Slide by Jill Hathaway

I am so excited that Slide by Jill Hathaway was released into the wild this week.  Slide is an awesome debut mystery from an Iowa author, who we will be coming to visit the Cedar Rapids Public Library in July!

Slide is narrated by Vee Bell, a high school student with the unique ability to slide into others and see through their eyes.  When she witnesses a murder, she goes full on Veronica Mars and starts to investigate with the help of her power to slide.  I stayed up all night finishing this book – couldn’t put it down from the moment I started.  Part mystery, it also combines elements of fantasy with realistic dialogue/characters and genuinely surprised me at the end.  I loved Vee as she brought to mind my favorite kind of detective – teen girls ala Nancy Drew.  I’ve been looking for something to fill my Veronica Mars void since I finished the DVDs and Slide was perfect – but left me wanting more!  Luckily for all of us, Jill Hathaway is writing a sequel – so be on the lookout for that in the future.

Get in line for your copy through our catalog now – read it before the author comes in July, and stop in the YA area of the library to get a Slide bookmark signed by Jill Hathaway – get one before they are gone!

Jill is also hosting an awesome iPod + book giveaway on her blog – so check that out and send her a picture of where you read at to be entered to win.

New Reviews by You!

Since we put our review contest on hold this fall, we have been lacking in the review department around here.  Luckily, I found two new reviews from teens on some very good reads!  Check out either of the books from the Cedar Rapids Public Library, and submit your own reviews of things you read here!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

This book was just fabulous. I would’ve read it straight through, but I fell asleep. Even when I stopped reading, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I felt almost like I was Tris, the main character, and I was stuck in her dangerous world. You can never see what’s coming and usually the next twist just makes it impossible to put the book down. I’ll be obsessed with this book until the second one is published. – S.S.

*Note:  Insurgent, the sequel to Divergent, comes out in May 2012, so there is plenty of time to check this book out at the library!

Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy

When I first started to read the book Twelve Long Months I thought  it was going to be the worst book that I would ever read. As I started reading the book it became really good. I think if I could i would definitely try to have more teens read it because it is just a really good book. The book was about an eighteen year old girl. She liked this boy and the boy knew she liked him but he didn’t like her like that. Then when she went to New York and he came there and started to go to college. She ends up finding out a secret about the guy. Read more to find out what happens in this romantic drama!  -S.C.

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a recently released book by first time author Ransom Riggs. The story of teenage Jacob and his grandfather’s mysterious stories/death is combined with odd, old photographs which appear throughout the book. Miss Peregrine’s is delightfully creepy, like listening to ghost stories by campfire. My heart would race, and then I would turn the page to find a photograph with just the right amount of scary in it. The scariest part to me is that the photos are REAL! That’s right – Riggs has gathered the photos from collectors who found the creeptastic pictures in flea markets, antique malls, and yard sales.  This book won’t give you nightmares but is an interesting read that might keep you up at night.  My favorite part was the twist near the end – you will have to read to find out what exactly that is!  Get in the holds line  because this book is flying off the shelves.

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

  Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma is a brand new addition to the YA collection at the Cedar Rapids Public Library.  The only word I want to use to describe it is creepy – but it is so much more than that.  Narrated by younger sister Chloe, the book borders on realistic fiction, fantasy and horror.  Chloe’s older sister Ruby is the star of the show, everyone in their small town worships her, including Chloe.  A dramatic accident results in Chloe moving far, far away with her father.  Ruby manages to collect Chloe and bring her back to their weird little town, where Ruby has moved close to the reservoir and where it appears some kind of alternate reality has taken place.  As the book progresses, Chloe realizes what kind of power Ruby does have and how far she will go to protect her younger sister.

The entire book is detailed and dark, and I felt like I could feel the cool waters and the sun and the way summer feels.  It is really creepy and really juicy – although the ending might not make everyone happy, I thought the writer did an excellent job leaving the best parts to be imagined..  If you like swimming in reservoirs, you might want to avoid this…I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to swim in one without worrying that there might be someone waiting to pull me under!

Add reviews this summer

Teen Review Box

The review contest is taking a break for the summer, and will start back up again in the fall, with new and exciting prizes.  Still love writing reviews on books you’ve read as part of the Teen Summer Reading Program?  Stop by the Young Adult area of the Cedar Rapids Public Library at Westdale to find review forms (on the wall) and the red review box to the left.  You can also fill out reviews online here.  Your reviews will be posted on the wall at the library, as well as online here and on our Good Reads account.

