Our Favorite Books that We Read in 2008..Take 1

It's hard to read every single book from 2008. So, for the couple posts, we are dedicating it to the books that our library staff has read in 2008. Some of these books aren't necessarily copyrighted in 2008, but we love them so much that we wanted to share them with you anyway. Without further ado, here's our favorites:


From the Bottom Up: One man's crusade to clean America's rivers by Chad Pregracke

Chad Pregracke, who took it upon himself to clean up the Mississippi River, and, with the help of others, founded Living Lands and Water, a not-for-profit organization based in East Moline, Illinois.

Check it out from our library!

November's D.E.A.R's Selection

Thankfully, I had the time to read a lot of titles this month. If you're looking for something to read for this Thanksgiving weekend, take a look at my D.E.A.R.'s selection for this month. Here are my top five for this month, in no particular order, and let me know what you think about them!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Book Description: In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs--and, perhaps, save their own lives.

My two cents: This book is fantastic and would be an excellent selection for a book club. I had goose-bumps the entire time I read it. There is so much to discuss! The story takes place in the not too distant future. There has been another huge civil war and new laws have been made. The most chilling is the law that states teenagers from the years 13-18 are at risk of being unwound i.e. retroactively aborted and their body parts are distributed to others. This law has been made by both "pro-choice" and "pro-life" teams. The characters are interesting and so is the premise. Questions such as the meaning of life, betrayal, religion, independence, and trust are discussed in the book.

Interested? Check it out!

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Book Description: After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel has to decide whether or not she is willing to spy for the rebels during the Revolutionary War. Is Isabel willing to do anything in order to set herself and her sister, Ruth, free?

My two cents: I love how Anderson combined the notion of the US struggling for independence from Britain and parallels it to Isabel's personal struggle. It's very ironic to say the least. Anderson is nominated for the National Book Award for YA and she righly deserves the nomination. There will be a sequel to the book called "Forge" and I will definitely be reading it

Interested? Request it for our library!

Spanking Shakespeare by Paul Wizner

Book Description: Shakespeare Shapiro navigates a senior year fraught with feelings of insecurity while writing the memoir of his embarrassing life, worrying about his younger brother being cooler than he is, and having no prospects of ever getting a girlfriend.

My two cents: Fans of the movie "Superbad" will love this book! Shakespeare is the name of a 17 yr old senior in high school. He's trying to survive his last year of school with minimal embarassment and hopefully with a girlfriend. The story is composed of Shakespeare's writing assignment (to write a memoir) and his current musings. It's hiliarious, raunchy at times, and heart warming. A cute, quick read.

Interested? Check it out!

Come and join the LFHS B&B!

The LFHS B&B (Book and Breakfast) will have it's first book discussion on Dec. 4th at 7:15 am in the Media Center. We will be discussing Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn. As always, breakfast will be served!

Reserve your copy today!

If you love the book, I highly recommend you watch the movie. Michael Cera and Kat Dennings do a fantastic job portraying Nick and Norah. Warning: You may never chew a piece a gum ever again.

Breaking Twilight News!

Summit Entertainment has released the final trailer of "Twilight" yesterday. This will be the last sneak peek fans will see until the movie, which will be released on November 21st! Mark your calendars! View the trailer from MySpace.com:


In case you didn't know, there has been a hiatus until further notice regarding "Midnight Sun". "Midnight Sun" is essentially the book "Twilight" by from Edward Cullen's point of view. During the summer, Meyer's partial draft of Midnight Sun was linked on the internet. She has posted the partial draft on her website as well as an explaination of what happend. You find all the info here.

This month's D.E.A.R. Selection

After thinking about what my next blog post should be, I decided that we should have a D.E.A.R. post every month. What's D.E.A.R., you say? The acronym D.E.A.R. stands for Drop Everything And Read. Here are the top 5 books that I think everyone should read for this month, in no particular order:



The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie


Book Description: Budding cartoonist Junior leaves his troubled school on the Spokane Indian Reservation to attend an all-white farm town school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.


