Read Beyond Reality!: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Monday, October 19. 2009
7:oo PM
PPL Bentley Room

Join us for a night devoted to Percy, his friends, their quests, and all the mythological mayhem they encounter along the way.

This program is open to Young Adults in grades 6-12. Registration begins 10/5/09.

Read this book.

I'm very excited. The first book of one of my favorite series (why haven't I done a Series Spotlight on it yet??) is available for FREE!

Yes, for one month only, Scott Westerfeld's Uglies will be available for free download here while we all wait on the edge of our seats for his new book, Leviathan.

You haven't heard of Uglies? A quick summary from the publisher (which is better than anything I could have come up with on the spot):

"Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever."

Check out Uglies (for free!) here or in the library. You'll be glad you did.

Homework Help 24/7!

The library's closed and you need help? No problem!

Check out either of our two new services for homework help - tutor.com and Live Librarian!

Both services connect you with a live tutor or librarian to answer any question you may have in a variety of subjects. All you need is your library card and a computer!

Make Your Own YA Cover

Here's a fun idea I found on 100 Scope Notes. (Mine's on the left - not bad, huh?)

Here's how:

CREATE YOUR DEBUT YA COVER

1 – Go to “Fake Name Generator” or click http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/

The name that appears is your author name.

2 – Go to “Random Word Generator” or click http://www.websitestyle.com/parser/randomword.shtml

The word listed under “Random Verb” is your title.

3 – Go to “FlickrCC” or click http://flickrcc.bluemountains.net/index.php

Type your title into the search box. The first photo that contains a person is your cover.

4 – Use Photoshop, Picnik, or similar to put it all together. Be sure to crop and/or zoom in.

5 – Post it to your site along with this text, or e-mail it to us (pplhappenings AT gmail DOT com) and we'll post it on the blog!

Have fun!

New Wii Games!

The library has added 6 new Wii games to our collection!

Escape The Museum
ExciteBots Trick Racing
Hannah Montana: The Movie
Monsters vs. Aliens
Order Up!
Pinball Hall of Fame

Come in and check them out.

Also - the library will be holding two gaming sessions over the summer - one in July and one in August.

Call the library for details and to register!

Are you up to date?

Are you up to date with your favorite series? If not, summer's a great time to catch up! Here's the latest installments of some of our favorite teen series.

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot
(Book Two of Airhead)
Studious, socially conscious Emerson Watts learns startling news about the family of Nikki Howard, the teen supermodel into whose body Emerson's brain was transplanted by the nefarious Stark corporation.

Hurricane Gold by Charles Higson
(Book Four of Young Bond)
Future spy James Bond, a teenager in the 1930s, travels from hurricane-damaged Mexico to Lagrimas Negras, a Caribbean island containing a deadly obstacle course, as he tries to rescue two American children abducted by criminals.

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
(Book Five of Percy Jackson and the Olympians)
While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it's up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time.

Paparazzi Princess by Jen Calonita
(Book Four in Secrets of My Hollywood Life)
Wanting only to mourn the end of her television series, seventeen-year-old Kaitlin, under pressure to choose her next acting project and study for her SATs, is drawn into the Hollywood nightlife by publicity-loving "It Girls," while her friendship with Liz founders.

The Soldiers of Halla by DJ MacHale
(Book Ten of Pendragon)
Each of the Travelers returns home to learn the truth about their origins before being reunited for a final, ineveitable confrontation with Saint Dane, whose efforts to control Halla are destroying its very foundations.

Sorceress by Michael Scott
(Book Three of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel)
While armies of the Shadowrealms gather and Machiavelli goes to Alcatraz to kill Perenelle Flamel, fifteen-year-old twins Sophie and Josh Newman accompany the Alchemist to England to continue their search for the Codex.

