Wellington City Libraries

Te Matapihi Ki Te Ao Nui

Search options

Teen Blog

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

Month: May 2010

Again New Books

Friday’s offering:

The Unwritten Rule, Elizabeth Scott (210 pages) – The unwritten rule is of course don’t fancy your best friend’s boyfriend (a theme from the last batch of new books). This time, Sarah’s doing a pretty good job of avoiding Ryan (being Brianna’s boyfriend), until they’re “thrown together” one night. The first sentence sums it up.

First sentence: I liked him first, but it doesn’t matter.

After Tupac & D Foster, Jacqueline Woodson (151 pages) – Neeka and her best friend form a bond with D Foster, and the three girls explore life, and the music of Tupac Shakur, learning tough lessons in the process. (A Newbery Honor Book)

First sentence: The summer before D Foster’s real mama came and took her away, Tupac wasn’t dead yet.

Stuck on Earth, David Klass (227 pages) – Ketchvar III comes to Earth in order to answer the following question: “Should the Sandovinians release the Gagnerian Death Ray and erase the human species for good?” In order to do this (answer the question, not erase the species) he inhabits the brain of Tom Filber, the geekiest geek, ironically almost an alien himself, so geeky is he. Needless to say, Ketchvar becomes quite involved in Tom’s life, which may well be a good thing for Earth.

First sentence: We are skimming over the New Jersey countryside in full search mode, hunting a fourteen-year-old.

Split, Swati Avasthi (280 pages) – Jace Witherspoon has escaped his abusive home and gone to live with his brother. “A riveting portrait of what happens after,” the cover says.

First sentence: Now I have to start lying.

It’s Not Summer Without You, Jenny Han (275 pages) – the sequel to The Summer I Turned Pretty. “Teenaged Isobel ‘Belly’ Conklin, whose life revolves around spending the summer at her mother’s best friend’s beach house, reflects on the tragic events of the past year that changed her life forever.” (Catalogue)

First sentence: It was a hot summer day in Cousins.

Shooting Star, Frederick McKissack Jr (273 pages) – Jomo Rodgers is a very good (American) football player, on the varsity team at school etc. He feels the pressure to be more than very good, cranks up the training and finds himself dealing with the question, to use steroids or not?

First sentence: Breathing is a natural process, yet Jomo Rodgers found himself flat on his back trying to remember how to do it.

Broken Memory, Elisabeth Combres (132 pages) – Emma’s mother is murdered by the Tutsis, and Emma (a Tutsi) is taken in by an old Hutu woman and brought up in her home, gradually coming to terms with her terrible past. A story inspired by the genocide in Rwanda.

First sentence: They are there.

Headgames, Casey Lever (282 pages) – Steven Byrd learns the hard way that girls who think you’re a waste of space and who then invite you to be a part of their secret game are probably up to no good. “Everyone has secrets. But who will be the first to crack?” asks the cover.

First line(s): Bell. Ancient History. Ms Landers was away on Year 9 camp, so the class had been off-loaded onto the Resource Centre.

Lockdown, Alexander Gordon Smith (273 pages) – The first in the Escape from Furnace series. Furnace is a maximum security prison, a mile under the earth’s surface. When Alex Sawyer is convicted of a murder he didn’t commit he is sent there, and realises quickly he must escape or face a life worse than death.

First sentence: If I stopped running I was dead.

No and Me, Delphine de Vigan (246 pages) – Lou lives in a quietly disfunctional family, where her father is barely holding up and her mother hasn’t left their appartment for years. She meets No, a homeless girl, and invites her to live with them. A novel about ” the true nature of home and homelessness”.

First sentence: “Miss Bertignac, I don’t see your name on the list of presentations.”

Daywards, Anthony Eaton (3341 pages) – Book three in the Darklands trilogy. Dara, Jaran, Eyna and their family must leave their home when the ghosts of a dead civilisation return to haunt them.

First sentence: The day Da Janil died, Dara had expected to be let off hunting duty.