My Two Cents: Jr. is the epitome of being an outsider. He didn't fit in his own community at the Spokane Indian Reservation, but also at his new school. He struggles to find his own niche, strengths, and a voice to explain to the reader and himself who he really is. This book has it all: humor, sadness, and ultimate triumph.

Interested? Check it out from our own library!



13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher


Book Description: When high school student Clay Jenkins receives a box in the mail containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.



My Two Cents: Rarely has a book caught and held my interest right away. 13 Reasons Why kept me thinking long after I completed the book. A mystery surrounding the reasons why Hannah committed suicide gets deeper and complicated as the story progresses. The questions that I keep asking myself after I read Asher's incredible debute novel is: Could Hannah be saved and how? Fans of John Green's Looking for Alaska will really enjoy this realistic, gritty, and provocative book.

Interested? Check it out at our library!



Boy Toy by Barry Lyga


Book Description: After five years of fighting his way past flickers of memory about the teacher who molested him and the incident that brought the crime to light, eighteen-year-old Josh gets help in coping with his molestor's release from prison when he finally tells his best friends the whole truth.



My Two Cents: Unfortunately, the subject of this book isn't new. Lyga did an excellent job in describing Josh's confusion and vulnerability as well as the manipulation of his teacher. The true victim and criminal are cleverly blurred until Josh's epiphany thanks to his best friends who urge him to finally talk about matter. The author was brave enough to write this book and I don't have any doubts that it will be on a banned book list somewhere.

Interested? Check it out from our library!



Little Brother by Cory Doctorow


Book Description: After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco, California, seventeen-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.


My Two Cents: Little Brother hits close to home in so many ways: the ongoing debate on how to take on the "war of terror" and most importantly, the issue of civilian rights to privacy. How far are willing to give up our own alienable rights in order to be secure? What if the real enemy is our government itself? The technology that Marcus and his friends use is very cool and intricate, but Doctorow does a great job in explaining everything to the common reader. This book is a knockout, especially if you combine it with the terrifying classic 1984 by George Orwell. Be ready to see Little Brother on many book award lists.

Interested? Request this book to our library!


Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin


Book Description: After a nasty fall, Naomi realizes that she has no memory of the last four years and finds herself reassessing every aspect of her life.

My Two Cents: Naomi is in a predicament. She's trying to remember what happend before the accident. What was she like? Would she want to do anything differently? Is her amnesia a curse or a second chance to really explore her identity? Zevin does a great job in exploring the classic coming of age question of "Who am I?" in a refreshing light. Naomi's amnesia is both metaphorical and literal. She begins to see what is really happening around her. Does becoming a "new" person really mean rejecting one's "past"? Can the two coexist? These questions are the crux of this remarkable novel.

Interested? Check it out from our library!

Coming to Theaters Near You!

There is a whole slew of books that are being made into a movie. Here are just some that I'm very excited to see:


Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist


Check the book out from our library!


Harry Potter and the Half Blooded Prince

Check it out from our library!

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas

Check the book out from our library!


The Watchmen


Check the book out from our library!

Breaking Dawn Tour concert in Chicago 8/5/08

I know that I'm a week late in reporting about the awesome Breaking Dawn Concert/Signing with Stephenie Meyer, but late is better than never, right?

Needless to say, the concert and signing was awesome. It took place on August 5, 2008 at the Harris Theater in Chicago. The event was sold out. Approximately, 1,525 people attended the event. Twilight fans took the place by storm. I don't think Harris Theater expected such a huge turn out. People started to show up as early as 4:30pm, even though the doors of the theater didn't open until 6pm.

Here's what the lines looked like at 4:50pmish and then at 5:30pmish. As you can see, these fans were prepared with home-made t-shirts and their books in hand:

The event was MC'ed by Electra by Q101's Electra. The covers of the books were the background setting of the stage along with a sofa at the center. Electra introduced Justin Furstenfeld, leader singer of Blue October, who played some songs acoustically. Blue October has several songs that are on Stephenie Meyer's playlist for her books. He was fantastic. To be honest, I wasn't a fan of Blue October before the concert, but I definitely wanted to pick up their albums after the concert.

