Featured Teen Book Review of the Week: Crank

 I love the enthusiasm AL brings to this review, and that she is willing to give the novel-in-verse "poem-type writing" a chance.

Crank
4 stars.

Describe the book: Crank is about a girl named Kristina who is taken over by a 'monster' that controls her life. This monster is the drug meth. As Kristina develops her relationship with the monster, she turns more and more to her alternate self "Bree". This story is told in poem from and is spectacular!

What did you think: I loved this book. At first it really creeped me out (in a good way)and the writing confused me a little, but once I got the hang of it I totally fell in love with her poem-type writing!

Who would you recommend it to: People who like psychological thrillers and poetry

A.L. (Grade 11) from Snohomish Library

Big Baby

Today is the last day of Teen Read Month, and the last opportunity to turn in your entries for the Teen Art Contest "It Came From the Library."

Here in Oak Harbor, it recently came TO the library...

Big Baby loves to read - especially horror books!

Happy Halloween!

Trailer Tuesday: Deck Z by Chris Pauls

Ok, this Deck Z is an adult book, but I find the premise and trailer irresistible. Also funny. Especially the last picture of the kid.

What if the German's developed a deadly plague, someone stole it, then boarded the Titanic to get away? What if that plague accidentally got loose? Did the Titanic really sink because an iceberg?

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Ender's Game

Today's pick is from Nate, one of the great librarians at the Snohomish Library. He has chosen one of my favorites, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card:

“Picking your favorite Teen book is a difficult task for any librarian. What pushed Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card to the top is the number of times I have reread it. It is just a great story of an underdog kid fighting against amazing odds and winning on the strength of his intelligence and friendships. It is also one of my favorite examples of the saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The cover usually looks like Star Wars or Star Trek but the book is actually about a loner kid who is bullied by his brother and fellow students, gets sent to a special school because he is a genius but the teacher’s there treat him horribly. I have found that I like books that are set in boarding schools (Hogwarts anyone?), it must be something about the absence of parents. Ender’s Game is all that and more. A space station that is a school for training military geniuses that will defend the earth from an alien invasion? It doesn’t get any better than that.”


If you like Ender's Game, you should totally read Ender's Shadow, too!  It is the same story, but as seen by another character and is equally awesome!

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - House of the Scorpion

Last but hopefully not least, I want to share one of my all time favorite teen books, House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer!  As you can see from the cover it won a TON of prizes when it first came out.

In this book a young boy named Matt is raised in an isolated house in the middle of a poppy field.  The only person he ever gets to see is the woman who stays with him at night.  He is very lonely.  Then one day a group of children come laughing and skipping across the field.  Matt knows he should hide, but he is so tired of being alone, that he breaks out the window and calls after them.  He cuts his foot on the broken glass, and the worried children rush him to their home...a huge mansion just over the horizon.  There, the children's maid goes to clean off his foot, and discovers a tattoo.  Seeing this, she has him thrown out of the house, for she has discovered Matt is a clone, and is considered unworthy of setting foot in the fine house.  But Matt soon learns he isn't just any clone.  He is the clone of El Patrón, a powerful druglord who had bought all the boarderlands between Mexico and the US and is now ruler of his own lawless land.

I love this book because it brings up so many interesting issues (poverty, drug wars, cloning, etc...), but blends them into an exciting story with characters you really care about.  I never get tired of talking about this great book!

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Tower of Treasure

Today's pick is from Chy, our librarian at the Lake Stevens Library.  He found a new graphic novel series called Three Thieves by Scott Chantler that he enjoyed a lot.  The first one in the series is Tower of Treasure:

"Orphan acrobat with traumatic childhood memories reluctantly joins two circus-mates, a blue-skinned pickpocket and a one-headed Ettin, in a plot to rob the royal treasury. This first in the series is a fun adventure, with good doses of humor and hints of complex plot intrigue to be unraveled in further volumes. With a setting and tone reminiscent of the Bone series, it is worth a look for anyone who enjoys colorful pre-industrial fantasy adventures. If you enjoy this one, move on to The Sign of the Black Rock"

You can also read the comics online here!

