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This week's focus is on "What Teens Like: Geeky Books, Science Fiction and Fantasy." Well, sign me up, because I enjoy these things too! Some of my favorite books and short stories as a teen dealt with other worlds/alternate realities (The Giver, The Lottery), fantastic situations (The Most Dangerous Game) and possibilities (Einstein's Dreams). I'm excited to see that the tradition continues with today's teens.

GEEKY BOOKS (said with love)

De La Peña, Matt. (2019.) Superman: Dawnbreaker. New York City, New York: Random House.

Plot Summary: Superman: Dawnbreaker is the fourth book in the wildly popular DC Icons series. This story, which addresses the struggles of immigrants, covers Superman’s youth and the development of his powers while battling evil in his hometown of Smallville. 

Where I found it: I found this on the recommendation of Christina Dufour, the Teen Room Librarian at Thayer Public Library in Braintree.

Why I chose it: I chose it because my husband is a big DC Comics and Marvel fan, and I hoped that this book would interest him. It hasn’t - YET!

Oliver, Lauren. (2016.) Delirium. New York City, New York: HarperCollins.

Plot Summary: In this future, love is the enemy...it is the cause of humanity’s destruction. Therefore, at the age of 18, each teen receives “The Cure,” courtesy of the government. Lena is totally on-board with this plan, until she meets rebel Alex with 95 days to go before her appointment.

Where I found it: I found Delirium on a top 10 list of YA dystopian books.

Why I chose it: Dystopian novels seriously stress me out. I googled top dystopian YA novels, and I came upon a list from Epic Reads called “10 Dystopian Books to Read if You Hate Dystopian.” It sounded promising - unfortunately, the explanations alone caused my heart rate to spike. This book seemed like the least stressful and most manageable of the 10!

Eshbaugh, Julie. (2016.) Ivory and Bone. New York City, New York: HarperTeen. 

Plot Summary: Ivory and Bone, which  is set in prehistoric days, is loosely based on Pride & Prejudice Kol, who is 17, meets Mya when she and her family join Kol’s family’s clan. Once Lo, who has a violent history with Mya, arrives, tensions between the clans erupt. Who is Kol loyal to? Who does he trust?

Where I found it: I found this at the Thayer Public Library in Braintree.

Why I chose it: Not going to lie. I had my daughters with me at the library, and they were starting to cause mayhem, and then my 16-month-old grabbed someone’s papers and ran away, giggling...and this book’s cover looked like a solution!

THINGS GEEKS CARE ABOUT

Kamberg, Mary-Lane. (2019.) Digital Identity: Your Reputation Online. New York City, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 

Plot Summary: Digital Identity: Your Reputation Online covers topics related to a digital reputation: it introduces a digital footprint, explains how someone’s browsing behavior can affect the articles and ads they see on their screen, tells people how to “clean up” their footprint, and more.

Where I found it: I found it at the library, in the non-fiction section.

Why I chose it: I believe a book like this should be required reading for everyone. While experts might find it to be a bit simple, I think that everyone could take away at least one point (if not many) from this small book. In addition, unlike similar books that cover the same topic, this book includes activities, a glossary, contacts for more information, and a bibliography.


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