Kevin's Review: Malcom X : A Graphic Biography by Andrew Helfer; Art by Randy DuBurke

Helfer and DuBurke have collaborated on a superior work. Helfer has successfully highlighted the life of one of American History’s most controversial figures. Key events include his early childhood, run-ins with the law, his split with the Nation of Islam (NOI), his relationship with Muhammad Ali, and his brief meeting with Martin Luther King Jr., and his conversion to a more peaceful path.

The most important part the work is Malcolm’s struggle with the founder of the NOI Elijah Muhammad. The graphic depiction allows the reader to understand the traits and motives of Muhammad and Malcolm. What transpired can be applied to just about any split in an organization.

This book proves that graphic novels can serve as an appropriate means to relate the lives of important figures and events. Hopefully, similar works will follow. Other titles about Malcolm X include Spike Lee’s movie and the award winning biography by Alex Haley.

The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci

After being the victim of a neighborhood bombing, Jane’s parents decide to move to the suburbs. Jane is having a hard time coping with the aftermath of the accident and doesn’t want to leave Metro City. But the move allows Jane to change herself, try a new look, a new group of friends, to be an individual. After always being a part of the “in crowd”, Jane chooses an eclectic set of girls to befriend: the drama geek, the brainiac, and the sporty girl and serendipitously they all share the same name. Jane also decides that instead of conforming to being “not good enough” for the organized extracurricular events, the Janes will form their own secret club: P.L.A.I.N –People Loving Art In Neighborhoods. And while the PLAIN Janes think they are adding beauty to suburbia, not everyone feels that way. Are the PLAIN Janes committing random acts of art kindness or are they rogue teenagers that need to be restrained? Can art save or is it the root of evil?

Avalon High Coronation Vol 1: The Merlin Prophecy by Meg Cabot

Witness Meg Cabot’s entrance in the manga world for yourself (although this book is printed English format and not true manga style!) Cabot continues the story she began in the novel Avalon High. There are some who believe that the legend of King Arthur is repeated throughout the generations in order for enlightenment to finally occur. While it appears that Will, Ellie, Lance, and Jennifer are the reincarnates of King Arthur, Lady Elaine, Sir Lancelot, and Queen Guinevere, the Merlin Prophecy will not come to pass unless Will truly believes he is King Arthur. And time is running out. Will has until the zenith of the Hunter’s Moon, which is Friday. Homecoming. Ellie has a plan but can she pull it off in time. Remember, King Arthur had his foes, including Mordred, Will’s brother Marco who is now incarcerated. And Marco’s girlfriend Morgan isn’t too happy about Ellie’s role in his capture or that fact that both girls have been nominated for Homecoming Queen. Will the Merlin Prophecy be fulfilled or is the world doomed to darkeness forever?

Dane's Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

As I can only imagine, there are other reviews of the much awaited "end of an era" or series as it were. In fact I'm quite certain that even an NCPL review of it exists. Queue magix, and immerse yourself; cause as I see it there are two types of HP readers, those who buckle down in a closet with a pocket clam and read the whole book in 1 day, or readers like myself; those who stop to speculate, or nap, or forget you left the book in your parents' room and want to read it @ midnight.
Welp!, the book itself. Assuming you've already read the first six, its a pretty fulfilling ending. It went in pretty much the direction I saw it going and without giving spoilers, a lot happens in the book rather quickly. If you are an avid lover of the series, you've already read it I'm sure, but its definitely worth reading all 7 if you haven't and like magic and mystery. Harry, a wizard, is basically trying to thwart Voldemort and/or kill him for good in the book. I wouldn't say its 100% predictable but you can decide that. Good luck finishing a series that I followed from the start, but I'm really looking forward to Confessor, the ending of book to another long series, The Sword of Truth (by Terry Goodkind), which I also suggest.

Rating: 4P, 5Q

Emily's Review: Stardust by Neil Gaiman

You might have seen the movie already. It's pretty fantastic in its own right, and entirely deserving of comparisons to The Princess Bride. But just like any movie based on a book, it's a sure bet that the original was a heckuva lot better (with the exception of Eragon, which is just as laughable as the written version). So one night Tristan Thorn is sitting with the lady he loves ever-so-much, Victoria, who, to be honest, doesn't really reciprocate his feelings. Tristan promises he'll bring her the falling star they watch together-- which means he'll have to cross the Wall, which separates their world from the wild realm of Faerie. No one's allowed across except to attend the Fairy Market held every nine years, but Tristan goes. It's a pretty straightforward fairytale, and despite my INTENSE, PASSIONATE LOVE for Neil Gaiman's writing it's predictable, too, but it's fun, in addition to being:

• Whimsical.
• Magical.
• Scary.
• Very silly.

That's what counts, after all. I mean, who really wants realism?

