Weekend Book Giveaway: The Queen's Choice

So many great series are ending this year!  Happily, some great looking new ones are just getting started.  This week we are giving away Cayla Kluver's The Queen's Choice, book one in the Heirs of Chrior trilogy:

Magic was seeping out of me, black and agonizing. I could see it drifting away. The magic that would let me pass the Road to reach home again. When sixteen-year-old Anya learns that her aunt, Queen of the Faerie Kingdom of Chrior, will soon die, her grief is equaled only by her despair for the future of the kingdom. Her young cousin, Illumina, is unfit to rule, and Anya is determined not to take up the queen's mantle herself. Convinced that the only solution is to find Prince Zabriel, who long ago disappeared into the human realm of Warckum, and persuade him to take up his rightful crown, Anya journeys into the Warckum Territory to bring him home. But her journey is doomed to be more harrowing than she ever could have imagined....

All our copies are currently checked out and the hold list hasn't gotten crazy yet, but I'm betting this is a series that will be taking off really soon!  If you want a chance to win an ARC and read it before it gets big, tell me this:  What is the hardest choice you've had to make this year?

Winner will be selected by Random Number Generator on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. 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. 

All about the 2014 Alex Awards

A little over a month ago the 2014 Alex Awards were announced at the Youth Media Awards at the ALA Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia. I've talked about it before, but I had the honor to serve one more year on the Alex Award Committee. 

The award is named in honor of the late Margaret Alexander Edwards, fondly called “Alex” by her closest friends, a pioneer in providing library services to young adults. At Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore, Edwards used adult books extensively with teens to broaden their experience and enrich their understanding of themselves and their world.

The 2014 Alex Awards has a book for every teen reader. From dysfunctional families to alien-inhabited brains to a savory graphic memoir, this diverse list will not disappoint. The Alex Awards were created to recognize that many teens enjoy and often prefer books written for adults, and to assist librarians in recommending adult books that appeal to teens. A full list of official nominations are available online.

• “Brewster” by Mark Slouka: Feeling stifled and powerless, high school friends Ray Cappicciano and Jon Mosher yearn for change and plan for freedom from their blue-collar town and dysfunctional homes, even while knowing they can never truly escape.

• “The Death of Bees” by Lisa O’Donnell: With their parents dead and buried in the backyard, Scottish teens Marnie and Nelly are finally free from a childhood wracked with abuse. If only the neighbor’s dog would quit digging in the garden.

• “Golden boy: a novel” by Abigail Tarttelin: Max, an intersex teen, is confused about who he is and who he is meant to be. After one shattering night, he is faced with a choice that no boy should ever have to make.

• “Help for the Haunted” by John Searles: Sylvie has been dealing with taunting classmates, her erratic older sister and the unsolved murder of her ghost-hunting parents. But perhaps more problematic are the cursed remnants of her parents’ work still lingering in the basement.

• “Lexicon: a novel” by Max Barry: In this fast-paced, cutthroat story, words are weapons and poets are the ones who wield the swords. Teen prodigy Emily may be the finest poet ever until she makes the catastrophic mistake of falling in love.

• “Lives of Tao” by Wesley Chu: Couch potato Roen Tan becomes host to the alien Tao who has lived millennia inside some of the most famous people in history. With Tao on board, Roen enters a war to save mankind.

• “Mother, mother: a novel” by Koren Zailckas: Why did Rose run away? Did Violet really stab her little brother? Is her alcoholic father really having an affair? In this chilling novel about family dysfunction, does mother really know best?

• “Relish” by Lucy Knisley: This poignant graphic novel is a wonderful journey of cartoonist Lucy Knisley’s transition from childhood, to adolescence, to adulthood, framed by the food that shaped her worldview. Through colorful vignettes she tackles complex issues with humor and unique family recipes.

•  “The Sea of Tranquility: a novel” by Katja Millay: Nastya has barely survived a brutal attack. Josh has lost his entire family. The two isolated teens are drawn together as they deal with their emotional and physical damage.

• “The Universe Versus Alex Woods” by Gavin Extence: It all begins when Alex is hit in the head by a meteorite and it all ends when he is arrested trying to re-enter England with several grams of marijuana, lots of cash, and the ashes of Mr. Peterson.

Which of these have you read? Do you have a favorite? What do you think of the list?

Infamous Insider - what's hot this week @ Sno-Isle

Welcome to Infamous Insider - the weekly feature that gives you tips about what's going on at the library - new items in the collection, indispensable online resources, or fun events you won't want to miss.


The Scar Boys : a novel: Written as a college admission essay, eighteen-year-old Harry Jones recounts a childhood defined by the hideous scars he hid behind, and how forming a band brought self-confidence, friendship, and his first kiss...

Not only does this look like a great book, there's a Spotify playlist so you can listen to the songs each chapter is named for.

Learn more about The Scar Boys at author Len Vlahos' website.


While we're on the subject of music, we have exciting news about Freegal, our music downloading service.  Not only can you continue to download three songs a week (and keep them!), you can now listen to streaming music for up to three hours a day.  You can even create playlists of your favorites.  But wait - there's more!  Freegal now offers video downloads too - one video counts as two songs toward your weekly limit.

I don't know about you, but I like free music!

