Teens

The Fault in Our Stars Read Alikes

Tracie's picture

This blog entry is guest written by one of our summer interns, Sophia Fisher.  Sophia, a junior at Upper Arlington High School, has some read alike recommendations if you loved The Fault in Our Stars.

Loved The Fault in Our Stars? Read this next!

 

Fault in Our Stars cover imageThe Fault in Our Stars, a young adult novel by acclaimed author John Green, has flown off the shelves with the premier of The Fault in Our Stars movie.  If you loved this book (or movie), or if you are the 168th person in the request line for this fabulous novel, check out these read alikes .  They may help dampen any post-reading-an-emotional-book withdrawal that many fans of “The Fault in Our Stars” have experienced.

 

 

 

 

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares cover imatge

Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares  by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan .

Told in the alternating voices of Dash and Lily, two sixteen-year-olds carry on a wintry scavenger hunt at Christmas-time in New York, neither knowing quite what–or who–they will find.  This whirlwind romance is sure to captivate readers from the first page to the last.

 

 

 

Autobiography of a Face cover imageAutobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy

“I spent five years of my life being treated for cancer, but since then I've spent fifteen years being treated for nothing other than looking different from everyone else. It was the pain from that, from feeling ugly, that I always viewed as the great tragedy of my life. The fact that I had cancer seemed minor in comparison.”

Lucy Grealy is diagnosed with a potentially terminal cancer when she is nine years old.  When she returns to school, she faces taunts from classmates and friends.  This book captures the essence of true strength of truth and beauty, and addresses what it means to triumph over suffering.

 

The Half Life of Planets cover image

The Half Life of Planets by Emily Franklin and Brendan  Halpin

An unlikely romance develops between a science-minded girl who is determined to reclaim her reputation and a boy with Asperger's Syndrome.  This is a story about two kids who discover that the best parts of people can’t be summed up easily.  Forget the cheesy cover­—it is worth it.

Free Audiobooks All Summer

Laura's picture

Don’t have time to read because the end of the school year is so busy?  Download 2 free audiobooks from the SYNC website.  Each summer SYNC provides access to free audiobooks all summer long.  You can download the audiobooks to any computer with Overdrive and then transfer the titles to an MP3 player (including iPods). 

The program pairs a classic title with something more contemporary.  For example:  The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie and Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro will be available from May 29-June 4.  Check back each week for new pairings across many genres: including historical fiction, murder mysteries, horror, and fantasy.

Get all the details and instruction for use at the SYNC webpage. ( http:// www.audiobooksync.com/)

May is National Bike Month

Jennifer's picture

May is Bike Month Logo

It is time to ride! The weather is beautiful. The sun is shining. What better way to kick start the summer than with biking! National Bike Month is the month of May. It is sponsored by The League of American Bicyclists. Check out their site for links to bike month dates and events, guides about planning a bike event, information about the National Bike Challenge from May 1st - September 30th, bike safety tips, and more.(Note: Links open in new window)

Walk Bike to School LogoAnd to start Bike Month off pedaling fast, Bike to School Day is May 7th. The site Walk Bike to School has information about celebrating Bike to School Day as well as resources, activities, and safety tips for all year round.

The library also has a vast array of books related to biking. Check out the links below for how-to books, bike safety, history, and fiction. 

Happy Reading!

 

Blockbuster Movie Month!

Stephanie's picture

clapboardFriday May 2nd the blockbuster movie season starts!  

  • The Amazing Spider Man 2 - (May 2nd)
  • Godzilla - (May 16th)
  • X-Men: Days of Future Past - (May 23rd)
  • Maleficent - (May 30th)  

Watch the Amazing Spider Man battle super-villians from the mysterious company Oscorp. 

Godzilla, the world's most famous monster, battles Earth-made mutant monsters.

In X-men: Days of Future Past, Wolverine is sent to the past to change an event disastrous to both mutants and humans.

Maleficent is the live-action, dark horror fantasy of the Sleeping Beauty story.  There are no singing fairies in this Disney version!

May will be a fun month to go to the movies!

Free Comic Book Day is May 3rd

Jennifer's picture

Free Comic Book Day is one day each year - the first Saturday in May - when comic shops celebrate comics! Find out how area comic book stores plan to make the day special with face painting, giveaways of comic books and the appearance of your favorite characters at freecomicbookday.com and click on the Comic Book Day locator to find an event near you.

Check out the video below to see what Stan Lee has to say about Free Comic Book Day. (Note: Links open in new window)

UAPL logo The Library is also celebrating with a  Design Your Your Character graphic novel program. The program is on Saturday May 3rd at 1:00 pm. Local comic book artist Julian Dassai will be there and will give tips and techniques and walk you through the process of designing a character. So, get ready to draw!! Registration is required and the program is for 5th to 8th graders; register here.

The library also has a great collection of comics, manga, and graphic novels - everything from superheroes, to mystery, to realistic stories, to classics re-imagined in graphic novel form, and more. Check out the links below for some favorite picks.

Happy (Comic Book) Reading!