You are already reading, you might as well start reviewing…the monster is hungry for your thoughts.  Ok, sorry about that, I couldn’t resist

New (winning) Review

Our review contest is going on a break during the Summer Reading Program, but our May winner won a pair of movie tickets and contributed a great review!  Still interested in writing a review over the summer?  Fill one out here or look for our summer review box in the YA area at the Westdale library.

Alex Rider:  Scorpia Rising by Anthony Horowitz

It was hard for me to choose a book from the Alex Rider series, but since the series was coming to an end, I had to choose the last  one, Scorpia Rising.  In the beginning, it was a bit of a drag!  It was talking about someone else and not Alex Rider.  When part 2 came, then the action really started!  It is sad to see the series come to an end, but this was by far the best Alex Rider book to read. -S.M.

Are you on GoodReads?

Do any readers out there have a GoodReads account?  If you do, you can stop reading this now and start adding some “To-Reads” to your list or play the Never-Ending Book Quiz.

If you have never heard about GoodReads, and you like to read just as much as you like the internet, I have some great news for you!  You can combine these loves in this awesome site, which lets you add books you are reading, want to read, or have already read to your collection and also lets you review them, add friends, and recommend books to others you may know.  You can also follow your favorite authors and sign up to win Advanced Reader Copies of books that are not out yet.  I’ve already won a few and I’m excited to give them out during our Summer Reading Program.

If you are curious to see what other Cedar Rapids teens are reading, I created a GoodReads account for their reviews they submitted to our on-going review contest.  If you do sign up for an account, add us and tell us what you are reading!

There are other similar social-networking book sites, like LibraryThing and Shelfari…they are pretty great too.  Let me know in the comments you user name for your book site of choice and maybe we can be friends?

Adventurous April Reviews

A few weeks ago, I posted a couple of great reviews that were submitted as part of our ongoing review contest.  You can read more about it here or submit your own here or here:

Located in the Young Adult Section at the Westdale Library

Winners are entered into a drawing to receive movie tickets on the first of the month.  If you entered last month, we will draw on May 1st for movie tickets as well as some bonus prizes.  Reviews are posted on the blog, our GoodReads account, and on our new review wall:

Review Wall at Westdale Library

Here are the latest and greatest additions to our collection of excellent reviews:

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

A real page turner!  Unwind is fulled with sarcasm, morals, heart-wrenching scenes, and so much more.  It keeps someone truly thinking even during Connor’s sarcastic moments.  Connor’s rebellious attitude adds the spice and adventure to this book while other characters add a mix of emotions and thoughts.  Unwind will keep a person’s mind winding until long after they put it down. -A.S.

Artemis Fowl and the Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer

Eoin Colfer shows his best Artemis yet in this third book of the Fowl series.  Artemis really shows his inner genius and proves that he can’t be outsmarted, even by a man.  If you are looking for adventure all the time or you are looking for someone with a change of heart, then this is the book for you. -M.M.

Two New Reviews

Currently in the teen area there is a contest going on to win a pair of movie tickets by entering a review online here or stopping by the Young Adult section of the Westdale Mall location and filling out a review and putting in in the entry box.  Here are two great reviews written by area teens.

If I Stay by Gayle Foreman

If I Stay was a book I couldn’t put down.  Mia choosing if she would be able to stay without her family or leave her life behind has you guessing and wondering until the very end.  -M.S.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

There’s a lot I can say about the series, and I bet hundreds of fans already have.  I mean it is adventurous, heroic, humorous, and lighthearted, all tied up in one.  Who wouldn’t want to read it?  It’s a thrilling read for all ages.  On top of that, Rick Riordan captures the audiences with his compelling words and convincing characters.  -K.S.

There is still time to enter the contest, so get those reviews in for a chance to win!

Graceling by Kristin Cashore

There’s a reason this book has won so many awards. It is technically a fantasy novel but it has adventure, romance, mystery, and suspense. The story follows the main character, Katsa, a girl “Graced” with killing, her mysterious friend Po, and their rescue of a child princess from her crazed father.

Katsa is a wonderfully complex character with equally interesting friends. Her abilities make for an exciting coming of age story that both boys and girls will like. You won’t be able to put it down and you won’t want the story to end. Cashore has also written a prequel to Graceling called Fire, which I also highly recommend. And don’t be put off because it’s written for young adults, it’s just as enjoyable for adults.