GreenBeanTeenQueen

I was helping one of my regular teens with a project on video games today and was able to help him find two book sources that he needed. He then came and asked me if I had any headphones he could borrow to use for the computer and I said that I did. He responded: "You're awesome! You're like my new best friend...aside from my mom!" That quote totally made my day! :)

Thanks to Emmy Reader for the Splash Award! Emmy Reader is a new blogger and I think she's off to a great start! Liyana gave me the One Lovely Blog Award (go check out her blog-it's so cool!) And I can't remember if I thanked Ashley at Pikealicious for the One Lovely Blog Award, so thanks Ashley! Ashley rocks because she's a librarian too!:) I know I'm supposed to award other blogs now, but as you can guess, I'm super super busy at the moment, but I wanted to give shout outs to these two wonderful blogs. Make sure you stop by and read them!!:)

Eek!! 3 days and counting til my nerdy bookish wedding!!! But don't worry, I've still got a Want It Wednesday for you! :) Never Bite a Boy on the First Date by Tamara Summers Release Date: 9/29/2009 GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: So I couldn't really find any info on this one, but I want it because I'm currently reading Save the Date by the same author (which turns out to be one of many pen names for the awesome Tui T. Sutherland.) I love when I find new authors, and Tui has written all sorts of fun stuff, so I'm excited to catch up and start reading her books and blog. Plus, how awesome is this: she's going to be on Jeopardy in June !!! Super cool to see a YA author on that show-I'll be watching! Vision in White by Nora Roberts Release Date 4/28/2009 About the Book : Wedding photographer Mackensie “Mac” Elliot is most at home behind the camera, but her focus is shattered moments before an important wedding rehearsal when she bumps into the bride-to-be’s brot...

The fabulous Steph at Hey, Teenager of the Year has organized a people's choice blog award. The nominations are up and the voting has begun! Voting is open until May 15, so head on over to Hey, Teenager of the Year and cast your vote. I think this is a great idea, but it was really hard to vote because so many blogs I love were on the list. And guess what? I got nominated for best reviewer! Thanks to whoever nominated me-that just made my day!:) P.S.-Five days until my nerdy bookish wedding!!! :)

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 5/12/2009 About the Book: Kyra is a 13-year-old girl who lives with her family in The Chosen Ones compound. She has three mothers, 20 siblings, and follows the prophet. She tries to live an obidient life, but she's in love with Joshua, and the two have been meeting in secret. Plus, Kyra's been sneaking off to visit the Ironton County Mobile Library on Wheels and reading books. Kyra notices that things aren't perfect where she lives and she starts to question things. When the prophet announces that Kyra is to be the seventh wife for her 60-year-old Uncle, Kyra knows she needs to escape. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This book came with a lot of praise written up about it so it had a lot to live up to-and boy did it ever! This book is amazing! The Chosen One is a horrifying, chilling tale of a girl caught in the middle of a religious "cult" and her plans to escape. As heartwrenching as this tale is, there...

Wow I got two nominations this week for the Lovely Blog Award! Thank you PikeAlicious Books and LiyanaLand! Since I've nominated other blogs for this award already, I'm not going to nominate again, but wanted to give a shout out to these two lovely blogs who thought of me-Thanks!:)

So I'm way behind and missed out on Buffy when I was younger, so I'm catching up now and loving it. Today at the library, I totally saw a guy who looked like Giles and I wanted to run up to him and start talking and telling him he's like the coolest librarian, but had to stop myself. So I admired Giles-look alike from afar and was reminded that I need to watch Buffy when I get off work tonight!:)

Yesterday the winners for the MO Book Awards were announced. Here's who won: 4-6 Grade 2009 Mark Twain Winner: The sea of monsters / Rick Riordan 2nd place: The million dollar putt / Dan Gutman 3rd place: Rules / Cynthia Lord. 6-8 Grade 2009 Truman Award Winner: Life as we knew it / Susan Beth Pfeffer 2nd place: Runaway / Wendelin Van Draanen 3rd place: Rash / Pete Hautman 9-12 Grade 2009 Gateway Award Winner: Just listen : a novel / Sarah Dessen 2nd place: Life as we knew it / Susan Beth Pfeffer 3rd place: What happened to Cass McBride? : a novel / by Gail Giles -I was two for three on all the lists, having read two out of the three winners. I was happy to see that Sarah Dessen won, since that was my favorite from the Gateway list. And I loved Rules and Sea of Monsters so those were good wins too! The Truman list was hard because I didn't really love any of the picks from last year, but next years list looks really good.

