GreenBeanTeenQueen

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen. Tweens need great reads too, so this meme highlights great books for tween readers. Join the fun and post your Tween Tuesday post in the Mister Linky below. After reading Mockingjay , I was talking to a co-worker who said she thought the The Hunger Games was good for tweens, while Mockingjay was more for older readers. With the rise in popularity of dystopian fiction, I thought I'd share some great tween dystopian reads. - The Maze Runner by James Dashner - Thomas wakes up in an elevator lift with no memories and in a strange new place called The Glade. Some of the teens in The Glade are runners, who run through a maze, but you don't want to be there after dark. Maybe if you find a way out of the maze, maybe the Gladers will find answers to who they are and why they're there. - The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau - The lights in Ember are beginning to fail. When Lina finds an ancient message, she believes

Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Fantasy Release Date: 9/7/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Jacinda is a draki, meaning she is descended from dragons. She lives with her family with her draki pride and is the only known fire breather in generations. The pride has Jacinda's future planned out-marry the pride prince, mate and have fire breather babies. But Jacinda wants more and is always pushing the boundaries. When she goes too far, her mother makes the decision to leave the pride for good and escapes to a dry desert town in hopes that the dryness will suffocate Jacinda's draki once and for all. But Jacinda is drawn to Will, a dangerous draki hunter, who is the one person that may be the key in keeping her draki alive. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I loved the premise of this book and thought it sounded incredibly unique, but unfortunately the story fell short. It started out with a lot of action, which I loved, and I really liked reading about Jacinda and her pride. But after a few ch

I've been a Kristen Bell fan since Veronica Mars . And now that I've discovered she loves The Hunger Games, I'm an even bigger fan! Check out these tweets she's written about her love for The Hunger Games at Entertainment Weekly . She tweets about her choice between Peeta and Gale, how she loves Katniss, and how excited she was when the book arrived-she even posted a picture of Mockingjay . Not only has she tweeted about the book, she's sharing it with friends, talking about it in interviews, and reading the series multiple times! Thanks Kristen for spreading the word about the series and reading-you rock! What do you think, Kristen Bell for an ALA READ poster??

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 5/25/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Olivia couldn't be more thrilled when she is chosen as the winner of a writing contest sponsored by her favorite writer, Father Mark Brenden. As winner, she gets a critique and mentorship by Father Mark himself and is accepted into his exclusive college class. But as Olivia works with Father Mark more, she's drawn into a dangerous relationship that she can't seem to get out of. Father Mark becomes obsessed with Olivia and Olivia doesn't know how to escape. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This Gorgeous Game is vastly different from the author's first outing, The Possibilities of Sainthood . Where Sainthood was a lighter story, This Gorgeous Game is a darker tale of obsession. Even though it's a darker tale, it never felt too heavy and the author weaves an emotional tale. Olivia was somewhat frustrating for me, but at the same time I think she acted in a realistic way-I

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia Release Date: 8/24/2010 Books in Series: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay Add to Goodreads THIS REVIEW CONTAINS WHAT SOME MAY SEE AS MINOR SPOILERS-PLEASE BE CAREFUL OF SPOILERS IN THE COMMENTS. FOR MAJOR SPOILERS POST IN THE MOCKINGJAY SPOILER POST About the Book: The third and final book in The Hunger Games trilogy. Rebellion is happening, Katniss is wanted to lead it, but she doesn't know if she can. No one is safe as the Capitol and the rebels fight in a powerplay and Katniss is in the middle of it all. Can she save the people she loves? Will the rebellion take down President Snow? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I bought the book at midnight and had it finished five hours later. The story was very engaging and action packed and I had to keep reading-even if it meant staying up all night!! Mockingjay , and The Hunger Games trilogy in general, are books that beg to be discussed. After Mr. GreenBeanSexyMan read it, we

I loved what The Compulsive Reader did and made a Mockingjay Spoiler post. So those who have read it-spoil away-let's discuss Mockingjay! So you've been warned-there are spoilers here!!! And be sure to check The Compulsive Reader for more Mockingjay discussion!

