Teen Review-Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba

Hi my name is Abryana, I am 13 years old and I go to the west end library in Pittsburgh. I love anime and manga, and I want to share it to you:)

 

 

 

 

 

Death Note-Tsugumi Ohba

 

I love this anime series!!

It is about a straight A high school student named Light Yagami who finds a notebook outside of his class room. Being curious, he picks it up and finds what it was about. It said Death Note in the front. He skimmed though the beginning of the notebook, and he thought that it was a sick prank. But even though he thought that, he brought to his house to read more about it. It said that “The person’s name that is written in this book shall die.”

Half disbelieving, he watched the news and found out a criminal was holding hostages in a nursery home. He wonder what would happen if he wrote his name in the notebook. So then a few minutes later thinking hard about it, he decided to put his name in the note book. In exactly 40 seconds later the criminal dropped dead!

Light was stunned but still he thought it was by luck. Later on in the day he did the same thing with another criminal and the same results happened! Now he believes that the Death Note is real, and he is using it to purify the world. He said that he wanted to be the “god of the new world.”

Suddenly, Light started to write the names of criminals who are the most notorious in the world. He started to kill 5 criminals a day then later on he started to kill 25 a day!! A  Shinigami (a god of death) showed up and warned Light what will happen to him when he dies. The public started to notice and the police too.

The police are doing everything in their power to stop it, but now they are desperate and begged a legendary detective nicknamed L. Now the battle between Light Yagami and L begins.

Teen Review:Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Samantha – Hi! I’m a 6th grader and really excited to be blogging. I LOVE to read and write so I’m most likely going to have a lot of posts. I’ll give you the most honest reviews possible. I hope you read them!

 

 

Requiem-Lauren Oliver

In our modern day world, we have many non-concrete things, like peace, friendship, and most of all, love. But, in this story there is no love. Love is claimed to be a disease, deliria. To avoid the spread of deliria, every citizen must get a procedure once they are old enough, but it doesn’t always work.  This is the world in the Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver.

A girl named Lena grew up around deliria. Her mother was killed because of it. The first book, Delirium, begins with Lena wanting nothing more than to get her procedure and be an emotionless zombie like everyone else. Lena was so set on her brain-dead goal, until she met Alex. Lena and Alex fell in love. They planned to escape to the wilds, the only place where love is allowed. When their plan went wrong, they got caught. Alex died, but Lena made it out.

A lot of stuff happens between then and the third book, but, to sum it up, Lena thought Alex died.  She fell in love with another boy named Julian in the second book, Pandemonium, and helped Julian come to the wilds with her.

Requiem begins when Lena and Alex joined a new group and discovered Alex was there. He never died, and he felt betrayed by Lena. Requiem is all about Lena and Alex coming back together, whereas, the first two books are all about their earlier time together and apart. Lena and Alex’s group decided to attack the love-free zombies. Throughout the rest of the story, they met new people and slowly fell in love again.

Do they love each other in the end? Read the story to find out.

I liked this book because it flipped back and forth from different people’s point of view. One thing would happen, and you got to hear several sides of it. Lauren Oliver really knows how to grab a reader’s attention, I couldn’t put the book down!

Teen Review: Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

Samantha – Hi! I’m a 6th grader and really excited to be blogging. I LOVE to read and write so I’m most likely going to have a lot of posts. I’ll give you the most honest reviews possible. I hope you read them!

Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

In your life, have you ever had someone who just understands you? Someone who you can just tell everything and they will listen? In this story, a girl named Katie Takeshima has a person like that; it’s her sister. Her sister Lynn taught her to look at everything and find how it is kira-kira (Japanese for glittering), she taught her how to look at everything and find its magnificence. Lynn was practically Katie’s role model, (as older siblings mostly are); Katie did what Lynn did, agreed to what Lynn agreed etc., etc. As the girls got older, they moved to Georgia. They didn’t fit in; they were one of the only Japanese families in the town. Lynn made friends while Katie didn’t. Lynn got too busy for Katie; Katie was never busy enough for Lynn. The two drifted apart. One day Lynn got sick, and there was no going back to their lives before.

