes").

Kat's father has been framed for the theft of some extremely valuable art...and unless she can prove her father's innocence - or recover the art - some very dangerous men are going to be very unhappy.

This Teens' Top Ten nominee gets high marks in my book. Heist Society reads like a wonderful crime caper - not unlike the Oceans 11 movie. It has lots of action and suspense, but also doesn't take itself too seriously. It's a quick read, perfect for the end of summer or a weekend...and I'm going to keep my eyes open to see if it gets made into its own movie - I've already mentally started casting it. Once you've read it, let me know who you think should be part of Kat's crew!

Graceling/Fire ~ Kristin Cashore

2010-08-19T11:00:00.002-04:00

Only a few more weeks of summer (although I'm already back at school!) so I'd better get moving on all the Top Ten Nominees!!

Kristine Cashore's Fire is on the list, but I wanted to start by reading her first novel, Graceling. The 2 books are related to each other by one character, but you can read Fire without having read Graceling (although I'm glad I read them in the order I did!).

Let me just start off by saying that I LOVED Graceling. Five out of five, for sure, on the Rez Recommends scale. I reminded me quite a lot of The Hunger Games, which I also loved: feisty heroine, great adventure, amazing characters, a little bit of romance, political intrigue...all around great!

Graceling Plot summary: Katsa is a Graceling - which means she has special powers...in her case, the extraordinary fighting skills: she can take down an entire room of soldiers all on her own, and barely break a sweat. Her uncle, the power-hungry King Randa, takes advantage of these powers and uses her as a hired thug. Katsa's tired of bullying people and starts to defy her uncle. During a secret rescue mission, she meets Po, another Graceling (you can tell a Graceling by their eyes - each eye is a different colour - but they each have different skills/Graces). She's immediately drawn to him, but can't quite figure him out...the chemistry between the two of them is refreshing - there's clearly a romantic attraction, but it's not the over-the-top, swooning that seems to be quite popular these days. Anyway, the two of them uncover a plot to overthrow all Seven Kingdoms...let the action begin!! (Actually, the action starts right in the first few pages - I dare you not to get sucked in!). Overall, I LOVED it...I was thrilled to find a book that I enjoyed as much as The Hunger Games and couldn't wait to start the next book, Fire.

Fire Plot Summary: Once again, the hero of the story is female. This time, Fire, is part human, part monster...she is stunningly beautiful and has the ability to control the minds of anyone she meets. But this gift comes at a price...people obviously fear her, and that fear often leads to hate so she's always in danger - from humans and monsters. When Prince Bringan brings her to King City to try and uncover a treasonous plot, she must use this gift to try and save the kingdom. Maybe because I had such high expections after enjoying Graceling so much, I was a little disappointed in Fire. It took much longer for me to get engrossed in the story...it was like the author got a bit bogged down in the mythology/background story. Or maybe there were just more characters that I was trying to keep track of. It started off really well - the Prologue, which links the 2 books together, was fantastic. And then it seems to slow down for a while. But, if you stick with it, it's definitely worth the effort...similar elements make it a great great: adventure/suspense, a little bit of romance, great characters. Overall, Fire gets 4 out of 5 on the Rez Recommends scale. And again I should say, maybe my impression was skewed because I read it so closely after I finished Graceling.

No word yet on whether there's another book on the horizon, but I certainly hope so.

Now, I'm on to Teens' Top Ten nominee, Heist Society by Ally Carter. I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm loving it so far...I'll let you know when I'm done!

Twenty Boy Summer ~ Sarah Ockler

2010-08-04T15:21:00.004-04:00

So, I've been doing quite a bit of reading this summer (including the first 3 books in Michael Grant's Gone series...wow!!!) and finally finished one of the Teens' Top Ten nominees - Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. And I LOVED it!

I have to admit, based on the book's title and the cover, I thought it was going to be a slightly fluffy, but fun, romance novel. And although it definitely had romance, it was so much better than I was expecting.

Anna and Frankie are best friends. The summer before, Frankie's older brother dies - and we learn, right at the beginning of the book, that Anna had secretly started dating Matt just before he died...and promised Matt that she'd let him tell Frankie - which he never had a chance to do. The 2 best friends head off to Frankie's family cottage for the summer where Frankie is convinced to move on with her life, and drag Anna along with her, by embarking on the Twenty Boy Summer.

The author is just so good at describing things in a completely honest, real way. Grief, friendship, love. The two friends - and the way they deal with Matt's death - are so believable and real. How do you get over such a loss? Is it possible to move forward?

It earns a 5/5 from me on the Rez Recommends scale!

Rez Recommends 2009-2010

2010-07-08T09:42:00.004-04:00

Check out this year's Rez Recommends list - these are your favourites from the 2009-2010 school year! (The titles with an * asterisk are on the Rez Recommends list for the 2nd year in a row). These books will all be on display when you come back in September. Click here for full book descriptions and comments from students!

In the meantime, check out your local library...and keep watching for new posts as I read my way through the nominations for the Teens' Top Ten.

Vampire/Supernatural:

All Hallows’ Eve ~ Vivian Vande Velde
Fell ~ David Clement-Davies
*House of Night series ~ P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
*Mortal Instruments series ~ Cassandra Clare
Shiver ~ Maggie Stiefvater
*Vampire Academy series ~ Richelle Mead
Vampire Diaries series ~ L. J. Smith

Mystery/Action/Suspense/Thriller:

Angels & Demons ~ Dan Brown
Black: the birth of evil ~ Ted Dekker
Catching Fire ~ Suzanne Collins
Daughter of the Flames ~ Zoe Marriott
*The Hunger Games ~ Suzanne Collins
The Lovely Bones ~ Alice Sebold
Silence of the Lambs ~ Ted Harris

Science Fiction/Dystopia:

Caretaker Trilogy ~ David Klaas
*Elsewhere ~ Gabrielle Zevin
Fray ~ Joss Whedon
Gone ~ Michael Grant

Realistic Fiction:

Audrey, Wait! ~ Robin Benway
Before I Die ~ Jenny Downham
Chanda’s Secrets/Chanda’s War ~ Allan Stratton
Crank/Glass ~ Ellen Hopkins
Fat Cat ~ Robin Brande
Head Case ~ Sarah Aronson
The Juvie Three ~ Gordon Korman
*Looking for Alaska ~ John Green
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac ~ Gabrielle Zevin
Nineteen Minutes ~ Jodi Picoult
Peace Like a River ~ Leif Enger
Saving Zoe ~ Alyson Noel
Scorpions ~ Walter Dean Myers
*Suckerpunch ~ David Hernandez
The Truth About Forever ~ Sarah Dessen
Waves ~ Sharon Dogar

Non-Fiction (True Stories):

Kiss Off: poems to set you free
Night ~ Elie Wiesel

Rez Reads...for the summer!

2010-06-17T10:27:00.002-04:00

Get a head start on Rez Reads 2010!

Check out the YALSA Teens' Top Ten nominations below (for book descriptions, click here)- this will be the first Rez Reads list for 2010-2011. And don't forget, you can review the books you read for a chance to win some cool prizes - just fill out at Rez Recommends book form and email it to Ms. Martin.

And check back soon for our 2009-2010 Rez Recommends list!

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce (sequel to Terrier)
By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Ann Peters
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (book 3, Mockingjay, will be published in August!!!!)
City of Fire by Laurence Yep (first in a planned trilogy)
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (final book in the Mortal Instruments trilogy)
Dragonfly by Julia Golding
Fire by Kristin Cashore
Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Heist Society by Ally Carter
hush, hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
The Melancholy of Harushi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa (for our list, we'll read volume 1 of the manga series)
The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks
The Roar by Emma Clayton
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow (first in the series)
Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
Watersmeet by Ellen Jensen Abbott
Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Witch and Wizard by James Patterson (first in a series)

Semester 1 Rez Recommends...

2010-01-19T10:48:00.001-05:00

Have you read a book this semester that you totally loved?

Or maybe one that was so bad that you want to save anyone else from the pain and suffering you endured?!

Fill out a Rez Recommends form and tell your fellow students about the book…and YOU could win some fantastic prizes!

Prizes include:

Chapters gift certificates
Free Scholastic books
movie passes

Submit your Rez Recommends forms to Ms. Martin by Friday January 30th to qualify for this semester’s draw!

Best of 2009!

2010-01-14T10:33:00.008-05:00

With the new year upon us, it’s time to reflect on 2009! Here are some of this year’s award winners...

