2008 Teen's Top Ten - Results Are In!

Did you vote for the Teen's Top Ten Books of 2008? Check the list below to see if your picks made the list!

The vote is in! More than 8,000 teens voted on this year's winners. The 2008 Teens' Top Ten is:

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
10. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country. Nominations are posted in April during National Library Week, and teens across the country vote on their favorite titles each year during Teen Read Week.

Robin Recommends . . .

Graceling
In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king.



Hell Week
While working undercover on a series of stories for her campus newspaper, college freshman Maggie reluctantly endures mixers, rites, and peculiar rules, but soon learns that members of the sorority to which she has pledged have strange powers and a terrible secret.



House of M: Uncanny X-Men
The return of Captain Britain! Brian Braddock is released from his duties as protector of the Omniverse to deal with a threat of even greater proportions - as if that was even possible! Meanwhile, Psylocke and Rachel find themselves trapped in a situation with no way out!



Ouran High School Host Club #8
Hunny's little brother, Chika, pays a visit to the Host Club - and immediately starts attacking Hunny, using all his martial-arts prowess against his older brother! Chika seems to be the absolute opposite of his sweets-loving, Bun-Bun-toting sibling, but why is he so angry with Hunny? The Host Club is determined to find out the cause . . .


Untamed
Life sucks when your friends are pissed at you. Just ask Zoey Redbird – she’s become an expert on suckiness. In one week she has gone from having three boyfriends to having none, and from having a close group of friends who trusted and supported her, to being an outcast. Speaking of friends, the only two Zoey has left are undead and unMarked. And Neferet has declared war on humans, which Zoey knows in her heart is wrong. But will anyone listen to her? Zoey's adventures at vampyre finishing school take a wild and dangerous turn as loyalties are tested, shocking true intentions come to light, and an ancient evil is awakened in PC and Kristin Cast's spellbinding fourth House of Night novel.


Unwind
In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs - and, perhaps, save their own lives.



Wrath of the Bloodeye
Thomas Ward has spent two years as the Spook's apprentice. He's faced unimaginable peril, and survived. But a new danger has emerged: an ancient water witch, Bloodeye, is roaming the County intent on destroying everything in her path. To strengthen his skills, Tom is sent to the far north to train with the demanding Bill Arkwright. Arkwright lives in a haunted mill on the edge of a treacherous marsh, and his training methods prove to be harsh and sometimes cruel. Will Tom's new bag of tricks be enough to overcome a critical mistake that leaves him confronting Bloodeye on his own?

New Comics On the Way

New comics on the way - place your holds today to read them first!


Blue Beetle #3: Reach for the Stars
During INFINITE CRISIS, the mystical Blue Beetle scarab chose 16-year-old Jaime Reyes as its new guardian, but its powers are both a blessing and a curse! In this volume, Jaime has his hands full when he learns the scarab's alien owners are planning to invade Earth - and no one will believe him! Plus, more adventures guest-starring popular Lobo, Green Lantern Guy Gardner, The Teen Titans, the villainous Eclipso, Typhoon, Giganta and more!


House of M: Fantastic Four/Iron Man
The Fantastic Four as you never could have imagined them! The trusted advisor at Magneto's right hand is almost certainly the second most powerful man in the world. But the question is... will second-best be enough for Victor Von Doom? Plus: Tony Stark is the smartest, most successful Sapien on the planet - the best and brightest of a dying species. Does it bother him that the House of M uses the technology produced by Tony's multi-billion-dollar company to keep Sapiens down? That must be the reason he keeps his most powerful creation a secret - a familiar-looking suit of armor!


House of M: The Incredible Hulk
In the Australian outback, Bruce Banner has found a peace he's never known among a tribe of Aborigines. But when their safety is threatened by a battle between a sect of AIM and the ruling totalitarian mutant government, the Hulk is forced to intervene in a big way. A House of M tie-in as the aforementioned "House" discovers that there is one mortal in the entire world that can stand against it, and he's drawing an incredible line in the sand, setting a stage for an unprecedented showdown.


Showcase Presents: Teen Titans
A collection of more than 500 black-and-white pages of classic comic stories featuring everyone's favorite team of sidekicks the Teen Titans! Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash and Aqualad unite without their adult mentors for adventures only a teen team could handle. Featuring appearances by Speedy, Beast Boy and the Russian teen hero Starfire, this jam-packed volume also includes classic battles against the Mad Mod, Mister Twister and the Ant, as well as the creation of the first Titans Lair.


