Recent Reads

Recent Reads

Everything I Ate: A Year in the Life of My Mouth by Tucker Shaw

Warning: Don’t read this book when you’re hungry! Author/photographer Tucker Shaw takes your taste buds on a journey throughout one of the fine dining capitals, New York. By photographing every morsel of food that entered his mouth, every day for an entire year, Shaw allows readers a unique and personal glimpse into a year of his life by way of food. The book is set up as a “food diary” that is candid and detailed. Each page is one day, and the pictures on each show exactly what Shaw ate that day, what it’s called, where he consumed it, who he ate it with, and even the exact time he devoured it. This book will be interesting to any foodies out there who wonder what other people eat on a regular basis, or anyone curious about people’s habits. Shaw, a New York denizen, is surrounded by world class restaurants and exotic dining, so he has his fair share of caviar, Kobe beef, fancy sushi, as well as your typical bowl of cereal, spaghetti, and midnight snack candies. Just like reading your little sister’s diary, Shaw’s quirky photo food diary gives you that sense of guilty pleasure, and allows you to enjoy food in a different way, without all the calories! - Reviewed by Michelle Truong

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Recent Reads

Recent Reads

The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney by Suzanne Harper

The Secret of Sparrow Delaney is about a girl who switches schools before starting 10th grade. She lives in a town called Lily Dale, a town of mediums. Sparrow has always wanted to be normal but the ability to see, hear, sense, or smell Ghosts has ruined that for her. She hides the truth from her family members. Things get complicated when she keeps seeing a mysterious boy who is a ghost named Luke and he needs to pass on to the other side. The only way to do that is to pass on messages to his brother, the famous Jack Dawson and his parents that it was not there fault he died. The book continues with its interesting plot and ends with a bang. The Secret Life of Sparrow Delaney is a fast paced and must read book. I could not put it down till I finished. This book is mysterious, adventure and a little bit of romance towards the end. People who watch the Television Show Ghost Whisperer and have read the book Breathe, will love this book. Suzanne Harper has a way of weaving the story together and painting realistic relationships between Sparrow and her family members. I would recommend this book to other readers because people will be sucked in through the plots twists and turns and by the Sparrow’s complicated life. - Review by Rama Imad

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Recent Reads

What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Evie lives in New York City with her mother and stepfather, a soldier recently returned from Europe at the end of World War II. After a series of mysterious calls, Evie's stepfather announces to the family that he has planned a trip to Palm Beach - to pack their bags and get in the car!

Palm Beach is practically deserted, giving Evie a chance to develop a relationship with Peter - a man much older than she is and a "friend" of her stepfather's from the Army. Evie should have realized what was really going on the whole time. She saw the subtle hints, but she chose the ignore them. Find out what Evie saw and how she lied!

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Recent Reads

Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Regan considers herself a loser compared to her older brother, Liam. Liam is popular and loved by everyone. But he has a secret: Liam has been pretending to be Liam all throughout his life. Inside, he feels that he should've been born as a girl named Luna. The only time he can become Luna is at night, when nobody else is looking. Regan has to keep this secret from everyone, which has caused her to lose her friends. But now, while Luna struggles to break free from Liam, Regan is struggling to keep Liam's secret and finds herself falling for the new student in her chemistry class, Chris. Liam's attempts at freeing Luna have caused Regan to lose her friends, sleep, and her baby-sitting job. After Luna is finally free, she gains support from Regan (of course), Alyson (his/her childhood friend), and surprisingly, her mother. This story starts out as a bit confusing, but it flows along with the plot throughout the whole book.

Regan and Luna/Liam seem to be a bit annoying at times, but they're rather interesting characters; Luna is a bit self-absorbed but loves and idolizes Regan a lot, while Regan is the average insecure teenager who complains a lot, yearns for a normal family, but is nevertheless caring and helpful. Personally, I think the story should've been focused more on Luna/Liam rather than Regan, but it's a beautiful book about transexuality, the need for acceptance, the average teenager, and family relationships. Even if you're not gay/lesbian/transgendered, I really recommend you read this book.
*****(5)Stars, Review by TCK-TAB Member

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Recent Reads

The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo

When Matt Stevens, Franklin Middle School's most fearless private investigator, witnesses a water-gun hit on Nicole Finnegan (a.k.a. Nikki Fingers), once the most formidable squirt-gun assassin, Matt is determined to find out who made and ordered the hit. Matt begrudingly joins forces with Vincent "Vinny Biggs" Biggio, head of the mob-like organization that really runs Franklin Middle School and specializes in a black-market candy ring, forged hall passes, and illicit test-copying services. Not knowing who to trust and with in-fighting amonst the ranks of Vinny Biggs' organization, Matt must now unravel a mystery in which every other kid in school is a suspect.