EVENT ALERT - Divergent Pre-Release Party @ the Mukilteo Library

Friday, February 28th, 1:00 pm

Celebrate the upcoming movie release of Divergent, based on the book by Veronica Roth. Which faction will you join, and will you survive the initiation? Get together with other teens for book-related games, food, crafts, trivia, and more.

Trailer Tuesday: Crusher by Niall Leonard

If you want to see the underbelly of modern London with a noir tint, Crusher is absolutely the book for you. It's dark and tense.

From the publisher: "After he discovers his father murdered, Finn, now the prime suspect, scours the London underworld, exposing secrets and facing danger, to determine the true killer."

Weekend Book Giveaway: Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant

This week's book is a nice change of pace, a graphic novel packed with adventure, called Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff:

Join troublemaker Delilah Dirk for a headlong plunge into adventure! Lovable ne'er-do-well Delilah Dirk is an Indiana Jones for the 19th century. She has traveled to Japan, Indonesia, France, and even the New World. Using the skills she's picked up on the way, Delilah's adventures continue as she plots to rob a rich and corrupt Sultan in Constantinople. With the aid of her flying boat and her new-found friend, Selim, she evades the Sultan's guards, leaves angry pirates in the dust, and fights her way through the countryside. For Delilah, one adventure leads to the next in this thrilling and funny installment in her exciting life. 

Currently, we have no copies available of this fun title, so if you want to beat the holds wait and have a chance to win a copy all your own, leave an answer to this question in the comments:  If you could go to any corner of the world tomorrow and have an adventure, where would you want to go, and why?

Winner will be selected by Random Number Generator on Tuesday, February 18, 2014. 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. 

Anti-Valentine's Day Party

Don't have a Valentine? Don't worry! Join your friends at the Mill Creek Library for an Anti-Valentine's Day Party on Friday, February 14th from 7-9 p.m. for a night of board games, duct tape roses, "un-valentines," a cupcake decorating contest, music, quizes, and door prizes. There are no hateful hearts here, just a night to focus on friends and fun.

While you're at the party, make sure you check out a book from our "blind date with a book" display. Pizza, snacks, door prizes and crafts are provided by the Friends of the Mill Creek Library. 

Space is limited to 25 people for the cupcake decorating so sign up in advance on the library website. The Anti-Valentine's Day Party is only for teens in grades 6-12. For more information, contact Danielle at the Mill Creek Library


Bonus:  If you already have plans tomorrow night, or need something to do in the afternoon, we will be also having a Anti-Valentine’s Day Craft Party at the Mukilteo Library from 1-4pm.  We’ll be making unValentine cards and other cynical creations. Games, snacks, and door prizes too! Enjoy uncelebrating this holiday while being creative with other teens.  For more information, contact Melleny.

2014 Teen Tech Month Video Contest

I'm delighted to announce our 7th Annual Teen Tech Month Video Contest!  This year we are doing things slightly different.  We are still offering Best Buy gift cards to the video best loved by viewers ($150) and for the Librarian's Choice prize ($75), but we have an all new category this year for Best Group Project.   If your class, library advisory board, school video team submit a video and enter it in this category, you have a chance to win a pizza party!

The basics:

1. Create a video promoting the library or your favorite book.
2. Video length must be 30 seconds to 3 minutes, including credits.
3. Include credits in the video indicating you produced the video for the Sno-Isle Libraries Video Contest.
4. Post your video to YouTube with the tag "snoisleteens."
5. Submit your YouTube URL through our online entry located here by March 31, 2014.
6. Online voting and winners announced in April.

Rules and guidelines can also be found on our Video Contest page. Here is last year's winner:



This really is one of my favorite things we do each year. I can't wait to see all the creative things you, our talented teens, come up with!

Trailer Tuesday: Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

I generally look forward to a good fairy tale re-telling. Especially one where the girl sounds as kick-butt as Nyx does in Cruel Beauty.

From the publisher: "Betrothed to the demon who rules her country and trained all her life to kill him, seventeen-year-old Nyx Triskelion must now fulfill her destiny and move to the castle to be his wife."

Weekend Book Giveaway: Curtsies & Conspiracies

I'm really excited about this week's book, the second in the Finishing School series by Gail Carriger.  I loved Etiquette & Espionage, and Curtsies & Conspiracies is every bit as fun.

In her alternate England of 1851, fifteen-year-old Sophronia tries to uncover who is behind a plot to control a prototype that has the potential to alter human and supernatural travel, and to learn what role Mademoiselle Geraldine's academy for young spies plays in the affair. Sophronia must rely on her training to discover who is behind the dangerous plot-and survive the London Season with a full dance card.

Utterly delightful!  With 16 holds, this could take a while to get your hands on, but you have a chance to win a copy you'll get next week if you either tell me your favorite conspiracy theory, or make one up for me!

Winner will be selected by Random Number Generator on Tuesday, February 11, 2014. 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. 

Trailer Tuesday: Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher

What if you killed someone - and got away with it? Would it eat you up inside? Would you find yourself writing a letter to a death row inmate to ease your conscious? That's what Zoe finds herself doing three months after the death (or murder?) of a boy she'd fallen in love with. How did she get there? Find out in the unusually named Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher.

From the publisher: "Zoe, a teenager in Bath, England, writes letters to a death-row inmate in Texas, hoping to find comfort in sharing her guilty secret over the death of a friend with someone who can never tell her family."