What Mrs N's Been Reading - Thirsty

Just finished M. T. Anderson's Thirsty. Another vampire novel, this one a bit darker than Sucks to Be Me. Teenage Chris starts experiencing strange symptoms - insatiable thirst, inability to eat or sleep - and is visited by a self-proclaimed celestial being calling himself Chet. Chet tells Chris that he is in the process of becoming a vampire, thus his symptoms, and that if he will go on a mission to the underworld where an especially bad vampire is being held for eternity, he can save the world, and Chet can reverse his vampirism. In Chris' world, vampires are not uncommon and are hunted, and if caught, executed. Chet sends Chris on the mission by the middle of the book, so you know that things are probably not what they seem. Chris suspects so as well. You're inside Chris' head as he battles his demons and grapples with his feelings about friends, family and humanity. If you like a nice, neatly packaged ending, I'll warn you that you may be frustrated at the end of this one. I found it unsettling, but very well done. Nothing really graphic, so ok for older middle school kids, but I'd lean toward high school students as the primary audience for this one because of some intensity.

Enjoy!

Teen Summer Reading Update

We're off to a great start! As of a minute ago, we had 97 kids registered already! If you haven't registered yet, just use the link to the right. You can look at the book reviews that have already been submitted and approved, even if you haven't registered yet. If you have registered, you can add titles to your personal electronic reading list by clicking on the button at the bottom of the review.

See you soon!

What Mrs. N's Been Reading - Sara's Face, Sucks to Be Me, and The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

What with all of the zaniness involved in getting ready for Teen Summer Reading, school visits, etc., I've been reading, but I'm way behind on posting. I've accumulated a backlog of 3 books, all quite different, so hopefully there's something for everyone. Here goes...

James Patterson's The Dangerous Days of Daniel X is about a young man who witnessed his parents' murders by an alien outlaw when he was just 3 years old. He's been living on his own ever since, having found his father's hidden computer that contained The List of Alien Outlaws. Turns out his parents were essentially alien bounty hunters, but the bad guys were so bad, that they killed them rather than trying to turn them in. Daniel needs to move regularly, both to find the next outlaw on his list, and to divert suspicion as authorities realize that he doesn't seem to have parents or go to school. He also has some unique abilities. He can essentially shape shift, turning himself into anything else he wants to be. He can also make things materialize that aren't really there. Both useful for hunting aliens. He's about to venture into the top 10 on the list, going after the alien who murdered his parents. It's an amusing book, good for middle schoolers, boys especially. A little bit Men in Black, and a little bit superhero. Due to a lot of references to current events and pop culture, it won't hold up well over time. But it's a nice light summer read.

Sucks to Be Me by Kimberly Pauley is a lighter vampire story. 16-year-old Mina finds out that her parents have been hiding her from the Vampire Council because her parents, who are vampires, aren't permitted to let anyone know that. Mina has known since she was a little girl. Ordinarily children aren't an issue because vampires can't reproduce, but in her case, her parents turned just after she was born. Once the Council finds out about Mina, they give her just a few weeks to decide whether or not she will turn. If she does, the family can stay together, but they will need to move away. (Since vampires don't age, they need to move every few years and take on new identities so people don't get suspicious.) If she doesn't, she will be taken from her parents, and parts of her memory zapped. And of course, you also have to factor in the guy she has a crush on, as well as the potential loss of her best friend. A good, light, funny, chick book, with nothing that would be objectionable for middle schoolers. Great summer reading.

Sara's Face, by Melvin Burgess is the darker, more serious one. Typical for Burgess, there is some mature content, especially in the first chapter. He seems to like putting a shock factor in the first chapter. Sara, a 17-year-old girl with some long standing emotional issues, is taken in by a rock star, Jonathan Heat, who promises to make her both beautiful and famous. Heat has his own emotional baggage, as he has had so many plastic surgeries on his face that his face has essentially collapsed, and he now wears a mask at all times. Sara's former boyfriend, Mark, gets a job with Heat to try to be close to Sara, but soon realizes that things seem to be very wrong. He tries to convince Sara to leave, but she doesn't want to go until she finds out who or what, the ghostly visions she has been seeing is. A very unsettling book that takes a hard look at fame and beauty and the desire for both. Recommended for high school only.

Enjoy!

Weekly Challenge June 8-13, 2009

Here's a heads-up for next week's Weekly Challenge:

This set of letters doesn’t seem to make sense:
umboet
But they can become a familiar two word phrase, if you put the letter “j” at the beginning, and add another “j” where the second word should start. The phrase is “jumbo jet.”

