GreenBeanTeenQueen

Release Date: 9/1/09 About the Book: Daughters of the Sea tells the story of 3 mermaid sisters who are separated at birth by a storm and go on to lead very different lives. Book 1 is about Hannah, who spent her early days at an orphanage and is now a scullery maid in the house of rich, powerful family. She is irresistibly drawn to the sea and through a series of accidents and encounters discovers her true identity. Hannah realizes that she must keep the truth a secret but she also knows that soon she will have to make the choice-to be a creature of the land or the sea. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Mermaid stories seem to be rising in popularity, and this one sounds like it has some mystery in it, which I'm always up for. Plus, it's the start to a series!

A few people asked me to share my reading list for my children's lit course. Here it is-but be warned, it's SUPER long!!! And of course, feel free to read along with me :) TEXTBOOKS: Tunnell, Michael O. and James S. Jacobs. 2008. Children’s Literature Briefly, 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. ISBN 978-0-13-173490-6. Bucher, Katherine and Kaavonia Hinton. 2010. Young Adult Literature: Exploration, Evaluation, and Appreciation, 2nd ed. Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. ISBN 978-0-13-714532-4 GETTING STARTED—August 27-30: No outside reading MODULE 1: INTRODUCTION TO CHILDREN’S LITERATURE—August 31- September 6 Books adults like that are not necessarily good books—Read at least 2: Bowen, Anne I LOVED YOU BEFORE YOU WERE BORN Crystal, Billy I ALREADY KNOW I LOVE YOU Brown, Margaret Wise RUNAWAY BUNNY Munsch, Robert LOVE YOUR FOREVER Silverstein, Shel THE GIVING TREE Tillman, Nancy I ALREADY KNOW I LOVE YOU Books about reading—Read at least 1: Auch, Mary Jane THE PLOT THICKEN

I'm almost done with my institute in TX (one more day!) and then my semester starts. I've had class all day for the past four days, and I got my reading list for children's lit-it's crazy long, but it will be fun. So I'll update again once I'm done with day long classes and I can do it on my own time when it's online. BTW-I'm reading Hush, Hush and it's wonderful!!

Remember when I posted my Want It Wednesday about Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore? If you're like me, you can't wait for this book, so be sure to check out Jaclyn's contest to win an ARC! Coming 12/22/09 from Bloomsbury... Nimira is a music-hall girl used to dancing for pennies. So when wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to sing accompaniment to a mysterious piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it will be the start of a better life. In Parry's world, long-buried secrets are about to stir. Unsettling rumors begin to swirl about ghosts, a madwoman roaming the halls, and Parry’s involvement in a group of corrupt sorcerers for whom the rules of the living and dead are meant to be broken for greater power. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing fairy gentleman is trapped within the automaton, she is determined to break the curse. But even as the two fall into a love that seems hopeless, breaking the curse becomes a perilous race against time. Because

Here's the cover for the third book in Alyson Noel's Immortals Series. Shadowland also got a new release date-November 24, 2009! What do you think-does it go with the rest of the series?

I've been nominated in three categories for Book Blogger Appreciation Week? That's craziness, especially since I know my mom and husband didn't nominate me. You mean someone out there actually reads my blog and nominated me?? I'm still reeling. I was nominated for Best YA Blog, Best Reviews, and Best Writing. So THANK YOU to all of you who read my blog, comment on my blog, and nominated me for these categories. I'm not really expecting anything to come of it, since the other nominees are awesome, but it's a very cool feeling to know that someone thought of me. So THANK YOU!!! You guys rock!

