Teens Top Ten Nominations - Identical by Ellen Hopkins

This week's book is Identical by Ellen Hopkins!


Identical teenage twins, Raeanne and Kaeleigh, respond in totally opposite ways to the abuse and abandonment from their parents. One twin finds bulimia and cutting eases the pain and helps her to maintain her passivity, while the other, more rebellious twin sinks into the world of drugs and sex.


"This book was my first introduction to Ellen Hopkins and to novels in verse. I was hooked! I went on to read her other books and enjoyed them all, but this one was my favorite, and I highly recommend it!" - Tonya Oswalt, YA Services Assistant, Bossier Central Library


Check back next week for information about the next book on the 2009 Teens' Top Ten Nominations list!

Teens' Top Ten Nominations - Runemarks by Joanne Harris

This week's book is Runemarks by Joanne Harris!



Maddie is shunned by the town because of the mysterious rune mark on her hand. This same rune mark will shatter her dull existence as it propels her into the center of a war between the new controlling religious government and the Norse gods of old.


Check back next week for information about the next book on the 2009 Teens' Top Ten Nominations list!

Teens' Top Ten Nominations - Paper Towns by John Green

This week's book is Paper Towns by John Green!

From Booklist

Quentin—or “Q.” as everyone calls him—has known his neighbor, the fabulous Margo Roth Spiegelman, since they were two. Or has he? Q. can’t help but wonder, when, a month before high-school graduation, she vanishes. At first he worries that she might have committed suicide, but then he begins discovering clues that seem to have been left for him, which might reveal Margo’s whereabouts. Yet the more he and his pals learn, the more Q. realizes he doesn’t know and the more he comes to understand that the real mystery is not Margo’s fate but Margo herself—enigmatic, mysterious, and so very alluring. Yes, there are echoes of Green’s award-winning Looking for Alaska (2006): a lovely, eccentric girl; a mystery that begs to be solved by clever, quirky teens; and telling quotations (from The Leaves of Grass, this time) beautifully integrated into the plot. Yet, if anything, the thematic stakes are higher here, as Green ponders the interconnectedness of imagination and perception, of mirrors and windows, of illusion and reality. That he brings it off is testimony to the fact that he is not only clever and wonderfully witty but also deeply thoughtful and insightful. In addition, he’s a superb stylist, with a voice perfectly matched to his amusing, illuminating material.


Check back next week for information about the next book on the 2009 Teens' Top Ten Nominations list!

Teens' Top Ten Nominations Update!

There has been a change in the voting schedule for the Teens' Top Ten Nominations! Previously, you had until October to read the books,a nd then vote during Teen Read Week in October. This year you should read the books by August 24th! Voting starts on August 24th and ends on September 18th. (I will post the link during that time)

The Top Ten winning books will be announced during Teen Read Week!

Teens' Top Ten Nominations - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

This week's book is The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman!

When a toddler wanders away from his home just before assassins slay his family, he ends up in a graveyard. The ghosts and other denizens of the cemetery adopt him, name him Nobody Owens, and teach him important skills he will need to survive.

Though this book is found in the children's section at the Bossier Parish Library, it is enjoyed by all ages!


Check back next week for information about the next book on the 2009 Teens' Top Ten Nominations list!

Beastly - Book Review by Mallory

Beastly by Alex Finn


Beastly is basically Walt Disney’s movie Beauty and the Beast put into text with a few changes. For instance the main character is a rich popular kid in private school. The witch who casts a spell on him is also a “student” at this school as is the equivalent of Belle, Linda. After Kyle becomes a beast he secludes himself and becomes a connoisseur of roses by the instruction of his blind tutor Will. As the story progresses Kyle begins watching Linda with his enchanted mirror (as seen in Disney’s version) and sees how awful her living conditions are. Then one night Linda’s father tries to rob Kyle and in exchange for his not being turned over to the cops he trades Linda who is furious with the arrangement. However, she soon becomes attached to Kyle and is deeply torn when she sees her father hurt in the enchanted mirror. Kyle lets her go, and later goes on to save her life and consequently regain his human form. Over all I rather enjoyed the story. I found it to be a light and fun read.

Review by Mallory

Teens' Top Ten Nominations - Truancy: Origins by Isamu Fukui

This week's book is Truancy: Origins by Isamu Fukui!

From Booklist

This prequel to Truancy (last week's book feature) features 15-year-old twins Zen and Umasi, adopted sons of the notorious mayor of Education City, a dystopian metropolis where children are the product of cruel schooling. While Umasi is a model student and obedient son, when Zen discovers his father is responsible for the oppressive educational policy, he runs away to the abandoned districts to recruit homeless kids for his rebellion against city agents. Umasi quickly follows Zen, hoping to stop him from destroying the city, but the rebellion escalates into a war between the brothers. Both Umasi and Zen have inexplicable martial-arts training and talk like college professors, rather than teenagers. Despite its title, this book does little to explore how Education City came to exist or even why the brothers turn against each other. Instead, Fukui, who is a teen himself, focuses primarily on deftly depicted violence and explosive action sequences that will resonate most with reluctant male readers. Grades 8-11. --Kimberly Garnick


Check back next week for information about the next book on the 2009 Teens' Top Ten Nominations list!