GreenBeanTeenQueen

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 4/5/2011 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Three years since the accident that took Mia's family and changed her life, Adam and Mia have gone down separate paths. Shortly after beginning her school year at Julliard Mia cut off all contact with Adam with not warning. Since then Adam has wondered what exactly happened to her-and to them. Adam is a rising rock star and his band, Shooting Star, is a worldwide sensation. Adam is dating a beautiful actress and on the outside appears to have a fabulous life. But he's miserable. All of his songs are about his grief over loosing Mia, but he can't talk about it with anyone. Mia is a rising star at Julliard and about to take off on her first tour. One fateful evening bring Mia and Adam together before their worlds separate again. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: When I first heard that Gayle Forman was writing a sequel to If I Stay , I was excited but I kept thinking, "huh, it didn&

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Thriller/Mystery/Contemporary Release Date: 1/5/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Michael is what's known as "boxman"-he has a talent for cracking safes. He was trained by The Ghost and works for a man in Detroit taking boxman jobs for hire. When he gets a call, he goes. As a kid, Michael survived a family tragedy during his childhood but hasn't uttered a word since, which makes him perfect as his job because he will never tell on anyone. Michael is passing his time by writing his story and recounting the journey that landed him in prison nine years ago. Told in alternating timelines, this is Michael's story of how he became a boxman and the strange events that followed. Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: This is a unique crime thriller. The book is told in alternating timelines-the first is the story leading up to Michael becoming a boxman (1992-1999) and the second is a narrative of the jobs he takes (2000). This adds to the suspense

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted right here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Add your Tween Tuesday post below! Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Historical/Fantasy Release Date: 9/28/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Emily Snow's parents have disappeared and for the past two years she has been in charge of her younger brother and making sure they survive. One morning, Emily encounters a conversation between strange beings and realizes she can see a entire hidden world in London, full of faeries. A war is raging between faeries. As Emily's brother is kidnapped, Emily must do everything she can to save him. But what side is good? What side will not destroy humankind? Emily must find the key to save her brother and help save London before faeries take over. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This is quite the twisty mystery/fantasy for middle grade readers. The book starts out much like your usual fantasy novel, but soon the story starts to take many twists and

Friday night was the third teen Read-A-Thon I've hosted at my library. I posted about it on Facebook and Twitter and I heard from several librarians who wanted to know more-so here it is! The Read-A-Thon was inspired by Dewey's 24 Hour Read-A-Thon and the 48 Hour Book Challenge . I had been talking to one of my teens how I was participating in a read-a-thon through my blog and she got very excited and said we should do one at the library. Set Up: Of course, we have to do it on a smaller scale at the library since I can't lock the teens in the building for 24 hours. So typically our read-a-thons run 2-3 hours, which seems to work well. I set up the group in one of the library meeting rooms and set up chairs and tables all around the room. I've brought in pillows and blankets in the past for the teens who want a more comfortable place to sit, but the teens are fine with sitting in the chairs or at the tables and reading. At each table I have a small stack of books, not

I'd like to give a big HUGE congratulations to Lenore (of the fantastic blog Presenting Lenore !) As some of you might know, Lenore is also a writer as well as a blogger and reviewer. I opened my e-mail today and saw this blurb from Publisher's Weekly: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has acquired a YA novel called Level Two by Lenore Appelhans, in a joint acquisition with CBS Films. According to S&S, this is the first time the company has coordinated a deal so that an author received a simultaneous book and film offer. In Level Two, the liminal place between our world (Level One) and heaven, Felicia spends her days reliving her memories from the security of her pod—until she gets broken out by Julian, a boy she met on Earth. Appelhans writes the popular YA blog Presenting Lenore. Level Two will be published in either fall 2012 or spring 2013, with a 200,000-copy first printing. OMG!! I immediately did a happy dance in Lenore's honor! I am so so thrilled f