I'm about to start on my second semester of my MLS and one of the classes I'm taking this semester is a children's literature course. Of course that means, I've just added about 100 books to my TBR pile!!! I'm also on the 2010-2011 Gateway Selector Committee (Gateway is our high school book award for MO) and I have to read and rate 26 books before Decmeber 1st. (I've read 5 so far). And on top of that, I'm teaching a training at my library in November on tween lit! And all my other regulary scheduled reading. I know, over-committed maybe, but it'll be fun and it means I get to read a ton and my husband can't tell me I'm reading too much. :) So in addition to my regular reviews, you'll be seeing some Gateway nominee reviews and lit course reviews-because why not review a book after I read it, no matter what it's for? I'm also planning to start reviewing some tween/middle grade reads once a week and highlight those. Stay tuned a

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary/Shojo Manga Release Date: Ongoing Series, 5 volumes out now About the Books: Twelve-year-old Ann's parents are divorcing, so she's been taken by her mother back to her mother's hometown. Ann is used to living in the city, so this small town takes some getting used to. Ann makes friends along the way, which help her adjust to her new life, but when tragedy strikes, she leans on her new friends to help her through. GreenBeanTeenQueen: This summer, I've had a teen volunteer who every day brings me a new manga to read. I've read some series-at least a couple of volumes, those long series are too hard for me to keep track of-but for Sand Chronicles I'll make the effort to know when the newest release is out. Sand Chronicles may sound like a simple story of friendship and first love, but there is so much emotion and depth packed into each volume. You get to know each character and you really learn to care deeply for e

This interview is part of a tour for Traveling to Teens! Daniel and Dina Nayeri are the brother and sister writing team behind Another Faust. For more info, check out their website and be sure to follow the rest of the tour stops! GreenBeanTeenQueen: What was your favorite book as a teen? (I know, this is such a hard question!) Dina: My favorite book was Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Though I read a lot of Jane Austen too. But I loved Lord of the Flies best because of the way it plays with evil. You have a group of boys that are so civilized, so much the product of the very highest standards of human achievement, and within weeks they turn not just barbaric, but absolutely evil. I was so mesmerized by all the symbolism in the book. I think it was the first time I really analyzed a book deeply, read it carefully for all its meaning. For example, Lord of the Flies is a translation of the word Beelzebub, which is the name of the devil. And I would go through the book

This is part of a tour for Traveling to Teens! Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 8/25/09 About the Book: One night, five children vanish and no one is left with any memory of them. Now, years later, five elegant teens are making an entrance into New York high society with their beautiful governess. Each teen has a gift which they use to climb their way up, but power and greed come with dark consequences. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Although Another Faust is a contemporary retelling of the Faustian tale, the reader does not need to have a background to the original story to enjoy this take. It might help to know the background, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Another Faust felt like a high brow upper class NY gossip novel-and I mean that in a good way!! There’s mystery, intrigue, backstabbing, revenge-it’s a fun read. Each of the Faust children stand on there own, and while it took me awhile to get used to the jumping around from character to character, the story s

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 9/8/09 (Paperback Release) About the Book: Harper is spending the summer rebuilding a house that was destroyed by a tornado in Bailey TN. She's partly running away from her family which is falling apart around her. Her father and step-mother are divorcing and her step-sister and best friend is drifting away from her. While building a house, Harper learns to rebuild her life as well. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I picked this one up because it's on the preliminary Gateway nominee list for 2010-2011. I wasn't sure what to expect, but this ended up being the perfect lazy Saturday afternoon read (or listen). The story alternates between "here" (in Tennnessee) and "home" (Harper's life before the summer). Because of this, things are revealed slowly-which slightly annoyed me. There were times I wanted a little more info on the home part. For the most part though, I liked how the two timelines were weaved t

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary/Romance Release Date: 9/7/09 About the Book: A beautiful girl meets a boy with hooks for hands in a modern re-telling of Beauty and the Beast . GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I devoured this book. Crazy Beautiful is one of those books you want to curl up and read in one sitting. The cover is gorgeous, but I was expecting a more intense story I think with older characters. (The characters are 15) Instead, we get a look at a sweet story of love and friendship between two fractured people. Lucius experimented with chemicals from school and caused an explosion which cost him his hands. He's chosen hooks and has set himself up to be an outcast at school-which he is, except when it comes to Aurora. Aurora has recently lost her mother to cancer and now she and her father are starting over in a new town. She's genuinely nice and I really did feel like she was a wonderfully sweet person-she wasn't annoyingly perfect and nice-she was real. I loved

