Jellicoe Road

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at the age of eleven, high school student Taylor Markham struggles with her identity and family history at a boarding school in Australia.

Accidental Love

Accidental Love by Gary Soto


After unexpectedly falling in love with a "nerdy" boy, fourteen-year-old Marisa works to change her life by transferring to another school, altering some of her behavior, and losing weight.

J.D. Salinger Dies

We were very sad to learn that author J.D. Salinger had died. Whether you loved or hated his books, there is no denying his importance as an author. We all loved his stuff. Catcher in the Rye is my favorite and Howard loves Franny and Zooey.

Twitter has exploded with Tweets of his death. Some serious, some...not so much:
John Green - "JD Salinger, who wrote the stories that made me want to write my own, has died."
Whitney Matheson (aka Pop Candy) - "Having a surprisingly emotional reaction to this JD Salinger news. RIP."
Ethan Suplee - "'I am a kind of paranoid in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.' -J.D. Salinger"
John Hodgman - "I prefer to think JD Salinger has just decided to become extra reclusive."
Joshua Malina - "I was as stunned to learn that J.D. Salinger had still been alive as I was to learn that he had died."

And who can forget the dozens of movies, video games and books that have referenced or made allusions to Catcher in the Rye or Holden Caulfield:
Wedding Crashers, Tropic Thunder and Adventureland in movies.
Bully in video games.
TONS of references in TV (did you know Phoebe from Friends was named supposedly after Holden's sister?)
Sloppy Firsts, Death Note: Another Note, and Looking for Alaska to name a few in books.

What is your favorite Salinger book? Your favorite pop culture reference?

The YA Decade?

On Monday, the book editors over at Amazon's Omnivoracious published a blog post calling the "00's" the YA Decade. I read my first YA book (as an adult) on accident about 10 years ago. It wasn't until I was getting my library science degree that I started seeking out YA titles. Now it's a majority of what I read.

Do you think the "00's" were the decade of Young Adult literature? Do you agree with the author's they mentioned? In any case, here are the list of author's that the post mentioned by name.

The top 8:
MT Anderson
Laurie Halse Anderson
Meg Cabot
Cecily Von Ziegesar
Christopher Paolini
Scott Westerfeld
Stephenie Meyer
John Green

The honorable mentions:
Sherman Alexie, Ann Brashares, Libba Bray, Kristin Cashore, Suzanne Collins, Sarah Dessen, Cory Doctorow, Siobhan Dowd, Neil Gaiman, Maureen Johnson, Justine Larbalestier, Walter Dean Myers, Patrick Ness, Matt de la Pena, and Terry Pratchett.

Join the Queue

Every Tuesday new books, CDs, and DVDs are released into the world. Instead of buying them, check them out at your library!

Here are some of the January 26, 2010 releases that the library has on order. Place your hold now to get it sooner!

Books:

Spring Break by Katherine Applegate







Culture Clash by L. Divine







Incarceron by Catherine Fisher







The Enchanted Quest by Frewin Jones







I Kissed a Zombie, and I Liked It by Adam Selzer







DVDs:

Michael Jackson's This Is It







Whip It







Graphic Novels:

Tsubasa, Vol. 25 by Clamp







Kamichama Karin Chu, Vol. 7 by Koge-Donbo







Video Games:

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars (Wii Only)

What's on Tap?

Here are the events taking place at the library this week:

Monday, January 25:
Homework Help @ Mendota, 3-6pm
Homework Help @ Woodward, 3:30-5pm
Study Hall @ Woodward, 3:30-5pm
Movie Mondays @ Orange Cove, 4-6pm

Tuesday, January 26:
Homework Help @ Mendota, 3-6pm
Art Smart @ Orange Cove, 4-5pm

Wednesday, January 27:
Art Smart @ Mendota, 3-5pm
Homework Help @ Mendota, 3-6pm
Homework Help @ Woodward, 3:30-5pm
Study Hall @ Woodward, 3:30-5pm
Wii: Super Smash Bros. Brawl @ Fowler, 4-5pm
Jeopardy Game Night @ Sunnyside, 6-8pm

Thursday, January 28:
Hooked on Yarn @ Orange Cove, 10-12pm
Hooks and Needles Knit and Crochet @ Auberry, 1-5pm
Homework Help @ Mendota, 3-6pm
Library Design, Inc. @ Cedar Clinton, 4:30-5:30pm
Wii Gaming @ Kerman, 6-6:45pm

Friday, January 29:
The Emerald Duo Concert @ Auberry, 7-9pm

Saturday, January 30:
Woodward Park Video Game Day @ Woodward Park, 12-3:00pm

Sunday, January 31:
Cesar Chavez Youth Art Contest
Henna Art @ Fig Garden, 3-4pm

It's Baaaaaa-aaaaaack!

The biggest video game event in the Valley, just for teens! Enjoy free-play with friends, participate in Battle of the Bands (Rock Band, that is!), or just watch the best players compete for bragging rights.

All slots for the following tournaments have been filled, but feel free to get on the waiting list!

12:15 Guitar Hero (hard level) on the XBox 360
1:15 Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii
2:15 Wii Sports Resort Olympics

Call the Woodward Park Library at 433.3135 today! See you on the 30th.

Twilight the Graphic Novel

Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1 will be released on March 16! For the full story about the book, Stephenie Meyer's thoughts on the project and a sneaky peak at Young Kim's art, see the EW article.

So are you excited, or what?