(unless otherwise indicated, all book descriptions are taken from NoveList Plus)

Michael L. Printz award ~ for excellence in Young Adult (YA) literature (one of my favourite awards...the books that have won have ALWAYS been amazing reads)

Winner! Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at the age of eleven, high school student Taylor Markham struggles with her identity and family history at a boarding school in Australia.

“This roller coaster ride of a novel grabs you from the first sentence and doesn’t let go. You may not be sure where the ride will take you, but every detail—from the complexities of the dual narrative to the pangs of first love—is pitch perfect,” said Printz Award Committee Chair Mary Arnold.

Honor Books:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, volume 2 by M.T. Andersen
When he and his tutor escape to British-occupied Boston, Octavian learns of Lord Dunmore's proclamation offering freedom to slaves who join the counterrevolutionary forces.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Sophomore Frankie starts dating senior Matthew Livingston, but when he refuses to talk about the all-male secret society that he and his friends belong to, Frankie infiltrates the society in order to enliven their mediocre pranks.

Nation by Terry Pratchett
After a devastating tsunami destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their lives.

Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
A young woman who has endured unspeakable cruelties is magically granted a safe haven apart from the real world and allowed to raise her two daughters in this alternate reality, until the barrier between her world and the real one begins to break down.

~~~~~

Teens Top 10 ~ teens nominate & choose their favourites; from the Young Adult Library Association

Paper Towns by John Green
One month before graduating from his Central Florida high school, Quentin "Q" Jacobsen basks in the predictable boringness of his life until the beautiful and exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman, Q's neighbor and classmate, takes him on a midnight adventure and then mysteriously disappears.

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
The final volume in the Twilight series.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
Sixteen-year-old Clary continues trying to make sense of the swiftly changing events and relationships in her life as she becomes further involved with the Shadowhunters and their pursuit of demons and discovers some terrifying truths about her parents, her brother Jace, and her boyfriend Simon. Book 2 in the Mortal Instruments series.

Identical by Ellen Hopkins
Sixteen-year-old identical twin daughters of a district court judge and a candidate for the United States House of Representatives, Kaeleigh and Raeanne Gardella desperately struggle with secrets that have already torn them and their family apart.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Playing off the theme of The Jungle Book, Gaiman spins a clever and inventive tale about a young boy who is adopted by the occupants of a graveyard after being orphaned by the death of his parents. Likable for all ages, this is a hard-to-categorize, commanding tale.

Wake by Lisa McMann
Ever since she was eight years old, high school student Janie Hannagan has been uncontrollably drawn into other people's dreams, but it is not until she befriends an elderly nursing home patient and becomes involved with an enigmatic fellow-student that she discovers her true power.
Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
Zoey's life at vampyre training school takes a turn for the worse as she loses most of her group of friends and all three of her potential boyfriends and the High Priestess Neferet plans a war on humans that Zoey knows is wrong.
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
(see description above)
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.