Rating: 3.5 Stars Genre: Historical Release Date: 10/1/2007 About the Book: During the Spanish Inquisition, Estrella who was brought up as a Catholic, discovers her families secrets which could bring on tragic results. GreenBeanTeenQueen: I know it's not Friday, but I listened to this audiobook yesterday and thought I'd review it. I picked up Incantation based on the short length and the pretty cover. It was three hours long so I thought I could get through it in one day. I didn't know anything else about it or about Alice Hoffman. Now I'll be sure to pick up more books by this author! This may be a short read, but it packs a lot of emotion into it's three short discs. I'll try not to give anything away. Estrella is a strong character and one you feel sympathetic towards. Alice Hoffman has a way of making you feel the characters emotions which made this one a great read. There's sadness, but there's also hope, there's romance and jealously. Like

I've mentioned a few times before that my dog is awesome and she loves to read as much as I do!! So, can you guess what book it is we're excited to be sharing?? Hint: It comes out September 1st (and yep, I was lucky and snatched an ARC at ALA) Are you Haunted???

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore Release Date: 12/22/09-Yay the date got moved up!! About the Book: Nimira is a music-hall performer forced to dance for pennies to an audience of leering drunks. When wealthy sorcerer Hollin Parry hires her to do a special act - singing accompaniment to an exquisite piano-playing automaton, Nimira believes it is the start of a new life. In Parry's world, however, buried secrets stir. Unsettling below-stairs rumours abound about ghosts, a mad woman roaming the halls, and of Parry's involvement in a gang of ruthless sorcerers who torture fairies for sport. When Nimira discovers the spirit of a dashing young fairy gentleman is trapped inside the automaton's stiff limbs, waiting for someone to break the curse and set him free, the two fall in love. But it is a love set against a dreadful race against time to save the entire fairy realm, which is in mortal peril. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: OK, I admit, I first wanted this book for the cover-i

Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary/Romance Release Date: May 1, 2007 About the Book : Lexie has had a crush on her brother's best friend Jake since they first met. When popular girl Bree sets her sights on Jake, Lexie is sure there is no way she could ever win Jake over. But Jake has no interest in Bree and needs a way to get her off his back without incurring the wrath of the popular girl-so a plan is formed: Lexie will pretend to be Jake's girlfriend. If only their relationship wasn't pretend... GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I had enjoyed Save the Date by Tamara Summers so I decided to check this one out. Plus, I was in the mood for a fun book that I knew I would enjoy. And even though I didn't like it as much as Save the Date , it was still pretty cute. He's With Me is a typical romantic comedy. The thing I did like was there was no annoying miscommunication between Jake and Lexie. Even though Bree tried to pull an evil trick on them, they were smart enough not

My library's summer reading program ended over the weekend, so to me, summer is winding down very quickly. Plus, next week I'm heading off to a four day institute for my second semester of grad school. (It's really weird going back to school again-luckily after next week my classes are all online!) So what better way to celebrate than with a contest-here's what's up for grabs: Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall (ARC Copy) Candor by Pam Bachorz (ARC Copy) Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler - SIGNED copy!! -Sorry, U.S. addresses only -Contest ends September 4, 2009 To enter: -Leave a comment on this post telling me which Fall release you're looking forward to Extra Entries: +1 if you're a follower/become a follower +3 if you blog/twitter/spread the word +5 if you check out my husband's blog and start following-he's annoyed I get all the attention :) Good luck!!!