Twilight Zone: The After Hours
This new graphic novel series re-imagines the show’s most enduring episodes, in all their original uncut glory, originally written by Rod Serling himself, and now adapted for a new generation. Submitted for your approval: Marsha White, a dissatisfied shopper with an unusual problem. This is one shopping trip that is marked final sale, return only to the customer service desk - in the Twilight Zone!


Wetworks
Follows the adventures of team leader Dan, cyborg Mother-One, vampire Persephone, werewolf detective Ashe, and the mysterious Ab-Death as they battle the deadly Night Tribes.


X-Men: Messiah
The biggest event to hit the X-Men in ten years is here! Just when it looked like there was no possibility of a future for mutants, hope arrives. But the X-Men aren't there to meet it - the Marauders and Purifiers beat them to it. Now the race is on to get the first new mutant since House of M!

New Manga from Vampire Knight Author

Captive Hearts is the new manga by Matsuri Hino, the author of Vampire Knight. This title is now on order - place your holds today to read it first!

Megumi was living a life of luxury until the day a girl named Suzuka Kogami walked into his life. All of a sudden, Megumi finds himself kneeling at Suzuka's feet and prostrating himself like a servant! What Megumi didn't know (until that very moment anyway) is that his family is cursed to follow the orders of the Kogami family.

Being carried around everywhere and having handsome Megumi act like a slave may seem ideal, but Suzuka just wishes he would stop. Can anything be done about Megumi's captive state? Or is Megumi doomed to see Suzuka as his master . . . forever?

Twilight Contest: Only 4 Days Left!

There's only 4 days left to enter our Twilight contest and win a bag of goodies!

What's in the bag? A copy of Breaking Dawn, Edward "Bite Me" shirt, a limited edition Twilight messenger bag, and a Twilight calendar.

How do you win it? Tell us what you thought of any of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books (review must be blogged or written, minimum of 25 words).

See the original blog post about the contest for full details . . .

Manga Series Update

New titles on the way - place your holds today to read them first!


Beauty Pop #8


Crossroad #4 & Crossroad #5


D. Gray-Man #10


One Piece #18


Shaman King #17


Skip Beat #14


Venus Versus Virus #4


Wallflower #17


Zombie-Loan #4

Shonen Jump Contest: Win a Trip to Japan

Shonen Jump is celebrating the 40th anniversary of WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP and SHONEN JUMP magazine's fifth birthday.

To celebrate, they're giving away a collectible poster in the August issue of SHONEN JUMP magazine AND sponsoring a sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to Japan to attend JUMP FESTA, the biggest convention of anything and everything related to the SHONEN JUMP brand!

Check out their web page for details on how to enter!

New Batman Comics

The Brave and the Bold #2: The Book of Destiny


Haunted Knight


The Killing Joke


Showcase Presents Batman #1



Showcase Presents Batman #2


Showcase Presents Batman #3

Vote for Teens Top Ten 2008

Vote for your favorite books in the Teens' Top Ten! This is a booklist created totally by teens, sponsored by YALSA, the Young Adult Library Services Association of the American Library Association, during Teen Read Week. Vote & read more here.

Update on Teen Read Week Twilight Contest

Have you heard about our Twilight Contest? We're giving away a Twilight Prize Pack! You can see the details and enter the contest here.

A few clarifications:

• contest is only open to TEENS ages 12-18
  
  
• you must be a resident of Benton County, Oregon
  
  
• you can submit your entry in 3 ways:
  
  - add a comment to our original blog post about the contest
  
  - drop off a written review at the library (see original blog post for details)
  
  - email your review to YouthServices at ci dot corvallis dot or dot us
  
  
• don't forget to include your contact info! (phone number or email)*
  
  *we won't publish this, but we need to be able to contact you if you win
  

Teen Animanga Club - Magical Miracle

This month's manga is Magical Miracle by Yuzu Mizutani

The next meeting of the Teen Animanga Club is on Tuesday, November 4th, from 4 to 5:30pm in the Youth Activity Room at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library. Join us to discuss manga, win prizes in a trivia contest, watch anime, and eat snacks.

Book summary: It's a tale of magic, mystery, and mistaken identity! Merleawe has just arrived in Viegald, where she hopes to study magic at one of the best schools in the kingdom. But shortly after she arrives, the Great Magician Sylthfarn - the master wizard of Viegald - goes missing. With panic setting in and a country in need, the followers of Sylthfarn discover that Merleawe looks remarkably like the Great Magician. With the right training and guidance, she just might pass as Sylthfarn. But is Merleawe "man" enough to bring peace to the kingdom?

