Staff Book Pick of the Week: Feels Like Home

This week's pick is Feels Like Home by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo (YA CHARLTON-TRUJILLO).

Mickey has got her life under control - she's graduating from high school early, has her college all picked out, and she's going to get out of Three Rivers, Texas. But then Mickey's father dies and her older brother Danny reappears after six years of silence, six years that Mickey has spent forgetting about him and the connection they had with the book The Outsiders. Mickey wants nothing to do with Danny - he was the one who left after his best friend died in a mysterious accident, one that Mickey isn't sure she wants to remember (or even if she can). As Mickey spends more time with Danny, however, she realizes she is going to have to remember what happened that night, no matter how terrible the memory may be.

Staff Book Pick of the Week: First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover

This week's pick is First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover by Mitali Perkins (YA PERKINS).

Sameera Righton (a.k.a. Sparrow) is used to staying on the sidelines. Sure she blogs for her friends about various issues and enjoys hanging with her crew buddies while ordering them about in her position as coxswain. But that invisibility is about to end: Sparrow's dad is running for presidents, and his campaign staff has decided it's time Sparrow is by his side. Sparrow is sure she's ready - she knows politics, and she wants to be made over into a glamorous First Daughter. But when she reaches campaign headquarters, Sparrow soon discovers the kind of makeover her dad's campaign staff plans to provide might not be quite what she had in mind. In short, the staff wants to downplay the fact that Sameera was born in Pakistan and turn her into "Sammy" - an everyday teenager without an intelligent thought in her head. Sparrow knows she wants her dad to win, but will it be at the cost of the "real" Sparrow?

New Books!

Check out these new books on display in the Teens & Tweens Space:

Naomi & Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (YA COHN)
What They Found: Love on 145th Street by Walter Dean Myers (YA MYERS)

New Young Adult Book Display: Drama!

Drama!: In the Movies, Onstage, & in Real Life

Cabot, Meg
Teen Idol: Jenny Greenley has figured out that the best way to survive high school is to keep out of trouble as much as possible. But when teen actor Luke Striker comes to town to research an upcoming role and Jen is assigned to show him what high school’s like, she realizes it’s time to do more than stay out of trouble—it’s time to figure out who the real Jenny is.
YA CABOT

Calonita, Jen
Secrets of My Hollywood Life: All Kaitlin Burke wanted was for life to be normal for a change. Too bad trying high school after Hollywood stardom was anything but.
YA CALONITA

Castellucci, Cecil
Boy Proof: Senior Victoria presents herself to the world as Egg, the name of her favorite female character in her favorite movie, Terminal Earth. Egg cares about two things—movies and being valedictorian of her class. But when new boy Max shows up in her AP English class, will Egg realize it’s time to be part of reality—and become Victoria again?
YA CASTELLUCCI

Douglas, Lola
True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet: Morgan Carter has always been the center of attention—until an overdose nearly ends her life and threatens her stardom. Attempting to start over in a mid-sized Midwest town, she soon realizes the past has a way of catching up with you.
YA DOUGLAS

Hagerup, Klaus
Markus & Diana: In real life, 13-year old Markus is shy, awkward, and afraid of almost everything. But when he writes to soap opera star Diana Mortensen, he pretends he’s a 36-year old millionaire. What will Markus do when Diana wants to meet him?
YA HAGERUP

Lockhart, E.
Dramarama: All Sadye ever wanted was some glitter in her life - a chance to perform for real and for someone to notice. Enter Demi, a fellow outcast and musical theater fan. They keep each other entertained by watching musicals nonstop and performing along, bonded by their antipathy of small town life. Then a real chance comes along - a summer at the Wildewood Academy for the Performing Arts. Demi fits right in and gets leading roles, while Sadye is stuck with leftovers. Will Demi and Sadye's friendship survive?
YA LOCKHART

Roter, Jordan
Girl in Development: 18-year old Sam isn’t quite sure what’s happened to her life—one minute she’s a booklover heading to college in her hometown, and the next she’s an intern at a film development company. Which life does the real Sam want?
YA ROTER

Sones, Sonya
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies: 15-year old Ruby is sent to live with a father she’s never met after her mother dies—famous film actor Whip Logan. With Cameron Diaz as a next-door neighbor and a high school full of Hollywood wannabes, will Ruby ever feel normal again?
YA SONES

Wemmlinger, Raymond
Booth’s Daughter: Edwina has never wanted to be an actress, despite the fact that her father is the famous Edwin Booth (and brother of John Wilkes Booth). All she wants is an everyday life—but will her father allow her to have one?
YA WEMMLINGER

New Books!

Check out these new books going out on the shelves today:

Bleach 4 (YA BLEACH)
Bleach 5 (YA BLEACH)
Bleach 6 (YA BLEACH)
Bleach 7 (YA BLEACH)
Bleach 8 (YA BLEACH)
Kare Kano 17 (YA KARE KANO)
Kare Kano 18 (YA KARE KANO)

Staff Book Pick of the Week: The Noah Confessions

This week's pick is The Noah Confessions by Barbara Hall (YA HALL).

Lynnie was expecting a car on her sixteenth birthday, but instead her father gives her two things - an old charm bracelet and a manuscript written by her mother, who died in a car accident eight years ago. The manuscript takes Lynnie to her mother's past, a past Lynnie was only dimly aware of: a life in Union Grade, Virginia, hemmed in by class, fear, and hate. Unfortunately, her mother's story brings up more questions than it answers. Will Lynnie's father provide the answers she needs to understand her family's past? Will Lynnie be able to learn from her mother's story and move on from her death? Find out in The Noah Confessions.

Reminder: Gingerbread Houses this Saturday @ 2:00 PM

Don't forget, Teens & Tweens is meeting this Saturday @ 2:00 PM. We'll be making & decorating mini gingerbread houses, so bring your creativity and holiday spirit!

Staff Book Pick of the Week: Fire From the Rock

This week's pick is Fire From the Rock by Sharon Draper (YA DRAPER).

15-year old Sylvia Faye Patterson is ready for high school - for basketball games, challenging classes, maybe even trying out for cheerleader. It looks like she might even have a boyfriend by the time the first day rolls around. But then Sylvia's teacher Miss Washington recommends that she be placed on the list of African-American students to attend Central High School, a segregated school that is to be integrated. While Sylvia believes that it is time for integration, she isn't so sure she wants to be in the forefront of change. At Central, not only would Sylvia not be allowed to join any extracurricular activities, she would also face racism and possibly bodily harm. Is Sylvia ready to stand up for civil rights in a way that could harm her own safety at worst, and likely make her life miserable at the very least? Find out what decision Sylvia makes in Fire From the Rock.

Reminder: Teens & Tweens Book Club this Thursday @ 7:00 PM

We'll be discussing Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Copies are available for you to pick up at the circulation desk. Come prepared to snack, chat, and have fun!