Cover for Maggie Stiefvater's Linger Released!

If you aren't already a Maggie Stiefvater fan, than you'd better hop to it because Maggie's books are phenomenal. They aren't your typical paranormal/romance books. The female characters are strong, the writing almost lyrical, and the setting somehow moody without being too angsty. Maggie's frist book was Lament: the faerie queen's deception, which I read in about a day. The sequel, Ballad: a gathering of faerie, soon followed. But Maggie's true success started with Shiver, which was release in August and talked about practically non-stop in the YA book community. I took Shiver with me when I was vacationing at the beach and had to force myself to put it down and, you know, do some vacationing! I highly recommend all of her books to Twilight fans suffering from withdrawal, as well as fans of anything to do with faeries/fairies/fae, celtic mythology, and just really well-crafted stories.

And here is the clever and gorgeous cover for Maggie's new book, Linger, which won't be available until Fall 2010 - Grrr!!

Fall Wii™ Play for Teens

Fall Wii™ Play for Teens
November 28, 1:30-4 p.m.
Southwest Branch Library


Tired of turkey and football? Spend an afternoon at the library with a Wii™ controller in your hand. Battle your friends in this exciting, game-filled afternoon. This program is for teens in grades 7-12.

Teen Review by Hannah. . .Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I read Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix. It's about 2 boys and one of the boy's sister. One of the boys knows he's adopted. One boy, and later the other, gets a strange letter that they think is a prank about his being adopted. Once the other boy gets the same letter and his parents tell him he's adopted, he seeks answers.

As they try to find who their real parents were, they discover that there are more of them who got the letters. Also, they all live in the same general area and are all around the same age. What a coincidence. They are invited to a meeting about being adopted, and all but one girl shows up. The sister of one of the boys secretly takes her place. They find out that some people are not who they think they are, and that they are not even sure about who their selves are (and that's saying something because they're adopted).Now it's not as important to know who their parents were, or where they came from, but when they were born.

This book has lots of mystery and action. Also, the author of this book is a good writer, and I've read some of her other books."

It’s Toodles and S’laters to Georgia

saturday october 31 at the library

4:00 p.m.

Vair Vair excited to receive my copy of groovy-girl Louise Rennison’s new book ARE THESE MY BASOOMAS I SEE BEFORE ME?! It’s about time the fans in Hamburger-a-go-go land get this book! It’s been out like a million years in Billy Shakespeare land!

one minute later

I am in despair like a loon on despair tablets. This is the last book in the Georgia Nicolson series. How will I go on without her wisdomnosity? I must leave my bed of pain to continue the review.

sunday november 1 at home on the couch in my jimjams

9:00 a.m.

Mutti and Vati are still an embarrassment to the human race. Libby is truly quite insane. Grandvati continues to represent the elderly mad in his upmost fashion. And Angus and Gordy have a new pastime of staring at Libby’s new budgie.

3:00 p.m.

The Ace Gang is back for some wonderful snogging tips and Bison Horn Dancing!

3:10 p.m.

Stalag 14 is full of boring and useless information, as usual. Wet Lindsay is completely outdoing herself in the prat department (oo-er). Blimey O’Reilly--the whole school has to do Billy’s romantic comedy Rom and Jul. Fun abounds and knows no measure!

10:00 p.m.

A fly in the ointment (besides Dave The Laugh)—The Stiff Dylans get a manager and have to go to London to make it big as pop stars. Are the days of our heroine being the girlfriend of Masimo The Lurve God coming to an end? Should Georgia go to London or let Masimo go and bounce back like a rubber band of elasticity?

11:00 p.m.

Dave The Laugh keeps lurking like a big lurking thing. Why is he in Georgia’s mind all the time—or is he in her heart? I’ll never get to sleep at this rate. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

P.S. Even though Georgia has gone away laughing on a fast camel, you can always get copies of her books at the local library.

P.P.S. If you are interested in finding out more about the mad and ever so wonderful Louise Rennison, go to her website

P.P.P.S. To find out more about the Brethren of Angus go to the Scottish Wildcat Association

Teen Read-In, Northeast Branch

Teen Read-In
November 21, 1:30-4:30pm
Northeast Branch Library


Have you ever found that perfect book which kept you up all night? Well come to the Northeast Branch Library and test your staying power. Find the perfect book or the perfect series. We’ll provide the seating and the refreshments. Counts towards the Clear that Fine

Pro Wrestling Local Edition
November 18, 6:30 p.m.
Hugh Smith Recreation Center

Do you watch pro wrestling on television and have always wanted to meet pro wrestlers so they can tell you what it’s like? Do you ever wonder how they came to be pro wrestlers and how hard they had to work to get there? Come meet local pro wrestlers from Arlington’s Professional Championship Wrestling (PCW) as they talk about wrestling, books, and life in the ring! All ages welcome but this program is geared for tweens and teens.

