The Ninja Listens to. . .The Everafter by Amy Huntley

At first, Maddy doesn't know where she is. She has no body, no real senses. She seems to be. . .nowhere. But then she realizes: she's dead. Around her, barely illuminated enough to see, float objects that she soon recognizes as things she lost when she was alive. A piece of homework, a baby rattle, a hairclip, an orchid, even a single piece of popcorn.

When Maddy touches these objects and imagines holding or using them, she is transported back to that moment in her life. She eventually finds that she can not only view these memories, but actually re-live and even change them. But changing a moment means that other parts of her life change, too. And that might not be a good thing, especially when Maddy doesn't even remember how she died.

* * * * *
I listened to the MP3 version of this novel, then later went back and re-read some of it in book format. The audio version is read by Tavia Gilbert, who is wonderful at portraying the helplessness Maddy feels as she simply exists and re-lives pieces of her life.

Author Amy Huntley uses an interesting technique in telling her story; As Maddy touches each lost object and relieves moments in her life, she does so in a random order. One chapter might be when she is 17 and the next when she is 5. There is even a chapter when she is a baby. As confusing as this sounds like it might be, it really isn't. Amy Huntley does this in a way that we not only learn more about Maddy, but we learn more and more about her friends and loved ones, including her mother and sister, her best friend Sandra, and her boyfriend Gabe. I actually found myself anticipating Maddy re-visiting certain periods in her life, so I would say the author uses this technique very well in order to build up the reader's anticipation and even a sense of foreshadowing.

I have read some reviews of this that say there is no real happy ending. Some people were even depressed by the ending. I didn't feel that way. I felt that the ending gives hope. Maddy was given a chance not only to re-visit her life but to learn about life in general, learn about herself, and better understand everyone she knew and loved.

If you want to read something that is different, very emotional, and a little bit supernatural, give this one a try and you may be surprised.

The Ninja Listens to. . .Fat Cat by Robin Brande

Oh, how I love Robin Brande. Seriously, people. Robin Brande is such a breath of fresh air in teen fiction that when I read one of her books it's like I'm in the Swiss Alps breathing, you know, fresh air.

In Fat Cat, super-smart and super-overweight Cat, in an effort to conduct a science fair experiment that is sure to be more brilliant than her former-childhood-best-
friend-turned-arch-nemesis Matt McKinney, vows to live for 7 months (as closely as possible, anyway) the way Homo erectus did about, oh, roughly 2 million years ago. This means that Cat essentially becomes vegan, gives up her computer, her cell phone, driving her car, using a microwave, and even, dare I say it, wearing makeup.

At first, Cat's parents and her best friend Amanda aren't too sure this is a great idea, let alone a possibility. Cat is seriously overweight and totally reliant on candy bars and soda. But as Cat's experiment progresses, the support she receives from her family and best friend grows and Cat herself starts to become, well, hot. Before she knows it, her experiment takes on a new phase (one that involves some serious kissing), and she becomes more determined than ever to prove that she is smarter and better than that jerk Matt McKinney.

Let me just say that I have always been a meat eater. I love me some bacon and I prefer steaks cooked really rare. But this book, which I listened to on audio 2 1/2 weeks ago, actually inspired me to eat better. I have totally given up drinking soda (Oh, Dr. Pepper - I miss you!) and I haven't had a hamburger since finishing the book.

That being said, I don't think this book will inspire everyone to change their diet like I am. My point is that Robin Brande is such an amazing writer that I was totally sucked into the story. I was rooting for Cat the whole way. Best friend Amanda is the most awesome fictional best friend in the history of literature (okay, maybe I'm exaggerating. . .) and Amanda's boyfriend Jordan is equally amazing.

I did not find the vegetarian/vegan aspects of the book to be preachy at all. Cat never looks down on someone else for eating badly. How could she? She spent the last 4 or 5 years putting on weight and eating terribly. I love the way Cat develops a relationship with her little brother who, before her experiment, was always just kind of there in her life.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in science or someone who likes stories about people who used to be best friends and what happened that made the friendship end (yeah, I'm a sucker for those types of stories). If you haven't read anything by Robin Brande, give her a chance! You won't be disappointed.