Justin performed the songs that were on the Twilight Saga playlist as well as some unreleased songs from Blue October's upcoming album. After Justin's performance, Electra and Stephenie started the Question and Answer session of the show. A good friend of mine has a transcript of the Q&A in case anyone is interested. Unfortunately, her website is down but I will update the blog with that info. After the Q&A, Stephenie brought out Justin to join her onstage. Stephenie explained the significance of music and how it inspires her to write. Justin played the hit single "Hate Me" and an unreleased title, "My Never", that had me all choked up :

Breaking Dawn Tour coming to Chicago!

The last installment of the Edward-Bella saga is coming to Bookstores near you on August 2nd! If you can't wait, then I would suggest you to pick up a copy of the Special Edition of New Moon which now has the first, full chapter of Breaking Dawn! Stephenie Meyer will be coming to Chicago on August 5th. I was lucky enough to get tickets after waiting for over 2 hours by the phone and my computer. I hope to take some great pictures to share with you all!

Summer Reading Recommendations

The end of the year is quickly drawing to a close and you may be wondering what books to read while you soak up the sun and dip your toes into the pool. Well, we've got you covered!

The LFHS library has compiled a list of summer reading recommendations. Just look at our Shelfair widget, located on the right hand side of the blog. In case you have difficulty in viewing the widget, the list can also be found here.

If you're curious to see what the library staff is reading, you can find that here in our Plan to Read list on Shelfari.

Did miss anything that is not on our list? Please let us know by commenting on this post! Just click on the comments link and fill out the fields.

Twilight Movie Exclusive!!!

This has to be on one of my favorite birthdays yet! The moment all Twilight die-hard fans have been waiting for is getting closer. Yes, you've heard that the amazing, thrilling, romantic novel by the incredible Stephenie Meyer is now come to life. Summitt Entertainment is producing Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. The movie stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart as the cross-lovers Edward Cullen and Isabella Swan.

Check out the Official Movie Teaser Trailer below!



The poster is from MTV Movies.

Learn more about the cast and crew from the Twilight movie on the Twilight Lexicon.

Read about the trailer at the MTV Blog.

2009 Abraham Lincoln Award Nominees 2009

Every year the Illinois School Library Association puts out a list of books that have been selected from a wide audience ranging from students to librarians. Readers read the chosen titles and vote for their favorite book at their school and public libraries. Get a head start on reading them now!

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Kristina Snow's life is turned upside-down, when she visits her absentee father, gets turned on to the drug "crank", becomes addicted, and is lead down a desperate path that threatens her mind, soul, and her life.

Check it out now!



What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles

After his younger brother commits suicide, Kyle Kirby decides to exact revenge on the person he holds responsible by buring someone alive.

Check it out!

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

After he was taken in and nursed back to health by the people of a Pakistani village, he promised to return one day and build them a school. From that rash, earnest promise grew one of the most incredible humanitarian campaigns of our time--Mortenson's one-man mission to counteract extremism by building schools, especially for girls, throughout the breeding ground of the Taliban.

Check it out!

The Girls by Lori Lansens

A fictional autobiography of conjoined twins told by Rose and Ruby Darlen, two young women who, nearing the age of thirty, are about to become history's oldest surviving twins to be joined at the head.

Check it out!

Taken by Chris Jordan

When caterer Kate Bickford's 11-year-old son, Tomas, vanishes after his Little League game in Fairfax, Conn., she races home, hoping to find him. Instead, she discovers a mother's worst nightmare: Tomas has been kidnapped and his kidnapper is Capt. Steve Cutter (former Special Ops), a ruthless liar.

Coming Soon!




Sold by Patricia McCormick

Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi leaves her poor mountain home in Nepal thinking that she is to work in the city as a maid only to find that she has been sold into the sex slave trade in India and that there is no hope of escape.

Check it out!


It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

New York City teenager Craig Gilner succumbs to academic and social pressures at an elite high school and enters a psychiatric hospital after attempting suicide.

Check it out!

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Cal Thompson is a carrier of a parasite that causes vampirism, and must hunt down all of the girlfriends he has unknowingly infected.

Check it out!



Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

After learning about his magical ancestry and his own warrior powers, sixteen-year-old Jack embarks on a training program to fight enemy wizards.

Coming Soon!