Story Starters - teen writing group

Story Starters
Second Thursday of the month
6-7:30 p.m.
Lake Arlington Branch Library

This month's Story Starters meets: November 12.

The Library is hosting an exciting new program to help you get started on that story you’ve always wanted to write. Teens between the ages of 12 and 18 are invited to join us on Thursday for an evening filled with creativity, story writing and (of course) munchies!

The Ninja Reviews.... Bloody Jack series by L.A. Meyer

What does a plucky heroine, adventure, treacherous seas, pirates, fine ladies, French spies, singing, dancing, and a whole lot of gumption have in common?  Jacky Faber of course, being the one and only fine lady, Lily of the West, Midshipman, Spy, and so much more. 

I first started reading the Bloody Jack series starring Jacky Faber in 2006.  I like adventurous historical novels (these are set during the Napoleonic Wars) so I thought I'd give them a try.  After reading the first book, Bloody Jack, I was totally in love with Jacky, her brotherhood of ships boys, and all the men on the HMS Dolphin (well, all the good ones). Throughout the seven books currently about Jacky, she has been a ships boy, midshipman, pirate, fine lady, Mississippi flatboat owner, spy, and treasure hunter.

Jacky starts out as little Mary Faber, a street-urchin and orphan living on the streets of London with her gang headed by a chap named Rooster Charlie.  Mary, being the smartest of the lot as the only one who can read, helps the group make money by begging or reading out newspapers to the poor for a few coins.  When Rooster Charlie is unexpectedly killed in a fight, Mary's gang finds themselves in danger.  To keep the other little orphans safe, Mary moves her gang in with another trusted gang and decides to head out to the docks and seek adventure.  She disguises herself as a boy, takes the name Jacky and gets chosen to be a ships boy for the HMS Dolphin.  While on the ship she learns much about leadership, ships, music, and more.  But mainly she learns to live in secret and disguise.  How can she keep this up on a small vessel, with every day her looking more like a woman and less like a little boy?

And so begins the adventurous and hysterical life of Jacky Faber.  If you enjoy the cheek of Georgia Nicholson or the adventurous nature of Robin Hood or the tough-on-the-outside-sweet-on-the-inside Katniss Everdeen, then try L.A. Meyer's Bloody Jack series.  You will not regret it.

**On a side note, I have also listened to the audiobook of first book in the Bloody Jack series and it is phenomenal.  The narrator, Katherine Kellgren, has won multiple prestigious awards for her narration of the second Bloody Jack Novel, The Curse of the Blue Tattoo.  I highly recommend listening to this series!

College Admissions Essay Help

College Admissions Essay Help
November 17, 6:30-8 p.m.
George W. Hawkes Central Library, Community Room

Ask a REAL college admissions counselor the best way to write your college essay! High school students, as well as parents, are encouraged to attend this session to learn all about college admissions. A representative from University of Texas at Arlington’s admissions staff will be explaining the essay writing process and answering your questions. So come join in the discussion as we discover what makes a truly winning college admissions essay!

Due to seating restrictions, preregistration is required. Please call 817-459-6915 to sign up or click here and sign up online.

Win $100! Short Story Contest for Teens

Did you know the City of Arlington wants every citizen to participate in One Book, One Arlington? This year focus on Jim Dent's Twelve Mighty Orphans, which follows the story of the Mighty Mites High School football team from low prospects to state champions. Read the book and join in the discussion this fall!

To celebrate One Book, One Arlington teens can send in submissions to a short story contest addressing the topic: Sports: A Life Changing Experience.  The deadline is quickly approaching so check out the rules here and see if you can win One Hundred Bucks!!!

The Ninja Reviews... The Great Wide Sea by Madaline Herlong

The death of their mother changed everything.  Ben is confronted by this truth when his mourning father suddenly decides that he and the family will take a year off from everything and sail in and around the Bahamas.  But Ben and his brothers Dylan and Gerry don't want to leave.  They hate seeing their mothers things boxed up, as if she never existed.  Where were the boxes going? Storage? Trash?  Ben slowly sees the life he knows unraveling and knows there is nothing he can do about it.

With the money from selling their house and car, Ben's dad purchases a sailboat called Chrysalis, her scratched, dull body only slightly over 30 feet. There is no privacy on the boat.  There is no questioning their father, the Captain.  All that remains is repetitive work, school, and silence.  Ben hates that his father never asked what HE wanted.

Suddenly, the boys wake up one morning they discover that their father is gone and they are lost at sea halfway between the Bahamas and Bermuda.  What happened to their father?  How will they find their way?  Without time to feel the loss of their father as well, the boys must fight with a raging storm that smashes their boat and leaves them deserted on an island.  Now they must stick together as brothers and use their courage and intelligence to find their way home.