~~~

White Pine award ~ from the Ontario Library Association - Canadian YA fiction

Winner! Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.

~~~

2009 Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults ~ chosen by YALSA committee

Baby by Joseph Monninger
Fifteen-year-old Baby's last chance at foster care is with the Potters, and while she likes them and enjoys learning to race their sled dogs, she feels she should go back on the streets with her boyfriend if she cannot find the mother who has deserted her again.
Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
In 1981, the height of Ireland's "Troubles," eighteen-year-old Fergus is distracted from his upcoming A-level exams by his imprisoned brother's hunger strike, the stress of being a courier for Sinn Fein, and dreams of a murdered girl whose body he discovered in a bog.
The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees
Sophomore Frankie finally finds the courage to ask his long-term friend, Rebecca, to the Homecoming dance, which ultimately leads to a face-off between a tough senior whose family owns most of their small, New Mexico town, and Frankie's soccer-star olderbrother and his gang-member friends.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
(see description above)
It's Complicated: The American Teenager by Robin Bowman
Presents a collection of interviews and photographs of American teenagers in which they describe their lives.
Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Pena
Sixteen-year-old Danny searches for his identity amidst the confusion of being half-Mexican and half-white while spending a summer with his cousin and new friends on the baseball fields and back alleys of San Diego County, California.
Nation by Terry Pratchett
(see description above)
Skim words by Mariko Tamaki ; drawings by Jillian Tamaki [graphic novel]
Presents the whole gamut of tortured teen life--friends, love, depression, suicide, and cliques--through the eyes of Skim, a.k.a. Kimberly Keiko Cameron, a would-be Wiccan goth at a girls' academy in Toronto during the 1990s.
Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher
In 1940s Chicago, fifteen-year-old Ruby hopes to escape poverty by becoming a taxi dancer in a nightclub, but the work has unforeseen dangers and hiding the truth from her family and friends becomes increasingly difficult.
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Conner
Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic behavior and being separated from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York.

Young Adult Canadian Book Award ~ from the Canadian Library Association

Winner! Chanda's Wars by Allan Stratton
Chandra Kabelo, a teenaged African girl, must save her younger siblings after they are kidnapped and forced to serve as child soldiers in General Mandiki's rebel army.

Margaret A. Edwards ~ for lifetime achievement in YA literature

Winner! Laurie Halse Anderson ~ author of Speak, Catalyst, Wintergirls, and many more

Giller Prize ~ best in Canadian adult fiction

Winner! The Bishop’s Man by Linden MacIntyre
From an award-winning writer and one of Canada’s foremost broadcast journalists, comes a deeply wise and moving novel that explores the guilty minds and spiritual evasions of Catholic priests. Father Duncan MacAskill has spent most of his priesthood as the “Exorcist” — an enforcer employed by his bishop to discipline wayward priests and suppress potential scandal. He knows all the devious ways that lonely priests persuade themselves that their needs trump their vows, but he’s about to be sorely tested himself. While sequestered by his bishop in a small rural parish to avoid an impending public controversy, Duncan must confront the consequences of past cover-ups and the suppression of his own human needs. Pushed to the breaking point by loneliness, tragedy and sudden self-knowledge, Duncan discovers how hidden obsessions and guilty secrets either find their way to the light of understanding, or poison any chance we have for love and spiritual peace. (exerpt used from amazon.ca)

Governor General Awards ~ for Canadian Literature, Fiction category

Winner! The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger
Lady Duff Gordon is the toast of Victorian London. But when her debilitating tuberculosis means exile, she and her devoted lady's maid, Sally, set sail for Egypt. It is Sally who describes, with a mixture of wonder and trepidation, the odd menage marshalled by the resourceful Omar, which travels down the Nile to a new life in Luxor.

Many of these books are available here in the library @ Rez. If you don't see one you're looking for, ask me!

Thank you!

2009-12-10T12:10:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all of you that came out to Chapters for our fundraising event. Thanks to your support, we raised nearly $600 for the library!

If you have ideas of books that I should buy for the library, send me an email or drop off your suggestion in the green box in the library before you leave for Christmas holidays.

Coming in January - new books, plus a brand new reading list...Destination Unexpected!!

Fundraising for the Library

2009-11-20T14:21:00.002-05:00

The Library @ Rez has 2 fundraising events coming up...tell all your friends and family!

Rez Reads at Chapters - Fundraising event!
On Thursday December 3rd, just in time to do some Christmas shopping, we will be hosting a fundraising event at Chapters Waterloo.

For every regularly priced item you buy in the store on that day, Chapters will donate 15% back to our school library! (books that are on sale do not qualify and your irewards discount won't be applied on this day)

Print off your invitation here (and give one to a friend or relative too!).
We'll use the money raised to buy fun new books for the library...and you'll be given a chance to make suggestions on what we should buy! If you have any questions, email Ms. Martin.

New Book Sale!
Remember those book club flyers you took home as a kid, and got to buy new books at much cheaper prices? Well, now we have one for high school students!

Some examples?

Get a copy of New Moon (with a locker poster of the movie!) for only $10. The Gamers edition of the Guinness Book of Word Records (with highest scores, largest cash prize, etc.) is only $15. You can The Hunger Games in paperback!...for only $8!! Get all 3 books of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series in paperback for just $20 (that's less than $7 each). Plus many more great deals.

Check out the flyer in the library - or view online and print off your own order form. All orders are due to the library by Wednesday December 16th.

Welcome back!

2009-09-11T09:46:00.004-04:00

We've made it through the first full week of school!

I hope you've had a chance to come check out the displays in the library - I've set aside all of the Rez Reads and Rez Recommends books, plus a bunch of other new titles.

One of my favourite parts of being a librarian is helping students find new books that they'll ENJOY reading...so if you're stumped, feel free to come up and ask me.

I'm also starting to compile my first order list for the year - so if you have any suggestions for titles I should consider, send me an email or pop by to see me. I'm always happy to hear suggestions.

Happy reading!

Wintergirls ~ Laurie Halse Anderson

2009-07-27T14:48:00.003-04:00

I know I've been slow in posting this summer, but I needed to write about this book.

Laurie Halse Anderson is one of the best YA authors out there. And Wintergirls is simply brilliant. It's also one of the best - and most disturbing - books I've ever read that deals with eating disorders.

Two best friends descend into a deadly spiral, as they starve themselves in a quest to become the skinniest. When Cassie dies, Lia is left to cope still wants to fade away, and is haunted by the memories of her friend and her own demons.

It's dark, and haunting, and - like its title implies - sharp and icy. I actually felt a little queasy while reading it...only a powerful, honest novel can elicit that kind of reaction.

I'm positive it will be a multi-award winner this year. If you can't wait til September to read this one, the KPL has multiple copies.

Rez Recommends 2008-2009

2009-07-10T12:51:00.002-04:00

Check out our first annual Rez Recommends list, as chosen by you! For full descriptions of each book, as well as people's comments about the book, click here for the Rez Recommends pdf file. These books will all be on display when you come back to school in September. In the meantime, check out your local library...and keep watching for new posts as I read through some of the new "Read Beyond Reality" books!

Vampire/Supernatural:

Blue Girl ~ Charles deLint
A Certain Slant of Light ~ Laura Whitcomb
City of Ember ~ Jeanne duPrau
Elsewhere ~ Gabrielle Zevin
Harry Potter series ~ J.K. Rowling
House of Night series ~ P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast
Mortal Instruments series ~ Cassandra Clare
Twilight series ~ Stephanie Meyer
Vampire Academy series ~ Richelle Mead
Vampire Knight (manga) ~ Matsuri Hino

Adventure/Survival:

Alex Rider series ~ Anthony Horowitz
House of the Scorpion ~ Nancy Farmer
The Hunger Games ~ Suzanne Collins
Life as We Knew It ~ Susan Beth Pfeffer

Mystery/Suspense:

The Compound ~ S.A. Bodeen
Paper Towns ~ John Green

Realistic Fiction — Funny:

Abundance of Katharines ~ John Green
Good Enough ~ Paula Yoo
How to be Bad ~ e. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski & Lauren Myracle
jPod ~ Douglas Coupland
Notes from the Midnight Driver ~ Jordan Sonnenblick

Realistic Fiction — Serious:

Born Blue ~ Han Nolan
Looking for Alaska ~ John Green
My Sister’s Keeper ~ Jodi Picoult
Secret Life of Bees ~ Sue Monk Kidd
Slam ~ Walter Dean Myers
Striking Out ~ Will Weaver
Suckerpunch ~ David Hernandez
Ten Mile River ~ Paul Griffin
Theories of Relativity ~ Barbara Haworth-Attard
A Thousand Splendid Suns ~ Khaled Hosseini
Wake ~ Lisa McMann

Non-Fiction (True Stories):

A Home on the Field: how one championship team inspires hope for the revival of small
town America ~ Paul Cuadros
One Red Paperclip: or how an ordinary man achieved his dreams with the help of a
simple office supply ~ Kyle MacDonald
Tuesdays with Morrie ~ Mitch Albom

Rez Reads...for the summer

2009-06-15T12:34:00.005-04:00

I can hardly believe we're almost done another school year! Sometime in the next week or so, I'll be posting our first annual Rez Recommends list! We received a TON of book review forms from students (and last week's prize winners - cafeteria vouchers, iTunes gift card, Chapters gift card - were thrilled!). From these review forms, I'm going to compile the list of students' favourite books.

