GreenBeanTeenQueen

It's official. Donald Sutherland has been cast as President Snow in The Hunger Games Movie. Mr. GreenBeanSexyMan and I were eagerly awaiting this casting, and we both think this is pretty much perfect (well, Mr. GreenBeanSexyMan says perfect as an actor, but he pictured Snow to look a bit different). I'm very excited about the whole cast and I can't wait for the movie! What do you think?

Please welcome Uma Krishnaswami, author of The Grand Plan to Fix Everything ! I love hearing about libraries, especially libraries around the world-I hope you do too! In Praise of Two Libraries, Forty Years and Half a World Apart Libraries were not a part of my early childhood. I grew up in several cities in various parts of India and public libraries were not as central to communities are they are in the US. We had a lending library in one of the neighborhoods we lived in, where you paid a small fee for each book you borrowed. It dealt mostly in comic books, which I borrowed from time to time despite the fact that my parents disapproved of them heartily. I had a small collection of children's books that I just read over and over. When I got tired of them my parents were quite willing to buy me more. They didn't buy me everything I ever asked for, but they never said no to books. I was 15 when a library became a part of my life. We had moved to the mountain state of Himachal Pr

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens. Join the fun and add your Tween Tuesday post below. Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 5/24/2011 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Dini's parents have just announced that they're moving to India for two whole years! Dini can't believe her parents are making her move away from her best friend Maddie and now she has to miss out on the Bollywood dance class she and Maddie were going to take. But India is home to Dini and Maddie's favorite movies and their favorite Bollywood star, Dolly Singh. Dini's parents aren't moving to Bombay, the movie capital of India, but instead to a small town called Swapnagiri. Surprises are ahead for Dini as she discovers that her favorite star might be closer than she thinks-and Dini has a plan to meet her idol. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Our summer reading theme this year for the kids program is One World, Many Stori

I was browsing through upcoming YA releases and thought I'd do another post about hardcovers to paperbacks. This time though instead of posting about hardcovers to paperbacks that made me want to pick up the book, I thought I'd post about books where the cover change seemed to change the focus of the book. First up: The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott Here's the hardcover-which to me reflects the premise of a girl who likes a friends boyfriend (or at least the cover says she likes a boy that maybe she shouldn't, or it's secret, etc): Now the paperback: This to me doesn't reflect the book at all. It's a cute cover and I like it as a cover in general but not for this particular book. I also think it looks too much like the covers for the Ruby Oliver series. Next up: The Mark by Jen Nadol . Hardcover: -While the book has somewhat of a paranormal aspect to it, it's more of a philosophical book than it is paranormal. I also really like this cover, althoug

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens! Join the fun and add your link below! Rating: 3/5 Stars Genre: Historical/bit of fantasy Release Date: 10/1/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Frederick is an apprentice in a clockwork shop who is secretly working on his own clockwork man in the hopes of making journeyman. Hannah is a maid working at a hotel trying to raise money for her family and sick father. When she hears of the possibility of a treasure, Hannah decides to seek her fortune. Giuseppe was kidnapped from his home in Italy and works as a street musician. He dreams of returning home and when he finds a green violin, he wonders if it holds to key to his passage. The stories weave together and the three learn that they must work together to help each other solve their problems. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: The Clockwork Three was a book I picked up at ALA last year and even heard the author read from, but nothing about it re

You guys remember how much I loved Wither right? It sucked me in and I couldn't put it down! Well, the amazing Lauren DeStefanos is hosting the most amazing contest. Not only is she giving away an ARC of Wither (all personalized, signed, everything you want!) but also an ARC of the sequel, Feaver (which isn't even out yet as an ARC, so you'd be one of the first ones to get your hands on the freshly printed ARCs!) How awesome and amazing is that? Check out Lauren's blog for the details on how to win . And if you win, please promise to share Feaver with me??:)

Some of you have asked about the tornado that hit last night in Missouri. I'm about an hour away from Joplin, so no damage here, but we are feeling the effects of the storm. Many people have come from Joplin for shelter and have been transferred to local hospitals. The whole area is still in shock over everything and everyone is looking for ways to help. If you want to help, both Red Cross and Convoy of Hope have texting options to donate: You can help us respond in #Joplin &continue our work in other states. Txt REDCROSS to 90999, or online: http://bit.ly/eZJDoJ Donations can be made at www.convoyofhope.org . You may also donate $10 by texting “Convoy” to 50555 Additional texting charges my apply.