A limited number of copies of this book will be provided by the library and can be picked up at the Youth Services Reference Desk.

This event is for teens ages 12-18.

Call (541) 766-6794 for more information.

Teen Animanga Book Club Meets Today! Oct. 7th

The next meeting of the Teen Animanga Club is on Tuesday, October 7th, from 4 to 5:30pm in the Youth Activity Room at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.

Please note: our meeting time has changed: we'll now be meeting on the first Tuesday of every month.

Join us to discuss manga, win prizes in a trivia contest, watch anime (Tenchi Muyo! GXP: Out of this World), and eat snacks. You'll also be able to preview a new manga - the title will be announced at the meeting.

Anime summary:
Seina Yamada is one of the unluckiest guys on Earth. At least, until his bad luck brings him to a life he never knew possible and world he never knew existed. One day, Seina was on his way to visit his friend, Tenchi Masaki, when a spaceship nearly crash-lands on his head! It almost gets him killed…again. Out from the ship comes a beautiful woman named Amane. It turns out that Amane is looking for recruits for the Galaxy Police. Seina’s family signs him up for it right away and before he knows what hit him, Seina is off flying through the stars on his way to new adventures, new challenges, and a new life. It’s Tenchi Muyo! like you’ve never seen it before!

This event is for teens ages 12-18.

Call (541) 766-6794 for more information.

Teen Angst

Need something good to read? Check out our display of Teen Angst books!


Burgess, Melvin. Smack
After running away from their troubled homes, two English teenagers move in with a group of squatters in the port city of Bristol and try to find ways to support their growing addiction to heroin.


Easton, Kelly. Aftershock
In shock and unable to speak after being in a car accident in Oregon which has killed his parents, seventeen-year-old Adam journeys across the country to his home in Rhode Island.


Fleischman, Paul. Whirligig
While traveling to each corner of the country to build a whirligig in memory of the girl whose death he causes, sixteen-year-old Brian finds forgiveness and atonement.


Jenkins, A.M. Damage
Seventeen-year-old football hero Austin, trying to understand the inexplicable depression that has drained his interest in life, thinks that he has found relief in a girl who seems very special.


McCormick, Patricia. Cut
While confined to a mental hospital, thirteen-year-old Callie slowly comes to understand some of the reasons behind her self-mutilation, and gradually starts to get better.


Miller, Mary Beth. Aimee
This first novel explores the aftermath of a teen suicide in the words of the dead girl's best friend. It seems that everyone, even her own parents, believes that Zoe helped her best friend, Aimee, commit suicide. Zoe is paralyzed by loneliness, guilt, and anger at everyone's suppression of the truth.


Nolan, Han. Born Blue
Leshaya is a survivor. Rescued from the brink of death, this child of a heroin addict has seen it all: revolving foster homes, physical abuse, an unwanted pregnancy. Now, as her tumultuous childhood is coming to an end, she is determined to make a life for herself by doing the only thing that makes her feel whole . . . singing.


Vizzini, Ned. It's Kind of a Funny Story
A humorous account of a New York City teenager's battle with depression and his time spent in a psychiatric hospital.


Voight, Cynthia. When She Hollers
Tish, a teenager who has been enduring abuse from her adoptive stepfather since she was a small child, finally decides she must do something to stop him.

Teen Read Week Contest: Win a Twilight Prize Pack!

We're celebrating Teen Read Week with a special contest: submit a review of Breaking Dawn (or any other book from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series) and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a Twilight Prize Pack!

The Prize Pack includes:

• Breaking Dawn book
• Twilight Saga messenger bag
• Edward fan club "Bite Me" t-shirt
• 2009 Twilight calendar
  

How to enter: Tell us in at least 25 words (or more) what you thought of Breaking Dawn (or any other book in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series) and you'll be entered in the drawing.

Contest ends on October 25th, 2008

Reviews can be submitted in 2 ways:

1) Post your review as a comment to this Teen Blog entry

2) Drop off your written review at any of these locations:

- Youth Services Reference Desk at the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
- Alsea Community Library
- Monroe Community Library
- Philomath Community Library
- Bookmobile

Contest is open to Teens 12-18 only

You must be a resident of Benton County, Oregon

Be sure to include contact info in case you win!
(phone number OR email)
We will NOT publish your contact info.