Speaking of favourite books, a student's mom got me a PRE-publication edition of the sequel to Hunger Games!! I was SO excited...and could barely put it down! Catching Fire, which isn't scheduled to be released until the beginning of September, is every bit as good as book 1!! Don't worry...when you come back to school in September, I'll be sure to have multiple copies of this one!

In the meantime, it's time to hit the public library. Library cards are free and you can
request books from any branch. You can also renew your books online, or ask for an extended summer loan to avoid those pesky fines.

Used bookstores are also a good option - they might not have the most recent books, but you’ll save some cash! Or you can visit a local bookstore, such as Wordsworth Books (an independent store, with lots of great suggestions for YA reads) or head to Chapters.

If you're looking for reading suggestions, check out the Read Beyond Reality list - this list was compiled by the Young Adult Library Association as their Top 10 Nominations and will be the first Rez Reads list of the 2009-2010 school year.

And, while you're reading for fun this summer, don't forget to fill out a Rez Recommends form - we'll start collecting them again in September.

Happy reading!

The Hunger Games ~ Suzanne Collins

2009-05-15T10:45:00.004-04:00

Hooray for Rez Reads...those 20 minutes over the last few days got me hooked on this AMAZING book by Suzanne Collins... The Hunger Games.

You know that feeling you get when watching a really suspenseful TV episode or movie (occasionally, when I'm watching them on DVD, I hit pause so I can catch my breath!)...I had that same feeling with this book. Within a chapter or two I was completely hooked (and stayed up WAY too late reading). The characters are great, it's completely action-packed but very smart/thought-provoking at the same time.

Imagine this...every year, 2 young people from a District (think city/region) are "nominated" (i.e. forced) to "play" in the Hunger Games - basically a wilderness survival/fight to the death...and if you live, you win! And, the whole thing is televised....it would be like watching Surivor, only instead of voting people off the island, the survivors would be killing each other. BRUTAL.

Somehow, in the midst of this thrill-ride, the author manages to develop real characters that you're rooting for - and even throws in a bit of romance.

My only complaint...it continues in a second book, THAT HASN'T BEEN PUBLISHED YET! It comes out on September 1st...and I promise to have it here in the library for the first day of school! I'm going to fill out my Rez Recommends form...and it's getting a 5 out of 5, for sure!

Rez Reads is coming!

2009-05-05T10:23:00.003-04:00

Next week - May 11th-15th - is Rez Reads week here at Resurrection. That means 20 whole minutes every day where we get to read whatever we want. Let me tell you, those 20 minutes (or 10-15, by the time I get finished checking out books to students who forgot to bring something!) are pure bliss.

I often read an Entertainment Weekly magazine or something from the New Internationalist or Geez magazines...depending on whether I want to read something escapist and "fluffy" or something more thought-provoking. My reading preferences are very mood-dependent.

I think, though, for this Rez Reads, I'm going to pick one of the novels that will be on next year's Rez Reads list (stay tuned for more information before the end of the school year!!).

Happy reading...and remember to share your favourites by filling out a Rez Recommends form...you might even win a prize!

Novels in Verse

2009-04-15T09:16:00.012-04:00

April is Poetry Month here in Canada and the United States. To celebrate, I've created a display in the library (check out the orange floating cart) and have created this list of "verse novels"...these are all novels that are written in poetry (verse) style, and all are available in the library @ Rez. (Book descriptions are taken from NoveList - which you can use to search for similar books, with the password from the library).

Bronx Masquerade ~ Nikki Grimes (FIC GRI)
While studying the Harlem Renaissance, students at a Bronx high school read aloud poems they've written, revealing their innermost thoughts and fears to their formerly clueless classmates.
CrashBoomLove ~ Juan Felipe Herrera (FIC HER)
After his father leaves home, sixteen-year-old Cesar Garcia lives with his mother and struggles thorugh the painful experiences of growing up as a Mexican American high school student.
Crank ~ Ellen Hopkins (FIC HOP)
Kristina Snow is the perfect daughter, but she meets a boy who introduces her to drugs and becomes a very different person, struggling to control her life and her mind. Also try the sequel, Glass.
A Dangerous Girl ~ Catherine Bateson (FIC BAT)
(description from the back of the novel)
All I had were some plans that went awry and a woman whose skin wore my fingerprints for nearly a summer.Merri, John, Leigh and Nick are positioned like the four points of a gameboard. Gentle John is Dungeon Master and craftsman of wood, but can he master the manipulative and ambitious Leigh? His sister Merri is seduced by the glamour of the stage, but her attention turns to Nick and his email haikus...
Also check out the sequel, The Year it all Happened.
Dark Sons ~ Nikki Grimes (FIC GRI)
Alternating poems compare and contrast the conflicted feelings of Ishmael, son of the Biblical patriarch Abraham, and Sam, a teenager in New York City, as they try to come to terms with being abandoned by their fathers and with the love they feel for their younger stepbrothers. Winner of the Coretta Scott King Honor award, as well as other starred reviews.
The Death of Jayson Porter ~ Jaime Adoff (FIC ADO)
In the Florida projects, sixteen-year-old Jayson struggles with the harsh realities of his life which include an abusive mother, a drug-addicted father, and not fitting in at his predominately white school, and bring him to the brink of suicide. Also try Jimi & Me by the same author, where twelve-year-old Keith James moves from Brooklyn to a small midwestern town where his mixed race heritage is not accepted, but he finds comfort in the music of Jimi Hendrix and the friendship of a white classmate.
I Heart You, You Haunt Me ~ Lisa Schroeder (FIC SCH)
When her recently deceased boyfriend, Jackson, reappears as a ghost, Ava is thrilled to have him in her life in any way she can, but when she finally begins to move on with her life, Jackson must find a way to let her go.
Jinx ~ Margaret Wild (FIC WIL)
With the help of her understanding mother and a close friend, Jen eventually outgrows her nickname, Jinx, and deals with the deaths of two boys with whom she had been involved. Also try another of Margaret Wild's books, One Night, where a teenaged girl decides to have her baby and care for it on her own after a "one night stand" results in pregnancy.
Keesha's House ~ Helen Frost (FIC FRO)
Seven teens facing such problems as pregnancy, closeted homosexuality, and abuse each describe in poetic forms what caused them to leave home and where they found home again.
Love, Ghosts and Facial Hair ~ Steven Herrick (FIC HER)
Sixteen-year-old Jack woos beautiful Annabel, and through their relationship, copes with his mother's death. Also see the companion novel, A Place Like This.
Make Lemonade ~ Virginia Euwer Wolff (FIC WOL)
In order to earn money for college, fourteen-year-old LaVaughn babysits for a teenage mother of two. A beautiful book - also check out the sequel True Believer.
Out of the Dust ~ Karen Hesse (FIC HES)
In a series of poems, fourteen-year-old Billie Jo relates the hardships of living on her family's wheat farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl years of the Depression.
Rubber Houses ~ Ellen Yeomans (FIC YEO)
Relates seventeen-year-old Kit's experiences as her younger brother is diagnosed with and dies of cancer and as she withdraws into and gradually emerges from her grief.
Sold ~ Patricia McCormick (FIC MCC)
Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi leaves her poor mountain home in Nepal thinking that she is to work in the city as a maid only to find that she has been sold into the sex slave trade in India and that there is no hope of escape.
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy ~ Sonya Sones (FIC SON)
A younger sister has a difficult time adjusting to life after her older sister has a mental breakdown. Also try other verse novels by Sonya Sones: What My Mother Doesn't Know and One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies.
Street Love ~ Walter Dean Myers (FIC MYE)
This story is set against a background of street gangs and poverty in Harlem in which seventeen-year-old African American Damien takes a bold step to ensure that he and his new love will not be separated.
Things Left Unsaid ~ Stephanie Hemphill (FIC HEM)
After a lifetime of conforming to the image of what her parents and high school friends want her to be, Sarah must come to terms with her own identity when her destructive best friend tries to commit suicide.

Life Less Ordinary ~ books about teens who stand out from the crowd

2009-03-26T08:38:00.004-04:00

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Poor Colin hasn’t had much luck with dating. He’s been dumped 19 times...all by girls named Katherine! Nothing like a road trip with your best friend to try and heal your broken heart...and figure out why you keep getting dumped! John Green is hands down one of the best Young Adult authors out there! This book earned multiple starred reviews and a Printz Honor award.
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
This book is a perfect example of “don’t judge a book by its cover.” This high-flying novel has everything a great adventure should...daring rescues, thrilling escapes, pirates, and a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure. Winner of a Governor General's award. Also look for the follow-up books, Skybreaker and Starclimber.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, vol. 1: The Pox Party by M.T. Anderson
Octavian is a African slave sent to American to receive, as an experiment, a classical education usually reserved for the “elite”. As the Revolutionary War unfolds, Octavian runs away to join the army and experiences the horrors of what it means to be a slave in 18th century America. This brilliantly written novel also provides insightful commentary on today’s society and our notion of history. Also try volume 2, Kingdom on the Waves. Both are multi-award winners.
Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin
