Sign Up for April Programs Now!

It's almost April!  Don't forget to sign up for these great programs now!

Teen Movie Night
Wed. April 3
5:30-7:45 p.m.

Join us for popcorn and enjoy the Disney Channel original film "Lemonade Mouth."





















Teen Advisory Board
Thurs. April 4
5:00-6:00 p.m.

Hang out with friends and help with planning programs and choosing library materials while possibly earning community service hours.

Teen Book Discussion Club
Wed. April 17
6:00-7:00 p.m.

Join us for pizza and a chance to discuss what you liked (or didn't like) about this month's book club pick, How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr.  Discussing a book with a group is fun and can possibly count for extra credit.





















Teen Crocheting
Wed. April 24
6:00-7:00 p.m.

Learn basic patterns and techniques to make gifts for your friends!  Yarn and hooks provided.

Teen Poetry Writing
Thurs. April 25
5:00-6:00 p.m.

Come celebrate National Poetry Month.  Bring your original poems to workshop and we'll learn new forms like tankas and cinquains.


You can sign up in person at the library, at 973-835-5044, at riverdalelibrarykids@nac.net, or online by clicking here. 

Top Ten Graphic Novels

Love graphic novels?  The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALS) recently announced their picks for the top ten graphic novels of the year.   Check them out!


My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf:  You only think you know this story. In 1991, Jeffrey Dahmer—the most notorious serial killer since Jack the Ripper—seared himself into the American consciousness. To the public, Dahmer was a monster who committed unthinkable atrocities. To Derf Backderf, "Jeff" was a much more complex figure: a high school friend with whom he had shared classrooms, hallways, and car rides. In My Friend Dahmer, a haunting and original graphic novel, writer-artist Backderf creates a surprisingly sympathetic portrait of a disturbed young man struggling against the morbid urges emanating from the deep recesses of his psyche—a shy kid, a teenage alcoholic, and a goofball who never quite fit in with his classmates. With profound insight, what emerges is a Jeffrey Dahmer that few ever really knew, and one readers will never forget.  Available through interlibrary loan


Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb by Jonathan Fetter-Vorm:  Trinity, the debut graphic book by the gifted illustrator Jonathan Fetter-Vorm, depicts in vivid detail the dramatic history of the race to build and the decision to drop the first atomic bomb. This sweeping historical narrative traces the spark of invention from the laboratories of nineteenth-century Europe to the massive industrial and scientific efforts of the Manhattan Project. Along the way, Fetter-Vorm takes special care to explain the fundamental science of nuclear reactions. With the clarity and accessibility that only a graphic book can provide, Trinity transports the reader into the core of a nuclear reaction—into the splitting atoms themselves. Available through interlibrary loan



Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller by Joseph Lambert: Helen Keller lost her ability to see and hear before she turned two years old. However, she became a world famous speaker and author. She befriended Mark Twain, Charlie Chaplin, and Alexander Graham Bell. And above all, she revolutionized public perception and treatment of the blind and the deaf.  The catalyst for this remarkable life’s journey was Annie Sullivan. Hired on as a tutor when Helen was six years old, Annie broke down the barriers between Helen and the wider world, becoming a fiercely devoted friend and lifelong companion in the process.  In Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller, author and illustrator Joseph Lambert examines the powerful bond between teacher and pupil, forged through the intense frustrations and revelations of Helen’s early education. The result is an inspiring, emotional, and wholly original take on the story of these two great Americans.  Available through interlibrary loan


 

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis:  The year's most talked about story! Miles Morales IS the new Spider-Man! What's the secret behind his powers, and how will he master them? What new and familiar enemies will rise to challenge this all-new Spider-Man? And will Miles live up to Peter Parker's legacy.  Available through interlibrary loan






Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks: After an idyllic childhood of homeschooling with her mother and three older brothers, Maggie enrolls in public high school, where interacting with her peers is complicated by the melancholy ghost that has followed her throughout her entire life.  Available through interlibrary loan




The Silence of Our Friends by Mark Long & Jim Demonakos:  This semi-autobiographical tale is set in 1967 Texas, against the backdrop of the fight for civil rights. A white family from a notoriously racist neighborhood in the suburbs and a black family from its poorest ward cross Houston’s color line, overcoming humiliation, degradation, and violence to win the freedom of five black college students unjustly charged with the murder of a policeman.
Available through interlibrary loan




Stargazing Dog by Takashi Murakami:  Fed up with his down-and-out life, Daddy sets out in his car to just get away from it all to nowhere in particular. His family and friends have abandoned him. The one companion he can count on completely, his dog, follows him blindly and faithfully to the end.  Available through interlibrary loan