I loved this book because it explained the bond of two sisters, a bond that could not be broken. Throughout the course of the book, I felt myself relating to some of the characters. I felt like I could relate because this book is about other things too, like fitting in, financial troubles and new siblings. Overall, those problems are the problems that the majority of us have to deal with every day.  

Teen Review: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Hi!  I’m Anastasia.  I’m a senior at Carrick High School and I volunteer at the Carrick Library, though most of my time is spent reading or writing.

As I am currently in an AP Literature class in school, we often end up reading a lot of books.  Many of which are rather good, but recently I had to read Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness which proved to be a disappointment to me.  The book revolves around the ivory trade in Africa when Europe began to colonize and split up the region.  Many would describe the book as prejudiced, but I found myself too confused by the narrator to notice this.  I’m not sure if it was because I was tired or if I was unable to read the book as I would like, but I was often struggling to find what exactly the narrator was talking about.  One moment he was on the boat and in the next it appeared he wasn’t, or was he?  I found myself confused a lot of the time.  The story also brought about a lot of rumors concerning the antagonist, Mr. Kurtz, but in the end it appeared he was nothing more than a sickly old man.  I was at a loss to interpret this phenomenon – was he sick due to greed’s effect on him and the things he had done?  The book built his personality on rumors and other character’s accounts, so perhaps the irony of a sickly man was too much for me.  For all its faults, however, Heart of Darkness wasn’t necessarily bad.  It used a lot of intense imagery that added to the feel of the book, and it described the savage nature of man when it comes to greed and dominance very well, but something about the book just didn’t fit with me.  Maybe, at another time, I will have to reread it and give it another shot.

Teen Review:Upstate: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon

Hey, my name is Fatemia but i prefer to be called Temia. I am from Rochester NY. I love sports except hockey my favorite sport is track. I go to school at Pittsburgh Brashear High school. I love to read and write. I’m 15 years old and determined to finish High school. I love to go to the library to spare my time. When i finish high school i want to go to college to become a prosecutor.

Upstate: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon

This book is about two young teenagers male and female that really love one another. Antonio is the male teenager his mother is in a physically abusive relationship with Antonio and his younger brother’s father. Antonio’s father was eventually killed, and the question that everyone is asking themselve is who did it and why was he killed? Natasha who is the female is in a relationship with Antonio , their love for each other is put to a test. Why is their love put to a test? Why don’t you find out?

In certain parts of the book it got kind of boring but then it got exciting.  Other than the boring parts I really loved this book. If you would like to know more about Upstate, well, you have to find out yourself.

Teen Review: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

My name is Jenna. I go to a high school where I’m part of the marching band and the cheerleading squad. I’m pretty busy, but I always find time to read. I’m also very creative and I like doing little crafts out of random things I find.

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Already a lover of the Perfect Chemistry novels, I knew I would love this conclusion to the trilogy. Keep in mind that you could understand the plot of Chain Reaction without reading the first two novels.

Luis Fuentes comes from a family of gang members. His two older brothers, Alex and Carlos, were both involved in the Latino Blood, but the LB is a Chicago gang and Luis now lives in Colorado for the sole reason of avoiding the gang. Luis thought he was safe, but when his mother forces him to move back to Chicago, Luis knows that involvement in the gang is inevitable, despite his family’s protests and his new girlfriend, Nikki’s, love.

This novel is told between two perspectives, Luis’ and Nikki’s, and readers will experience unexpected surprises in both of these young people’s lives. Nikki is falling in love again and Luis discovers the true reason why it seems he has a deep connection with the Latino Blood. The climax of this book will shock everybody. Also, if you were a reader of the previous novels, the epilogue to this book will satisfy and give closure.

If you like a forbidden love story and acceptance of others and yourself, Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles is the novel for you.