When 15-year old Lizzie is killed, she travels to the afterlife, called Elsewhere, and tries to figure out how to “live” in her new surroundings. A powerful story about life, and life after death. Winner of multiple starred reviews...and one of my all-time favourites!
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Earth is about to be invaded by a hostile alien race. The defense plan? Train an army of children! Ender Wiggen is the unlikely candidate recruited to join the troops. Even if you don’t normally like science fiction, I DARE you not to love this book!
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Kat’s little sister is ordered to compete in the Hunger Games...a reality TV series kind of like Survivor, but instead of getting voted off, you die! Kat volunteers to take her place and, with TV cameras following her every move, fights to stay alive.
I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusack
Ed Kennedy’s life isn’t exactly exciting...he spends all his time hanging out with his dog, driving his taxi and playing cards with his friends. When mysterious, coded messages show up in his mailbox, he is sent on a series of tasks that will change his life. Winner of a Printz Honor award.
I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
Cammie goes to a prestigious all-girls private school...but it’s not just any private school. It’s a secret school for spies! All of the girls are spies in training, which makes leading a “normal” life a little difficult. It’s a fun, light-hearted adventure...if you were to mix James Bond with Harry Potter with the girls from Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, this is the novel you’d get!
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
When the moon is hit by a meteor and bumped out of its normal orbit, life on Earth is horrifyingly altered. Worldwide tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, ice storms… chaos. Miranda describes in her diary how she and her family struggle to survive. Also check out the sequel, “The Dead and the Gone” that tells the same story, but from the perspective of a boy in New York City.
Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalestier
Australian teen, Reason, must go live with her “wicked” grandmother, Esmeralda, in Sydney after her mother has a mental breakdown. While trying to escape from Esmeralda, Reason runs through a door...only to find herself in New York City. This magical adventure is the award-winning first book of a trilogy (followed by Magic Lessons and Magic’s Child).
Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
A “fallen angel” (demon) named Kiriel is bored with Hell and decides to take over the body and life of a slacker teen who has just been hit by a cement truck. Even though he’s breaking all the rules, Kiriel is determined to experience life as a human teen and have a positive impact on the people around him. Winner of a Printz Honor award.
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
Imagine high school and dating...when your dad is a mafia leader! Life is certainly “interesting” for Vince Luca. Oh, and did I mention that the girl he’s fallen for is the daughter of an FBI agent?! Funny man Gordon Korman at his best! Also check out the sequel, Hollywood Hustle for more adventures as Vince heads off to college.

Don’t forget to fill out your own reviews of these books for a chance to win some great prizes!

New Rez Reads Spirit Wear!

2009-03-26T08:19:00.004-04:00

Designed by Brooke Beggs (Gr. 12 student) with assistance from Heather Lee (Ms. Martin’s sister), the new Rez Reads spirit wear is "sick"!

Front of shirt

Back of shirt

Shirts are $20 each. Click here to download an order form - or pick up a copy in the library. Sample T-shirts (for sizing) are in the library - see Ms. Martin.

Orders, with payment, are due to the library by FRIDAY APRIL 3rd.

Winners of the first Rez Recommends draw!

2008-12-19T08:30:00.002-05:00

Congratulations to the Rez Recommends winners…

Cafeteria Voucher – Bronwyn Corrigan
Twilight DVD – Elizabeth Vang
New Rez Reads spirit wear – Raluca Topliceanu
$25 Chapters gift certificate – Mai Yeeb Vang

Thank you to everyone who filled out a Rez Recommends form. Keep filling them out…we will be having more draws in the new year.

And if you’re curious what other students have had to say about what they’ve read, come take a look at the Rez Recommends binder in the library.

Keep checking the Rez Reads blog for more exciting news and updates!

Merry Christmas and happy reading!

Rez Recommends...and win!

2008-12-05T08:32:00.003-05:00

Have you read a book recently that you totally loved?

Or maybe one that was so bad that you want to save anyone else from the pain and suffering you endured?

Fill out a Rez Recommends form and tell your fellow students about the book…and YOU could win some fantastic prizes!

Prizes include:
* $25 Chapters gift certificate
* NEW Rez Reads spirit wear (to be unveiled in the new year)
* Twilight DVD (when released)

Every review form you submit earns you one entry into the draw! The more reviews you submit, the more chances you have to win!

Submit your Rez Recommends forms to Ms. Martin (via email or by dropping it off to the library) by Thursday, December 18th to qualify for this draw.

Happy reading!

The Awesomeness that is John Green

2008-11-18T07:49:00.010-05:00

I just finished reading John Green's newest novel, Paper Towns...and within pages I was reminded of why he is one of my all-time favourite authors. He makes me laugh out loud and I honestly believe that if I lived in the same town as John Green, we could be friends (how cool would that be?!).

Paper Towns is part comedy, part mystery, a little bit of romance, and all awesome. His writing is smart, and quirky, and he has this way of writing that you can hear the characters' voices and care what happens to them...I could easily see any of his books (Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines) made into a movie.

Both of his previous books have won a Printz award (for Excellence in Young Adult Literature) - Looking for Alaska won in 2006; An Abundance of Katherines was an honor book in 2007. Paper Towns wasn't published in time for the 2008 awards, but fingers crossed for 2009!

Watch for Paper Towns to be out on the Library @ Rez shelves in the next few weeks (or ask me, and I can let you borrow it sooner!) - along with nearly 250 new novels that have just arrived!!

p.s. John Green has posted a Paper Towns Playlist on his blog...if you're curious, check it out!

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

2008-11-03T08:36:00.002-05:00

Talk about not judging a book by its cover!

I have to admit, I'm guilty of choosing (or in this case, NOT choosing) books based on their cover. Even though "Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow" is on the Books with Bite list, I shied away from it, thinking that it was some kind of wilderness survival book (the girl on the front is wearing this giant parka, looks very icey, etc.) - which is not what I've been in the mood for.

But, during Rez Reads, I left my book at home one day, so I decided to pick up "Sun and Moon..." and see what it was actually about.

To my surprise, it's actually a very cool re-telling of a Nordic fairy tale...and also has elements of Beauty and the Beast. A little bit of romance, a little bit of magic/folklore, and characters that you really grow to like...it all adds up to a great read. I give it 4 out of 5 on my Rez Reads book review form.

So, shame on me for not trying it sooner...perhaps that's the next list I should create: Great books with not-so-great covers!

Review and Win!

2008-10-14T09:52:00.003-04:00

Next week is Rez Reads here at Rez, which seems like a perfect time for me to remind you to review any of the books you're reading!! For every book review that you fill in and submit, you'll get a ballot for the draw for a $25 Chapters gift certificate!!

I know a lot of you are reading...because in the first month of school alone, you signed out over 2,500 books!

And just a heads up...I've just finished ordering a bunch of new manga and novels that you should see hitting the shelves in the upcoming weeks. Remember, if you have any suggestions or requests, just send send me an email.

Welcome back Rez!

2008-08-29T10:48:00.005-04:00

I don't know about you, but my summer FLEW by. I'm here in my office on Friday morning, preparing to re-open the doors of the library on Tuesday. And although I'd love to be sitting out on my deck reading, I'm also excited about the year ahead. I think we could have a lot of fun with Rez Reads this year!

Even if you don't feel like reading the Books with Bite titles, remember that Rez Recommends is open to any kind of book - fiction, non-fiction, graphic novel, manga series - whatever you think people should be reading! So, pick any title and fill in a review for a chance to win prizes and see your favourites end up on our annual Rez Recommends list.

I'm also looking for a group of students to form a Rez Reads advisory group - to give us suggestions for activities, books to read...anything to make Rez Reads and the library @ Rez better! If you're interested in applying (or even just have questions for now), simply email me and let me know why you'd like to help out. I'll post more info as the year progresses.

So, until Tuesday, enjoy your long weekend...and happy reading!

Breaking Dawn ~ Stephanie Meyer

2008-08-26T09:33:00.003-04:00

I don't care what any of the critics say, I LOVED the final book in the Twilight series. Yes, it does take a twist that I wasn't expecting, but it seemed completely appropriate somehow.

Breaking Dawn was one of those rare finales where I didn't feel cheated - it ended, and I was satisfied. Will I miss Bella and Edward (and the rest of the Cullens) and Jacob? Sure. But do I feel like Stephanie Meyer left anything out? No.

Tell me what YOU thought of Breaking Dawn...leave a comment on this post and let's see who agrees with me, and who sides with the critics!

I'm not going to say anymore, because I don't want to spoil anything for any of you who haven't read it yet. But I will say, I'm going to give the series 5 out of 5 on my Rez Recommends form...and be sure to stock up on multiple copies of each book for our library!

Before I Die ~ Jenny Downham

2008-07-30T12:44:00.004-04:00

This book is probably one of the saddest books I have ever read...but somehow, because it is so honest, and so beautifully written, it manages NOT to be depressing.

You know that Tessa is going to die. Right at the beginning of the book, you learn that her leukemia has returned, and she has very little time left to live. So, she creates a list of the things she still wants to do before she dies. The book talks frankly of sex and drugs…but it all makes sense in the context of a young woman who is frantically trying to take control of what time she has left. To edit that out would have seemed dishonest.

