Holiday Gift Giving Ideas

Looking for a gift idea? Teen Librarians from libraries across Connecticut have put together their annual list of the best books to give teens as a holiday gift. Once again The Hunger Games trilogy has made the list. One of this year's gift suggestions is the final installment, Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. Let us know if you've read any of these books or have any suggestions for other books which would make a great gift!

Teen Read Week

October 17th through 23rd is Teen Read Week. This year's theme is Books With Beat @ your Library. Stop by Teen Space this week to see books and audiobooks about poetry, music and more at our Books With Beat display. The Teens Top Ten books were announced this morning to kick off Teen Read Week. This year's winners are:

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
3. Heist Society by Ally Carter
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
7. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
9. Fire by Kristin Cashore
10. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Teens' Top Ten Voting

Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Vote now for the 2010 Teens' Top Ten! Voting takes place through September 17. You can vote online here . Winners will be announced during Teen Read Week, Oct. 17-23.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson has been kicked out of the school every single year. He is now in sixth grade. It is the end of the school year and he hasn't been kicked out. Weird things start happening in his life and then his mom takes him to a summer camp, but this one is different. People are training for battles, there are creatures that aren't human there and they play games that campers could die in for fun. Percy has always known that something about him was different, but he is only just beginning to understand.

I liked this book because it was full of thrilling adventure and you are learning, but you don't realize it until you are done with the book.

The Lightning Thief is the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series.

Reviewed by Madalyn

Summer Reading Book Review - Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot

This book is about a 22 year old girl. She goes to London to visit a friend she only met once! After things don't work out between them, she is stuck in London with no place to go. Luckily, she decides to take the Chunnel and stay with her friend in France. Now the only thing she has to worry about is staying out of reach from her friend in London and of course keeping her big mouth shut!
This is a great book. The author does a great job of making the characters believable. This book also lets you learn a little about European countries. I had a great time learning about other places around the world.

Submitted by Sophia Fagan

Summer Reading Book Review - Ice Drift by Theodore Taylor

Ice Drift is a story about two adolescent Inuit brothers and their dog who were seal hunting on an ice floe attached to their island when an iceberg hit the floe and it broke off from the island. For six long, hard months the boys suffer with hunger, sickness, and a douse in the frigid ocean. The author's descriptive words painted a vivid picture, holding my attention from cover to cover.

Submitted by Timothy Vander Have

Summer Reading Book Review - The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill S. Alexander

This book is about a ninth grader named Austin. Her biggest dream is to be a what is called a sweetheart in the Christmas parade. She has gone to the extremes to do things that would allow her to be a friend to other sweethearts. She has also gone to the extremes to get a good reputation so she could be one. Some of the wild things she has done was buy a rooster for Christmas, for herself, and have her arm bitten by a huge fish.
This is a great book. It was so funny to see all of the wild and crazy things that Austin put herself up to. She was always ready for a challenge. It was also suspenseful at times such as seeing whether Austin would win the poultry contest.

Submitted by Sophia Fagan