Georgia 10 by Louise Rennison Release Date: 10/1/2009 About the Book: Final book in the Georgia Nicolson Series. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I know I'm not all the way caught up on this series, but I've loved the ones I've read, so I'm hoping to read the rest before #10 comes out. The Comeback by Marlene Perez Release Date: 8/1/2009 About the Book: Sophie Donnelly is one half of the most popular and powerful couple in school, until new girl Angie Vogel shows up and compromises everything. Angie steals Sophie's starring role in the school play, and, worse, her super-popular boyfriend. Sophie has been quickly dispatched to social Siberia, but not for long--she'll do anything it takes to make a triumphant comeback. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I was a drama nerd in high school, so I enjoy books about school plays, drama nerds and all the drama. Plus, that dress is adorable and I so want to wear it!!! Not a book, but I really want to see this movie! Anyone else?

I know, I don't do Teaser Tuesday very often, but I think it's a fun meme, so when I'm reading something I think has great lines (and have it handy) I'll try and post a Teaser Tuesday for it. Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading . Rules: (1) Grab your current read (2) Open to a random page (3) Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page (4) BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) (5) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! "The Prophet was called. And all us kids standing around watching things unfold were sent home. "This is the Devil's work,' Prophet Childs said. 'Get on home to your fathers and tell them what you saw." We ran." - The Chosen One (ARC) by Carol Lynch Williams This book is addicting and...

Sorry for the lack of reviews, but can you believe I'm currently reading 5 books right now? (Three books, 2 audiobooks!) I'm hoping to post reviews soon, but life is taking over! I have a major project due for grad school, my wedding is in 11 days, and my teen space at work is getting re-done, which is great, but I've been without my office for two weeks!! I'm going to work on reviewing older titles as well as newer books, so be on the lookout for a mix of reviews soon.

Remember my review of Eyes Like Stars and how much I adored that book? Well, Lisa Mantchev has posted awesome news about her book being turned into an audiobook. And not just any audiobook, but one done by the amazing Full Cast Audio, which means there will be various actors for all the characters. I can't wait to listen to it-this book will make a wonderful audiobook! Congrats Lisa!!!

My library is located in a fairy conservative area, so I'm always looking for YA Christian fiction that's not annoyingly sappy. I know its not for everyone, but I'm always on the lookout for new series to recommend to my teens. This new series looks interesting: Teens age 13-18: Enter the Rayne Tour Series' "Live Like a Rock Star" Sweepstakes today! Grand Prize: $850 night on the town, including dinner for 6 and limo service. First 200 entrants get a free copy of Always Watching. Go here to enter. ALWAYS WATCHING – Rayne Tour Series book #1 This daughter of a rock star has it all—until murder crashes her world. During a concert, sixteen-year-old Shaley O'Connor stumbles upon the body of a friend backstage. Is Tom Hutchens' death connected to her? Frightening messages arrive. Paparazzi stalk Shaley. Her private nightmare is displayed for all to see. Where is God at times like this? As the clock runs out, Shaley must find Tom's killer—before he str...

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary/Romance Release Date: 3/17/2009 About the Book: When wild Meg is caught trespassing on a bridge, she gets a week shadowing a cop as punishment. Officer John After chose to stay to enforce the rules and plans on teaching Meg a lesson. When these two get together, they will question and push each other-and maybe end up falling for each other... GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I had read some great reviews on this one (check out Kiss My Book's review!) so I had high hopes for this one. The story was good and Jennifer Echols is a wonderful writer, but this one just didn't meet my high expectations. I don't really know why I didn't like this one as much as I thought I would-I can't really put my finger on it and I wish I could. I've been waiting several days to write this review hoping it would come to me, but nothing has. That's why I have to give it a 3.5-I liked it, but I wasn't in love, but the story still held my attent...

