Darth paper, Origami Yoda, and Tom Angelberger Tonight at 7.00

For those of you who are or know anyone who is a Star Wars fan, an origami fan, or a Wimpy Kid reader, come and meet Tom Angleberger tonight at 7.00. He will be talking about his new book, Darth paper Strikes Back, which is hilarious.

In this funny, uncannily wise portrait of the dynamics of a sixth-grade class and of the greatness that sometimes comes in unlikely packages, Dwight, a loser, talks to his classmates via an origami finger puppet of Yoda. If that werent strange enough, the puppet is uncannily wise and prescient. Origami Yoda predicts the date of a pop quiz, guesses who stole the classroom Shakespeare bust, and saves a classmate from popularity-crushing embarrassment with some well-timed advice. Dwights classmate Tommy wonders how Yoda can be so smart when Dwight himself is so clueless. With contributions from his puzzled classmates, he assembles the case file that forms this novel.

Here's video of how to make the origami puppets:

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - review

Here's Megan's review of The Magicians. I'll post my review of The Magician King very soon. But it was this review that made read Lev Grossman in the first place.

A young man walking with his friends performs a coin trick inside his pocket where nobody can see it. And there it is: a brilliant, perfect introduction to Quentin Coldwater, who is a genius, unhappy, and about to discover that magic is absolutely real, just hidden where most people can’t see it.

The bones of the story might be familiar: a boy discovers that he has a talent for magic and goes off to boarding school to learn it. He makes friends and discovers a magical world straight from his beloved books. The details though (and the book is crammed with details, strange and extravagant, disturbing and scary ones) make this book fresh and thoroughly grown up. As this intelligent story races past enchanted buttons and evil beasts, alcohol drenched parties and caustic affairs, it ends up describing how difficult it is to grow up, and how it’s sometimes wonderful and sometimes painful to long for the extraordinary to appear.

Lev Grossman

Lev Grossman, author of the wonderful books, The Magicians and The Magician King came to Kepler's in August and can be seen here reading from The Magician King. Oh, I so enjoyed this book. Review soon.

TONIGHT! Cinda Williams Chima

Just wanted to remind you that Cinda Williams Chima will be at the Menlo Park Library tonight at 7.00 to talk about her newest book in the seven realms series, The Grey Wolf Throne.

Background: Cinda grew up with talking animals and kick-butt Barbies. She began writing poetry and stories in third grade, and novels in junior high school.
Chima’s books have received starred reviews in Kirkus and VOYA, among others. They have been named Booksense and Indie Next picks, an International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, to the Kirkus Best YA list, and the VOYA Editors’ Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and Perfect Tens lists. Her books also appear on numerous state awards lists. Both series are New York Times bestsellers.
Chima was a recipient of the 2008 Lit Award for Fiction from the Cleveland Lit and was named a Cleveland Magazine Interesting Person 2009.

And the books are very very good. Join me!

Hunger Games Movie Is Finished Filming!

And...it's a wrap! The Hunger Games has officially finished filming.

There are 189 days until it hits theaters, but who's counting?

Can't wait.

http://lionsgatepublicity.com/

100 Books List

So I've been seeing this list of 100 YA books in various places. First at YA Bibliophile and then on Bookalicious and of course I felt the need to do this too.

Bold I read it, Italics I own it but haven’t read it.


