Book trailers

One of my favorite things when I go to the movies is getting there early so I can see the previews. I love the words COMING SOON. I even have my own system for deciding which movies I will see at the theater and which ones I will wait to see on DVD.

Now, I have a way to see what new books I want to read: book trailers. Book trailers are video previews for books and they are growing in popularity. Authors and publishers post book trailers on their websites. Youtube and GoodReads also post book trailers. There are even some websites devoted to book trailers (Book Screening and Book Trailers). Fans of books can create and post their own book trailers (hint hint- if you are looking for something to do this summer…). So, the next time you are trying to find a book to read, check out the book trailers on-line and “see it before you read it”!

Here are some of my personal favorites:








written by Angela J.

The Ninja Reviews. . .Fallen by Lauren Kate

First off, let me say that I think the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous and the cover to the sequel is just as beautiful.

In Fallen, Luce (short for Lucinda) is shipped off to Sword & Cross, a boarding school for delinquents. All we are told is that the boy Luce was dating was killed in some type of fire and that Luce was supposedly the cause of the fire. We also learn about these strange things called Shadows that only Luce can see. They are yet another reason she is at Sword & Cross. She's not only a delinquent, she is deemed crazy. She feels tremendous guilt, but her fear of attending Sword & Cross rivals the guilt. Sword & Cross is not at all what Luce expects: it is much worse. There are video cameras everywhere, she has to give up her phone (which means no contact with even her parents), there is an allowance of one 15-minute telephone call a week, some of the students have tracking devices on their wrists or ankles, and the entire grounds of Sword & Cross is very run down and very creepy.

Despite her depressing circumstances, Luce finds herself attracted to two boys: Cam, who is utterly confident, very sneaky, and extremely up-front about his attraction to Luce, and Daniel, who despite being rude to Luce the first day they meet, holds an intense attraction for Luce. She feels like she has met Daniel somewhere before, but Daniel's standoffish attitude and Cam's evident affection for her does nothing but add to the confusion. Why does she keep having strange dreams about Daniel, dreams that involve the unfurling of wings?

With the help of her friend Penn, Luce must uncover the secrets of nearly everyone at Sword & Cross. Why is Daniel so hot and cold with her? Why does she see so many more Shadows at Sword & Cross? And what is it that makes everyone at her new school so different?

I enjoyed most of this book. The beginning immediately grabbed me and I read straight through for a great many chapters. I liked Luce a lot, but I especially liked Arriane and Penn. Toward the end of the book I started to get very restless. I wanted to know more about the fire that caused the death of Luce's boyfriend (the reason she is at Sword & Cross). And I wanted more things explained about the other students and teachers at Sword & Cross. The sequel, Torment, is coming out in September, so I am sure many issues will be resolved, but I felt that one or two more should have been explained in the first book. I will definitely read book two in the hopes of some resolution to various issues. I'd love to hear what other readers thought of Fallen!

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Want more otherworldly goodness in book form?

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

The Ninja Reviews. . .Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

Katrina has spent her entire life in Nordby, a cute and cozy Norwegian-founded town located in the Pacific Northwest. She helps her Grandma Anna run their family business, Anna's Old World Scandinavian Coffeehouse. Business at the coffeehouse isn't so hot because the only customers they really have are the old folks in town who prefer Anna's coffee and Norwegian snacks while the rest of the town frequents trendy, always-bustling Java Heaven. . .which is right next door to Anna's!

When the story begins, Katrina is getting ready to open shop one morning when she discovers a homeless guy sleeping in the alley behind the coffeehouse. She's a little bit scared and calls her best guy friend Vincent to come over and keep watch. Before Vincent shows up, Katrina decides to slip a bag of pastries, some chocolate-covered coffee beans, and a steaming cup of coffee just outside the door to the alleyway. The guy might seem a little scary, but he almost might be hungry.