Thanks to Liyana for awarding me the You Don't Say award. This award is for bloggers who take the time to comment on blogs. I really love this award, because I love reading comments and leaving comments, so that fact that someone actually noticed that I leave comments is so cool!:) I am awarding these wonderful commentors: Steph Su -Steph loves Anne of Green Gables too, so how I not award her? :) Cupcake Witch -She's a librarian too and she leaves lots of fun comments that I love to read. Epic Rat -Cool blog and cool comments! Rebecca's Book Blog -Rebecca and I both enjoy The Luxe series and have left each comments about it which has been lots of fun.

I started listening to the audiobook of Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick today, which is on the 2009-2010 Truman Award List . I just had to share this fun moment in the book: From page 34-35 "I went over to the information desk, which was abandoned, and rang this little bell that said RING FOR ASSISTANCE. Apparently in the wacky world of libraries, "assistance" could mean "hot mama." An incredibly beautiful, young-looking lady popped out of a back little room and glided toward me. I felt myself blushing as I cleared my throat. "Are you...um... a librarian ?" Oops, I hadn't meant to sound so shocked. "No, I'm a lawn gnome. Yes , I'm a librarian. Well, a librarian in training. My name is Amanda." "Umm, well, I was wondering if you could help me find some books." "Sure," she said. "Here! I give you...some books!" She gestured in a wide circle at the stacks all around us, then kind of ...

This week is National Library Week-so visit your library and give a shout out to your librarian for all their hard work! Today is Support Teen Literature Day, so be sure to talk up some teen books, participate in Operation Teen Book Drop , an d then sit back and enjoy a great teen read. In honor of support teen lit day, I'm posting about my top five favorite books I read as a teen (which yes, was awhile ago). This was a hard list to come up with, partially because I read a lot more as a kid than a teen (teen lit didn't really start to take off until after I was out of high school) and partially because I felt like because I couldn't find anything in our measly little teen section of the library, and because I was a good reader, I had to suffer through all those horrid adult books-which I hated. Let this be a lesson to you all-don't be afraid to ask a librarian for book suggestions-I was shy and never thought to ask. And don't think that just because you're growi...

Ok, remember the other week when I posted about how much of a geek I am and really really really wanted to read Geektastic ? Well, the awesome Brooke Taylor is holding a giveaway for all us geeks to win an ARC of the book! Check it out here and embrace your inner geek.

So there have been some interesting posts lately about blogging, free books, ARCs and what do you accept. I got this idea from Books are Life . I've been looking through my In My Mailbox posts and even though I post a lot of books at times, I don't have reviews for all of them (yet). So I thought I'd give you an idea of how I organize my TBR pile and I'd love to hear how everyone else does theirs. First up in my pile are books that are sent to me for review, either from the author, publisher or TeensReadToo.com These are the books that I pull from first. I try to read them in order recieved and by the time they are released, but there are times I get really excited about a book or I know the author is looking for some early buzz, so I'll read those sooner. I do try and put my TRT books before others, because that is a professional site, and not just my personal blog, but I'll switch between and read one for TRT and then the next for my blog. After that comes bo...

Splendor: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen Release Date: 10/27/2009 About the Book: I couldn't find anything about it, but this will be the final book in the Luxe series, so it will take place after Envy and hopefully wrap up the way I want! GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love this series, so I can't wait to read this one. I've been really happy with the girls on the past covers for Elizabeth, Penleope and Diana, but this doesn't seem like Lina to me, which is who I'm guessing she's supposes to be. But despite the cover, I can't wait to see what happens!!! Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater Release Date: 8/1/2009 About the Book: (from Amazon) For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months ...

Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Fantasy Release Date: 3/9/2009 About the Book: When Lucinda Chapdelaine was young, her parents left for a royal ball and never came back. Now Lucinda works in her Aunt and Uncle's jewelry store where her Aunt treats her like a slave. When a mysterious woman with a strange piece of jewelry and a handsome enter the store on the same day, Lucinda finds herself on a journey that is full of magic and mystery. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I thought this story was very creative and I enjoyed it. Lucinda's story is sometimes reminiscant of Cinderella, but there are hints of other fairy tales that show up throughout. I really liked how the author introduced several characters along the way and then showed how each one was connected. Each person was important to the story. The thing I didn't like was that I felt it started off strong, but then started to drag. I'm not what it was exactly, but it just lost some of it's magic for me. I think I just wasn...

I was awarded this award from The Book Resort . This award is given to new blogs and new blogging friends. I nominate: 1. Just Your Typical Book Blog -These girls are so cool and one has even visited my library! 2. Ravenous Reader -This blog is so full of great posts, I love reading it. 3. YA Romance Reviews -I love YA romance, so of course this blog rocks!

If I don't post very much this week, it's due to the fact that I'm swamped with end of semester projects for my MLS (yay-my first semester in is almost finished!) Plus, I'm working full time and my wedding is THREE WEEKS AWAY!!! I'm really excited, even if I am a little stressed too. I can't wait to share with you all the ways I'm incorporating books in the wedding. Take a look at these awesome flowers my mom made (I helped a little!) I'm almost finished with The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry, so expect a review to come soon. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 5/13/2008 Books in Series: Airhead, Being Nikki, Runaway About the Book: Emmerson Watts is a normal girl who enjoys playing Journey Quest with her friend Christopher (who she's secretly crushing on) instead of keeping up with anything pop culture...well, except for when her sister just happens to leave one of her teen magazines around and there's nothing else to read. When Em takes her sister to the opening of a new Stark Music Mega Store, an accident occurs and Em wakes up not Em anymore, but as teenage supermodel Nikki Howard. How can an average normal girl fool everyone into thinking she's Nikki? And how can Em win Christopher back? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love Meg Cabot's books. They are funny, she puts in just the right amount of pop culture references, and I always find myself laughing. Honestly, I did get a little tired of how the Princess Diaries all seemed the same after awhile, but maybe that was because...

Release Date: 3/4/2008 Release Date: 2/10/2009 Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary/Mystery About the Books: Fade and Wake both tell the story of Janie, a high school student who is pulled into other people's dreams. This is very tiring and annoying and Janie isn't really sure what she can do about it. She meets up with Cabel, a boy from school who has come back this year and is hot, who wants to help her. When Janie is pulled into nightmares, it's more than she can handle. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I read Wake about a month ago and finished Fade not long after, but I've been waiting to post my review. Unlike every other book blogger, I didn't love these books and I wanted to make sure I could express why. Wake has an interesting premise, but it seems like all the dreams Janie falls into are sex dreams or nightmares that are memories. I thought this was an easy way out. It seemed too easy how the dreams were related to real life-where was the dream interpretation...

Only one pick this week because I'm super excited about it!! Ice by Sarah Beth Durst Release Date: 10/6/2009 About the Book: (From Sarah's site) When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairytale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth to become a prisoner of the trolls. Now that Cassie is older, she knows that this was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, she is determined to become a scientist, and she has no time for make believe. Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face to face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned in the troll castle. And that he can bring her back -- if Cassie will agree to be his bride. That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairytale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal fore...

One of the other options for Weekly Geeks this week was to list your favorite books from childhood. There's also the Top 100 Picture Books poll results on the Fuse #8 blog at School Library Journal, so I thought I should chime in. I know I can't remember all my favorites, but here's the ones that remain near and dear to my heart: *I'm picking books that were my favorites from 0-12. I'll do a favorite teen books post soon. Picture Books: It was really hard to pick only five, but ultimately I made my decision by picking what I would have talked about if I ever had been on Reading Rainbow. These were my Reading Rainbow practice books (Don't laugh, you know you did it too!) 1. Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff -This was the first book I learned to read. I've blogged about my love for Danny and his Dinosaur before. 2. The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka -Oh, Jon Scieszka, how I love you! Your books make me laugh each time I read them and I ...

