And remember: rainbows, clouds; they both happen in the sky.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade

Will and Alona are on opposite sides of high school’s  social spectrum. Alona is the queen bee and the most popular girl in school. Will is the sullen emo boy who stays away from everyone except for his best friend Joonie. Alona and Will never had anything to do with each other while Alona was alive. Ever since Alona was hit by a bus, buried, and mourned by her friends, Alona’s life (or afterlife) has been pretty lonely. So she is surprised to find that Will can see and hear her while she is haunting the school.

If he can see her then perhaps he can help her move on to wherever ghosts need to move on to. It’s hard to ask someone as socially low as Will for help but he is her only chance. The problem is that Will just doesn’t see her, he sees every ghost who haunts the school; and the all want his help. If Alona is going to move on she will need to use her superior social skills to organize the school ghosts, and deal with Will’s mood swings.

But there is a darker mystery that Alona has yet to discover. Will is being haunted by a dark force that is full of spite and hatred. If she doesn’t act quickly the evil spirit will tear Will apart before she can figure out how to move on. Or does she need to help Will because she has actually grown to like him? But he is so not popular so that couldn’t be it!

The Ghost and the Goth is a fun light read and a perfect quick distraction. I really enjoyed this book and I think you will to. Highly recommended and appropriate for all ages.

Mockingjay

Wow. What a conclusion to one of the best young adult series I have ever read.

Katniss is still recovering from the last Hunger Games and being rescued by District 13. Her home, District 12, has been bombed mercilessly by the Capitol. The revolution has started as rebels have started to fight back in all the remaining districts. The leader of the revolution look to Katniss as their symbol of hope and rebellion. But Katniss is devastated both physically and emotionally. Can she overcome all her tribulations to become the Mockingjay. the poster child of the rebellion? Can she overcome her inherent distrust at adults, and volunteer to be used for their political purposes? Or does she strike out on her own, and find her own way to help topple the Capitol?

I can’t answer those questions for you. I can tell you the ride is intense. This is a wonderful trilogy of books, and Mockingjay doesn’t disappoint. This one will stay with you for awhile. Highly recommended and appropriate for ages 14 and up.

And if you have any comments about the book please feel free to add them below, but please do not mention any spoilers!

Bettendorf Public Library is bringing a fresh start to our young adult services. The Quad is a brand new teen center built around the multimedia needs of today’s youth. It will be at the heart of our young adult community and represents our focus on the four main values of the Quad: Reading, Learning, Entertaining and Growing.

The Quad is a dynamic space where teens can use their library their way. They will be able to study, research, hang out, have fun, and best of all—read! We are excited about the new opportunities the Quad will present us with in the future. We hope you are too.

The Quad will launch during Teen Read Week, October 17th—23rd. Watch for details about our grand opening and special activities planned for that week.

Below is a video depicting the initial conception of the Quad. You will have to visit our grand opening to see all the wonderful improvements we have made on the final design of our new teen center!

The Necromancer

In book 4 of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, the twins, Sophie and Josh, continue their quest to learn the four elemental magics in order to stop the Dark Elders from taking over the Earth.

If you have read this far into the series you know what to expect: magic, action, and a colorful cast of characters from every age of human history.

This latest installment keeps true to the past books, but unfortunately at this point it feels like the story is just treading water and waiting for its conclusion. Unfortunately not much actually happens.

The cast has become so separated the book is broken into multiple storylines, and the author never stays with one plot long enough. By the end of the book, not much has changed. The Dark Elders are still a threat and a twin has learned a new elemental magic, but you get the feeling all the payoff will come in subsequent books.

Sure, I enjoyed this book, but I want a series that will continue to thrill me, and not just supply filler to delay the conclusion. Let us hope Micheal Scott picks up the pace with book 5 and takes us somewhere where we haven’t been before instead of retreading the ground of books 2 and 3.

Recommended for fantasy and action lovers, and appropriate for all ages.

The Enemy

Life has changed. It has been a year since a mysterious disease has infected everyone older than 16. The adults have become hideously deformed and driven mad because of their illness. After awhile the boils and tumors that have taken over their bodies burst and the adults mercifully die.

But those adults who continue on as walking monsters follow their basest of desires, hunger and anger. The only ones not infected are the children; who have inherited London. But the children must watch out for there are new dangers in town. The adults are hungry and they will kidnap and eat whomever they can find.

The easiest prey are  the youngest and weakest of the children. But fortunately there are older kids around who have learned to survive by killing the monsters who would gobble them up. One such group has taken shelter in a small supermarket. They send out scavengers everyday to find canned goods, or to hunt animals for food.

Their leader, Arran, is the wisest, bravest, and fiercest fighter they have. Unfortunately he has been recently bitten in the latest skirmish with the adults and lost a fellow fighter. He is weary of eking out a meager existence by merely surviving. As the bite festers, he becomes feverish and his desire for peace and quiet increases.

When a young stranger shows up at their supermarket with the promise of a urban paradise Arran is unable to resist. Their new plan is to trek across London to Buckingham Palace, where another group of kids have settled and begin to reclaim civilization.

But London is a dangerous place and the adults are getting smarter. Will this young army of children be able to make it to the palace? And if they get there will life be any better? They will have to hope for the best, but it is doubtful that all of them, if any, will make it to the palace alive.

The Enemy is a grisly survival story. It presents a different take on traditional zombie tales, and is full of suspense. Recommended to horror fans who need an action-packed adrenaline rush. Appropriate for ages 14 and up due to the amount of gore.

