New Teen Read at Smoot Library! Check it out today!
A lyrical coming-of-age story about a boy, a girl, and a horse - and how a chance encounter can lead to a life of intrigue and learning, a life beyond imagining.
When Thomas Rose first spots the girl hidden by the roadside, she looks as drab as a lark, with only her red kerchief giving her away. But French Hélène, who goes by "Ling," is no ordinary bird. Tiny Ling enchants Thomas with her wild spirit and tales of a circus where she danced atop her beloved horse, Belladonna. But the horse has been sold, and Ling must fetch her back. Now Thomas’s life as a clever but unschooled wheelwright’s son is about to change. Their search leads to painter George Stubbs, who euthanizes ailing animals in order to study their anatomy. Stubbs draws eerie horses that stride as if they could move out of the paper world into the real one - but he assures his young friends that their horse is safe at a nearby estate. As Ling and Thomas devise a risky plan to recover Belladonna, Stubbs hires Thomas as an apprentice, teaching him to read and write as well. In this fascinating story, Mary Finn incorporates a real eighteenth-century artist into a beautifully imagined tale of adventure and young romance.
JFK Assassinated. Vietnam. Feminism. Drugs. Beatlemania. Looking for a different kind of historical fiction read? Look no further. This novel is a unique blend of letters, prose, historical events, personal accounts and verse that poignantly portray the tumultuous lives of teens in time of political and social upheaval.
Purple Daze is a young adult novel set in suburban Los Angeles in 1965. Six high school students share their experiences and feelings in interconnected free verse and traditional poems about war, feminism, riots, love, racism, rock 'n' roll, high school, and friendship. Although there have been verse novels published recently, none explore the changing and volatile 1960's in America— a time when young people drove a cultural and political revolution. With themes like the costs and casualties of war, the consequences of sex, and the complex relationships between teens, their peers, and their parents, this story is still as relevant today as it was 45 years ago.
"Purple Daze is a cutting-edge novel, strategically written to keep you wanting more as you delve deeper into the love and conflict of the rocky 1960s. Eccentric yet tasteful, Purple Daze is uniquely and beautifully written, highlighting author Shahan’s one-of-a-kind writing style and technique. Whether the reader is looking for a blast from the past purposefully executed, or a rollercoaster ride of a novel, Purple Daze is sure to please both young adult and adult audiences." ~ Reviewed by New York Journal of Books, March 2011
Bestselling author Kelley Armstrong has recently released her first book in a new series called Darkness Rising Trilogy. Also just released and now available at Smoot Library! Check it out today!
Strange things are happening in Maya's tiny Vancouver Island town. First, her friend Serena, the captain of the swim team, drowns mysteriously in the middle of a calm lake. Then, one year later, mountain lions are spotted rather frequently around Maya's home—and her reactions to them are somewhat . . . unexpected. Her best friend, Daniel, has also been experiencing unexplainable premonitions about certain people and situations.
It doesn't help that the new bad boy in town, Rafe, has a dangerous secret, and he's interested in one special part of Maya's anatomy—her paw-print birthmark.
“Comfortably mixing science, myth, and mystery, Armstrong creates a vivid world highlighted by appealing characters. Fans and newcomers alike will be eager for more after Armstrong’s story drives to its pulse-pounding climax." from Publisher's Weekly
WHAT: Teen Summer Reading Kick-off Event! An American Beach Party themed Lock-in @ your library!
WHO: All Teens Ages 12-18 invited!*
WHERE: L.E. Smoot Memorial Library
WHEN: Friday, July 1 from 6pm to 12am
WHY: Why not? You will not want to miss our summer reading kick-off event this year – six hours of nonstop fun at the American Beach Party themed lock-in! Join us for some great old favorite games with a beach twist to them, as well as some new fun games and activities, some fantastic beach food & beverages, summer tunes, and much more! Be sure to come in your favorite summer apparel and flip flops!
REGISTRATION REQUIRED: RSVP @ Smoot by Tuesday, June 28, 2011. Sorry, no late registration will be accepted! Permission slips available at the Summer Reading table.
*Note on Age: Though 11 year olds may participate in the teen program, they may not attend teen events without a parent/guardian always present in the library building due to our policy.
Looking for something fun & new to read now that school is FINALLY over? Check out one of these new titles that have just hit our shelves!
Enjoy psychological thrillers? Edgy books that are on the brink of disturbing and end with a slap in your face? You won't want to miss Elizabeth Woods' debut novel, Choker.
Sixteen-year-old Cara Lange has been a loner ever since she moved away from her best and only friend, Zoe, years ago. She eats lunch with the other girls from the track team, but they're not really her friends. Mostly she spends her time watching Ethan Gray from a distance, wishing he would finally notice her, and avoiding the popular girls who call her "Choker" after a humiliating incident in the cafeteria.
Then one day Cara comes home to find Zoe waiting for her. Zoe's on the run from problems at home, and Cara agrees to help her hide. With her best friend back, Cara's life changes overnight. Zoe gives her a new look and new confidence, and next thing she knows, she's getting invited to parties and flirting with Ethan. Best of all, she has her BFF there to confide in.
But just as quickly as Cara's life came together, it starts to unravel. A girl goes missing in her town, and everyone is a suspect—including Ethan. Worse still, Zoe starts behaving strangely, and Cara begins to wonder what exactly her friend does all day when she's at school. You're supposed to trust your best friend no matter what, but what if she turns into a total stranger?
In the first book in an action-packed, romantic trilogy, L..A. Weatherly sends readers on a thrill-ride of a road trip - and depicts the human race at the brink of a future as catastrophic as it is deceptively beautiful.
They're out for your soul....and they don't have heaven in mind.
Clara’s relationship with Christian is intense from the start, and like nothing she’s ever experienced before. But what starts as devotion quickly becomes obsession, and it’s almost too late before Clara realizes how far gone Christian is--and what he’s willing to do to make her stay.
Now Clara has left the city—and Christian—behind. No one back home has any idea where she is, but she still struggles to shake off her fear. She knows Christian won’t let her go that easily, and that no matter how far she runs, it may not be far enough....
Fans of Sarah Dessen or suspenseful novels tied in with romance will want to give this one a try!
