TeenSpace

With big, black rimmed-glasses, ten extra teeth, water on the brain, and a physique like a toothpick, Arnold Spirit gets no respect from anyone.  His parents, who “came from poor people who came from poor people who came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people” have little hope of ever changing anything.  That's the way it is on the rez in Wellpinit, Washington.

Fed up with it all, Arnold throws a book in class and accidentally hits a teacher.  The teacher tells him that the only way he’ll ever get out of this hopelessness is to leave.

When Arnold goes, He chooses  to go to an all-white, rich person school 20 miles away. In the eyes of all his friends at the rez, he becomes a traitor. He tries to survive at his new school, and everything changes—but Arnold must decide if its for the better.

Check out "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," by Sherman Alexie, or stop by the Reference Desk for more great book suggestions!

Do you know anybody who has autism? Maybe you know someone at your school or in your family who has it.  Autism is a fairly common brain disorder (1 out of 500 people have it) that usually appears in early childhood. It is more common among boys than among girls.  Autism can be mild to severe, and not all autistic people have the same symptoms. Doctors don't know exactly what causes autism, and currently there is no cure, although there are some therapies that help autistic people reach out to others more and improve their language skills.

Here are some fiction titles from the library about autism.  If you want more information or need suggestions of other things to read, please don't hesitate to ask a librarian!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon.  Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

Al Capone Does My Shirts, by Gennifer CholdenkoA twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.The Speed of Dark, by Elizabeth Moon.  Journeys inside the mind of Lou Arrendale, an autistic man, who is asked to undergo a new, experimental treatment designed to cure autism, as he decides whether or not he should risk a medical procedure that could make him "normal."

Check out this new teen review from Haruhi, a teen reviewer...

Reviewer Code Name:   Haruhi

Highly Recommends:  the manga Ranma ½ #26 (Takahashi), the band Dir En Grey, and the solo artist Miyavi.

Rating:  Awesome.

Other Comments:  I Love Anime.

 

Have a review of your own?  Pick up a teen review form in the teen section!

Introducing.... WiFi at the Library! 



Come on in and enjoy wireless access to the internet.    



Questions?  Stop by and ask a librarian, or email the teen librarian at nlteen@northlakelibrary.org

Read a good book or seen a great movie and want others to know about it? Want others to avoid a really BAD one? Found a cool web site? Fill out a teen review form (available in the teen section) and hand it to the Reference Desk. The Teen Librarian will post it on the Teen Blog at www.northlakelibrary.org/teenspace. It will also be posted on our teen review board!

Each year, high schools vote on the best books for teens.  Check out the ones that made the list!

Bleachers, by John Grisham. As the controversial football coach of a small-town high school lies dying, a group of his former players gather to share stories of their glory days under demanding regime. FICTION GRIS

Boy meets Boy, by David Levithan. Paul, who is gay, has the good fortune to attend a high school where the members of the Gay-Straight Alliance outnumber the football team, the cheerleaders read Harleys, the star quarterback is also the homecoming queen, and the new guy in school turns out to be the love Paul is waiting for. TEEN FICTION LEVI

The Five People You Meet in Heaven, by Mitch Albom. 83-year-old Eddie is convinced his life has had little meaning, until his death brings him in the presence of five people who show him the unexpected impact he has on others. FICTION ALBO

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls. Journalist Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary and their four children lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. When the money ran out, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town Rex had tried to escape. As the dysfunction escalated, the children had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they found the resources and will to leave home. 362.82 WALL

Maximum Ride, the Angel Experiment, by James Patterson. After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their group, the "bird kids," who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose. TEEN FICTION PATT

The Meq, by Steve Cash. Having learned on his 12th birthday in 1881 that he is not human but an immortal creature known as a Meq, Zianno Zezen embarks on a dual quest to find his soulmate and to destroy an evil Meq called Fleur-du-Mal. FICTION CASH.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, by Lisa See. A Chinese woman looks back on her youth and womanhood, reflecting on her laotung (“old sames”) relationship with another girl, and on the ways in which they struggled for some degree of self-determination in a society which oppressed women through such practices as foot-binding and arranged marriage. FICTION SEE

24 Girls in 7 Days, by Alex Bradley. Jack Grammar, average American senior, has no date to the prom. Or so he thinks. Percy and Natalie, Jack's so-called best friends, posted an ad in the classified section of the online version of the school newspaper. They figured it couldn't hurt-after all, there's not much in this world sadder than Jack's love life. Soon Percy and Natalie have assembled a list of girls eager to go to the prom with Jack, including one mysterious girl known only as FancyPants. He has just seven days to meet and date them before he will ask one special girl to the prom. TEEN FICTION BRAD

Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. When seventeen-year-old Bella leaves Phoenix to live with her father in Forks, Washington, she meets an exquisitely handsome boy at school for whom she feels an overwhelming attraction and who she comes to realize is not wholly human. TEEN FICTION MEYE

Upstate, by Kalisha Buckhanon. "Baby, the first thing I need to know from you is do you believe I killed my father?" So begins Upstate, a powerful story told through letters between seventeen-year-old Antonio and his sixteen-year-old girlfriend, Natasha, set in the 1990's in New York. Antonio and Natasha's world is turned upside down, and their young love is put to the test, when Antonio finds himself in jail, accused of a shocking crime. Antonio fights to stay alive on the inside, while on the outside, Natasha faces choices that will change her life. FICTION BUCK