World Kindness Day

I bet you didn’t know that today is World Kindness Day.  I didn’t know it either until a few days ago, but I think it’s a great idea.  The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation has a great website with ideas about how you can help and get involved in your community, cards and bookmarks, and resources about how kindness can make you a happier and healthier person.  And the best part is that it is FREE and EASY to practice kindness.  It can be as simple as smiling or saying hello to someone.

The Library is also a great place to turn for ideas about kindness.  You can volunteer at one of your local branches,  find a great book about kindness, or even go shopping to help the Library and the community!  Here are some great examples of items we have that can help you on your journey to be a kinder person:

 Do One Nice Thing:Little Things You Can Do To Make the World a Lot Nicer by Debbie Tenzer.  Debbie Tenzer is the founder of a website (DoOneNiceThing.com) that focuses on how making small improvements can make a big difference to the world around you.  Her website has a bunch of great ideas and stories, including ways to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy.  In her book, she offers a bunch of easy ideas that people can do to help that won’t take much time or money.  This is a great resource for anyone who is looking for simple ways to practice kindness.

The Power of Small: Why Little Things Make All the Difference by Linda Kaplan Thayer and Robin Koval.  The authors are  advertising executives who offer a number of stories how the smallest acts can influence the biggest decisions.

Jim-CLP Sheraden

Football Season: Allderdice Dragons

Hi, my name is Jamir and I’m a sophomore at Taylor Allderdice High School. This summer I volunteered at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Hazelwood. I’m interested in hanging out with friends and doing group activities like sports and social networking.

I play wide receiver for the Allderdice Dragons. The reason why I’m interested in sports is because it keeps me out of trouble and helps keep my grades up in school. Every year many of our programs win the championship from football to lacrosse because of hard work, sportsmanship and great chemistry. So if anyone else is interested in playing any type of sport I recommend Allderdice because all programs are great and hard working.

If you are not interested playing a high school sport you can always come to the games to support your team. The Allderdice Dragons home games are always at George K. Cupples Stadium on the Southside.  The first home game is Friday, September 7th at 7:00 pm! You can check out the game schedule here!

Teen Review: The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses at Heinz Hall

Hi, I’m Henry. Since I was born 16 years ago, my biggest claim to fame has been winning the state geography bee in 2009. I run cross country and track for Seton-La Salle High School. I play trombone in the school’s marching band and am a member of the Mock Trial and Academic Games teams. I like to read the Greeks and Romans, and I love opera.

Heinz Hall: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

As I arrived at Heinz Hall Friday evening, I couldn’t help noticing a number of things I normally do not see here. One of the most conspicuous of these was the select number of the audience who arrived dressed for the occasion in green caps that made them look like as if they were decorations in the spirit of the music we were to hear. All in all, the crowd generally seemed to have been drawn more by the “Zelda” in the title than the “symphony.”

The stage was dominated by a very large screen suspended over the orchestra’s chairs. When the conductor, a Ms. Eí mear Noone began the music, the screen showed screenshots from different games of the Zelda franchise. The images on the screen evoked laughter from time to time among the audience in general, but I, having never played a game in the franchise, was not sure when and why to laugh.

At the beginning of the symphony, I resented the screen as an unnecessary distraction; by intermission, I was curiously mesmerized by it. It was a very different experience from when I’ve been there for more conventional works. I think it would be detrimental to some works whose music is attractive enough to sustain interest (in my case, music of Mozart and his generation); for others which I do not care for as much (e.g., Bruckner, Debussy, Wagner, etc.) it would almost certainly hold my attention better.

The music itself presented, I think, did not need such sideshows. It was, as is much video game music, catchy and facile (in the best sense of that word). The main theme was repeated innumerable times, but not ad nauseam. The style of the music defied categorization, but I would call it modern if I had to call it anything. My personal favorites were the first two movements, which were respectively descriptive of a dungeon and a pastoral village in the universe of Link and Zelda.