Tween Tuesday is a Weekly Meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen that highlights great reads for tweens! Join the fun and include the link to your Tween Tuesday post below. Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary with some mystery Release Date: first released in 1967, won the Newbery Medal in 1968 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Fed up with her normal life, Claudia Kincaid decides to run away. But this isn't your typical running away, as Claudia and her younger brother Jamie run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They discover the museum during the daytime and hide in it's treasures at night. One day an art mystery lands at the museum in the form of a small angel statue. Could it have been the work of Michelangelo? Claudia and Jamie decide to find out-and they'll need the help of the eccentric Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler to uncover the truth. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I decided to feature my all time favorite tween read as today's Tween Tuesday read. Yes, it's a

I can't wait!!! Everyone else excited??

I love that my teen library council helps me plan programs, but sometimes they give me a program idea that sounds great but I have no idea what to do with it! That was the case with the Moonlight Masquerade Ball. The TLC group suggested we have a paranormal masquerade ball and I loved the idea, but none of us knew what that would include. Even when teens, parents, or other library staff would ask me what a paranormal masquerade ball was I would respond with "I don't really know, we'll find out after we have one!" I planned the ball for the end of May-still when school was session but right before summer got into full swing. I held it on a Saturday night at 7 in our big auditorium at the library. I asked staff for any Halloween decorations or Christmas lights and was given some great black fabric, a black wreath, and a spooky ghost. With the help of the pages we hung lights all around the room, and put the black cloth on the tables and hung some of it on one of the

Rating: 3.75/5 Stars Genre: Science Fiction Release Date: August 3, 2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: The planet Lorien has been destroyed by a group of aliens called the Mogadorians. Nine young Lorien's escaped along with their Gardes (who are guardians of sorts) and fled to Earth. The Mogadorians are searching for the nine who have been living in hiding. A special charm makes it so the nine have to be killed in order. Three have been killed and John is number four. John has lived his life on the run, changing names, moving from town to town. His latest move leads him to Paradise, Ohio, where he finally gets a chance to make friends and meets a girl named Sarah who he can’t stop thinking about. But the Mogadorians are after John and they're closing in-and he has to be ready to fight, no matter what. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I was very excited to read I Am Number Four because I was a huge alien and science fiction fanatic as a teen. I read Roswell High , watched t

Thanks to everyone who entered the Mockingjay District Four contest! The winner of the contest is: Erica O The winner has been notified and I hope she loves her new Mockingjay hoodie! Congrats and thanks again to everyone who entered and commented!

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Paranormal Release Date: 9/21/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Shay has always been the 'sick girl' due to a rare blood disorder. Shay has to have blood transfusions to help through her day and all she longs for is to be a normal girl. Her step-father and doctor Martin has a new type of blood that he's trying that makes Shay feel better than she's ever felt-she can run, swim and has more energy than she's ever had. But the blood that Martin is giving her isn't human and Shay begins to have visions of a life as a vampire named Gabriel-and Gabriel just might be closer than she thinks. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: OK, for full disclosure and fair warning and all, I am a HUGE Melinda Metz fangirl. I read her series Roswell High in high school and was obsessed and I loved Fingerprints when I was in college. So when I received an ARC of Crave I did the biggest happy dance possible. But I was also nervous about reading this one. I knew Mel

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens and middle grade readers. Join the fun and post the link to your Tween Tuesday post below. Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Historical/Adventure/Steampunk Release Date: first published 2004, paperback out 2005 Books in Series: Airborn, Skybreaker, Starclimber Add to Goodreads About the Book: Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on a huge passenger airship (think the Titanic in the sky). One night while he is on duty, his ship intercepts a small one person airship carrying an old man. The old man's ship has been badly crashed and beaten and as the man is dying, he tells Matt of beautiful creatures who were flying in the sky. Everyone thinks the old man is crazy and Matt isn't sure what to think. A year later when the man's granddaughter shows up claiming she has her grandfather's journal and she wants to find the same beautiful creatures, Matt finds himself on a action packed adventure. Ar