Stargazer by Claudia Gray
(Book Two of Evernight)
Teenage vampire Bianca finds herself the target when evil wraiths attack her boarding school, Evernight Academy.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong
(Book Two of Darkest Powers)
After fifteen-year-old Chloe starts seeing ghosts and is sent to Lyle House, a mysterious group home for mentally disturbed teenagers, she soon discovers that neither Lyle House nor its inhabitants are exactly what they seem, and that she and her new friends are in danger.

Books for the Beach

Summer just got here - why not enjoy some new books while enjoying the outdoors?

Distant Waves by Susan Weyn
In the early twentieth century, four sisters and their widowed mother, a famed spiritualist, travel from New York to London, and as the Titanic conveys them and their acquaintances, journalist W.T. Stead, scientist Nikola Tesla, and industrialist John Jacob Astor, home, Tesla's inventions will either doom or save them all.

The Last Thing I Remember by Andrew Klavan
High school student Charlie West awakens bloody and bruised in a concrete bunker, only to discover that he has lost a year of his life and remembers nothing about escaping from prison after being convicted of murdering his former best friend, or why he is being pursued by both the law and a group of terrorists trying to bring down the government of the United States.

The Season by Sarah MacLean
Showing no interest in the sumptuous balls, lavish dinner parties, and country weekends enjoyed by the rest of early nineteenth-century London society, seventeen-year-old Lady Alexandra Stafford seeks adventure as she investigates the puzzling murder of the Earl of Blackmoor, father of devilishly handsome Gavin.

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten
Two years after the disappearance of her older sister, sixteen-year-old Ellie goes on a quest to find her.

The Fun Kind of Summer Reading

Here's some new books to read in between those other summer reading books on your list.

The Brooklyn Nine: A Novel In Nine Innings by Alan Gratz
Follows the fortunes of a German immigrant family through nine generations, beginning in 1845, as they experience American life and play baseball.

The King's Rose by Alisa Libby
Catharine Howard recounts the events in her life that led to her being groomed for marriage at the age of fifteen to King Henry VIII, her failure to produce an heir to the throne, and her quick execution.

Peace, Love and Baby Ducks by Lauren Myracle
Fifteen-year-old Carly's summer volunteer experience makes her feel more real than her life of privilege in Atlanta ever did, but her younger sister starts high school pretending to be what she is not, and both find their relationships suffering.

Sleepaway Girls by Jen Calonita
When the exceptionally people-pleasing Sam spends a summer as a counselor-in-training, she learns how to say no, to stand up for herself, and what it feels like to have a crush on a great guy.

You've Got Blackmail by Rachel Wright
When she discovers that her loathsome English teacher is being threatened by an unknown blackmailer, Loz gets caught up in the mystery, with consequences both comical and truly dangerous.

As promised...

More new books!

Gone by Michael Grant
In a small town on the coast of California, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have "The Power" and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who do not.

Lily Dale: Believing by Wendy Corsi Staub
After realizing that she shares her grandmother's psychic abilities, Calla decides to stay with her in Lily Dale, the spiritualist community where her mother grew up, even though her visions seem to be leading her toward danger.

Persistence of Memory by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child, sixteen-year-old Erin has spent half of her life in therapy and on drugs, but now must face the possibility of weird things in the real world, including shapeshifting friends and her "alter," a centuries-old vampire.

Shift by Charlotte Agell
In fifteen-year-old Adrian Havoc's world, HomeState rules every aspect of society and religious education is enforced but Adrian, refusing to believe that the Apocalypse is at hand, goes north through the Deadlands and joins a group of insurgents.

Steinbeck's Ghost by Lewis Buzbee
Unhappy after his parents move to a weird subdivision and become workaholics, thirteen-year-old Travis returns to his old Salinas neighborhood and becomes actively involved in saving the John Steinbeck Library and, at the same time, begins seeing characters from Steinbeck's books who seem to have a message for him.

Stolen Car by Patrick Jones
Fifteen-year-old Danielle desperately wants to escape life with her mother and a series of "Dad-wannabes," so when best friends Ashley and Evan help her see that bad-boy Reid is lying and using her, Danny steals Reid's car and takes Ashley on a road trip.