Wow! Can you believe this month celebrates three years of blogging at GreenBeanTeenQueen?? I can't believe I've been blogging that long! Of course when I first started blogging, I was very spotty in my posts and my reviews were pretty short. It took me about a year to really get the hang of it I feel like after two years I've finally found a good blog groove. That's not to say it's all be flowers and cake and happiness all along! I love blogging, but at times it can be stressful and very, very hard! There are moments when I've wanted to quit, moments when I've stressed over what to post or read, and hated that my TBR pile is a never ending mountain of books. I love the blogging world, but at times it can be full of bitterness, jealously and backstabbing, which I really, really hate. But the blogging world is also full of wonderful people who connect and share over books, support each other and are some of the greatest people I've ever met! I also love th

Kelly is a very awesome blogger, librarian and good friend of mine. Right now, Kelly is dealing with some very nasty budget issues in the state of Wisconsin, so a group of us got together to declare today "I Love Kelly Day!" Kelly blogs at Stacked Books and I love reading her reviews! Her reviews always get me thinking, which I love, and she really writes from her librarian heart. Not only that, but she loves contemporary fiction and is constantly giving me a kick in the butt to read more contemps! I honestly don't remember how Kelly and I first met-somehow we connected via blogs and Twitter. But we're librarians, we love books, and we were both heading to ALA, and our friendship took off. Now I'm lucky to count Kelly among my dear librarian friends (and a fellow member of the ILOAS!) So here's to you Kelly! Sending you lots of virtual hugs (and cocktails!)

Back in February I reviewed Lauren DeStefano's fabulous debut, Wither . Wither is out now, so be sure to check it out! And of course, come back and let me know what you think!:)

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Mashup/Humor Release Date: 3/22/11 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Four years after the events of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies , Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have settled into life at Pemberly. But on a walk Mr. Darcy is attacked by a dreadful and falls into the strange plague. Elizabeth knows that the correct response is to behead her husband, but she can't bring herself to do it. She enlists the help of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, who claims there may be a cure and Elizabeth must go after it, using her womanly wiles to seduce Sir Angus MacFarquhar, who holds the key to the cure. Enlisting the help of her sisters, Elizabeth must go undercover to save her husband. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Dreadfully Ever After completes the story of Elizabeth and Darcy and their escapades with dreadfuls. This is a hilarious take on what happens next. I hadn't read any of the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies books until my mom told me they were hilarious and I neede

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens! Join the fun and share you posts below! Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 6/9/2009 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Eleven-year-old Aubrey is barely surviving. Her younger sister and her father were killed in a car accident and her mother has left Aubrey-and hasn't come back. When Gram discovers that Aubrey is by herself, she brings Aubrey with her to Vermont. Aubrey writes letters to help deal with everything that is going on around her. Aubrey slowly makes friends and talks to the school counselor, but healing is a long process. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I read Love, Aubrey because it's on our state book award list for 4th-6th grade. I think this is a book that is going to split readers-either they will like it or not. I remember when this book first came out and there was Newbery buzz surrounding it. It reads a bit like a typical Newbery-character is dealin

My fabulous friend Abby (of Abby the Librarian fame) asked me what my Top 5 Printz books were, since I'm running for a spot on the 2013 Printz Committee (YALSA members-I'd love your vote!) It was a tough question to answer, but I narrowed my list down to five. Check out Abby's blog for the GreenBeanTeenQueen Top 5 Printz Books!

Hey librarians and YALSA members! The election has opened up and I wanted to share a couple of my friends and fellow bloggers that are on the ballot! Angie Manfredi and Jennifer Rothschild are both on the ballot for the Nonfiction Award Committee. Angie blogs at FatGirlReading and Jennie blogs at Biblio File . Check out their blogs because they rock! And of course, to convince you further of their awesomeness, I have interviews with both of them!:) - What do you enjoy about NF? Angie: There's a lot of answers to that, I guess, but for me it keeps coming back to me is how much I enjoy watching teens interact with non-fiction. There's just something about seeing reluctant readers pulled into the immediate truth of a non-fiction title or hearing teens "ooh" and "aah" over a non-fiction book full of pictures and facts. I love that non-fiction is a way for teens to experience literature and books in an entirely unique way, a way that lets them see the world, th

Reading through various newsletters and e-mails I came across a couple of links I had to share! What would Tim Burton's take on Green Eggs and Ham look like? Children's tale reimagined as movie posters! These posters were exactly what I needed to make me laugh this morning! Unshelved updates Matilda and has her take on ebooks . This one is getting posted in my office!:)

Confirmed this morning, Jennifer Lawrence will be playing the role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games movie. Now we wait for the rest of the casting to come together! I'll keep you posted!