The Influence of Sports Books

Bill Simmons is one of my favorite writers. His book The Book of Basketball: the NBA according to the sports guy is an amazing read if you like the NBA.

If you are into sports or pop culture I highly recommend the ESPN offshoot website he has started called Grantland. You can find all kinds of writing and writers there. I challenge you to read Simmons' ode to his deceased dog "One final toss for The Dooze" and not tear up.

So where am I going with this? Recently Simmons' wrote an article about his favorite books as a kid, sports book by the author Alfred Slote. In particular, one title called Jake. Unfortunately, Sno-Isle doesn't own any of his books and it appears they are out of print.

As a librarian I loved his article. It really brought home the impact books can have on us and the loyalty it inspires. Read the article here.

Just to top things off, they made a mini-documentary about the Alfred Slote. One of ESPN's 30 for 30 Shorts. It is a real treat to listen to the author talk about his writing.


Enjoy.

Weekend Book Give-Away: The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

Do you believe in true love?  How about love at first sight?  This week's book giveaway, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith, is for all you romantics out there: 

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything? Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row. A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more? Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

Ten people are waiting to read this now, but you have a chance to skip the line.  Tell me about the most romantic book you have ever read, and why you think it is romantic (mine is The Princess Bride by William Goldman).

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Tuesday October 30, 2012. Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library.

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - The Golden Compass

Today's recommendation comes from Kathleen, the Teen Librarian at the Mukilteo Library, who has probably read more books than you ever will!

" I could never pick just one favorite teen book, but some of them have been so good that they stay fresh in my mind even years after I read them. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman is one of those—and it’s the book that made me a reader of fantasies. Lyra lives in a world that seems very much like ours at first, but it’s not. Each person’s soul is embodied in an animal companion, armored bears can talk, and a mysterious Dust may have something to do with a bridge to a parallel universe. When Lyra sets out to find children kidnapped from her town, she learns more about all of these magical elements as well as her own destiny. Beautifully written, thought-provoking, a great adventure—and a hundred times better than the movie version!"
 
If you enjoy the creepier elements of this series, you might also enjoy our booklist Human Experimentation - Teens as Science Projects.

Featured Teen Book Review of the Week: Can I See Your I.D.?

I love it when teens tell me about an exciting book I've never heard of before!  I bet I'll be bringing this one out to the schools on my next booktalk.

Can I See Your I.D.?

4 stars.

Describe the book: Ten imposters pass themselves off as people they aren't. A high school dropout spends days as a high-ranked navy surgeon. A poor woman pretends to be a foreign princess. A white man takes a few pill and then instantly explores the world as an African American.

What did you think: These stories were mind-blowing. I thought Mary was quite clever when she used other people's tales to create her own royal life story, and I was impressed when John figured out how to live life disguised as an African American. I was also awed at Solomon's courage. I think it would be so difficult to pose as someone you're not just to stay alive.

Who would you recommend it to: People who want to read shocking yet true stories

- R.B. (Grade 8) from Granite Falls Library

Thanks for the tip R.B.!  Unfortunately, I can only send prizes to our local libraries, and while you put down Granite Falls, your home address is in Virginia.  Let me know if you've moved :)

Trailer Tuesday: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

If you've read Boy Toy by Barry Lyga you know that he can be unflinching and committed to his subjects. Which... is why I haven't read I Hunt Killers quite yet. But I will. It's nominated as a Quick Pick for Young Adults, so I'll read it by January. Have you read it? What did you think?

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Tiger Lily

Today's Teen Read Month favorite is from Anne, our Teen Librarian at the Oak Harbor Library who always is reading something interesting:



"The retelling of fairy tales has always been popular, but this year brings us several different tales retold including Robin Hood and Jack the Ripper. One of my favorites has been Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, which revisits the story of Peter Pan. Tinkerbell narrates the story of Tiger Lily and how she falls in love with Peter, despite knowing the trouble this will bring (especially since she has been promised to another man in her village). Even though many familiar characters are here, erase the memory of the Disney movie from your mind and get ready to read a complex, emotional, and somewhat dark telling of the tale of Peter Pan and Tiger Lily."

