The Library Ninja Blog

Teen Review by Elijah C...The Fire Within by Chris d'Lacey

David Rain never thought that moving into a house with a woman named Liz and her daughter named Lucy would turn his life into an adventure. The first thing he notices is that Liz treats the clay dragons that she makes as if they are real and her daughter does, too. Lucy loves animals and begs David to write a story about squirrels, but when Liz gives him a dragon named Gadzooks his fictional story turns to fact. All he has to do is close his eyes and Gadzooks writes a word on his note pad that helps David, but when he stops helping after David is mean to him David asks Liz whats wrong. She tells him that Gadzooks is losing his fire tear which is his life source and when it is gone Gadzooks is gone. Will David save Gadzooks and is his story heading for disaster? Well, you're going to have to read the book.

I thought this book was amazing because it has dragons (which I think are awesome) and is full of adventure. Chris D'Lacey did an amazing job of making you keep want to turn the page. When you read this book it is like you are David himself. Now it's time for me to read the rest of the series.

Read all of The Last Dragon Chronicles

2/22/2012 1 Comment - Add a Comment Share this:

Topics: Books, Teen Reviews

African American History is American History

Check out some of these books now or anytime to read about African American experience and contributions. African American history is American History so there is no need to wait for February to roll around to pick up a YA book written by an African American author or about an African American character.

The Arlington Public Library is celebrating Black History Month with a festival at our Central location this Saturday! There are plenty of fun activities for the whole family. Check it out!

2/21/2012 by Erin S. Add a Comment Share this:

Topics: Books, Book List

Cover Lover - The Year of the Beasts

Can you see me jumping up and down? No? Well, I am! I love Cecil Castellucci and am really excited about this graphic novel.

Publisher's summary: Every summer the trucks roll in, bringing the carnival and its infinite possibilities to town. This year Tessa and her younger sister Lulu are un-chaperoned and want to be first in line to experience the rides, the food . . . and the boys. Except this summer, jealousy will invade their relationship for the first time, setting in motion a course of events that can only end in tragedy, putting everyone's love and friendship to the test.

Alternating chapters of prose and comics are interwoven in this extraordinary novel that will break your heart and crack it wide open at the same time.

Why we love it: Check out that girl's fierce face and the snakes writhing from her head! This is definitely a reference to Greek mythology (Yeah, she'll turn you to stone, but even Medusa deserves a little love!), which makes me happy because I always enjoy mythology in fiction. The stark black and white of the girl is a fabulous contrast with the vivid blue of the lockers and the shocking yellow of the text. I like how she looks like a regular girl, but something in her eyes (even when you ignore the snakes) makes you think she means business. Maybe she's had enough and is about to get some retribution, or maybe she just stubbed her toe. Either way, I can't wait to find out what's going on!

If you're interested in more of artist Nate Powell's work, click is name to go to his website, then head over to Shelf Awareness and check out this fun illustrated question and answer session with Mr. Powell.

2/17/2012 by Amy S. Add a Comment Share this:

Topics: Books, Cover Lover

Teen Review by Megan S...Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Twilight is a very interesting book if you love romance, vampires, etc. I was BEGGING my parents to read it for two whole years!! When I finally read it, I was ready to see the movie and/or read the next book. If you haven't read this, I HIGHLY recommend it to you.

At first, the story was kinda boring. I realized that this was the book I loved, and I hope you do, too! If you read until chapter 5, you will fall in LOVE! All schools, libraries, and colleges have this book, so there is no reason to refuse. Thank you for reading my review.

Other books you might enjoy

2/16/2012 Add a Comment Share this:

Topics: Books, Teen Reviews

Prince and Princess Fiction

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! If you're a total sap like me then you probably love (secretly) reading romantic novels full of princes and princesses, courtly intrigue, and royal adventure. Whether your taste runs toward romance or adventure, you can certainly find an entertaining read in one of these great fiction books featuring Princes or Princesses!

2/14/2012 by Jenny Ethington Add a Comment Share this:

Topics: Book List

Cover Lover - Croak

That's right. It's that time again. Time for me to share my newest favorite in dark and slightly twisted cover art.

Publisher's summary: Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.

Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?

Why we love it: I was a big fan of the television show Dead Like Me, and this book cover, title, and description remind me a lot of that show. In the show, the reapers were living without real connections to other humans, and they were never quite sure if what they were doing was truly right or wrong. I kind of get this from the description of Croak.

The title's font has the appearance of being written with chalk. Add to that the use of a skull for the letter O and the smirk on the girl's face and you get a sense of the dark humor that this book may contain. The hoodie gives the girl a definite teen look (and reminds me a bit of Vladimir Tod), but that very shiny and very deadly scythe brings it all home: this is not a book about rainbows and fluffy bunnies.

2/10/2012 by Amy S. Add a Comment Share this:

Topics: Cover Lover

Teen Review by Abdullah F...Gladiator: Fight for Freedom by

THIS IS YOUR NEW HOME. FORGET YOUR PAST. ALL THAT REMAINS IS TO LEARN HOW TO FIGHT AND SURVIVE.

Rome 61 B.C.

