Going Bovine
Posted by dcteeny on November 12, 2009
Cameron sets out on a cross-country quest to find the elusive Dr. X. Traveling with a dwarfish hypochondriac named
Posted in Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal, Reviews | Tagged: "mad cow disease", Adventure, Fantasy, humor | Leave a Comment »
Ready for NEW MOON?
Posted by dcteeny on November 11, 2009
Are you “Team Jacob” or “Team Edward?” That’s a good question for Twilight Saga fans to ponder as they await the second Twilight movie installment, which opens in theaters on November 20.
Meanwhile you can play the New Moon trivia game and give your answer at the Castle Pines library. The fun starts on Monday, November 16, from 7 to 9 pm, and that night coincides with–can you guess?—the new moon! Come win a prize!
You might want to to read or reread the Twilight books–especially if you can’t make up your mind which team you’re on. As for my own team loyalties—- I’ll be howling with the rest of the wolves come late November!


Don’t forget the DVD! Movie Companion Books Movie sound track

e-books and audiobooks
~DJC
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Read Beyond Reality
Posted by dcteeny on October 17, 2009
Posted in Fantasy, Graphic Novels, News, Paranormal, Readers Advisory, Sci-Fi | Leave a Comment »
Nothing But Ghosts
Posted by dcteeny on October 6, 2009
If I were a teenager again, I would be hard pressed to imagine a better way to spend my summer than working in the gardens of a big estate that is
shrouded in mystery and local lore. Throw in one or two hot, older guys as co-workers and a loving, trusting, and laid back dad, who treats me like an equal. Then there’s the chance to have my way with the historical archives of the quaint local library any time I want. Helping me out is a glamorous librarian who puts the cool in nerdiness. It’s a promising setting for a teenage girl who has a few things to think through.
This is the situation Katie finds herself in one summer, the summer after her mom’s death. National Book Award nominee, Beth Kephart, places a cast of interesting characters and their wonderful dialogue into this setting. Katie finds answers and romance, and begins to work through her grief, toward growth and healing. Good for teens of all ages, Nothing but Ghosts is a little like a perfect summer night — full of possibilities and over too soon.
~DJC
Posted in Reviews | Tagged: mystery, "death of parent", grief, Romance, recluse, summertime | 1 Comment »
‘Hunted’ Author Piles on the Thrills
Posted by dcteeny on September 10, 2009
Edgar Award Winning author, Walter Sorrells, piles on plenty of thrills for mystery lovers with his riveting Hunted series.
Fake ID introduces us to Chastity, who has been on the run with her mom since she was a baby. That much Chastity, called “Chass”, knows. About everything else –why—what—and especially who–she’s a little fuzzy. Her sixteenth birthday brings a surprise, but not the good kind, as her mom disappears and leaves some puzzling clues behind her. Chass has six days to figure it all out, with the prospect of foster care looming if she doesn’t find her mom in time.
Still using a false identity in Club Dread, Chass finds herself in San Francisco, where she is a break out performer on the local music scene. Everything safe is suddenly at stake when she witnesses a murder and finds herself a suspect in the crime. Can she hold it all together, protecting her cover while helping police solve the murder?
In Whiteout, Chass is still on the run. Stumbling through a blinding blizzard in Greenville, Minnesota, Chass trips over a dead body, and then sees a mysterious man disappear into the storm. With her haunted past, Chass knows all about running from killers, and she is sure that a deadly pursuer is back on her trail. Now Chass is sick of running, and if she hopes to ever have a normal life again, she has only one choice: find the killer before the killer finds her. Look for Whiteout to be released this October.
Fast pacing makes the Hunted series appealing for older, thrill-seeking teen readers. The writing style and presentation, along with a low page count, also make these a good bet for reluctant young adult readers.
Those “hunting” for a read-alike to this series might enjoy a good adult cross-over: The Girl She Used to Be, by David Cristofano. In this story, twenty-something Melody has spent most of her life in the federal witness protection program. That’s bad and all, but when Melody gets bored with her life, she can make sure she gets a new one by blowing her own cover. Things get complicated, though, when Melody can no longer tell the good guys from the bad guys.
DJC
Posted in Reviews | Tagged: "fake id", "false identity", "fast paced", "fugitive, hunted, mystery, reluctant readers, Thriller | Leave a Comment »
Tough Topics — Great Read
Posted by dcteeny on September 2, 2009
Diego slowly begins to open up, and begins to heal the wounds of his past. Along the way several controversial topics are explored, including the rape of a child, sexual identity and cutting. An experienced therapist and probation officer, author Alex Sanchez presents an accurate and fascinating look into the world of a very troubled teen as the story unfolds.Posted in Reviews | Tagged: "coming of age", "sexual identity", abuse, counseling, cutting, rape, sexuality | Leave a Comment »
Because I am Furniture
Posted by dcteeny on August 25, 2009
Outwardly, Anke’s family appears perfect – professor father, devoted
mother, and three attractive and intelligent children.
But it’s all a façade. Anke’s respected father is physically abusive to her older brother; her older sister gets it even worse. Anke is spared his abuse, but she is also spared any sort of love or attention from either parent. She likens herself to a piece of furniture – something that’s present but unnoticed until someone wants to use it.
As Anke starts high school, though, and makes the volleyball team, she discovers that she has a voice. The abuse inflicted on her family makes her want to use it. Can she find the strength inside to speak out against her father’s cruelty?
Written in verse, Because I am Furniture, by Thalia Chaltas, is about a girl finding her voice, her courage, and, ultimately, her place within her family.
~ Kerri
Posted in Reviews | Tagged: "abusive parent" "dysfunctional families", "family dynamics", "self esteem", "self-confidence", verse | Leave a Comment »
The Morgue and Me
Posted by dcteeny on August 23, 2009
Christopher has always harbored a secret dream – to become a spy. Unfortunately, nothing ever really happens in his northern Michigan town. The summer after he graduates high school, however, promises to be a bit more exciting.
First, he takes a job at the city morgue. Then he stumbles upon a faked death certificate and a bundle of cash, and a mystery is born…With the help of a drop-dead gorgeous (and overly ambitious) reporter from the local newspaper, Christopher gets in over his head as he realizes the implications of his findings. He needs to solve the mystery quick, before he ends up at the morgue himself.
Fans of Peter Abrahams’ Reality Check ( see post 8-11-09) will love The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford.
~ Kerri
Posted in Mysteries, Reviews, Thriller | Tagged: forensics, mystery, spies | Leave a Comment »
Make Way for the King
Posted by dcteeny on August 18, 2009
King of the Screwups by K.L. Going

According to his father, Liam Geller is a disappointment – a “screwup” who can’t do anything right. Although Liam is popular, good-looking and spontaneous, his father derides those qualities as worthless. When he is thrown out of the house for screwing up one too many times, Liam is determined to prove his father wrong and to finally gain the man’s respect.
Liam puts in action a plan to erase all the attributes that make him who he is and to become what his father wants him to be – a nerd. But is he really a screwup? Follow Liam’s journey of self discovery and acceptance with an unlikely cast of characters and decide for yourself if he truly is King of the Screwups.
If you like King of the Screwups, try these stories of teenage issues, angst and coming of age:
Car Trouble by Jeanne DuPrau
Hairstyles of the Damned by Joe Meno
He Forgot To Say Goodbye by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Boy Proof by Cecil Castellucci
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headly
The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine by April Lurie
How Not to be Popular by Jennifer Ziegler
~Joelle
Posted in Reviews | Tagged: "coming of age", "fathers and sons", "realistic fiction", "self esteem" | Leave a Comment »


















