Where the Wild Things Are

Check it out! One of the most beloved books of all time, Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, is being made into a movie, set to release this fall.

Piano for Dummies by Blake Neely

A guest review from Teen Room staff Jeremy!

Piano for Dummies by Blake Neely is an incredible guide to both the basics and more advanced styles of piano. Blake Neely takes the reader through an enormous range of amazing descriptions, witty comments, and wonderful ways to remember chords and key positions. The book also includes a list of scales that also includes pictures showing where the fingers should go on the keyboard. The back of the book even includes an index of some of the more well known piano players including Billy Joel and Elton John.

I am currently using this book to try to teach myself how to play piano, and to be honest it’s going fairly well. I’m progressing at a slow rate, but that’s due to a need to do homework and play my guitars rather than learn piano. I plan on dedicating a lot more time to piano this summer, and with this book as my guide I should become fairly proficient.

--Jeremy

Belle : a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" by Cameron Dokey

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Valerie!

There was always more to the story of Beauty and the Beast than Disney® decided to show us. Annabelle grew up in a wealthy family where her siblings are what her Mother always wanted in her children, and she can’t ever live up to her standards. Her father is the only one who understands her. Her name means beauty, but with her gorgeous sisters around to cast their shadow over her, her name only ridicules her further. Even though there is enough trouble in her life already, storms churn over the oceans making it impossible for her father’s merchant ships to return home. Annabelle’s wealthy family is pushed into a life of poverty. Traveling through the deep forest, she travels to her new home, where her world is flipped upside down. A few months later, her father hears word from the city that one of his ships made it safely home from the storms, and begins the three day journey back. When Annabelle’s father returns home, he’s holding a secret that not even he’s sure is real. An adventure is in store for Annabelle and her family, one that will change everything forever.

Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairy tale. I have read at least seven versions of the story, but this version is one of my favorites. Cameron Dokey added more magic and love to the original story, and even though this is a short book, it captures your attention and your heart.

--Valerie

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Valerie!

Scarlett grew up in inter-city New York in a hotel run by her middle class family. She has an older sister who is dating a wealthy man from the close knit circle of New York’s businessmen, a young sister who has recently battled cancer, and an older brother trying to find work as a stunt actor on Broadway. On Scarlett’s fifteenth birthday, her world takes a sudden twist. She is assigned a room of the hotel to take care of, and a woman shows up to occupy it for the entire summer. This new guest changes the entire family, and teaches them about Broadway, family, love, revenge, and caring about each other. Suite Scarlett is a book you won’t want to put down. Maureen Johnson lets you connect fully with the different characters, and has created the perfect read for summer.

I loved this book because I experienced so many emotions while reading this book. I felt sorrow, anger, joy, and laughter. This book was a story of a girl who gets to see what life is like outside of her small hotel. I caught a glimpse of New York from an insider’s view, and I connected with every character of this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun summer read. In this book, you can experience so many stories in one.

--Valerie

P.S. Check out both cool covers!!

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

A guest review by Teen Room Staff Jeremy!


The 15 year old resident of Carvahall, Eragon, starts the book by finding a strange blue stone while traversing The Spine, a mountainous area outside his home. The world in which this novel takes place is known as Alagaësia, under the control of Galbatorix, a fallen Dragon Rider, now evil. These dragon riders used to be the peace keepers of the world, but when his dragon died, Galbatorix went mad and killed his fellow riders. The blue stone eventually hatches into Saphira, Eragon's dragon. He tries to keep her a secret, but in vain, because the empire learns of her and tries to take her, but instead end up murdering Eragon's uncle. Eragon and Saphira escape, along with Brom, a local story teller. Together the three set off to both avenge Eragon's uncle and for Eragon to learn more about his dragon and his mysterious past.

This book is incredibly well written, full of drama and humor, horror and magic. It was great to follow Eragon and Saphira along their journey, watching as they grew and matured. I would certainly recommend this book to any avid Fantasy readers out there.

-Jeremy

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

While on a camping trip one night nine-year-old Eli, his billionaire father, and his family are alerted of a pending nuclear attack, and rush to the safety of an underground compound that Eli’s father has built to house the family in case of nuclear war. Only after the door is sealed, Eli realizes that his Gram and his twin brother Eddy didn’t make it into the compound. And Dad won’t open the door. Heartbroken, Eli finds that Dad has created a world very similar to their life above ground. There’s a gym, a library, a media room with more CDs and DVDs than Eli could ever watch or listen to in fifteen years. And fifteen years is the amount of time they need to spend in the compound to outlast the nuclear fallout. Six years pass, and in spite of Dad’s planning for every contingency, the family’s situation has become dismal. Eli has created a routine for himself that involves as little contact with his family as possible. He can’t bear to think about his brother Eddy, and distances himself as much as he can. The family’s food supplies have started to dwindle and the livestock that was supposed to sustain them has died. Dad has a plan involving something called “The Supplements,” but Eli is sure that he wants nothing to do with it. One day, Dad gives Eli a CD with a faulty label. As Eli peels it away, he sees that it was recorded only a few weeks ago. But if that’s true, how did his Dad get it? And what is happening in the outside world? Was there really a nuclear threat, or is the family captive for another reason?

The writing in the book is very action driven. In some sections there doesn’t seem to be enough words on the page to fully describe what is happening. I had to reread sections just to make sure I understood at least part of what was going on in the scene. In that sense, I don’t think the writing was very well done. However, the plot really was interesting, and I was impatient to know what was going to happen next. Another criticism I have is that there were a few characters that would be more believable if the author had given them some flaws. Eddy, the twin left behind, was described as being the “good” brother. In all the memories that include Eddy, the reader never sees him doing anything remotely bad. He’s always the hero. I didn’t feel that this was very realistic. Also, Eddy and Eli are supposed to be twins, but I really felt the way their relationship was described, Eddy seemed much older than Eli. I thought that the character of the older sister Lexie was very well done. She was written as a very complete character. She had mean qualities, and a rough relationship with Eli, but she was smart and knew where her loyalties needed to be even if it meant she was in some danger.

I didn’t love this book, but the plot was so intense and unique that I rushed to finish it. I would recommend it.

Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Peña

A guest review from Teen Room staff Brandon!


Sixteen year-old Danny is a confused kid. He doesn’t know which part of his ethnicity he wants to embrace: his Mexican heritage, which he received from his long-lost father, or his Caucasian American background, from his mother, who he lives with. Being brought up essentially white, attending a prestigious private school, living in suburban California, Danny has never fully embraced his Mexican heritage. Then he goes to spend the summer with his cousin in San Diego, and his eyes are opened. He meets many of the locals through a weekly home run derby, which he quickly dominates. Danny is a good hitter, but an even better pitcher. He tried out for the team at his private school, but his usually perfect control deserted him during the tryout. But there in San Diego, on the overgrown, underused practice fields and backstreets and back yards, nobody can touch Danny’s pitching. He befriends the local kids, friends of his cousin’s, and learns that friends often become a stronger family than biological relatives ever can. His newfound friends help him to unravel the mystery of his dad’s disappearance, learn who he wants to become, and uncover his confidence on the pitcher’s mound.



The book is very well written and I enjoyed it immensely. It was fun to see how Danny matured throughout confrontations with his new best friend, Uno, his love interest, Liberty, and his cousin and uncles, who knew his dad’s secret the entire time.

-Brandon