Bullet Point

Wyatt loves baseball. His high school coach thinks Wyatt is good enough to get a scholarship to college. Unfortunately Wyatt can’t play ball because the school district cut all extracurricular activities in order to save money. But his coach has a plan. Wyatt can transfer to Silver City, which is across the state, and play there. But those plans quickly unravel because Wyatt’s best friend, Dub, already transferred and got the only open spot on the team. Wyatt is pretty upset. But life just keeps throwing Wyatt curveballs. His coach also gave him a photo of Wyatt’s father when he was young and played ball.

Wyatt never met his father; never even saw a photograph. It has always been him, his mom, his half sister, and his stepfather, Rusty. Wyatt’s biological father, Sonny, was sentenced to life in jail before Wyatt was born. The charge was murder.

When Rusty sees the photo of a young Sonny, he takes it away from Wyatt and rips it up. They have never gotten along, but Rusty has never been so blatantly mean. Wyatt doesn’t think and tackles his stepfather. Soon they are really fighting and Wyatt has a broken nose. He flees and eventually decides to move with Dub to Silver City. He can wait out a year and then will be eligible to play ball again.

But as soon as he gets there he runs into a girl, Greer, who runs the local bowling alley and batting cage. Soon they are a couple although Wyatt isn’t quite sure how that happened. But Greer has a reputation. Some say she sleeps around, others say she helped her father commit arson. Wyatt tries to discuss things with Greer, but they end up fighting. Eventually, after making up, he discovers that her father is in jail too. In fact Greer’s father is in Sweetwater State Penitentiary, the very same jail that houses Sonny, Wyatt’s father.

Through Greer’s father, Sonny knows his son is around. Wyatt is unsure if he wants to meet his biological father. But after a few calls they meet face to face. Much to Wyatt’s surprise he really likes Sonny, and starts to believe that his father may be innocent of the murder he was sentenced for. Soon Wyatt and Greer are exploring the case. He isn’t sure why she is so interested, but he likes her. But he really doesn’t know her. What if she did commit arson? And for that matter does he really know his father? He wants to believe that his father isn’t guilty, and that the rumors about his girlfriend are untrue, but will that trust turn to regret in the end? Wyatt is poking his nose in more then one person’s business and sooner or later he is going to get burned. But by who? And what will Wyatt do to protect the ones he loves?

This is a great thriller. Bullet Point keeps you glued to the page and guessing on how it will all turn out. Highly recommended for those who love mysteries, thrillers, and suspense. Appropriate for ages 16 and up due to some mild sexual content and swearing.

The Demon’s Covenant

Mae has killed someone in order to save her brother Jamie. Her victim was an evil magician who tried to feed her brother to demons, but he was still a person. She has tried not to think about it and move on. But then she discovers her brother, who has a gift for magic but not the knowledge or skill to use it, being harassed by the school bullies. Before she can intercede she finds herself frozen. A magician has spelled her. He then scares away the bullies and helps Jamie out. Jamie is relieved and treats the magician like a good friend. But Mae knows who this magician is; he is the leader of the circle of magicians who threatened she and Jamie mere months before. His name is Gerald and Jamie should be very afraid of him, but he’s not. Once Gerald and Jamie leave together, the spell on Mae is broken. She immediately seeks the aid of Alan and Nick, the brothers who helped defend she and Jamie from the magicians before.

But things are not easy between the two brothers. Something has happened between them that has strained their loyalty to each other. It doesn’t help that Mae is attracted to both of them. However they are all in agreement that Jamie is playing a dangerous game by hanging out with magicians. As they try to decipher Gerald’s motivations they come across a deeper plot that will change the balance of power between the magicians and all who oppose them. Gerald needs to be stopped because he seeks to expand his power and the only people in his way are Mae, Jamie, Alan, and Nick. Soon Mae will need to make tough decisions again; decisions in which she may have to kill again, or watch allies die. She will have to put her feelings aside and focus on the fight ahead, because if they lose, then the magicians and their demons win.

The Demon’s Covenant is a superior book to its predecessor, The Demon’s Lexicon. If you enjoyed the first book you will definitely be thrilled by the second. This story is shaping up to be a great new series and I am looking forward to the third installment. Appropriate for ages 14 and up; recommended to urban fantasy enthusiasts.

Eclipse

We all know the love triangle between Bella, Edward, and Jacob. Eclipse offers us more of the same tension that New Moon did.

However there is more of a plot here than the previous novel. People are going missing in Seattle and the Cullens fear that someone is creating a army of new vampires. Eventually Bella figures out that the army is coming after her, and it is led by her nemesis Victoria. Edward and Jacob will have to devise a plan of stopping the army while also protecting the girl they both love.

While not a fan of the Twilight novels, Eclipse is probably the best written one (I haven’t read Breaking Dawn yet). While I feel that the books dwell too much on the brooding between Bella, Edward and Jacob (the majority of each book is just brooding, and I feel could have been better edited) this one does have some interesting moments. The native american stories of the spirit warriors is a great scene. Edward and Bella’s conversation on marriage, losing her virginity, and becoming a vampire is a great ethical discussion on virtue and whether being old-fashioned (i.e. waiting for marriage) is still appropriate in today’s age.

Obviously, Eclipse is  recommended to Twilight fans, or those of romance. Appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Click on the image to register! Walk-ins welcome!

We will have a 32 person Smash Bros Brawl tournament for the Nintendo Wii this Friday. Contests will be 1 on 1 for 3 minutes, no Smash Ball, and on the Final Destination location. Come prove that you are best! The winner of the this tournament will face the winner of the June tournament to see who the ultimate champ is on Thursday July 29th.