Hey everyone! Don't forget today is your last day to enter the Mockingjay 13 District Blog Tour here at GreenBeanTeenQueen. If you haven't already entered, be sure to do so so you have a chance to win an awesome Mockingjay hoodie! Also, I wanted to share this very important message from Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games. One of the most important things to me is that everyone in the world is going to be able to experience the final book of The Hunger Games all at the same time, and be able to discover what happens in the book without hearing about it elsewhere first. Word will certainly travel fast, but I urge you – before or immediately after August 24th – to please respect the other Hunger Games fans worldwide and avoid sharing any spoilers, so that the conclusion of Katniss’s story can unfold for each reader the way it was meant to unfold. I can only echo the plea for spoiler free conversations and reviews-and I mention this from experience. I've been burned b

I've been working at my library for almost four years now. One thing about being a librarian that continues to surprise me is how my job doesn't always end when I leave work for the day. When people find out where I work, they want to ask me questions, get my opinion, and talk to me about books and the library. I love my job and I'm very passionate about what I do, so I'm always happy to talk to people about my job even when I'm not at work. And I'm glad that people see the library as a vital part of the community. So what sort out of the library encounters have I had? -After a teller at my bank found out I worked at the library, he proceeded to tell me about how his son hid a book from him and kept it out so it become very overdue. He was told he had to pay the late fees and charge for the book since it was lost and never returned and wanted to know if this was true. I told him yes, he would have to pay the late fees, but if he did find the book, he cou

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Paranormal Release Date: 3/2/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Sophie Mercer is different. No, really-she's different. She's a teen witch, and not in a Sabrina the Teenage Witch sort of way. Sophie's a teen witch without any training, so when a love spell at prom goes terribly wrong, Sophie is sent to Hex Hall, a boarding school for deliquent Prodigium (fairies, werewolves, witches, and oh yeah, one vampire roommate). During her first day, Sophie makes enemies with a dark coven of witches finds out her roommate was accused of killing the coven's fourth member last year. When Sophie learns that a mysterious creature is still roaming the halls, it's up to her to prove her roommate is innocent. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: If Harry Potter married Samantha from Bewitched and had a chick lit baby, with a smidge of A Great and Terrible Beauty , and a dash of Nancy Drew’s mystery solving, you would get Hex Hall . Interested? Hex Hall

I wanted to say thank you to everyone who filled out the GreenBeanTeenQueen survey! Your kind words and feedback were so helpful and made me smile! I wanted to let you know of a couple of changes coming to GreenBeanTeenQueen thanks to your feedback. -I will start adding book pairings to the titles I review, since this seems to be helpful to readers, teachers and librarians. These aren't always read-alikes and a copy of the book reviewed, but instead books I think that would pair nicely in a book club or book discussion or things I think a reader of the reviewed title would also like. Most of these suggestions will be books I have read (and hopefully reviewed) on GreenBeanTeenQueen, but some might not have gotten reviews yet or are older reads, or are books that I have had suggested to me by my teens or other bloggers and I trust their opinions. -I asked if you'd like to see Book Talk Ideas, but then when I started adding them to my reviews, I realized I was just repeating m

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun and leave the link to your Tween Tuesday post below. Today I have a special guest post from Margo from The Fourth Musketeer . (Go visit her blog-she has great historical fiction reviews and she rocks!!) Margo was lucky enough to attend a show called Artemis Rocks featuring Artemis Fowl author Eoin Colfer interviewing his character Artemis and I was thrilled when she said she'd write up a post about the event! With the release of the newest adventure of teen criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl, The Atlantis Complex (Disney Hyperion,2010), Irish author Eoin Colfer has taken Artemis himself--in his fir st public appearances--on the road in a promotional tour. I was lucky enough to catch their show, Artemis Rocks , in Pasadena, California, along with several hundred other Artemis fans. While Artemis Fowl has never reached the stratospheric popularity of the Twilight or

Hello and welcome to District Four. I'm sorry that Finnick isn't here to be your host. I know as a member of District Four I should be cheering for my own tribute, but after watching the last two Hunger Games play out I have fallen in love with Peeta Mellark! Why do I love Peeta? He's smart, he's funny, and he's charming. He stands up for what he believes, he's loyal and he's not afraid to do what's right. He's sensitive and caring but can also be strong and kick butt. He fights for Katniss and with Katniss. Peeta is a great diplomat and he knows how to bring people together. He can also be sneaky to get what he wants. Plus, did I mention he can bake? And he's hot!! But it's not just me! We have an underground club of sorts here in District Four-Seafaring Librarians for Peeta! Here's what some of our members had to say about their love for Peeta: - Team Peeta!! I love their relationship because they balance each other perfectly. Where