Rating: 2/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 5/1/2011 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Three days before her drama club's trip to Italy, Jessa stumbles in on her boyfriend with Natalie aka "the boob job." Now taking off to the most romantic city in the world. Jessa has a front row seat to Natalie and Sean's relationship. To help her move on, her best friend Carissa has sent along twenty envelopes titled "Top Twenty Reasons He's a Slimy Jerk Bastard," that Jessa is supposed to open along her trip. Each envelope includes instructions that are supposed to help Jessa get over Sean and maybe find herself along the way. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: I had high hopes for this book. The premise sounded cute and reminded me of Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes or maybe even P.S. I Love You . Unfortunately, the book ultimately fell flat for me. I know Jessa is heartbroken, but the book is so full of her angst and not being able to get over Sean, that it grows a

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Graphic Novel Release Date: 5/1/2011 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Paige has just moved to New York City and she's feeling a bit lost. She's trying to make sense of her life. Is she an artist? Is she outgoing? How can she make new friends and find herself in such a book city? Paige decides to take her Grandmother's advice and following her drawing rules, she's going to keep a sketchbook. The sketchbook becomes Paige's way of expressing herself and finding who she is. She opens up to new friends, embraces her art, and learns how to be Paige. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Page by Paige is a fantastic graphic novel! Although it's fiction, it reads like a memoir and reminded me a lot of Pedro and Me and in some ways, Blankets only with a more coming of age high school story. I would also pair it up with Plain Janes , as the characters are very pro-art and they have secret art projects they do in the city. Reading Page by Paige is like ta

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens! Join the fun and post your link in the linky below. Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Non-Fiction/Biography Release Date: 4/4/2011 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Annie Taylor is finding that no one is attending her charm school classes anymore and she's bored. Convinced that there is fame and fortune waiting for her, this 62-year-old woman decides to have an adventure. She comes up with the idea of floating over Niagara Falls inside of a barrel. The barrel makers think she's crazy at first, but Annie shows them her detailed plans and believes she's found a way to survive. With a publicist hired, Annie travels to New York and excites the crowd about her upcoming journey. Will she survive the trip over the falls? GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: May means school visits to promote the summer reading program at my library. As part of my visits, I take books along to booktalk to the students

I love this article about the American Girl dolls ! Did anyone else want an American Girl doll but never get one? My parents thought the price was too much for a toy, but that didn't stop me from pouring over the catalogs and trying to figure out if there was something small I could buy. I always liked Samantha, mostly because she was in the Victorian time period, which I loved as a kid, and she had a muff, which I really, really wanted. Molly was my second favorite because of her time period as well and because she was a bit like me. I'm still a little bitter I never got my Samantha doll and muff! Thank you to my friend Kelly for posting this one Facebook!

Remember the other week when I was telling you about the exciting good news that's happened in the last week? Well, it also means I'm very busy and in the middle of school visits at the library to promote the Summer Reading Program. So I've decided to take a short blogging vacation. I plan on being back on Monday!

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Contemporary Release Date: 5/3/11 Add to Goodreads Moonglass Book Site About the Book: (from cover) When Anna was little, she and hermother used to search for sea glass, but since they looked at night, theycalled it moonglass. Now, ten years after her mother'smysterious death, her father is working as head lifeguard on the same beachwhere her mother grew up and her parents first met and fell in love. Reluctantto get close to anyone (including her father) and not pleased about having tostart at a new school, Anna begins to spend more time alone, running the lengthof the beach and wondering about who her mother really was. After meeting alifeguard named Tyler,she slowly lets her guard down and together they start exploring the abandonedhouses that dot the beach. But when learning more about hermother's past leads to a painful discovery, Anna must reconcile her desire forsolitude with ultimately accepting the love of her family and friends.Moonglass is

No Tween Tuesday post for me this week! I'm out on school visits and haven't had time to read much. But I'm posting a linky so you can share your own posts. I'll be back next week!

Announced today, Stanley Tucci will play Ceasar Flickerman, host of The Hunger Games, in The Hunger Games movie . I love this casting and think he's going to be great! What do you think?

-Marshmallow Sushi with Cheetos Chopsticks, Teen Iron Chef, 2011 I love Iron Chef, so of course I had to make into a library program! I've done this program twice-once it was a bit iffy and the second time was fantastic. I think it works best with a smaller crowd-I've done it with a crowd of seven and a crowd of over 30 and I had better results with the smaller group. The basic idea is that I set out a ton of "ingredients" and the teens break up into teams (or by themselves if the group is small) and make three "dishes". The first time I did Teen Iron Chef we did "After School Snacks" and the second time around was "Desserts". (My pictures are from the dessert Iron Chef). Some teens will try to make something edible, others will go for the gross out factor. I've used judges to sample the food, but I really didn't love the idea of subjecting someone to the gross snacks the second time around, so I asked a co-worker to judge on cre

According to E! News , John C Reilly will not be playing the role of Haymitch in The Hunger Games movie. This means the role is still wide open, so who are you hoping is still in the running? Also, there have been a ton of Tributes cast, so check out the Facebook page for all the photos!