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
After losing her soul mate, Cameron, when they were nine, Jennifer, now seventeen, transformed herself from the unpopular fat girl into the beautiful and popular Jenna, but Cameron's unexpected return dredges up memories that cause both social and emotional turmoil.

Meet me back here next week!

Start reading!

Because we just got a whole batch of new books in at the library! Come by and check 'em out!

The Big Game of Everything by Chris Lynch
Jock and his eccentric family spend the summer working at Grampus's golf complex, where they end up learning the rules of "The Big Game of Everything."

Diary of a Chav by Grace Dent
Fifteen-year-old Shiraz tries to imagine a life for herself beyond the limited expectations of family and peers in her working-class English neighborhood.

Freefall by Anna Levine
As war between Israel and Lebanon breaks out in 2006 and her compulsory service in the Israeli army draws near, teenaged Aggie considers joining an elite female combat unit.

The Promises of Dr. Sigmundus: The Cracked Mirror by Brian Keaney
Continues the struggles of Dante, Bea, and those both sworn to and pitted against the sinister Sigmundus, a creature that seeks to control the minds and wills of all fall under its dominion.

She's So Money by Cherry Chava
Maya, a high school senior bound for Stanford University, goes against her better judgement when she and a popular but somewhat disreputable boy start a profitable school-wide cheating ring in order to save her family's Thai restaurant, which she fears will be shut down due to her irresponsible actions.

Up All Night by a whole bunch of cool authors
Presents five short stories about teens who stay up all night, written by award-winning authors, including Libba Bray and Patricia McCormick.

Watch this space for more books soon!

More Books on CD

Some new additions to our YA Books on CD collection!

Girls in Pants by Ann Brashares
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants graduates from high school and spends their last summer before college learning about life and themselves.

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Still moping months after being dumped by her Arizona boyfriend Leo, fifteen-year-old Stargirl, a home-schooled free spirit, writes "the world's longest letter" to Leo, describing her new life in Pennsylvania.

To find out which other YA Books on CD we own click here!

Reviews From You: Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Here's one for all of you historical fiction lovers out there.

In Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, a slave named Isabel, after being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.

Here's what our reviewers, Bascia and Kyle had to say about it!

"I liked this book because it really kept you on the edge of your seat. You always wanted to know what was going to happen next. You never wanted to put the book down. It was GREAT!" - Bascia, Grade 6

"I liked this book because it's interesting and I like the excitement and the secretive people." - Kyle, Grade 6

Bascia and Kyle gave Chains an average of 4 1/2 stars!

Come in and check it out - or if you've read this one already and liked it, you may like Laurie Halse Anderson's other great historical fiction novel Fever, 1793.

Reading Together

Come join us for a new type of book discussion featuring The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.

Teens, ages 12-18, are invited to participate with an accompanying adult. See the details below:

Date: Monday, April 27, 2009
Time: 7:30 PM
Place: The Library

Refreshments will be served!

Reviews From You: The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker

The Frog Princess
by E.D. Baker
Reviewed by Zoë, Age 13

"Princess Emma is not an ordinary princess. She spends her time in the swamp and has a laugh that sounds like a donkey's bray. But when she kisses a frog that says he is a prince, she turns into a frog too! Can Emma find a way to turn back?

I liked this book because it is funny and exciting. This book is very original."

Zoë rates this book 4 Stars!

PS - The Frog Princess is the first book in a series - if you've already read and liked this one you can go on and read the rest.

PPS - If you'd like to write your own review, come into the library and pick up a sheet or print one out here and drop it off the next time you visit!

The Reviews Are In: The Graveyard Book

Here's what some of you had to say about this year's Newbery Winner, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book.