1. Alex Finn – Beastly
2. Alice Sebold – The Lovely Bones
3. Ally Carter – Callagher Girls (1, 2, 3, 4)
4. Ally Condie – Matched
5. Alyson Noel – The Immortals (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
6. Anastasia Hopcus – Shadow Hills
7. Angie Sage – Septimus Heap (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
8. Ann Brashares – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (1, 2, 3, 4)
9. Anna Godbersen – Luxe (1, 2, 3, 4)
10. Anthony Horowitz – Alex Rider (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
11. Aprilynne Pike – Wings (1, 2, 3)
12. Becca Fitzpatrick – Hush, Hush (1, 2)
13. Brandon Mull – Fablehaven (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
14. Brian Selznick – The Invention of Hugo Cabret
15. Cassandra Clare – The Mortal Instruments (1, 2, 3, 4)
16. Carrie Jones – Need (1, 2, 3)
17. Carrie Ryan – The Forest of Hands and Teeth (1, 2, 3)
18. Christopher Paolini - Inheritance (1, 2, 3, 4)
19. Cinda Williams Chima – The Heir Chronicles (1, 2, 3)
20. Colleen Houck – Tigers Saga (1, 2)
21. Cornelia Funke – Inkheart (1, 2, 3)
22. Ellen Hopkins – Impulse
23. Eoin Colfer – Artemis Fowl (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
24. Faraaz Kazi – Truly, Madly, Deeply
25. Frank Beddor – The Looking Glass Wars (1, 2, 3)
26. Gabrielle Zevin – Elsewhere
27. Gail Carson Levine – Fairest
28. Holly Black – Tithe (1, 2, 3)
29. J.K. Rowling – Harry Potter (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
30. James Dashner – The Maze Runner (1, 2)
31. James Patterson – Maximum Ride (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
32. Jay Asher – Thirteen Reasons Why
33. Jeanne DuPrau – Books of Ember (1, 2, 3, 4)
34. Jeff Kinney – Diary of a Wimpy Kid (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
35. John Boyne – The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
36. John Green – An Abundance of Katherines
37. John Green – Looking for Alaska
38. John Green – Paper Towns
39. Jonathan Stroud – Bartimaeus (1, 2, 3, 4)
40. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl – Caster Chronicles (1, 2)
41. Kelley Armstrong – Darkest Powers (1, 2, 3)
42. Kristin Cashore – The Seven Kingdoms (1, 2)
43. Lauren Kate – Fallen (1, 2, 3)
44. Lemony Snicket - Series of Unfortunate Events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
45. Libba Bray – Gemma Doyle (1, 2, 3)
46. Lisa McMann – Dream Catcher (1, 2, 3)
47. Louise Rennison – Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
48. M.T. Anderson – Feed
49. Maggie Stiefvater – The Wolves of Mercy Falls (1, 2, 3)
50. Margaret Peterson Haddix – Shadow Children (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
51. Maria V. Snyder – Study (1, 2, 3)
52. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief
53. Markus Zusak – I am the Messenger
54. Mark Haddon – The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
55. Mary Ting – Crossroads
56. Maureen Johnson – Little Blue Envelope (1, 2)
57. Meg Cabot – All-American Girl (1, 2)
58. Meg Cabot – The Mediator (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
59. Meg Cabot – The Princess Diaries (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
60. Meg Rosoff – How I live now
61. Megan McCafferty – Jessica Darling (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
62. Megan Whalen Turner – The Queen’s Thief (1, 2, 3, 4)
63. Melina Marchetta – On the Jellicoe Road
64. Melissa de la Cruz – Blue Bloods (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
65. Melissa Marr – Wicked Lovely (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
66. Michael Grant – Gone (1, 2, 3, 4)
67. Nancy Farmer – The House of the Scorpion
68. Neal Shusterman – Unwind
69. Neil Gaiman – Coraline
70. Neil Gaiman – Stardust
71. Neil Gaiman – The Graveyard Book
72. P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast – House of Night (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 )
73. Philip Pullman – His Dark Materials (1, 2, 3)
74. Rachel Caine – The Morganville Vampires (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
75. Rachel Cohn & David Levithan – Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist
76. Richelle Mead – Vampire Academy (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
77. Rick Riordan – Percy Jackson and the Olympians (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
78. Rom LcO’Feer – Somewhere carnal over 40 winks
79. S.L. Naeole – Grace (1, 2, 3, 4)
80. Sabrina Bryan & Julia DeVillers – Princess of Gossip
81. Sarah Dessen – Along for the Ride
82. Sarah Dessen – Lock and Key
83. Sarah Dessen – The Truth about Forever
84. Sara Shepard – Pretty Little Liars (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
85. Scott Westerfeld - Leviathan (1, 2)
86. Scott Westerfeld - Uglies (1, 2, 3)
87. Shannon Hale – Books of a Thousand Days
88. Shannon Hale – Princess Academy
89. Shannon Hale – The Books of Bayern (1, 2, 3, 4)
90. Sherman Alexie & Ellen Forney – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
91. Simone Elkeles – Perfect Chemistry (1, 2, 3)
92. Stephanie Meyer – The Host
93. Stephanie Meyer – Twilight Saga (1, 2, 3, 4)
94. Sue Monk Kidd – The Secret Life of Bees
95. Susan Beth Pfeffer – Last Survivors (1, 2, 3)
96. Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games (1, 2, 3)
97. Suzanne Collins – Underland Chronicles (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
98. Terry Pratchett – Tiffany Aching (1, 2, 3, 4)
99. Tonya Hurley – Ghost Girl (1, 2, 3)
100. Wendelin Van Draanen – Flipped

