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Reading, Wellington, and whatever else – teenblog@wcl.govt.nz

Month: February 2011

Lost Thing Won Thing

Yes. The Lost Thing has won an Oscar for best animated short. We have the film on DVD should you want to watch it, and we also have the book.

You can watch the trailer here and look! an official website.

Wellington City Youth Council

Three young people are needed for the 2011 Wellington City Youth Council. Could you be one of them? Read about it and apply here.

Narrative Works Conveyed Using Sequential Art

Batman; Whatever happened to the caped crusader?Batman; Whatever happened to the Caped Crusader? By Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert. It appears that Batman is dead! Robin reminisces about the time Batman punched a dinosaur in the face and how cool he was. The Joker has a Jokermobile and it’s all so conceptual. Good stuff from Mr. Coraline.

The Avengers; Red ZoneThe Avengers; Red Zone by Olivier Coipel. It’s another pickle for the Avengers! This time Red Skull has infiltrated the American government (which must be particularly galling for Captain America) and he plans to release a biological weapon. Iron Man would probably be ok in his iron suit, but he helps out anyway because he’s just an unselfish and helpful kind of guy.

The Vornov PlotThe Voronov Plot by Yves Sente and Andre Juiliard. Our lads Blake and Mortimer are charged with averting the threat of a biological weapon (yes, another biological weapon) and must also smoke from pipes the entire time (that’s what it looks like anyway). They’d better succeed, as world peace depends on it!

Final Crisis; RevelationsFinal Crisis; Revelations by Greg Rucka, Philip Tan and Jonathan Glapion. There’s a new god in town, an evil new god! Darkseid instructs his followers in a religion based on crime, which sounds fun for a little bit, until you realise how inconvenient it would be if eveyone just stole things all day long. Spectre, The Question and Batwoman to the rescue then.

Green Lantern; Rage of the Red LanternsGreen Lantern; Rage of the Red Lanterns by Geoff Johns. Arriving in time to whet your appetite for the upcoming movie are a few new Green Lantern graphic novels, such as this one. This time the Green Lantern is in hot water with the Red Lanterns and must use every inch of his powers to save his hide.

Who Is Arcade Fire?

The 53rd Grammy Awards were held earlier this week in Los Angeles. There were plenty of notable stories from the event, Lady Gaga dressed up as an egg for example. But the one that amused us the most was the reaction to Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs winning album of the year, it seems that a large chunk of music fans around the world didn’t even know who they were. And were outraged. Which was hilarious.

We here at Teen Blog clearly approved of the decision as it was the only album of the year nominee on our Librarian’s Choice page.

Latest Sounds

clubbers guide spring 2010

Clubbers Guide, Spring 2010
If you are aware
of Ministry of Sound you
know what to expect

far east movement

Free Wired – Far East Movement
Does electro-hop
sound like something you would be
interested in?

black eyed peas

The Beginning (deluxe edition) – The Black Eyed Peas
The hologram man
includes some of the end with
the beginning

bring me the horizon

There Is A Hell Believe Me I’ve Seen It, There Is A Heaven Let’s Keep It A Secret – Bring Me The Horizon
When Death Metal and
Emo collide, it seems that
long titles result

mumford & sons

Sigh No More – Mumford & Sons
Neatly attired folk
singers nominated for
Grammy with this one

the script

Science & Faith – The Script
Celtic soul trio
get their Maroon 5 on with
the soft rock numbers

Aotearoa Dubsteb Allstarz
Optimus Gryme has
collected New Zealand’s
finest dubsteppers

iGoogle Catalogue Search Tool

Do you have an iGoogle homepage? Sure you do! There’s now an official Wellington City Libraries Catalogue search gadget you can add to your homepage that will effortlessly allow you to find whatever you’re looking for. Get it here (and give us feedback about it why don’t you).

Two Great Reads by David Almond

Syndetics book cover

Clay / David Almond – I have enjoyed David Almond’s books such as Skellig and Kit’s Wilderness because the stories and characters are so gripping and Clay was no exception. The story is told by Davie, a teenage boy. Davie is an altar boy, along with his best mate Geordie, and they make money at funerals and hang out together in their hideout plotting out the next attack on a rival gang of boys.  Apart from the threat of Mouldy, the leader of the rival gang of boys, (a boy as big as a man and often reeking of beer who seems to take their battles too far) theirs seems a comfortable, naive existence.

Then Stephen Rose moves in with his aunt “Crazy Mary”. Stephen Rose was sent away to train as a priest at 11 years old but was thrown out and returned to his parents. Shortly afterwards his mother father died and his mother went mad.

Davie’s mum and the priest encourage him to make friends with this lonely boy who has come to the village in such tragic circumstances. Stephen has a gift for making beautiful creatures out of clay.  He loves clay because it is “alive” –  it’s the material from which God shaped Adam and the silky suppleness of wet clay is malleable like the human skin.

This book, like the others, is grounded in the real world. Because the world and the relationships between the characters and everything is so real it is easy to enter fully and I think it is the whole-hearted acceptance of the world which makes the supernatural events as they emerge (so slowly like a dripping tap) so unsettling.

