Well, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner is short: it’s a novella that gives background information on what was going on in Seattle during the events in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.  On its own, it’s not a well-rounded enough story to sustain interest, but if you’ve read The Twilight Saga, and watched Eclipse the movie, you will enjoy reading about Bree.  Her story is that she is a homeless and starving when a guy offers her a free meal.  When he is done with her, she is a vampire living in a coven where the only ways to stay alive are to be the strongest fighter, or to hide.   Bree, it turns out, is great at hiding, and much smarter than a lot of other newborns.

The best characters in this story are Bree, and a guy named Freaky Fred, who has the weirdest power.  It’s also interesting to see how the newborns operate, and how they are controlled.  Finally—for fans of the series—Bree’s story shows us that, in Eclipse, there was more going on in the scene in the clearing than Bella knew.  If you can’t get enough of the Twilight Saga, check out The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner.     
 

Karl Shoemaker has a plan: Operation Be Normal.  It starts with avoiding his best friend, and ends with getting through the semester without getting put in therapy.  Karl has been in mandatory group therapy (called the madman underground) with the same kids since forever, and he is sick of it: the same stories, the same problems, year after year.  The problem is that with five jobs, an erratic, alcoholic mother, more pet cats than he can count, and a reputation for being a “psycho,” it’s going to be difficult for Karl to have a normal year.  When he is offered what amounts to a "get out of jail free" card for therapy, his fellow madmen think he's turned on them.  After everything they have shared, it is considered to be a first rate betrayal, and one even Karl is not sure he should commit.

Tales of the Madman Underground is one of the best books I’ve read recently.  Karl is a great character: funny, sweet, and full of rage.  This is a story about friendship and family, and the relationships that form when adults can’t be trusted.  Karl and his friends have very difficult lives—it’s not unusual for them to find themselves sleeping in cars or sneaking into basements because their homes are not safe.  Sometimes the madmen make hard choices or bad choices, but they are there for each other.  They stand up and help each other make the best of what are sometimes horrible life situations.   That is the root of Karl’s dilemma: does grabbing hold of normalcy mean abandoning his friends and his only support system?
 

What if Dr. Jekell and Mr. Hyde really existed, and their families, Jekell’s descended from a brother or cousin, and Hydes’ descended from the man himself, continued down the generations, carrying family secrets and family traits? 

Jill Jekel and Tristan Hyde are both in the same advanced Chemistry class, when their teacher announces a prestigious chemistry contest with a large cash prize.  Jill’s dad was a brilliant chemist, but his recent death has left her family without much extra money, and Jill may not be able to afford college.  Tristan doesn’t care about the money, the prestige, or anything except keeping his violent dreams at bay.  When he hears that Jill’s family may have some old formulas, he agrees to team up with Jill: Jekel and Hyde recreating the Jekell and Hyde experiments…  the gimmick might be enough to win Jill the prize money, but Tristan secretly plans to use the project to cure his violent urges before they get out of control.  As they work together, late at night, quiet and studious Jill finds herself more and more attracted to Tristian, and Tristan finds in Jill something to hang on to as his sanity slips further away...

Jekel Loves Hyde is a romance, suspense and mystery all rolled into one.  I didn’t think it was as funny as Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Fantaskey’s other novel) but it’s got an interesting plot and enough of a twist at the end that it will keep you guessing.  Horror/romance fans, this book is for you!       
 

Teen Librarian Sarah is back with another AMAZING book discussion about The Knife of Never Letting Go, which is the first book in Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking series. 

The Knife of Never Letting Go from Darien Library on Vimeo.

Scott Pilgrim is a twenty-three year old underachiever who lives in an apartment in Toronto with his roommate, off of whom he mooches unapologetically.  Scott’s in a band, and in volume 1: Precious Little Life, he has just started dating a high school girl named Knives Chau.  Everyone, except Scott and Knives, realize that this is slimy behavior at best, but their friends are happy that Scott has stopped moping over his ex.  Then Scott starts to see a girl in his dreams: a beautiful, cool-looking Amazon delivery girl who rollerblades through his dreams.  When Scott decides to order some CDs from Amazon in the hopes of meeting his (literal) dream girl, Knives and Scott are pretty much done as a couple (...not that Knives knows about it). 

There may be some hitches along the way in the form of the seven evil ex-boyfriends Scott must fight if he wants to date the Amazon girl, not to mention Knives’ increasing obsession… but it won't be a dull ride!        

That’s right, it’s going to be a huge summer blockbuster starring Michael Cera.  So very awesome.  Everyone knows that the book is always better than the movie—so get the Scott Pilgrim series and decide for yourself.  The art is amazing, the funny quips in the margins are the best, and did I mention that Scott is an awesome fighter, his band sucks and there is going to be a video game?

 

James Dashner's The Maze Runner is this summer's runaway hit (at least until Mockingjay hits the shelves on August 24th.)  Hear what Sarah has to say, and then place a hold to read it!

The Maze Runner: A Video Book Talk by Sarah Ludwig from Darien Library on Vimeo.

