Movies Based on Books: Beautiful Creatures

Valentine's Day is coming up this week.  Don't miss the premiere of Beautiful Creatures - the film adaptation of Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl's young adult novel. 

If you have not read the book, pick it up at the Matawan Aberdeen Public Library in the teen fiction area under YA GARCIA or be sure to place a hold to reserve a copy if someone else beat you to it.

Enjoy this Southern gothic story set in Gatlin, South Carolina where withered gardens, murky swamps, and creepy old graveyards breathe life (and sometime death) into the characters' stories.  The story is told from the viewpoint of Ethan Wate, who spends most of his time planning to get out of Gatlin.  He quickly discovers that plans can change as he becomes mesmerized by the girl in his dreams who becomes a reality when she shows up at school one day driving a hearse.

For Lena Duchannes, she wants nothing more than to be normal and not cursed.  She hides her secret, but everyone knows there is something different about her.  Ethan Wate is determined to get to know her and find out just how different she really is. 

Recommended Grade Level: 6-12

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Pages:  563

Want to get a head start on the next great YA book being brought to the big screen?  Try City of Bones from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.  The film version is set to release on August 23, 2013.

This post was written by Youth Services and Adult Services Librarian, Chryssi Gumina.

Book Review: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

 
When high school senior's Minnie and Meg get invited to the party of the year, they have no doubts that this party will be the one everyone will be talking about for weeks to come.  It seems like the perfect scenario, an empty "McMansion" loaded with drinks and food, some of the hottest high school students, from the jocks to the beauty queens, and three fun days of music and partying.  When an unexpected storm hits the island, the teens suddenly feel secluded from the outside world and mother nature isn't the only one causing havoc on their party weekend.  When the teens decide to watch a mysterious DVD, a sinister message stating "Vengeance is mine" appears and the teens start dying  as their past and secrets catch up to them.  Alliances start to turn and everyone starts to suspect each other.  Can Meg and Minnie and the rest of the group figure out who the killer is before there's no one left alive? 


This re-imaging of the famous Agatha Christie novel, "And Then There Were None." is a very fast and suspenseful read.  If you're looking for a good "who done it" type of novel and don't mind reading this in the dark, this book is for you! I enjoyed how the identity of the killer wasn't given away, and this part kept me guessing till the very end.  There are some typical horror movie cliches in this book, but overall it was fun and suspenseful. 

Recommended Grade Level: 9-12

Genre: Mystery/Suspense

Pages: 294

This book review was written by Library Assistant, Dennis Kuhn.

Volunteer/Community Service Opportunity

We will be having our annual Make a Gift: Soup & Cookie Mix Jars community service event on Friday, December 7th from 6:30-8PM.  The time spent putting the jars together qualifies for community service and the jars will be donated to the Matawan Food Pantry. Since the event is after hours, there is a permission and registration required.  You do not have to have been a past volunteer at the library to participate. If you have friends that would like to come that need community service hours, this would be a great opportunity! The event is open to students in grades 6-12 and is a lot of fun!.

Registration is available here:

http://www.eventkeeper.com/code/events.cfm?curOrg=MATA


Permission slip is available here:

http://www.lmxac.org/mata/after_hours_perm_slip.pdf

Both permission slip and registration are required.  Permission slip must be handed in by 9PM on Wednesday, December 5th.

Teen Lock-In registration!

The fall teen lock-in is scheduled for Friday, October 18th from 6:30-10:30PM and is open to teens in grades 7-12.  Enjoy a night out at the library with games, crafts, pizza and more! 

Registration and a permission slip are required to attend.  Registration is available here. Permission slips must be handed in no later than 9PM on October 17th.  They are available in the teen place in the library and here.

For more information, please call 732-583-9100 or send an email to maplkids@lmxac.org.

Back to School Resources

As you head back to the classroom, check out these great resources the Matawan Aberdeen Public Library offers our teens for free with the use of a valid library card.