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Recent Reads

The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie by Jaclyn Moriarty

In Ashbury High School, there's the perfect student most people hate. Her name's Bindy Mackenzie and she is the poster girl of over-achievement, perfection, and honor student. She types memos and transcripts and loves gossip. She is assigned to a peer counseling class, along with Sergio, Astrid, Emily, Elizabeth, Toby, Finnegan, and Briony. All of a sudden, she's not paying attention in class, fails an exam, and finds herself thinking about Finnegan a lot. Someone's poisoned Bindy and the only ones who can help are her classmates in her peer-counseling class. The only clues they can use are Bindy's transcripts, which help the "detectives" learn more about Bindy also. While the case is being solved, Bindy learns the secret about her parents' marriage, her father, why no one likes her, and how to relax, socialize with others, and be a "real" teenager. In the end, the case is solved and Bindy gets some friends, and maybe even a boyfriend. This book is confusing in the beginning, but as it progresses, it gets interesting. It might be complicated for some readers, but for those who like mysteries and challenges, this book is for you. ***** Stars - Reviewed by TCK-TAB Member

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Recent Reads

Sweetblood by Pete Hautman

Even though it says it's a vampire novel on the cover, it's NOT. It's actually about a teenage girl named Lucy Szabo, who's suffering with diabetes, who thinks she may be a vampire. She goes to an Internet chat room called Transylvania room, where she chats with other "vampires." As she becomes more involved with the vampire subculture, her grades fall, her parents and teachers think she's crazy, and her glucose level is getting more and more unstable. After meeting Draco, a "vampire" she chats with on Transylvania room, in person, and facing all of those stressful events, her glucose level finally gets so high that she's sent to the hospital. Lucy then finally learns how to manage living a life with diabetes and that is not trying to change yourself completely. This story is actually touching, but parts of the story can tend to be a bit bland at times, but I did learn interesting facts from this book. Who knew that diabetes, if left untreated, could produce symptoms that made the victim look and act like the vampires you hear from stories and legends? Creepy coincidence, but really awesome fact! It also creeped me out when Draco was seen in real life! Seriously, if an Internet friend I've never seen in real life gathers up information about me and even uses other people, just to even greet me, I'd punch that person in the face! Personally, I don't think "A VAMPIRE NOVEL" should've been added on the cover, but for those who like touching, simple stories, read this book!

**** Stars, Reviewed by TCK-TAB Member

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Recent Reads

Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

This is the first book of the Blue Bloods series. It's about the lives of 3 vampires named Schuyler Van Alen, Mimi Force, and Bliss Llewelllyn, mainly, put into one book, even though it's mostly focused on Schuyler Van Alen. Schuyler was an outsider of her private school who lives with her grandmother and pet bloodhound, Beauty. Mimi and Bliss are popular at Schuyler's school, though they have contrasting personalities. Mimi is a promincuous girl with a huge ego, while Bliss is a ... nicer person than Mimi, who has a crush on Dylan, one of Schuyler's friends. All of a sudden, Schulyer falls for a popular boy at her school named Jack Force and Bliss is slowly starting to rebel against Mimi; all of this making Mimi MAD! During a night at a nightclub, one of the fellow students at their school is found dead and Jack reveals to Schuyler that it wasn't a drug overdose (as the police and fellow students had speculated), but rather murder (!), that caused her death. This book needs to be a little bit more organized, but it's interesting. The storyline's a bit bleak and it takes a while to see what the story is actually about, but overall, it's an interesting series. ***1/2 Stars, Reviewed by TCK-TAB Member

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Recent Reads

So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld

Hunter Braque hunts Manhattan as a Trend Spotter, scouring for what's "cool," reporting back to focus groups for "The Client" (as in the massive, shoe franchise named after a Greek goddess with a four-letter name), and discovering local Innovators (the guys and gals on the top of the Cool Pyramid).

But when Hunter meets Jen, an Innovator seemingly missing any sort of risk-assessment or self-preservation instinct, his life gets turned upside-down. Within 48-hours, his boss (and his cell phone) go(es) missing, he is breaking and entering, riding in a stolen car, getting chased by suspicious individuals, charging over $2,000 on his credit card, and bleaching his hair...all in the search for the perfect, coolest pair of shoes...ever!

