Eternal – Cynthia Leitich Smith

Eternal is nominated for the Teens’ Top Ten list for 2009.

Zachary is a guardian angel.  Miranda is his assignment.  He has been her GA for all of her live.  And now, she is dead.  She should have died naturally, but Zachary stopped her intended death, and what happened was worse.  Now she is a vampire.  And Zachary is wingless.

Miranda arises as Dracul’s heir needing to learn all the pomp and circumstance that the role entails.  Luckily she can hire a personal assistant.  Who do you bet gets the job?

This novel is set in the same parallel world as Tantalize, which I haven’t read yet, but which is going on my list right now.  I expect that there will be more vampires and were-whatevers.

Pulse It

Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing and Simon & Schuster Digital have created a free social networking website called Pulse It.  On this sight you get to choose between two books a month (some newly released books, some not yet released) to read exclusively on-line.  Then you can write a review, or comment on a message board, or many other things including participating in author discussions.  How very cool!

The website is www.simonandschuster.com/pulseit. You must live in one of the 50 United States (sorry all of you from elsewhere…) and be between the ages of 14 and 18.

I am not going to lay out all of the details here, because they did a pretty fantastic job of doing it themselves.  So, for more information, head on over here.

I  know that a lot of you want to read particular books on-line, but you may find something new on Pulse It that will hit the spot.  Once you select a book you have 60 days to read it.  I am going to stop giving details now.  Go.  Look for yourself!

Express Yourself @ Your Library

Our 2009 summer reading program began yesterday and will end July 31, 2009.  Head on in for a packet at the Main Library or one of the branch libraries. U.S. Bank is once again donating 6 $50.00 pre-loaded charge cards to be used almost anywhere. All you have to do to be eligible is to come in and pick up a packet and start reading.

There are two new options for the Teen Reader Card this year. One is to make a flip book. I want to see these puppies, so please bring them in. The other option is to do something to “Express Yourself.”  Do something creative and either bring it in to show us or tell us about it.  You may also send us an e-mail with a video or photo attachment to webmail@duluth.lib.mn.us so that we can add it to our website and show how Expressive our area teens are.

The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman (illustrations by Dave McKean)

Nobody Owens, Bod for short, lives in the graveyard on the same street where his family was murdered when he was a toddler.  Because his family is dead, and the killer, the man Jack, is still looking for him, he is being raised by ghosts.  And a guardian.

Bod has been given the Freedom of the Graveyard and as such can see in darkness as well as a bunch of other neat and handy tricks.  He learns his alphabet and numbers with the help of  gravestones.  He learns history from those who had lived it.  But one thing the graveyard can’t give Bod is the experience of being with the living.

I always find Neil Gaiman’s writing to be wonderful, and Dave McKean’s illustrations add to the enjoyment.  I even like how the text is arranged around the art.  Unfortunately, Bod’s clothing in the book doesn’t match up with the clothing in the drawings of him.  Where is the grey winding sheet?  There.  That is my one gripe.

The Graveyard Book is on the Teens Top Ten list for 2009, because a bunch of teens loved it.   Not only that, but it won the Newbery Medal for 2009, as well. That means a lot of library people thought it was the best book written for kids and teens last year.  It also won the 2009 Hugo award (to honor excellence in the field of science fiction and fantasy).

My question to you… What would you have written on your gravestone?

Jellicoe Road – Melinda Marchetta

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta is the winner of the Michael L. Printz award (excellence in young adult literature)  for 2009.

After Taylor Markham was been abandoned by her drug addicted mother in a parking lot when she was eleven,  she was picked up by a woman, Hannah,  who took her to a boarding school.  Now Taylor is seventeen and is in charge of one of the houses in the boarding school on Jellicoe Road.  Her task is to lead her school in the territory wars with the Townies and the Cadets.

Why did the wars start?  Where is Taylor’s mother?  Who is her father?  And where did Hannah disappear to?  And, for my own part, who is who in the book?

I found this to be an interesting read.  There are mysteries to be solved and this is one of those books where when you get to the end, you just want to go right back to the beginning to pick up on what you missed the first time through.