Author: admin

Lists of the best books of the year are popping up all over, and some of the same titles keep appearing.  Here are some of the year’s favorites and a collection of links to different lists.  Click on the book covers to see the books in our library catalog. Click on the names of the lists to view the full list from each source.

      

Kirkus Review Best Teen Books of 2011

New York Times Notable Children’s Books of 2011

Barnes & Noble Best Teen Books of 2011

Amazon.com Best Books of 2011: Young Adult

Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2011 Children’s Fiction

YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Current Nominations
(Winners will be announced in January)

What was your favorite book from 2011? Leave a comment!

 

December starts this week, how time flies! Here’s a list of what’s going on this month:

Minecraft
Wednesdays @ 3:30 November 30, December 14
Play together on the library’s multiplayer server. Use your account, or one of ours.

Anime Club
Thursdays @ 3:00 December 1 & 15
Watch anime, discuss manga, draw, hang out.

 

Video Games
Fridays @ 2:30 December 2 & 16
Winter Break Gaming:
Thursday December 29 @ 2:00
Play Wii on the big screen and PS2 on the small screen. 

Teen Advisory Board
Wednesday December 7 @ 3:00
Year in Review Meeting. What were the best & worst teen programs, books, movies, or games of 2011?

Book Club
Thursday December 8 @ 3:00
Informal discussion about whatever books you’re reading.

Teen Movie: Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Friday December 9 @ 2:30
The votes are in, this is the movie you chose!

Holiday Cupcake Decorating
Wednesday December 21 @ 3:00
Bring your creativity and your appetite, we’ll provide the rest!

 
Winter Break Movie: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Wednesday December 28 @ 3:00
Everybody’s favorite movie for just about any fall or winter holiday. Enjoy some hot chocolate while you watch it on the big screen.

Summer reading has come to an end.  Congratulations on all of the hours read by everyone who participated!  The part I enjoyed most was reading your reviews.  You can have a look at all of them on the summer reading page: http://readsinma.org/chicopee  Scroll to the bottom and click on view all reviews.  These three reviews stood out to me as particularly compelling.  As always, click on the book covers to check their availability.

Lies by Michael Grant (Gone series)
Reviewed by A.B.,  9th grade

I’m not finished yet but I like it so far. I love how its like one problem on top of another on top of another. The other books in the series have a similar writing style: spinning , swirling, raging chaos with one event tying it all together at the end. Always going out with a boom, yet always leaving behind some problems for the next book to handle. On a more specific note *spoiler alert* , I’m a little confused as to how Antonio survived so long with a 3 inch hole burned into his stomach. Unless they meant 3 inches across. I can’t believe Astrid would even think about kicking Sam off the council; Sam’s doing more than she’s doing even if he is going about it the wrong way and I don’t think Sam will end up really killing Zil and his crew, though Ii do think he’ll kill Drake. And I’m a little afraid to read about what happens to the kids on the island. Who knows what Caine is gonna do when he finds out the island is still inhabited.

 I finished the book. It was extraordinary. Completely met my expectations.

The Everafter by Amy Huntley
Reviewed by M.R., 11th grade

This book was really good. The main character, Madison, ends up in the afterlife and she doesn’t know how she died or really anything about herself, but she can go back to moments in her life using objects that she had lost. I think this book was really interesting because the reader doesn’t know anything about Madison until Madison knows it, so it feels like you are the main character.

Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter (Gallahger Girls series)
Reviewed by J.K, 8th grade

There is a girl spy school where some girls get tested to the limit. It has a lot of great imagery and keeps your attention the whole time.

Teens’ Top Ten is a national teen choice book award brought to you by The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).  25 books were nominated by teen book groups around the country. Take a look at the list of nominees and availability of Chicopee Library copies, here.  Then go to ala.org/teenstopten to cast your vote!  Voting is open from now until September 16.  The winners will be announced during Teen Read Week, October 16 – 22.

Some of the nominees include:

Title: Shrek

Plot: Shrek wishes his life was different.  Rumplestitskin changed all that, then Shrek wanted his life back.

Favorite Part: When Shrek was practicing battle with Fiona and she was kicking his butt.

Least Favorite Part: When they got caught by Rumplestiltskin and put in the jail.

What did you think of the movie? It was ok, but not that good for a cartoon.

 

Title: Alvin and the Chipmunks

Plot: Alvin and his brothers had to go against the girl chipmunks, but they ended up singing together.

Favorite Part: When Alvin grabbed the football and made a goal.

Least Favorite Part: When the record producer captured the girl chipmunks.

What did you think of the movie? It was a                                                                     wacky crazy nutty funny movie.

reviews by Andrew C.