Tessa tells her own story so honestly that it's impossible to put down. This book is NOT for the faint of heart. It is gritty, and raw, and gut-wrenchingly sad. I started crying (sobbing) about 40 pages from the end of the book and didn't stop. (Probably good to avoid reading this one on a bus or other public place!!)

Of all of the books on the Books with Bite list, this is the first one that I've given a 5 out of 5 on my Rez Recommends book review form.

The Luxe ~ Anna Godbersen

2008-07-30T11:52:00.000-04:00

This novel felt like Pride and Prejudice meets Gossip Girls. It had all of the detail, description, and mannerisms of a classic historical novel, transporting you to end-0f-the-nineteenth-century New York City. But, layered on top of this was the added intrigue of gossip, hidden romances, back-stabbing, and deception.

I was slightly disappointed with The Luxe, however. It seemed like the entire 430+ page novel was merely setting up the sequel. And for the first 200 pages, I wasn't sure I'd even want to read it! There was something about the characters that didn't sit well with me…I was supposed to feel sympathetic to the heroine, but I didn't really like her (until near the end of the novel). And the characters I did like, were in love with people that I found annoying.

However, the more I read, the more I enjoyed it. And I'm hoping the sequel, Rumors, will develop the story, and characters, further.

Marked ~ P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast

2008-07-23T13:14:00.006-04:00

Although Marked is not on the Rez Reads "Books with Bite" list, it is the first book in the "House of Night" series...book 2, Betrayed, is on the list and I can't wait to read it.

I have to say, of the three fantasy/faery/vampire series that I've just started (City of Bones, Wicked Lovely) this one is my favourite so far.

Unlike the other 2 series, there is no separation between the supernatural/magical world and the real world. In Marked, everyone knows that vampires (vampyres) exist...although no one knows why some humans are marked and go through "the change". Also, vampyres are not inherently evil...they are merely different, supernatural. Once a person is marked, they go off to the House of Night...a school for vampyres (sort of a Hogwarts for vampyres)...for guidance through the change, instruction on the history and their developing powers. Unfortunately, not all students who are marked will graduate...there's also a distinct possibility that their bodies will reject the change, and they will die.

At the beginning of the book, Zoey Redbird is marked...although she seems to be going through the change differently than most of the other students - her mark is a special one, and she seems to be more more powerful than the other students. The kids in the "popular crowd" - the Dark Daughters - are less than impressed.

I think what I liked most about this book was that the story wasn't about the vampires and the magic...that was just part of the story. It was much more about the characters...kind of like a realistic teen novel (a la Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants) where everyone just happens to be a vampire. I am looking forward to seeing where Zoey's story is leading in Betrayed because although Marked is not a cliff hanger, it certainly didn't feel finished.

And now I feel like I need to read something outside of the fantasy/magic/supernatural realm...so look for something completely different in my next post.

Wicked Lovely ~ Melissa Marr

2008-07-23T12:55:00.003-04:00

I'm in a fantasy/magic phase for my summer reading. Like City of Bones, Wicked Lovely takes place in a current-day urban setting...but this book felt much more "magical" to me - less gritty (although it had suspense and thrills galore!) and more faerie tale.

Aislinn can see faeries, who live among us but are usually only seen when they put on glamours, to appear as humans. Aislinn, however, can see them all the time. But these faeries are dangerous, mischevious, and generally like to create havock for humans.

The Summer King, Keenan, is searching for his Summer Queen to try and defeat the Winter Queen, Beira...but unless the girl he chooses is destined to be this queen, she is consumed by the chill of the Winter Queen's staff...no matter how much he loves the girl. Keenan meets Aislinn and her life forever alters...her mortality begins to fade as she must decide what her future holds.

I loved the slightly unexpected ending that sets it apart from a typical faery tale...and I've put the next book in the series "Ink Exchange" on hold at the library. This series would also fit perfectly on the "Magic in the Real World" list.

I also think this would make an amazing movie! Here's a question for you...after you've read Wicked Lovely, who do you think would be great to star in the movie version? Send me your dream cast (for the characters of Aislinn, Keeran, Seth, Dania and Beira) in the comments or by email.

City of Bones ~ Cassandra Clare

2008-07-14T10:51:00.007-04:00

I just finished reading my first summer reading book, from our "Books with Bite" list. "City of Bones" is the first installment in the series "The Mortal Instruments" by Cassandra Clare...and let me tell you, I can't wait to read the next one!

Here's part of the description from the inside cover of the book:
"When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly epxects to witness a murder - much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It's hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing - not even a smear of blood - to show that a boy has died. Or was he a boy? This is Clary's first meeting with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the earth of demons. It's also her first encounter with Jace, a Shadowhunter who looks a little like an angel and acts a lot like a jerk. Within twenty-four hours Clary is pulled into Jace's world with a vengeance, when her mother disappears and Clary herself is attacked by a demon..."

It had the perfect mix of action, magic/fantasy - but set in the real world of current-day New York City - and just a dash of romance. It is a whopping 485 pages, but worth every page.

If I were to list other "readalikes" - books that if you liked one, you'll probably like the other - I would put it alongside:

Twilight series - Stephanie Meyer
Blue Girl - Charles de Lint
Tithe, Valiant, Ironside - Holly Black
Harry Potter series - J.K. Rowling

It fits perfectly on the "Magic in the Real World" list, that I posted earlier. And don't worry, we'll definitely be adding this series to the Library @ Rez!

I've already filled out my Rez Recommends book review (and will add it to the Rez Recommends binder that you can check out when you come back to school) and have put "City of Ashes" (book #2 in the series) on hold at the public library. Now onto another from YALSA's Top 10 nominations (Books with Bite) list...stay tuned for a post to see what I read next...

Summer Reading

2008-07-03T10:37:00.000-04:00

School's out for the summer, and what a perfect time to read for fun!

Next year at Rez, we'll be launching a new & improved Rez Reads - including a virtual book club, Rez Recommends, and your chance to win prizes by filling out book reviews.

To get a head start on Rez Reads 2008, check out the Rez Reads web site and our first list of books: "Books with Bite" (from YALSA's 2008 teens’ top 10 nominations). Grab a copy of these books from your local public library or bookstore and start reading Rez!

Magic in the Real World

2008-06-18T12:32:00.006-04:00

This list is one of the 2008 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults lists, put together by the Young Adult Library Association (YALSA). These books answer the question "What would life be like if magic really existed?" - in today's world.

I've only listed those titles that we have here in the Rez Library, and included a description of each book. Enjoy!

The Blue Girl ~ Charles de Lint (FIC DEL)
New at her high school, Imogene enlists the help of her introverted friend Maxine and the ghost of a boy who haunts the school after receiving warnings through her dreams that soul-eaters are threatening her life. Winner of the 2006 White Pine award...and one of my favourites!

Devilish ~ Maureen Johnson (FIC JOH)
Jane Jarvis, a senior at a Catholic girl's school in Providence, Rhode Island, tries to save her best friend by making a pact with a demon--in the form of a cupcake-eating, very friendly teenage girl.
The Lightning Thief ~ Rick Riordan (FIC RIO)
After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.
Magic or Madness ~ Justine Larbalestier (FIC LAR)
From the Sydney, Australia home of a grandmother she believes is a witch, fifteen-year-old Reason Cansino is magically transported to New York City, where she discovers that friends and foes can be hard to distinguish.
Midnighters: The Secret Hour ~ Scott Westerfeld (FIC WES)
Upon moving to Bixby, Oklahoma, fifteen-year-old Jessica Day learns that she is one of a group of people who have special abilities that help them fight ancient creatures living in an hour hidden at midnight; creatures that seem determined to destroy Jess.
Now You See It ~ Vivian Vande Velde (FIC VAN)
With Wendy's new glasses, she begins to see cheerful corpses, old crones disguised as teeny-boppers, and portals to another world--a place where everyone knows of the glasses' powers and will do anything they can to get them.

Raven’s Gate: The Gatekeepers, Book One ~ Anthony Horowitz (FIC HOR)
Sent to live in a foster home in a remote Yorkshire village, Matt, a troubled fourteen-year-old English boy, uncovers an evil plot involving witchcraft and the site of an ancient stone circle. By the author of the "Alex Rider" series.
Temping Fate ~ Esther Friesner (FIC FRI)
Ilana Newhouse's quirky sense of style and humor leave her unable to find a summer job in her small Connecticut town until she stumbles upon the Divine Relief Temp Agency and ends up working for the Three Fates, making friends with Arachne, and trying out the powers of her employers with chaotic results.

Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie ~ Holly Black (FIC BLA)
Seventeen-year-old Val runs away to New York City, where she falls in with a gang of squatters who live in the city's subway system and consort with faeries, trolls, and other strange creatures. Be sure to also check out "Tithe" (book 1) and "Ironside" (book 3).

The Warrior Heir ~ Cinda Williams Chima (FIC CHI)
After learning about his magical ancestry and his own warrior powers, sixteen-year-old Jack embarks on a training program to fight enemy wizards. Also try the sequel, called "The Wizard Heir."