From there we get a very sweet and sometimes funny story about wishes, dreams, and, ultimately, forgiveness. It turns out that the homeless guy might not exactly be homeless after all. He just might be an angelic messenger who, because of her kind deed, must now give Katrina whatever she desires most. If only Katrina knew what her deepest desire is! She's not really good at anything. She's not a fantastic, medal-winning swimmer like her best guy friend, Vincent. And she's not a talented, outspoken artist like her best girl friend, Elizabeth. Does she desire money to keep the coffeehouse afloat? Or does she desire fame so that she's noticed for actually being good at something?

I read this book in one sitting (really!) and really enjoyed it. This was a really nice change of pace from the very dark, angsty teen fiction I often read. I loved the setting, which was almost a character itself, and the entire time I read the book I swear I could smell coffee brewing! Katrina is a very likable character. She's loyal and hard-working and kind, but she does screw up and make mistakes. There is obviously a little bit of supernatural stuff going on in this book, but that's not really what the book is about.

If you need something light and sweet to read, I highly recommend reading Coffeehouse Angel. . .preferably with a mug of coffee and maybe a delicious krumkake. Visit Suzanne Selfors' website to learn more about the town for which Nordby is based.

Want another sweet read? Try one of these!

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Getting the Girl by Susan Juby

Donut Days by Lara Zielin

Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer

Summer Reading Club 2010 is almost here!!!

It's that time of year again. Tons of programs! Parties! Drawings for fabulous prize packs! FREE STUFF!!!

You can't say no to free stuff, so why bother? With our Teen Summer Reading Club, you just read a little bit (or a lot) each day, fill out a bookmark-style time log once you've reached 5 hours (it's easy when you can read everything from books to magazines to manga), fill out the tickets on the back of each bookmark log to determine which prize packs you want to try and win, then bring the bookmark log back to the library. Easy, right?

You can also earn extra tickets by coming to a programs or following us on Facebook, Twitter, or here on the blog. There are lots of ways to try and win!

And don't forget our big Kick-Off Party on Saturday, june 5th at the Southeast branch from 1 - 4 p.m. We'll have Wii and PS2 gaming contests and also freeplay if you're not the competitive type. Or you can just hang out and munch on snacks with your friends. The Summer Reading Club will end with a really special event: Zombie Fest! at the Central branch! Click on the link below to find out more.

The Ninja Reviews. . .The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

WARNING: This post contains spoilers for those who have not read the first two books in the trilogy!!! Read at your own risk!

In the final installment of the Darkest Powers trilogy, Chloe Saunders has survived virtually every horror you can imagine in just a few weeks. Her powers are nearly out of control and other supernaturals look at her like she's a freak. Derek is closer to the Change and despite her feelings for Simon, Chloe needs to be there for Derek. She's pretty sure she trusts Tori, but she may be the only one. She may never see her aunt or her father again. Oh, and lots of people want her dead.

I won't go too much into the plot because the story moves along fast and I would easily give too much away. However, I can guarantee that it is a fast read (I stayed up until 4 a.m. one night to finish it!) and that Ms. Armstrong certainly doesn't disappoint. Chloe has grown up a lot and continues to grow in this book. She begins to stand up for herself, which is a good thing when people want you dead and you're always concerned with being nice and not hurting other people's feelings.

There is a lot of action, too, including some cool shape-shifting scenes and one super creepy cemetery scene. And the obvious love triangle between Chloe, Simon, and Derek? Well let me just say that the tension was incredible and I was very pleased with the outcome.

It looks like Ms. Armstrong will publish another trilogy in this same world but following different characters. You can read about it at Just Blinded Book Reviews.

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If you love The Darkest Powers trilogy, try one of these:

Night World bk. 1 by L.J.Smith

Fallen by Lauren Kate

The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine

The Ninja Reviews. . .Runaway by Meg Cabot

When we last saw her, Emerson Watts was still having trouble adjusting to her new life as supermodel, Nikki Howard. She was trying to juggle school, her family, and her career. She was also attempting to get reacquainted with her best friend and secret crush, Christopher (who has totally changed into a super villain on a quest to bring down Stark Enterprises).