The Summer I Got a Life, Mark Fink (195 pages) – Andy and Brad are brothers who don’t exactly get along. When their Hawaii holiday turns into time on their uncle and aunt’s farm in Wisconsin things might seem to be distinctly average, but then Andy meets Laura, who is amazing, and all things considered the summer might end up being not so terrible.

First sentence: I was totally pumped!

Also:

Anonymity Jones, James Roy (196 pages)

Finders Keepers, Marilyn Kaye (216 pages, Gifted series)

Where There’s Smoke, John Heffernan (205 pages)

O.S.T. Closes Soon!

That’s right, there are only a few more days left for you to enter the O.S.T. Competition, for it closes on the 31st of May. Remember you can enter either by commenting on this blog, or by filling out an entry form in any of our branch libraries. Thank you to everyone who has already entered, we’ve enjoyed reading your playlists!

Some New Songs

dionne bromfieldHere’s a fun fact about Dionne Bromfield; Amy Winehouse is her godmother. Other facts include her being only just old enough to have a YA card when she signed her first record deal (13), her album, Introducing Dionne Bromfield reached number 43 in the UK charts and is now in our collection. Get it if you like the neo-soul.

john mayerJohn Mayer continues to ride on the adult-alternative train with studio album number five, Battle Studies.  Just based on the title and track names such as Heartbreak Warfare, Assassin and War Of My Life, I’d say it’s a Love Is A Battlefield themed concept album. I guess those high profile break-ups combined with Pat Benatar are good for the creativity. 

daft punkDaft Punk’s Musique Vol. 1: 1993-2005 is a collection of the robotic duo’s singles and most bangerific moments. As the French pair are responsible for some of the highest high points electro has ever reached, it’s a fantastic album. Do yourself a favour and youtube some of their videos, unless of course you don’t enjoy anime, dancing mummies and robots shredding on guitars.

lcd soundsystemJames Murphy’s LCD Soundsystem are another band responsible for some great electro. Their 2007 release Sound Of Silver was (rightly) trumpeted by critics as one of the best of the year and pitchfork.com named All My Friends number two song of the decade. More importantly (?) it gets the Synthesiser Patel seal of approval.

And more new books

A less spooky batch.

Runaway, Meg Cabot (an Airhead novel, 310 pages) – in which Em is on the run, discovers Nikki’s secret and turns to Will Christopher for help (even if this means Stark Enterprises might try to kill him as well as her).

First sentence: So according to the tabloids, I’m on a secret love getaway (not so secret anymore now, though, is it? Thank you, Us Weekly) with Brandon Stark, the only son and… [it’s a long one.]

An Off Year, Claire Zulkey (213 pages) – Instead of starting her first year at college, Cecily decides to take a gap year to find out what she wants to do with her life. A tall order!

First sentence: I raised the key and hesitated.

Scarlett Fever, Maureen Johnson (332 pages) – Scarlett’s family has money strife, so she’s working as an assistant to a Broadway star while still at school, wishing her ex boyfriend would contact her, being a bit disturbed by her lab partner Max (wonder where that’s going), and being stressed out by various members of her family.

First sentence: It was four thirty in the morning, and Scarlett wanted answers.

Dirty Little Secrets, C. J. Omololu (210 pages) – “When her unstable mother dies unexpectedly, sixteen-year-old Lucy must take control and find a way to keep the long-held secret of her mother’s compulsive hoarding from being revealed to friends, neighbours, and especially the media.” (catalogue entry)

First sentence: Everyone has secrets.

Something Like Fate, Susane Colasanti (267 pages) – It’s a love triangle! Lani and Erin are best friends. Erin starts dating Jason, trouble is, there’s distinct chemistry between Lani and Jason. Then, to make matters more trying, Erin goes away for the summer…

First sentence: I never meant for it to happen like this.

Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood, Eileen Cook (261 pages) – Just before high school Lauren completely humiliated Helen, so badly that Helen had to move to another town. Lauren’s been gliding through high school as Ms Popular since then, but one suspects – based on the title – that she is going to get her comeuppance.

First sentence: Last night I dreamed I dissected Lauren Wood in Earth Sciences class.

Forget-Her-Nots, Amy Brecount White (365 pages) – Laurel can do things using flowers. Her mother meant to tell her what this means before she died, and she seems to have left her clues as to what her power means, but can Laurel learn about it, what it means, and how to control it, before things go off the rails (quite possibly at prom)?

First sentence: Lily reread the letter to her daughter and signed her name at the bottom.

Drawing With Light, Julia Green (247 pages) – Emily’s family is in flux, which causes her to start thinking about her birth mother, who left when she was a baby. “A compelling and powerfully told story about love, growing up and finding out who you really are.” (cover)

First line: “Where are you? Kat? Emily?”

Life Swap, Abby McDonald (303 pages) – Tasha, from Santa Barbara, and Emily, from Oxford University, swap places for a semester. Sounds great, but their new lives mean they must message each other regularly for advice.

First sentence: This is so not a good idea.

World Cup

(Not the rugby one, but the real football one.) Awesome! The All Whites will be playing the Australian Soccoroos on the 24th in Melbourne (kick-off is at 9.30pm NZST) and five days later they’re up against Serbia. Exciting!

To whet your appetite do watch this.

The CDs, They Keep On Coming!

Here are the latest CDs to arrive in the YA collection. There have been a lot lately, but there’s even more on the way if you can believe it.

glee madonnaFirst up is Glee : the music : the power of Madonna. This features Glee cast members singing Madonna songs, as if you couldn’t guess from the very informative title. It’s the soundtrack to the fifteenth episode of Glee, which hasn’t aired in New Zealand yet, which means it’s kind of a sneak preview. Listen to the future! Sort of.

twilightTwilight : music from the original motion picture soundtrack has been deluxe-ified with the addition of a DVD and some bonus tracks. Alongside the original hits from Paramore, Muse, Iron and Wine and the rest are remixes, live versions, acoustic re-workings, interviews, videos and all that sort of jazz. One of the interviews is with Hayley Williams from Paramore, making it a must have for Paramore fans and Twi-hards alike.

ellie gouldingBritish electro-pop starlet Ellie Goulding released debut, Lights, last year to positive reviews after becoming a hit in the blogosphere. Imagine the middle ground between Florence and the Machine and something more poppy, like say, Atomic Kitten and you’ll be right about on the money. If that sounds like a cup of tea you’d enjoy a sip of, you know what to do, issue it obvs.

Taylor Swift’s Fearless has also be given a deluxe-ing and the result is Fearless : platinum edition. Now it includes previously unissued tracks + DVD with music videos, behind-the-scenes footage, photo gallery and awards footage. No word on whether the awards footage includes a bonus interrupting Kanye West. Though it would be an absolute travesty if it didn’t. There’s quite a few extras anyway, so probably worth a look-see if you enjoyed it the first time around.

The Phoenix Foundation’s latest, Buffalo, is here. It’s a continuation of the freak folk/alt-country/pop stylings they’ve been crafting for over a decade now. They’re from Wellington and it’s still New Zealand Music Month for a week or so, which means you should support them by issuing their albums, they’re good.

Former Guns ‘n’ Roses (back when they were awesome) guitarist, Slash, has an album out called Slash. It’s not quite a solo album because every song features at least one of a cast of extremely varied guest vocalists. Which hopefully means there is something for everyone, examples: Ozzy Osbourne, Fergie, Chris Cornell, Adam Levine, Dave Grohl, Kid Rock and Iggy Pop. Quite a mix, huh?

Also, some new DVDs. Totally spies! : the movie, Doctor Who. The masque of Mandragora, Whip it, Doctor Who. Peladon tales, and Naruto. Collection 2, Episodes 14-25

What? More New Books

Hang on to your hats, there’s a lot of suspense and horror in here, including a fair amount of creepy New Zealand novels.

