Aliens and UFO's, and did you know Ender's Game is finally going to be a movie?

If you are a fan of the classic sci-fi book Ender's Game, then you probably know that it has taken years for a movie to be made based on the book.  In the last few months, however, not only has a release date been announced for the movie (March 2013) but according to The Hollywood Reporter a number of actors have been cast in the film.  This list includes Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Abigail Breslin, Hailey Steinfeld, and Asa Butterfield takes the main lead as Ender.  If you have not read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, then click here to find it in the Library.  If you are looking for a list of good reads like Ender's Game then click here to check out a list of Alien and UFO fiction for Teens and check out a few highlighted titles below:

	Space Cowboy by Justin Stanchfield Teenage cowboy Travis McClure is desperate for adventure. He's bored with life on the remote planet of Aletha Three where he herds cattle all day. But everything changes when he comes face-to-face with a creature that should only exist in nightmares.
	First Day on Earth by Cecil Castelucci Believing he was abducted by aliens several years earlier during a mysterious three-day disappearance he cannot remember, pensive misfit Mal meets Hooper at an abductee support group and learns otherworldly secrets that reveal profound possibilities for his future.
	Stuck on Earth by David Klass On a secret mission to evaluate whether the human race should be annihilated, a space alien inhabits the body of a bullied fourteen-year-old boy.

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Legend by Marie Lu

Legend is a book that had a lot of hype surrounding it. So when I sat down to read I wondered if it would live up to all of the hype. Legend wasn’t legendary, but it was pretty good and it stands apart from other dystopian( books similar to The Hunger Games) novels that have come out in the past year.  What makes Legend stand out? First - there's the font - it's gold- I thought that was really cool. I’ve read a LOT of books and none of them so far have had gold colored font. The chapters written from Day's perspective, the notorious teen criminal on the run from the Republic, are in gold. Then the chapters written by June, the genius future star of the Republic's security force, are in black.  Another great element is the action in the book. Right from the beginning you're pulled into one of Day's daring missions to try and help his family.  This mission goes terribly wrong when one of the Republic's security guards tries to stop Day and ends up losing his life.  What makes matter worse is that it security guard was also June's brother. A brother, who was like a father to her, since their parents died a few years back.  June is assigned to track down Day and bring him to justice for killing her brother.  But once June and Day meet face to face it turns out perhaps avenging her brother's death isn't the real answer to her or the Republic's problems.

If you're interested in learning more about the author of Legend, Marie Lu, and her writing process check out Colleen's post here!

Reviewed by Renee, Teen Outreach Librarian

 

If you like I am Number Four...

Did you see the movie, I am Number Four, and love it?  Have you read the book and are eagerly awaiting the sequel?  Then check out these books and movie today at the Library:

Books
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X by James Patterson

As a young boy with unexplained abilities, Daniel witnesses the death of his parents at the hands of an evil alien.  Now 15, alien hunter Daniel X is closer than ever to avenging his parents’ deaths. 

 

 

Stuck on Earth  by David Klass

A small snail like alien has taken over the body of a 14 year old bully.  The alien's goal: to determine if there is any reason why mankind should be saved from the planned obliteration of the earth.

 

 

 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Ender Wiggin, six-years-old and seemingly a genius, is beginning his education at battle school in space.  The novel follows him through the age of twelve, where he has earned respect and is being counted on to battle invading aliens.

 

 

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Melanie is a human who has just been taken over by an alien.  However, Melanie is a strong soul and fights against her alien invader.  As a human, Melanie was obsessed with finding her human friends and fighting against the alien invaders.  The alien is unsure of her role in taking over a human body, and does not truly know if she wants to be in a human body.  This leads to a complicated coexistence that intensifies when the two entities in one body are captured by a group of humans in hiding.

 

Gone by Michael Grant

Everyone over the age of 13 has disappeared within the 20 mile radius of Perdido Beach, CA.  Those left have to figure out how to survive, why those remaining disappear at age 14, their developing superpowers, and why there is an invisible wall that prevents them from escaping the 20 mile radius.