One Red Paperclip

2008-06-13T09:22:00.005-04:00

I know! I think I'll buy myself a house...with a paperclip. Sounds crazy, right?! Well, with a little bit of creativity, the help of "craigslist" and a whole lot of media hype, Kyle MacDonald did just that.

"One Red Paperclip: or How an ordinary man achieved his dream with the help of a simple office supply" retells the true adventures of Kyle MacDonald - an unemployed dreamer who decided to see how far he could "trade up" - starting with one red paperclip. He posted the paperclip on craigslist, saying he wanted to trade for something "bigger or better"...and continued to swap items until eventually he ended up with a house!

Not only is this a fascinating idea, but the book is a GREAT read. Kyle is very funny and sarcastic, the people he meets and trades with (from all across North America) are odd and quirky (and sometimes famous!!), and it's inspiring to see what one person can do with a dream and the right attitude.

I LOVED this book. It made me smile and reminded me that there are a lot of really cool, smart, good people in this world.

Grab a copy from a library (381.142 MAC) or bookstore - it will be a great summer read. And maybe it will inspire you to dream up your own big idea!

Dear Diary

2008-05-26T14:55:00.009-04:00

Sneak a peak into another person's life, with these novels that are written in diary (or email conversation) style...

3NBs of Julian Drew ~ James M. Deem (FIC DEE)
The journals of a troubled fifteen-year-old boy who lives with his father and emotionally and physically abusive stepmother and her children after the death of his own mother years ago.

Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging : confessions of Georgia Nicolson ~ Louise Rennison (FIC REN)
Presents the humorous journal of a year in the life of a fourteen-year-old British girl who tries to reduce the size of her nose, stop her mad cat from terrorizing the neighborhood animals, and win the love of handsome hunk Robbie.

Bloodline ~ Kate Carey (FIC CAR)
In this story told primarily through journal entries, a British soldier in World War I makes the horrifying discovery that his regiment commander is descended from Count Dracula.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time ~ Mark Haddon (FIC HAD)
Christopher John Francis Boone is autistic. He knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotion. He cannot stand to be touched. And he detests the colour yellow. This story tells of Christopher's quest to investigate the suspicious death of a neighbourhood dog. Trust me, by the end of this unique novel, you'll be able to "hear" Christopher's voice in your head!

The Diary of Pelly D ~ L. J. Adlington
Toni V is a teenage working for the City Five demolition crew. While drilling through concrete he unearths a battered water can containing a parcel wrapped in faded brown paper. Though he's supposed to turn over anything he salvages, Toni V smuggles the package back to his room, unwraps it, and finds a notebook. "This is the diary of Pelly D. It's totally secret so if you're reading it I hate you already." What happened to Pelly D? Toni V needs to know. And he has one clue: "Dig - dig everywhere."

Fade to Black ~ Alex Flinn (FIC FLI)
An HIV-positive high school student hospitalized after being attacked, the bigot accused of the crime, and the only witness, a classmate with Down Syndrome, reveal how the assault has changed their lives as they tell of its aftermath.

Feeling Sorry for Celia ~ Jaclyn Moriarty (FIC MOR)
This story is up of post-it notes and letters between Elizabeth and her best friend, a runaway named Celia, Christina - the new pen pal Elizabeth reluctantly takes on for a school assignment, her busy mother; and Elizabeth's own angst-ridden mind.

Girls, girls, girls (#1 of The Black Book series: diary of a teenage stud) ~ Jonah Black (FIC BLA)
Jonah Black, whose thoughts are filled with fantasies about a Pennsylvania girl named Sophie, chronicles in his journal his first six weeks back in Florida after being expelled from a Pennsylvania prep school, during which time he is forced to watch his old friend and new crush, Posie, get friendly with a womanizer.

Heart on my Sleeve ~ Ellen Wittlinger (FIC WIT)
While on a college visit, Chloe meets Julian, another prospective freshman, and infatuated, the two high school seniors begin a long-distance relationship. Chloe is thrilled that she'll have a boyfriend at college, although she doesn't know how to break the news to Eli, her best friend whom she's sort of dating. As Chloe and Julian prepare to meet again, they must face the question of whether their relationship is based on who they really are or who they imagine each other to be.
Love, Sara ~ Mary Beth Lundgren (FIC LUN)
In a series of emails and journal entries Sara, a high school junior with a history of sexual abuse and foster home care, reveals her feelings about herself and two friends who are headed for destruction.
Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 ~ Sue Townsend (FIC TOW)
In the early 1980s, British thirteen-year-old Adrian Mole chronicles his trials and tribulations, including his painful love for Pandora Braithwaite, the BBC's refusal to publish his poetry, his dog's health issues, and his neighbor's amorous advances toward his mother. If you like British humour, this one will have you in stitches!
This is all : the pillow book of Cordelia Kenn ~ Aidan Chambers (FIC CHA)Nineteen-year-old Cordelia Kenn sets out to write her life for her unborn daughter. She adapts the form of a pillow book, a collection of notebooks used to record "impressions, daily events, poems, letters, stories, ideas," and much more. At 808 pages, this diary will take some time to get through, but promises to leave a lasting impression.

And the winner is...

2008-05-23T09:29:00.003-04:00

...no, I'm not talking about David Cook (although I'd be happy to!...way to go DC!!!)...the following is a list of some of the major book awards, and some of the winners that we have here in the library @ Rez.

Michael L. Printz award ~ for excellence in Young Adult (YA) literature (one of my favourite awards...the books that have won have ALWAYS been amazing reads)

American Born Chinese (2007) ~ Gene Luen Yang (GN FIC YAN)
Looking for Alaska (2006) ~ John Green (FIC GRE)
how i live now (2005) ~ Meg Rosoff (FIC ROS)
The First Part Last (2004) ~ Angela Johnson (FIC JOH)

Alex awards ~ books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier (2008) ~ Ishmael Beah (966.40409 BEA)
Eagle Blue: A Team, A Tribe, and A High School Basketball Season in Arctic Alaska (2007) ~ Michael D'Orso (796.32362 DOR)
Anansi Boys (2006) ~ Neil Gaiman (FIC GAI)

Margaret A. Edwards ~ for lifetime achievement in YA literature

Orson Scott Card (2008) ~ try Ender's Game, or the Seventh Son series (FIC CAR)
Lois Lowry (2007) ~ try The Giver (FIC LOW)
Jacqueline Woodson (2006) ~ try If You Come Softly (FIC WOO)
Francesca Lia Block (2005) ~ try Weetzie Bat (FIC BLO)

Governor General Awards ~ for Canadian Literature

The Law of Dreams (2006 - fiction) ~ Peter Behrens (FIC BEH)
A Perfect Night to Go to China (2005 - fiction) ~ David Gilmour (FIC GIL)
Shake Hands with the Devil (2004 - non-fiction) ~ Lt.-Gen Romeo Dallaire (967.57104 DAL)
Airborn (2004 - children's fiction) ~ Kenneth Oppel (FIC OPP)

White Pine awards ~ from the Ontario Library Association - Canadian YA fiction

Keturah & Lord Death (2008) ~ Martine Leavitt (FIC LEA)
Shattered (2007) ~ Eric Walters (FIC WAL)
The Blue Girl (2006) ~ Charles de Lint (FIC DEL)
More than You Can Chew (2005) ~ Marnelle Tokio (FIC TOK)
The First Stone (2004) ~ Don Aker (FIC AKE)

Young Adult Canadian Book Award ~ from the Canadian Library Association

The Blue Helmet (2007) ~ William Bell (FIC BEL)
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea (2006) ~ Shyam Selvadurai (FIC SEL)
A Complicated Kindness (2005) ~ Miriam Toews (FIC TOE)
True Confessions of a Heartless Girl (2003) ~ Martha Brookes (FIC BRO)

Coretta Scott King ~ given to African American authors and illustrators for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions

Copper Sun (2007) ~ Sharon Draper (FIC DRA)
Jimi & Me (2006) ~ Jaime Adoff (FIC ADO)
Who Am I Without Him (2005) ~ Sharon Flake (FIC FLA)
First Part Last (2004) ~ Angela Johnson (FIC JOH)

Other awards include:

CBC's Canada Reads ~ Five great works of Canadian fiction. Five celebrity panelists. One winner.
One Book One Community ~ encourages people in the Region of Waterloo to read the same book, meet to discuss it at various events, and get enthusiastic about reading
Giller Prize ~ best in Canadian fiction
American Library Association booklists (including Popular Paperbacks, Quickpicks, Graphic Novels, and more)
National Book Award ~ awards in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, young people's literature
Orange Prize ~ for fiction written by women
Pulitzer ~ for books published in the US - fiction, biography, general non-fiction, history and poetry
Man Booker Prize ~ annual contemporary fiction award, to writers from the British Commonwealth and Ireland

Rez Reads!

2008-05-21T07:51:00.002-04:00

Wow! Last week's Rez Reads went by in a blur. It was great to see students, teachers & staff reading for fun together...and man oh man did we read A LOT! Over 800 books were signed out of the library during Rez Reads...and that doesn't include the over 300 magazines that also got signed out. Way to go Rez!

American Idol

2008-05-20T08:47:00.000-04:00

Have you got Idol fever? Fascinated with the music biz? Here are a few novels that will have you singing...

Adios to My Old Life ~ Caridad Ferrer (FIC FER)
Tiring of unpromising jobs while longing for fame, seventeen-year-old Latina singer Ali Montero competes in a Latin superstar contest and finds herself overwhelmed by a maelstrom of glitzy wardrobe fittings, media interviews, and fan blogs.
Born blue ~ Han Nolan (FIC NOL)
Janie was four years old when she nearly drowned due to her mothers neglect. Through an unhappy foster home experience, and years of feeling that she is unwanted, she keeps alive her dream of someday being a famous singer.
Born to Rock ~ Gordon Korman (FIC KOR)
High school senior Leo Caraway, a conservative Republican, learns that his biological father is a punk rock legend. We also have this book on CD!
Diva ~ Alex Flinn (FIC FLI)
Despite her mother's objections, sixteen-year-old Caitlin determines to pursue her dream of becoming an opera singer by attending a performing arts school in Miami.
The Exes ~ Pagan Kennedy (FIC KEN)
A rock-and-roll group composed of musicians who used to date one another tries to survive long enough to make it big.