Make each of the sets of letters below into a two word phrase in the same way. Add a letter to the beginning. Then add the same letter where the second word should begin.

otow

tudykills

astood

oubleate

oodrief

Weekly Challenge June 1 - 6, 2009

Here's this week's Teen Summer Reading Weekly Challenge. When you think you have the answer, see the nice ladies at the Information Desk to see if you're right, and if so, to get your chance in the first prize drawing.

You have exactly $4.40 in U.S. coins. You only have nickels, dimes and quarters. How many of each type of coin do you have, if you have exactly the same number of each type of coin?

Good luck!

What Mrs N's Been Reading - X in Flight

Recently finished Karen Rivers' X in Flight, the first installment of a trilogy. The story concentrates on 3 different high school students, in alternating chapters. What can be a little disconcerting, until you get used to it, is that all are being told by one of the teens, Xenos, or X for short, even though he isn't actually present while many things are happening to Cat and Ruby, the other 2 main characters. X is the only black kid in a very white community, living in a trailer with his mother, a very wifty hippie-type who won't tell X anything about the father he's never met, and his little half-brother Mutt. He has real potential to be a pro golfer, but his eyesight is bad and he won't tell anyone that. Cat, X's girlfriend, is a pretty typical goth girl, except that she has a "perfect" twin sister. Ruby is an only child who witnessed her mother's death in a fire when Ruby was a toddler. Her father has written a best-selling book about her that she refuses to read. Oh, and did I mention that X has discovered that he can fly? He can't understand why, especially because he's always been afraid of heights. And he is trying to figure out if he is meant to save someone with this ability. He's also becoming fascinated by Ruby, who he doesn't think would give him a second look. Despite frequently wondering what the heck was going on, and where this was headed, I found the book quite compelling. X is a lot like many of Gail Giles' characters - kids that at first glance seem like trouble, but you find yourself rooting for. There's a bit of language in this one, so probably not for middle schoolers, but an interesting, fairly quick read for high school students, who might relate to one or more of the characters.

Mother's Day Soap Program

We just wrapped up our custom soap program. Some moms are going to be quite happy next Sunday! The nice thing about the soaps is that it's almost foolproof - everyone went home with something that looked (and smelled) very nice. While we were waiting for the soaps to set up in the molds, we also made gift bags, so everyone went home all set with everything but a card for Mother's Day. The Community Room smells awfully nice right now, too. Not sure if that will make up for over the summer during our agility training session, when it will smell like a guys' locker room in there, but we'll enjoy the nice fragrances while we can. The bag was the part of the project where we got to see some real creativity. Nice job everyone!

A few pics below.

What Mrs N's Been Reading - Spud

Just finished John Van De Ruit's Spud, the story of 13-year-old John Milton (nicknamed Spud) who is attending a boarding school in South Africa in 1990, just as apartheid is ending. It follows Spud through his first year at the school via his journal entries about his dormmates, his girl troubles, his alcoholic, nutso parents, and his starring role in the school musical production of Oliver. I usually enjoy what would traditionally be considered "guy books" - mystery, sci-fi, thriller, adventure, etc. It was billed as hilarious in reviews, but I think you really need to actually be a guy to fully appreciate the humor in this one. Not a favorite, but then I'm the wrong gender, so go figure. Some mature content, but none of it graphic, so I'd say it's ok for older middle schoolers as well as high school students.

United Way Volunteer of the Year Reception

Once again the Fredricksen Teen Advisory Group was nominated for United Way Volunteer of the Year in the group category. Although they didn't win the big one, it was an honor to be nominated, and a nice evening out with some great munchies provided. Check out the pic of those who were able to make it to the reception.

Guitar Hero World Tour Tournament Update

We just wrapped up our second Guitar Hero World Tour, 2 on 2 tournament. I must say, the quality of our drummers has definitely improved since our first tournament back in November. Turnout was small, but everyone got to play at least 3 times. That probably let some of our drummers get warmed up, too. Anyway, the final rounds were close, but out winners were Joshua K and Jared M. Great job guys! Coming in a close second, were Andrew C and Brandon S. If you missed it, pics below. (I forgot to take pictures till close to the end. Too busy watching the play, and talking to the reporter from the Patriot News. Look for some of the kids in the Patriot's new Question of the Day feature in about 2 weeks.) Now I'm headed outside to enjoy the fabulous weather!