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 3/1/11 Add to Goodreads Check out my Interview with Lindsey Leavitt!! About the Book: Payton Gritas has just found out that her father has MS. On top of that, she discovers that her parents have been keeping this news from her for months! Payton is furious and her parents make her attend counseling sessions at school. When her guidance counselor suggests that Payton make a focus journal, Payton decides her focus object will be Sean Griswold's head. He sits right in front of her in Biology and she's seen that head in alphabetical order for years. But as her focus project continues, Payton realizes there may be more to Sean Griswold than just his head. He's smart, funny and he shares her love for Seinfeld. Can your focus object become your crush? And is any of this going to help Payton with her dad? Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: Sean Griswold's Head is a contemporary novel that manages to weave together tough issues, ro

photo credit: Jennie Slade Lindsey Leavitt is awesome. And I'm not just saying that because she did a very cool Q&A with me and writes fantastic books. I've actually met Lindsey in person and let me tell you, she is just as sweet and kind and funny and she is on her blog ! Seriously-totally awesome author. So of course when I got the chance to interview her here at GreenBeanTeenQueen, I had to take it! Lindsey has a great new contemporary YA book out called Sean Griswold's Head -and oh my goodness I loved it ! So please welcome Lindsey to GreenBeanTeenQueen! OK, so I saw in your acknowledgements that your husband was your high school lab partner! Did you crush on him like Payton does Sean and did you draw on your relationship for inspiration? Here’s the deal with my husband. The man is a fine wine. Or, I don’t drink wine, so maybe… a good cheese? The kind of cheese that is yummier the moldier it gets and… er. What I mean is, it’s a scientific fact that he’s gotten cute

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun and share you post below! Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Historical Release Date: 5/1/1999 Add to Goodreads About the Book: May Amelia has seven older brothers and is the only girl that's been born along the banks of the Nasal River. It's hard to be a proper young lady when you're surrounded by boys. May Amelia longs for a sister and now that Mama is going to have another baby, there's hope that another girl will come along. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: At ALA they announced a sequel to Our Only May Amelia and I decided I better read this one before the sequel comes out! May Amelia is a great main character-she's funny and spunky and gets into a lot of mischief. The first part of the book tells the various adventures of May Amelia and her brothers and then one the new baby is born, the book shifts a bit. There's still stories about May Amelia's adventure

Sources today are saying that we're very close to casting Katniss for The Hunger Games movie. Various sources have been reporting that we could have the casting offer today. And who is everyone saying the role goes to? Jennifer Lawrence is looking like the winner, but nothing is official yet, so we're still waiting to hear exactly what happens. In other Hunger Games news, Josh Hutcherson is vying for a role . Articles I've read have him as Peeta, which maybe he could pull off, but I want Peeta blonde, so he has some hair dyeing to do!!

I've been asked recently about the Skype Book Club that I run at my library, so I thought I'd share it here at GreenBeanTeenQueen! I've always wanted to have a book club with my teens, but book clubs have a hard time getting going and working at the branch I work at. I think this is because I work with a lot of teens who are already involved in a lot of extracurricular activities. My branch is also hard to get to if you don't have transportation. So to make the book club a bit more enticing, I decided to try author chats mixed in with the book club format. Skype Book Club is easy to run and tons of fun! The teens get together and we discuss the book, what we liked, didn't like and questions we have for the author. A lot of my teens are interested in writing, so they love hearing about the writing process and the road to publishing from each author. I typically pick one book to discuss by the author's we're chatting with, but if they've written more

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Historical Romance Release Date: 6/30/2009 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Olivia Bevelstoke is spying on her new neighbor. Sure, he's handsome and a bit mysterious, but they say he killed his fiance. Harry Valentine knows that the girl next door is spying on him and he doesn't like it one bit. He hates it when he gets instructions from the war office that he is to spy on a visiting Russian Prince. He really hates it when he finds out that the Prince has set his sights on Olivia and now he must protect her. As Harry starts to spend time with Olivia, he discovers he just might be falling for her himself. Sarah Teenlibrarian Says: What Happens in London is a hilarious regency romance! When I was asking for suggestions for a romance to read for my adult reading materials class, I heard Julia Quinn's name over and over again. While the second book in the Bevelstoke series, I wasn't even aware that it was part of a series and the book can stand p