A few other titles you might enjoy if you like Fat Cat:

Schooled by Gordon Korman

Evolution, Me and Other Freaks of Nature by Robin Brande

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Blogger Appreciation Week - Ninja Jenny's Meme Post

Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I don't eat while I read unless it's during my lunch break at work. I do like a nice cup of hot tea when I read though! And if you want to get specific...Tazo Awake black tea with a half spoonful of raw sugar! Mmm :)

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
GAH! Writing in books is horrifying if the book is not yours! I get tired of people who highlight library books I guess. I only highlight books I own for study purposes.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
Bookmark...which tends to be whatever sheet of paper happens to be lying around!

Laying the book flat open?
Never. It can damage book spines if you're not careful!

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
I like both. I always read YA fiction. It's very hard to convince me to read an adult fiction book. However, I do like adult nonfiction books, particularly memoirs and books on sustainable living. I loved In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan!

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Both both both! I could not survive the 30 minute commute to work without an audiobook. Plus, I hate reading nonfiction but listening to it is always wonderful! I'm listening to The Freedom Writer's Diary right now. It's pretty incredible. I think the next audiobook on the list is Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd or the second Pendragon book by D.J. MacHale. I can't decide!

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I can put it down at any point, but I like to read until the end of chapters.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
I get by on context clues. Normally I'm so deep into the book I keep reading and then I forget about which word I didn't understand!

What are you currently reading/listening to?
I just finished Sent by Margaret Haddix Peterson
The Navel of the World by PJ Hoover
The Freedom Writer's Diary by Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers
The New Global Student by Maya Frost

What is the last book you bought?
I bought Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging for a friend for her birthday!
For myself I bought The Merchant of Death (Pendragon series, book 1) by D.J. MacHale at the Kickoff so he could SIGN IT FOR ME! Yay!

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I typically read 1-2 books and listen to 1 book simultaneously.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
As long as I can put my feet up and curl up on something soft (couch, bed, chair, floor, whatever) then I'm happy. I also have to sit up. I can't read laying down for very long.

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I like both. Stand alone books are great because you tend to be satisfied in the end and move on to another book. Series are great because you really get to know the characters and begin to care about them and their story.

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
I recommend The Book Thief and I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak quite often (he's one of my favorite YA authors). Lately I have been recommending the same books as Amy: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I think this is funny because I believe Amy read Hunger Games because of me and I read Knife because of Amy! I also recommend the Bloody Jack series, Tamora Pierce books, any Jane Yolen/Robert Harris titles. Half of what is on the Teen Reads page contains books recommended by teen services staffers!

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
There is a special "Jenny" way of organizing my books. I put my nice teen books on the top two shelves, then my loved paperbacks. I mush my religious stuff together on the same shelf as my Scottish History collection (it's the nerd shelf). The lowest shelf on my bookcase contains tattered copies of beloved classics and photo albums.

Blogger Appreciation Week - Amy's meme post

September 14-18 is Blogger Appreciation Week and in honor of this very special week, there is a meme going around that I encourage all bloggers to fill out and post to their own sites. If you do, please comment with a link to your blog post. I'd love to read your answers! And I encourage my fellow Ninja-bloggers to fill it out, too. Don't ask me why, but I love these things.


Do you snack while you read? If so, favorite reading snack?
I am usually so engrossed in a book that I don't have time to even think about eating.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
I only mark in books that I am using for research purposes. This might include poetry books, philosophy books, etc. I never ever mark in anything else.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears?
I usually don't use a bookmark. Instead, I end up flipping through, trying to remember where I left off. I often end up re-reading an entire chapter or two before I figure it out!

Laying the book flat open?
No! Not unless it is a heavy one that falls like that naturally.

