Paper Hearts by Ali Novak

"I'm sorry," he said, slowly untying the ribbon that held his mask in place. "It's just-I didn't want you to think of me any differently." 

Somehow I kept my mouth from falling open. I knew his face, but my mind couldn't accept that he was the person looking down at me. 

"My real name is Alec."

Felicity has her entire future planned. Ever since her older sister ran away, she's had the full weight of her mother's expectations on her shoulders. So she works hard to get straight As and save for college. 

Except sometimes the best things in life are unplanned-like when Felicity meets a handsome, masked stranger while she is volunteering at a charity masquerade ball. She never thought he'd flirt with her. And she certainly never thought he'd turn out to be a member of the world-famous Heartbreakers band, Alec. 

Then Felicity uncovers a shocking family secret. Suddenly, she, Alec, and her two best friends are off on a road trip to find Felicity's missing sister. And she's about to discover that unexpected turns have a peculiar way of landing her right where she needs to be...

 Why you should read this book:

• This is the next book in the series The Heartbreak Chronicles.  I loved the first (The Heartbreakers) so much that I picked up this one immediatly.
• Romantic and fun!
• If you are a fan of boy-bands, this is your type of book.
• As you know, I am a sucker for books where a famous person/prince/billionaire falls for a normal person!
• Interested in what Book 3 will be like?  Check out the next book by Ali Novak on the story platform Wattpad: 
  https://www.wattpad.com

Coming Soon! Paper Hearts will arrive in our summer book order.

The Heartbreakers by Ali Novak

"When I met Oliver Perry, I had no clue he was the lead singer for The Heartbreakers. And he had no idea that I was the only girl in the world who hated his music."

Stella will do anything for her sick sister, Cara-even stand in line for an autographed Heartbreakers CD...for four hours. She's totally winning best birthday gift this year. At least she met a cute boy with soft brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes while getting her caffeine fix. Too bad she'll never see him again.

Except, Stella's life has suddenly turned into a cheesy love song. Because Starbucks Boy is Oliver Perry – lead singer for the Heartbreakers. And even after she calls his music crap, Oliver still gives Stella his phone number. And whispers quotes from her favorite Disney movie in her ear. OMG, what is her life?

But how can Stella even think about being with Oliver – dating and laughing and pulling pranks with the band – when her sister could be dying of cancer?

Why you should read this book:

• Romantic and fun!
• If you are a fan of boy-bands, this is your type of book.
• A light read that also addresses deeper issues of family and self-discovery.
• I am a sucker for books where a famous person/prince/billionaire falls for a normal person.

Find The Heartbreakers in our OverDrive e-book library!

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.
 
Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

Why you should read this book:

• It's a modern-day Cinderella story, wicked stepmother and all.
• Embrace your inner geek.
• If you don't know what Cosplay is, Google it (I had too!)
• I am a sucker for books where a famous person/prince/billionaire falls for a normal person.

Find Geekerella in our library at: ROMANCE F POS

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Emika Chen barely made it out of the Warcross Championships alive. Now that she knows the truth behind Hideo's new NeuroLink algorithm, she can no longer trust the one person she's always looked up to, who she once thought was on her side.

Determined to put a stop to Hideo's grim plans, Emika and the Phoenix Riders band together, only to find a new threat lurking on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo. Someone's put a bounty on Emika's head, and her sole chance for survival lies with Zero and the Blackcoats, his ruthless crew. But Emika soon learns that Zero isn't all that he seems--and his protection comes at a price.

Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

In this explosive sequel to the New York Times bestselling Warcross, Marie Lu delivers an addictive finale that will hold you captive till the very last page.

 Why you should read this book:

• I finished Wildcard in two days.  If you know me, you know I am a slow reader.  Two days means I was enthralled (and also on winter break!)
• The ending surprised me.
• If you haven't read Warcross (Book 1) yet, read that first!
• I never thought I'd enjoy a book about gaming.  This series proved me wrong.
• This series would make a great movie.  I hope they decide to make them into one, or two!

Coming soon in our winter book order!
Find Wildcard in our library at: SCI-FI F LU

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch

(Amazon.com)

A New York Times bestseller

A summer in Italy turns into a road trip across Tuscany in this sweeping debut novel filled with romance, mystery, and adventure.

Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All Lina wants to do is get back home.

But then Lina is given a journal that her mom had kept when she lived in Italy. Suddenly Lina’s uncovering a magical world of secret romances, art, and hidden bakeries. A world that inspires Lina, along with the ever-so-charming Ren, to follow in her mother’s footsteps and unearth a secret that has been kept for far too long. It’s a secret that will change everything Lina knew about her mother, her father—and even herself.

People come to Italy for love and gelato, someone tells her, but sometimes they discover much more.

Why you should read this book:

• The characters go to an International School; you will make connections between this story and your international life.
• It has been on the YALSA Teen Top Ten List.
• Italy and Ice Cream....need I say more?
• I am a sucker for a good romance book and this is a good YA romance.

Find Love & Gelato in our library at: ROMANCE F WEL

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.

