Category: By Teens

2019 Teens’ Top Ten Titles Announced

Teens' Top TenTeens voted and the winners are finally here!

Here are the official 2019 Teens’ Top Ten titles:

  1. #MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil. Freeform Books/Disney Book Group. 9781368010023.
  2. Wildcard by Marie Lu. P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House. 9780399547997.
  3. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette Book Group. 9780316310277.
  4. Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster.
  5. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. Henry Holt Books for Young Readers/Macmillan.
  6. The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang. First Second/Macmillan.
  7. American Panda by Gloria Chao. Simon Pulse/Simon & Schuster. 9781481499101.
  8. Batman: Nightwalker by Marie Lu. Random House Children’s Books/Penguin Random House. 9780399549809.
  9. Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll. Farrar, Straus and Giroux/Macmillan. 9780374300289.
  10. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. HarperTeen/HarperCollins. 9780062662804.

Download the full list with annotations on the Teens’ Top Ten webpage.

Teens aged 12-18 can nominate their favorite titles to be considered as a 2020 Teens’ Top Ten nominee via the public nomination form. Book title nominations submitted in the current year will be used for consideration of the following year’s list of nominees. Teens can submit a book title now through January 1, 2020 to be included in the pool of the 2020 nominee candidates. For books to be eligible for consideration, they must be published between January 1– December 31, 2019.

Notes from a Teens Top Ten Book Group Member: All Better Now Fantasy Casting

Teens across the nation vote each year for the Teens’ Top Ten book list and the results are eagerly anticipated during Teen Read Week in October– but did you know how the books are nominated for this list in the first place?

Books are nominated by members of Teens’ Top Ten book groups in school and public libraries around the country. To give you a glimpse of some of the teens behind this process, we’re featuring posts from Teens’ Top Ten book groups here on The Hub. Today we have a fantasy cast list for Emily Wing Smith’s All Better Now created by Tina Van Fossen. Warning! Spoilers below!

 

All Better Now: A Memoir by Emily Wing Smith All Better Now

I ask myself: how am I living still?
And how I ask it depends on the day.

All her life, Emily has felt different from other kids. Between therapist visits, sudden uncontrollable bursts of anger, and unexplained episodes of dizziness and loss of coordination, things have always felt not right. For years, her only escape was through the stories she’d craft about herself and the world around her. But it isn’t until a near-fatal accident when she’s twelve years old that Emily and her family discover the truth: a grapefruit sized benign brain tumor at the base of her skull.

In turns candid, angry, and beautiful, Emily Wing Smith’s captivating memoir chronicles her struggles with both mental and physical disabilities during her childhood, the devastating accident that may have saved her life, and the means by which she coped with it all: writing. Continue reading Notes from a Teens Top Ten Book Group Member: All Better Now Fantasy Casting

Notes from a Teens Top Ten Book Group Member: Heir to the Sky Fantasy Casting

Teens across the nation vote each year for the Teens’ Top Ten book list and the results are eagerly anticipated during Teen Read Week in October– but did you know how the books are nominated for this list in the first place?

Books are nominated by members of Teens’ Top Ten book groups in school and public libraries around the country. To give you a glimpse of some of the teens behind this process, we’re featuring posts from Teens’ Top Ten book groups here on The Hub. Today we have a fantasy cast list for Amanda Sun’s Heir to the Sky (May 2016) created by Carmen Baker.

Heir to the Sky

Publisher’s description:

As heir to a kingdom of floating continents, Kali has spent her life bound by limits—by her duties as a member of the royal family, by a forced betrothal to the son of a nobleman, and by the edge of the only world she’s ever known—a small island hovering above a monster-ridden earth, long since uninhabited by humans. She is the Eternal Flame of Hope for what’s left of mankind, the wick and the wax burning in service for her people, and for their revered Phoenix, whose magic keeps them aloft.

When Kali falls off the edge of her kingdom and miraculously survives, she is shocked to discover there are still humans on the earth. Determined to get home, Kali entrusts a rugged monster-hunter named Griffin to guide her across a world overrun by chimera, storm dragons, basilisks, and other terrifying beasts. But the more time she spends on earth, the more dark truths she begins to uncover about her home in the sky, and the more resolute she is to start burning for herself. Continue reading Notes from a Teens Top Ten Book Group Member: Heir to the Sky Fantasy Casting

Teen Perspective: Digitally Remastered – Comic books for gamers!

If something exists, chances are that somebody is already trying to profit from it. Popular book series starring a teenage girl in a dystopian future? Hollywood is already writin’ up the script! Another Disney movie about a princess? Somebody is already planning a musical!

Video game characters like Super Mario and Pac-Man have become just as popular as the likes of Mickey and Bugs Bunny, so when something is THAT popular, you know that they’re going to go beyond just video games, right? We’re not just talking action figures and posters, but full movies! I can see it now: the greatest actors all over the country, being called together to act out some of time’s most beloved video game stories, with fantastic… um……yeah.

The majority of video game movies fail to stay true to their source material. Forget ’em for now.