Even supermodels need a break, but being kidnapped by Brandon Stark and wisked away to one of his beach houses was not her idea of a vacation. Not only has Brandon abducted her, but he also forced her to tell Christopher that she does not care for him. Will Em be able to escape from Brandon? Will she be able to make Christopher believe that she really loves him? Will she ever be able to live a normal life? Or the real question may be can she ever be satisfied with going BACK to her normal life?

Em must prove that a girl can be beautiful AND brilliant. She must discover why Robert Stark transplanted her brain into Nikki’s body. But when she stumbles upon The Phoenix Project, she may just not live to expose her boss and bring him to justice.

Runaway is the final installment of the Airhead Series by Meg Cabot. This was one of the books I was most looking forward to reading in 2010 so I was excited to get one of the first copies available in the system. I do not want to give too much away, but I will say that all of the characters are back--Lulu, Steven, Gabriel, Felix, Frida, and even Cosabella. Also, I do have to point out that Meg is the queen of tying up loose ends so I totally feel like I got my monies worth!

Check out the first two books in the Airhead series: Airhead and Being Nikki. If you've read those and need something else while waiting for the next Meg Cabot book, try one of these:

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr

Teen Review by Lauren. . .The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Ever think your math teacher might really be out to get you? Ever think your friend is a little on the odd side? This may mean absolutely nothing but, just in case, you may want to ask your Latin teacher for an extra pen. Then you can be ready when that math teacher actually does try to kill you.

At least you will be prepared if your math teacher is a Fury, your Latin teacher is a centaur, and that ballpoint pen he gave you turns into a celestial bronze sword that can vaporize said Fury. Through this turn of events, Percy Jackson is pulled into a world of Greek mythology after Zeus' master bolt is stolen, and Percy is the top suspect. He quickly joins up with Grover the Satyr and Annabeth, daughter of Athena, on a quest to clear his name and return the bolt. On the journey west, the group runs into plenty of monsters, myths, and supernatural tricks.

In this book and the rest in the series, Percy and his friends face down the worst monsters and ancient foes, while encountering many unexpected twists. After fighting the minotaur in Greek battle armor, you may run into Apollo himself driving his Maserati sun-chariot. This is definitely a must-read series.

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Great review, Lauren! With its amazing rise in popularity (partly due to the movie), you may have already read the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. If that's the case, how about one of these books:

The Red Pyramid (The Kane Chronicles book 1) by Rick Riordan

The Maze of Bones (The 39 Clues book 1) by Rick Riordan

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey

Teen Review by Fathima. . .The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The first in a trilogy, The Maze Runner is a one-of-a-kind must read. Thomas, the main character, wakes up in a dark box. To his surprise, he is hauled out by a bunch of teen boys, and he doesn't remember anything before the Box, except for his name. Fortunately, none of the others remember anything before the Box either. Naturally curious, Thomas asks as many questions as he can about where he is, and how he got there, but the other boys never answer, they say he has to find out for himself - in time.

He does learn that he now lives in the Glade, which is run by teenage boys, and is surrounded by an everchanging Maze. The Gladers' goal is to find a way out of The Maze and get revenge on The Creators, who wiped out the Gladers' memories and sent them there. He also finds out that a new boy is sent up through The Box every month. But a day after Thomas arrives something strange happens: another teen is sent up - a girl.

For some reason, the Glade feels vaguely familiar to Thomas, and he feels that he was sent to find a way out of the that place. The problem is, The Maze can only be searched during the day, because gruesome creatures roam The Maze at night. Worse these creatures - called Grievers - don't only come out at night anymore...

The first third or so of the book was pretty slow for me, but once I got close to the middle, I just couldn't put it down! I would definitely recommend The Maze Runner to anyone. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a few months before the second book comes out. Mark my words, you'll learn some weird language, 'Greenie'!

