Teens Blog It

Great news for fans of Anna Godbersen's Luxe series: a film version of the best-selling books is in the works!  And the creative force for the movie is going to be the same group of people who created the "Gossip Girl" T.V. series!  Since the project is still in the early stages, it might be a couple of years before we get to see Elizabeth Holland on the big screen, but I think that it will be well worth the wait.

The Luxe follows the lives (and scandals) of a group of teenage socialites and their servants in Manhattan, N.Y. in the year 1899.  Fashion, gossip, and backstabbing abound in this dramatic series.  Check out the first book in the series here!

Today, June 27, marks the 24th day of Summer Reading Club 2011!  A lot has been going on over the last few weeks, and our VolunTeens have been hard at work signing people up, awarding prizes, and assisting with fun programs.

If you haven't yet done so, visit your nearest library location and sign up for a reading record.  You can earn cool prizes coupons for free stuff all around Columbus, a flash drive wrist band, and win an AMC Movie Ticket Package - all just for reading! 

Also, don't forget to check the many free fun programs just for teens at the library.  You can vote for your favorite rap artist, get an authentic henna tattoo from a skilled henna artist, learn how to design your own video games, and a ton of other things!  Click here for a full list of free summer programs at the library, or come on in to your nearest library locations to get a calendar of events.

For information about Summer Reading Club at the library visit Summerreadingclub.com.

Earth Hour is where people from all across the world come together in celebration of the one thing we have in common - our planet.  It is a chance for you to do your bit for the environment. 

All you need to do to participate is sign up to let the people behind Earth Hour know you're taking part and turn off ALL your lights for one hour, no matter where you are in the world.  Earth Hour will take place on Saturday, March 26, 2011 beginning at 8:30 P.M. and lasting until 9:30 P.M. (local time).

Click here to sign up!
 

On Monday the American Library Association announced the Michael J. Printz Award winner for excellence in young adult literature (aka teen books).

And the winner is . . . Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi!

The story is about a teenager named Nailer who lives in a futuristic world and scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living.  But when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, Nailer has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.

Click HERE to view and reserve this year's and previous years' winners!

Beastly (2011), based on the 2007 book of the same title by Alex Flinn, is set to be released in theaters on March 18, 2011.  The film stars Alex Pettyfer (you may remember him from Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker (2006)) as Kyle, a good-looking, rich teen whose massive ego is the only thing bigger than his bank account. 

Anyway, Kyle is prone to picking on those whom he feels are beneath him, including goth girl classmate Kendra (Mary-Kate Olson).  What Kyle doesn't know is that Kendra has supernatural powers, and when he pulls a cruel prank on her, she reacts by casting a spell on him that turns him into a hideous creature.  The only way that Kyle can transform back to his hottie self is if someone falls in love with him for who he is on the inside. 

Remind you a little of this?

The film also stars Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother) as Kyle's blind tutor and Vanessa Hudgens as, you guessed it, Kyle's prisoner/love interest.

Has anyone read the book?  If so, what did you think?  Do you plan on seeing the movie?

Actress Hilary Duff has published her first novel.  In Elixir, privilidged teen Clea escapes the spotlight of her parents' celebrity by traveling around the world as a photojournalist.  But when her surgeon father disappears while on a humanitarian mission, Clea begins to see a shadowy, mysterious man in her photos.  This same man may be the key to her father's disappearance.

Duff isn't the only celebrity spreading her writing wings.  T.V. show host and former model, Tyra Banks, is currently working a new fantasy teen series, Modelland, that is set to debut in 2011.  The story will center around a girl who struggles to keep up in the beauty game at her elite supermodel school.

Meanwhile, actress and fashion designer, Lauren Conrad, has released Sugar and Spice, the final installment of her popular L.A. Candy series.  The series centers around four girls living in L.A. who are asked to star on a reality show (like The Hills), and plenty of jealousy, backstabbing, and drama ensues.  Conrad is now working on a spin-off series that will star the character Madison.

Has anyone read any of these titles?  If so, are you a fan?

This tube-nosed fruit bat is just one of over 200 new species recently discovered in the remote forests of Papua New Guinea.  Finding so many new species is really rare in this day and age, so this is exciting news for scientists.

Personally, I think that the tube-nosed fruit bat looks a little like this guy.

What do you think?

First we were obsessed with vampires, then werewolves, then zombies, and now . . . dragons.  That's right, DRAGONS!

Firelight, the first in an exciting new trilogy by Sophie Jordan, is creating buzz amongst fantasy lovers who are looking for the next Twilight. 

The main character, Jacinda, is part of a tribe of drakis, dragons who take on human form to protect themselves from dragon hunters.  Jacinda is special because she is the only fire-breather born for hundreds of years. 

After she breaks the "no fly" rule one too many times and puts her tribe in danger, Jacinda and her family must flee from the Cascades to the human world in Nevada. 

There she meets Will, a young draki hunter who let her escape back in the Cascades.  Jacinda feels drawn to Will.  But the closer she becomes to him, the more she puts herself and the entire draki tribe in danger of being discovered for what they really are.

Has anyone read, or plan on reading, Firelight?

Last Thursday's game between the Ohio State University and Marshall University officially marked the start of the OSU football season.  For the next four months Buckeye fans all over Columbus and beyond will be sporting their OSU gear, going to game viewing parties, and cheering on their favorite players.  And next Saturday will be no exception as the Bucks take on the Miaimi Hurricanes - craziness is sure to ensue.

What's your favorite/least favorite part of the OSU football season?  Will the Buckeyes make it to the BCS Championship Game?

Photo courtesy of Bryan Fenstermacher