I had been considering reading The Great Wide Sea for many months before picking it up.  Though I love survival books (Hatchet being on of my most favorite), I determined this book would not really be worth the read unless I didn't have anything else to do.  I can say now I was very, very wrong.  The Great Wide Sea is a wonderful, poignant novel that gets to the heart and soul of grieving teen Ben.  His attitude and need to feel independent feel genuine throughout the book, and his courage is something to admire.

I heartily recommend this current Lone Star book to any teen who loves reading realistic fiction about struggling teens or survival stories.  An absolutely great read!

Teen Review by Lauren... Crystal Doors series by Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson

I recently read the Crystal Doors series by Rebecca Moesta and Kevin J. Anderson.  The trilogy includes Island Realm, Ocean Realm, and Sky Realm.  The series tells the story of "twin cousins" Vic and Gwen Pierce as they try to unravel their mothers' mysterious disappearances and decipher strange prophecies. The story starts with the cousins being transported to another world called "Elantya" through a crystal door created by their experimenting "Uncle CAP" and landing in the laboratory of Sage Rubicus and his assistant, Orpheon.  They team up with Tiaret, Lyssandra, and Ali el Shariff with his nymph djinni, Piri.

It is soon discovered that the cousins may be the Children of the Prophecy when the five are tested 
for capabilities as "keys" for crystal doors.  All five testing crystals glow more brightly than ever before, fulfilling the prophecy:
"Crystals five will shine like suns,
thus reveal the chosen ones.
When the learning time is done,
chosen ones will chose as one.
Heralding the final fight,
Sages dark and sages bright."

The band soon has to take on the immortal Azric and his top general, who is much closer than they think, all while battling the merlons that are constantly trying to destroy the island.  While the cousins are trying to figure out exactly what all the prophecies mean, Lyssandra is plagued by disturbing visions, Tiaret is busy teaching advanced fighting classes, and Shariff worries about the responsibility he will one day assume as Sultan of Irrakesh.  While it may sound a bit childish, the series is a very good read.

The Arlington Public Library does not currently own this series.  You can purchase this series on Amazon.com or you can email the Library Ninja and request this series for your library branch.
Review by Lauren, fellow Teen Reader and Junior Ninja!

Thanks for Participating in the TRW Autographed Book Contest!

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Teen Read Week Autographed Book Contest!  The Library Ninja will choose at random our winners on Monday.  Winners will be notified by email no later then Tuesday. 

The contest is now closed.  However, for those of you who participated in the contest I will allow you to send you answers for Friday and Saturday by the end of the day today.  Anything sent to the Library Ninja for the contest after midnight tonight will not count!

Thanks again everyone.  The Ninja loves contests! *hiyah!*

TRW Autographed Book Contest Day 6

YAY!  You've made it to the last day of the contest.  Congrats.  Answer these last 5 questions for the TRW Autographed Book Contest and send them to libraryninja@arlingtontx.gov.  When you complete these five questions you should have turned in a total of 30 questions to the Ninja throughout the last week.  The Ninja will choose at random our winners!  

Here are the Questions for Saturday:

Q: Name Eoin Colfer's newest book.  (Hint: it's a 2009-2010 Lone Star book!)

Q: What 2009-2010 Lone Star Book is set during the "turbulent times of the French Revolution"?

Q: What Katy Moran book is set in the year 650 A.D. in Britain?

Q: In the book The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams, Kyra is told by the Prophet that she will marry this person?

Q: The title of this book is another name for the plant jimsonweed, a plant that can "cause true hallucinations that cannot be distinguished from reality".

Contest is only open to Arlington area residents in 7-12th grade. Questions must be answered every day until today Saturday, October 24 for a total of 30 questions sent in to libraryninja@arlingtontx.gov. Answers must be sent in the same day questions are posted. Good luck!

TRW Autographed Book Contest Day 5

*WHEW* You've made it to Day 5!  Answer the questions below and email the Library Ninja at libraryninja@arlingtontx.gov!  Remember new questions will go up everyday at 9 a.m.  Saturday is the last day so you're almost there :)

Here are the Questions for Friday

Q: Last year, one of the branches hosted a Twilight Trivia Challenge. Which team won the challenge?
Q: What is the FULL name of the main character in Lisa Yee’s most recent book.
Q: Which book featuring characters Damon and Ever was described as having a cover “reminiscent of Twilight”? (Fun Fact: the Library Ninja's review is featured on this book's Amazon page!)
Q: What is the name of the series featuring main character Zoey Redbird? And, in what U.S. state does the series take place?
Q: What new Science Fiction themed book club meets the third Wednesday of each month and at which library branch do they meet?

Contest is only open to Arlington area residents in 7-12th grade. Questions must be answered every day until Saturday, October 24 for a total of 30 questions sent in to libraryninja@arlingtontx.gov. Answers must be sent in the same day questions are posted. Good luck!