 

 

 

Movies
Jumper

David has the power to jump, which allows him to teleport himself anywhere in the world.  What David doesn't know, though, is that there has been a war raging for centuries between the jumpers and those bent on killing them.
Rated PG-13

 

 

Transformers

 

The autobots verus the decepticons.  A war between these two alien races comes to earth and stuck in the middle are two teens, one who possesses the map to a magical talisman hidden on earth that could mean victory for whichever alien race finds it first.
Rated PG-13

 

Race to Witch Mountain

Two teens enlist the help of cab driver and ex-con, Jack Bruno, to drive them to a remote location outside of Las Vegas.  What Jack doesn't know is that the teens are really aliens who have been collecting data in order to try and save the earth from destruction--something that the military on their home planet are willing to kill the two aliens to accomplish.
Rated PG

 

Serenity

Serenity is the name of a space ship run by a crew of renegades in the future that resembles a spaced aged wild west.  Recently, the crew has taken on a troubled young girl, River, and her brother, a doctor.  River, who has extraordinary powers, knows something that the Alliance, the ruling body of power, will do whatever it takes to keep quiet.  
Rated PG-13

 

Tron Legacy

Sam is the son of the man who was once the world's greatest video game creator.  But Sam's father has disappeared, and when Sam tries to track down his father he is pulled into the alternate reality where his father and now Sam are trapped.  Together they must fight to escape.
Rated PG

 

 

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

Glee Returns

 
 
All of you who were excited for Glee’s return last night, here are some books that you might be in to.  Just click on the link to find them in the Library's catalog:

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castelucci
Authors Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best-selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature.

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford
Freshman Will Carter endures many painful moments during his first year of high school before realizing that nothing good comes easily, focus is everything, and the payoff is usually incredible.

Diva by Alex Flinn
Despite her mother’s objections, sixteen-year-old Caitlin determines to pursue her dream of becoming an opera singer by attending a performing arts school in Miami.

Deep In the Heart of High School by Veronica Goldbach
Three freshmen girls meet in band practice and become good friends.  Together they navigate through the ups and downs of their first year in high school.

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern
When sophomore Jessie’s best friend transforms herself into a punk and goes after Jessie’s would-be boyfriend, Jessie finds true friends among classmates who play Dungeons and Dragons.

Dramarama by E. Lockhart
Theater-mad teens Sadye and her best friend Demi find their bond of friendship sorely tested when they encounter love, rivalry, and a vast array of unforgettable characters while spending the summer at drama camp.

Glee: the beginning by Sophia Lowell
Based on the TV series, this prequel novel that gives you a look at what life was like at McKinley high before glee club.

Election by Tom Perrotta
Tracy Flick wants to be President of Winwood High School. She’s one of those ambitious girls who finds time to do it all. But her teacher Mr. McAllister persuades Paul Warren—a good-hearted jock—to also run for the student council elections.

Queen Geek Social Clubby Laura Preble
It’s chic to be geek! Becca wants to shake things up at school and look for “others of our kind” so she decides to form the Queen Geek Social Club.

Fame, Glory, and Other Things On My To Do List by Janette Rallison
Jessica dreams of being a star, so when a new guy arrives at school whose father is a famous actor, Jessica plots a way to get the actor to attend the high school's production of West Side Story.

The Four Dorothys by Paul Ruditis
The students at the Orion Academy put on a musical based on the Wizard of Oz. Due to their egotism, four of them have the part of Dorothy, but as opening night approaches, the Dorothys drop out of the show one-by-one.

Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon
In her first year at a suburban New Jersey high school, Mary Elizabeth Cep, who now calls herself “Lola,” sets her sights on the lead in the annual drama production, and finds herself in conflict with the most popular girl in school.

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can’t Have by Allen Zadoff
Fifteen-year-old Andrew, the second fattest student at his high school, joins the varsity football team to get the attention of a new girl on whom he has a crush.

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian

The Hunger Games movie news

MTV.com is reporting that Liam Hemsworth has read for a part in The Hunger Games movie.  The big question is, though, who would he play--Peeta or Gale???

The Hunger Games Trilogy has become the latest must read series, especially with the news that a movie will be made.

Here's what two teen reviewers have to say about The Hunger Games:

Hunger Games is one of the best books i have ever read. It tells the story of Katniss, a girl in district 12 who is to compete in the Hunger games, a fight 'til death for food, wealth, and fame. With tons of action and a little bit of romance this book kept me turning the pages and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next...Reviewed by Samantha

I really enjoyed the book Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins...Hunger Games was great  and would extremely recommend it to everyone...Reviewed by Haley

If you have already read The Hunger Games and want to read books like it, just click on the titles below to find them in the Library's catalog:

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Feed by M.T. Anderson
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Dr. Franklin's Island by Ann Halam
The Declaration by Gemma Malley
Mortal Engines by Phillip Reeve
The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn
Girl in the Arena by Lisa Haines
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
The Line by Teri Hall
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Rash by Pete Hautman
Salt by Maurice Gee
Winter's End by Jean-Claud Mourtlevat

And, of course, if you haven't read The Hunger Games yet--be sure to check it out at the Library!

posted by Colleen, Teen Services Librarian