The story is interesting for the dynamics of the relationships between all the characters and the movement from innocence to terrible knowledge. The book explores ideas of  power of creation, the right of creation, good and evil, revenge …

I would recommend this book to: people who like realism with a bit of the fantastical (but incredibly believable) thrown in and also books like the Robert Cormier’s  The Chocolate War which explore the dynamics of human relationships and power struggles.

The main characters in the book are boys but I think it is suitable for girls as well.

I would also recommend this as something different to try for people who like gritty books like Precious as I think, although it enters into fantasy, it carries the same intensity and delves similarly into human relationships and power struggles. I would also potentially recommend it to vampire book lovers because Stephen Rose definitely has the makings of an undead hero.  I think people who enjoyed Abssynia and The Red Shoes etc. by Ursuala Dubosarsky would enjoy these.

My name is Mina / David Almond – This is a new book by David Almond.  It is a diary by Mina, a strange and creative girl who doesn’t quite fit in with school and other kids. The book has a bold format which is part of the storytelling style.  It was more difficult to just lose myself in this story compared to other books written by David Almond because the character,rather than the narrative, is given central stage. Also perhaps this story is less about relationships between people than it is about what is going inside the head of one central character.  This, however, is just because of my personal preference of how to enjoy a story; I’m not that great at reading graphic novels and I’m not a patient reader so I don’t enjoy picking and piecing out all the bits and pieces of a story. At the same time the story has stuck with me and I keep going back and puzzling over bits I didn’t quite understand.

What I didn’t realize until I read someone else’s review of this book, which is pretty obvious (except I’m no good at remembering character names) that this is Mina from Skellig before she meets Michael (she meets him right at the end of the book, he is the new boy who has moved in next door so this is a prequel to Skellig)

Because this is a very visual book I would recommend this to people who like reading graphic novels (although it plays more with font rather than illustration) and also books like Shaun Tan’s The Arrival. I would also recommend it to people who enjoyed Sophie’s World because of the slightly disjointed way the story is put forward – you sort of need to piece it together – and also the way philosophical thought and ideas are explored in the book.  Maybe also people who enjoy reading diary formats.  Also I think again readers of Ursuala Dubosarsky’s books and particularly people who enjoyed Abyssinia would enjoy this book.

Trailer Tuesday

The Superbowl – America’s premier lawn bowls championship playoff thing – was yesterday, and during the ads many new film trailers were screened for films that we can not wait to see! (And subsequently stock in the library, of course.)

Here, we’ve embedded some. The first two are superheroes; Captain America and Thor. I suspect they’re leading up to the eventual Avengers film (this won’t make any sense to anyone not familiar with Marvel comics).

 

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Seas, the fourth film in the series based on a theme park ride, has a new trailer. Pirates! Zombies! The usual! No Jack Davenport though! :`(

Here’s one for a film called Super 8 which is maybe about aliens? I’ve not done much research.

Transformers : Dark Side of the Moon has a new trailer! (Hopefully it is better than the last one, frankly.)

Battle LA seems to be a mixture of the last two films, in so far as mass destruction by aliens goes. Which is all the way to the bank!

Cowboys & Aliens. Sure, why not? The title is pretty literal. It is what it says on the label.

The End.

Some New Graphic Novels

zorroZorro. Volume 2, Clashing Blades by Matt Wagner. Our hero, el Zorro, is pursued by some over zealous military officers who hope to impress a girl by capturing him. The girl of course is in love with the ever rascally Zorro, who will of course escape because he is of course a bad, bad man. Action a-plenty. Adapted from the Isabel Allende novel.

wolverine vs hulkUltimate Wolverine vs. Hulk by Damon Lindelof, illustrated by Leinil Francis Yu. A closely matched fight if ever I saw one, worth a few dollars on pay-per-view for sure. Rather than ruin the ending (you’ll have to read it to find out), here are some interesting facts; the author is a co-creator of TV series Lost and Wolverine also finds time to fight a panda (really, a panda).

the listThe List by Brian Michael Bendis. Fresh off their deathmatch from one paragraph ago, Wolverine and the Hulk are now fighting on the same side against the evil Norman Osborn. They are joined by Spiderman, The Punisher, Captain America, Daredevil and seemingly every other Marvel superhero in excistence. This Norman Osborn chap is quite the fearsome villain you see.

superman new kryptonSuperman; New Krypton volume 2. A long lost part of Krypton is miraculously restored on Earth along with its also long lost Kryptonian citizens. Sadly, humankind doesn’t get along so well with the newcomers and there’s all sorts of conflict. Superman gets torn between his old home and his new home which is emotionally draining. Poor old Superman.

Skulduggery Pleasant

Skulduggery Pleasant. Books one to five, all written by the Golden God (as he calls himself on his blog) Derek Landy.

Skulduggery PleasantPlaying with FireThe Faceless OnesDark DaysMortal Coil

If you’re looking for them they won’t be in the YA area, they’re actually in with the kids books. But that’s really not a good reason for not reading them. These are, in all honesty, the best series of books that I’ve read recently. They’re about a skeleton detective, and a girl called Stephanie. Lots of magic, crazy action, bad guys, good guys, girls who beat up bad guys and general world saving happens. If you like any kind of fantasy or action books, this is a good choice to pick up next.

