Gilda Joyce: The Ladies of the Lake by Jennifer Allison

Watch out Nancy Drew... here comes spunky Gilda Joyce! This haunted mystery is a perfect story for older readers who enjoy realistic fiction and mysterious stories all wrapped into one. Gilda attends a private school for the first time, Old Lady  of Sorrows and finds herself in the middle of cliques, ghost stories, and a strange school secrets. She finds herself drawn to clues that help her unravel the truth behind what happened to a previous student who died by slipping through ice in a frozen lake on campus. As the story and clues become clear, so do other aspects of the young investigator's life. Although she stays true to herself throughout the story, she also grows up a bit and stays strong. A must read for any fan of mysteries and spy stories. Perfect for grades 4 -6.

When Dimple Met Rishi by Menon

Another fantastic read for 2018! Teen books like this inspire me to become a writer. Dimple's parents have their heart set on an arranged marriage for their feisty college bound daughter who would much rather create computer apps and influence the world. Rishi on the other hand is a teen who admires and honors the traditional ways. He is the ideal "Indian Husband," rich, smart and handsome. With a photo of Dimple in hand, he seeks out to attend the summer program in San Francisco to meet his future wife and woo her over. Things don't go as planned in the beginning... with a few turns and disappointments. Teens will love this heartfelt story filled with humor, love, and unexpected ideas.

Lucky in Love by Kasie West

Maddie, a modest high school senior, finds herself out of luck on her birthday when no one shows up to her small scale party. Her fortune turns around when she wins the a multi-million dollar ticket and the cute boy from work shows up with a small gift for her outside the mini-mart as well. Winning the lottery however is not all that it seems though. As we all know money gives us luxury, but it also brings out big decisions and greed. Maddie decides to keep her winnings a secret from her new crush which can be difficult to do as her popularity grows and grows. Will her new and old friends hate or love one another? Can Maddie keep all her winnings in tack and still keep her family happy? Teens will enjoy the characters' experiences and mayhem. Note: As an adult, I think reading it was a little predictable but if you're looking for something light... this book is for you!

Valentine's Day Fun 2018

February is in full swing as we get ready for Valentine's Day, sunny winter days, and the excitement of a new year. This month I'm creating fun fox valentines with the kiddos and dusting off my storytime books for toddlers and babies. Check out this cute craft I found thanks to darice.com. Their creators used felt so I substituted that for regular construction paper. Thanks Darice!
Materials needed:
Pink, white, and red construction paper
Black crayons
Stickers ( Oriental trading or Michael's)
Black pom-poms ( Optional)
Creativity!
http://blog.darice.com/holiday/winter/valentines-day/heart-valentine-fox

Some of my favorite Valentine's Day books include:
Mouse's First Valentine by Thompson and Valentine Surprise by Demas! Enjoy!

P.S I Still Love You by Jenny Han

This book did not disappoint. Jenny Han dreams up great characters who are real and entertaining. The romance between Lara Jean and Peter continues in this sequel of "To All the Boys I've Loved Before." Along with their second phase of romance comes a mysterious hot-tub video, ex-girlfriends, and ex-loves. All of these circumstances take their relationship and personal lives on a journey to stick it out and find themselves. I like that the author depicts our male teen character with something that we don't see enough of in teen books. He is strong, romantic, and sometimes impulsive with his words. Readers will enjoy the journey and root for their relationship along the way. 
Teens will be entertained and satisfied! 

Bad Romance by Heather Demetrios

How can you not be enticed by a book who's title includes a infamous Lady Gaga song?
This book is much more than a famous pop song though and readers will be drawn in on page one.
 Grace falls for bad-boy rockstar Gav in a heartbeat. It's inevitable with her traumatic home life and longing that she sets sights on the guy who tried to kill himself over his ex-girlfriend. Tragic? No doubt;  but what stands out about this book is the author, Heather Demetrios, focusing on Grace and giving us a real picture about what a victim of domestic violence goes through. You don't just sit back and let someone treat you horribly. There's an abundance of rollercoaster rides and emotions. The good and bad come in waves and they definitely do in this book. Also, Grace sticks up for herself as much as she can as a victim ( and a girl in love)... which sends a great message to girls that although the struggle seems endless... you can get out of a bad situation.
Loved this book! (less)

Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

Flashback to the 1980s and flashback to what it was like to feel real love as a teenager for the first time. Rosenthal writes a heartbreaking story about first love, friendships, raw mother/daughter relationships, and sibling rivalry and all it entails. Ari, is a plain girl who is whisked away to a private school Hollister in Manhattan due to a family inheritance. She finds herself naively falling for the glitz and glamour of a strikingly handsome older guy whom she falls head over heels in love with. The romance is reciprocated and heats up quickly. Ari finds herself amidst friendship problems and losing herself in a whirlwind romance. Can she compete with his upscale world, deal with her Catholic mother's ranting, and stay strong as the relationships becomes too much to handle? Older teens will enjoy this emotional tale of love and longing.

Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Hello 2018! I am newly obsessed with the author Jenny Han and her fantastic Lara Jean series. I picked up book one back in 2015 and then realized she wrote a third book for the series and continued on with the character's journey. I've always had a thing for "entering college" stories and movies. (Side note: one of my favorite DVDs is Boys and Girls starring the famous Freddie Prinze Jr. Yes! I am a fan of 90s movies... Don't judge me!).
Lara Jean in this book is struggling to decide what to do about college. Much to her dismay,she receives a rejection letter from her first pick, UVA ( University of Virginia). She still has excellent options however and must decide to stay local or drift afar Once choice willl cause a bit of strife with her first love and fabulous boyfriend Peter while the other could be an adventure Lara Jean has only wondered about.  Filled with quirky thoughts, laughter, and struggles this teen book will be a hard one for readers to put down.

How My Summer Went Up in Flames by Jennifer Doktorski

Why not read a summer book in the fall? Here in Southern Cali. the weather certainly still feels like summer even though we are far into October. This month I read a book from my Goodreads list titled How My Summer Went Up in Flames, and I was very entertained. It was something new, exciting, and sadly real. To read about a young latina who finds herself on a summer road trip with three guy friends after she sets fire to her ex's car, yikes!  As a teen though, her parents want her to learn a lesson or two about controlling her anger. The main character Rosie does find herself going down a path of destruction and so the road trip does her good. Of course, since it is a teen book she finds romance along the way as well. This book starts off being a bit predictable, but then turns in a new direction. Teens will love it. Recommended for grades 9-12 due to some teenage drinking and sensitive topics.

The Way to Game the Walk of Shame by Jenn Nguyen

Loved this book for teens!!! Taylor..the school valedictorian goes on a party drinking mode one random night and hooks up with Evan McKinley...handsome surfboy who is known for locking lips with all the ladies. They make a pact to save their reputations but will the pact stay strictly business? Teens will love the fact that this book doesn't end up like every teen romance novel, the characters are relatable, yet unique and the girl doesn't have to change herself to make a boy fall in love with her.
I also enjoyed the interchanging chapters between Evan and Taylor's thoughts.

Back to School Art Activity

Hello fellow readers! Our library hosted a very cool art activity where we created pencil pouches out of duct tape and zip lock bags. My very talented aide Cristina created these fun pouches by making sheets of duct tape and then sealing them together with washi tape. For the ziplock bag, you simply cover the ziplock bag with the sheets of duct tape. The smaller ones were created with a simply fold. You can check out YouTube videos on duct tape wallets for directions.  The duct tape was purchased at our local Dollar General and we had about 30 guests attend our program.