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Paranormal Release Date: 6/5/2010 Book in Series: Hearts at Stake , Blood Feud Add to Goodreads About the Book: The Drake family is dealing with the aftermath of Helena Drake becoming vampire queen and fighting off Montmartre. Allegiances are made, including one with the Hounds, vampires who have been rescued after they were turned and left to die. Isabeau St. Crox, a girl who was turned during the French Revolution, is the delegate from the Hounds is sent to the Drake coronation. When Logan Drake and Isabeau uncover a plot that could destroy both their families, they work together to fight the common enemy. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I'm addicted to The Drake Chronicles -I just love this family! Blood Feud is told in the point of view of Isabeau and Logan, although the narrators don't change as frequently as they did in Hearts at Stake and this really is Isabeau's story more than anything else. It took me a bit to warm up to Isabeau and there wer

Please welcome author Y.S. Lee to GreenBeanTeenQueen! Be sure to find Y.S. Lee on Twitter and her website . This tour is part of Traveling to Teens , so you can find the tour schedule on the site! And don't forget my reviews of A Spy in the House and The Body at the Tower ! Welcome to the second installment of the Body at the Tower blog tour! It’s lovely to be back here at GreenBeanTeenQueen – like visiting a friend. If you missed my first essay, on American firebrand Victoria Claflin Woodhull, it’s up at the Story Siren . And stay tuned for 6 more profiles of Notorious Victorians over the next 2 weeks. Today’s Notorious Victorian is Annie Besant: author, birth-control educator, socialist, and anti-colonial campaigner. She was born in 1847 and received an unusually good education for a girl of her time. At nineteen, she married a clergyman with whom she had two children. They came to disagree on nearly everything. After attempts to reconcile, Besant eventually left him and went t

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Historical/Mystery Release Date: 8/10/2010 Books in Series: A Spy in the House, The Body at the Tower Add to Goodreads Visit Traveling to Teens About the Book: Mary Quinn, detective for The Agency, is back! A body has been found at St. Stephen's Tower-was it an accident or foul play? In order to find out the truth, Mary goes undercover as twelve-year-old working boy Mark Quinn. Disguised as Mark, she hopes to get closer to the men at the worksite and find out what happened. But Mary's disguise as a boy might not be working as well as she thought, she's not sure who she can trust, and James is back-and just might prove to be a big distraction. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I was a huge fan of the first book in this series, A Spy in the House , and when I love a book that much, the sequels make me nervous. But I didn't need to worry because The Body at the Tower proves that Y.S. Lee is a master storyteller who rules the historical mystery. The bant

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens! Join the fun and leave the link to your Tween Tuesday post in the comments. I was organizing my bookshelves recently and came across some of my favorite books from when I was a tween and thought that would be a fun list to share. So here are my all time favorite books from my tween years (and yes, as a librarian, these are some of my go-to recommendations for tweens!): - The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi -If you're looking for adventure, read this book! I read this in sixth grade, wrote a letter to the author about how much I loved it (which I still have!), and I even made a version of hardtack to share with my class after we read the book. Yep, I was obsessed with this book-mystery and adventure on the high seas-what's not to love? - The Nina Tanleven Series (The Ghost in the Third Row, The Ghost Wore Grey, The Ghost in the Big Brass Bed) by Bruce Coville -My

The trailer for Holly Cupala's debut Tell Me a Secret is here and Holly is celebrating in a big way! Share the trailer and win! What can you win? Signed TMAS books! TMAS t-shirts! Fan-made bracelets by Hannah S! Music tha t inspired the book! Sneak Previews! Bookmarks and Handmade Magnets! and... A Tell Me a Secret handmade necklace! HOW TO WIN? Share the Trailer Love! - Click here to go to YouTube , then click the Share button to send to your Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or blog! +5 pts each - Click here to tell us where you posted and enter to win! Plus Holly will be featured at readergirlz for the entire month of August, with a live Twitter chat coming up! And of course, here's the trailer! Hope you love it-and leave a comment for Holly about what you think!