If you love fairytale retellings as much as both Anne and I do, you should also check out our book list Fairytales Revisited!

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - 172 Hours on the Moon

Jocelyn, our Teen Librarian from Arlington has another recent favorite to share, called 172 Hours on the Moon, written by John Harstad, and translated from Norwegian by Tara Chase.

"The one word I'd use to describe this book is "creepy". The tension slowly mounts throughout the book, until you finally realize that the foreshadowed horror isn't psychological, it's real. And even worse, it's real in space, where no one can hear you scream. If you are a fan of darkly atmospheric novels, science fiction, and horror, this might be the book for you." - Jocelyn

It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide lottery, are about to become the first young people in space--and change their lives forever. Mia, from Norway, hopes this will be her punk band's ticket to fame and fortune. Midori believes it's her way out of her restrained life in Japan. Antoine, from France, just wants to get as far away from his ex-girlfriend as possible. It's the opportunity of a lifetime, but little do the teenagers know that something sinister is waiting for them on the desolate surface of the moon. And in the black vacuum of space... no one is coming to save them. In this chilling adventure set in the most brutal landscape known to man, highly acclaimed Norwegian novelist Johan Harstad creates a vivid and frightening world of possibilities we can only hope never come true.

For more science fiction reads, check out our recently updated list Out of this World - extraordinary science fiction for teens.

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Paranormalcy

Today's featured book is a favorite of Bryan, the Teen Contact at the Darrington Library:

"Paranormalcy by Kiersten White Evie is a girl with a special gift: she can see vampires, werewolves and other paranormals through their glamours – the façades that covers their real appearance. Working the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA), she assists in capturing paranormals and putting them under the governments control. Evie is content with her life until a mysterious paranormal breaks into IPCA headquarters and enters Evie’s life and heart. Paranormalcy is full of humor, suspense and mystery. Kiersten White’s literary voice rings true and the characters are real. I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series".

We don't have a good list of paranormal books for teens!  Which ones would you recommend for readers who like this book?

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Please Ignore Vera Dietz

Today's featured Teen Read Month favorite is from Lisa at the Edmonds Library who really enjoyed Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King:

"Not just another my best friend that I was secretly in love with is dead books. Vera is a wonderfully real main character; she is awesome, but she is also full of flaws. She loves her dead best friend, except he went and ruined everything. So maybe she hates him, too. She gets through her days by following two survival rules :

1. Ignore every messed up thing in this life

2. Be ignored

Trouble is, her problems keep multiplying and ignoring them isn’t helping.  This is a funny and heartbreaking book about friendship, guilt, speaking out and rising above your circumstances.  And did I mention the talking pagoda?"

If you like heartbreaking books like this, you might enjoy titles from our Tearjerkers: Books to Make You Cry booklist, too.

 

Weekend Book Give-Away: Confessions of a Murder Suspect

This week's book is an exciting one. Right now we have 51 people waiting to read Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson...and if you are lucky, you might get a free brand new hardback next week!

On the night Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered, Tandy Angel knows just three things: 1) She was the last person to see her parents alive. 2) The police have no suspects besides Tandy and her three siblings. 3) She can't trust anyone-maybe not even herself. Having grown up under Malcolm and Maud's intense perfectionist demands, no child comes away undamaged. Tandy decides that she will have to clear the family name, but digging deeper into her powerful parents' affairs is a dangerous-and revealing-game. Who knows what the Angels are truly capable of? 

Does that not sound like a thrilling mystery? For your chance to win, make up a completely outrageous and ridiculous family secret that you recently "discovered".  Keep it under a paragraph, but make it exciting!

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Tuesday October 23, 2012. Be sure to leave a name and library with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library.

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Tell Me a Secret

Today's Teen Read Month pick is from Danielle, our Teen Librarian at the Mill Creek Library who 's life was changed by Tell Me a Secret.