In its entirety, I thought the show was better than average, and not merely for the novelty of the staging or the unusual music (or, perhaps, in spite of them). The quality of the music was overall very good, and, as usual, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra showed us the reasons why it is so highly acclaimed.

Teen Influences: The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

Hi! My name is Noori, and I am going to be a senior at The Ellis School.  I live near the middle of nowhere, my taste in music is a tad on the eccentric side, I love photography, I’m absolutely obsessed with the 1920′s, I love to read poetry and also really wish that I had the talent actually write some, I love shopping, and I do not have any pets, though I would love to have a cat! I have always loved to read, & I read as many different types of books as possible, although my favorites are mostly classics.  One of my favorite authors, F. Scott Fitzgerald, once said, ““That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”, and I could not agree more.  Reading is more than a hobby for me – it is a passion.  It’s endless entertainment, and it is always engaging. 

English wasn’t always my favorite subject.  Honestly, I recall absolutely hating it until 9^th grade. At my school, English was never really a grammar based class.  It was always more of a literature class.  I think people eventually come upon something (in my case it was a book) which initially pulls them into a subject. I mean, I did always read a lot, even when I was little, but I did not enjoy reading classic literature.  Honestly, what kid in middle school really does? I think that my love for literature and, in turn, my love for English class can all be brought back to one initial book that lured me in.

The summer before 9^th grade, we had to read The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger.  For people who have not read it, the novel covers two days in the life of Holden Caulfield, a tall and skinny, anxious and depressed teenager who flunks out of boarding school.  Salinger’s Holden Caulfield is so relatable for teenagers, probably because he is one himself. Like one of my favorite Fitzgerald quotes above states of literature, the novel left me feeling both engaged and connected with the dialogue and characters. As Holden wanders through New York City, utterly lost while still so cocky in his attitude towards others, I saw someone who I could relate to.  Though the average teenager, myself included, does not feel nearly as mentally unstable as Holden probably is, one does feel a bit of reassurance in Holden’s nihilistic attitude.  Clichés present adolescence as a time of “finding oneself” – most teenagers would more likely agree that it is a time of being lost. Arguably, these two things may be the same, but there is a difference in the outlook, a difference in perspective. Being a teenager means feeling sort of lost, and through Holden Caulfield, one realizes that though he/she may feel lost, he/she is not alone.  Reading a book is like taking a trip through someone else’s mind.  Through this, we find similarities and we have the ability to see differences in the ways in which people think.  I think that this makes reading a very vital activity, because through reading, one acquires a better understanding of both him or herself and people in general.  Reading makes us more understanding of people, their emotions, situations, behavior, etc., and, in turn, we become more empathetic.

The Catcher in the Rye led me to a revelation that literature is not always stuffy.  I guess it was a sort of literary awakening!  I realized that literature isn’t just about old dead people doing boring things a long time ago – it is interesting and relevant. Literature does not mean always reading books like Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, where everything clearly seems like it occurred a long time ago.  That being said, I’m not saying that either of those two novels is any less credible.  They are just harder to relate to initially – at least they were for me.  The Catcher in the Rye acted as a sort of gateway to more classic literature for me.  After reading this book, I began to enjoy English class.  I loved discussing it, because I felt like I really understood the book’s meaning and its purpose.  In the words of Holden, English class no longer felt “phony” to me – I finally felt like I could have a connection to the books that I read.  Soon after, I began reading more and more, and I began to love all of it.  I graduated from The Catcher in the Rye to books like Lolita, Crime and Punishment, Wuthering Heights, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, and almost every book that  F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway have ever written.  The Catcher in the Rye introduced me into a literature in a way that made all of those books that we hear about, that sound so pretentious, distant, and scary, relatable and real. Now I know that I want to major in English Literature in college, and I owe it to this one book for developing my interest and passion. That begin said, I think that The Catcher in the Rye is a book that everyone should read.  Even if you don’t normally read much and you feel like reading doesn’t really interest you, I strongly recommend giving it a chance! You never know how one relatively small book could impact you.