Makes me realize how many series I haven't yet finished!
Did you make your own list?
Which one should I read next?

The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore - Review

Here's Marilyn's great review of The Power of Six. I read it straight after reading this. In a day. Of course I did.

Once Marina's name was simply, Seven.

For 11 years, Marina's lived a school girl's life in a remote Spanish convent; the perfect hiding place. Seeing breaking news about American John Smith; fugitive and possible terrorist, is exciting and terrifying for Marina for she knows he's number four and Mogadorians are closing in on the remaining Garde. Marina's growing alarm is brushed off by her Cepan who seems perfectly settled into devout convent life.

Now nighttime brings vivid, dreadful, death-dreams, urging her to flee. Marina feels utterly alone, though she has a caring, earnest friend named Ella who wants nothing more than to help her. Marina and Ella make a desperate escape, barely evading deadly Mogadorians as they destroy the convent into rubble and death.

Meanwhile John, Sam and Six are now official fugitives trying to stay alive. Their only hope is to get into the Mogadorian mountain stronghold. As the remaining Garde locate each other and strengthen their legacies so do the numbers and strength of Mogadorians. Both sides are playing to the death, building to a terrifying battle that threatens the world. The Power of Six, is even more action packed and exciting than I Am Number Four – you must read it!

Blood Wounds by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Tolstoy said that all happy families are alike, but Jack, Willa's stepdad, disagrees. He thinks all happy families come in their own shapes and varieties, the same as unhappy ones. Willa lives with her mom, stepdad, and two stepsisters. Her mom is back in school, one sister is a tennis player, the other plays lacrosse and competes in equestrian competitions, and Willa sings in the school choir. They are busy. But everything changes when they learn that her biological dad, who she hasn't seen in years, murdered his new wife and children and is on his way to her and her mother.

This book is about what happens after such a tragedy. How people react around Willa, what she does, and what she finds out. She journeys back to her childhood, and finds out so much about herself, her mother, and what family really means. This is a leap from Life As We Knew It, certainly, but it is vivid, expertly written, and emotionally intense. I read this in one sitting, wanting to know how it would resolve. You will too.

Available Sept 13

Young Adult Gets A Teaser One-Sheet!

Did you see this?

The Jason Reitman directed, Charlize Theron starring, dramedy called Young Adult has just dropped its first official one-sheet. (For more information, click here)

Here's the synopsis: Theron plays an alcoholic writer of young-adult novels who decides to return to the small town that she left behind years ago to aggressively pursue her ex-boyfriend from high school (Patrick Wilson) — only, now he is happily married and the father of a young child, which certainly complicates matters, and leads her to another high school classmate (Patton Oswalt), and no shortage of trouble.

What do you think?

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson - Review

Here's Hilary's review of The Girl of Fire and Thorns. Looks so good. Think this will be my weekend read

Sixteen years old and destined to be married for the sake of the kingdom. Elisa, devout and a princess (but not the pretty one), is however, the bearer of the Godstone. Thus begins the epic journey of a young girl into womanhood and the fulfillment of her destiny. But what must she do to get there? As she gradually learns about the powers bestowed upon her by being the "chosen one," Elisa doubts she will know what to do to prove her worth. Many others have tried and failed. However, through many twists of fate and love, she discovers her power and the meaning of the Godstone. Her journey takes her into the heart of a revolution-one that she must lead to victory or to her death.

At times nail-biting and heart-wrenching, this book barrels towards an ending which presumes another beginning. I can not wait to read the second book in this new trilogy. The real journey has just begun.