Totally and unexpectedly awesome.
I have to say that the actual Gotham villain plot was not the greatest.  Kate Kane aka Batwoman battles against Alice, new leader of the Religion of Crime and in my opinion a poorly constructed mash-up of original Gotham super-villains The Mad Hatter, The Joker, and The Riddler.

Beyond the wonky “ooh we’re out to get Gotham” plot, the backstory of how Kate becomes the Batwoman was amazing. “Separated” from the military after a personal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell event, Kate finds herself lost and seeking a way to still serve when a chance encounter with the BatMAN tells her just what to do next. When her father discovers her vigilantism and that she won’t quit, he decides to help her, even in developing the suit and colors. The red and black suit becomes just as feared in Gotham as the black and gold. And with good reason.

I’m a fan.

You can find it upstairs in Adult Services, or put it on hold by clicking the above pic!

Review by Miss Regina

Most teens don’t bother to use LinkedIn, because they assume it is an adult social networking site.  And with no games or fancy new timelines like FB, I can see where you guys get that impression.  BUT, it is actually a very important site for young people just as much, and can really come in handy when you start filling out those college and job applications.

So, What IS LinkedIn?

LinkedInis a professional networking site.  Similar to a social networking site, but more focused on your work activities.   You can keep track of your jobs, your skills and even your coworkers!  Many potential employers glance at LinkedIn profiles to see what their applicants have been doing with their time.

How young adults like you can use LinkedIn:

• To keep a running record of jobs and assignments you’ve had.  It doesn’t have to be a big job, or even a long one.  Babysitting consistently or even mowing lawns as your own business, counts!  Employers will be glad to see that you started your own company and stuck with it!
• To network with people in the fields you’re interested in. Want to be a game designer?  How about interacting with a few who are already in the business through LinkedIn groups?  Use the site to get a jump-start on the “who you know”, part of finding a job.
• To explore careers, colleges, and even hobbies.  You can find groups from just about every school and career field on LinkedIn.  Each group has members who are willing to answer your questions, give feedback, and offer FREE advice.
• To collect recommendations! One awesome feature on the site, is that you can add people to your network, teachers (if they’re willing), former bosses, and even your friendly neighborhood librarians (hint hint).  There’s then an option you can select to ask each of them for a recommendation.
• To find jobs!  Because LinkedIn is a professional site, it is much easier to find job information through their site.  You can even apply directly from the website.  This is much better than some other job websites because this way you’re applying with your resume and recommendations already in their view!

Jenna and Lucas are pains at home.

Jenna is too silly and free-spirited for her prestigious and acadademic family. Her parents worry about her, and her younger sister doesn’t even want to be seen with her. Lucas, son of a single mom, gets horrible grades despite his intellect. Both teens and families are surprised when a representative from Camp Fielding visits their home to invite/recruit them.

Camp Fielding is weird.  There are no real teachers, only elaborate problems and scenarios for campers to decipher.  There also seems to be a problem with mysterious disappearances, strange dead baby birds, and campers who suddenly become eerily intelligent. As they race to figure out what is causing their fellow campers to cough up feathers, Jenna and Lucas realize that they aren’t sure what is more frightening; what they’re uncovering, or the fact that it’s too crazy to believe!

Discovering the secret of Camp Fielding is intense, and it unfolds at various points in the story.  This creepy and yet funny book made some realistic points about academic pressure, hormones and the benefits of not fitting in. Realism aside, there were mythical and political points that should engage any reader that loves a good mystery.

Good, quick read.

Trust us, we won’t tell anyone you were reading. (click on the covers to find each book in our catalog)

Sistrsic92 (Meg) by Cheryl Dellasega

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Written in text/blog, this second installment of the Bloggrls series grew on me.
When I first started reading, it began to sound like so many other after-school specials but the topic it addressed snuck up on me so quickly I was knocked back and had to finish it.

Sistrsic92 aka Megan, keeps in touch with her three VBF’s(very best friends) through a private blog. Lisa (zbest) is a friend from her church’s youth group, while Zoey(zo4u) and Trish(tennytrish) are girls she met at the beginning and end of tennis camp the past summer. Most of Meg’s posts focus on how hard being a sophomore is sure to be as she spends yet another year living in the shadow of the t2p2(The Totally Perfect Person) aka her older half-sister Cara.
Cara is blonde, athletic and beautiful, and nicknamed Calla, while Meg is far less athletic, brunette and nicknamed Eggy. Cara’s dad passed away when she was a young child in a tragic car accident and Meg is convinced this also gets Cara sympathy from everyone, meanwhile her dad is a pastor and all that brings from others is scrutiny. She struggles with feeling such intense jealousy over Cara, but finds that even when things are not about Cara,…they somehow drift back to her. The rants and raves that Meg blogs about are a bit whiny at first and it reads like any other “my sister’s the perfect one”, book.

Then Cara gets a boyfriend. Trip. Together they’re the cutest couple in school and Meg could just about gag. One more reason for everyone to be head over heels in love with all things Cara. She notices Cara making out with Trip and finds it really annoying and selfish that Cara isn’t thinking about how things will look to the neighbors, and parishioners of their church.

Soon Cara’s behavior begins to change. She’s argumentative with their mother, and hiding in her room most nights. Meg is convinced that this is yet another way for Cara to make everything about her. Then beautiful Cara starts getting thinner…and things suddenly get much worse than Meg could ever have imagined.

Watching Meg grow was painful at times, only because I felt a lot of her statements and ideas did sound very After-school-Special. When she wasn’t annoying me though, I found her likable and funny. While struggling to find her own way with boys and body image while dealing with the unbelievable issues her sister brought onto their home, Meg’s internet friends were great sounding boards but they also provided different perspectives on what was going on. Some of their advice was corny, but for the right younger teen, I can see how spot-on they may be.

The book is lightly illustrated with a few cute pencil-drawn images here and there. One pet-peeve of mine while reading was that these pictures always seemed to show a scene I had no interest in seeing. Some of the more intricate story-lines could have used them more. I also felt as though the cover of the book itself would have been better suited with one of the pics of Meg that is in the inner jacket of the book, rather than the weird collage that’s there. It almost stopped me from picking this book up. I’m glad that it didn’t.

A good read for ages 12+ about dating, body image, eating disorders, and recognizing that the Totally Perfect Person isn’t always so perfect.

Review by Miss Regina