Teen Pick: Hourglass

Imagine being crazy. No, worse than that, imagine knowing you are crazy. Imagine waking up every morning, knowing that you are missing more than a few marbles, seeing things that you know aren’t there. It sucks right? For the past five years, this has been Emerson’s existence. Emerson sees dead people. That sounds bad, but they’re not ghosts or anything, more like apparitions. Emerson and her brother have tried everything to get rid of the visions, but nothings worked. In a last ditch attempt, Emerson’s brother has called in one last consultant from a organization called Hourglass. Emerson says she’ll give it one more try, but when the person they send is barely any older than her she knows it’s just another phony. That is until she finds out that he can see the weird visions too.

Hourglass by Myra McEntire seems like another paranormal romance novel at first glance. Orphaned teenage girl who thinks she’s crazy? Check. Handsome and mysterious young lad? Check. Suffocating amounts of teen angst? Nope. Wait, what? You’re telling me this novel is missing the key component of all paranormal romance novels? Yep, that’s right.

The thing that makes Hourglass stand out from the rest of the books on the paranormal romance shelf at your local Barnes and Nobles is not its super swoony plot line or supernatural creatures. It’s the fact that if you take away the paranormal aspect it’s full of characters you adore or, at the very least, relate to. Emerson isn’t some sort of beautiful, graceful model-type. She’s short, strong and can flip people twice her size over her shoulder, not because of magic, but because she trained. Michael isn’t dark or angsty. He’s actually a pretty normal guy. He’s funny, nice and at times, he can even be - wait for it  - awkward. The thing that makes Hourglass stand out period, is that when you add the paranormal back in you get an brilliant book with an unbelievable plot.

Myra McEntire’s Hourglass is funny, engaging, intelligent and all the other things you want your books to be (unless you want your books to be sucky, in which case, you're out of luck). If you’re a fan of shows like Doctor Who or books like When You Reach Me, you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re a fan of strong female characters, you’ll enjoy this book. If you’re a fan of memorable one-liners, you’ll enjoy this book. Basically, what I’m trying to say is this: you’ll enjoy this book. Read Hourglass by Myra McEntire.

 Hourglass will be released on May 24, 2011.

Advanced Reader Copy reviewed by Maya J, 8th grade

Teen Tech Week: Book Trailers!

It's Teen Tech Week, which means all of this week's teen programs have a techie-themed spin. At TABs U-Nite, teens competed in the Fastest Text contest, answered technology-related trivia questions, and competed in a high-school vs. middle-school game of Sheen or Gaddafi? (The victors? Middle school!)

Finally, we created book trailers for some of our favorite books using Animoto, a free slideshow creation program. Check them out!

Paper Towns by John Green:



Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling:

Teen Tech Week: Short Story Tweets!

At Writer's Block this week, we talked Twitter and blogs. What is a blog? What kinds of blogs are out there? Why might an aspiring writer want to start one? Then we wrote some Short Story Tweets -- that is, short stories that are only 160 characters long. Needless to say, it was pretty difficult to write anything intelligible in so few words, but we tried our best! Here they are for your enjoyment:

By Maya J:
Yellow is a color. It is very bright. I had a yellow ball. It rolled out into the street. A car came. I was very scared. The man swerved and swore at me. Yellow.

By Gabrielle M:
Once upon a midnight (Wait! I can't use that. Damn Poe!) there was a girl, a girl who was prompted to write a 160 character story. She was unable, so this is it.

By T.J. S:
"Hello." No answer. The black door taunts me with its golden knob. I step closer, feeling a terrible revelation coming. Knock knock. "Hello." I say. Nothing.

By Savannah M:
Once upon a time, I had to write a really short story and I couldn't think of anything. I thought and thought and thought, but never came up with anything. So sad.

By Julia D:
The once was a unicorn name Bob. He lived in a kingdom under the sea. One day, a zombie came, and a fight ensued. Obviously, Bob won by using the power of rainbows. (OK, even though this one was over 160 characters I had to share it just for the Zombies vs. Unicorns reference!) 