Radiant Shadows, Melissa Marr (340 pages) – the second to last instalment in the Wicked Lovely series focuses on Devlin –  the High Court’s assassin – Ani – Gabriel’s halfling daughter – and Rea – an incorporeal human who can animate bodies and manipulate dreams. Much shocking stuff happens, several past characters are back (Seth, Irial, Niall), several past characters are absent (Ash, Keenan, Donia), and it all looks like it’s heading for a big showdown.

First sentence: Devlin stood immobile as the spectral girl approached.

Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Stephenie Meyer, art and adaptation by Young Kim. The much talked about graphic novel of the much more talked about novel. Good or bad? Read it and tell us what you think.

First sentence: I’d never given much thought to how I would die – though I’d had reason enough in the last few months.

The Sight, Judy Blundell (writing as Jude Watson, 202 pages) – The Sight is two novels in one, Premonitions and Disappearance. Gracie has premonitions and when her friend Emily disappears she is forced to use them to try and uncover what has happened.

First sentence: I think I was a nice person before my mom died.

White Cat, Holly Black (310 pages) – Cassel is the ungifted member of a family of “curseworkers”, but then he starts dreaming of a white cat who wants to communicate with him, and other strange, disturbing things happen. The cover says it’s “a gripping tale of mobsters and dark magic”.

First sentence: I wake up barefoot, standing on cold slate tiles.

Guardian of the Dead, Karen Healey (335 pages) – a New Zealand fantasy in which the ordinary (or so she thinks) Ellie becomes aware of “something ancient and deadly” waiting in the woods near her school. Libba Bray read it and said, “Creepy, funny, sexy, smart and sometimes just downright, pull-the-covers-up-to-your-neck-and-pray-for-morning frightening.”

First sentence: I opened my eyes.

The Limping Man, Maurice Gee (176 pages) – the final book in the series that began with the award winning Salt. “What is the source of the Limping Man’s monstrous power?” This is the question Hana and Ben must find the answer to in order to defeat the Limping Man before his power become all consuming.

First sentence: Hana ran through the broken streets of Blood Burrow.

Beautiful Malice, Rebecca James (294 pages) – Katherine is determined to make a new start in Sydney, but develops a friendship with Alice, who has a bright side but also a dark side, which will lead both girls to “an explosive and devastating finale.”

First sentence: I didn’t go to Alice’s funeral.

Everwild, Neal Shusterman (242 pages) – the second book in the Skinjacker trilogy. “Nick, known as the dreaded “chocolate ogre,” is trying to find all the children in Everlost and release them from the limbo they are in, while Mikey and Allie have joined a band of skinjackers and are putting themselves in danger by visiting the world of the living.” (catalogue entry)

First sentence: There were rumours.

The Taniwha’s Tear, David Hair (357 pages) – the sequel to The Bone Tiki. Puarata’s warlocks are fighting a war in mythical Aotearoa that is threatening to spill into the real world. Matiu has promised to help the taniwha who, it is hoped, is the key to stopping this happening, but can anyone be trusted?

First sentence: Christmas on the beach had been a Douglas family tradition since before Matiu was born.

Darke Academy: Blood Ties, Gabriella Poole (288 pages) – the Darke Academy is in New York and Cassie is coming to terms with her powers, then “an old enemy returns”… Perhaps the person on the cover with the glowing red eyes and the manly, furrowed brow?

First sentence: “Hey kiddo are we keeping you up?”

Ebony Hill, Anna McKenzie (223 pages) – the sequel to The Sea-wreck Stranger. Ness and Ronan are on opposite sides of a battle of survival between two communities, Vidya and Ebony Hill.

First sentence: From above the gardens that stride in wide stairs up the hillside, I look out over the wreckage of a world I’ll never know.

