Monday, September 28, 2015

Library Lunch Bunch Fun!

September 16th was the first meeting of The Library Lunch Bunch!  We had a great time watching book trailers for some of the great reads in the Griffin Library.  We also previewed movie trailers for James Dashner's The Scorch Trials and Rick Yancey's The 5th Wave.  Here are some pictures from our first meeting:












Our next meeting is October 21st and our theme is "Books that will Give You Goosebumps"!

Monday, September 21, 2015

Gators Read (Book Review)



Undertow
By Michael Buckley


Sixteen-year-old Lyric Walker's life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of 30,000 Alpha, a five-nation race of ocean-dwelling warriors, on her beach in Coney Island. The world's initial wonder and awe over the Alpha quickly turns ugly and paranoid and violent, and Lyric's small town transforms into a military zone with humans on one side and Alpha on the other. When Lyric is recruited to help the crown prince, a boy named Fathom, assimilate, she begins to fall for him. But their love is a dangerous one, and there are forces on both sides working to keep them apart. Only, what if the Alpha are not actually the enemy? What if they are in fact humanity's only hope of survival? Because the real enemy is coming. And it's more terrifying than anything the world has ever seen.
Action, suspense, and romance whirlpool dangerously in this cinematic saga, a blend of "District 9" and "The Outsiders." ~from the Catalog
What I thought: The marketing campaign for Undertow says it will be the next big trilogy.  It claims it will be as popular as The Hunger Games.  I have to agree.  After being in a bit of a book slump (yes, librarians go through those too), this book held my attention and I finished it in a day.  Undertow is a great mix of action, politics, dystopian-esque elements, interesting characters, and romance.  It is especially interesting when you compare it to immigration reforms that are being discussed in the news.  Fans of Maze Runner, Hunger Games, and Matched will not be disappointed.  My only complaint...that I have to wait for the next book in the series.
Happy reading! ~Mrs. Leffel

Monday, September 14, 2015

Gator Reads (Book Review)

Dumplin'
By Julie Murphy

"Dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom, Willowdean has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American-beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . .  until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.  
Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all." ~From the publisher

What I thought: I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this book!! Did I mention I loved this book?  Have you ever felt different?  How you ever felt you weren't living up to your parents expectations?  Have you ever wanted to be bold and go for something completely out of your comfort level?  Then this book is for you!  Willowdean is an incredibly likeable character and it is so easy to relate to her struggles with body image, crushes, loss, and parents.  This was one of my top reads of the year.  I highly recommend this book!!  Find it @ J MUR

Reviewed by LibraryLef (aka Mrs. Leffel)

Lindsay Cummings Author Visit!

Lindsay Cummings, author of the Balance Keepers series, is coming to Griffin on September 23rd!  If you would like to purchase a copy of her book to get autographed, order forms can be picked up in the library.  Order forms must be returned by September 18th to Mrs. Leffel.  Don't forget, we will be reading Balance Keepers for our December lunch bunch meeting so here's your chance to buy and autographed copy!




Friday, September 11, 2015

Which Divergent Faction Are You?

As promised Gators, here is some more fun with GIFs!!

This week:

WHICH DIVERGENT FACTION ARE YOU?

First, some definitions (taken from Divergent author Veronica Roth's website):

DAUNTLESS: Fearless, undaunted



ABNEGATION: To refuse or deny oneself; to relinquish or give up



ERUDITE: Characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly



CANDOR: The state of quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness



AMITY: Friendship; peaceful harmony; mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship



DIVERGENT; Diverging ; differing; deviating; to differ in opinion, character, form, etc.


FACTION: A group or clique within a larger group, party, government, organization, or the like.


Now, it's your turn!  Follow the flow to find your faction:


*All GIFs found through Google Images

And just because...


Happy Reading! ~Mrs. Leffel

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Readalike Wednesday-Spotlight on Jennifer E. Smith

If your a fan of YA romance, Jennifer E. Smith is a name you should know!  Her books are fun, romantic, and have quite the titles (The Statistical Probability of Love, This is What Happy Looks Like, The Geography of You and Me).  In honor of her latest release: 



here are some great romantic reads that can be found in our library.

