Teen Blog

The votes are in and the winners have been chosen.  The 7th and 8th grade students at Rodney Thompson Middle School have chosen their favorite titles for this year's Cafe Book program.

Top Picks:

Cold Cereal by Adam Rex
A boy who may be part changeling, twins involved in a bizarre secret experiment, and a clurichaun in a red tracksuit try to save the world from an evil cereal company whose ultimate goal is world domination.

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

Michael Vey seems like an ordinary teenager, but he has a unique power. After his mother is kidnapped he and his friends have to find his mother and fight the hunters to save other kids with the same powers.

Other Favorites:

Starters by Lissa Price

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel

Apothecary by Maile Meloy

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip by Jordan Sonnenblick

Seventh and eighth graders at Dixon-Smith Middle School have chosen their favorite titles from this year's Cafe Book program. Check 'em out!

The Top Pick:

Starters by Lissa Price

In a future Beverly Hills, biological warfare has made sixteen year-old Callie and her younger brother orphans. In order to survive, Callie agrees to the newest fad – body renting – where seniors use her body to re-live their youth, but she ends up caught in a web of lies and assassins. 

Other Favorites:

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

Outlaw by Stephen Davies

Shelter by Harlan Coben

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

This Dark Endeavor: The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein by Kenneth Oppel

Ultraviolet by R. J. Anderson

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

Cafe Book is supported by a generous donation from the Carver family in memory of their mother Ruth---middle school librarian, literacy advocate, and lover of reading.

It's almost time for the annual library Summer Reading Clubs, which run from June 1 - August 31. They are free to join and a great way to discover new favorite books, win prizes, and have a blast reading all summer long. Kids of all ages and teens will earn prizes based on the number of minutes that they read and enter into their online logs. Special summer events include nature classes, drop-in STEM activities, and fun festivals to wrap it all up.

Adults can submit book reviews and be entered to win a movie pass, 2 Bob Evans restaurant coupons, and other goodies. A grand prize winner at the end of the summer will receive a new EReader! Programs feature a special author visit, a writing camp, and our popular Music on the Steps summer music series.

Sign up will be available online and in the branches starting at 9 am on Saturday, June 1.

In the past I have lambasted Barnes and Noble's Nook products for a number of reasons, but none of them have to do with device itself.  I dislike how eBooks purchased from B&N are encrypted with the credit card number used to purchase them (don't forget that number!). I dislike how stripped-down the app selection is. I dislike their severe lack of media offerings.  But the device itself?  It's got good specs!  Nice  HD screen, decent processor speed, expandable storage, slick design—it's got all the makings of a great tablet, save for the fact that it has been tethered exclusively to Barnes and Noble's horrible business practices.  But that has now changed with a significant price drop and the addition of the Google Play app store.  If you're on the fence about a tablet purchase, I now have to actually, grudgingly recommend the Nook HD over everything else!