How to Cook: Delicious Dishes Perfect for Teen Cooks June 17, 2013

Title:  How to Cook: Delicious Dishes Perfect for Teen Cooks

Author: DK publishing

Summary:  What’s good about this cookbook?  This colorful cookbook has a wide selection of recipes including soup and salads, breakfast foods, main dishes, snacks, and desserts.   It also features dishes from a variety of cultures from Indian Curry to Vietnamese Pad Thai and Arabic Falafel.  Another plus, is that all the recipes have a color photo of the finished product. While there is a bit of basic cooking instruction, this cookbook is really for those who are ready to move beyond basic boil and microwave instructions to make healthy home-cooked meals.  More difficult recipes are broken down into step-by-step instruction while simple ones are presented in paragraph form.  Some of my favorite recipes include the Minestrone soup, Croque Monsieur, Jambalaya, and Tomato and Olive Pie.

Who will like this book: Budding chefs looking to expand their recipe repertoire. Anyone who is looking for a wide-variety of relatively healthy, easy-to-follow recipes.

If you like this, try this: Rachael Ray’s Look + Cook by Rachael Ray and Guy Fieri Food: Cookin’ it, Livin’ it, and Lovin’ It by Guy Fieri.

Recommended by: Jen, Fairfield Woods Branch Teen Librarian

Drama May 29, 2013

Title: Drama

Author/Illustrator: Raina Telgemeier

Summary: Callie loves the stage…well, backstage anyway. A proud member of the stage crew, she is thrilled to get the opportunity to design the sets for her middle school’s production of Moon Over Mississippi. Callie may not be in the spotlight, but she and her friends all have some drama to deal with. Does she still have feelings for Greg? Or does she really like Jesse? Does Jesse like her? Or is he into boys like his twin brother? And how on earth is she going to convince everyone to let her fire a live cannon onstage in the middle of the show?

This delightful graphic novel is great fun for anyone who likes a little bit of innocent drama in their stories. Telgemeier perfectly captures the chaos of stage production and the calm of performance in such a way that you feel like you are right next to Callie as she preps the next scene. The characters are all teens you can root for, whether you are an ‘onstage’ type, a ‘backstage’ type or an ‘offstage’ type. This is a great choice for someone looking some something fast and fun to read.

Who will like this book: Theatrical types of all ages. Readers who like stories with love trianges…or pentagons…or octagons.

If you like this, try this: Dramarama by E. Lockhart, My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluge, A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner, Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Every Day May 17, 2013

Title: Every Day

Author: David Levithan

Summary: Every day A wakes up in a different body and lives a different life.  It’s been this way ever since A can remember.   A has inhabited girl and boy bodies from a variety of races and sexual orientations, yet A is not bound by any of those societal constructs.  A is not a boy or a girl, A is simply A.  The only thing constant in A’s experience is that A always wakes in a body that is the same age as A is at that time.  A has gotten used to this existence and has come up with some rules:  never get attached, avoid being noticed, and do not interfere.  But, all those rules get thrown out when A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon.  A is drawn to Rhiannon in a way A has never been before and decides that one day is simply not enough time with her.   Now every time A wakes in a new body A’s goal is to find a way back to Rhiannon, but can Rhiannon handle falling in love with someone new every day and can A ask her to?

Who will like this?:  If you are at all open to a love story, this is a great one.  It challenges the reader to consider love at its core, as an emotion that isn’t restricted by man-made rules related to sex and gender.  And, it asks how far someone should be willing to go to pursue true love.

If you like this, try this:  If you are looking for a similar dramatic love story try anything by John Green, in particular The Fault in Our Stars or If I Stay by Gayle Forman.  For books dealing with relationships and questions about the roles of sex and gender try The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Chbosky or A.S King’s Ask the Passengers.

Recommended by: Jen, Fairfield Woods Branch Teen Librarian

The Diviners May 8, 2013

Title: The Diviners

Author: Libba Bray

Summary: Evie O’Neill finds herself in big trouble over a little parlor trick she performed at a party.  She only meant to get a little attention when she took Harold Brodie’s class ring and attempted to divine a few of his secrets for the crowd.  Instead, she ended up incurring the wrath of the Brodie family and getting banished from her small town of Zenith, Ohio to her Uncle’s home in New York city.  But being sent to one of the most lively cities in the country during the 1920′s is hardly a punishment for a girl who has always been too much for her hometown.  New York city is exactly where Evie wants to be and all she has to do to stay is live with her Uncle Will, a man who stirs up his own fair share of gossip being the head of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, and abide by the few rules he sets.

It doesn’t take long before Evie is swept up into the bustle of New York City and reacquainting herself with a childhood best friend and making friends with an exotic Ziegfeld girl, but the good times grind to a halt when a grisly serial killer with ties to the occult starts to accumulate a body count.  Uncle Will is called in by police to help decipher the cryptic symbols left at the murder scenes and Evie talks herself into being included in the case.  It’s a case where her ability to divine secrets from personal objects may just be the key to stopping the killer or in possibly marking her as the next victim.  However, Evie isn’t alone in her efforts to catch the killer or in possessing a unique and otherworldly gift.  Her uncle’s assistant, Jericho hides a secret while her new friend, Theta, is trying to escape from her past. And then there’s Memphis, a young man who has lost his parents and his gift but fights to protect and take care of his younger brother.

