In this issue:

Teen Online Book Reviews

Audiobooks for Young Adults

HCPL YA Staff

New Young Adult Books

November/December 2006

Have you read a book you just love and want to recommend it to others?

Are you looking for something to read but don't know where to start?

Harris County Public Library offers online book reviews by our customers!  You can read reviews written by other teens recommending books that they enjoyed.  You can write a review of a book that you loved so that other teens will want to read it too!

Each year the Audiobook and Media Exploration Committee of the Young Adult Library Services Association creates a list of Audiobooks for Young Adults.  The titles are selected for their appeal to a teen audience, the quality of their recording and because they enhance the audience's appreciation of any written work on which they may be based. 

Emily Mayfield

Young Adult Assistant

Emily Mayfield

Emily Mayfield is the Young Adult Assistant for the Clear Lake City-County Freeman Branch Library.

What do you like to read?

Mostly nonfiction.  I love biographies, history, and travel books.  One of my favorite books is The Masked Rider by Neil Peart, which is about his bicycle tour through several countries in West Africa.  I also enjoy reading YA mysteries and realistic fiction.

What was your favorite book when you were a teen?

In my early teens I liked reading Caroline Cooney, Lois Duncan, and Joan Lowery Nixon.  I'm glad to see that their books are still popular with teens today.  Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon was my favorite book in high school.

What do you like best about your job?

I like that my job is more challenging than I imagined it could be.  I especially enjoy planning programs and experimenting to see what works.  I love that we offer a variety of programs for the teens in our community like book discussions, knitting, DDR, crafts, and cooking programs.

What is your best memory of being a teen?

I remember traveling a lot with my family.  We would often go skiing in Lake Tahoe and we went to Germany and Italy on year.   I also visited my aunt, uncle, and cousin, who often moved.  I remember driving to California with my family to visit them and that the drive through the Southwest and then up and down the California coast was amazing.  Also, my aunt, cousin, and I drove from Baltimore to Houston, traveling through the Appalachian Mountains, which was an equally impressive drive.  I miss taking those long vacations.

If you could relive your teen years what would you do differently?

I would learn to play the drums and tryout for my High School band's drumline.  I often regret that I didn't learn to play an instrument in school.

If you could give advice or a message to your "teen self", what would it be?

I would probably tell myself to be a little more outgoing and not worry so much.  I remember being overly concerned about how others perceived me and I often shied away from expressing my ideas and opinions.

Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

I love to tap dance.  Anyone up for a "challenge?"

Emily, age 18

at the Alice in Wonderland Statue

in Central Park, New York City

Chris D'Lacey.  Icefire

While researching the existence of dragons for an essay that could win him a trip to the Arctic, Chris opens himself to the possibility that a great, ancient treasure exists there, guarded by bears, and that he has some role in its protection.

Karen Spafford-Fitz.  Dog Walker

Turk's moneymaking scheme gets out of control.

Liz Craft.  Bass Ackwards and Belly Up

When one of four best friends lies and says she will pursue her dream of writing a novel rather than start college, two others join in, one by going to Los Angeles to become an actress and one by backpacking through Europe to find herself, while the fourth goes to college, joins her hero's ski team, and tries to fall in love.

Daniel Ehrenhaft.  Drawing a Blank, or, How I Tried to Solve

a Mystery, End a Feud, and Land the Girl of My Dreams   Carlton Dunne IV, an outcast boarding school student with a secret identity as a graphic novelist, teams up with a beautiful Scottish girl who yearns to be an American police officer, to resolve an ancient feud and rescue Carlton's kidnapped father.

Jenny Han.  Shug

A twelve-year-old girl learns about friendship, first loves, and self-worth in a small town in the South.

Martina Wildner.  Shooting Stars Everywhere

Thirteen-year-old Victor keeps a journal about the mysterious letters that began arriving on his birthday, his fear of the high diving board, confusion over his divorced parents' relationship, and an assertive girl he calls D.

Elizabeth Knox.  Dreamhunter

In a world where select people can enter "The Place" and find dreams of every kind to share with others for a fee, a fifteen-year-old girl is training to be a dreamhunter when her father disappears, leaving her to carry on his mysterious mission.

Margaret Pinder.  But I Don't Want to be a Movie Star

While spending the summer in California with her movie-star grandmother, fifteen-year-old Kat reluctantly agrees to impersonate the aging actress in the hopes of helping her land an important movie role.

Margaret Peterson Haddix.  Among the Free

When thirteen-year-old Luke Garner unwittingly sets off a rebellion which sweeps the country and ousts the Population Police from power, he quickly realizes that the new regime is corrupt and he may hold the only key to true freedom.

Meg Cabot.  Holiday Princess

Princess Mia presents a guide to the winter holidays, including the story behind some traditions, gift suggestions, make-up and fashion tips for seasonal parties, recipes, and craft ideas.

Richard Knaak.  Warcraft:  Shadows of Ice

It's an epic quest to save the world of Azeroth from the forces of the Undead Scourge! "Warcraft: The Sunwell Triology" chronicles the adventures of Kalec, a blude dragon who has taken human form to investigate a mysterious power, and Anveena, a beautiful young maiden with an enchanting secret...

Daphne Oz.  The Dorm Room Diet

Daphne Oz's 8-step program shows college students how to stop eating out of emotional need and examine when, where, and especially what they should eat to keep their minds in focus and their bodies in shape. With warmth and humor, she coaches readers on managing time, storing food, and respecting budgets; helps them navigate the most common danger zones at school for unhealthy eating; and shows them how to get the exercise they need, even in a tiny dorm room.

M. J. Smith.  The Smart Student's Guide to Healthy Living

This book offers the low down on how to avoid the "freshman fifteen," that unflattering spare tire that can be so difficult to lose later on. It gives advice on cafeteria food choices and smart snacks that can be prepared with dorm-room appliances. These tips will help readers become healthy eaters for a lifetime. The book also suggests ways to fit regular exercise into a busy class schedule and get enough sleep without missing out on too much late-night fun.

Ryder Windham.  Star Wars:  The Comics Companion

Written by Star Wars expert Ryder Wyndham and densely illustrated with both brand-new art and classic images from the comics, this chronological compendium contains everything one needs to be the ultimate Star Wars reader in the know.

Yoko Kamio.  Boys Over Flowers 18

When the Makino family's finances hit rock bottom yet again, they decide to move tot he countryside so Tsukushi's father can earn a living as a fisherman. Poor Tsukushi is left behind in their apartment to try her hand at independent living.