Pancho’s mom died when he was a kid, and his dad died in an accident a few months ago.  Since then it’s just been Pancho and his older sister Rosa…  but all that happens before this story even begins.  This story begins with Pancho’s rage.  His sister’s body has been found in a motel room, and her death is ruled as having been of natural causes.  The police tell Pancho that his sister was 20 years old, and that there was nothing illegal about her being in a motel room.  But while Rosa was 20, she had the intelligence of a ten year old, and Pancho knows in his blood that whoever was there with her killed her.  Pancho has the beginning of a plan: he is going to find that man, he is going to kill him, and then Pancho is going to go to prison.

First Pancho has to get ready.  He needs money, a car, and time to research Rosa’s killer.  He is sent to St. Anthony’s orphanage, where he is given the job of taking care of a terminally ill resident named D.Q.  D.Q. is also getting ready, and he needs Pancho’s strength, his fire and his determination.  D.Q. has hard choices ahead, and while he knows what he wants, he needs a friend to make his final wishes a reality.  If Pancho will help D.Q., then D.Q. may be able to help Pancho… in more ways than he knows.

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is an amazing book.  You won’t be disappointed. While some of the subject matter is difficult, it is dealt with without being excessively graphic.  Pancho and D.Q. are really wonderful characters, but the side characters, like D.Q.s mom, and The Panda are great too.  This story will keep you turning the pages, and it will make you think about Pancho, D.Q. and their situations.
 

Our Teen Summer Reading program kicked off in high gear with an open mic night performance from Darien metal band, TEMPEST. Here's a clip from the event showing performances by  Zach, keyboardist, and Misha, the lead vocalist and guitar player.

Check it out!

Teen Summer Reading Open Mic Night from Darien Library on Vimeo.

Will Halpin is Deaf, and it’s his first day at mainstream public school.  Being a lip reader and ignored (to the point of near invisibility) gives Will the opportunity to observe a lot about his classmates.  He gets through the day by writing his wry (read: snarky) comments in his notebook and generally trying to make sense of high school culture.  Basically, Will Halpin is hilarious:

“It is pretty much a directly rising slope of coolness from the front of the bus to the back.  From me to a weird skinny guy in a football shirt who clearly isn’t on the team, to Marie (whose last name is Stepcoat) to the trio from my morning bus stop: A.J. Fischels, Teresa Lockhart, and Gabby Meyers.  If you keep going, you’d fly out the back of the bus onto the road itself and land in the cars belonging to kids far too cool to ever set foot on a bus.”

Then, on a field trip to Happy Memory Coal Mine, the quarterback (and first-rate bully) falls to his death.  The police say it was an accident, but rumors swirl that it was murder.  Will has been watching the quarterback with fascination: his father mired in political scandals, the planned huge and exclusive birthday party the students would kill to be invited to, the looks from the flirty math teacher, the beautiful girlfriend with a sad look in her eyes…  Will may be the one with the keys to a mystery, if he can put them together, and all of a sudden he has a Hardy Boys obsessed friend to help him out.

The Dark Days of Hamburger Halpin is great.  Funny, a good mystery and all around a great read! 

 

The Art of the Video Game

Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner---Do you ever have trouble writing stories for your English class or on your own? Well Write What You See is packed with 99 intriguing photos, writing prompts and key-words that will surely motivate you to write stories that will blow people away. The ideas and stories these pictures can help you come up with are endless. You'll never have trouble writing again!

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow by Susan Campell Bartoletti---Everyone knows the story of Hitler and his Nazi Army's quest to control the world and exterminate the Jewish race. However, many people don't know about Hitler's plan to affect the children of Germany as he tried to create a new world. This book takes you back to the 1930s and 40s to tell the unimaginable story of the dedication and devotion that millions of children had for Hilter and the Nazis. Hitler Youth, which includes tons of photos from the times, is incredibly insightful and will show you exactly what it was like to be a kid when Hitler ruled Germany.

Your Name in Print by Elizabeth Harper and Timothy Harper---If you've ever had hopes of getting your writing published in a magazine, newspaper, online, or even in a book, this book is for you. It contains tips and information that will help you in every step of the writing process: from subjects and ideas of what to write about to numerous websites that will either publish your writing or help you reach your goal of becoming published. No other book will give you as much insight on how to get yourself out there into the world or writing or how manage your writing career!

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul on Tough Stuff by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger---Have you ever been put in a stressful or scary situation and feel there is no way out? This book is filled with countless stories of people just like you; only, they've all learned lessons from their hardships and pain. These stories are being shared to help you realize that there are other people in the world going through the same thing as you and so you can learn the same lessons others have.

The Art of the Video Game by Josh Jenisch---The Art of the Video Game has amazing pictures from dozens of well-known video games on every page. It also explains to you how the animation, visual effects and even more came to be. Along with captions for every picture and video game explainations, this book contains numerous interviews with the game creators themselves! This book is perfect for all gamers who want to know more about how their beloved video games work.