Pages

22 April 2014

Noggin

By John Corey Whaley
ISBN: 9781442458727
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication Date:
 April 8th 2014
Number of Pages: 
342
Source:
 Local Library
Goodreads Summary
Listen — Travis Coates was alive once and then he wasn’t. Now he’s alive again. Simple as that. The in between part is still a little fuzzy, but he can tell you that, at some point or another, his head got chopped off and shoved into a freezer in Denver, Colorado. Five years later, it was reattached to some other guy’s body, and well, here he is. Despite all logic, he’s still 16 and everything and everyone around him has changed. That includes his bedroom, his parents, his best friend, and his girlfriend. Or maybe she’s not his girlfriend anymore? That’s a bit fuzzy too.

Looks like if the new Travis and the old Travis are ever going to find a way to exist together, then there are going to be a few more scars.

Oh well, you only live twice.



My Rating:  



This is a pretty amazing book, just saying. Our main character is a teenage boy named Travis. Thing about him is that he "died" five years ago of cancer. However, he decided to have his head frozen through the power of cryogenics and amazingly enough, doctors were able to connect his head to that of a donor body:
"Healthy or sick, Jeremy Pratt's body was better than mine. I knew this because the only thing separating me from him was a straight, pink line that circumnavigated my neck. There were no stitches, though - I was told this was a thing of the past. Connecting us together, Jeremy's body and me, was a spinal cord, blood vessels, nerve endings, and this swollen scar right in the middle of my neck about halfway between my clavicle and my chin." - Noggin, 23

Poor Jeremy had a brain tumor, so his body from the neck down was still healthy and that is just what Travis needed!


This book did an excellent job of telling us Travis' story and how it would feel to go to sleep and then wake up and everything has changed.

"I had said good-bye to them and I had closed my eyes. I had opened them and nothing. No word from either of the two people I wanted to be seeing more than anyone. Were they so different now? If it was really five years into the future, could that be all it took to change them? I mean, what's the point of getting another chance at life if everything's going to be so different that I can't stand it?" - Noggin, 14

Travis' best friend Kyle is in college now, as is his former girlfriend Cate (who just happens to be engaged). You understand his hurt and what he feels is betrayal. He does make a new friend, Hatton (who is like a younger version of Kyle) and together they try to find a way to win Cate back.


Travis has a great sense of humor and his story is one you must read!!


I loved the ending (though it might not be what you are expecting).

15 April 2014

Nutmeg Book Awards: 2014 Nominees

It's that time of year - time to vote for your favorite titles to win the Nutmeg Book Award! Here are the nominees for this year and a brief description of the book (taken from the Nutmeg Book Awardwebsite) The Nutmeg Book Award was created to encourage kids to read quality literature and then give them a chance to vote for their favorites. The titles are chosen every year by librarians across the state.


Deadline to vote at the library or your school is APRIL 30th!


Nutmeg Book Award Teen
2014 Nominees




New York City, 1893. When Maks’ sister, Emma, is falsely accused of stealing and imprisoned, Maks and his friend Willa must prove her innocence. Maks must balance his amateur detective work with his newspaper business, not to mention the Plug Ugly gang and their attempts to stop Lower East Side Newsies from delivering their papers.











by Veronica Roth

Beatrice “Tris” lives in a society where citizens belong to factions that share certain aptitudes. Tris has not one, but three aptitudes, selflessness, courage, and truth-seeking. To survive, Beatrice must hide her Divergence and choose just one faction, one aptitude. When she selects Dauntless, for courage, she little imagines the stunts, battles, and friendships she will encounter.


This book was just released as a movie (being shown in theaters now) & is part of a trilogy!








I’ll Be There
by Holly Goldberg Sloan


Sam and Riddle have moved around their entire lives with their unstable father. Sam wishes he could leave, but he could never abandon his quirky little brother Riddle. Then one day Sam meets Emily, a true believer in fate. Emily believes that Sam and Riddle are part of her destiny. As their paths intersect, their lives change forever.








The Lions of Little Rock
by Kristin Levine



1958, Arkansas. Painfully shy, Marlee feels grateful to her new friend Liz for making middle school more bearable. But Liz has a secret. She is a light skinned black ‘passing’ for white. This causes a massive uproar in the community. Shy Marlee finds the courage to help integrate her school. A powerful story of friendship and determination.