"I actually don’t have an all-time favorite teen book. I don’t even have a favorite book. The teen book that changed my life was Holly Cupala’s Tell Me a Secret as it made me want to be a writer and tell my own stories. Tell Me a Secret is about the dark struggle of a girl who must let go of her past to find a way into her own future. In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda's death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister's world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own. When two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears, Miranda is stripped of her former life. She must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister's demons and her own."

If this book sounds good to you, you might enjoy books from our brand new Realistic Fiction booklist, too.

Featured Teen Book Review of the Week: Struck

If there is anything I love, it is an honest book review. And M.B. from Marysville is NOT afraid to pan a book when she doesn't like it:

Struck
0 stars.

Describe the book: Mia Price is addicted to getting struck by lightning. After having to relocate because of her dangerous ability, she thinks she has finally started to escape her addiction, but when a massive quake strikes San Francisco and a giant lightning storm threatens to take out the survivors, it's up to Mia to save the world.  

What did you think: This was terrible. I thought I was getting a book about a girl addicted to lighting trying to get over her issues in the face of a deadly earthquake, but instead I got random religious cults warring, dumb plot twists, and obnoxiously unlikeable characters who don't really make me like them any better by the end of the book.  

Who would you recommend it to: Don't read it. Seriously. It's weird.

- M.B. (Grade 11) from Marysville Library

Ok...M.B. I'm sending you another book, hopefully one you enjoy a whole lot more.   Happy Teen Read Month!

Trailer Tuesday: The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

You'll often find The Prince of Mist, sans creepy music, in the Teen Explore collection. I hear the audio version is great.

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Shift

Today's Teen Read Month favorite is by David from the Camano Island Library Pilot Project, who enjoyed Shift by Jennifer Bradbury.

"Chris and his best friend Win take off on a cross-country bike trip at the end of the summer, heading to Seattle from West Virginia. Right around Concrete, Chris gets a flat, and rather than wait for him, Win speeds ahead. Chris eventually makes it to Seattle, and when he gets back home to West Virginia, the FBI is waiting: they want to know where Win disappeared to. “Shift” is a compelling story about friendships and the (literal) road not taken. Plus you get to name-check Concrete, Sedro-Woolley, Chuckanut Drive and more!"

Some friends fade away....Others disappear. Imagine you and your best friend head out West on a cross-country bike trek. Imagine that the two of you get into a fight -- and stop riding together. Imagine you reach Seattle, go back home, start college. Imagine you think your former best friend does too. Imagine he doesn't. Imagine your world shifting.... Shift is a tour de force -- a literary debut that'll knock the wind out of you as it explores the depths of loyalty, the depths of friendship, and the unknowable depths of another person.

For more books that take place in our area, check out our teen booklist The Pacific Northwest.

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - The Knife of Never Letting Go

Today's Teen Read Month favorite is from Chuck at the Monroe Library.

"Have you ever wondered what it might be like if every other male could hear your thoughts, non-stop, all day long?  What if you could hear all of their thoughts?  What if you could hear the thoughts of all male animals, too, including your dog?  Now imagine that, besides dealing with all of the “Noise” from hearing everyone’s thoughts, you live in a world where all females have completely disappeared and you have no idea how or why. And it all takes place on another planet.  If that sounds like the kind of mystery you could sink your teeth into, then you should read The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness."

Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World. 

If this sounds like your sort of thing, you might also enjoy the books on our Post-Apocalyptic and Dystopian Fiction booklist!

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Lord of the Rings

Today's Teen Read Month favorite comes from Jackie at the Sultan Library. 

"My favorite many years ago and still today: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. A group of characters that are so distinct and become like old, beloved friends to the reader, who face adventure, trolls, goblins, wizards, and even doom together, but remain steadfast to their mission to save Middle Earth."

Even if you have seen all three movies, you haven't gotten the whole story.  These are also awesome audiobooks...which you can download from our website!

Weekend Book Give-Away: Shadow and Bone

This week's awesome book give-away is Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.  At least 20 people are waiting to read this, but if you win you can get it much sooner!