Need help with your homework?  

 

Try Tutor.com.

Get a professional online tutor whenever you need help.  You work one-to-one with your tutor in an online classroom on your specific homework problem until it's done.  This service is available 24/7.  Tutors can help you with any subject - math, science, English, or social studies.  Tutors will go through your homework problem step-by-step, as long as it takes, until it is complete.

Need help with your homework when you aren't at home? 

Tutor.com also offers a mobile app through iTunes:

        Tutor.com app

Need help developing your skills in a particular subject or preparing for a standardized test?

 

Try:

     Learning Express Library

     Universal Class

Need to find information about a current event or controversial topic for a debate, essay, group project, or research paper?

 

Try Points of View Reference Center.

We also have many great nonfiction print resources on argumentative topics. Just ask a reference librarian for assistance and we'll help you find what you need.

Need to find some articles or information for a school assignment?

Visit our Available Resources page to explore the many databases that can help you find a variety of information. Here you will find an alphabetical list of all the databases and these resources can be accessed 24/7! 


This blog post was written by Youth Services and Adult Services Librarian, Chryssi Gumina.

Book Review: Zoe Letting Go by Nora Price

Elise,

I don't know why I've been driven from the city to the country early in the morning, still wearing my pajamas, with enough clothes packed for six weeks.  Why have I arrived at a gloomy old mansion surrounded by a garden of withered, tangled roses and spotted with foreboding birch and ominous oak trees?  It looks like I suddenly jumped across the pond and ended up in England instead of New England!

Why am I being put in a treatment facility with 5 other girls?  I don't look like them.  I don't act like them.  And I certainly don't have anything wrong with me - like them. 

They tell me I'm here to recover.  From what? 

They took my phone, which is one of the reasons I am writing these letters.  

It's a mystery to me.  I'm sure there has been some big mistake.    

Why?  I don't know, but I'm going to find out - and then I'm going to prove them wrong.   

Zoe


Gain insight into the mind of a girl grappling with an issue that she doesn't even know she has with this slow-moving mystery.  Follow the haunting words in Zoe's letters to her best friend to unravel the enigma that is Twin Birch as she shines a light on a condition that affects thousands of teens across the country, making it the third most common chronic illness for adolescents.  If you liked Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson or Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher, you will probably enjoy this title. 

Check it out in our new books section in the Teen Place!

Recommended Grade Level: 6-12

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Pages: 279

This book review was written by Youth Services and Adult Services Librarian, Chryssi Gumina.

Book Review: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr

When Jill’s father dies, her mother decides to adopt a baby from a pregnant teen whom she meets through an online website while they are still newly mourning.  Jill thinks it’s a bad idea and when Mandy comes to live with them in Colorado, Jill and her mother discover that certain details about the pregnancy were not told truthfully.  Jill is convinced that she needs to hire the intriguing R.J. Desai, a former high school classmate and Loss Prevention Associate for the bookstore where she works, to investigate and prove that Mandy is not trust-worthy.  Jill, who had become withdrawn from her friends after her father’s death, finds a new sense of purpose with this endeavor as well as a way to begin to connect to people who are still living again.  In the process, she becomes surprised by the turn of events and what she learns not only about Mandy, but also about herself. 

On the other hand, Mandy is trying to find salvation for her baby with a family who will not only want, but love and care for her – something her own mother was unable to give her.  However, this outcome would leave Mandy alone in the world without a familial bond.  As Mandy’s feelings for her unborn child grow, she not only questions if this is the best decision for her baby, but also who will save her or if she can save herself. 

Told through alternating chapters of narrating voices by the two teen girls, different perspectives emerge about the whole heart-wrenching situation.  This is the endearing story about the power of love, the struggle to define family, and how to survive loss.

Recommended Grade Level: 6-12

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Pages: 352

This book review was written by Adult Services Librarian, Chryssi Gumina.