Audacious by Gabrielle Prendergast YP FIC PRENDERG

Raphaelle (call her Ella. Do it.) is starting a new school with a new name and a new attitude. No more rivalries, no more 'pranks', no more glowing in the dark, and certainly no remembering the horrible night. She'll fit in, get through it, and start her 'real' life after high school. But when her muse calls, she has to answer and her art gets labeled a crime.  

I love a good verse novel and this is a very strong addition to the form.  It has snark to spare, confronts Serious Issues with a deft hand, a crackling pace, and a memorable narrator.  Of course, verse novels live or die by the narrator.  A good narrator makes the poetic language feel natural and confessional. A bad narrator painfully reminds you of your own terrible teenage poetry that should most definitely be burned with fire. Ella's dark as midnight on a moonless night humor made me want to be her partner-in-crime BFF from page one. She can be cutting and is already very removed and aloof when the novel starts, but her interest in The Starbucks boy later to be known as Sam, humanizes her and adds some much appreciated warmth in the early pages. Sam's issue with his Muslim faith conflicting with his growing interest in Ella are handled well without ever seeming to mock or bash the idea o religion itself.

The book is wonderfully interesting to read even before the plot gets into serious motion, which is always a sign of a good novel.  However, the story sometimes does seem to have a lot going on all at once.  There's a love forbidden by Religion, art vs. censorship, Mom's eating disorder, general high schoolery, and Ella's painful past all thrown in the mix.  Overall, I think the novel balances them pretty well and, of course, often life does hit you with everything at once, but there are places where it feels like more could have been done with less.  If you like verse novels like those by Ellen Hopkins or Carol Lynch Williams, you should greatly enjoy Audacious.

You find Audacious in our catalog here.

The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice by Allen Say

Not a lot of kids can say they were living on their own by age 13.

As a boy, author Allen Say found himself navigating the urban jungle of Tokyo by himself. His parents had divorced and sent him to live with his grandmother. But that relationship, too, proved flammable, and it was decided what was best for everyone involved was to allow Say to live by himself. He took residence in a shabby 12 by 12-foot room with little more than a light bulb and a toilet in the way of amenities.

I lit a candle and turned on the overhead light, and thought about the day. Often I read the books I liked by candlelight. Grandmother would never have allowed it. Also she never let me stay up late. It was good to live alone.

Say decided to take his extraordinary circumstances one step further by seeking out the famous cartoonist Noro Shinpei as his mentor. In The Ink-Keeper's Apprentice, he shares the autobiographical story of that apprenticeship, which paved the way for his later career as an author and illustrator.

Shinpei proceeds to train Say in art and illustration. But more than that, the cartoonist serves as a father figure for the boy over the next three years, serving as a grounding influence as the boy navigates the vicissitudes of friends, female classmates, family tensions and the real world without the protective buffer that parents typically provide.

We learn that his mother was disowned by her family when she married Say's father, a Korean. But war has changed everything. Say comes from an old samurai family but World War II left his grandparents impoverished; his mother, who owns a small cosmetic shop in nearby Yokohama, must now support his grandmother.

Say paints his life in clear, undiluted strokes. He doesn't soften his experiences — such as an almost casual act of self-mutilation by Say's friend and fellow apprentice, the fiery Tokida, or the sad, remote relationship that Say has with his parents — nor does he thrust them upon us. He simply lays them out for us to absorb with his thoughtful, measured writing style.

In the process, we, as readers, get a glimpse of what life was like in post-World War II-Japan: the bombed out building scattered throughout the city, the encroaching influence of Western culture, the constant smoking, the bustling train stations.

This is a lovely, understated story of a Say's early experiences, many of which have gone on to greatly influence him as a person and artist. In one interview, Say said:

I was incredibly lucky, because Noro Shinpei recognized I was searching for a father and he adopted me. To this day, I am still his child. He is still living and is eighty-five years old. We continue to communicate. I send him all the books I do and he still critiques my work. He was only thirty-five years old when I met him.

Say speaks more on the topic in this video:

This could be you having fun at MMPL!

For the past few weeks at Moore Memorial Public Library, YA Librarian Luke has been busy with tons of fun stuff for teens to do as part of our annual Summer Reading Program. That's included a weekly session of "Board Games You've Never Played" (Check them out! We've got our final session this Friday from 2-5 p.m.!) as well as an some unique one-time events like "Bend It," an introduction to yoga, and "Splatter! Paint! Pop! Make Modern Art," a program that focused on paint styles and subjects like pointillism, drip art and geometric shapes.

Check out the videos below to see what we've been up to:

Diario de Oaxaca: A Sketchbook journal of Two Years in Mexico by Peter Kuper 972.740222

Peter Kuper, a political artist and a comedy cartoonist, decided to try a change of cultural scenery in 2006 and skip the last two years of President Bush’s term. He moved to Oaxaca, Mexico to relax with his family and found himself surrounded by a teachers’ strike that became an international story of government corruption and control. He chronicled it all with sketches, letters home, and a diary presented side by side in English and Spanish. The result is a one of a kind piece of frontline journalism, travel document, and artistic expression.

This is a truly unique book. It achieves the rare feat of truly capturing a moment in time and place. Having never been to Oaxaca, I certainly can’t claim the book captures the Real Oaxaca, but it definitely captures the artist’s Oaxaca. This is a weird mix of story, art, graphic novel, and diary that is so much more interesting and original then the usual travel fluffery. It has political intrigue, fights against injustice, the Day of the Dead, and loads of insects. The art has quick ‘slice of life” sketches with pictures and other media added later. So it has a sense of capturing reality but also comments on it. It’s a really wonderful artistic achievement and both captures and celebrates a part of Mexico that is rarely looked at by America. If you are interested in art, comics, Mexico, or just want to practice your Spanish while reading a cool story with great art, then check this one out.

Happy Face by Stephen Emond YP FIC EMOND

The bad news is that our hero’s life is pretty terrible. The good news is he’s at a new school and nobody knows it! That’s how he becomes Happyface, the likeable (and for the first time ever popular) guy that always has a funny joke and a smile. Told entirely through Happyface’s journal and his sketches see his transformation from geek to cool and if he can stand keeping up a Happyface and all his secrets from his new friends.

I picked this up thinking “Oh, a Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the high school set,” but soon realized that it is more Diary of a Wimpy Kid but he has unaddressed emotional problems! However, by the time I was done I realized that Happyface is good enough to stand entirely on its own. Happyface is a very funny narrator and also a nicely complex character. He hides his past from the reader as well as his new friends so it adds excitement having him reveal it over time. I love the drawings and minicomics that go throughout the book. They never feel gimmicky and always work to make the story better and reveal Happyface’s character. The book also has well developed supporting characters that add to the drama and comedy. Give it a shot if you are looking for something funny with a bit of drama.

The War at Ellsmere by Faith Erin Hicks YP FIC HICKS

The War at Ellsmere is a graphic novel by Faith Erin Hicks about a thirteen year old overachiever named Juniper on a scholarship trying to fit in at the ultra exclusive Ellsmere Boarding School. Juniper quickly makes new friends with her roommate Cassie nicknamed ‘Orphan’ because of her almost always absent parents. Unfortunately, she just as quickly makes an arch enemy of Emily, the most popular (and ruthless) girl in school. When Emily declares war on Juniper she needs all her smarts, the help of her friend, and maybe even a mythical beast.

This book is really excellently illustrated in a unique style that mixes the influence of Japanese manga and American pop art. Juniper is a strong and likeable female protagonist. This is a funny and touching read for all ages and either sex.

Metamorphosis: Junior Year by Betsy Franco YP FIC FRANCO

Metamorphosis: Junior Year by Betsy Franco tells the story of young teen named Ovid and how he uses art to describe and survive the perils of high school. Ovid is named after the famous Roman poet Ovid that wrote Metamorphoses.

A metamorphosis is a complete change from one form of life to another. Which is what high school is pretty much all about. Ovid is inspired by his namesake to envision himself and his friends as creatures of myth going through fantastical changes through poems and drawings. The art is by the author’s son Tom Franco and is truly unique and very cool. Ovid writes biting and quirky poems that describe his friends and their hidden pains until he finally can bring himself to confront his own troubles. Metamorphosis is a very clever work that looks at how art can help us come to terms with the world around us. Ovid’s blend of ancient myths and modern pop culture is fresh and authentic. A good read for anyone that is or has dealt with the Epic Struggle that is growing up.

If the myths and creatures in Metamorphosis: Junior Year grab you then you should definitely read Metamorphoses by Ovid (the real one) call number 873.01 OVID.

The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks by Max Brooks; Illustrated by Ibraim Roberson

Max Brooks has made a name for himself writing about zombies. If there could be an authority on these creatures, Brooks would most likely be it. The Zombie Survival Guide: Recorded Attacks is an illustrated history of zombie attacks throughout history. There is an old adage that history will repeat itself if we don’t learn from previous mistakes. Brooks considers this in the presentation of his story.

The Survival Guide is full of graphic zombie attacks since the dawn of time. The retelling is presented as a collection of short stories beginning in 60,000 B.C. in Central Africa and traveling to various locations across the globe, such as Feudal Japan (A.D. 1611) to 1992 at Joshua Tree National Park in California.

The overall story is light on character development, since each story is 9-10 pages long. However, the illustrations provided by Roberson assist in making these short stories entertaining and a little horrifying. For a more character-driven zombie story Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead: here we remain (YP Fic Kirkman) is recommended.

Max Brooks is also the author of World War Z: an oral history of the zombie war (SF Brooks), which is also available at the Moore Memorial Public Library in the science fiction section.

Teen Read Week 2009! Read Beyond Reality...

Teen Read Week 2009 (TRW) is October 18-24, 2009. This year's theme is "Read Beyond Reality," which encourages teens to extraordinary, imaginary books. The purpose of TRW is to encourage teens to read for fun. There are so many things to occupy teens time, like the Internet, TV, and video games, but a good book can be just as entertaining.

There is currently a "Read Beyond Reality" book display located near the Young Adult book section. All of the featured books are science-fiction and fantasy. Scott Westerfeld's new book, Leviathan, is a part of the display. Westerfeld also wrote the very popular Uglies, Pretties, Specials books. Another new releases, Prism, by Faye Kellerman, and Timelock, by David Klass, are also a part of the display.

Here are a few more books currently on display:
The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare
A Resurrection of Magic Series by Kathleen Duey
Interworld by Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
The Declaration by Gemma Malley
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The New Policeman by Kate Thompson
Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund
Dull Boy by Sarah Cross
The Rule of Claw by John Brindley
The Lab by Jack Heath
The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

Please check out the display and pick up a book to read during Teen Read Week. And, you don't just have to stick with the books on display. The Young Adult collection is full of science fiction and fantasy for you to browse.

Local teens are also invited to attend the Teen Advisory Board program on Friday, October 16th at 3:30 PM. The TAB will be painting a science fiction-themed mural, which will be displayed in the library. More information is available here.

Breaking Up (A Fashion High graphic novel) by Aimee Friedman; Art by Christine Norrie

Just remember: "There's a fine line between a friend and an enemy."

Chloe Sacks is excited to start her junior year at Georgia O’Keefe School of the Arts (aka Fashion High) with her three best friends, MacKenzie, Erika and Isabel. Together they set themselves apart from the other students and hold a solid place in the school’s popularity ranks. However as school gets underway, Chloe realizes things aren’t quite the same between the four girls. She is particularly bothered by MacKenzie, who seems to become obsessed with climbing the Fashion High popularity ladder. In order to obtain posh status MacKenzie begins hanging out with Nicola Burnett, one of the most popular and beautiful girls at the school. (Nicola also seems shallow and stuck-up.) Mackenzie also starts flirting with Nicola’s boyfriend, Gabe. Chloe is troubled by the ever-present sense that she and her three best friends are growing apart.

Chloe has another issue. She recently befriended Adam, who doesn’t rank well with the popular crowd in high school. In the past he has often been the butt of Gabe’s jokes and taunting. Her BFFs, especially MacKenzie, would ridicule her if they knew that she and Adam spoke to each other in class. She would be committing “social suicide” if she started hanging out with Adam, even it was strictly platonic. However, Chloe sees something special in Adam, especially after he shows her one of his paintings. As they sit next to each other in art class she begins to realize he’s more than a geek obsessed with math and science. Chloe eventually invites Adam to Gabe’s New Year’s Eve party and her friends are far from supportive. Based on the way they reacted to the two of them together, Chloe decides to continue seeing Adam, but doesn’t tell anyone.

Eventually Chloe and Adam’s secret romance is discovered. Her friends are furious for lying to them, and Adam thinks Chloe is ashamed of him. Chloe is left alone to ponder her future and determine if these lifelong friendships are worth saving. She also needs to come to terms with her heart and what people might think about her falling for a math and science geek.

If you enjoyed Plain Janes and Janes’ in Love by Cecil Castellucci, you will enjoy Breaking Up. Christine Norrie’s illustrations are simple, clean, and capture the personality of each character. It makes me wish Hopeless Savages was still in print. As well, it is easy to see a little bit of yourself and probably your friends in Friedman’s characters. Chloe’s struggle with maintaining a lifelong friendship is an identifiable struggle while in high school. People change as they get older, and true friendship can sustain such things.

Other books available at Moore Memorial Public Library by Aimee Friedmann: Sea Change, The Year My Sister Got Lucky, A Novel Idea, and South Beach.