Mary's Review: JTHM - Director's Cut by Jhonen Vasquez

Jhonen Vasquez is not a well man: this is neither a good nor a bad thing. Its simply a fact of nature. And while the modern crowd tends to associate his name with the short-lived cult hit Invader Zm, his work actually traces back to a certain psychopath named Nny. The glorious thing about JTHM (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac) is that its cathartic. Nny is the dark voice in the human mind, acting out those violent little fantasies that would get a real person put in prison: who hasn't at one point or another imagined horrible bloody deaths for that person with the cell phone in the movie theatre, or the guy who put you on hold for three hours? Jhonen has done the public a favor, offering them the chance to live vicariously...or so it starts. Since Director's Cut is the cumulation of the entire series of comics, the evolution of the idea is easily observable: from simple, mindless violence to a bent more worthy of Sandman in its late installments. Readers tend to take a liking to one style or the other, but it is what it is. The best, to this reviewer's inkling, are the comics involving Squee, the unfortunate child who is Nny's next door neighbor (he also has a side collection of his own comics). For reasons not explained and best ignored, Squee falls outside the radar of victims, creating a few great interactions. Sadly, its limited mostly to the opening and closing of the collection. All in all, an afternoon's distraction, a good side detour for ZM fans. Abandon all sanity, ye who enter here.
Final Verdict: 4Q, 2P
Warning: Best for 15-16+, as it is (obviously) violent and contains harsh language. This concludes this review's moment of conscience.

Jessica's Review: Mythology by Edith Hamilton

This is a compelling book that combines the views of ancient philsophers such as Euripides & Sophocles as well as many others on their views and interpretations of the ancient Greek & Roman mythology as well as Edith's own commentaries all combined into a short summation of Norse mythology in the end. The ancient tales of Odysses & his conquest with the cyclops & the sirens and three chapters on the Trojan War; the death of Paris as well as Achelles and the curse of the family of Agamemnon; again and again Heras' jealousy of Zeus' unfaithfulness causes pain and suffering to young girls and lovers over and over again; the cunningness of Hermes and the mistakes of Hercules as well as all the legends in between of Athena, Dionysus, Prometheus, and many others are the stories I would recommend to anyone interested in Greek or Roman mythology. This book is great for summing up the more important myths and touching on some lesser ones as well. This easily leads the read to myths they may want to learn more about.
Rating: 4Q, 2P

You Can Run But You Can't Hide by Duane "Dog" Chapman

“Bad Boys, Bad Boys, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when he comes for you?”
What do you get when you mix a “bad guy”, a 2nd chance, and a faith in God? “I’m the Dog, the big bad Dog the Bounty Hunter.”
Unless you live in a cave, you’ve probably heard of Dog the Bounty Hunter and possibly seen the reality show on A&E that follows his family as they catch criminals with the theme song by Ozzy Osbourne. But do you know what made the Dog who he is today?
Meet Duane Chapman, a 7th grade dropout from Denver, CO, who was abused by his father and turned to alcohol, robbery, promiscuity, and motorcycle gangs. Bad luck plagued him and at the age of 23, Duane found himself in prison for murder one, a murder that he did not commit. Throughout his life, Duane has found that as one door closes another door opens. Thankfully when the prison door swung shut, he realized that prison was not where he wanted to spend his life. After his release, he found success in vacuum sells but others could only see him as a convict, a criminal. Then Dog was given a chance in the business of bail bonds and bounty hunter. While most in that business are ruthless and cruel, Dog found that he could use his story and faith to help others change their lives. Dog’s story is that of humanity, the power of healing and second chances. You may feel down and out but remember, You Can Run But You Can’t Hide from God or the Dog.
“Every criminal leaves behind a path of destruction. Carrying their pain in my heart makes me the Dog. I am the voice of those who fear they cannot change their lives for the better, because you must trust me when I say, you can. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the fight in the dog. I am living proof that with unshakable faith and God’s love, anything is possible (p. 316).”

More Picture Books for Teens!!

Do animals love to dress up? What are they really thinking? Check out Stuff on My Cat and Bad Dog for a bit of insight into your favorite furry friend.

Stuff on My Cat originated from one man's mission to have fun with his aging, lazy friend. Here you will find exactly what happens when boredom meets lazy.

Bad Dog includes 243 photos of man's best friend and while it is all in good fun, Bad Dog does contain some adult humor and language.

** No pets were harmed in the making of these books. **

What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles

Suicide, kidnapped, investigation, buried alive. Loser, popular, athlete, a-list. Revenge, cruel intentions, death. Do words have power? Can a word mean the difference between life and death?
Ben is the lead investigator searching for a kidnapped teenager. Kyle’s brother committed suicide and someone must pay. Cass is an overconfident, it-girl with a secret who awakes to find herself in a cold, dark coffin underground. What Happened to Cass McBride? Will Ben find the answer before it’s too late?

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Will she or won’t she? Becoming a vampire has never been this hard. In this installment of the Twilight saga, Bella finds herself stuck in the middle of a love triangle between Edward, the gorgeous, honorable vampire and Jacob, the best friend turned enemy, teenage werewolf. As graduation nears, will Bella be able to say goodbye to her life and stick to her desire of becoming immortal? Or will a sudden murder spree in nearby Seattle derail her plans completely?

Eclipse is the highly anticipated sequel to Twilight & New Moon.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

What did you do on your summer vacation? Well, I’d be willing to bet none of you had a summer like mine. My name is Percy Jackson and I’ve always been “the problem maker”. I’ve been kicked out of six schools in six years. I thought my year at Yancy Academy was going well, until our field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Nancy Bobofit spilled her lunch on my friend Grover’s lap and before I knew it, I was so angry and she was in the fountain. She said I pushed her and Mrs. Dodds, my algebra teacher, takes me aside to punish me. I figured she was going to yell and give me detention but instead the weirdest thing happened. “Her eyes began to glow like barbeque coals. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn’t human. She was a shriveled hag with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was about to slice me to ribbons.” My Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner, throws me a pen which turns into a sword. As Mrs. Dodds, “die honey”, I swing the sword and she vaporizes. That’s not the strangest part. Instead of being angry that I was kicked out of school, my mom decides to take me on a beach getaway. She wants to tell me something but before she can we are chased by a Minotaur, who I kill just as he kills her. Next thing I know I’m waking up at Camp Half-Blood.
It turns out I’m a half-blood, a demigod, child of a Greek god. Mom was taking me to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for others like me. Surprising I meet several familiar faces. Turns out Mr. Brunner is a centaur (half man/half horse), and my friend Grover is a satyr (half man/half goat). I soon discover my father is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Like I told you before, my life is full of trouble so of course it isn’t long before monsters are breaking into camp trying to kill me. It is decided that I will go on a quest, to retrieve Zeus’ lighting rod, which has been stolen. Oh yeah, I am the prime suspect so go figure, the quest to the Underworld to reclaim the lightening rod from Hades is full of adventure and mishap. But I didn’t have to go alone. Grover was there as well as my friend Annabeth, who is the daughter of Athena, Goddess of War.
Wanna find out if I found Zeus’ lightning rod and revealed the true Lightning Thief?
Greek mythology has never been this cool!

The Lightning Thief is a 2007-2008 nominee for the Soaring Eagle Award, Wyoming's teen choice book award. It will also be the selection for the October Afternoon Book Club.

Rebecca's Review: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

In the land of Opium lives an old man named El Patron. The only reason he is still alive is because his old organs are replaced with his clones. Matt, El Patron’s newest clone, is considered a beast among the humans that also live at the estate. Though Opium is a tough place to live, there are always friends to be found. To Matt, Celia, El Patron’s cook, was his mother even though he had been “harvested” out of a cow and Tam Lin was like his father even though he was his body guard for most of the book. Maria was another of Matt’s few but precious friends. Thanks to her, Matt was able to see a future for himself. As the book progresses, Matt learns more his future and with the help of his friends makes an escape to what he hopes is freedom.

The House of the Scorpion is a science fiction novel by Nancy Farmer. Science fiction is a genre I enjoy reading periodically, but this is not a book that I will be re-reading anytime soon. At times it was boring and seemed to go on and on but other times I couldn’t wait to turn the page. Nancy Farmer had a very good theme and she wrote about it well. However, if I could change one thing about this book, I would expand the ending because the conclusion happened too quickly.

Rating: 3Q, 4P

Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I have an assignment for you. Think of a way YOU can change the world. Recycle, paint over graffiti, pick up trash, read to the elderly or little kids, volunteer at the library. These are all noble ideas and some might really help our community. But will they really affect change in the world? Probably not.
Have you ever heard of the concept “Pay It Forward”? It’s like random acts of kindness, but not random. Every person must choose three people and do something that will improve their life. For instance, you could provide assistance to a homeless person (food, clothing, money, job, shelter), mow an elderly person’s lawn, or just listen to someone who is lonely. Instead of paying you back, those three people will “Pay It Forward” to three new people and on and on. The best part is the assignment doesn’t have to cost you a thing, unless money is something you have to share. You can give of your time, talents, and treasures. You could even help someone anonymously, if you choose. The possibilities are endless.
This is the story of Trevor, who single-handedly spearheaded a movement that changed the world. Trevor was only 13. What will you do to “Pay It Forward” and change the world?

PAY IT FORWARD will be the book selection for NCPL's One Book One Community program in September 2007. Pay It Forward will be the Teen Book Club, grades 9-12, selection for September as well. Teens are encouraged to stop by in September for a free copy of the book. Other One Book events include a viewing of the movie at the Rialto Theater and a visit by the author Catherine Ryan Hyde.