If You Are A John Green Fan You Will Love These Books!

If You Are A John Green Fan You Will Love These Books!

Augustus Waters might be one of a kind, but there are other books besides your tearstained copy of The Fault in Our Stars that you will love. Whether it is heartbreaking teen sagas or charismatic verse-quoting sweethearts that have you turning page after page, these five books will satisfy your yearning until the movie comes out on June 6th. Just try not to cry too hard.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman
For fans of: Crying your eyes out
Mia has the coolest parents and an adorable little brother. She’s an amazing cellist, her best friend always has her back and her boyfriend loves to rock. She has no idea her life is about to change and there is nothing she can do to stop it. After a life shattering accident Mia must decide whether there is anything left in her life to make her wake up. If you're looking for a really good cry, this is the book for you. Awesome news! Chloë Grace Moretz stars in the film adaptation that is coming out this August!

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
For fans of: Honest first love
If Augustus and Hazel taught us anything in The Fault In Our Stars, it's that falling in love can be crazy and heartbreaking at the same time—but for some reason it’s all worth it. Eleanor and Park share a similarly star-crossed fate as two misfit teenagers who love comic books, punk rock, and each other after a meet-cute on the school bus in 1986. This novel, which will make you see magic in music and proves that even handholding can be a revolutionary act of love, has garnered praise from John Green himself.

Every Day by David Levithan
For fans of: Universal love affairs
The only thing consistent about A's days is that he always wakes up in a new body and a new life. This makes forming any lasting bonds or commitments seemingly impossible—until he meets Rhiannon, who changes everything. He falls so head over heels that he'll do anything to stay with her, even if it means that he can't continue to be himself. With this novel, David Levithan, a guru of over the top narratives like Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and Will Grayson, Will Grayson (which he co-wrote with John Green), has pushed romance in a wild and out direction that makes you think that maybe just maybe this could really happen.

Paper Towns by John Green
For fans of: The One & Only John Green
I couldn't end this list without recommending another novel from the amazing John Green. He's the head honcho of pairing up introverted teens with outlandish friends prone to having grandious personalities. In Paper Towns, enter Margo Roth Spiegelman, an infamous prankster. She ropes in her quiet neighbor Quentin (who'll be played by Nat Wolff in the upcoming film adaptation!) to commit her last ultimate prank and then she suddenly disappears into thin air. Quentin has the clues to find Margo, but will he find her in time? The amazing process that he goes through to find his one and only true love and partner in crime is worth every turn of the page.

Happy Holiday Reading!

Reality Scoop - I love Realistic Fiction!

Reality Scoop by Kimberli Buckley

I love Realistic Fiction!
This month I want to take a look at something totally different. Think about this… YA books can actually save lives! Yes, this is an ode to Realistic Fiction that shows us teen tragedy and hard luck circumstances. Whether or not you are someone with excellent grades and no drug record, chances are you know of someone who has struggled in school, struggled with friends and grades, probably smoked, maybe they experimented, maybe they even took risks. And if you didn’t know someone in real life, you knew a fictional character that experienced all of that, and it opened your eyes to hardships in life. That’s right, YA books teach us a lot and they say to us “You’re not alone,” you could also say that YA books mirror reality. And it’s because of this terrifyingly perfect, realistic depiction of teen tragedy that some of the best realistic YA books have been banned.

Realistic Fiction is not only for escapism, but also a place of comfort, a home for those who feel they have nowhere to turn, that no one understands. Many YA authors are successful because their readers respond to realistic depictions of teen issues, such as death, sickness, abuse, or drugs. These kinds of stories aren’t a one-size-fits-all teens, but it can provide a powerful presence for the teens that have experienced some of life’s more difficult events.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 48% of teen deaths are caused by unintentional injuries, and 73% of those injuries were from vehicle accidents. 11% of deaths are from suicide, and 6% are from cancer. Through realistic fiction, YA literature allows readers to sympathize with the girl or boy in the back of the classroom, silent and misunderstood, holing up their problems and blaming themselves for sad events that have happened to them. If we can learn about hardship and suffering through a book, then maybe we can begin to understand what it’s like for those that have difficult lives.

Here are a few YA books that respect the intelligence of the reader, move the reader, and accurately portray teen tragedy.

Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira - When Laurel starts writing letters to dead people for a school assignment she begins to spill about her sister's mysterious death, her mother's departure.