Drama by Raina Telegemeier:  Callie rides an emotional roller coaster while serving on the stage crew for a middle school production of "Moon over Mississippi" as various relationships start and end, and others never quite get going.  New Teen Fiction Telegemeier





A Flight of Angels by various authors: Deep in the woods outside of a magical kingdom, a strange group of faeries and forest creatures discover a nearly dead angel, bleeding and unconscious with a sword by his side. They call a tribunal to decide his fate, each telling stories that delve into different interpretations of these winged, celestial beings: tales of dangerous angels, all-powerful angels, guardian angels and death angels, that range from the mystical to the mysterious to the macabre.  Not available




Daredevil Vol. 1 by Mark Waid:  With new enemies, new friends and that same old "grinnin' in the face of hell" attitude, the Man Without Fear is back in action and leading with his face! Having turned his world upside down during the past several years, Matt Murdock realizes justice may not be blind to his past and villains may not be the only ones looking for answers. Bring it on!  If Matt Murdock could see what he was doing, he'd be terrified.
  Available through interlibrary loan

Happy St. Patrick's Day!/Ashes of Roses

We've all heard tales of leprechauns and gold, but how many of you know the real story behind today's holiday?  According to legend, St. Patrick was born in the early fourth century A.D. in western England.  At age 16, he was captured by Irish raiders who carried him to slavery in Ireland.  Patrick escaped after six years and entered an English monastery, where he eventually became a bishop.  He returned to Ireland as a missionary and dedicated himself to converting the Irish to Christianity. 

Today, celebrations and parades mark the anniversary of his death in 492.  In is a national holiday in Ireland and has been celebrated in America since 1737, when a group of Irish Protestants met in Boston to honor St. Patrick and founded a group called the Charitable Irish Society.

If you're interested in learning more about what life was like for an Irish immigrant at the turn-of-the--century, check out Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch. 

Sixteen-year-old Rose Nolan and her family are grateful to have finally reached America, the great land of opportunity. Their happiness is shattered when part of their family is forced to return to Ireland. Rose wants to succeed and stays in New York with her younger sister Maureen. The sisters struggle to survive and barely do so by working at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Then, just as Rose is forming friendships and settling in, a devastating fire forces her, Maureen, and their friends to fight for their lives. Surrounded by pain, tragedy, and ashes, Rose wonders if there’s anything left for her in this great land of America.  Teen Fic Auch

YALSA Teens' Top Ten

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) just announced their Teens' Top Ten, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year.  Nominators are members of teen book groups in sixteen school and public libraries around the country.



Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews:  Seventeen-year-old Greg has managed to become part of every social group at his Pittsburgh high school without having any friends, but his life changes when his mother forces him to befriend Rachel, a girl he once knew in Hebrew school who has leukemia.  Available through interlibrary loan





The Diviners by Libba Bray:  Seventeen-year-old Evie O'Neill is thrilled when she is exiled from small-town Ohio to New York City in 1926, even when a rash of occult-based murders thrusts Evie and her uncle, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult, into the thick of the investigation.  New Teen Fiction Bray





Seraphina by Rachel Hartman:  In a world where dragons and humans coexist in an uneasy truce and dragons can assume human form, Seraphina, whose mother died giving birth to her, grapples with her own identity amid magical secrets and royal scandals, while she struggles to accept and develop her extraordinary musical talents. New Teen Fiction Hartman





Enchanted by Alethea Kontis:  When Sunday Woodcutter, the youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week, kisses an enchanted frog, he transforms back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland--a man Sunday's family despises.  Available through interlibrary loan






Every Day by David Levithan:  Every morning A wakes in a different person's body, in a different person's life, learning over the years to never get too attached, until he wakes up in the body of Justin and falls in love with Justin's girlfriend, Rhiannon.  New Teen Fiction Levithan





Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick:  Cambodian child soldier Arn Chorn-Pond defied the odds and used all of his courage and wits to survive the murderous regime of the Khmer Rouge.  Available through interlibrary loan






Boy21 by Matthew Quick:  Finley, an unnaturally quiet boy who is the only white player on his high school's varsity basketball team, lives in a dismal Pennsylvania town that is ruled by the Irish mob, and when his coach asks him to mentor a troubled African-American student who has transferred there from an elite private school in California, he finds that they have a lot in common in spite of their apparent differences.  Teen Fiction Quick





Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz:  Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.  Teen Fiction Saenz





The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater:  Though she is from a family of clairvoyants, Blue Sargent's only gift seems to be that she makes other people's talents stronger, and when she meets Gansey, one of the Raven Boys from the expensive Aglionby Academy, she discovers that he has talents of his own--and that together their talents are a dangerous mix.  New Teen Fiction Stiefvater





Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein:  In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must to survive while keeping secret all that she can.  Teen Fiction Wein

March Teen Book Club/Marcelo in the Real World

Don't forget to sign up for our March Teen Book Discussion Club on Wed. March 20 from 6-7 p.m.!  This month we'll be reading Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. 