Here’s the trailer for the most recent book Mortal Coil:

And, if you are already a fan and like me counting down until the next one comes out, Derek Landy blogs over here. Sometimes there are photos of kittens, if you need any incentive to go visit. Otherwise expect ramblings, fanfic reviews, photos and interviews. Unfortunately the rumour that there will be a movie is still at the one day there may be a movie stage, but the next book should still be out on schedule in August/September this year.

For Your Listening Pleasure

pink

Greatest Hits… So Far! – Pink
Not finished making
hits, compiles previous ten
years worth anyway

lady gaga remix

The Remix – Lady Gaga
A more apt title
would be “The Remixes” as
there are quite a few 

altiyan childs

Altiyan Childs– Altiyan Childs
X-Factor winner
sings other peoples songs for
his debut effort.

infant sorrow

Get Him To The Greek – Infant Sorrow
Russell Brand’s fake band
scores a soundtrack for the film
Get Him To The Greek

Live vol.1 – The Black Seeds
A Teen Blog writer
is thanked in the liner notes,
we are connected

Fragile Thing EP – Tono and the Finance Company
Literate folk-pop
compositions housed inside
excellent cover

Best Mozart 100 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
I cannot believe
they left off Horn Concerto
number 8! Crazy!

Greatest Hits – Frederic Chopin
Long overdue best
of for nineteenth century
piano legend

Some New Books

Lots more supernatural romance, bad dreams, terrifying zombie adults, and a TV spin-off.

Pegasus, Robin McKinley (404 pages) – Princess Sylvi, as a member of the royal family, is supposed to have a pegasus as an “excellent friend”, but her friendship with Ebon becomes too excellent for the powers that be; will Sylvi and Ebon threaten the safety of their nation?

First sentence: Because she was a princess she had a pegasus.

Night Star, Alyson Noel (302 pages) – the new book in the Immortals series. Haven plans to destroy Ever and Damen and Jude; will Ever be able to foil her plan, and what is the terrible secret about Damen that is hidden in her past life?

First sentence: “You’ll never beat me.”

The Wager, Donna Jo Napoli (262 pages) – The handsome Don Giovanni makes a deal with the devil in exchange for unlimited wealth. He will not bathe or change his clothes for three years, three months and three days. We all are wondering if it’s worth it, especially if in taking a bath he will lose his soul.

First sentence: Don Giovanni looked out the castle window over the strait that separated the island of Sicily from the mainland.

Early to Death, Early to Rise, Kim Harrison (228 pages) – This copy here is autographed. Madison is the dark timekeeper, “in charge of angels who follow the murky guidelines of fate.” (The ‘murky guidelines’ involve killing people.) Not happy with the status quo, she forms a renegade group to change things up a bit, never an easy task.

First sentence: Seventeen, dead, and in charge of heaven’s dark angels – all itching to kill someone.

Mice, Gordon Reece (309 pages) – After Shelley is bullied by her ex-friends, she and her mother move to a cottage in the country. One night a creak on the stairs wakes Shelley. A thriller

First sentence: My mum and I lived in a cottage about half an hour outside of town.

The Dead, Charlie Higson (450 pages) – The sequel to The Enemy. Jack and Ed are on the run with a bunch of other kids, and Greg who’s an adult (and a butcher, horror!) who says he’s immune to the disease that turns adults into flesh eating zombies. Then (while I’m preoccupied with worrying about whether Greg is dodgy) “a fresh disaster threatens to overwhelm London”, to make matters so much worse. Blimey.

First sentence: When the video is posted on YouTube it’s an instant hit.

Blue is for Nightmares, Laurie Faria Stolarz (283 pages) – Stacey’s nightmares have recently been about her friend Drea being stalked, trouble is Stacey’s nightmares come true. Can her magic gifts help her save Drea? Trouble is (again) her magic is supposed to be secret.

First sentence: They’re always the same.

Dark Heart Forever, Lee Monroe (372 pages) – More bad dreams! Jane lives in two worlds, one, a freaky dream world with supernatural creatures and a mysterious green-eyed boy, and the real world, with her romance-laced friendship with the lovely Evan. Which way will she lean?

First sentence: Branches whipped my face as I ran and my cheek stung where it had been lashed.

Noah’s Law, Randa Abdel-Fattah (338 pages) – Noah’s father wants to sort him out, so makes him work for the summer in a law office. It turns out to be a good move, as Noah gets the chance to see the grey areas of law and life.

First sentence(s): Fine. I’ll admit it was an immature thing to do.

Huge, Sasha Paley (259 pages) – April and Wil are fat camp roommates and friends with very different goals, one to lose, one to gain weight in the face of her parents’ disapproval. Based on a TV series that’s on in the states (from the producers of Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries, the book says).

First sentence: “Faster, faster!” Wil Hopkins’ trainer, Heather, yelled over the sound of crashing waves.