Cool New Books


Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner
Fifteen-year-old Liza travels through war-ravaged territory in a struggle to bridge the faerie and human worlds and to bring back her mother while learning of her own powers and that magic can be controlled.


Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith
When Miranda's guardian angel Zachary recklessly saves her from falling into an open grave and dying, the result is that she turns into a vampire and he is left to try to reinstate his reputation by finally doing the right thing.



Otomen #1 by Aya Kanno - located in Adult Graphic Novels
Asuka Masamune is a guy who loves girly things - sewing, knitting, making cute stuffed animals and reading shojo comics. But in a world where boys are expected to act manly, Asuka must hide his beloved hobbies and play the part of a masculine jock instead. Ryo Miyakozuka, on the other hand, is a girl who can't sew or bake a cake to save her life. Asuka finds himself drawn to Ryo, but she likes only the manliest of men! Can Asuka ever show his true self to anyone, much less to the girl he's falling for?


Stargazer by Claudia Gray - sequel to Evernight
Evernight Academy: an exclusive boarding school for the most beautiful, dangerous students of all - vampires. Bianca, born to two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one of them. But Bianca fell in love with Lucas - a vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school. Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Cross - or deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight.

Today's Pick

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley (Little Brown, 2009)

Terra is a smart, sensitive, and artistic senior in high school. She is beautiful as well, but because she has a port-wine birthmark on her face, she struggles to accept herself. Several surgeries have been unsuccessful in removing the birthmark. She can't wait to graduate and head to college, where she can escape her bullying, abusive father and the constraints of high school. But after she and her mother are in a car wreck, she forms a friendship with Jacob, a Chinese Goth classmate with unconventional ideas. A trip to China with their mothers gives Terra a chance to explore friendship, art, travel and beauty on several levels.

One of My Favorite Vampire Books . . .


Sunshine by Robin McKinley

The cover alone should make you want to read this book . . . it shows the scene where Rae is chained to the wall, alone in a room with a hungry vampire.


Want to know more? Here's the official book blurb from McKinley's
web site:


Rae, nicknamed Sunshine by her stepfather, is the baker at her family's coffeehouse. She's happy getting up at 4 am to make cinnamon rolls for the breakfast rush, and dealing with people and food all day. But one evening she needed somewhere she could be alone for a little while, and there hadn't been any trouble out at the lake for years.


She never thought of vampires.

Until they found her.

YALSA’s Best Books for Young Adults

YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association) has just released its list of Best Books for Young Adults. Check out some of the titles below or check out the entire list here.


Baby by Joseph Monninger
Fifteen-year-old Baby's last chance at foster care is with the Potters, and while she likes them and enjoys learning to race their sled dogs, she feels she should go back on the streets with her boyfriend if she cannot find the mother who has deserted her again.



Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd
In 1981, the height of Ireland's "Troubles," eighteen-year-old Fergus is distracted from his upcoming A-level exams by his imprisoned brother's hunger strike, the stress of being a courier for Sinn Fein, and dreams of a murdered girl whose body he discovered in a bog.



The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees
Sophomore Frankie finally finds the courage to ask his long-term friend, Julianne, to the Homecoming dance, which ultimately leads to a face-off between a tough senior whose family owns most of their small, New Mexico town, and Frankie's soccer-star older brother and his gang-member friends.



The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.


It's Complicated: The American Teenager by Robin Bowman
Robin Bowman’s five-year journey into the heart of teenage America created a series of 414 “collaborative portraits,” wherein she shares her discoveries of a generation now coming of age. In searing and intimate photographs, presented alongside the young people’s voices of passion, pride, embarrassment, lust, pain, bewilderment, anxiety, joy, uncertainty, and rage, the book charts the coming of age of the largest generation in America - 77 million strong - in every region of the country and every socioeconomic group: from a Texas debutante to teenage gang members in New York City, from a drag queen in Georgia to a coal miner in West Virginia.


Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena
Sixteen-year-old Danny searches for his identity amidst the confusion of being half-Mexican and half-white while spending a summer with his cousin and new friends on the baseball fields and back alleys of San Diego County, California.



Nation by Terry Pratchett
After a devastating southern ocean tsunami destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their lives.


Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher
In 1940s Chicago, fifteen-year-old Ruby hopes to escape poverty by becoming a taxi dancer in a nightclub, but the work has unforeseen dangers and hiding the truth from her family and friends becomes increasingly difficult.



Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor *located in Juvenile Fiction
Twelve-year-old Addie tries to cope with her mother's erratic behavior and being separated from her beloved stepfather and half-sisters when she and her mother go to live in a small trailer by the railroad tracks on the outskirts of Schenectady, New York.

Robin Recommends . . .


The Day Which I Became a Butterfly by Yumeka Sumomo (author of Same Cell Organism)
An awesome collection of love stories - gay, lesbian, and straight. If you liked Same Cell Organism, don't miss this one! Sumomo writes haunting stories that will make you want to start reading again as soon as you finish the book.



First Times edited by Marthe Jocelyn
“First times” can be life-changing experiences. Marthe Jocelyn has selected fourteen unforgettable stories, written by several of the best authors in North America, which explore human nature and take the reader on a transforming journey. From innocent firsts, such as first blue jeans, first boyfriend, first job, first step into adulthood, to the more complex first disillusionment, first inappropriate love, first family breakup, first breach of trust, to the shocking first dead body and first night alone, the stories in First Times - in all their diversity - embrace and captivate with their power.


Gossip Girl - The Complete First Season

You know you want to! <(^_^)>


Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
Kidnapped as a child, "Alice" has lost her name, freedom, and life. Now 15, she lives with her abductor and hopes for the freedom of death. When Ray asks her to help him find a new "Alice", she has to make a tough decision - will she let another girl be trapped in order to gain her freedom?


Nana #14 by Ai Yazawa
The continuing adventures of Nana & Nana . . . sooooo good!


Night World #1 by L.J. Smith (author of Vampire Diaries)
If you were a vampire, would you have the courage to love a human? What if that love meant the entire supernatural community was out to kill the both of you? Check out these awesome stories of humans and vampires in love - you won't be able to put it down!

New Manga & Comics

Looking for something new to read? Check out these cool new titles!


Angel's Coffin


Aquarian Age - Juvenile Orion


Batman R.I.P.


Days of Fear, Nights of Anger


The Death of Captain America


Legend (by the author of Angel Diary and Demon Diary)


Robin: Teenage Wasteland


Zombies Calling

Manga Series Update

Looking for the newest volume in your favorite series? Check out the list below and place your holds today to read them first!


Beauty Pop 9


Black Cat 17


Bleach 26


Captive Hearts 3


Chocolat 7


Fullmetal Alchemist 17


Godchild 6


Godchild 7

New YA DVDs this month

2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens

YALSA (the Young Adult Library Services Association) has just released the 2009 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list. You can see the full list here or check out some of the award-winning titles:


The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger Born by Stephen King

*Located in the Adult Graphic Novel collection


Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki


Fruits Basket #21 by Natsuki Takaya


The Good Neighbors: Kin by Holly Black


Hikaru No Go #12 by Yumi Hotta and Takeshi Obata

*Located in Juvenile Graphics


Invincible #9 by Robert Kirkman



Japan Ai: A Tall Girl's Adventures in Japan by Aimee Steinberger

*Located in Teen Non-fiction


Life Sucks by Jessica Abel and Gabriel Soria

*Located in the Adult Graphic Novel collection


Nana #12 by Ai Yazawa

*Located in the Adult Graphic Novel collection


Naruto #30 by Masashi Kishimoto


Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale


Runaways: Dead End Kids by Joss Whedon


Skim by Mariko Tamaki

*Located in the Adult Graphic Novel collection


Slam Dunk by Takehiko Inoue


Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way

*Located in the Adult Graphic Novel collection


Welcome to Tranquility by Gail Simone

*Located in the Adult Graphic Novel collection

Teen Animanga Club: Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne


This month's manga is Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne by Arina Tanemura, author of Full Moon and Gentlemen's Alliance.

The next meeting of the Teen Animanga Club is on
Tuesday, March 3rd, 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:
By day, Kusakabe Maron is an ordinary high school girl with more than her share of problems. But by night, she is Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne - reincarnation of Joan of Arc! Her mission? Hunt down demon possessed paintings and exorcise the evil spirits! But accomplishing this mission puts her in conflict with the authorities who only see her as a mysterious stranger vandalizing works of art. With only the help of angel-in-training Finn, she must survive high school during the day and fight evil by night!

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.

GLBTQ @ Your Library


Looking for books about gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or questioning teens? Check out our new booklists, GLBTQ Young Adult Reads and GLBTQ Graphic Novels, and other great titles listed below.