Monster Republic, Ben Horton (279 pages) – “An explosion in a nuclear power plant. Kids patched up with scavenged body parts and bionic implants. A growing army of superhuman soldiers programmed for destruction. Cameron Riley is about to discover that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…” (Back cover). Looks good for people who aren’t big fans of reading.

First sentence: Even though it was well past midnight when the phone call came, Dr Lazarus Fry answered it before the second ring.

Scratch Day

“Scratch” is a young people’s animation and programming tool developed by MIT’s Media Lab in the USA. It has a half-million followers worldwide, mostly teens. Sort of like facebook, but more animation-y (therefore better?), it has a strong community of users who collaborate on designs and hang out at things like “Scratch Day” .

Incidentally, and the reason for this post, there is a Wellington “Scratch Day” happening on Saturday 22nd May in the CBD. There is a facebook event page you can RSVP to here. If you are a seasoned veteran of the scratching, or even just a curious n00b, go along and join in on the animation fun.

Andmoreagain

grizzly bearGrizzly Bear’s modern masterpiece Veckatimest now comes with a second disc of live tracks. Bonus! Reason enough to issue, even if you’ve already got a copy. If you haven’t heard it yet and you enjoy the work of The Arcade Fire, Radiohead and the rest of the meaningful-core elite, you’ll love it. Because it’s great.

the strokesBack in 2001 The Strokes were the coolest band on the planet, they released Is This It? to five star reviews and they did it with such nonchalance that it seemed totally effortless. Every single band to don a vintage jacket and squeeze into skinny jeans since then has tried, and failed to make a better indie rock record. Highly recommended.

the clashBack in the late ’70s The Clash were the self-proclaimed “only band that mattered”, rather bold, but they got away with it. One of the best bands to emerge from the London punk explosion, The Singles chronicles their rise and growth from White Riot, to Should I Stay Or Should I Go.

flaming lipsEmbryonic is the latest from Oklahoma’s finest, The Flaming Lips. Sprawling psychedelic epicness featuring the MGMT boys and a star turn from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ front-woman and Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack overseer, Karen O, who makes a lot of amusing animal noises. Good stuff.

pavementSlacker-rock heroes, Pavement, have a new greatest hits collection out called Quarantine The Past, to coincide with their much-welcomed reunion tour. It includes tracks from 1989-1999, charting their rise from every hipster’s unknown favourites, to every hipster’s sort-of known favourites. The best of the bunch this week.

the slewThe result of a collaboration between Kid Koala and Dynamite D (as The Slew) to score a since aborted documentary, 100%, is a dark but dry mixture of rock guitar, electronic samples, hip hop and delta blues. Try and imagine that in your head. Well worth a listen for anyone interested in any of the above styles and people who enjoy impressing their friends with odd tidbits about musical origins.

leona lewisX-Factor winner Leona Lewis now has her latest, Echo, on our shelves. From pizza waitress in 2006, to working with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland in 2009, it’s been quite the career shift for the Whitney Houston-esque songstress. It’s a mix of European pop and American R&B that should interest anyone who enjoys either.

O.S.T. Competition: Part Two

Hey, remember the O.S.T. Competition? Oh good. You will of course recall that part one involved you re-imagining any YA book as a movie, then compiling it’s soundtrack. What an easy way to win prizes you probably thought. Well, part two is now open and it’s more involved, but you’ll win better prizes.

Now you must design the cover art for said soundtrack. There are no real restrictions on entries, you can bring in a printed version to any library, or email an electronic version to teenblog@wcl.govt.nz . We’ll display all the artwork we receive during Youth Week (22-30 May), which means you could be (semi)famous.

Synthesiser Patel said he would make a trophy for the winner, so there’s that too.

