Summer Reads

Below is a list of books for summer reading enjoyment suggested by some of our young adult patrons. Topping the list (no surprises here) are the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer and Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle. Here's the rest in no particular order:

Vampirates by Justin Stomper
Airmen and Artemis Fowl By Eoin Colfer
Magyk by Angie Sage
A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck
Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen
Bone by Jeff Smith
Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
Hoot and Flush by Carl Hiaasen
Pendragon series by D. J. MacHale
Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
A Murder for Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner
Redwall series by Brian Jacques
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Guardians of Ga'Hoole series by Kathryn Kasky

Here's one I'd like to add to the list: The Devil's Paintbox by Victoria McKern

The weather's getting hot and humid. Come to the library and enjoy the comfort of the cool air while reading a book!

Express Yourself @ the Springfield Town Library

Kids entering grades 6 and up are invited to sign up for the Summer Reading program all day, every day beginning Monday, June 22. Come to the library for lunch at noon on Tuesday, June 23 and sign up while you enjoy pizza. While you're here, pick up a "Library Challenge Card." Check off a palette every time you read 100 pages, thumb through a magazine, attend a program, or volunteer for an hour at the library. Once all 10 palettes are checked off, bring the card back and exchange it for a $5 gift certificate to Friendly's or McDonald's and become eligible to win an MP3 player. So, stop by,and get in on the action!

Winners!

You probably already know that Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid won the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award. But do you know the winner of the Green Mountain Book Award? It's Crank by Ellen Hopkins. Check out her other books, also written in free verse: Burned, Glass, and Impulse.

Vote for your Favorite

It's time to vote for your favorite Green Mountain Book Award Selection. Ballots are due by May 1. If you want to participate, let us know and we'll submit your vote. Look for the announcement of the winner in the beginning of May along with the selections for 2009-2010.

Celebrate Earth Day!

Do you know that Al Gore has written a book about the global climate crisis and the environment for young adults? It's called An Inconvenient Truth : the Crisis of Global Warming. If you'd like to try something a little lighter, check out James Patterson's The Final Warning. Maximum Ride is on a mission to save the world from global warming. I hope he succeeds!

Worth a Look

Here's a website that could prove useful. It's called "Shmoop," and is self described as "an educational website for high school and college students that covers literature, US history, and poetry." The creators continue with, "Don't let our playful name throw you off; our content is painstakingly researched and our writers are primarily Ph.D. and Masters students from Stanford and Berkeley. Unlike many notes/cheating sites, we work closely with teachers to make Shmoop a valuable resource both outside and inside the classroom." The site is free and requires no login, so check it out at
http://www.shmoop.com/ and take the "Tour de Shmoop."

The Shameless Romance Novel Awards

What do you read after the Twilight series? Donna Freitas has some suggestions. In her "Be Still My Heart" article featured in the February 2009 issue of School Library Journal, she has declared the following pronouncements:

Most Likely to Melt Your Fingers While Reading Because It's So Hot : Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Best Declaration of Love: The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
Best Budding Relationship: Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork
Headiest Falling in (and Out of) Love Scenes: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
Most Likely to Break Your Heart: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
Best First Kiss: Suck It Up by Brian Meehl
Most Romantic Gesture: I Am the Messenger by Markus Zuzak
Best Romance Under Duress: "Uglies" trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

"And what did she have to say about Twilight?" you ask. Well, she has deemed the characters as having the Best Extended Foreplay and Most Likely to Get Married.