First, a short summary:

"The Graveyard Book is a suspenseful book about a boy named Bod who is being raised by ghosts in a graveyard. He isn't allowed to leave the graveyard because a man named Jack has already murdered his family and is now looking for him. What will happen when Bod leaves the graveyard? Read the book to find out!"
Rebecca, Age 10

And now the reviews:

"If you like horror, suspense and mystery you will like this book."
Jason, Age 11

"You will love this book. It is interesting throughout the whole book. You will never want to stop reading it."
Jamie

"If you like scary books you will love this."
Anaya

"If you read this book, I bet you'll enjoy it just like I did!"
Rebecca, Age 10

Our reviewers gave The Graveyard Book an average of 4 1/2 stars out of 5!

Series Spotlight: The Mortal Instruments

In this trilogy, Cassandra Clare reveals a dark side of New York City - one filled with underworld demons disguised as ordinary people just looking to have a little fun with NY's unwitting citizens.

Thankfully, there are people to protect us from them - the Shadowhunters. Mostly human with a touch of angel thrown in for good measure, these skillful warriors are protecting us from the demons, as well as keeping an uneasy peace with the Vampires, Werewolves, Faeries and Warlocks of the world. And, oh yeah, the most talented one? Is a teenager named Jace Wayland.

Clary meets Jace, and his "siblings" Alec and Isabelle Lightwood, at a teenclub but has no clue about this seedy underworld at work in her very own city until her artist mother Jocelyn goes missing and her mother's best friend Luke starts acting a bit, well, wolfy.

From there the adventure begins. If you loved Twilight, check this trilogy out. You won't be sorry you did.

Note: For some reason, in the picture above which was taken frome the author's website, the books are listed backwards. The actual order of the series is:

City of Bones
City of Ashes
City of Glass

Happy reading!

PS - If you like the books, or if you just like meeting authors, Cassandra Clare is doing a book signing at Books of Wonder in NYC on Sunday, April 5 at 1 PM. Other authors attending: Lisa McMann (author of Wake and Fade) and Elizabeth Scott!

Write Your Own Reviews!

Read any good books lately? Why not let us know? We'd love to hear from you!

There's a couple of ways to do this:

If you're at the library, pick up a review sheet the next time you return books and fill it out for us. Hand it in to any librarian.

If you want to do it from home, print out the review sheet you can find here, and hand it in the next time you're in the library.

If you'd like to e-mail us, send your reviews to pplhappenings@gmail.com.

Remember, these reviews do not have to be about brand new books, or just about books you've read last week. We want to know about your all-time classics, as well as your newly found must-reads.

We'll feature the reviews weekly on our blog, so start letting us know about your favorite books ASAP!

Wiiiiiiiii!

Wii've got new games!
(Sorry, I can't help it.)

Here's the list of our new Wii games - click here to find the other half of the list, and the loan rules and all that.

Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?
Bolt
Boom Blox
Cars
Deal Or No Deal
Disney Princess Enchanted Journey
Endless Ocean
Littlest Pet Shop
Mario Strikers Charged
My Fitness Coach
My Word Coach
Rayman Raving Rabbids
SimAnimals
Smarty Pants: Trivia For Everyone
Sonic and the Secret Rings
Speed Racer
Think Fast
Ultimate I Spy
Wall-E

We're planning on having a few game nights this summer, so if you don't have a Wii, don't worry. You can come play with us!

New Audiobooks!

We've just got in three new YA Books on CD.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Max: A Maximum Ride Novel by James Patterson
Sebastian Darke: Prince of Fools by Philip Caveney

Remember, you can also download audiobooks at any time using the Nassau Digital Doorway!

New Books on CD!

We just recently got in some great books on CD!

Here's the list (all titles are unabridged):

3 Willows: The Sisterhood Grows by Ann Brashares
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson
The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Paper Towns by John Green

You can find a list of all of our YA-specific books on CD here.

Also, new titles are always being added to our downloadable audiobook library. Make sure to check it out!

Books, books and more books!

We just got a whole slew of new books in at the library - here's a list! Come in and check them out!

