Real teens speak! Olivia & Sofia, 11

Friends Olivia and Sofia, both 11, are major fantasy fans and visit the library constantly to check out the latest fantasy titles! 


Olivia thinks "fantasy books are very exciting and they just seem more interesting than real life because real life can get really boring!"


Sofia likes to read fantasy books "because they're always adventurous and very different from what you do in real life, and so this is different, and it's cool that people write books about things we might not experience because we get to open ourselves up to new worlds!"

Real teens speak! Serena, 13

I talked to thirteen year old Serena, to learn more about the kinds of fantasy books she likes the most. She told me "I like when fantasy and reality are entwined because I don't like just a fantasy world. I like when it's kind of my world too! I like a blend of stuff because if it's one certain type it gets boring. And I don't like reading things about unicorns and fairies!"

Serena just started reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs because she saw the book trailer on the author's Youtube Channel. See if it piques your curiosity! 

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: Director's Cut!" Online Posting. YouTube, 7 June 2011. Web. 29 November 2011.

The Magician's Nephew and Real Teens Speak! Olivia, 13

Annotation: A prequel installment of The Chronicles of Narnia series explores the origins of the fantasy world Narnia, when a set of magical rings launches two young children from London on an adventure exploring fantastical worlds, waking an evil witch and fighting to protect the new world and return home.

Book Talk:

You might have thought the Chronicles of Narnia began when Lucy Pevensie stumbled through the wardrobe during the game of hide and seek in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. But the truth is that the story began much earlier, when Professor Kirke, owner of the wardrobe, was just a boy. While playing in his London neighborhood, young Digory and his new pal Polly accidentally stumble upon Uncle Andrew dabbling secretly in magic! Uncle Andrew produces a yellow ring and when Polly touches it she disappears! Digory follows after her by touching a second yellow ring, but not before receiving two additional green rings from Uncle Andrew, with the promise they can be used to return from other worlds!

In the first new world, Digory and Polly learn they can explore even more worlds still, travelling among connected pools of water. But such travel is not without risks! Unable to resist the temptation to ring a bell bearing a curious riddle, Digory awakens Jadis, an evil witch! Frightened by the witch and her ruined world, the children try to escape using the power of the rings, but Jadis latches on to them and the trio set off on an adventure through worlds that sets in motion the creation of Narnia by Aslan and the transformation of Jadis into a witch even more treacherous who will threaten Narnia for years to come.

But when challenged with one final temptation, can Digory find the strength to resist it? And will he and Polly get the chance to find out if the green rings will really transport them home to London? Plus, learn how the old lamppost came to stand in Narnia and where the legendary magical wardrobe really came from!

Olivia is 13 and she read The Chronicles of Narnia a few years ago. She also acted in a play inspired by The Chronicles at summer camp. Olivia “liked reading all the Chronicles of Narnia because they're adventurous; they're just fun! And I liked the interesting characters because their names are cool. I like how imagined it all is!”

Awards:

ALA Notable Children’s Book

Lewis, C.S. The Magician’s Nephew. New York: Scholastic, 1955. Print.

Image courtesy of http://www.cenacle.com.au/

Real teens speak! Caroline, 13

Thirteen year 8th grader Caroline's favorite literary genres are Sci-Fi and Fantasy. With Sci-Fi she likes that "you always have to understand what you're reading and it's scholarly and you can also learn things, but it's also fun because it has mutated creatures with superpowers and stuff!" When she's reading Fantasy, Caroline likes "the escape from the real world because I'm always busy, I'm always studying, but then when you read Fantasy books it's so out of this world, so completely different; it's a total escape!"

The Hunger Games and Real teens speak! Brittany, 13

Annotation: A teenage girl in a dystopian fantasy world struggles with the inhumanity of being forced to fight other teens to the death in an annual battle to commemorate the dominance of the Capitol city over the districts she and the other competitors represent.

Book Talk:

The reaping has begun. Every year you’ve gathered here alongside everyone else from District 12, waiting to hear the names of the two children selected. You don’t bother hoping for an outcome because there can be no acceptable outcome. If your name isn’t called, then it will be the names of two of your friends, or worse, your brother or sister. And then the unlucky pair will be off to the Capitol, thrust into the arena to battle your way through a rigged fight to the death against the tributes from all the other districts. It doesn’t matter that this has happened every year of your life, as a reminder from the Capitol that the communities in the Districts like yours must always suffer and never again rebel; it will never feel anything less than sickening.

For Katniss Everdeen, the worst possible name is reaped. And in a shocking twist, she boldly volunteers herself as tribute, to protect those she loves most. But now she has to leave her friends, family and home behind and be transported immediately to The Capitol where a team awaits to transform and train her for the battle ahead. Katniss’s experience hunting illegally in the woods around District 12 has prepared her well and her archery skills make her a fierce opponent. But in the arena things are much more complicated that she expected and some tributes are harder to view as enemies and targets than others.

“Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to…to show the Capitol they don’t own me. That I’m more than just a piece in their Games.”

Can Katniss stay safe from the tributes who would kill her without a second thought? Can she find the nerve to turn off her conscience and ignore her humanity to kill other weaker tributes who stand in her way? Or will she choose the most risky course of all and undertake an unprecedented strategy for survival that could challenge the very core of The Hunger Games?

Brittany, age 13 loves Fantasy. She likes all genres of literature, but fantasy is her absolute favorite, so it’s no surprise that she’s a huge fan of The Hunger Games Trilogy! Brittany loves this trilogy because “It just never stops! And there’s a little bit of everything for everyone, from action to romance!” Brittany also likes the setting of the Hunger Games and “the whole idea of another world, or the future.”


Britney is eagerly awaiting the forthcoming Hunger Games movie and after you read the book, you probably will be too! Check out the new trailer!

"The Hunger Games HD Theatrical Trailer" Online Posting. Youtube, 14 November 2011. Web. 29 November 2011.

Awards:

• ALA Amelia Bloomer Project List 2009
• ALA Notable Children’s Book
• ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
• Amazon Best Books Top 100 Editors’ Pick 2008
• Amazon Best Books Top 10 Books: Teens 2008
• Barnes and Noble Best Books for Teens and Kids 2008
• Borders Best Books for Teens 2008
• Booklist Editors’ Choice 2008
• California Young Reader Medal 2011
• CCBC Choices 2009
• Children’s Indie Next List #1 Pick 2008/2009
• Cybil Winner for fantasy and science-fiction 2008
• Golden Duck Award for Young Adult Fiction 2009
• Horn Book Fanfare
• Indies Choice Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book Honor
• Kirkus Best Book of 2008
• LA Times Favorite Children’s Books 2008
• New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
• New York Times Notable Children’s Book of the Year 2008
• Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year 2008
• School Library Journal’s Best Books 2008
• YALSA Teen’s Top Ten 2009

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008. Print.

Image courtesy of http://bookobsessiongpl.blogspot.com/

Real teens speak! Zach, 13

Thirteen year old Zack can't get enough fantasy books! When asked why fantasy is his favorite genre, Zack replied "I like how it's on the outside different than our world, but the characters are essentially the same."

Zack is so right! Even though fantasy books can take us to other worlds, the characters face challenges that lots of teens face everyday too!