Looking for Alaska by John Green - Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at a private school in Alabama is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan - Duncan gets wrapped up in the tragic tale of Tim Macbeth, a former student who had a clandestine relationship with the wrong girl, and his own ill-fated romance with Daisy.

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley - Cullen's summer is marked by his cousin's death by overdose and his younger brother's sudden disappearance.

Stolen by Lucy Christopher - Sixteen-year-old Gemma is abducted while on vacation with her parents and taken to the Australian outback, where she soon realizes that escape attempts are futile.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - high school student Clay Jenkins receives thirteen cassette tapes recorded from his friend Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night recounting the events leading up to her death.

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor - Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic behavior when she and her mother go to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson - A traumatic event near the end of the summer has a devastating effect on Melinda's freshman year in high school.

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak - Ed Kennedy begins receiving mysterious messages that direct him to addresses where people need help, and he begins getting over his lifelong feeling of worthlessness.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky - A tale of adolescence whose hero is Charlie, a high school freshman in Pennsylvania. The novel follows Charlie as he is introduced to love, literature and friendships.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton - The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.

Happy to Reading to You!

Mixed Up Names, Holidays & Love

I absolutely loved this little novella! I read it on my Galaxy! It was so cute, funny, sweet and definitely got me ready for the holidays. I thought it was very adorable that the two main characters had the same name only flipped around Ty McKenzie and Mackenzie Tyler . This brought me closer to the characters and helped me to see that they really had something in common. Ty was super awesome and would be the guy that I would want my daughter to date and fall in love with, sweet, thoughtful and pretty cute. Kenzie was great because she helped to heal a bond that had been broken between Ty and his mom and that meant everything in the world to both of them. I love the holidays, but sometimes I feel like I can bogged down in all of the commercialism. This story helped me to get excited about decorating, shopping, baking, and even ice skating. It was short, but I don't really have a whole lot of time to read, so I really loved that too! I'm going to see if I can read some more from the ALL I WANT anthology.




Mrs. Librarian Lady is a cool cat who loves to read!

If You Want a Good Cry on Valentine's Day

There are so many talented YA authors out right now and one of my favorites is Mr. John Green. Somehow he is able to capture the realism of teen life and emotions. I highly recommend his latest book "The Fault in Our Stars" and I think it would be a tremendously sad book to read just before Valentine's Day. I have to admit that from around chapter 24 and on I basically cried my eyes out while continuing to read and sob from time to time. This book is painfully sad and it pulls no punches in its terrible descriptions of late-stage cancer. At some points, readers may even wonder why, if pain and love are so inner connected that we should care to fall in love at all. However, the amazing John Green pulls it all together in the end and we realize that a person can learn so much from being in love, and that he or she will come out on the other side of a love experience a changed person.

An Anti-Valentine's Day Campaign

I'm finally going to do to be able to get creative with and let loose my true feelings for Valentine's Day! I'm on a month long campaign to prove that Valentine's Day does not have to be all about hearts, love, and flowers. I'm hosting two Anti-Valentine's Day parties for teens at two different libraries! Wow that double exposure to heartbreak, disillusion, and pain. I love it ♥ I'm an evil genius muhaaahhaaahaaa! Finally something to get excited about in the cold winter weather. Here's my intro to the party invitation and I will be posting for the next month with pictures, songs, and crafts for this anti-heart celebration!

Do candy hearts and chocolates make you feel ill?
Are you running from Cupid and his stupid arrow?
Are you planning your ♥ Day escape?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone!
You are invited to an
ANTI-Valentine Party!!

Ex Inc. will Fix U

Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus wrote this awesome book called Over You! I really liked it a lot and now want to read more of their books. The story is about a girl named Max who gets dumped by her boyfriend and tries like heck to get over him. She decides to use her pain and start her own business called Ex, Inc. She helps other girls get over their break ups and does such a fantastic job that she realizes she wants to study business at NYU. Naturally, things get complicated when Max's old boyfriend shows up. You have to read this book to find out what happens! I hope you get a chance to read this one it would be great one for an Anti-Valentine's day treat!

I heard Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts today and it totally reminded me of Max's plight. I posted the video so you can see it too!