Take me There
By Susan Colasanti
Three New York high school students try to sort out their emotions as they deal with relationships, crushes, their families, and planning for the future.

Find it @ F COL




Going Vintage
By Lindsey Leavitt
When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to "go vintage" and return to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldnt cheat on you "online"). She sets out to complete grandmas list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how good Oliver (Jeremys cousin) smells. But with the help of her sister, shell get it done. Somehow. Lindsey Leavitt perfectly pairs heartfelt family moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and a little bit of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.

Find it @ F LEA


Fake Boyfriend
By Kate Brian
He's absolutely perfect.If only he were real.Lane and Vivi have had it with Isabelle Hunter's boyfriend, Shawn Littig (a.k.a. Sluttig). He is the only person who can turn their smart, confident best friend into a complete mess. When Shawn Sluttig cheats on and dumps Izzy just months before the prom she's been planning since the ninth grade, Lane and Vivi decide to take action.With a few quick keystrokes, they create a MySpace page for "Brandon," the perfect guy to get Izzy out of her revolving-door relationship with Shawn. Too bad he's totally fake. Vivi's younger brother, Marshall, who they hire to be the "man" behind the profile, is way too into being Izzy's fake boyfriend. So they turn to cute, prep-school Jonathan to be the face of Brandon. But when Vivi falls for Jonathan, and Sluttig tries to wedge his way back into Izzy's prom picture, the whole plan starts to go south faster than you can say "fake boyfriend."

Find it @ F BRI


Let it Snow: Three Holiday Romances
By John Green
Sparkling white snowdrifts, beautiful presents wrapped in ribbons, and multicolored lights glittering in the night through the falling snow. A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today's bestselling teen authors--John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle--the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

Find it @ F GRE


Tan Lines
By Katherine Applegate
Summer can't wait to get back to the Florida Keys. She, Marquez, and Diana have already decided to get an apartment so they can spend the whole summer together. But even with her friends by her side, Summer is in for more boy trouble.
Summer's boyfriend, Seth, is ready to take their relationship to the next level, but he's all the way across the country in California. Enter Austin, the hottie from spring break whom Summer hasn't stopped thinking about.
With Austin flirting 24/7 and Seth hundreds of miles away, Summer is about to learn about true love...
Find it @ F APP

To All the Boys I've Loved
By Jenny Han
Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control in this heartfelt novel from the "New York Times "bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series. 

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them...all at once? 
Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren't love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she's written. One for every boy she's ever loved--five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

Find it @ F HAN

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Gator Reads (Book Review)



Fat Boy vs. the Cheerleaders
By Geoff Herbach

When the high school cheerleading team takes over a soda vending machine's funds, which were previously collected by the pep band, Gabe Johnson, an overweight "band geek" tired of being called names and looked down on, declares war. ~from the catalog

What I thought: I picked this book because of the title.  I had to know why vendetta Fat Boy had against the cheerleaders!  The format of the book is very interesting.  Gabriel, aka the fat boy, is talking to a lawyer about the events that led to him stealing $17.75 from the school vending machine.  Gabe's voice took some getting use to.  The author does a great job of making Gabe sound like a teenage boy.  Overall this was  funny and enjoyable coming of age story.  I would recommend this to older middle schoolers who are fans of humorous books.

Friday, September 4, 2015

Gator Reads (Book Review)



The Crossover
By Kwame Alexander

"With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I'm delivering, " announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander ( He Said, She Said 2013). Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family. ~From the library catalog

What I thought:  I'm not normally a huge "sports book" reader but when I saw a short video from the author promoting this book (click here to see it), I decided to give it a try.  Yes, basketball plays an important part in the book, but there is so much more than that.  The relationship between Josh and his brother Jordan is complex and realistic.  The rhythm of the prose (it's written in verse), made me think of a basketball bouncing on the court.  It's a great book!