Marcus's beloved centurion father lies murdered, and his mother has been kidnapped and sold into slavery. Freshly torn from his idyllic childhood, Marcus is brought to train as a gladiator and faces years of brutal practice before he can be deemed an elite warrior, destined to fight or die in the arena. Though he is threatened by a vicious enemy and ordered to forget his past, Marcus dreams of freedom and is determined to find his father's old commander to seek justice for his family and rescue his mother. Yet, Marcus carries a secret that might hold the key to freeing himself and all of the Empire's slaves and if the Romans discover it, there will be no escape.

When I see that a book is published by Disney Hyperion, my expectations soar - even more because The Way of the Warrior (one of my all-time favorites) was published by them. Luckily for me, GLADIATOR Fight for Freedom was just as good as I expected - even better, actually.

It contained so much action, gore, and adventure that you would've been crazy not to have liked it. I'm not a really a big fan of historical fiction but sometimes I'll find one that I'll really enjoy and this book was definitely one of those. I'm not to sure if I would classify this book under my favorites just yet, but maybe later on once I read the next book, because this book has a lot of potential. I would've appreciated it if the book had gone a bit longer but it was just about as good as you can get. The other thing about it was that is unique, I get so tired about reading the same plot over and over again with the only difference being the characters names. Like those dystopians or those time travel stories one of them I can handle but 50 of the same books? But like I said Fight for Freedom was unique and I've never read any book about a gladiator or about ancient Rome, and it was really interesting to read about both of those. Considering how it finished I can't wait for the second book to come and as soon it does i'll be one of the first to read it. I rate the book a full 5 stars cause it was just fantastic all around. The best part being that I enjoyed every page. There aren't a lot of books I can say that about but I know I can say that about this one. I also think that Simon Scarrow did a wonderful job not only for thinking of something so original but also for writing such a magnificent story.

Usually in my third paragraph I'll write the things that I didn't like about the book. And this paragraph is usually very small as is the case today. The one and only thing that I didn't like was the cover, it looked like a 6 year old dressed up in some cheap plastic gladiator costume, not at all like the boy it describes in the book. So that was pretty much the only thing that I didn't like about The Fight for Freedom everything was really good and I think everyone should at least give it a try.

Other books you might enjoy

2/9/2012 Add a Comment Share this:

Topics: Books, Teen Reviews

Teen Review by Dianna M...Ready or Not by Meg Cabot

I'm always looking for an enthralling read. I have found it. It captured my attention and lured me forward just to read this amazing book. It is a true teen drama book on what it's like to be a regular teenage girl, well not that regular.

Samantha(Sam) Madison is the girl who saved the president's life. The girl who had a movie made about her, the girl who received a medal for being a hero, the girl who is now dating the president's son, David. Although David thinks that they're ready to take it to "the next level" in their relationship. He invites her to Camp David with him and his parents. Is Sam ready, or not?

This teen drama book doesn't just have "eager" boyfriends, but a complicated sister and surprising art lessons. It's about a girl who faces a real life teen choice that puts her in a bad position. Even though Sam is trying to dodge her boyfriend, the president has plans for her. The president is hosting a town meeting that will encourage parents to make sure they know what there teenage children are doing at every moment of the day! David's dad wants everyone to know what an amazing role model she is, but is she really?

She announces a personal thought live on MTV, that she will regret. Will Sam choose the right decision? Will she get out of the teen drama? Well, read "Ready Or Not" and find out.

Other books you might enjoy

2/8/2012 Add a Comment Share this:

Topics: Books, Teen Reviews

Anti-Valentine's Day Books

Feeling a little cynical this Valentine's Day? Check out some great books about the not-so-great side of love.

2/6/2012 by Jenny Ethington Add a Comment Share this:

Topics: Book List

The Ninja Reviews....Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Ismae, the daughter of a turnip farmer, grows up hated and feared among her village. When her father arranges a marriage to a brutal man, Ismae escapes to the convent of St. Mortain, the Old God of Death. The sisters here serve Mortain as his handmaidens of death, and Ismae must choose whether to serve Him or go back into the hateful world of men.

She desides to train as an assasin, taking the reigns of her own life as she vows to serve justice to others in the name of the God of Death. Her path leads her to an important assignment in the high court of Brittany where she must play games of politics, intrigue, and espionage. She accompanies the Knight Duval, who has his own reasons for throwing himself into Brittany's welfare, trying to save the Duchy from French invasion. Together, Duval and Ismae are faced with near impossible odds, fighting foes both visible and invisible, until Death hands down an edict that Ismae cannot fathom.
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Well ninjalings, I told you back in December that this book was on my must read list. I am lucky enough that Ninja Amanda was given the advanced copy at the American Library Association winter meeting held her in Dallas. I DEVOURED this book in two days. Lately the last few books I have read have been somewhat blah, with poorly written characters or a stuttering plot line that left me feeling crummy.

I'm happy to say that Grave Mercy has cured me. This book reads a bit like a mix between historical fiction and romance, though it really is not either one. I found it to be so full of politics, back-stabbing and spying that I did not find the history overwhelming. There is just enough romance and strong-female characters that you feel enticed to read more. But what I was really excited about was the thoughtful writing and smart characters. Ismae especially intrigued me and I felt was fully fleshed out in the book. She is damaged goods but is eager to prove herself to her convent. Her faith at first is unwavering, but as the plot moves forward she begins to explore her beliefs, questioning her convent training while remaining faithful. This to me makes her a true heroine - standing up for herself and keeping her faith while actively seeking out answers.

Oh, and there are assasin nuns people....assasin nuns.