I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

After capturing a bank robber, nineteen-year-old cab driver Ed Kennedy begins receiving mysterious messages that direct him to addresses where people need help, and he begins getting over his lifelong feeling of worthlessness.

Check it out!

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

After learning that he is the son of a mortal woman and Poseidon, god of the sea, twelve-year-old Percy is sent to a summer camp for demigods like himself, and joins his new friends on a quest to prevent a war between the gods.

Check it out!

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Sixteen-year-old Mattie, determined to attend college and be a writer against the wishes of her father and boyfriend, takes a job at a hotel in 1906 where the death of a guest renews her determination to live her own life.

Check it out!

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Weiss

Haunted by flashbacks, fifteen-year-old Meredith learns that three years in prison has not changed the abusive father who molested her.

Coming Soon!

Hawksong by Amelia Atwater Rhodes

In a land that has been at war so long that no one remembers the reason for fighting, the shapeshifters who rule the two factions agree to marry in the hope of bringing peace, despite deep-seated fear and distrust of each other.

Check it out!



Catch by Will Leitch

Teenager Tim Temples must decide if he wants to leave his comfortable life in a small town and go to college.

Check it out!

After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings and Flew Away by Joyce Carol Oates

Blaming herself for the car accident on the Tappan Zee Bridge that killed her mother, fifteen-year-old Jenna undergoes a difficult physical and emotional recovery.

Check it out!

Jennifer Government by Max Barry

Hack, a corporate employee in a future, extraordinarily capitalist, America, is pressured to commit murder as part of his promotion and is soon chased by a government agent--Jennifer Government

Coming Soon!



Dairy Queen by Catherine Murdock

After spending her summer running the family farm and training the quarterback for her school's rival football team, sixteen-year-old D.J. decides to go out for the sport herself, not anticipating the reactions of those around her.

Check it out!



The Bonemender by Holly Bennett

Gabrielle is a bonemender of extraordinary talent. One day a stranger arrives, desperately seeking help for his injured friend. To Gabrielle's wonder, they are Elves, a people not seen in Verdeau in many years. And they bring news of a coming invasion that threatens the freedom of the entire Krylian Basin, Human and Elvish alike.

Check it out!

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

Check it out!

Raiders Night by Robert Lipsyte

Matt Rydeck, co-captain of his high school football team, endures a traumatic season as he witnesses the rape of a rookie player by teammates and grapples with his own use of performance-enhancing drugs.

Check it out!



The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult

Comic book artist Daniel Stone, a stay-at-home dad with a fourteen-year-old daughter Trixie, and an unfaithful wife, turns a blind eye to Trixie's first broken heart and wife Laura's affair, but the feelings of rage he has buried for years come to the surface when Trixie is raped at a party and accuses her former boyfriend.

Check it out!

11 days to the release of Stephenie Meyer's The Host!

The author who brought you New York Times Bestseller Twilight Saga, now brings you The Host on May 6th, 2008.

Description from Stephenie Meyer's website:

Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.

When Melanie, one of the few remaining "wild" humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

Wanderer probes Melanie's thoughts, hoping to discover the whereabouts of the remaining human resistance. Instead, Melanie fills Wanderer's mind with visions of the man Melanie loves—Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she has been tasked with exposing. When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.

Dying to know more? Read an excerpt from The Host.

Visit the official website for The Host

Watch Border's exclusive interview with Stephenie Meyer!

Check out fan forums for The Host: The Host index and The Host library

Faeries and Fairy Tales

Did you think that faeries and fairy tales were only for small children? Think again! Discover a new faerie world and revisit old fairy tales with unique twists and turns. Here are our recommendations of books that will make you crave for all things faerie and possibly make you not want to leave the faerie world!

I am Morgan le Fay by Nancy Springer

In a war-torn England where her half-brother Arthur will eventually become king, the young Morgan le Fay comes to realize that she has magic powers and links to the faerie world.

Check it out!

River Secrets by Shannon Hale

Young Razo travels from Bayern to Tira at war's end as part of a diplomatic corps, but mysterious events in the Tiran capital fuel simmering suspicions and anger, and Razo must spy out who is responsible before it is too late and he becomes trapped in an enemy land.