Weekly Geeks April 2nd was International Children's Book Day. And April is National Poetry Month. In celebration, I have two lovely options for you this week: Option A: Be a kid!You could read a picture book (or two or three) and share what you read. Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Humor/Mystery Release Date: 3/3/2009 About the Book: The composer is dead-and someone in the orchestra is to blame! The inspector must question all the instruments for they all seem to have a motive, but they also have an alibi. Who killed the composer? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Ok, I will admit that I got through only four books in the Series of Unfortunate Events because I just couldn't take all the terrible stuff those poor Baudelaire orphans had to deal with! Even though I couldn't finish the series, I did like Lemony Snickett's humor, so I was eager to pick up this new picture book. The Composer Is Dead is lots of fun and it had me laughing. I thought maybe I appreciated some of the jokes...

Rating 4/5 Stars Genre: Historical/Gossipy Romance Release Date: 1/27/2009 About the Book: A newly married couple that are the talk of society. The husband's former lover. The darling of society, broken and mourning. And a social climber who could fall at any moment. It’s 1900 in New York and scandal and gossip are never far behind. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Why oh why do I love this series? I know that things aren't going to go the way I want, because how can there be a happy ending when more books are coming and the drama needs to be drawn out in another 500 page book? But for some reason I keep coming back. I’ve been addicted to The Luxe series since it began and Envy continues to add more gossip and scandal to the story. I really like The Luxe , but then the second book, Rumors , seemed to move really slow. I was glad to see the story pick up again in this one. I loved that the author moved a lot of the action to Florida-it added new scenery and lots of fun situations. Th...

So today I had a middle school visit to do research on their reports on famous Americans. School visits to the library mean that I show they how to use the catalog, tour the library and then the students spend the next 2 1/2-3 hours reseaching (I think the teachers enjoy being out of school just as much as the students!) Here are some of the gems from my morning: Me: When you are looking for biographical information, don't forget about children's biographies. They can be a good source of information and sometimes provide you with a list of other sources to check. So are you going to be a book snob and not look at children's books today? Students: Yes! Me: Right, let's try this one again... Student: Wasn't that Mandela guy that one guy? Student: I want to find information on Orville Redenbacher. Me: That sounds like a fun project. What made you pick him? Student: So I could bring popcorn to class. Student: I'm going to do that peanut guy because I like peanut but...

Thanks again to everyone for making my first year in book blogging so much fun. Book bloggers totally rock! I used Random.org to help pick my winners. So drumroll please for my winners..... Winner of prize #1-3 books and $10 gift card to Amazon (or bookstore): Campbele Winner of prize #2-$10 gift card to Amazon (or bookstore)- Alyce Winner of prize #3-$10 gift card to Amazon (or bookstore)- ddurance Winners please contact me so I can get your prizes to you! Congrats!!!

Rating: 5/5 Stars Release Date: April 2, 2009 Genre: Contemporary About the Book: Mia is finding herself faced with choices about her future. Should she go to Julliard and study Cello and leave her boyfriend and family behind? When a terrible accident happens, Mia suddenly finds herself with only one choice left-should she stay? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This book is a wonderful read. Do not read this in public because this one will bring tears to your eyes-I'm warning you! That doesn't mean it doesn't have humor though, because there were many times I found myself laughing out loud. This is an intense story that will not only appeal to teens, but have a lot of crossover adult appeal as well. Gayle Forman does an excellent job going from Mia's present to Mia's past and drawing the reader in so they truly understand her love for the cello, her family, and Adam, her boyfriend. As I was reading, I felt like I really got to know Mia and her family and found myself gr...

Wow-in some ways it seems March flew by and in others it seems like it lasted forever! But between work, grad school, and wedding plans, I managed to get a lot of reading in. Here's what I read: (I read a lot of these in the last week, so reviews will be coming soon!) 1. Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard- my review 2. Wake by Lisa McMann 3. Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev- my review 4. Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas- 2009-2010 Gateway Award Nominee 5. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson- 2009-2010 Gateway Award Nominee 6. ABC's of Kissing Boys by Tina Ferraro- my review 7. Envy: A Luxe Novel by Ana Godbersen 8 Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson- my review 9. If I Stay by Gayle Forman- my review 10. Herbert's Wormhole by Peter Nelson and Rohitash Rao 11. Fade by Lisa McMann