So Many New CDs!

usherWhen I first heard the title of Usher’s new record, Raymond vs Raymond, I thought perhaps it was a concept album based on the 1979 Dustin Hoffman starring drama, Kramer vs Kramer. I was sort of right. In the movie Dustin Hoffman and his wife divorce, leaving him to raise his son on his own, whilst in real life Usher and his wife recently divorced, leaving him to raise Justin Bieber on his own. None of that is all that relevant to the quality of the album though, which is top-notch.

mgmt2008’s crossover success story MGMT recently released their oddly covered second album, Congratulations. It’s a more toned down effort this time around, missing are the obvious hit singles like Kids and Electric Feel, but anyone who enjoyed their less immediate, more psychedelic numbers should be pleased with this one.

david bowieDavid Bowie’s excellent two-disc career overview, Best Of Bowie, is now in our collection. Do yourself a favour and track this down, because he is responsible for some of the best rock music ever made. Every song’s a winner, from his Ziggy Stardust days – The Thin White Duke, to whatever he called himself in the early 80s when he seemed to dance about in outback pubs a little too much.

pixiesMy favourite ever band, Pixies, are now in the collection with a best of called Wave Of Mutilation. Don’t just trust me when I say they’re great, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke has openly admitted they were trying to rip off the Pixies on their first album, Kurt Cobain also shared a similar admiration. Noisy, weird and endlessly fun to shout along with.

Volume 2 / Brotha D & the Dawn Raid Family is a compilation showcasing the hip hop and R&B talent on Auckland’s Dawn Raid label. If local hip hip is your thing you’ll be glad to hear from the likes of Monsta Ganjah, Deceptikonz, Aaradhna and more.

xxUK indie buzz band The xx were the subject of much fawning in the music press last year for their debut The xx. Sometimes so much hype can set a young band up for a fall, but The xx overcame the magazine covers to deliver a solid album that should see them on the road to a nice career. If the genre dream-pop sounds appealing, this is for you.

More indie-pop, this time from Local Natives with Gorilla Manor. Described as “afropop-influenced guitars with hyperactive drumming and hooky three-part harmonies”, you know they’re going to be fun to listen to. A more easy listening Animal Collective, perhaps?

80’s goth/pop favourites The Cure are a band you should familiarise yourself with, and what better starting point is Greatest Hits? All the best bits from the post-punk days in 1979, to the elder statesmen pop days of 2001. It’s also a good starting point for the great, great British alternative scene of the 1980s.

Speaking of 1980’s alternative British bands, The Smiths were one of the most influential, and the most pleasingly literate (this is after all a library blog). As a colleague said when we were out buying these CDs, “The Smiths will always have a place in the hearts of teenagers, right?” Right. The sound of The Smiths is a very well compiled best of from Manchester’s finest.

If you’ve ever listened to a rock song and thought to yourself, “this is fine, but it’s a bit over-complicated”, rest assured The Ramones thought the exact same thing. Hey ho let’s go : greatest hits is a great overview from the original punks and the self-described Beatles on speed. It’s not stripped down rock and roll, it’s distilled rock and roll.

Ten is enough for now, but there’s a lot more on the way…

Dear Carrie’s Diary

Book CoverThe Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell is the prequel to the popular and trend-setting Sex and the City, which inspired the ridiculously popular TV series of the same name. The Carrie Diaries follows Carrie Bradshaw in her senior year in high school, so you get an idea of how Carrie became Carrie, how she got to love writing and (maybe) expensive shoes etc. All this with 1980s American culture as a backdrop – the hair, the clothes, the eyeshadow, the music.

O.S.T. Competition!

NZ Music Month 2010 logoAs part of New Zealand Music Month and Youth Week we’re asking Wellington Teens, in particular the readers of this blog, to re-imagine any YA book in our collection as a movie and compile the soundtrack. Hence the name O.S.T. (Original Soundtrack)

All you need to do is email us your track listing, the name of the book your movie is based on, your name and your library card number to teenblog@wcl.govt.nz, or, fill out one of the forms at the library. Easy! And you could win prizes (Music Works vouchers, CDs).

Entries close at 5pm on Monday 31st of May and you can enter as many times as you like.

*This is only part one of the O.S.T. Competition, so check back here for further information for more chances to win prizes. Prizes!