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Recent Reads

Dark Hours by Gudrun Pausewang

This book is about a grandmother - whose name is Gisel - who tells a story to her sixteen year old granddaughter, Stefanie, about her life during World War II. This book is extremely touching and I can feel and imagine what's going on during that time in the grandmother's story. I highly recommend this book to anyone, for this is one of the best historical fiction books I've read. And the author actually lived through that time, so that helps make the story more believable. - Reviewed by a TCK-TAB Member *****Stars

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Recent Reads

Draw Your Own Manga: All the Basics

This how-to-draw-manga book is probably the best one I've read. It specificallly shows you what tools you need, how to use them, how to draw characters, backgrounds, perspectives, profiles, etc., how to create special effects, techniques that professional manga artists use, etc. There are even interviews with famous artists, Takao Yaguchi and Toru Fujisawa. The only thing I didn't like about it was that it only shown stereotypical eyes of snime guys and girls. But that rule can be ignored. The point of this book is to show you how to make manga and that's exactly what it did. It showed me how to draw a proportional human body, how to make characters in sync with the background, and how to draw shading when the character is standing against the light. This book has the answers to every beginning manga artist's questions.

***** Stars - Review by Freeman TCK-Teen Advisory Board Member

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Recent Reads

Something Rotten: A Horatio Wilkes Mystery by Alan Gratz

Some of us spend our Summer Vacations playing video games, chilling with friends, and catching up on daytime television, but Horatio Wilkes has a very different summer ahead of him. With an invitation to the palatial mansion of school friend Hamilton Prince, Horatio finds himself in Denmark, Tennessee, where the waters reek with pollution from the Princes' Paper Plant, where the servants know all the family's secrets, and where Hamilton's father has died under mysterious circumstances. With Hamilton depressed with his father's recent death and his mother's even more recent marriage to his father's brother (his Uncle Claude), Horatio must crack the case - and suspects are plentiful!

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Recent Reads

Perfect by Natasha Friend

This book is about a 13-year-old named Isabelle Lee whose family is still trying to cope with her father's death. She has trouble coping with it, so she became self-conscious about herself, bulimic, and has trouble getting along with her mother and sister. After her 10-year-sister, April a.k.a. Ape Face, sees her trying to throw up, Isabelle is forced to go to "Eating Disorder and Body Image therapy Group", due to a deal her mother made with her. On her first day at the Group, something - or someone - stuns her; Ashley Barnum, the most popular girl in her school, was in the Group as well. The two became friends and slowly begin to learn about each other. While befriending Ashley, Isabelle learns stuff about Ashley that doesn't seem to be as "perfect" as the Ashley everyone else sees at achool. Isabelle eventually learns to cope with her father's death, along with gaining self-esteem and learning that you can't judge people by just looking at them. This book is for people, most likely girls, who are having self-esteem issues and this book explains what "perfect" girls are really like. **** Stars

- Reviewed by TCK-TAB Member

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12th Grade AP Summer Reading Discussion Group

Friday, August 22nd @ 2:00 pm

Join us in the first floor meeting room for student and group-led discussions of In the Lake of the Woods, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Hardball, and New Ideas from Dead Economists. Light refreshments will be provided. Question? Call or visit us @ the Library - or - e-mail me.

11th Grade AP Summer Reading Discussion Group

Thursday, August 21st @ 2:00 pm
Join us in the first floor meeting room for student and group-led discussions of Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam, Into the Wild, The Devil in the White City, The Kite Runner, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Light refreshments will be provided. Question? Call or visit us @ the Library - or - e-mail me.

10th Grade AP Summer Reading Discussion Group

Wednesday, August 20th @ 2:00 pm
Join us in the first floor meeting room for student and group-led discussions of Salt: A World History, To Kill a Mockingbird, My Sister's Keeper, The Crystal Cave, The Hundred Secret Senses, and A Thousand Splendid Suns. Light refreshments will be provided. Question? Call or visit us @ the Library - or - e-mail me.

9th Grade AP Summer Reading Discussion Group

Tuesday, August 19th @ 2:00 pm
Join us in the first floor meeting room for student and group-led discussions of Do's and Taboos Around the World, The Secret Life of Bees, Timeline, The Kitchen God's Wife, Ella Minnow Pea, and the Scarlet Pimpernel. Light refreshments will be provided. Question? Call or visit us @ the Library - or - e-mail me.

8th Grade AP Summer Reading Discussion Group

Friday, August 15th @ 2:00 pm

Join us in the first floor meeting room for student and group-led discussions of Blood on the River, Code Orange, Gideon the Cutpurse, The Glory Field, and Once Upon a Marigold. Light refreshments will be provided. Question? Call or visit us @ the Library - or - e-mail me.