Earthian by Yun Kouga (author of Loveless)
Angels are among us. They are scattered across the globe, living in our neighborhoods, observing humanity - the Earthian - in crisis. Chihaya and Kagetsuya have known each other since their days at school. They are friends . . . and possibly more. These two angels roam the world, compiling lists of the positive and negative traits of humanity. Will the angels allows the Earthians to survive? Or are they doomed?



First Love Sisters by Mizuo Shinonome
During a fateful visit to Tsunojo Girls’ School, Chika Matsusato meets the girl of her dreams - cool upperclassman Haruna Kanzaki. Even though they spent only one short day together, Chika will never forget Haruna’s kindness, and has made it her life’s goal to study hard and get accepted into Tsunojo Girls’ School so that they can be together. But will Haruna share Chika’s feelings . . . ?


GLBTQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Questioning): The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens by Kelly Huegel
Are you queer or questioning? If you are, this book is for you. Do you know someone who might be queer or questioning? If so, this book is for you, too. Or are you someone who just wants to learn more about what it's like to be queer or questioning? This book is a great place to begin. Discovering that you, or someone you love, might be GLBTQ is a revelation. Accepting it is a process. One thing that can help that process is information. This book can't answer all of your questions or counter all of the misinformation, misconceptions, myths, half-truths, and outright lies you might have heard about being GLBTQ, but it's a start.


Hear Me Out: True Stories of Teens Educating and Confronting Homophobia
More and more gay teens are speaking out about the realization of their sexuality, and about the consequences - the reactions of friends and families, schoolmates and society in general. These heartfelt memoirs, originally presented orally in schools, speak poignantly about the lives of young gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual people today.


Hello, Groin by Beth Goobie
When Dylan Kowolski Agrees to create a display for her high school library, she has no idea of the trouble it's going to cause - for the school principal, her family, her boyfriend Cam and his jock friends, and her best friend Jocelyn. And for Dylan herself. If only her English class had been studying a normal, run-of-the-mill, mundane book like Lord of the Files instead of Foxfire things wouldn't have gotten so twisted. Then the world wouldn't have gone into such a massive funk. And Dylan wouldn't have had to face her deepest fear and the way she was letting it run her life.


Hero by Perry Moore
Thom Creed, the son of superheroes, has to hide the fact that he’s gay if he’s going to fit into the League - but he finds a lot more problems than that facing him.


My Side of the Story by Will Davis *Located in the Adult Fiction section
Jarold, aka, Jazz, is a typical sixteen year old boy. He lives at home with his two remarkably un-divorced parents, his holier-than-thou sister, and his overbearing grandmother. It's a life straight out of a TV show. Or so it seems . . . The truth is that Jazz's life is anything but picture perfect. He's seeing a shrink because his mom and dad found out he's gay; his schoolmates torment him every day; and he keeps bumping into his high school teacher at a local gay bar. To make matters worse, his best friend, Al, keeps pulling him into trouble. Jazz knows he has to keep everything together, at least through finals, so he can get away from this life once and for all. But, in his haste to leave everything behind, he comes to find out that the only thing he can't escape is himself.


Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger
Grady, a transgendered high school student, yearns for acceptance by his classmates and family as he struggles to adjust to his new identity as a male.



The Rules for Hearts: A Family Drama by Sarah Ryan
Battle Hall Davies' brother Nick ran away from home when she was in high school. Now he has found her and she is going to stay with him for the summer before starting college. Battle discovers that neither she nor her brother is the person she thought they were. Sequel to Empress of the World.


Same Cell Organism by Sumomo Yumeka
Nakagawa and Yokota are two boys very much in love with each other. Yokota is more open with his feelings, but Nakagawa is easily embarrassed of public displays of affection. Though they may be outwardly different, their feelings for each other are the same - their connection is such that they liken themselves to Do-Seibutu (Same-Cell Organisms).


Skim by Mariko Tamaki
*Located in the Adult Graphic Novels section
"Skim," aka Kimberly Keiko Cameron, is a not-slim, would-be Wiccan goth. When her classmate Katie Matthews is dumped by her boyfriend, who then kills himself, the entire school goes into mourning overdrive. It's a weird time to fall in love, but Skim does just that after secret meetings with her neo-hippie English teacher, Ms. Archer.



Someday This Pain Will Be Useful To You by Peter Cameron
Holden Caulfield, meet James Sveck, a white, middle-class New Yorker who disdains his peers and most of the adults in his life, except for the gay man who manages his mother's art gallery.


Totally Joe by James Howe
As a school assignment, a thirteen-year-old boy writes an alphabiography - life from A to Z - and explores issues of friendship, family, school, and the challenges of being a gay teenager.