Check it out!

Valiant by Holly Black

17 yr old Valerie Russell runs away to New York City and befriends a group of very unusual characters who live in the city's subway tunnels and soon finds herself bound into service by a troll named Ravus.

Check it out!

The Wishsong of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Allanon, legendary Druid protector of the Races, must seek aid from Brin, a descendant of the Elven king Shannara.
Check it out!

The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber

A grotesque foundling turns against the witch who sacrificed almost everything to raise him when he becomes consumed by the desire for money and revenge against those who have hurt him, but he eventually finds his true heart's desire.

Check it out!

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

Tiffany, a young witch-to-be in the land of Discworld, teams up with the Wee Free Men, a clan of six-inch-high blue toughs, to rescue her baby brother and ward off a sinister invasion from Fairyland.

Check it out!

Spinners by Donna Jo Napoli

A tale of a young tailor who cripples himself while spinning gold thread on a magic wheel to win his beloved's hand. Spurned for his ugliness, he watches her marry the miller and die giving birth to the child he knows is his own. The girl grows up to become a master spinner. Does this sound familiar to you?

Check it out!



The Complete Brother Grimm Fairy Tales edited by Lily Owen

Look no further when it comes to fairy tales. Find out what the real story behind your favorite Disney movies were really all about. Warning: not for the squeamish.

Check it out!



The Complete Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales edited by Lily Owens

Revisit your favorite Hans Christian Andersen story like The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, and many more!

Check it out!

The Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire

So what was Cinderella really like? Were the stepmother and stepsisters really all that nasty? Find out in this retelling of Cinderella. You may be surprised.

Check it out!

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen

Rebecca Berlin, a young woman who has grown up hearing her grandmother Gemma tell an unusual and frightening version of the Sleeping Beauty legend, realizes when Gemma dies that the fairy tale offers one of the very few clues she has to her grandmother's past.

Check it out!

Breath by Donna Jo Napoli

The setting is the late 13th century. Hamlen and surrounding towns are inflicted with a terrible, incurable disease. Animals are sick and dying and the fear is that humans may be next. What is causing the disease? Maybe it's the rat infestation, but no one is certain of the cause. Hopefully, the new piper that Salz meets can solve the problem.

Check it out!



Tithe by Holly Black

16 yr old Kaye, who has been visited by faeries since childhood, discovers that she herself is a magical faerie creature with a special destiny.

Check it out!

The Blue Girl by Charles de Lint

17 yr old Imogene decides to reinvent herself after moving to a new town with her family. She hopes to leave behind her tough, rebellious nature, befriend the high school outcast and try her best to avoid trouble. However, when she gets on the wrong side of a gang of malicious fairies, Imogene finds herself in more trouble than ever before.

Check it out!

Birdwing by Rafe Martin

Prince Ardwin, known as Birdwing, the youngest of six brothers turned into swans by their stepmother, is unable to complete the transformation back into human form, so he undertakes a journey to discover whether his feathered arm will be a curse or a blessing to him.

Check it out!

Celandine by Steve Augarde

In Somerset, England, during World War I, Celandine becomes involved in the lives of the little people living on a hill near her family's farm, while also coming to terms with her own healing abilities and psychic gifts.

Check it out!

Beauty by Robin McKinley

How far would you go to save your family? That is the question Beauty, a plain-looking, intelligent young woman has to decide when she's confronted to spend her life in the Beast's castle in this retelling of the beloved fairy tale Beauty and the Beast.

Check it out!

I was a Teenage Fairy by Francesca Lia Block

A feisty, sexy fairy helps a young woman heal traumas from her past.

Check it out!

The New Policeman by Kat Thompson

15 yr old musician J.J. Liddy leaves his small, Irish town and travels to the land of the fairies to search for time so he can give it to his busy mother, but when he gets there, he discovers that the inhabitants are in trouble and learns about his family's secret history

Check it out!

Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block

A collection of post-modern fairy tales that chronicle the interwoven lives of Weetzie Bat, her friend Dirk, and their lovers Duck and My Secret Agent Man. A must read for fans of fantasy!

Check it out!