Featherless Bipeds ~ Richard Scarsbrook (FIC SCA)
In this sequel to Cheeseburger Subversive, Dak Sifter builds a band - the Featherless Bipeds and has every intention of enjoying every wild, ear-splitting moment of the ride.
Harlem Hustle ~ Janet McDonald (FIC MCD)
Eric "Hustle" Samson, a smart and street-wise seventeen-year-old dropout from Harlem, aspires to rap stardom, a dream he naively believes is about to come true.
Heavy metal and you ~ Christopher Krovatin (FIC KRO)
High schooler Sam begins losing himself when he falls for a preppy girl who wants him to give up getting wasted with his best friends and even his passion for heavy metal music in order to become a better person.
LBD : it's a girl thing ~ Grace Dent (FIC DEN)
Barred by their overprotective parents from attending a rock music festival, fourteen-year-olds Ronnie, Fleur, and Claude, also known as "Les Bambinos Dangereuses," decide to stage their own music festival at Blackwell School.
Pay the piper ~ Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple (FIC YOL)
When Callie interviews the band, Brass Rat, for her school newspaper, her feelings are ambivalent, but when all the children of Northampton begin to disappear on Halloween, she knows where the dangerous search must begin. Sound like a familiar fairy tale...?
Pop princess ~ Rachel Cohn (FIC COH)
Yearning to escape the small Massachusetts town where her family retreated after her sister's death, Wonder Blake gets her chance when her sister's manager offers Wonder a record contract on her sixteenth birthday.
The principles of Love ~ Emily Franklin (FIC FRA)
After moving to a Massachusetts boarding school where her father is the new principal, high-school sophomore and aspiring singer Love Bukowski learns some lessons about friendship and romance.
The queen's soprano ~ Carol Dines (FIC DIN)
Seventeen year-old Angelica Voglia lives in seventeenth-century Rome and has the voice of an angel, but because the pope forbids women to sing in public, she must escape to Queen Christina's palace to become a court singer.
Resurrection Blues ~ Mike Tanner (FIC TAN)
Excited about the opportunity to go on tour with his band, much like his great-uncle Ray did, eighteen-year-old Flynn Robinson uproots his entire world, drops out of school, and ends his relationship with Julianne to pursue his dreams of rock-and-roll.
Rock star superstar ~ Blake Nelson (FIC NEL)
When Pete, a talented bass player, moves from playing in the high school jazz band to playing in a popular rock group, he finds the experience exhilarating even as his new fame jeopardizes his relationship with girlfriend Margaret.
This lullaby ~ Sarah Dessen (FIC DES)
Raised by a mother who's had five husbands, eighteen-year-old Remy believes in short-term, no-commitment relationships until she meets Dexter, a rock band musician.
Tribute to another dead rock star ~ Randy Powell (FIC POW)
For a tribute to his mother, a dead rock star, fifteen-year-old Grady returns to Seattle, where he faces his mixed feelings for his retarded younger half-brother Louie while pondering his own future.

And if you're looking for biographies of your favourite singers/musicians, check out the non-fiction section, in the 780s. Some of the titles we have include:

Life is Not a Fairy Tale ~ Fantasia (782.42164)
Unbelievable : the life, death, and afterlife of the Notorious B.I.G. (782.42164 NOT-C)
Kurt Cobain : "oh well, whatever, nevermind" (782.42166 COB-B)
Nobody likes you : inside the turbulent life, times, and music of Green Day (782.42166 GRE-S)

It's a Guy Thing

2008-04-08T09:18:00.002-04:00

Growing pains aren't always painful...or at least not when you're reading about someone else's! These novels will have you laughing as guys navigate through high school with all of the headaches that hormones, relationships, school, family, and growing up have to offer.

24 Girls in 7 Days ~ Alex Bradley (FIC BRA)
Jack Grammar, average American senior, has no date for the prom until his so-called best friends post an ad in the school newspaper and assemble a list of eager girls, giving him just seven days to meet and date them all before asking one special girl to the prom.
An Abundance of Katherines ~ John Green (FIC GRE)
Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.
Burger Wuss ~ M.T. Anderson (FIC AND)
Hoping to lose his loser image, Anthony plans revenge on a bully which results in a war between two competing fast food restaurants, Burger Queen and O'Dermott's.
Cheeseburger Subversive ~ Richard Scarsbrook (FIC SCA)
Dak Sifter recounts with sardonic humour some of the sublime, but ordinary incidents in his adolescence; ones that create the evolution of change, or as he puts it, "a shifting of gears"
The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 3/4 ~ Sue Townsend (FIC TOW)
Follows the ups and downs of one British teenager's life in diary form.
Son of the Mob ~ Gordon Korman (FIC KOR)
Seventeen-year-old Vince's life is constantly complicated by the fact that he is the son of a powerful Mafia boss, a relationship that threatens to destroy his romance with the daughter of an FBI agent.
Three Clams and an Oyster ~ Randy Powell (FIC POW)
During their humorous search to find a fourth player for their flag football team, three high school juniors are forced to examine their long friendship, their individual flaws, and their inability to try new experiences.

Stephanie Meyer

2008-04-07T12:13:00.015-04:00

While you're waiting for the next installment in Stephanie Meyer's Twilight (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn) series, here are some other vampire or werewolf novels to sink your teeth into!

Blood and Chocolate ~ Annette Curtis Klause (FIC KLA)
Having fallen for a human boy, a beautiful teenage werewolf must battle both her packmates and the fear of the townspeople to decide where she belongs and with whom.
Bloodline ~ Kate Carey (FIC CAR)
A British soldier in World War I makes the horrifying discovery that his regiment commander is descended from Count Dracula.
Blue Bloods ~ Melissa de la Cruz (FIC DEL)
Teenagers from some of New York City's wealthiest and most socially prominent families learn a startling secret about their bloodlines.
Companions of the Night ~ Vivian Vande Velde (FIC VAN)
When sixteen-year-old Kerry Nowicki helps a young man escape from a group of men who claim he is a vampire, she finds herself faced with some bizarre and dangerous choices.
Dracula ~ Bram Stoker (FIC STO)
The ultimate vampire novel. The classic tale of the bizarre Carpathian count, who drinks human blood to stay alive, and the Englishman who knows his secret.
Gil's All-Fright Diner ~ A. Lee Martinez (FIC MAR)
Hired by the owner of an all-night diner to eliminate the zombie problem that is costing her customers, werewolf Duke and vampire Earl tackle an even stickier adversary who is out to take over the diner.
In the Forests of the Night ~Ameilia Atwater-Rhodes (FIC ATW)
Risika, a teenage vampire, wanders back in time to the year 1684 when, as a human, she died and was transformed against her will.

Interview with a Vampire ~ Anne Rice (FIC RIC)
Confessions from a vampire of his first two hundred years as one of the living dead.
This adult novel was turned into a movie starring John Malcovic and Brad Pitt.
A Living Nightmare (Cirque du Freak, book 1) ~ Darren Shan (FIC SHA)
Two boys who are best friends visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices.
Red Rider's Hood ~ Neil Shusterman (FIC SHU)
After learning that there are werewolves in his city, a sixteen-year-old is even more surprised to discover the identities of the hunters who drove them out decades earlier, but he soon infiltrates the Wolves gang to help destroy them for good.
Sunshine ~ Robin McKinley (FIC MCK)
All hope for stopping the vampiric elite from controlling earth depends on human SOFs (Special Other Forces) and the success of their attempt to recruit Sunshine, the daughter of legendary sorcerer Onyx Blaise.
Thirsty ~ Laurie Halse Anderson (FIC AND)
From the moment he knows that he is destined to be a vampire, Chris thirsts for the blood of people around him while also struggling to remain human.
Vampire High ~ Douglas Rees (FIC REE)
When his family moves from California to New Sodom, Massachusetts and Cody enters Vlad Dracul Magnet School, many things seem strange, from the dark-haired, pale-skinned, supernaturally strong students to Charon, the wolf who guides him around campus on the first day.
Vampire Kisses ~ Ellen Schreiber (FIC SCH)
Sixteen-year-old Raven, an outcast who always wears black and hopes to become a vampire some day, falls in love with the mysterious new boy in town, eager to find out if he can make her dreams come true. First in a series (Vampire Kisses, Kissing Coffins, Vampireville...).

Bond...James Bond

2008-04-02T09:09:00.000-04:00

Can't get enough of 007? Here are some great action/espionage novels that you can "spy" on the shelves at Rez...

Catch Me If You Can ~ Frank Abignail (364.1633 ABA-C)
The true story that inspired the film of the same name, starring Leonardo di Caprio. Frank Abagnale, one of the most notorious con men in history, swindled over $2.5 million in fake cheques in 26 countries.
Goldfinger ~ Ian Fleming (FIC FLE)
An original James Bond novel, that inspired the movie of the same name. James Bond tangles with Auric Goldfinger, a man obsessed with money and ruthless in his methods of obtaining it.
I Would Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You ~ Ally Carter (FIC CAR)
As a sophomore at a secret spy school and the daughter of a former CIA operative, Cammie is sheltered from "normal teenage life" until she meets a local boy while on a class surveillance mission.
Patriot Games ~ Tom Clancy (FIC CLA)
While vacationing in London, CIA analyst Jack Ryan saves the Prince and Princess of Wales from a terrorist attack and gains the gratitude of a nation and the enmity of its most dangerous men. This novel was made into a movie starring Harrison Ford.
Stormbreaker ~ Anthony Horowitz (FIC HOR)
The first in the Alex Rider series. After the death of the uncle who had been his guardian, fourteen-year-old Alex Rider is coerced to continue his uncle's dangerous work for Britain's intelligence agency, MI6.
Thieves Like Us ~ Stephen Cole (FIC COL)
A mysterious benefactor hand-picks a group of teen geniuses to follow a set of clues leading to the secrets of everlasting life, secrets which they must steal and for which they risk being killed.
Finding Lubchenko ~ Michael Simmons (FIC SIM)
When his father is framed for murder and bioterrorism, high-school junior Evan, using clues from a stolen laptop, travels from Seattle to Paris with two friends to find the real culprit.