Series Continuations

Bras & Broomsticks
Parties and Potions by Sarah Mlynowski

The Clique
P.S. I Loathe You by Lisi Harrison

Lemonade
This Full House by Virginia Euwer Wolff

The Luxe
Envy by Anna Godberson

Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Percy Jackson: The Demigod Files by Rick Riordan

Spartan Quest
The Fire Of Ares by Michael Ford
Birth of a Warrior by Michael Ford

Violet On The Runway
Violet By Design by Melissa Walker
Violet In Private by Melissa Walker

Wake
Wake by Lisa McMann
Fade by Lisa McMann

Series Starters
3 Willows by Ann Brashares
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
Here Lies Arthur by Phillip Reeve
Zoe & Chloe On The Prowl by Sue Limb

Stand-alone Titles
Bliss by Lauren Myracle
Bonechiller by Graham McNamee
Can You Spell Revolution? by Matt Beam
Deadville by Ron Koertge
Dear Julia by Amy Bronwen Zemser
Getting the Girl by Susan Juby
Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine
My Fair Godmother by Janette Rallison
Project Sweet Life by Brent Hartinger

Historical Fiction
Emperors of the Ice by Richard Farr
Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith
The Letter Writer by Ann Rinaldi
My Mother The Cheerleader by Rob Sharenow
The Red Necklace by Sally Gardner

Wii've got games!

Look, I'm punny!

On Monday, PPL added a new collection: video games! All the titles are compatible with the Nintendo Wii. We were able to purchase these games through a grant provided to us by Senator Dean Skelos.

Here are the rules:
They circulate for 7 days and cannot be renewed.
Each person can only take out 2 at a time.

I know this seems strict, but for right now, while the collection is not the largest, we want to make sure everyone can come in and find something sometime.

Now - the fun part! Here are the games:
Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
Brunswick Pro Bowling
Carnival Games
Carnival Games MiniGolf
Chicken Little: Ace In Action
Cooking Mama Cook-Off
Coraline
Dave Mirra BMX Challenge
Defendin' D' Penguin
Dora Saves the Snow Princess
Dragon Quest Swords
Ford Racing Off-Road
George of the Jungle and the Search for the Secret
Go Diego Go! Great Dinosaur Rescue
Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour
Hasbro Family Game Night
High School Musical 3 Senior Year Dance!
Lego Batman
Lego Indiana Jones
Lego Star Wars
M&M's Kart Racing
Mario Party 8
Mario & Sonic at the Olympics
Mario Super Sluggers
Monster Trux Arenas
My Sims Kingdom
Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
We Cheer
Wii Music
WWII Aces

Come check 'em out!

The Hunger Games

So, you've read Graceling, right? (Seriously, if not - what are you waiting for?) And now you're looking for another strong, fun, smart female character who kicks butt in the wild. And I've got one!

Katniss Everdeen has been chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, a yearly competition in her country of Panem (a post-apocalyptic US) that's passed off as an honorable tournament, but is really just an excuse for the government to punish their citizens for a long ago uprising.

And the Hunger Games are not quite the Olympics - 24 teenagers are chosen at random to participate in a Survivor-like tournament...to the death. It's televised and everything. Only one will win - will Katniss be able to prevail with her meager skills compared to those that have been preparing for the games all their lives?

Check out The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins to find out. And if you want to know more, check out this website where you can witness the games for yourself!

Printz news!

We've got Printz results, people!

First, here are the results of the Nassau County/Suffolk County Mock Printz:

The Winner:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Raised since he was a baby by ghosts, werewolves, and other residents of the cemetery in which he has always resided, Bod wonders how he will manage to survive amongst the living with only the lessons he has learned from the dead.

Honors:
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Now, here are the results from the actual Printz committee, announced just this morning in Denver, Colorado:

The Winner:
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Abandoned by her drug-addicted mother at the age of eleven, high school student Taylor Markham struggles with her identity and family history at a boarding school in Australia.

Honors:
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Volume 2 by M.T. Anderson
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Tender Morsels by Margo Lanagan

Now we know what the Long Island librarians and the Printz Award committee think - read one or all and tell us who you think should have won.

PS - No worries about The Graveyard Book - it picked up the Newbery!