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Mystery Release Date: 3/1/2011 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Clarity "Clare" Fern has a special gift-she's a psychic and see visions about people's pasts. When a teenage girl is found murdered in her quiet Cape Cod tourist town, Clare's cheating ex-boyfriend enlists Clare's special talent to help solve the case. Clare is still mad about the fact that he broke her heart. But when the top suspect in the cast becomes Clare's brother, she knows she has to help. Clare joins up with Gabriel, the hot son of the town's new detective to bring the murderer to justice. But will Clare's gift fail her just when she needs it most? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Clarity is a supernatural mystery that is an easy and addicting read that I think will appeal to fans of Meg Cabot. The writing and mystery reminded me a bit of Cabot's books and the banter is fun. The book is a fast read and Clare is an engaging character. She has a quirky f

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun and your link below! Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Graphic Novel/Science Fiction Release Date: 2/1/2011 Add to Goodreads About the Book: When Zita and her friend come across a meteor, the find a red button remote. Of course, curiousity gets the best of Zita and she pushes the button, sending her best friend to another planet. Zita soon follows and embarks on a journey in a strange new world to save her friend. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I read a review of Zita the Spacegirl on Betsy Bird's blog and knew I had to check it out. Zita is a great new addition to middle grade graphic novels and I can't wait to start booktalking it. Zita reminds me a bit of The Wizard of Oz , Gregor the Overlander , and Astro Boy all rolled into one and set in space. Zita's adventures are exciting and fun and she meets a great cast of unique characters along the way. One thing I love ab

I am a very busy girl!! In addition to my job as a librarian and my blog, I'm also a committee member for Fabulous Films for Young Adults. This committee is part of YALSA, which is the young adult division of the American Library Association. When I tell people I'm on FFYA, I always get the same response-"what do movies have to do with libraries?" Well, lots of things! Libraries aren't just about research and reference materials. You can find popular materials at the library, including movies! The goal of Fabulous Films for Young Adults is to provide libraries and schools with a collection development tool. Each list is based around a theme and each year a committee of librarians view, discuss and vote on the top films for that theme. These films are chosen because the committee feels these films deserve a place in a library collection and we provide a list as a starting place. Teachers can use the list to find films to use in the classroom. And librarians can use

Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Historical/Fantasy Release Date: 3/1/11 Purchase from Book Depository Add to Goodreads M.J. Putney's Facebook Page About the Book: Lady Victoria Mansfield Tory lives in a time where magic is viewed as a terrible disgrace amongst the upper classes. When Tory discovers she has magical powers, she must do everything she can to hide them. But when a tragic accident occurs that causes Tory to reveal her secret, she is shamed and sent to Lackland Abbey, a school to cure young mages. At Lackland, Tory discovers that not everyone views magic as a curse. The more she learns about magic, the more she is intrigued. With war approaching in England, Tory feels as though her magic can be useful. But using and strengthening her powers means risking her future. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: This book was interesting. There were things I liked and things I didn't like, which made reading it a bit annoying because I kept going back and forth on how I felt about it. I liked t

OK, so I know we're not really supposed to judge books by their covers and all. But we're all friends here and we're all readers, so we can admit it right? We all do it. We see something shiny or pretty that catches our eye and it doesn't matter what the book is about, but we're going to pick it up. Or something about the cover we don't like so we pass on the book. I'll admit it-I'm guilty of this and I do it all the time. But I have cover lust first, then I read what the book is about and if it sounds intriguing, I give it a try. I think it's this way for most people. But I was thinking about how I've judged books in the past and how I passed on books I probably would have liked because of the cover when I was younger. When I was in elementary school I came across this book: And I totally judged it by it's cover! Well, maybe not the cover so much, but the title for sure. I was a good Christian girl and to me the book was about a girl who wa