UAPL Poetry Contest, 5-8 and 9-12 Division Winners

Tracie's picture

The teen advisory board of the UAPL recently held a poetry contest.  The 5-8 Division winner was Lexi R. and the 9-12 Division winner was Beth B.  Here are the two winning poems:

 

Meshed String by Lexi R.

(In celebration of Earth Day)

She sits on the meshed string

feeling the water splash up and hit her shoulders

feeling the grinning sun on her back

mixing with the dirt turning her skin a leathery brown

calloused hands

scratched and bruised limbs going unnoticed amongst the large swarms of insects

 

She sits on the meshed string

feeling the burn from her head to her toe, from the weeks of hard effort and work with little

rest

tired

hungry

sore

 

She sits on the meshed string

hearing the songs being sung by her friends

though she pays no attention

she hears the birds chirping

hears the coyotes howling

bears growling

 

She sits on the meshed string

knowing that soon they would eat

soon they would swim

soon they would sleep

She sits on the meshed string

feeling the blade of a paddles course through the water with fluid ease

noises not of industry or traffic but of swaying flora and restless fauna

 

She sits on the meshed string

driving the paddle blade in the water

pulling the paddle out

repeating the endless motion over

 

She sits on the meshed string

she sees the fishes pawing through the water

sees her friends smiling and laughing

sees the trees swaying around her

sees everything stop for just that moment

 

I sit in a wooden chair

writing this

thinking about what to write

thinking about my time sitting on the meshed string

 

Because I am her

 

Yet she is a different half of I

 

same hair

same person

same name

same likes and dislikes

 

Yet two entirely different people

 

Because she is I

 

 

Who Am I? by Beth B.

Did you see that scared looking girl today?

That is me, the daughter of Janine.

I am fourteen and go to the Metro school,

There I spend most of my days working.

 

There I am quiet, and have lost my way,

I don't know who I am anymore.

Writer, drawer, dreamer, stressor, a fool,

Maybe all, maybe none, I don't know.

 

I struggle in a sea of work and tears,

Not sure whether I'm happy or sad,

Both, neither, everyday, or not at all,

Lost, still unfound, searching for a way.

 

Here I stand,

Here I'll stay

Maybe onward

To my dying day.

Music + Books = Soundtracks for Books!

Jennifer's picture

Recently I learned that some authors are creating music playlist to go with their books. Most great movies have awesome music to go with them; something that captures key moments in the story, expands the feel of the whole experience, or even helps to define characters and scenes. So many authors (and fans!) have begun asking: Why not soundtracks for books?

Note: Links open in a new window.

I think that is a great idea! What better way to enhance the story, add to character, bring a book to a whole new interactive level, or even be able to take a piece of the book and the characters it brought to life with you! I've found that when I am reading certain books I naturally listen to specific songs the whole way through - instinctively creating a kind of playlist as I read. It really sets the tone and immerses me in that world.

CD Cover for the Playlist for the Book RelativityRecently I read Relativity by  Cristin Bishara which is a surprisingly realistic science fiction book about a girl who discovers a way to Book cover for Relativity by Cristin Basharaaccess multiple versions of her life and must choose which version she wants to be her own. It was fast paced, jumping from world to world, life to life, really giving you a lot to think about along the way. Bishara has created a playlist to go with the story, one I wished I had discovered before I read the book. Click the CD for a link to the author's website and the music playlist and click the book cover for a link to the book in the library catalog.

CD Cover for the Playlist for the Book Eleanor and Park  Eleanor and Park (2014 Printz Honor Book) author Rainbow Rowell says that with every book she writes she makes a playlist to go with Book Cover for Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell them. She actually works on them at the same time she writes the story! She has created quite an extensive playlist, with links to songs, videos, and commentary for Eleanor and Park. Again this would have been awesome to read while listening to the music, as the music aspect is deeply embedded in the story, creating a beautiful dynamic between the two main characters. The mixed tapes that Park makes for Eleanor and that give her a glimmer of light in her life truly captures the ways music connects people. Click the CD for a link to the Eleanor and Park website and click the book cover for a link to the book in the library catalog.

CD Book Cover for If I StayMusic was also an integral part of the book  If I Stay by Gayle Forman. It's a story about a girl who looks back on her life after a tragic Book Cover for If I Stay by Gayle Formanaccident and must decide if she wants to stay or move on. She is a gifted classical musician who's father is a former rock musician so music has been part of her childhood. She falls in love with a rock musician and their relationship is bound up in the their love for music and is key to their story as is the way that music ties her to her parents and family. The author, Gayle Forman, has put together a playlist of some of the songs from the book in the order that they appear in the story. Click the audiobook cover for links to the playlists, video trailers, and a talk about musical inspirations for the book and click the book cover for a link to the book in the library catalog.

YALSA LogoFor a list of books with playlists check out the Young Adult Library Services Association's ( YALSA) wiki Books/Authors with Soundtracks/Playlists.

For links to the library catalog for these and other books with playlists or that have music as a central part of the story check out the links below.

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