Who I'd give it to: Fans of realistic fiction, quick reads, and sports should check out this Newbery medal winner!

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

The Selection as told through GIFs

I've had several people ask me what The Selection is about so I thought I would take you on a journey through the book with GIFs.


First, you meet America:


 And her best friend Aspen:




He tells America to join The Selection to help her family. What he's really saying is:



Then you meet Prince Maxon:






 Maxon has the difficult task of picking his future bride from a group of 35 eligible girls:




Some were in it for the competition:



Some were genuinely upset when they were sent home:




America's first impression of Maxon is not so great:



But over time...:



But don't forget about Aspen:


Who will America choose?



Who will Maxon choose?



Find out by reading:




Happy reading! ~Mrs. Leffel

Readalike Wednesday-The Maze Runner

We're entering week 2 of school and all of our copies of Maze Runner are checked out.
No need for tears! Here are some readalikes while you wait for your hold:

Ship Breaker
by Paolo Bacigalupi
In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life. . . .In this powerful novel, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in a vivid and raw, uncertain future. Find it @ F BAC


Airman
By Eoin Colfer
In the late nineteenth century, when Conor Broekhart discovers a conspiracy to overthrow the king, he is branded a traitor, imprisoned, and forced to mine for diamonds under brutal conditions while he plans a daring escape from Little Saltee prison by way of a flying machine that he must design, build, and, hardest of all, trust to carry him to safety. Find it @ F COL


The House of the Scorpion
By Nancy Farmer
Matteo Alacrán was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patrón, lord of a country called Opium—a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt’s first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster—except for El Patrón. El Patrón loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself.
As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patrón’s power-hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacrán Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn’t even suspect. Find it @ F FAR


Incarceron
By Catherine Fisher
Incarceron is a prison so vast that it contains not only cells, but also metal forests, dilapidated cities, and vast wilderness. Finn, a seventeen-year-old prisoner, has no memory of his childhood and is sure that he came from Outside Incarceron. Very few prisoners believe that there is an Outside, however, which makes escape seems impossible.

And then Finn finds a crystal key that allows him to communicate with a girl named Claudia. She claims to live Outside- she is the daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, and doomed to an arranged marriage. Finn is determined to escape the prison, and Claudia believes she can help him. But they don't realize that there is more to Incarceron than meets the eye. Escape will take their greatest courage and cost more than they know. Find it @ F FIS


Gone
By Michael Grant
In a small town on the coast of California, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have "The Power" and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who do not. Find it @ F GRA


Proxy
By Alex London
Knox was born into one of the City's wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy.  His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid. Find it @ F LON on the Lone Star Shelf


Throne of Glass
By Sarah Maas
In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world. Find it @ F MAS


Lockdown: Escape from Furnace
By Alexander Gordon Smith
Furnace Penitentiary: the world’s most secure prison for young offenders, buried a mile beneath the earth’s surface. Convicted of a murder he didn’t commit, sentenced to life without parole, “new fish” Alex Sawyer knows he has two choices: find a way out, or resign himself to a death behind bars, in the darkness at the bottom of the world. Except in Furnace, death is the least of his worries. Soon Alex discovers that the prison is a place of pure evil, where inhuman creatures in gas masks stalk the corridors at night, where giants in black suits drag screaming inmates into the shadows, where deformed beasts can be heard howling from the blood-drenched tunnels below. And behind everything is the mysterious, all-powerful warden, a man as cruel and dangerous as the devil himself, whose unthinkable acts have consequences that stretch far beyond the walls of the prison. Together with a bunch of inmates—some innocent kids who have been framed, others cold-blooded killers—Alex plans an escape. But as he starts to uncover the truth about Furnace’s deeper, darker purpose, Alex’s actions grow ever more dangerous, and he must risk everything to expose this nightmare that’s hidden from the eyes of the world. Find it @ F SMI


Uglies
By Scott Westerfeld
Everybody gets to be supermodel gorgeous. What could be wrong with that?Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever. Find it @ F WES on the Popular Series shelf