Great Graphic Novels for Teens

The 2016 list of 112 titles, drawn from 170 official nominations, is presented annually at the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting. The books, recommended for those ages 12 to 18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. Here are a selection of ten to help get you started!

Gotham Academy, vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy by Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher

Olive Silverlock and her friends at Gotham Academy solve mysteries while Olive struggles to remember what happened last summer. 

Harley Quinn, vol. 1: Hot in the City by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti

A former client leaves Harley Quinn an apartment building in Brooklyn, but it's hard to settle into her new home when Harley's got a price on her head!

Hawkeye, vol. 3: L.A. Woman by Matt Fraction

Kate Bishop heads to Los Angeles to get away from New York life and Clint Barton – but not away from trouble.

Ms. Marvel. vol. 2: Generation Why by G. Willow Wilson

Ms. Marvel teams up with Wolverine and faces the Inventor.

Outcast, vol. 1: A Darkness Surrounds Him by Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta

Kyle has the misfortune of living near people who become possessed by something evil and becomes the town pariah despite his best intentions to help.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

Astrid signs up for roller derby camp, but has no idea how hard it will be or what it will cost her.

SuperMutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki

SuperMutant Magic Academy is a prep school for mutants and witches but their paranormal activities take a back seat to everyday teen concerns.

Thor. vol 1: Goddess of Thunder by Jason Aaron

A mysterious woman bears the mantle and wields the hammer of Thor.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. vol 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North

Squirrel Girl and her sidekick Tippy-Toe kick butts and eat nuts.

Wonder Woman. vol. 5: Flesh by Brian Azzarello

Wonder Woman must take her place as the God of War as the rest of the pantheon prepares for an assault on Olympus.

This readers advisory brought to you by YA Librarian, Chris.

Book Review

The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen

It’s 1937 and 16-year-old Portia goes to live with her half-brother and his wife in London. With a unique and lost personality, she tries to fit in to her new life. She meets Eddie, whose eccentric personality draws her in and leads her in new directions.

Although a challenging read, this book does a good job of showing relationships and how people can look for love in the wrong places. The author also has some really interesting and witty dialogue. But the pace is pretty slow and it doesn’t really start getting good until the middle.

Rating: 3.3 out of 5

Click here to see if this book is currently available for check-out. 

This review is brought to you courtesy of YA volunteer, Ellen.

Brick Club

Lots of smiles at Brick Club!

A more appropriate title to this blog might be, “What I love about LEGOs.” Fact of the matter is, the list would be extensively long. This is one reason, actually, why Brick Club was launched in March 2016. The enjoyment of LEGOs has no boundary when it comes to age. From young to not so young, and everywhere in between. It’s also undoubtedly a factor in why libraries across the country have programming specifically devoted to these interlocking plastic building blocks.

At Bremen Public Library, however, we’ve taken the activity and added a twist. You see, whereas many institutions conduct what are known as free-builds, Brick Club is based on themes. Each month when we gather, there is a specific goal in mind for construction. Some of our past titles include: Robots, Trucks and Cars, Camping, Halloween, Blast Off, and Minecraft.

Our first Brick Club theme

We begin with a short reading from a book relevant to the topic on hand; I’m all about books, after all. Interspersed is a Q&A session, a discussion of the particular mission, and goals being set out to achieve. Plenty of reference resources are always available, with individuals having the option of working solo or in teams.

Families are greatly encouraged to join us for this time of discovery and imagination. Bonds are formed, friendships made, ideas shared. Furthermore, the sessions are highly educational and grounded in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) principles. The creativity exhibited never ceases to amaze me, with finished products then put on display in our Children’s Department for all to observe.

Upcoming Brick Club meetings:

Saturday, April 29, 10:30 to noon – Tallest Tower

Saturday, May 27, 10:30 to noon – Ship Building

Hope to see you there!

This program highlight brought to you by YA Librarian, Chris.

Getting to Know ... Logan

Say hello to Logan Heller! He has been a member of our YA Volunteer Team since October and has completed 20.75 volunteer hours to date.

Logan, a 15-year-old freshman, is considering a career in either engineering or construction trades. An interesting fact about Logan is that he holds the school record for Accelerated Reader points at Bremen Elementary-Middle School.

FAVORITE BOOK GENRES:  YA/Dystopian
FAVORITE TV SHOWS:  Modern Family, The Expanse
AN INVENTION HE WOULD UNINVENT:  The hoverboard
ROLE MODELS: His dad and grandpa
HAPPY PLACE: Cedar Point, the beach, Bittersweet Ski Resort
SPIRIT ANIMAL: His dog, Max
DESERTED ISLAND COMPANION:  Evan Yoder
FAVORITE QUOTE:  "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe." Albert Einstein