 

From the best-selling author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time comes Marcelo Sandoval, a 17-year-old with an Asperger's Syndrome.  Marcelo has arranged a job caring for ponies at his special school's therapeutic riding stables, but he must exit his comfort zone when his high-powered father steers Marcelo to work in his law firm's mailroom.  Forced to think on his feet, multitask, and deal with people who try take advantage of him, Marcelo is surprised to learn he can read people's expressions and determine who he can and cannot trust.  Over the course of the summer, as Marcelo is forced to live in the "real world," he gradually discovers that he is capable of much more that he thought.   

 

Registration required.  You can register in person at the library, by phone at 973-835-5044, by email at riverdalelibrarykids@nac.net, or online by clicking here.

 

Copies of the book are available at the Circulation Desk, so pick one up today!

 

 

 

New Books for March

Look for these new books coming soon to Riverdale Public Library!

Clockwork Princess (Infernal Devices series) by Cassandra Clare:  If the only way to save the world was to destroy what you loved most, would you do it?  The clock is ticking. Everyone must choose.   Danger closes in around the Shadowhunters in the final installment of the bestselling Infernal Devices trilogy.    New Teen Fiction Clare

True Legend by Mike Lupica: There's a reason his teammates call him "True." For basketball phenom Drew Robinson, there is nothing more true than his talent on the court. It's the kind that comes along once in a generation and is loaded with perks--and with problems.  Before long, True buys in to his own hype, much to the chagrin of his mother, who wants to keep her boy's head grounded--and suddenly trouble has a way of finding him. That is, until a washed-up former playground legend steps back onto the court and takes True under his wing.  New Teen Fiction Lupica

Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles series) by Marissa Meyer:  Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing.  It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life.  When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her.  As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder.  Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, and her prisoner.  New Teen Fiction Meyer

The 13th Sign by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb:  What if there was a 13th zodiac sign?  You're no longer Sagittarius, but Ophiuchus, the healer, the 13th sign.  Your personality has changed, and so has your mom's and your best friend's.  But what about the rest of the world?  What if you were the one who accidentally unlocked the 13th sign, causing this world-altering change, and infuriating the other 12 signs?  Jalen did it, and now she must use every ounce of her strength and cunning to send the signs back where they belong.  Lives, including her own, depend upon it.  New Teen Fiction Tubb

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Just One Day by Gayle Forman:  When sheltered American good girl Allyson "LuLu" Healey first meets laid-back Dutch actor Willem De Ruiter at an underground performance of Twelfth Night in England, there’s an undeniable spark.  After just one day together, that spark bursts into a flame, or so it seems to Allyson, until the following morning, when she wakes up after a whirlwind day in Paris to discover that Willem has left.  Over the next year, Allyson embarks on a journey to come to terms with the narrow confines of her life, and through Shakespeare, travel, and a quest for her almost-true-love, to break free of those confines.  New Teen Fiction Forman

Panic by Sharon M. Draper:  Diamond knows not to get into a car with a stranger. But what if the stranger is well-dressed and handsome? On his way to meet his wife and daughter? And casting a movie that very night—a movie in need of a star dancer? What then?   Then Diamond might make the wrong decision. It’s a nightmare come true: Diamond Landers has been kidnapped. She was at the mall with a friend, alone for only a few brief minutes—and now she’s being held captive, forced to endure horrors beyond what she ever could have dreamed, while her family and friends experience their own torments and wait desperately for any bit of news.   New Teen Fiction Draper

 

Requiem (Delirium series) by Lauren Oliver:  In this exciting finale to the Delirum trilogy, Lena, now an active member of the resistance, has transformed.  The nascent rebellion that was underway in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution, and Lena is at the center of the fight.  After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds.  But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven.  Pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids.  Regulators infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out the rebels.  As Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain of the Wilds, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancée of the young mayor.  Requiem is told from both Lena and Hana's points of view. They live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.  New Teen Fiction Oliver