Remember awhile back when I said that my husband was getting a little tired of how our small apartment was overflowing with books? Sunday he decided we needed new bookshelves. So here's our new married bookshelves. So this is my new shelf. The top part has TV on DVD, but the rest is filled with my books. This shelf has all my library books, books for school (lit class reads), Gateway nominees I have to read since I'm on the committee, review books, plus all the ARCs I picked up at ALA that I want to read before my teens. And I'm weird and I organized them all by release date, because well, then I feel organized. This lovely shelf is home to all the books I've bought or won in contests that are in my TBR pile. The top shelf is my favorite because it's home to all my signed copies. Then, because I like to be weirdly organized with my books (hey, I'm a librarian), this shelf houses all the books I've already read, but want to own. The bottom shelf also holds

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Fantasy/Romance Release Date: Audiobook 6/1/09 About the Book: (From the jacket because I could not come up with a good summary of my own) Katsa has been able to kill a man with her bare hands since she was eight—she’s a Graceling, one of the rare people in her land born with an extreme skill. As niece of the king, she should be able to live a life of privilege, but Graced as she is with killing, she is forced to work as the king’s thug. She never expects to fall in love with beautiful Prince Po. She never expects to learn the truth behind her Grace—or the terrible secret that lies hidden far away . . . a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: One of my co-workers told me to read this one a year ago. I even bought a copy and had planned to read, but other books kept coming first. So when I won a copy of the audiobook from Miss Danaidae , I knew it would be the perfect read for the trip to ALA. Why oh why did I n

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 9/22/09 About the Book: Candor, FL is the perfect town. Teens obey their parents, no one has any problems, and the town is so safe, you can leave your doors unlocked at night. Oscar Banks knows the secrets to Candor-his father is brainwashing everyone with subliminal messages. For a fee, Oscar can help you overcome the brainwashing and escape. When Nia moves to Candor, Oscar is immediately drawn to her. Now he has to decide-help her escape to save her or let her change so she can stay with him? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This was one of the books the Egmont booth talked up to me at ALA. The premise sounded promising and this book kept begging me to pick it up and read it. So I finally gave in and pushed this one to the top of my TBR pile. (Maybe the book includes some Messages hidden inside?) Candor is delightfully creepy-what if adults really could control teens? I love the fact that the author got the idea for the novel while living

I know I usually post movie stuff on Friday, but I've been waiting for this trailer since I first heart about the movie, so I had to share!

Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder Release Date: 1/5/10 About the Book: Restless souls and empty hearts Brooklyn can't sleep. Her boyfriend, Lucca, died only a year ago, and now her friend Gabe has just died of an overdose. Every time she closes her eyes, Gabe's ghost is there waiting for her. She has no idea what he wants or why it isn't Lucca visiting her dreams. Nico can't stop. He's always running, trying to escape the pain of losing his brother, Lucca. But when Lucca's ghost begins leaving messages, telling Nico to help Brooklyn, emotions come crashing to the surface. As the nightmares escalate and the messages become relentless, Nico reaches out to Brooklyn. But neither of them can admit that they're being haunted. Until they learn to let each other in, not one soul will be able to rest. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love Lisa Schroeder's books. I read her books in one sitting. My dog even loves Lisa Schroeder's books! So you can imagine how

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 9/29/09 Reviewed from an ARC sent by the author About the Book: Jessie doesn't know where she belongs in high school anymore. Her best friends have turned into overnight punks. Her punk rock brother is dating the prom princess. In a quest to find new friends, Jessie stumbles upon the Dungeons and Dragons crowd. But if she ventures into the wild nerd yonder, can she ever come back? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I love Julie Halpern-she writes with so much humor and heart that it makes for a great read. As a fellow nerd, I adored Jessie's journey to the nerd side. Granted, Jessie was never a super popular girl herself. She claims to be a mathlete and her hobby is sewing various skirts made from fun themed fabric. (I wish I could sew just to do that too!) But Jessie knows the D&D crowd is a new level of nerd and she doesn't know if she's ready to go there. Aside from the nerd storyline, there's a great storyline abou