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life--a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha...and the secrets of her heart.

Never been good at anything?  So sad...surely everyone is good at something, no?  For a chance to win this book, tell me 1) something you are good at (not matter how small) and 2) what you would like your dormant power to be.

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Tuesday October 16, 2012. Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library.

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Rotters

Today's Teen Read Month pick is by Joy from the Bookmobile.  She loves Rotters by Daniel Kraus:

"If you like listening to books or want to give audiobooks a try, the reader is great! The author spins a tale that gets grosser and more revolting as you dig deeper into the novel. As I got further along into the book and all sense of reality was lost, I would find myself laughing aloud with the complete over-the-top yuck described— eyeballs plucked out, the stink of death and much more."

Grave-robbing. What kind of monster would do such a thing? It's true that Leonardo da Vinci did it, Shakespeare wrote about it, and the resurrection men of nineteenth-century Scotland practically made it an art. But none of this matters to Joey Crouch, a sixteen-year-old straight-A student living in Chicago with his single mom. For the most part, Joey's life is about playing the trumpet and avoiding the daily humiliations of high school. Everything changes when Joey's mother dies in a tragic accident and he is sent to rural Iowa to live with the father he has never known, a strange, solitary man with unimaginable secrets. At first, Joey's father wants nothing to do with him, but once father and son come to terms with each other, Joey's life takes a turn both macabre and exhilarating. Daniel Kraus's masterful plotting and unforgettable characters makeRottersa moving, terrifying, and unconventional epic about fathers and sons, complex family ties, taboos, and the ever-present specter of mortality.

For more great spooky reads, check out our Teen Read Month booklist Creepy Things (and People) That Go Bump in the Night.

Featured Teen Book Review of the Week: Way to Go

During Teen Read Month, we are going to feature (and reward) teen reviews of books you might not have heard of before, but deserve some recognition.  For the first week of the month, we have this 2012 titles, with 4 copies waiting to be checked out right now! 

Way to Go by Tom Ryan

4 stars.

Describe the book: Danny starts his first job at a reopened restaurant one summer in his small hometown of Deep Cove. He's almost positive he's gay, but is afraid of the backlash he would get around town, so he befriends a super cool girl at the restaurant named Lisa, hoping that their friendship will wash away the rumors of his schoolmates, despite that they're true

What did you think: I liked it a lot to the point where I finished in less than 24 hours; I really liked a lot of the characters. One of Danny's friends, Kierce, was really annoying, though; but annoying in a way that will make you keep reading to see what happens. Lisa was also a really great character, and I liked seeing Danny discover what he wants to do in life.

Who would you recommend it to: gr7+, lgbtq, friendship, relationships, realistic

- A.K. (Grade 10) from Mill Creek Library

A.K. will receive a surprise book, sent to the Mill Creek Library in a few days.

Trailer Tuesday: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

You may have seen The Night Circus kicking around the Teen Explore AND the Adults Best Bets collections. The reason for it is that Erin Morgenstern's first novel was published for adults, but was recognized as a 2012 Alex Award by YALSA. Alex Awards recognize ten books each January that were published for adults, but that teens will enjoy, too. Sort of payback for when your mom poaches your library books.

Teen Read Month Special: Our Favorites - Mothership

Jocelyn, our teen librarian at the Arlington Library recently read and loved Mothership: Book One of the Ever-Expanding Universe by Martin Leicht and Isla Neal

Are you looking for laughs? Do you like snarky protagonists who are slightly geeky, yet full of common sense? Sort of scifi and definitely a comedy, Mothership still manages to provoke deep thought about some controversial issues. I absolutely adore quirky books and this one was no exception." - Joceyln