If you ever want to review a movie for this website, send an email to Teen Librarian Erin Daly at edaly@chicopeelibrary.org

 

Pick of the week is becoming more of a pick of the fortnight.  But either way, this book fits this summer’s theme of travel and world cultures perfectly!

This book tells the true story of Casey Scieszka and Steven Weinberg who met and fell in love while they were both studying abroad in Morocco.  After they graduated from college, they embarked on a journey through Asia and Africa (with a brief stop in France), where they ate the food, saw the sights, and tried to get to know the people.  Casey writes, Steven draws, and together they share the good times and the bad of their adventures through different countries and cultures, and the adventure of trying to figure out what to do after college.

Here’s a link an interview with the authors from School Library Journal: http://www.slj.com/slj/articlereview/890858-451/its_two_for_the_road.html.csp

Happy Summer!

This week marks the end of the school year, and the beginning of the library’s Summer Reading Program.  Required Summer Reading books for the local high schools are available, as well as tons of books for your own reading pleasure, movies, music, and teen programs.

Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, June 28 in the computer lab, any time between 2:30 and 4:30 to sign up online and get your sign up prize – plus some extra swag!

Be sure to check the Summer Reading page if you have questions about the program and visit the Teen Events page to keep up to date on everything that’s happening.

Looking forward to some summer fun at the library!

How would you like to have your own ghost? A secret invisible friend, who could do things for you like helping you find out the answers on a tough test, or finding out where that cute boy or girl will be between classes, or scaring your little brother… Sounds good, right? Um, maybe not.  

For Russian American teen Anya, things are not going so well.  She feels fat, she’s bored at school, and she doesn’t really have any friends.  When an accident puts her face to face with the ghost of Emily Reilly, things get a bit more interesting.  But what is this ghost really after? Anya is about to find out.

Drawn in a black and white style that is reminsicent of Persepolis, the visuals of this comic book convey a lot of action and expression.  Anya’s moods show clearly on her face, school scenes look realistic, and more supernatural scenes take on a life of their own.  Over the course of a straightforward story, Anya faces fears, finds friends, and makes a bit of peace with her imperfections.  A quick, fun, read for anybody who likes stories where strange things happen to average teens.

ONE rich guy had a son and took all his hopes and dreams away from him. He wanted him to be more grown up, but all he wanted to do was have fun. So when that little kid grew up he became a hopeless drunk and all he did was get drunk and bring girls home and break stuff. Then one day his father died and everything was left to the son, even the family newspaper that they owned. The son wasn’t doing so well ever since his father died. He been getting more and more careless. He woke up one morning in a grumpy mood expecting his coffee to be made exactly the way it always was. When the house maid brought him his coffee, it tasted like crap. He whipped his cup at the wall and demanded to know who made his coffee.  She said the mechanic. He thought she was lying. So he went to go see the mechanic and it turns out the house maid was right.  It also turns out that he is even better than just a coffee maker,  he also makes some pretty nasty cars. And even one with weapons. So the rich guy’s son had an idea one night when they were out cutting the metal head off his father’s statue and they saw someone in need of their assistance.  They could be heroes and villains.  They could cause crime and stop it. So together they were the Green Hornet and his trusty sidekick.  The son’s newspaper started to get better after they had a new assistant write about the green hornet and the justice he brings to the city.

This is a good movie because it has action.  It is a funny and sad movie.

Andrew C.

*Calling all teens, if you want to review something for the website, let me know! You can send me an email at edaly@chicopeelibrary.org

This is one of my very favorite books.  A book so good, that it deserves two covers:

Have you ever known someone so adventurous, witty, beautiful, fascinating, magical that you couldn’t help being in love with them? For Quentin, that person is Margo Roth Spiegelman.  Margo Roth Speigelman, who has lived next door to him since they were little. Margo Roth Speigelman, who used to ride bikes with him. Margo Roth Speigelman, who once found a dead guy in the neighborhood park.  Margo Roth Spiegleman, who isn’t really a close friend now that high school’s almost over.  Margo Roth Spiegelman, who shows up at Q’s window one night dressed like a ninja and asks him to go on an adventure.  Margo Roth Speigelman, who, after said adventure, disappears.

This is the story of the end of Quentin’s senior year as he follows the clues she left behind trying to solve the mystery of Margo’s disappearance, and the mystery of Margo herself.  What is it like to imagine another person complexly? Can we really do it? Or are we stuck being transfixed by who we think people are?

John Green brings you adventure, mystery, identity, and an epic road trip at the end of high school, all told in language both literary and hilarious.  I cannot recommend this book enough!