So, what other kind of media has proven to be faithful to gaming? Comics! The comic format is very nice for expressing a serious tone, while also allowing for a more relaxed and comedy-based narrative. Practically every big video game franchise from Japan has a Manga series adaptation, and many other American games have gotten the panel-by-panel treatment as well.

For today’s article, I’ll be looking at a few comic books, all of which are based on some of my favorite games to play!comic books for gamers

The first is Mega Man, which is  published by Archie Comics, written by Ian Flynn, with art by Patrick Spaziante. This is the most recent of the 3 comic franchises, as it is the only one that debuted during the 21st Century. The story follows Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Albert Wily, as they start work on service robots called ‘Robot Masters’. Angered by Light’s fame over his own, Wily corrupts the Robot Masters into becoming war machines. Doctor Light converts one of his own housekeeping robots, ‘Rock’, into a fighting robot in order to stop Wily’s reprogrammed Robot Masters. Continue reading Teen Perspective: Digitally Remastered – Comic books for gamers!

Teen Perspective: A Trio of Tales about Dragons

The amazing thing about fiction is that it allows us to use our imaginations to come up with whatever our heart desires. From giant rock monsters to hedgehogs that ‘gotta go faster’, modern media has proven how simple it is to take a pre-existing creature and modify it to be more entertaining to the masses.Dragon books

Yet, out of all the creatures out there that mankind has devised for modern media, the dragon seems to be the most popular among boys and girls of all ages. What is it about them that makes them so appealing? Well, I would say that it’s how each creative mind in the world is able to interpret them in their own personal way. Some people see them as mindless beasts that only want to destroy mankind, while others see them as wise and cunning creatures of the land, sea and sky! Continue reading Teen Perspective: A Trio of Tales about Dragons

Notes from a Teens’ Top Ten Participant: Rebel Playlist

Teens’ Top Ten participants are invited to share reader responses on The Hub. This is a post by a teen in the Jordan Binder, a senior at Mount Carmel Academy in New Orleans.

Jordan says, “I love reading because it is something I have always known. It feels natural to me. I can’t seem to get enough of being transported to another place and getting to live through the mind set of another person.” Jordan wanted to share a playlist inspired by one of her favorite books, Goodbye, Rebel Blue by Shelley Coriell.

Goodbye Rebel Blue
 The playlist is what the main character, Rebecca Blue AKA Rebel Blue, would listen to.

Continue reading Notes from a Teens’ Top Ten Participant: Rebel Playlist

A Teen Perspective: E-books vs. Print Books

Breaking news – There has been a technological revolution where kindles, e-books, and various online reading apps have taken over the world. Well, not exactly… But with today’s technological advancement it seems as though the popularity of reading books online has dramatically increased. In fact, according to a 2012 survey by Pew Research Center, the average number of books read by a reader of e-book is 24 books compared to 15 books for those who only read print. What makes reading an e-book more popular than reading a print book? I plan to evaluate the pros and cons for both types of books.

A teen perspective: Ebooks vs. Print Books
photo by Flickr user pedrosimoes

There are so many wonderful factors involved with reading a print copy of the book. When I was in elementary school I remember the excitement of going to the bookstore with my mom to purchase more Magic Tree House and Junie B. Jones books. The feel of sitting down in the book store, perusing through various books and selecting which ones I wanted to read was just so much fun! Then, when I got home I could curl up on the couch and read for hours; and when I was done I could go back to the bookstore and purchase the next book in the series. Nowadays, I find myself going to the bookstore less frequently. I order paperback copies online, and have the books shipped to my house which is more convenient. But, I do miss the fun trips to the bookstore. Nevertheless – I think that reading paperback books has its own charm and excitement that cannot be replaced by an electronic book. Holding the physical copy of the book in my hands, and flipping each page makes the reading experience so much more real and memorable. For this reason, I personally prefer reading print copy books. Continue reading A Teen Perspective: E-books vs. Print Books

Notes from a Teens’ Top Ten Book Group Participant: Playlist for All the Bright Places

TeensTopTen_winner_WMTeens across the nation vote each year for the Teens’ Top Ten book list and the results are eagerly anticipated during Teen Read Week every October– but did you know how the books are nominated for this list in the first place?

Books are nominated by members of Teens’ Top Ten book groups in school and public libraries around the country. To give you a glimpse of some of the teens behind this process, we’re featuring posts from Teens’ Top Ten book groups here on The Hub. Today we have a playlist created by Sarah Liang from the Mount Carmel Academy Book Club, to go along with your reading of All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven.

Reading has always been a way to escape reality for me, whether it’s through a cute romance novel or a suspense thriller. I don’t think I’ve ever spent a day away from a book! Sometimes it just helps to be able to curl up with a good novel on a nice day and let your imagination run free. Along with books, I have always had a deep connection with music. I’ve found that my love for music and books overlaps constantly. I am always thinking of songs that go along with a scene in my current read, and certain novels often come to mind when I’m listening to a good tune.

The galley program is one of my favorite things about the MCA book club and library. I really enjoy reading the unpublished books and giving my feedback on them. I have discovered some of my favorite new books through the galley program, and I can’t wait to discover even more!  Continue reading Notes from a Teens’ Top Ten Book Group Participant: Playlist for All the Bright Places