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Gothic Suspense Release Date: First published 1938 Add to Goodreads About the Book: The novel is told from the point of view of an unnamed narrator. From the beginning we get the sense that the story is a flashback and the narrator is reflecting on a time in her life that continues to haunt her. Her story starts when she is visiting Monte Carlo with Mrs. Van Hopper, who is her employer. The narrator works as a paid companion to the elderly woman who is always keen on gossip. One day while dining, Mrs. Van Hopper notices a man at a table nearby that she recognizes as Max de Winter, the owner of Manderley. His wife recently passed away in a boating accident and rumor is he can’t get over her death. Mrs. Van Hopper intrudes on the man’s meal and thus begins the relationship between the narrator and Maxim de Winter. After spending time together in Monte Carlo, the narrator begins to realize she loves Maxim, even though he is more than 20 years her senior. On the da

Please welcome Susane Colasanti to GreenBeanTeenQueen! Susane's newest book, So Much Closer , was just released and she's celebrating with a blog tour! Check out a preview of So Much Closer and keep up with Susane at her website and Twitter . But enough from me-here's Susane to tell you about So Much Closer ! Greetings, friendly neighbors! I’m stoked to share some of the inspiration for my fifth book, So Much Closer. Realistic fiction is my thing. I like incorporating details inspired by my own experiences to make my books feel as realistic as possible. So Much Closer takes place in my neighborhood, the West Village. I had lots of fun including my fave New York City places and things in this book. For my blog tour, we thought it would be fun to share some of them with you. So here we go! 3. Big Gay Ice Cream Truck The day Brooke meets John, he’s wearing a shirt that says Big Gay Ice Cream Truck. Sounds cool, right? It’s completely real! Big Gay is out and about during t

The Children's Choice Book Awards were announced as part of Children's Book Week (May 2-8). This year there were over 50,000 votes! The Children’s Choice Book Award winners are as follows: Author of the Year Rick Riordan for The Lost Hero (The Heroes of Olympus,Book 1 ) (Disney-Hyperion) Illustrator of the Year David Wiesner for Art & Max (Clarion/Houghton MifflinHarcourt) Kindergarten to Second Grade Book of the Year Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby (Putnam/Penguin) Third Grade to Fourth Grade Book of the Year Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown by Jarrett J. Krosoczka (Knopf/Random House) Fifth Grade to Sixth Grade Book of the Year The Red Pyramid(The Kane Chronicles, Book 1) by Rick Riordan(Disney-Hyperion) Teen Choice Book of the Year Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David

Tween Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted here at GreenBeanTeenQueen to highlight great reads for tweens! Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Historical/Novel in Verse Release Date: 2/22/11 Add to Goodreads About the Book: It's 1975 in Vietnam and ten-year-old Kim Ha and her family are praying for her father's safe return. He's been missing for the past nine year and war rages on around them. When the opportunity arises for the family to leave Saigon on a navy ship and come to America, the family decides to take the chance and hopes for a better life. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Inside Out and Back Again is a beautifully written novel in verse debut. The book is partly based on the author's own experience as a child, and it's clear she's writing what she knows and cares deeply about her story. Kim is a strong, brave character who has a lot of spunk and a great voice to her narration. Her transition to America isn't easy. In Vietnam, she was smart and had friends, whereas i

I have more good news to share!! I have accepted a position at my library as the Youth Services Department Manager. This is a new direction for my library to have children and teen under one department umbrella and I'm super excited to be part of it. (So for those of you who have libraries that use this model, let me know-I'd love to ask you lots of questions!!) What does this mean for my blog? Well, I'll still be serving tweens and teens, so no change there to what I'll be reading and reviewing. The biggest change I'm thinking about is adding picture book reviews and maybe including younger kids programs and tween programs when I post about program ideas. Yay or nay on those ideas? Yep, it's been an exciting few days in GreenBeanTeenQueen-land!:)

Rating: 4/5 Stars Genre: Horror/Fairy Tale Release Date: 11/11/2010 Add to Goodreads About the Book: You might think you know the tale of Hansel and Gretel, but you don't know the rule tale-the true one. The one with gore, violence, witches, devils, evil adults and bad parents, heads chopping off, and dragons. Nine interwoven short stories that tell the true story of what happened to Hansel and Gretel. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: A Tale Dark and Grimm received a lot of buzz late last year, so I was eager to check it out. The book starts out explaining that the fairy tales and stories we know are altered and that the author is going to tell us the true Grimm tales the way they were meant to be told-gory, gruesome, dark and all. And they are that-gory and dark, but they're also brilliantly woven together to tell one large story arc. The author often interjects into the story to break up some of the tension and "scarier" parts. (But honestly, they weren't too scary-m