I Represent Sean Rosen by Jeff Baron

Sean Rosen is 13-years-old and full of great ideas.  In fact, he's got one SUPER-BIG idea that could change the entertainment industry forever.  All he has to do is get his idea in front of a major Hollywood studio, and he'll be set for life!  First problem: Sean lives nowhere near a major Hollywood studio.  Second problem: major Hollywood studios don't take ideas from just anybody, let alone 13-year-old kids!

It's a good thing for Sean he's as smart as he is.  And it's not true that he doesn't have any show-business experience.  He publishes a podcast every week - he even does all the editing himself! (One thing that's really fun about the book, is that even though Sean Rosen is a fictional character, you can go online and check out his podcasts!)  But what Sean really needs is someone to represent him - someone like an agent or a manager.

That's about all I can tell you without giving too much away.  As the title suggests, Sean does have someone to represent him - I just can't tell you who.  And he does contact a major Hollywood studio - I just can't tell you how.  But believe me when I tell you, you'll eagerly follow along with Sean's exploits as he tries to break into the "big time."  Along the way, he learns A LOT about how show business really works behind the scenes.  He  learns a bit about personal integrity, as well.

A really fun read for any creative person who yearns to reach a wider audience, but just doesn't know how.  Recommended for grades 6-8.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Fifteen seconds into the movie preview for The Fault in Our Stars, my eyes were brimming with tears. I knew I needed to read the book before I watched the movie, or I would be a bawling, blubbering mess for two hours. Not too say I still won’t be. But I will at least be LESS of a bawling, blubbering mess.

Sixteen year old Hazel Grace was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 13. Her life has been extended somewhat by a tumor shrinking miracle drug, but she is still terminal. Hazel thought she knew how the remainder of her life would unfold until she meets Augustus Waters, a one legged survivor in the Cancer Kid Support Group.

“I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” - Hazel Grace

Despite the depressing subject, The Fault in Our Stars is positive, lighthearted and funny. You’ll cry. You’ll laugh. You’ll anger. Author John Green ensures you feel ALL the feels. You’ll contemplate death and consequently life and how to live it. How to love it. How to make the most of your short time here on Earth. What’s more feel-y than that? We’re all born with an expiration date. The Fault in Our Stars will inspire you (at least for a little while) to face fear of rejection, of being hurt, and to love unabashedly.  

"I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.” - Augustus Waters

In addition to The Fault in Our Stars, we also have This Star Won't Go Out: The Life and Words of Esther Grace Earl. John Green writes the foreword and even dedicated The Fault in our Stars to Esther. You will find both of these works in our collection.

I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure edited by Smith Magazine

Could you tell your life story in just six words?  That's the premise behind I Can't Keep My Own Secrets.   The editors of Smith magazine challenged over 600 kids, ages 13-19, to write a memoir about their lives using only six words.

The results are astonishing.  Only the authors' first names are given, and in some cases that anonymity allows for the sharing of very personal, often touching, details:

"Called me stupid.
I'm only dyslexic."

"I have accepted your abandonment, Dad."




Others are inspiring!

"I draw my dreams in crayon"

"Chose happiness over anger and hate."

Still others are thought-provoking, and kind of funny:

"Because the chicken is a nonconformist."

"He only knew one word: meh."

It's a great collection to browse through, or read in any order you like.  You're sure to recognize bits and pieces of yourself in these pages, but would you contribute to the anthology?  What is YOUR six-word memoir?

Mine is:

"Always up for adventure and fun."

You can find I Can't Keep My Own Secrets in the JYA non-fiction section (for older readers).

The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faría

I cannot stop gushing to everyone about this book. It’s poetic, original and unlike anything I’ve ever read.

Although Thomas is blind and cannot “see” colors, he senses them in other ways. Colors are touches and tastes and smells. “Brown crunches under his feet like fall leaves. Sometimes it smells like chocolate and other times it stinks.” Water is colorless and therefore has “no taste, no smell.” Black is the “king of all colors” and is “soft as silk.”

The Black Book of Colors is a journey into the blind person’s world. The book is nearly all black and written in both Braille and a white font on black background. Illustrations are raised black lines on black paper and are designed to be touched. They can only be “seen” through the fingers, or if you tilt the page into the light.

The book was first published in Mexico in 2007 and won the New Horizons prize at the Bologna Children's Book Fair in 2007. It was also a New York Times Book Review choice as one of the 10 Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2008.