Summer Reading

Are you looking for some great books to enjoy during the last month or two of summer? Maybe you just finished the last installment of Harry Potter and you’re looking for something else. Perhaps you don’t like fantasy at all and are unsure of where you can find something that might appeal to you. Try some of the sources listed below and you should be able to find all sorts of books just right for you.

CADL reader’s newsletters – CADL staff put out almost 30 newsletters each month with great book suggestions. Many of these newsletters will undoubtedly appeal to you such as Teen Scene, which provides a sneak peek at some of our hottest new young adult titles, or Getting Graphic, which reviews a handful of graphic novel titles each month. There is even a newsletter that tells the reader what the CADL staff members are currently reading. Check out the newsletter page to subscribe to any that might would appeal to you.

YALSA Teens Top Ten – The Young Adult Library Services Association puts out a top ten list every year of Young Adult books chosen by your peers. You can browse the 06 and 05 titles, or you can view the list of nominations for this year. Make sure to check back during Teen Read Week (October 14-20, 2007) so you can vote for you favorite 2007 titles.

Flamingnet.com – “YA books by YA reviewers”. This is a great website where you can read reviews of books, old, new, and soon to be released, that might interest you. You can even look into becoming a reviewer your self if you are so inclined.

Teenreads.com – This site, which similar to Flamingnet, also provides reviews by teens and even lets you get in on the reviewing action. Check out some of there special features to find books that have become movies, or a how to guide on starting your own book club.

Finally, at any time you can stop in to your local library and the staff there will be glad to help you find exactly the book you’re looking for, even if you don’t know what that might be!

Wormtail’s Life Debt

There are only 15 days left until Deathly Hallows comes out and only 5 days left until the new movie is out. Over the last few weeks we have been discussing assorted questions and predictions about the Harry Potter books and it is time for a new question. Check out the previous posts to put in your two cents about Snape, who might die in the next book, and who R.A.B. is.

Today’s question revolves around Peter Pettigrew, commonly known as Wormtail. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry spared Wormtails life, when Sirius and Lupin were prepared to kill him. Dumbledore explained at the end of the book that when a wizard saves another’s wizards life the wizard who was spared owes a life debt to him. Dumbledore even mentioned that a time may come when Harry does not regret saving Pettigrew’s life because of the aid he might receive from this life debt. My question to you is this. How do you think this life debt will be paid in the last book, or do you think it won’t ever even come up?

C-SPAN “Road to the White House”

On July 12, from 9am – noon in front of the State Capitol Building, downtown, you have the chance to be part of the C-SPAN “Road to the White House” tour. The campaign 2008 bus, which is a rolling, 45 foot television production studio, will be parked outside the Capitol building in order to promote the 2008 presidential campaign and C-SPAN’s coverage of it. The cool thing is that while they are here they want to talk specifically with middle school students, high school students, and first time voters, so that means you. Don’t miss your chance to experience a part of history in the making.