SGPL Teens

Hello Again!
Here is what I am excited about this week!

• William Shatner (Aparently he has a new book coming out about his favorite subject! William Shatner!)



• The Vancouver Canucks (They are off to a great start in the first round of the playoffs! Leading their series 3-1!)



• The Impending Canadian Federal Election! (Even if you can't vote! Watching the political fabric of Canada change is fun! It's like watching history happen live!)

Here are a few things that I think are kind of lame:

• Tokyopop, one of North America's biggest Manga publishers is closing up shop in North America, this makes me sad. I didn't read that much that was published by them, but what I did (Cowboy Bebop, PLANETES, Snow Goddess Tales, Beck: Mongolian Chop Squad... ) I really enjoyed. I think comic book shelves in libraries will look strange without them.



• The Toronto Blue Jays! After having an amazing start to the season, they are now losing to the worst team in the American League! THE BOSTON RED SOX!

HELLO!

Hi there! My name is Brian and I'm going to be the new Children and Youth Services Librarian at the Spruce Grove library. I'm very excited to be here and can't wait to get to know the Spruce Grove Community.

• I like Comic Books and Manga.


• I like playing soccer, but I can't stand watching it on TV.


• My favorite movie is Varsity Blues, but I don't really understand football. In fact, I played a season of Football when I was 12 and didn't catch a single ball.


• I really like board games like "Settlers of Catan"


• I like Comic Books and Manga.

COMIC BOOKS!

I really like Comic Books. I can't really remember a time when I wasn't reading them. Back when I was younger, I would look at all the pictures and make up stories in my head because I couldn't actually read the words. If I was lucky, my grand father would read some of the words to me, which was pretty amazing because suddenly all the pictures had an entirely different story. To this day, I have fun reading comics in other languages, because it means I get to make up my own stories just like when I was little.

Anyway, this is all a roundabout way of saying that one of my goals here at the Spruce Grove Library is to build up our comic book and graphic novel collection. It is already fairly awesome, but I plan on bringing in even more awesomeness!

(We are also going to be bringing back the comic book/manga club for Teens soon. But I'll write more about that in a later post.)

ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN

Anyway! One of the comics I plan on bringing is ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN! We actually have a good chunk of the Ultimate Spider-Man collection already, but we were missing a few of the last volumes so we are soon going to have a near-complete collection.

So why do I like Ultimate Spider-Man? Well for starters it is a modern retelling of one of the greatest stories of all time! Which means that you don't actually have to read any other Spider-Man comics! If you go into a comic book store today you'll find that if you want to catch up with the original Spider-Man comic you will have to read over 600 comics! But with Ultimate Spider-Man all you have to start with is the first book!

Another thing a like about Ultimate Spider-Man is that it is all about Spider-Man when he was in high school! In it you get to see Spider-Man:

• Get his first job!


• Play on the Basketball Team!


• Meet his first girlfriend!


• Move in with Iceman and the Human Torch!


• Meet his second girlfriend!


• Work at a fast food restraunt!


• Meet his third girlfriend!


• Team up with the X-Men!


• Break up with all of his girlfriends!

For some reason, I think the best parts of Spider-Man aren't when he is beating up bad guys, but when he is dealing with real life stuff, like being late for class or trying to explain to his Aunt May why his hair is on fire (or something like that) and Ultimate Spider-Man is Full of Stuff like that! Anyway, if any of this sounds interesting to you! Check out the Spruce Grove Library catalog and place a hold on Ultimate Spider-Man RIGHT NOW!

GOODBYE!

Wow. I ended up writing way more than I intended. But I am really excited to be here! If there are any Comics or Manga that we don't have and you think we should! Be sure to let me know, I'm always looking for new good stuff. Even movies and books too!

You can check out our comic collection here: http://www.sprucegrovelibrary.org/ and e-mail me here: brian@sprucegrovelibrary.org .

Anyway! Next time you are in the library come by, say hi! and come tell me what you like!

Brian!

I just found out there is going to be an Ultimate Spider-Man Cartoon debuting this FALL! You can read more about it HERE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultimate_Spider-Man_(TV_series)

So if you want to read the entire series before the cartoon comes out! Best to Start RIGHT AWAY: http://www.sprucegrovelibrary.org/

Even though we haven't posted in a while, I thought this would be interesting to show you:

Pageviews by Countries

Canada 451
United States 111
Netherlands 26
Ukraine 26
Slovenia 17
Poland 15
Portugal 15
United Kingdom 10
Germany 9
Australia 4

This movie was not my first choice in movies to see in the theatre but I ended up going with my family. I'm pretty happy I did. This movie was crazy, silly and even random at points yet somehow the combination of acting and whacky comic book/ video game effects had me laughing. I might not recommend it to be watched inm theatres, but I would recommend renting it. It is rated pg-13 and it does have some content that is not meant for younger teens.

I thought I would send out a quick post saying Hi! I will start doing some reviews soon!

Accomplice (Released: August 1, 2010)

By Eireann Corrigan

A book about two teens that are looking to get into college. When their school councellor says that good grades and community service isn't enough anymore, Chloe and Finn make an epic plan. Chloe will disappear and Finn will find her, miraculously. However, not all they had expected was all that would occur. Facing many challenges and issues, Eireann Corrigan has handed us an awesome YA thriller.

Girl Parts (Released: August 10, 2010)

By John M. Cusick

"What happens when a robot designed to be a boy’s ideal “companion” develops a will of her own? A compulsively readable novel from a new talent.

David and Charlie are opposites. David has a million friends, online and off. Charlie is a soulful outsider, off the grid completely. But neither feels close to anybody. When David’s parents present him with a hot Companion bot designed to encourage healthy bonds and treat his “dissociative disorder,” he can’t get enough of luscious redheaded Rose — and he can’t get it soon. Companions come with strict intimacy protocols, and whenever he tries anything, David gets an electric shock. Parted from the boy she was built to love, Rose turns to Charlie, who finds he can open up, knowing Rose isn’t real. With Charlie’s help, the ideal “companion” is about to become her own best friend. In a stunning and hilarious debut, John Cusick takes rollicking aim at internet culture and our craving for meaningful connection in an uberconnected world. "

Rose Sees Red (Released: August 1, 2010)

By Cecil Castellucci

"Set in New York in the 1980s, this story of two ballet dancers (one American, one Russian) recounts the unforgettable night they spend in the city, and celebrates the friendship they form despite their cultural and political differences."

A great eye opener to the cultural differences. A must read for anyone looking for a World perspective.

Three Black Swans (Released: August 24, 2010)

By Caroline B. Cooney

"Missy and her cousin Claire are best friends who finish each other’s sentences and practically read each other’s minds. It’s an eerie connection—so eerie that Missy has questions she wants to put to her parents. But she’s afraid to ask. So when Missy hears an expert discussing newborn babies on the radio, it makes her wonder about her family.

Missy just can’t let go of those nagging questions, and decides to use a school project about scientific hoaxes to try to uncover the answers. She enlists Claire to help. As part of the project the girls perform a dramatic scene that is captured on video at school. After the video is posted on YouTube, Missy and Claire realize that they’ve opened Pandora’s box and much more than they ever imagined has come out. Not only are their identities called into question, but so is the future of everyone involved.

In this riveting, heartrending story by thriller author Caroline B. Cooney, the truth changes the lives of three families—as the bonds of blood must withstand the strains of long-hidden secrets that are at last revealed."