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Thanks, Fathima! The Maze Runner is on the 2010 Lone Star Reading List. If you've already read this book and need something else, check out these titles:

Gone by Michael Grant

The Roar by Emma Clayton

Salt by Maurice Gee

Teen Review by Hannah. . .Graceling by Kristin Cashore

I read Graceling by Kristin Cashore, and it was the BEST BOOK EVER!!!!! It has something for everyone, like violence, survival, romance, action, mystery, everything! It's really long, but I LOVED it!

Katsa lives in the Middluns, one of the 7 kingdoms of the world she lives in. If you have 2 different colored eyes, like Katsa, you develop a supernatural power called a Grace. After Katsa accidently kills a family member she dislikes without even thinking about it, she figures out that her Grace is the power to kill. She is trained to serve the king by punishing his enemies.

While resuing a former Linnid king from another kingdom, she meets a misterious Graceling Linnid Prince with the Grace of combat skills. She later discovers that Prince Po is looking for his grandfather(the former king) and they get to know each other really well. Katsa decides to boldy quit working for the king and goes on a quest to find which king kidnapped Po's grandfather. They narrow down all the possibilities, and it all points to King Leck. Is he guilty? Why would he kidnap Po's grandfather? Hm....you just need to read it!

I love this book! You'll love it too if like books like The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. Out of a scale 1 to 10 with 1 being the worst, I give this book an 11!!!

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Thanks, Hannah! We always appreciate your reviews. If you love Graceling as much as Hannah, try these titles:

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins	Fire by Kristin Cashore	Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Tee-struction reminder!

May 13, 4:30 p.m.
Southwest Branch LibraryJust a reminder that the Tee-struction workshop is this Thursday at 4:30 p.m. Teens in grades 7 - 12 are invited to bring a T-shirt (you must have your own) to transform into a tank top, pillow, or more!
Registration is required!
Click here to register online.

Check out these awesome books on alterna-crafts, upcycling, and more.

Generation T: 108 ways to transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay

Generation T Beyond Fashion: 120 new ways to transform a T-shirt by Megan Nicolay

New books to look for! (and drool over)

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan	The Light by D.J. MacHale	Hell's Heroes by Darren Shan
Living Hell by Catherine Jinks	The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen	Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan
Destiny's Path by Frewin Jones	Illyria by Elizabeth Hand	For the Win by Cory Doctorow
The Cardturner by Louis Sachar	Little Vampire Women by Lynn Messina	Thirteen Days to Midnight by Patrick Carman
It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han	By Royal Command, a James Bond Adventure, book 5 by Charlie Higson	Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald

The Library Ninja goes home with a trophy!

For the past 21 years, River Legacy Park has hosted the Cardboard Boat Regatta as a fundraising event for the park, River Legacy Foundation, and educational programs offered by River Legacy. This year’s event, held at Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, boasted over 150 boats! Included in that great turnout was Arlington Public Library’s very own Library Ninja. Library staff members Jenny Ethington, Erin Spicer, and Amy Stafford operated the Library Ninja boat, but boat construction included the help of multiple staff members and even a few volunteers.

The Library Ninja made good enough time in the first race to compete in the Semi-Finals, but did not quite finish in time to make it to the Finals. However, Library Ninja did earn the Admiral’s Pride First Place trophy for overall boat design and decoration. All the hard work, persistence, and dedication paid off! The Arlington Public Library should be proud of a job well done.

A very special thanks to Jenny Ethington for the many hours of hard work she put into this endeavor, to Pete Jacobs for helping with the intial boat design, and to Amanda Zayas for her inspiration toward final decoration of the Library Ninja boat. And a super-special thank you goes to the City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Department for providing life vests and oars to make the Library Ninja boat truly sea-worthy.

2010 Cardboard Boat Regatta winners!

Photos of Library Ninja in action on our Facebook page!