November 13, 2008

We'll be discussing Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones at 6:00 PM.  All teens are welcome!  Refreshments will be provided.

Summer Reading Time 2008

We won't have book club meetings per se during the summer, but we will be discussing the entire Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer on May 29th at 6:00, in addition to other activities.  Then, on July 10th at 6:00, you'll need to have read a book involving chocolate to speed-booktalk in one of our events for Chocolate Olympics.

April 5, 2008

We discussed Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples and Code Talkers by Joseph Bruchac.

Other books by Staples include Shabanu and its sequel, Haveli.  Other books by Bruchac include The Winter People, Pocahontas, and Wabi: A Hero's Tale.

March 8, 2008

Meeting cancelled due to snow.

 Feb. 9, 2008

We discussed manga, and everyone gave me great ideas for stuff the library can order!

Jan. 12, 2008

 A Girl Named Disaster by Nancy Farmer was the discussion topic.

No meeting in December

Nov. 17, 2007

Prince Across the Water by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris was the discussion topic.  We also viewed a slide show about Scotland's landscape, mythology, and famous Scottish authors and actors. 

If you liked Prince Across the Water, you may also like the other two books in the Scottish series by Yolen and Harris: Queen's Own Fool and Girl in a Cage.  You may also like some of the following books dealing with Scotland:

The Dungeon by Lynne Reid Banks

A Stolen Life by Jane Louise Curry

Inside Granddad by Peter Dickinson

The Braid by Helen Frost

Oct. 20, 2007

The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm was the discussion topic.

If you like fairy tales, both straight and twisted, you may also like . . .

 the works of Gail Carson Levine

the works of Robin McKinley

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix

and, relatively new to our library, Michael Buckley's Sisters Grimm series.

Sept. 22, 2007

Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez was the discussion topic.

If you liked this book, you may also like . . .

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

Cuba 15 by Nancy Osa

Tonight, By Sea by Frances Temple

and Every Time a Rainbow Dies by Rita Williams-Garcia

Aug. 25, 2007

Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan was the discussion topic.

 If you liked this book, you may also like . . .

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

The Circuit and Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez

Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs

and Unfinished Portrait of Jessica by Richard Peck

July 12, 2007

Dragonrider by Cornelia Funke and So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld were the discussion topics.

If you liked these books you may also like . . .

by Cornelia Funke: The Thief Lord, Inkheart, Inkspell

by Scott Westerfeld:  Peeps, Specials, Uglies, Pretties

Others:

Dragonology by Ernest Drake

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

works of Jane Yolen or Lloyd Alexander

Fat Kid Rules the World by Kelly Going

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff 

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

June 21, 2007

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli and Double Helix by Nancy Werlin were the discussion topics.

If you liked these books, you may also like . . .

by Jerry Spinelli: Crash, Knots in My Yo-yo String, The Library Card, Maniac Magee, Loser, Milkweed, Wringer

by Nancy Werlin:  Black Mirror, The Killer's Cousin, The Rules of Survival

Others:

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Nothing But the Truth by Avi

A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks

If You Come Softly by Jacqueline Woodson

works of William Sleator

Maximum Ride series by James Patterson

Firestorm by David Klass

Blueprint by Charlotte Kerner

No meeting in May

April 21, 2007

The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron and Multiple Choice by Janet Tashjian were the discussion topics.

If you liked these books, you may also like . . .

Petey by Ben Mikaelsen

Where I Want to Be by Adele Griffin

Heck, Superhero by Martine Leavitt

Stop Pretending by Sonya Sones

St. Michael's Scales by Neil Connelly

The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

The Lone Sentinel by Jo Dereske

Missing May by Cynthia Rylant

March 10, 2007

Works by Sharon Creech were the discussion topics.

Books by Sharon Creech: Bloomability, Chasing Redbird, Heartbeat, Love That Dog, Ruby Holler, Walk Two Moons, The Wanderer

If you liked these books, you may also like . . .

The Window by Michael Dorris

Underdog by Marilyn Sachs

Johnny Voodoo by Dakota Lane

Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

Adam and Eve and Pinch-Me by Julie Johnston

Feb. 10, 2007

Newbery Award Winners were the discussion topics.

You can find a list of the Newbery Medalists and Honor books at www.ala.org.  Other awards of interest include

The Alex Award for adult books that appeal to young adults

The Margaret A. Edwards Award for an author with an outstanding body of work in the YA field

The Michael L. Printz Award for outstanding YA books of the year

and YALSA's Teens' Top Ten list, based on teen voting for the best books of the year.

Jan. 13, 2007

Books that were first in a series/trilogy were the discussion topics.  Some of the series available at the library include

T. A. Barron's Lost Years of Merlin

Ann Brashare's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan

Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries and Mediator

Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children

Anthony Horowitz's Alex Rider

Erin Hunter's Warriors

Brian Jacques' Redwall

Diana Wynne Jones' Chronicles of Chrestomanci

Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea Cycle

D. J. McHale's Pendragon

Louise Rennison's Georgia Nicholson

Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell's The Edge Chronicles

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women

J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter

Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl

Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising

Jenny Nimmo's Charlie Bone

Garth Nix's Keys to the Kingdom

Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events

Jeff Stone's The Five Ancestors

C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia

J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings

C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower

No December meeting.

Nov. 4, 2006

Poetry was the discussion topic.

Some of my favorite poets include Robert Browning, Emily Dickinson, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Frost, and William Shakespeare.

And if you're interested, the Teen Ink series features teen poets.

October 7, 2006

Here's a bit of randomness:  we discussed various books that had yellow covers!  Also, I provided a list of the Teens' Top Ten of the Year for 2005, many of which our library has.

1. Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood

2. The Truth About Forever

3. Looking for Alaska

4. My Sister's Keeper

5. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

6. Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

7. The Gangsta Rap

8. Teen Idol

9. The Garden

10. How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater

Sept. 9, 2006

Books by Margaret Peterson Haddix were the discussion topics.

They include

The Shadow Children series (starting with Among the Brave)

Because of Anya

Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey

Double Identity

Escape From Memory

The Girl With 500 Middle Names

The House on the Gulf

Just Ella

Leaving Fishers

Running Out of Time

Say What?

Takeoffs and Landings

Turnabout

Aug. 12, 2006

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin was the discussion topic.

If you liked this book, you may also like works by . . .

Agatha Christie

Eve Bunting

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Lois Duncan

Robert Newman

Joan Lowery Nixon

Willo Davis Roberts

Alfred Hitchcock

Anthony Horowitz

Edgar Allan Poe

Gloria Skurynski

Eileen Dunlop

July 15, 2006

Books by Robin McKinley were the discussion topics.

Beauty

The Blue Sword

Deerskin

Dragonhaven

The Hero and the Crown

The Outlaws of Sherwood

Rose Daughter

Spindle's End

Sunshine

Water: Tales of Elemental Spirits