Fiction, Non-fiction, or both?
I read mostly Fiction; I mostly read sci-fi/fantasy/horror, but I also love the occasional cozy mystery (or Janet Evanovich!), and my bookclub forces me to read things I wouldn't normally read. I recently read The Help by Kathryn Stockett and loved it. I never would have picked it up if it weren't for the bookclub. When I read Non-Fiction, it tends to be humor, such as anything by David Sedaris, Robert Hamburger's Real Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja Book, Ian Spector's The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 facts about the world's greatest human, and other stuff that, for the sake of my job, I will not mention here. Let's just say I like offbeat humor. ;)

Hard copy or audiobooks?
Both! I commuted 40 miles to college several times a week and got addicted to audiobooks. Now I have a 30-40 minute commute to work, so I continue to enjoy audiobooks. Usually I will listen to the audio in the car, then on my lunch break I will pick up the hard copy and find where I left off in the car. It's kind of a sickness.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of chapters, or are you able to put a book down at any point?
I actually prefer to stop in the middle of a chapter because if I go to the end of the chapter, I know I will want to keep reading to see what happens next.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop to look it up right away?
I can usually figure it out using context clues*, but I will sometimes pick up a dictionary or look something up online.

What are you currently reading?
Dexter by Design by Jeff Lindsay
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee.
And I have a whole basket of books from the library that I need to read!

What is the last book you bought?
The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore. Gotta support my local authors.

Are you the type of person that only reads one book at a time or can you read more than one at a time?
I read more than one, but if I am really drawn in by something, I will spend the entire day (and night!) reading it. I did this with The Help.

Do you have a favorite time of day and/or place to read?
Any time, any place. When I was around 10, my mom was on a bowling league and would take me and my brother to the bowling alley on the weekends. It was crowded, smokey, and very noisy, but I would just sit and read book after book after book. I loved it!

Do you prefer series books or stand alone books?
I don't have a really strong preference, but, now that I think about it, I tend to read quite a few series!

Is there a specific book or author that you find yourself recommending over and over?
Yes! The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. I made my mom, brother, best friend, and numerous co-workers read both of these books! They are SOOOOOO good!

How do you organize your books? (By genre, title, author’s last name, etc.?)
I have numerous bookcases at home and although they get messy with non-book stuff, they are definitely organized, but mostly just by genre, with an author's work grouped together. One has speculative fiction (sci-fi, fantasy, horror). Another has several shelves of poetry and then non-fiction at the bottom. I've got teen books together, children's books together, my writing books together, etc.

* (Thanks, Mrs. Ludeker! - My 3rd grade teacher)

The Ninja Reviews... Airman by Eoin Colfer

Conor Broekhart was born flying...in the basket of a hot air balloon hovering over the World Fair in Paris! Born to an important family on the Saltee Islands off the coast of Ireland, Conor grows up best friends with Princess Isabella. After saving her from a fire (after some quick thinking and kite making), her father King Nicholas decides that Conor has a knack for aeronautics and science and that he must be taught by the great French scholar Victor Vigny.

Conor grows up happily learning fencing, fighting, and studying the possibilities of human flight. But when Conor witnesses the evil Marshal Bonvilain frame Vigny for the detrimental murder-suicide of the King, Bonvilain decides to weave a web of lies to get Conor partially blamed for the murder, and sent to the diamond mines on Little Saltee Island to work as an inmate laborer.

On the island, Conor works night and day to survive the treacherous prison, clear his name, and build a flying machine that will right all the wrongs he has faced.

This adventurous novel is a far cry from Eoin Colfer's Artemis Fowl series, but that does not make it any less enjoyable to read! This tale is well spun and well written and will be especially interesting to teens who enjoy science. But don't let that turn you off! Even with all the science-related terms, this book will be easily enjoyed by teens of all ages and interests.

This book is a 2009-2010 Texas Lone Star Book. I also recommend the audiobook version of this novel.

The Ninja Reviews...The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Have you ever imagined how it might be to live in a United States where you can't rise above your birth? Where your life is dictated by the district you live in? Where the Capitol rules everything?

In The Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins imagines a terrifying and fractured country called Panem. This North American dystopic country is divided into multiple districts, with the Capitol being at the center of it all. Each year the Capitol flexes its muscles and collects 24 participants, 1 boy and 1 girl, from each of Panem's 12 districts, to enter into The Hunger Games. The privileged view the The Hunger Games as entertainment, while the people of the districts feel the dictating hand of the Capitol gripped neatly around their throats. All citizens are forced to watch The Hunger Game participants -reality TV style- as they kill each other in order to win the game and be the last one standing.

