Coming to a Theater Near You!

Some pretty awesome YA novels are being made into movies! There's some BIG names attached to the cast so you might want to take a peek below.

You can check out any othese novels at a library branch near you!

I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

You've probably already seen the trailer for this one; it's due out in theaters February 2011. This action packed flick also has an awesome cast - including Alex Pettyfer as Number Four/John Smith, "Glee" star Dianna Agron as Sarah, and Callan McAuliffe as Sam.

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer (Yep, he's in "I am Number Fours AND "Beastly!" This guy is busy!) star in this modern, urban retelling of "Beauty in the Beast." Neil Patrick Harris of "How I Met Your Mother" and Mary Kate Olsen also make appearances in the movie. It comes out March 4th.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Lionsgate has a release date set for "The Hunger Games!"The movie will hit theaters March 23, 2012. Now we just have to wait for news about the cast! Check out this article from Entertainment Weekly here where Suzanne Collins talks about writing the screen adaptation! According the magazine, the movie's budget is reported to be $60 million!!! Do you think that's enough?

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Lily Collins as Clary Fray in the movie version of Cassandra Clare's novel. What do you think about the casting choice?

Wake by Lisa McMann

Miley Cyrus is attached to star in the movie version of "Wake" by Lisa McMann. The movie is being developed by MTV Films. Be sure to check out the sequels "Fade" and "Gone," available through the library. McMann also has a new novel coming out in February called "Cryer's Cross."

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher

Calling all Taylor Lautner fans! He's reported to star in the movie adaptation of "Incarceron." The movie is due to come out sometime in 2013. You'll also want to check out the sequel "Sapphique" at the library!

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke is set to take Dashner's first novel of the sci-fi trilogy to the big screen. Be sure to check out the sequel "The Torch Trials" at the library!

Favorite Blogs and Websites

So, inquiring minds want to know: what's your online routine? Every time I sit down in front of my computer, I wind up staring at Facebook. It's less than amusing most of the time, but the addiction is solidly in place. Leave me a comment and tell me which URLs your fingers automatically type when you sit at your desk! Teach some librarians how to stay in touch with you whipper snappers.

In the mean time, here are a few links to other places that I think you might enjoy visiting.

http://www.xkcd.com/
XKCD is a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language, according to the website. Hilarious stick figures are what draw me in.

http://www.hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/
Hyperbole and a Half is a blog full of the musings of a really funny chick who creates crazy drawings in Paint. At least, I think it's Paint. Almost a webcomic, but not quite.

http://www.teenreads.com/
I'm a librarian, so of course I had to throw some books at you. Really, though, this website does a swell job of informing readers about the best upcoming YA books. Even if you think you're too mature for YA books, you'll probably be reading them when you're thirty and longing for your younger days, so why not get a head start?

http://figment.com/
Figment is a social neworking community for writers. Post your stuff and get feedback! Also, it's really pretty.

http://pixelgirlpresents.com/
Pixel Girl Presents is my favorite source for awesome desktop backgrounds. They also offer stuff for your phone, iPad, etc. The art is really snazzy.

http://weheartit.com/
This is a visual bookmarking site. Keep track of photos and videos you love, and you'll never find yourself searching Google endlessly for that hilarious picture you KNOW you saw somewhere. Believe me. I've done it.

http://www.delicious.com/
This is just a bookmarking site in general. Save links to websites you want to visit again and tag them for easy retrieval. Also, browse other people's public tags to discover new sites you'll love. Just be careful when you create your tags. I have tags for things like "pop_up_shark," which I can assure you I will never use twice.

http://mashable.com/
Get news updates from all over the web. Being informed is good.

I'm sure there are thousands that I missed, so fill me in!!

Teen Book Review

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Reviewed by Morena Holland


     Huckleberry Finn is a boy who gets tired of the constant rules and regulations he has to follow everyday. He lives with Widow Douglas, a very nice and decent woman, but Miss Watson, the sister of the widow is the one person Huck probably hates the most. Although Miss W's intentions are good, her efforts to make Huck civilized only make him dislike her even more. Despite not being in custody of his father:,Pap, Huck avoids being with Pap. Pap is an alcoholic, resulting in abusive, and disturbing behavior. Being a rebellious teenager, Huck decides to fake his own death, and runs away. During the beginning of his journey, his friend Jim (Miss Watson's slave), looks out to find Huck. After Huck and Jim reunite, they experience many problems during their adventures. Jim being a runaway slave, Huck dealswith many inner conflicts. He decides no matter what, he is going to help Jim to freedom. Together they experience a fascinating journey and their friendship begins to grow stronger. Huck shows maturity at the end of the story.


Review:

This book was a great novel. It shows many subliminal messages and the how humankind/society truly needs to change its judgmental ways.
Morena Holland

www.myspace.com/morenaholland


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMGnjuUcNyE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM_x1e5CICg&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-YYmm5frV8&feature=related

A new option for digital books

The Google eBookstore opened today. While many of the books on the site are available for purchase,  classics are available absolutely for free. This might be a helpful service when you've procrastinated on a school assignment and you just can't find that book you're supposed to read!

Many websites are debating whether or not Goole joining the world of literature is a good thing. What do you think? Do you like to read e books, or do you prefer paper? Do you own an eReader or an iPad? Do you want one? Share your thoughts!

More on this topic:

http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2010/12/google-bookstore/comment-page-1/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/06/google-ebooks-store-to-ch_n_792538.html?ir=Technology

Top Ten Holiday Movies

Break out the sparkly holiday lights and hot chocolate! It's the most wonderful time of the year!

In December, I love to watch all of my favorite holiday movies. Luckily, the library owns all of them so if you have a library card you can get all of these movies for free! So here, are my top ten holiday movies!

10. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (The original cartoon, not the live-action film. That one's just creepy)

9. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

8. A Christmas Story ("You'll put our eye out!")

7. Miracle on 34th Street

6. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

5. The Santa Clause

4. Love Actually (Yes, I'm a sap)

3. Elf ("We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corn, and syrup.")

2. A Charlie Brown Christmas

1. A Muppet Christmas Carol

I'll always have a soft spot for Gonzo and Kermit the Frog. No doubt I'll watch it a dozen times between not and the end of the month.

What's your favorite holiday movie?