Why you should read this book:

• A magical, mysterious, fantasy with romance and adventure thrown in.
• Caraval is a best-seller and on a pick on the Teens Top Ten list this year.
• I stayed up late to finish this book.  It's one of my favorite new series of this year.
• It kept me guessing until the end.  And then...it still kept me guessing because it's a trilogy.  Book 2, Legendary, is on the way in our winter order and Book 3, Finale, comes out in May.

Find Caraval in our library at: FANTASY F GAR 

Warcross by Marie Lu

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down Warcross players who bet on the game illegally. But the bounty-hunting world is a competitive one, and survival has not been easy. To make some quick cash, Emika takes a risk and hacks into the opening game of the international Warcross Championships—only to accidentally glitch herself into the action and become an overnight sensation.

Convinced she’s going to be arrested, Emika is shocked when instead she gets a call from the game’s creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year’s tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. With no time to lose, Emika’s whisked off to Tokyo and thrust into a world of fame and fortune that she’s only dreamed of. But soon her investigation uncovers a sinister plot, with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire.

In this sci-fi thriller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu conjures an immersive, exhilarating world where choosing who to trust may be the biggest gamble of all.

Why you should read this book:

• If you are a gamer, you will find this book very interesting.
• It's on the YALSA Teen Top Ten List for this year- teens voted for Warcross to be on this list.
• Even though it is Sci-Fi/Dystopian, it seems like it could be a realistic future as gaming and virtual reality evolve.
• Warcross is the first of a two book series.  I am looking forward to reading the next one, Wildcard.  I hope it ends how I want it to. (No spoilers please! 😀)
• For me (not being a gamer) it was a slow start, but Warcross really hooked me in after a few chapter. Stick with it and you'll love it.

Find Warcross in our library at: SCI-FI F LU

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

A Newbery Honor Book
A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
A Printz Honor Book
A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner for Young Adult Literature
Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature
Winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award
An Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction
Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner
An Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of 2017
A Vulture Best YA Book of 2017
A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of 2017

An ode to Put the Damn Guns Down, this is National Book Award finalist and New York Times bestseller Jason Reynolds’s fiercely stunning novel that takes place in sixty potent seconds—the time it takes a kid to decide whether or not he’s going to murder the guy who killed his brother.

A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he? As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator? Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.

And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if WILL gets off that elevator.

Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.

Why you should read this book:

• This book is out of my "comfort zone."  I normally am not drawn to books in verse. Push yourself out of your comfort zone
• It's on the YALSA Teen Top Ten List for this year.
• I wonder what this life would be like?
• A quote that stuck with me:

but if the blood

inside you is  on the inside

of someone else,

you never want to 

see it on the outside of 

them.

Find Long Way Down in our library at: REALISTIC F REY

Mitali Perkins Visit

Grades 4-8 attended a wonderful presentation with Mitali Perkins this morning.  We are thankful to the PTA for sponsoring a visit to the school.  Her presentation entitled Stories on the Fire Escape  was about growing up and writing "between cultures" and the power of stories to keep us balanced.  It was very relevant for our diverse student population.  Thank you Ms. Perkins for taking the time to visit us!
If you missed seeing Mitali Perkins today or want to learn more, see her again tomorrow at the Dhaka Lit Fest!

Being in Grade 7 was hard!

The first books...11 years apart!

Rickshaw Girl is becoming a movie and was published in Bangla today!

Thank you PTA for sponsoring the visit!

Dhaka Lit Fest

Don't forget to attend the Dhaka Lit Fest this weekend.  It is always a fun event and there is much to do for all ages.
You can see another presentation with our visiting author, Mitali Perkins, who will be speaking there after visiting us.  Also, our own Ms. Jahan will be interviewing some of the authors attending the Lit Fest.
It's free to attend but you must register ahead of time. Register and find the program at the link below.

https://www.dhakalitfest.com/index.html

Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West

Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.” So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings, Abby isn’t going to take any chances.

Which is where the list comes in.

Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list, she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being.

But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems . . . and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.

Why you should read this book:

• The list Abby makes would be fun to try- what can you do to get "more depth" out of life?
• A love story about falling in love with your best friend- I love a good romance novel!
• Thinking about what makes good art.  Can you make good art without intense feelings?
• I have liked all the books I've read by Kasie West; our library has most of them.

Find Love, Life, and the List in our library at: ROMANCE F WES

Denton Little's Still Not Dead by Lance Rubin

This is the sequel to Denton Little's Deathdate.  Read my review for the first book here.

You only live once—unless you’re Denton Little!

Denton Little lives in a world exactly like our own except that everyone knows the day on which they will die. The good news: Denton has lived through his deathdate. Yay! The bad news: He’s being chased by the DIA (Death Investigation Agency), he can never see his family again, and he may now die anytime. Huh. Cheating death isn’t quite as awesome as Denton would have thought. . . .