Teen pregnancy is never easy--especially not when extraterrestrials are involved. The first in a new trilogy. Elvie Nara was doing just fine in the year 2074. She had a great best friend, a dad she adored, and bright future working on the Ares Project on Mars. But then she had to get involved with sweet, gorgeous, dumb-as-a-brick Cole--and now she's pregnant. Getting shipped off to the Hanover School for Expecting Teen Mothers was not how Elvie imagined spending her junior year, but she can go with the flow. That is, until a team of hot commandos hijacks the ship--and one of them turns out to be Cole. She hasn't seen him since she told him she's pregnant, and now he's bursting into her new home to tell her that her teachers are aliens and want to use her unborn baby to repopulate their species? Nice try, buddy. You could have just called. So fine, finding a way off this ship is priority number one, but first Elvie has to figure out how Cole ended up as a commando, work together with her arch-nemesis, and figure out if she even wants to be a mother--assuming they get back to Earth in one piece. "

Weekend Book Give-Away: Origin

Do you think your parents are overprotective?  Wait until you read about Pia in Origin by Jessica Khoury:

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home--and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life. Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia's origin--a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever...

This new book is pretty hot right now, and getting hotter...11 people are waiting to read it right now.  But you, faithful readers, have a chance at winning your own brand new copy!   Just tell me a short story (3-7 sentences)  about your (totally imaginary) secret origin to be entered in the drawing. 

Winner will be selected with Random Number Generator on Thursday October 11, 2012. Be sure to leave a name with your entry, and check back to see if you won. To win you must be a teen (6th-12th grade, or 12-18) who uses a Sno-Isle Library.

Meet the authors--lots of authors!

It is always fun to meet the people who write the books you enjoy and find out what they are really like. It's just as much fun for them to meet you and find out what you think of their stories and characters. The Mukilteo Library is hosting four wonderful authors for teens on October 18 at 4 pm and you're invited to join us, talk to the authors, even buy their books and get them autographed. Who's coming?

    Kendare Blake, the author of Anna Dressed in Blood and its sequel, Girl of Nightmares. Cas Lowood is spending his teen years getting rid of the murderous dead--until he meets Anna, a very unusual ghost. I don't even like horror stories, but I liked these!
  J. Anderson Coats, the author of  The Wicked and the Just. Cecily and Gwenhwyfar live in medieval Wales, but their personalities and conflicts feel as fresh as today. Wouldn't it be great if all historical fiction were this good?
  Daniel Marks, author of Velveteen. Velveteen may be dead, but she's still looking for the serial killer who murdered her. You may have to keep the lights on after you read this one!
  Jennifer Shaw Wolf, the author of Breaking Beautiful. Allie is a mess both physically and emotionally when her boyfriend Trip dies, but it's not just grief--she's dealing with his abuse, too. Just a gripping mystery--and it's set in Washington!

Trailer Tuesday: Lovecraft Middle School: Professor Gargoyle by Charles Gilman

Although the unusual cover and the trailer was really enough for me to be curious about Lovecraft Middle School, the fact that the author is apparently the same (under a different pseudonym) as the author who wrote Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children makes me doubly likely to read it.

And it's a great way to start off October, yes?



And hey, for those of you who've managed to miss the trailer for Mis Peregrine, here it is!

Teen Read Month is Here

When was the last time you read simply for the pleasure of it?  Once school starts and the homework rolls in, it is easy to forget that simple joy.  But here at Sno-Isle Libraries we believe that this is a gift you can give yourself every day.   Even if you can only squeeze in a small bit, say 15 minutes before bed or while taking the bus, it simply makes a day better.

So for the entire month of October, we are going to celebrate teen reading, teen books, and just plain reading for the fun of it!  I don't know about you, but I like celebrations with fun themes.  This year Teen Read Month's theme is It Came From the Library. And if you saw our Sneak Peeks for the month here on the blog, you know we have a ton of fun events going on.

We also have our 9th Annual Teen Art Contest happening right now.  Create 2D art celebrating what you see when you imagine "It Came From a Book." Use your creativity and talents to show us what you've got!

The top 4 entries will win a $50 gift card from Amazon provided by the Sno-Isle Libraries Foundation. Bring your entry form to any Sno-Isle Library by October 31. Teens age 12 to 18 (or in 6th to 12th grade) can enter.  Entry forms can be found here.