Who will like this book?:  Anyone with an appreciation for intelligent and well-written stories will throughly enjoy Libba Bray’s writings.  It’s rare to find a mystery/thriller driven by such well-developed characters, especially one where the paranormal is a key aspect of the storyline.   She’s the only YA author who can make 578 pages seem like a quick read and have you wishing the book was longer.

If you like this, try this:  Thank goodness this is the first in a proposed trilogy because this story is simply too big (and too good) to be confined to one book.  While you wait for the sequel to come out, try some of Libba Bray’s other writings, especially her Gemma Doyle trilogy.   If you are looking for another great historical fiction book try Code Name Verity, there’s no paranormal in the story, but it is an amazing historical story featuring strong female characters in life-and-death situations.  Ruta Sepetys, Out of Easy is another great historical fiction mystery that doesn’t feature the paranormal.  But if paranormal historical fiction is what you want to stay with, give Robin LaFevers’ Grave Mercy a try.

Recommended by:  Jen, Fairfield Woods Branch Teen Librarian

My Friend Dahmer May 1, 2013

Title: My Friend Dahmer

Author/Illustrator: Derf Backderf

Summary: Jeffrey Dahmer was a notorious serial killer, responsible for the deaths of 17 men and boys. But before he became a monster, he was a kid growing up in the Midwest alongside author/illustrator Derf. This graphic memoir brings the reader into their world and shows how Dahmer’s crimes had as much to do with the people in his life who failed to see to the warning signs as his own troubled psyche. Beginning with their first acquaintance in middle school in the 1970s, the author tracks his evolving acquaintance with the weird, introverted boy who always seemed to be on the outside looking in.

Derf does not excuse Jeff’s horrifying crimes, but he asks the readers to look a little deeper at the circumstances that enabled Dahmer to become a killer. This book is more about how our actions can have consequences beyond our own understanding at the time. Derf also includes a terrific bibliography and information about his research for those interested in learning more about Dahmer and his crimes. This excellent graphic novel deserves to be read. It is not an easy book, but it is one that you will remember.

Who will like this book?: Older, mature readers interested in crime stories and psychology. This book is disturbing and intense – but it is very thought-provoking and memorable.

If you like this, read this: Stitches by David Small. The true crime graphic novels by Rick Geary, including Jack the Ripper, The Borden Tragedy and The Lindbergh Child. Columbine by Dave Cullen.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian

Paper Valentine April 5, 2013

Title: Paper Valentine

Author: Brenna Yovanoff

Summary: Hannah just wants things to go back to normal. She wants to enjoy the summer, hang out with friends, and maybe even talk to the brawny, delinquent, possibly not-to-bright but surprisingly kind cute, Finny Boone.  But how can anything ever be normal again when your best friend dies? Lillian died six months ago, but she’s not gone…at least not for Hannah. Hannah sees Lillian everywhere, in her room, at the mall, even at her job at the local photo developing place. She’s haunted by Lillian, not just the thought of her, but the actual nagging specter of her friend.

Then the murders start happening and Hannah’s small-town becomes locked down with fear. Young girls are being murdered and the biggest clue police seem to have is a paper heart left at each crime scene.  Hannah finds herself drawn into the mystery by her ghostly friend and soon realizes that she may be the only one who can stop the killing.

Who will like this?: At its heart, this is a mystery but there is also a bit of romance, a fair amount of friendship and fighting, and of course the paranormal (it is a ghost story after all.)

If you like this, try this: Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake, Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender, Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol.

Recommended by: Jen, Fairfield Woods Branch Teen Librarian

The Name of the Wind March 26, 2013

Title: The Name of the Wind

Author:  Patrick Rothfuss

Summary: In the quiet village of Newarre, the townspeople sense that darkness and danger are gathering. One night, a traveling scribe known as Chronicler is saved from wicked, spider-creatures called Scrael by a local innkeeper named Kote. The scribe soon realizes that this humble man is really the legendary hero Kvothe, made famous in story and song. After much prodding from Chronicler, Kvothe agrees to tell his story and reveal the reasons why he has retreated from the world that seems to need heroes more than ever.

The Name of the Wind is the first book in a planned triology called the Kingkiller Chronicles. In these pages, we learn of Kvothe’s early years as a traveling performer and musician with his family. When his father angers the Chandrian, an ancient, evil force, it brings about an unspeakable tragedy that sets young Kvothe on his life’s mission: revenge. He enrolls at the University to learn, among other things, ‘sympathy,’ a magical skill that allows users to manipulate objects and bend them to their will. Kvothe  makes friends and enemies and even has a sweetly shy romance along the way, but his focus always remains on his goal of discovering how to find and defeat the Chandrian.

Who will like this book?: This book is a great choice for fantasy readers who have read ‘everything‘ or are looking for another series to begin. Mature readers who like stories set in magical schools and were fans of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson when they were younger.

If you like this, read this: The sequel, The Wise Man’s Fear, which continues Kvothe’s story. The Magicians by Lev Grossman.

Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian