Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn is all about girls getting revenge.  Kat, Lillia, and Mary have all been wronged and this time they won't let it go. 

Kat is the mastermind of the three.  She has been treated horribly by most of the students at her school and she isn't going to take it any more.   Lillia would put up being treated badly, but she won't allow her sister to be treated that way.  Mary left the island and is back to seek revenge.  She was treated unfairly by one person and is not OK with just letting this person slide.  She will get back at him and Kat and Lillia are more than happy to help.

Kat is the loner of the three and has been jilted
more than once, because she just falls for the wrong guy.  Her reason seems the most petty, but she is also the most driven of the three.  Lillia is really a sweetheart, and even though she has been wronged along the way, she is out to protect her younger sister.  Out of the three, Mary is the most wronged and probably has a right to seek revenge, but she is also confused and easily influenced and desperate for friends. 

The revenge methods would probably be typical of teens, but some of the planning methods seem to border on illegal, crazy and just funny. 

Worth the read for the dynamics among Kat, Lillia and Mary as well as those they want to revenge.   This is a departure for Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, but I thoroughly enjoyed Burn for Burn.  Could their be a sequel?

The Diviners by Libba Bray

The Diviners is a standout book among those authored by Libba Bray.  Set in during the roaring twenties, Evie O'Neill has been shipped off to New York City from rural Ohio because her gossip got her in trouble with the locals.  Evie can't wait to cut loose in NYC, thinking she will experience speakeasies, the Ziegfeld girls and all NYC has to offer.  The only catch is that she must live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.  Evie worries that her uncle will discover her darkest sercret:  a supernatural power that up till now has only brought her trouble.  But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer. 
Libba Bray has written a fantastic historical book where the glittering surface of the Roaring Twenties hides a mystical horror creeping across the country.  This book is not to be missed.
www.libbabray.com

Top Ten Titles @ FHS LIbrary

Don't forget that this week is Teen Read Week.  Stop in and vote for your favorite book title from among the top ten favorites in our library.  You have ten nominations to vote from or write in your own.  Also check out the entries in our 'artwork inspired by a book' contest.  We have tons of entries from CTE students.  There is some awesome art to look at, so don't miss it.

Teen Read Week-- October 14-20. Don't miss it!

It Came from the Library! Is the theme of this year's Teen Read Week! Stop in to the library and pick up agraphic novels, horror books, fantasy titles and more. 
Stop down and vote for your favorite Teens' Top Ten.  Ballots are in the library.  Check out the display of FHS horror and fantasy titles and find out how you can enter our FHS book inspired art contest.  Your artwork can be any type, incuding photo, drawing, paining, sculpture, manga.  We want to see it all!
See Mrs. Bivins for more details. 
Keep checking the blog for more information about our top ten voting and to see artwork entries in our own FHS book inspired art contest. 


 

Banned Book Week

This is Banned Book Week, celebrating the freedom to read.  It brings together librarians, teachers, booksellers, authors, publishers  and others who value free and open access to books.  To celebrate this important event, The FHS Library has a display of some of the commonly banned books and other materials highlighting the importance of this annual event.   

Stop in at the library and look at the display of banned books.  You might be surprised at some of the titles on the list.

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

This is a fantastic story of the romance between a fearless heroine and the boy who wouldn't grow up.  In the woods of Neverland, Tiger Lily meets the teenage Peter Pan and before she knows it, she has fallen under his spell.  She is willing to risk everything and I mean everything just to be with him.  Soon Tiger Lily has a nemesis who threatens to tear apart the romance she has with Peter.  Little does Tiger Lily know that Peter could be the most dangerous enemy she has met or have the most loyal and loving heart.  Would you risk everything for the love of your life?  This book is not to be missed.

Teens' Top Ten for 2012

It is time to vote for your favorite YA books for 2012!  YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) now has voting open.  You can vote now through September 15th for your 3 favorite books!  The Teens' Top Ten will be announced during Teen Read Week, October 14-20, 2012. 

Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

Monument 14 is an action packed, dystopian novel that will keep you turning the pages.  This novel follows sixteen young people from elementary age through high school as they are hold up in a discount store after their bus driver plows through the entrance in an effort to shelter them from a horrendous hail storm.  At first they  act like most teens and are thrilled that they have all the junk food available to them that they could possibly want.  The hail storm is just the beginning as they are exposed to a massive chemical spill that could change their world as they know it.  Realizing they are in for the long haul, the kids step up to accept daily roles. Because there is such a wide range of ages among these kids, they start to get to know each other on levels they never would have through just sharing a bus ride. 

At the end, Monument 14 will leave you waiting to find out if there will be another book and will this be a series.

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Ca't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Explores how introverts have been overlooked in our society while extroverts have become the ideal in the twentieth century and discusses the research that has been done in the fields of psychology and neuroscience which reveals the differences between these two types of people. Includes chapter notes and an index. 

I found this book so fascinating!  If you are an introvert, you will probably relate.  If you are an extroverts, it will help you to understand and get along with others who are introverts.

Prepare and Cease the Moment

To help you on your road to college and eventually a career, I am always looking for information that I feel can benefit you.  In reading my daily blogs, I came across a post by Darren Hardy, publisher of Success Magazine, in which he shares information about the diversity that is happening the workplace.  This is a diversity of gender and generations. 
In a blog post I did on Teenspeak last spring, I talked about how to prepare to work with people from multiple generations currently in the workforce.  In Mr. Hardy's blog post, he states, "today because people are living and working longer we will soon have five generations in the workplace, all at once".   If you have a part-time job, you are probably already working with people from multiple generations.  What does this mean for you?  To fit in, contribute and stay competitive, you will need to be able to adapt to fit in and work with many personalities to help shape the culture, productivity and profit of your chosen company. 

Help us celebrate!

This is National Library Week and a great time to use the resources of your local or school library. If you haven't been down to the FHS Library lately, stop in and use our resources, read or just kick back and relax. We are also online 24-7 @ www.friscoisd.org/ly/schools/fhs/fhslibrary.htm

Are you a texting walker?

If you are like most young people, you probably have found yourself walking and texting. Hopefully you haven't come face-to-face with a wall, rail or post because you were so into texting that you lost track of where you were. All you have to do is check youtube videos on 'texting walkers' and you will find all kinds of videos that you should find real entertaining, but show the hazards of doing this. To avoid any mishaps, keep your eye on your path since you are probably one of the 'texting walkers'.
Do you want to hear some other interesting statistics about your generation?
You are now known as the iGen.
You are in one of the fastest-growing generations who have your smartphone attached to your hand.
Amazon has always been a store with free shipping.
Sadly, the most important book is not in the school library, but for you of course, it is Facebook.
September 11, 2001, is taught in history class.
You have seen your parents struggle to find a new job in an unstable economy.
You are in the most diverse generation in U.S. history.
Other generations your age have not spent nearly the time looking at screens (computer and phone) as you have.
With all of this technology you have and know how to use, take advantage of learning how to be use it to prepare for college, to be successful in college and then how to make an impact for your future employer as well as society and the world.

What online presence do you want to project?

I happen to be reading an article about the presence that teens project online. If youhave a facebook, twitter, or tumblr account or some other social media, that means you should be thinking about how you project yourself online. Right now you are in high school, but soon you will be in college and eventually in the workforce. Below is information gathered from an article I recently read on online presence.

Do you know many college admissions officers are looking at kids' online presence on social networking sites? They have found information on these sites that could negatively impact over 10% of college applicants. Students have even lost scholarships because of comments or photos they've posted online. Many job recruiters may make hiring decisions that are influenced by a job seekers' online presence.

Things to think about include how to keep things private whilc creating a positive online presence. Use strong passwords that include numbers, capital letters and symbols. Check your privacy settings on social media sites. Routinely delete posts or photos that would be hard to explain to a college admissions officer or future employer.

Don't discover too late and learn the hard way about creating a positive online web presence.

Source: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Good Advice

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

If you are in for a great book that has true Texas flavor, then Texas Gothic is just for you. This book has it all. Mystery, adventure, romance and a true Texas legend.

Seventeen-year-old Amy Goodnight has long been the one who makes her family of witches seem somewhat normal to others, but while spending a summer with her sister caring for their aunt's farm in the Hill Country, Amy becomes the center of weirdness when she becomes tied to a powerful ghost. Follow Amy as she, her eccentric sister and a group of archeology students from UT-Austin as they dig through human remains to solve a mystery that may be tied to a long time Texas legend.

Blink and Caution by Tim Wynne-Jones

Blink hoping to steal some breakfast, is forced to go on the run after stumbling upon the fake kidnapping of a CEO and recovering the man's cellphone. While in his travels to find out more about what he witnessed, he meets up with Caution, a girl trying to ditch her drug-dealing boyfriend, who identifies Blink as a mark until he tugs at her heart strings.

This is a great read about two teens who are on the run, trying to survive and find their place in the world. Emotional and intense.

Blink and Caution is on the 2012 Tayshas High School Reading List.