Bettendorf Public Library is bringing a fresh start to our young adult services. The Quad is a brand new teen center built around the multimedia needs of today’s youth. It will be at the heart of our young adult community and represents our focus on the four main values of the Quad: Reading, Learning, Entertaining and Growing.
The Quad is a dynamic space where teens can use their library their way. They will be able to study, research, hang out, have fun, and best of all—read! We are excited about the new opportunities the Quad will present us with in the future. We hope you are too.
The Quad will launch during Teen Read Week, October 17th—23rd. Watch for details about our grand opening and special activities planned for that week.
Below is a video depicting the initial conception of the Quad. You will have to visit our grand opening to see all the wonderful improvements we have made on the final design of our new teen center!
Will and Alona are on opposite sides of high school’s social spectrum. Alona is the queen bee and the most popular girl in school. Will is the sullen emo boy who stays away from everyone except for his best friend Joonie. Alona and Will never had anything to do with each other while Alona was alive. Ever since Alona was hit by a bus, buried, and mourned by her friends, Alona’s life (or afterlife) has been pretty lonely. So she is surprised to find that Will can see and hear her while she is haunting the school.
If he can see her then perhaps he can help her move on to wherever ghosts need to move on to. It’s hard to ask someone as socially low as Will for help but he is her only chance. The problem is that Will just doesn’t see her, he sees every ghost who haunts the school; and the all want his help. If Alona is going to move on she will need to use her superior social skills to organize the school ghosts, and deal with Will’s mood swings.
But there is a darker mystery that Alona has yet to discover. Will is being haunted by a dark force that is full of spite and hatred. If she doesn’t act quickly the evil spirit will tear Will apart before she can figure out how to move on. Or does she need to help Will because she has actually grown to like him? But he is so not popular so that couldn’t be it!
The Ghost and the Goth is a fun light read and a perfect quick distraction. I really enjoyed this book and I think you will to. Highly recommended and appropriate for all ages.
Wow. What a conclusion to one of the best young adult series I have ever read.
Katniss is still recovering from the last Hunger Games and being rescued by District 13. Her home, District 12, has been bombed mercilessly by the Capitol. The revolution has started as rebels have started to fight back in all the remaining districts. The leader of the revolution look to Katniss as their symbol of hope and rebellion. But Katniss is devastated both physically and emotionally. Can she overcome all her tribulations to become the Mockingjay. the poster child of the rebellion? Can she overcome her inherent distrust at adults, and volunteer to be used for their political purposes? Or does she strike out on her own, and find her own way to help topple the Capitol?
I can’t answer those questions for you. I can tell you the ride is intense. This is a wonderful trilogy of books, and Mockingjay doesn’t disappoint. This one will stay with you for awhile. Highly recommended and appropriate for ages 14 and up.
And if you have any comments about the book please feel free to add them below, but please do not mention any spoilers!
In book 4 of The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, the twins, Sophie and Josh, continue their quest to learn the four elemental magics in order to stop the Dark Elders from taking over the Earth.
If you have read this far into the series you know what to expect: magic, action, and a colorful cast of characters from every age of human history.
This latest installment keeps true to the past books, but unfortunately at this point it feels like the story is just treading water and waiting for its conclusion. Unfortunately not much actually happens.
The cast has become so separated the book is broken into multiple storylines, and the author never stays with one plot long enough. By the end of the book, not much has changed. The Dark Elders are still a threat and a twin has learned a new elemental magic, but you get the feeling all the payoff will come in subsequent books.
Sure, I enjoyed this book, but I want a series that will continue to thrill me, and not just supply filler to delay the conclusion. Let us hope Micheal Scott picks up the pace with book 5 and takes us somewhere where we haven’t been before instead of retreading the ground of books 2 and 3.
Recommended for fantasy and action lovers, and appropriate for all ages.
Life has changed. It has been a year since a mysterious disease has infected everyone older than 16. The adults have become hideously deformed and driven mad because of their illness. After awhile the boils and tumors that have taken over their bodies burst and the adults mercifully die.
But those adults who continue on as walking monsters follow their basest of desires, hunger and anger. The only ones not infected are the children; who have inherited London. But the children must watch out for there are new dangers in town. The adults are hungry and they will kidnap and eat whomever they can find.
The easiest prey are the youngest and weakest of the children. But fortunately there are older kids around who have learned to survive by killing the monsters who would gobble them up. One such group has taken shelter in a small supermarket. They send out scavengers everyday to find canned goods, or to hunt animals for food.
Their leader, Arran, is the wisest, bravest, and fiercest fighter they have. Unfortunately he has been recently bitten in the latest skirmish with the adults and lost a fellow fighter. He is weary of eking out a meager existence by merely surviving. As the bite festers, he becomes feverish and his desire for peace and quiet increases.
When a young stranger shows up at their supermarket with the promise of a urban paradise Arran is unable to resist. Their new plan is to trek across London to Buckingham Palace, where another group of kids have settled and begin to reclaim civilization.
But London is a dangerous place and the adults are getting smarter. Will this young army of children be able to make it to the palace? And if they get there will life be any better? They will have to hope for the best, but it is doubtful that all of them, if any, will make it to the palace alive.
The Enemy is a grisly survival story. It presents a different take on traditional zombie tales, and is full of suspense. Recommended to horror fans who need an action-packed adrenaline rush. Appropriate for ages 14 and up due to the amount of gore.
Teen Services
The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
Mockingjay
The Necromancer
The Enemy