The Real Deal

This week’s featured genre is realistic fiction. What I find interesting is that I am a huge fantasy lover and at the same time I love to read realistic stories as well. I feel that young adult realistic fiction has a lot to offer teens today because many of the topics focus on the issues that they are going through at the time. Some of the books that I have read lately have touched on suicide, depression, drug addiction, and child abuse. These issues may not come up in the average teens daily lives, but I think that working with teens has brought me a lot of insight on how they think and deal with things and it can be very helpful for them to read fictional stories that help them to understand that the world is a very big place and they are going to encounter so many different issues as they learn and grow and get older. With that said, realistic fiction can sometimes be a downer, but as with all things in life it has its ups and downs, which makes for pretty great reading most of the time. So here are a few of my favorites and I highly recommend that you read them because they are awesome!

"A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it."

~William Styron, interview, Writers at Work, 1958

As always, Happy Reading To You!

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (2006) Michael Printz Award Honor 2007

What can I say about this book? Well, for starters, it is brilliant and funny and just plain amazing! John Green has a fantastic way of weaving humor into the mundane world and does it with such style that reading this book feels like watching a movie or taking a ride on a Ferris wheel. Colin Singleton is a child prodigy who never made it to a full blown genius and boy that saddens him. He loves to make anagrams and can anagram his ass off in any given situation. Alas, poor Colin has girl issues and he just can't seem to get over the break up with his girlfriend Katherine. Oh and by the way, she is the 19th Katherine that he has gone out with over the course of his 17 year life.
The story just keeps getting funnier and funnier and his best friend Hasan is hilarious too with his smart quips and snide namecalling. The two are always badgering each other with a barrage of insults, but of course there are some compliments in there somewhere I just know it. The two decide to go on a road trip and by golly they end up in some back woods town in Tennessee called Gutshot, and it's there that they meet the adorable Lindsey Lee Wells. From there on things just get funnier because Lindsey has a boyfriend named Colin who the guys nickname TOC which stand for "the other Colin" and Colin decides to come up with a theorem for why he has been dumped by so many Katherines. This lively coming of age tale is wonderfully written and is quite spunky and full of life. I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking for a good book to read that is totally engaging and will have you laughing and crying and cheering in the end for Colin Singleton and his friends. An Abundance of Katherines was also a 2007 Michael Printz Award Honor Book.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan (2010)

I’m gonna start this out by saying that John Green is totally brilliant! Ah, but you knew I was going to say that right? Of course, I also have to give props to David Levithan for this one too. This is one of the few novels written in alternating points of view that I totally loved because it just works. This book is definitely a wild ride for anyone who reads this book. The story is told in two different voices and these voices are two different characters both named Will Grayson.

Even though the book is titled after these two, one thing for sure is that the whole story focuses around the biggest person of all in the story and that is the magnanimous Tiny Cooper. Tiny is such a fun, spontaneous, and joyous young man, and a sheer force of love and power to be reckoned with. That is why both Will Grayson’s find him so irresistible. The first Will Grayson is Tiny’s best friend and confidant, the other is his love interest. By a strange chance meeting the first Will Grayson meets the other in a seedy porn shop called Frenchie’s. This chance meeting alters both of their lives forever. Add to the mix, Tiny’s amazing and genius life story, which is a musical that is written, directed, and produced by none other than Tiny himself. Will Grayson, Will Grayson is an inspirational tale that is creatively written, seductively cool, and so uncontrollably witty you’ll find yourself crying at times and laughing out loud uncontrollably. A must read for anyone that loves a good story!

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams (Simon & Schuster, 2010)

Sisters Lizzie and Hope are only one year apart and best friends until Lizzie suddenly tries to end her life. Hope can’t understand why Lizzie would do such a thing and their mother has never paid much attention to either of them. Hope had been having awful nightmares which she really felt like she was awake and Lizzie had been having crying fits for a long time before she tried to kill herself. What does all of this mean? Hope must figure out the puzzle while Lizzie wastes away in a mental institution, and unravel the secrets that will lead her to save her sister. Written in verse, Williams has created a riveting story that is very edgy and provocative!
This novel caught my attention straight away as it is completely written in verse. It is extremely emotional and written very tastefully. The glimpses we as the reader get into Hope’s life are incredible and as I read I became overwrought with grief for her and her sister. This book reminded me that there are so many children out there being abused even by their own parents, which is really very tragic.
I would recommend this book to older teens that enjoy reading realistic fiction on various life issues. It is a fairly fast read because reading the verses goes a lot faster than regular text. I think this book is for older teens because of the nature of the situations involved in the story and the seriousness of suicide and sexual abuse.