In the coal mining district, when Katniss Everdeen's younger sister Prim is chosen as the female participant, Katniss volunteers to take her sister's place. Next, 16-year-old Peeta, the son of the local baker, is chosen and both he and Katniss must take their Hunger Games training from the only surviving District 12 Hunger Games winner -the town drunkard. Peeta seems to lack any skills, though he seems to be very good at playing with Katniss's heart. Katniss, however, has fierce survival skills and wins the public's respect, which makes her a powerful rival to the other participants.

Told through Katniss's loyal, loving, and logical mind, The Hunger Games is a novel full of non-stop twists and turns which leaves the reader anticipating the next book, due out at the end of this year. The Hunger Games is both satisfying and addicting!

Recommended for all teens. This book is a 2009-2010 Lone Star book. I also highly recommend the audiobook version of this novel.

Tune in @ Your Library with Audiobooks!

Hello there, everyone!

I know it's been awhile since my last post. But today I want to take the time to tell you about some of the great Young Adult audio books we have here in the library's collection. I know that some people have trouble focusing on audiobooks - they're definitely not for everyone. However, if you enjoy multi-tasking of any kind, then you might want to give audiobooks a try. I mainly use them when driving to and from work. However, they're also really great to listen to while working on an art project or while updating your online photo gallery, for example.

My first recommendation isn't actually mine - it comes from Dawn Reyes, the Children's librarian at the Lake Arlington Branch library.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians series

I am really hooked on the audiobooks of Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. The narrator, Jesse Bernstein, does such a great job telling the stories and I get swept up with these fast paced, action packed, funny adventures of Percy Jackson. The series is about Percy, a typical teenager, who discovers that the Greek gods and goddess are alive and well and he goes on several quests across modern day America to battle mythological monsters.

I recently listened to The Titan’s Curse, the 3rd installment in this great series. Many, including Percy, are worried about the evil Kronos, leader of the Titans, who plans to destroy all the Greek gods. There are rumors that Kronos wants to use an unstoppable, ancient monster to achieve his dastardly goal. The hunter goddess Artemis sets out to eliminate the rare and powerful creature and disappears. Then Percy’s best friend Annebeth also vanishes and he and a group of others go out to find and rescue them. This audiobook was just as riveting as the other two and I can’t wait for the next installment. So check out these wonderful adventures on audiobook today! - Dawn Reyes

These next two recommendations are the audiobooks I've listened to most recently.

Avalon High

When an audio book is done right, the voice of the actor will pull you into the story so completely that you won't even realize it's one person reading all of the parts; that is exactly what Debra Wiseman does. Her voices are fresh and unique, and her portrayal of the main character, Ellie, is perfectly rendered. You really feel like you're inside her head, thinking and feeling the things she feels.

The book itself, while not my typical cup of tea, was very enjoyable. It revolves around Ellie, a high school student who has recently been uprooted from her home by her professor parents. She finds herself in a new school were some of the student body may or may not be the reincarnated souls of King Arthur and his court. Not only that, but Ellie discovers that she herself may be an old soul, one who's only destiny is death.

City of Ember

The major thing that really stands out at me about this series isn't the reader, although Wendy Dillon did an excellent job, but the sound effects. I know that sounds silly, but the sounds are what really made this recording come to life. The echoes of dripping water in the tunnels, the rush of roaring rapids, the tick-tock of ancient machines - each new sound sent me deeper into the story until it felt like my world had become one with Lina's.

The story revolves around Lina, who lives in a city plagued by continual darkness, Sadly, the city is old and decaying and the generators that keep the darkness from engulfing them are beginning to fail. Blackouts are common and people go about their lives deathly afraid that it won't be long before the generators fail completely. Then one day, Lina discovers the remians of an ancient message, a message that promises hope for her failing city. But will she have the courage to journey into the Unknown Regions to find the answers she so desperately seeks?

In addition to these amazing titles, there are tons more to discover at all of the library's locations. Just stop by and ask your librarian where the YA audiobooks are located. We'll be more than happy to show you!