Michael Vey has a secret. He is electric and can even restart car batteries. He thought he was unique until he meets Taylor, and they make a startling discovery. When Michael’s mom disappears, they face an unknown enemy and even more electrics.


This is the first book in a series.







Mindblind
by Jennifer Roy


14 year-old Nathaniel is a profoundly gifted Asperger’s student. He thinks of himself as “mindblind:” he cannot always guess what other people are thinking. After college, he plans to become an “official genius.” His story presents a unique perspective, illuminating the mind of a gifted person while showing the humor of Nathaniel’s quirky existence.












Now Is the Time for Running
by Michael Williams




Deo and his friends live for soccer. Every day they meet in the fields near their village in Zimbabwe and play, cheered on by Deo’s brother, Innocent. One day, the soldiers arrive, and everything changes in an instant. Deo and Innocent run for their lives with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a soccer ball.












Okay for Now
by Gary D. Schmidt



Doug Swieteck sees only the negatives of his move to a new town. Doug’s father and brothers often take their anger out on Doug. Despite Doug’s family troubles, he finds his own place in town and discovers his strengths and talents with the help of some unlikely friends.












Page by Paige
by Laura Lee Gulledge


Paige has recently moved to New York City from Virginia with her writer parents. In her sketchbook, Paige journals her inner feelings and struggles. Although she is a true artist, she is afraid to share her drawings with her new friends. Gulledg presents beautiful illustrations and visual metaphors.











by Maggie Stiefvater


The Scorpio Races take place every November on the island of Thisby, with wild horses that emerge from the sea and young men who risk their lives to ride them. This year, 17-year-old Puck Connolly plans to break tradition as the first girl to enter the race. This book is a wild mix of horror, action, fantasy, and romance.








Poetry Month!

Sorry I have been MIA for awhile! I took a little break and went on vacation - it was a much needed recharging time. Are any of you doing anything fun or taking a vacation for spring break? I'd love to hear about it!

This month (April) we are celebrating National Poetry Month. In honor of this, I am asking anyone and everyone to submit a poem for publication on my blog*! Please send me an email at jcaniglia@groton-ct.gov with your name (first name is all that will be posted on the blog) along with one of your poems! As soon as I get submissions, I will create a post that will share these. So send those poems in!!  You can also come visit me at the circulation desk and drop off a paper copy if you want.

The Groton Public Library is also holding a Teen Open Mic Night this Thursday night (April 17th) at 6:30PM. This is also Teen Literature Day! Please come and share your work with us - both written and musical. We are asking that you keep it G-rated and you don't need to register, just show up prepared to perform! We would love to hear what you have come up with. If you have any questions, give us a call at 860-441-6750 or shoot me an email :)

In the meantime, if you are looking to read some good poetry, here are some recommendations to check out! (I have included both works of  fiction and non-fiction books.)



1.             Technically, it's Not My Fault: Concrete Poems by John Grandits
2.             The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom by Margarita Engle
3.             Blue Lipstick : Concrete Poems by John Grandits
4.             TheWatch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf
6.             Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas
7.             Honeybee: Poems & Short Prose by Naomi Shihab Nye
8.             Morningin the Burned House by Margaret Eleanor Atwood
9.             You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys by Sharon Flake
10.          Emily's Dress and Other Missing Things by Kathryn Burak
11.          Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love by Pat Mora
12.          Karma by Cathy Ostlere
13.          Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing by Gary Soto
14.          Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams
15.          The Rose That Grew From Concrete by Tupac Shakur
16.          The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
18.          Poems From Homeroom: a Writer's Place to Start by Kathi Appelt
19.          The Pain Tree and Other Teenage Angst-Ridden Poetry by Esther Watson
20.          Running Back to Ludie by Angela Johnson
21.          Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets by Paul B. Janeczko
22.          After the Death of Anna Gonzales by Terri Fields
23.          I Am Wings: Poems About Love by Ralph J. Fletcher


Is one of your favorite poetry books not on this list? Let me know in the comments section what you think should be added to this list!


If you are interested in exploring the great World Wide Web for poetry, here are some sites to check out:


These sites allow you to read other teens' poetry and then submit your own:






*By submitting your poem, you grant the Groton Public Library & Jessica permission to post your poem and we reserve the right to choose which poems will be posted.