Also by Maya J: Imagine you are sitting in a car. The car is not moving. Do you get out & push? Call for help? Yes? Wrong answer. There's a serial killer behind your car. Oops.

By Sarah K:
This is a pretty short story because it ends right here. (Well played, Sarah K. Well played.)

Teen Pick: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Charlie just needs someone to talk to. Someone who listens and understands and doesn't try to sleep with people even if they could have. And he finds someone, a person he only ever refers to as "friend." He tells them everything through the letters he writes. Through these letters we watch Charlie as he goes through his freshman year. We're there, helping him to deal with his grief after his best friend Michael commits suicide, leaving Charlie all alone when he starts high school. We're there when Charlie makes his first friends, Patrick and Sam. When he falls in love for the first time. When he learns that all it takes is the right song to feel infinite. Most importantly, we're there as Charlie begins to grow up.

I suggest this book to anyone who feels they can handle it. Charlie and his friends don't just sit around playing board games or frolicking in fields. They smoke. They drink. They act like real people with real flaws. In some ways that's one of the best things about the book. You can imagine Sam and Patrick as people you know. Charlie, who is awkward, bookish, and terrible asocial is in some ways the type of person I imagine myself to be. But if you can handle the adult themes that appear in this novel every now and then, read it. Don't hesitate, run to the library and pick up a copy. The Perks of Being a Wallflower isn't the type of book you forget. It's not the type of book you regret reading or never finish. It's the type of book that makes you think, the type of book that makes you feel. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is the type of book you want to read.

Reviewed by: Maya (8th grade)

Staff Pick: Dash and Lily's Book of Dares

Dash and Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

It is the week before Christmas. You are in your favorite bookstore, and you come across a red journal. Inside is a list of questions along with a dare. Do you dare to take the challenge from someone you don’t know? In this holiday story, set in New York City, two young teens take this challenge, and by doing so, they write back and forth in a way of getting to know one another. But to find the journal each time, Dash and Lily dare each other to do things that they would not normally do. This is a good story about discovering oneself while discovering a new friendship. I was cheering for these two the whole way!

Reviewed by: Jacquie

Teen Pick: Witch and Wizard

Reviewed by: Sarah K (8th grade) for Writer's Block

The book Witch and Wizard by James Patterson attracted me for many reasons. The excerpt from the book on the back cover appealed to me, it was exciting and made me want to read more. James Patterson is also one of my favorite authors, and his quote,"This is the story I was born to tell. Read on, while you still can..." compelled me to read also.

My initial reaction for this book was that it was a good, exciting book that tells of two siblings, Wisteria and Whitman Allgood. As the story progresses, you discover they are both witch and wizard, hence the title. They uncover the powers as the book progresses, and they fight to rescue their parents from the New Order, a government that obviously doesn't have the people as a first priority.

I really like this book because it has loveable characters; Wisty, who is a rule-breaker, and Whit, who is perfect. I also liked how each chapter is from either Wisty or Whit's perspective.

If I owned this book, I would definitely read it again. I would recommend it to someone who likes fantasy-adventure.


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Writer's Block meets twice a month in the CHPL Craft Room on the second floor. Participate in writing prompts and games, learn tips and tricks for improving your writing, and share your work with others. New members are always welcome!

Staff Pick: The Black Book of Secrets

The Black Book of Secrets
(The Sinister City series Bk #1)

By: F.E. Higgins*

Are you a fan of The Last Apprentice series or Harry Potter? Try picking up The Black Book of Secrets. The Black Book of Secrets is dark, mysterious and a complete page turner. On the very first page we meet the main character, Ludlow Fitch, waking up to find his mother, father and the horrible tooth surgeon, Mr. Gumbroot, trying to strap him down in a dental chair in order to pull out his teeth to sell for money. Ludlow narrowly escapes and runs away to the safe and quiet little town of Pagus Parvus...

... But things are not quite what they seem and the people of Pagus Parvus each have their own dark secrets. This book will keep you hooked until the very last page, a must read for grades 6 & up. Reviewed by: Michelle  

*Also check these other titles in The Sinister City series: The Bone Magician, & The Eyeball Collector.