Best Books for Young Adults

In addition to the Youth Media Awards being announced, there has also been announcements for the Best Books for Young Adults. There are over 90 tiles on the list, but here are the top ten:

The Demon's Lexicon by Sarah Rees Brennan







The Orange Houses by Paul Griffin







The Great Wide Sea M. H. Herlong







The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks







Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli







Stitches: A Memoir by David Small







When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead







Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork







Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor







Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by Sally M. Walker

Movies Based on Books

We can't agree on whether it is better to read a book before you see a movie, or see the movie and then read the book. What do you think? Below is a list of movies coming out that are based on books. Have you read any of them? Do you plan to read any?

Dear John - February 5







The Lightning Thief - February 12







Shutter Island - February 19







Alice in Wonderland - March 5







The Losers - April 9







Iron Man 2 - May 7







The Twilight Saga - Eclipse - June 30







The Last Airbender - July 2






And some others that do not have movie poster's yet:

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World - August 13 (check out the website)


Guardians of Ga'Hoole - September 24


Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 - November 19


The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - December 10

Join the Queue

Every Tuesday new books, CDs, and DVDs are released into the world. Instead of buying them, check them out at your library!

Here are some of the January 19, 2010 releases that the library has on order. Place your hold now to get it sooner!

Books:

Undead Much by Stacey Jay







The Mark by Jen Nadol







DVDs:

Gamer







The Invention of Lying







Pandorum







Graphic Novels:

Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 22 by Hiromu Arakawa







Oishinbo - Izakaya: Pub Food by Tetsu Kariya







Video Games:

Dark Void
360
PS3

Big day for books

Early this morning in Boston the Youth Media Awards were announced. These are book honors awarded by the American Library Association and decided upon by librarians, with help from teens in their community. In fact, our very own RWL staffer Lisa is working hard at this very moment to help finalize the awards for teen Quick Picks (look for that list and others later this week). And now, without further ado, here are the teen books that walked away with top honors:


2010 Michael L. Printz Award
(teen books that exemplify literary excellence)


The winner

Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Slacker Cameron sets off on a madcap road trip along with a punk angel, a dwarf sidekick, a yard gnome and a mad scientist, to save the world and perhaps his own life.




Honors
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
Punkzilla by Adam Rapp
Tales from the Madman Underground: An Historical Romance, 1973 by John Barnes




The John Newberry Medal
(like the Printz, but for kids--and sometimes stuff that's great for all ages, like this year's winner)


The winner

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Could the mysterious notes Miranda's been receiving have explain why her best friend won't talk to her, why the Laughing Man does talk to her, and if time travel is possible?




 
The Alex Awards
(great books for teens that were originally published for adults)


The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer


The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff (former Printz winner!)


Everything Matters! by Ron Currie, Jr.


The Good Soldiers by David Finkel



The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir by Diana Welch and Liz Welch with Amanda Welch and Dan Welch

The Magicians by Lev Grossman



My Abandonment by Peter Rock



Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger


Stitches: A Memoir by David Small


Tunneling to the Center of the Earth by Kevin Wilson

Go here for more information and other great awards.

What's on Tap?

Light week!

Monday, January 18:
ALL LIBRARIES CLOSED - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Tuesday, January 19:
Art Smart @ Mendota, 3-5pm
Homework Help @ Mendota, 3-6pm
Art Smart @ Orange Cove, 4-5pm
Tween Unity Activity @ Fowler, 4-5pm

Wednesday, January 20:
Games and Fun @ Sanger, 1:30-4pm
Homework Help @ Mendota, 3-6pm
Homework Help @ Woodward, 3:30-5pm
Study Hall @ Woodward, 3:30-5pm
Tween Unity Activity @ Fowler, 4-5pm
2000 & 2010 Movies @ Sunnyside, 6-8pm

Thursday, January 21:
Hooks and Needles Knit and Crochet @ Auberry, 1-5pm
Homework Help @ Mendota, 3-6pm
Wii Gaming @ Kerman, 6-6:45pm
Connect with the Classics - Lolita @ Woodward, 7-8pm

Friday, January 22:
Nothing Scheduled

Saturday, January 23:
Nothing Scheduled

Sunday, January 24:
TAG - Teen Council @ Fig Garden 1-2pm

DJ Earworm mashes up the songs of 2009

What was your favorite song of the last year? If you're like us and have a hard time choosing, check out this excellent mash-up by DJ Earworm. It includes all of these hits: 

• The Black Eyed Peas - BOOM BOOM POW
• Lady Gaga - POKER FACE
• Lady Gaga Featuring Colby O’Donis - JUST DANCE
• The Black Eyed Peas - I GOTTA FEELING
• Taylor Swift - LOVE STORY
• Flo Rida - RIGHT ROUND
• Jason Mraz - I’M YOURS
• Beyonce - SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)
• Kanye West - HEARTLESS
• The All-American Rejects - GIVES YOU HELL
• Taylor Swift - YOU BELONG WITH ME
• T.I. Featuring Justin Timberlake - DEAD AND GONE
• The Fray - YOU FOUND ME
• Kings Of Leon - USE SOMEBODY
• Keri Hilson Featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo - KNOCK YOU DOWN
• Jamie Foxx Featuring T-Pain - BLAME IT
• Pitbull - I KNOW YOU WANT ME (CALLE OCHO)
• T.I. Featuring Rihanna - LIVE YOUR LIFE
• Soulja Boy Tell ‘em Featuring Sammie - KISS ME THRU THE PHONE
• Jay Sean Featuring Lil Wayne - DOWN
• Miley Cyrus - THE CLIMB
• Drake - BEST I EVER HAD
• Kelly Clarkson - MY LIFE WOULD SUCK WITHOUT YOU
• Beyonce - HALO
• Katy Perry - HOT N COLD