Lance Rubin’s debut novel, Denton Little’s Deathdate, showed readers just how funny and poignant imminent death could be. Now in this sequel, he takes on the big questions about life. How do we cope, knowing we could die at any time? Would you save someone from dying even if they were a horrible person? Is it wrong to kiss the girl your best friend is crushing on if she’s really into you instead? What if she’s wearing bacon lip gloss?

Why you should read this book:

• It is laugh-out-loud funny.
• Made me think (when I wasn't laughing) about what it would be like to know your death date.
• This is a YA book with high school boy situations and humor.
• The author, Lance Rubin, is an actor and also writes sketch comedy.  You can watch some video clips at his website: http://www.lancerubin.com/videos/

Find Denton Little's Still Not Dead in our library at: SCI-FI F RUB

YALSA Teens' Top Ten List

Find the titles in our library!

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green                                    Call Number: REALISTIC F GRE
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus                                   Call Number: MYSTERY F MCM
Warcross by Marie Lu. G. P.                                                          Call Number: SCI-FI F GRE
Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo                           ON ORDER
Caraval by Stephanie Garber                                                         Call Number: FANTASY F GAR
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds                                             Call Number: REALISTIC F REY
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez  Call Number: REALISTIC F SAN

Paper Hearts by Ali Novak                                                             ON ORDER
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor                                             Call Number: FANTASY F TAY
Once and For All by Sarah Dessen                                               Call Number: ROMANCE F DES

Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali

There are three kinds of people in my world: 

1. Saints, those special people moving the world forward. Sometimes you glaze over them. Or, at least, I do. They're in your face so much, you can't see them, like how you can't see your nose.

2. Misfits, people who don't belong. Like me--the way I don't fit into Dad's brand-new family or in the leftover one composed of Mom and my older brother, Mama's-Boy-Muhammad.
Also, there's Jeremy and me. Misfits. Because although, alliteratively speaking, Janna and Jeremy sound good together, we don't go together. Same planet, different worlds.
But sometimes worlds collide and beautiful things happen, right? 

3. Monsters. Well, monsters wearing saint masks, like in Flannery O'Connor's stories. 

Like the monster at my mosque. People think he's holy, untouchable, but nobody has seen under the mask. 

Except me.

Why you should read this book:

• It may put you outside your comfort range.
• Saints and Misfits reinforces that though we are all different, we are also alike in many ways
• I wonder if all Muslim communities are like the one in the book.  Do Muslim communities in the US function differently from the Muslim countries I've lived in? I wonder what the differences and similarities are.
• It's full of "real-world" issues like bullying, friendship, growing up, racism and religion.

Find Saints and Misfits in our library at: REALISTIC F ALI

OverDrive Sora

Try the new Sora reading app from OverDrive on your October break travels! 

The library offers thousands of eBooks and audiobooks through OverDrive.  Download the Sora app on your device or access Sora online at: https://soraapp.com to see what books are available.

Our other link to OverDrive still works, but I think Sora provides a better student reading experience and syncs well across multiple devices.  Stop by the library if you need help using Sora.

Banned Books Week- it's here!

Middle School had many discussions this week about why books may be challenged.  Checkouts and holds of challenged materials soared, which always happens during Banned Books Week!

Our most requested hold this week...Thirteen Reasons Why.  Students were surprised to hear that the book is over 10 years old and the "movie factor" increased challenges of this book.

Find all the books below (and many more) in our libraries!

(ALA.org)

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. 

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Why you should read this book:

• Starr is a strong female lead character.
• It was an interesting look into race and racism in the United States.
• It made me wonder what it would be like to be of a different race in the United States.  Is this book is an accurate account?  I wonder not because I disbelieve it, but because I have never experienced it.
• I thought about protests and why they work, or don't work.  What makes an effective protest?

Find The Hate U Give in our library at: REALISTIC F THO

When Dimple me Rishi by Sandy Menon

Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?

Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him—wherein he’ll have to woo her—he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.

The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?

Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.

Why you should read this book:

• Dimple is a strong female character with an even stronger personality.
• There are lots of parts in the story that made me laugh out loud.
• The two main characters make each other better people.
• It's a love story...I love a good romance!

Find When Dimple met Rishi in our library at: ROMANCE F MEN

One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus

(Amazon.com)

OMG!  I never use that acronym, but that's how much I loved One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus.  I finished it in two days, staying up late and getting up early to see what happened next.  

Here's part of the blurb from Amazon.com: 

On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.

Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. 

Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. 

Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.

Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.

And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. 

One reason I liked this book is that usually, I can guess the ending very soon after the book started.  I didn't guess this ending until over halfway through the book and even then, I wasn't entirely correct.  A great mystery told from four different viewpoints.  Who's lying?

Find One of Us Is Lying in the library at: MYSTERY F MCM

Summer Reading

SUMMER READING LISTS

Here are links to the summer reading lists.  You can also pick up printed copies of these lists in the library.  We are open from 10:00-2:00 for most of the summer.

ALSC Summer Reading List for Grades 6-8:

Young Adult Reading List (adapted from YALSA) 

Don't forget about summer reading bingo for middle school students! 

Get your BINGO card in the library.

HAVE A RELAXING SUMMER BREAK!